Sovereign of the Ashes

Before leaving Western Archipelago, Sein spoke with Leena and Faye.

Although Sein had already told Leena all of this many times while they were in the Knight Continent’s trial zone, he felt the need to repeat himself—and Leena did not mind hearing it again.

His conversation with Faye was much shorter than with Leena, but the advice he gave was blunt.

“Release those slaves you’re keeping in your underground lab if you no longer need them,” he urged Faye.

He did not wish to see her reduced to a pure black mage.

Faye, having also heard the giant mermaid’s admonitions, understood Sein’s intentions clearly.

She nodded solemnly, taking his advice seriously.

In Blackhaven, black mages’ intense interest in human anatomy and bloodline research led to significant advancements in the synthesis of undead chimeras, necromancy spells, summoning, and more.

External constraints were a major driver of this focus.

Not all mages naturally gravitated toward anatomy and bloodline studies; the isolation and resource scarcity in Blackhaven had limited their research options.

Given these conditions, biological research, bloodline modification, undead chimera synthesis, necromancy, and undead summoning were popular choices.

These resources, derived from the native creatures of the Magus World, were available in abundance.

In Blackhaven, nearly every black tower maintained its own catacomb and deliberately nurtured a magic beast forest.

This was not merely to cater to the darker inclinations of some black mages. Instead, these resources were easily cultivated and sustainable.

Thanks to Sein’s assistance, Faye found herself with an abundance of resources, which meant there was no need for her to delve into unfamiliar fields such as bloodline modification or undead chimera synthesis.

After some thought, Sein decided to leave her an alchemy puppet to serve her.

It had once belonged to Morsidor and had assisted with household chores when Sein was still an initiate.

After moving to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein was too preoccupied with his experiments to utilize the alchemy puppet.

Moreover, with Selina attending to his daily needs, the puppet no longer had a role to play.

Thus, handing the metallic puppet over to Faye seemed the most appropriate decision.

However, Faye apparently did not fully understand Sein’s intentions. To her, keeping a few slaves to serve her seemed inconsequential, provided she did not harm them.

After examining Sein’s gift, she remarked, “I’ll give it to Zorro. I bet he’ll appreciate this puppet. It had probably served Master Morsidor for longer than we’ve been his apprentices.”

Sein was initially taken aback by Faye’s suggestion but ultimately concurred with her reasoning.

***

The atmosphere before the group parted ways was undoubtedly tinged with sadness.

Yet, when Sein actually set foot on the road to leave the Western Archipelago, he found himself shedding the sadness he had previously felt.

Perhaps this change was due to the peace of mind he experienced after meeting with Leena and the others and learning about their current circumstances.

Sein and Leena now shared a common motivation—to unravel the mysteries of spatial magic as quickly as possible, so they could reunite in the Undead World in the future.

Given the progress in Leena’s research, that time might not be far off.

Optimistically, a breakthrough could occur in as little as fifteen years, or at most, thirty years.

For Rank One beings with lifespans nearing a thousand years, this was not a long wait.

Moreover, Sein and Leena were on the verge of advancing to Rank Two, where the theoretical lifespan for mages of this rank extended to three thousand years.

***

Across the ocean, from the Western Archipelago to the East Coast, Sein’s mode of transportation was a giant ocean crab nearly four hundred meters in size.

This creature could arguably be classified as a sea king, though it was not as massive or as powerful as those Sein had encountered previously, especially compared to White Stella’s pets.

Even so, this four-hundred-meter-tall creature still possessed a Rank Three life level.

In the Magus World, where Rank Four creatures rarely appear openly, this crab was undeniably a formidable presence in the local waters.

Originally, Tourmaline had planned to personally escort Sein, but he politely declined.

Sein knew he should not exploit his friendship with Tourmaline. Besides, a brief separation could strengthen their bond instead.

Tourmaline had also promised Sein that she would visit the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in the future.

After knowing Tourmaline for so many years, Sein knew he could trust her word.

As he traversed the ocean atop the giant crab, he made good use of his time and managed to set up several makeshift laboratories on its expansive back.

Recently, Sein was mostly experimenting with the narwhal oil obtained from the northern ocean.

By combining the oil with various supplementary ingredients, he created special potions for his body tempering experiments.

He named these concoctions “Ice Burning Potions”, and, to his surprise, the outcomes of his body tempering experiments had exceeded his expectations.

“Let’s commence the thirteenth Ice Burning Body Tempering Experiment,” Sein instructed Yuri, leaning against the experimental rack.

Ever since Sein left the Knight Continent, Yuri, Sev, and Elisa had been able to freely access his spatial storage equipment.

Leena had met Yuri and Sev.

To express her gratitude for Sev’s assistance to Sein, she had crafted a dark crystal necklace that now adorned the owl’s neck.

Leena remained indifferent to the presence of the female engineer and the mermaid around Sein.

She felt secure about her position in Sein’s heart and saw no need to monopolize his attention.

Despite having never met Selina or seen Marie in such a long time, Leena had prepared gifts for Sein to take back to them.

The only exception was Eileen, whom Leena chose to ignore.

She had learned from Sein that Eileen had once expressed a desire to become his spouse and start a family with him.

As a matter of principle, Leena refused to back down.

It had been over twenty years since Yuri had assisted Sein with his experiments, so she had gotten somewhat rusty. On top of that, she appeared a bit nervous.

Small beads of sweat formed on her forehead and chest.

“Is the room getting too warm?” she wondered to herself.