Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein did not spend too much time exchanging pleasantries with Luna.

Their conversation was brief, mainly because they were not well acquainted and their meeting was purely driven by mutual benefits.

Through Lorianne, Sein understood that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s purchase of enslaved creatures from Luna’s tribe was inevitable.

The question was not whether to buy, but how many to purchase.

If Lorianne were to conquer that low-level dendro elemental plane, two hundred thousand enslaved creatures would not suffice. The demand could escalate to as many as three or even four hundred thousand.

This figure was near the limit of what Luna’s centaur tribe could supply in the short term.

Although Luna’s tribe could acquire slaves at low costs from other tribes in Centaurworld, they could not sustain numbers beyond their current capacity.

Even meeting the most basic food requirements would impose an exceedingly heavy burden.

On this occasion, Sein had come to the commercial area of the divine tower mainly to finalize terms with Luna on Lorianne’s behalf.

The exceptionally low prices Luna’s tribe offered had greatly pleased Lorianne.

Since Luna was Sein’s connection, it made sense for him to act as her proxy in the negotiations.

Given the scale of the potential deal, he could also earn a small profit from the transaction of hundreds of thousands of enslaved creatures.

Lorianne approved of her apprentice receiving a small commission, provided it would not impact the divine tower’s transactions.

However, Sein never had any intention of doing so, primarily because he was inexperienced in such matters and was not in dire need of money.

After a brief polite conversation with the Rank Two centaur, Sein suddenly recalled something and asked, “What is the total population of your tribe?”

Population size often indicated a centaur tribe’s strength.

Luna was able to quickly respond to Sein’s question.

“Our tribe’s direct lineage alone numbers two million—each a valiant and athletic warrior. In addition, we are supported by over a dozen smaller centaur tribes. In the event of war, we can mobilize up to twenty million warriors. Therefore, Master Sein, there’s no need to doubt our strength. In the southern part of the Centaurworld, only a few clans can rival ours,” Luna replied proudly.

Sein was sure that she had exaggerated parts of her statements. However, one undeniable truth remained—all centaurs, regardless of gender, possessed formidable combat skills.

Their population size directly reflected the military force they could deploy.

Even the oldest and youngest centaurs demonstrated superior archery skills to those of other races.

On the slave market, an adult centaur’s price was four times that of a minotaurling.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had planned on buying inexpensive creatures like minotaurlings from the centaurs as cannon fodder.

Should the count exceed four hundred thousand, Luna and her companions would need to return and prepare accordingly.

Of course, it would be better if the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring could provide an upfront deposit.

Unfortunately, Lorianne was unlikely to have enough magicoins for the deposit until the payments from the three knightly orders were secured.

For now, the arrangement would have to rely on credit and preliminary guarantees.

Since Luna and her tribe were interested in aligning more closely with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, this was an opportunity for them to invest and demonstrate their sincerity.

No situation is perfect. While the Divine Tower of Spring had chosen to rely on Luna and her tribe, these centaurs were also faced with a choice.

Luna felt somewhat disheartened by her inability to secure an exact deposit from Sein.

Moreover, she was troubled by the prospect of Sein’s vague promise, which could potentially involve the purchase of over half a million enslaved beings.

This situation required Luna to return and brief her mother and the others to start preparations.

It was improbable that they would prepare more than half a million slaves at once, but a contingent of two to three hundred thousand was feasible.

After all, Luna and her tribe had committed to invest in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Two to three hundred thousand minotaurlings should be manageable in the short term, given their tribe’s formidable strength.

Luna continued to weigh the implications in her mind.

Despite hailing from Centaurworld, Luna was remarkably astute with a strong aptitude for numbers.

Blessed with the direct lineage of the tribe’s demigod centaurs, she was far sharper than many outsiders presumed, especially since she was being groomed to eventually assume the role of tribe chief.

Once her mother died of old age, the leadership of the tribe would transition to Luna once she achieved Rank Three.

Such a succession rooted firmly in the bloodline brought stability amidst the turbulent dynamics of Centaurworld.

Observing Luna’s pensive expression beneath her white veil, Sein asked coolly, “Given your tribe’s strength, would you be interested in collaborating with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring to capitalize on wartime opportunities on a particular plane?”

“Uh... Huh...? I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Luna asked, seemingly distracted.

She had heard him clearly but needed a moment to grasp the full intent of his words.

The handsome Rank Two mage from the Magus World shook his head and said, “Our partnership should extend beyond mere trades involving magicoins. Since your tribe is formidable, why not join forces with us? You could provide the manpower and enslaved creatures, while we supply the mages and intel on the planes we aim to conquer.”

“Engaging in a war, even for a small part of the spoil, could be far more lucrative than simply earning hundreds of thousands of magicoins, don’t you think?” Sein fixed his sharp gaze on Luna as he spoke.

His proposal visibly stirred Luna.

Yet, she remained cautious, lowering her head to reply, “This decision is beyond my authority. I must discuss it with my mother and the elders of my tribe before proceeding.”

Sein nodded and said, “Take your time. You can give them a heads-up. The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring is preparing to engage in the conquest of a low-level plane called Thunderfall World. Once this interplanar war concludes, we can explore further collaboration.”