Sovereign of the Ashes

Lorianne was in a very good mood after securing a generous magicoin payment from Thunder.

After her nod of approval, they signed a law contract right there.

The binding power of law contracts surpassed the usual magic contracts familiar to Sein and other mages.

This specific contract imposed severe consequences for violators, particularly those above Rank Four, serving as a formidable deterrent.

With the contract finalized, Lorianne committed to returning to the Thunder Pool battlefield in six months before taking her leave.

According to the contract’s stipulations, Lorianne had no entitlement to the post-war spoils of Thunderfall World, sparing her from any obligation to explore the plane’s riches.

Besides, Lorianne’s mana reserve was severely depleted.

Thunder had thoughtfully arranged a resting space for her aboard his space fortress. Her immediate priority was to replenish her mana and focus.

The 2.8 million magicoins were hard-earned, and her task was only half completed.

Gazing skyward, Lorianne sighed.

“He’s not only about to forge his own world-class secret treasure but also possesses a vast space fortress... Sir Thunder seems to be even wealthier than Gregory.”

Despite her calm voice, it was tinged with a certain bitterness—she was, frankly, envious.

***

The Order of the Thunder Knights’ space fortress was notably larger than that of the Order of the Steel Fist.

Though it didn’t match the grandeur of Feylis’ vessel, it stood out as one of the best space fortresses available, exceeding the typical size of those constructed in the Magus World.

The only critique was that its power and magitech capabilities were not fully utilized.

This was partly because the Order of the Thunder Knights lacked a significant number of fortress mages enlisted for cooperative operations.

Additionally, the Order likely did not possess extensive reserves of energy crystals necessary for operating the space fortress to its full potential.

In contrast, Feylis’ fortress could unleash its full firepower, supported by over two hundred thousand registered mages in the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame.

The number of mages that could be mobilized for a typical battle often surpassed a hundred thousand, essential for maximizing a space fortress’ capabilities.

Given that space fortresses were produced by mages, they were inherently more adept at operating these war platforms than knights.

Upon arriving at the accommodation arranged for her within the fortress, Lorianne chose not to immediately enter a meditative rest. Instead, she sent a message to Sein, requesting his presence.

During the last Viridian Venom Flame World war, Lorianne had somewhat neglected her apprentice.

Now that Sein had advanced to Rank Two, Lorianne reminded herself to pay more attention to her apprentice’s development and encourage him.

With the knowledge orb she received from Feylis on her last visit, Lorianne was better equipped to assist Sein with his studies.

***

When Sein received Lorianne’s message, he was deep within a mine in the northwest part of the Thunder Domain, searching for materials of particular interest.

The interplanar war had proven lucrative for the victors.

Although the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring would not partake in the post-war spoils of this lower-level plane, it did not prevent the participating mages from profiting during the conflict.

Not just mages like Sein, but also the knights from the three orders had filled their pockets well.

After all, without substantial benefits, what would motivate these ranked knights and mages from the Magus World to venture into Thunderfall World for war?

Ultimately, it all boiled down to a competitive dynamic.

Entities of Rank Four and above like Thunder reaped the rewards and benefits of an entire plane, while lower-ranking knights and mages like Sein focused on the tangible riches before them.

Now that his mentor had personally summoned him, Sein could not continue wasting time on these mundane, intermediate to low-level magic materials.

After bidding farewell to Natalya and the others, he flew directly toward the space fortress.

The two massive space fortresses hovered at the heart of the deepest part of the Thunder Domain, not far from Sein’s location.

In about six months, the command center would launch an attack on the Thunder Pool, and these fortresses would be moved there.

These remaining months were the last opportunity for the knights and mages to scour the Thunder Domain for treasures.

It was no surprise that everyone, including Sein, was more focused on accumulating wealth rather than completing experiment research or other duties.

With the message from the Rank Four mage, Sein swiftly gained access to the Thunder Fortress and made his way directly to Lorianne’s quarters at the top of the fortress.

This was Sein’s first time entering the Thunder Fortress as he had previously resided in the Steel Fist Fortress.

Having experienced life in the Verdant Flame Fortress, the vast and expansive Thunder Fortress did not amaze Sein that much.

The Thunder Fortress provided Lorianne with an exceptionally large residence, easily a hundred times the size of Sein’s quarters in the Steel Fist Fortress.

Upon reuniting with his mentor, Sein could not help but notice the faint signs of fatigue on Lorianne’s face.

It would seem like the battle with the Rank Four King of Garths was a grueling one.

During their meeting, Lorianne’s primary concern was catching up on Sein’s progress over the past three years.

With her millennia of extensive knowledge, she had a vast array of insights that far surpassed Sein’s own.

She meticulously inquired about even the minor events he encountered on the battlefield, showing a keen interest in his wartime activities, especially when she learned that Sein had led a diverse force of knights, mages, and enslaved creatures.

Lorianne was quick to offer praise, ”Not bad at all! When I was involved in the interplanar wars, I mostly just took orders. You’ve shown organizational leadership that surpassed your mentor!”

“You’re flattering me, Master Lorianne,” Sein responded modestly.

Beyond battlefield stories, Lorianne shared some advanced techniques of verdant flame magic with Sein.

Those insights were extremely new to him, so he was both surprised and fascinated, to the point of forgoing sleep and food to stay with his mentor for over a week.

After being promoted to Rank Two and mastering the Elemental Body, mages like Sein could easily go ten days or half a month without rest.

Of course, Lorianne did not intend for Sein to stay long because she too needed time to meditate and refocus.

She chose not to give Sein the knowledge orb, fearing it might overwhelm him with information. Additionally, she did not want to face the situation of having exhausted all her teaching material for Sein.

“This should be enough to keep you busy for a while. Start experimenting when you return, and if you have any questions, you can always come to me,” Lorianne offered.

Sein seemed reluctant to leave but ultimately heeded his mentor’s advice and nodded in agreement.

As he was about to depart, Lorianne brought up an unexpected topic.

“You should hold your wedding with House Ernst as soon as possible,” she advised.