Sovereign of the Ashes

Three years later...

It had been nearly a decade since the Thunderfall World War had concluded.

With the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s official declaration and the various supportive policies of the divine tower, almost all the registered mages were aware of the impending assault on a microplane, known as the Verdant Leaf World.

This would be a solo endeavor by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, meaning no other divine towers or orders of the knights would participate in this interplanar conflict.

Such military initiatives by a single divine tower were no longer common in the recent history of the Magus World’s foreign wars.

Yet, given the inherent weakness of a microplane, the strength of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring should make this a manageable challenge.

Significant developments had unfolded over the last three years.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had grown, enlisting a new cohort of registered full-fledged mages.

As the sole divine tower in the Jewel Sea region, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had gradually become a magnet for talent in the area.

Viridescent Land was actually home to many hedge mages.

When Sein first arrived at the Lysian Alliance, there were several mage councils within the small human alliance, all reportedly established by full-fledged mages.

As the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring expanded its influence in Viridescent Land, the hedge mages who had not yet affiliated themselves with any divine towers were either drawn to join the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring or established a profitable relationship with it.

In recent decades, many full-fledged mages who met the divine tower’s recruitment criteria had already joined its ranks.

Those who met the criteria but hesitated to join were typically either leaders of minor mage councils, reluctant to relinquish their positions and seniority to serve under the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, or lower-status individuals bound by lengthy contracts with their councils, which prevented them from leaving to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

The latter formed the largest segment of hedge mages in Viridescent Land.

Many of these mages had utilized the resources and power of their respective mage councils to advance to Rank One when they were mere magic initiates. Now, they found themselves constrained by what seemed to be unfair contracts.

This practice was not exclusive to smaller mage councils but was also a policy adopted by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Every magic initiate who graduated from divine tower academy, whether ultimately promoted to Rank One or not, had signed a contract with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring upon enrollment.

For those who graduated as Rank One mages, the divine tower would modify the contract to offer them more favorable terms.

The thriving success of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in recent years could be partly attributed to the construction of the Verdant Wave Canal.

Another significant factor was the gradual consolidation of Viridescent Land’s mages toward the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring as it developed over time.

This regional consolidation was a common phase in the lifecycle of every divine tower across the Magus World.

Master Lorianne likely foresaw this potential when she established her divine tower in Viridescent Land—an environment free from competing divine towers and thus more manageable.

Time ultimately favored the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Those full-fledged mages contracted with local mage councils were bound by terms that could not possibly exceed five hundred years.

Once these contracts eventually expired, the mages would likely gravitate toward the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, drawn by its superior resources, wealth, and conveniences—benefits that smaller organizations led by only one or two Rank Two mages could not match.

As for the Rank Three grand mages, only a few dedicated efforts to establish mage councils as a way to gather resources to fund their experimental research, rather than treating such endeavors as their primary business.

After all, every Rank Three grand mage in the Magus World hoped to advance to Rank Four and establish a divine tower.

Driven by this ambition, each Rank Three grand mage meticulously planned their career path.

Becoming the dean of a divine tower academy was among the most prestigious and common careers for a Rank Three grand mage.

To attract these highly skilled mages, divine tower masters across the Magus World offered treasures imbued with the power of laws and substantial rewards.

The power of laws marked the fundamental distinction between Rank Three and Rank Four beings.

For those grand mages approaching the demigod status, understanding the power of laws was crucial for advancing to Rank Four and unlocking the deeper mysteries of the truth.

Given Lorianne’s financial constraint, she had only a limited number of law-imbued materials. As a result, all three deans of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring were Rank Three grand mages who had yet to reach demigod status.

In contrast, the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame established by Lorianne’s mentor was led by three deans who were demigod-level experts, each with the potential to advance to Rank Four.

The Divine Tower of Whispering Flame, established by Gregory, was also led by two demigod-level deans and one in the late stages of Rank Three.

During the Viridian Venom Flame World war, a demigod-level mage emerged in the Divine Tower of Floating Flame led by Bernice. Sein wondered if this individual also served as a dean in Bernice’s divine tower academy.

Given the trajectory of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring over recent decades, there was no immediate cause for concern.

The tower was poised for future growth, destined to catch up to the others in stature and influence one day.

***

As the departure to Verdant Leaf World approached, Sein began receiving more high-level information from the upper echelons of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Already a Rank Two mage, Sein’s status was on par with those in the middle management within the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Furthermore, as the apprentice to the tower master, he was privy to information that remained beyond the reach of ordinary mages.

Recently, Lorianne, along with Dean Archimedes and others, were discussing the possibility of enlisting the support of the twenty-seven mage councils in the Viridescent Land for the Verdant Leaf World War.

To be acknowledged and handpicked by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring meant that these organizations were of a certain caliber themselves.

Even the smallest of these mage councils were managed by about ten full-fledged mages.

The more prominent organizations commanded hundreds of mages at their disposal.

Centuries ago, before the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring officially established itself in Viridescent Land, these diversely named mage councils that controlled various territories and human nations were the true elemental forces of this region.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, only about three hundred years old, was considered a newcomer.

Many mage councils in the Viridescent Land boasted a history that spanned thousands of years. After all, Rank One mages could live for a millennium, and those of Rank Two and higher, even longer.

The mage councils that captured Lorianne’s attention and sparked her interest in absorbing them were prestigious groups with lineages extending back tens of thousands of years—far older than Lorianne’s own divine tower.

Securing the full support of these twenty-seven mage councils would provide the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring with at least a thousand battle-ready mages for the upcoming Verdant Leaf World War.

More importantly, an interplanar war would create ample opportunities for contact and alliances, facilitating the integration of Viridescent Land’s hedge mages into the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, thereby consolidating their forces.