Sovereign of the Ashes

Their flight to the Cipher Secret Realm was facilitated by a massive green leaf that Lorianne summoned.

It was the same leaf on which Sein had ridden during his first visit to the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame.

Condensed from pure dendro elemental energy, the leaf, though unassuming in appearance, traveled faster than any conventional airship or even war airship.

The Mechanical Hornet that Sein usually relied on for transportation paled in comparison to this green creation of his mentor.

Such a skill or equipment undoubtedly proved invaluable in the Astral Realm.

Crouching at one corner of the leaf, Sein tapped the surface thoughtfully.

He speculated that this leaf was among the special plants Lorianne had been developing, yet he couldn’t be certain.

He recalled the verdant passageway that connected the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring to the other surrounding islands.

All these wonders appeared to be fruits of Lorianne’s mastery over dendro magic.

As Sein inspected the leaf, Lorianne observed him with a mix of appreciation and satisfaction.

She was not concerned that Sein might damage her Viridescent Leaf; his actions were expected of a junior apprentice curious about his mentor’s profound discoveries.

Though Sein was not well-versed in dendro magic, the admiration for Lorianne’s formidable prowess and research in this field was evident in his expression, bringing a sense of pride to Lorianne.

“Hehehe, now you know how impressive your mentor is,” Lorianne thought proudly.

***

Together, they headed north, seated on the Viridescent Leaf.

Given Lorianne’s formidable strength, the journey would not be long.

The Divine Tower of Cipher, situated in the Cipher Land, was one of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s neighbors.

Here, the number and capability of full-fledged mages were less than those in Viridescent Land.

Master Cipher, who reached Rank Four earlier than Lorianne, could have chosen a more prosperous region in the Magus World.

Yet, influenced by certain profound and mysterious factors, she selected this quieter region with less active elemental particles and rhythms, naming it the Cipher Land.

Despite its innate development challenges, the presence of the divine tower helped the local mages flourish.

This showed that every being of Rank Four or higher in the Magus World also shouldered certain responsibilities while benefiting from the basic loans to establish their divine tower and access to the Magus Civilization’s resources.

Putting aside their more tedious obligations, it was evident that each tower master was expected to drive the magical development of their region.

Traveling with Lorianne through the vast Magus World offered Sein a different perspective compared to his previous journeys.

Previously, his travels had been an “initiation”—often landing to explore thriving human cities and the diverse magic beast forests, gathering materials of interest.

Standing on Lorianne’s Viridescent Leaf, Sein felt like a “god” surveying his land.

Now he could understand why beings of Rank Four and above were typically known as “gods” in the Astral Realm.

Perhaps for Lorianne, the creatures in the lower echelons of the Magus World had faded into irrelevance.

Surely, she had once journeyed through every city, forest, and river that she stumbled upon, just like Sein.

But having ascended to a loftier viewpoint, she had eventually grown indifferent to the familiar sights below.

Lorianne’s perspective was significantly different from Sein’s.

While he remained engrossed in the details, she gradually embraced the broader picture, a vision that had matured with her life level, age, and experience.

There was no need to rush this growth; Sein’s evolving perception and understanding had already earned her approving nod.

***

A few days later, Sein found himself in the Cipher Secret Realm.

Constructed behind the Divine Tower of Cipher, this realm—a blend of illusions, spatial magic, and planar node energies—was an utter novelty to a first-time visitor like Sein.

Before entering the secret realm, the sky in the Magus World had been clear and bright.

However, upon stepping into it, the sky suddenly became gloomy.

Even the plants and towering trees exuded a somber aura.

Caw, caw!

A flock of black crows swept through the treetops.

Sein looked up at them but caught sight of a pale white full moon instead.

“Is this an illusion unique to the secret realm? That can’t be a real moon, right...?” Sein murmured to himself, fully aware that it was still daytime in the world outside.

In the Magus World, the transition between seasons adhered directly to planar laws, unlike the smaller, microplanes that followed the typical cycles of their dominant pyro elemental planes (or stars).

Sein continued to gaze at the white moon, his thoughts only interrupted when Lorianne guided him to a high tower.

Unlike Sein’s mentor who stayed on the top floors of her divine tower all year round, the Cipher Master only spent a fraction of her time in her divine tower.

Most of the time, she could be found within this secret realm’s tower.

This particular tower tilted at a distinct angle of 17.8 degrees. Seeing it jogged a memory for Sein.

He recalled a similar structure during the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War when he traversed the Divine Tower of Cipher’s zone.

At that time, Sein had only a faint memory of that place since he did not linger long in that area due to the sparse population of initiates and limited war spoils.

Yet, he vividly remembered the initiates of the Divine Tower of Cipher were proficient in occult power and curse-type magic—a fact he had to learn the hard way.

Lorianne soared up to the leaning tower with Sein, and the ancient gray doors quietly opened as they approached.

She stepped through first, with Sein following close behind.

As they entered the leaning tower, Sein was immediately struck by a series of bizarre phenomena.

Runes, resembling zebra stripes, seemed to peel themselves from the walls and orbit around him continuously.

He also heard rumbling noises filling the air, yet when he strained his ears, the surroundings fell eerily silent once more.

It was truly a strange experience.

When Sein blinked his eyes and tried to take a better look at the runes swirling around him, they returned to the walls as if they had never moved in the first place.

For some unknown reason, Sein stiffened as he felt a sudden tenseness gripping his back muscles.