Sovereign of the Ashes

Master Cipher was not known for a particularly gloomy or eccentric personality; had she been, it was unlikely she would have become close friends with Lorianne.

As their conversation continued, Sein no longer experienced the strange, mysterious visions that had initially troubled him.

In the leaning tower, the previously frozen candle flame began to sway again.

Master Cipher seemed to prefer traditional lighting, as most of the illumination within the laboratory came from candles rather than magic crystal lamps.

The candles were made from a special material, and the fragrance they emitted as they burned appeared to aid in meditation and focus enhancement.

When Sein felt his back muscles stiffen and cold sweat seeped through his magic robe, Lorianne and Master Cipher were chatting happily, with Lorianne even bursting into laughter at times.

The two Rank Four mages communicated not just with words but also through mental focus, leaving Sein clueless about their discussion and looking toward his mentor with innocent bewilderment.

Despite Sein’s inability to see Master Cipher’s true appearance, Lorianne had never concealed anything from him.

It would be overly taxing for Lorianne to conceal her face from Sein every day, and she would also need to restrict his access within her divine tower.

If Sein had to describe her allure, Lorianne could be categorized as a “girl-next-door”.

She was not strikingly gorgeous, but conversing with her could make anyone feel a sense of comfort.

Her naturally amiable aura made it unsurprising that she could form friendships easily, even with plants.

Her long green hair lent her a youthful appearance, reminiscent of spring’s arrival.

With Lorianne, Sein often forgot she was his elder due to her vibrant aura.

Now that he thought about it, Lorianne never seemed to have any mortal enemies.

It was no surprise; who would deliberately target someone as kind as her?

***

The two Rank Four female mages chatted with each other for three hours, and Sein simply watched without interrupting them.

While part of his attention was on his mentor, the rest was drawn to the distinctive decorations and runes around the room.

Sein was relieved that the bizarre atmosphere and phenomena from earlier had not reappeared, though he remained curious to see if he could discern anything notable.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t!

Sein had only a basic understanding of occult arts, and a Rank Four mage’s tower was not something he could easily decipher.

However, as Lorianne’s conversation with Master Cipher drew to a close, Sein had a pleasant surprise.

“Are you interested in occult arts and sorcery?” Master Cipher inquired out of the blue.

“Uh, yes,” Sein replied, nodding respectfully.

Master Cipher nodded slightly and then pulled out a large book with somewhat yellowed pages from the void in front of her.

“I used this book when I was a Rank One and Two mage. You can have it, though I’m not sure how much you’ll understand,” Master Cipher offered, smiling as she tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear.

Sein accepted the ancient tome that flew toward him with both hands.

The book was thick, its paper thin and showing signs of age.

With two Rank Four mages before him, Sein refrained from flipping through the book immediately. Yet, he could not resist asking boldly, “Master, are you a magus?”

Master Cipher chuckled softly at the question.

“Magus... It’s been a while since I’ve heard of that word. In some ways, I suppose I can indeed be considered a magus,” she replied.

“Master Cipher is not just a witch[1], she has also made impressive accomplishments in elemental magic. Don’t be complacent just because you’ve achieved something in pyro elemental magic; you still have a long way to go,” Lorianne chimed in.

“Yes,” Sein replied, smiling wryly.

“There’s no need to be so hard on your apprentice. A good balance of stress and rest is the right approach for magical exploration,” Master Cipher said, defending Sein.

“I’m being hard on him?” Lorianne rolled her eyes, though she chose not to continue the topic.

***

After departing from the leaning tower in Master Cipher’s secret realm, the group headed north.

The Divine Tower of Cipher was linked directly to the nearest divine tower in the north—Divine Tower of Shamire.

From there, they would use a teleportation array to travel swiftly northward—allowing them to travel faster than flying.

The Magus World was intricately connected by a network of divine towers and countless teleportation arrays, which unified and integrated the power across the entire world.

“Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s teleportation array is already in the plans, we’ll have one soon,” Lorianne mentioned to Sein through mental focus.

Using the teleportation arrays as their main mode of transport, it still took them more than a month to reach the heart of the Capiche Business Alliance.

This journey underscored the vastness and grandeur of the Magus World, a scale incomparable to ordinary medium and small worlds.

On top of that, Rank Four mages like Lorianne and Master Cipher had the privilege of using teleportation arrays of any divine towers across the Magus World directly.

Had Sein traveled alone from Viridescent Land to the Capiche Business Alliance, even with the use of teleportation arrays, it would have taken him years due to certain divine tower teleportation arrays being inaccessible to the public and restrictions on the power and distance range of the arrays.

Upon arriving at the heart of the Capiche Business Alliance, the group was received by someone, sparing them the need to navigate the place on their own.

Lorianne, who had been a mage for thousands of years, naturally had a broader network than Sein.

Zaka, the Rank Four mage who greeted them, was one of Lorianne’s friends.

When Lorianne had applied for a divine tower loan from the Magus Alliance, Zaka had been the representative from the Capiche Business Alliance to sign the deed.

The Capiche Business Alliance, acting as the financial arm of the Magus Civilization and the most important center for the Magus World’s heavy industry, facilitated these loans to new Rank Four knights and mages.

“It seems that our Lady Lorianne has made quite a fortune in recent years? It’s quite rare to see anyone in the Magus World being able to afford a space fortress just three hundred years after establishing their divine tower,” Zaka teased as he approached the Rank Four female mages, clad in a pale yellow high-collar magic robe.

“Come on now, you know my situation well. Laugh at me again, and I’ll find a new agent,” Lorianne retorted with a mock threat.

Zaka mage raised his hand in surrender and said nothing else.

Despite being a Rank Four mage, Sein noticed Zaka’s slickness that set him apart from typical divine tower mages with erudite and wise temperament.

Still, Zaka was not a professional businessman but a mage.

After exchanging pleasantries with Lorianne and Master Cipher, and briefly inquiring about Sein’s relationship with them, Zaka steered the conversation toward their next destination.

“Where are we headed next? Fortress Complex Construction Base Number Four? Skola Exhibition? Or should we talk to Master Engels first?” he asked.

Zaka, familiar with Lorianne’s financial capabilities, suggested options well-suited to her resources.

The Fortress Complex Number Four focused on constructing and selling standard mid-tier space fortresses in the Magus World.

The Skola Exhibition showcased more advanced and high-end space fortresses and war machines, typically pricier.

The last option, Master Engels, was even more impressive.

This alchemist, while not the most renowned among the Magus Civilization’s space fortress designers, primarily focused on mid-tier space fortresses.

Then again, a customized space fortress for a Rank Four mage would still cost more than the previous two options.

The three options Master Zaka proposed all matched Lorianne’s needs.

Given her financial resources, she could only afford a mid-tier space fortress; a high-end, customized fortress like Master Feylis’ was out of her current reach.

As for low-end space fortress, Lorianne had no need for that. They were typically sold directly to member planes of the Magus Alliance or used by knightly orders as platforms to transport their troops.

Most rational Rank Four divine tower masters would typically opt for a standard mid-tier model for their first fortress, aside from those who were affluent.

Master Zaka’s recommendation of “Fortress Complex Construction Base Number Four” was indeed the best choice for Lorianne.

Yet, when faced with his question, Lorianne’s cheeks flushed slightly as she awkwardly transmitted her voice via mental focus, asking, “Is there a second-hand space fortress trading market? Can we check that out first?”

“Uh... yes... there is,” Zaka replied.

1. Translator’s Note: The relation between a magus and a witch will be explained in future chapters. ☜