Sovereign of the Ashes

The Dragon Warlock Clan was the Magus World’s force that had gained the second most benefits in the star domain where Wild Gorilla World was located, surpassed only by the Pyro Secret Society.

According to Lorianne and the others, the remaining twenty or so complete planes still under the Wild Gorilla World’s control appeared to be reserved for the Dragon Warlock Clan.

Given this context, Sein had initially assumed they were the Bloodline Warlock Clan that had taken control of Arbitor World.

To his surprise, it was not the Dragon Warlock Clan that had occupied the low-level plane and its two surrounding microplanes, but rather their vassal family—the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan.

As one of the leading forces in the Magus World, the Dragon Warlock Clan did not achieve their status solely through their own might.

While their clan leaders were undoubtedly formidable, the middle and lower-tier members that upheld the clan’s status and authority consisted of numerous subordinate warlock clans of various bloodlines.

It could be said that nearly all Bloodline Warlock Clans on the West Coast of the Magus World were subordinates of the Dragon Warlock Clan.

Their supremacy was largely due to their inherited dragon bloodline, unmatched by most other lineages.

Achieving such a dominant position did not happen overnight.

It took hundreds of thousands of years and the relentless efforts of countless generations of Dragon Bloodline Warlocks for their clan to rise to the pinnacle of power in the Magus Civilization.

In terms of resources and depth of influence, the Dragon Warlock Clan far surpassed even the Pyro Secret Society.

The spoils of this star domain’s conquest were largely divided between the Pyro Secret Society and the Dragon Warlock Clan.

After these top forces took their share, they naturally did not forget to feed their loyal allies.

The Kermoine Serpent Warlock Family, a formidable Bloodline Warlock Clan with a Rank Five powerhouse, had earned the right to claim a low-level plane and two microplanes as recognition for their ongoing contributions.

In truth, the benefits reaped by the Dragon Warlock Clan extended far beyond the twenty or so complete planes.

In fact, they were the ones who had persuaded the Blue Violet Star to join the Magus Alliance.

This brought not only the dozens of Blue Violet Star’s own planes into the Magus Alliance but also the allegiance of another dozen or so vassal civilizations aligned with them.

These medium, small, and microplane civilizations comprised nearly a hundred complete planes.

It was a huge piece of cake, and the Dragon Warlock Clan, having invested so much effort in the Blue Violet Star, naturally gained something out of it.

On top of that, now that the Blue Violet Star was a member of the Magus Alliance, it was clearly identified as an ally of the Dragon Warlock Clan in the alliance.

Factions existed within the Magus Alliance too.

Medium and small member planes often aligned themselves with powerful Magus World forces.

Even larger member planes were sometimes not exempted from this practice.

For instance, the Amethyst Plane’s involvement in the Wild Gorilla World War was likely influenced by the personal relationship between the Rank Six Amethyst Emperor and Finn, the Rank Six mage.

However, looking deeper, it could also be that Amethyst World was strategically aligning itself with the Pyro Secret Society.

In this world, nothing should be taken at face value.

Even geo elemental creatures, known for their blunt and straightforward nature, became more shrewd and strategic after encountering certain experiences.

The twenty or so members of the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan who had come to visit the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring were no exception.

Their visit had a clear purpose beyond mere formalities.

***

Sein and Empyrean met with the Kermoine Serpent Warlocks in the magic tower situated at the center of the temporary base on the Violet Chrome Demiplane.

As expected from a formidable warlock clan boasting a Rank Five Bloodline Warlock, the leader of the group was actually a demigod-level warlock.

Their visit to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was more than a gesture of intent to establish a lasting alliance on behalf of the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan.

After a series of conversations, the Bloodline Warlocks finally revealed the true reason for their visit—to negotiate potential cooperation with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in the trade of enslaved creatures.

“We have received certain information that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring is working with several magic beast kings to sell enslaved creatures in large quantities,” the demigod-level warlock began.

“It so happens that we, the Kermoine Clan, also have a surplus of enslaved creatures left over from the last war that has been difficult to offload. I wonder if we can find common ground for cooperation in this matter,” he ventured.

“As for the price, I’m sure we can work it out together. Before coming here, our clan head had granted me extensive autonomy,” he added.

The Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan, it seemed, had their sights set on the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s channel for selling enslaved creatures.

In this matter, neither Sein nor Dean Empyrean felt they had the authority to make any definitive decisions.

In fact, even Lorianne would find it difficult to make any guarantees because the enormous number of subgorilla slaves were ultimately sold at a lucrative price through Black Oblivion’s networks.

Although the Magus Alliance had the capacity to absorb the influx of slaves from a medium-sized world, an oversupply of enslaved creatures would inevitably lead to a temporary drop in the price within the alliance.

Sein did not know the specifics of the trade routes or methods Black Oblivion employed to ensure that these subgorilla slaves fetched such high prices, but the Kermoine Serpent Warlocks had clearly heard of the profitability from somewhere and were keen to tap into it.

A backlog of unsold goods could be a significant burden for any seller.

After all, enslaved creatures had a “shelf life”.

While elite Rank One or higher slaves could last for over a century, ordinary enslaved creatures typically had a shelf life of only about thirty years or less.

Sein wondered just how many disposable, cannon-fodder slaves the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan had accumulated and how many they hoped to offload through the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s help.

Discussions regarding this potential partnership would undoubtedly need to be passed on to Lorianne in the Sandstorm World.

For now, Empyrean was entertaining the visiting Bloodline Warlocks on behalf of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

As Sein surveyed the group of Bloodline Warlocks, he was surprised to spot a familiar face among them.

“Hey, long time no see, Angreas!” Sein called to the Rank Two Bloodline Warlock standing before him.

Angreas was a friend Sein had made during his trial on the Knight Continent.

Sein estimated that he was likely even more powerful than Gade from the Divine Tower of Land Academy.

Influenced by the cold and proud nature of the Kermoine Serpent bloodline, Angreas was an aloof mage.

Yet, he was fiercely loyal, and Sein held a fondness for him, having fought side by side with both him and Leena.

As the most talented member of the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan in the past thousand years, Angreas had been sent to the Knight Continent at great expense to his clan, and his future prospects were bright, even at Rank Two.

“Long time no see, Sein. Why do I smell a trace of bloodline magic on you?” Angreas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You noticed? I’ve recently been experimenting with some bloodline magic. Maybe you can share some insights,” Sein replied with a smile.