Sovereign of the Ashes

Before leaving Verdant Wilderness World, White Spirit presented Sein with a special crystal of vibrant green.

It took just a glance for Sein to recognize its extraordinary nature.

A rich aura of life and a profound energy fluctuation seemed to radiate from both within and around the crystal.

Not only was its mystery imperceptible to the naked eye, but even advanced tools like the high-magnification elemental microscope in Sein’s laboratory might fail to unravel its secrets.

According to White Spirit, this crystal was a fragment of the Rank Four Verdant Wilderness God’s tree heart, recently peeled off.

For plant creatures like the Verdant Wilderness God, the tree heart was of paramount importance.

The fragment in Sein’s hands was as precious as a divine relic fragment—a rarity that could only be obtained from beings of Rank Four or higher in the Astral Realm.

Years ago, when Sein first arrived in Verdant Wilderness World as a representative of the Magus Civilization to negotiate with its native creatures, White Spirit had expressed an intention to gift him a fragment of the Verdant Wilderness God’s tree heart.

However, Sein had politely declined the offer back then.

It was not that he did not desire such a treasure, but he understood that receiving gifts demanded reciprocal obligations.

Accepting something so valuable at the time would have implied favoritism toward Verdant Wilderness World, potentially compromising the interests of the Magus Civilization.

That was something Sein could not allow.

Now, with the agreement between Verdant Wilderness World and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring largely completed, there was little need for bribery.

This offering was a gesture of pure gratitude from the native creatures of Verdant Wilderness World for Sein’s efforts.

“This gift is too precious... I don’t think I can accept it,” Sein said, frowning slightly.

For Sein, helping the creatures of Verdant Wilderness World had never been about personal gain. His relationship with these plant creatures was based on mutual benefit and respect.

During the Wild Gorilla World War, Green Spikefur King had served as Sein’s mount, while Kingfisher had loyally acted as his bodyguard.

Sein had developed a soft spot for these two demigod-level beings, as well as for the other plant creatures of Verdant Wilderness World.

Otherwise, he would not have gone out of his way to protect them, using his influence as a tower master’s apprentice to ensure their survival.

“You deserve this. The tree heart fragment was naturally flayed from the Verdant Wilderness God, and it has become difficult for it to reabsorb. Like our damaged homeplane, these wounds will take a long time to heal,” White Spirit said, glancing around.

Even within the Lush Verdant Forest, where the Verdant Wilderness God had personally taken root, the outskirts appeared desolate and damaged.

One could easily imagine what this low-level dendro elemental plane had endured over these years.

The damage inflicted upon Verdant Wilderness World by the Magus Civilization could not be undone in mere decades—or even centuries.

Though compensation had been arranged, the scars left behind were deeply etched into this world.

“Perhaps all of you are not fully aware of the true value of the Magus Alliance system yet. I’m telling you that if you were to take this tree heart fragment to a Magus Alliance auction, its value as a ‘broken divine relic’ would still fetch a fortune. With proper handling, you could easily sell it for a million, maybe even two million magicoins,” Sein explained in a deep voice.

Different commodities fetched different prices depending on the buyers.

For instance, selling Verdant Wilderness God’s tree heart fragment to the Beastmen World might yield a few hundred thousand magicoins if the buyer was a beast god of Rank Four or above.

Yet, if it were sold in the Elven World to Rank Four and above elf gods, it would not be surprising if the price exceeded two million magicoins.

Elves were known to be fond of nature and revered its power.

Moreover, the Elven World possessed secret techniques for nurturing ancient trees, many of which were incredibly powerful species that had achieved Rank Four or higher life levels—similar to the Verdant Wilderness God.

To such creatures, a divine relic fragment imbued with immense life energy and dendro elemental law power would be an extraordinary treasure.

White Spirit was not as naive about the Magus Alliance system as Sein assumed.

In recent years, the star domain surrounding Wild Gorilla World had been flooded with Magus Civilization legions passing through Verdant Wilderness World.

Having witnessed their power firsthand, White Spirit had taken steps to educate itself about the Magus Alliance, leveraging the Verdant Wilderness World’s position as an “alternate alliance member plane” to gather vital information.

As this plane’s guardian, White Spirit had both the responsibility and the duty to secure the future of its homeplane and its inhabitants.

“We care more about our friendship with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and Master Sein than the acquisition of magicoins,” White Spirit said softly.

“I don’t have much life left in me but, Master Sein, you are like a rising sun in my eyes—a light that will shine on brilliantly for a very long time. When I am gone, I hope that you and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring will continue to protect the creatures of Verdant Wilderness World. This tree heart fragment is the best gift we can offer right now,” White Spirit’s gaze rested quietly on Sein.

“You’re reaching the end of your lifespan already?” Sein frowned.

After a brief pause, he shook his head and said, “Instead of asking me that, you should approach the tower master directly.”

“The tower master is a Dendromancer and would likely appreciate your gift,” he added.

“We are well aware that the Tower Master of Verdant Spring is your mentor. This tree heart fragment serves equally well as a gift to you or to Tower Master,” White Spirit replied, its wise eyes glimmering with a hint of cunning.

Up to this point, White Spirit and the other natives in Verdant Wilderness World had dealt far more with Sein than with Lorianne.

While the tower master remained an enigmatic and powerful figure, White Spirit and the others trusted their judgment in aligning themselves with Sein.

Verdant Wilderness World was fated to remain a vassal plane under the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, and this broken divine relic could never change the fundamental hierarchy between them.

Lorianne would never exhibit the same bias or leniency toward Verdant Wilderness World as Sein did.

To the Verdant Wilderness World, Lorianne would always be their ruler and the plunderer of their resources.

In other words, if Lorianne were to demand the tree heart fragment, Verdant Wilderness God and the guardian would have no choice but to comply.

For White Spirit and Verdant Wilderness God, this broken divine relic was more than just a gift—it was a calculated investment, entrusted to the candidate they deemed most worthy.

***

After leaving the Lush Verdant Forest, Kingfisher remained behind, while Green Spikefur King accompanied Sein further south.

The massive hedgehog’s Emerald Forest was in the same direction.

Sein could not help but wonder how many living creatures remained in the once-vibrant forest after all these years, especially when the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had established a large spatial passage nearby.

This low-level plane, once blanketed in lush jungles and vibrant vegetation, now bore landscapes dominated by wastelands and deserts.

“I didn’t expect the damage to a world’s origin energy could have such devastating effects...” Sein murmured with a sigh.