Sovereign of the Ashes

After spending some time occupied with tasks at the divine tower, Sein and Lonas boarded an airship headed for the public starport beyond the plane.

In general, large implements such as space fortresses, prism forts, and war airships were not permitted within the Magus World.

This restriction was likely due to their potential to disrupt the balance of the world’s environment and underlying laws.

Sein understood why the Magus Civilization had implemented this regulation, having witnessed the devastating consequences of such disruption during his travels in the Verdant Wilderness World.

This also showed just how much the knights and mages of the Magus World cared about their homeplane’s rules and environment.

On top of that, the Magus World only permitted the use of low-pollution vehicles with extremely limited combat capability like airships for internal transportation.

Larger war platforms, such as Magus World space fortresses, were shipped out beyond the plane by sellers like Steel City and the Capiche Business Alliance once purchased by Rank Four or higher knights and mages.

Curious about the rationale behind this practice, Sein had once asked Lorianne why the production factories for these massive implements had not been relocated outside the plane.

After all, allied planes and flat demiplanes seemed like suitable locations for these factories.

Lorianne explained that the primary reason was to prevent knowledge and technology leaks.

The importance placed on knowledge had remained a constant in the Magus Civilization from ancient times to the present.

The visionary who created the Arcane Light undeniably possessed ideas and concepts far ahead of their time.

By establishing the Arcane Light, the knowledge barriers within the Magus World were not only fortified but also carefully preserved.

Without such a creation, the Magus World’s spellcaster community might have remained far more isolated and fragmented.

Sein and Master Lonas were accompanied on their journey by more than two hundred full-fledged registered divine tower mages.

These mages were responsible for piloting the two newly acquired prism forts and eleven war airships.

Meanwhile, Sein and Lonas were tasked with overseeing the handover and contract signing with representatives from Steel City and the Capiche Business Alliance.

Among the group, the only woman accompanying Sein on this trip was Eileen, who had volunteered for the journey.

By contrast, Selina was deeply engrossed in analyzing her spoils from the Wild Star Domain War. She had secluded herself in her laboratory for the past six months, demonstrating a level of focus and dedication to her research that even surpassed Eileen’s.

Natalya opted not to join the trip this time, as it was strictly a work-related mission.

Sein also decided to leave his enslaved creatures behind. With this being a peaceful mission rather than a war campaign, there was no reason to bring them along.

***

The airship’s journey was swift, but it still took quite some time for Sein and the others to arrive at the public starport located outside the plane.

This highlighted the sheer vastness of the Magus World—so expansive that Sein had yet to encounter any world that could rival it in size.

There were numerous public starports surrounding the Magus World, and the one Sein and his companions visited was just one of many.

Not only was the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s space fortress docked here, but Sein had also heard that the space fortresses of Grandmaster Feylis, Master Gregory, and others were in this very starport.

A standard space fortress, with a diameter spanning tens of thousands of meters, resembled a floating continent from afar.

The starport itself, being a docking hub for multiple space fortresses, was unimaginably vast.

Sein had previously seen the starport from a distance during his participation in several interplanar wars. At the time, the sight had left him awestruck.

Now, standing on its surface, his sense of awe deepened even further.

Before him were thirteen space fortresses, each docked in designated areas. Surrounding them were expansive blank zones, likely reserved for fortresses that had yet to return.

The Verdant Spring Space Fortress occupied a berth in the eastern zone three of the starport, a colossal area spanning tens of thousands of meters.

Alongside the docking station were several warehouses leased by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

These warehouses housed the eleven war airships that had arrived ahead of schedule.

The handover process for the prism forts and war airships proceeded smoothly.

After all, mages were a punctual group that placed great importance on contracts.

Lorianne had purchased these war platforms through legitimate channels within the Magus Civilization, so there was nothing to worry about.

While the knights and mages of Magus World were known to occasionally exploit allied planes or foreign gods, they would never deceive their own people.

After inspecting all the war platforms, and safely transferring one of the prism forts along with five war airships into the Verdant Spring Space Fortress, Sein and the others’ mission was effectively complete.

“I’ve heard that many public starports outside the Magus World host large auctions and unique trading houses with an even greater variety of items than the Magus Alliance’s market. Sometimes, you can find rare treasures that you’d never come across elsewhere. Can we check it out?” Eileen asked, her voice brimming with excitement as she tugged at Sein’s arm, eager to explore now that their tasks were done.

Sein was no stranger to the stories about the grand auctions and trading houses in the public starport.

To operate such establishments within the starport, the owners undoubtedly possessed extensive connections and influence.

For instance, even top-tier treasures like divine relics occasionally make an appearance in these auction and trading houses.

Whether it was a divine relic, a rare Rank Four or above divine-level slave, or even the elusive world-class secret treasure, such items could also be found in the Magus Alliance’s market.

However, given the immense scope and the countless powerful forces involved in the Magus Alliance, treasures of this caliber rarely remained available for long as they were quickly snapped up.

With sufficient effort and resources, there was still a chance to acquire divine relics from the Magus Alliance market.

However, items like divine-level slaves or world-class secret treasures often never even made it to public listing.

Instead, they were quietly acquired through exclusive channels, bypassing the sight of ordinary knights and mages altogether.

By contrast, the auctions held at the public starports were a haven for lower-ranking mages and newly promoted Rank Four or Rank Five powerhouses who were still building their networks.

For Sein and Eileen, buying any top-tier treasures was out of the question. Still, exploring the auctions offered a chance to broaden their horizons and gain valuable insight.

The public starport outside Magus World was known for its impeccable safety. There were no cases of coercion, blackmail, or forceful sales here.

Not only Eileen but even Lonas took the opportunity to explore the starport, excusing himself from Sein once their work was complete.

After some thought, Sein finally nodded in agreement to Eileen’s request.

“Where exactly are we going? One of the merchant houses?” Sein asked curiously.

“Merchant house? No way! We’re going straight to the biggest auction here. Time to expand our horizons! I’ve never seen a Rank Four or higher creature locked up and auctioned off before. Who knows, maybe we’ll stumble upon something like that this time!” Eileen replied excitedly.