Sovereign of the Ashes

In addition to building valuable connections, another significant benefit of serving as the dean of a divine tower academy was the opportunity to acquire knowledge and enhance one’s own abilities.

Rank Three and demigod-level mages of the Magus World would not work for Rank Four and higher tower masters without compensation.

To ensure these powerful Rank Three mages dedicated their full efforts to maintaining their divine towers, tower masters often had to provide equivalent benefits.

The most common form of payment was through artifacts imbued with the power of laws.

The power of laws was a vital resource for Rank Three creatures in the Magus World striving to ascend to Rank Four.

Its unique properties make it an incredibly sought-after treasure in the Magus Civilization.

Although the Magus Alliance’s vast markets offered various grades of such objects, it was unrealistic for most Rank Three or demigod-level mages to rely solely on purchases to sustain their daily research, given their limited resources.

Even the most basic law-imbued artifacts, when required in significant quantities, could easily bankrupt a demigod-level mage.

Moreover, beyond their research into the fundamentals of the power of laws, every other aspect of experimental study pursued by mages in the Magus World demanded an extraordinary financial investment.

To alleviate this, aside from the use of natural law-imbued artifacts, one of the most popular methods for researching the power of laws in the Magus Civilization was for divine tower masters to dedicate a fragment of their own manifested laws for others to study.

This was one of the reasons why Feylis’ Divine Tower of Verdant Flame primarily attracted Pyromancers, with its three demigod-level deans all specializing in pyro elemental magic.

Similarly, Lorianne’s Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, though relatively new, was expected to draw demigod-level Dendromancers in the future.

Master Dark Flame’s invitation for Sein to join the Divine Tower of Dark Flame as a dean was not solely based on recognition of his potential.

Dark Flame could tell that Sein was on the cusp of promotion to Rank Three, making him eligible for the position.

There was an even more pressing reason: six months ago, several deans of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame had unexpectedly resigned.

Although the Gumo interplanar war was effectively over and Dark Flame did not currently require the services of Rank Three or demigod-level deans, the vacancies left behind needed to be filled.

When the Tower Master of Dark Flame returned to the Magus World, he would undoubtedly face interrogation and investigation by a specialized team from the Magus Civilization.

Handling these matters alone would be exhausting, leaving him with little energy to oversee the operations of his divine tower.

To put it bluntly, the recent departures of many registered mages, especially high-ranking ones, had left Dark Flame desperate for solutions.

This tower master was bold enough to even consider appointing a Rank Two mage as a dean!

Dark Flame’s ability to recognize potential and his unconventional ways set him apart from other divine tower masters.

Over the past few months, Dark Flame had met and assessed many Rank Three mages. Yet, despite the large pool of candidates, none had stood out the way Sein did.

As a renowned troublemaker who had weathered countless battles, nand avigated mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and unrelenting storms of chaos, Dark Flame had honed his ability to judge people at a glance.

The moment he met Sein, without the need for formal tests, Dark Flame sensed that this young mage’s strength and capabilities likely exceeded those of the Rank Three mages he had interviewed in recent days!

If Sein were not exceptionally capable, how could he have led two female knights and inadvertently helped Dark Flame escape his previous plight?

The battle between Sein’s group and the demigod-level Ground Dragon, recorded via the temporary divine tower badge, was more than sufficient to prove his abilities!

Dark Flame’s unexpected offer left Sein momentarily stunned.

However, Sein’s experience allowed him to quickly regain his composure.

Reflecting on his current circumstances, Sein realized that continuing his travels to other foreign planes was no longer the most suitable course of action.

For now, consolidating his recent gains and focusing on achieving promotion to Rank Three should be his top priority.

With this in mind, accepting Dark Flame’s offer to serve as academy dean at the Divine Tower of Dark Flame aligned well with his goals.

Since he had already set his sights on breaking through to Rank Three and likely establishing his own divine tower in the future, Sein figured he should take this opportunity to gain valuable experience at the Divine Tower of Dark Flame.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Sein composed himself and replied, “My apologies, Master Dark Flame, but as a member of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, I cannot directly join the Divine Tower of Dark Flame.”

Pausing briefly, he continued, “However, since I am currently in a period of travel, I would be willing to take on your offer and serve as the dean of your divine tower academy as an external support mage.”

Sein’s reply prompted a nod of understanding from Dark Flame.

“Oh, that’s right. You mentioned earlier that you’re the Tower Master of Verdant Spring’s apprentice,” he said.

He chuckled coldly before continuing, “How fortunate. Back when I joined a regular divine tower, I wasn’t as lucky as you. I was ostracized and met with hostility.”

The aloofness of Dark Flame was undoubtedly shaped by such experiences in his youth.

“What a pity. If you didn’t already have a mentor, I wouldn’t have minded taking you as my apprentice,” the tower master added, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Sein had been careful to mention his backing from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring early on, partly out of concern that this Rank Five mage might act unreasonably.

Sein was well-acquainted with the tendencies of black mages. It would not have been entirely out of character for someone like Dark Flame to forcibly recruit a few demigod-level mages to serve as deans for his divine tower academy.

Fortunately, Sein’s fears proved unfounded. Dark Flame was not the kind of mage he had dreaded as he was not a true black mage.

Though some of his actions were controversial, Dark Flame maintained a clear sense of restraint. He was not one to resort to coercion or exploitation.

Having accepted Dark Flame’s offer to become the dean of his divine tower academy, Sein seized the moment to bring up the matter of his compensation for the role.

He was not interested in magicoins or other rare resources that were useless to him.

Instead, he made a bold request—he asked Dark Flame for a wisp of his “Origin Dark Flame”.

Sein’s audacious demand left Dark Flame stunned for a brief moment before he burst into laughter.

“You’ve got some nerve, kid. When Caiden and the others served as the deans of my divine tower academy, they also asked me for a wisp of the Origin Dark Flame. I didn’t give it to them. Looks like you know how to pick your moment,” Dark Flame said.

It was hard to tell whether his tone was one of praise or mockery, but he sneered a few times before finally shaking his head.

“Who would’ve thought I’d take a liking to you? I have no intention of taking on an apprentice right now, so I’ll humor your request. Consider it a meeting gift and my contribution to the continuation of this legacy.”

He continued, his tone shifting to one of stern warning.

“Let me be clear, though—I’ll only give you a wisp of the most primitive and pure Dark Flame. As for the training method, don’t expect it unless you’re willing to betray your master and join my faction!”

“And if you accidentally waste that wisp of Dark Flame, don’t come asking for another. Whatever progress you make with it will depend entirely on your own talent,” he added.

“Thank you, Master!” Sein said, his voice brimming with gratitude.