Sovereign of the Ashes

When it came to knowledge of the Underworld, the divine towers and knightly orders on the surface were no match for the native creatures who had lived there for generations.

The two Rank Three creatures respectfully standing near the edge of the hall had overheard Sein’s earlier explanation.

Upon hearing the goddess’ question, the Black-bellied Spider leader and the old demihuman exchanged glances before shaking their heads in unison.

“Your Grace, my clan has not detected any anomalies in the vicinity,” the Black-bellied Spider leader replied.

“Nor have any of the demihuman tribes near Baras City. We have not received such reports,” the elderly demihuman added.

Given the status of the Black-bellied Spider leader and the Rank Three elderly demihuman, it was unlikely they would dare lie to the Spider Goddess.

If even these two local powerful figures knew nothing, the source of the spatial fluctuation was definitely not nearby.

Sein had been right. With the vast territory of the Ylli Knight Alliance and the tens of thousands of personnel deployed for the investigation, the chances of finding the source of the fluctuation in his assigned area were nearly zero.

From a purely probabilistic standpoint, the likelihood was less than 0.01%—practically the same as zero.

Moreover, the fluctuation was likely just an ordinary phenomenon, not necessarily the formation of a space-time rift, meaning their investigation might ultimately lead to nothing.

Originally, Sein had planned to complete his mission within two years and then return to preside over the academy war.

With some luck, he might have made it back in time to witness the final stages and see how the current batch of initiates performed.

But judging by how things were going, his luck seemed far from favorable.

“To warrant such attention from the Ylli Knight Alliance—and for them to mobilize the forces of dozens of divine towers and knightly orders for an investigation—this spatial fluctuation must be real,” the Spider Goddess murmured, thoughtfully stroking her chin.

Her gaze shifted to Sein, who remained tightly cocooned in spider silk.

With a slight lift of her finger, several sharp blades of light materialized, slicing effortlessly through the tough silk that had bound him.

Finally freed, Sein wasted no time. Without hesitation, he retrieved several vials of potions from his spatial storage equipment.

He drank a few immediately, while others were applied directly to his wounds.

Compared to the two Rank Three underground creatures trembling in fear and respect, Sein’s behavior was remarkably casual.

He even collected the remnants of the spider silk that had bound him, quietly tucking them into his space ring.

This white spider silk, with its paralyzing toxicity and the ability to bind Rank Three creatures, was anything but ordinary.

Based on Sein’s expertise as an alchemist, it was undoubtedly a premium material.

Sein’s actions, which did not go unnoticed by the Black-bellied Spider leader, left it visibly annoyed.

It had planned to reclaim the spider silk later, consuming it back into its body after the goddess departed.

After all, producing such high-quality spider silk was not an easy task, even for it.

What Sein had just collected amounted to at least five hundred years’ worth of its inventory.

The Spider Goddess paid no attention to Sein.

As Sein focused on healing himself, she spoke. “You’re not leaving. Work with my servants and locate the spatial fluctuation node for me.”

Turning to her two divine servants, she added, “Mobilize all believers in the nearby areas and begin searching for the anomaly. I will also notify the other temples in the region to assist you as much as possible.”

Sein’s eyes widened slightly at her words. It seemed this Spider Goddess had other temples and followers scattered across the Ylli Knight Alliance, beyond just the Baras Underground City.

From Sein’s prior observations and his experiences as an initiate, it was clear this goddess had been quietly establishing her influence in the Magus World for some time.

However, Sein suspected she was still in a phase of hidden development.

Even if she had multiple temples, their numbers were likely limited, and her influence had not yet reached the surface world.

As Sein silently evaluated her power, the goddess turned her gaze back to him.

“In addition to working with my servants, you are to notify me immediately if any divine towers or knightly orders in the area discover anything,” she commanded.

“To ensure you don’t try anything funny, this little one will accompany you,” she added.

With a flick of her finger, a small, silver spider flew through the air and landed on Sein’s head.

The spider seemed particularly interested in his blood—and perhaps his brain—judging by the movements of its mandibles.

Having a spider perched on his head felt strange.

Sein’s mouth twitched in discomfort as he asked, “Could you have it move to another spot... like here...?”

He raised a finger, adorned with an eye-catching, large flaming ring.

The goddess said nothing in response, though her eyes shifted slightly.

The little silver spider obediently climbed down from Sein’s head and scurried onto his finger.

Without hesitation, it bit into Sein’s relatively precious flame ring, shattering it in an instant.

It then swallowed the fragments embedded in the ring, along with the ring itself.

Once it finished its meal, the spider wrapped its eight silver claws snugly around Sein’s finger.

From a distance, it now appeared as though Sein was wearing a spider-shaped silver ring.

But this was no ordinary spider. Despite its thumb-sized stature, Sein could feel an immense threat emanating from the creature.

Its eight claws gripped his finger tightly, and its sharp, silver fangs seemed ready to pierce his skin at a moment’s notice.

Sein had no doubt this creature was a method of restraint imbued with the power of the Spider Goddess.

One wrong move and the spider’s mandibles could easily end him.

“That’s my innate spider. In terms you might understand, it’s essentially a fragment of my divine power,” the goddess explained with a faint smile.

“Don’t do anything stupid. Just focus on locating the space-time node. If your efforts prove fruitful, I might even consider letting you keep that little guy,” she added.

Working alongside such a temperamental and powerful goddess was far from a pleasant experience, but Sein had no choice.

After respectfully acknowledging her orders, Sein cautiously asked, “May I ask who you truly are? I can’t just keep addressing you as ‘Spider Goddess’, can I?”

The goddess chuckled. “You’re really an interesting little guy. You may call me the Spider Queen. What’s your name again?”

Sein shifted his eyes, then replied, “My name is Adrian.”

The goddess burst into laughter, her mirth far more genuine than the cold, eerie chuckles she had given earlier.

“You’re really a sly mage, Sein. Don’t think you can hide anything from me,” the Spider Queen said, her smile gradually fading.

Sein let out a few awkward dry chuckles, nodding quickly as he assured, “Of course not.”

He then raised his hand, pointing to the silver spider gripping his finger. “How could I, with this little guy keeping an eye on me for you?”