Sovereign of the Ashes

The arrival of all these Magus World knights and mages from different regions could also be seen as a sign that certain factions within Magus World were quietly backing the half-beastmen’s cause.

According to Somme, the knightly order he belonged to had recently lowered the teleportation fares to Beastmen World.

And as soon as these traveling knights arrived, they found themselves in the Du’Nahl Great Wasteland.

That reminded Sein of his own arrival.

He and Leena had landed in the Du’Nahl Great Wasteland too when they first came to this world.

They had also quickly caught wind of the news that a half-beastman was about to ascend to godhood.

Getting caught up in a planar war was not all that unusual.

Since they were here to explore anyway, there was nothing stopping them from joining a conflict started by the native races.

The knights and mages from Magus World were treated with great respect by the beastmen, and that respect usually guaranteed personal benefits.

Honestly, it might even be more profitable than taking part in an interplanar war launched by one of the major divine towers or knightly orders.

Since they were heading west too, Sein decided to tag along with this group of Magus World knights and mages.

His demigod-level strength was something these Rank Two youngsters could only dream of reaching.

Whenever he shared some thoughts or observations about the native creatures, the four Rank One mages traveling with him would listen in awe.

At his level, Sein could easily take on a few Rank One or Rank Two apprentices.

But when he saw their eager, hopeful faces, he just shook his head.

He had no plans to take in any apprentices.

Some of the knights in the group had been in Beastmen World longer than Sein and had traveled more extensively.

Two of them had even visited the Karemdor Steppe.

“Karemdor Steppe’s where most of the beast gods have gathered. There are shrines everywhere,” one of them shared.

“And that’s also where most of the top legions and elite battle races are stationed,” added the other, who had visited the eastern part of this world.

Sein traded a large number of Beastmen World specimens from these young knights in exchange for basic magic potions he no longer needed—stuff he had lying around in his space ring.

It saved him a lot of time on collection work.

Aside from these fair trades, Sein also gave them a few tips since he was in a good mood.

Though he was a demigod-level mage now, his research on bloodline power had already reached a point where he could guide these knights on their cultivation paths.

He could even refine the rough, basic cultivation methods those Rank One knights practiced by drawing on what he had learned so far.

Sein had always wanted to improve the Violet Flame Battle Qi used by House Grantt.

Maybe once this journey was over, he could finally start experimenting in that direction.

Meanwhile, Leena had dissected more Magus World humans and black knights than she could count.

Her research in some areas, especially human anatomy, had already surpassed his.

As the two of them traveled, exchanged insights, and built on each other’s findings, time flew by. Before they knew it, they had covered a great deal of distance.

Compared to the days when he traveled with Natalya and Reina, traveling with Leena was a lot more enjoyable.

Back then, those two had only been able to help as experimental subjects.

They could not join him in exploring the deeper mysteries of truth, let alone have the kind of in-depth discussions he now shared with Leena.

Sometimes, intellectual connection was more exhilarating and satisfying than physical intimacy.

Even though he and Leena had spent plenty of intimate moments together during this trip, what Sein enjoyed most was working alongside her in the laboratory.

***

Time passed quickly.

After a long journey through ancient yellow-sand trails and a desolate stretch as vast as three beastman empires, Sein and his group finally reached No Man’s Land.

It was hard to imagine how those impoverished half-beastmen had managed to survive such a grueling journey.

Along the way, they saw countless weathered skeletons, half-buried in the sand.

The founding of a new nation, the rise of a new god—it always came at a cost.

The half-beastmen still had a long, bitter road ahead of them before they could finally witness the glorious days of their kind.

No Man’s Land had once been the most barren region in all of Beastmen World.

But ever since Eugene arrived two centuries ago, life had slowly begun to take root in this unforgiving land.

By the time Sein and the others arrived, clusters of stone huts and low-slung beast dens had dotted the horizon.

Even through the endless yellow sand and howling sandstorms, Sein spotted some patches of green.

Small oases and hardy plants stood unyieldingly, defying the harsh climate.

That sparse greenery felt like a reflection of the half-beastmen themselves—battered by their environment, yet still standing tall.

“Interesting. Those plants don’t look native to this world,” Leena said, gazing at the oasis in the distance.

“They’re from the Elven Plane. I’ve seen specimens like those in my mentor’s world lab. For that demigod to have gotten his hands on rare elven seeds... He must’ve been to a lot of places,” Sein replied with a smile.

He continued, “Still, those plants are a pain to grow. Without help from the elves, I doubt the half-beastmen could have created these oases. Not with their current level of knowledge.”

The elves were widely recognized as the best cultivators of plants in the entire Magus Alliance.

If that half-beastman demigod had actually secured their support, then his dream of building a homeland here might really become a reality.

Otherwise, convincing the half-beastmen to settle in this place would’ve been no different from leading them to ruin.

From that alone, it was clear Eugene had put in a great deal of preparation for his bid to become a god.

Thanks to their status as knights and mages from Magus World, Sein and his group were welcomed with respect when they arrived.

A group of half-beastmen led them to one of the better-looking oases to rest.

Sein’s group was not the only one here. By now, more than a thousand travelers from Magus World had gathered in No Man’s Land.

Sein was not here to admire the scenery.

Like the others, he came out of curiosity—to see what kind of home the half-beastmen were building, and maybe to pick up a few more specimens while he was at it.

The terrain was mostly desert and dunes, with a few scattered boulders repurposed into basic shelters.

There were no palaces, no grand temples here.

Even the statue of Kampas, the God of Beastmen, was nothing more than a wooden totem standing under the open sky. It had clearly been built that way because they lacked the means to do more.

Sein watched wave after wave of half-beastmen kneel in pious prayer before the totem.

It was a rare sight for an atheist from Magus World like him.