Sovereign of the Ashes

The research findings Sein submitted to the Magus Civilization focused entirely on the discovery of Gray Quartz and his early explorations into inert crystals.

As for the deeper connection between the Klytherans and the Klytherite embedded within their own bodies, he had only submitted a small portion and withheld the rest of his years of research.

Sein did not believe the Magus Civilization would take any real interest in Klytherans anyway.

Through Grandmaster Feylis, he already understood that the Magus Civilization only cared about the Gray Quartz vein.

Master Gilbert’s request for an equal exchange was a private matter between the two of them, nothing to do with the Magus Civilization.

After thinking for a moment, Sein agreed.

He, too, was deeply curious about the advanced applications of inert crystals like Gray Quartz.

Even if this research would not bring immediate breakthroughs to his Ashen Flame in the short term, his desire to unravel their mysteries ran deep.

This very curiosity and drive to pursue truth was the core force behind the growth of mages within the Magus Civilization.

***

After leaving the Chaos Sea Star Domain, Sein and his group flew straight toward the region surrounding Blue Star.

Their next stop was Blue Star itself.

As for the small star domain was home to countless demiplanes and broken planes of lumen and pyro attributes in his report, Master Gilbert and the others would visit it another time.

With the capabilities and travel speed of Magus Civilization fortresses, it would not take them long to reach it anyway.

Blue Star...

A life-bearing planet wrapped in endless azure...

Its inhabitants were predominantly amphibious.

Most lived in the central oceans and coastal waters, while a smaller number had gradually adapted to life on land.

Karl, the Rank Five Klytheran fighter, was dating one of its natives. She was one of the surface dwellers living in a coastal city.

Blue Star had very little land.

Yet over the past several millennia, more and more Blue Star natives had begun migrating toward the surface.

Perhaps this was the natural trajectory of most technological civilizations.

As their technology advanced, these physically fragile species inevitably began reaching for the stars, stepping into cosmic exploration and planetary colonization.

The Gallant Federation, having become a top-tier civilization, was a perfect example. And they certainly were not the first civilization to follow this expansionist path.

“The vast majority of Blue Star’s Gray Quartz deposits are located in the central sea and the coastal zones. In recent years, several mines have also been opened. The crystal essences used by the Rank Five Klytheran named Karl were discovered deep within one of those mines.

“But according to Blue Star’s inhabitants, the richest Gray Quartz reserves are buried deep in their planet’s oceans. Unfortunately, with their current level of technology, they still can’t reach the deepest layers. It seems they’re facing problems with the unusual energy barriers and extreme pressure down there,” Sein explained.

He had always maintained a good relationship with the Blue Star natives, who openly shared their world’s secrets with him

Sein conveyed everything he learned to Gilbert and the Magus Civilization’s specialized research team.

It was truly perplexing.

The Blue Star natives had already managed to develop technological weapons rivaling Rank Five power. They were capable of building fleets and even launching interstellar colonization, yet vast stretches of their own planet remained untouched.

What mysteries lay hidden in Blue Star’s deepest seabeds, or even at its core, remained unknown.

After hearing these reports, not only Gilbert and the other mages of the Magus Civilization felt a surge of curiosity.

Even Sein, a Rank Five powerhouse who had once visited Blue Star, felt the same when he first heard about this.

During his last visit, his main task had been negotiating a ceasefire between the Klytherans and the Blue Star natives.

He had never taken the time to quietly observe what secrets might rest beneath that endless blue sea.

“The energy within inert crystals is notoriously difficult to draw out through ordinary means. But oceanic pressure happens to be one of the few forces that can force even a fraction of power out of them,” Gilbert said.

“The reason the Blue Star natives can’t reach the deepest parts of their oceans likely has something to do with the influence of Gray Quartz buried down there. Their claim that the richest Gray Quartz veins lie in the deep sea makes perfect sense. But aside from Gray Quartz, there may be other things hidden in Blue Star’s depths... things we can’t yet explain. We’ll need proper field investigations.”

There was a note of intrigue in the Rank Four mage’s voice.

His words earned the approval of Sein and the other Rank Four powerhouses from the Magus Civilization who had arrived on Blue Star.

Soon after, a series of mining and exploration plans were drafted one after another.

Sein himself had little real expertise in mining.

As a result, most of the discussion regarding how to develop the mineral deposits deep beneath Blue Star’s oceans was handled by Gilbert and the other specialists from the Magus Civilization.

At best, Sein served as an observer.

Occasionally, he would offer a suggestion or two, but they were not particularly useful.

Before long, Sein’s attention gradually shifted away from Blue Star’s Gray Quartz deposits and toward the war raging around the Shadowbat Civilization.

At the moment, the Shadowbat Civilization was locked in fierce combat with the Arid Expanse World.

Overall, the Shadowbat Civilization was at a clear disadvantage. It had lost nearly one-third of its territory, and the frontlines were in dire need of powerful external support.

After receiving reinforcements from Darian, Karl, Orric, and the others, the Shadowbat Civilization, along with several weaker planes nearby, managed to launch a few small counterattacks.

Darian and his allies remained formidable forces.

The sudden appearance of several Rank Four and Rank Five combatants made a huge difference in a war between medium-sized world civilizations.

Sein also noticed that while the Gallant Federation had not directly deployed fleets to assist Arid Expanse World and Aquaria, it had provided technological support, much like it had done for Wild Gorilla World in the past.

Advanced technological weapons, far beyond the native capabilities of Arid Expanse World and Aquaria, were seen on the battlefields surrounding the Shadowbat Civilization.

The Shadowbat Civilization relied on technology only as a secondary tool, though Bruce’s Phantom Chariot was impressive enough to catch Sein’s attention.

However, compared to the technological backing Arid Expanse World and Aquaria received, the shortcomings of the Shadwobat Civilization’s tech were absolutely crushing!

After all, the entire Shadowbat Civilization probably had only two or three top-tier technological marvels comparable to the Phantom Chariot.

On a civilizational battlefield, the vast majority of fighting forces were still grassroots legions.

“The Shadowbat Civilization really has backbone—they still haven’t called for our help?” Sein remarked with a hint of admiration in his voice.