Sovereign of the Ashes

Unlike her daughter, who verbally thanked Sein and asked what could be considered rather “shallow” questions, Hippolyta would never express her intentions so directly.

When she pursued a goal, she moved toward it through both thought and action.

This was likely the result of years of growth and experience as a queen.

Sein currently held considerable influence over the Marvelous Plane. He could even shape its future trajectory to a certain extent.

Naturally, Hippolyta would take the initiative to show goodwill toward him.

And this goodwill went far beyond polite gestures or empty courtesy. Hippolyta delivered it with subtlety and ease.

Compared to Beatrice’s idealism, the Amazon Queen was more pragmatic.

After clearly stating her intention to join the Magus Alliance, she continued, “Marvelous Plane will join the Magus Alliance without requesting any form of compensation.

“The Magus Civilization saved us at our moment of greatest peril. There is no aid more valuable than that. Within such a friendly and powerful alliance, I believe Marvelous Plane will thrive even further,” Hippolyta said firmly.

Historically, whenever a foreign plane joined the Magus Alliance, its native deities would always demand certain benefits in return.

Having negotiated with multiple factions himself, Sein understood this pattern well.

Hippolyta was the first foreign powerhouse he had encountered who sought to join the Magus Alliance entirely of her own will and without asking for anything in return.

She was practically offering herself up, allowing the Magus Civilization to take whatever it wished from the Marvelous Plane.

Hippolyta’s tactic of retreating in order to advance drew a faint smile from Sein.

He replied, “Protecting Marvelous Plane from slaughter by savage creatures from other star domains is the Magus Civilization’s duty. We shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace throughout the surrounding star domains.

“Given the extensive damage the Marvelous Plane has suffered, it may apply for reconstruction subsidies in magicoins once it formally joins the Magus Alliance. Certain forms of preferential treatment under alliance policies should also be available.”

“As for the specific terms and contracts for joining the alliance, we can discuss them once you have recovered. If you have any questions about Magus Alliance regulations, or need assistance of any kind, you can let me know directly,” Sein added with a smile.

Sein’s time was precious. The very fact that he made such an offer already proved that Queen Hippolyta and the Marvelous Plane held enough value to justify the time he might spend.

Hippolyta was truly a remarkable woman. Although she had barely interacted with the Magus Civilization before, she seemed very familiar with the temperaments and habits of mages like Sein.

A small smile graced the queen’s lips as she said, “Master Sein, your experiments are enough to keep you occupied. We would never trouble you with trivial matters.”

“And even if difficulties arise, I trust that other friendly Magus Civilization powerhouse would be willing to assist us,” she added.

Sein merely returned her smile without making another comment.

Hippolyta’s keen understanding of him and the Magus Civilization likely came from Beatrice, who had returned to Marvelous Plane some time ago.

The Amazon Queen possessed sharp judgment.

Just as Sein assumed the conversation was over and began to pack away his tools, Hippolyta spoke again.

“That powerful being who helped the creatures of our Marvelous Plane extinguish the fires, cleanse the scorched land, and bring down heavenly rain... Is she also a member of the Magus Alliance?”

The queen was clearly referring to White Stella, the giant mermaid.

After crushing the main allied forces of Arid Expanse World and capturing the Rank Five Sand Crocodile alive, White Stella had summoned heavy rainfall across Marvelous Plane with a wave of the Royal Trident.

Sein believed her actions were driven purely by her distaste for the scorched, war-ravaged state of the world at the time.

Yet from the perspective of this plane’s inhabitants, White Stella had done them a huge favor.

Rain falling across an entire plane, restoring moisture and life... A pyromancer like Sein could never have accomplished such a feat.

In response to Hippolyta’s question, Sein answered, “Yes. She’s a Magus Civilization powerhouse, but she isn’t just any member of the alliance. She’s a leading figure among the sea races native to our Magus World.”

“I see. The beings of Magus World are both formidable and benevolent,” Hippolyta said with a gentle smile.

A faint smile tugged at Sein’s lips.

Formidable... yes. Benevolent... that’s up for debate.

In this world, there was no such thing as absolute good or absolute evil.

***

After leaving Hippolyta, Sein headed straight for his other laboratory.

He could barely wait to vivisect the Rank Five Sand Crocodile he captured and study it.

The Sand Crocodile possessed an exceptionally high level of passive evolution. Unraveling its secrets might allow Sein to further refine his body-tempering techniques.

More importantly, the creature’s innate mastery of pyro and sand elemental laws deeply intrigued him.

In particular, its rare application of the sand law, along with the fusion between sand and pyro elemental laws, held endless appeal for Sein’s research.

Perhaps Sandy, the elemental lifeform under his care, could also gain substantial benefits from this research.

Now that he thought about it, Sein had not sensed Sandy’s presence for quite some time.

After glancing around briefly, he concluded that it had likely slipped out of the space fortress to play with Tourmaline.

When Sein entered the laboratory where the Sand Crocodile was bound and held captive, the severely wounded Rank Five creature was still struggling. Its gaze locked onto Sein, filled with a mixture of hatred and malice.

Sein retrieved a long scalpel from his spatial storage equipment.

After all, the Sand Crocodile was no small creature. Even after deactivating its true form and reverting to its natural state, its body still stretched nearly two hundred meters across the laboratory floor.

Walking up to the creature’s massive head, Sein patted its thick scales and said, “I hope you stay this energetic for a little while longer.”

Sein continued calmly, “I’m quite interested in your eyes. I’ll be removing them shortly for study.”

Heavy, ragged breaths burst from the Sand Crocodile’s enormous nostrils.

The vicious glare it had been directing at Sein now held a clear trace of panic.

It took a villain to deal with a villain. Sein spoke in the calmest voice while carrying out the most terrifying acts.

The fear the Magus Civilization inspired across the surrounding star domains spread far wider than its so-called “benevolent reputation”.

More savage than demons, more cunning than devils—that was how some star domain civilizations described Magus World.

This Sand Crocodile was nothing more than another stepping stone on Sein’s path toward the supreme sanctuary of truth and its deepest mysteries.

***

“Oh, this Fire Sand Crystal is quite remarkable!”

After a long while, Sein’s impressed voice echoed through the laboratory.