Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein took a moment to look over their haul.

It was indeed substantial. Alongside the four types of law-infused spring waters he had seen at the earlier auction, he found three more—the Spring Waters of Yellow Sand, Flowing Fire, and Dark Flow.

Of the three, the Spring Water of Flowing Fire caught his attention.

It was a strange substance where pyro and hydro elemental laws had fused together in an almost unnatural way.

The study of elemental interactions had always been a major focus in Magus World.

After all, when opposing elements collided, the energy released far exceeded that of ordinary interactions.

Sein brought the Spring Water of Flowing Fire, stored in a special test tube, closer. Through the semi-transparent glass container, he studied it quietly, sensing the flame’s unique properties.

Aside from these unusual law-infused spring waters, another discovery surprised him during his inspection. One of the Azure Pearls Tourmaline had used as payment in Weggis Star City had somehow made its way back to them.

Whether this counted as goods being returned to their rightful owner was debatable.

Either way, Tourmaline was thrilled.

Sein could not help but feel like he had been a bad influence on her.

No matter how he looked at it, being a space pirate was hardly a respectable profession.

Still, he had no other choice for now. Until they understood more about the surrounding star domains, they needed a cover identity.

After giving their spoils a quick once-over, Sein finally turned his attention to the God of Dusk Desire.

This was a Rank Four deity who was not particularly strong in combat. Sein had already gotten a good sense of his abilities during the earlier fight.

While Sein and Tourmaline had been inspecting their loot, the God of Dusk Desire had remained quiet and submissive.

Only when Sein looked his way did the deity step forward, bow, and introduced himself.

“I am the God of Dusk Desire, from the Water Ripple World. I was entrusted by its ruler to conduct interplanar trade. All the goods in our caravan may be taken as your spoils of war. However, I hope you will allow me to redeem my life by other means.”

“I can guarantee that what I offer will far exceed the value of my divine body and relics should you choose to kill me,” he added respectfully.

This Rank Four deity was clearly a clever one.

Despite having the backing of the Water Ripple World, he showed no hint of defiance.

If anything, he was suggesting that he was worth far more alive than dead.

As space pirates, Sein and his crew were ultimately after profit.

At least in the God of Dusk Desire’s experience, he had never encountered anyone who killed purely for the sake of it, with nothing to gain.

In the Astral Realm, almost everything revolved around profit above all else.

Sein studied the God of Dusk Desire for a moment, then asked, “What can you offer in exchange for your life? Let me hear it first.”

The question made the God of Dusk Desire quietly sigh in relief.

Being stared down by a massive dragonkin, an eight-winged angel, and a masked figure whose face could not be seen put him under tremendous pressure.

He took a deep breath and said, “I can offer three million units of Aquasand Crystals, five tons of Violet Flame Azurite, and half a shattered Planar Heart. If you require more, I can also provide additional energy crystals.”

“Believe me, what I offer far exceeds the value you would gain by killing me,” he added.

Sein nodded. “That’s a considerable ransom.”

The God of Dusk Desire continued, “However, to provide these items, I will need to travel to a specific plane.”

He spread his hands and glanced around, trying to appear calm. “All my cargo has already been confiscated by you. If I want to secure more resources, I will have to obtain them through other channels.”

What he said made sense, but letting him leave for another plane carried obvious risks.

The God of Dusk Desire clearly understood that Sein might not trust him.

Even after laying out his offer, he watched Sein carefully, unable to hide his anxiousness.

Sein observed him in silence, giving nothing away.

The Ashen Flame continued to gather at the tip of his magic rod silently.

The God of Dusk Desire’s eyes kept drifting back to it, not daring to look away for too long.

Then Sein suddenly asked, “What’s the name of the world you have to go to?”

“Flowing Water Plane,” the God of Dusk Desire replied, holding his breath.

Sein nodded. “Give me the star chart of that world and the surrounding star domains.”

The God of Dusk Desire did not hesitate to comply.

The star chart Sein had picked up in Weggis Star City was still too crude, with only a handful of recorded coordinates.

The God of Dusk Desire had traveled to far more distant regions, so the star chart in his possession was far more detailed and complex.

After glancing over the rough coordinates of Flowing Water Plane, Sein let out a quiet sigh. “That’s quite far.”

He then looked up and asked, “Did you not say you are from Water Ripple World?”

“Compile a detailed star chart of your homeplane and the surrounding star domains, then hand it over,” Sein ordered.

“I would rather not have to obtain this information directly from extracting your soul,” he added with a cold sneer.

Extracting the soul of a Rank Four being was an extremely delicate and specialized technique he had learned from Mikaeli, the Tower Master of Cinderbones.

Unfortunately, he had not mastered it yet.

A single mistake could completely destroy the target.

Still, Sein would not have minded practicing the technique on an unfamiliar Rank Four deity.

Sensing the cold edge in Sein’s tone and the faint killing intent behind it, the God of Dusk Desire quickly got to work.

What a terrifying existence! He could not help but think.

Soon, a vast star chart unfolded before Sein, with Water Ripple World and Flowing Water Plane mapped out.

From what he could tell, Water Ripple World was relatively prosperous, having produced a Rank Five being, while Flowing Water Plane seemed much more ordinary.

Sein pointed to a corner of the map. “What is this region? The plane density seems higher here.”

“That’s the border of the Myriad Springs Worlds,” the God of Dusk Desire replied respectfully.

“Our Water Ripple World has long maintained good relations with it. We have even established ties with several Spring Lords of Rank Four and above.”

“Oh?” Sein’s interest was piqued. “So that’s where those law-infused spring waters you sold at the auction in the Vermi Star Domain come from?”

“Yes,” the God of Dusk Desire answered honestly.

The Vermi Star Domain’s trade volume was relatively small.

Originally, he and his companions had planned to visit two other nearby star domains to continue trading.

“Draw me the star chart of the Myriad Springs Worlds that you know,” Sein said.

After a brief pause, he changed his mind. “No. Mark out every star chart and route you know.”

The God of Dusk Desire looked dismayed, but he had no choice but to obey.