Sovereign of the Ashes

In the end, Sein sent a friendlier-looking Rank Three space pirate and several angel robots to Blue Waves World to carry out his orders.

Sein’s calm demeanor, sharp mind, dark aura, and quiet cruelty left the God of Dusk Desire with a complicated expression.

His decision to leave Blue Waves World untouched came down to caution.

He had no intention of provoking the forces behind this region without understanding the bigger picture.

From the star chart provided by the God of Dusk Desire, Sein had already worked out that several nearby planes—including Blue Waves World, Flowing Water Plane, and Water Ripple World—were all vassals of the Myriad Springs Worlds.

They might not be part of the cluster itself, but they were likely under its protection.

The fact that all of them were complete planes with hydro attributes was already a clear sign.

Only someone like Aribbean would grow reckless the moment he gained a bit of power, picking fights with anything he thought he could handle.

Sein, on the other hand, came from the Magus Civilization. His understanding of the Astral Realm and how different planes developed was far more refined.

This was a matter of perspective. Aribbean simply was not on that level to think like Sein.

Then again, Aribbean did not need to be clever. He just needed to play the role of a loyal henchman.

In fact, Sein preferred someone like him over someone too clever.

After sending a team to scout Blue Waves World, Sein spent some time casually talking with the God of Dusk Desire about the surrounding star domains.

The God of Dusk Desire had been surprisingly compliant. Since becoming a prisoner, he had not done anything that might give Sein reason to distrust him.

Sein had only placed a pair of magical restraints on him. He had not crippled him or torn him apart to extract his divine relic.

Most of the time, Sein was a reasonable man...

The God of Dusk Desire had already handed over a report covering the nearby star domains, along with all the information he could provide earlier.

But he was still a Rank Four being who had lived for tens of thousands of years. There was no way he could lay out every detail of his long life all at once.

From time to time, he would still bring up bits and pieces that caught Sein’s interest.

For example, he mentioned that war was also spreading through the Myriad Springs Worlds.

“Oh? Are those Spring Lords actively expanding their territory?” Sein asked.

“There are a few who support expansion, like the Lord of Hatred Spring, who has already launched three expansion wars. But most Spring Lords are gentle by nature. They do not favor war or violence,” the God of Dusk Desire replied.

He continued, “Most conflicts in the Myriad Springs Worlds happen between the factions under different Spring Lords. Occasionally, things escalate to the point where the Spring Lords themselves clash. But that is rare. For the most part, they maintain close relations.”

By revealing so much about Water Ripple World and the Myriad Springs Worlds, the God of Dusk Desire had already crossed a point of no return.

The value of this information was not just in what it revealed.

It was in what it represented—betrayal.

When lives were on the line, loyalty was often the first thing to break.

Not long after, the team Sein had sent to Blue Waves World returned.

With the official merchant fleet credentials provided by the God of Dusk Desire, they had not only avoided trouble but also brought back quite a few items that caught Sein’s interest.

However, it seemed that no major technological civilization existed in the star domain surrounding the Myriad Springs Worlds.

The ships they encountered along the way were crude and poorly made.

In Sein’s eyes, they did not even come close to the technology of the Blue Star Civilization at its peak, much less that of the Gallant Federation.

For now, rebuilding the Burning Flame Unit would have to wait.

Still, the low-grade technological and mechanical parts they had acquired were enough to get it moving again. At the very least, Yuri would no longer be limited to the role of a lab assistant.

After leaving Blue Waves World, Sein and his crew continued along the route marked on the star chart.

As they drew closer to the Myriad Springs Worlds’ sphere of influence, the Ashen Star Pirates became far less active than before.

Another fifteen years passed.

Sein and his crew finally arrived at the Flowing Water Plane mentioned by the God of Dusk Desire.

It was a low-level world rich in water-vapor resources, located in a relatively remote stretch of space between Water Ripple World and the Myriad Springs Worlds.

Beyond this low-level plane, Sein received the ransom promised by the God of Dusk Desire, just as agreed.

Aquasand Crystal was an exceptionally rare hybrid resource that combined water and sand elements.

It was usually found only on hydro-attribute planes and served as a key material for constructing Magus Civilization space fortresses and divine towers.

Violet Flame Azurite was another valuable material—a unique metal that would likely see plenty of use in Sein’s alchemy experiments.

Sein glanced at the half-shattered Planar Heart, then casually tossed it to Tourmaline.

She played with it for a moment, then quickly lost interest.

Aribbean, on the other hand, was already getting excited. Just when he expected Goddess Tourmy to bestow that precious treasure on him, she handed it to Fermera instead.

A shattered Planar Heart was of little value to either Sein or Tourmaline, but it could still provide a considerable amount of usable energy for Fermera’s angel legion.

Aribbean was still too naive. A treasure like a Planar Heart was far beyond his reach at this stage.

When Fermera noticed the envy in his eyes, she glanced his way. Aribbean immediately reverted to his usual submissive, fawning demeanor.

Sein turned to the God of Dusk Desire and said, “I’m heading to the Myriad Springs Worlds to take care of something. Do you want to come along?”

At those words, the God of Dusk Desire stiffened.

He glanced at Fermera behind Sein, then at Sein himself—whose presence had become increasingly hard to read—before finally looking down at the Flowing Water Plane below them.

After a brief pause, he nodded.

The lowly Rank Four creature was worried that if he refused, Sein and the others might bring ruin to both him and this plane.

In the face of such a gap in strength, the idea of fairness meant nothing.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, he felt that Sein, Fermera, and Tourmaline had all grown stronger over time.

He had never been their match before, and he certainly was not now!

Seeing his compliance, a faint smile appeared on Sein’s face.

The God of Dusk Desire was not wrong in his observation.

Sein and the others had indeed grown stronger!

More precisely, they had been steadily recovering to their peak condition.

The effects of the Golden Silver Potions and Tourmaline’s pills were very real.

With the Magic Cube’s constant nourishment and Sein’s regular maintenance, Fermera was also gradually regaining her Rank Six combat strength.