Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 709: Departure

Experimental research was tedious yet fulfilling, and it made time pass astonishingly swiftly.

These descriptions, though seemingly contradictory, perfectly captured the essence of a mage’s pursuit of truth.

Perception, however, varied from one individual to another.

Ten years later, Sein’s stats read:

Focus: 4,231 points Mana: 4,376 points Constitution: 5,211 points

This rate of growth was exceptionally high and rapid. Much of this progress stemmed from Sein’s continued, relentless research experiments.

Apart from that, he began to realize this could have something to do with the planar light within him.

Could this be due to the planar will’s attention, even if it was just a sliver, bestowed upon the chosen ones of the Magus World?

If this were true, Sein could understand why Tourmaline could become stronger even though all she had been doing was sleeping.

It was not only Tourmaline’s potent lineage; being noticed by the planar will and being the favorite of the Magus World also played a role.

Of course, Sein knew better than to assume he could enhance his strength by doing nothing.

That would be taking things for granted!

Sein was not Tourmaline and the influence of the planar light on his immediate strength increase was rather minimal.

It had likely played a role when Sein was promoted to Rank One.

However, Sein must rely more on himself for further growth.

The planar light acted more as a lubricant, easing the passage through bottlenecks, rather than as a miraculous cure-all.

The impact of the planar light on Sein’s growth was gradually diminishing, becoming increasingly negligible.

By the time Sein reached the peak of Rank Three, the advantages afforded by the planar light would have been completely exhausted.

His future advancement to Rank Four, ascending what was known as the “long stairway to Godhood” by billions of creatures in the Astral Realm would depend solely on his own capabilities, unless he could draw more attention from the planar will.

But how likely was that?

Even the guardians’ kindness had a limit.

The reward that Sein had received from the Summer Guardian was a boon highly coveted by the masters of the surrounding divine towers in the region.

Lorianne’s decision to take Sein as an apprentice was not solely because he had clinched first place in the regional academy war thus making her look good, but likely also influenced by the wisp of planar light bestowed by the guardian.

Such an apprentice, poised to ascend smoothly to Rank Three, was exceedingly rare.

Over time, Sein felt the blessing from the planar light waning.

The gradual decline in his body tempering experiment’s effectiveness over the past decade was a clear indication of this.

Ultimately, as a mage, Sein understood that he had no one to rely on but himself to gain strength!

On this particular day, when Sein told Reina to head downstairs for her meal after concluding their experimental research, he received a transmission from his mentor.

Lorianne's image appeared in the crystal ball.

“You’re done with your experiment, right? Come with me now! There’s been a change of plans. We’re heading to the Capiche Business Alliance to buy a space fortress. Master Cipher is already waiting for us in the Cipher Realm.”

It seemed Lorianne had been waiting for Sein’s experiment to conclude so that she could contact him.

How does Master Lorianne know that I have just finished my experiment?

Sein glanced up at the ceiling of the divine tower, pondering whether the focus level of a Rank Four mage like Lorianne had truly reached such an astounding level, or if she had employed some form of magic.

Thankfully, given Lorianne’s consistently appropriate demeanor, Sein did not suspect anything.

Little did he know, one of Lorianne’s guilty pleasures was watching Sein’s “relaxing sessions” when he was not working on his experiments.

“Why don’t you go eat first? I have to step out for a bit. Meanwhile, try to stick to the diet plan. I’ve sent Selina the recipes and your total food intake. It’s all set for you,” he said.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed, but a more scientific approach will help you grow faster than just blindly training on your own!” Sein stated. patting Reina’s shoulder.

“Uh-huh!” Reina nodded in agreement.

After nearly a decade of knowing each other, Reina’s perception of Sein had gradually transformed, shaking off the initial fear and dread she once felt toward him.

Through reasoning and experimental results, Sein had proven the effectiveness of his methods to her!

Under his meticulous control and experiments, Reina’s constitution and overall growth had accelerated significantly over the years.

Although not being able to eat as much as she wanted was painful, the thrill of her rapidly increasing strength was exhilarating.

The only drawback was that Sein had not found an effective solution to reduce Reina’s body fat.

Then again, Reina’s physical size was a critical factor in her formidable strength.

Without her formidable physique, how could she maintain her impressive explosive power and sustained combat capabilities?

Unless Sein could break through the current research limitations and discover an alternative with a higher energy density than the composite fat layering her body, it would be challenging to help Reina lose weight without compromising her strength.

Moreover, Reina herself was not interested in losing weight.

Her fascination with food far exceeded her concern for her physique.

Reina managed to stay at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring for more than ten years due to her friends, Sein and Natalya, and also Elisa’s culinary skills.

The mermaid’s cooking was so delightful that Reina could hardly resist overindulging.

Azelia’s grilled meat was also delicious to her.

Sein’s mushroom soup paled in comparison and the nutritious potions he concocted hardly captured Reina’s interest.

Interestingly, Reina had already ranked several members of this close-knit group according to their culinary skills.

***

Sein met Lorianne on the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s top floor.

The master and apprentice got straight to business without exchanging unnecessary pleasantries. After a brief conversation, they swiftly took to the skies, departing from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

The Divine Tower of Cipher was located to the north, near the Pyro Secret Society.

However, Master Cipher did not join this major force of the Magus World.

She was a rather mysterious female mage who preferred solitude.

Apart from Lorianne, the Master Cipher had minimal interactions with other mages from neighboring divine towers.

She had no one to rely on, unlike Lorianne who had the backing of the Verdant Flame Faction.

The Cipher Realm was a secret realm the Rank Four mage had set up in the surroundings of her divine tower.

According to Lorianne, it was a unique secret realm constructed by combining illusion, spatial power, and the planar nodes suppressed beneath the Divine Tower of Cipher.

In the domain of occult arts, Master Cipher was regarded as the most proficient among the nearby divine tower masters—even surpassing Feylis, Sein’s grandmaster, who was not well-versed in this area.

“I’m not much of an expert in occult arts either, but I do know that Master Cipher’s prowess extends beyond just that. Her greatest achievements lie in sonido elemental magic,” Lorianne shared.

“Mind your manners when we meet her,” she reminded her apprentice.