Sovereign of the Ashes

"Master Sein, why do you want to build your divine tower here?" asked the overseer sent by the Magus Alliance—a Rank Four knight named Tesdor.

Though he was a knight, Tesdor was an experienced and knowledgeable overseer who had already assisted two mages and four knights in establishing their divine towers and knightly orders.

That was why he seemed genuinely surprised that Sein had chosen the Darwell Region for his divine tower.

"Because the laws and environment here are unique. They're a perfect match for the elemental arcana I'm exploring," Sein replied.

Tesdor nodded and sighed. "The rampant activity of black mages in Darwell has persisted for tens of thousands of years, despite multiple efforts to root them out. As a result, many Rank Four mages and knights avoid setting up their divine towers or orders here."

"Master Sein, since you're willing to do it here, I believe your presence will greatly contribute to peace and stability in this region. I'll report this to the Magus Alliance and request additional resource support on your behalf," he added.

The Darwell Region was not lacking in resources.

In fact, it had plenty of crystal veins and expansive magic beast forests. That abundance was one of the reasons it had become a haven for black mages.

It had even richer underground resources that far exceeded what was available in Viridescent Land, where Master Lorianne resided.

But the real issue was manpower!

The region lacked people who could properly harness those resources.

Even gathering enough initiates for the academy would be difficult—let alone defending a divine tower from constant black mage threats.

That was why Tesdor's offer of additional support was more than just a formality. He could clearly see that Sein would truly need it.

Sein gripped Tesdor's hand firmly. "Thank you so much, Sir Tesdor."

"It's no big deal. Choosing to build a divine tower here is already a great contribution to the Magus World," Tesdor said. "Hopefully, once your tower is up and running, it will help bring some order to this chaotic region and keep the black mages in check."

Sein nodded. "Yes, once the tower is operational, I'll begin purging the black mages in this region."

"By the way, what will you be naming your divine tower?" Tesdor asked.

Despite being a knight, he pulled out a crystal ball and explained, "I'll need to report that to the Magus Alliance. Also, please let me know your core law type and elemental arcana. It's part of the basic data we're required to collect."

"Name, huh...? I guess I'll call it the Divine Tower of Ashes. My source of power is the law of ashes. The tower will primarily draw on pyro elemental energy," Sein replied.

***

The Rank Four knight quickly departed after receiving the necessary information, but he would return again soon.

With the construction of Sein's divine tower underway, a substantial loan needed to be processed through the Magus Alliance.

It would be a loan in the tens of millions of magicoins, with Tesdor serving as the notary.

Although Sein was already in debt, he was still keen to apply for the basic loan offered by the Magus Alliance.

That was because the divine tower basic loan was a benefit granted to every newly promoted Rank Four mage.

It was a real interest-free loan—meaning the magicoins borrowed would not accumulate any interest at all!

Considering the Magus Alliance's increasingly apparent struggles with inflation and the steady depreciation of the magicoin in recent years, the purchasing power of ten million magicoins a thousand years ago and ten million magicoins today were completely different.

Factoring that in, it became clear why the divine tower basic loan was considered such a valuable benefit.

It was a loss-bearing initiative from the Magus Alliance, created purely to support newly advanced Rank Four beings in establishing their divine towers and knightly orders.

From the looks of it, this benefit had been around for a long time, and in modern times, the policy had simply become more refined and structured.

While Tesdor submitted the report to the Magus Alliance and started processing the loan paperwork for Sein's divine tower, Sein did not sit idle either.

With the Eversurge War wrapping up, the profits from that low-level plane were finally being distributed.

Grandmaster Feylis and the others knew that Sein urgently needed funds to build his divine tower, so they generously awarded him 3.4 million magicoins in war profits.

To be honest, Sein's contributions during the Eversurge War definitely were not worth that much.

Besides, Eversurge itself was not all that valuable.

With so many Rank Four knights and mages dividing the war gains, the fact that Sein still ended up with over three million magicoins was mostly thanks to the influence of his faction.

By comparison, Lorianne's share of the war profits from this low-level plane came to only five hundred thousand magicoins.

In truth, she had given up most of her rightful earnings to Sein and kept it a secret from him.

The influx of over three million magicoins pushed Sein's net worth to an impressive nine million.

Instead of rushing to spend it, he took a moment to plan his next steps. After some thought, he reached out to the Spider Queen, who was far away in Blackhaven.

The Darwell Region was one of the most black mage-infested areas in the Magus World.

If Sein attempted to build his divine tower here on his own, the challenges would multiply quickly.

Since the Spider Queen had been the one to recommend this location in the first place, it was only natural that she would lend her support when problems arose.

Her authority was such that no black mage of Rank Four or higher in the Magus World would dare defy her.

Though there were no high-ranking black mages stirring up trouble in the Darwell Region, it was still home to Rank One to Rank Three black mages.

If the Spider Queen issued a directive from Blackhaven, Sein's divine tower construction in the region would likely face far fewer obstacles.

Even if a few reckless black mages might still cause trouble, Sein was confident in his ability to deal with them.

He was not some gentle academic mage. Anyone who stood in his way would regret it!

When the Spider Queen received Sein's message, she was a little surprised.

It had not been that long since he last contacted her.

Upon hearing that he had already chosen to build his divine tower in the Darwell Region, she sounded pleased.

"Sure, I'll spread the word and have the black mages in the Darwell Region behave themselves," the Spider Queen said.

"I'll also make sure the dark creatures there cooperate with your divine tower construction efforts," she added, stroking her chin.

"That is very kind of you," Sein replied, clearly pleased.

"I've also picked out a Dark Elf Queen for you. She'll be sent over soon," she continued.

Then, with a sly smile, she added, "Since I've helped you so much, shouldn't you let me take a look at that mask of yours?"

The first part of her statement delighted Sein, but the second made him blink and pretend he had not heard a thing.