Sovereign of the Ashes

With a surprised look on his face, Sein continued flying deeper into the star city, gradually realizing that it was beginning to feel more and more like an actual plane.

Not only were there creatures at Rank Four and above like himself exploring the star city, but a considerable number of beings below Rank Four could also be seen.

Of course, the lowest-ranked ones appeared to be Rank One. Sein had yet to spot anything lower than that.

This visit to Reyno Star City was truly an eye-opener for him.

He suddenly started thinking about how much profit he could make if he opened a shop in the city.

Most mages in Magus World had their own specialties.

Sein specialized in alchemy, Lorianne in botany... and as long as those skills were developed and put to use, they could definitely bring in money.

Then again, Sein had never actually crafted magical artifacts just to earn money, mainly because he had never really been broke before.

But now, he was short by hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of magicoins. That was not something he could fix just by crafting a few artifacts.

Unless, of course, he managed to create a world-class secret treasure.

Eventually, Black Oblivion brought him to a dazzling elliptical skyscraper complex.

This was the central zone of Reyno Star City—the most bustling, most crowded area by far.

A dark golden "Ω" logo stood proudly at the top of the complex, radiating luxury.

Below it, rows of steps made of white jade led into the building.

Sein looked around for a moment but did not see a single creature below Rank Three anywhere near this area.

"Come on, let's go in and have some fun! If you're lucky, you might even make enough to cover the amount you need!" Black Oblivion said, clearly excited.

"Luck?" Sein gave him a strange look.

It was rare to talk about luck with a mage. Sein was more inclined to trust logic and facts.

Black Oblivion clearly knew his way around this place. Laughing heartily, he pulled Sein toward the magnificent buildings.

More than a dozen beautiful women with snow-white feathered wings stepped out of the golden hall to welcome them.

Without hesitation, Black Oblivion let go of Sein and boldly reached out with his dragon claws, pulling the two women closest to him into his arms.

Before long, more than half of them had gathered around him.

Though not high-ranking individuals, these women had a sharp eye for spotting power. Years of being surrounded by extravagance had taught them well.

Sein, wearing the Faceless Mask, looked completely unremarkable.

In contrast, Black Oblivion, dressed in a sleek black robe, carried himself with striking dignity.

He did not bother hiding his Rank Four dragon aura either.

Rather than sensing any kind of nobility, the women around them had simply recognized Black Oblivion's dragon aura as that of a high-ranking being.

Those who failed to get a spot beside Black Oblivion did not look regretful or annoyed. Instead, they kept smiling and turned their attention to Sein.

"Come on, let's get inside first!" Black Oblivion called out, his arms full. He could only crane his neck and shout over to Sein.

Unlike Black Oblivion, Sein did not touch any of the girls flocking around him.

Instead of admiring their beauty, he would have rather hauled them onto an experiment table for research.

Fortunately, the girls were professional enough to sense his disinterest.

Seeing that Sein did not display the same eagerness to indulge like Black Oblivion, they respectfully kept their distance.

In Reyno Star City, a place where every coin mattered, these girls were at the bottom of the social ladder.

After passing through a semi-transparent crystal door made from some unknown material, Sein stepped into an even grander space.

A wide, luxurious interior gradually opened up before him.

It was a casino!

Creatures of Rank Four like Sein and Black Oblivion walked confidently across the floor. There were plenty of Rank Threes and demigod-level beings around as well.

Of course, Rank Four was still the minority, and they always entered the casino accompanied by beautiful female companions.

But none of them could match the size or quality of the crowd around Black Oblivion.

"Big auctions and trading fairs are also held here. Word is, they sold a world-class secret treasure here not long ago. Caused a big stir. As long as you have money, you can do anything you want here," Black Oblivion said.

Then, with a grin creeping across his face, Black Oblivion turned to Sein and asked, "Have you ever tried sleeping with a Rank Four or higher goddess?"

"No," Sein said flatly, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"You've got to try it. That feeling will never leave you," Black Oblivion said, eyes gleaming in a dazed, nostalgic look.

As a matter of fact, Black Oblivion had lost his once-considerable fortune. Half of it was lost in this very casino, and the other half had been spent on a certain foreign goddess he had met here.

She was a very skilled Rank Five goddess who had completely mesmerized Black Oblivion.

This time, when he came to Reyno Star City, Black Oblivion had another motive: he wanted to find that goddess again.

Unfortunately, after their last passionate encounter, she had simply vanished, leaving Black Oblivion missing her ever since.

"I can't believe you brought me to a casino. No wonder Tourmaline refused to lend you any money," Sein muttered.

"My little sister actually told you that?" Black Oblivion's expression twisted in frustration.

Being turned down for money by his own sister was still a sore point.

"If White Stella finds out about this, I might end up in trouble just like you," Sein said, shooting Black Oblivion a look.

"If what happens here stays here, who's going to know?" Black Oblivion replied, feigning innocence.

Before Sein could respond, he waved his hand. "I'm heading off somewhere else. Feel free to look around. I'll come find you later!"

With that, he wrapped his arms around the group of women clinging to him and disappeared toward a corner of the grand hall.

His current funds might not allow him to splurge, but he could still afford a little fun.

Watching Black Oblivion vanish into the crowd with a dozen women in tow, Sein could not help but shake his head at the infamous lustful nature of dragons.

"Good thing Tourmaline isn't like that," Sein mumbled in relief.

Now that Black Oblivion had gone off on his own, Sein wandered the hall alone.

Fortunately, Black Oblivion had left a few of the women behind, and they took the initiative to show him around.

Thanks to their guidance, Sein gradually began to understand how the place worked.

But what neither of them knew was that the moment they stepped into Reyno Star City, someone had already taken notice of them.

High above, in the central control tower of the casino, a powerful humanoid in armor lined with sharp bone spikes turned to the being next to him and said in a low voice, "That flood dragon's back again. Should we... contact his family?"

The figure beside him outranked him by far. He was a rotund penguin in a tailcoat, flipping a stack of dark golden tarot cards between his flippers.

Unlike his subordinate, the penguin's gaze was fixed not on Black Oblivion, but on Sein—the one wearing the Faceless Mask.