Sovereign of the Ashes

As an open and prosperous world, Eternal Sand World naturally had more than one powerhouse.

In fact, the overall strength of this unique sand elemental plane far surpassed that of Bouldrak World, which had been conquered by the half-beastmen.

In addition to the Rank Five Eternal Sand Lord, the plane was home to four other Rank Four beings.

The Belbacor mentioned by Sein was the Lava King—a former lord who ascended to Rank Four about a thousand years ago.

Its promotion was proof enough of the transformation in his life level.

It was a Rank Four being who wielded both geo and pyro elemental laws. When Sein and the others approached it, it was in the middle of an interplanar trade at the bottom of his lava lake.

In truth, Belbacor's rise among the many demigod-level beings of Eternal Sand World was not just due to the support of the Eternal Sand Lord and the guardian.

A much more important reason was its uncanny good fortune—it had a knack for establishing contact with distant, unusual worlds and completing successful trades.

From clumsy beginnings to growing expertise, Belbacor had now become a qualified "interstellar broker".

It would trade for things it did not need, hoard them, and then resell them at higher prices.

Among others in his trade circle, Belbacor was one of the few known for being honest and direct.

Because of that, many of the foreign beings it dealt with became regular customers.

And so, the lava lord found itself walking further down the path of interstellar commerce, with no intention of turning back.

Truthfully, it was not the brightest flame in the firepit.

But it did love the feeling of accumulating wealth and resources.

When Sein and the others arrived, Belbacor was in the middle of an intense bargaining session with a foreign blue-fin river dolphin.

When the dolphin asked if the price could be lowered just a little more, Belbacor reluctantly nodded, wearing a constipated expression while completing the interplanar deal on the spot.

The item it received was a piece of white dolphin blubber, which, when consumed directly, could accelerate the healing speed of injured Rank Four or higher beings.

It was even said that applying it externally would enhance passive evolution and make one more attractive to the opposite sex.

Before Belbacor had a chance to test that claim, the Eternal Sand Lord summoned it.

The Eternal Sand Lord appeared gentle and kind in the presence of Sein and the others, but its authority within Eternal Sand World was absolute.

All the other Rank Four beings in the Eternal Sand World looked up to it with respect.

By now, more people had gathered on Mount Lava.

Many of the Magus World mages who had traveled with them were quietly observing this unfamiliar plane.

Despite what its name might suggest, Eternal Sand World was not a barren desert. In fact, its level of greenery was surprisingly high.

Amidst the pyro, geo, and desert elemental factors, there were also vast stretches of pristine forest and dense jungle.

On top of that, nearly one-third of the plane's surface was covered by oceans.

All of this made it clear that Eternal Sand World was a balanced, well-rounded plane with perfect environmental diversity.

Its investment potential far surpassed that of White Sand World, which Sein had only recently brought under control.

This also showed that the Eternal Sand Lord was a capable ruler, one who possessed long-term vision and wisdom.

Within the Magus Alliance, there were many Rank Five beings and foreign deities, but only very few could match the Eternal Sand Lord in both leadership and insight.

The arrival of such a large group of outsiders clearly caught Belbacor off guard.

While Eternal Sand World did have regular contact with foreign beings, it was usually limited to interplanar trade and rarely involved face-to-face meetings.

At that moment, Sein was not wearing the Faceless Mask, so his aura was not particularly hidden.

After glancing at Sein and then at Mayne, Belbacor turned his gaze to the Eternal Sand Lord.

"These are guests from Magus World," the Eternal Sand Lord explained, gesturing toward Sein and his companions.

After a short pause, it added, "I've decided to lead the Eternal Sand World into the Magus Alliance."

The words hit Belbacor like a bombshell. Its jaw dropped, and it stared in disbelief.

Sein stepped forward with a grin. "What, don't you remember me? We even traded before."

Belbacor had not recognized Sein at first, but the moment it heard that Sein was from Magus World, its eyes widened.

After a long pause, it finally said, "So that was you..."

***

Belbacor bore some resemblance to the minotaurs of Beastmen World, complete with a pair of crimson-red horns.

After reuniting with Sein, and with Eternal Sand World now officially part of the Magus Alliance, this warmhearted, newly promoted Rank Four being generously invited Sein and his companions into his castle.

The castle itself was built atop an entire mountain range, with Belbacor as its undisputed ruler.

Gazing at the massive structure nestled between volcanoes and rivers of molten lava, Sein could not help but think back to the fortress he had built in Purgatory all those years ago.

As a gift, Belbacor offered him a quarter-cut slab of white dolphin blubber, while Sein reciprocated with a Flame Molten Crystal—a specialty from Purgatory.

Over time, Sein began to find himself more inclined to befriend Belbacor than to communicate directly with the Eternal Sand Lord.

After all, this was someone who had only reached Rank Four about a thousand years ago. Just like Sein, it lacked a profound background.

Sein and his group stayed as guests in Eternal Sand World for two years.

Beyond a series of contract signings, the Eternal Sand Lord actively reached out to multiple planes across the star domain during that time.

No one knew exactly how many planes existed in this medium-sized star domain, even the Eternal Sand Lord.

Without a unified civilization, no one had conducted a thorough survey or census.

Still, the Eternal Sand Lord had personally confirmed the existence of at least seventy-seven planes.

Of these, thirty-nine were already under the control of Submerged Wave World.

The rest were independent, each ruling their own territory scattered throughout the star domain.

Naturally, the Eternal Sand Lord made contact with most of the seventy-seven planes it already knew.

Thanks to its active diplomatic efforts, eight Rank Four beings from different planes agreed to join the Magus Alliance within just two years.

It was, without question, a promising start.

The Eternal Sand Lord also stated that it would continue reaching out to the remaining planes over time.

Given the situation, there was no longer any reason for Sein and Mayne to stay.

Through the Eternal Sand Lord's introductions, they also gathered some useful information about star domains beyond this one.

Among them was Phantom Crow World, which had long been engaged in ongoing warfare with Submerged Wave World, and had now drawn the attention of Magus World.

Phantom Crow World was the closest medium-sized plane to Submerged Wave World among all surrounding star domains.

However, its home star domain was much smaller, estimated to have only thirty to forty complete planes.

Unlike the scattered governance of this current domain, the Phantom Crow Star Domain was completely unified.

The Phantom Crows had already conquered every plane within it.

These aggressive, soul-devouring creatures had long harassed neighboring star domains, causing no end of trouble for countless nearby planes.

Given how close they were geographically to this star domain, the Magus Civilization would likely send representatives to Phantom Crow World in the near future.

At least, that was what Mayne told Sein.