Sovereign of the Ashes

The Goddess of Wealth was highly motivated and more capable than Sein had expected.

Even before the Spider Queen's funds arrived, and before the profits from the war spoils Lorianne traded with the Capiche Business Alliance came through, Aurelia had already begun to prove her worth.

Sein still had some funds left. They were actually part of the operating budget set aside to keep his divine tower running smoothly.

Thanks to steady recruitment of initiates over the past few years and a new batch of full-fledged mages, the divine tower academy could finally consider another expansion.

Whether it was constructing new libraries or developing the underground resources beneath the Divine Tower of Ashes, all of it required money.

Given that several sources of funding were expected to come in soon, there was no immediate risk of a cash flow issue.

So, Sein decided to hand whatever he had to the Goddess of Wealth.

The Magus Civilization's economic rules had reached a near-perfect state of stability over ten thousand years ago.

These were economic systems specifically designed for a society where magic and battle qi coexisted.

The rules of the Gallant Federation's economy would not necessarily work in the Magus Civilization.

Likewise, the law of wealth Aurelia wielded was based on her insights into Faeloria's economic structure.

Since arriving in the Magus Civilization, Aurelia's performance had been somewhat inconsistent.

But the value she had demonstrated in serving the Spider Queen showed she was steadily improving.

Magicoins were an incredibly versatile currency in Magus World. Even though they continued to depreciate, they still held considerable purchasing power across the entire Magus Alliance.

An average Rank One mage working for the divine tower academies without taking part in interplanar wars might earn only a few magicoins a year.

So if Aurelia could really double Sein's assets within a thousand years, it was definitely worth a shot.

Even most Rank Four mages would struggle to accumulate ten million magicoins in that time.

Take Lorianne, for example. When she helped Thunder during the Thunderfall World War, the initial fee for her support was only two million magicoins.

And even then, interplanar wars were not frequent occurrences.

At least for now, following the conclusion of the White Sand World War, Sein had not found a suitable target for his next invasion.

No one in his social circle or among the elders in his faction had found one either.

Aurelia turned out to be a capable economic manager.

Aside from receiving a lump sum of magicoins from Sein and taking over commercial development around the Divine Tower of Ashes, she also took the initiative to ask about his trusted networks and business channels.

Connections were a form of resource too—especially the stable ones Sein had mentioned, like those linked to the half-beastmen, the Verdant Wilderness World, White Sand World, and Blackhaven.

Aurelia wasted no time getting to work.

Honestly, given how mages were trained to be meticulous and skilled in complex calculations, if Sein had the time to dive into economic research, he might have been just as capable as the Goddess of Wealth.

But time was exactly what he did not have!

Every hour of his day was already consumed by experiments and research. Ever since advancing to Rank Four, he had barely had a chance to settle down and spend quality time in his own laboratory.

That was why, in Sein's eyes, having a professional financial manager like Aurelia handle his assets was far more valuable than the Dark Elf Queen Lorthisra had sent.

At Aurelia's firm suggestion, Sein went ahead and established the Aurelia Chamber of Commerce under the Divine Tower of Ashes.

Large chambers of commerce and family-run financial groups were fairly common in Magus World, and they played a major role in its economy.

Still, the Magus Civilization was not the Gallant Federation. This was a civilization built on magic and battle qi, heavily influenced and restricted by the powerhouses at the very top.

Those who had risen to the higher ranks had a broader outlook. They did not concern themselves with short-term profits or losses, but focused on the long-term development and fate of the civilization as a whole.

That was why, unlike the Gallant Federation, one would almost never see economic power steering the course of the entire civilization here.

Within the Magus Civilization's vast web of interests, economic systems existed only to support the bigger picture.

Naming the organization the "Aurelia Chamber of Commerce" was a clear sign of trust from Sein.

If she truly had the ability and could deliver results, he had no issue giving her a chance.

When he saw Aurelia's pleased expression, he offered a timely reminder.

"The Magus Civilization will never allow the power of faith to thrive in this plane. I'll let you strengthen your laws through economic means, but you must never try to build a following here."

"If you do, I won't be able to protect you. And even the Spider Queen won't be able to save you," he warned.

The Goddess of Wealth nodded solemnly.

Having been in contact with the Magus Civilization for a while now, she fully understood just how terrifying this world-spanning civilization really was.

She was only an intermediate deity, and even if she rose to become a greater deity, a supreme deity, or even an overdeity someday, it would still be nearly impossible for her to stir any real waves in the vast ocean that was the Magus Civilization.

The Goddess of Wealth was not greedy.

Centuries of suffering and imprisonment in the depths of Purgatory had given her a clear look at reality.

On one hand, she wanted to stay on the good side of Sein and the Spider Queen, hoping to survive or maybe even earn a slightly better life.

On the other hand, she was aiming to use the Magus Civilization's massive and orderly system to strengthen her own divine law.

Even if she could not spread her faith in Magus World, she still had followers in Faeloria!

Her divine fire had not gone out, and her temples still stood. With Lorthisra now quietly eroding Faeloria from the shadows, the Temple of Wealth would become an important tool during that process.

Simply put, she was "borrowing a chicken to lay eggs". The Goddess of Wealth hoped to use the Magus Civilization as a springboard to elevate herself to new heights.

From that perspective, she and Sein had no real conflict of interest.

Although Sein had only provided her with limited startup capital and a small set of connections, he was much more sincere than Lorthisra.

The Goddess of Wealth still feared that Lorthisra might turn on her one day and devour her whole.

Just the sight of the fallen Moonlit Cat Goddess, reduced to an empty shell, was enough to send shivers down her spine every time.

That was why she had to prove her worth, no matter what!

***

Besides the Aurelia Chamber of Commerce, there were actually several other similar organizations affiliated with the Divine Tower of Ashes.

House Grantt, House Ernst, and House Farion all had their own business ventures, but they were nothing compared to the Aurelia Chamber of Commerce.

Backed by Sein's growing influence, Aurelia was preparing to take things a step further. She would focus on interplanar economic trade moving forward.