Sovereign of the Ashes

Of the two Rank Five Phantom Crows, only one was returned, as the other was already dead.

When asked whether the Phantom Crow King wanted the remains of that one, this Rank Six creature shook its head. It had already sensed some sincerity from Magus World.

In truth, not all Phantom Crows of Rank Four and above could temporarily extinguish their soul flame and feign death.

With the return of the Rank Five gray-feathered Phantom Crow, Sein's subsequent negotiations with the Phantom Crow King on behalf of the Magus Civilization about joining the Magus Alliance went much more smoothly.

***

Due to the complexity of the terms involved, the negotiations between Sein and the Phantom Crow King went on for two years.

The discussions mainly focused on the contract agreements, along with the rights and obligations of both sides.

Overall, this mission to the Phantom Crow World was a success.

In addition to accepting the Magus Alliance's invitation to attend the upcoming 25th Alliance Conference, the Phantom Crow King also built a good personal relationship with Sein.

There was no other choice, as he was the only one the Phantom Crow King knew right now.

Among the Magus Civilization's diplomatic team sent to Phantom Crow World, Sein was the only Rank Four being present.

Once the Phantom Crow King joined the Magus Alliance, it would definitely need Sein's help to connect with other foreign deities and allied planes within the Magus Alliance.

In fact, Sein had already agreed to introduce the Phantom Crow King to the powerhouses of the Magus Civilization and the Rank Four or higher beings he knew in the alliance before the start of the conference.

Sein's "kindness" earned a string of grateful expressions from the Phantom Crow King.

In truth, beings with lowly nature like the Phantom Crow King were not exactly good choice for friends.

They preyed on the weak, feared the strong, and could betray others at any moment if the stakes were high enough.

That said, such beings made better subordinates as they were very easy to control.

With the Phantom Crow King's abilities, betraying the Magus Civilization would be unthinkable in its lifetime.

The absolute gap in power left no room for the Phantom Crow King to even consider betrayal. In fact, it would be even more obedient than most foreign deities.

In the Phantom Crow World, Sein was treated as if he were the Rank Six being and the Phantom Crow King the Rank Four instead.

Not only did the Phantom Crow King host him with great care, but Sein also received plenty of "local specialties" as gifts.

These were all offerings personally given by the Phantom Crow King.

The fact that they could satisfy a Rank Four being showed that these gifts were of considerable quality.

Besides, they were not given for nothing.

Sein himself represented the Phantom Crow King's "connection" to Magus World.

No wonder the Magus World powerhouses always seemed to stand above the rest in the Magus Alliance.

Back when Sein was still traveling through allied planes as a lower-ranking mage, he had already seen hints of this.

Now that he was Rank Four, he felt it all the more clearly.

***

Following the conclusion of the negotiations, the law contract confirming the Phantom Crow King's entry to the Magus Alliance was successfully signed.

The Phantom Crow King's soul seal was also imprinted on the scroll, and Sein's mission was more or less complete.

However, Sein did not leave the Phantom Crow World right away; he needed to remain for a while longer.

This was because the Magus Alliance's upcoming shipment of supplies and financial aid for the Phantom Crow World required Sein to witness and help receive the delivery alongside the Phantom Crow King.

It was also the Magus Civilization's first gesture of goodwill toward Phantom Crow World.

Sein was quite satisfied with life here.

And he was not the only one—every knight and mage who took part in this diplomatic mission was satisfied too.

During this time, Sein even asked the Phantom Crow King to send over seven Rank Four or higher creatures from its star domain to assist him with some experimental research.

As for the Phantom Crow King itself, Sein did not harm it. He simply and politely asked for a few of its feathers.

The Phantom Crow King was generous. It had already given Sein so many "local specialties," so offering a few more gifts was no big deal.

The feathers it gave him all had black flames burning along their surfaces.

This strange flame intrigued Sein greatly.

From the Phantom Crow King's explanation, Sein learned that these feathers had another use—they could be used to summon it across dimensions if needed.

It seemed the Phantom Crow King truly wanted to befriend Sein!

In response to the Phantom Crow King's generosity, Sein also generously handed over the rest of the potions Lorianne had made for him back in White Sand World.

Given the Phantom Crow King's immense vitality, these potions likely would not have much of an effect on it.

But the Rank Four Phantom Crows would probably benefit from them, especially that unfortunate Rank Five gray-feathered Phantom Crow.

Sein could not help but wonder if that poor creature would ever fully recover within the next thousand years.

Along with the potions, Sein also gifted the Phantom Crow King a few items from his private collection.

They were the sort of things that would interest most mages from the Magus World, though the Phantom Crow King seemed to have no taste for such collections.

Still, it looked pleased to receive them.

Giving away a few potions that could help a Rank Four creature fully recover did not bother Sein in the slightest.

After all, now that Lorianne had obtained Amethyst Aphid Honeydew, the potions she would craft next would be of even greater quality.

***

Sein and his group waited in Phantom Crow World for thirty years before the supplies from the Magus Alliance finally arrived.

Three massive transport-type space fortresses showed up, clearly demonstrating the Magus Civilization's sincerity toward Phantom Crow World!

In terms of value, the benefits Phantom Crow World received from the Magus Alliance far surpassed those given to Eternal Sand World.

After all, the scale of Phantom Crow World and Eternal Sand World was not even comparable.

Sein had no share in this enormous wealth, which was valued at over seventy million magicoins—and that was probably for the best.

If he had, it might have drawn unwanted attention if it ever came to light.

The "local specialties" the Phantom Crow King offered voluntarily were harmless though.

Even the Phantom Crow King was stunned at the sheer scale of the wealth that arrived.

Although all of this had been clearly detailed in the contract scroll the Phantom Crow King had signed, seeing it laid out in physical form still caught the king off guard.

Beyond these supplies brought from afar, the arrival of two additional standard war-type space fortresses cast a faint shadow over the Phantom Crow King's mind.

They, too, were part of the terms the Phantom Crow King had agreed to in the law contract.

Since the Phantom Crow Star Domain sat at the edge of the Magus Civilization's sphere of influence, the Magus Alliance considered it necessary to station two space fortresses and a contingent of war legions in the Phantom Crow Star Domain to "protect" their allies.

The Magus World Army and the two space fortresses that arrived were not simply there for show.

With their arrival, a dense network of spatial teleportation magic arrays and monitoring magic arrays would soon spread across the Phantom Crow Star Domain.

These magic arrays were constructed so that if enemies invaded in the future, the Magus Civilization could respond in the shortest possible time and deploy a large army to provide support.

At the same time, they would also make it easier for Phantom Crow World to connect with other planes within the Magus Alliance.

This was all a positive development, but the sudden arrival of so many outsiders in a star domain that had long been isolated was still unsettling.

The pitch-black openings of the main cannons on those two space fortresses were especially chilling, leaving the Phantom Crow King silent for a long while.

Paying no mind to the Phantom Crow King's worries, Sein took the initiative to fly forward and meet the Rank Four and above Magus World powerhouses who had come to oversee the delivery of supplies and troop deployment.

The one in charge of this shipment was a Rank Five mage named Beynor, an elderly man with a round, large head and rosy cheeks.

As soon as they met, he commended Sein for carrying out the diplomatic mission flawlessly.

During their conversation, Sein also learned from him that Submerged Wave World, which had been indecisive and watching from the sidelines, had finally agreed to join the Magus Alliance three years ago.

It was clear that Phantom Crow World's decision to join the Magus Alliance had influenced Submerged Wave World's choice.

In a way, that could be counted as one of Sein's accomplishments as well.