Sovereign of the Ashes

Phantom Crow World and Submerged Wave World, the bitter rivals, somehow ended up in the same alliance.

The irony of it all was hard to miss.

However, the Magus Civilization was displeased by Submerged Wave World's earlier indecision.

So, even though it was larger and had greater potential, it ended up with the lowest privileges in the Magus Alliance—slightly less even than what Eternal Sand received.

Yet the obligations it had to fulfill were no less demanding!

Since the mission in the Phantom Crow Star Domain was complete, Sein saw no reason to stay. After letting the Phantom Crow King know, he returned to Magus World.

Meanwhile, the Magus Civilization's military forces continued with their fortification and garrison duties in the Phantom Crow Star Domain.

The Magus Alliance Conference was only four hundred years away now, so it would not be long before Sein crossed paths with the Phantom Crow King again.

In fact, given how vast the Magus Alliance was and how many members it had, plenty of deities from faraway planes had already started arriving in the heartland of the Magus Civilization, long before official invitations even went out.

Everyone was getting ready for this once-in-a-millennium event.

If it had not been for all the recent "strangers" showing up in the Phantom Crow Star Domain, the Phantom Crow King might have felt more comfortable leaving its lair to join Sein on the trip back to the Magus Civilization.

***

Sein made the return trip aboard the same space fortress he had arrived in.

Since the fortress was meant for diplomatic missions and Sein had completed his task, it made sense to go back on it.

As the 25th Magus Alliance Conference drew closer, just about every Rank Four and above knight, mage, and allied deity was paying attention. Even lower-ranking beings had started talking about it.

Many of the lower-ranking knights and mages aboard the fortress served the Magus Alliance and had access to information that ordinary Rank One or Rank Two beings could only dream of. Naturally, they were just as excited as everyone else.

There was no need to rush back. Since Sein had not really had the chance to explore the Magus Civilization's territory properly, he ordered the fortress to slow down.

Although he had visited dozens of allied planes before, that was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the vast territory the Magus Civilization controlled.

There were still huge stretches of unexplored space in the Magus Civilization that were waiting for him.

Besides, he would not be able to dive into long experiments once he got back this time. So he figured he might as well use this time to explore as much as he could.

***

Crescent Sea World...

Under the crimson sunset, the western beach of this low-level plane in the alliance was bathed in a dazzling pale-gold glow.

The shimmering waves slowly retreated from the sandy shore, and some strange-looking marine creatures and crustaceans emerged lazily from the reefs.

Crescent Sea World was one of the more well-known low-level planes in the Magus Alliance, situated in a particular star domain.

Its pleasant environment and natural beauty had long drawn low-ranking knights and mages from Magus World to come exploring.

It was also one of the earlier planes to join the Magus Alliance, so this beautiful planet with stunning scenery had received several grants from the alliance over the years.

Sein had arrived here a month ago.

After more than a month of rest and relaxation, it was time for him to move on.

He suddenly wished he had brought Natalya, Selina, and the others along—especially Leena, who had yet to experience the vastness and grandeur of the Magus Alliance.

Before leaving Crescent Sea World, Sein took a moment to meet with the three Rank Four beings in this plane out of respect.

Of the three, only the Jade White Sea Snail was a native. The other two were its friends from nearby allied planes.

Like anywhere else, the allied planes and deities of the Magus Alliance had their own small circles and cliques.

With the Magus Alliance Conference drawing near, many of these deities had already started gathering to discuss various matters in advance.

The impending war between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation was no longer a secret.

Thirty-six years ago, the two top-tier civilizations had clashed again along the border.

A medium-sized star domain called "Ferentor" was completely wiped out in the fight.

It was hard to say who fired the first shot, but the Magus Civilization ended up advancing well beyond its border.

The Gallant Federation had not backed down either.

They retaliated by deploying some kind of long-range superweapon that destroyed Ferentor World outright, stirring outrage among the neighboring star domains that had been watching the situation.

To think that even a medium-sized complete plane with deep foundations could be wiped out just like that!

The sheer might of the Gallant Federation left many of the weaker deities in the Magus Alliance feeling uneasy and on edge.

The Magus Civilization, on the other hand, showed no sign of alarm. After all, they were capable of destroying a medium-sized plane in a single strike as well.

In fact, it was this calm confidence that helped most Rank Four beings from allied planes breathe a little easier.

Of course, any Rank Four or higher being with a shred of sense knew that jumping into the conflict between two top-tier civilizations like the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation would end badly.

Those two giants could probably crush them countless times over without even trying.

But really, what choice did they have?

For these allied planes, they could only remain loyal to the Magus Civilization.

The three Rank Four beings who gathered at Crescent Sea World did so mainly for the 25th Magus Alliance Conference and the impending Clash of Civilizations.

Even if deep down they felt anxious, they kept their composure as they watched Sein depart aboard the space fortress.

***

After leaving Crescent Sea World, Sein continued his journey to various worlds like Ancient Tomewoods, Gembright, Cloudrift, and Ael Hiveworld.

Sein had never visited all these alliance planes before, and each held its own kind of fascination for him.

Whether Sein's travels aboard the space fortress counted as a funded tour was anyone's guess.

Either way, it was not just Sein who was enjoying the trip. The lower-ranking knights and mages traveling with him seemed to be having a good time too, making the most of the chance to see these new worlds.

Besides, the Magus Alliance had not given Sein a hard deadline for his return.

And with the space fortress as transport, Sein was saving a fortune in what would normally be hefty teleportation costs for a Rank Four being to travel between these planes.