Sovereign of the Ashes

The space fortress that Sein wanted was essentially a self-modified model.

It combined the sturdy hull produced by the Capiche Business Alliance with the advanced modification technology of Steel City.

After receiving suggestions and a purchase list from Old Peyton in Sky City, Sein headed straight for the Capiche Business Alliance.

Sein's funds were still insufficient.

If he had eighty or ninety million, or even over a hundred million magicoins, he could have commissioned a fully custom-made space fortress tailored to his needs through Sky City's heavy industry laboratory.

Unfortunately, even the cheapest custom-made space fortress in Sky City cost fifty million magicoins.

And according to Old Peyton, its performance was not much better than similarly priced special space fortresses from the Capiche Business Alliance and Steel City.

To truly customize a great space fortress, one needed to spend over a hundred million magicoins!

Sein had to take things one step at a time.

Trying to get the very best space fortress the Magus Civilization had to offer in one go was simply unrealistic.

The space fortress he planned to purchase on this trip was already decent overall.

At the very least, its performance and price surpassed what most Rank Four tower masters in the Magus World had!

***

The Capiche Business Alliance...

Thanks to his past visits to the Capiche Business Alliance and his experience accompanying his mentor to purchase a space fortress, Sein had little trouble finding his destination.

Accompanying him in picking his new fortress was a Rank Four mage named Schlesyn.

With the Magus Alliance Conference approaching, the Capiche Business Alliance's space fortress market seemed noticeably quieter.

Only a dozen or so people were browsing space fortresses just like Sein.

However, as Schlesyn explained, this quietness was only superficial.

The real reason there were so few people was that most Rank Four and higher powerhouses had already left or were busy preparing to travel to the Howling Stone Demiplane for the 25th Magus Alliance Conference.

Over the past few decades, the Capiche Business Alliance had completed hundreds of space fortress transactions.

Many mages predicted that once the Magus Alliance Conference concluded, the Capiche Business Alliance's space fortress sales would surge again!

At the underground fortress docking base in the southwest region of the alliance, Sein finally laid eyes on the Azure Starbane he intended to purchase.

A total of twenty-one massive fortresses stood silently within the base. The air was thick with the presence of powerful partitioning magic arrays and protective potions.

Although these were manufactured thirty thousand years ago, they still looked practically brand new.

The Azure Starbane had a diameter of roughly twenty thousand kilometers, making it a typical heavy-duty space fortress.

Its length alone was double that of Lorianne's Verdant Spring Fortress!

When the Azure Starbane had first been released thirty thousand years ago, it carried a price tag of forty-two million magicoins.

Over time, as Magus World's space fortress technology advanced and new models appeared, the Azure Starbane was discontinued, and its price steadily fell.

Schlesyn had just quoted Sein a price of 19.51 million magicoins—almost exactly what Old Peyton had told him to expect.

"Master Sein, you truly have a keen eye. The Azure Starbane is one of the most cost-effective special space fortresses I have available. The destructive power of its main cannon, the Stardestroyer, is 6.7% higher than that of the latest standard space fortresses produced by our Capiche Business Alliance!" Schlesyn said with a smile.

"The price of 19.51 million is already the lowest possible price. Of course, we also offer loan services. With your divine tower as collateral, I can secure a low-interest loan of fifteen million magicoins for you. In other words, you only need to put down 4.51 million magicoins to take this space fortress home. We'll handle all the paperwork for you and even provide maintenance services for the Azure Starbane for the next ten thousand years."

Schlesyn was clearly a highly experienced salesman. With his detailed introduction, Sein gained a deeper understanding of the Azure Starbane's strengths—details even Old Peyton had not mentioned.

However, Sein was not swayed. He pointed out directly that the Azure Starbane's energy consumption was still three to four times higher than that of a standard fortress. And once it entered combat mode, its energy usage skyrocketed even further!

It was, in short, a massive money-burning machine.

It was precisely because of this glaring flaw that the Azure Starbane had been phased out.

Back when it was first released, this model had not sold particularly well.

Unless someone was a wealthy knight or mage of Rank Four or higher, only a few could afford the operating cost of this vessel.

Some even called the Azure Starbane an "energy black hole".

Times had changed, though, and Steel City's latest energy regeneration systems could significantly reduce the Azure Starbane's notorious energy consumption.

Unfortunately, the Capiche Business Alliance's space fortress manufacturing division had always been in competition with Steel City.

Steel City's cheaper, more "accessible" designs had taken away many commercial orders in recent years.

So when Sein criticized the Azure Starbane for its flaws, Schlesyn could not simply suggest he head over to Steel City for a fix.

"Seventeen million! If Master Schlesyn can accept this price, I'm willing to purchase it for seventeen million magicoins! I have enough funds and don't need any loan from the Capiche Business Alliance. I can pay in full immediately!" Sein said firmly.

Schlesyn curled his lips slightly; seventeen million magicoins was simply too low.

This thirty-thousand-year-old space fortress might not have a fixed price like the latest standard models, but it offered far greater operational flexibility.

At seventeen million, however, his commission would be severely cut.

Seeing that Sein had done his homework and was paying in full instead of opting for an installment plan, Schlesyn paused, then replied, "18.41 million—this is the lowest price I can offer!"

"Master Sein, you need to know that while the Azure Starbane has its flaws, it's still in high demand right now. Fifty years ago, there were thirty Azure Starbanes in this underground base. Now only twenty-one remain," he explained.

"If you are still unhappy with the price, I suggest you look at other models or think it over again. But I must remind you, the Azure Starbane has been discontinued. If you wait until after the Magus Alliance Conference, it may no longer be available," Schlesyn warned.

Sein stared at him for a moment, then finally nodded.

"I'll take it!"