Sovereign of the Ashes

Seven thousand magicoins was certainly not a trivial sum.

Rank Three grand mages often posted more significant private quests with rewards in this range.

In contrast, the missions posted by ordinary Rank Two mages generally ranged from a few hundred to two or three thousand magicoins. These were the amounts most of them could afford.

For someone like Sein, however, spending seven thousand magicoins in one go was not merely a show of his considerable wealth; it showed the importance he placed on obtaining this particular purple ore.

Although Sein only participated in a few interplanar wars, Dean Archimedes knew that he had amassed a considerable fortune in magicoins as a phenomenal initiate during the regional academy war. Besides, it was unlikely he'd be short of funds, being Lorianne's apprentice.

Archimedes was not particularly surprised when he heard the figure of seven thousand magicoins. He simply replied, "Sure, I will allocate your funds wisely. You can send the magicoins and the ore sample to the central fortress."

After a few more exchanges, Sein ended the long-distance communication with Dean Archimedes.

For Sein, seven thousand magicoin was no small figure either.

Although wealthy, the expenses from his experimental research over the years had been substantial.

Furthermore, much of Sein's wealth was tied up in physical assets like magic ingredients, alchemy tools, elemental potions, and enslaved creatures.

His magicoin cash flow had typically seen more outflow than inflow over the years.

Sein's rapid progression from Rank One to Rank Two in just a few decades was not only due to his acquisition of the verdant flame legacy, his relentless study and research, and his participation in the Knight Continent's trial.

Money also played a huge role.

Indeed, being a mage was a costly profession!

The seven thousand magicoins represented all the funds Sein could gather without impacting his normal experimental research expenses.

Archimedes, the Rank Three grand mage, was a strict and rigid old man.

As a tower master's apprentice, Sein would not risk tarnishing his reputation over this sum.

Yet, at the end of their communication, Archimedes specifically reminded Sein to transfer the funds promptly, so that he could issue the quest to the combat legions across the entire plane through the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Master Archimedes' meticulous management style ensured the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring operated smoothly.

It was clear why Sein's mentor valued him so highly. Having a reliable elder in the organization was truly a blessing.

Archimedes was not entirely a stubborn old scholar. When Sein contacted him directly to issue the quest, he certainly made every effort to assist, knowing that Sein was the tower master's apprentice.

Sein was aware that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring typically took a commission from the quests it facilitated.

However, given his standing, perhaps they might waive his fee.

During every interplanar war, many other knights and mages also issued private quests through the divine tower like Sein.

However, the quest Sein issued was the most eye-catching, second only to the divine tower's own mandatory missions.

This visibility was undoubtedly due to his high offer of seven thousand magicoins!

To put it in perspective, some Rank One mages might accumulate only a few hundred magicoins over an entire war, and knights often fared worse, with earnings of around one to two hundred magicoins.

With seven thousand magicoins at his disposal, how many laborers could Sein employ?

Additionally, he expanded the range of quest takers to include centaurs and lesser aquatic races.

After setting these gears in motion, Sein needed only to continue his usual experimental research.

The purple meteorites scattered throughout the Verdant Leaf World would, he hoped, begin to converge toward him through the efforts of legions under the divine tower's command.

It remained to be seen how many of the initial seven thousand magicoins would remain once he collected enough.

Sein hoped Master Archimedes would manage the funds wisely.

Regardless, Sein was indifferent to the potential total expenditure of the magicoins.

It would indicate a successful acquisition of the necessary materials for his experiments if they were all used up.

After inheriting the verdant flame magic, Sein was eager to infuse his own Violet Flame magic into Grandmaster Feylis's creation.

His studies into unique purple pyro energy particles thus far suggested a promising path forward.

Indeed, this venture was a gamble!

The pursuit of magical truths rarely followed a straightforward path.

With his insight and meticulous research, Sein was willing to invest heavily in uncovering the deeper mysteries of the pyro element.

***

It was not long after Sein had sent the meteorite sample and magicoin funds back to the central fortress that Natalya and the others saw the new quest.

This particular gathering quest, officially issued by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, was marked as non-compulsory, clearly indicating its status as a private endeavor by a mage.

The reward was substantial enough to tempt even a Rank Two knight like Gould.

Given that all participants were essentially plundering the wealth of this plane, the knights and mages would likely not hesitate to trade the unusual resource to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring for rewards.

Having fought alongside Sein at the bottom of the deep pit, Natalya immediately suspected that he was the initiator of this gathering quest.

It had been many days since she had last spoken to Sein. When Sein finally emerged from the magic tower, she approached him and asked, "Is that purple rock that important to you?"

In response to Nataya's question, Sein snapped his fingers, and a special purple flame suddenly appeared at his fingertips.

It was the result of his recent research, after delving deeper than the elemental mysteries he had explored and discovered earlier in his journey.

Sein had no regrets about spending seven thousand magicoins on this private request.

The rapid consumption of the purple meteorites in his experiments had even sparked a hint of anxiety within him.

His most significant recent discovery was the "inextinguishable" property of this special purple energy flame.

Initially, Sein had referred to it as the "Violet Flame Power", but now it seemed more fitting to call it the "Inextinguishable Violet Flame"!

This new "inextinguishable" property distinguished it from the traditional characteristics of the Violet Flame, suggesting that Sein's mastery of verdant flame magic could ascend several levels.

Natalya, being a Rank Two knight herself, instantly recognized the extraordinary nature of this flame.

"What kind of flame is this?" she asked curiously.

"Everburning Violet Flame," Sein replied.

With a flick of his fingers, he sent the flame, initially no larger than a thumb, into the forest nearby. The vibrant purple fire cast a haunting glow on his face.