Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 260: Mission Rewards

The pursuit of unraveling the truth of Verdant Flame magic was both enriching and fleeting for Sein.

He had barely begun to uncover the depths of the Verdant Flame magic when a summoning order from the fortress interrupted his exploration.

A week had elapsed since his arrival at the black volcano, but it seemed much shorter to Sein, who had been absorbed in his studies.

During this time, the forces of the Magus Civilization had firmly established control over not only the black volcano, but also its surrounding territories.

The decisive injury that Master Feylis dealt to Anridar the Venom Flame Demon King had left the other native beings of the Viridian Venom Flame World incapable of putting up any substantial resistance.

After leaving the cave, Sein joined the other mages assigned to the black volcano area and headed toward the space fortress.

During this period, it appeared Luna had encountered a substantial challenge during these few days.

Sein spotted a noticeable scratch on her arm, likely inflicted by a formidable creature. Despite the injury, Luna displayed neither pain nor frustration; instead, a hidden excitement sparkled in her eyes.

Catching Sein’s observant glance, Luna responded with a subtle smile. “Have you had a rewarding encounter?” she asked.

Sein nodded in response, thinking to himself, “And it’s a really rewarding one too.”

With a flick of his fingers, a verdant green flame appeared on his fingertip.

The Verdant Flame was not just a mere pyrokinetic manifestation but also bore subtle toxic properties.

It was the direct result of Sein delving into the Verdant Flame magic knowledge imparted by the crystal ball that his mentor, Master Lorianne, had given him.

Despite its modest size, this flame marked a significant milestone in Sein’s exploration of Verdant Flame magic.

His next endeavor involved integrating this newly acquired magic into the spell models he was already proficient in.

Given the natural resistance of the native creatures of the Viridian Venom Flame World to pyro elemental spells, Sein wondered if the addition of Verdant Flame would significantly enhance the efficacy of his spells against them.

***

The main base of the fortress was constructed with an extensive deployment of manpower and resources.

The three space fortresses hovered at low altitude, lending an air of formidable prestige to the already impressive base.

Within the base’s confines, an array of magic towers and fortifications were strategically placed. Sein observed constructed and alchemy puppets, varying from five to twenty meters in height, patrolling the area.

The origin of these diverse puppets was a mystery to Sein. It was unclear where Grandmaster Verdant Flame had acquired them, as they were not a common sight within the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Through his careful observation, Sein concluded that these puppets were likely controlled by mages.

In contrast to these massive puppets, Sein also noticed several small metal flying devices, about half a meter in height, flitting around the base.

Although they were products of alchemy, it was nothing quite like what Sein was familiar with. The alchemy and magitech of Magus Civilization was too deep and sophisticated.

In comparison, the alchemical knowledge Sein had acquired from his late mentor, Morsidor, merely scratched the surface of this vast field.

As Sein returned to the main base, he witnessed several war airships, each nearly a thousand meters long and two to three hundred meters wide, departing from the fortress.

Accompanying them were over a hundred thousand enslaved creatures and thousands of mages, forming a massive force that moved westward on the ground below the flying airship.

Sein had been briefed upon his arrival in the Viridian Venom Flame World that their space fortress had descended in the central area of the western continent of this low-level plane.

It was clear that this continent would be the Magus Civilization’s primary target. The eastern continent and the vast lava sea, which constituted over a third of the world, would be the next targets.

It was also entirely possible that several legions of the Magus Civilization would advance in tandem.

Sein remembered from the faction gathering at the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame that the war was not expected to last beyond thirty years. The Grandmaster and her apprentices were keen on accelerating the campaign’s progress.

Upon returning to the main base, Sein, Luna, and other mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame converged at the base’s center to receive their next assignments.

Although it had only been just over a week since the establishment of the main fortress base, all operations were already running smoothly.

This quick progress demonstrated not only the military prowess of the forces from the Magus Civilization but also their sophisticated and seasoned approach to warfare.

Until today, the natives in the Viridian Venom Flame World had not yet succeeded in mounting any substantial resistance.

On the other hand, the army from Magus Civilization had already initiated multiple strategic maneuvers, including plans to exploit resources like developing the small pyro-attribute magic crystal vein that Sein and the others had discovered.

After collecting his mission rewards at the base center, Sein was instructed to remain on standby.

In the midst of an interplanar war, opportunities for respite were scarce. Sein’s best hope was to intertwine his experimental pursuits with his combative duties, much like he had done over the past week.

Given the demanding nature of the ongoing war, the fortress typically allotted him no more than a two-day standby period.

These initial phases of the campaign required active participation on multiple fronts.

When Sein arrived at the fortress, he witnessed the deployment of thousands of mages and several war airships. Such a sight had become increasingly frequent lately.

It seemed likely that, in a matter of days, Sein would also be one of the mages deployed to a battlefield.

***

Sein’s reward tally exceeded eighty magicoins. Thirty of these were his standard compensation for patrolling and neutralizing resistance around the black volcano, while the remaining fifty were awarded for the discovery of a magic crystal vein with the other mages.

Sein was considered quite lucky to discover a magic crystal mine as soon as he descended into the Viridian Venom Flame World.

For most Rank One mages, their earnings from the first interplanar war were only several hundred magicoins.

After receiving the rewards for his mission, Sein received a communication from Eileen.

As a full-fledged mage of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein was expected to collaborate closely with his peers from the same tower from this point onward.

After parting ways with Luna and the other mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, Sein headed toward a specific area in the western part of the main base, where Eileen and other mages were currently stationed.