Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 533: Splitting Ice Mountain

After rolling four times while roaring, the Ice Narwhal finally left the surface, retreating to rest in the ocean’s depths.

In its wake, Sein acquired four more barrels of narwhal oil.

This milky white, fatty substance emitted a peculiar fragrance and was highly prized not merely for its aroma but for its special properties.

When burned, the narwhal oil produced a unique cold flame that greatly benefited Sein’s Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique.

Sein stored all four barrels himself, while Leena and Faye collected some surface microscopic tissues from the Ice Narwhal.

To the colossal creature, these samples were negligible. But for the two female Rank One mages, they were treasures of immense value.

Having secured numerous valuable items with Sein during their trials on the Knight continent, Leena was less excited than Faye.

For Faye, this was her first significant harvest since the Ice Narwhal’s life level far exceeded her own.

Lacking the extensive expertise and research background of Sein and Leena, her true gain would come later—once she found a way to sell these rare materials.

In Blackhaven, black mages would undoubtedly show interest in what she had acquired.

Upon their return, Leena had promised to refer both Zorro and Faye to the Black Tower of Cinderbones.

Surely, such advanced materials would also be highly sought after by the black mages there.

“I’d suggest you keep your resources under wraps for now. If you find yourself short of any magic ingredients, I can provide some support,” Leena advised Faye.

The Blackhaven was not a gathering place for the virtuous. Even with White Stella and the sea kings acting as deterrents, some black mages would still go to great lengths for profits.

Having lived in Blackhaven for nearly fifty years, Faye was far from naive.

She was even more pragmatic than Zorro and better adapted to the harsh environment of Blackhaven, so much so that she had even earned recognition as a black mage from White Stella herself.

Even without Leena’s advice, Faye knew exactly what to do.

After nodding in acknowledgment, Faye’s gaze returned to Sein, who was absorbed in his work at the experimental table.

At that moment, Faye was no longer the treacherous woman known to the human slaves at the bottom of her magic tower; instead, she was simply a female mage in love.

Sein was indeed a considerate man.

The batch of energy crystals and magicoins he had secretly gifted her was sufficient to keep Faye from worrying too much about her own resources and materials for decades.

Moreover, Faye was not without her own means of self-sufficiency.

As an apprentice to Morsidor, her achievements in alchemy might not have rivaled those of her peers, but she benefited from the same apprenticeship and had a solid foundation in the field.

With such knowledge, it was safe to say that she would never die of starvation.

Furthermore, Faye had a natural aptitude for apothecary.

Sein had also left her a substantial collection of apothecary-related books.

Ultimately, how far Faye would advance in her field would depend on her abilities and dedication.

A few days later, Sein was still engrossed in analyzing the properties of the narwhal oil he had recently acquired.

Suddenly, a series of violent rumbles echoed as the ice sheet shook and energy fluctuations emanated from the depths, sweeping across the vast expanse.

The ice sheet before Sein and the others could be described as an "ice continent," featuring towering mountains and perpetually snowy peaks.

So far, Sein had found no trace of soil beneath his feet.

However, he suspected soil lay beneath the ice, possibly thousands of meters below, though he could not determine exactly where the “land” began.

All that met his eyes was an endless expanse of ice.

On this particular day, Sein could finally estimate where the land beneath the ice field began.

Far from where he stood, a colossal ice mountain soaring thirty thousand meters above sea level began to split from the middle.

Thin cracks quickly spiderwebbed across the entire structure of the ice mountain. The surrounding area also showed severe signs of fracturing.

Having seen the Zerzis Range, the tallest mountain range in the southern part of the Magus World, the immense ice mountain did not initially overwhelm Sein.

As he hastily stowed his research equipment and sought cover behind a newly awakened sea king, he witnessed a spectacle that would astonish him for years to come.

Tens of thousands of meters away, the towering ice mountain split into two with loud cracks.

Giant ice blocks tumbled from the summit with thunderous crashes, triggering a massive avalanche that engulfed a vast area.

The sea level began to rise drastically.

If Sein were alone at this moment, he would undoubtedly be fleeing for his life.

Amidst such extensive geological upheaval and natural disasters, even Rank One mages seemed insignificant.

Fortunately, Sein was not alone; he was in the company of several sea kings.

The one he currently relied on was a colossal clam, spanning thousands of meters in diameter—the very same one that acted as White Stella’s seat before.

Its size dwarfed even Tourmaline as it stood unyielding against the onslaught of freezing ocean waves and their violent impacts.

Sein, Leena, and Faye took refuge between the ridges of the clamshell.

Sein could not ask this massive shell to open and provide shelter; after all, it served as White Stella’s throne and would not open for anyone but her.

After the ice mountain shattered and the tremors subsided, a dark figure, only slightly shorter than the ice mountain itself, emerged from the depths of the glacier.

The overwhelming dragon might forced Sein and his companions to crouch.

The surrounding sea kings, impressive in their own right, appeared even more deferential and solemn.

Their formality was not about status but a recognition of sheer power.

As creatures of lesser intellect, the sea kings adhered to the “survival of the fittest” rule.

Possessing a life level of Rank Four or higher, these sea kings could distinctly sense the formidable giant emerging from the glacier.

In contrast, Sein, Leena, and Faye found their perceptions clouded due to their lower life levels and the dragon’s attempt to suppress its aura.

Tourmaline’s family members were generally known for their affable natures.

According to Tourmaline’s description before, the emerging giant was likely her eldest brother.

“Is it a tortoise bigger than a space fortress?” Sein mumbled to himself, staring in awe as the figure loomed out from the glacier depths.