Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 528: Request

Martin and Gypson were fortunate to be far from Sein at the time.

They, too, had considered attacking Sein, but because they were too far away, Gandra beat them to it.

In retrospect, Gandra’s quick action had saved them!

Had he not rushed in to test the waters first, Martin and Gypson could have been the unlucky ones.

Both men were connected to Sein to some extent.

Martin was the dean of the Black Magic Academy, and Gypson was overseeing the battle at Leena’s request.

The two cunning old men paused in time and feigned innocence.

A few crushing stomps from Tourmaline’s massive foot reduced Gandra to nothing, leaving everyone present, including Sein, in shock.

His heart raced as he watched Tourmaline’s paw beneath the sea. He had never anticipated such a violent side from the dragon turtle.

Given how hard she had stomped on Gandra, even a Rank Four creature would likely be severely harmed by the immense force.

With Gandra’s swift defeat, the conflict came to an end.

The demise of only two black mages hardly caused White Stella to bat an eyelash.

She approached Sein slowly and said, “My sister insisted on coming over to check on you once she heard you emerged from the Knight Continent’s trial zone. I’m glad we didn’t come too late.”

Although White Stella and Tourmaline had been secretly keeping an eye on Sein, they pretended to have just arrived by coincidence.

Sein was not fond of having his privacy invaded.

Nevertheless, since White Stella and Tourmaline had come to his rescue once again, he refrained from making further comments.

“Thank you for rescuing me, Tourmaline and Sister White Stella,” Sein replied.

Initially, he had intended to address the mermaid as “Lady White Stella”, but remembering her invitation to call her “Big Sis”, just as Tourmaline did, he did so with ease.

By nature, Sein was a pragmatic man.

Aside from his occasional loss of composure over Leena, he typically acted in his own best interests.

By calling the mermaid “sister”, Sein was not losing anything; instead, he was securing an ally.

White Stella was no ordinary Rank Five creature, as evidenced by the horde of sea kings that surrounded her!

Those were all her pets!

While Sein was unsure of the number of sea kings in the Magus World, the power White Stella had demonstrated suggested she potentially commanded more Rank Four creatures than even Grandmaster Feylis.

On top of that, Tourmaline and White Stella’s family background was also a force to be reckoned with.

“It was no trouble. I hadn’t realized you were so deeply entangled with the black mages of Blackhaven,” White Stella said, her gaze shifting toward Martin and the other black mages in the distance.

White Stella was certainly not naive like Tourmaline.

This giant mermaid certainly knew much about the structure of Blackhaven, as well as the black mage’s standing and the current dynamics in Magus World.

Despite her Rank Five strength and the backing of her powerful family, White Stella wanted nothing to do with Blackhaven.

The waters there were simply too murky.

Their father had also remained neutral on matters concerning Blackhaven.

In Magus World, Blackhaven was a notorious area, generally disliked by all.

Yet, White Stella had heard rumors suggesting that Blackhaven had its own role and history.

Throughout the long history of Magus World, no soul-level powerhouses had ever attempted to dismantle Blackhaven.

The approach in Magus World had always been “Don’t focus too much on it, restrict its growth and let it fade away naturally”.

Despite being constrained for many years, Blackhaven seemed unaffected.

From a hundred thousand years ago to the present, the number of black towers and black mages of Rank Four and above had remained stable—neither increasing nor drastically declining.

Having been acknowledged as a sister by Sein, White Stella naturally did not want Sein to become entangled with the black mages of Blackhaven.

The sliver of origin energy from Magus World within Sein was precious, and becoming one of the black mages would likely cause this energy to gradually wither away until it vanished.

However, White Stella knew that Sein served in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, and his mentor was even a Rank Four tower master. Therefore, she believed he was unlikely to engage in such reckless behavior.

“Are you done with your business?” White Stella asked as she tossed her long silver hair.

“After being in the Western Archipelago for so long, isn’t it time to go back? Tourmaline is eager to visit the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring with you. Before that, I need to take her to meet her big brother. You can join us,” she added.

Sein was silent for a moment, his attention momentarily drawn toward Leena and the others.

He then looked back at White Stella and replied, “I’m pretty much done here, but there are a few matters I need help with.”

White Stella raised her eyebrows curiously. "Oh? A few matters?"

Sein’s cheeks flushed slightly. He was not usually one to make bold requests or ask for favors from anyone.

However, he had to do it as this involved his beloved woman and his seniors.

“Please, I need your help!” Sein said, bowing his head.

Tourmaline blinked her large eyes and watched Sein curiously, puzzled by his formal tone.

“Fine. Tell me about it,” White Stella prompted, waving her fishtail.

Just then, one of the sea kings—a giant clam—appeared behind her. It slowly opened its shell, revealing a bed of flesh and a brilliantly dazzling white pearl inside.

White Stella leaned back against the giant shell, propping her arm on the white pearl, and looked at Sein with interest.

Sein turned and went to fetch Leena and the others.

When he called Leena over, Gypson, the demigod-level mage from the Black Tower of Cinderbones, did not dare make a sound. He managed an ingratiating smile.

Even Martin, who had previously carried a condescending air, kept his head down when he noticed Sein’s unintentional gaze directed his way.

***

A light blue barrier materialized around the giant mermaid.

Within this barrier, White Stella listened to Sein’s request then shook her head and replied, “I can't help you.”

Noticing Sein’s expression of bitter disappointment and Tourmaline’s clueless blink beside her, White Stella straightened up slightly from her reclined position.

“We all live under a system of rules, both you and I,” she began.

The giant mermaid continued, “The rules of the divine towers and the orders of knights in the Magus World, established over millions of years, are not something that can be easily altered by either of us. Even the soul overmages and overlords must wait to propose such changes at the Magus Alliance Conference if they wish to amend these rules.

“Since your little girlfriend is already wanted by the major divine towers and knightly orders of the Magus World, there are only two ways to resolve this situation...”