Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 540: Luna

Ghur’s tastes were certainly unique, as evidenced by his interest in this particular centaur.

If one could overlook the female centaur’s equine lower half, she was indeed a rare and exquisite beauty.

The centaur trotted forward. After pausing to assess Sein and Ghur for a moment, she bowed slightly and said, “Greetings, honorable experts of the Magus World. I’m Luna Christine Maya from Centaurworld. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

“Greetings, beautiful lady centaur,” Ghur responded.

Despite letting out a disrespectful whistle at the centaur earlier, he quickly composed himself, adopting the demeanor of a gentleman.

It was not that Ghur’s manners had suddenly changed; he typically adopted such behavior around women.

Ghur, a man blessed with notable talent and good looks, came from a powerful family. In matters of love, he had consistently succeeded, facing no challenges across any gender or race.

Sein, too, had his fair share of encounters with various women over the years. However, his experiences paled in comparison to Ghur’s extensive and diverse history.

Ghur’s most recent experience had been with a ratwoman from the Maus Tribe of the Beastmen World. She was a rare Siberian breed that was now among his favorites.

Sein, on the other hand, was not as adventurous Ghur in such matters.

Upon meeting the centaur lady, Sein also examined her, but his gaze was more scientific; focusing on her as a whole rather than lingering on specific parts of her, unlike Ghur.

Centaurworld was not considered a powerful plane within the Magus Alliance.

Despite this, it had been part of the alliance for a long time and was classified as an elder plane.

Consequently, this medium-sized world was featured prominently in many biographies and historical accounts of the Magus World.

Centaurworld was popular among Magus World travelers due to its high regard for Magus Civilization, substantial size, and proximity to their homeplane.

Sein had read “The Travels of Marco Pauls” in his younger years, which detailed a mage’s adventures through Centaurworld.

The centaurs were very similar to the beastmen in many ways.

After all, they were all perceived as intelligent humanoid creatures with animalistic features by humans of the Magus World.

However, Centaurworld was not as powerful as the Beastmen World, resulting in their influences being on different levels.

“I’ve heard of this lady,” Ghur transmitted his voice to Sein via mental focus.

This centaur slaver named Luna had positioned her store next to House Jobbs’. It was only natural that House Jobbs would try to find out more about her.

“She’s the daughter of the chief of a major tribe in Centaurworld, and the primary heiress to that tribe. I heard that Centaurworld is known for its patriarchal society, with tribes led by women being exceptionally rare,” Ghur explained.

Sein, somewhat familiar with Centaurworld from his readings of “The Travels of Marco Pauls”, found his knowledge in some areas to exceed Ghur’s.

From her name alone, Sein inferred that Luna descended from at least two formidable chiefs, both women.

Female-led tribes often struggled to integrate smoothly with broader society.

The fact that Luna and her tribe had established a reputation and ventured into the Magus World in search of business opportunities clearly demonstrated their capabilities.

This beautiful female centaur was actually a Rank Two creature.

Despite being a rank higher than Sein and Ghur, Luna displayed no arrogance toward them.

She was remarkably approachable and seemed genuinely interested in establishing a connection with them.

At Luna’s invitation, Sein and Ghur entered the centaurs’ establishment.

The business Luna and her fellow centaurs had established in Fredem Underground City was modest, unlike House Jobb’s lavish and high-end establishments.

Instead of giant cages made from magic alloys set up with dazzling magic wards, the area where they kept their enslaved creatures was simply enclosed by a basic fence.

However, these centaurs attracted more customers than House Jobbs by offering their slaves at very cheap prices in Fredem Underground City.

Luna and her kin sold three main types of enslaved creatures.

First, there were the minotaurlings—a species resembling the minotaurs but with lower intelligence and more beast-like features.

Next, musk deers that resembled centaurs but were smaller and sported green fur.

Lastly, there were the centaurs dressed in rags—likely those defeated in tribal conflicts and were thrown into the enclosure, sold into slavery by their own kind.

The Rank Two centaur named Luna was not as innocent as her refined appearance and fur color would suggest.

"There are many other vassal races in Centaurworld, with the minotaurlings ranking the lowest among us. They’re numerous, capable of subsisting on dirt and surviving under the harshest conditions,” Luna began explaining.

“It’s said that long ago, these minotaurlings contested the centaurs for sovereignty. I can hardly fathom how these mud-feet could have ever vied for dominance. Were it not chronicled in ancient tribal totems, such tales would be unbelievable.”

She spoke with the eloquence expected of a noblewoman. Only occasionally did phrases like mud-feet—a derogatory term unique to Centaurworld—reveal a hint of her disdain.

During their conversation, Luna’s demeanor toward Sein was noticeably warmer.

After the Magus World conquered Centaurworld, the centaurs began to adopt the mainstream aesthetics of their new rulers.

Sein was undeniably more handsome than Ghur. Moreover, Luna was drawn to his distinct, sage-like demeanor typical of spellcasters.

In comparison, Ghur was much more vulgar and frivolous.

Despite his attempts to present himself as a gentleman and a nobleman, his sordid thoughts and intentions were poorly concealed.

Ghur reminded her of a certain obnoxious centaur prince from a large tribe who had once proposed to her.

Luna detested such men and found them undesirable.