Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 417: Strength Gained From Sleeping

“You’re a Rank One mage from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in Viridescent Land, and an apprentice of Lorianne?” the green-robed mage asked calmly after Sein approached him.

His presence was different from that of ordinary Rank Two or Three spellcasters. It was powerful and dignified, yet also soothing.

Although Sein’s elemental power was not being suppressed at this moment, he still sensed an imaginary overwhelming aura from the green-robed mage before him.

No, it was not imaginary but real!

Among the many mages and high-ranking beings Sein had encountered, only a few radiated such an aura.

These included his Master Gregory and the Grandmaster Feylis, whom he had met while attending their faction’s gathering with Lorianne.

Even Lorianne herself had yet to possess such a presence. She had always been very friendly toward Sein, so he seldom felt her dignified aura.

Of course, it could also be possible that Lorianne had chosen not to reveal her stern side to him.

Facing the mage’s tranquil inquiry, Sein nodded and responded, “Yes, Master. Do you know my mentor?”

The green-robed mage shook his head and replied, “I do not know your mentor personally, but I have heard of her. It’s her senior, Gregory, I’m familiar with.”

“As a mage, his achievements in body tempering surpassed those of most Rank Four Knights. He is truly a monster.”

After saying that, the mage scrutinized Sein briefly once more, his expression showing a flicker of interest as he remarked, "It seems you’ve also made notable progress in body tempering. Those special verdant flame factors...”

Although Sein had wiped his body and even cleansed himself with a spell, the mage still managed to discern the residual verdant flame factor on his skin.

Sein did not attempt to deny the mage’s observation. Instead, he nodded and responded honestly, “Yes, I’m studying the secrets of verdant flame magic from my faction.”

The green-robed mage smacked his lips thoughtfully. Thanks to his longstanding friendship with Gregory, he possessed a deep understanding of verdant flame magic.

Back when he was still a Rank Four mage, he and Gregory, who had also recently been promoted to that rank, had journeyed together through the star domains surrounding the Magus Civilization.

As a close friend of Gregory, he was well aware of the verdant flame magic’s origins in the Magus World.

He deeply respected and revered Feylis, the Rank Six mage who established the Verdant Flame Faction.

Instead of delving deeper into the topic of verdant flame magic with Sein, the green-robed mage stated plainly, “I was sent by the Marmett Union Alliance to escort Tourmaline across the alliance. We have cleared the seven main tributaries and twenty-four tributaries of the Mistral River for it to pass through.”

“Tourmaline can head directly north following these tributaries. One of its older brothers is currently in the Sage’s Forest as well. If Tourmaline wishes to return to the Western Archipelago after leaving the forest, there’s no need to come back south to the Mostra River. Instead, it can head west, through the Yenisse River and straight into the West Ocean,” the green-robed mage explained.

Sein could not but wonder why the mage chose to relay this information to him instead of directly to Tourmaline.

After absorbing the mage’s instructions, Sein responded respectfully, “I will convey this to Tourmaline. Many thanks to you, Master, and the Marmett Union Alliance for the efforts.”

It now made sense why Sein and Tourmaline had been held in Cannes Sea City for a week. The delay was not due to any inefficiency on the alliance’s part; they had been clearing the streams for safe passage.

Having relayed his message, the green-robed mage nodded and swiftly vanished from his sight.

Staring into the space where the mage had disappeared, Sein murmured thoughtfully, “A friend of Master Gregory, huh? I bet he’s a powerful Rank Five mage.”

***

After receiving news about the clearance of streams from the green-robed mage, Sein journeyed northward along the river with Tourmaline.

Uncertain if the Marmett Union Alliance had surveillance along the way, Sein chose to keep the black mage’s loot and the mermaid named Elisa hidden.

Given the attention the alliance had shown toward Tourmaline the dragon turtle, his caution seemed justified.

During their journey through the inland streams, Sein’s bond with Tourmaline deepened, and he uncovered an interesting aspect of the giant dragon turtle.

Above all, Tourmaline loved to sleep and could never get enough of it.

According to the dragon turtle itself, it had once been much smaller. Its immense current size was due to its long slumber.

Sein did not inquire about the exact duration of Tourmaline’s slumbers, but he had a good idea of the scale.

Despite spending over ninety percent of his life asleep, Tourmaline, having never left the Magus World since birth, harbored a curiosity toward the outside world and a slight resistance to its unknown.

In fact, Tourmaline’s knowledge of even the Magus World itself was woefully limited.

Until now, its activities had been confined to the eastern reaches of the Western Archipelago and a small part of the South Sea it had recently been tasked with guarding.

Given its immense size and lethargic nature, traversing the entirety of the Magus World seemed impossible, let alone venturing into the expansive Astral Realm.

Hence, Sein became an interesting window to the outside world for Tourmaline by sharing his knowledge and experience accumulated over the years.

Although Sein had participated in only one interplanar war, he was well-read.

During his early stages as a magic initiate, Sein had read numerous books and journals about otherworldly planes.

While he knew less about the Magus World, he could still share with Tourmaline the knowledge he had gleaned from magic tomes.

Fortunately, Tourmaline had just awoken from a thousand-year slumber and was currently quite alert, showing no signs of drowsiness.

Throughout their journey north, Tourmaline eagerly requested Sein to regale it with new and intriguing tales from both within and beyond their plane.

The relationship between Sein and Tourmaline, the giant turtle, deepened significantly through their interactions.

While Sein’s innermost thoughts remained a mystery, Tourmaline, the simple-minded and sincere dragon turtle, came to regard Sein as a dear friend.

Of course, for Sein to sustain this friendship, he knew he had to continually strive for advancement.

After all, Tourmaline could sleep for a thousand years—a span equal to the theoretical lifespan of a Rank One mage in the Magus World.

It was entirely possible that the next time Tourmaline settled into a lengthy sleep, Sein might be gone from this world forever.

In fact, this had already happened once, according to a story Tourmaline shared with Sein.

In its youth, the dragon turtle had befriended a small, colorful fish in the Western Archipelago.

Unfortunately, after a brief nap that lasted two hundred years, Tourmaline awoke to find that the little fish had died long ago.

The loss had been a heavy blow to Tourmaline’s young heart.

To soothe this old wound, Tourmaline heeded its third sister’s advice and slept for three thousand years.

When it finally awoke, it had transformed into the massive creature it was today.

Incredibly, Tourmaline’s immense strength was not gained through diligent training but was a direct result of its long slumber!

“Just how powerful is this guy’s bloodline?” Sein often wondered, marveled by the thought.