Sovereign of the Ashes
Chapter 1123: Upgrading Divine Artifacts

Chapter 1123: Upgrading Divine Artifacts

Shortly after returning to the camp at the oasis, Sein received the gifts from Eugene.

Most of them were not particularly valuable, but they were unique and rarely seen.

Novel trinkets, strange flora and fauna—many of them were species Eugene had collected from the various allied planes he had visited back in the day.

Making life better in Beastmen World had been Eugene’s dream from the start.

He had gone out of his way to bring back these rare plants, especially food crops, from across the Magus Alliance in hopes of easing the constant famines that plagued his homeland.

And it was not just Sein—nearly every Magus World mage who had arrived in No Man’s Land had received a gift from the Rank Four half-beastman.

Even the knights had not been left out.

A large number of half-beastman warriors had already pledged themselves to serve as attendants and followers.

The knights could spar with them or take them along during the upcoming interplanar war.

These half-beastmen did not ask for payment. All they wanted was food.

Eugene’s generosity made a strong impression on the knights and mages alike.

It helped that many of these half-beastmen were hybrids between Beastmen World natives and Magus World humans.

The shared bloodline brought them a little closer to each other.

It was worth noting that more than half of Beastmen World’s half-beastmen were the offspring of Magus World humans.

A significant portion of beastman maidens were exported to Magus World each year—only a small number were ever sent to other allied planes of the Magus Alliance.

Even Azelia, the fox maiden, had once been sold off to Magus World as a slave.

She was one of the lucky ones, having ended up with someone like Sein as her master.

Not everyone was so fortunate.

***

After nearly two years in No Man’s Land, Eugene still had not launched the war or made any move to ascend to godhood.

A few knights and mages, who were tired of waiting, began to leave.

But even more knights and mages traveling through Beastmen World continued to arrive, drawn by Eugene’s reputation.

No Man’s Land was massive—almost half the size of the Du’Nahl Great Wasteland just by land area alone.

Despite its barrenness, the Du’Nahl Great Wasteland supported hundreds of beastman nations and hundreds of millions of beastmen.

If Eugene truly managed to develop No Man’s Land into something meaningful, it might very well become the future heartland of the half-beastman race.

It was worth noting that the half-beastmen still had no formal nation to call their own. They were organized only through scattered clans and tribes.

For now, Eugene did not seem fully prepared to make his move.

None of the Magus World knights and mages who had come—Sein included—knew which foreign plane Eugene planned to conquer.

But Eugene was patient, and Sein was even more so.

While No Man’s Land was undoubtedly harsh and difficult for the average half-beastman to live in or cultivate, that was not the case for Magus World powerhouses like Sein.

In fact, the environment posed no threat to anyone who had reached Rank One or above.

If anything, the unique landscape and violent storms were fascinating subjects of study for mages—and an ideal training ground for knights.

None of them had come to Beastmen World for leisure, anyway. With so much to explore and study, the days flew by.

One day, after wrapping up his daily body-tempering experiments, Sein shifted his focus to alchemy.

What he was working on today was not some odd tool or minor upgrade—it was something far more important.

Both the Radiant Heart Rod and the Demon Eye Mask needed another upgrade.

Since he had already decided to join the upcoming interplanar war in Beastmen World, he needed to be in peak condition.

With Tourmaline by his side, he did not have to worry about flashing his wealth either.

In fact, nothing in his arsenal came close to matching the value of the two arm ribbons Tourmaline wore.

For his new magic staff, Sein had eventually settled on two Rank Four divine relics as core enhancement materials—one of pyro, one of lumen-attribute.

“The Demon Eye Mask’s upgrade is mainly to enhance its role as a support tool. Compared to the lumen and pyro-attribute divine relics, the Goddess of Music’s divine relic might be a better fit. I should also find a way to incorporate the blood essence the Succubus Queen gave me,” Sein mumbled to himself in the laboratory.

The portable experimental table he had built at great expense in his early years was still holding up well, even after all this time.

It had served him well back in Faeloria, and now it was doing just as well in Beastmen World.

Aside from Yuri, who occasionally came in to lend a hand, Leena remained his primary assistant.

Meanwhile, Azelia managed their daily needs—meals, cleaning, general care—and still made time to explore the half-beastmen settlements now and then.

After all, this was her homeplane.

Over the years, Sein had managed to acquire several codices on shamanic priesthood through various channels, just for her.

Lately, Azelia’s progress in war songs had also been improving rapidly day by day.

She was not the only beastman who had come to No Man’s Land to support the half-beastmen.

While most beatmen looked down on these half-bloods, there were a few who sympathized with them.

Even among the beast gods, a very small number openly supported Eugene’s cause.

Tourmaline, on the other hand, had no interest in the experimental research Sein often conducted. She was not a foodie like Reina, either.

Sleeping was her only favorite activity.

With its constant storms and sandstorms, No Man’s Land was definitely not a great place for napping.

Still, traveling with Sein kept things interesting enough for her that she did not seem bored.

Recently, she had dug a large lake beside the oasis where Sein had built his temporary magic tower.

Aside from her command over strength law, Tourmaline also had impressive mastery over hydro-elemental law.

Creating a lake from scratch, summoning rainstorms, and manipulating hydro elemental laws near a planar node—none of it was a challenge for her.

She had only built the lake to stretch out her massive body and sleep more comfortably.

But what she saw as a small luxury ended up becoming a vital new water source for No Man’s Land, benefitting countless half-beastmen.

Eugene had even come by to thank her personally, but the moment he saw Tourmaline’s enormous dragon turtle form, he froze in place.

“Is it not a little risky to fuse the heart cores of two Rank Four creatures into a single magic rod?” Leena asked in the laboratory.

“Why not start with just one?” she suggested.

“No, we’re doing both. My alchemy skills have improved a lot while I was in Faeloria, especially after studying the God of Craft’s divine artifact crafting techniques. I’ve also been refining those insights for years,” Sein replied firmly.

“I already have a solid blueprint in mind for this new upgrade. I’m seventy percent confident this will work.”