Sovereign of the Ashes
Chapter 1176: Jessica

Chapter 1176: Jessica

The trip back to Blackhaven from the Western Archipelago was not too far.

Sein parted ways with Leena after dropping her off near the outskirts of the region.

Fortunately, he had kept up his studies in spatial magic over the years, so staying in touch with her was still possible, even if it was a bit of a hassle.

Besides, with the Silver Spider Ring still on his finger, he figured the Spider Queen was not about to forget him anytime soon.

If the Spider Queen ever asked him for something again, he could always use that chance to drop by and see Leena.

Before leaving, Sein handed her a batch of experimental materials, then officially set off on his return to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Tourmaline had not contacted him yet, but Sein was not too worried since her home in Jewel Bay, just outside the Divine Tower, was still around.

Once Tourmaline wrapped up her business, she would naturally come looking for him.

Eager to get back, Sein did not choose to fly across half of the Magus World this time.

Instead, he used the teleportation array in the Western Archipelago to go straight to the Pyro Secret Society.

From there, he would take a direct route back to the Viridescent Land.

Although it was not an interplanar teleportation, it still cost him a hefty sum since Magus World was massive.

The Faceless Mask might have perfectly hidden the fact that Sein was on the verge of reaching Rank Four, but the sheer density of his life force and physical mass was something that could not be concealed.

Even the mages operating the teleportation array nodes could not help but wonder why the energy cost to send him through was so high.

It was not quite at the level required to teleport a Rank Four being, but it was definitely far beyond the norm for a demigod-level mage!

***

The Viridescent Land had changed drastically over the years under Lorianne’s leadership. It was a far cry from the place Sein had first arrived in.

The airships now drifting through the skies clearly showed how far the region had come.

Even the population had exploded—more than tenfold compared to two thousand years ago.

Naturally, with more people at the bottom of society, the number of high-level lifeforms had risen too.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring now boasted over ten thousand registered mages.

In times of war, they could field about five thousand full-fledged mages for battle, and that number was still growing.

Clearly, Lorianne had found herself a capable assistant to help manage her divine tower.

To Sein’s surprise, he could not reach the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring directly from the Pyro Secret Society’s teleportation array. Instead, he was sent to a public teleportation node somewhere within the Viridescent Land.

As it turned out, his life level had exceeded the authorization limits for the tower’s internal teleportation network.

On top of that, the badge he tried to use was no longer valid.

Apparently, the divine tower had gone through some internal reform centuries ago, and all identification badges had been replaced.

After a bit of hassle, Sein finally arrived at the main gate.

The Jewel Sea outside the divine tower was as stunning as ever, and Jewel Bay, under the evening sunset, was charming in its own way.

In the distance, the Verdant Wave Canal shimmered, dotted with boats of all sizes gliding gracefully through its waters.

Sein figured the region’s booming population and economy were not just the result of Lorianne’s brilliance and effort. That canal alone had likely provided a living for countless people.

He gave the Verdant Wave Canal one last glance, then patiently waited as two Rank One mages checked his credentials.

They were likely initiates who had only recently been promoted to full-fledged mages. Judging by the inexperience on their faces, they had probably never even set foot on an interplanar battlefield.

Sein, still wearing the Faceless Mask, gave off no detectable aura. He stood there silently, but even so, his mere presence weighed heavily on the young mages.

What should have been a quick identity check dragged on for a long time, and Sein was starting to get impatient.

“Is Jovian, the cohort leader, around? If he is, have him come over. He can verify my identity,” Sein said to the two mages.

“Or maybe check with Selina or Eileen from the tower. They know who I am too,” he added.

“Jovian? There’s certainly a Jovian here, but he’s our vice dean, not a cohort leader. Master Eileen is our cohort leader, though. I’m actually one of her initiates,” the Rank One female mage replied.

From the way Sein spoke, she had mostly figured out who he was. But protocol was protocol, and skipping steps was not allowed.

That was something Dean Jessica had emphasized more than once, and no one in the academy dared to ignore her orders.

Under the mask, Sein could only roll his eyes and keep waiting.

Meanwhile, the other Rank One mage, still in the middle of processing Sein’s identity, kept stealing glances at the women standing nearby.

Since this was a homecoming of sorts, Sein had let Yuri and the others out for a bit of fresh air.

That young mage’s gaze kept drifting toward Azelia and Maya.

The fox maiden’s gentle beauty and the demigod centaur’s mature allure were clearly overwhelming for someone with so little real-world experience.

At some point, Sein began to suspect that the reason these two kids had taken so long to finish a simple identity check was because they were too distracted to focus.

Eventually, his verification was completed—not by the two junior mages, but by Jessica, the dean herself. She had shown up in person after hearing about the situation.

She was a demigod-level mage with long green hair who could easily pass for Lorianne’s sister, though Lorianne’s hair was a paler shade of green.

Unlike Lorianne, though, who was gentle and easygoing, Jessica was sharp and no-nonsense. Even as a Dendromancer, she was more decisive than most Pyromancers.

“You’re Sein, the tower master’s apprentice?” she asked, frowning slightly as she looked him over.

She had heard that Lorianne’s apprentice was a demigod-level mage, but the man in front of her, wearing a strange mask, gave off nothing more than an ordinary aura.

“Yes, I’m Sein,” he replied, nodding slightly. Behind the mask, he was sizing her up too.

Through the Faceless Mask’s advanced data intake and elemental feedback, Sein analyzed Jessica in almost an instant.

The dean his mentor had appointed was no slouch.

Dendromancers were not typically known for their combat strength, but Jessica was an exceptional demigod-level mage.

Beyond dendro elemental power, Sein detected a faint but deeply buried pyro elemental energy fluctuation within her.

It seemed like she was a dual-element user, though her primary focus remained dendro magic.

His scan also picked up subtle magic fluctuations near her chest, underarms, and the inner thighs—indications of well-hidden magic devices beneath her clothes.

Jessica, of course, had no idea she was being analyzed. But still, she looked at Sein with a cool, vaguely disapproving expression.

Lorianne had always spoken highly of Sein, so Jessica had been curious about him ever since she first joined the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring centuries ago.

But now that she had met him, she was underwhelmed, especially when she saw the four exotic women standing behind him.

Two were centaurs, one was a fox maiden from Beastmen World, and the last had an oval-shaped bump on her forehead—clearly an extraplanar creature too.

Jessica had always disliked lecherous men, and Sein struck her as exactly that kind.

“Come with me. We’ll get your badge renewed first. The tower master is probably in the middle of an experiment. I suggest you visit her later,” she said flatly.

Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed into the tower.

Sein followed.

Instead of a magic robe, Jessica was wearing a more practical outfit today—slim-fit pants and a white corset top that accentuated her figure.

Sein, behind his Faceless Mask, froze for a second when his eyes unintentionally landed on a certain spot.

He had to admit—Jessica had a perfectly perky rear.

Even there, Sein picked up a faint fluctuation emitted by another well-hidden device.

He gulped unconsciously, then quickly shifted his gaze away and pretended to admire the surroundings.

After all this time, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had changed even more than he expected.