Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 159: Success

The “opulence” and “extravagance” of Sein’s laboratory surpassed Selina’s expectations.

Selina had visited the House Farion’s laboratory before, even though it was a high-end facility reserved for senior initiates and elders who were the Quasi Mages and above.

Typically, junior and intermediate initiates like Selina were only allowed entry when assisting their elders or to gaining insights into complex magic experiments.

To her surprise, the equipment in Sein’s laboratory was even more complex and precise compared to the ones used by the Quasi Mages within House Farion.

Six experiment tables operated simultaneously, the advanced knowledge concerning the lumen element within them overwhelmed Selina.

Fortunately, Selina did not need to grasp the principles fully. Her role was to follow Sein’s instructions and meticulously record data from each experiment table at specific intervals.

Sein, on the other hand, took charge of controlling the experiment and fine-tuning the crystal lenses on each table.

Selina’s role was reminiscent of Sein’s own experiences whenever he entered Master Morsidor's alchemy laboratory as an intermediate or junior initiate.

Unbeknownst to Sein, he had reached a point where he could possibly rival his late mentor.

Despite not yet being promoted to a full-fledged mage, his ability to conduct such complex and extensive magic experiments surpassed most initiates by an unknown margin.

Even the experiments of certain full-fledged mages might not match the scale of Sein’s.

This was partly due to the distinctive nature of the Solar Eye spell that Sein pursued.

Selina proved to be an excellent assistant. During the experiment, she demonstrated genuine interest in the knowledge of lumen and pyro elements contained in the Solar Eye spell.

However, she refrained from disturbing Sein, who was deeply focused, and instead, she engaged her own thoughts on elemental mysteries after completing the assigned tasks.

Participating in a magic experiment of such caliber as an intermediate initiate proved highly beneficial for Selina.

Furthermore, Sein had promised to reward her for her assistance.

With Selina’s help, Sein made swift progress in finalizing the Solar Eye project.

Approximately a month and a half later, a dazzling golden light emanated from Sein's laboratory.

At night, Sein’s residence seemed as though it was emitting a faint golden glow.

Fortunately, Sein’s dormitory was situated in a relatively remote area, which was basically deserted in the middle of the night.

Otherwise, the elemental brilliance would undoubtedly attract the attention of other initiates or even full-fledged mages passing by.

Sein stood before an experiment table inside the laboratory, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Standing in one corner of the room, Selina wore an equally excited expression.

“Sein, did we succeed?” Selina could not help but ask.

Despite having assisted Sein in his experiments for only the past month and a half, Selina had gained valuable insights during the process.

The most immediate outcome was her mastery of "Scorching Ray," an intermediate lumen magic spell with considerable destructive power, inspired by Sein’s Solar Eye improvement magic experiment.

Selina’s question brought Sein, who was still in a state of excitement, back to reality.

The enhancement of the Solar Eye spell had finally succeeded. After initial calculations, Sein determined that the improved Solar Eye's power was nearly four times greater than the original version.

However, to truly assess the magic’s effectiveness as an initiate, Sein would need to engrave the spell model into his sea of consciousness before testing it out in the training ground.

It would be fantastic if someone were to challenge him again, like Mark did. That way, he would have a volunteer to test the potency of his magic spell.

“Yes, this is your reward. You’ve stayed up for three consecutive days to assist me. Go have a good rest,” Sein told Selina.

At the same time, Sein produced several intermediate pyro-attributed energy crystals.

Selina shook her head and declined the rewards from Sein. “You’ve already given me energy crystals just half a month ago. I can’t accept more, Sein.”

“Those were payments for the previous month. As mages, we should adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange. Since you’ve assisted me, you should be compensated accordingly. Take them!”

Sein’s last two words took on a more serious note, carrying a certain commanding tone.

Without this assertiveness, Selina would have never accepted the energy crystals.

Using a commanding tone was the only way to make her accept her rewards obediently.

Sein pondered whether this was due to the fact that they were not yet very close with each other.

Selina respectfully accepted the pyro-attribute crystals with gratitude and carefully put them away.

Receiving such generous and regular gifts of energy crystals exceeded the monthly resources Selina obtained from House Farion.

This piqued her curiosity about her cousin’s circumstances.

Unfortunately, despite living with Sein for over two months, Selina found Sein to be shrouded in mystery, making it challenging for her to discern his true nature.

Seizing the moment of Sein's good mood after the successful experiment, Selina finally asked a question that had been lingering in her mind for a while.

She mustered her courage to turn her head back before leaving the laboratory, and asked, “Sein, you’re a Quasi Mage now, aren’t you?”

Sein was still cross-checking the data from the crystal lenses on the experiment tables.

He had always been meticulous in his work, even when knowing the chances of data discrepancies were less than five percent.

Upon hearing Selina’s inquiry, Sein paused before replying, “Yes. What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing much, I just thought that most senior initiates wouldn’t be able to delve into such a complex dual elemental magic experiment,” Selina remarked with a smile.

“You’re incredible, Sein. You can’t be older than thirty-five, right?” Selina praised with respect and admiration in her tone.

“Yes, I’m thirty-one this year,” Sein responded.

Being a thirty-one-year-old Quasi Mage made Sein the youngest Quasi Mage in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

However, his reserved and enigmatic nature made it challenging for outsiders to discern any changes about him. Even Eileen did not notice the change in Sein’s rank.

The disparity between senior initiates and Quasi Mages was not as substantial as one might think.

With enhanced focus and mana levels, a Quasi Mage could be considered a refined version of a senior initiate.

The most significant gap between a Quasi Mage and a senior initiate lay in their depth of knowledge.

When Sein heard the admiration and envy in Selina’s tone, his expression softened as he said, “There’s nothing special about being a Quasi Mage. You’ll eventually become one in the future as well.”

“Mhm!” Selina nodded enthusiastically.

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