Sovereign of the Ashes

In the basement of Grantt Castle, Sein saw his father, Earl Grantt, who had just concluded his training session.

After a separation of over a decade, Earl Grantt’s face bore additional wrinkles. Yet, like Sein, Earl Grantt still looked very handsome.

Age had not lessened Earl Grantt’s charm. Instead, his masculine demeanor enhanced his appeal, transforming him into what could be described as a handsome older gentleman.

Sein also discovered from both Earl Grantt and his great grandfather, Jeremy, about Earl Grantt’s unsuccessful attempt to reach Rank One four years ago.

Furthermore, it was revealed that their ancestor, Julius the Rank Two knight, had returned to the order of the knights three years ago, in part to help Earl Grantt obtain potions and special resources designed to aid knights in their advancement.

“Advancing to Rank One isn’t easy. Failing once falls within expectations. I still have at least two more chances ahead,” Earl Grantt said, trying to reassure Sein during their meeting.

Indeed, Earl Grantt was correct. Achieving a significant leap in one’s life level was no trivial feat.

It was common for many knights and mages to face one or two setbacks when attempting to transcend their current life level.

Yet, the setback four years ago dealt quite a blow to Earl Grantt.

At that time, Earl Grantt was in his best condition. The family even prepared special resources for his breakthrough attempt.

Unfortunately, the attempt not only failed, but the valuable resources were also consumed in the process.

Although the affluence of House Grantt could absorb the loss, the failure weighed heavily on Earl Grantt.

However, Earl Grantt’s demeanor indicated he had effectively adjusted his perspective.

Failure, in this case, served as a valuable lesson. Armed with this experience and a positive attitude, Earl Grantt was well-prepared to approach his subsequent effort to advance to a higher rank with increased confidence.

Sein fell silent for a moment after hearing Earl Grantt, then proceeded to take a few items out from his space bangle—flesh of pyro elemental creatures, special pyro-attributed resources, and two translucent light blue potions.

Considering that the knights of House Grantt utilized Violet Flame Battle Qi, Sein’s extensive spoils from the Viridian Venom Flame World were poised to be of great benefit.

The flesh of pyro elemental creatures was a potent tonic for knights like Earl Grantt. On top of that, the meat Sein provided were all from creatures of Rank One and above.

For the meat of creatures below Rank One, House Grantt could easily obtain them without Sein’s assistance.

Regrettably, Master Lorianne was not presently in the Magus World. Otherwise, Sein would have sought her help.

With her strength as a Rank Four mage, she could easily provide the flesh of Rank Three pyro elemental creatures without issues.

Among Sein’s offerings, the highest quality was only a section of a Rank Two Flame Viper’s carcass. Considering Earl Grantt’s appetite, Sein was not sure how many meals it could last.

Sein actually had a bottle of blood from a Rank Three Red Bladed Lizard King in his possession, obtained during the interplanar war. However, most of it had been used up in Sein’s research, leaving an amount insufficient for even a single gulp.

What Sein considered modest greatly astonished Earl Grantt and Jeremy.

Despite Jeremy’s experiences in two interplanar wars, he was still shocked by Sein’s generosity.

Observing the Rank Two Flame Viper’s carcass, Jeremy could not help but sigh. “Having a tower master as a mentor really does come with its advantages.”

Jeremy assumed that the items were gifts from Sein’s mentor, Lorianne.

In reality, the Flame Viper’s carcass was among the spoils Sein acquired during the late stages of the Viridian Venom Flame World War, where he manned the magic cannons in the space fortress.

A volley from the fortress’ cannons could easily decimate a Rank Two creature.

The distribution of spoils was stringent, yet Sein received half a carcass of a Rank Two pyro elemental creature.

The meat of pyro elemental creatures and pyro-attributed resources were immensely beneficial for Earl Grantt’s ascension to Rank One.

As for the two potions, they were special concoctions Sein had specially acquired from the divine tower to enhance Earl Grantt’s potential.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring boasted a greater number of apothecaries than other regions.

Many Rank One knights from various places would journey to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s commercial area to purchase potions.

In fact, the potions that Sein’s ancestor, Julius the Rank Two knight, had purchased from the order of the knights for Earl Grantt likely matched the quality of the two potions Sein had brought.

Considering the cost, the ones Julius acquired were probably slightly more expensive.

“Julius will return to the Lysian Alliance in about a year, and I plan to attempt a breakthrough to Rank One again then,” Earl Grantt shared with Sein.

Sein nodded and said, “I’ll make another visit if I’m around then.”

“There’s no need. Just focus on your studies and magic research at the divine tower. If I succeed in advancing to Rank One, I’ll send you a letter,” Earl Grantt said, smiling.

Earl Grantt also confided to Sein about his intention to pass the earldom to Solon within the year.

In recent years, Solon had been managing the Grantt Territory.

Earl Grantt had stepped back from everyday affairs to put all his focus on reaching Rank One.

Initially, Jeremy harbored reservations toward Solon. As Solon’s family grew, Jeremy developed a special affection for Solon’s twin children with blonde hair.

With House Grantt in a state of peace and harmony, Jeremy’s objections to Solon inheriting the earldom had dissipated.

As for Julius, he usually stayed out of matters related to inheritance unless the very survival of House Grantt was at stake.

Several decades meant little to a knight who had lived for over a thousand years, and Julius had witnessed much.

Sein spent a week at House Grantt and, while he did not visit House Farion, he sent a message, expressing his willingness to look after their younger members.

In their delight, House Farion promptly decided to send three eligible children to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring for the upcoming enrollment in two years.

During his stay, Sein also made time to assess the focus level of the family members who were under sixteen. Yet, the results were disappointing.

Out of twenty to thirty younger members in the main and side families, with the latter in the majority, only two met the criteria. One of them was his young niece.

This showed the importance of bloodline and genetics. Despite House Farion’s lesser prosperity, it had a significant number of magic initiates.

Conversely, House Grantt seemed replete with promising qi practitioners, including Sein’s adorable blonde niece.

In her case, pursuing the path of battle qi might be more fitting than that of elemental magic.

Her mental focus barely met the initial requirement. The divine towers would not admit magic initiates with low initial mental focus unless there were special circumstances.

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