Chapter 98: To the Surface
Sein meticulously collected the ashes of his mentor into a jar.
Sein carried the jar on his back, keeping it close rather than stowing it away in his space ring.
Meanwhile, Seven nestled inside the piccolo crafted by Morsidor. Unfortunately, this instrument was exclusively accessible to Seven, leaving Sein curious about its interior.
Sein only had a rough idea of the space’s vastness within the piccolo through Seven. The owl often grew drowsy upon entering that space.
In the period that followed, Sein took stock of the inheritance from Master Morsidor.
Apart from the alchemy note and magic items Morsidor had given to him before, Sein was astonished by the diverse array of objects in the space bangle.
Among them were hundreds of magic tomes, predominantly focused on alchemy and pyro elemental magic.
There were also books about other elemental magic, along with miscellaneous journals.
In addition to the reading materials, Sein discovered over two hundred energy crystals of various attributes.
Although most were ordinary energy crystals below Grade One, seventeen of them were Grade One and three were Grade Two.
Morsidor’s wealth was staggering. It was no wonder why Daelis took the risk of ambushing him.
After tossing a Grade One aero-attribute energy crystal to Seven, Sein resumed inspecting the inheritance left by Morsidor.
Sein estimated that the internal space of the bangle exceeded a thousand cubic meters, surpassing the space ring Sein was currently wearing on his finger.
Beyond the plethora of magic books, he also spotted large and medium alchemy tables, as well as an array of experimental instruments in the storage.
Sein now understood that Morsidor’s residence had been empty when he visited last time because he had stored all his belongings in the space bangle.
Among alchemy tables and experimental instruments, Sein’s attention was drawn to a familiar metal puppet resting quietly in one corner of the space bangle.
It was the same alchemy puppet that used to tidy up Master Morsidor’s residence in the past.
Morsidor had previously dropped hints suggesting that this metal puppet was not only capable of carrying out house chores but also possessed combat capabilities on par with a senior initiate.
Sein’s attention shifted from the metal puppet to the magic artifacts left behind by his mentor.
As expected of an alchemist personally sought after by Vice Dean Martin, there was no black mage in Mystralora City who could rival Morsidor in crafting magic artifacts.
Following the intense encounter with the mages from the Divine Tower and the surprise attack by Daelis, Morsidor should have considerably depleted his collection of magic artifacts.
Yet, Sein found several ranked magic artifacts in his possession.
Among them, two magic rods caught Sein’s attention.
One was the rod his mentor usually had in hand, which contained the “Flesh Regeneration” spell.
The other was a metal rod he wielded during the battle against Katherson.
However, the rod bore significant damage, with a pitch-black tip that seemed to be corroded by some sort of acid, leaving Sein uncertain about its remaining power.
Apart from the magic rods, Sein found a heap of damaged metal disks
Sein had seen them in action during Morsidor’s battle with Katherson.
These disks demonstrated both offensive and defensive capabilities, including the ability to carry the user in flight.
Regrettably, most of them had been reduced to fragments.
Among the remnants, Sein salvaged one barely intact disk and two others with fewer and less severe cracks.
The rest were irreparable scraps, beyond the restorative scope of Sein’s abilities in alchemy.
Noting that the disk fragments were stained with the blood of two different hues, Sein mumbled to himself, “It seems that detonating these metal disks during that time allowed Master Morsidor to thwart Daelis’ sneak attack and inflict severe injuries on her.”
With that, Sein concluded his inspection of the inheritance left by Morsidor.
While there were a few more magic artifacts with purposes Sein had not quite figured out, their allure paled in comparison that of the metal disks and the two magic rods.
Sein chose to defer further exploration until he reached a higher level or when time permitted.
Despite being only a senior initiate, Sein’s wealth surpassed that of most full-fledged mages, and even some Rank Two mages.
However, his wealth was merely worldly possessions.
Sein understood that they were only truly his once he was able to convert this wealth into his real strength.
With his mentor’s ashes, Sein resumed his journey back to the surface.
***
“Seven, how much longer until we reach the surface?” Sein asked as he followed the path his late mentor had indicated.
Seven, despite comfortably nestled inside the piccolo hanging around Sein’s neck, was able to communicate with him without any issue.
“About half a month, perhaps even sooner, judging by the distance left,” it responded.
Half a month later...
A glimmer of bright light penetrated the depths of the underground passage.
The sight of the long-missed light sparked an excitement within Sein.
Am I finally returning to the surface?
What does the surface of the Magus World look like?
With excitement and anticipation swelling in his heart, Sein hastened his pace.
As the light was on the verge of bathing his face, a familiar voice echoed in Sein’s ears before he could even see the scenery beyond the exit.
“Hoho, I sensed a living presence nearby with my detection magic earlier. Initially, I thought it might be one of the fleeing black mages. Little did I expect to find you here, boy.”
The voice held a touch of relief, but Sein felt an unsettling chill, intensifying the pressure on him.
The figure of a white-robed mage appeared at the exit of the tunnel leading to the surface world.
It was none other than Medich, the Rank Two mage from the Divine Tower of Dawn, whom Sein had crossed paths with in Mystralora City.
Whether it was coincidence or his ill fortune that led the mage here, Sein could not be certain.