Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 630: Increasing Payment

This depletion, within just three and a half years, stemmed from a special request by the Rank Five knight, Thunder, after her arrival on the Thunderfall World’s battlefield.

The Thunderfall World War had escalated; the knightly orders had suffered countless losses, and the number of knights who perished remained unknown.

Lower-ranked knights and mages, including Sein, attributed this to the inherent strength of Thunderfall World and its native creatures’ violent, tough dispositions.

The difficulty of conquering this low-level plane was indeed greater compared to other ordinary planes.

However, the real cause behind at least thirty percent of the Thunderfall World’s massive war attrition was the Rank Five knight, Thunder.

The lesser beings lacked the perspective to see the truth of their world.

Even the knowledgeable mages often made flawed judgments due to errors in their perspective and the intel they received.

The man standing before Lorianne was no ordinary Rank Five Knight.

He held a sword in one hand, his hair flowing casually, his upper body bare, revealing bronzed, muscular flesh, while his lower body was clad in blue armor.

Although not handsome, Thunder’s aura exuded a rugged charisma.

He was actually at the late stages of Rank Five, nearly reaching the peak.

Lorianne’s promotion to Rank Four had been recent, and she had never heard of this man before.

Since the Order of the Steel Fist was near the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Lorianne had heard about its grand master—a mid-stage Rank Four knight who founded his order thousands of years ago.

With Thunder’s formidable strength as a late-stage Rank Five knight, initiating a war against a low-level plane with just two Rank Four creatures was entirely feasible.

That was precisely what Thunder had done, but his unbounded ambition soon shifted the war’s trajectory, compelling him to form alliances with the Order of the Steel Fist, the Order of the Green Gale, and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring!

To a powerful Rank Five knight like Thunder, who already ruled several enslaved planes, a single low-level plane was nothing special.

Thunder aspired to create a world-class secret treasure of his own!

Rare and esteemed artifacts in the Astral Realm, such treasure embodied the energy and legacy of an entire plane.

Typically, low-level planes and microplanes could not produce them; only flourishing low-level planes or medium-sized world civilizations could produce such treasures.

Though Thunderfall World ranked well among low-level planes, it had never produced a world-class secret treasure.

The long trident wielded by the King of Garths, though revered as a “divine weapon” by millions in the Thunderfall World, was viewed by the Magus World’s elite as a crudely crafted tool, albeit made from fine materials.

It was not even close to a world-class secret treasure.

Despite Thunderfall World’s lack of such treasures, Thunder saw potential in its resources to craft one.

The King of Garths, possessing late-stage Rank Four strength, was identified as one of the key materials.

To preserve the material’s vitality and the power of law contained in it, Thunder had to be careful not to damage it during their fight.

Hence, Lorianne’s intervention helped him greatly!

Her potent dendro magic ensnared the King of Garths with elemental vines, through which she administered toxins and parasitic spores using the thorns on the vines.

She then carefully extracted the “living” heart and other vital parts from the King of Garths.

At Thunder’s request, Lorianne also employed her unique magic techniques to sustain the heart of the Rank Four king, ensuring it remained active.

Tiny plant branches were attached to the surface of the blue heart. Instead of draining its immense energy, they infused it with vitality, keeping it alive.

Such precise manipulation was beyond the capabilities of the other Rank Four and Rank Five knights.

“Thank you for your timely assistance, Lady Lorianne. I should have involved the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in this war from the start,” Thunder said, his face flushed with excitement that he struggled to contain.

“Regarding the changes to the contract you mentioned, I can agree to them now. The corresponding magicoins will be transferred to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring through the Capiche Business Alliance within the next thirty years,” he added.

The cost of the Thunderfall World War was steep for the Order of the Thunder Knights, yet the rewards were substantial.

After all, a world-class secret treasure was not easily quantifiable by wealth alone.

World-class secret treasures had been seen being sold through the Magus Alliance. Every piece started at tens of millions of magicoins in bids—even costlier than a space fortress!

Yet, these treasures often did not align with the attributes of the bidding knights and mages, making self-created treasures far more practical.

Lorianne’s proposed payment was substantial.

Having thrived in the Magus World for tens of thousands of years, Thunder’s pockets ran deep.

However, meeting Lorianne’s significant demand while maintaining the operations of his knightly order would require the Rank Five knight to strategize financially over the next thirty years.

Although Thunder was rich, his wealth was tied up in assets like a space fortress and enslaved planes under his dominion.

Therefore, liquidating several million magicoins in one go was still somewhat challenging for him.

Hearing Thunder’s commitment to the reward brightened Lorianne’s mood significantly, her eyes narrowed into a seemingly innocent smile as she asked, “The Rank Four guardian at the Thunder Pool should also be captured alive, right?”

"Yes, that Rank Four electro elemental creature holds even more value than the King of Garths!” Thunder replied eagerly.

“For the upcoming battle, please help me preserve that elemental creature’s activeness, especially its heart core, Lady Lorianne,” he implored with urgency.

Lorianne nodded with a smile instead of rejecting Thunder’s request.

“I’ll need half a year to meditate and recharge my mana.”

She paused, then added, "About that magic contract we discussed—I’d like to revise it again.”

The Rank Five knight gave her a bewildered look.

Unperturbed, Lorianne explained, “I hadn’t realized you intended to keep both Rank Four creatures active for as long as possible. That certainly raises the combat difficulty compared to a typical Rank Four battle, doesn’t it?”

“And given your ambitions to craft world-class secret treasures, a little extra magicoins shouldn’t be a concern for you, right? I’ve really contributed a lot during the fight,” Lorianne blinked at him innocently.