Chapter 1293: Sales Pitch

“It’s been a long time, Sir Thunder,” Sein said as he stepped forward to greet him.

The two had met a few times before, but back then, Sein had mostly stood quietly behind Lorianne.

Thunder was a rugged‑looking, middle‑aged knight with a bit of stubble on his chin. Despite his rough appearance, he had an excellent memory and recognized Sein immediately.

“Oh, it’s you, Master Sein. I heard you have established your own divine tower. Congratulations!” Thunder nodded and smiled.

The Order of the Thunder Knights was situated northwest of Ashenreach, farther away than the Order of the Steel Fist. This made it one of the Divine Tower of Ashes’ neighbors.

If the opportunity arose in the future, Sein and Thunder might end up working together.

Thunder might look nearly penniless now, but with the world‑class secret treasure in his hands, he was bound to shine in the upcoming Clash of Civilizations.

Recouping his earlier investments would be easy, with a good chance of earning far more in the war.

High risk brought high reward, and Thunder had clearly made the right bet.

Steel Fist was also present nearby, but he had always been low‑key, so Sein had barely noticed him.

Meeting Steel Fist was a little awkward for Sein, since he had essentially taken people from his order.

House Grantt was small, so losing a dozen knights was not a major issue for the Order of the Steel Fist.

But with Sein’s promotion to Rank Four, the decision of Reina’s and Natalya’s families to leave the order for Ashenreach was definitely a major blow.

Natalya’s family boasted demigod‑level knights, and Reina’s family had several Sky Knights.

The Order of the Steel Fist had never been a deeply rooted or well‑established knightly order.

With those two powerful families relocating to Ashenreach, the Rank Four knight was practically losing an arm.

Still, this minor awkwardness did not show between them.

After exchanging a few friendly words with the Magus World knights, Sein learned that Thunder had come to ask Domus to reinforce his sword hilt.

Sein asked if he could examine his longsword, and the Rank Five knight generously handed it over.

The overall design of the sword was rather slender and, to be honest, did not quite match the rugged look of a middle‑aged knight like Thunder.

Still, the thunderous power contained within this world‑class secret treasure was formidable.

It might not match Thor’s silver hammer, but it far surpassed the “divine artifacts” used by most Rank Four and Rank Five creatures.

Even by a conservative estimate, the Thunder Sword could boost this Rank Five knight’s combat power by thirty to fifty percent.

Could Sein, currently a Rank Four mage, stand against Rank Five creatures because he had already reached a comparable level?

Of course not.

Without the Faceless Mask, he could at best hold his ground against mid‑ to late‑stage Rank Four creatures, relying solely on the power he had mastered.

And this was only possible due to his years of body‑tempering, which had passively elevated his physical strength and resilience.

Through Thunder, Sein also met many knights he had never encountered before. Each of them radiated the aura and pressure of Rank Four or Rank Five beings.

In Magus World, connections were built bit by bit.

Given the higher status of mages—generally considered half a rank above knights—these Rank Four and Rank Five knights did not put on airs.

They greeted Sein warmly and politely exchanged contact information.

When introducing him, Thunder made a point of emphasizing that Sein was the apprentice of the Tower Master of Verdant Spring.

Even if they had not heard of Sein, they had certainly heard of Lorianne.

And even if Lorianne’s name had escaped them, they must have at least known Feylis.

In terms of socializing and building networks, knights in Magus World often proved more united than mages.

While Sein was getting to know this circle of knights, Thor wrapped up his conversation with Domus.

Thor had brought Sein here for the “good stuff”—the divine artifacts crafted by Domus and the many divine artifacts of Titan World.

Thor’s enthusiasm did not come from some instant connection with Sein, he clearly had his own motivation.

Sein’s performance along the way had definitely earned him some points, but what really caught Thor’s eye was the Faceless Mask he wore.

With a world‑class secret treasure like that, Sein could not possibly be just an ordinary Rank Four mage.

Ordinary Rank Four knights and mages rarely had the chance to befriend someone of Thor’s caliber.

On top of that, Sein had spent a fortune in Sky City and Steel City to buy and modify a space fortress.

To Thor, this guy was clearly wealthy.

The “golden-type” space fortress Thor had bought in Sky City for over a hundred million magicoins was not even paid for with his own money. It had been a reward from his father.

In some ways, Thor was a lot like the God of Smithing, Domus. Both had fathers with strict demands and usually received little extra help.

If anything, Thor had it worse; he had an older sister who also kept him on a tight leash, doubling the pressure.

Sometimes he envied his younger brother, who enjoyed privileges he himself never had.

At least when it came to personal savings, his younger brother was much better off.

Yes, Thor was currently broke, and he had set his sights on Sein.

The upcoming Clash of Civilizations would require a massive amount of funds to recruit an army.

Thor could not guarantee that his sister or father would give him the support he needed.

“Why don’t you get yourself a divine artifact or a world‑class secret treasure?” Thor suggested.

“As long as you have the money or materials, I’ll make sure this kid makes you happy!” he added, patting Domus on the shoulder.

Sein smiled and shook his head. “I’m actually an alchemist. I prefer making my own magic equipment.”

Thor continued his pitch. “Uh... then you must be interested in rare materials, right? I’m well‑connected with Titan World, the Underworld, and the sea gods. If you need necromantic, umbra or hydro elemental materials...”

Sein shook his head again. “I’m a Pyromancer who also practices lumen magic. Most of those materials you mentioned aren’t useful to me.”

Thor stared at him, mouth agape, completely lost for words.

Sein chuckled at the sight. “I heard Titan World has a divine object called the Golden Apple Tree. Can you get me a Golden Apple?”[1]

1. Translator's Note: Golden Apple was first mentioned in Chapter 764. It's a healing item, a specialty of Titan World. ☜