Chapter 287: Social Network

Selphy carried a faint, pleasant scent, which Sein surmised might come from a special type of perfume or magic herb.

Compared to the other Rank One female mages Sein had encountered, Selphy seemed to put more effort into her appearance.

The ruby earrings Selphy wore shimmered under the distant glow of the molten lava sea, lending her an added touch of elegance.

The silver bracelet on her wrists, magic rings on her index and middle fingers, as well as the golden necklace she wore around her neck... All of them were indicators of her affluence.

Of course, it was also entirely possible that most of the magic equipment she wore was crafted by herself since she was an alchemist.

Women typically cared more about aesthetics, so Selphy paid a great deal of attention to the appearance of her magic equipment when crafting them.

Unlike Selphy, Sein focused purely on the functionality of his magic equipment. It was a trait he had inherited when he studied under his late mentor, Master Morsidor.

Selphy was on a war mission of her own. With her mission complete, she was preparing to return to the space fortress with her companions, leaving limited time for a reunion with Sein.

Likewise, Sein also had to make his way to the space fortress’ base with the other mages to receive their upcoming combat mission.

After briefly sharing updates on their recent endeavors, they parted ways.

“The fortress is probably gearing up for another assault on the sea of molten lava. I have just completed my six-month combat mission, so I’ll be stationed at the space fortress for most of the time. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out, whether you’re here or on the battlefield. As apprentices of the same faction, we should look out for one another,” Selphy transmitted to Sein telepathically before walking away.

While Sein was not good at socializing, Selphy was a social butterfly with a vast network.

Although Sein was not really acquainted with the Rank Two and Three mages in the Verdant Flame faction, Selphy was definitely the most sociable among the Rank One mages.

Selphy actively sought connections, especially with those who could be of benefit to her.

In contrast, Eileen was more genuine and accommodating in nature. She seldom declined requests for help, making her widely admired for her generosity.

It was difficult to decide which approach was better, but if Sein were to pick, he found Eileen’s sincere approach more appealing.

Despite Selphy’s enthusiasm, Sein detected utilitarianism behind her actions.

***

After bidding farewell to Selphy, Sein, along with the other mages who had arrived with him, made their way to the base to receive their combat mission.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The space fortress hovering above the base belonged to the Divine Tower of Floating Flame.

It was notably smaller in scale compared to the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame’s fortress.

From below, Sein could see the unmistakable marks of wear and tear on the fortress’ surface and edges.

It had been only several thousand years since Master Bernice established her divine tower.

The fact that the Divine Tower of Floating Flame was thriving showed that Master Bernice was significantly capable.

The space fortress looming above them had been acquired second-hand, possibly even third-hand, by Bernice from the Magus Alliance for a substantial sum of magicoins two thousand years ago.

This made it considerably more affordable than the freshly constructed space fortresses.

Bernice’s decision to purchase this was not out of personal preference but a necessity due to financial constraints.

It seemed that even tower masters of Rank Four and above had their own troubles in realizing their dreams.

Unlike mages below Rank Four, the grand scale of the divine tower masters’ endeavors frequently involved transactions totaling hundreds of thousands of magicoins.

This smaller space fortress corresponded to a more modest ground base compared to the central fortress on the Flame Continent.

Despite its size, it was the focal point for a huge assembly of mage troops and legions of enslaved creatures.

The exact number of mages defending this fortress was unclear to Sein, but from what he could see within and around the base, the forces numbered between thirty to forty thousand.

On top of that, reinforcements from other parts of the Flame Continent periodically made their arrival on war airships that came through the shadowy clouds overhead.

The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of numerous enslaved creatures, with most being pyro elemental creatures. Their numbers exceeded three hundred thousand and were still growing.

As Sein observed the diverse enslaved creatures, he reflexively clutched the Viridescent Seeds given to him by Master Lorianne.

Initially, Lorianne had provided Sein with nearly three hundred of these seeds, of which a dozen had been used in the previous conflict, leaving a significant quantity for the upcoming battle.

However, these Viridescent Seeds might not be all that useful if the upcoming battle was above the sea of molten lava.

The hostile environment in the Viridian Venom Flame World presented too many challenges for dendro mages like Lorianne.

***

Upon arriving at the base, Sein and the newly arrived mages were assigned a rather common and standard patrol mission.

For the subsequent two months, Sein, alongside other mages, led squads of enslaved creatures to surveil the vicinity.

The heart of the Flame Continent posed little concern for the fortress, so Sein and his team focused their patrols eastward, toward the sea of molten lava.

It was during these patrols that Sein came to understand the nature of “Molten Fire Beasts”.

These medium-sized pyro elemental creatures dwelled in the shallows, sustaining themselves on minerals as food. They also possessed unique abilities to convert the heat of molten lava into bio-energy.

The baby Molten Fire Beasts measured merely half a meter, while the adults averaged five to six meters in length.

However, there were rumors among the mages of encountering a colossal Molten Fire Beast, over a hundred meters long. The exact age of such a behemoth remained a mystery, but its immense size suggested a formidable life level.

Though Sein had yet to encounter such a colossal Molten Fire Beast, he had seen those that were about ten meters long.

Despite their imposing size and fierce appearance, these creatures were relatively “docile”, opting to flee when overpowered.

Yet, a large number of them remained hostile toward the Magus Civilization army.

Their abundance and characteristics actually presented significant challenges for the Magus Civilization army, complicating their operations considerably.