Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 998: Lorthisra

However, true gratitude was difficult when he remembered that he was only in this predicament because of her in the first place.

Fortunately, after Sein shared what had happened, the Spider Queen let go of her complaints about his prolonged silence.

She fell into thoughtful contemplation, digesting the trivial information Sein had provided about this world.

“It seems like this world is indeed far more complex than it appears. There are hundreds of temples on the surface alone, suggesting the existence of at least as many native gods. Taking into account those lurking in the shadows or the ones you’ve yet to uncover, the total number of gods in this world could well be approaching, or even exceeding, a thousand,” the Spider Queen mused gravely.

The number of Rank Four and above beings served as a strong indicator of a world’s overall strength.

The Wild Gorilla World, considered powerful among medium-sized planes, had only about seventy Gorilla Gods.

If Faeloria truly housed nearly a thousand deities, then it was undeniably a force to be reckoned with.

There were numerous large-sized planes within the Magus Alliance, yet the Titan World stood out as the sole powerhouse with a four-digit count of native gods.

Although some allied planes had produced Rank Eight overlords, their development under the Magus Alliance’s oversight was often lacking.

For instance, both the Elven World and the Amethyst World boasted Rank Eight overlords, yet neither had any Rank Seven beings.

While this imbalance was largely a result of each world’s unique circumstances and the natural challenges of breaking through to Rank Eight, it was impossible to ignore the Magus Civilization’s questionable role in shaping this disparity.

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As a result, in the Grand Elven World, the number of Rank Four and above Elven gods barely reached a few hundred.

In Blackhaven, where the black mages were marginalized by the Magus Civilization, only about two hundred were even qualified to construct black towers.

Even when including the black knights, Blackhaven’s total combat strength of Rank Four and above barely surpassed one thousand.

In the Spider Queen’s assessment, it would be difficult for Blackhaven’s forces to conquer this large-sized world alone.

On top of that, they would definitely be subjected to planar suppression upon their entry into this world.

Drawing from past interplanar wars, the wisest strategy for the Magus Civilization would be to amass a force nearly three times that of the adversary to ensure a victory with minimal losses.

The obliteration of the Neisse Civilization, a large-sized world, served as a prime example of this approach.

Despite the formidable nature of the Magus Continent, the Pyro Secret Society, to which Sein’s grandmaster belonged, comprised only about a thousand Rank Four or above powerhouses.

Spider Queen had no interest in engaging in a high-level discussion with Sein, yet her prolonged silence gave him some insight into her concerns.

Faeloria must have been incredibly distant from the Magus World, which explained why Sein had lost a century traveling here.

For this reason, the Spider Queen kept her conversation with Sein short.

After instructing him to continue gathering intelligence on this world and assigning him the task of marking the planar nodes, she prepared to terminate the communication channel.

This communication—particularly after her remote clash with a native Rank Five god—had taken a considerable toll on her.

After acknowledging the Spider Queen’s request with a nod, Sein asked, “Why are there demons in this world?”

“How should I know? You’ll find out when you head west,” the Spider Queen replied, rolling her eyes.

“I thought gods were supposed to be ‘all-knowing,’” Sein muttered under his breath—a mocking remark that might have been enough to make the Spider Queen choke in fury.

Choosing not to waste any more time on him, she left him with one final instruction.

“If you ever find yourself in danger while in this world, activate the Silver Spider Ring and call out my true name to contact me. My name is Lorthisra.”

With that, the Spider Queen’s presence faded entirely, leaving Sein unable to sense her anymore.

Only the Silver Spider Ring on his finger shimmered with a faint, silvery light.

“Lorthisra...” Sein murmured, rubbing his chin as he repeated the name.

Revealing her true name to him meant that the Spider Queen had now bound herself to him in some way.

At the very least, he no longer needed to worry about her turning against him—at least, not for the time being.

Typically, gods who followed the path of faith rarely disclosed their true names.

After weighing his situation, Sein cast his gaze around the underground laboratory.

It was already in ruins, but he had no intention of lingering here any longer.

***

The morning sun rose once more from the horizon, casting golden light over the sea.

A new day had begun.

As for his departure, the half-undead girl who had been living with Sein for the past few days showed some reluctance, but she still followed him without hesitation.

She was becoming increasingly dependent on him.

The two traveled lightly, their departure so discreet that no one in the fishing village even noticed.

The dilapidated wooden cabin on the village’s western edge remained standing, though it was uncertain whether it would survive the next rainstorm or typhoon.

As for Sein’s temporary underground laboratory, where he had spent the previous night, he had erased all traces of it before leaving.

After double-checking that nothing had been overlooked, he led the girl toward Blackwater City.

Her name was Lou—a simple, single-syllable name Sein had given her.

Given her current mental state and limited intelligence, a two-syllable name would have been too difficult for her.

Her name for him was even simpler.

From the moment they met, it had always been “Big Brother”.

Perhaps it was because she had repeated it so many times, or maybe it was something else entirely, but there were moments when Sein’s gaze softened as he watched the frail girl stumble along beside him.

Before he had accomplished anything on Faeloria, he had already gained a little sister.