Hide? Where in this world could he possibly hide?

Sein knew Thor and Loki were the sons of Titan World’s Divine King, so he held little suspicion about the deal itself—especially since they had conducted successful transactions in the past.

And what kind of trouble could it possibly bring? If even the Divine King’s sons were that frightened, what chance did Sein have of resisting it?

After leaving Portman World, Sein made no effort to hide. He returned to Magus World just as planned.

If trouble truly came, he would not hesitate to name Thor and Loki.

After all, he had bought the Golden Apple from them. If trouble arose, it should fall on the sellers. Sein was a victim as well.

It was not as if he had stolen or robbed anyone. He had paid for the apple.

The only real concern was whether the Magus Civilization might forcibly reclaim the Golden Apple.

If that happened, he would have paid over a hundred million for nothing.

And if that happened, he would certainly have a few pointed words for Thor the next time they met.

To his surprise, all the way up to the moment he crossed into Magus World’s territory, nothing unusual happened.

No one came after him, and no one attempted to reclaim the world-class secret treasure.

***

Inside the Titan fortress outside Portman World, Hela returned to her chambers after finishing her discussion with the Sky God.

The Golden Apple she had taken a bite from and left on a platter was long gone.

As she recalled how Thor had summoned her away earlier for no apparent reason, her expression instantly darkened.

“Those two brats!” Hela fumed.

Stealing had never been Thor’s strong suit. Loki, on the other hand, was a master. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Even without seeing it with her own eyes, Hela could easily piece it together—Thor had distracted her while Loki slipped in and took the Golden Apple.

She had thought her younger brothers had finally grown up, but it seemed she had been mistaken.

Clenching her fists, Hela immediately began tracking them.

Sure enough, both of them had already fled.

Portman World had a dense network of spatial teleportation arrays. According to the transit records, Thor had headed toward the frontlines in the direction of the Gallant Federation—specifically, the sector under Odin’s command.

Loki, meanwhile, had gone toward the war zone near the Grand Elven World.

Clearly, they had split up because they feared she might catch them together.

Hela took two slow breaths. There was no need to rush. She had plenty of ways to deal with them later.

Thor and Loki’s fear of their sister was deeply ingrained in their memories for a reason.

Strangely, despite fearing her so much, they always seemed to provoke her anyway.

She had no idea what was going through their heads.

Beyond tracking her brothers, Hela also turned her attention to the Golden Apple itself.

After all, she had taken a bite from it. If someone else had eaten from the same spot...

The thought sent a chill down her spine and made her curse her brothers even more fiercely.

Though she was a Titan overlord, Hela possessed more than just brute strength. She also dabbled in divination and prophecy.

Titan World had its own so-called “God of Foretelling”, after all.

Soon, a mirror-like surface rippling with liquid light formed before her.

Within it, the current holder of the Golden Apple appeared.

The image of Sein made Hela pause.

“So, it’s him.”

Her anger eased almost immediately.

In her childhood, Hela had been close to Grandpa Jorces. Because of that, she naturally felt a sense of connection toward Sein, the successor of the Faceless Mask.

It was not only Hela who knew of the Faceless Mask. Baxia had also taken notice of Sein recently.

Although Sein had never directly spoken with Tourmaline’s father, Baxia had certainly remembered him.

Sein sometimes worried that others might covet his Magic Cube, but that fear was largely unnecessary.

At least within the Magus Civilization’s territory, no one would forcibly seize his treasures.

Seeing Sein in the mirror, Hela could not help recalling the memories she had shared with Grandpa Jorces. The recollection drew a soft, nostalgic sigh from her.

She had no intention of punishing Sein. Since the Golden Apple had ended up in his hands, she would let it be.

Still, the thought that she had taken a bite from that very apple made Hela flush, even though she was a Rank Seven overlord with a lifespan exceeding one hundred thousand years.

She bore no hostility toward Sein. All her irritation and embarrassment redirected themselves neatly toward her two troublesome brothers.

“Inform the Sky God to accelerate preparations,” Hela ordered coldly. “We move out for the Philou Star Domain within the Gallant Federation!”

***

On the eve of his return to Magus World, Sein did sense something unusual midway through his journey. He felt as though he were being watched by some powerful presence.

The sensation was magnified and relayed to him through the Faceless Mask.

Had he relied solely on his own perception, he likely would not have realized anyone was observing him.

But the feeling lasted only a brief moment before fading away.

After that, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

It seemed his worries had been unnecessary.

The vast, welcoming expanse of Magus World gradually eased the last of Sein’s lingering doubts.

The longer he stayed away, the more he felt the warmth of his homeplane and the deep attachment he held toward it.

It was no wonder so many of Magus Civilization’s powerhouses devoted themselves so fiercely to its prosperity.

During the Clash of Civilizations, Sein had witnessed more than one foreign plane reduced to ruin beyond recovery.

If such devastation were ever to befall Magus World, every Magus Civilization powerhouse, including him, would find it intolerable. They made sure the enemy paid the ultimate price!

Fortunately, the Gallant Federation showed no signs of threatening the Magus Civilization’s heartland. In recent years, it had been their star domains falling one after another to Magus Civilization’s advances.

This was the Astral Realm, where the strong preyed upon the weak.

And in that harsh reality, Sein felt a deep sense of pride in the Magus Civilization’s strength and prosperity.

***

Upon returning to Magus World, Sein headed straight for the Divine Tower of Ashes on the southern part of the main continent.

Tourmaline had not yet returned, nor had most of the Divine Tower of Ashes legions.

Sein did not even meet the acting dean, who remained at the tower.

Most likely, neither the academic mages stationed there nor the war mages on rotational leave even knew their tower master had come back.

The moment he arrived, Sein entered his private experimental base deep within the tower complex.

Instead of heading straight into Ashen Flame research or body-tempering experiments, he made an unusual detour to the potion laboratory.

After all, a bitten Golden Apple could not retain its vitality as well as an intact one.

Although Sein had used every method available to preserve its life force, time was running out.

He could not wait for Lorianne to return to Magus World, and the fruit would not survive another spatial teleportation.

This meant Sein would have to refine it into potions himself!

As he hurried through the preliminary preparations, Sein noticed something strange.

Clinging to the bite mark on the apple’s surface was a faint trace of translucent liquid, mixed with its juices.

“An overlord’s saliva?” he murmured, frowning slightly as he lifted a thin strand of the substance with his tweezers.