After an intense but passionate session, Leena drifted off to sleep on the experiment table.

Even with a Rank Four body, Leena was spent after undergoing a series of high-intensity body-tempering experiments, followed immediately by an equally intense encounter with Sein.

Her cells and bodily functions had been pushed to the brink and now demanded rest.

After applying several restorative body-tempering potions all over Leena’s skin, Sein turned away from the experiment table.

The moment he reached the laboratory door, he stopped and asked, “Why are you still here?”

Reina was still standing there, her cheeks flushed bright red. She had clearly watched everything that had just happened.

Of course, Reina was no stranger to body-tempering experiments. In fact, what Sein usually put her through was far more intense than what Leena had just endured.

Sein had sensed Reina’s presence at the door earlier, but because his attention had been elsewhere, he had assumed she would leave on her own.

He had not expected her to stay and watch the entire scene, which caught even him slightly off guard.

His question finally snapped Reina out of her daze.

Without saying a word, she turned to leave.

“Wait,” Sein called, stopping her in her tracks.

He glanced back at Leena. Once he confirmed that she was still lying motionless on the experimental table, he turned to Reina and said, “Well... we didn’t quite finish earlier. Leena is only a Rank Four mage, after all. Even with two souls in one body, her physical limits still determine how much she can endure.”

“Let’s go to the body-tempering room next door. I’ll examine your current physical condition and see how much progress you have made lately. Whatever it is you came to report, you can tell me there as well,” he said.

Hearing this, Reina asked, “Should we call Sia?”

Sein stared at her in disbelief. “Why would we need to call her?”

***

After another exhilarating session, Sein finally vented some of the pent-up frustration inside him, leaving both his body and mind completely relaxed.

Although Magus World mages were homebodies by nature, even they would feel stifled after spending too long cooped up in laboratories.

Sein did not know how other mages relieved stress, but his own methods worked quite well.

When it was all over, Sein gave Reina’s pale, smooth backside a light slap and said, “I’ll take you and Sia to pick a space fortress soon.”

“Have you made up your mind? You really don’t want to establish a knightly order of your own?” he asked again.

“Yes. I don’t like dealing with people, and I’ve no interest in managing a knightly order,” Reina replied as she lay beside Sein, utterly spent.

“Ashenreach has prospered greatly in recent years. With the Divine Tower of Ashes influencing the region, establishing more knightly orders is completely feasible. It could even bring greater prosperity to Ashenreach,” Sein said.

“If Sia is the only one establishing a knightly order, it still feels a little lacking. As for House Grantt, Julius has not shown any signs of breaking through to Rank Four yet. Otherwise, things would’ve been perfect,” he added with a sigh.

Breaking through to Rank Four was never simply a matter of resources or guidance from a powerhouse.

The clearest examples of that were Grandmaster Feylis’ two late apprentices, both of whom had failed to advance.

Julius and the Reverse Winged Lion King had both performed exceptionally well on the battlefield over the years, but that still did not mean they would break through to Rank Four.

Sein could sense that they were still missing something, but whether they could ultimately cross that threshold would depend entirely on their fate and whatever opportunities awaited them. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

***

Body-tempering experiments, apothecary research, soul experiments, Sein’s study of the Ashen Flame, and the mechanical research represented by the Magic Cube had all been progressing steadily over the years.

The two hundred and twenty years of recuperation sounded long, but in truth, Sein’s time was stretched thin.

About thirty years after bringing Leena back to the Divine Tower of Ashes, Sein had received the cash he needed, and news from Steel City arrived as well. With that, he was ready to take Reina and Sia to purchase their space fortresses.

Tourmaline insisted on coming along. Since Sein was now wealthy enough that the cost of teleportation within Magus World was negligible, he brought her along as well.

The reason they chose Steel City was not only that its space fortresses offered better value for money, but also because the Magic Cube had recommended it.

Before Sein even arrived, Steel City had already sent him more than a dozen template designs for different space fortress models.

And because Sein had passed through Steel City after returning to Magus World and sold off two fragments of technological secret treasure fragments there, the city now regarded him as an important client.

“The space fortresses produced by the Capiche Business Alliance are mostly mass-produced, while Sky City is better known for its expertise in custom-built models,” Sein said.

“There’s also a good chance that my Magic Cube will be able to merge our space fortresses in the future and unleash even greater combat power. That’s why ordering from Steel City makes more sense. It’s not just about saving money.”

On the way to Steel City, Sein explained himself to Reina and the others once again.

Naturally, Reina had no objections to anything Sein decided. By now, she trusted him completely.

This food-loving knight was someone who truly understood how to enjoy life and relax.

In Sein’s Divine Tower of Ashes, the only one who knew how to enjoy life and relax even better was Tourmaline.

Reina was often dragged into Sein’s body-tempering experiments and kept under strict dietary control, but Tourmaline remained carefree all year round.

Sia, of course, had no objections to Sein’s reasoning either.

Over the years, she had already begun the initial preparations for her knightly order.

With Sein’s experience in founding the Divine Tower of Ashes to guide her, the early stages of building Sia’s knightly order had gone quite smoothly.

She named it the Order of the Flame Demon, which was a rather imposing name.

It also reflected Sia’s mastery of demonic power and her use of fire-attribute battle qi.

A direct and forceful name like that was especially effective when it came to attracting low-ranking knights.

As for the enormous amount of magicoins needed to establish the knightly order, Sia accepted two-thirds of the funding from Sein. The remaining third came from an interest-free loan issued by the Magus Civilization—the same basic loan Sein himself had taken out years ago.

This loan was essentially a welfare policy of the Magus Civilization, a form of positive internal support through which the Magus World redistributed resources after drawing them in from across the entire Magus Alliance.

Originally, Sein had planned to cover all of Sia’s expenses himself, but Sia had her own opinion on the matter.

“With magicoins constantly losing value, using the knightly order loan is actually more cost-effective.”

“Besides, having some debt hanging over me will push me to manage the knightly order more seriously. I can’t rely on you forever, can I?” she added, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Sein’s mother-in-law clearly had her own ideas, and Sein respected her choice.

Buying a space fortress, however, did not come with any interest-free loan. No matter how low the rates were, interest was still interest.

So in the end, Sein paid for both Sia’s and Reina’s space fortresses.