Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 644: Mild Approach To Integration

Sein knew his mentor secretly abhorred those mage councils in the Viridescent Land.

When the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was first established, these organizations fiercely competed for local resources, severely impeding its early growth.

Reflecting on the initial one to two hundred years, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring struggled so hard to recruit initiates.

Despite offering various welfare policies, the enrollment numbers remained low and the quality of initiates was poor.

Dean Archimedes even introduced the concept of “commoner mages” as a supportive measure.

Was the problem with the initiates of Viridescent Land?

Certainly not!

Rather, the most promising local initiates, who should have been drawn to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, were absorbed by the longstanding mage councils in the Viridescent Land early on.

When Sein first returned to the Lysian Alliance, his alchemy skills also caught the attention of local mages.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was so remote that it was virtually unknown among common magic initiates and lesser noble houses.

Initially, its influence extended only to a few human nations around the Jewel Sea, far from covering all of Viridescent Land.

Now, with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s expansion, mage councils with conflicting interests faced a pivotal choice.

Who would ultimately win this covert struggle between the divine tower or the local mage councils?

History has already delivered its verdict—the tens of thousands of divine towers scattered across the Magus World had long established their dominance as the dominant force.

Furthermore, the divine towers and the orders of the knights were vital pillars of the Magus Civilization, crucial for internal governance and stability.

Against such a tide, resistance seemed futile—unless one possessed the power to challenge the authority of the divine towers and the orders of the knights.

Lorianne’s method of consolidating the power of local mages in the Viridescent Land through a microplane conquest was relatively mild compared to the early development of the other major divine towers.

This approach likely reflected Lorianne’s character, contrasting with the more aggressive strategies employed by some divine towers in their formative years, like the one led by her senior, Gregory.

The aggressiveness here did not imply coercing mage councils and hedge mages into joining through overt oppression.

The general environment within the Magus World had not deteriorated to a point where dictatorship could thrive unchallenged—even hedge mages were safeguarded by established laws.

The Divine Tower of Whispering Flame, for instance, used tactics like enticement, resource monopolization, and constriction of operational spaces to coerce compliance from lesser mage councils.

Such tactics, while overwhelming for smaller groups with only a few full-fledged mages, might not immediately overpower the more established, older organizations, which could resist for a time.

However, smaller organizations often had no choice but to either join the divine tower or leave the region entirely.

Given that many local mage councils often existed in the form of deeply rooted prestigious magic families with centuries or even millennia of history, it was impossible for them to simply abandon their established bases and resource points.

Ultimately, if they could not withstand the pressure, joining the divine tower became the only viable path.

The rationale was simple—if you couldn’t beat them, join them.

For the majority of ordinary mages, aligning with a divine tower typically brought advantages.

The real impact was only felt by the leaders of these organizations, who stood to lose the most in terms of wealth and influence.

Nevertheless, it was a prevailing trend for divine towers to take command over all mage forces in a given region.

Only the divine towers, as legitimate authorities, were positioned to actively foster regional mage power in a constructive direction.

This was facilitated through institutions like the divine tower academies, which honed their initiates’ skills through regional academy wars, thereby nurturing successive generations of proficient mages for the Magus Civilization.

From a civilizational perspective, this system was beneficial. Therefore, the Magus Civilization even periodically supported the nurturing efforts of divine towers in various regions financially.

In contrast, the smaller, individual mage councils often prioritized personal gains over collective civilizational interests.

Lorianne’s gentle approach allowed her to unify the scattered forces of the surrounding area swiftly while avoiding unnecessary conflict and attrition.

Many of the prestigious magic families and small to medium-sized mage councils wisely acknowledged the inevitable rise of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and recognized the futility of opposition.

Thus, they chose to join the divine tower in the most peaceful manner that was mutually beneficial for both parties.

However, the situation invariably became complex when profits and interests came into play.

Sein was aware of a recent negotiation between Lorianne and a prestigious magic family from Viridescent Land, led by a Rank Three grand mage.

The family was prepared to align with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, but only if Lorianne would grant the Rank Three grand mage a dean’s title. Additionally, all the full-fledged mages from this family were to receive certain compensation after joining, including preferential treatment in the assignment of quests from the divine tower.

Such demands were neither simple nor avoidable.

Lorianne was keen to avoid squandering her power internally. She understood that while wealth accumulation through an interplanar war was significant, it did not match the speed of potential gains within Viridescent Land itself.

(Author’s Note: The Magus World, being a top-tier plane, boasts an annual resource output in Viridescent Land that far exceeds that of ordinary micro and low-level planes. However, the true advantage of an interplanar war lies not in the prolonged resource harvest, but rather in the instantaneous wealth accumulated over tens of thousands of years at the war's conclusion—a prospect enticing enough to motivate any creature of Rank Four and above.)

The local mages of Viridescent Land were no fools; following Lorianne’s strategic concessions involving a microplane, the ensuing negotiation and integration process became considerably more amicable.

Relying solely on the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s existing power to conquer a low-level interplanar war would be a stretch.

Such a scenario would necessitate support not only from an order of the knights but also from Lorianne’s seniors and mentor.

Requesting assistance from family in times of need was not a sign of weakness.

Despite this, Lorianne was reluctant to impose too frequently on others—a trait that reflected her strong, independent character.

When it came to Sein, she might occasionally overstep her boundaries as a mentor.

However, she maintained a careful balance with her seniors and mentor, never demanding more than necessary.

Besides, Lorianne’s ambitions extended far beyond just a mere microplane.

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