Chapter 210 – Disappointing Spoils

The plains before Mig Fortress had been pounded into a basin by the clashes of several Formal-Level powerhouses. The entire ground had been baked by high temperatures into a glazed surface, with charred wasteland cracked in every direction and jagged fissures protruding from the earth. Punk stood atop one of the larger fissured blocks, facing a pile of dark green, viscous minced flesh.

“Done and done! Battle’s over, time to pack up!”

With that cavalier remark, Bloodclaw approached Punk while carrying Princess Trelinka in his arms. Iron Tower also gathered at the battlefield’s edge, carrying the scrapped “Wind-Bathing Punisher” with a grim expression, holding a dim gemstone in his hand.

Overall, this battle was a victory. Against Vic, the Kingdom’s number one Sword Saint, the only “sacrifice” was an usually inconspicuous Boss Lady. Frankly speaking, both Punk and Bloodclaw were quite satisfied with this outcome.

“Iron Tower, what’s going on? Is Trelinka injured?”

Punk coldly stared at Princess Trelinka, who was being “firmly” held in Bloodclaw’s arms, noticing a trickle of blood at the corner of her lips.

“Damn it, what happened? Can’t you even handle the simple task of protecting a woman properly?”

Iron Tower also noticed the bloodstain on Trelinka’s lips. Enraged, he slammed the “scrap metal” greatsword into the ground and grabbed his menacing greatshield, ready to take action.

Iron Tower was now on the verge of exploding. If he couldn’t obtain the three Master-Level items from the Dolan Family, he might just lose his temper right then and there.

“Hey now, don’t wrong an innocent man! I’ve been protecting her with my blood this whole time.”

Bloodclaw grew somewhat anxious upon hearing this. If the princess were to die under unclear circumstances, he’d be hunted by both the lawful and unlawful forces of the Dillon Kingdom.

No sooner had he spoken than Bloodclaw moved to unbutton Princess Trelinka’s clothes to check her “injuries.”

Seeing this man about to undress her without so much as a word, Princess Trelinka blushed with embarrassment. She quickly covered her chest and exclaimed loudly:

“No need, no need! I’m not injured! The blood on my lips is from me biting myself!”

“Good grief, my lady! You could’ve said so earlier!”

A relieved Bloodclaw stopped his hands, but at that moment, all three men—including Punk—were staring intently at Princess Trelinka’s neck, or more precisely, at the sapphire necklace around it.

Whether it was Bloodclaw, Iron Tower, or Punk, after their initial casual conversation ended, they had all grown impatient to divide the spoils of war.

At first glance upon seeing this necklace, Punk’s System provided its analysis results.

Name: “Tears of the Spring”

Level: Master-Level

Material: Unknown

Crafted Divine Spell:

Master-Level Evocation Divine Spell—Hymn of the Spring: Instantly restores 15% vitality to up to five creatures below Legendary level. Can be used three times when fully charged. Charging time: fifty-four magic hours. (Good alignment only)

Crafted Spell:

Master-Level Evocation Spell—Seed of Life: Plants a seed rich with life energy within a target creature’s body. The seed can absorb the target’s vitality to replenish the equipment holder. Can be used three times when fully charged. Each charge requires twenty-seven magic hours.

“A rather fine piece of equipment.”Punk offered a fair assessment: although the most valuable “Hymn of the Spring” couldn’t be used, the “Seed of Life” that could both attack and heal already held significant worth.

Punk then turned his gaze to the dim crystal in Iron Tower’s hand.

Name: Dawnshine 214

Grade: Master-Level

Crafting Material: Radiance Stone

Solidified Divine Art

Master-Level Divine Art – Dawn’s Radiance: Releases a large area of luminous mist that strongly interferes with shadow energy. Duration: ten minutes. Fully charged for one use. Each recharge requires fifty-four magic hours. (Restricted to devotees of good-aligned deities)

“This is a typical filler product with zero value.”

Punk delivered his second blunt evaluation with exasperation.

This worthless item was utterly useless to the three present. Leaving aside the clunky solidified divine art, the “restricted to devotees of good-aligned deities” alone rendered it valueless. Even if any of them worshipped deities, none would follow good-aligned ones.

Moreover, as equipment produced by the Church of Dawn, it couldn’t be sold through normal channels. Even disposing of it on the black market would risk attracting hordes of fanatics from the Church.

Given Punk’s temperament, this thing should just be buried somewhere and forgotten.

Seeing the crystal, Iron Tower and Bloodclaw’s expressions darkened considerably. Though they lacked a System for analysis, they could sense the faint good-aligned divine energy emanating from the crystal.

“Alright, staring won’t solve anything. I’ll be direct – how do we divide the loot?”

Bloodclaw sighed heavily, snatching the space ring from Vick Swordsaint that Iron Tower handed over with a grimace. He dumped all its contents out in one motion.

A warm breeze swept across the ground as the clinking of a few gold coins faded into the distance…

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere grew intensely awkward.

“I say… Your Highness the Princess…”

Bloodclaw’s twitching mouth turned toward the equally embarrassed Princess Trelinka.

“Is your… King perhaps… a bit too ‘frugal’?”

Staring at the pitiful five or six gold coins on the ground, the princess flushed crimson, rendered speechless.

She never imagined Vick Swordsaint – a level 14 Sword Saint, the “second only to Sangus in Dillon Kingdom” – would be this parsimonious. She knew he never accepted the King’s rewards, but she’d always assumed it was because he was too wealthy to care about such “paltry gifts”!

“Seems the only valuable item left is this ‘Tears of the Spring’ necklace.”

Ignoring the six or seven gold coins on the ground, Punk spoke softly while commanding Golem Two to shift slightly closer. The magical light in his pupils began spinning rapidly.

Iron Tower noticed Punk’s movement and slammed his greatshield down with a thunderous roar:

“I don’t care about the rest! The ‘Tears of the Spring’ is mine! Anyone who wants it can try getting past my shield first!”

“So you’re threatening me?”

Punk’s tone dropped to an icy chill. He wouldn’t yield an inch to this troublemaker Iron Tower.Seeing the two big shots about to fight at the slightest disagreement, Bloodclaw quickly stepped in to mediate.

“I suggest you both calm down. If you end up severely injuring each other here, and the Dolan Family refuses to pay us, we’ll be in trouble. If two or three Formal-Level fighters surround us while you two strongest fighters are exhausted, we’ll all suffer huge losses.”

“We’re already suffering enough losses now!”

Hearing Bloodclaw’s persuasion, Iron Tower grumbled as he put away his giant shield, and Punk stopped constructing his spell model.

The rewards from this battle were far from ideal. Both Punk and Iron Tower were determined to obtain the three “Master-Level items” promised by the Dolan Family. If they fought seriously now, what Bloodclaw warned about might actually happen, so both chose to show restraint. Life-or-death battles were inevitable, but now wasn’t the time.

“In that case, let’s keep the ‘Tears of the Spring’ around Princess Trelinka’s neck for now. I believe Mr. Bloodclaw will take good care of it, won’t you?”

Finally, Punk stared into Bloodclaw’s eyes and said softly.

Throughout it all, Princess Trelinka remained quietly lying in Bloodclaw’s arms without saying a word. She wasn’t some naive little princess who would foolishly question these three desperate men with bloodshot eyes dividing their “spoils” using concepts like “justice” or “kindness.”

At this moment, Trelinka only felt deep guilt – both for her companions who had died protecting her, and for the Dolan Family who would lose great wealth to rescue her.

(End of Chapter)