Chapter 499 – The Finalized Adventure

The Splendor of Netheril

Dusk in the Gray Rain Swamp was always brief and tranquil. As the last rays of light gradually sank below the horizon, the cool night once again gently enveloped every inch of land.

Inside the Mage Tower, one could not feel the dimming of the sky. Even though night had already fallen imperceptibly, the magical lights in the Magic Tower’s main hall maintained their eternal brilliance.

And standing in this somber atmosphere, the exchange between the two powerful individuals was finally drawing to a close.

Feeling the faint chill in the air, Punk stepped out of the shadows and met Kane’s gaze.

“I think I roughly understand the purpose of your visit, Kane! You want my help with that divination spell of mine, to search for the scattered bloodline of the ‘Crimson Sand God’ in a manner similar to how we located Sorsend, correct?”

“That’s right, congratulations on guessing correctly!”

Laughing heartily, Kane struck an exaggerated pose, raising his hands high in a celebratory gesture. He continued to chatter on, urging Punk to make up his mind quickly.

“Hahahaha, since you’ve figured it out, what are you still hesitating for? A fine adventure like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Don’t make excuses. I know you, Punk Cyan! You’re a reckless, crazy adventurer just like me. You won’t let such a perfect opportunity slip by. Come on! Get your amazing spell ready. The ever-so-considerate me has already prepared a Master-Level sacrifice—that’s right, it’s that mage who dared to deceive me. I ground every one of his bones to dust, and now I’m just waiting for you to find a city and perform another great divination.”

Grinning as he stared at Punk, Kane’s voice grew sharp and joyous. It was clear the knight was incredibly excited, looking for all the world like a greenhorn youth who couldn’t wait to embark on a treasure hunt.

Kane’s prediction was, in fact, correct. Punk found it difficult to refuse such a precious opportunity, one that could pave more than half the road for his advancement to the Legendary tier. Although his “Foul Divination” had a strict limit on its number of uses at the Master-Level, at such a critical juncture in his advancement to Legendary, Punk would not be stingy with the resources at his disposal.

This was a powerful spell capable of obtaining intelligence on nearly any creature below Legendary, as well as on Legendary items Punk had observed. What was that saying about such precious things?

Use it or lose it!

Right now, “Foul Divination” was exactly that kind of “use it or lose it” item.

But even if he wasn’t concerned about the few remaining uses of his “Foul Divination,” it didn’t mean Punk would agree just because of a few coaxing words from Kane. Punk would not be infected by Kane’s emotions; the rationality of a spellcaster would never leave his mind.

No matter how one looked at it, Kane was a knight of the chaotic evil alignment through and through. When dealing with such a person, Punk believed it was crucial to get the “accounts” settled before joining the plan.

For example… what guarantee did Kane have that everything he said was true? What guarantee was there that he wouldn’t suddenly betray him during the adventure? How would the spoils be divided after a successful adventure? And after a major battle, what would ensure the loot could be distributed as agreed upon?

All these matters had to be adequately addressed. Only then would Punk be willing to participate in such a grand adventure plan with Kane. After all, Punk didn’t trust this cunning knight in the slightest.

Punk had long seen that Kane was, in essence, a dangerous individual who, like himself, prioritized his own interests above all else.

Thus, Punk directly cut off Kane’s cheers. In a cold voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation, he asked:

“Why should I trust you, Kane? The word ‘trust’ can never be written into the dictionary between you and me. How can you guarantee that everything you’ve said is true and not some clumsy conspiracy?”

Tightly gripping the “Staff of Lament and Hatred” behind his back, Punk’s gaze watched Kane’s face turn serious. Secretly, he had even ordered the Magical Raven Vector to prepare for battle.

This Kane fellow was too dangerous. In Punk’s entire career since arriving in the Multiverse, Kane was the only person he was most wary of. After all, if one thought about it carefully, among all the people Punk had cooperated with, it seemed only Kane was still alive and well. That alone was quite telling.

Faced with Punk’s slightly hostile warning, Kane, whose mood had been dampened, didn’t show much displeasure. The prepared knight slowly raised his hands to show he had no hostile intent while taking out a piece of pure white parchment that emanated an extremely mysterious aura from his storage ring.

That was… an Eye of Judgment Contract!

“Oh my, oh my, your hostility is breaking my heart, Punk. Where has the rapport from our years of partnership gone? How could it just disappear before we’ve even had a proper trip…”

“Speak plainly!”

“Alright, alright, put the staff down and look at this—this is a Legendary-tier Eye of Judgment Contract. Forget about two Master-Level ‘little guys’ like us, even a Luminary Moon expert couldn’t violate it after signing! How about it? With this, you won’t be so suspicious anymore, will you?”

“An Eye of Judgment Contract? I’m surprised you managed to get your hands on something like this. Strictly speaking, this thing counts as a piece of Legendary Equipment, doesn’t it?”

Seeing the parchment Kane was carefully holding, Punk’s tense expression slowly relaxed.

The credibility of an Eye of Judgment Contract was absolutely guaranteed. Just as Kane said, this contract, which had to be signed voluntarily, was impossible for even a Luminary Moon expert to violate. Moreover, since the Eye of Judgment, the “absolutely just arbiter,” was an emotionless, God-Throne tier “semi-law” intelligent being, those who signed an Eye of Judgment Contract didn’t need to worry about problems like “word games.”

Most importantly, as far as Punk knew, the only way to dissolve a Legendary-tier Eye of Judgment Contract was to consume a Legendary-tier “Bird of Filth Feather Solution,” and the feathers of a Bird of Filth were a Legendary material that was extremely rare even at the Radiant Sun Tier!

Since Kane had brought out an “Eye of Judgment Contract” as a guarantee, any further hesitation would not be cautiousness but petulance. So, Punk put down his staff decisively and said to the equally relieved Kane:

“In that case, there’s no need to hesitate. Let’s settle the responsibilities each party will bear in this adventure right now, and then decide the distribution of spoils based on the share of responsibility.”

With a subtle wave of his hand, Punk once again summoned a complete set of table and chairs from the floor.

Decisiveness was Punk’s trademark. He was not one to dawdle. If he could set off on the journey a little sooner, Punk would not waste a single moment.

But… even though Punk had quickly set out glasses of plain water on the table, Kane showed no intention of sitting down to negotiate.

The knight, who had been so boisterous just a moment ago, now looked at Punk with a shifty gaze and said vaguely:

“Um… I’m afraid our negotiations can’t bypass a certain troublesome fellow. That’s right, our ‘God-Blooded’ excellency also wishes to participate in our negotiations… Although his strength is not worth mentioning, out of courtesy and… for some reasons I can’t quite explain, we should probably go meet the indisputable core of our adventure first…”

After speaking, without waiting for Punk’s reply, Kane immediately turned and walked toward the door. At the same time, without looking back, the knight reminded Punk in a feignedly absent-minded tone:

“…Actually, speaking of which, this ‘Godchild’ excellency is a little girl under twenty years old. But trust me, this ‘Little Girl’ of ours is not to be underestimated… Anyway, you’ll know once you meet her!”

(End of Chapter)