Chapter 502 – The Determined Girl

Hearing Smile’s declaration and watching the blood trail slowly trickle down the maiden’s smooth forehead, Punk gradually dissipated the kinetic cone in his hand.

With over a thousand years of lifespan and the memories of Grand Arcanist Vedrasha, Punk considered himself an accurate judge of character. He could clearly see that the Smile standing before him truly held no fear of death – her statement “I’d rather die than fail to become a powerful being” genuinely reflected her conviction!

This girl… was completely beyond intimidation by mortal threats!

“A fool unafraid of death, then?”

Though the threat of death proved ineffective, Punk hadn’t abandoned his plan to control Smile as a “tool.” After withdrawing the Velocity Kinetic Cone, a glimmer of alarming silver light once again materialized in his hand.

“Master-Level psionic spell – Mind Control!”

“This is a psionic spell that can erase a person’s self-awareness. Even a Formal-Level expert would be reduced to a puppet if struck by it…”

“Control through magic? But I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, esteemed mage! Because this humble maiden won’t be intimidated!

By basic logical deduction, if you could control me with spells, you would have done so the moment we met. Since you didn’t immediately act, it proves that magical control is useless in dealing with me, isn’t it?”

This time, before Punk could finish speaking, Smile’s bewitching smile once again bloomed across her exquisite features. She stared back at Punk like a warrior engaged in battle, with flames of determination visibly burning in the depths of her eyes!

Hearing Smile’s response, Punk couldn’t help but frown – he had lost count of how many times he’d done so today. Because regarding magical control, Smile had again hit the mark!

Just as mages repelled deities, so too did deities repel spellcasters. The fundamental defense mechanism of God Realms involved detecting magical traces in their vicinity. In other words, if one attempted to control Smile through spells, the automatic defenses of a God Realm would never permit a magically-controlled puppet to enter a deity’s domain!

The path of magical control was inherently blocked. As Smile had correctly deduced, had it been possible, he would have acted the moment they met. Smile’s sharp judgment had discerned Punk’s helplessness, giving her the confidence to make her demands!

Witnessing the two exchanges between Punk and Smile, Kane quickly stepped forward to subtly shield Smile. Having seen one dangerous spell after another materialize in Punk’s hands, though aware of Punk’s precise control, Kane couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. After all, unlike Punk who maintained a forty percent success rate for Legendary advancement even without auxiliary potions, Smile represented his only hope for reaching Legendary status!

“Enough, enough, Punk! Your methods are useless – if they worked, would I have waited for you? Let me state clearly that torture won’t work either. Light torture won’t frighten this girl, and severe torture… well, if she dies, everything’s over!”Helplessly spreading his hands, Kane’s armor seemed to convey a sense of slackened resignation.

Standing beside him, “Smile” curled her lips and remarked sarcastically:

“Uncle~~ your torture techniques are far too gentle. Whether it’s burning eyeballs with charcoal or piercing nails with steel needles, it doesn’t hurt at all. Would I, your humble servant, fear such child’s play?”

“Hey now, I won’t ignore that ‘uncle’ remark! And I’m no interrogation expert – I’m afraid of going too hard and turning you stupid or insane. Kid, you should try understanding my predicament!”

Before Punk, Kane and “Smile” were casually discussing torture methods as if it were nothing. Particularly noteworthy was how “Smile” described the tortures she endured in such a casual, conversational manner, proving how well-founded Kane’s statement about “torture being useless” truly was!

“An unyielding, steadfast powerhouse? Truly worthy of being a descendant of divine bloodline. Kane, you’ve found yourself a real monster!”

After giving “Smile” a profound look, Punk quickly withdrew his cold gaze. Since staring intently was meaningless against someone like “Smile,” he simply avoided futile efforts.

It had to be admitted – “Smile” had truly managed to leave Punk with few options.

Death? She wasn’t afraid!

Pain? Apply too much pressure and this fragile little girl would collapse instantly!

Magic? Couldn’t be used!

“Smile” had actually successfully seized the opportunity – she was going to add her own terms to the Contract of Judgment’s Eye. After all, for a madwoman who feared neither death nor pain, there was probably nothing in this world that could make her change her mind.

Sighing almost imperceptibly, Punk poked Vector on his shoulder – the magic raven who had been watching everything – and said with frustration:

“Look at her. Though both in weak positions, there’s a world of difference between a prodigy and a coward.”

“Gaaah? Talking to me? I was designed this way! It’s all that Legendary Mage’s fault who created me! Gaaah!”

Ducking his head to avoid Punk’s finger, Vector loudly protested Punk’s statement.

When she saw the magic raven speak, “Smile” – who had retreated behind Kane – revealed a faint trace of surprise. It was clear she still retained the curiosity of a little girl, quite interested in seeing a talking raven.

However, Punk had no interest in satisfying a child’s curiosity. Though it was now certain that “Smile” would participate in the negotiations, barring unexpected developments, the upcoming talks promised to be another interesting game of wits.

But before the negotiations, Punk had one more question for “Smile”:

“Earlier you mentioned legends passed down in your family, and ancestral teachings?”

Punk wanted to learn more about the legends “Smile” had mentioned. In a sense, these legends were also wealth inherited from her divine ancestors.

In fact, it was precisely this information from her ancestors that had enabled “Smile” to discern her and Kane’s true intentions. Out of pure curiosity, Punk wanted to know what kind of information the family established by a deity itself had passed down to its descendants.In response to Punk’s question, Smile, who was still elated at having successfully secured her participation in the negotiations, answered without much concealment:

“It’s just some legends about a deity called the ‘Crimson Sand God.’ In fact, it wasn’t until Mr. Kane found me that I realized these legends weren’t just useless little stories. If the legends are true… then according to them, countless treasures are buried in this Crimson Sand God’s God Realm. If one obtains a type of wealth called Divinity, they can become a true powerhouse. Oh, and the ‘Ancestral Teachings’ particularly emphasized—in this world, only a contract called the Eye of Judgment is trustworthy. Any other contract is meaningless!”

(End of Chapter)