Chapter 503 – The Family's Wealth

“Divinity? Do you even know what Divinity means? Eye of Judgment Contract? And do you understand what an Eye of Judgment Contract entails? Don’t flatter yourself about being clever – you’re merely benefiting from your ancestors’ legacy.”

Punk spoke to Smile with a hint of mockery.

Undoubtedly, every piece of information Smile possessed came from legends passed down by her ancestors. Punk speculated that these concise “family teachings” – which could enable someone completely uneducated to identify the value of treasure through a few incomprehensible terms – couldn’t possibly have been created by the Crimson Sand God. These carefully summarized key points must have been compiled by some knowledgeable and insightful individual from a certain generation of the Sarathiel Family. This ancestor of Smile’s had likely organized all information after failing to find the God Realm, passing it down in the form of legends with one sole purpose: to ensure that if any descendant ever encountered such an opportunity, they wouldn’t be fooled by others!

The ancestors’ plan had succeeded. Particularly impactful was their reminder that “no agreement other than one called the Eye of Judgment Contract can be trusted” – this proved to be the masterstroke. Because of this single warning, Punk’s plan to deceive with empty promises fell apart. Even using illusion magic to trick Smile into believing some random document was an Eye of Judgment Contract was impossible, for across the multiverse, the Eye of Judgment never permits anyone to commit fraud in its name!

On another note… perhaps even Smile herself didn’t realize that if Punk wanted to obtain the God Realm’s treasure, he couldn’t simply wait for her descendants to inherit the divine bloodline and then spend time brainwashing them.

Because even if Smile died, the divine bloodline inheritance would randomly appear among all families blood-related to “the Crimson Sand God’s first Godchild.” After ten thousand years, who could know how widely scattered the Crimson Sand God’s descendants might be? Without holding the only “Godchild” as a clue, even possessing “Foul Divination” wouldn’t help locate another Godchild.

Only a Godchild can determine within a certain range which ordinary person or professional is their unawakened “sibling.” In the search for divine bloodlines, the first Godchild serves as the most crucial “locator.” Without holding even one Godchild… would they have to pray for Kane to encounter such incredible luck again?

At this point, even with supercomputer-level thinking capabilities, Punk genuinely couldn’t devise any method to remove Smile – this core yet extremely vulnerable girl – from the negotiation table. Strictly speaking, Punk and Kane were now matching wits against the Crimson Sand God from ten thousand years ago and Smile’s ancestors from that era. As Punk stated, these frustrating tactics didn’t originate from Smile herself, but rather from her ancestors’ legacy.

There was no helping it – a Godchild remains a Godchild. However down and out they might be, they’re still genuine “rich second generation.””God knows how much effort the Crimson Sand God and Smile’s ancestors expended, how many brain cells they fried, all to prevent the God Realm from falling into others’ hands and stop their descendants from being exploited. In the end, they condensed two flawless pieces of information into ancestral teachings passed down through generations.

Punk even suspected the fragmentation of the Crimson Sand God’s bloodline was deliberately engineered by Smile’s ancestors—all to prevent the “Crimson Sand God” from resurrecting, and… to give their descendants the leverage to negotiate with powerful beings as they were doing now!

Gazing at Smile’s petite figure, Punk seemed to see countless ancestors toiling behind the young woman. And now… the Sarathiel Family, a clan “created” to serve as tools, might finally realize their generations-long ambition of becoming truly powerful.

With a soft sigh, Punk’s tone turned peculiar. Recalling the first item in the two “ancestral teachings” Smile mentioned, his voice suddenly took on a teasing quality:

“It seems there were insightful figures among your ancestors. After all, in this world where divine powers hold great sway, merely knowing about the existence of Divinity already qualifies one as a ‘remarkable scholar’! So… do you and your ancestors understand what Divinity truly represents?”

“I do not know, but I believe in the ancient legends. I believe this thing called Divinity can make me powerful, and that is enough!”

Then, straightening her modest A-cup chest, Smile addressed Punk with a tone both pleading and resolute:

“…Therefore, I can relinquish all other treasures. The only thing I want is Divinity. If you agree, I hope the Eye of Judgment’s contract can bear witness for me.”

Having spoken, Smile closed her eyes as if resigning herself to fate.

The young woman understood she had said all she needed to say, made all the requests she could make. Now, as the weaker party, all that remained was to await the judgment of the powerful.

Would she be deemed ungrateful and struck down? Or would she seize this precious opportunity to ascend instantly?

Smile felt her heart trembling with tension.

“This is exactly why I must exist in this world as a powerful being—I hate this feeling so much!”

Embracing the darkness before her eyes, Smile thought silently.

At this moment, neither Kane, Punk, nor the Magical Raven Vector perched on Punk’s shoulder looking around spoke. Vector was examining the splendid golden hall, Kane gripped his Long Spear tightly in case Punk suddenly erupted into violence, and Punk… he simply watched Smile quietly for a very, very long time…

“Your ancestors found you a shortcut, young lady! But… does this shortcut called Divinity truly lead to heaven?”

Having uttered these words without emotion, Punk shook his head and fell silent.If it were merely the “Divinity,” Punk wouldn’t care much. His main target was the Divinity the Crimson Sand God had placed in the God Realm! As for that treacherous thing called a “godhood,” he didn’t even plan to touch it. That’s because “Divinity” indiscriminately fuses with any intelligent being that comes into direct contact with it. This “conscript-on-contact” mechanism, which cares nothing for consent or desire to become a god, had already ensnared countless ambitious, idealistic unfortunates.

As for Punk’s assessment of this “shortcut,” it wasn’t exaggerated. Though becoming a deity meant being reduced to a slave of the Multiverse, with one’s selfhood gradually eroded, it had to be admitted that nothing provided a faster path to power than Divinity.

Strictly speaking, Divinity was a “tool” that directly accessed the authority of the Multiverse’s laws, fueled by vast amounts of faith energy. The deity it required was merely an intelligent “machine.” Thus, as long as the person touching the godhood had average intelligence, regardless of their actual strength, they would immediately gain access to the Divinity’s functions and wield power corresponding to its rank. This was precisely why such a treacherous thing still attracted countless desperate seekers!

In fact, if two people touched the Divinity simultaneously, it would deliberately choose the weaker one as its “host”—after all, the feeble-minded were more easily stripped of their self-awareness!

So Punk’s description of “godhood” as a shortcut was absolutely accurate. For the “weak,” the “ignorant,” and the “desperate,” obtaining a Divinity was undoubtedly a tremendous opportunity.

Of course, shortcuts are never easy, and the gifts of the Multiverse demand a heavy price. Far too many deities had wept bitterly upon reaching the end of this shortcut, only to find their paths severed… but by then, these so-called “powerful” deities likely no longer even controlled their own lives and deaths.

Naturally, Punk wouldn’t bother enlightening Smile about these truths. He had no time, and Smile—a “desperate” soul utterly lacking any professional aptitude—was destined to remain unreceptive. For now, each was pursuing their own interests. As for the consequences… everyone must bear the weight of their own choices, mustn’t they?

(End of Chapter)