Chapter 520 – Vacant Land

At the border of the Bokkat Kingdom, within the Badora Forest.

It was the end of the scorching season. The untouched primeval forest was enveloped in an anticipatory silence, with tender leaves and green grass stretching as far as the eye could see. The famously tall and straight High-Pillar Trees stood sporadically, their twisted and entangled branches clinging tightly together, forming a thick wall that draped down to the ground.

This was a wall of trembling twigs. A refreshing coolness from the grove brushed against their faces. Gazing into the distance, dense green foliage covered the boundless mountainous woods like an overcoat, wrapping the entire hillside.

In a secluded corner of the woodland, two massive High-Pillar Trees had been severed at their bases. The smooth, glossy stumps were almost the only different color in the forest. The absence of the giant trees had created a clearing where the “wall of foliage” had collapsed.

In this clearing, an exquisite iron pot floated in mid-air, gently heated by a soft flame beneath it. As the sky gradually darkened, the fire under the pot illuminated a small circle of the surrounding woodland. Beside the pot, a spellcaster in a black Mage Robe with red patterns was adding various spices to the pot, while a twin-tailed girl in leather clothes watched the steaming pot with anticipation.

Without a doubt, these two were Punk and “Smile,” who had recently left Red Roy City.

“It smells so good! It seems I’m in for a treat tonight,” Smile said eagerly, her eyes fixed on the small pot as if she were about to drool. Having grown up in the alleys and slums as a thief, Smile had rarely tasted delicious food. Faced with such a delicacy, this “Little Girl,” only nineteen years old, had little resistance.

Hearing Smile’s admiration, Punk nodded in agreement and said, “This rabbit stew is something I learned many years ago from a ranger named ‘Kangkai.’ It’s said to be a specialty from a place called ‘Rock Rabbit Creek.'”

“Although I’ve never heard of ‘Rock Rabbit Creek,’ this aroma is truly making me crave it,” Smile replied greedily, inhaling the fragrance as if trying to absorb every bit of the scent in the air. A blissful smile spread across her face—for a food lover, there was no shame in showing enjoyment for delicious food.

Punk paid little attention to Smile. Sensing that the rabbit meat in the pot was thoroughly stewed, he directly scooped a bit of the broth to taste.

“Mmm, delicious, flawless!” he remarked with satisfaction, then extinguished the flame beneath the pot.

Well, Punk’s evaluation was purely redundant. Anyone could make such a pot of meat broth incredibly tasty.

After all, the spices Punk had added to the pot were all high-quality items “confiscated” from Ben Lajie. Each portion was worth its weight in diamonds in the ordinary world. Combined with his meticulous alchemical techniques, honed from potion-making, which ensured every bit of flavor was infused into the rabbit meat, it would have been strange if it weren’t fragrant and appetizing.After turning off the fire and lifting the lid, the delicious aroma was no longer concealed. Although the rabbit meat in the pot didn’t emit any glow—something neither magical nor scientific—the crystal-clear broth, the floating side dishes on the surface, and the uniformly sized, plump pieces of rabbit meat each exuded their own unique savory scents. All these flavors blended together organically, making the olfactory experience alone a true delight.

“It smells incredible! Quickly serve me a portion—this is nothing short of culinary art!”

“Smile” appeared utterly impatient.

“Caw, caw, caw! Boss, share some with me too! I want a taste, caw, caw!”

Even the Magic Raven “Vector” wanted to join the excitement, though it was purely for the sake of participation. As an alchemical creation, Vector lacked the ability to taste food, so this pot of soup certainly wouldn’t include a share for the Magic Raven.

Without any change in expression, Punk served a portion for himself and “Smile,” then unceremoniously devoured his own share in a few bites, showing no appreciation for its flavor.

No matter how exquisite the food, for Punk, it was merely a temporary means to fill his stomach. If it weren’t for the need to wait here for Kane and the fact that his self-made nutrient injections were too harsh for “Smile’s” body to endure, Punk wouldn’t have bothered preparing such a meal during an adventure.

Thus, as he watched “Smile” savor the broth with closed eyes and flushed cheeks, Punk disregarded the atmosphere entirely and spoke calmly:

“Once you finish eating, focus on studying the soul of that ‘Second Godchild.’ You should be able to sense the pull of the bloodline. Don’t resist its fusion—draw out the bloodline your ‘brother’ possesses from his soul!”

“Hey, hey, you really have no sense of romance at all!”

Putting down her wooden bowl, “Smile,” who had just swallowed a delicious piece of rabbit meat, was clearly displeased at having her enjoyment interrupted. However, upon meeting Punk’s intense, azure eyes hidden beneath his hood, she could only mutter and quicken her pace of eating.

“What a boring man. You’re definitely never going to find a girlfriend…”

Smile’s words were too muffled as she ate, so Punk didn’t quite catch what the girl in front of him was saying. He was currently observing a fist-sized, pale green gem he had just retrieved from his Storage Ring. Inside the gem, inscribed with numerous runes, a drifting speck of light was slowly sinking…

The floating entity within the gem was the soul of the “Second Godchild.” The divine bloodline resided within the soul. For convenience, Punk had directly extracted the “Second Godchild’s” soul and sealed it inside the gem. Now, it was up to “Smile” to complete the bloodline fusion as soon as possible.

“Alright, I’m done. Hand over the gem!”

Putting down her wooden bowl with a huff, “Smile” reluctantly licked the broth from the corner of her lips and extended her hand to Punk.

Though her words sounded unwilling, in truth, “Smile’s” actual mood was one of eager anticipation.

The moment Punk produced the gem, “Smile” felt her very soul growing restless. A craving so intense it made the girl want to swallow the gem whole caused her already crimson eyes to flicker with a hint of bloodthirsty killing intent.Plundering bloodlines to complete oneself—in essence, God-Blooded individuals could be considered a unique type of sorcerer. The allure between bloodlines is no different from the attraction among magical creatures. Thus, when faced with a bloodline of the same origin, the desire to devour only grows increasingly difficult to restrain over time.

“Here you go!”

Punk tossed the gem to Smile and calmly served himself another bowl of rabbit stew.

“As agreed, we only need to wait here until tomorrow morning. If Kane still hasn’t arrived by then… he can be declared dead. At that point, removing the tracking marks he left on you wouldn’t breach our agreement.”

Punk spoke gloomily, with a hint of anticipation.

He genuinely hoped Kane and that Female Knight had annihilated each other. After all, when it came to treasure hunting, having one less person to share the spoils was never a bad thing.

But… Punk’s hopes were clearly in vain.

In fact, night had just fallen. Before Punk could finish his second bowl of rabbit stew, as dark clouds began to veil the three moons in the sky, the rustling of parted Woodland branches announced an outrageously flamboyant voice recklessly echoing across the clearing:

“Keh keh keh keh! Did you really think this great one would bite the dust? A Legendary tomorrow still awaits… Huh? Something smells amazing! What delicacy are you eating? Save some for this great one!”

(End of Chapter)