Chapter 521 – Hidden Mechanism

“Wow, what’s that? Rabbit meat? Punk, how did you know I love rabbit meat?”

Upon seeing the steaming pot, Kane didn’t hold back at all. Moving so fast that not even an afterimage was visible, Kane’s Lance effortlessly carved out a piece of wood from a nearby High-Pillar Tree. In less than a second, the wood was sculpted by Kane’s Battle Aura into a rather exquisite wooden bowl.

Directly using his Battle Aura to scoop a portion of rabbit meat from the pot into the bowl, Kane unceremoniously took a big gulp of the broth.

“Wow~~ This is absolutely delicious. I’ve heard that the Culinary Capital in the Azure Radiance Kingdom has the most exquisite cuisine in the Multiverse. I wonder if this rabbit meat soup can compare to the delicacies there.”

While savoring the tender, smooth rabbit meat in his mouth, Kane mumbled a layered critique of the soup’s deliciousness.

However, Punk had no intention of engaging with Kane’s remarks. He was never a spellcaster who cared about things like “atmosphere.” Ignoring Kane’s evaluation of the rabbit soup, Punk directly asked:

“It seems you made it back alive, but… what about that Female Knight named Audreylinda? Did you manage to kill her on the spot?”

Punk’s tone was serious and earnest, with no hint of joking in his words.

“Hey, hey, you really have no sense of style, do you? After a battle, you need to relax, understand? Re~lax!”

Seeing Punk like this, Kane’s reaction was no different from “Smile’s.” Clearly, Punk’s complete inability to understand the fun of relaxation was already an established fact…

But Punk didn’t care whether his lack of charm was now confirmed. He simply continued to gaze coldly into Kane’s golden pupils.

Punk was waiting for Kane’s answer. No matter how careless and unserious Kane had been acting, Punk’s questioning was very serious.

Seeing that Punk was determined to get straight to business, Kane could only sigh and put down his wooden bowl. Meanwhile, “Smile,” who was clutching the Soul Gem nearby, playfully stuck out her tongue. It seemed that both Kane and “Smile” had resigned themselves to Punk’s ever-serious spellcaster attitude.

“Alright, alright, since you asked so sincerely, I’ll generously tell you.”

After gulping down the remaining rabbit soup and wiping his mouth, Kane shifted from his resigned state to a much more serious demeanor. He calmly replied to Punk:

“Un~fortunately, I didn’t kill that madwoman. What good would come from defeating her? And her readiness to embrace mutual destruction at the slightest provocation was no joke. If you want to risk your life, go ahead, but don’t expect me to take on such damned work.”

Speaking righteously and without a hint of shame or regret about his cowardice, Kane’s voice carried no trace of embarrassment. His utterly matter-of-fact expression especially conveyed to Punk: “My life is precious. If you want to risk yours, go ahead.”Upon hearing Kane’s “matter-of-fact, self-righteous” reply, Punk couldn’t help but frown slightly.

He had to admit that collaborations with profit-driven individuals were always troublesome. Especially when it involved a selfish spellcaster paired with a selfish combat specialist—expecting seamless coordination between “warrior” and “mage” was nothing short of delusional for Punk and Kane. Since both were solely concerned with their own interests and feared being stabbed in the back by their “teammate,” even though warrior-mage combinations typically achieved synergistic effects, their partnership remained strictly divided. In fact, during critical moments when each tried to preserve themselves while sabotaging the other, their “joint combat” often resulted in counterproductive outcomes.

For instance, in situations requiring someone to cover the rear or act as a shield to draw fire, Punk would unhesitatingly turn and leave, with Kane promptly following suit. Neither was willing to take risks dealing with the Female Knight Audreylinda—a manageable threat—thus leaving a potential enemy unattended…

“What a nuisance!”

Sighing inwardly, the expressionless Punk retrieved another rabbit leg from the pot and began nibbling on it.

Meanwhile, his mind dwelled on a potentially significant piece of intelligence—one that might merely be speculation. Originally buried deep in his memory among other obscure fragments, this curiosity-driven information now carried unpredictable value since it touched upon the sensitive domain of “deities”…

Punk felt conflicted about whether to share this ancient powerhouse’s conjecture with Kane.

“Better to give a warning. Caution never hurts. Otherwise, we’ll keep operating independently while accumulating hidden dangers… If that information holds any truth… catastrophe is inevitable! Besides, after this adventure, I’ll advance to the Legendary level. Such ambiguous intel would become worthless by then.”

Having made up his mind, Punk devoured the rabbit meat in a few bites. Then, in a low voice, he addressed “Smile”—who was cradling a gemstone—and Kane—who was serving himself another bowl of meat broth—with utmost seriousness:

“Kane, Smile, it’s time to discuss serious matters. Something concerning the Divinity!”

Punk’s voice cut through the silent woods with an eerie chill. His icy, emotionless tone, combined with the faint flickering firelight and the grotesque silhouettes of night-shrouded branches, created an indescribable aura of unease…

Noticing Punk’s grave demeanor, both Smile—who had been attempting Soul Fusion with bloodline absorption—and Kane—savoring his delicious broth—instinctively turned their attention toward him.

Even the usually jovial Kane recognized that Punk was about to share critically important information. This was no time for jokes or antics.

Seeing that both Kane and Smile had grown attentive—even the Magical Raven Vector on his shoulder stopped fidgeting—Punk finally spoke in a monotonous, deathly calm voice:”Researching something as mysterious as Divinity is truly challenging. Even among the Grand Arcanists of the Netheril era, only the most powerful figures at the pinnacle had any involvement with it. The information I’m about to share is actually just an ancient speculation—there’s no concrete evidence to verify its truth. In fact, its nature leans more toward legend than mystery!”

After a pause, Punk leisurely finished the last bit of broth in the pot. Then, in a somewhat peculiar tone, he spoke coldly:

“Hmm… First, let me ask: have any of you heard of the hidden mechanisms in the legends of the River of Fate? Particularly one legendary hidden mechanism called ‘Divinity Competition’?”

We’re about to touch upon higher-level, more fascinating secrets. Votes, please!

(End of Chapter)