Free Web NovelChapter 11: Chapter 11: The Fragment’s Secret
The inn room was quiet.
Outside, Aurelis Divine City continued its endless activity. Merchants called out prices. Carriages rolled across stone streets. Somewhere in the distance, an auction bell rang.
Inside, however, everything was still.
Kai sat at the small wooden table.
The black fragment rested before him inside its crystal case.
Luna sat across from him, watching silently.
She had asked no further questions since returning from the auction house. The fox maiden seemed to understand that Kai needed time to think.
That was one of the things he appreciated most about her.
She knew when to speak and when to remain quiet.
Kai slowly opened the crystal case.
The fragment sat motionless.
From the outside, it looked completely ordinary.
A black stone.
Rough edges. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
No visible markings.
Nothing that suggested extraordinary value.
Yet the moment his fingers touched its surface, the Divine Evolution Authority reacted immediately.
Warmth flooded through his chest.
Golden light flickered at the edges of his vision.
A notification appeared.
Evolution Material: Unknown Fragment
Classification: Primordial Grade
Current Absorption Status: Available
Estimated Authority Energy Gain: Unknown
Warning: Absorption is irreversible.
Kai stared at the words.
Primordial Grade.
He had never encountered that classification before.
Common grades he understood.
Rare grades were familiar.
Legendary grades were exceptional.
But Primordial?
That word alone carried an entirely different weight.
Luna leaned forward slightly.
"Your expression changed."
Kai set the fragment down carefully.
"I’m thinking."
"About the stone?"
"Yes."
The fox maiden studied it again.
"It truly looks ordinary."
Kai almost laughed.
That was exactly what made it dangerous.
The most valuable things rarely announced themselves.
He opened the authority interface again.
The absorption option waited patiently.
For several minutes he simply considered the decision.
Absorbing the fragment was irreversible.
Once done, it couldn’t be undone. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Yet the authority had identified it as Primordial Grade.
Evolution Material of that classification almost certainly held enormous potential.
Wasting it seemed foolish.
Keeping it unabsorbed seemed equally foolish.
Eventually Kai made his decision.
He placed his hand firmly over the fragment.
Then activated the absorption function.
The reaction was immediate.
The fragment dissolved instantly.
Not dramatically.
Not explosively.
It simply... faded.
As though it had never existed.
Then the energy hit him.
Kai inhaled sharply.
A torrent of golden warmth surged through his entire body.
The sensation wasn’t painful.
It was overwhelming.
Like submerging beneath an ocean of light.
Every cell in his body seemed to vibrate simultaneously.
Luna stood up immediately.
"My Lord?"
Kai raised one hand.
He was fine.
More than fine.
The energy continued flowing for nearly a full minute before finally stabilizing.
Then notifications began appearing rapidly.
Primordial Evolution Fragment Absorbed
Authority Energy: 10 → 47
New Function Unlocked:
Evolution Acceleration
New Function Unlocked:
Racial Memory Reading
Authority Rank Progress Increased
Kai’s eyes widened.
Authority Energy had jumped from ten to forty-seven.
Nearly five times the previous amount.
And two new functions had unlocked.
Evolution Acceleration.
Racial Memory Reading.
He immediately examined both.
Evolution Acceleration
Cost: 5 Authority Energy per use
Effect: Temporarily accelerates the natural evolution process of a target.
Duration: Variable based on target potential.
Racial Memory Reading
Cost: 2 Authority Energy per use
Effect: Access the hidden ancestral memories of any race.
Reveals lost knowledge, forgotten abilities, and ancient evolution paths.
Kai read the descriptions twice.
Then a third time.
Racial Memory Reading.
The implications were staggering.
Every race possessed a history.
Ancient memories buried deep within their bloodlines.
Knowledge that had been lost across countless generations.
With this ability, he could potentially recover that knowledge.
Lost techniques.
Forgotten evolution paths.
Ancient powers that no longer existed anywhere in the current world.
And Evolution Acceleration meant he could speed up natural growth.
A fox maiden who might have required decades to grow a second tail could potentially achieve it far sooner.
Luna was watching him carefully.
The fox maiden had remained silent throughout the entire process.
Yet her golden eyes reflected obvious concern.
"Are you certain you’re alright?"
Kai finally smiled.
"Better than alright."
Luna relaxed slightly.
"What happened?"
Kai considered how to answer.
He couldn’t reveal everything.
Not yet.
Instead he kept it simple.
"The stone contained useful energy."
The fox maiden studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
She didn’t push further.
Another quality Kai respected.
Outside the window, the sky above Aurelis Divine City had begun darkening.
Evening was approaching.
Tomorrow they would need to return to Silverleaf Village.
The realm couldn’t be left unattended indefinitely.
Yet as Kai sat quietly reviewing the new authority functions, one thought refused to leave his mind.
The fragment had been classified as Primordial Grade.
Yet it had appeared at an auction where nobody wanted it.
Sold for fifty Divine Coins.
Which meant one thing.
Other fragments likely existed.
Lost.
Forgotten.
Classified as worthless by experts who lacked the means to identify their true nature.
If he could find them...
The authority’s growth could accelerate dramatically.
A slow smile appeared on Kai’s face.
Luna noticed immediately.
"You’re planning something."
"Always."
The fox maiden sighed softly.
Yet she smiled as well.
The evening passed quietly.
Kai spent the remaining hours reviewing everything he had learned since arriving in Aurelis Divine City.
The economy.
The merchants.
The auction house.
The herb contract.
The fragment.
Every experience had taught him something valuable.
This city wasn’t simply a marketplace.
It was an information network.
A place where opportunities appeared constantly for those who knew how to recognize them.
And now, with new authority functions available, his ability to capitalize on those opportunities had increased dramatically.
By the time darkness had fully settled over the city, Kai had already begun forming plans.
Not immediate plans.
Long-term plans.
The kind that shaped civilizations.
Because that was ultimately what he was building.
Not just a village.
Not just a realm.
A civilization capable of standing among the greatest in the divine world.
And somewhere in the vast network of dimensions beyond his small realm, the pieces of that future were already waiting to be found.
He just needed to reach them first.
Outside, the lights of Aurelis Divine City burned brilliantly against the night sky.
And inside a modest inn room, the god of a tiny village quietly prepared for tomorrow.
