Chapter 764: The Path of Traces

...

After nightfall, the "Skull Goblet" became the liveliest place in the small oasis.

"I witnessed Aosha's duel against the Sandstorm Clan with my own eyes!" A patron exclaimed, downing a mug of fire lantern wine in one gulp. "That black-haired goddess was unstoppable! The gong had barely sounded when she charged at their goddess and knocked her unconscious with a shield!"

"Isn't the Sandstorm Clan's goddess Sandra Sand Rain? She can turn sand into armor and control sand to attack. How could she be defeated in one blow?" another person questioned. "Even if she couldn't react in time, sand armor is usually pre-wrapped around the body, almost as hard as Northern armor. Are you saying it couldn't withstand a shield?"

"I wouldn't lie to you; I wasn't the only one who saw it!" the patron retorted, annoyed. "Sand armor might be tough, but I didn't see it work at all. The moment Aosha's goddess charged, all the sand around her fell to the ground. She took a direct hit to the face. You all know how Aosha's goddess single-handedly held off more than a dozen Bone-Scraping Warriors in the first duel, right? With that kind of strength, she was showing mercy by not killing her on the spot!"

"All fell to the ground... Could she be wearing a God's Punishment Stone?"

"Maybe, I'm not too sure. But the duelists from Bone-Scraping and Sandstorm definitely wore God's Stones. Perhaps that thing doesn't work on her."

"A goddess who doesn't fear God's Stones... How is that possible?"

"Can you shut up?" someone complained. "Give this man another drink, let him continue!"

"Thank you," the patron said, sipping the newly filled ale, "The Sandstorm Clan probably didn't expect their goddess to fall first, and their formation was immediately thrown into disarray—they only sent out half the number of people, undoubtedly fighting with the goddess as their core. With the goddess down, the victory was never in doubt."

"Still no one died?"

"That's right, all fifteen survived. They were either shot in the shoulder or knee, or knocked unconscious by the goddess!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"However, that's nothing," the patron, growing excited, stood on the bar, drawing everyone's attention. "The duel the day before yesterday was truly unforgettable! Aosha challenged the Blackwater Clan, a large clan known for its ferocity and brutality! You've probably heard of Blackwater; few who face them in duels survive! They have no goddess, but all are top-notch warriors, and they sent out a full thirty! Compared to the previous two matches, it was a bloody massacre, but—"

That one "but" silenced the tavern's chatter. Everyone waited for the rest of his statement.

"But, still no one died on the Scorched Earth's platform!" the patron declared loudly.

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

"Impossible! I was just in Iron Sand City today doing business. People there are talking about the Blackwater Clan suffering heavy losses. They've hung black flags in front of their stone fort, clearly in mourning, and you're saying no one died?"

"Hey, listen carefully to what I'm saying," the patron wagged his finger. "I said, no one died on the duel platform!"

"I can vouch for that," someone quickly shouted. "I was there!"

"That's right, I didn't make it to the second round of the Sacred Duel, but I didn't miss the one the day before yesterday. It could even be described as... a river of blood. To achieve that is simply incredible!" another person chimed in.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Tell us the details quickly."

"Servant, add three more mugs for him!"

"Actually, it's easy to understand. The black-haired goddess gave the Blackwater Clan chances, but even with broken arms or legs, they still tried to bite off a piece of flesh. In that situation, she could only render them incapable of fighting back—" the patron paused deliberately, "The goddess used a long-handled blade to sever their limbs before kicking them off the platform one by one!"

"With one arm or leg broken, there's still hope of survival with timely bandaging, but all four limbs severed? There's almost no way they could make it back to Iron Sand City. The blood loss alone would kill them! But can you blame the Aosha Clan?" He took a large gulp of wine and asked loudly, "Can you?"

"Probably not... They hadn't done this before. They were forced to in this match."

"At least they didn't die on the platform, which is enough to prove that the goddess has no murderous intent."

"That's right!"

"If you ask me, Blackwater deserved it. They didn't even look at their opponent. They thought their desperate act would scare Aosha!"

"Well said!"

"Boss, give everyone a fire lantern, put it on my tab!" someone called out, looking towards the tavern's second floor.

Tulam, who had been leaning against the window on the second floor, clapped his hands. "No need, this round is on me, everyone gets one, to Aosha—"

"To Aosha!"

A burst of cheers erupted downstairs.

Tulam downed his wine in one gulp and exhaled a long breath.

In the past week, the number of customers frequenting the "Skull Goblet" had been increasing. The originally spacious first floor had become cramped, and everyone was only discussing one thing: the Sacred Duel.

In fact, not just the tavern, the entire small oasis had become overcrowded. Everywhere he went, he saw dying or half-dead people from various clans inquiring about Aosha, something that would have been impossible in the past.

Because an excessive population would place a significant burden on the oasis's administrators, depleting the already limited food supply in the granaries, and easily attracting malicious challengers. According to the gatekeepers' practice, the small oasis only accepted Sandfolk who could bring benefits—either merchants or warriors seeking to join.

To allow clans scattered across the Silver Stream Oasis to gather here en masse was entirely due to the new master, Zhuoer Yinyue's command.

If he were still the Tulam of the past, whose daily work was to earn gold dragons for the gatekeepers and save up a nest egg for himself, he would be delighted to see such a situation. But now, his fate was tightly bound to the Aosha Clan, and he was already exhausted just trying to control the order of the small oasis.

Fortunately, the new master had also considered this point. After the first duel, Zhuoer left him in the oasis to focus on controlling the situation behind the scenes.

To ensure a sufficient food supply, Tie Fu not only brought a batch from the Bone-Scraping Clan but also took out gold dragons to buy from two other small oases—the one that refused was wiped out by Graycastle's army the next day, and its territory was directly traded to a Silver Stream tribe with a more abundant grain supply.

In fact, at this point, he couldn't understand what Aosha and his group were planning at all.

Letting an unharmed tribal group become challengers, and letting the warriors of the Bone-Scraping Clan and Sandstorm Clan recover their full strength after a short rest, even if they wanted to become the head of the clan, doing such a thing was meaningless!

The only thing that gave Tulam some comfort was that the goddesses Zhuoer Yinyue had brought back were indeed extraordinarily powerful. They fought in teams of four each time, but they had continuously defeated three major clans, and now only two remained in their way.

And tonight, he would be able to wait for new news from the Scorched Earth.

The result of Aosha's challenge to the Raging Waves Clan.