Free Web NovelChapter 252: Chapter 251: Blood Offering, Bishop Moluo
The Arena.
"Haaah..."
Muer’s chest heaved as he regulated his breathing. The hand holding his sword trembled.
Not far from him, a burly man holding a battle-ax stood stiffly.
THUD!
He collapsed like a mountain, blood gushing out and pooling on the ground!
A killing blow!
This man had been extremely powerful, renowned for his martial prowess among the ’first tier’ of Aino City.
However...
"I was still a cut above!"
"Hahaha!!!"
Muer laughed, his expression exultant as his eyes glinted with the thrill of victory!
’Is this the power His Highness bestowed upon me?’
’So strong!’
Just moments ago, Muer had activated the silver ring and crushed a Wind Talisman!
Under the double enhancement, he had pushed his speed to the absolute limit!
And with that, he ran his sword through his powerful enemy’s skull for the kill!
"A three-win streak!"
"Lord Muer!"
"Muer the Gale!"
The crowd erupted in a deafening, tsunami-like roar!
With gale-like speed and the longsword in his hand, Muer had cut down three men in a row!
Spurred on by the bloodshed, the excited and fanatical spectators had bestowed upon him the prefix ’Gale’!
A Titled Warrior!
A level above an initiated Warrior!
’I... I’ve become a Titled Warrior, too?’
Listening to the cheers, Muer was momentarily stunned, a wave of emotion washing over him.
This had once been his dream...
"Haaah..."
He adjusted his mindset and broke into a smile.
Muer waved to the crowd, acknowledging their expectations, then left the fighting stage and exited the arena.
According to the rules of the God’s Trial by Combat, a Warrior who achieved three consecutive victories had the right to leave the stage and rest.
After all, the God’s Trial by Combat was a ceremony of honor, not an execution!
"Your valor has pleased the god."
said a refined and courteous Priest with a smile.
He walked onto the stage, holding an ornate silver dagger. With practiced ease, he sliced open the burly Warrior’s chest and removed the heart.
The heart, still steaming and faintly beating, was held high by the Priest for the crowd to see. Then... it was solemnly placed upon a golden platter!
This platter was engraved with a wheat-ear pattern—the emblem of the Goddess of Fertility.
This heart would be offered to the god.
The God’s Trial by Combat: a way to please the divine with valor and sacrifice!
By now, there were already more than twenty such hearts on the high platform in the arena...
Next, the burly man’s corpse was carried away by several people.
Not for burial, but... for cooking?!
’Roasting it like a whole lamb, huh.’
After being prepared and sprinkled with spices, the roasted meat was cut into small pieces and thrown to the spectators.
The spectators scrambled for the meat, their cheers and clamor growing even more fervent!
Everyone present was accustomed to this...
The previous losers had all been handled in the same way!
’A tradition of cannibalism...’
From within the silver ring, Su Ye watched with cold detachment, a hint of disgust in his eyes.
However, he was also aware that in the cultural traditions of the Far South Continent, this kind of consumption was quite normal.
In fact, only the distinguished dead, such as valiant Warriors or wise Priests, could receive such an honor after death...
The people of the Far South Continent believed that by consuming the distinguished dead, the deceased’s ’qi’ would merge with their own, allowing them to share in that person’s wisdom and courage.
Su Ye had little trouble guessing the reason for this tradition.
’A scarcity of Spiritual Objects...?’
Strictly speaking, Spiritual Objects weren’t scarce in the Far South Continent; it was quite a bountiful land.
In his explorations during this time, Su Ye had discovered a considerable quantity and quality of Spiritual Objects.
The problem was, the distribution of these Spiritual Objects was extremely uneven.
This was due to the nature of the Spiritual Qi in the Far South Continent.
It was rather heavy and dense, lacking a lighter, more ethereal quality.
As a result, it tended to gather in specific locations in the form of Spiritual Springs, leading to a situation of ’drought for the parched, and flood for the swamped’!
’The resources near the Spiritual Springs are abundant, but they are monopolized by the city-state’s upper echelon or high-rank demonic beasts.’
’The Spiritual Qi scattered between heaven and earth, and naturally occurring Spiritual Objects, are exceedingly rare.’
’This causes the natives of the Far South Continent to cherish any obtainable Spiritual Object, such as... the corpses of those with special bloodlines?’
’After all, the flesh and blood of these individuals are rich in Spiritual Qi, comparable to the meat of a demonic beast of the same rank... It would be a waste to let it go.’
’Heh...’
Having figured this out,
Su Ye’s expression grew inscrutable as he muttered to himself.
"The concentrated Spiritual Springs led to a monopoly on cultivation resources. Add to that the existence of deities, with each city-state acting as an independent domain of a god’s descendants..."
"Is this why the Far South Continent’s level of civilization hasn’t progressed at all in several thousand years?"
...
Muer walked into the corridor, turned toward a side staircase, and made his way to the VIP seating area.
"Your Excellency Muer, over here!"
Nais stood up and called out excitedly, his face wreathed in a relieved smile.
No matter how composed he tried to be, he was still a teenager. How could he not be terrified when faced with a life-or-death crisis that was closing in, one he was powerless to stop?
Now that Muer had won these three rounds of the God’s Trial by Combat, while the crisis wasn’t completely gone, he had at least bought some time. This gave them much more room to maneuver.
Nais’s mood improved dramatically, and he became even more enthusiastic and friendly toward Muer.
"That was amazing!"
"Your Excellency Muer, your Swordsmanship is simply divine, as swift as the wind!"
Nais flattered him endlessly.
"Well... it was also thanks to the Talismans you provided..." Muer said humbly, then asked.
"By the way, do you have any more Wind Talismans?"
He knew his own strength. Without Talismans, relying only on the silver ring, his combat power was on the weaker side among Titled Warriors.
"I do. I can make one of these Talismans every month, and I have a dozen or so saved up."
"You don’t have to worry about the number of Talismans," Nais said with complete confidence.
He didn’t lack Talismans.
He had only provided two Talismans because the God’s Trial by Combat had restrictions on external aids.
The rules stipulated that each Warrior could carry a maximum of two Talismans, and they could not exceed the Warrior’s own rank.
Muer nodded, his worries eased.
Just then, he suddenly felt a cold, sinister gaze!
It felt like a venomous snake coiling around his arm.
Muer looked up in alarm and saw an old, gaunt man in a Priest’s robe on the high platform, with deep-set eyes, staring at him coldly.
A Rank 2 Priest!
Muer’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly lowered his head and whispered to Nais.
Nais’s expression darkened slightly as he said in a low voice, "That’s Bishop Moluo..."
"He has a junior who just became an Official Priest this year. The sacrificial order decided by the Divine Hall starts with the low-rank Priests..." freewēbnoveℓ.com
"If I have enough wins to be exempt from the sacrifice, the danger his junior faces will increase..."
Nais explained.
"Tsk, tsk..."
’So the Divine Hall of Fertility also has a last-place elimination system...’
Listening to Nais’s explanation, Su Ye made a wry comment.
Then, another thought crossed his mind.
’A bishop, huh?’
’He should know a lot more, right?’
’Besides... this bishop’s strength is within the range that Marina can handle... I don’t need to worry about the World Rejection Level...’
Su Ye stroked his chin, a glint in his eye.
’I’ll have to find a way to bait the hook.’
