Chapter 711 The Path of Sand, the Heart of a Wolf
It was a long dream. ( 品#……网 )
A dream that Loga knew was a dream.
The moment the four-winged eagle crashed to the ground, her body had deeply memorized the reaction and pain of that instant. Her legs were crushed, and her bones were like grains of wheat under a millstone – although she had never grown wheat, she had seen her tribesmen process this food bought from the north.
Without a doubt, let alone fight, she wouldn't even be able to stand up for the rest of her life.
But now, she was standing.
So, this was a dream.
Only in dreams could reality be reversed.
Loga took a deep breath and looked ahead. Under her feet was a sandy path that seemed to have no end. Every so often, she would encounter an opponent – yes, the opponents she had defeated in her life were now walking towards her one by one. There was no mockery, no sarcasm. They passed her one by one and disappeared into the endless yellow sand behind her.
The first was a sand worm.
That was the result of her first hunt at the age of twelve.
When it traveled underground in the sand, it would leave a clear trail. This was also the easiest time to pull it out and kill it. Once it quietly lay in ambush, it was difficult to find its location. However, in fact, the Sand People were the most cunning hunters in the desert. She disguised herself as a bush and, when the sand worm approached, thrust her spear into the hot sand, piercing its brain directly.
This record surpassed her older brother and sister, and was considered extremely excellent even in the great clans of Iron Sand City. It was this hunt that made her fond of the thrill of confrontation and combat.
This time, the sand worm did not dive into the ground, but raised its head and slowly slid across the sand like a snake. For a moment, Loga even thought it would spit a mouthful of acid at her, corroding her beyond recognition. But in the end, nothing happened. It quietly passed her.
Next were the poisonous scorpion and the desert wolf… her second and third opponents.
The former left her, but the latter stopped. After hesitating for a moment, the desert wolf wagged its tail and walked to her side, sniffing her calloused bare feet. Then it turned around and walked side by side with her.
Loga remembered. It was a cruel and unparalleled challenge – the effort required for a Mojin woman to become a qualified duelist was much greater than that of a man. After hunting a large number of sand worms and poisonous scorpions non-stop, she set her sights on the wolf pack.
However, the wolf pack's collective action was far more terrifying than she had expected. A sandstorm scattered the team. When the storm subsided, dense wolf packs appeared on the horizon.
The surrounded Sand People fought back, but were still no match for the claws and fangs pouncing from all directions. One by one, tribesmen fell. She originally thought she would be buried here, but she didn't expect that at the last moment, a tearing pain seized her. Then, she awakened as a goddess.
An enormous wolf king.
She stood in the blood-red sand, overlooking the wolf pack. Wherever her gaze reached, the wolves all prostrated themselves, as if kneeling to the god who dominated their fate.
After awakening, this road suddenly became much wider.
The best of her peers, clan warriors, battle-hardened veterans… they came one by one and disappeared one by one. Loga's heart gradually tightened.
Perhaps when the last opponent passed her, this dream would also end.
The time she had left to walk was running out.
She wanted to slow down her pace… but it didn't work.
Before long, the earth became dark, as if some behemoth was passing over her head. Loga looked up and saw the figure of the four-winged eagle.
The final moment had arrived!
At the same time, the desert wolf beside her let out a roar, and its body suddenly swelled, pouncing towards the sky overlord.
The two behemoths collided fiercely, blood and feathers flying everywhere, seemingly wanting to complete the duel at the Scorching Fire Platform that had not yet been decided.
Loga held her breath and stared at her final battle – with every fight, her body would faithfully record all the sensations, which was also the reason why her growth rate far exceeded that of ordinary people. If she were to fight this monster again, she was convinced that she could last longer, and even bite off its head before Ashes intervened.
Unfortunately, she wouldn't have the opportunity.
The battle quickly entered a fever pitch. Loga wanted to rush up and fight alongside the giant wolf, but found that her body was completely unable to move, and even her feet began to lose sensation.
She realized that the dream was about to end.
This fear gripped her heart, making her tremble all over.
No, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life lying in bed like a cripple!
She wanted to stand up!
She wanted to continue fighting!
However, the feeling of confinement was getting stronger and stronger, and had spread from her legs to her neck. At this moment, she couldn't even move her neck.
Suddenly, the desert wolf's abdomen was pecked open by the eagle's beak, and it let out a wail. It staggered two steps with its intestines dragging, and fell powerlessly towards the direction where Loga was standing, even if it had lost its ability to fight back, it still used its broad back to shield her from all the enemy's subsequent attacks.
Each peck was like knocking on her heart.
No——————!
Loga suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.
In an instant, the sandy path and the behemoth disappeared without a trace. The exclamations of the maidservants sounded beside her, "Princess... You, you're awake!"
That's right... She was dazed for a while. The dream was over.
The last time she stood was also... Wait, Loga couldn't help but be stunned. She clearly saw the maidservant running to the bed in a panic, wiping the cold sweat that was pouring out of her body. The old tent roof, the knives and soldiers hanging on the wall, and the roaring brazier were all clear and distinct.
How could she do this with just one eye?
She subconsciously reached out to touch her left eye, and the touch was intact.
No, it wasn't just her eyes. Her arms were also fine. There was no soreness in her body, and even her feet were...
Loga suddenly lifted the quilt, rolled out of bed, and stood firmly on the ground.
"This is..." She looked at the maidservant who had been startled.
"Those Northerners brought, brought a new goddess who healed all your wounds," the maidservant explained stammeringly, "She didn't even use herbs. With just a touch of her hand, your wounds healed again."
"In Neverwinter City of Graycastle, there is a witch named Nana Watt. She has the ability to heal any injury. Even if there is only a breath left, or if the hands and feet are completely broken, she can restore the injured to their original state."
Loga's mind suddenly flashed with Ashes' words... So that was it. What she said was not a comforting word, but there really was such a magical witch.
"Where are they?" Loga quickly put on her coat, "I have to thank her properly."
"They've already left."
"What?" She frowned, "What about Ashes?"
"She's not in Iron Sand City either. The Ao Sha Clan took the first batch of Sand People to the southern border of Graycastle two days ago."
"Is that so..." The wolf girl's movements slowed down, "How many days have I been unconscious?"
The maidservant timidly held out three fingers, then added three more.
"Six days... It really was a long and endless dream," she sighed, "Did anything else happen in Iron Sand City during this time?"
"Yes, the Nu Tao Clan has annexed the heavily damaged Black Water Clan, and then launched a holy challenge to us..." The little girl's expression was a little downcast, "Clan Chief, he, he didn't accept the battle, but directly conceded. The ranking of the Kuang Yan Clan has dropped to third... We can't continue to live in this stone fort either."
"Is that so?" Loga raised her eyebrows, "I'll go see my father."
"Ah... Wait, Princess, your hood and cloak!" The maidservant chased to the door with a
stack of clothes in her arms, "Recently, there have been many outsiders in the stone fort. Some are here to discuss matters with the Clan Chief, and some are..." As she spoke, her voice suddenly became as thin as a thread.
"Are here to drive us away, right?" Loga reached out and touched the pointed ears on her head, then smiled at her, "Keep them. I don't need them anymore."
"Eh? But—"
Before becoming a Clan Chief, hide non-human characteristics as much as possible. Even for a goddess, an unusual appearance will attract exclusion and suspicion – this was the warning from her father. But after walking the long sandy path in the dream, she had already understood what she wanted.
Half human, half beast? A monster?
That doesn't stop her from continuing to fight, right?
Loga waved her hand, didn't explain further, and strode towards the top floor of the stone fort.