Black Water.

A name that everyone in Mantis Town now spoke of with reverence and deep gratitude. More importantly, their livelihood now depended on it, and their hope quietly revolved around its existence.

At the beginning, Black Water only had water and food, but with each passing day, their list of items increased, and likewise, the exchange rate also changed gradually.

At the beginning, Black Water accepted beast parts above Level 30, but slowly, it began to change as demand and supply shifted.

Beast parts were no longer needed, but a complete whole beast was needed instead.

Even at that, no one cared about it, because survival had already trained them to accept hardship without complaint.

For anyone living in the Crimson Dunes, hunting beasts in the desert had become second nature to them, something as natural as breathing.

Thus, the demand for a whole beast was nothing special. They just needed to increase their hunting time and strengthen their hunting parties.

Previously, both Mantis and human awakeners did not have many uses for their hunts, except for basic survival needs.

Apart from eating and exchanging for a few daily supplies, nothing more existed for them to gain.

But now...

Hunting beasts had become a source of livelihood for everyone. Just the thought of not going to the far dangerous town to exchange for daily supplies pleased everyone greatly and filled their hearts with rare comfort.

But their shock was far from over, because Black Water continued to reveal more useful items.

When people realized they could exchange for clothes, bedding, and more, their expressions changed completely.

Their enthusiasm rose to another level, and the entire town became filled with new movement.

But then, Black Water released another demand. Information.

For more and better resources, it demanded information about all the human forces and beastmen forces around the Mantis Town.

Trading for information had the highest reward. For the Mantis men, this was no problem for them at all.

Those that could understand human language formed small teams and departed for the nearby town with serious expressions.

The thought of having hundreds of tons of water and vegetables that could be planted in the town, just like the Scorpion Town, aroused their competitive spirit.

Not to be left behind, many smaller parties departed from the Mantis Town also, driven by greed and hope.

However, their situation was different from Mantis Town. Black Water promised them potions and weapons.

Under such promises, many left without hesitation, because such rewards were too precious to ignore.

The Crimson Arc Guild spearheaded the movement. Solenne did not hesitate to dispatch most of her capable teams.

This was not only to fulfill the reward for Black Water, but also to find information about their trials.

Now that they did not have to fear other towns retaliating or blocking their trade route, their actions became bolder.

They could infiltrate and gather intelligence better and faster without worrying about being completely isolated.

For those that were weaker, they stayed behind and hunted beasts for exchange, choosing a safer path.

This rapid change had been going on for four days. Thus, news about Mantis Town’s suddenly available resources was spreading among the surrounding towns and villages.

Even though many did not believe the rumor, subtle movement could be detected throughout the Crimson Dunes.

Standing on a massive dune, a thousand meters from Mantis Town, three shadows watched silently.

Three figures stared at the distant Mantis Town with deep frowns appearing on their faces.

These were Cyras, Garric, and Celene.

"Do you believe the Grim Reaper will be in Mantis Town?" Cyras asked, his voice filled with doubt and visible hesitation.

"We will know when we enter the town," Celene responded coldly and dashed forward without waiting for their approval.

For the past week, they had searched for the Grim Reaper throughout the Crimson Dunes. She had even lost hope of completing the mission after so many failures.

But to her shock, when she returned to her dwelling, she heard the news of the Grim Reaper.

She tried to find out more from the Mantis men, but their human language was bad, making it hard to understand what they were trying to communicate.

And now, here they were, standing before the town where the rumor had begun.

Even though if she did not complete the mission, she would only miss the chance of exploring the ruin related to her trial.

But she could not accept that, because the clue meant more than an ordinary opportunity.

She had wasted months just to get that clue, and she would not miss it for anything.

Quickly, they covered the distance in a blink and arrived before the Mantis Town gate.

Hmm?

The trio creased their brows when they saw the huge number of hunted beasts. Mantis men carried massive Bone Crushing Wyrms, and even human awakeners who were not carrying beasts were covered in beast blood.

But the most shocking aspect was that each had a bright smile on their face. They even saw some humans drinking water from jars without restraint.

They talked in loud voices, discussing what they were going to exchange for their hunts with clear excitement.

For a moment, Cyras, Garric, and Celene did not know how to react.

Curious, Garric walked closer to them. "Please, can you tell us where you got such clean water?" he asked politely.

The hunting team halted in their tracks and stared at Garric for a moment before they shifted their gazes to Celene and Cyras.

Sensing their overwhelming aura, their captain cleared his throat and forced himself to remain calm.

"You can get anything from Black Water," he replied, and he did not wait for Garric to react before he departed.

Black Water.

They had heard of that name in their town, but they never thought too much about it.

Slowly, Garric turned his head and exchanged a subtle glance with his teammates.

Celene’s eyes sharpened. This further proved the rumor about the Grim Reaper being in the town was likely true.

Silver hair.

Blue eyes.

That was her target.