My bloodline is so eager to improve.

Otto seemed to have a slight sense of it, but hadn't quite grasped the trick yet.

Lillian explained.

"Shield Strike utilizes the Iron Wall Breathing technique to activate bodily functions and guide one's own magic power to merge with the shield, thereby producing a wondrous effect."

This also requires some time to practice.

I didn't expect you to learn it in a short time. I can be your opponent and teach you properly.

After all, you're the junior that Michael found; I think he really needs you.

Lillian said that she simply found Otto a suitable wooden stick to use as a weapon and continued the practice.

Otto was a little curious during the rehearsals.

Lillian seemed to have some resentment towards Michael, but she still cared about him a lot.

"Ms. Lillian, did you join the Dragonbreaker Squad a long time ago?"

Upon hearing this, Lillian simply nodded.

"Yes, but rather than joining the Dragon Slayer Blade squad, it's more accurate to say that we were raised by Maika."

Although that awkward guy is unwilling to admit it, I'm still willing to consider him my adoptive father.

With Lillian's explanation, Otto gradually understood the past of the group.

It turns out that many years ago, Michael had adopted Lillian and Goren, and even Havel.

As Eileen said, as a long-lived species, dwarves' age is not apparent from their appearance.

According to Lillian, there is almost no difference between the old and the current Maika.

As Lillian instructed Otto, she explained as if reminiscing about the past.

"The first person to be adopted was Havel, then me, and finally Goren."

At that time, Maika didn't intend for us to be adventurers.

According to him, all he wanted was for us to keep him company while he forged tools, chatting with him and acting as his apprentices.

Upon hearing this, Otto was somewhat puzzled.

If that's the case, why did all three of them end up becoming adventurers?

Seemingly sensing Otto's confusion, Lillian simply said helplessly.

"At that time, something unexpected happened to Maika."

You should already know some information, right?

Michael has actually been pursuing a certain ancient artifact, which could almost be considered a product of a fairy tale.

At that time, Maika found the relevant clues for the first time and led the team members to explore.

It was a grand adventure, and even now, I remember how happy Maika was, as if she had found a long-lost treasure.

But as she spoke, Lillian's expression grew even more somber.

Chapter 44 The Legend of the Dwarf King (Sixth update, please continue reading)

Lillian looked at Otto, her gaze becoming increasingly complicated.

“I don’t know much about the process, I only know that the result was that everyone except Michael died.”

At that time, only Meka remained in the Dragon Slayer team.

As a result, Maika was somewhat discouraged at the time and frantically participated in various group-buying commissions, often returning covered in injuries.

This is understandable; so-called group buying is nothing more than a treasure-hunting team composed of greedy hunters. It's difficult for Michael to find suitable partners in such a group.

At this point, Lillian let out a long sigh and helplessly spread her palms.

"So, in order to get him to give up the group purchase, Havel picked up the sword first, and I picked up the shield."

Finally, it was the usually introverted Goren who raised his fist.

The three of us became the new members of the Dragonbreaker Blade.

Lillian sighed helplessly as she finished speaking, her eyes filled with nostalgia.

"Although we were still very naive back then, we still managed to take many risks through hard work."

I was fortunate enough to land a suitable and extraordinary job, as was Goren.

Two more new members joined, bringing the adventure team to six at that time.

"Let alone medium-sized commissions, we can even take on some simpler, large commissions."

"Unfortunately, we encountered an accident during our last adventure."

The Dragonbreaker Squad was scattered once again, and Havel and I had no choice but to retire.

But Michael did not abandon us; he gave me the hotel, while Javier inherited the forging workshop.

Even though we are no longer adventurers and can no longer do anything for him, he is still our family.

so."

Lillian looked at Otto again after saying this.

"It's up to you now."

At that moment, Otto seemed to understand why Lillian and Havel had been so dedicated to teaching him.

It's probably not just about the Adventurers' Guild's reward; more importantly, they hope Otto can do his part for Michael.

As the conversation progressed, Otto became increasingly curious about what Michael was searching for.

What is it that has kept Maika searching for for decades?

Seeing that there was no one around and that Goren was outside, Otto realized that this was an opportunity.

With this in mind, Otto, while receiving training from Lillian, seized the opportunity to ask about his doubts.

"Ms. Lillian, what exactly is Michael searching for?"

Faced with Otto's doubts, Lillian did not try to hide anything from him like Michael and Goren did, and finally told Otto the answer.

Have you heard the legends of the Dwarf Kingdom?

Upon hearing this, Otto simply nodded.

"I've heard about it from the old people in the village."

In the past, dwarves were considered a member of the fantasy species.

As for the Dwarf Kingdom, it appears to be a mysterious kingdom built underground, relying on underground mineral veins for survival.

Perhaps because he had been an adventurer, Lance always had a way of telling the village children all sorts of strange and wonderful knowledge and stories.

Including Otto, there were actually quite a few orphans left behind by adventurers in the village, and everyone always fell asleep listening to these stories.

However, he did not expect that after entering Oak Town, he would actually see a dwarf.

Lillian simply nodded upon hearing this.

About a hundred years ago, a dragon appeared in the human realm.

At that time, the Kingdom of Thorne gathered all its powerful forces in an attempt to conquer it.

Unfortunately, the dragon was too powerful.

The Kingdom of Thorne alone is not enough to kill it.

Later, the evil dragon ravaged the entire western part of the Kingdom of Thorne, even smashing through a mountain range during its battle with the knights.

At this point, Lillian simply let out a long sigh, shifted her stance, and continued.

"It was from that time that dwarves emerged from the cracks in the mountains."

Seeing their kingdom's dome destroyed, the dwarves angrily joined the knights' ranks.

With the combined efforts of the two kingdoms, the dragon was slain, and the dwarves and humans finally triumphed.

The dwarf who led his army to drag the arrogant dragon from the heavens into the city was known as the King of the Dwarves, the leader of all dragon slayers.

As Otto listened to Lillian's story, it seemed strangely familiar.

"By the way, Maika seems to have told this story too!"

He suddenly remembered that back in the Oak Town guild, Maika had explained the origin of the name "Dragon Slayer Blade".

Maika once said that he had personally witnessed the warriors slaying the dragon, and that is probably why he named it the Dragon Slayer Blade.

For humans, whose lifespan is short, this is nothing more than a legend.

But for a long-lived species like the Maika, this might just be a memory of a personal experience.

As Otto pondered the connection, Lillian continued.

"After the dwarf king killed the dragon, he established diplomatic relations with the knight king of Thorne, and the two kingdoms became neighbors."

But what happened next was like a fairy tale.

It is said that after killing the dragon, the wizards of the Kingdom of Thorne discovered that the dragon was controlled by an evil sorcerer.

Therefore, the Dwarf King decided to organize an adventure team to conduct a comprehensive investigation, hoping to find the whereabouts of the evil wizard and put an end to the trouble.

That adventurous team traveled almost all over the continent, but ultimately disappeared without a trace.

No one knows where they went, what happened to them, or why they suddenly disappeared without a trace.

But that's how the story has been passed down; at least, that's what Michael tells us.

As Lillian recounts her story, the truth becomes self-evident.

Considering Mike's identity, Otto already knew the answer in his heart.

The ancient artifacts that Maika is looking for are probably related to that dwarf king.

The location of the remains is likely near the development zone.

Even if he wasn't in Oaktown, there must be some clue in the surrounding area; otherwise, Michael wouldn't have stayed in the frontier for decades.

"But Oak Town was only established in the last ten years or so, right?"

Otto was quite familiar with the development and construction in the surrounding area, after all, he lived in Lot Village.

According to Lance, this development area was established about a decade or so ago.

In other words, Maika may very well have been involved in the initial construction of Oaktown.

Upon hearing this, Lillian simply nodded.

"Yes, we used to make a living in other towns, but as the development area expanded, we moved to Oak Town, which is closer to the edge."

I think you've probably guessed the answer by now.

The clues that the Maka organization's adventurer team is looking for lie in the Otherworld.

Therefore, he needs both strong combat power and reliable partners; neither can be lacking.

After all, in this otherworldly realm, the only people you can trust are your own weapon and your partner.

Chapter 45 The Unexpected Part-Timer (Seventh Update, Please Read On)

Lillian also took the opportunity to explain to Otto the knowledge about the extraterrestrial realm.

The term "extraterrestrial realm" refers to a region that is distinct from the human realm, such as the Kingdom of Thorne.

It was a place rarely visited by humans, teeming with monsters, and even a paradise for the followers of evil gods.

Before almost every major expansion, the Adventurers' Guild would organize a grand expedition with the knights of the human kingdom to clear out these monsters, all in order to buy time for the expansion.

Even so, progress has been extremely slow.

Otto had also heard Lance say that the last grand expedition had only cleared out the remaining villages and expanded the territory, with Lot Village being one of them.

Lance also retired around that time.

Just as Otto was pondering this, Lillian had already lowered her shield.

She patiently gave Otto some instructions.