My bloodline is so eager to improve.

He immediately sat down cross-legged, intending to perform a sacrificial ceremony to the goddess of light.

Otto found the blessing to be useful, but the fact that he had to offer sacrifices to the goddess after each use was quite troublesome.

But Otto thought again, this power without side effects is already rare enough, what more could he ask for?

Fortunately, the entire sacrificial process was not complicated.

Otto quickly resolved his worries.

After confirming that all preparations were complete, the three immediately embarked on a new adventure.

"Mission confirmed: retrieve the Dragon's Blood."

After explaining to the two men, Maika immediately took the two antiques and headed towards the town gate.

When he met Harvey, Maika simply threw the things at him.

"The payment will be delivered to the workshop later."

We're in a hurry!

After saying that, Michael left Oaktown without looking back.

As Maika said, they can't afford to delay if they want to obtain the dragon's blood.

This made Otto curious: where exactly did Michael hide the dragon blood?

Otto simply pointed to the dark mountains in the distance.

"In the Silverfrost Mountains, there is an abandoned mineral vein where natural magic constantly gushes forth from the gap."

I used that gap and the low temperature of the Silverfrost Mountains to keep the dragon's blood active.

But it's also very dangerous there; we might encounter some monsters that will stop us.

Otto didn't say much, he just told the two of them to speed up.

They were unable to rent a horse-drawn carriage for this trip.

It would be disastrous if those experienced travelers remembered how to get to the burial site of the dragon's blood.

Unfortunately, the Silverfrost Mountains are not like the Blackthorn Forest; they are still some distance away.

Even as night fell, the three of them had only gotten close to the Silverfrost Mountain Range.

Seeing this, Michael immediately decided to rest on the spot and set off again the next morning.

Originally, according to the itinerary, they still had a chance to get in, but the risk of operating at night was too high, and Maika hoped to be more cautious.

"Alright, we can start making dinner now."

As a seasoned adventurer, Maika has always been very picky about food.

He even kept an iron pot in his storage pocket, specifically for camping.

But just as the three were about to build a campfire, an unexpected incident occurred.

Along with the cold wind carrying autumn leaves, a semi-transparent hand slowly rested on Maika's shoulder!

Chapter Fifty-Three: A Heavy Gift

Maika immediately sensed something was wrong. He tried to turn around, but Goren stopped him.

"Master Michael, you can't look!"

At this moment, Goren was very anxious.

Behind Maika, a phantom figure was seen wandering around him.

It was a strange being without a head.

This was the first time Goren had ever seen anything like it!

He intended to gather his strength in both fists and smash it down, but to his horror, his punching power failed for the first time!

Seeing this, Maika simply sighed.

"Calm down, young man, you're just a ghost."

You humans just love to make a fuss over nothing.

As a long-lived dwarf, Maika had certainly seen ghosts.

This is something that appears only after a living being dies.

There is a high probability that a ghost will become an undead monster.

However, Oaktown is too remote and has a small population, so it's difficult to see ghosts.

Just as Michael was about to use the blessing of strong liquor to purify the ghost, Otto raised his hand, signaling for him to try.

Otto then pierced his finger with the tip of his sword and smeared the blood onto the iron sword.

Otto slowly brought the iron sword closer to the ghost.

The moment the blood droplet touched the ghost, a white radiance gradually enveloped the ghost's body.

The ghost could no longer hold on and vanished into specks of light.

It was at this moment that Otto seemed to gain some of the adventurer's memories through purified contact.

The adventurer was on a gathering quest in the Silverfrost Mountains when, unexpectedly, he was attacked by a group of humanoid monsters.

Those humanoid monsters weren't very tall, but their heads were more like dogs, and their skin was an eerie crimson color!

The teeth and claws are like sharp blades, exuding a sharp metallic texture!

Otto even smelled an indescribable stench through these fragments of memory!

"What kind of monster is this?"

Taking this opportunity, Otto immediately told the two that he had recently learned some purification techniques and told them about the monsters he had seen.

Otto attributed his white skeletal physique solely to the blessing and enhancement bestowed upon him by the goddess of light.

Anyway, the goddess wouldn't refute him to his face.

As for those monsters, Goren and Meka were quite familiar with them.

"Those must be kobolds."

As Maika set up the pot to make soup, he patiently explained to Otto.

"Many demons live in the Silverfrost Mountains."

Kobolds are one type of them.

They have their own tribes and are even one of the few races confirmed to be able to learn the writing systems of intelligent beings.

However, don't assume they are harmless just because of this.

The kobolds' favorite food is humans.

Even during times of famine in the kobold tribes, they would resort to cannibalism.

Maika used to frequent the Silverfrost Mountains, so he is very familiar with the monsters in the mountains.

Taking this opportunity, he immediately taught Otto about the knowledge related to the Silverfrost Mountains.

Monsters, ecology, and collectable herbs.

The elderly adventurer stirred the vegetable soup while recounting his experiences.

He only stopped lecturing after dinner was prepared.

The three of them finished their dinner with black bread and some ready-made vegetable soup.

After feeling sleepy, Otto simply greeted the two of them and then leaned against the tree to fall asleep.

But along with the drowsiness came an indescribable gray fog.

In a daze, Otto found himself back in the mist.

The familiar lights reappeared.

Otto instinctively moved closer to the light, but then a strange thing happened.

Beside the lamp, there was even a crow perched!

The raven pounced on Otto as soon as it saw him.

Otto hurriedly tried to dodge, but the little beast suddenly spun in the air and smashed directly onto Otto's head, giving him a severe lesson with its sharp beak.

It was as if a messenger of the gods was punishing Otto for his disrespect towards the gods!

A sharp pain shot through Otto's body, and he couldn't help but howl in agony.

When I opened my eyes, I realized it was already early morning.

Clearly, everything that just happened occurred in a dream.

"Could it be that the goddess overheard my lie?"

Otto was on the verge of tears; these gods' subjective initiative was just too strong!

I only told a small lie, and I got a lecture for it!

This made Otto consider whether he should learn some conversation skills.

But just as Otto was cursing the crow, he felt a warmth coming from his palm.

Otto subconsciously looked at his palm, only to see a warm-colored spark.

This spark is like a lamp in the night, small yet incredibly warm and bright!

"What is this?"

Otto carefully observed the flame before him.

He seemed to realize something.

The Magic Ape, on the other hand, offered its own analysis.

The magical ape discovered the truth: this was a seed of light bestowed by the goddess of light, Felicity, which could be used, along with the fire of the abyss, as a medium to ignite the blood of dragons.

At that moment, Otto finally understood that the crow might have attacked him out of jealousy for receiving the goddess's gift.

But why?

From extraordinary professions to advanced media, the goddess seems eager for Otto to accept her blessing.

Just as Otto was pondering this, Michael, who was standing next to him, seemed to have noticed something amiss as well.

After Otto explained the situation, Michael simply took out a bottle and asked him to put the tinder inside.

Only when the three of them set off again did Maika solemnly warn Otto.

"The gifts of the gods are never priceless."

Seeing Michael's hesitant expression, Otto naturally understood what he wanted to say.

But Otto had already made his decision.

"Does that mean I'm qualified to sit at the table?"

Rather than live a life of cautious, uneventful mediocrity, I'd rather take a risk and see the pinnacle of this world!

This was also Otto's original intention when he left the village.

Does giving come at a price?

Exactly!

Otto didn't believe in unprovoked kindness in this world.

The fact that the gift came at a price actually put him at ease.

The group chatted as they made their way towards the Silverfrost Mountains.

The murmur of the water gradually began to knock against the steep cliffs of the Silver Frost Mountain Range.

The three-person team appeared and disappeared in the misty mountain air.

At this moment, the three of them finally entered the Silverfrost Mountain Range.

Otto tightened his grip on the one-handed sword at his waist, while the oak shield in his left hand, which he had already set up when entering the mountains, showed no sign of slackening.