On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

You actually want to try it too?

As expected of the Dragonkin!

Rush expressed his respect for Jiuyou; Jiuyou's daring spirit alone won him considerable favor. Although Rush probably already knew the outcome, after all, he had honed his skills with the stone hammer for over a decade, and therefore understood perfectly well that a demi-human without systematic training simply couldn't...

In the sight of this patriarch's son, Jiu You made four movements.

He walked up to me, bent down casually, and grasped my hand with utter casualness, then...

It was lifted up casually, like a toy.

what?

Before Rush could even begin to doubt whether he was hallucinating or rub his eyes in shock, his pupils dilated infinitely, for the stone hammer, weighing several hundred kilograms, began to appear infinitely larger in his eyes.

最后

The hairs on Rush's body stood on end, hovering just millimeters from the tip of his nose.

It rang out immediately afterward.

And there was the faint voice of the female dragon-human demi-human.

"So, am I the chief now?"

Chapter 109 Glory

Chief's village.

The current chieftain of the "Dread Lizard Clan," Lothar, was drenched in sweat.

In front of Liao Ji and the others, he angrily berated his son, Rush, and even kicked and punched him several times before telling Rush to get lost. This chief's son, who had been proud, confident, and arrogant just minutes before, now lowered his head and slunk away with his tail between his legs.

After doing this, Lothar said with deep remorse:

"I'm sorry, humans, and the leaders of the Revolutionary Army. It's my fault for failing to properly guide you. I apologize again on behalf of Rouch. And also, regarding that matter of taking the replica of our relic..."

"It's alright, Chief Lothar. We're just using it for fun. Don't worry, we're not interested in the chieftain's position."

Upon hearing Liao Ji's remarks, Lothar glanced at the dragon-human demi-human behind Liao Ji, who showed no reaction. He breathed a sigh of relief, but was also secretly alarmed. Was this human in front of him their leader?

He quickly changed his form of address and focused his attention on Liao Ji.

"My lord, I have already sent men to prepare three carts, which contain not only grain but also some clothing. As for meat, I am truly sorry, sir. We would like to give more, but in recent years, due to the rapid expansion of the Wild Swamp, the prey available for hunting in the Tribal Forest has become increasingly scarce, and we simply cannot provide it."

"No, no, Chief Lothar, it seems you've misunderstood. We're really not here to ask for aid. Please read hope Yun's letter to you again."

"Huh? You didn't need aid?"

Upon hearing this, Lothar quickly opened the envelope again. He hadn't read it before because he was in a hurry, and basically every time the Revolutionary Army contacted them, it was just to ask for aid. But this time, after he seriously read what the fox girl had written, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"You...you want our Dire Lizard Clan to join the Revolutionary Army!?"

After Liao Ji nodded, Chief Lothar, who had just managed to squeeze out three truckloads of supplies through gritted teeth, was now shaking his head frantically, even showing a pleading expression on his face.

"My lord, I know the Revolutionary Army is in a difficult situation, and things are getting worse, but you...you can't do this! We, the Terror Lizard Clan, just want to survive. We beg you, you can take more food from us, but if you join the Revolutionary Army, please spare our Terror Lizard Clan!"

Liao Ji sighed as he saw Chief Lothar, who was on the verge of tears. Clearly, the chief probably thought he was using the name of the alliance to actually annex the entire Dread Lizard Clan, which was why he was pleading like this.

Explanations alone were useless; Liao Ji was straightforward. Whether it was fate or something else, from the moment Rush led him to see the replica artifact, Liao Ji had noticed this hammer...

Boom!

The muffled thud startled Losa. When he regained his senses, he saw that the entire chieftain's stronghold was filled with purple light. The source of the light was the Thunder Hammer that Liao Ji had taken out and placed on the table in front of Losa.

"This...this is...no! It should have been...it should have been..." Losa's eyes widened, his face showing disbelief.

"Yes, we've already taken it from the mayor's guard in the sealed city. By the way, not only is the guard dead, but the mayor has also perished with the relic."

"We came to the Forest of Tribes this time not because we couldn't hold on any longer in the Sealed City. On the contrary, it's precisely because our operations in the Sealed City have made a major breakthrough and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel that we've returned here to gather our strength. It's time for us to launch a counterattack."

Although Liao Ji's words were incredibly absurd, something you wouldn't even dream of, the fact that the weapon that was once bestowed upon their ancestors by the Great Emperor, this "relic" that was later stolen by humans, appeared perfectly intact before him left Lothar with no choice but to believe it.

No, it's not about believing.

But

thump!

To Liao Ji's surprise, the clan chief knelt down directly in front of Lei Chui, and tears welled up in his sunken eyes.

With trembling fingers, Lothar touched the thunderhammer, stroking every line on it. He could no longer hold back his tears, which streamed down his face. The wrinkles of time filled his weathered face as he wept.

“Ancestor, it was Lothar. It was I who tarnished the honor of the Dire Lizard Clan, causing you humiliation and failing to protect our heritage. I am so sorry. I am so sorry.”

“Even so, you still wish to return to your clan and shelter your people. If this is your guidance to us lost souls, then Lothar understands!”

As Lothar sobbed, the lightning hammer on the table seemed to resonate with him, its pale purple light flashing continuously. This made Lothar so excited that he could hardly speak; this was the first time in many years that his relics had responded to him in this way.

In this scene, Liao Jimo remained silent, watching quietly without disturbing the chieftain.

The quality of this Thunder Hammer was actually not high; it was merely a rare weapon. At that time, he already possessed several legendary weapons, so he had long forgotten about this weapon, when he had given it away, and even less about its owner—the ancestor of the Terror Lizard Clan whom Lothar had just mentioned.

Liao Ji could still remember characters like Karl, who were five-star calamity-level figures, but later on, such as the ancestor of the Terror Lizard Clan, who might only be a four-star or even a three-star character, these low-star characters were hard to even leave a trace in Liao Ji's memory.

However, the very equipment he casually had his low-star character "scaveng"—whether it was the countless days and nights of training he endured as the son of the chieftain Rush from childhood, all for the pride of "lifting" him—or now, the equipment that made a clan chieftain kneel down and weep so bitterly upon regaining it, all of this undoubtedly proved...

For the ancestors of the Terror Lizard Clan five hundred years ago, this was by no means trash, but their most precious possession, their glory, something worthy of being passed down as a family heirloom to future generations, as proof that they had once followed their "Great Emperor."

To put it more bluntly, he could boast about it for a lifetime, not even a lifetime would be enough; his descendants would have to continue to "blow" this glorious era on for him.

"Human, since the 'Relic' has chosen you to bring it back, from this moment on, the glory of the Dire Lizard Clan will be with you!"

"Whatever you want to do, our Dire Lizard Clan will follow the guidance of our ancestor and give you all our assistance!"

Chapter 110 The Conspiracy Behind History

After wiping away his tears and getting up from in front of Thunderhammer, Lothar seemed to have instantly become a different person. All the previous flattery and humble attitude had disappeared. The back that had been forced to bend more and more by the pressure of life was now being straightened up by Lothar.

Although he addressed Liao Ji as "human" again, his tone was no longer feigned, and there was no longer any sense of distance between them. Then, Lothar lowered his head, opened his palm, raised it above his head, and stretched it out in front of Liao Ji.

This is a traditional ceremony for almost every demi-human clan. The ceremony is only complete when Liao Ji places his hand on Lothar's palm, signifying that the supreme leadership of the Terror Lizard Clan has been transferred from Lothar to Liao Ji.

After doing all this, Lothar seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He no longer wanted to be a chieftain whose edges had been smoothed out by the survival of the clan, but could instead become a passionate warrior again.

"Perhaps this is fate. Back then, as the 'Seventy-Two Clans,' we betrayed the guidance of the Great Sage Karl, choosing to hide in the rear like cowards and eke out a living. Unexpectedly, as time has passed, we have abandoned glory, but glory has not forgotten us."

As Losa murmured to himself, lost in reminiscence, Liao Ji heard a familiar name and couldn't help but ask, "Great Sage Karl?"

"Yes, the Great Sage Karl was an ancestor from the same era as our clan's founder. Despite possessing immense power, he never found a partner or founded a clan, remaining forever solitary as he wandered among our various demi-human clans, imparting knowledge and skills to us as we were just beginning. Whether it was farming, hunting, or the application of power, many clans benefited from his kindness, which is why we call that Lord Karl the Great Sage."

Lothar's face showed utmost respect. For the entire demi-human race, the Great Sage held an extremely high position in their hearts. This history had been passed down from generation to generation and must be remembered.

"When the Great Emperor disappeared and the Empress decided to create the Dragon Kingdom, the northern lands were fertile and rich in resources, but the southern border was barren and still filled with a large number of remnants of the Wasteland Era. So the Great Sage Karl volunteered to lead the seventy-two clans to develop the southern border for the Empress, so that the more capable humans could concentrate on staying in the rich northern border to lay the foundation for the Dragon Kingdom, while we demi-humans were responsible for guarding the border, sweeping away the remnants of the evil demons, and cultivating the southern border to restore life to this land."

"In the first two hundred years, when the Great Sage Karl was still alive, everything was thriving. Humans, who could develop in the north without any worries, were able to continuously support us, providing us with food, weapons and equipment. With humans as our backing, we successfully transformed the southern territory into the two major lands that are now the Tribal Forest and the Orc Plains, which can truly support our lives."

"However, everything changed shortly after the passing of the Great Sage Karl and the ascension of Minister Charlotte. Soon, for some unknown reason, it became increasingly difficult for us demi-humans to become Relic Masters, and our beast-transformation abilities seemed to fade rapidly. The number of strong individuals dwindled. Although we still tried to conquer the last desolate swamp, we were already exhausted. When we sought help from the humans in the north, we were refused. Moreover, one after another, unbelievable pieces of bad news came our way. The humans actually regarded us, who guarded the border and voluntarily took on the barren land, as slaves. Not only did we lose our aid, but we also had to face the human army!"

Losa was clearly very emotional when she spoke of this, and Irene, who was also present and was quite sentimental, was furious as well.

"What kind of dog-like human is this! Those demi-humans worked so hard to support your education and shielded you from all the pressures of life, and now that you've achieved success, you just kick those old and declining demi-humans aside? You must have no conscience at all!"

Under the metaphor of Irene, the girls seemed to forget that they were also human, and completely stood from the perspective of demi-humans, sharing the same hatred and feeling so frustrated and angry that their teeth itched.

Losa slowly recovered from his excitement, sighed, and continued to recount this history to Liao Ji:

"In the first century that followed, nearly half of our former 'seventy-two clans' perished, and as a result, we eventually diverged into three different paths."

"Eight clans chose to remain on the border of the Wild Swamp, fulfilling the duty of 'watchmen' given to us by the Great Sage Karl. Four clans decided to take revenge on the ungrateful empress, the predecessor of the Revolutionary Army. The remaining twelve clans, including our Dread Lizard Clan, chose to flee."

"We no longer fight the demons, retreating to the already cultivated Tribal Forest and Orc Plains, choosing to eke out a living. That's why I've always felt guilty towards the other two factions' clans. So whenever Xiyun asks me for help, as a coward who fled to the rear, all I can do for these warriors who are still fighting is probably to provide support."

From Losa, we gained a new understanding of the history of the Dragon Kingdom. After leaving the chieftain's stronghold, Liao Ji deliberately sent Irene and Zero Line back to the Revolutionary Army's camp to bring back news of the successful alliance.

Once he was alone with Long Niang, Liao Ji needed to get some answers from Jiu You.

From Chief Lothar's words, we can discern a clear timeline: what happened in the power structure of the Dragon Kingdom in the northern human realm after Karl's death, and how this "Charlotte" minister rose to power? These are the questions Liao Ji wants to ask Jiu You.

However, Liao Ji received a somewhat surprising answer.

“Lord Ash, Charlotte is the successor personally appointed by Karl before his death.”

"He was promoted by Carl?"

“Yes.” Jiu You nodded. Perhaps that was why she trusted Charlotte as much as she trusted Karl back then.

"And what happens next?"

"Thirty years later, Anno found me and asked me to go into hibernation to prevent the corruption of the Turbid Calamity. After that, I rarely inquired about or knew anything about the affairs of the Dragon Kingdom."

Liao Ji frowned, noticing something amiss, and immediately interrupted, asking, "Wait a minute, thirty years?"

"Let me confirm for now, did Anno find you around the three hundredth year?" This timeline of Anno's search was something Liao Ji learned from Sisiutia.

After Jiu You nodded, indicating that Anuo had been looking for the other four at the same time, Liao Ji frowned. He discovered a conflicting point in the timeline.

"Jiuyou, when did Karl die?"

"The 270th year."

right here.

Liao Ji's expression became even more serious.

Karl, the forgotten spirit he had summoned earlier, had told him in a conversation that he had only held out until the 214th year.

However, Karl, who was with Jiu You, lived to the 270th year. Who was the Karl who remained "serving" Jiu You for the 56 years that followed?

Chapter 111 Jiu You Wants to Try to Change (Part 1)

The answer to this question is actually quite simple.

Besides Carl, there was another key figure in this group: Minister Charlotte.

After Liao Ji told Jiu You all this, Long Niang was initially shocked. Jiu You had never imagined that the real Karl had already passed away in the 214th year. Immediately afterwards, her pupils turned purple again, and a surge of anger rushed to her chest.