Chapter 406: Chapter 225: Unknown Identity, Part 2

“Hmm…”

Otto let out a low hum, saying, “Our ancestors migrated to this island from a long time ago, being the island’s earliest residents. Indeed, some secret techniques were passed down, and the swordsmanship I practice also began from then.”

“There’s also swordsmanship?”

When Li Ang asked this, Otto’s eyes instead showed confusion. The elder realized that Li Ang would have to first know that Huanwo Village has secret techniques before he would question the existence of swordsmanship.

“So she told you?”

“Who?”

Li Ang didn’t understand what Otto meant, he just took out the Sea Dragon Egg he had obtained earlier.

“Hmm?!”

Otto’s attention was immediately caught: “This is a holy object worshiped by the village. Where did you get it from?”

“Of course, I didn’t steal it.”

Even though there was no need to feel guilty, Li Ang added an explanation to prevent distrust due to his adventurer status.

He roughly explained the matter of the Yijie Association.

“At that time, I realized this egg was not something ordinary, so I bought it. I was considering choosing a Summoned Beast for the team and wanted to study it.”

“This time returning to the village, I indeed heard that there was a burglary after the barrier was lifted. So it was the Yijie Association, I see now, thank you for letting me know.”

Otto drank another bowl of wine, raised his hand and said, “Since you purchased this egg, keep it with you. I can decide on such matters.”

Li Ang said, “I don’t know much about Huanwo Village; I had only heard rumors before. The so-called secret techniques indeed have a connection with Farina.”

He briefly explained to Otto that Farina was his old friend, and also a former member of Balbanus’s team. Otto nodded, indicating he remembered Li Ang’s previous interactions with Balbanus.

“It turns out she had a deep connection with dragons. I also learned from her about the classifications of dragon species and the extinction of the Sea Dragon family. So, I guessed that if your village worships something that might be a sea dragon egg, there could be some secret techniques similar to hers.”

“Very well guessed, worthy of someone who once sat as the strategist for a top-ranked team.” Otto praised him.

“Let’s not dwell on the past.”

Originally, he intended to sell the idea of the Sea Dragon Egg as a favor, since for Li Ang, taming it would not make much difference, and reviving the egg’s spirituality would be troublesome. But since Otto didn’t take the egg back, he just kept it.

However, what puzzled him was that even though he didn’t know Otto well before, the other still seemed to hold him in high regard?

Otto returned to the question from earlier: “What do you think of Meimei?”

“I’ve only met her once. I couldn’t discern any particular talent from her.”

Li Ang realized that it seemed Otto wasn’t asking him there because of the witch matters.

Why focus on the girl he had met by chance?

What did he think? That girl was so young, surely Otto wasn’t asking about kinship or affection? Besides, he wasn’t acquainted with the girl, and it felt odd to praise her beauty in front of an elder.

Thus, Li Ang responded from the perspective of talent.

As he spoke, he suddenly thought, could it be related? Because Otto previously mentioned that the girl could naturally sense the will of all spirits, suggesting she had strong talents in shamanism and witch doctor practices.

Originally, witches were considered an abnormal profession, diverging from these two, yet Otto, being a council member, actually knew the might of witches. Was he considering letting Meimei learn to become a witch?

Otto put down the drinking vessel: “Not discussing talent, focus on her appearance.”

Appearance… What does that mean…

Li Ang cautiously said, “Very beautiful, very cute, and then?”

Otto let out a breath, shook his head, his gaze seemed to scrutinize.

Weren’t you the one asking? Why do I feel like you’re viewing me as some charming fraud who tricks women? Li Ang secretly complained.

“It’s my problem.”

Otto seemed to sense Li Ang’s bewilderment: “Indeed, the question I wanted to ask might sound too outlandish. Therefore, I sought a quiet place.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“What do you think is the relationship between Meimei and Meluna?”

“Mei… Meluna?”

Meluna was Li Ang’s ex-girlfriend.

A woman who could, in some aspects, be considered to have a bad character, yet everything could be explained as extremely naive, a scatterbrained type with whimsical thoughts and erratic behavior.

When she was in the mood, she’d draw her sword; if she wanted to overpower Li Ang, she did so; if she wanted to try different positions she made him end up in chaos; when she wanted to travel she just left, disappearing with no warning.

Yes, Meluna.

That’s right, it’s her.

The reason Meimei seemed so familiar when he saw her was that her face was essentially a younger version of Meluna.

The reason he didn’t recognize her was perhaps due to the distracting flowers, as well as the mirth and speechlessness from that woman’s unexplained departure, struggling to forget her. As a result, her appearance wasn’t as clear in his mind as before.

Also, Meluna didn’t have white hair, but black hair like Li Ang’s, and occasionally dyed it.

“Are they related? Are you saying Meluna is from Huanwo Village too?”

If Huanwo Village had strong swordsmanship traditions, then it might explain that woman’s unreasonable martial skills.

“I…”

Otto hesitated for a moment.

“I didn’t express my intentions directly because I couldn’t be certain.”

The Elder Sword Hero had a look of reminiscence as he slowly spoke of how he came to know that woman.

Otto trained in swordsmanship from a young age, left the village and island as a teenager. At that time, the guilds were just forming, and navigation between the aerial realms was not as developed as it is now. He boarded a small boat, nearly losing his life at the bottom of the sky before reaching other islands.

In his youth, he had reached the Excellence Realm of swordsmanship. Ever since then, he pushed himself even further, living a life that could be described as magnificent, having experienced almost every adventure a hero encounters more than once.

People in Huanwo Village naturally lived long lives, and their mastery of magic power could further extend longevity. Consequently, Otto is over two hundred years old, counter to the usual traits of the Horned Race, yet his strength surpasses his prime.

From middle-age onwards, he was simply trying to discover the ultimate limit of the Sword Dao.

Throughout these long years, he even glimpsed a way to ascend to the Legendary Realm, but he wished to reach it through swordsmanship, thus he continued exploring.

In these two hundred years, Otto didn’t stop returning to Huanwo Village. Initially, it was due to inconvenient transport, but later as the guild established stable routes across the aerial realms and companies like Contan Helm were founded, it became extremely easy for Otto to return home.

“Huanwo Village has a small population, and I am one of the oldest residents, but in all these years, there has never been a girl named ’Meluna’. No one in the village has seen her either.”

It was this point that made Li Ang realize Otto’s main purpose in seeking him.

It wasn’t about the witch matters, but purely because of his relationship with Meluna.

“Are you sure she has any connection to Huanwo Village?”

Li Ang drank the water in his teacup dry, poured more tea as he spoke: “The history of Nebis goes way back. Some scholars even believe that the islands used to be one contiguous continent, as certain characteristics so impossibly coincident appear in both islands across so many years in isolation, verifying they share a common origin.”

His meaning was clear; if Meluna shared certain traits with the people of Huanwo Village, she might be a descendant of people who once shared the same origin.

“You don’t understand. After the falling of the Sea Dragon God, we’re the only village worshiping it, no one else could carry that aura. This Mengze Island is also the last Sky Island capable of preserving the power of the Sea Dragon God.” Otto slowly shook his head.

This pertained to the secrets of Huanwo Village, something Li Ang didn’t know and couldn’t comment on.

“So, you want to say Meluna is a seemingly non-existent Huanwo Village person?”

Otto nodded.

Li Ang gave a wry smile: “Sometimes, I even wonder if she’s someone I imagined, if I’ve gone mad and that’s why there’s such a person in my memory. But thankfully, others remember her, proving I’m still somewhat sane.”

Li Ang continued: “Meimei does resemble Meluna indeed. What about her parents and relatives? Do they really know nothing about Meluna? Could it be that Meluna is an outside lineage of their family?”

“I’ve considered these possibilities, investigated them all, but they’ve all been ruled out.”

Otto said in a low voice, “I initially found it presumptuous to inquire with that girl directly, thus the investigations were done in secret. After hitting a dead end, I decided to visit your home, yet…”

“Yet she disappeared, didn’t she?”

“Yes, and then when I recently returned to the village, I encountered Meimei, who had grown a few years and changed completely from when she was young. Only then did I realize how similar she was to the other.”

Li Ang summarized: “This matter is indeed strange. What is it you want me to do?”

Li Ang felt that Otto was holding back, as if he still had concerns.

“Once you’ve concluded your matters, I would like to invite you to Huanwo Village.”

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