Chapter 179: The Performance of 'Shishou', a Mysterious Invitation, and Old Blueprints

Everyone was astonished by this Dwarf mercenary leader with a head of graying hair; they had not expected that this person, who looked so elderly, was actually a being far more ancient than most Humans had anticipated.

Over four hundred years—this is even more than four times the time since the current Saint Hors Kingdom was established, and the powerful empire to the east, the Endor Central Empire, has only existed for a little over seven hundred years to this day.

In other words, if the old Dwarf had traveled to the Empire when he was young, he could have even witnessed the Empire during its most prosperous period.

The people present sighed for a while about the long lifespan of Dwarves compared to the short lives of Humans, and by this time, the preparations for Shishou's performance were ready.

Following Jier's request, a long metal hinge shaft from one of the castle's gates was carried over by eight manservants. Just by looking at the fact that it required eight people to carry it, one could clearly feel the heaviness of this object.

But for Shishou, who had not undergone any Divine Art strength enhancement, it was merely something he could grasp and lift with one hand.

"Hey!" He shouted as he exerted force, first grabbing the long and thick metal door shaft with both hands and lifting it over his head.

Then he switched from two hands to one, holding it above his head with a single hand while looking completely relaxed.

But this was not the end; Jier had the castle's Butler call over ten maids, having them stand in a row in the middle of the hall. When Shishou grabbed the heavy metal door shaft with both hands and held it against his chest, the ten maids carefully sat on the slightly smooth metal door shaft.

Next, Shishou exerted force again, lifting the metal door shaft carrying the ten maids over his head, and held it with one hand while it spun slightly.

This sight was visually impactful; the "tiny" Dwarf could actually lift a metal door shaft weighing several hundred kilograms, with ten women of considerable weight sitting on it. One must know that the combined weight of ten Human women was already heavier than the metal door shaft, yet this Dwarf looked like he was still doing it with ease while holding it with one hand.

Jier clapped his hands and shouted excitedly: "Next, replace the ten women with ten men."

Shishou put down the metal door shaft, let down the maids who were patting their chests in excitement and nervousness, and replaced them with ten sturdier manservants who were much heavier.

But Shishou still lifted everyone up with one hand, relaxed and at ease; he even whistled to show that he still had strength to spare.

"Finally, replace them with ten guards equipped with armor and weapons!"

After receiving approval from a middle-aged man wearing bright noble attire, ten family guards who were guarding the hall walked in, fully armored and helmeted. They were all tall and sturdy male guards, equipped with swords, shields, armor-piercing hammers, and other weapons, while wearing metal plate armor crafted by Suishi Cheng's own excellent armor Craftsmen; one could tell at a glance that they were the most elite type of Warrior.

Although it was unknown how their actual combat ability was, the total weight of these people was certainly not low.

Therefore, when Shishou also lifted the metal door shaft with ten armored guards sitting on it with one hand, and slightly rotated his wrist after lifting it over his head, everyone present understood that in terms of pure strength, this unassuming-looking Dwarf might actually be the strongest person present.

"Knight Jier, you said you have sparred with this Dwarf strongman; then whose strength is greater? Who is more formidable?"

Mr. Bogete Boshitafa asked curiously.

Because he was the host, Mr. Bogete's seat at the meal today was almost adjacent to Jier and the others, even though he himself held a high and powerful position within the Bostafa Family, he was not sitting near the main seat.

Jier patted Shishou on the shoulder: "In terms of strength, of course he is greater. This one is a believer in the Dwarf God of Strength. What you just saw was only his own strength; he hasn't even received the Divine Art from the Dwarf God of Strength to amplify his power yet. After the Divine Art is applied, his strength will rise exponentially, reaching an unimaginable level."

Jier then said exaggeratedly: "He could even lift an entire house made of stone! You must know that who knows how heavy that is; tens or hundreds of tons are possible."

"However, although he has great strength and clear advantages in battle, battle isn't won just by whoever has more strength." Jier pointed to himself: "In terms of combat, I am still stronger than him. He has great strength, but it is hard for him to hit the agile me, while my attacks can easily hit him."

These words made the expressions of some people around look much better. After all, when Shishou finished his performance and returned to his seat, even the waiter serving him had legs that were trembling, fearing that Shishou, this alien, would grab him, a tiny waiter, and snap him in two with a 'crack'.

Seeing these people relax after hearing Jier say he was actually more formidable than Shishou, Jier amusedly leaned over to the old Dwarf and complained: "Look, although these people of Suishi Cheng say they love Dwarf culture and items, when a truly formidable Dwarf is in front of them, they become uneasy again."

"It's just like people who hear that Dragons are powerful and want to see a Dragon, but when they truly see one, they fear its power and massive body, becoming afraid and shrinking back."

Facing Jier's analogy, the old Dwarf smiled and nodded: "What you said is very true. It's not just you Humans who are like this; in fact, Dwarves are the same. Or rather, intelligent life itself is just this complex and interesting."

The banquet ended quickly. There was originally a dance after the banquet, but Jier used the excuse that he did not know how to dance and that the accompanying Dwarf mercenaries could not participate, preparing to return to rest.

On the way here, Jier had asked Mr. Bogete, who had great influence and status locally, to help contact an available weapon forging Craftsman. He explained that there was a Warrior in his team who had enough rare materials and funds and hoped to find a capable weapon forging Craftsman to craft a Double-handed Battle Axe made of Magic Material with astonishing power.

This matter was not a problem for Mr. Bogete. During the banquet, Mr. Bogete took the time to whisper a few words to an elderly master Craftsman who was attending the banquet and dressed very seriously.

That master Craftsman glanced at Jier a few times and then agreed to the request to help forge the weapon without much consideration.

After Mr. Bogete returned and told Jier, Jier only then learned that the elderly master Craftsman, who looked serious in temperament, had not personally forged weapons and equipment in recent years due to his age. However, Jier and his team of Warriors had helped Suishi Cheng open up the trade route to the west, which greatly helped the various Merchant Guilds of Suishi Cheng.

Therefore, to thank Jier and the others, this forging master who had stopped working personally agreed to do it himself.

Mr. Bogete also said that this master used to forge weapons and equipment for the territory's Knights, but had not done so personally in recent years.

Jier waved his hand gratefully at the elderly master Craftsman at that time.

And at this moment, when Jier was planning to take the few Dwarves to withdraw and rest, Mr. Bogete quietly called Jier aside and led them all the way to a small hall on the upper floor of the castle used for discussions and meetings.

Here, the Baroness and that middle-aged man wearing bright noble attire were both present, plus Mr. Bogete himself; at this moment, all the management high-level members of the Bostafa Family remaining in Suishi Cheng were here.

Although Jier and Shishou's main weapons were temporarily stored on the Weapon Rack at the entrance of the small hall before entering, the Bostafa Family was truly bold and trusting to keep Jier, an outsider Knight, and Shishou, this alien Dwarf Warrior with astonishing strength, in such a narrow room!

Were they not afraid that Jier and the others would suddenly go berserk or have other intentions?

Jier was thinking this in his mind, and the old Dwarf clearly saw Jier's thoughts. He bumped into Jier from behind and gestured toward this small hall used for meetings. In the four corners of this room, there were four glowing crystals protruding from the ceiling. Although most were still relatively dim, if one only looked at the size of those crystals, one knew that if this thing released Magic, the power of the Magic would likely not be small.

And in such a small room, facing a Magic attack of estimated great power, even Jier would likely die.

So, it was not that the Bostafa Family was bold and not afraid of trouble, but that the other party had full safety preparations.

"Greetings, Baroness. I think that since you and these two important members of the Bostafa Family have called us here privately, there must be some important and secret matter to entrust to us, right? Can we skip the pleasantries and probing and speak directly?"

Jier estimated that the other party had some troublesome matter for them to solve, especially since the local Baron himself had taken away the Knight Lord and a large number of Soldiers; it was likely an enemy that required high-end force to resolve.

The Baroness just smiled slightly and did not directly take over the conversation. Instead, the two powerful figures of the Bostafa Family standing on either side explained the matter simply.

"It is like this, Knight Jier. This matter itself has troubled our family for some years." Mr. Bogete Boshitafa said.

"This matter has even been forgotten by many young people in the family, or they themselves do not know about it. By the way, I am Kasi Boshitafa, the brother of the current Bostafa Baron."

The middle-aged man next to him, wearing bright noble attire and previously managing all the Butlers and guards and servants in the castle, claimed to be the current Baron's own brother. If the Baroness was about the same age as the Baron himself, then this middle-aged man should be the current Bostafa Baron's younger brother.

Mr. Bogete continued: "This is a matter that is very difficult for our family to resolve on our own."

"If it weren't for seeing the capable Dwarf mercenaries you hired today, Knight Jier, we might not even remember that such a matter that once troubled us still existed." Kasi Boshitafa then said.

"Then, what exactly is the matter? Can you inform me accurately?" Jier looked at the three Dwarves beside him; they could understand what the two people opposite were saying, but they had to pretend they couldn't. This situation was truly peculiar.

He hoped the old Dwarf and the others wouldn't give the game away.

The two middle-aged men standing on either side were about to speak, but the Baroness, who was sitting in the middle and holding a Silver White Short Staff, spoke up: "Knight Jier, it is actually not a dangerous or troublesome matter. You will understand as soon as you hear it. It might need the help of the Dwarf mercenaries you hired, especially the help of this Dwarf gentleman who has lived for over four hundred years. Perhaps only his experience and wisdom can truly be of help."

"Oh, related to Dwarves? Or is it this?" Jier looked left and right, signaling that it was related to the surrounding castle.

The Baroness smiled: "You are very sharp. Although young, you clearly find the core when looking at things. Yes, it is related to some matters concerning Dwarves."

Following the Baroness's gesture, Kasi Boshitafa immediately picked up a rolled-up large cowhide blueprint from the cabinet behind him. He stepped forward and spread the blueprint on a table on one side of this small meeting hall.

Jier glanced at the three Dwarves beside him and still took the three of them forward to watch together.

This blueprint was a hand-drawn structural map of the castle. This thing was clearly very important, as it clearly marked some escape routes in the castle that were not open to the public, as well as the locations of important rooms.

Jier raised his eyebrows, not knowing what it meant to let him, an outsider, see these things.

Mr. Kasi Boshitafa did not mind this, and he pointed his finger at a certain spot on the upper level of the castle: "Look, we are right here."

Beside him, Mr. Bogete also walked over carrying a locked blueprint; he spread out another blueprint made of a different material to the side and unfolded it.

This new blueprint also appeared to be a structural map of the castle they were in, but the base material of the blueprint was clearly different, and the patterns on it did not look like they were hand-drawn by a person; they looked more like the kind printed by a printer from Jier's previous life.

At the same time, comparing the two patterns of the same building, Jier discovered that the two were slightly different.

On the contrary, the old Dwarf beside them only took one look, raised his eyebrows, and understood something.

He nudged Jier, and after Jier leaned down, he said into Jier's ear: "The former is the castle structure map drawn by you Humans yourselves, and it is the structural blueprint after the Baron family we are currently with modified the original building. The other one is the original structural map of the management center left behind by us Dwarves. Look carefully at the lower part of the two architectural drawings; the place that originally existed there is now gone."

Jier turned his head sharply to look at the two structural maps and indeed discovered that the original Airen Tongkuang Guanli Zhongxin had an additional sturdy underground building beneath its main structure, square and upright, with only a single passage that could be entered from the management center.

Yet in the castle structural map reconstructed by the Bostafa Family, that originally existing underground building had actually vanished?

Considering that this building as a whole was evaluated by the old Dwarf as a super sturdy building that was almost impossible to be destroyed, claiming it would not be damaged even if a powerful deity launched a strike directly from the Divine Kingdom beyond the heavens. And that additional sturdy building was located entirely directly beneath the whole management center.

It was almost impossible to be destroyed by external force.

So, did the Bostafa Family not draw that underground building on their reconstructed castle structural blueprint because they deliberately hid it?

Jier reached out and tapped the building that should have existed, saying to the three high-ranking members of the Bostafa Family: "It's this, right? Calling us here today must be related to this special building originally located underground? The one left behind when the Dwarves left nearly a hundred years ago?"

The three high-ranking members of the Bostafa Family watched as the old Dwarf beside Jier whispered something to Jier, and then Jier directly found the key to the matter.

They were very satisfied; clearly, this adventurous guess was useful. Their family had previously looked for Dwarf Architects or Dwarf blacksmiths active in human society to come and inspect it, but all returned without success. This time, when the three Dwarves saw the displayed structural map, the other two relatively 'younger' ones indeed found nothing, but only that aged Dwarf discovered the crux of the problem at the first instance.

Perhaps this Dwarf, who had lived for over four hundred years, could really solve this problem that their Bostafa Family had been unable to resolve for decades.

A Dwarf Secret Vault, a Secret Chamber and storehouse with super-strong defensive capabilities located beneath the core building of the once-prosperous Cuikuang.

A Secret Chamber that had been unable to be opened for several decades since the Bostafa Family took control of this place.

Perhaps this old Dwarf had a way?