Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 124 - 120: Setting Off

Chapter 124: Chapter 120: Setting Off

Thinking about this, Luo’er couldn’t help but smile. He looked at Princess Melia and asked, "Regarding cooperation, do you have any good ideas, Your Highness?"

"I will personally place you within the kingdom’s front-line army, where the mage troops from Odelanqi are also stationed. Your task is to stir up their conflicts, ideally making them fight each other. Once you complete this mission, I will provide you with all the information you want." Melia stated.

Luo’er felt sad. The civil war in the Kingdom of Masya had already caused the people unbearable suffering, but the upper echelons were still painstakingly scheming against each other, completely disregarding the pain of ordinary citizens. Luo’er didn’t know what changes would happen to Masya after Melia ascended the throne, but it seemed that compared to the people’s misery, she was more concerned about how to stay in Galan and secure the throne.

"How will you deliver it?" Luo’er asked.

"We will agree on a location, I will hide the information there, and then let you go to retrieve it." Melia answered.

"How do I know it’s not a trap? If Your Highness intends to kill us, won’t we be out of luck?" Luo’er said.

"What do you suggest?" Melia gazed at him and asked.

"We will determine the location, or perhaps use other methods!" Luo’er stated.

"Agreed!" Melia agreed without hesitation.

After the discussion, the room fell into silence. Melia stared quietly at Luo’er, then suddenly smiled and spoke up, "Sir Luo’er, currently I don’t have any chips to trade with you. So right now, I can only unconditionally trust and rely on you, isn’t that right?"

"For now, that appears to be the case." Luo’er replied.

"In that case," Melia said, lifting her cloak again distinctly different from before. She let it slip down her captivating curves.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Seeing Melia’s exposed body, Luo’er shifted his gaze away and asked.

"Am I beautiful?" Melia revealed a seductive smile.

"Beautiful!" Luo’er answered truthfully.

"Do you want me?" Melia smiled, saying something that made his heart flutter.

"No, I don’t!" Luo’er stubbornly turned away.

"Together, perhaps?" Melia wore an enchanting smile and continued tempting.

"I’m sorry, but I don’t think my partner would be interested. Princess Melia, take back your offer. You’re a seasoned politician, don’t resort to such detestable means." Luo’er coldly replied.

Melia, unable to win over Luo’er, bent over to pick up her cloak and draped it over herself, then forced a smile and said, "For me, as long as I can achieve my goal, any means can be used."

She put on a brave smile, but her smile was tinged with bitterness.

"I agree to your terms; there don’t appear to be any conflicts of interest between us, and thus there is no need for mutual suspicion. Princess Melia, I believe you can deliver on your words, right?" Only after Melia had put on her cloak did Luo’er turn around and say this.

"Of course, I look forward to our cooperation!" Melia extended her hand.

Luo’er hesitated for a moment, then unconsciously shook her hand. Only when he saw her cryptic smile did he realize he had given himself away.

"Just as I thought," Melia said with a cunning smile, "Captain Luo’er, you are from another world, aren’t you?"

The handshake was an Earth custom, which didn’t exist in the Otherworld. Therefore, when Melia tentatively extended her hand, Luo’er’s first response was to shake it, which was sufficient proof that Luo’er was indeed not from the Otherworld.

"Impressive deduction, Your Highness!" Luo’er clenched his teeth, surprised that he had been exposed by such a small gesture. But at this point, there was no need to hide anymore. Now that they both held leverage over each other, he believed that their cooperation should be smoother.

However, he had one question, "Your Highness, you knew our identity all along, didn’t you?"

"I guess you could say that," Melia said, a sweet smile on her face, "I observed you all from the very beginning. Your behavior and demeanors differ from anyone I have ever encountered before. Most peculiar of all, your diverse group is led by a half-elf, which is unthinkable."

"So you grew suspicious of us?" Luo’er said with a bitter smile.

"Of course, more importantly, you radiate an aura that is unique from that of the inhabitants of this continent. I encountered such an aura in Yazhi City. It is an aura only found among Otherworlders, an aura of arrogance! Arrogance towards everyone!" Melia declared.

He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly again. Despite their repeated attempts to hide, they inevitably could not mask their inherent temperament. The arrogance Melia spoke of was probably the air of superiority exhibited by the Earthlings when facing Otherworlders. Every Earthling would inherently feel an indomitable sense of superiority when facing an Otherworlder, a feeling that only arises when a highly civilized society confronts a lesser one.

When he walked down the stairs, he saw that the woman at the entrance had long disappeared, leaving only Cheng Ziang waiting for him with arms crossed.

"Where’s that woman?" Luo’er asked.

"Don’t you care about me too?" Cheng Ziang jested.

"Quit changing the subject!" Luo’er said helplessly.

"She’s already left!" Cheng Ziang said, turning his head to the direction the woman had left.

Luo’er hesitated for a moment, and then seemed to remember something, so he swiftly left the inn and went outside. Indeed, the two knights on the street corner had long since disappeared.

"Princess Melia?" Cheng Ziang asked from behind him.

"Yes." Luo’er nodded.

"What did she say?" Cheng Ziang asked.

Luo’er turned around and looked at him, showing a slight smile after a while, and said: "Cooperation!"

The group lost interest in sightseeing and hurried to the palace, went directly to their room, and held an emergency meeting.

At the meeting, Luo’er roughly explained his conversation with Melia. Of course, he didn’t mention the part where Melia tried to seduce him, or else Tangmo would have lost his temper and the meeting would have been impossible to hold.

"My goodness, who would have thought that Princess Melia, who appears so quiet and gentle, could be so ruthless. She’s trying to stir up conflict between the two nations." Hu Daoke couldn’t help but shake his head in surprise.

"So she’s planning to provoke a dispute between Odelanqi and Masya, thereby cancelling her engagement, is that it?" Cheng Ziang asked, arms folded across his chest.

"Yes!" Luo’er nodded.

"It’s a stupid plan!" Cheng Ziang commented.

"But it’s the best solution she can come up with at the moment. She has no cards to play in this situation. Once she leaves Galan to marry into Odelanqi, it means she has completely lost the chance to compete for the throne of Masya." Luo’er analyzed.

"I never thought Melia would be so formidable!" Tangmo couldn’t help admiring.

Luo’er glanced at her and sighed. Both of them were in their late teens; Melia was already fighting for the throne, while Tangmo was still eating his vinegar from time to time. By comparison, one seemed clearly superior.

However, thinking of Melia resorting to selling her body to achieve her goals, Luo’er shuddered. Although Tangmo didn’t contribute much, at least she was a person with principles. Considering this, he thought Tangmo was better, at least he didn’t have to worry too much about her.

Melia was indeed too cunning and scheming. Although having her around could alleviate a lot of pressure for Luo’er, he also found it difficult to be sure he could control Melia. In his view, having him and Cheng Ziang in the team as strategists was enough, and the others just needed to follow his instructions obediently.

After some discussion, Luo’er decided to trust Melia’s word, after all, they each held the other’s secret, there was no need to fall out, they should just cooperate peacefully.

Thanks to Melia’s intervention, King Varen no longer interfered in the affairs of their squad. Melia personally arranged for him to be placed in the forward legion located near Obus. This legion was the direct force of Crown Prince Oliver, stationed near Obus, in order to protect Obus from being overrun by the rebels.

To strengthen the combat power of this legion, the king not only sent the Knights of Odelanqi there, but also a Mage Legion.

Obus was located downstream of Galan, similarly at the confluence of two rivers. This was Galan’s gateway, once the rebels captured it, they could go upstream along the river and directly target Galan.

Just thinking about Melia wanting to stir things up in Obus sent chills down Luo’er’s spine. He knew that the forces stationed near Obus could be considered the ace troops of Masya. If infighting caused Obus to fall into enemy hands, he could not imagine what King Masiya would use to resist the upstream rebels.

Therefore, to some extent, Melia was playing with fire.

But as a member of the Advance Team, there was no point in worrying about the situation in Masya. For Luo’er, completing the mission and withdrawing from Masya as soon as possible was of utmost importance. As for what Melia wanted to do, she could do as she pleased, since after all, it was not their kingdom.

Melia was very efficient in her arrangements. They had just reached an agreement on cooperation in the morning. By afternoon, someone had already come to inform them to go to the front line. Before setting off, Melia handed Luo’er a carrier pigeon.

Although it was referred to as a carrier pigeon, this was a loose translation of its function from earth. This was actually a bird from the Otherworld. The bird was a bit larger than ordinary pigeons and could sensitively detect a certain specific magic and track its location. When handing over the carrier pigeon to Luo’er, Melia also gave him a ring.

This was not an ordinary ring, it was engraved with a strange rune that was neither passively nor actively triggered. It would emit a weak magic every few moments, which was so subtle that only a genius like Tangmo could perceive it.

But the carrier pigeon could sense this magic, and even if they were hundreds of kilometers apart, they could track this magic and orient it. It was the only channel of communication between them and Melia.

However, as the carrier pigeon was a living creature, it needed proper care. In order to avoid any miscommunication or misunderstanding between them and Melia, Luo’er decided to let Baiyue take care of it. Although she didn’t talk much, Luo’er had always considered her a reliable person.

The wind and snow were about to set in again as they rode their horses on the cobblestone road by the river. It was the middle of a severe winter, and the vast Ebia River had already frozen over, blocking the shipping routes, so they had to travel to the front line on horseback. However, since they were going downstream along the river, the terrain was relatively flat, and there were cobblestone roads, which made it relatively convenient for travel. At their current speed, Luo’er estimated, they should reach Obus in five days or so, and then shift to the frontline legion position.