Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 164 - 160: Final Moments Together

Chapter 164: Chapter 160: Final Moments Together

After returning to the training base, Luo’er continued to immerse himself in his logistic duties. As Zhuanzhu had predicted, though Tangmo was nominally the team captain, she still gave Luo’er a significant portion of her duties. Luo’er, however, didn’t resist and accepted. After all, Tangmo had to train and managing the base’s affairs might be too difficult for her alone.

Just as Hu Daoke had anticipated, once Luo’er took charge, their daily lives became immensely pleasant.

Luo’er’s proposed early morning run was consistently postponed until it was eventually dropped. They would sleep till they naturally woke, eat lunch prepared by Luo’er, have an afternoon nap followed by a leisure stroll, and then return to the manor to wait for the dinner prepared by Luo’er.

Occasionally, they would go out hunting and the catch could be transformed into a feast in less than three hours upon arrival at the base. This relaxed lifestyle, even the diligent Cheng Ziang was becoming lax, living each day comfortably.

It must be said, Luo’er was indeed the squad’s treasure - hardworking, dedicated, and patient. Not only the Advance Team, but almost all of the Hunter Team was captivated by his charm. Even Zhuanzhu, who usually didn’t have much regard for Luo’er, appeared slightly more tolerant of him.

"Curl your fingers, then cut downwards; make sure the knife isn’t crooked." In the kitchen of the manor, Luo’er was instructing Murong how to cook.

"Like this?" Murong, who was learning cooking for the first time, was a bit nervous.

"Just follow my pace," Luo’er gently encouraged.

The men from the Advance Team and the Hunter Team gathered around, observing the duo cook. With the exception of Zhuanzhu, that little kitchen was packed with six men, all eagerly watching the duo.

Yaning was perched on Hu Daoke’s neck, curiously leaning over his head to watch the ongoings. Looking at Murong’s awkward form, Hu Daoke shook his head and said: "Have fun with your dinner tonight."

"Uh, I’ll pass. The dwarf should eat it!" Wu Tairan quickly waved his hands in refusal.

The bond between the two squads deepened over the past month, often exchanging light-hearted banter.

"I... I want to eat food cooked by Luo’er." Xuzhong Qi, a shy and honest man, took a moment to respond after hearing Wu Tairan’s words.

Murong glared at these two ingrates. They were so easily swayed by Luo’er’s culinary skill.

"What are you looking at? Watch the knife!" Hearing Luo’er’s anxious voice, Murong was startled, and a sharp pain came from his finger.

This kitchen knife was very sharp, so blood immediately oozed out from the wound, splattering onto the chopping board. Luo’er immediately grabbed Murong’s finger to stop the bleeding. Then, he took out his magic wand from his pocket and started chanting a spell directed at Murong’s wound.

The intense pain gradually eased and was replaced by an itchy sensation. When Luo’er let go of his hand, Murong was surprised to find that his wound had almost completely healed.

"This should help. Remember not to touch water for the next couple of days." Luo’er advised as he cleaned up the mess.

Murong looked at his finger, then at Luo’er, who was busy cleaning up. He couldn’t resist joking: "If you were a girl, I’d definitely marry you."

"If Luo’er were a girl, you wouldn’t stand a chance. Cheng Ziang and I would duel to the death over him, right?" Hu Daoke turned to Cheng Ziang and said.

"What does this have to do with me?" Cheng Ziang shrugged his shoulders but did not refute directly.

Luo’er threw them a glance and then went back to cleaning. On one side, Xuzhong Qi was muttering to himself: "Great, I don’t have to suffer tonight."

Time flew by and their one month’s deadline was swiftly approaching. During these last few days, Hu Daoke was constantly moaning about how beautiful times would soon become the past, that their glorious days were about to end.

With less than five days left for the month’s deadline, they received a message from the frontline headquarters to cease magic training and return to their base immediately.

This meant that tonight would be their last leisurely evening. On hearing this, Hu Daoke’s face turned green.

For Luo’er, this news was both good and bad news. Luo’er was a devoted person, so he wasn’t upset about working so hard for the team. On the contrary, he was accustomed to this kind of life and didn’t want his team to continue their harsh schedule.

On the other hand, having a mission meant they could roam around Otherworld, giving him an opportunity to continue looking for his mother.

Because it was their last day, Tangmo decided not to schedule training. So, in the evening, an off-duty Shangguan Jiu joined Luo’er in the kitchen.

"Is this how you cut?" Shangguan Jiu asked while handling the knife cautiously.

"Just fold your fingers and cut slowly. Be careful—as you saw, Murong cut his finger last time." Luo’er was patiently teaching on the side.

Shangguan Jiu helping him out was something he appreciated, even if she was a bit of an amateur. Surprisingly, Tangmo didn’t seem to be jealous about it. Probably because they had been together for a while, and she had begun to let her guard down.

"Luo’er, are you this gentle with everyone?" Shangguan Jiu asked, laughing as she finished chopping up the vegetables.

"Why would you ask that?" Luo’er seemed puzzled, it seemed like everyone had been asking him that question lately.

"Everyone in the two squads is infatuated with you, even Zhuanzhu has stopped complaining so much." Shangguan Jiu stated cheerily, "Of course, this includes me as well."

"Um..." Staring at her radiant smile, Luo’er was unexpectedly a little embarrassed all of a sudden.

"It makes me so jealous of Sister Moumou and Baiyue. I wonder if I would have met you if I had joined the team later." Shangguan Jiu sighed.

"It’s such a shame that we’ll part ways tomorrow. We’re returning to Earth, while you all remain in the Otherworld. It’s likely we won’t see each other again in this lifetime." Shangguan Jiu continued to lament as Luo’er kept quiet.

"Don’t be so absolute about the future, we can’t say for sure what will happen." Luo’er advised. He remained optimistic about the future.

"Every time I think about not seeing you again, I can’t help but feel a bit lost." Shangguan Jiu confessed spontaneously.

When he heard her honest words, Luo’er was gradually becoming accustomed to it, maintaining his composure. He calmly responded, "Why do you always bring me into this? Murong is an excellent captain as well."

"He’s not interesting at all." Shangguan Jiu gazed upward with a slightly melancholic look, "I hoped to meet a boy like you. Maybe then I would start falling for him."

Luo’er looked at her. He had caught on to the meaning behind Shangguan Jiu’s words. Recently, he didn’t know why, but many girls had been expressing their feelings to him, causing him to grow numb to these confessions.

At the moment, he wasn’t in the frame of mind to think about relationships. He was too focused on his mission and how to find his mother. If he ever decided to pursue a romance, then Tangmo and Baiyue would already give him enough to handle, not to mention others.

"Shangguan..."

"Just call me Jiu’er." Shangguan Jiu said with a mirthful smile.

"Jiu’er, how old are you this year? After a hesitation, Luo’er asked.

"I just turned twenty a few days ago." Shangguan Jiu replied.

Luo’er was taken aback, quickly saying, "Sorry."

"It’s okay," Shangguan Jiu shook her head with a smile, "When you guys weren’t around, Sister Moumou celebrated my birthday with me."

"You’re a Night Elf, given your elf lineage, you can live up to 500 years. You have a long life ahead; there’s no need to stress about these things." Luo’er pointed out.

Shangguan Jiu had a quarter of Night Elf lineage, therefore, her lifespan was much longer than the average person’s. However, even so, she still couldn’t compare to Luo’er.

Luo’er was a half Wood Elf. His lifespan was almost the same as a true elf, due to having half Wood Elf lineage and his mother’s dominant genes.

What distinguished him from traditional elf, was that Luo’er, as a half elf, matured at a far quicker pace than true elves. His mother, Nina, was considered a young girl even at seventy, whereas Luo’er was nearing adulthood in his thirties.

"So, you’re saying that when we each get to be a few hundred years old, I’ll have a chance with you?" Shangguan Jiu asked, a teasing smile on her face.

"That’s a bit of an exaggeration," Luo’er said with a touch of embarrassment, "Why do you insist on me? When you live to that age, who knows, you might find someone even better than me."

"And what if I don’t find someone?" Shangguan Jiu tilted her head to ask.

"I might not...be able to promise you anything. I’m sorry." After hesitating for a moment, Luo’er sincerely replied.

"It’s fine," hearing his words, Shangguan Jiu revealed a bitter smile, "Just remember to stay safe while adventuring in the Otherworld. Don’t forget that there are people back on Earth missing you."

"Thank you." Luo’er nodded.

Between casual joke-like exchanges, they managed to complete the process of confession and rejection. However, it was clear that Shangguan Jiu had no plans to give up. As a fellow half-elf, she had plenty of time to wait. All she needed to do was wait for the flowers by Luo’er’s side to wither, then her spring would come.

But she might have forgotten one thing. As the only girl who had professed her love and received acknowledgment from Luo’er, Tangmo had a natural advantage. Being a dwarf hybrid - a subspecies of the elves, she had a life expectancy comparable to Luo’er’s. If the biggest enemy of a romance between elves and humans was time, then she and Luo’er could be considered a match truly made by heaven.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.