Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1658 - 1651: Advanced Barbarism

Chapter 1658: Chapter 1651: Advanced Barbarism

Luo’er certainly has the credentials for this. Just as Earthlings are shocked the first time they meet the Demon Clan members, the East Continent doesn’t have Elves. Without a doubt, Luo’er is the first Elf to set foot on the East Continent, naturally leaving the locals dazzled.

Of course, if Luo’er were a Snow Elf, the impact would be on a whole other level, as Snow Elves inherently exude an ethereal and sacred presence. By comparison, Wood Elves are far more approachable.

After this encounter, Bahàn and the other villagers were utterly convinced of the Advance Team delegation’s divine status. Having never seen an Elf before, they naturally believed that saints should possess such charisma.

Hence, their respect for the Advance Team grew even deeper. They cautiously guided the horse carts forward, with some even dismantling traps along the way for fear they might accidentally harm the Advance Team members.

Under Bahàn’s and the others’ guidance, the cart advanced about two kilometers forward. The rugged mountain terrain suddenly opened up, revealing a broad river valley nestled between the peaks.

The area was dotted with farmland and houses. Farmers were busy laboring in the fields, utilizing irrigation facilities to direct river water into their crops while diligently bending over to tend to the land.

It was midday, and smoke curled gently upward from the chimneys of nearby homes, adding a touch of tranquility and warmth to the valley. The familiar scent of cooking fires stirred a sense of familiarity and comfort.

The members of the Advance Team, who had grown up in academies and were accustomed to electrified lifestyles, had few memories of how agricultural societies operated.

Yet, during their Otherworldly wanderings, they had gradually become used to starting fires to cook and the smell of burning firewood. The smoke in the valley didn’t evoke memories of their academy days—it reminded them of myriad adventures on the Western Continent.

"I didn’t expect a river valley like this to exist deep in the mountains. Truly eye-opening," Cheng Ziang remarked, surveying the surroundings and nodding approvingly.

"This is already the best spot in the mountains. No other locations are suitable for habitation, which is why we’re desperate to reclaim our lands," Bahàn sighed as he explained.

The plain extending from the town reached all the way to the foot of the mountain, with a few houses even built on the mountainside. Other than farmland, the plain was almost entirely covered with houses, signaling it could hardly accommodate further development.

Frankly, put aside living conditions, the environment did impart a sense of peace: daily life ruled by sunrise and sunset.

But, of course, only carefree souls would ignore living conditions and focus solely on future comforts.

For nearly a decade, the Advance Team had journeyed across the Western Continent. They fully grasped the concept of life governed by sunrise and sunset. They understood that most people could not endure such a rigid way of life, relying solely on their own labor to secure merely enough food to fill their bellies.

If this lifestyle were truly so fulfilling, then why would these Qi State villagers go to any lengths to reclaim the land taken by the Anxiang family?

The stone-paved road diverged from the main route, snaking through farmland and stretching deep into the town. Cheng Ziang noted that the Kyushu inhabitants seemed highly obsessed with roads. They appeared to be the first group in the Otherworld to grasp the concept that "to get rich, build roads first."

Cheng Ziang raised his binoculars, observing the farmers working in the fields. He noticed that many of the farmers in the outermost fields were actually Demon Clan members.

At first, he had assumed the villagers merely accepted the Demon Clan members by providing them shelter. He hadn’t expected such generosity—to grant farmland and let them toil in the fields.

Upon witnessing this, Cheng Ziang’s favorable impression of the villagers surged to a new level.

The roads bustled with patrolling militia members. Most carried waist-bound daggers and held unloaded crossbows. On watchtowers, sentries paced back and forth, bows and arrows set aside as they kept an eye on their surroundings.

Cheng Ziang seemed to notice something intriguing. While the villagers’ equipment wasn’t particularly advanced, it was remarkably standardized. Their daggers, crossbows, and arrows were all of the same design.

Judging by the standards of production efficiency, sustaining such a scale of standardized weaponry seemed implausible for this town’s current level of development.

In other words, their weapons and equipment likely came from elsewhere. Based on the level of standardization, it was highly probable they were issued by the Imperial Court.

The Wen Family Court was known across Kyushu for its animosity toward the Anxiang family of the Wu Clan. Thus, it wasn’t surprising if the Court had provided the Qi State villagers with weapons and equipment.

What shocked Cheng Ziang the most was seeing several militiamen carrying nothing but waist-bound daggers and a long-barreled weapon strapped to their backs.

He couldn’t be more familiar with this device—it was none other than a musket.

The Qi State villagers had already begun equipping muskets, a development Cheng Ziang hadn’t anticipated. Analyzing their weaponry left him contemplating—who counted as barbarians, and who constituted the regular army?

However, his initial astonishment quickly subsided. Villagers adopting firearms might seem odd but equally plausible.

Let’s not forget, they had integrated so many Demon Clan members. If even a few of them had fought in wars in West Outer Heaven, they would undoubtedly be aware of firearms as a formidable weapon of the New Era.

Firearms weren’t introduced to West Outer Heaven only after the Western Continent explorers arrived. The Demon Clan had already been using firearms for over a century before the arrival of Western Continent explorers.

What the Western Continent truly contributed was standardizing firearm specifications and quality, enabling these weapons to dominate warfare in West Outer Heaven, leaving Dongsheng’s forces devastated.

Kyushu, with its cultivation systems, had a lower firearm adoption rate compared to West Outer Heaven. But judging by current trends, regardless of the direction the East Continent’s cultivation systems pursued, firearms would inevitably become the mainstream weapons in Kyushu.

On this matter, the Western Continent serves as a textbook example. Under the Earthlings’ influence, firearm adoption in the Western Continent was already exceptionally advanced.

Whether it be the Western Continent or the East Continent, the magic and cultivation systems both shared the same fundamental flaw: the issue of probability. That is, most people are naturally unable to harness magic, leaving magical powers inherently and long-term controlled by an elite few.

Yet the masses crave power, as it represents their only chance for equality. Consequently, they lean toward pursuing equal yet lethal strength. It’s a contradiction naturally produced by society and hence one that society must resolve.

Coincidentally, firearms offer power that is both equal and lethal. They are products of science and technology, user-friendly, and capable of amplifying an individual’s force by hundreds or even thousands of times.

On Earth, even monkeys can wield an AK-47 automatic rifle. In the unfair Magic World, Earth’s Kalashnikov will forever remain a user’s most dependable comrade.

As the cart continued forward, in the carriage, Luo’er was being tightly hugged by Tangmo, who helplessly sighed.

Tangmo seemed utterly captivated by Luo’er’s earlier remarks and now had fully transformed into an obsessive fangirl, clutching Luo’er and refusing to let go.

"Saint, please use your holy voice to scold me!" Tangmo pleaded earnestly.

"You’ve got some serious issues..." Luo’er muttered, covering his face in exasperation.

"Please! I insist!" Tangmo whined, refusing to relent.

"Stop it, I don’t even know how to curse people." Luo’er tried pushing her away.

"You do!"

"People are watching. Aren’t you embarrassed?" Luo’er shot a desperate glance toward Fulajie’er, who was floating in midair.

"Ignore her, she’s just a third wheel. I’m already used to her," Tangmo replied nonchalantly.

"You wicked woman... Although the image I held of you has totally collapsed, I never imagined you’d fall to such shameless depths..." Fulajie’er said in a mournful tone.

"I’ll collapse, and I’ll grovel for Luo’er. I want to mark every inch of him with my scent." Tangmo grew more impassioned, her eyes even darkening with intensity.

"Calm down, calm down, you’re human, not a wild beast!" Luo’er exclaimed in shock, desperately pushing her away.

"This is unbearable to watch..." Fulajie’er sighed helplessly, floating passively to the side.

"Luo’er, is he really that great?" After a pause, she couldn’t help but ask.

"If you don’t want him, he’s mine. Spare me your snide remarks," Tangmo retorted without missing a beat.

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