Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 186 - 182: Hu Daoke’s Method

Chapter 186: Chapter 182: Hu Daoke’s Method

By evening, Luo’er and Tangmo, who were responsible for the reconnaissance mission, finally returned. Even though they didn’t make much progress, Luo’er provided valuable information: they had heard English spoken in Helros, leading them to suspect that individuals from the CIA might have also infiltrated the city.

You see, the High-peak people had always been staunch partners with headquarters. Now, they seemed to be withholding information everywhere, and with the presence of English in the city, it’s hard to guarantee whether the High-peak people were showing favor to western Earth countries.

If by airboat, the round-trip to Helros requires about half a month of time, whereas people from Earth can stay near Yazhi City continuously for nearly three months.

Luo’er remembered that Yila once mentioned that individuals from headquarters had also visited Helros. In other words, if the English they heard in Helros was spoken by Westerners, then the possibility of the High-peak people defecting drastically increased.

As the forerunners in Earth relations, the High-peak people would certainly be aware of Earth’s international situation, so they would undoubtedly understand what contact with Westerners means for headquarters. If Luo’er’s suspicions were accurate, the High-peak people might intend to play both sides and completely discard their thirty-year friendship with headquarters, which would undeniably be a heavy blow for them.

At dinner time, the inn was bursting with energy. In the front hall of the inn, guests gathered together to enjoy their supper, chattering about all sorts of gossip. Coming from all walks of life, their gathering sparked countless conversations.

The Advance Team descended the stairs and found a table to gather around. After dinner, while observing the lively chatter of the guests, Hu Daoke felt an itch. He couldn’t help but suggest Luo’er: "Boss, how about I go and gather some information from them?"

"You want to..." Cheng Ziang began to voice his customary sarcasm, but Luo’er interrupted him. Feeling slightly guilty about not bringing him along earlier, Luo’er thought it might be a good idea to let Hu Daoke blend in, perhaps he could unexpectedly obtain valuable information.

"Then I’m going!" Hu Daoke excitedly stated, rubbing his hands together.

"Hmm, just remember not to reveal your identity!" Luo’er warned him.

"Understood!" Excited by Luo’er’s approval, Hu Daoke eagerly fetched a bottle of strong liquor worth one gold coin and happily approached the guests immersed in lively discussion.

"Luo’er, is it going to be okay?" Tangmo asked, sounding slightly worried.

"Just relax. This kid never shuts up." Not waiting for Luo’er to respond, Cheng Ziang supported his cheek, speaking with a sulk.

Hu Daoke had kept him awake all afternoon, preventing him from taking his desired nap before dinner.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Let me join in!" Hu Daoke, jug in hand, came right in front of a group of guests. They were wearing simple clothes, and the emblem on their chests clearly showed their identities - they were adventurers from the Adventurer’s Association.

Hu Daoke approached three burly and somewhat rude Human Race adventurers. The one in the lead sported a gleaming bald head, another bore a thick beard, and the one at the end had a vivid long scar on his face, making him look quite formidable.

They were speaking Tasta in the Aud accent, familiar and comforting to the ears of the reconnaissance team who had suffered the plight of Dwarven language in Helros.

"Who are you?" Taken aback by Hu Daoke initiating a conversation, the three of them asked cautiously.

"I’m also an adventurer, just wanted to chat and listen to your adventurous stories!" Hu Daoke excitedly lied.

"Oh, you are a bard, aren’t you? Didn’t think bards looked like you!" Not recognizing Hu Daoke’s Half-beastman identity, the three adventurers mistook him for a somewhat crude-looking human.

"Yes, yes, yes. Even though I’m not the best looking, I do consider myself a scholar," Hu Daoke hastily agreed.

"Oh, you’re a poet. Then recite a verse for us!" The bald man eagerly suggested.

"Er, not really. I’m here mainly to listen to your stories. Come, come, have some alcohol!" Hu Daoke paused, he didn’t know any poems, and quickly deflected the conversation.

"Wow, this alcohol!" As soon as Hu Daoke uncorked the bottle, the rich aroma of liquor wafted out, causing a stir among the three. He grabbed a bottle of vodka, a very strong spirit with a high alcohol content, from Earth.

"Let’s drink, have a sip!" Hu Daoke poured a serving for each of them, then casually sat down next to them, arm around the bald man’s shoulder.

"You drink too!" The man with the scar excitedly offered him.

"I’ll pass, my alcohol tolerance is quite poor, I’ll just have some fruit wine," Hu Daoke said with a shy smile, casually grabbing their fruit wine, poured a bit into his glass, and drank it.

The Otherworld didn’t really have the custom of urging others to drink, so his actions didn’t evoke any repulsion from the three. After they had downed several glasses, Hu Daoke decided to start a conversation.

"Have you heard the news? Apparently, the Valan airboat that travels from Yazhi City to Helros crashed a few days ago!" Hu Daoke leaned in, whispering mysteriously.

"Oh, I heard!" The bald man also leaned in and said eagerly, "Seems like there were Zhuyan People who bombed the airboat, causing many deaths!"

"Why would Zhuyan People bomb an airboat? I suspect they actually wanted to fly the airboat to Baales and it only exploded due to some accident," the bearded man said, contradicting him.

"Lucky we weren’t on that airboat!" The man with the scar said, looking relieved.

"Why are the Zhuyan People leaving the south and heading north?" echoed Hu Daoke.

"The conflict between Zhuyan People and the High-peak People has been around for centuries. During the Prophetic War, it was said that the two were on the verge of fighting each other. If it hadn’t been for the intervention of the former king, they would have been at war before the Otherworlders attacked!" said the man with a big beard.

"Never mind the Zhuyan People, a lot of Southerners have been heading north recently, presumably in the direction of the Otherworld Gate. When will the Heresy Tribunal Army clean up Yazhi City? If this continues unchecked, the heretics will have already taken over Yazhi City!" a man with a scarred face complained.

"Have any of you ever met a Southerner?" Hu Daoke asked, refilling everyone’s cups.

"No!" The three men shook their heads in unison.

"But it seems there have been sightings of Southerners in Helros!" declared the bald man, raising a finger.

"Really, what do they look like?" Hu Daoke asked curiously. To be honest, he hadn’t actually seen what Southerners on the Aels Continent looked like, despite their ongoing impersonation of them.

"They are very dark-skinned, with thick lips, and curly hair!" the bald man gesticulated as he described.

"Are you sure that’s not a Bobulu person?" the big-bearded man questioned.

"That’s right, that’s what most people by Saint Basaya and Baales look like." Scarface echoed.

Saint Basaya is one of the three border countries of Yazhi City, predominantly populated by the Bobulu people. The south of Saint Basaya, which borders the Zhuyan nation of Baales, is mostly desert with hot weather, so the locals have darker skin.

"No, it’s definitely not a Bobulu person!" The bald man assured them empirically. "The Bobulu people aren’t that dark. The one I saw was truly dark. He has to be a Southerner!"

Hearing the bald man’s words, Luo’er was suddenly reminded of the English he’d heard today. If the dark-skinned man the bald man had seen wasn’t a Bobulu, then it was only possible they were one thing. With this in mind, he subtly gestured to Hu Daoke to continue probing.

Spotting Luo’er’s gesture, Hu Daoke nodded and asked, "When did you see him?"

"Just a few days ago," the bald man began, his face starting to turn red, likely due to the drink, "These Southerners have already taken over Helros. We all need to be careful not to get mixed up with them. If we get involved with these heretics, we’ll surely get caught by the Heresy Tribunal Army. It’s not about suffering a little, but the prospect of church excommunication that scares us!"

"Mm-hmm!" The other two men were nodding furiously, clearly quite intoxicated.

Seeing the three men had passed out on the table, Hu Daoke quietly put down the bottle of alcohol and returned to their seats.

"Well done!" Luo’er praised as soon as he returned.

"Piece of cake!" Hu Daoke dismissed with a wave of his hand, visibly pleased.

"A black-skinned man, speaking English. Any thoughts?" Cheng Ziang pondered aloud.

"It’s clearly someone from the CIA!" Luo’er stated definitively.

"This reminds me of a joke." Cheng Ziang chuckled, then said interestedly.

"What’s the joke?" asked Hu Daoke.

"During the Cold War, the CIA trained a special agent to infiltrate the Soviet Union. Not only did this agent master the Soviet languages, but his behaviour was also remarkably Soviet-like. However, every Soviet he encountered would comment on how remarkably Soviet he appeared. Intrigued, the agent asked one, ’Why do you think I resemble a Soviet?’ After a moment of silence, the Soviet said, ’Because there are no black people in the Soviet Union!’"

"Ha ha!" Although the joke was rather subtle, both Luo’er and Baiyue laughed. Tangmo, who didn’t understand, was the only one not laughing.

"So funny!" Hu Daoke dryly clapped his hands without showing any amusement.

"I didn’t expect you to laugh!" Cheng Ziang responded, rolling his eyes at him.

"So, our daytime job is to find the black-skinned man!" Luo’er nodded in agreement.

"That’s your daytime group’s job!" Cheng Ziang said, standing up and stretching.

"Where are you going?" Luo’er asked.

"I’m going to get some sleep," Cheng Ziang replied. Turning around, he pointed at Hu Daoke, instructing, "Luo’er, tie this guy to the chair. Don’t let him disturb my sleep again!"

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