Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 215 - 208: Dancing with the Elf_1

Chapter 215: Chapter 208: Dancing with the Elf_1

For the following days, the two of them began their difficult days trying to survive at the bottom of the valley. The gorge was not barren. They found some goats and grazing animals near a rock salt deposit. They were probably attracted by the salt and managed somehow to jump down from above. A male and a female occasionally survived and bred a large number of offspring at the bottom of the valley. Because they had no predators, their numbers were quite impressive by the time Luo Chuan found them.

With prey available, they no longer worried about a food source. All they needed to figure out was how to herd these goats and they would have an endless supply of food.

At the same time, they had modified the ground at the base of the cliff. They built a great dwelling by enclosing the area with rocks and logs. Since the cliff provided shelter at the top, there was no need for a roof.

In their spare time, they worked hard to learn each other’s language. After all, there were only the two of them in the whole valley, it wouldn’t always be practical to communicate through gestures and drawings, would it?

After five months of arduous study, they both had a decent handle on each other’s language. Although they still weren’t fluent, at least there were no issues with daily communication.

"Tomorrow, try getting those goats into pens. Feed them for a couple of months, and they’ll get used to being taken care of by humans," Luo Chuan spoke to Nina, filling his Chinese with Elvish to make his meaning as clear as possible.

"I got it, do you know how to prepare those hides? It’s getting colder, and we cannot go without clothes." Nina expressed clumsily.

"Those hides need to be tanned before they can be used. Don’t tell me you don’t know that?" Luo Chuan asked while heating some meat with his chin propped up.

"I do not." Nina shook her head.

"Seems like we do need a man in the house after all." Luo Chuan couldn’t help but say smugly.

"In the house..." Nina, understanding Luo Chuan’s words, looked at him shyly. A flush appeared on her face.

"On the other hand, Elf girls seem to be very conservative. I thought you guys were all passionate and unrestrained!" Luo Chuan asked curiously, seeing Nina’s response.

"No way, being so unrestrained... Elves rarely associate with outsiders. If it weren’t for this war, I might have never had the chance to leave the kingdom." As Nina spoke, a trace of sadness appeared on her face.

"If an Elf marries a member of another race, what then?" Luo Chuan asked.

"They’d be driven out of the kingdom," Nina replied.

"That severe, huh." Luo Chuan clicked his tongue in wonder.

"It’s not just that. If they have a child, the child would not be recognized by the kingdom and would have to live a life of wandering." Nina explained, lowering her head.

"Then just don’t go back to the kingdom!" Luo Chuan shrugged.

"Even if they don’t, humans look down on elves, especially Wood Elves. Thus, their children would face discrimination and exclusion in human kingdoms."

"Why? Elf girls are so beautiful, even a girl as beautiful as yourself would face discrimination?" Luo Chuan asked, confused.

Nina pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, then said: "No, it’s actually just because Elf girls are all so beautiful that many outsiders would hunt them. They would bring them back to the human kingdom for trading. These girls would be..."

"I understand..." Luo Chuan closed his mouth and fell silent. Even though Nina didn’t finish, he understood the reason.

The reason is not only that he thinks Elf girls are beautiful but that it’s a widespread belief in the Otherworld. Hence, some despicable individuals would hunt these girls and sell them as slaves in the Human Kingdom, where they, more often than not, turn into tools for the rich to vent their lust.

"Don’t worry, I won’t treat you like that. We earth men are all civil gentlemen." Luo Chuan patted his chest, trying to lighten the mood.

"But before, you took my..." Nina glanced at him shyly before grumbling.

"What?" Luo Chuan did not hear her clearly.

"It’s nothing." Nina shook her head.

"Speaking of which," Luo Chuan picked up a piece of roast meat and took a bite, then asked, "Didn’t you say before that Elves live very long lives? You’re not already hundreds of years old, are you?"

"That’s overstating it!" Nina replied.

"I figured as much. Such a young girl..."

"I’m only one hundred and seventy-three years old!" Nina surprised him with her answer.

Luo Chuan was startled by her words. He spat out the food he was about to swallow into the fire, then stared at her in amazement.

"What’s wrong?" Nina looked at him in confusion.

"No, it’s just that..." Luo Chuan choked a bit and started coughing.

"Are you afraid?" Nina detected what was going on.

"Not at all." Luo Chuan smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Elves live for around eight or nine hundred years. When you consider human lifespan, it’s like Elves age one year every ten years." Nina explained.

"Oh, then you’re still younger than me!" Luo Chuan patted his chest and said evasively.

"Sorry to have scared you," Nina said, looking down.

"It’s fine. Ten years per year of age is fine. As long as you’re younger than me, it’s alright." Luo Chuan waved his hand and laughed.

"Thank you," Nina said.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because... you didn’t discriminate against me," Nina replied.

"Why would I discriminate against you," Luo Chuan chuckled, "everyone on our Earth wants to live forever!"

"On that note, can children of elves and non-elves also live as long as you?" Luo Chuan suddenly pondered.

"They should be able to live for seven to eight hundred years, as they are half-elves and therefore do not have such a long lifespan as elves," Nina said.

"Wow, seven to eight hundred, that’s really impressive!" Luo Chuan couldn’t help giving a thumbs up, exclaiming in awe.

"Why don’t you try?" Nina suddenly suggested, her eyes filling with ambiguity as she looked at Luo Chuan.

"Try what?" Luo Chuan’s heart leapt, feeling as though the air was suddenly tinged with a rosy hue.

"We might be trapped here, possibly unable to leave in our entire lifetime, don’t you...," Nina began, before instinctively looking away and whispering, "Don’t you think you should take responsibility?"

"Take, take responsibility?" Luo Chuan was completely bewildered.

"That day when you were treating my shoulder wound..." Nina began, her voice trailing off as she shyly lowered her head.

"That was to save you, out of humanitarianism, it doesn’t mean we can just commit to each other immediately," Luo Chuan blinked rapidly before continuing, "Unless we genuinely like each other!"

"I..." Nina hesitated.

"Do you like me?" Luo Chuan seemed not at all flustered but rather confident.

"Like..." When it came to expressing emotions, Nina was not as shy as Earth girls.

"What do you like about me?" Luo Chuan scratched his head, smiling as he asked.

"Like... don’t, don’t know..." Nina shyly replied.

"You didn’t even ask whether I like you or not," Luo Chuan said, looking at her.

"Then do you..."

"You’re an elf, I’m a human from Earth. When I grow old, you’ll still be in the prime of your youth," Luo Chuan quietly observed her and asked, "Is it worth it, considering the future days without me?"

Nina looked up at him, her deep green eyes brimming with tenderness. After hesitating for a while, she opened her mouth and firmly answered, "It’s worth it!"

"Then there’s nothing more to say," Luo Chuan revealed a smile upon hearing her answer. He suddenly leaped to Nina’s side, tightly wrapping his arms around her. Whispering passionately in her ear, he said, "I like you too!"

"Really?" Nina asked joyfully.

"Wow, you this girl..." Luo Chuan lifted Nina’s shoulder, taking in the fact that she was half a head taller than him.

"Don’t Earth men like tall girls?" Nina asked while looking down.

"That’s not true, ’If the female is superior, she can be a treasure!’" Luo Chuan casually blurted.

"What does that mean?" Nina asked.

"It means, if the wife is tall, the chances are the children might also be tall!" Lo Chuan said, eyes gleaming with joy.

"Wife and children... we’re still..." Nina stammered with her lips pursed.

"Oh right, according to Earth tradition, we need to hold a wedding ceremony!" Luo Chuan suddenly understood and announced.

"Wed, wedding ceremony, what does that mean?" Nina asked, puzzled.

"It signifies notifying the heaven, earth, and our parents that we are becoming husband and wife from now on!" Luo Chuan looked at her with a gleeful smile.

"Re, really?" Nina shyly turned her head away, then inquired, "Are there any other Earth customs?"

"There are, indeed," Luo Chuan looked at her mischievously, "a wife and husband must share a bed."

"This isn’t..." Nina turned her head, saw his smirk, and immediately became frustrated, hitting him with her fists.

Luo Chuan laughed and tightly held her in his arms. The two of them just quietly cuddled each other, their silence speaking volumes.

Marrying an elf? This was a situation Luo Chuan had never thought of before coming to the Otherworld. He initially came to participate in this war between two worlds, but unexpectedly he was going to marry a beautiful elf girl. At this moment, he really wanted to share this joy with his comrades and friends, and his father Luo Qishan.

Even though they were still trapped in this valley, he no longer felt desperate. He even felt that the previous hardships were divine tests. After enduring those harsh days, the heavens had rewarded him with this cute elf girl who would now be his wife.

As for the lifespan issue, he didn’t care anymore. They would stay here until they died. By that time, their children would likely be there to accompany Nina, so he could leave the world in peace.

Meeting Nina, Luo Chuan felt for the first time that his life was insufficient. If possible, he really wanted to borrow another five hundred years from heaven to let him and Nina stay together in this valley.

But behind the beautiful façade, there lay a cold and brutal reality. At this moment, immersed in the joy of his marriage, Luo Chuan was unaware that a terrifying substance was slowly corroding his body, inflicting irreversible damage.