Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 224 - 217: The Girl with Rabbit Ears

Chapter 224: Chapter 217: The Girl with Rabbit Ears

The bag contained spices, a luxury only found on Earth, which made them particularly valuable on Otherworld and were classified by Earth nations as luxury goods. The moment the slaver caught the scent of the spices, I could see his eyes light up.

The translator seemed to strongly oppose this trade. He urgently advised Dr. An Liang, claiming that one pack of spices could purchase two slaves of her kind. Dr. An Liang, however, seemed unmoved. He looked at me quietly, apparently asking for my opinion.

I looked at the rabbit-eared girl, and it seemed like she realized I intended to buy her. She fixed her large eyes on me with a haggard gaze. At that moment, my heart twitched. I whispered to myself that if I couldn’t buy her today, I may never be able to get past the shadow this would cast on my life.

I was immensely grateful for Dr. An Liang’s sacrifice. Understanding my intentions, he handed the spices to the slaver, ignoring the translator’s earnest discouragement. Once the slaver received the spices, he broke into a grin, and displayed a set of disgusting yellow teeth. I gestured for him to hand the girl to me. He did so without hesitation, passing the chain to me. He even kicked the cage once, murmuring something. The translator told me that, out of gratitude for our generosity, he had decided to give us the cage as well.

I never cared for cages. The only reason I bought the girl was to free her from the low, narrow cage. I opened the cage door, beckoning her to come out with a smile. She was very wary of me, gripping the cage bars tightly, refusing to crawl out, ignoring my somewhat excited smile.

Dr. An Liang approached and asked the translator to converse with her. The translator didn’t take kindly to the dirty girl whose worth was equal to a bag of spices. In his eyes, she was a worthless slave; frail and unable to be of use, not even for pregnancy. He bent down and furrowed his brow, asking her a few questions, but she remained silent, watching him warily. The translator stood up in annoyance and even kicked the cage once.

When we had run out of options, Dr. An Liang stepped in. He had just left to buy some food from a vendor, some roasted sweet potatoes. He squatted before the girl and placed the potatoes in front of her, encouraging her to eat with a smile. She seemed less wary of Dr. An Liang than of us, and cautiously reached out her dirty hand to pick up a sweet potato, consuming it whole without peeling.

As I was thanking him, Dr. An Liang suddenly stood up. Frowning, he asked me about my plans for the girl. I initially intended to give her some money and food and then let her go. But the translator objected, explaining that since she had been sold as a slave, she must be branded. The girl would be recognized and could be captured as a slave anywhere without legal repercussions.

I was appalled by these dark customs and laws. People here were grotesquely ignorant, their level of civilization was inferior to even the most primitive societies on Earth. He told me that if I bought the girl, I had to keep her. As a slave, her status was no different from livestock, even lower than beggars. If she wandered alone on the streets and no one claimed to be her master, anyone could take her as their own.

The problem started to escalate. I couldn’t stay in Otherworld forever, as the investigation team had a time limit. After the deadline, we would have to return to Earth. But what would happen to this girl then? I could be the most enlightened master she’d ever had. Although I didn’t consider her my slave, what about the next person who owned her? How would they treat her when I was gone?

This diary entry was rather long, stretching for several pages. Evidently, the girl who was purchased must be Aniya. If so, was she Baiyue’s mother?

"Aniya, wasn’t she supposed to be part of the Otherworld Allied Army?" Hu Daoke asked hesitantly.

"What are you trying to ask?" Cheng Ziang responded.

"How did she become a slave then?" Hu Daoke questioned.

"I suppose it must have been during the Otherworld war." Cheng Ziang suggested.

"That doesn’t add up!" Hu Daoke frowned.

"Why not?" Cheng Ziang inquired.

"Think about it. In the Otherworld war, who were the enemies of the Otherworld Allied Army? Earth’s multinational forces. If Aniya was captured in the war and made a slave, then she should have been imprisoned by the multinational forces. How did she end up a slave in Otherworld?" Hu Daoke asked, his face crumpled in confusion.

"There’s one issue with the Otherworld Allied Army; during the cleanup after a conflict, they don’t distinguish between friend and foe," Luo’er explained Hu Daoke’s confusion, "Unless they’re their own, it doesn’t matter if they’re an ally or not. If they’re caught by them, they will become slaves."

"Remember how Luo’er’s parents escaped the battlefield?" reminded Cheng Ziang.

"Beastmen again?" Hu Daoke scratched his head, becoming embarrassed.

"Not just beastmen, other races do the same," Luo’er stepped in to mediate, "Aside from the High-peak people, most of the Otherworldly armies do not hold much love for those from other races."

"What happened next, stop getting sidetracked!" Tangmo complained.

Baiyue flipped through some pages, found the next journal entry, and proceeded to translate.

June Xth, 2030, the Otherworld

Damn it, I wrote two diary entries today, I should’ve merged them into one.

After that girl finished eating the sweet potato that Dr. An Liang gave her, we were finally able to gain her trust. She gradually squeezed out of the small cage and timidly stood before us. She’s a girl of less than 1.6 meters, maybe even less than 1.5, standing before her, I felt like a Titan. She was wearing a crude and simple jute sack with a grass rope tied around her waist. She has thick curly hair and two fluffy rabbit ears on her head. She looks very thin, her limbs are slender and scarred as if a gust of wind could topple her over. A thick iron chain was choking her neck, making her struggle to stand. Her eyes were big and beautiful, but had a murky look. In the depth of her eyes, I thought I saw profound despair.

Dr. An Liang discussed with me how we might handle the girl. I decided to stay in the Otherworld as her master, but Dr. An Liang rejected my foolish and naive idea. Asides from whether UNESCO would agree, the Magic Power Erosion alone would slowly kill me. Although we have the antidote, it only ensures any magic erosion can be reverted. Earthlings will still gradually die here. A few days ago, an Earthling merchant who drifted between Yazhi City and Ulysses City told us that the magic near the Otherworld Gate is weaker, and Earthlings could stay a bit longer. With the antidote, they could stay for half a year, but he has never seen an Earthling who could last a full year.

Should we just let her go? No, the translator warned us she’s considered a slave now and can’t regain freedom. Letting her go would be akin to throwing her into a sea of fire. Then what about handing her over to the translator? That’s a no as well. The translator seems decent, but he certainly isn’t the kind who would treat a slave kindly.

I gritted my teeth and sought Dr. An Liang’s advice. I hoped to bring her along. Our mission is scheduled to last until the end of the year, which exceeds Earthlings’ magic resistance limit. But most scientists and the team leader have agreed. UNESCO wanted us to leave the Otherworld by the end of October, but they decided to push until the end of December, allowing ample time for research.

Dr. An Liang suggested I think this through and consult the team leader. After all, it’s likely we won’t receive support from Earth past the end of October, and we’ll have to fend for ourselves. Bringing another slave might stress the team even more.

I instructed the translator to tell the girl that she could come with us. The translator spoke with her, but the girl didn’t respond. He became agitated, and even thought about hitting her with dislodged chain. I stopped him in time. After an apology, the translator explained that she might not understand the Tasta language. This species isn’t common here and are believed to live on the continent’s west, east of the Namijiya Mountain Range.

I approached the girl, talked to her in English, and desperately used sign language hoping she would understand what I meant. Although I knew it seemed foolish, she seemed to understand me and nodded dully.

On the way back, the girl followed closely behind us, unwilling to walk alongside us. The translator suggested I hold the iron chain in case she gets stolen. I couldn’t bear to see her weighed down by the heavy chain and threw it away. But I considered the translator’s advice and held onto the grass rope tied around her waist. While walking, I kept looking back to prevent her from getting kidnapped.

Along the way, Dr. An Liang explained the girl’s background. He told me the girl should be from the Sub-beastmen west of Oudallo. The name was coined by the first batch of investigators, but Dr. An Liang scoffed at the notion that Sub-beastmen were a subspecies of Beastmen. The relationship between Beastmen and the Human Race is close, similar to the Homo sapiens and Neanderthals on Earth, but Sub-beastmen are an entirely different species. Historical texts from the Otherworld have mentioned this race, apparently, they’re not from this continent. But no one seems to know where they come from.