Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 234 - 227: Three Encounters with Kali

Chapter 234: Chapter 227: Three Encounters with Kali

The group arrived at the port of Yazhi City by carriage and then boarded a merchant ship bound for the Golden Port of the neighboring country, Saint Basaya. The merchant ship would sail down the river, reach the estuary, and then sail south along the coastline, finally arriving at the port city of Golden Port in Saint Basaya.

The name Golden Port is a translated name. It is the main port of trade between the north and south of the continent, making trade frequent. It was described as being full of gold, hence the name Golden Port.

On the surface, Saint Basaya follows the directives of the Church of Light, but in practice it practices duplicity, allowing heretics from the south to trade on their land, even allowing them to settle.

This infuriates the Church Court, which tried several times to send troops to station in Saint Basaya to eliminate the heretics, but had to give up due to the obstruction of the upper echelons of Saint Basaya. However, it’s clear that the upper echelons could not withstand the pressure of the Church Court, so they had to offer the sword they just found as a demonstration of their ’turn a blind eye’ attitude.

It is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that the north-south trade at the Golden Port is beneficial to cultural and economic exchanges on both sides. However, the Church Court has persistently obstructed their progress. The countries of Earth are basically neutral towards the behavior of the Church Court. They see nothing wrong with the Church Court limiting the modernization of the Otherworld. They have even speculated about what measures to take to maintain the Church’s religious dominance in the Otherworld, should the Church’s power wane.

So, they don’t have much resistance towards the upcoming mission. From their point of view, the Church Court’s indifference to the north-south trade does not serve Earth’s interests, and they, as Earthlings, certainly need to change something.

The merchant ship sailed down the Roen River and reached the estuary in the afternoon. Here lays a port city called Whitestrand, located at the border of Masya and Saint Basaya.

The name Whitestrand is also a translated name. It is said to be so named because the beaches around here are white. Before the Otherworld Gate was connected to Earth, Whitestrand was just a small fishing village straddling the two countries. The marine trade between Masya and Saint Basaya relied mainly on the Luofu Port and Golden Port.

But since the Otherworld gate was connected to Earth, Whitestrand, being the necessary estuary to enter Yazhi City, quickly became bustling. In just thirty years, it has turned into a prosperous port city, forming a tripartite situation with Golden Port and Luofu Port.

The merchant ship did not dock at Whitestrand, but continued south along the coastline towards Golden Port. By the time they reached Golden Port, it was already late at night. The hotels nearby the port were still open, serving guests coming from the port around the clock.

Unlike in the country of the Aud people, the innkeepers in Saint Basaya are mostly local Bobulu people. Very few Blaiqi people come here to open businesses. The Bobulu people have dark complexions, similar to brown races, with curly hair. Compared to the Aud people, their hair color is darker.

The Advance Team rented two rooms as temporary resting places. Discrimination against half-elves wasn’t as severe in Saint Basaya as it was in the country of Aud, so Luo’er was able to deal with these matters as the captain.

Because it’s a port city with a lot of people coming and going, the prices of the inns are higher than those of the wilderness inns, but the service quality is also much better. To this day, everyone can’t forget that black shop in Holy Heart City run by a Blaiqi person.

As an Advance Team, they didn’t have to worry about lack of funds, so Luo’er simply opened two four-person rooms for everyone, ensuring separate rooms for men and women.

After a day of boating, everyone was more or less seasick, so once they got to their rooms, everyone fell sound asleep.

One of the benefits of staying in an inn is that they generally don’t have to arrange for night watchmen, so everyone prefers to stay in an inn. Mention of the night watch always triggered bad memories of their time in Masya.

The group didn’t wake up until noon the next day, probably because of the fatigue from the boat ride the day before. Even Luo’er, who was usually strict with himself, couldn’t help but oversleep.

They were awoken by the hustle and bustle outside the window. When Hu Daoke got up from his bed, his face still had a sleepy look, with drowsy eyes staring at the window, he complained with dissatisfaction, "What’s all the fuss about so early in the morning!"

"It’s already noon, the sun is shining on your backside," said Cheng Ziang, yawning and getting out of bed.

"I’m sorry, I overslept," said Luo’er, struggling to get up and apologizing to them.

"Ah, if it’s noon, we must have missed the boat. I’ll sleep a little longer!" said Hu Daoke, before lying back down. Cheng Ziang looked at him, then at Luo’er, shrugging helplessly.

In the end, Hu Daoke was pulled out of bed by the two men. After eating something simple, Luo’er instructed the two girls to stay and watch their belongings, while the three men went to the port to inquire about the merchant ship to Saint Bawa, only to be told that it had departed this morning and the next one wouldn’t be until tomorrow.

"Damn, only one ship per day, do they want to do business or not?" Hu Daoke said in a way that was hard for him to comprehend.

"I heard that Saint Bawa is under city-wide lockdown, it probably has something to do with Arya’s Blade. As a result, the number of merchant ships heading to Saint Bawa has dwindled recently." Cheng Ziang analyzed.

"All for a piece of junk, they’re not going to do business?" Hu Daoke asked, puzzled.

"Are you stupid? The Heresy Tribunal Army is about to arrive in Saint Bawa. Do you think there are any merchants who dare go there?" Cheng Ziang looked at him and said.

"Oh, I see, they’re just afraid of those guys." Hu Daoke nodded.

"Boss, what are you thinking looking like that, why aren’t you saying anything?" Hu Daoke noticed Luo’er’s appearance and couldn’t help asking.

"Oh, I was thinking whether we should change our way to Saint Bawa," Luo’er came back to his senses and said.

"I think it’s more comfortable to go by boat!" Hu Daoke said, actually hoping to slack off today and wait for the ship.

"Is it?" Luo’er paused and replied.

"This guy just wants to slack off, ignore him!" Cheng Ziang quickly said.

"Anyway, we can’t make it today, let’s all take a break!" Luo’er said with a smile.

"Oh yeah!" Hu Daoke raised his fist behind them and cheered quietly.

"You always indulge this guy!" Cheng Ziang shook his head disapprovingly and said.

"Not really, don’t you want a break too?" Luo’er retorted.

Cheng Ziang waved his hand dismissively, with a look of disdain, "Don’t put me in the same category as this guy."

"You..." Luo’er was about to retort when a few people passing by caught his attention.

Not far off, two tall men were heading towards the port, leading a skinny girl by a chain. Luo’er felt a strange sense of familiarity when he looked at the girl.

"What’s wrong?" Cheng Ziang noticed Luo’er’s odd reaction and followed his gaze, asking the question simultaneously.

"That, that’s Kali!" Luo’er gasped and pointed to the people in the distance.

"Who’s Kali?" Cheng Ziang asked, looking towards Hu Daoke.

"Have you no heart? Kali is the little girl we met in Holy Heart City. She helped Sister Moumou and them sneak into the Sacred Heart Magic Academy!" Hu Daoke remembered it vividly.

After hearing Hu Daoke’s words, Cheng Ziang was taken aback, then looked in the direction Luo’er pointed and asked, "Isn’t she an aristocrat? Why is she being led by a chain?"

Both of them turned to look at Luo’er, only to see him with an incredulous expression, as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes. Luo’er had assumed that Kali remained unaffected in Holy Heart City as her little guard.

But clearly, this was his wishful thinking. If he was not mistaken, then Kali has indeed gotten into some trouble. Although he didn’t know if they caused it, Luo’er, as the first friend in the Otherworld, didn’t want to abandon her.

"What are you doing?" Cheng Ziang noticed Luo’er trying to approach the three people, and so he stopped and asked him.

"I want to help her!" Luo’er said anxiously.

Cheng Ziang looked at him, then at the burly men in the distance, and said, "Those guys are Aud people, aren’t you just asking for trouble?"

"But..." Luo’er said anxiously.

"I know you’re worried, but try to calm down a little. I’ll ask for you," Cheng Ziang said and looked towards Hu Daoke, "Old Hu, keep an eye on your main."

"Not a problem, captain, let this guy handle it!" Hu Daoke stepped forward to reassure Luo’er, draping his arm comfortingly over Luo’er’s shoulder.

"Be careful!" Luo’er cautioned.

"Don’t underestimate me!" Cheng Ziang smirked coldly, and turned to walk towards the two burly men.

Before he reached them, he casually ruffled his hair to appear even more disheveled, adding a touch of decadence to his aura. As he approached the three of them, Cheng Ziang glanced at the girl in the middle. He had seen Kali a few times and even though her face was paler and dirtier than before, he was still able to recognize her.

"What do you want?" the two burly men were on guard against this sudden newcomer and asked in alarm.

"What’s your relationship with this girl?" Cheng Ziang ignored their question and went straight to his point.

"She’s a slave, what of it?" one of the men stepped forward, handed the girl to the other, and then confronted Cheng Ziang.

"Nothing, I am just curious about her, are you planning to sell her?" Cheng Ziang asked, maintaining his composure.

The man turned to his partner, exchanged a glance, then turned back warily asking, "You want to buy her?"

"Yes, if you’re planning to sell her, I think I would make a decent buyer," Cheng Ziang answered, looking back at them with a faint smile on his face.