Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 295 - 288: The New Otherworld Gate

Chapter 295: Chapter 288: The New Otherworld Gate

"Do you know why Lipei declined?" Melia asked him.

"Isn’t it because of its isolated location?" Luo’er replied.

"That’s part of the reason, but not the most important one," she paused and then continued, "During the era of the Aud Empire, this was once a bustling city. However, an unexpected disaster reduced it to a solitary place."

"Disaster?" Luo’er asked, looking confused.

"Yes, the disaster of the Aud Empire," Melia paused for a moment, then spoke again, "There’s an Otherworld Gate here!"

"What did you say, an Otherworld Gate?" Luo’er exclaimed in surprise. He had never expected that there would be another Otherworld Gate outside of Yazhi City.

"You’re easily surprised," Melia laughed, amused by his astonished expression, and then explained, "There are many Otherworld Gates spread across the continent."

"Many places..." Luo’er frowned, then asked, "How did these Otherworld Gates come into existence?"

"I don’t know. They were already present when the first humans appeared on the continent. They are said to have been created by our ancestors, but I’m not very clear about the details," Melia replied, her brow furrowed.

"So, before your civilization came to be, an ancient civilization existed on this continent and eventually perished." Luo’er murmured to himself, frowning.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, but Otherworld Gates are quite common to us," said Melia.

"Then why doesn’t the Otherworld Gate in Lipei connect to Earth?" Luo’er continued to inquire.

"Not all Otherworld Gates can be linked to your world," Melia explained, "The Otherworld Gate in Lipei has been abandoned for many years, ever since it was closed during the Aud Empire era."

"What? The Otherworld Gate was opened during the Aud Empire era?" Luo’er looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Yes, that’s what I mentioned — the disaster of the Aud Empire," Melia confirmed with a nod.

The Aud Empire was a powerful empire established more than a thousand years ago. Legend has it that Emperor Otlandt, the first emperor of the Aud Empire, led his troops to sweep across the entire northern part of the continent, defeating his own kind and wiping out the other races. He ultimately took control of the entire northern region and established the mighty Aud Empire.

The Aud Empire’s territory spanned from the east coast to the west and extended as far south as the midpoint of the continent. If not for the barriers posed by the Northern Domain Mountain Range and the Winter Mountains, the extreme northern lands of the Snow Elf Clan and the then-wastelands of Ronisca would have likely fallen under the rule of the Aud Empire.

At the time of Otlandt becoming Emperor, the Aud Empire boasted a powerful army that was a million strong, superbly equipped, and battle-hardened. They were fully capable of annexing the whole Aels Continent. However, the empire’s fate was changed by one incident, which killed Otlandt’s ambitions.

This incident is referred to as the Aud Empire’s disaster, which took place in present-day Lipei. According to the historical records, the high priest warned Otlandt that the Otherworld Gate in Lipei City was awakening and that a terrible disaster was imminent. Otlandt ignored the high priest’s warning, and as a result, the Otherworld Gate of Lipei City opened, unleashing a catastrophe upon the world.

The epic describes this disaster as utterly terrifying. Horrifying beasts swept across the land, monstrous birds attacked the people on the ground at will. Soldiers battled these monsters, and anyone who made contact with the monsters’ blood would contract a plague.

Wherever the monsters died, their polluted blood would flow on the ground, causing the flowers and grass to wither and animals to flee. The entire region turned into a barren wasteland.

For his arrogance, Otlandt paid a heavy price. He personally led his troops to combat the calamity and eventually, with the help of the mages, they managed to close the Otherworld Gate. Otlandt then returned to the Holy Heart City, where he spent the rest of his days in melancholy and ultimately died.

After Otlandt’s death, the empire only lasted for another two hundred years before it fell apart. Otlandt had three sons: His eldest son, Alafalan, inherited the eastern territories of the empire; his second son, Feiora, received the western lands; and his third son, Oronis, was given the southwestern territories.

Eventually, Alafalan’s descendants established the Masya Kingdom, forming the ruling Alafasia Family; Feiora’s offspring claimed they were the true heirs of the Aud Empire and founded the Odelanqi Kingdom, forming the ruling Fiorent family; Oronis married into the Bobulu nobility of the southwest. After his death, the Bobulu nobility took over his territory and established the Oudallo Kingdom.

Therefore, in some respects, it was this disaster that destroyed the Aud Empire’s ambition to unify the continent and eventually led to the disintegration of the empire.

Notably, because Otlandt ignored the priest’s warning and caused a severe disaster, he extensively promoted the study of theology during his last days. This eventually led the Church of Light to become the religious leader of the entire northern continent.

Melia’s description reminded Luo’er of the Homeric Epics. Ancient people often used exaggerated descriptions for unknown things. Only modern people, who were educated in science, would analyze these things calmly.

Based on Melia’s description, the creatures that fought against the soldiers of the Aud Empire likely had radioactive blood. That’s why the soldiers fell ill, plants withered, and the land was left barren wherever the creatures’ blood flowed.

However, that wasn’t his primary concern. What he wanted to know now was why the armies of Odelanqi and Masya had agreed to assemble in Lipei. Was it to commemorate the war from over a thousand years ago?

"My spies tell me, they’ve not only assembled a massive army, but they’ve also gathered a countless number of mages," Melia said.

"Isn’t it only allowed to use mages if the Church Court approves? That being so, did the Church Court allow their assembly in Lipei?" Luo’er couldn’t help but ask.

His query arises from the fact that Lipei is not far from the headquarters of the Church Court in the Holy City, and the two locations are on a level plain with quick horse riding making it just a week’s journey to the Holy City.

Thus, unless such a gathering in Lipei is sanctioned by the Church Court, their assembly at this location would pose an absolute threat to the Church Court, who would certainly never allow such an action.

"What they likely have in mind involves the use of civilian mages. Those who would relentlessly arrest such mages are only from the Church Court. The people from the major kingdoms wouldn’t bother to meddle with them, and there’s even a chance that they might hire them to bolster their army’s magical prowess," explained Melia.

"What on earth could be their motive for amassing such a force and magical troops in Lipei?" Luo’er couldn’t refrain from enquiring.

"I’m wondering whether they’re intending to reopen the Otherworld Gate!" After a brief pause, Melia voiced her concerns.

"Hold on a moment, reopen the Otherworld Gate? How is that even possible?" Luo’er, shocked, looked straight at her. The information provided by Melia was more explosive with each piece.

Melia glanced back at him and then elaborated, "There are two ways to open the Otherworld Gate. One is to wait according to the prophecies recorded in the Book of Prophecy, and the other is a direct opening!"

"And how can it be opened?" Luo’er asked, looking at her.

"I don’t know much about the specifics, but it is said that people had opened the Otherworld Gate prior to the Aud Empire, which was later closed by the Aud heroes," Melia replied.

"Are you suggesting that they might want to open the Otherworld Gate and use the creatures within to combat the humans from Earth?" Inquired Luo’er after a moment of thought.

His conjecture was well-founded because, based on Melia’s description, the blood of those creatures should contain radioactive substances. Since Lipei is located upstream of Yazhi City, if they kill those creatures and release their blood into the Roen River, the entire river will become polluted. If the Earth’s army occupies Yazhi City under such circumstances, they would be forced to withdraw due to the severe radioactive contamination of the Roen River.

Of course, this is merely Luo’er’s speculation. Moreover, adopting such a method would essentially mean harming oneself more than the enemy. Anyone with a brain wouldn’t choose such a method.

Moreover, people from Earth are much better adapted to radiation than people from the Otherworld. Note that nearly seven or eight decades ago, people from Earth had already mastered nuclear weapons and are currently pursuing nuclear fusion. Trying to use radiation against people from Earth would be naive, akin to trying to drown a fish in water.

"Regardless, we’ll go take a look," Luo’er murmured to himself, nodding his head as he asked, "Does anyone else know about this matter, for instance, the Church Court?"

"Just us," Melia replied calmly, "If it wasn’t for my spy in Galan, I might not even have known."

"Alright then, let’s go to Lipei to see what these people are really up to," Luo’er agreed, nodding his head.

"Hey!" Melia turned her body around and called out to him.

"What is it?" Luo’er froze when he saw the expression on her face.

"When your mission is over and if you come back safely, will you come to see me?" Melia asked, her eyes not hiding her affection for Luo’er.

"Ah..." Luo’er didn’t dare to look into her eyes. Instead, he bowed his head and after a moment of silence, he nodded, "Yes, after we’re done with the mission, I will come to see you."

Smiling broadly at his reply, Melia extended her arms and said to Luo’er, "Goodbye and take care on your journey!"

"What is this for?" Luo’er couldn’t help asking when he saw her posture.

"It’s a hug, isn’t this what you Earth people do?" Melia asked, tilting her head with a playful smile.

"That’s a Western custom!" Luo’er said awkwardly, involuntarily stepping back.

"But we’re friends, aren’t we?" Melia looked at him and said.

"Okay..." Luo’er sighed, not knowing how deeply Melia cherished their friendship. However, her expression made it impossible for him to decline.

"This is just a custom, don’t overthink it..." he reminded himself again and again. Then he gently embraced Melia. This was perhaps their first intimate contact. Although Melia loved to make ambiguous remarks in the past, this was their first bout of such close physical contact.

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