Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 298 - 291: Tangmo’s Apology

Chapter 298: Chapter 291: Tangmo’s Apology

Although internal conflicts had not been fully resolved, the advance team had already packed their luggage and were ready to depart. Before they set off, Melia, on her personal behalf, gifted them several horses as a means of transportation, albeit without showing up in person.

Upon seeing the horses given by Melia, and thinking about what had happened that day, Luo’er felt regretful. Perhaps out of guilt, Tangmo no longer cried, he acted more humble, not speaking until he mounted his horse.

As they were about to leave the camp, some rested officers came to send them off. During the five-day rest, Hu Daoke had roamed around and formed deep friendships with many officers.

The knight also came on behalf of Melia to see them off, reluctantly uttering some gooey farewells. Melia did not come to see them off, likely busy with political affairs. But it was probably for the best, which saved Luo’er the awkwardness of a meet-up.

Given the recent incident within the team, Luo’er, as one of the parties involved, had to activate emergency protocols, thus the position of captain was temporarily filled by Cheng Ziang. Despite his free-disposition making him ill-suited for such a position; considering Luo’er’s situation, he reluctantly took up the role.

They arrived at the ferry, crossed the Roen River by boat provided by Melia, along with their horses. Considering their current location, Masya was mainly mountainous. They could go upriver, however, the area’s rugged terrain was not conducive for horse riding. Hence, they decided to cross the Roen River, and travel within the borders of Odelanqi.

The team was riding on Odelanqi hills, though just separated by a river, the terrain was much better than the Masya mountain region. The advance team members could not forget the horrifying experience of trudging through Masya mountains amidst snowfall the previous year.

After a hysterical venting, they had a cold war with each other. Luo’er didn’t take the initiative to approach Tangmo, and Tangmo, picking up on the cues, was not further entangled. Their mutual silence gave the others in the team a respite from being the third wheel and being endlessly teased.

On the way, Cheng Ziang and Luo’er talked a bit about Lipei. Luo’er shared all the information he got from Melia. Cheng Ziang listened and fell into deep thought after hearing it.

"You suspect that the people heading to Lipei are aiming to open the Otherworld Gate?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Only a suspicion, but it’s not very likely. After all, if the Otherworld Gate is opened, those people wouldn’t be able to defeat or control the creatures from the other world. If they intend to use these monsters against Earth’s army, it would be too naive." Luo’er clarified his suspicion, furrowing his brows.

"The question is, can the Otherworld Gate be opened? According to Melia, the Otherworld Gate opens following a prophecy at a specific time, not only the gate in Lipei, but also the one in Yazhi City. So, do they really have a way to open the Otherworld Gate?" Cheng Ziang questioned.

"The Otherworld Gate would have some timing device, allowing it to open automatically at a specific time. Melia mentioned that these gates existed even before the appearance of humans on the continent. In other words, these gates are not creations of their civilization. It’s very likely an artifact from a previous era or an alien civilization." Luo’er speculated.

The advance team, hailing from Earth, had a strong scientific mindset. Hence, to explain such mysteries, they would lean towards scientific reasoning instead of supernatural explanations.

"Scheduled activation..." Cheng Ziang mused, then expressed his confusion, "Could it be that they are aware of Lipei’s Otherworld Gate’s imminent opening and deployed troops for defense accordingly?"

"If that were the case, they would not be so cautious and conservative." Luo’er stated, "The opening of the Otherworld Gate affects the entire continent, and a few countries alone wouldn’t be able to contain it. During the Aud Empire era, all of the empire’s forces were mobilized to suppress the creatures from the Otherworld Gate, barely managing to close it. Given such intensity, upon learning that the Otherworld Gate is about to open, these people should inform other countries on the continent, including the Church Court. If necessary, they should even seek aid from Earth."

"There’s also a possibility that high-ranking officials in Odelanqi and Masya believe that the Otherworld Gate would connect to a low-level civilization, so they want to occupy it exclusively." Cheng Ziang hypothesized, "Think about it, if Earth was still in the feudal age when the Otherworld Gate connected to it, and there was no one in Australia, they could then select people best suited to Earth’s environment to stay and proliferate, and eventually colonize the Australian continent."

"It’s possible..." Luo’er agreed to Cheng Ziang’s speculation.

Indeed, the Otherworld Allied Army’s invasion of Earth was a complete failure. But if Earth’s civilization and Otherworld’s civilization were at the same level then, would the Otherworld army have successfully established a presence in Australia, and eventually colonized it?

"Regardless, we must investigate firsthand. The first thing we need to verify is whether they can open the Otherworld Gate." Luo’er pondered.

"Recruiting so many civilian mages is likely an attempt to open the gates. If they succeed, they would once again have a gateway to an unknown world." Cheng Ziang asserted.

The group travelled across the plains and hills of Odelanqi for five days, covering the majority of their journey. They would arrive in Lipei after about three more days of travel.

Since it is in a high latitude border area, the population here is sparse, still in an undeveloped state. Although they had not encountered Odelanqi’s army on the way, Luo’er still preferred being cautious, hence choosing to set up camp in remote and sheltered areas.

At dusk, the group set up camp at the edge of the forest. After finishing dinner for everyone, Luo’er finally had some time to sit down and rest for a while. Thinking about the incidents from the past few days, he couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

Just then, he suddenly heard a faint noise coming from behind. As he prepared to turn around, he felt a familiar presence. He knew who was approaching without even looking back.

"Luo’er," a pair of small hands wrapped around his neck from behind, followed by warm breath and a plaintive voice by his ear, "Are you still mad at me?"

"Hmm!" Luo’er nodded, not denying it.

"I know I was wrong." Tangmo’s head was close to his ear as she whispered, "It was my fault, I nearly caused a big mess."

Luo’er moved her hands away, turned around and looked at her, asking, "Why did you do that that day?"

"I," once their eyes met, Tangmo immediately felt guilty and began to mumble defensively, "I saw you hugging her that day so I got mad... Luo’er you are also at fault, why are you hugging other girls!"

"I admit my behavior that day was a bit inappropriate, I shouldn’t have been so intimate with Melia," Luo’er looked at her and said, "But, just because you were mad, you didn’t hesitate to pull out your gun. Do you know what you were doing? If it hadn’t been for Ziang that day, what would have happened if you shot us, were you planning to kill me, too?"

"No, no, no, that’s not it," Tangmo waved her hands, pleading, "I wasn’t paying attention to the mode on the Magic Crystal Gun, I was just in a daze, I didn’t mean to kill you. If Luo’er died, I wouldn’t want to live either..."

"You’re still talking irresponsibly!" Luo’er frowned, looking upset at her.

Tangmo was startled into silence, hesitating for a long while before asking pitifully, "Are you still going to punish me?"

"Of course," Luo’er sighed, "You made such a big mistake, we can’t let you off without punishment!"

"Then, then, after you’ve punished me, will you still be mad at me?" Tangmo asked cautiously.

Luo’er looked at her innocent face, not knowing what to say. He let out a deep sigh, moved his gaze away, and reluctantly said, "We’ll see about that, we’ll decide later!"

After hearing his words, Tangmo lowered her head, falling silent. Not long after, Luo’er heard her sobbing, she wiped her tears then timidly reached out to tug at his clothes, pleading with a sob, "Can’t you stop being mad at me for now, can’t we make up first, can you not ignore me... after we get back, you can punish me however you want, but I can’t live without you..."

If Tangmo’s pitiable tone was a weapon, then her action no doubt shattered Luo’er’s defences in a snap. He let out a heavy sigh, then comforted her, "Stop crying, I’m not mad at you anymore!"

"Really?" Tangmo lifted her tear-streaked face, a hint of joy on her expression.

"But you..." Luo’er’s words were cut short when Tangmo suddenly lunged at him, hugging him so tight that he could hardly breathe.

He struggled to push Tangmo away, then reiterated his demands, "If you’re going to start a fight without thinking again like last time, I, I, I will ignore you forever..."

Luo’er wanted to use a harsher word to scare her off, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t find the right words, so his tone was much weaker when he spoke.

"Hmm!" Tangmo nodded without hesitation and snuggled back into his arms.

"Luo’er, can I hold you a bit longer?" Tangmo asked softly, her head against his chest.

"Whatever you want..." Luo’er’s hands fell helplessly to his sides, allowing her to have her way. What he didn’t notice was that Tangmo, hidden in his embrace, had a triumphant sneer on her face.