Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 323 - 316: Lipei

Chapter 323: Chapter 316: Lipei

After traveling for approximately two days, they were finally less than a day’s journey away from Lipei. At this time, Lipei became unusually lively, with footprints and horse hoof prints all over the road, turning it into a muddy mess.

The last time it was this busy was in the Aud Empire era, when the Emperor of the Aud Empire led troops to resist the monsters that surged out of the Otherworld Gate. It was that war that led to Lipei’s decline.

In the legend of the Aud people, this place is a forbidding wasteland. The great war of a thousand years ago turned it into a field of corpses and rivers of blood. Thus, in the lore of the Aud people, a story has been passed down: whenever a thin fog shrouds Lipei, the dead soldiers of the Aud Empire would rise from the soil to continue guarding Lipei from monster invasions.

No one dared to disbelieve this tale, so there were very few who dared to develop Lipei. The closest city to Lipei is Bens, located 200 kilometers away. However, the rulers of Bens do not dare expand their direct jurisdiction towards Lipei, fearing they would be cursed by the heroic spirits who perished in the battles of Lipei.

Lipei’s geographical location may be far to the north, but the terrain is exceptional. Lipei is located upstream of the Roen River, the city situated at the junction point of Roen River and Lingyuan River, and these two rivers can act as a natural defence barrier.

To the north of Lipei lies the Northern Domain Mountain Range, which blocks the cold current from the North Pole. Thus, winters here are not as cold as in Masya, and are even milder than those in Holy Heart City. East of Lipei, beyond Roen River, lies the vast mountainous region of Masya. The terrain is treacherous here, making an attack on Lipei an almost suicidal endeavor. Therefore, the Masya army decided to cross the Roen River downstream and entered Lipei through Odelanqi territory.

To the west of Lipei stretches endless rolling plains. The transportation here is extremely convenient, for a fast horse can reach Bens city from Lipei in less than two days. This area is also a significant grain-producing region for Odelanqi, but due to the high latitude, the main crop here is wheat.

Lipei initially belonged to the Aud Empire, but after the conclusion of the war, the Aud Empire’s Emperor ceded the land to the Church Court. The Church reckoned that having the Otherworld Gate in Lipei was a constant threat to its safety, and due to rumours of the land being cursed, they quickly abandoned it.

Thus, Lipei became a no man’s land, a ghost town. However, due to the lack of enforcement, it eventually became a camp for vagrants. Persecuted lower-class individuals and mixed bloods resorted to eking out a living here in hiding. For such matters, the Church Court usually turned a blind eye. When the number of people in Lipei increased, they would send the Judgment Legion to conduct a search, capture the heretics, and expel the vagabonds from the city. However, after their departure, the vagabonds would return.

Under normal circumstances, Lipei was not a blip on the Church’s radar. So, when the Aud Empire’s army arrived at Lipei, the reaction from the Church was unexpectantly slow. If not for Princess Melia’s warning, the Headquarters wouldn’t even have been aware.

According to Odelanqi’s response to the Church, they gathered in Lipei simply to commemorate that battle. Therefore, the Church believed their reasoning and did not send any clergy to observe.

However, the information Melia provided to the Headquarters was much more detailed. These three nations not only sent large armies, but they also deployed many civilian mages. This was a violation of the laws of the Church, as these mages were among the Judgment Legion’s main targets and were not supposed to be employed by secular authorities.

The combination of the army, mages, and the Otherworld Gate made it hard for the Advance Team to believe that this was merely a commemorative gathering.

The group gathered on the outskirts of Lipei, halting their journey. The situation in Lipei was unknown as was the strength of its military force. Hence, they decided to send a small team for reconnaissance and plan their next move based on the information gathered.

"According to the intelligence Melia provided us, Masya’s army should arrive from behind us in two days and then rendezvous with the troops stationed in Lipei," said Luo’er to his people.

Since Old Hu had delivered the message to Melia’s camp last time, Princess Melia had given the ring back to him to give to Luo’er. Luo’er remembered the ring was meant to guide the pigeons to deliver messages between them and Melia, a symbol of the friendship that had developed between the Advance Team and Princess Melia.

"May Master and I conduct the reconnaissance!" Cheng Ziang volunteered eagerly.

When Old Hu returned, he brought two sets of Masya military uniforms, the kind worn by low-rank soldiers. These uniforms could allow two people to infiltrate Lipei with the Masya army.

"Spread out first and clear the surrounding area. All vagrants have been driven out of Lipei by these people, so we must be more cautious to avoid being discovered due to these people," instructed Luo’er.

As Luo’er was speaking, he suddenly felt severe discomfort in his heart and couldn’t help coughing. Noticing the change in his condition, Tangmo didn’t ask after him as he usually did. Instead, he furrowed his brow, standing vigilantly alongside Baiyue and Feliz.

"Old Hu, move Luo’er aside!" Cheng Ziang commanded upon seeing the situation unfold.

"What’s going on?" Old Hu asked, looking puzzled.

"A magic disturbance. Someone nearby is using magic!" replied Tangmo without even turning to look back.

"I’m fine," said Luo’er after a cough, and rejecting the help from Old Hu with a wave of his hand. He then began to issue combat commands, "Ziang and the Sword Saint head in the direction of the magic disturbance for reconnaissance, Feliz and Moumou to provide cover. Yue’er to find a sniping position and set up the sniper rifle. Little Ke, find a firing position, set up the machine gun and prepare for support."

"Understood!" Everyone nodded and began to deploy according to Luo’er’s commands.

Their location was on the border between a hill and a forest. Baiyue climbed to a spot on the hill and began setting up a sniper rifle, while Hu Daoke also picked a spot for his machine gun and started preparing support fire.

Cheng Ziang and Yalunte exchanged a glance, both drew their swords and disappeared into the forest with Feliz and Tangmo following them to provide magic support.

If they encountered an irresistible enemy at the front line, Cheng Ziang and Yalunte would retreat from the forest under the cover of the two mages, attracting the enemy to the open border area. Then, Luo’er, Hu Daoke, and Baiyue would use their firepower advantage to annihilate the enemy. This was the core of Luo’er’s plan.

After more than a year of struggle in the Otherworld, Luo’er came to realize the significant role of firearms in the combat of this world. Not only them, but many adventurers from the Otherworld also chose firearms as their primary weapon.

In this world, the role of firearms became increasingly important. Luo’er felt that their team was underpowered and wanted to enhance their firepower. But it wasn’t a wise decision to equip everyone with guns, because magic had obvious advantages over firearms here. However, the mages of the Advance Team didn’t master many deadly magics, so the team always relied on firearms for support.

Encounters always happened in such woodlands, but it made sense. If they encountered enemies in a plain, the Advance Team could suppress the enemy with their weapons’ range advantage and there would be no such thing as an encounter.

The two scouts with weapons pushed through the weeds in front of them. Compared to Cheng Ziang, Yalunte had much more experience in reconnaissance. Although he hadn’t undergone formal reconnaissance training, he had been in the Otherworld for many years.

"Wait!" Yalunte alerted Cheng Ziang to stop. He squinted, sensing the magic disruptions in the air, then declared, "Be careful, there’s a mage here capable of casting fourth-level magic!"

"Fourth level?" Cheng Ziang looked at him somewhat flabbergasted.

"I’m not sure, it seems there are many mages fighting here, so the magic disruptions are intense. The two girls behind us should understand this better." Yalunte unmindfully waved to the girls behind him, indicating them to join.

"What’s wrong, uncle?" The two girls walked up to Yalunte, then asked.

"You two sense the magic disruptions, see what you can feel." Yalunte replied.

"There are fluctuations of fourth-level magic, along with some third and second-level ones..." Tangmo was the first to express her feelings.

"Okay, let’s go. If something goes wrong, retreat and let those behind us deal with them." Yalunte waved his hand and asked everyone to move forward slowly.

Although he was a renowned swordmaster, he did not underestimate mages capable of casting fourth-level magic. The standard of swordsmanship and magic grading were two different things, so he could defeat all enemies with his sword, but he might not be a match for a mage capable of casting fourth-level magic.

The four slowly moved forward, gently pushing the weeds in front of them to see a middle-aged, bearded mage holding a magic wand and fighting against several young mages in an open area. The fourth-level magic was cast by this mage.

But when they saw the face of the bearded mage, Tangmo and Feliz froze on the spot, with Feliz even involuntarily exclaiming, "Dean Shariya!"

"Shariya?" Cheng Ziang paused, he thought he’d heard the name somewhere.

"Ha, that old fellow is still alive!" Hearing Shariya’s name, Yalunte burst out laughing.

"You know him?" Cheng Ziang asked him.

"Oh, I think I still owe that old fellow something." Yalunte shrugged.

Cheng Ziang pondered for a moment before remembering - Shariya Oscar, the principal of the Sacred Heart Magic Academy. He had caused some trouble in the academy, so he hadn’t met Shariya in person and only heard his name from Luo’er and others. But the question was, what was Sheriya doing in Lipei City instead of staying in Sacred Heart Magic Academy?