Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 362 - 355: Night Talk

Chapter 362: Chapter 355: Night Talk

On the way, the group passed First Line Gorge, where a battlefield had once been. The place was now fully sealed off by the Church Court’s army, forcing everyone else to detour around the area.

It was rumored that the Church Court was still investigating the incident of forbidden magic. Trees that once stood erect now fell radially around the once chaotic battle zone. At a distance, it was apparent that the epicenter of the explosion had met with high temperatures, enough to decimate the trees and reduce them to ashes in an instant. The scarred expanse of the gorge was studded with pitch-black stumps~ a stark reminder of the ferocity of the explosion.

"I heard that most of Earth’s troops died here, is that correct?" Shangguan Jiu couldn’t help but ask, while looking at the scorched remains of First Line Gorge.

"Yes indeed, more than a hundred thousand people no less, directly killed by the explosion." interjected Hu Daoke with a shrug.

"How did so many people die?" Shangguan Jiu found it hard to believe.

"Magical Shock," Luo’er patiently explained, "The enemy used a magic technique called Light Singularity. It compresses magic and then releases it. The sudden release of the magic could instantly kill most Earth-men. Moreover, the magic drove the air flow, which due to friction, resulted in high temperatures at the blast center."

"If it had been the people of Otherworld, the explosion might not have been so devastating." Cheng Ziang shrugged his shoulders and couldn’t help but sigh.

"No wonder so many people died," Shangguan Jiu stared out at First Line Gorge with lingering fear, then said, "When we were on Earth, the news reported on this event every day, and there were protests all over the world."

"He had warned them in advance, but nobody was willing to listen." Hu Daoke said, his voice hinting regret.

"We did our best, at least no one from our country was harmed." Luo’er sighed deeply, a mix of relief and sorrow.

In retrospect, the source of these vital intelligence reports was Feliz. Had there been no danger, she would undoubtedly have been hailed as the central hero. Regrettably, in days prior, she and her classmates risked their lives to gather this intelligence, yet, they couldn’t prevent the Earth forces from marching towards their doom.

"Who should we blame for this, then?" Hu Daoke thought for a moment and then involuntarily shook his head.

"Was this the Church Court’s idea?" Murong broke his long silence asking.

"From their attitude, it doesn’t seem likely." Luo’er pondered before responding, "After the incident, the Church was eager to absolve themselves of responsibility. When they took control of the Otherworld Gate, they even allowed Earth’s contracted laborers to carry back the wounded, thereby reducing casualties."

"But after all, these people were from their side. For the Church, the wizards are always their followers; and the forbidden spell mages are an essential deterrent. These individuals are rare. Earth’s nuclear weapons can be mass-produced; The resources and time it takes them to cultivate a forbidden spell mage is astronomical." Cheng Ziang quietly supplemented.

"So you mean to tell me, someone is framing the Church Court, driving them into opposition with Earth and Otherworld?" Murong frowned and asked.

"That’s not clear as yet," Luo’er turned his head to look at First Line Gorge and then replied: "They are still investigating, but I suppose given their track record, they are unlikely to find anything. While the church is a religious organization, they aren’t fools. They are aware of the disadvantages of opposing Earth’s people. So, I suspect they must be more troubled than us for now."

"Let’s get moving. If we pass through here with the nightfall, something bad might happen." Hu Daoke mysteriously exclaimed.

"What kind of a ’bad thing’?" Hearing his words, Shangguan Jiu immediately felt a shiver and asked anxiously.

"Something we wouldn’t encounter on Earth," smirked Hu Daoke, "Think about it, there is magic in this place, so certainly, there must be other strange things as well."

Hearing his words, Shangguan Jiu immediately paled. It was not just him; the other members of Murong Squad also started feeling a sudden panic. Their experience with Otherworld was limited in both duration and frequency, unlike the Advance Team, therefore they weren’t as familiar.

"Shut your mouth!" Cheng Ziang kicked him and shouted.

"Everyone relax, there are no ghosts here," Luo’er comforted, "Although this is a world full of magic, it is still subject to the basic principles of physics. It doesn’t allow all kinds of weird ghosts and goblins to exist."

"Little Ke, you’re quite a talker, lead the way!" Tangmo rode up to him, also angrily urging.

Seeing that he had sparked a wave of anger, Hu Daoke awkwardly puckered his mouth, lowered his head, then proceeded to lead the group. As he did so, an unavoidable chill settled over the group.

"Don’t mind him; he likes to joke around to lighten the mood," seeing the tense atmosphere, Luo’er laughed to defuse the tension.

From there on, they did not have the opportunity to chat freely anymore. After leaving the area around First Line Gorge, they spurred their horses to move quickly, covering hundreds of kilometers before dark, and then they set up camp.

Nights in Otherworld differed greatly from those on Earth. Here, beasts roamed free, and the roads were primitive; recklessly traveling through the night could quite easily lead to one losing their way.

The group set up camp and Luo’er prepared some emergency rations into a simple hot meal. Since they were travelling light, the group only had emergency food supplies, and had not brought any of the necessary cooking utensils, therefore Luo’er was unable to employ his culinary skills.

The advantage of a ten-person team was that two could stay awake when others took turns to rest. However, that did not necessarily mean the two could keep each other company. They needed to separate, back to back, keeping an eye on their respective surroundings.

The order of those who stayed awake still followed the order of the team, so for the first night, it fell to Tangmo, as team number one, and Luo’er, as number two, to keep the watch.

The members of the Murong Squad lay down to sleep fairly early. As students, they had never experienced camping like this in the wild before, and they seemed quite excited by it. However, their enthusiasm wasn’t expected to last long. The hardship of sleeping in the open would soon dawn on them and they’d eventually adapt to it.

Deep into the night, the drowsy Luo’er heard a gentle voice, "Luo’er, are you asleep?"

His eyes shot open to find Tangmo standing in front of him. He rubbed his eyes, then frowned, "Aren’t you supposed to be on watch? What are you doing here?"

"Well, we are on watch. You guard this side and I guard the other side with my back to you, doesn’t that work?" Tangmo said with a smile.

"You..." Luo’er was rendered speechless.

"Is that okay?" Seeing Luo’er hesitant, Tangmo played her cute card.

"Fine, just don’t let it distract you!" Luo’er would always be weak in the face of Tangmo’s requests, he could not refuse her.

"Hmm!" With Luo’er’s agreement, the smile on Tangmo’s face became even sweeter. She moved behind Luo’er then they sat back to back. She gently rested her head against Luo’er’s back, feeling his heartbeat and warmth, and her entire weight fell on his back.

"Luo’er, how long have we been in the Otherworld?" Tangmo gazed at the starry sky and asked.

"O-over a year, I think..." Luo’er scratched his head. He could not precisely remember.

"A year already," Tangmo said, feeling emotional, "This year, so many things happened. We travelled from west to east, then south to the center."

"Yeah, so many things happened..." Luo’er echoed her sentiment. A year ago, he was just a naive newbie seeking his mother. A year later, he had grown experienced, yet his plan to find his mother never ceased.

"Do you remember the first time we stood watch together?" Tangmo asked.

"Of course, you were the one who asked me to join you." Luo’er said.

"I was scared, and I still am, but I’ve become braver. Still, I need you." Tangmo added.

"I never said you couldn’t rely on me." Luo’er said.

"Luo’er, after you find your mother and we retire, what do you want to do?" Tangmo suddenly asked.

"What do I want to do?" Luo’er paused, then said, "To be honest, I haven’t given it much thought."

"Think about it then, you’re a man, how can you not have your own plan in life?" Tangmo said.

Luo’er was silent for a moment, then said, "I might return to Earth to be with my grandfather. He’s quite old now. I want to accompany him through the remainder of his journey."

"Of course, you can’t let go of your grandfather, despite your constant complaints about him." Tangmo said.

"What I resented was his neglect of his duties as a grandfather. However, it’s my duty to take care of him as the younger generation." Luo’er was in deep thought, "I used to loathe him so much. Since coming to the Otherworld, with each passing day, my resentment fades a little, whereas my guilt grows. He is my grandfather, after all, not an outsider. I can’t reciprocate his past indifference with my own."

"You’re always so sensible, that’s why I like you so much!" Tangmo said spontaneously and couldn’t help but sway her head back and forth, bumping against Luo’er’s back.

"Here we go again..." Whenever Tangmo was candid about her feelings, Luo’er would feel embarrassed.

"Luo’er," After a long silence, Tangmo couldn’t help but ask, "What are your thoughts on Yue’er?"

"What do you mean?" Luo’er pretended not to understand.

"Do you like her?" Tangmo asked directly.

Luo’er was stunned, then he responded honestly, "I wouldn’t say on that level, but I do care for her."

"I see..." After a moment of silence, Tangmo said, "Luo’er, you should be with Yue’er, I..."

"Are you again using me as..." He didn’t finish before he was interrupted by Luo’er.

"I am not treating you as my possession," Before Luo’er could finish speaking, Tangmo interrupted him.

She glanced at Baiyue not far away, then said thoughtfully, "You’re an elf, and I’m a dwarf. Both of us have long lives. I can wait for you for hundreds of years, but Yue’er cannot. She’s a mere mortal, with a lifespan of just over a hundred years, so I..."

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