Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 370 - 363: Thrilling but not Dangerous

Chapter 370: Chapter 363: Thrilling but not Dangerous

"Big Brother!"

Just as Luo’er was about to observe further, Feliz suddenly shouted with excitement, again picking up the hem of her skirt and swiftly alighting from the carriage to run towards the man.

"Feliz!" Seeing Feliz appear, the man looked utterly stunned, even his voice seemed to tremble a bit.

Rushing up to the man, Feliz was caught in his shaking hands, as he excitedly asked: "Where...where did you go? I... When I heard that your practice journey went wrong, you went missing. I’ve been worried about you."

"There was a lot... a lot of trouble, too much..." She began before turning her head to look at the carriage and then, deciding resolutely, she added, "I owe my life to the Dean!"

"The... Dean Shariya?" Hearing Feliz’s words, the man sniffed, and seemed almost disbelieving.

"Brother, you’re holding me a bit too tightly!" whispered Feliz.

"Oh, oh, sorry." Upon her reminder, the man let go of Feliz and rubbed his nose, working to keep his tears from falling.

He walked straight towards the carriage, and noticing his intention, Shariya opened the carriage window and leaned out.

"Thank you, Dean, for saving my sister’s life!" He stepped forward, then suddenly knelt on one knee, putting his hand on his chest in a standard knight’s salute.

"You’re too courteous," Shariya nodded, speaking faintly, "Feliz is my student, it is my duty as Dean to protect her."

"May I ask, Dean, what exactly happened on this journey?" The man remained kneeling and asked, his head bowed. He only knew the academy had a mishap during practice, and many students died.

"It’s complicated...." Shariya sighed, then uttered in a meaningful way, "Some of the Aud people, it seems, want to break away from the Pope’s divine rule."

"This..." The man looked up at him, seemingly unable to comprehend his cryptic words.

"Stand up and talk!" Shariya said faintly. His carriage was almost half a meter off the ground, so even if the man stood up, he would hardly be able to see the inside of the carriage.

From his angle, Luo’er could see that the man was wearing rune armor. However, at his level, it was hard to determine its defense rating. On his chest, he wore a strange totem-like image, which seemed less like defense runes, and more like a family crest.

The man had a long sword at his waist, but a FAL semi-automatic rifle was strapped to his back. His shining metallic armor was crisscrossed with a few black canvas ammunition belts. The man himself was a perfect blend of modern and primitive.

This was Feliz’s brother. His features were different from hers, looking more like a Marsyan, possibly her half-brother. Considering that he was Feliz’s brother, he should also be a member of the Uzistas family. Luo’er guessed that the insignia on his chest was likely the family crest of the Uzistas.

"Yes!"

Before the man raised his head to look inside the carriage, Luo’er concluded his observation and analysis, quickly ducking to avoid his gaze.

Shariya looked around, then asked faintly, "What are you checking for?"

"Um..." The man hesitated before admitting, "This morning, a group of thugs attacked pedestrians near the city gate, causing several fatalities. His Majesty ordered the city defense forces to apprehend these thugs immediately!"

"Is this by order of the King?" Shariya asked, his gaze fixed on the man.

"Yes!" The man hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Um," Shariya nodded, appearing thoughtful, then continued, "So you are checking here because you’re afraid those thugs might try to enter the city?"

"Yes!" The man nodded again.

"Do you need to continue checking?" Shariya looked at his own caravan, then at the man.

"Oh no," The man hastily stepped back, respectfully saying, "Since it’s the Dean’s convoy, there is naturally no need for checking. Please, pass through!"

He waved to the soldiers behind him to signal permission to pass. So, under his orders, the soldiers removed the barricades, allowing the convoy to enter the city without any check.

"Feliz is quite smart!" After the carriage entered the city, Cheng Ziang gently lifted the curtain of the carriage window, and looked at Feliz, who was still talking with the man. He couldn’t resist commenting, "I was afraid she might give us away."

"She’s not Moumou, after all." Luo’er suddenly piped in.

Upon hearing his quip, Cheng Ziang glanced at him, then burst into subdued laughter. It was rare that Yalunte got to see Cheng Ziang laugh, although he had no idea what the joke was.

"The King’s warrant..." Shariya was deep in thought, his brow creased.

Luo’er and Cheng Ziang shared a glance, and then Luo’er added, "If the King did grant permission, that would make sense."

"Why?" Shariya asked, taken aback.

"Because," Luo’er glanced again at Cheng Ziang and said, "because if I’m not mistaken, King Gudelv should also have been involved in last year’s academy abduction case."

"What are you saying?" This was the first time Shariya had heard of such news, and she was instantly stunned.

"Of course, we are just guessing. King Gudelv is likely connected to last year’s academy abduction case. Those Aud people, could very well have been acting under his orders," Luo’er stated.

"Do you have any evidence? A king should not be slandered lightly," Shariya looked at him, narrowing her brow, and asked seriously.

"Sorry, but we don’t have any evidence yet. However, I did eavesdrop on the conversation among the Aud people, and they repeatedly mentioned someone they called ’the adult,’ which could very well be their mastermind," Luo’er explained.

"The adult..." Shariya lowered her head, falling into deep thought.

"At the start of the school year, there was a tutor who died in the academy, wasn’t there?" Luo’er asked.

"How do you know," Shariya suddenly looked up, shocked and exclaimed, "was it you guys?"

"I heard those people discussing the deceased tutor, who seemed to have been sent to the academy as an undercover agent," he replied.

"Undercover... So you’re saying Xiluo was their undercover agent!" Shariya exclaimed as if she had connected the dots.

"Not only that, he seemed to be the relative of the ’adult’ they mentioned. If we follow his lead, we should be able to quickly find out who this mastermind is," Luo’er said.

"Xiluo, a relative of that adult..." Shariya looked solemn, her brows furrowed, she murmured.

"But what I don’t understand is, if King Gudelv is indeed the mastermind, what is his motive? Why would he demand that the Church Court allow Earth’s troops to be stationed in Yazhi City?" Luo’er was also deep in thought.

"Master, if I remember correctly, you should be acquainted with Gudelv," noticing the frowning pair, Cheng Ziang suddenly had a thought and turned to Yalunte to ask.

"Ah, old acquaintances!" Yalunte crossed his arms and casually replied.

"What kind of person is he?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"How should I put it..." Yalunte paused, exhaled gently then said, "He is a self-centered, arrogant, and rebellious guy."

"Er..."

"If it weren’t for him, the old king wouldn’t have so easily agreed to send the princess to Masya!" Cheng Ziang was just about to speak when Yalunte interrupted him again. When he mentioned these events, his eyes began to turn icy and his teeth clenched.

"Could it be that King Gudelv was scared of the princess competing for the throne like Melia?" Luo’er looked at Cheng Ziang and analyzed.

"The princess doesn’t participate in politics at all. He just can’t stand his own sister and wants to use her for bigger gains!" Yalunte said coldly.

Hearing his words, Luo’er and Cheng Ziang exchanged a look and wisely closed their mouths.

"You guys need to be careful of this guy. He has many faults but he is very smart. I’ve always refused to believe that he would leave behind any clue which could lead to a mistake." Yalunte continued.

Clearly, Yalunte and Gudelv didn’t get along well. When Yalunte was still a legion commander, Gudelv was just a crown prince. As such, he had encountered Gudelv many times.

As the group conversed, the carriage slowly entered the eastern district. After crossing the bridge into the uptown district, they finally arrived at the academy’s gate.

A year ago, the advance team had been here for a mission, which left a lasting memory. Perhaps they never thought that a year later, they would visit this place again. Only this time, they didn’t sneak around and instead, arrived by carriage.

The carriage didn’t linger at the academy gate for long and drove right in. Although this was the academy’s territory, it was still unsafe. If the city defense troops were to notice, even Shariya’s presence could lead to trouble.

Following the paved stone path, the carriage entered the academy. Luo’er lightly pulled back the curtain, gazing at the familiar yet alien setting, and the scenes from the past invariably surfaced in his mind.

It was still morning, and many academy students could be seen walking in pairs. Their sudden appearance seemed unfamiliar to the students, yet they didn’t gather around to spectate.

The caravan eventually arrived at the living quarters of the academy’s tutors, following the stone path. Usually, students weren’t allowed free access to this area, and there were dedicated guards. As such, it was relatively quiet, with hardly anyone lingering around.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Shariya briskly exited. Several tutors and attendants hurried over, expressing their concern.

Shariya casually dismissed them. After they left, she called over an attendant, whispered a few instructions, and the attendant immediately nodded and hastily left.