Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 374 - 367: Taking the Initiative

Chapter 374: Chapter 367: Taking the Initiative

Xiluo’s incident gave Shariya a wake-up call, prompting him to thoroughly investigate the real intention of those in the academy, to see how many were working for other factions rather than loyally serving the Church Court.

This time, the training activity not only failed to achieve the desired effect but also took the lives of several students, leaving Shariya to face the wrath of the students’ parents.

The origins of these students were far from simple. In countries ruled by the Church Court, only the nobility had the right to learn magic. No matter how talented a commoner was, as long as they were not a noble, their fate was inevitably tied away from magic.

As the purge of the academy was being secretly carried out, Shariya, not being a callous person, had to resort to such measures due to recent events. The Church Court was now in a precarious situation and as a loyal believer, he naturally hoped to do something to change its fate.

The academy clean-up gave the Advance Team a chance to breathe. Shariya’s reason for hiding them was wholly due to worries about possible informants within the academy. With the purge ongoing, the backgrounds of everyone in the academy—from teachers to students, even down to the servants—were investigated.

If the mission that the Advance Team had undertaken a year ago were to be carried out today, they would have been caught red-handed long before now.

Luo’er changed his appearance by using contact lenses that could alter the color of his pupils. With a hood over his head, he was hardly distinguishable from anyone else, featuring a softer demeanor.

As the materials dispatched by headquarters arrived at the academy, they finally regained their armed supplies. During the last battle, they had not only exhausted their ammunitions but had also damaged several bulletproof panels they desperately needed to replace.

Fu’en was likely now within Holy Heart City. To apprehend him within the city, they needed to replace their gear first.

The light machine guns they were using were too long for use in city streets. They needed to replace them with dedicated short-range weapons, which could be much more convenient.

In reality, fighting in such a city, cold weapons held more advantages than firearms. Because no matter how careful one is with firearms, gunshots always bring noise. Even with a silencer, it would still attract curious onlookers. After all, this was no wilderness, but a populated area.

If they were to engage in sword combat, it might at worst be mistaken for a street fight. While this could cause some unrest, it was far less intense than a gunfight.

Interestingly, while Shariya wanted to assist the Advance Team in capturing Fu’en and even the Pope had clearly expressed his opinion, in reality, Shariya could only assist the Advance Team in collecting information about Fu’en’s whereabouts.

To mobilize the church’s troops stationed in the city, approval from the Cardinal Bishop must be obtained. The bishop currently stationed in Holy Heart City was Dulens Hamanster, who had been in charge of the academy during an event of hostage-taking a year ago, resulting in the defeat of many sacred knights.

Because of this, Dulens held a grudge against the people of Earth. Although he was supposed to assist the Advance Team in capturing Fu’en as soon as possible, he was vague and apathetic in practice, displaying an unresponsive attitude to the orders and refusing to take action.

There was little Shariya could do about this, besides registering his complaint. There were always those people in the church who liked to create open or covert mischief. If they could act in solidarity, they wouldn’t be the church.

Luo’er was unwilling to keep waiting. Though he had nothing in particular to do, waiting around was not his style. He would rather take the initiative to finish the task as soon as possible.

"Dean Shariya!" Luo’er walked into Fu’en’s office and respectfully greeted.

"Captain Luo’er!" When faced with the half-elf who could no longer be recognized by his elf traits, Shariya showed enough respect.

"I wonder if Dean Shariya has any new findings?" Luo’er asked straightforwardly.

"Well... we are still investigating Fu’en’s whereabouts. If he is in the city, we will surely find him." Shariya said, his face showing some embarrassment.

"What if he’s not in the city?" Luo’er asked.

"If he’s not, then people in other places will notice their traces." Shariya patiently explained.

After hearing his words, Luo’er lowered his head in silence for a moment, then looked up at him and said, "Dean Shariya, no offense, but I think the efficiency of your work is really low."

"I know," Shariya nodded in acknowledgement, "The Church Court is a large organization. Not everything is up to me or even His Holiness the Pope. In short, it’s tough to get everyone moving."

"Thank you for your goodwill. Actually, Fu’en is our target anyway, and has nothing to do with you. So..." Luo’er paused, then continued, "I think it’s better if we personally look for Fu’en. All we hope for is necessary support from the Church."

"If Captain Luo’er insists on doing so, then I can only agree," Shariya nodded and asked, "But I’m just not sure how you plan to do it, Captain Luo’er?"

"I don’t know what methods you use to search for Fu’en. But I think, as a freelance mage and a fugitive of the church, he would be very sensitive to your presence. In his eyes, you are always exposed while he always hides in the shadows," Luo’er said.

"Makes sense!" Shariya nodded in approval.

"We plan to infiltrate the lower class and locate them through the intelligence network in those areas. If there are some dirty jobs you guys can’t do, we’ll do them. They might be sensitive to your presence, but that doesn’t mean they can identify us." Luo’er said.

"Go on!" Shariya nodded again.

"I just need confirmation, is Fu’en in the city? If so, it will be much easier. If not, we will leave now," Luo’er said.

"We have increased the number of search personnel at checkpoints in all urban areas in the city, so it’s hard for them to leave. I have investigated that Fu’en has been a wanted criminal by the Church Court even before Lipei’s incident happened. Though we haven’t managed to capture him in our several attempts, we have learned something about him."

After a pause, Shariya continued, "Fu’en likes to hide in crowded places, unlike those wanted criminals who take refuge in deep mountains and wilderness. He prefers to lurk in the city. His image varies, so hiding in the crowd can conceal his tracks well. If you want to capture him, then the lower levels would be your best bet; the very bottom ones."

"I got it!" Luo’er nodded.

"Since you plan to handle this yourselves, then I have nothing much to say. If you need our help, feel free to ask, we will meet your demands as soon as possible. Although I may not be able to mobilize the Knights of the Temple of the Church Court, if you need to take refuge, come to the church or academy, I will protect you at all costs." Shariya said.

"Thanks, Dean Shariya!" Luo’er nodded slightly.

"Above all, stay safe, and don’t hesitate to ask for my help if you need it." Shariya said.

Back in the dorm, a few of them were playing cards without much interest. The girls were taken for magic lessons every day so the idle ones could only play cards and do nothing.

"Pack up, we’re leaving tomorrow!" Luo’er walked in and said outright.

"Where to?" Hu Daoke excitedly jumped up from his chair and asked.

"To the urban area, we can’t count on the people from the Church Court. If we want to catch Fu’en, we can only rely on ourselves," Luo’er blandly said.

"But Holy Heart City is so big, how are we going to find him?" Hu Daoke asked with a worried look on his face.

"Holy Heart City has three districts. The Uptown District is where the aristocrats gather, the Western District is where the natives gather, and the Eastern District is where the outsiders gather. It’s not difficult to guess where a guy like Fu’en would hide," Luo’er said.

"If we’re going to the Eastern District, I hope we’re not staying in that damn inn again!" Hu Daoke’s face grew sour at the mention of the Eastern District.

"I’ll coordinate with the upper management and see if we can switch to another inn, or we can arrange accommodation ourselves, without having to rely on the Headquarters," Luo’er said.

"Are you certain that Fu’en is in the Eastern District?" Cheng Ziang asked a crucial question.

"Can’t confirm, but if we wait for the Church Court to help us find him, we might never know where he is in our lifetimes. Fu’en, a wanted criminal by the Church Court, had evaded capture for so many years, indicating that he gives no hoots to the Church Court’s system," Luo’er said.

"Darn it, do they even want to cooperate? They screwed us over last time and now they’re not even helping to clean up the mess?" Hu Daoke said, looking unhappy.

"There are many internal conflicts in the Church Court, which we outsiders cannot fully comprehend. But one thing is certain. Right now, we definitively can’t count on them," Luo’er said.

"So, what’s your plan?" Murong, who had been silent for a while, couldn’t help but ask.

Luo’er glanced at him, then said, "The Church Court’s search for Fu’en is like a fisherman fishing for fish. Since he likes hiding in the mire so much, then we shall get into the mire and have a good time with them!"

"And, what about Sister Moumou?" Hu Daoke asked tentatively.

"Don’t bring them, no girls at all. It would be more convenient if we handle this on our own. Let them stay in the academy to study," Luo’er said.

"But Sister Moumou might get mad!" Hu Daoke stuck out his tongue.

"But I’m the Captain!" Luo’er said faintly.