Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 379 - 372: The Truth

Chapter 379: Chapter 372: The Truth

"Our eldest brother, he’s truly kind-hearted, just like a Bodhisattva reincarnated!" Hu Daoke on the side, said impassionedly.

"Mmm-hmm!" Xuzhong Qi on the other side hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"You guys need to stop buttering me up!" Luo’er said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

The child was stunned to receive Luo’er’s gift. He didn’t expect Luo’er to be so thoughtful, to consider the problems he would encounter and to directly offer him food.

Seeing the trio about to leave, he couldn’t sit still any longer. Clutching his food, he scrambled to his feet and yelled after their retreating figures, "Please, sir, wait!"

"A girl?" Hu Daoke’s sharp ears detected something soft in the child’s voice, something that suggested a female.

At her call, the three men turned to look at her. Facing their gaze, the girl grew somewhat rigid. She instinctively took a step back, becoming timid and uneasy.

"Seems like most of the half-elves are girls, wow." Hu Daoke glanced at Luo’er and said.

"Are you implying something?" Luo’er asked him.

Luo’er did not like to be treated as a girl, so he preferred to project a more masculine presence. However, his genteel personality made it such that even if his team treated him like a girl, he couldn’t do anything about it.

"No, just that here’s another little girl!" Hu Daoke explained.

"What do you want from us?" Luo’er asked her.

"Um, sir..." The girl bit her lip, hesitated for a bit and then asked tentatively, "Would you like...someone to accompany you? Like...like..."

The girl gestured with uncertainty as her originally filthy face began to blush.

"Only three...two...one silver coin for a night..." The girl counted on her fingers, persistently lowering her price.

"No way, even such a small child knows about this?" Hu Daoke said, somewhat flabbergasted.

"You don’t understand the world of the poor. You will never know how much they’re willing to sacrifice in order to survive." Luo’er sighed deeply and shook his head.

"No way, boss, you’re not... tempted, are you?" Hu Daoke noticed Luo’er’s expression, and asked tentatively.

Luo’er didn’t respond, but instead turned to give him a glance before falling into contemplation.

"No way, boss, this... this is against the rules, and Sister Moumou and her gang would..." Hu Daoke hurriedly protested.

"What the devil are you thinking about? I’m not interested in that!" Luo’er rolled his eyes at him.

"Oh dear, I was just worried you’d go astray." Hu Daoke scratched his head in response.

Luo’er glared at him, but ignored him. He bent down and asked the little girl, "What’s your name?"

"I don’t have a name." The girl replied weakly.

"Alright, have you grown up around here since you were little?" Luo’er continued.

"Hmm." The girl nodded.

"Where are your parents?" Luo’er asked.

"I don’t have parents." The girl answered.

"No parents?" Luo’er asked, a bit taken aback.

"I don’t know who my father is, and my mother... she died of illness a year ago..." The girl trailed off, bowed her head, and a look of sadness crossed her face.

"Alright..." Luo’er nodded, showing understanding. He had a guess about the young girl’s history now.

The reason half-elves are discriminated against is often because elves are used as tools of pleasure by the human race. The girl’s origins probably were similar to Wei Xiaobao’s in ’The Deer and the Cauldron’.

He reached out and patted the girl’s head, trying to comfort her. Although her hair was messy and her scalp dirty, Luo’er didn’t feel disgust.

"I want to ask you something!" Luo’er withdrew his hand and said.

"You say..." The girl spoke timidly.

"Do you know about the Hound Gang?" Luo’er asked directly.

"Yes!" The girl immediately replied.

This was within Luo’er’s expectations. Since she grew up here, how could she not know about the Hound Gang, which lords over the eastern district?

"If we want to find them, do you know where to go?" Luo’er continued.

"Please, don’t hand me over to the Hound Gang. I’ll do whatever you ask." Mistaking Luo’er and his companions’ intentions, the girl began to beg in a trembling voice, clutching the food and stumbling backward in fear.

"You’ve misunderstood, we only have matters to discuss with them, it’s none of your concern, we’re not going to sell you to them," Luo’er explained indifferently.

"Is it really so?" the girl asked timidly.

"So, do you know how to find them?" Luo’er asked patiently.

"I do!" the girl nodded confidently.

"Good," Luo’er nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand and said, "Follow me!"

"Where are we going?" Hu Daoke couldn’t help but ask as Luo’er passed by him.

"Inn!" Luo’er responded without turning his head.

"Wow, you ..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was silenced by Luo’er’s glare.

"Alright alright," Hu Daoke spread out his hands and said, "Our boss is wise and brave, how could ordinary people like us comprehend his plan."

"You’re always doubting your captain!" Mumbled Xuzhong Qi, even he couldn’t help but comment.

The three of them went straight to the inn, the little girl carrying food followed them with small steps. Because she had small steps and was barefoot, she had to trot to keep up with their speed.

Luo’er rented a triple room, which served as a temporary resting place for their group. The four of them went upstairs, and after Luo’er opened the room, the girl nervously walked in. Luo’er followed, but before entering, he instructed the two who were outside the door, "Stay here, don’t let anyone in."

"Understood!" Hu Daoke nodded, then Luo’er walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"What... ." The two stood face to face in silence for a long time, then Xuzhong Qi hesitantly started speaking.

"What is it?" Hu Daoke asked, looking at him.

"About captain’s idea..." Xuzhong Qi pointed in the direction of the room, asking with concern.

"Don’t worry," Hu Daoke waved his hand dismissively, "I may like to joke around with him, but I do understand our boss’s character. He wouldn’t do such a thing, I’d stake my life on that!"

Inside the room, the little girl struggled to place the food on the table. Luo’er unloaded the rifle from his shoulder and threw it onto the bed, rubbing his aching shoulder.

When he turned around, he found that the little girl had taken off her only piece of clothing. She shyly turned her back to Luo’er and weakly asked, "Should I... take a bath first?"

Facing her slight lean figure, Luo’er sighed softly. He walked briskly to the girl’s side, picked up her coarse linen clothes from the floor and patiently helped her put them back on.

"Are... Are you not pleased?" Seeing Luo’er’s action, the girl asked anxiously.

Luo’er didn’t respond, he picked up the string from the floor and helped her fasten it.

"Never sell yourself unless it’s absolutely necessary. Your body might not matter so much, but once you lose your dignity, no amount of money can make up for it..." Luo’er stopped his actions, gazed at the knot on the string and said with a deep sigh, "Of course, if you’re starving to death, you might as well consider what I just said as nonsense. Does dignity matter more than life?"

The girl gaped, silently watching him. She thought there were no good people in this world, but the appearance of Luo’er gave her hope for the first time, just like a person walking in a dark wilderness, seeing a faint light in the distance. She felt a lump in her throat, her nose stung and tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

"What’s your name... oh right, you do not have one..." Luo’er paused for a moment, then said, "So, let’s call you Truth."

"Tru... Truth?" The girl repeated the name numbly, her voice choked with sobs.

"Yes, Truth." Luo’er nodded, patting the girl’s head.

"Thank you, sir, I..." Truth timidly looked at him, her hands clenched into fists. Her voice was shaky, and her nose twitched as she spoke.

"Yes, you may." Luo’er smiled and nodded, then held her gently. Truth buried her head in Luo’er’s shoulder, clutching his clothes tightly, and burst into tears.

She didn’t dare to open her eyes. The light on the edge of the dark wilderness became so bright that she couldn’t look straight at it.

After a while, she moved away from Luo’er. Her teary face washed clean the dirt, revealing a fair complexion. Luo’er stared into her eyes, then asked, "You’re a half-Elf, aren’t you?"

"Yes, yes I am," Truth acknowledged hesitantly.

"Don’t worry," Luo’er said, removing his hat to reveal his drooping Elf ears. Facing Truth’s astonished gaze, he said nonchalantly, "I’m a half-Elf too."

"How can I... How can I ever repay you, sir?" Truth gathered the courage to ask.

"First, tell me where to find the Hound Gang. Then," Luo’er paused, "I’ll arrange a job for you."

Luo’er stepped back and sat on the bed, then waved his hand in a relaxed manner, saying, "Eat first!"

"Thank you!" Truth nodded excitedly, then eagerly took out food from the bag and began to wolf it down.

Looking at her wolfing down her food, Luo’er went to the door and asked Hu Daoke to bring up a pot of water. Then he turned around and asked, "You were born and raised here, right?"

"Yes!" As she devoured her food, Truth hastened to nod.

"I see," Luo’er nodded, then asked, "I’m curious, how did you survive before you met me?"

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