Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 463 - 456: Divine Wood Down

Chapter 463: Chapter 456: Divine Wood Down

The team marched grandly along the gravel road. Cheng Ziang noticed that this section of the road was laid with crushed stone, somewhat similar to the dirt roads on Earth in the past. Slightly elevated in the middle and lower on both sides, it was designed for drainage. Moreover, the crushed stone surface reinforced the road’s passability, preventing it from becoming muddy during rainy days.

Many Wood Elves were laboring in the fields. It seemed like it was their first time witnessing such a bustling scene, so they halted their work and watched the team intently.

It must be said—although they were all farmers, the Wood Elves were much more pleasing to the eye. Despite their rough agricultural labor, their skin was extraordinarily fair. It was said that their skin didn’t tan even when exposed to the sun; at most, they would get sunburned and become red but after a few days of shedding skin, they would be fair again.

If God had crafted mankind from clay such that those overcooked became people of African descent, those undercooked became Caucasians, and those perfectly cooked became the Yellow Race, then perhaps the Elves were meticulously carved by God from porcelain clay, glazed, and slowly fired.

Because even Elves laboring in the fields exuded an inherent elegance in every gesture. It was as if they were not farming, but rather gracefully frolicking and dancing.

Cheng Ziang noted that most of the Elves they encountered were female; males were quite scarce. According to Nina, the gender ratio throughout Ilanadale was approximately four to six. The few males were needed for the standing army. The war just thirty years earlier had claimed almost ten percent of the males in Ilanadale—no small loss.

Ilanadale was a matriarchal state—most of the politicians were female, and even the highest leader was typically female. That being said, this wasn’t absolute, as the Elf Prince Nina mentioned was being sought so that he could return to assume the throne.

Even though Nina was a little princess of Ilanadale, her sisters died prematurely for various reasons, making her the only heir of the queen. Plus, it had been over a hundred years since Nina’s father passed away. Unless something unexpected happens, about a thousand years from now, only Nina would be able to succeed the throne when Lillith passes away.

The team arrived at the city gate, where a group of elite Elf soldiers stood guard. The leader was a remarkably strong and tall female Elf. She had long golden hair, sharp eyes, and sensual, full lips.

According to Nina, Elves seemingly never gain weight, regardless of how much they eat. It’s as though their bodies had a valve that restricted them from becoming overweight, no matter how nutritious their meals. Thus, it was quite extraordinary for the female Elf in front of them to grow so robust.

The Elf Captain immediately stopped the team; after exchanging a few words with the Cavalry at the front, she strode up to the carriage and loudy greeted: "Princess Nina, welcome home!"

"Captain Perlo, it’s been a while," replied Nina, gracefully alighting from the carriage, lifting her dress hem slightly.

"Your highness!" As soon as Perlo confirmed the identity of the individual in the carriage, she immediately bowed and semi-knelt on the ground, placing her hand diagonally across her chest in the Elf Salute. Seeing the Captain’s gesture, the rest of the Elf soldiers also semi-knelt and saluted Nina.

"Rise!" said Nina, showing no emotion in her face in response to such an arrangement, and spoke nonchalantly.

Her only concern was her son inside the carriage; everything else was insignificantly trivial to her.

"Your highness, I heard you brought guests with you, is that correct?" Perlo asked respectfully, rising from the ground.

Her body was robust and she was much taller than Nina, so she had to bend slightly to show respect.

"What’s the matter?" Nina asked, looking at her.

"Can I... check them?" After hesitating a bit, Captain Perlo asked tentatively.

"Captain Perlo, inside the carriage are our esteemed guests from afar; is there anything about them you’re not confident in?" Nina asked, gazing at her, her voice tinged with impatience.

"As the captain of the guard, it is my duty to inspect every visitor. This is my job, Princess Nina." Perlo responded calmly and confidently.

"Captain Perlo, this is the city gate, not the royal palace. Are you planning to leave our guests outside the city?" Nina asked, frowning.

"I apologize, Princess, but I need to ensure they pose no threat to Divine Wood Down," Perlo countered unequivocally.

"You..."

Just as the standoff between them persisted, Cheng Ziang calmly disembarked from the carriage, walked straight up to Perlo, bowed slightly, and respectfully said, "Pleased to meet you, Captain Perlo. I am Cheng Ziang, a representative of the Earth people."

"Earth..." At the mention of this word, Perlo instantly wore a wary look, then turned to Nina and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Princess, these..."

"Captain Perlo, if you can accept the Blaiqi transporting Earth’s goods to Divine Wood Down, why can’t you accept a visit from Earth’s people?" Nina returned the question unabatedly.

"But they are our..." Perlo was rushed to say.

"Enemies?" Nina cut her off, looked into her eyes and asked, "Captain Perlo, who issued the command to treat the Earth people as enemies? Was it the Queen?"

"This is... consensus..." Perlo sighed, sounding a bit hesitant.

"Is consensus the reason for denying our esteemed guests entry?" Nina questioned, looking at her, "Captain Perlo, in Ilanadale, who calls the shots, you or the Queen?"

"Of course, it’s the Queen." Perlo sneered, taking a step back to say.

"Then step aside, don’t hinder us!" Nina said coldly.

"Ye... Yes!" After a long hesitation, Perlo finally reluctantly consented.

Cheng Ziang didn’t expect Nina to be so domineering, matched only by the authoritative air about Princess Melia. He figured witnessing her son’s condition emboldened her.

With the irritating guards finally out of the way, the group could now enter the city. The walls of Divine Wood Down were primarily constructed from large slabs of bluestone, with roads both flat and clean. A couple of Women Elves, dressed in plain clothes, were seen sweeping the streets. The leaves they swept up served as important fuel for their fires.

The regular attire in Ilanadale bore some resemblance to the garb of ancient Greece, largely in light colours, without complicated designs, emphasizing simplicity. They sported golden headpieces crafted from Kedal metal, which added an extra charm to their beauty.

Inside the carriage, Hu Daoke sat still, a stark contrast to those having a look around. Seeing Hu Daoke so demure, Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but ask, "Are you not feeling well? There are so many beautiful elves here, aren’t you curious to take a peek?"

Daoke glanced guiltily out the carriage window before admitting sheepishly, "The women here are too beautiful. I’m afraid I might not control myself and disappoint Olavia’s expectations."

Hearing his words, Cheng Ziang paused for a moment, then glanced at the Olavia Sisters who were excitedly looking out the window. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Since they spoke Chinese, the sisters couldn’t understand what was being said, so they kept looking out the window. Nina was listening in on the conversation and was surprised to find herself suppressing a smile, reminded of the time when Daoko had affectionately referred to her as his older sister.

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