Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 800 - 793: As Always

Chapter 800: Chapter 793: As Always

"What’s the matter, Captain Luo’er, are you not satisfied?" Azita asked cautiously, noticing something was off with Luo’er’s expression.

"It’s not that," Luo’er shook his head, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but eventually closed it.

"Boss, this really is fate," Hu Daoke said with a bitter smile.

"Forget it, safety is the priority. We can’t be too demanding right now," Luo’er said helplessly.

Feeling nostalgic, the two followed Azita into the inn they hadn’t seen for years. As soon as they entered, a musty smell hit them head-on, and the reception area was unusually dim, lit only by a flickering kerosene lamp.

The innkeeper was still the same one as before, currently dozing off at the reception desk, not waking up even as the group walked in. Azita coughed awkwardly upon seeing the innkeeper’s indifferent attitude and then gave a meaningful glance to one of his subordinates.

"Innkeeper, you’ve got guests!" A subordinate caught on and stepped forward to knock on the table and shouted loudly.

"Oh, guests have arrived?" the innkeeper said groggily, opening his eyes, and immediately became more respectful upon seeing Azita.

"Boss Azita, you’ve arrived," the innkeeper stood up, greeting him with a smile.

"I’m entrusting my friends to you. Settle them in well and don’t let their whereabouts leak out, got it?" Azita said straightforwardly.

"Understood, understood. The friends of Boss Azita are my friends too," the innkeeper said, squinting his eyes and turning to look at Luo’er, but he was immediately taken aback.

"What’s wrong?" Seeing his expression, Luo’er was startled and asked nonchalantly.

"Why are they all half-elves?" Instead of answering Luo’er’s question, the innkeeper turned to Azita.

"What, you don’t welcome half-elves?" Before Azita could respond, Hu Daoke stepped forward aggressively and asked.

"No, that’s not it..." The innkeeper trembled as Hu Daoke, towering like an iron tower, stood before him imposingly.

Hu Daoke disliked anyone insulting Luo’er since Luo’er’s status in his heart was nearly on par with Tangmo’s; thus, an insult to Luo’er was an insult to himself.

"Innkeeper, they are all my friends. Treat them well, and don’t neglect them, or I won’t let you off," Azita said calmly.

"Sure, no problem," the innkeeper took another long look at Luo’er and the others. Despite his confusion, he ultimately kept silent.

It was evident he seemed to have forgotten that Luo’er and the others had stayed here before, so when he first saw Luo’er, he simply regarded him as a half-elf without recalling the incident from years ago.

"Captain Luo’er, I’m sorry to inconvenience you once again. Once we deal with the current predicament, we will definitely arrange a better place for you and host a banquet in your honor," Azita said politely.

"You’re too kind," Luo’er said with a smile, nodding his head. Although he knew most of what he said was nonsense, he still exchanged pleasantries.

After seeing Luo’er and the others to the inn, Azita left with his people, leaving only the innkeeper to show the two to a vacant room.

The inn was as deserted as ever. Besides them and the innkeeper, almost no one could be seen on the entire second floor.

The corridor on the second floor was dimly lit, and at the end of the corridor was a narrow window. The precious light coming through the window illuminated the dust hanging in the air.

Even though it was the second floor, a damp, mildewy smell lingered in the corridor. Upon smelling this, Luo’er felt his body also becoming sticky, as if only basking in the sun could dry out and evaporate the dampness on his body.

The innkeeper arranged two rooms for the group and then left, showing no hint of service-oriented attitude. But Luo’er and Hu Daoke had no complaints about this, as the innkeeper had always acted this way when they had been here before.

"Man, I feel like my clothes are getting damp just from coming up here," Hu Daoke lamented as he plunked down onto the hemp bed.

"Let’s just bear with it for now. Once we get the chance to get Eve and her brother out, we won’t need to put up with this hardship anymore," Luo’er said as he opened the window, then turned around to offer some comfort.

"It’s not that I’m complaining, but do you think Eve is really worth all this trouble we’re going through?" Hu Daoke asked while flipping over the bedsheet, revealing the expected straw beneath.

"No matter how you look at it, her being on the CIA’s hit list is a done deal. Right now, I’m not quite clear on whether Eve has the method to open the Otherworld Gate, but since the CIA wants her dead, then we’ll protect her. Annoying the CIA is worth our while," Luo’er shrugged and turned to survey the outside from the window.

Compared to the commercial district, this area was much less populated, mostly inhabited by laborers who worked hard for a living. It was rare to see any merchants or nobles wandering around here.

"You’re right about that, but with the CIA’s power at its peak in Holy Heart City, our only support against them is the Church Court. If things escalate and we end up getting the Church Court and Otland’s secular authorities into a conflict, that’s going to be quite a spectacle," Hu Daoke remarked thoughtfully.

"This world is full of ways to screw people over. Otland doesn’t need to openly oppose the Church Court; they have plenty of methods to deal with us," Luo’er said while scanning the area with a spyglass.

"Speaking of which," Hu Daoke lay on the bed, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, and felt a moment of reflection, "this is probably the first time I’ve been on a mission just with you, boss."

"What’s there to reminisce about? Haven’t we been through life-and-death situations together?" Luo’er replied without looking back.

"It’s not the same," Hu Daoke shook his head, then squinting his eyes, he said, "Being on a mission just with you, I feel like my abilities have finally been recognized, and I’m not just an expendable character in the Advance Team anymore."

"What’s all this nonsense you’re thinking?" Luo’er turned to look at him, "Who told you that you were expendable? You’ve been a part of the Advance Team from the beginning, and I’ve never felt that you were marginalized."

"Exactly because of that, that’s why I always think about contributing to the Advance Team. Now that I’m supporting this mission on my own, I feel like my life has value," Hu Daoke mused.

"I had no idea you’d get all sappy on me!" Hu Daoke was in the midst of reflecting when suddenly the magic in the air fluctuated violently, and then Fulajie’er’s figure appeared instantaneously, sitting cross-legged on his chest and looking down at him with a smile.

"Ah, I forgot about this girl," Hu Daoke was caught off guard by Fulajie’er’s sudden appearance, he felt embarrassed and let out a pained howl while covering his face.

"Serves you right, just like Luo’er, you always forget about me," Fulajie’er huffed.

"I didn’t forget," Luo’er put down the spyglass, looking innocent as he responded.

"You did before!" Fulajie’er insisted with another huff.

"Alright, alright, sorry about that," Luo’er apologized.

"Hmph, that’s more like it." Fulajie’er hummed contentedly upon hearing Luo’er’s sincere apology.

Luo’er was a serious person, so even though she had only been half-joking, Fulajie’er still appreciated his earnest apology.

"Xiao Fula, we’ve been here years ago, back when the boss wasn’t yet the Captain, and this place holds some of our memories. You should really enjoy this experience," Hu Daoke said, feeling nostalgic.

"It’s only been a few years, don’t talk as if decades have passed," Luo’er commented.

"Even if it’s only been a few years, so much has happened," Hu Daoke sat up from the bed and sighed heavily as he looked at Luo’er.