Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 827 - 820: Waterway Closure

Chapter 827: Chapter 820: Waterway Closure

After more than three days of sailing, the merchant ship carrying everyone followed the river downstream and finally arrived at the port city of Winter Harbor at the mouth of the Aobeni River.

The reason it was called Winter Harbor was mainly because the ships here would head north to do business in the Snow Domain. Due to the constraints of the Church Court, there were few ships that went directly to the Ancient States, and generally, the farthest they went was to Xia Yue Island.

Of course, there’s a saying: "No merchant without deceit." Many merchants, under the pretext of doing business with the Night Elves on Xia Yue Island, would sneak off to do business with the people of the Ancient States. Merchants didn’t care about the so-called doctrines; as long as they could make money, they were willing to go anywhere.

Luo’er vaguely remembered that the Advance Team had been to Winter Harbor two years ago, and it was unexpected that after two years, he would come here again.

It was now winter, but Winter Harbor had a temperate maritime climate, so it wasn’t very cold. Delicate rain drifted from the sky, and as they breathed, they could see the faint white breath they exhaled.

After disembarking, Luo’er kept his promise and did not continue to trouble the people on the ship; instead, he let them leave because, after all, it was through this ship that they were able to successfully escape from Holy Heart City and avoid the endless pursuit of the Booze Ghost Gang, so there was no need to keep on giving these people a hard time.

Luo’er reported his safety to headquarters and could now rest easy in Winter Harbor, waiting for the development of subsequent events. The first thing they did was find a chain business with which the headquarters had a cooperative relationship, and from there, they got supplies and financial aid.

To ensure the safety of the Advance Team’s deployment in the Otherworld to the greatest extent, headquarters had been setting up such cooperative outposts in the Otherworld for the first ten years of the Advance Team’s mission, making sure that wherever the Advance Team went, they could receive corresponding supplies.

After getting supplies, Luo’er led everyone to find a lodge to settle down in, waiting for news from Cheng Ziang.

No matter how you looked at it, Luo’er felt it was necessary to give Eve a hand, but if Ziang’s side had a lead, then sending them back to the Snow Domain could be put off for a while. They could be settled in the headquarters, which would also ensure their safety to the greatest extent.

However, Eve apparently didn’t understand Luo’er’s plan. Since arriving at Winter Harbor, she kept urging Luo’er to find a ship heading to the Snow Domain.

Unable to bear her any longer, Luo’er helplessly took everyone to the wharf to see if they could find a ship going to the Snow Domain.

The group arrived at the harbor wharf, and although there was a steady drizzle from the sky, the wharf was still busy with many people moving about. Most of them were dressed simply, completely indifferent to the weather.

Of course, since the climate here is temperate maritime, it’s not that cold even in winter. The gentle sea breeze that blew in their faces unexpectedly felt somewhat warm.

The group wandered around the dock and finally spotted a bearded captain dressed in a captain’s uniform sitting on a wooden crate, tilting his head back and drinking.

Luo’er noticed that the bottle in his hand was a very clear white glass bottle, filled with a clear liquid. Such pure and transparent glass bottles couldn’t be produced with the Otherworld’s current level of craftsmanship, so clearly, the drink was imported from Earth.

Earth’s nations had a tacit understanding when it came to dumping goods on the Otherworld, selling cheap industrial products to the Otherworld to seize its markets and suppress the native primitive industries and handicrafts. It led to these practitioners going bankrupt and closing down en masse, and the people of the Otherworld were forced to accept the cheap industrial products from Earth.

But for now, it was still the pig-raising stage. The price of industrial products Earth was dumping into the Otherworld hadn’t reached an exorbitant level yet. As long as they could completely crush the Otherworld’s industries, they’d be able to monopolize the market thoroughly, and at that point, they’d be free to charge whatever prices they wished.

"Boss, what’s up?" Noticing Luo’er lost in thought, Hu Daoke couldn’t help but come over and ask.

"That guy looks familiar," Luo’er said, pointing to the bearded captain.

"No way, I have no recollection of him at all," Hu Daoke replied, glancing at the captain and scratching his head.

"If I remember correctly, it seems that when we came to Winter Harbor before, we asked him some questions," Luo’er said, frowning.

"Damn, it’s been two years, and you still remember someone you’ve only met once," Hu Daoke said admiringly.

"It’s mainly because his beard left a really deep impression on me," Luo’er laughed, then stepped toward a nearby tavern.

Luo’er bought a bottle of wine worth a gold coin from an outdoor tavern, and then, carrying the wine bottle and two glasses, he walked over to the bearded captain.

The Otherworld is rich in gold, which is why Earthlings initiated the Second Otherworld War. It’s said that the circulating gold in the Otherworld is as much as the entire reserves in Earth’s crust.

Of course, no one knows if this statement is reliable, but one thing is certain, the main currency in the Otherworld is gold, with silver and even copper only used as subordinate currencies, which is completely different from the situation on Earth.

"Have a drink?" Luo’er approached the big-bearded captain, then placed two cups on the wooden crate and forcefully pulled the cork from the bottle.

"Uh, yeah." The big-bearded captain clearly liked Luo’er’s friendly approach, and after a moment’s hesitation, he immediately set down his own bottle and picked up the cup that Luo’er had set out.

"I remember we’ve met before, haven’t we?" Luo’er asked as he poured the drink without looking up.

"Have we?" The big-bearded captain opened his bleary, drunken eyes, looked Luo’er over carefully, and asked.

"Then probably not," Luo’er said with a dismissive smile. He put down the bottle and looked at the big-bearded captain, "May I ask you some things in exchange for this bottle of liquor?"

"Shoot!" the big-bearded captain said cheerfully, raising his cup.

"Are there any ships heading to Snow Domain now? If so, when do they leave?" Luo’er asked.

"You’re going to Snow Domain?" The big-bearded captain took a sip of his drink, a suspicious look crossing his face as he asked.

"Yes, why?" Luo’er asked, noticing the expression on his face.

"You’re from the mainland, aren’t you?" The big-bearded captain didn’t directly answer his question but continued to ask.

"Yes, why?" Luo’er nodded.

"That explains it." The big-bearded captain took another swig and said.

"What do you mean?" Luo’er asked.

"There are no ships going to Snow Domain now," the big-bearded captain replied.

"Is it because it’s winter?" Luo’er frowned and asked.

If he remembered correctly, there should be a warm current route from Winter Harbor to Snow Domain’s Luscaque. It was this warm current that made Luscaque a natural ice-free port.

"Sort of," the big-bearded captain took a deep breath, coughed, and then said, "This winter is especially cold, and the ocean current has shifted. So there are no ships going to Snow Domain anymore."

"The ocean current shifted?" Luo’er inquired.

"Yeah," the big-bearded captain nodded and patiently explained, "Our ships can only operate in coastal waters because of the Leviathan in the deep sea. You should be aware of this. The ocean currents used to flow along the coast, allowing us to reach Luscaque by following the current along the coast, but..."

As he spoke, the big-bearded captain took another gulp from his bottle, burped, and continued: "This year, due to the harsh winter and the shift in ocean currents, the traditional coastal routes have frozen over. The new route has moved about a mile into the deep sea, and this new route passes right through Leviathan territory. Several days ago, five ships were devoured by the Leviathan, so now, no one dares to head to Snow Domain."

"So..." Luo’er was taken aback by the big-bearded captain’s explanation.

"That’s why I’m curious, why mainland folks like you come to Winter Harbor. If you want to get into Snow Domain now, the only way is through North Territory Corridor. But at this time of year, you’ll probably be facing a month of northwest winds," the big-bearded captain shook his head and said.