Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 828 - 821: Dead End

Chapter 828: Chapter 821: Dead End

"So you’re saying that we can’t set out from Winter Harbor to Snow Domain now?" Luo’er asked.

"Pretty much. The rerouted section is right south of the Northern Domain Mountain Range. You could still go if you really wanted to, but you might have to walk across hundreds of kilometers of ice. After that, you’d need to see if there are any ships to pick you up, otherwise, you’d just have to keep walking, on the sea," the bearded captain answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"What if we make it to the foothills of the Northern Domain Mountain Range, cross the ice there, and then proceed overland?" Luo’er asked persistently.

"I wouldn’t recommend doing that. In winter, the Snow Domain is buried under heavy snow. The ice won’t thaw until next summer. The Snow Domain is sparsely populated, and you can hardly see a few villages. If you were to cross that way, I reckon you’d starve to death halfway," the bearded captain replied, shaking his head.

"How about traveling along the coastline?" Luo’er asked, frowning.

"I wouldn’t recommend that either," the bearded captain shrugged again, then looked at Luo’er and said, "You folks really are from the inland, not very familiar with the coastal conditions. Traveling from the Northern Domain Mountain Range along the coast to the Snow Domain is about five times the distance from Winter Harbor to the Northern Domain Mountain Range. Crossing overland might be better, in that case."

"So essentially, there’s no way we can travel from Winter Harbor to Luscaque in Snow Domain now?" Luo’er asked.

"Of course, unless you can fly. But as far as I know, there’s never been an air route to Snow Domain," the bearded captain took a sip of his drink and shook his head, "If you want to go south, though, I can help you out. I’m setting sail for the south in a couple of days, this..."

As he spoke, the bearded captain glanced at Luo’er again, then lowered his voice and said, "If you’re thinking about heading to Ancient States or Ilanadale, that’s no problem either. Don’t worry about me ratting you out to the Church Court."

"I’ll pass. I suppose I’d be arrested by Theron the moment I set foot in Ancient States," Luo’er said with a shrug.

"You seem to have quite an interesting life story," the bearded captain said, showing a look of admiration upon hearing Luo’er’s response.

"Thanks for the help. I should be going now," Luo’er smiled and then waved goodbye.

"Don’t mention it. If you bring another bottle of wine, I might share more interesting stories with you," the bearded captain raised his glass in salute.

After leaving the bearded captain, Luo’er sighed softly and returned to his team. Seeing Luo’er come back looking dejected, Eve couldn’t help but feel concerned and couldn’t resist asking, "What did he say?"

"The sea route from Winter Harbor to Luscaque is closed. We can’t take the coastal route to Snow Domain," Luo’er explained, spreading his hands.

"Why?" As expected, Eve immediately became anxious upon hearing this.

"They say the sea route has shifted nearly a mile into deeper waters, right into the Leviathan’s territory. Just the other day, five ships headed for Luscaque were devoured by the Leviathan," Luo’er replied.

"How could this happen..." Eve’s eyes widened, her expression one of disbelief.

"These things aren’t that rare. Happens every few years," Luo’er said with a shrug.

He only gave a rough explanation and did not go into details about currents or geography with Eve. With her current level of knowledge, it would have been in vain to explain.

"Can we take the overland route from the base of the Northern Domain Mountain Range into Snow Domain?" Eve asked anxiously.

"Of course, we could," Luo’er said, "But the Snow Domain is now a white hell. There might be thousands of square kilometers without a soul in sight. If we really took the overland route, we might starve to death on the way before we even reached Luscaque."

"What about airboats?" After thinking for a moment, Eve continued to ask.

"You even know about airboats," Luo’er glanced at her and then sighed, "The commercial value of the Snow Domain isn’t enough to necessitate merchants opening up air routes, so there are simply no airboats going to the Snow Domain."

"Eh, then aren’t we making this trip for nothing?" Hu Daoke scratched his head and interjected.

"Pretty much, but if it were to the south, there are ships available," Luo’er said.

"Let’s forget it, going south would be like walking into a trap," Hu Daoke said.

Actually, the reason Luo’er disagreed with the idea of bypassing the Northern Domain Mountain Range through the coastline to enter the Snow Domain was also based on objective factors. The terrain north of the Northern Domain Mountain Range in the Snow Domain was mostly mountainous and hilly with few plains, so whether setting off from the west along the coastline or traversing across the Snow Domain, it would be a difficult journey.

The difficulty of this route was incomparable to the Advance Team crossing the Masya mountainous region, because although Masya was also mountainous, it only became like this in winter, and the ice and snow would melt with a slight increase in temperature.

The Snow Domain, however, was entirely different. It was called the Snow Domain because it was covered with ice and snow all year round. At the very least, before the end of the Little Ice Age, the Snow Domain would always be in this state.

"So boss, are we still waiting here for the others to join us?" Hu Daoke suddenly thought of this question and couldn’t help but ask.

"It looks like there’s no need anymore. Since we can’t travel to the Snow Domain by sea route, Winter Harbor has become a dead end, and now I feel we might have to go back," Luo’er shook his head.

"Going back to Holy Heart City?" Hu Daoke’s eyes widened in surprise.

"We don’t need to go back to Holy Heart City. Let’s bypass it and head back to our stationed location," Luo’er suggested, "That way, if we need to go to the Snow Domain, we can set out from there, travel north along the tributaries of the Roen River, and then through the North Lead Corridor."

"Sister, I don’t want to go to the Snow Domain..." Looking at Eve’s despondent appearance, Jora gently tugged at her sleeve and said timidly.

However, Eve didn’t seem to notice his words and remained in a daze. Seeing their reactions, Luo’er opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately closed it helplessly.

Back at the inn, Luo’er reported the situation to Headquarters, letting them decide. Under these circumstances, Luo’er thought it best not to act on his own discretion; it was better to follow Headquarters’ orders to avoid upsetting the higher-ups and being recalled back to Earth.

As Luo’er had said before, he needed to consider the matter of entering the high echelons of Headquarters; therefore, he could no longer make decisions on his own.

About half a day later, he received a reply from Headquarters, instructing them to return to their stationed location immediately and wait for orders, and to bring Eve and her brother back safely. Since Eve and her brother knew about Fu’en, they were undoubtedly valuable to Headquarters.

As for the decision of the Headquarters, Luo’er had no objections, because the situation was within his expectations. Headquarters always acted cautiously and conservatively, preferring to have more than less. Resources as important as Eve, regardless of their potential value, should be promptly controlled.

So, the day after receiving the reply from Headquarters, Luo’er and the others boarded the ship heading towards Holy Heart City once again. However, they didn’t need to reach Holy Heart City but chose to disembark in the suburbs and then look for land transportation.

The point that made Odelanqi envied by many was that most of its territory consisted of plains. Although the area near the coast was not suitable for farming and better for grazing, such plains made transportation incredibly convenient.

This was why Luo’er was reluctant to venture north and traverse across the Snow Domain’s interior because of having to climb mountains and trudge through snow. They would probably not reach Luscaque before next summer relying only on their legs.

The merchant ship made its way upstream along the Aobeni River. It had taken them about three days to arrive, but returning was not so easy since it was against the current; even at the fastest, it would take about a week, roughly the same as traveling by vehicle.

The Otherworld had only just begun to enlighten with the Industrial Revolution, and its inhabitants had not fully embraced industrialization. Earthlings, on the other hand, acted indifferent, only assisting specific ethnic groups and organizations, ignoring the broader population of the Otherworld.

After all, the industrialization of the Otherworld brought no real benefits to Earthlings; before they could fully control the Otherworld, they did not wish for it to enter the Industrial Age.

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