Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 87 - 83: Return to the Holy Heart

Chapter 87: Chapter 83: Return to the Holy Heart

With simple preparations made, the group left in haste, without having a chance to say goodbye to the village chief. Baiyue often looked back, her face revealing her attachment to the long-standing village chief. Seeing Baiyue, Luo’er vowed silently that he would make sure to thoroughly investigate Baiyue’s situation and help her find her place.

To get from Meila Village to Holy Heart City, they needed to cross the Lanfei River and go through the borders of Oudallo and Odelanqi. The distance was comparable to that between Yazhi City and Holy Heart City.

Thankfully, they were riding fast horses and the terrain was generally flat. Therefore, even though they only travelled during the day, they could reach Holy Heart City within two weeks.

As they crossed the borders of Oudallo and Odelanqi, they could distinctly perceive the disparity in the quality of equipment between the two countries’ armies. In Oudallo, the army had mostly given up traditional armors, in favor of intricate, sturdy cotton uniforms. Looking at them, Luo’er was inexplicably reminded of a World War One reenactment training they had once had.

However, the army of Odelanqi was still equipped with armors. Wealthy dukes would even have their soldiers equipped with full-body plate armors. These armors had no advantage against bullets of Earth’s guns, but they would be different once Defense Runes were added. The Defense Runes engraved on the armor could withstand frontal shots of Earth’s small-caliber weapons. If an Inlaid Magic Crystal is embedded inside the armor to fuel the Runes, a soldier with full-body armor would instantly turn into a humanoid tank.

The advantage of magic was what made it hard for the Odelanqi’s army to abandon tradition and accept reality. Although some learned individuals knew that the military development model of Oudallo is what the Aels Continent armies should aspire to, the decision-makers were still adhering to tradition, lacking the courage to take the first step.

Of course, the Odelanqi’s adherence to tradition was also related to Earth’s differential treatment towards various Otherworld countries. In Odelanqi, as long as the king wished, he could easily purchase any equipment he wanted from the Otherworld Gate, including automatic firearms, infantry support firepower, large-caliber artillery, etc. All of these were essential equipment for an army.

With the backing of these equipment, the army of Odelanqi can directly use the enduring tactics of Earth. That is, the so-called tactic of "bombard with artillery and charge with infantry". This tactic seemed simple, but there were hardly any countries on Aels Continent that could implement it.

Oudallo and Bisana, as two major countries of the Bobulu people, were treated differently by Earth due to their unity, aggressiveness, and willingness to innovate. They did not want to see the armies of the Otherworld growing into an obstacle to them with their help, hence the United Nations had always implemented the highest restrictions treaty exclusively for Bobulu countries.

The Bobulu people could not overtly buy any equipment they wanted from Yazhi City, including automatic weapons and large-caliber artillery. The United Nations turned a blind eye to the illegal sale of goods to Blaiqi merchants, but were particularly alert about the Bobulu people. Anyone attempting to supply weapons and equipment illegally to the Bobulu people would be immediately blacklisted and banned from trade with Earth.

Under the restrictions of the United Nations, the condition of Oudallo’s army was quite pitiful. They could only equip a large number of old-fashioned bolt-action rifles, without having access to large-caliber artillery, nor could they adopt the enduring Earth strategy of bombarding first and charging later. Their tactics were still stuck at the level of World War One, the accuracy of their rifles largely dictated their victories or defeats in battle.

The reason why Earth was so unworried about Odelanqi was precisely because they knew the country was quite backward and conservative. Much like late-Qing China, Odelanqi was holding on to tradition and refusing to embrace new ideas.

However, with a large number of weapons disappearing in Odelanqi, the United Nations had already started to panic. They started demanding Blaiqi merchants to track every weapon trade’s destination and final whereabouts, absolutely forbidding any case of transferring public assets for personal profit.

All the way, the group of five had been constantly on the move. After nearly ten days of long journey, they finally saw the city wall of the eastern district of Holy Heart City.

The guards at the entrance were obviously more stringent, probably because of the recent incidents. Although it was a bit tense, the group managed to enter the city without any danger.

They still chose to stay at the secluded inn they had been lodged in prior. Due to the strict checkpoint at city gate, the number of people in the city had been reduced and the inn was pretty empty. So, when they brought their horses to the innkeeper, they found him fast asleep.

They reluctantly woke up the innkeeper and as usual, he showed no interest in their recent whereabouts or the purpose of their visit. Once he guided them to their rooms upstairs, Luo’er gave him some gold coins to look after their horses.

The room didn’t have much changes and their traces from their last visit were still there, which meant that no one had stayed in these two rooms after they left. Of course, the innkeeper had never tidied them up.

Luo’er sighed, picked up some cleaning supplies from the kitchen downstairs after placing down their equipment. There was one more person in the kitchen—a middle-aged woman. She was a bit overweight, wore a headscarf, and her face was covered with freckles.

She was in charge of making meals for the inn. Luo’er could tell that she had a low status here and was very likely a purchased slave. When he saw her in the kitchen, he could see fear in her eyes instead of hatred towards a half-elf.

According to the innkeeper, this woman was purchased from a slave market just to cook. Ever since Luo’er and his companions had criticized his cooking last time, he gave up on cooking completely.

After a simple clean-up, the group started to discuss the matters related to Odelanqi’s deployment of troops to Masya as usual. For them, it was quite easy to follow the movements of Odelanqi’s army. After all, an army’s movement couldn’t escape the eyes of ordinary people and with a little snooping around in the tavern, they could get the full story. What was challenging was the Mage Legion, it was their hardest to track.

The Mage Legion was directly controlled by the Church Court and consisted of loyal noble followers. They were trained at the Magic Academy and then, per their wishes, transferred to the Mage Legion.

The Mage army was not large and moved mysteriously, so even the gossips in the pub couldn’t figure out their movements.

Luo’er knew that the best way to understand the movements of the mage army was to infiltrate their church in the Uptown District for reconnaissance. In fact, the headquarters didn’t need to know if the Church Court had sent the mage army to Masya, they just needed to know the exact location of these mage armies and whether they were honestly staying within the Odelanqi territory.

As far as the headquarters was concerned, as long as they grasped the movements of the mage army and confirmed that they were not secretly trying to ambush the Earth’s forces near Yazhi City, that would be enough.

The Earth faction has always been skeptical of King Gudelv I’s request, considering it an outright trap. They wish to lure the Earth’s military forces to the Otherworld and then surround them for annihilation.

Although for the multinational forces of the Earth, hundreds of thousands of casualties are just a small portion of their capabilities, it might not be enough to cripple them. But if that many people really die, they would lose face. By then, Earthlings would really be upset.

Therefore, before deciding whether to send troops, the headquarters required the advance team to repeatedly check the Odelanqi army to ensure they didn’t have any tricks up their sleeves. They wanted to ensure that their army was really going to quell the rebellion in Masya and not preparing to ambush the forces of Earth.

Therefore, identifying the movements of the mage army became the first priority of the advance team. This time Luo’er decided to send out everyone. Cheng Ziang and Hu Daoke were in one group, Baiyue and Tangmo in another. Their goal was to first get clear on the movements of the Odelanqi army, then try to find out the movements of the Mage army.

After resting for the night, all five of them set out the next day. Luo’er still chose to go alone this time. His half-elf identity made him the target of discrimination and, at the same time, easier to overlook. This, undoubtedly, was an advantage to him as a scout.

He headed straight to a pub in the downtown district, which hadn’t changed much except for fewer patrons. These customers drank and chatted, occasionally breaking into song when their spirits were high.

Honestly, Luo’er didn’t like these perpetually drunk patrons, who were mostly adventurers from the association. When they weren’t on a mission, they spent their time getting drunk in pubs, just like Sanhe Gods decades ago, living one day at a time.

A reckless patron bumped into Luo’er. The nauseating smell of alcohol hung around him, making Luo’er instinctively frown and tap his shoulder in annoyance.

"Hey, you over here!" Some patrons gathered together not far from Luo’er. One of them, with bleary drunken eyes, gestured for Luo’er to join them.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" Luo’er approached them and asked politely.

"You see, I told you. All I have to do is beckon, and they crawl over like their mothers. Hahaha!" The drinker laughed wildly with his companions, without considering the annoyed Luo’er standing by.

"Does everybody’s mouth stink as much as yours?" Luo’er gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger as he spoke coldly.

"Hey, let me ask you..." A patron wearing a punchable smile asked Luo’er, "Do you know who your father is? Look at us three and guess!"

His statement triggered a round of laughter from his companions, who felt no shame.

Luo’er silently watched their laughter, tightened his tactical gloves, and then asked, "Have you ever seen stars during the day?"

"Huh, what is he saying?" The three drunkards looked at each other, confused.

"No..." A drunkard hadn’t even finished his words when Luo’er grabbed his greasy hair and smashed it heavily on the table, scattering all the liquor on the table.

"You!" A drunkard attempted to stand up to teach Luo’er a lesson, but Luo’er was much quicker. He picked up a ceramic cup from the table and brutally smashed it into his forehead, causing blood to gush out.

Fights in the pub were common, so no one was frightened. Many people crowded around and, seeing Luo’er, a half-elf, beating the three drunkards, cheered him on with whistles.

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