Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 97 - 93: Minor Conflict

Chapter 97: Chapter 93: Minor Conflict

It wasn’t until the man vanished in the distance that Luo’er dared to take a deep breath. He had not expected someone from the academy to be secretly collaborating with nefarious individuals on the outside. As for what they discussed about Maniken Shani and such, although it sounded vaguely familiar, Luo’er didn’t understand what it entailed.

These people were clearly planning a conspiracy against the academy. Even though he didn’t know the details yet, Luo’er was certain they had been plotting this prior to their enrollment in the academy. The teacher Cheng Ziang killed was evidently one of their infiltrated agents inside the academy.

It would seem the appearance of the Advance Team, to a certain extent, had disrupted their plans. But what were they planning? What was the ’Ingri-language’ they spoke of? Could it possibly be English? And if it was, why would they go to such lengths to learn it?

At this point, Luo’er had no time to fuss about the confidential forms at the archives. Once the man disappeared, Luo’er quietly opened the door with a magic crystal and sneaked out of the archives room.

All along the way, Luo’er did not encounter the man with the hood again. He deduced that the man must be around forty to fifty years old, physically strong and full of a powerful, yet mellow aura. His magic was also formidable.

If such an individual truly existed within the Magic Academy, then they would undoubtedly hold high rank and status, possibly second only to the decision-makers of the academy. And the identity of the ’master’ they referred to remained even more mysterious, even willing to risk their own kin for the sake of their sinister plot.

With a muddled head, Luo’er arrived at the place where he had just changed his outfit, put on his servant’s uniform again and headed towards the kitchen. He had been missing for a long time now, and his absence might stir suspicions.

Arriving at the kitchen, he discovered that the scene was chaotically buzzing. The head chef was grabbing anyone he fancies.

The grand banquet hall was in urgent need of dozens of waiters. Whoever deemed fit for the position would be snatched up by the head chef. The chef hesitated briefly when he grabbed Luo’er’s hand. But then, recognizing Luo’er’s eyes he steeled himself and took Luo’er along anyway.

Just like that, Luo’er and several other servants were taken out of the kitchen. They were dressed up as waiters, given a brief teaching on how to serve the VIPs, and then rushed off to the grand banquet hall.

The hall was brightly illuminated, with nearly all students and teachers gathered inside. They were donned in splendid dresses, engaging in high-society mingling. Luo’er, in the waiter’s attire and holding a tray, surveyed the room trying to locate Tangmo’s position.

Carrying a humble demeanor, Luoer carefully navigated through the crowd. Finally, in a corner, he spotted Tangmo who looked completely bored. She evidently disliked such social formalities and was sitting there with a sulky expression on her face.

"Miss!" Luo’er approached her and offered a glass of red champagne.

"Get away, I don’t..." Tangmo started but stopped in surprise when she recognized Luo’er’s voice. Lifting her eyes and finding Luo’er smiling joyfully at her, a surge of happiness welled up within her.

"Luo’er, you..." She suddenly remembered the status difference between herself and Luo’er, gritted her teeth and asked with a stern face, "What are you doing here?"

"I apologize for not showing up on time." Luo’er replied with a bowed head.

"Hmph!" Tangmo huffed, accepting the wine he offered.

"Beautiful lady, don’t you find it lonely to sip your wine alone here?" A nobleman approached them. He had a handsome face, pleasing to most, and adorned with a charming smile that could easily charm any maiden.

"Do you want something?" Tangmo didn’t respond to his compliment with joy, but folded her brows instead.

"Not really, just wanted to make your acquaintance since we’ll be schoolmates for the next five years." The boy continued to smile. Luo’er could discern some frivolousness behind his smile.

"I’m sorry, but I am not interested in you!" Tangmo firmly rejected him.

"Don’t be so hasty," The boy persisted, fetching a glass of wine from Luo’er’s tray and continued, "We haven’t really had a chance to interact, how can you be certain you don’t find me interesting at all?"

He approached Tangmo, scanned her closely. As a dwarf hybrid, Tangmo’s physical appearance was much younger than her actual age. She had a delicately round doll-like face, exquisite and petite features, her brows hinting at the gentleness that southern girls naturally possessed. It was a sight the nobleman had never laid eyes on before.

Although people often compared Tangmo’s appearance with southerners’, most of them had neither been to the south nor seen a southerner.

"You’re standing too close!" Tangmo stepped back and coldly warned.

"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." The nobleman persistently kept trying to charm her.

Tangmo shot him an annoyed glance and spoke in a resigned tone before turning around to leave, but the boy simply followed.

"Moumou, don’t be so resistant. These are nobles. The more you interact, the more information you can gather." Luo’er jogged behind her and casually passed on the advice.

"If I interact with them, will you be jealous?" Tangmo abruptly asked, leaving Luo’er at a loss for a moment.

"Why would I be?" He looked puzzled.

Tangmo stopped and turned around, her expression filled with resentment as she looked at him, then she turned and strode towards the boy who had been following her.

Seeing Tangmo turn around, the boy was elated. He hurriedly closed the distance and continued his attempts to charm her, completely ignoring Luo’er to the side.

"May I have this dance?" The boy reached out, soliciting her for a dance after some chit-chat.

Tangmo shot Luo’er a provoking glance, only to find him engrossed in thought, which didn’t sit well with her. In a fit of anger, she accepted the boy’s offer. Hand in hand, they stepped onto the dance floor.

At this moment, Luo’er was still dwelling on the conspiracy that occurred in the archive room, paying no attention whatsoever to Tangmo’s actions. Suddenly, he heard a cold scoff from nearby. He lifted his head to see a noble girl standing next to him, staring intently at Tangmo on the dance floor with a hateful gaze.

She exhibited typical traits of the Aud people, light-colored hair, striking facial features. Her cheekbones were slightly high, and her lips were rather thin, yet she possessed a pair of rounded, large eyes, giving off a unique charm.

She wasn’t tall, slightly shorter than Luo’er by about a half head. Dressed in an elegant evening gown, her mannerisms exuded the unique grace of the aristocracy.

The girl stared at Tangmo for quite a while, then suddenly turned to look at Luo’er. She had dark eyeshadow on, with upturned eyelashes, and a subtly adorned lipstick that made her thin lips particularly noticeable.

"So you’re Audrey’s slave, aren’t you?" she asked with undisguised disdain.

"Do you have any commands, Miss?" Luo’er lowered his head and asked respectfully.

"You’re a half-elf, how disgusting!" She frowned, speaking with a tone of contempt.

"I’m sorry for causing you discomfort. I will take my leave immediately!" Luo’er clearly felt that she was there to cause trouble, so he quickly made an excuse to escape.

"Wait, fetch me some wine!" The girl called him back loudly, ordering him around.

"Yes." Luo’er nodded, feeling quite exasperated.

Soon later, Luo’er carried the wine over to the girl and respectfully said, "Miss, here’s your wine."

The girl picked up her wine glass, took a hearty sip and couldn’t help but cough afterward. Noticing the napkin on the plate Luo’er was carrying, she quickly grabbed it and wiped her mouth, frowning.

"Did you put this here?" she asked, holding up the napkin.

"Yes," Luo’er said, keeping his head down.

"Mind your own business!" the girl muttered.

Luo’er pursed his lips, not speaking any further. Just when he was about to turn and leave, the girl spoke again, "Fetch me more wine!"

"Would you like more to drink?" Luo’er turned around, noticing her face was already slightly flushed and her big eyes had started to turn blurry.

"It’s none of your business!" the girl snapped back harshly.

"Got it." Luo’er was about to step away when he realized Tangmo was already standing behind him, her face taut, glaring at him angrily.

Tangmo was on the verge of exploding. Initially, she wanted to make Luo’er jealous with another boy, but to her surprise, no sooner had she left than Luo’er was already flirting with another girl.

"Feliz, he’s my servant. You have no right to order him around!" Tangmo announced her ownership hands on hips, anger evident in her voice.

"He is serving as a waiter now, there’s no reason I can’t order him around!" The girl named Feliz didn’t back down either, uttering a few coughs before retorting.

"You always make things difficult for me, whether it’s at the academy or in the classroom. I can tolerate all that but don’t even think about having designs on him!" Tangmo declared with pent-up anger and a face full of fury.

"Why can’t I covet him? He’s nothing more than a slave! If I want, my father can buy ten of him!" Feliz announced boldly, refusing to be outdone.

"Both of you..." Luo’er looked left and right, unsure of how to mediate between the two. Surprisingly, his status as a slave was triggering a dispute between two girls.

"Luo’er, come here!" Tangmo summoned him sternly.

"Come here, however much you’re worth, I’ll offer ten, no, twenty times that to buy you!" Feliz, also with her hands on her hips, stated defiantly.

"I’m sorry..." Luo’er gave a slight bow to Feliz, then turned to walk towards Tangmo.

Seeing Luo’er’s attitude, Tangmo couldn’t help but reveal a triumphant smile. Feliz on the other hand, was left with a tense face that was a grim sight. She bit her lip and stomped her foot angrily, then turned around and ran away crying.

"Is she alright?" Luo’er asked with concern.

"You’re concerned about her?" Tangmo looked at him, her expression one of disbelief.

"What’s gotten into you tonight?" Luo’er asked as he scratched his head.

"You..." Tangmo bit her lower lip, revealing a hint of a wronged expression, then turned around and walked away from the banquet hall, fuming with anger.

"What exactly is that conspiracy?" Watching her retreating figure, Luo’er was filled with this question.