Otherworld Advance Team-Chapter 59 - 55 Countermeasures

59: Chapter 55: Countermeasures

59 -55: Countermeasures

While undergoing the inspection, the guard took the association emblem that Luo’er handed over to him, then raised his head for a look at him.

Upon seeing Luo’er’s deep green eyes, a mocking expression and scorn filled the guard’s eyes.

This wasn’t the first time Luo’er had been subjected to such contempt, rooted in the fact that he was a Wood Elf mixed-blood.

The Elf Race was considered the most charming race across the entire continent, with their beautiful physiques, exquisite features, and extremely long lifespan.

Everyone desired to join with the Elf Race, thereby producing mixed-blood offspring.

However, the Elf Race was a highly secluded race.

There were three sub-races within the Elf Race: the Night Elves, the Wood Elves, and the Snow Elves.

Besides the Night Elves, the other two races strongly resisted intermarriage with other races, emphasising purity of bloodline.

Amongst these, the Wood Elves were the most extreme; they even refused to recognize their own mixed-bloods.

Any Wood Elf seeking to return to the Wood Elf Kingdom had to abandon the children they had with other races.

This was the reason why Luo’er’s mother had asked Luo Chuan to take Luo’er back to Earth.

The gender ratio of the Elf Race was severely skewed, reaching an exaggerated proportion of 2:8 men to women.

Hence, during wars with other races, a large number of female elves would be captured.

Most of these female elves would become merchandised commodities or slaves, sold to brothels and fallen into the hands of the nobility.

Although the fertility rate of the Elf Race was extremely low, there were unavoidable instances of pregnancy.

In the Otherworld, where medical technology was lacking, those pregnant had no choice but often to give birth.

These mixed-blood elves were regarded as outcasts in the eyes of the Human Race, seen as the children of prostitutes, even the slave class despised these mixed-blood elves.

The Wood Elf mixed-bloods, not recognized by the Elven Kingdom and discriminated against by human society, were therefore always caught between worlds, at the lower rungs of society and enduring disdain from an early age.

As a Wood Elf mixed-blood, Luo’er naturally knew of these matters.

His parents had discussed these topics when he was a child.

However, he chose to ignore these contemptuous gazes, rather than get angry.

After finishing the inspection, the group finally entered the largest city in the north.

The city was crowded with people and various carriages, making it quite congested and the polluted air filled with the smell of dung.

This was the Eastern District of Holy Heart City, which despite its reasonable urban planning was a complicated mess due to the majority of its inhabitants being foreigners.

It was dirty and disorderly, with poor public security, and incidences of fights and theft were common.

But of course, if one wanted to gather information, this was without a doubt the most suitable place.

Crossing the stone bridge over the Aobeni River leads to the Western District on the other side.

That’s where the native residents of Holy Heart City lived and outsiders are usually not allowed to reside there, thus the public security was much better than in the Eastern District.

However, if armed strangers like Luo’er and his party were to enter, it could stir up unnecessary commotion, and might even bring the city guards running and cause a mess. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

The New Town and Uptown Districts on the east and west banks of the Aobeni River guarded the Uptown in a horn formation.

The peninsula plain leading to the northern mountainous region was difficult for enemies to infiltrate, so anyone with an intention to attack the Uptown had no choice but to engage with the New Town and seize the bridges leading to the Uptown before being able to threaten the Uptown.

Therefore, during the period of cold weaponry warfare, Holy Heart City was no doubt the most difficult city to conquer and thus became the capital of Odelanqi.

Following the course of the Aobeni River to the west, at the mouth of the sea, was the important economic city of Winter Harbor, part of Odelanqi.

There was a natural year-round ice-free route to the northern city of Luscaque, an important route for trade and supplies in the northern region during winter, and one of the few entry points into the North Territory.

The climate in Holy Heart City was temperate continental, and it was currently summer, making the weather quite hot.

Wearing their cloaks, the group couldn’t help but feel the heat.

According to the instructions they received from headquarters before departing, there was an inn in Holy Heart City run by their informant, which could serve as a temporary lodging.

But the group almost had to check through the whole Eastern District before finding the old inn in a corner.

The inn’s proprietor was a big-bearded Blaiqi man.

When Luo’er showed the symbol proving their identities, the innkeeper simply nodded nonchalantly and slowly led them into the inn.

The inn had a bit of history to it and was made primarily of brick and wood.

As Hu Daoke stepped onto the wooden staircase, the floorboards creaked noisily, which scared him into retreating and looking towards Luo’er for help.

Luo’er glanced at him, then turned to look at the innkeeper.

The man seemed unfazed, paying them no attention and went straight up the stairs.

Luo’er shrugged helplessly, gesturing for him to go upstairs.

When they arrived on the second floor, the damp corridor filled with a faint odd smell of mold.

The corridor was windowless and dark, but for the dim light from the innkeeper’s oil lamp.

There was, thankfully, just enough light to see by.

At the end of the corridor, the innkeeper had prepared two rooms for them, each equipped with three beds, enough for all of them to spread out and sleep.

The three men entered the room, which was rather dim.

Luo’er went to the window and opened the wooden shutters, allowing fresh air and sunlight to pour in and temporarily dispel the lingering smell of mold.

The bedding was made of linen and filled with straw.

While not exactly comfortable, it would be better than spending the night wrapped in their sleeping bags.

But seeing the look of distaste on Hu Daoke’s face, it was clear he was planning to sleep in his own sleeping bag again tonight.

The furniture in the room was covered with a fine layer of dust, the rough chair polished shiny from countless uses.

The floor hadn’t been cleaned in ages and was covered with some unidentified, thick stains.

Every step Hu Daoke took elicited a piercing shriek from the wooden planks, so much so that he dared not roam around, choosing instead to sit obediently on the bed.

Despite the poor conditions, Luo’er did not express any complaints.

After all, they didn’t have to pay for their stay; the tab was picked up by the command post.

Even though the environment was harsh, it was located in a remote area, seldom visited by others, which provided them with the confidentiality they needed for their mission.

Luo’er put down the equipment he was carrying and transformed into a diligent cleaner.

He went downstairs to get a wooden bucket of water from the landlord and began scrubbing the room with a rag.

Hu Daoke lay on the rough bed, eyes shut in dissatisfaction with the environment, while Cheng Ziang leaned against the bed tending to his beloved sword.

Though the two were skiving off, Luo’er didn’t complain much.

In his view, he had an obligation to care for these team members who were younger than him, wherever he could.

Having them around might even more likely get in his way.

After some basic cleaning, the room was transformed, and although there wasn’t a huge change, it wasn’t as terrible as before.

Luo’er wiped off his sweat, picked up the bucket intending to help the girls clean their room, but by the time he arrived there, Baiyue had already finished cleaning silently, with Tangmo by her side helping out, presenting a stark contrast to the two lazybones next door.

Having dealt with the living quarters, Luo’er summoned the two girls to their room, where they all sat down to discuss their next moves.

“In general, our goal is clear – to find out where the recently vanished armaments have gone.

But,” Luo’er said in between placing the emblem he found on the assassin’s body on the table, “I think we should also find out who sent these assassins, and if it’s associated with the missing weapons case.”

Cheng Ziang picked up the emblem and studied the patterns on it with a contemplative expression.

Seeing the others not speaking, Luo’er continued, “I spoke to the landlord downstairs, he seems to know something about the Assassin Alliance.”

“What did he say?” asked Hu Daoke.

“The Assassin Alliance is very secretive, and the Adventurer’s Guild has never acknowledged its existence.

According to the landlord, only two types of people can find the Assassin Alliance: killers and clients.

Either way, you need a referral from someone they know.

We’ve just arrived here, completely unfamiliar with the place, so it’s going to be difficult to find the Assassin Alliance.”

“So, there’s no chance then?” Hu Daoke spread his hands, “Might as well continue investigating the missing armaments case.”

“That missing armaments case, it’s quite tricky,” Luo’er admitted, rubbing his forehead, “I think, until we deal with the Assassin Alliance, anything we might do puts us at risk of continued assassination.”

Cheng Ziang put the emblem back on the table, pressing it with his finger, then confidently said, “Cut off the grass and dig up the roots!”

“Then we’ll just have to see who lasts longer,” Hu Daoke said, looking at Luo’er.

“Right, for now, finding the Assassin Alliance and identifying the client is the priority,” Luo’er agreed, making a decisive call.

Tangmo watched the three men discuss their strategy while she remained silent, unsure of what to say.

It was a strange feeling.

She was supposed to be the team captain, yet it was often Luo’er who made the key decisions.

During these serious meetings, she felt sidelined by the men.

She couldn’t help, and worst of all, she always ended up voicing her complaints to Luo’er about it.

“What’s wrong, Moumou?” Luo’er asked, seemingly sensing her discomfort.

“Oh, nothing!” Tangmo was startled, then quickly shook her head.

“Tomorrow, you and Little Ke go out on the street to gather intelligence, Ziang will head to the busy district, Yue’er will stay behind,” Luo’er instructed.

“What about you?” Tangmo asked.

“I’ll go over to the bars and inns, places with dense crowds.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Tangmo asked worriedly.

She had already picked up on Luo’er’s unique status from the moment the carter looked at him with disdain.

Every person they encountered showed Luo’er no goodwill, but only disdain.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Luo’er smiled.

He knew what Tangmo was concerned about.

As for him, he didn’t mind the prejudices.

In others’ eyes, Luo’er might be the child of a prostitute, a man who didn’t even know who his own father was, but he knew the truth better than anyone.

His parents had genuinely loved each other and had him because of that love.

This beautiful memory was enough for him, enough to make him withstand any public scrutiny.