54: Different World

Watching Golden Hair and the Vanguard disappear into the portal, Ye Chen withdrew his consciousness from the Abyss.

He had done everything he could; whether they could establish themselves in the Otherworld depended on them.

...

Stepping into the Otherworld, the long-missed sunlight fell on Lorraine's face, bringing a hint of warmth to her cold body.

Looking around, the Vanguard was in a dense forest.

At this moment, every blade of grass and every tree here felt exceptionally precious to Lorraine.

A shrill dog bark interrupted Lorraine's thoughts.

Turning her head, a Shadow Hound was barking frantically at a venomous snake, its voice hoarse.

She gave an exasperated glance at the accursed dog, surprised it would be frightened by an ordinary venomous snake.

Immediately after, Lorraine ordered the Vampire Bats to be released to scout the surroundings.

After being resurrected and strengthened in the Abyss, the Vampire Bats not only reached Extraordinary-level but also learned many blood magic spells.

The Vampire Bat leader, in particular, reached Tier 3 and learned a good skill—Eternal Night Metamorphosis.

Vampire Bats can absorb a large amount of blood from other races to change and merge their own racial characteristics.

However, this transformation has only one chance, and if too many types are absorbed, the body may directly collapse.

Dozens of Vampire Bats spread out to scout the area, and soon after, they flew back one by one, reporting their findings to the Bat leader.

After collecting and summarizing, the Bat leader reported to Lorraine.

Within a twenty-mile radius was a forest, with some low-level wild beasts hidden within.

And at the edge of the forest, a small village with some signs of human habitation was discovered.

Upon hearing that human habitation was found, Lorraine's heart filled with joy.

She longed to communicate and live with her own kind.

Even though she was no longer human, but a minion of the demons invading this world.

After a moment of thought, Lorraine did not immediately lead the Vanguard there.

All of them were clad in armor and carried weapons, clearly not ordinary people; going directly might cause trouble.

She selected a few people to accompany her, while the others remained stationed at the original location.

Following a Vampire Bat, they arrived at the village, where it was nearing noon, and wisps of cooking smoke rose from the chimneys.

This village was highly vigilant; there was even a simple lookout tower at the village entrance.

The entire village was surrounded by a sturdy wooden fence, with traces of repair after damage and some bloodstains on the fence.

It seems this village isn't peaceful either, Lorraine thought to herself.

Walking along the small path in front of the village to the entrance, they were spotted by the hunter on duty in the lookout tower.

Seeing several people in armor arrive, the hunter seemed somewhat surprised, and hurriedly descended the lookout tower, running towards the village.

Although Lorraine was a little puzzled, she did not do anything out of the ordinary, instead waiting quietly at the entrance.

Soon, the village chief, leaning on his cane, hurried over in a panic, constantly scolding the hunter.

With her keen hearing, Lorraine heard the village chief's words.

"City Guards have come; why didn't you open the gate first to let the distinguished guests into the village? Treating them so rudely, if they blame us and don't help us deal with that fierce beast, the sin will be great!"

The hunter next to him hung his head, following the village chief and listening to his scolding.

The village chief looked at his lifeless expression, becoming enraged, and sharply struck him with his cane.

"Did you not hear me? Go open the gate!"

The hunter seemed to awaken from a dream, quickly ran a few steps, and opened the gate before the village chief arrived.

The old village chief's face showed no trace of the previous anger, greeting the group with a bright smile.

When he saw their armor, he paused slightly, then glanced behind them, a look of doubt appearing.

"Are you... the City Guards from Kain City?"

Lorraine looked at the Western faces of the village chief and the villagers, feeling even more a sense of kinship.

She calmly stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

"Precisely. We received a mission and heard that your village was troubled by a fierce beast, so we came to resolve it."

Upon hearing this, some of the village chief's doubts dissipated.

He had sent someone to Kain City for help a month ago; if they were bandits, they wouldn't know about the fierce beast.

But the village chief still couldn't help but ask:

"This place is more than thirty li from Kain City, and I see that you, sirs, are not riding horses. May I ask..."

"We were carrying out important duties with the main army and received orders midway to come here and eliminate the fierce beast."

"Now the main army has departed, leaving a few of us here to deal with the fierce beast."

After hearing Lorraine's explanation, the village chief finally relaxed and enthusiastically invited them into the village.

Upon entering the village, it was mealtime, and the aroma of food occasionally wafted from the houses.

The village chief led them to a larger house, brought out a few rough wooden stools, and invited them to sit by the door.

He then arranged for his eldest son to borrow some meat from the hunter's house and for his daughter-in-law to kill two chickens from their home to entertain the guests.

Upon hearing the village chief's arrangements, Lorraine quickly stopped him, stating that they had brought their own dry rations and there was no need for hospitality.

But the village chief politely refused, citing that he could not neglect distinguished guests.

At this moment, a group of children crowded around, curiously examining the brightly armored strangers.

A little girl, biting her finger, timidly walked up to Lorraine:

"Pretty big sister, are you here to drive away the big wild boar?"

Lorraine's heart instantly softened. She lifted the girl onto her lap, her fingertips brushing her flaxen curly hair:

"Yes, I'm here to drive away the big wild boar for you."

The girl was overjoyed and gave Lorraine a loud kiss on the cheek.

Just then, the village chief walked out of the house, looking very pleased at this warm scene.

"Children, hurry home for dinner, or you'll get a spanking."

The children were very afraid of the stern village chief and quickly scattered like birds and beasts.

Then, the village chief brought a stool and sat down in front of Lorraine, sighing:

"This child's father was lost to that fierce beast."

Lorraine's heart trembled violently upon hearing this.

She hadn't expected that carefree little girl to have experienced such a drastic change, and she couldn't help but feel pity.

The village chief continued:

"That fierce beast is a man-eating wild boar, extremely ferocious. Three people in the village have already fallen victim to it."

The village chief's expression was grave.

"The previous times, it crashed into the fence under the cover of night. Thanks to the hunters' desperate resistance, otherwise..."

As he spoke, the village chief looked terrified.

"Now that you've come, the whole village finally has hope."

Upon hearing this, Lorraine immediately declared:

"Village chief, rest assured. Since we are here, we will definitely solve your troubles."

"Without further ado, we will set off to find the wild boar after dinner."

The village chief shook his head and said:

"The dense forest outside the village is complex, and that wild boar is extremely cunning. It probably won't engage you in battle. It's better to wait for the wild boar to come to us."

Lorraine did not refuse after hearing this.

She arranged for a Shadow Assassin to scout towards Kain City along the village road, while she settled down in the village with peace of mind.

As dusk gradually fell, Lorraine sat under the eaves, listening to the laughter from inside the house, a complex emotion rising in her heart.

Then, as if making some decision, she let out a long sigh.