Death Notice Book 11 Romantic Entanglements

As Sif spoke, the uneasy guess lurking in Qin Lun’s heart was confirmed. The reason Iristin lingered in Baldur’s Gate after the Apostle team vanished was entirely to search for him.

Back then, using an Accompany Card, Joey teleported Milleras and others from the Valley of the Undead to the Tower of Durlag. There, they obtained the Uvellen Obelisk, originally guarded by Grand Druid Interva Twilight who later became an Undead Centaur, successfully reaching Baldur’s Gate.

However, only a few of Kelly’s group, abandoned by Joey in the Valley of the Undead, ultimately survived. Besides a very few lucky ones, the Lost-Fortress joint team, including the aging Dwarf protecting Prince Lorlin and Knight Bonnie of the Amnian Guard, all perished in the Valley of the Undead.

After this battle, the Apostle team’s mission to escort Sun Elf Prince Milleras to Deepwater City inevitably came to an end. The Apostles ultimately left the Toril World during the fourth node of this Epic Quest, in Baldur’s Gate.

Before returning to Star Void, Kelly and the others used the excuse of being too weak to continue the escort mission to annul their contract with Milleras.

Naturally, Milleras fully understood his companions. Besides, Baldur’s Gate wasn’t far from Deepwater City, and the city council of Baldur’s Gate was very friendly to the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission.

Evermeet, an island colonized by the Sun Elves long ago, lay across the Sea of Swords in the boundless ocean. Unlike human nations in the southern and central mainland, major human cities along the Sword Coast like Baldur’s Gate, Deepwater City, and the City of Winter were all well-disposed towards the Elves of Evermeet.

Separated by the vast ocean, humans here had no territorial disputes with the Elves. Instead, they possessed immense potential for trade.

Whether requesting the four Parliament Dukes of Baldur’s Gate to send a guard unit or waiting for reinforcements from Evermeet, Milleras no longer truly needed Kelly and the others for protection.

While Kelly’s group and the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission could leave with suitable excuses, Qin Lun could not.

His Plot Identity back then was Saophila Elf Prince of the Anke Elf Court – Firal Moonlight. He had no legitimate reason to leave Milleras, especially with his Elven confidante – Iristin Twilightfall – constantly beside him.

So, Qin Lun resorted to a brutally simple method. He basically abandoned his wife and children… well, no, he just vanished without a word. Playing a master disappearing act, he never came back after leaving the residence where the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission was staying.

Qin Lun had his reasons for doing this. He had already sensed Iristin’s growing dependence on him, particularly since the incident at the Tower of Durlag.

Back then, under the threat of the Undead Centaurs, Qin Lun had abandoned Milleras, Iristin, and the others, escaping the underground library alone. Later, prompted by Lace, a member of the Lost Novices group, he overcame his cold nature and returned to save his companions.

From then on, Iristin’s maiden heart, unbeknownst to her, became bound to his.

But unlike Iristin’s feelings, Qin Lun didn’t believe mere months together could forge an unbreakable, deep bond between him and the Elven Druid. He felt time would eventually make Iristin forget him. Leaving without a word was simply the cleanest way.

This was Qin Lun’s usual approach to relationships. Though he had interactions with many women in Quest Worlds, few truly made their way into his heart.

His first woman was Katharine, the innkeeper in the Orphan World. What started as a simple, first-time experience went terribly wrong. Katharine, by a twist of fate, paid with her life and etched an indelible mark upon his heart.

He eventually offloaded this tragic, romantic memory onto Joey. It became just a discarded symbol in the Serial Killer’s fragmented mind.

After the Orphan World, Qin Lun shut his heart tightly, frequently reminding himself to avoid unpredictable entanglements with women from the worlds’ storylines.

In the Phantom Demon World, he met martial arts girl Yoshida Junko. But apart from helping her out, he deliberately kept his distance.

Then came the World War II World, where he first encountered Madame Monica and coincidentally saved the Queen of Sandstorm once. But the war left no time for romance. Though the Queen held affection for him, nothing ultimately happened between them.

Later, in the Nals World, the half-Centaurs patrol officer Michelle, assigned to guide the Apostles, greatly admired Qin Lun, who then presented as an Elf. Qin Lun eventually persuaded her to stay with Archmage Hollke, halting any further development of that relationship.

Despite Qin Lun consciously maintaining distance, the accumulated mental pressure from these Quest Worlds found release in the subsequent Hunter World. He had a fleeting romantic encounter with Baise, an attractive Nen Ability user with an older-sister air. He later leveraged minor influence to help her avoid the Phantom Troupe’s attack on the Mafia auction house.

However, Baise was wary of Qin Lun’s slightly underhanded methods and feared the Phantom Troupe’s power. Heeding his warning, she quickly left Yorknew City, dropping her protection detail for the Nostrade Family.

After that came Qin Lun’s adventures in the Toril and Divine Comedy Worlds. In Toril, he rejected Iristin’s feelings. But in the Divine Comedy World, he was finally moved by the Queen of Sandstorm, who had waited decades for him, and gave Madame Monica a promise to return for her.

Hearing news of Iristin again now forced Qin Lun to face this past feeling once more.

“Why would Iristin and Idria go to the Death Lands looking for clues about me?” Qin Lun took a deep breath, suppressing the tangled emotions.

“Well… Iristin didn’t elaborate much to me. We met by chance. By then, she had become a full mercenary registered with the Mercenary Guild in Baldur’s Gate. According to Idria who traveled with her, they stayed in Baldur’s Gate making money through Mercenary Guild tasks while searching for news of you.”

Sif paused here, sneaking a glance at Qin Lun, his expression clearly conveying he thought Qin Lun was a lowlife who abandoned the women who loved him. This annoyed Qin Lun incredibly.

“And Idria? Why did she stay? I refuse to believe a devotee of Lady Loviatar would ever fancy me, or really, any man for that matter… wait, is Idria perhaps interested in… cough!” Qin Lun froze mid-sentence, his face becoming strange.

“Idria doesn’t have those kinds of preferences! After all, you were companions who faced life and death together,” Sif retorted, his gaze shifting to scorn for Qin Lun. “Unlike the others burdened with responsibilities, she was free. Naturally, she chose to stay and support Iristin. As she put it, she was a Temple Knight undertaking trials in the name of Loviatar. Staying anywhere was the same, and becoming a mercenary offered good experience.”

Sif then added, seemingly remembering something, “However, the night before we left Baldur’s Gate, Idria mentioned they were going to the Death Lands to find a member of the Zhentarim…”

“The Zhentarim… yes!” A sharp gleam flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes. “The Zhentarim were targeting the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission back then. Iristin might think they took me.” The Zhentarim were indeed the biggest reason for Iristin staying in Baldur’s Gate to search for him.

If Iristin blamed the Zhentarim for Qin Lun’s disappearance, it perfectly explained her risking a journey to the Death Lands.

The Zhentarim’s stronghold was in Zhentil Keep, a city on the northern shore of the Moonsea—north of the Cormanthor Forest which bordered the Moonsea’s southern shore.

In Faerûn’s recent history, the Zhentarim and the Sun Elves of Cormanthor were bitter enemies. Part of the Elven Court’s motive for migrating to Evermeet stemmed from this.

The primary aim of this evil Zhentarim organization was to control Faerûn’s trade routes. As one of the largest trading ports along the Sword Coast, Baldur’s Gate naturally held some of their influence.

According to information Qin Lun had gathered from Milleras, the Zhentarim’s presence in Baldur’s Gate wasn’t overly strong due to the immense distance—over ten thousand kilometers—from Zhentil Keep. Their primary interest in Baldur’s Gate wasn’t trade routes (where their influence was minor), but the Death Lands’ main exports: gems and Magic Crystals.

Thinking this through, Qin Lun sighed and turned to his other two companions, speaking through the Team Channel: “It seems I must travel to the Death Lands. However, I’m unsure if we’ll find any relevant Plot Mission there…”

“Haha, we entered this world using the World Token you provided. Naturally, you lead here,” Hill and Rand exchanged a glance, smiling and nodding. “As for finding a Plot Mission, that depends on luck. Even if we find nothing substantial, you owing us a favor wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.”

Their words held truth. Qin Lun’s favors had always been valuable. Rand once gifted him an Accompany Card and later received significant returns. Even in fair exchanges, Qin Lun never shortchanged other Apostles. Grant, who collaborated with him most often, profited immensely—acquiring Big Bang Impact (his combat core ability), the White Giant Bloodline, and later the Saint Irene’s Nail traded to Hill were all enviable gains.

“If we’re venturing into the Death Lands, relying just on us is risky…” Qin Lun glanced at Sif, then spoke softly through the Team Channel. “We cannot attract attention right now. Just right to have this guy hire us some cannon fodder from the Mercenary Guild.”

“Exactly. The gold you brought from Umberlee’s Church is more than enough. Having a legitimate mercenary group from Baldur’s Gate as a front provides good cover. If we can latch onto an Epic Plot, it will further conceal our Apostle statuses,” Hill and Rand agreed.

Reaching their decision, the three turned to the flustered young gentleman. Qin Lun offered a friendly smile.

“What do you want?” Seeing this seemingly harmless smile, Sif instinctively shivered, pulling his tattered shirt tighter.

“According to you, Old Butler Mason was only abducted by the Troll tribe. His fate remains unknown. Hasn’t the thought of finding him even crossed your mind?” Qin Lun asked, his tone deliberately gentle.

“You think I haven’t tried? After escaping back to Baldur’s Gate, I put together several search parties! But those mercenaries only circled the outskirts of the Death Lands! None dared go deeper, and I couldn’t force them!” Sif looked utterly miserable. “The last time, I hired a mercenary band from out of town… and they just robbed me of everything I had left!”

“Ah.” Qin Lun stared speechlessly at this poor wretch. Some things were universal: power often dictated respect. Sif was a destitute noble with neither strength nor influence. No wonder the mercenaries brushed him off.

“This time will be different. Go back to the Mercenary Guild,” Qin Lun instructed, a cold flicker in his eyes. “Remember, tell the Guild leader this time: Money isn’t the issue… but we only want capable… desperate outlaws!”