Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 16: Small Probability Event

Release Date: 2026-05-30 07:22:58

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Magic Cup Court covered an extremely large area, no smaller than any big human city, with the big lake outside used for disguising mostly belonging to the city’s range. However, except for the core Elf castle, the tree houses of ordinary Green Elves were not built very tightly; they looked like villas and estates each with gardens and fruit orchards.

Inside Elven Court, there were also buildings like Alchemy Shops, Forging Rooms, Taverns, and Armories, but there was no trade market. The currency of the Elves was like leaves carved from jade, shaped with images of Magic Cup Court.

However, this currency was only used at a few shops like Alchemy Shops and Forging Rooms; most trades among Elves were by barter, exchanging needed items directly. As long as they got what they needed, the Elves did not mind letting a fellow Elf take a little advantage.

The forging craftsmanship of the Elves was excellent; their swords and armor were not only beautiful in shape but also top quality. Alchemy potions and Magic Scrolls were even more refined and perfect. If these things went out to the human world, each would be considered rare treasures, able to fetch very high prices.

Do not think Qiongdus Kingdom and Qiongda’er Elves were old enemies; in reality, many human merchant convoys risked entering the forest every year to seek trade with Magic Cup Court.

Putting twenty thousand people in human society was like nothing important, or very small, but for Elves it was different. Even during the Great Elven Civilization period, twenty-two thousand Elves could still be a small kingdom.

Personal abilities of the Elves were strong; as long as there was a forest, they did not worry about survival. Since Elves lived long, most practiced martial skills and magic and owned high-quality weapons. Their fighting power was generally equal to human Knights or elite Archer standards, with Mages and Druids being very common.

In human society, twenty or thirty laborers might only support one professional soldier; for well-trained elite Archers or armored Knights, at least a hundred laborers were needed. From this perspective, the fighting strength of Magic Cup Court was actually strong. If everyone went to fight, the current Qiongdus Kingdom was no match at all.

Qin Lun walked on the web-like gravel paths in the royal city, casually wandering around. He observed the customs of the Elves while searching for information he lacked. After talking with Prince Coris, he sensed that the current Main Plotline hid some kind of change; this change pushed the original Lieutenant Colonel-level Quest up by a full tier.

Perhaps with the strength of Fortress Team, they could still handle this Lieutenant Colonel Quest. But Qin Lun vaguely felt he had to find out this secret; he could not leave it hidden. Otherwise, the Lieutenant Colonel Quest might become even harder.

This was no game; the Butterfly Effect brought by Apostles had been at work. The Quest plotline difficulty did not stay unchanged. If it hit a point where Fortress Team could not cope, it would be too late then.

Qin Lun looked around, enjoying the lush sights along the roads. Where the roots of the World Tree reached, other plants struggled for nutrients. But the Elves were smart about it.

They carved out some light-filled areas in the Court, moving soil from outside forests into the Court. They put isolation layers underneath and planted various flowers and fruit trees. Though these plants did not grow tall or big, they were good enough for sightseeing and eating fruits.

Besides Elf tree houses and these common flower gardens and fruit orchards in Elven Court, another frequent building or area was the Arena. So-called Arenas were places Elves used to practice martial skills and archery daily.

As for places where Mages trained, those were not in Elf civilian living areas. They usually made shielded areas for themselves and disciples to avoid powerful spells harming the surroundings.

These Arenas just for martial and archery practice were mostly spacious. Targets for shot distances like 50 to 80 steps used by human Archers did not fit Elf Archer needs at all.

(In ancient times, one step was double the distance between feet when walking, about five feet in old measure, about one point seven meters today.)

The vision of Elves was better than humans; the Elf longbows they made were excellent. Plus, most Elves had good Wind Element affinity. Their firing range usually reached 200 to 300 steps. A few high-level Archers who could add magic to arrows, given a Legendary longbow made of dragon bone and tendon, could reach over 700 or 800 steps far, as good as modern super snipers.

At that moment, the sun just rose from the southeast. Warm sunlight scattered across the bright green royal Elf city, causing sparkling reflections from dew. The fresh, damp air made people feel happy. In most Arenas, some Elves were doing morning exercises. Even young Elves not yet grown tall were shouting and waving swords and spears.

Elves did not farm or raise animals; besides few fruits they grew, their food came entirely from forests and hunting. Honey from flowers, wild fruits, bird eggs, stream fish, birds and beasts—Qiongda’er Forest had rich stuff to feed over twenty thousand Elves.

This race was not greedy like humans; besides satisfying basic needs, they even tried to protect plants and animals in the forest. Maybe this was why, through nature’s ways, they became long-living and lower in births. Forests could not handle too many people if they did not produce their own food.

Qin Lun wandered half around the royal city without finding worthwhile information, and he felt lazy. He was not a busy person. Seeing a group of Elves gathered around a big Arena, he got interested and walked over.

The watching Elves saw him come and moved aside. Some bowed politely. They did not know him; they recognized the emblem on Qin Lun’s clothes as royal.

When he entered the city yesterday, the young man was covered in blood; now, his clothes were brought by castle guards. Even a simple Knight in the castle had clothes with royal emblems, showing the purest Elf Bloodline; they were a group ordinary Elves looked up to.

Qin Lun lazily leaned on the Arena fence and looked inside. He saw why so many Elves watched.

In that large Arena, only a few people were in a real fight. On one side were four Elven Rangers and a woman—not an Elf woman, but a human woman.

This woman dressed as a mercenary, with purple hair in a pony-tail. She wore a silk shirt under sleeveless leather armor, iron wrist guards and open-finger gloves on wrists. Her lower body had loose linen trousers and tall leather boots, with a black belt around the waist. Her moves showed toughness not worse than men’s.

The fight probably went on for some time; the four Rangers around her panted hard, but the female merc breathed easily. Just some sweat beads on her temples showed she was calm; under the morning sun, she looked like an impressive war goddess.

“A human mercenary?” Qin Lun mumbled softly, his lips curling in a faint smile. He squinted eyes that drifted in the crowd like a cat smelling fish.

He quickly spotted the female merc’s companions among watchers—a group of plain mercs. There were six or seven, mixed men and women, humans and Elves. Their outfits looked much like the Elf merc Qin Lun possessed, so their roles were likely similar too.

“Ordinary mercs, or another Apostle Team? Looks like no peace… Would taking the royal route to pledge to King Testiel let me stop this trouble?” Qin Lun rubbed his nose; a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Toril World was a vast Quest World; seeing a second Apostle Team at Magic Cup Court was not strange. Normally, Qin Lun did not mind rivals, but Fortress Team was weak now. With more rivals, he might struggle more; eliminating them early would be best.

Qin Lun glanced at those mercs. When he saw an Elf Archer among them, his body suddenly stiffened.

“It’s over, thanks for morning practice with me!” Just then, the female merc’s proud words sounded from the Arena.

Qin Lun looked up and saw her body light up with fire-like golden Battle Qi. She rushed at the four Rangers. That thick Battle Qi made the air ripple and stretch behind her, instantly forming two over-large Battle Qi Wings.

The big Battle Qi Wings stretched over a good part of the Arena, making her look like a lovely golden butterfly. The four Rangers facing her turned pale; they rolled and ran to scatter apart.

But they moved too slowly and touched the wing tips. They flew off like human shells, two smashing fences to bits. Luckily, the Rangers’ skills were decent; groaning and holding arms, they stood up soon.

“Flamingo?! How come it’s her, damn it, it’s that Small Probability Event!” Qin Lun hid his face and moved into the crowd without thinking. Then he realized she would not recognize his looks, and he sighed in relief.

At that moment, he felt lucky for the royal Elf clothes. Otherwise, in merc gear, she might eventually see he was an Apostle.

Qin Lun turned and walked off fast, not looking back at the mercs. Skills like “Flamingo” were many, but he could not misidentify her. The reason lay with the Elf Archer among watchers, carrying that pale yellow longbow.

As the Dark Gold gear he sold himself, Qin Lun knew it well—it was Beast King’s Hunting Bow, once gear of Qingming, who died by his hand!

With these links, the female merc’s identity became clear; she surely was Kelly, the High-Rank Apostle and second Leader of Lost Team!

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