Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 25: Suggestion

Release Date: 2026-06-04 04:23:05

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When the migration team started their journey, Elder Adeline considered everyone’s opinions and first crossed two tributaries of the Alan River inside the forest. By the time they were nearly out of Qiongda’er Forest now, they had essentially bypassed the Elbad Delta and reached the Golden Plain between the Alan River and the Naga River.

Initially, the migration team wanted to cross the Naga River directly to completely avoid the sphere of influence of the Qiongdus Kingdom. However, the southern bank of the Naga River belonged to another human kingdom – the Kingdom of Shaar.

The Kingdom of Shaar was not as hostile towards Elves as the Qiongdus Kingdom. However, the national power of Shaar was far greater than the already declined Qiongdus. Shaar’s territory was larger than the two major human kingdoms, Qiongdus and Sespitz, combined. It was the largest and strongest human kingdom in the southern part of Faerûn, and could even be called an empire.

Such a large human empire might not be so petty as to send knights disguised as bandits to attack the migration team, but they absolutely would not allow a thousand-strong group of Elves to freely cross their border.

So long as the Qiongdus Kingdom did not gather a large army to attack the migration team, a small number of knight groups posed no threat. But Shaar was different. In the plains, they only needed to send one heavy army unit to completely wipe out the Moon Elf migration team.

Although this route required crossing the entire Golden Plain with no defensive terrain, it also had some advantages. Once they crossed the southern end of Naga Lake, they would be less than a hundred miles from Ank Forest. If necessary, they could send a magical signal to request the Anke Elf Court dispatch a reception team.

The attack location Qin Lun pointed out on the map now was the crossing at Naga Lake’s southern end.

“Firal, the Naga Lake crossing is indeed a dangerous place, but the Great Elder wants to ask you about the first possible attack location the team might face.” Iristin said with some disbelief. “The Golden Plain has no defensive terrain. You don’t seriously think the humans would give up attacking us here, do you!”

“Exactly, I truly believe the humans will give up attacking us on the Golden Plain. They have no choice but to give up!” Qin Lun turned and winked at the Elven Druid, but offered no explanation, making her quite frustrated.

However, Iristin soon noticed that although everyone in the tent was discussing softly, no one spoke up to refute Qin Lun. Leaders Elder Adeline and High Priest Menon, in particular, were frowning with their white eyebrows, remaining silent.

“Firal, we old folks haven’t been out for a long time. In principle, we should mainly follow your opinion, but… do you truly believe the Qiongdus Kingdom has declined to such an extent?” Menon exchanged a glance with Adeline and asked somewhat doubtfully.

Qin Lun secretly praised them; these two old fellows were indeed shrewd with age, reacting much faster than a young girl like Iristin. His earlier judgment had an implied meaning: that the human attackers’ strength was insufficient to break through the Moon Elf migration team’s outer defenses, forcing them to choose to attack midway during the crossing at Naga Lake’s southern end.

Qin Lun pondered for a moment, and for the first time replied somewhat cautiously: “I believe the official forces of Qiongdus will not participate in this attack and will choose another target instead. Those who will truly attack us should be human mercenaries, rogues, dark organizations, etc. But these attackers are all small groups, unable to threaten our current defenses.”

A trace of appreciation flashed in High Priest Menon’s eyes. His long white eyebrows, like those of an old sage, lifted slightly as he looked at Elder Adeline beside him. The two of them exchanged meaningful smiles.

The other target Qin Lun mentioned actually referred to the Qiongda’er diplomatic mission led by Prince Coris. The mission went to Ank Forest to seek the World Tree Seed. Their route was the same as the Moon Elf migration team’s, also avoiding Elbad and choosing to cross the river at the southern end of Naga Lake.

The Qiongdus Kingdom sending knights to attack the Qiongda’er Elves wasn’t just for wealth; there were political motives involved. As rulers of Faerûn, the human kingdoms were wary of the Elves in the great forests within their borders. If the Elves in the forest lived harmoniously with humans, that was one thing. But if it was a mortal enemy relationship like between Qiongdus and Qiongda’er, then it was a constant source of anxiety.

The human kingdoms of Faerûn were agrarian societies. To achieve national prosperity and strength, they needed a stable surrounding environment. The Elves were different; as long as the forest existed, they wouldn’t lack basic living resources.

The Qiongda’er Elves could stay out of the forest for long periods, paying no attention to the Qiongdus Kingdom. But the Qiongdus Kingdom needed to be constantly vigilant against possible attacks from the Elves.

In fact, many of the human merchant caravans entering Qiongda’er Forest for trade each year were spies and scouts for the Qiongdus Kingdom. Originally, the attack by the Elbad human lord on the Elf merchant caravan had their tip-offs.

Why did the human lords go to great lengths to obstruct the Magic Cup Court from obtaining a new World Tree Seed? Wasn’t it because they wanted to drive the Elves out of Qiongda’er Forest? Whether it was Ank Forest or Evermeet, as long as the Elves left Qiongda’er Forest, the human lords of the Qiongdus Kingdom were willing to pay any price.

Currently, there were two Elf groups that had left Qiongda’er Forest. The diplomatic mission led by Prince Coris aimed to obtain the World Tree Seed. The other was the Moon Elf tribe planning to migrate to Ank Forest.

The human lords of the Qiongdus Kingdom desperately wanted all the Moon Elves to leave Qiongda’er Forest. Why would they dispatch large knight forces to scatter the Moon Elf migration team and block them back into Qiongda’er? Therefore, the team that would actually be attacked by official knights was only Prince Coris’s diplomatic mission, not the Moon Elf migration team.

However, this didn’t mean the Moon Elf migration team wouldn’t face any attacks at all. Although the official knights of the Qiongdus Kingdom wouldn’t attack them, some small groups of rogue bands, dark organizations, and mercenary groups would swarm in.

The impoverished migration team didn’t have much wealth. However, the good-looking Moon Elves, regardless of age or gender, were wealth in themselves. The various prosperous city-states of Faerûn had a great demand for Elf slaves. Many human nobles and wealthy individuals were willing to spend lavishly for beautiful Moon Elves.

Since the small groups of human attackers came to capture Moon Elf slaves, they naturally wouldn’t fight to the death against a migration team that was tightly packed, layered inside and out like a hedgehog. They weren’t the heavily armed kingdom knights, after all.

The Golden Plain had no defensive terrain, and this was true for both the Moon Elves and the attackers. The precise archery of the Elven Rangers and the numerous spells of the Elf Mages were blows that small rogue bands could not withstand.

Therefore, it was highly likely the rogue bands would not launch attacks on the plain. Only when it was time to cross the river, and the migration team had to split into groups and loosen their defensive formation, would they act upon hearing the news, deciding the outcome in one battle.

Everyone in the tent quickly grasped Qin Lun’s meaning and began discussing animatedly. Regarding the possible attack at Naga Lake, they each offered some suggestions.

For example: some suggested setting traps to lure some rogue bands over and eliminate some enemies early. Some suggested actively sending out Ranger teams to engage the enemy while crossing the river, covering the main force’s crossing. Others suggested simply leaving the high-ranking Mages and Priests behind to jointly create a magical swamp to block the attackers.

However, there was one thing everyone understood clearly: no matter what suggestion was followed, losses would be unavoidable if they were truly attacked mid-crossing.

“Let’s end the meeting here. Everyone, please return and prepare.” Elder Adeline pinched the bridge of her nose and waved her hand tiredly.

The people in the tent gradually said their goodbyes and left. Only Qin Lun remained, sitting still with his eyes closed, not moving at all.

“Firal!” Iristin quietly tugged his sleeve twice but couldn’t move him. Her eyes then darted around, and she realized he still had something to say to Adeline and Menon. She imitated the young man, focusing her gaze inward as if meditating.

Soon, only Adeline, Menon, and Qin Lun remained in the tent.

“Firal, do you still have something to say?” Adeline and Menon looked at the young man and asked somewhat puzzled.

Actually, before holding the meeting, the two of them had discussed countless times in private, but each time, the conclusion was similar to now, with no better solution. The Naga Lake crossing had almost become a chronic worry for the two elders.

“Two Elders, have you ever considered disbanding the current defensive formation and having the entire migration team form a loose line formation? Spread the Rangers, Hunters, even Mages and Druids evenly throughout the team?” A glint flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes as he slowly spoke.

The Moon Elf team currently had three layers: the outer layer of Rangers and Hunters, the middle layer of Elf cavalry, and the inner layer of the elderly, women, children, and Great Elk-drawn caravans. Overall, it was an oval shape, with some elasticity in defense, making it a very good defensive formation.

“How can that work? If we disband the defensive formation, the human attackers wouldn’t wait until the Naga Lake crossing; they would launch successive attacks on the Golden Plain, and the losses would only be greater.” Elder Adeline looked at Qin Lun in surprise and shook her head repeatedly.

“Adeline, let’s hear what Firal has to say first.” High Priest Menon, however, frowned slightly and didn’t outright reject Qin Lun’s suggestion.

“The line formation is indeed more vulnerable to attacks, and the losses would be greater than now, but the attackers would also pay a heavy price. Unlike humans, even our elderly, women, and children have some combat ability. Even if they only have bone arrows, they can inflict significant casualties on the rogue bands,” Qin Lun said with a smile.

“But our goal isn’t to kill human rogues; it’s to let more Elves enter Ank Forest alive.” Iristin, who had been listening quietly, couldn’t help but interject.

“Yes, to let more Elves migrate to Ank Forest alive!” Qin Lun narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, “Two Elders, have you forgotten? Our group is only the first migrating tribe. There are still over four thousand Moon Elf compatriots coming after us!”

“The current defensive formation might allow us to avoid losses on the Golden Plain, but it also forces those small groups of attackers to unite and gather for a mid-crossing attack at Naga Lake. At that time, our losses are still uncertain, but the attackers’ casualties are destined not to be heavy.”

“And the rogue bands who get a taste of success definitely won’t stop there; they will only bring greater pressure to the subsequent migrating Moon Elf tribes. It’s obvious that by then, they will attract even more, greedier human rogue bands and dark organizations. They might even, because of this cooperation, change from a scattered mob into an organized hunting force…”

“Don’t say anymore, Firal. You and Iristin, please withdraw first. Elder Adeline and I need to discuss.” High Priest Menon took a deep look at Qin Lun and waved his hand to cut him off.

«Volume 8 Chapter 24: The Road Ahead

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Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »