Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 4: Projection Map

Release Date: 2026-05-23 19:22:50

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“So you mean the Qiongda’er Elves underwent a major change and had to disguise themselves as a merchant caravan to leave the forest?” Sterk asked thoughtfully.

“If that’s the case, the Qiongdus Kingdom would surely take advantage of their misfortune. Perhaps the culprits who dealt with the elf caravan were the human lords near Elbad!” Philip’s face changed color. “We must find Nicole and the others as quickly as possible!”

A simple bandit group and an organized human army were two entirely different concepts. The former was easy to deal with, while the latter might not be something the Fortress Team could handle.

“No need to panic. Since the caravan camp was disguised as having been attacked by bandits, they wouldn’t openly hide in Elbad.” Sterk’s eyes flickered as he frowned. “However, if the Qiongda’er Elves have indeed undergone a major change, the sooner we find the Magic Cup Court, the more mission options we will have. Otherwise, we will definitely miss some major plotlines.”

“No, we must find Nicole and the others first. Besides, since the Star Void provided this most obvious hint, it must have its purpose. Perhaps clues related to the Main Quest are hidden within.” Philip stared wide-eyed at Sterk, not yielding an inch.

“Even better! Even if we turn back to pick them up, it won’t waste much time!” Philip curled his lip and spoke indifferently.

Watching the two leaders argue, the members of the Fortress Team exchanged glances, their expressions varied. Of the three missing female Apostles, two belonged to the original Fortress main team, and one belonged to the subordinate team led by Sterk.

For Philip, rescuing Nicole first was the best choice. Although Sterk recognized the importance of finding the Magic Cup Court quickly, Qin Lun estimated he would ultimately have to compromise. His position as team leader was unstable; as long as he wanted to maintain this team, he couldn’t afford the cost of abandoning his companions.

Seeing Sterk hesitate repeatedly, about to speak, Qin Lun finally sighed. He knew he had to intervene once more. He didn’t like making decisions for others, but compared to losing the choice over mission plotlines, it was insignificant.

“Honorable sirs, haven’t you considered splitting up?” Qin Lun gazed resentfully at Sterk and Philip. “The mission to find the Magic Cup Court is only Corporal-level; it can be done even with fewer people.”

“Oh…” As soon as Qin Lun spoke, Sterk and Philip were stunned. Even the other members of the Fortress looked at him with very strange expressions.

They really couldn’t be blamed for not thinking of it immediately. For a mature team like the Fortress Team at their level, the Otherworld Missions they undertook generally had a certain degree of difficulty. Apostle teams themselves didn’t have many members; splitting their forces further was a major taboo. Moreover, unlike Qin Lun, they were accustomed to team cooperative combat. Once separated, ordinary team members would feel somewhat at a loss.

“Then it’s settled. Sterk, you take some people to find the Magic Cup Court first. I’ll take Longer to find Nicole and the others. Once we find them, we’ll catch up and reunite with everyone!” After a brief moment of thought, Philip immediately made a decision.

Though he was anxious about the safety of Nicole and the other companions, he wasn’t unreasonable. After all, he also didn’t want the Fortress Team to disband. Compared to Sterk, he, as a Magician, had stronger offensive power, while Sterk had better defensive capabilities, making him more suitable for leading the team into the forest.

“Honorable Philip, that won’t do!” Qin Lun helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose, a gleam flashing in his eyes. “This is a Mid-Magic World. Since the attackers were able to wipe out the entire elf caravan, they naturally possess some military strength. Just in case, I suggest you and Honorable Sterk go together to find the three missing female companions.”

“Qin Lun, you mean…” Sterk’s heart stirred, and he spoke slowly. “That might work. Since the caravan was led by elves, we are practically allies of the Qiongda’er Elves. Even if only one person goes back, there shouldn’t be too much danger. It’s just a Corporal-level Guidance Mission after all.”

Philip and Sterk exchanged a glance and nodded to each other. Just as they were about to speak, they noticed the Elf Rogue Longer, who had gone scouting earlier, running quickly towards them.

“Boss, I found clues left by the enemy south of the camp. There are lots of wheel tracks and hoofprints over there. Some marks are deep, so they were probably carrying a heavy load. Judging by the moisture of the marks, they left less than half an hour ago…” the Elf Rogue said breathlessly.

“Sterk, if that’s the case, maybe we can resolve this matter within half a day. Perhaps there’s no need to split our forces.” A gleam of pleasant surprise flashed in Philip’s eyes. He admitted Qin Lun made sense, but if it only delayed them half a day, it seemed completely acceptable, and there was no need to risk dividing their troops.

“Boss, uh… I haven’t finished!” Hearing Philip’s words, Longer suddenly showed an awkward expression and continued with a wry smile, “The enemy left traces in more than one place. They split into three groups. Two of the directions might just be decoys…”

“Which direction has the wheel tracks?” Philip asked without hesitation this time, very decisively.

After all, Nicole was a Second-Order Apostle. Although her condition was unknown, ordinary means probably couldn’t restrain her. The Star Void wouldn’t let Apostles enter a Quest World already severely injured. Connecting this with the current intelligence, the only thing that could restrict a Second-Order Apostle’s freedom would be a prison wagon.

Those attackers took the three female Apostles away in prison wagons. Half an hour was enough for the enemy to get more than three kilometers away from here. This explained why the Team Channel couldn’t establish contact.

“There are two places with wheel tracks, both west and south. Only the north has all hoofprints!” Lowering his head to recall for a moment, Longer affirmed again.

“West and South?” Philip glanced at Stark. Sterk nodded without hesitation. “Exchange for the map!”

“Exchange for the map?” Qin Lun’s heart stirred, and he looked at Sterk and the others in surprise.

“Haha, Qin Lun, given your title rank, you probably don’t know yet that you can exchange for a world map?” Sterk turned his head and smiled. “As long as an Apostle reaches the second tier, third level, they can exchange for an exploration map of the current Quest World from the exchange list in the Shattered Starry Sky.”

“Oh, what kind of map is it?” Qin Lun’s eyes lit up. He truly didn’t know this piece of information. Before, he felt the Shattered Starry Sky gave Apostles too little help; giving guidance missions wasn’t as good as providing more introduction about the Quest World.

For Apostles, the deeper their understanding of the Quest World, the easier the missions should be, right? He originally thought this was because the Shattered Starry Sky was rejected by the World Law and couldn’t give information to Apostles, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“The higher the Shattered Starry Sky’s Exploration Rate for a particular Quest World, the more detailed the map that can be exchanged. It not only marks important place names and routes but also gives brief introductions to the plot factions and historical circumstances of the area.” Sterk explained patiently.

Qin Lun had just left a deep impression on him, making this acting Leader of the Fortress Team feel very favorable towards him. Besides, this information wasn’t really secret; no need to hide it.

“However, given the pitiful Exploration Rate of this Quest World, we can probably only exchange for the simplest map. I’m afraid it will only have the geographical conditions and important cities of this nearby area, with no other information.” Sterk said with a wry smile. “Moreover, this kind of exchange is expensive. Even for the simplest regional mini-map, it costs over a hundred thousand Shattered Crystals. Unless absolutely necessary, few people do this.”

“Then can we see the location of the Magic Cup Court on the map?” Qin Lun’s eyes shifted as he asked indifferently, “The Magic Cup Court should count as an important elf city, right?”

“Impossible!” Sterk shook his head decisively, smiling at Qin Lun. “Apart from Training Ground worlds specifically used to train Apostles undergoing Class Change, the Otherworld Missions the Shattered Starry Sky requires us to execute are generally Historical Plots that haven’t been explored yet. The Star Void itself doesn’t have this information yet; how could it be exchanged?”

“I was mistaken.” Having made a big blunder, Qin Lun somewhat awkwardly rubbed his nose.

“Sterk, got it. Damn, it cost a full hundred and seventy thousand. It only shows a hundred square kilometers map centered on us.” Philip cursed with a bitter face. Even though it was the Fortress Team’s public resources being spent, it was still resources they had saved up themselves.

Qin Lun curiously turned to look. The map Philip exchanged wasn’t a flat map but a small, three-dimensional projection. It three-dimensionally displayed mountains, rivers, forests, and plains.

At this moment, on the three-dimensional projection map, on a small clearing near the belly of the Qiongda’er Forest, a small red dot was blinking continuously. It should be their current location.

“No mark for Nicole and the others. They really are under physical restraint!” Philip muttered with an ugly expression. Although he had anticipated this result beforehand, he still felt somewhat disappointed.

While Philip and Sterk were observing the map, the other members of the Fortress Team consciously dispersed, taking up guard duties.

According to Sterk’s explanation, this was to avoid letting Plot Characters see this map. If this map was seen by Plot Characters, no matter how simple the map was, the Star Void would impose heavy penalties. This also counted as a kind of information leak.

Qin Lun originally wanted to avoid the situation as well, but Philip asked him to stay. It seemed he had left a deep impression not only on Sterk; Philip likewise hoped Qin Lun would have more brilliant analysis.

According to the location shown on the projection map, the small town of Elbad was precisely at the tip of the Alan River delta, embraced by two tributaries of the Alan River. The elf caravan’s campsite was located directly east of the town. Judging by the map scale, it was only a few kilometers away, and already at the edge of the Qiongda’er Forest.

“The attackers targeting the elf caravan split into three groups. Except for the forest to the east, there are traces in the other three directions.” Looking at the map, Philip showed a grave expression. After suppressing his worry for his companions, this Magician finally demonstrated the mature quality of a Second-Order Apostle.

“Looking at the map, at such a close distance, the human lord of Elbad couldn’t possibly be unaware of these attackers’ identities. Even if they didn’t do it themselves, they are definitely involved.” A fierce glint flashed briefly in Philip’s eyes.

“Hmm, the Qiongda’er Forest runs northwest-southeast. Heading north from here would actually bring us closer to the forest. The enemy in that direction can be ruled out; they wouldn’t take the plundered goods and hostages closer to the forest.” Sterk’s eyes gleamed as he pointed at the projection map. “We only need to determine whether Nicole and the three were taken to the small town of Elbad, or to the tributary of the Naga River.”

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Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »