Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 5: Splitting Up

Release Date: 2026-05-24 08:22:51

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Looking at the map, the three of them fell silent. They had too little information right now, and even Qin Lun found it hard to make an accurate judgment. The Plot Characters—humans and elves—they had possessed seemed to be minor figures, and hardly any of their original memories remained.

At that moment, all three of them had a vague feeling that maybe the Plot Characters possessed by Nicole and the other two were the key to this elf merchant convoy. Finding them would probably help them understand the mission of this elf convoy.

“Sterk, what do you think?” Stark turned and asked.

Hearing Stark’s question, Qin Lun did not answer right away. Instead, he sat down on the blood-stained grass, stroked his chin, and fell into deep thought.

But after only a short while, a trace of helplessness appeared on Qin Lun’s face. It was good that Shattered Starry Sky had given them a hint, but it also meant that figuring out the truth behind the hint would not be easy.

More than sixteen hundred years ago, a magical flood had turned vast stretches of land into ocean. The lords of the Qiongdus Kingdom surely remembered it well, since anyone could see the turbulent Vihong Sea in the northern part of the kingdom.

Whatever trouble the Qiongda’er Elves were facing now, it was nonsense to say that the human lords near Elbad openly broke the peace agreement between the two races. In other words, they would at least publicly blame the raid on a band of thieves. That meant the attackers couldn’t enter Elbad openly in fine clothes and on strong horses, showing off the goods and hostages they had seized.

Following this logic, heading south to the lower reaches of the Naga River and using the waterway to move their loot was a good choice. The Naga River was the natural border between the Qiongdus Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saispaits. It changed direction at the southern end of Naga Lake, shifting from east-west to north-south until it flowed into the Vihong Sea. Along the way, there were several prosperous human cities.

For example: Ompatel, the second commercial port of the Qiongdus Kingdom located on the Golden Plain, and Ningpeis of Sespitz were major trading cities. Rice from the Golden Plain, local products from the three great forests—Winter Forest, Anke, and Qiongda’er—and cotton cloth and ironware from the Kingdom of Xia Ya were all shipped from there to the northern continent of Faerûn.

Of course, the southern tributary of the Alan River near Elbad could serve the same purpose, but this tributary had to go around outside Elbad. If the Qiongda’er Elves questioned them later, claiming ignorance would be like covering one’s ears while stealing a bell. If the attackers were moving south, they probably wouldn’t mind a detour of several dozen miles; otherwise, they might as well go directly to Elbad.

However, this reasoning only pointed to the most likely possibility, not the only one.

The attackers could also split into two groups. The loot they had seized was too conspicuous, so it could only be taken along the southern Naga River. The prison cart carrying the three captives, however, could be smuggled into Elbad under cover of darkness. The mastermind behind the secret attack on the elf convoy might want to interrogate them to learn the true situation in Qiongda’er Forest.

The reason Sterk found it hard to decide was that he too had thought of these two coexisting possibilities. Qin Lun had even considered one last possibility—the hoofprints to the north of the camp could not be ignored either. Though it was unlikely, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that the attackers deliberately went that way for a distance, then abandoned the captives or their bodies at the forest’s edge to confuse anyone tracking them.

If there was some reason unknown to Qin Lun and the others, it wasn’t completely impossible. For example: a personal grudge between a certain human lord and this elf convoy, or a real band of thieves attacking the convoy and then framing the humans of Elbad.

Thinking this far, Qin Lun stopped worrying. With the current information, it was impossible to have a very accurate answer.

“Maybe splitting into two teams isn’t even enough!” Seeing Qin Lun’s expression, Philip’s face darkened again. Both he and Stark were experienced adventurers; as long as they stayed calm, they could figure out most conclusions on their own.

“If Nicole was taken by the attackers onto the Naga River route, or into Elbad, we’ll have a lot of trouble ahead,” Stark said, feeling a headache coming on as he recalled Qin Lun’s speculation about the Magic Cup Court.

“If the Magic Cup Court is really in major turmoil, then we need to resolve our matter here quickly,” Philip said, a blue tinge appearing on his face as he gritted his teeth. “Sterk, let’s split into two teams. I’ll lead a team to Elbad, and you go to the southern Naga River. Even if we have to use some of our trump cards, we must bring Nicole back as soon as possible.”

Apostles were difficult to deal with not only because their Law Bodies allowed them to fight for a long time, but also because they had great Explosive Power.

High Rank skills, Magic Scrolls, puppets, summoned creatures—even though the Fortress Team had only ten members, if they really used all their trump cards, destroying a small town like Elbad would be no problem. But the Quest World had just begun; using trump cards during a Guidance Mission was not a good sign.

“No, Elbad is right there—it won’t run away. Let’s go to the Naga River tributary first. If we don’t find Nicole and the others there, we can turn back. We can’t expend too much at this stage,” Stark said, firmly shaking his head as expected and making the final decision.

Based on their reasoning, the hostages were most likely taken to Elbad. However, they couldn’t choose that option right away. If they were wrong and the three female Apostles were taken by the attackers along the Naga River, they wouldn’t even be able to catch up. They had to choose the southern Naga River first.

“That’s it, then!” Philip still wanted to say more, but Stark waved him off. “You and I will go south together. As for the Guidance Mission… Qin Lun, we leave it to you!”

“Let Longer go with him. Finding the Magic Cup Court requires an Elf Rogue’s abilities more than our side does,” Philip said calmly, a glint in his eyes.

“Qin Lun, I’m sorry! We’re short on hands, so the task of finding the Magic Cup Court can only be left to you two,” Stark said, turning to him seriously. “Of course, if you’re not willing, we won’t force you…”

“It is a great honor to take on such an important task for the team!” Before Stark could finish, Qin Lun smiled and bowed, accepting the mission. This was exactly the purpose of his earlier intervention.

In the short time they had been together, he had already seen that the Apostles of the Fortress Team could be considered excellent, but this excellence only showed in handling specific tasks. Their judgment in areas like intelligence analysis and mission strategy wasn’t very sharp—at best, it was average.

Qin Lun had suggested that Stark and Philip work together to rescue Nicole and the other two. On the surface, it seemed he was worried about the attackers’ strength, but in reality, it held hidden intentions.

Was rescuing Nicole and the others important? Of course it was. The Fortress Team, including Qin Lun, only had ten members. Losing three female Apostles meant losing one-third of their fighting power, not to mention that Nicole was a Second-Order Apostle.

However, Stark and Philip didn’t realize the significance of the “Magic Cup Court.” Qin Lun had subtly reminded them to hurry to the Elven Royal Court to avoid missing important plot points, but the two still didn’t grasp the true meaning of his words.

The “Magic Cup Court” was a Guidance Mission with small rewards itself, but it could trigger the Main Plotline. Shattered Starry Sky had already hinted to everyone that the Elven Royal Court contained numerous Historical Plots, not just one Main Plotline.

Rushing to the Elven Royal Court wasn’t just to avoid missing major plots; it was also to get a head start in choosing the direction for their next mission.

How could they leave such an important strategic decision to someone else? If Qin Lun made some arrangements at the Elven Royal Court and picked a Historical Plot that didn’t suit the team’s situation, what would the Fortress Team do then?

Philip had thought a little about it, which was why he sent Longer with Qin Lun. But Longer’s own strength wasn’t enough to suppress Qin Lun; having him along didn’t really make much difference.

Fortunately, Qin Lun had no bad intentions at the moment. He only wanted to take Stark’s place and make strategic choices for the team. When he first reminded the two, he was actually hinting that Stark should give him the task of finding the Elven Royal Court.

…

“Qin Lun, is this direction correct?”

In the vast, endless forest, two elves in leather armor leaped and darted among the giant trees, almost ignoring the birds and beasts underfoot as they sped toward the interior.

The leading elf had silver hair and blue eyes, with a handsome face. He wore a black leather armor, its tiny scales giving off an ancient, wild aura. The small creatures nearby were as quiet as cicadas in winter.

The elf following him had two curved daggers at his waist. He had light yellow curly hair, a robust build, and long arms and a narrow waist, but his features were much rougher than his companion’s. The pointed ears characteristic of elves were not as slender as the former’s—this was a Half-elf.

Hearing his companion’s words, the leading silver-haired elf’s eyes glinted. He held onto a tree branch and paused on a tall oak tree, his long silver hair fluttering in the wind as he looked back at the Elf Rogue with a faint smile.

“Qiongda’er Forest is too big. The Plot Elf we possessed didn’t leave many memories, and the fragments of life scenes weren’t helpful in finding the Magic Cup Court. But given the technology level of this world, any city would rely on a water source. By following the tributary of the Alan River, we’re sure to find clues.”

“Or… do you have a better suggestion?” Qin Lun looked at Longer and smiled meaningfully.

“No, I don’t!” Longer felt embarrassed and fell silent, his gaze carrying a hint of caution as he looked at Qin Lun. Before they set out, Philip had secretly instructed him to test Qin Lun. He had to maintain independence without damaging the harmony between them, which troubled him deeply.

“We’ve been traveling for most of the day; let’s rest for a while!” Qin Lun jumped down to the ground.

“But it’s not dark yet!” Longer frowned slightly.

“This is only our first day in the forest. Let’s save some energy and observe the nocturnal magical beasts here. That way, in the next few days, we can avoid more dangers.”

“Well… all right!” Longer thought for a moment and agreed.

Qin Lun smiled lightly. He didn’t care about Longer’s testing at all. A little psychological hint from time to time was enough. Before long, the Elf Rogue would subconsciously accept all sorts of “reasonable” arrangements.

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Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »