Book 4: Chapter 47: Lost

“Can you tell me why?” Qin Lun asked with confusion.

“Apostles with combat professions had mission difficulties one level higher than those without!” Kelly said lightly. “Many Junior Apostles who knew this would delay their job-taking process, because this way they could accumulate more in lower-difficulty missions. Of course, if you are perfectly fine with the current mission difficulty, then just ignore what I said!”

“So that’s how it is!” Qin Lun thought for a moment, then looked up and said sincerely, “Thank you for your guidance!”

“It’s nothing, these are really just common knowledge. It seems you don’t communicate much with other Apostles usually.” Kelly said calmly. “It’s impossible for a Professional Apostle to always walk alone. The later missions need the sincere cooperation of the whole team. How about joining my team?”

“Join your team?” Qin Lun sighed slightly, knowing he still wasn’t low-key enough and had attracted the other’s attention.

In Apostle City, inquiring about other Apostles’ information was a taboo. In this regard, the Sapient Races did even better than the Apostles. Apart from an Apostle’s own network, there was basically no way to get other Apostles’ information from the Sapient Races.

The growth of Apostles wasn’t normal. Any Apostle, as long as they were alive, could turn things around. The grudges and fights between Apostles had nothing to do with the Sapient Races. But once a Sapient Race got involved, the long-term retaliation from Apostles could slowly lead the entire race to decline.

This was the survival rule the Sapient Races learned through bloodshed over thousands of years. No local race would ignore the survival of their race for a little benefit. Just like the Earth Federation, even though superpowers could use nuclear bombs to destroy enemy nations at any time, no top leader ever truly pressed that nuclear button.

The female Apostle opposite Qin Lun was undoubtedly a High-Rank Apostle. But she also couldn’t get his personal information from the Moonlit Elves. Now inviting him to join “Lost” clearly meant that Qin Lun had caught her attention in some way just now.

“My team is called ‘Lost’. Although we are not the very top teams in Devil’s Horn, our points ranking is in the top ten. Currently, we have over two hundred members. I am the deputy captain of one of the core sub-teams. If you are willing to join ‘Lost’, I can let you directly become a full member, skipping the selection for Peripheral Members. You should know we have less than thirty full members!” Kelly said seriously.

“No, thank you. Actually, I already have a team. Although they are all newcomers, they are all from the same world as me, and we are quite familiar with each other. I can’t betray them!” Qin Lun said with a happy expression. “However, we really need guidance. I wonder if you could tell me about the systems of large teams?”

“Haha, you are really greedy! I can’t disclose information about ‘Lost’ to outsiders. But, the composition of every large team is similar: core members, full members, and then the most numerous Peripheral Members.” Kelly chuckled helplessly. “You don’t have to reject me right now. This invitation will remain valid. Perhaps in the near future, you will reconsider this suggestion!”

“You don’t think much of our newcomer team?” Qin Lun’s eyes shifted, and he asked respectfully.

“…Well, I think it’s best if you disband your own team and let the newcomers disperse and join other large teams. This way, they have a better chance of surviving.” Kelly sighed and said. “Maybe this sounds cruel, but the ideal is full, while the reality is bony. Most of the newbie teams I’ve seen ended up being wiped out in the Quest Worlds. Even if a few persisted, very few of the original old members remained.”

“Why is that?” Qin Lun frowned slightly. He vaguely understood what Kelly meant.

“Experience… Mission plots change a thousand times, with countless possibilities. No matter how talented an Apostle is, if they are a newcomer, they will make mistakes. Some mistakes can be fixed, but some are enough to wipe out a team.” Kelly said with a dark expression, as if remembering some past events. “Before a team truly matures, you will have to go through dozens of Quest Worlds, and you will inevitably encounter such times!”

Qin Lun fell silent. A team that wasn’t united enough couldn’t move forward, but a newbie team that was united enough might instead be completely wiped out at some point. It was indeed as Kelly said, they would eventually encounter some unsolvable problems.

But, would a team composed of Serial Killers be different? A glint of sharp light flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes!

“Actually, every team has a different working style, so the rules are not the same. Some teams seem quite domineering, acting recklessly, but internally they are very united; the domineering attitude is just their external appearance. Other teams are humble externally, but internally they have many factions and compete for power…” Kelly let out a long breath, as if trying to shake off her previous low mood.

“Your team must be the typical kind that is domineering externally but united internally!” Qin Lun said with a smiling tease.

“Oh? Why do you think that?” Kelly raised her eyebrows and asked in surprise.

“Haha, there are tens of thousands of Apostles in Devil’s Horn total, and hundreds of Apostle teams. However, to have over two hundred Peripheral Members, it must be a team that is quite protective of its own, which is why it attracts Junior Apostles. Since the team is very protective, naturally it would be domineering externally and lenient internally!” Qin Lun said lightly.

“You really are a smart person!” Kelly said meaningfully. “Think about my suggestion. If your companions are at your level, you might consider joining ‘Lost’ together as a group. Although not necessarily all as full members, at least you can survive together.”

“I will consider your suggestion. Thank you for your guidance!” Qin Lun bowed.

After closing the video projection, a smile spread across Kelly’s face. She reopened the call device and found a Professional Rogue in her team.

“Jack? Tell the Elven Race that our sub-team wants to recruit a group of promising newcomers. Then, help me track which newbie Apostles those Elf Elders notify!”

“Big Sister Kelly, this will harm our relationship with the Moonlit Elves!” A young face appeared on the projector opposite.

“It’s fine. Don’t you always boast about being the number one Rogue in the team? Just don’t let them find out!” Kelly let out a sly chuckle.

“But they are Elf Elders after all, the pressure is huge!” Jack said with a miserable face. “If the Leader finds out, I’ll definitely get in trouble!”

“I’ll explain it to the Leader. Will you do it or not, kid?” Kelly raised her willow-like eyebrows, looking fierce and menacing.

“Alright, Big Sister, you have to make it clear to the Leader!” Jack sighed weakly.

…

After ending the communication, Qin Lun sat on the sofa and fell into thought. The female Apostle’s words made a lot of sense. He was very confident in his own mind, but up until now, whether in the Shattered Starry Sky or in the Quest Worlds, he had made several mistakes.

Errors in understanding equipment, misjudging mission difficulty, underestimating the strength of enemies… these mistakes had nothing to do with intellect, they were purely due to lack of experience. Even though he managed to scrape through the first three Otherworld Missions, the luck factor couldn’t be ignored.

He couldn’t rely solely on luck to keep going. Perhaps he should be more proactive and promote the establishment of the Serial Killer Team as soon as possible. As for Kelly’s invitation, Qin Lun actually had no intention at all.

Team points ranking couldn’t completely represent team strength. But to stand out from the tens of thousands of Apostles and hundreds of Apostle teams in Devil’s Horn, “Lost” must be a quite powerful large team. These kinds of large teams had strict rules; easy to enter but hard to leave. Qin Lun might not care, but it definitely wasn’t suitable for Joey.

“It might still take some time for those people to realize they must establish a Serial Killer Team. Perhaps before that, I should first find a newbie team to test how to survive when the team is wiped out!” Qin Lun muttered to himself, swaying the glass in his hand.

“Master, I’m back. Elder Beruses came with me!” Didi’s reminder came from outside the door.

“Oh!” Qin Lun’s eyes lit up. He enthusiastically stood up and welcomed Beruses into the hall.

“Your welcome really makes me feel overwhelmed!” Beruses sat down with a bitter smile and took the glass Qin Lun handed him. “It seems I’m going to suffer a big loss again this time!”

“Is it that obvious?” Qin Lun awkwardly rubbed his nose. Even though he was clever, his interpersonal skills still weren’t smooth enough. Especially when dealing with an old fox like Beruses, he was seen through at a glance.

“Haha, I have experienced your wit. Compared to your intelligence and strength, your face and disguise are really far behind!” Beruses said with a laugh.

Even though it was only their second time dealing with each other, the old Cunning Demon didn’t show any sense of unfamiliarity. His tone made people feel close involuntarily. He was truly worthy of being the Demon Clan’s Elder of External Affairs specifically in charge of receiving new Apostles.

“Alright, when dealing with you, it’s probably better to be more frank!” Qin Lun sighed. The smile-filled face returned to indifference. “I asked you to come this time because I need some help.”

“Of course, it is my honor to serve an Apostle like you.” The smile on Beruses’s face remained, but a glint of sharp light flashed in his eyes. “However, can you tell me why you came to our Demon Clan? In my impression, you seemed more inclined towards the Moonlit Elves.”

Hearing Beruses’s words, Qin Lun was silent for a while, then finally sighed and said seriously, “The Moonlit Elves were the first Sapient Race to give me significant help after I entered the Shattered Starry Sky. The time in Moonlight Forest was very beautiful; I won’t forget the Elven Race’s friendship…”

“I think there should be a ‘but’ following your words.” Beruses blinked his crimson eyes and said with a smile.

“But… after successfully touching the threshold of a profession, I found that unless I fully accepted the Moonlit Elves’ philosophy and martial path, the support from the Elven Race would have great limitations. They cannot satisfy some of my needs!” Qin Lun said earnestly.

“And our Demon Clan can, is that it?” Beruses narrowed his eyes and said slowly.

“Not just the Demon Clan, it should be said that the races of the Chaos faction all can!” Qin Lun glanced lightly at the old Cunning Demon. Even though he needed their help, he didn’t want to be led by the nose.

“But I am the most sincere one, aren’t I?” Beruses seemed completely unaware of the sharpness in Qin Lun’s words and asked with a smile, “So, what kind of help can the Demon Clan provide you?”