Book 6: Chapter 1: Metropolis Domination War

“You and Hansea are dissolving the team?” Hearing Hill’s news, Qin Lun didn’t feel very surprised.

In fact, ever since returning from Nars, he had already had this premonition. Proud individuals like the Shepherd and The Disciple would never tolerate him pulling too far ahead. Remaining in the same team with him, tackling the same Main Quests with Frank’s help, those two were destined to forever lag half a step behind.

“It’s not dissolving, it’s transferring team ownership. The three of us in the same team is inefficient for gains. Hansen and I plan to each join a small team, while also seeking either a servant apostle or a highly intelligent summoned creature who can act as a subordinate!” Hill spoke frankly, hiding nothing.

“Well, then I wish you luck. We can cooperate again when the Otherworld Mission difficulty increases later!” Qin Lun chuckled inwardly. To ordinary people, mentally unstable individuals like them Serial Killers seemed a bit off, so finding a loyal servant like Frank was virtually impossible. He could only genuinely wish them luck.

After closing the communication, Qin Lun sat quietly in the hall for a moment. He hadn’t told Hill about the Apostle Alliance and Interplanar Trading Post information he just acquired. Since the team was being transferred, there was no need to share precious intelligence with those two any longer.

He had traded a Skill Scroll worth one hundred thousand Shattered Crystals for it. Anyway, those two guys would notice on their own soon enough. Their current competition was all about securing their position in the Serial Killer teams later. Gaining even a little advantage was valuable.

“It’s already been several days. Looks like that Lost high-ranking female powerhouse won’t send anyone to negotiate those archer equipment deals anymore.” Qin Lun shook his head lightly. Pushing open the door, he left the villa and headed towards the Mercenary Guild. He planned to do the same as Hill and Hansen, joining a temporary team for now.

He frankly wasn’t disappointed. Giving away the “Flamingo” Skill Scroll was partly to repay Kelly’s past favor and partly an investment. But investments can fail, so there was nothing to regret.

Unbeknownst to Qin Lun, a fierce debate concerning him was raging in a small Demiplane within Devil’s Horn at that very moment.

Large teams like “Lost” didn’t house their main force and core members within Devil’s Horn itself. Instead, they used special planar devices to carve out small Demiplanes as their bases. These devices linked to the city core of Apostle City, with multiple in-and-out access points, both inside and outside the city.

Lost’s headquarters resembled an old European castle, perched atop a high cliff. A single, narrow, winding path snaked up from the base of the mountain to the castle gates. Facing many enemies, such a Demiplane castle greatly prevented enemy teams from launching surprise attacks.

Inside the castle lay independent supply warehouses, an Arena, dining halls, and leisure facilities. The lower floors were living quarters for members, while the upper levels held meeting halls and a core control room monitoring the entire Demiplane.

Presently, in the top-floor meeting hall, several Lost high-ranks were conferring. The hall resembled an ancient European court. At its center, seated upon the throne, was a young Elf draped in heavy furs.

The Elf had a high forehead, a prominent nose, and his chin rested on one hand. His thick eyebrows extended razor-sharp towards his temples. Deep, piercing eyes held a trace of worldly experience uncommon for his age.

To the young Elf’s lower left sat a swordsman with sharp brows and bright, star-like eyes. When his eyes opened, they flashed with keen intensity. Directly opposite him sat a young man with a gentle face. This young man fiddled with a nail clipper, a faint smile on his lips, observing the other companions in the room with apparent interest.

Sitting further down from the swordsman and the gentle young man were two female apostles. The one on the left wore an intricate, cloud-like hairstyle. She held a violet-red scepter and was draped in floor-length white Mage robes. She was an Elf of stunning, peerless beauty, radiating soft charm.

The woman to the right presented a starkly contrasting image. Dressed in loose Martial Artist attire that barely contained her ample bosom, she wore fingerless gloves and simple wooden sandals. Lustrous black hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, tied with a red forehead ribbon. Her overall look screamed “determined Martial Artist,” projecting remarkable efficiency and toughness. This was Kelly, the high-ranking Female Martial Artist who had interacted with Qin Lun several times.

They had just concluded discussions on an important matter. Now, having some free time, conversation revolved around Kelly.

“Leader, it’s been three days. Should we have Morning Star approach that Novice Apostle?” Kelly asked from her seat, her expression filled with frustration.

Three days prior, when Qin Lun personally delivered the “Flamingo” Skill Scroll to her, Kelly’s focus had completely shifted away from the transaction. Instead, her desire to recruit him had intensified. However, upon rushing to report this to the Leader, the Lost high-ranks advised her to wait a few days to observe Qin Lun’s reaction.

The Lost leaders’ skepticism wasn’t unfounded. Anyone among their core members knew Kelly’s personality well – overwhelmingly bold as a woman, straightforward, dismissive of petty details, yet driven by an inexplicable sense of duty.

Put simply, Kelly was an archetypal straightforward, hot-blooded, obstinate, and violent woman!

Normally, apostles with such a temperament wouldn’t survive long within Shattered Starry Sky. But Kelly was unique. Before entering Shattered Starry Sky, she was already an established Female Martial Artist.

Once inside, Kelly shed any conventional female inclinations. With a heroic and grand bearing, she rallied followers, dominating early Low Magic Worlds and earning her former team the moniker “Golden Hyenas.”

The nickname “Golden” referred to Kelly’s Golden Apostle identity. “Hyenas” left no doubt about how her team operated. For a woman-led team to bear such a vicious name underscored her own ferocity and ruthlessness at the time.

Unfortunately, just as Kelly had warned Qin Lun, as Quest World difficulty increased, their team declined rapidly. Kelly found herself struggling alone. Old companions perished one by one across worlds; the team fragmented. New recruits couldn’t compensate for the loss of veterans.

It was then that Lost, still just a medium-sized team, extended an offer. The “Golden Hyenas” merged entirely into Lost. Kadilas, their Leader, balanced wisdom with formidable power. Within just a few years, Lost grew into a top-ten major team in Devil’s Horn.

Kelly held a unique position within Lost. Her strength matched the other Deputy Leaders. Yet she possessed another trait: when her spirits were high, her combat abilities soared beyond her normal rank, akin to an exploding cosmos.

Once, when Lost’s chief main tank (MT) sustained severe injuries, Kelly, the Female Martial Artist, actually stepped into the role for the mother team in a high-rank versus Legendary Powerhouse battle. She tangling fiercely with two Legendary Quest figures, buying just enough breathing room for the mother team to rally from its desperate situation and stage a counteroffensive.

However, her brash and impulsive nature made her unreliable for solo leadership. Leader Kadilas dared not entrust a core branch team solely to her. She became the deputy of one core branch team instead. Thus, Kelly ended up as the only figure in Lost who simultaneously held positions as Deputy Leader of a core branch team and Deputy Leader of the mother team – a rare leadership combo.

Perhaps due to the “Golden Hyenas” past, Kelly, despite not being Lost’s primary recruiter, held an intensely stubborn passion for attracting newcomers. Sadly, the recruits she brought in seldom amounted to much. Over time, Lost’s high-ranks developed a dismissive approach towards her recruitment reports.

“Kelly, he’s just a Novice Apostle. Why trouble Morning Star specifically for such a task?” The young swordsman with sharp brows sitting closest to her asked with a pained smile. “Don’t we often have Novice Apostles within our team offering advanced scrolls they can’t use to curry favor with you, me, or the Leader? They know we won’t leave those debts unpaid. That apostle probably expects the same!”

“No, he’s not like those ill-intentioned folks in our team!” Kelly pouted, clearly displeased. “I tried recruiting him once before, and he refused. Plus… I have a gut feeling… that guy might be a Golden Apostle!”

“Golden Apostle?!” Startled gazes from around the meeting hall fixed on Kelly. Even Kadilas set his arm down, showing keen interest.

“Kelly, why didn’t you mention this earlier?” The young Swordsman frowned.

“This… uh… bah! Can’t I just have forgotten?” Kelly turned her head away, her eyes shifting evasively.

“Ha! Kelly was probably afraid if she mentioned it, I’d steal him away. Her branch isn’t the core recruitment branch!” The Elf female Mage with peerless beauty laughed slyly. “But Kelly, if he truly is a Golden Apostle, you need to elaborate! If he’s a spy from a rival major team, the losses could be huge.”

“Alright then. The first time we met was purely chance. I saw a bounty request in the Mercenary Guild…” Kelly’s eyes gleamed with recollection as she recounted her encounters with Qin Lun to the group.

“Three interactions within very short intervals. Judging by his power Leaps, he advanced from Probationary Apostle to full Novice Apostle within, at most, five or six Quest Worlds – probably less. He’s definitely a Golden Apostle! And the way we met seemed too accidental, too many variables. He can’t be a spy sent by a rival team.”

“Kelly, from what you described, this apostle had his own small team. Couldn’t those gains belong to the whole group? Also, I gather your connection with him isn’t deeply personal. Maybe this was just his way of flattering Lost?” The young Swordsman voiced cautiously.

“Ghost Blade! When you were a Novice Apostle, would you throw a Skill Scroll worth a hundred thousand Shattered Crystals at a major team you weren’t even sure would help you?” Kelly erupted in fury. She leaped from her chair, planting one hand on her hip and jabbing a finger at Ghost Blade. “How dare you question a Martial Artist’s gut instinct?! I challenge you to a duel!”

“Kelly, that’s not what I meant…” Ghost Blade’s expression changed, his hands rising in pacifying gestures.

“Enough!” Kadilas straightened on his throne, halting the clash between his deputies. “You misunderstood Kelly’s real point! All of us seated here did extravaganzas when we were novices. But don’t forget who you are. You all ultimately joined Lost’s high ranks, ascended to High Rank power atop tens of thousands of apostles in Devil’s Horn…”

He paused, eyes intense. “Dare to gift an advanced scroll worth a hundred thousand to an outsider after just a few Quest Worlds? What does that signify? It shows immense confidence. He’s confident of earning over a hundred thousand Shattered Crystal gains every Quest World! A hundred-thousand crystal item means absolutely nothing to someone with that vision…”

Kadilas smiled faintly. “Hah… all of you are focusing on the wrong aspect! To me, whether he’s a Golden Apostle isn’t crucial. Whatever his intentions might be, they’re secondary. Someone with that level of boldness… is a future giant!”

His eyes held distant thoughts and emotion. Rising from the throne, he addressed the gentle young man playing with the nail clipper. “Morning Star, go make contact with that apostle. Finish Kelly’s transaction alongside…”

“Understood.” Morning Star looked up, a charming smile spreading across his face, bearing an uncanny resemblance in demeanor to Qin Lun himself. “Leader, if the apostle shows no signs of being a spy, then…”

“No direct recruitment. Give him an item… from our prior discussions.” A trace of intrigue flickered in the Lost Leader’s eyes. “The slot will come from the mother team. If he’s truly as formidable as Kelly claims… well then, let’s observe him properly!”

“The discussions before this?!” The gathered Lost high-ranks, even Kelly, looked slightly stunned.

“Leader… you want that apostle to participate in the Metropolis Domination War?!”