Book 8: Chapter 35: Joining

Release Date: 2026-06-09 14:23:11

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«Volume 8 Chapter 34: Thanequalas Nightstar

Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »

“Did King Thanequalas really grant you the title of prince?” Stark’s voice, filled with shock and doubt, came through the Team Channel.

“Yes, Thanequalas Nightstar was a mighty lord. He opened up the royal succession. The unification of Thornwood and Winter Forest by the Anke Elf Court has become an irreversible trend!” Qin Lun praised sincerely.

During his audience with King Thanequalas, Qin Lun received the identity of a Saophila Elf Prince. However, this identity was still only described in the Death Notice for now. The Elf King had not publicly announced it.

But as long as Qin Lun agreed to undertake the “Ancient Path (Fake),” the Elf King would use this identity to place him within the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission. The Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission could not refuse King Thanequalas’s request. Their diplomatic purpose was to persuade other elf courts to migrate together to Evermeet and establish the Sun Court, led by the Sun Elves.

After obtaining this prince identity, Qin Lun actually gained the qualification to inherit the elf throne. Of course, many other elf princes would have this qualification in the future, such as the royal descendants of Thornwood and Winter Forest, and King Thanequalas’s own children.

“Since you have the identity of a Saophila Elf Prince, can we abandon the ‘Ancient Path’ plot and use this identity to take on other plot missions in Ank Forest?” Philip asked excitedly.

As the most significant plotline at the current time, the benefits of the “Ancient Path” were obvious, but the mission risk was equally huge. Qin Lun’s “Ancient Path (Fake)” had no stated task difficulty, but in reality, it was connected to the true “Ancient Path” plot. The difficulty of this task ranged from Lieutenant Colonel level all the way to Major General level.

A General-level task difficulty was something not even Stark and the other veteran Apostles had encountered, let alone Qin Lun. Colonel-level task difficulty could already involve encountering plot combat power equivalent to High-Rank Apostles during execution. General-level tasks obviously surpassed this difficulty, representing a qualitative change, and one might even encounter Legendary plot characters.

Given the strength of the Fortress Team and the Lost Novices, probably only Kelly had the means to save herself. If the others encountered a Legendary Powerhouse, they would basically be instantly killed.

When the Fortress Team previously executed a Lieutenant Colonel-level main plotline, they lost three companions. The psychological pressure was immense. Before, they had no choice but to follow the “Ancient Path” to the end. Now that they saw another option, they naturally felt like retreating.

“Not very likely. The Elf King gave me the elf prince identity precisely because he wanted me to join the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission. If we give up now, he will naturally choose other Moon Elves,” Qin Lun frowned slightly and said calmly. “Besides, for us Apostles, if we don’t advance, we fall behind. Unless you are willing to abandon retaining the Silver Team title, even if you luckily get through this time, what about the next time?”

Silence fell in the Team Channel. The members of the Fortress Team were at least Professional Apostles who had survived over ten Quest Worlds. How could they not understand this principle?

“We will not give up the Silver Team title!” Stark’s deep voice sounded again. “This is the achievement that our Leader… and those sacrificed companions left for us with their lives. Either we die here, or we revive the Fortress Team. Before entering the Toril World, all of us had already made our resolution!”

“…Qin Lun, this task only looks at contribution points. Even if the Lost ones can’t receive it, they will still take a share of the task contribution. Should we share it with them?” Seeing the heavy atmosphere in the Team Channel, Nicole forced a laugh and interjected.

“Yes, and it can casually ease the resentment in their hearts!” Qin Lun blinked and joked. Immediately, light laughter rang out in the channel, and the tense atmosphere relaxed considerably.

“But… Nicole, don’t reveal my Apostle identity to them. Just say that during the previous battle, you used a precious recovery item on me, and then received this plot mission from me,” Qin Lun pondered for a moment and instructed carefully.

“Why is that? Anyway, we will be executing the task together next; they will find out your identity sooner or later!” Philip asked bluntly, and the others also seemed surprised.

“Hehe, Qin Lun, you aren’t planning to trick them again, are you?” Nicole rolled her eyes and asked playfully. The beautiful Divine Caster of Fortress had always been suspicious of Qin Lun before cooperating with him, but after the previous migration task was completed, she trusted his judgment quite a bit.

“Not really!” Qin Lun rubbed his nose and explained with a wry smile. After he had given the Fortress Team members several ideas, his image as cunning and deceitful was probably deeply ingrained.

Among Apostles, the strong were respected. Although the Fortress Team now had seven people, and the Lost Team only had six left, in terms of strength, the Lost Novices were still considerably stronger than Fortress.

If the two teams executed the “Ancient Path” together, they would inevitably be led by Lost, with Fortress assisting. When encountering certain plot choices, the Fortress Team would have very little say. If Qin Lun’s identity was told to Lost, they naturally wouldn’t see him as an Elf Prince. By not telling them, the prince identity could play a greater role.

After all, no matter how strong or domineering Kelly was, in Milleras’s eyes, she was still just a hired mercenary. But Qin Lun was different. Even if he was a grain of sand King Thanequalas mixed into the diplomatic mission, he still had the prince identity, and his status was completely different.

Of course, besides the reason Qin Lun told Stark and the others, he actually didn’t want Kelly, that violent woman, to recognize his identity too early, to avoid adding another layer of trouble during the mission process.

“By the way, Stark, after you share the task with Lost, have them persuade Milleras to set off as soon as possible, the sooner the better!” Qin Lun suddenly remembered something amidst the chat and laughter and reminded them solemnly.

“Qin Lun, are you afraid of competition from other teams?” Nicole asked thoughtfully.

“Yes, King Thanequalas was exceptionally wise. This Elf King was different from King Testiel of Qundar. He had been paying attention to the situation on the continent for a long time. His plans targeting the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission probably weren’t made on a whim,” Qin Lun analyzed contemplatively. “If we hadn’t intervened, the Elf King would have given this task to some elf prince of Anke. Giving it to me now is just because he values my Plot Identity’s travel experience in Faerûn. If that’s the case, then this plotline in Anke would most likely be assigned by the Shattered Starry Sky to other Apostle teams. It might even be their Main Plotline…”

“I’ll go find Lost’s Robin right now!” Stark’s expression changed upon hearing this, and he hurried out the door.

Stealing another team’s main plotline was, for Apostles, already a deadly feud. Unless shared, there was no room for compromise. And since the “Ancient Path” plot had already included two teams, under the current circumstances, Lost and Fortress naturally were unwilling to share it with other teams.

…

In a tree house hovering in the air in Cloudtop City, Qin Lun was sitting together with Iristin, Elder Adeline, and High Priest Menon for discussions.

“Firal, have you really decided to accept King Thanequalas’s request?” Iristin asked anxiously. “The Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission will next enter Calimshan. The places they pass through are almost all powerful human nations, and there’s also the ever-lurking Zhentarim…”

“How much respect you want to gain requires how much effort you put in. Moving into Ank Forest doesn’t mean we have already gained the acceptance of the Anker Elves,” Qin Lun waved his hand with a smile. “Since King Thanequalas has given us this opportunity, we must seize it. Even if I die on this mission, I believe the Elf King will take even better care of our Qundar Moon Elves.”

Elder Adeline glanced at High Priest Menon, who was resting with his eyes closed beside her. Her expression was uneasy. Of course, she understood the meaning in Qin Lun’s words. However, during this migration process, Qin Lun performed excellently. For Adeline, she had begun to truly consider him as a candidate for successor. If he died on the diplomatic journey of the “Ancient Path,” it would be somewhat not worth the loss.

“We cannot refuse the Elf King’s request!” Elder Adeline pondered for a while and finally sighed deeply. “How about this: we select a group of veteran Rangers to follow Firal!”

“Just those young ones alone cannot stop the strong members of the Zhentarim. Adeline, entrust the subsequent settling of our clansmen to you. Let this old bone accompany Firal on this journey!” High Priest Menon coughed dryly a few times, opened his eyes, and a gleam of sharp light flashed in his muddy old eyes.

“Teacher!” Elder Adeline fell silent but did not oppose the old priest’s suggestion.

“Hehe, High Priest, you cannot go, and you also cannot assign many guards to me,” Qin Lun shook his head with a smile. “Prince Milleras’s personal guards suffered heavy losses in the last battle. Accepting me into the diplomatic mission is limited by the justification of the title; they cannot refuse. But they definitely will not accept a highly respected High Priest like you, nor can they allow a large number of Moon Elf Rangers to join the mission as guards. Otherwise, the Sun Elves would have no leading role in this diplomatic mission at all.”

High Priest Menon frowned slightly. They were too concerned about the safety of this junior, Qin Lun, and for a moment hadn’t considered this aspect.

“Hmph, we still can’t let you go alone!” Iristin’s willow-like eyebrows shot up. Ever since she was tricked by Milleras at the edge of Ank Forest, the beautiful elf now had no goodwill towards that Sun Elf Prince.

“Hehe, I’m not alone. King Thanequalas helped me hire a mercenary group – my original mercenary companions!” Qin Lun explained with a smile. “They’ve been through life and death with me many times; there won’t be any problems.”

In fact, this was also the only area where Qin Lun could use his prince identity to ask the Elf King for help. Otherwise, the Elf King would have hired another “mercenary group” for Qin Lun.

“No, their strength is too weak; they can’t help you much!” Iristin suddenly calmed down. She turned to look at Adeline and Menon, her gaze firm. “Two Elders, let me go with Firal. I will definitely bring him back alive!”

“Young people indeed need to go out and make their way in the world. Without experiencing wind and rain, how can one see the rainbow? Elder Adeline and this old man will prepare some adventure items for you,” High Priest Menon looked at the worried Adeline and then turned with a kind smile.

«Volume 8 Chapter 34: Thanequalas Nightstar

Index

Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »