“Crack!” After Qin Lun lightly pressed a small raised point on the metal box’s surface, the delicate cube unfolded like a solvable magic cube. It finally flattened into a smooth metal plate, about a centimeter thick and the size of a washbasin.
Embedded silently in the center of this plate was a black pearl the size of a thumb. Qin Lun carefully pinched the pearl and stored it in his Storage Space.
Only after storing the pearl did Qin Lun finally relax. Recalling Angelo’s original arrangement sent a small shiver down his spine. This pearl was no treasure; it was a highly concentrated elemental alchemical product.
Originally just leftover residue from one of Angelo’s failed experiments, the Red Robe Mage quickly discovered this substance was extremely unstable and prone to explosion. It had to be forcibly encased in high-strength metal and inscribed with sloth runes to stabilize it.
In other words, Angelo had accidentally invented a high-explosive bomb. If opened incorrectly, this bomb would detonate.
Of course, compared to a regular bomb, the materials for this thing were far too expensive. While incredibly powerful, it was an elemental item, meaning its explosion radius was only about two or three meters. It wasn’t very practical.
However, Angelo hadn’t lied to Qin Lun; this metal box was indeed a treasure. But the treasure wasn’t the high-explosive elemental pearl—it was the metal that encased it. This seemingly small but surprisingly heavy metal was actually incredibly precious Starfall Iron, possessing outstanding magically conductive and tensile properties.
Just how precious was Starfall Iron, you ask? To give an example, its status among forging materials was equivalent to biological materials harvested from Dragons.
Having separated the elemental pearl, Qin Lun stored the Starfall Iron away as well. Looking back on it, this adventure had already yielded several top-tier forging materials for him: Serthel’s magic sword, the World Tree Longbow, the Undead Sacred Artifact contributed by Lich Hasheed, and so forth.
However, compared to the inherent value of the items themselves, these so-called precious materials seemed insignificant. Given a choice, the original items would always hold higher value. Serthel’s magic eight-pronged sword, likely just dark gold quality, was one thing. But the World Tree Longbow and the Undead Sacred Artifact were quite possibly two Legendary Weapons.
Dismantling them into mere materials once he returned to the Shattered Starry Sky would be a terrible waste.
…
Three days later, right around noon, while Qin Lun was reading a mainland history chronicle transcribed from the Uvellen Obelisk by Milleras, Lorlin hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed into his room.
“Fe-Firal! Miss Lace sent a message from the western city outskirts! He, they’re back! They’re back!” Lorlin gasped for breath, his face overflowing with joy.
“Oh? They’re back?” Qin Lun’s eyes lit up as he leaped off the bed. After resting at the Vilanda Guesthouse for nearly a week, they had finally been waiting for Kelly, Robin, and the others.
As the quest node, Qin Lun could have returned to Baldur’s Gate alone at this point. But doing that meant he would miss out on rewards related to the team, especially the original “Ancient Path” shared by the Lost team.
These kinds of rewards had to be submitted by the leaders of the two major teams—Stark and Robin. While Stark was probably dead now, as long as Nicole was alive, it should be fine.
“Let’s go! We’ll go greet them together!” Qin Lun tidied his appearance and followed Lorlin out of the room.
Arriving at the guesthouse’s main hall, he noticed everyone had gathered there except Pakunoda. Iristin remained somewhat pale, but her spirits were much better.
Milleras also emerged from his room for the first time. At a glance, anyone could see he’d lost a lot of weight. His handsome features were taut, his cheeks sunken, heavy dark circles framed his eyes, though his mental state seemed decent overall.
“Finished the transcription?” Qin Lun teased with a smile.
“Most of the important legacies are recorded. Still, there wasn’t enough time. Many books on magic had to be left behind!” Milleras shook his head, saying with mild annoyance, “Let’s just say I’ve benefited you lot!”
Qin Lun smiled without responding. He knew Milleras using “you lot” referred to the Seopia Moon Elves now jointly led by Qundas and Annak.
Milleras grumbled, but he was actually quite satisfied. He wasn’t a Magician himself and couldn’t understand most of the magic texts recorded on the obelisk. Especially since the magic of the Uwelun Elves used the archaic Faeriel Elven tongue, differing from modern Elven.
The Sun Elf prince found the translation quite demanding. Recording some critical legacies within seven days was already an impressive achievement.
…
“There they are! They’re coming!” Lorlin shouted excitedly, hopping up and down as he spotted several small black dots appear on the horizon. Beside him, Emily stretched her swan-like neck and stood on tiptoes to peer into the distance.
Although Lace, the first reunited companion who’d returned earlier, had relayed the message through the Team Channel two hours prior, the range of the Lost Novices’ communication was vast. The others had had to wait a long time in Baldur’s Gate’s western outskirts before the returning group became visible.
Qin Lun subtly glanced at the young Dwarf and shook his head slightly.
Though the Fortress Team’s communication range was smaller than the Lost team’s, Qin Lun had already gotten the basic updates about the group’s status from Longer by this time. Only, Nicole seemed downcast and hadn’t spoken in the Team Channel all along.
Among the Plot Characters who stayed behind with Kelly and the others as rearguard, only the Red Robe Mage Angelo survived. The others—whether the Amnian Guard Knight Bonnie or the Dwarf Elder Loier—all made the ultimate Sacrifice in the Valley of the Undead.
After Qin Lun captured Lich Hasheed, the bulk of the undead legions did, as he predicted, completely lose their central command. The three Death Knights possessed independent consciousness, but without the Undead Sacred Artifact held by Hasheed, they couldn’t control so many low-tier undead effectively.
Ultimately, relying on her absolute strength as a martial artist and agility, Kelly managed to escape from the Valley of the Undead and also managed to save Robin along the way. The other Lost member who escaped was the Rogue Barth.
Despite being only Tier 1, Barth’s Rogue class granted him strong stealth abilities. With Hasheed gone, there were no imitation Beholders left in the valley to counter invisibility. Both he and the Fortress team’s Longer escaped relatively easily.
However, in the Fortress team’s case, apart from Longer, the others weren’t as fortunate. Stark, keenly aware he lacked sufficient mobility to evade the pursuing Death Knights, chose to stay behind with Philip to cover the retreats of the remaining teammates.
The Fortress team had suffered a severe blow in their previous world, losing their leader already. This time, history cruelly repeated itself: they lost their leader once more. This time, the losses were heavier—only Nicole and Longer made it out alive. The hard-earned Silver Team title they’d strived to maintain became utterly meaningless.
Bathed in the setting sun, five or six solitary figures dragged lengthening shadows as they walked toward the waiting group.
“How can there be so few?” Lorlin cried out in shock. His gaze swept frantically over the approaching faces. When he saw the familiar figure he sought was indeed missing from the group, his face instantly turned deathly pale, and he plopped down onto the ground.
“Teacher!” Tears of joy streamed down Emily’s face as she opened her arms and flew towards the Red Robe Mage, burying her head in Angelo’s embrace.
“You survived. Good, very good!” Angelo said with relief, gently stroking Emily’s hair. He lifted his head and offered Qin Lun a grateful smile.
“Leader Robin, Sister Kelly! So very glad to see you again!” Milleras exclaimed, foregoing the usual reserve of a prince at this moment of reuniting with friends after such a harsh separation. He laughed heartily.
“Let’s return to the guesthouse first. Food and hot water have been prepared for everyone,” Iristin suggested with a blossoming smile. A trace of sadness, subtle and easily missed by outsiders, lingered in the kind Elven Druid’s eyes upon seeing so few returning.
The returning companions were subdued. Apart from Lace, who clung to Robin and smiled carefreely, fatigue was unmistakable on everyone else’s faces. They were different from Qin Lun’s group. Even after escaping the Valley of the Undead, their journey north to Baldur’s Gate remained perilous and arduous, marked by considerable hardship.
Immediately after their escape from the undead valley, they had no time to regroup properly. A tidal wave of undead surged from the valley after them into the Warm Lake region. Thankfully, thanks to this group’s prior fierce fight, the undead tide hadn’t spread widely and was ultimately destroyed piecemeal by the arriving Amnian Guard.
While their fierce resistance earned the Apostles no quest rewards, it held immense significance for the people living in the Two Rivers region of Amn. As a token of appreciation, the Amnian Guard even dispatched personnel intending to escort the Hulan Merchant company all the way back to Athkatla.
However, except for the vastly relieved Hulan Merchant company, Robin and the others declined the Amnian Guard’s escort. Without Milleras being delayed, the Apostles could instead travel faster alone. Reducing their numbers significantly also helped them avoid potential ambushes by the Zhentarim, allowing them eventually, albeit with considerable apprehension, to traverse the Serpent Forest and the Teeth and enter Baldur’s Gate territory.
…
“What should I call you now? Prince Firal, or Qin Lun?” Kelly asked lazily, leaning back against the sofa, a cup of milk in her hand. Her clean hair, fresh from washing, wasn’t tied up in its usual ponytail but cascaded loosely over her shoulders. The normally sharp and decisive Female Martial Artist, her nerves finally relaxing, revealed an unusual touch of charm.
“Lady Kelly, just call me Qin Lun!” Qin Lun offered a slightly embarrassed smile, rubbing his nose. “I’m sorry for hiding it from you for so long!”
“It’s fine. You belonged to the Fortress Team originally; being cautious was understandable,” Kelly replied, watching him with an ambiguous expression, her voice airy. “Actually, I should thank you for looking after Lace. Without you, she probably wouldn’t have made it either.”
“Merely my duty!” Qin Lun felt the muscles near his smile twitch. His mind raced, analyzing why Kelly had sought this private conversation.
“Oh, I nearly forgot to mention. Nicole has decided to leave the Apostle Monument. Both remaining Fortress Team members will join Lost after we officially return!” Kelly added absently, swirling the milk glass as though it were an afterthought. “So… what are your plans now?”
