“My elf bloodline was refined by the Forest Goddess Artemis and awakened by the World Tree’s Branch, gaining the Ancient Inheritance. It’s practically reached the top tier. If the demon blood I obtain isn’t pure enough, it’ll definitely get rejected by my elf bloodline.”
Qin Lun rubbed his temples, thinking calmly. “The best would be to obtain Archdemon’s Blood. That would save me the troublesome purification process later on. However, Archdemons are powerful, Legendary Rank beings at minimum. They’re worshipped as gods by the Demon Clan. There’s no way one would sacrifice its life for me.”
“Forget Archdemons. Even sacrificing a high-rank demon would be something the Demon Clan probably wouldn’t agree to. At most, I could only get a low to mid-rank demon’s blood from them.” Qin Lun shook his head wryly. “If it’s only low or mid-rank demon blood, why even owe a favor? I might as well search for it in a Quest World myself.”
Having finally settled this long-pondered question, heavy exhaustion washed over him. Qin Lun glanced at the window, then shifted his body and leaned back on the recliner. Bathed in the sunlight, he fell into a deep sleep. His sleeping posture was a bit strange. After turning on his side, half the not-very-wide recliner was left empty.
…
“He still sleeps like that.” Standing on the rooftop terrace and gazing towards the villa from afar, Qin Mei murmured almost inaudibly. She slowly closed her eyes, a single clear teardrop falling from the corner of her eye.
“Junko, do you know, when my brother and I were first sent to the orphanage, I was too scared to sleep alone at night. I always huddled close to him. But the beds in the orphanage were very narrow. My brother, afraid I’d be pushed onto the floor, would sleep on his side just like this, making room for me.” Qin Mei turned around, wiping the corner of her eyes with her finger.
“The Spectral Enchantress actually shed tears!” The ponytailed girl in the martial arts uniform lowered her head, hiding her shocked expression.
“Junko, wake the little one up. She can go back now.” Qin Mei said with a sweet smile, the tear streak making her look like a girl crying tears of joy.
“Lady Mei, didn’t you say you wanted to take her into the Quest World with us?” Junko looked down at Sif lying near her feet, confused. The little mute had exhausted herself after hours of fussing and finally fallen asleep.
“No. It seems my brother cares quite a bit about his followers. Keeping this little thing any longer will definitely arouse his suspicion!” Qin Mei tilted her head thoughtfully but then waved her hand lazily. “Besides…”
“But… Lady Mei, she already knows your identity!” Junko reminded cautiously.
“She won’t remember!” Qin Mei’s gaze flickered as she watched the Atlantis girl’s adorable sleeping posture. Her voice was soft and distant.
“Staying with that man might be better for you.” Junko glanced at little Sif, a touch of pity in her eyes. Though their experiences weren’t exactly the same, the lonely little mute inevitably reminded her of her former self.
Her time in the Superstring Space wasn’t long. Witnessing the backstabbing and plotting among Reincarnators in the trial world had chilled her heart. After forming a team with Matthew and Jote, she deliberately kept a low profile, rarely fighting her teammates over loot, thinking that would earn their trust.
However, Matthew’s betrayal made her realize that loyalty didn’t necessarily guarantee comradeship either. Her will to survive had nearly crumbled.
It was Qin Lun who used the examples of Pan Hu and Lou Ying to give her the light of hope to stand back up. Upon returning, he guided her to find two other partners she could trust: Jonathan and Xiao Dao. Two newcomers overlooked and discarded by Matthew’s team.
But Junko’s happiness didn’t last long. Reaching the top tier of the survival world’s food chain—the Spectral Enchantress learned of their experiences in the Phantom Demon World from some unknown source. Threatening Jonathan and Xiao Dao’s lives, she forced Junko to guide her into the Shattered Starry Sky.
The reason was that before leaving, Qin Lun had specifically revealed his Apostle identity to Junko, granting her the Space’s reward. She was the only Reincarnator who learned about the Apostle in the Phantom Demon World and survived. Using her, a spacetime artifact could be used to pinpoint Qin Lun’s temporal coordinates and enter the Shattered Starry Sky.
This artifact was called the Time-Space Core. It wasn’t sold in the Superstring Space, but a certain high-rank Reincarnator possessed one. Qin Mei paid a huge price to obtain the Time-Space Core. She abandoned her own team and forced Junko into the Shattered Starry Sky.
“Lady Mei, since Qin Lun… is alright now, won’t you go see him?” Recalling these events, Junko’s gaze grew a little distant as she asked softly.
“No, I’ve changed my mind!” Qin Mei frowned prettily, biting her fingernail in frustration. “There are so many people around my brother now. It’s not what I imagined. And especially that big-breasted woman in the martial arts outfit earlier…”
Qin Mei looked down at her still-developing chest, her expression sour as she ground her teeth. The delicate silver earrings on her earlobes swayed. “Hmph! That big-breasted martial arts woman… clearly no good!”
Junko subconsciously glanced down at her own white judo uniform and chest, rolling her eyes wordlessly. But then, she felt her prominent breasts suddenly seized and firmly kneaded.
“Hehe, you’re quite well-endowed too!” Qin Mei’s playful laugh sounded right by Junko’s ear. “How about this? When I see my brother, I’ll arrange for the two of you. Rather than letting an outsider have him, I’ll pass him to you! Then you can help me keep those scheming women who look down on my brother away, okay?”
“L-Lady Mei, l-let go… Mmm…” Junko let out an involuntary gasp, her face bright red as she struggled free from Mei’s clutches.
…
Qin Lun slowly opened his eyes. He stretched his stiff limbs and stood up, looking outside the villa.
Darkness enveloped everything. Devil’s Horn was a city in the sky. Neon lights and illuminations shone like stars in the night sky, setting off the entire city to resemble a magnificent moon palace suspended above the scorching continent.
Having slept for a very long time, Qin Lun no longer felt any trace of drowsiness. He stood and walked towards the living room downstairs. Reaching the ground floor, he was surprised to find the living room brightly lit, the silhouettes of two small figures and one large one swaying inside.
“Sif, you’re back?” Qin Lun’s eyes lit up as he entered the living room. He comfortingly patted the little mute’s head.
“Mmm!” The girl nodded obediently. The squirrel’s small head popped out from her collar. It flicked its bushy tail, hopped onto Qin Lun’s arm, then swiftly climbed onto his shoulder. Chirping into the youth’s ear, its bright, intelligent eyes seemed to want to tell him something.
“It seems it recognizes me!” Qin Lun was a little surprised; this squirrel, besides Sif, had never been friendly to anyone else.
“Young Master, Sif says after she left the villa, it felt like someone grabbed her!” Frank said in his deep, serious voice.
“You were captured?” Qin Lun frowned slightly. “Do you know who it was?”
“N-No… d-don’t remember!” Sif shook her head gently. “M-memory… is a little… unclear.”
“Mmm, I see. Go rest. I don’t think this sort of thing will happen again.” Qin Lun pondered for a moment before smiling reassuringly.
He didn’t plan to investigate this matter. Judging by the circumstances, those who captured Sif were likely from the Chaos Team. Though blurring her memory was odd, since they had released her, it likely meant they didn’t want to cause a break in relations. There was no need to pursue it any further.
…
“Didi, your Fog Reagent needs adjustment. Best to remove the toxin and increase the fog intensity.” Watching the two children and tall figure on the training ground, Qin Lun advised with a smile.
“Master, I don’t quite understand. Won’t removing the toxin make it lose its effectiveness?” Didi asked, puzzled.
“Hehe, although both Frank and Sif have experienced one Quest World, the Otherworld Missions you generally undertake won’t be overly difficult. The key is finding clues.” Qin Lun explained thoughtfully.
“The Fog Reagent is indeed powerful. But a tool causing such disruptive damage will alert the natives. After using it once, integrating into the local situation will become much harder. A strong mentor once told me: an Apostle’s greatest weapon isn’t force, but identity. I find this very reasonable. To complete your tasks successfully, it’s best to act with more restraint and lower visibility. Having a Smoke Reagent just strong enough to aid in a retreat is sufficient.”
“Okay, I understand.” Didi nodded obediently, then asked, “Master, are you going out this afternoon?”
“Hmm, I’ve rested for several days now. It’s time to take care of some business.” Qin Lun nodded and turned to leave the training ground.
After a little while, Qin Lun arrived at the Order Front headquarters in the southern district of Devil’s Horn. He wanted to reach the Demiplane Trading Floor within the Apostle Alliance.
Before the Metropolis Domination War, Qin Lun had visited the Chaos Alliance headquarters. Compared to the towering, gothic clock tower complex, the Order Front headquarters looked less imposing, majestic, or grand. Its Baroque architecture style presented a simpler elegance.
Unlike the soaring clock tower, this building stood just four stories high but occupied a larger area, divided into three sections front-to-back: foremost and rearmost buildings framing a central oval lawn enclosed by a vine rail fence, with a small Angel fountain at its center.
The grey stone contrasted sharply with the vibrant green field, creating an uplifting sensation that carried a distinct Elven vibe.
After showing his Identity Plate to the golem guards at the entrance, Qin Lun entered the Order Front headquarters. The front building housed the alliance’s registration offices. Unlike the Chaos Alliance which employed many Succubi and Rakshasi Women, Order Front staff were mostly young, beautiful female Elves.
The Apostle Alliance’s Demiplane Trading Floor was located in the building at the very rear, accessed through another vertical-pupil Space-Time Portal.
Passing through the Demiplane portal, Qin Lun found himself facing a massive bluestone platform high above ground. Below it loomed a single enormous jade column—impossibly thick yet compared to the colossal platform, appeared as flimsy as a thin chopstick holding up an oversized green platter.
Gazing at the wispy cotton-like clouds beneath his feet, Qin Lun couldn’t help but take a long, deep breath.
