Book 11: Chapter 10: Death Lands

“Hey, wake up!”

Sif, in his sleep, suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice. Then, a bone-chilling cold seeped through his entire body, as if he were standing naked in a blizzard.

“Achoo…” Sif couldn’t help but shiver, dazedly opening his eyes.

Qin Lun threw down the water basin, looking expressionlessly at the shivering president of the Hulan Trading Company on the bed. His mood was inexplicably poor, and he was also well aware that Hill and Rand were watching the scene with amusement not far behind him. After all, his impatient and fidgety demeanor was not something seen often.

“Who… who are you?” Sif’s eyes slowly focused. Despite being dead drunk earlier, as soon as he sobered up a little, he immediately realized he was in trouble.

He wasn’t a very shrewd person. Normally, the old butler supported him, so he didn’t have much life experience. However, he had made several trade trips between Tethyr and Baldur’s Gate, so he had seen some of the world.

“You, um… I’ll pay the tavern owner back for the drink money, I’m just a bit short these days.” Sif rubbed his arms, muttering quietly. He was drenched from head to toe by the cold water, and with the evening temperature dropping, he couldn’t bear it much longer.

“Dry yourself off first!” Qin Lun glanced at him, tossed a towel over, and simultaneously wiped his face, removing the disguise of the Phantom Leathers. He said calmly, “Take a careful look, do you still recognize me?”

“You, you are… Firal Moonlight!” Sif had only half dried his face when his hands froze. His eyes slowly widened, and he jumped up as if electrocuted. “You are indeed alive! You, do you know that I… no, Iristin… and Idria…”

Sif’s voice seemed to choke halfway through. His lips trembled open and shut, but no words came out. His face flushed red, and his eyes slowly grew moist, as if he were about to cry the next moment.

Seeing his state, Qin Lun’s expression softened. He gently patted Sif’s back and said softly, “Don’t rush, speak slowly!”

“Waa…” Sif suddenly hugged Qin Lun tightly, letting out a dry wail with his mouth wide open, tears and snot flowing down his face. “Butler Mason is dead, old Mason is dead…”

A light flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes as he recalled an old gentleman who was always neatly dressed and polite—Mason Hulan, the old butler of the Hulan family. The last time they entered Toril, they had dealings with this old man. He was a shrewd and experienced noble butler, considered one of the Hulan family’s greatest assets.

“What about Iristin? What exactly happened to you all?” Qin Lun frowned slightly. He wasn’t concerned about the old butler’s death; he just wanted to know the current situation of the Elven Druid as soon as possible.

“Qin Lun, let him eat something first!” Hill brought over a bowl of hot soup and handed it to Sif.

The young noble drank the hot soup, the chill on his body gradually dissipating, and his mood calmed down quite a bit. He slowly began to recount their ordeal from a month ago.

Actually, a month ago was already the Hulan Trading Company’s second round trip between Tethyr and Baldur’s Gate. The first time was when the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission encountered them. At that time, the mercenaries of the trading company were forcibly recruited by the Amnian Guard to deal with the problem in the Valley of the Undead.

In the Valley of the Undead, the joint team of Lost-Fortress, led by Kelly and Robin, was besieged by the Death Knight and the undead. Qin Lun, or rather Joey, took Iristin and a few others and teleported to the Tower of Durlag. Most of the Apostles and Plot Characters who stayed behind did not survive, and the joint team of Lost-Fortress suffered a devastating blow.

However, the Hulan Trading Company used this opportunity to get close to the Amnian Guard. Afterwards, the guard escorted them out of the border, and they safely reached Baldur’s Gate. Of course, the Apostles’ peril in the Valley of the Undead had nothing to do with the Hulan Trading Company; it was their own decision after all. Sif Hulan and the others merely took advantage of the situation.

That successful trade journey revived the nearly bankrupt Hulan family. Because the route was already familiar, after returning to Tethyr, the old butler persuaded Sif Hulan to set out again. While the Amnian Guard still owed them a small favor, they tried to make as many trips to Baldur’s Gate as possible.

Although Sif wasn’t shrewd, he listened to the old butler. So, within two months, they made another trade trip. That was one month before Qin Lun entered Toril—the Hulan Trading Company arrived in Baldur’s Gate for the second time.

The company’s business was still very smooth this time. All the specialty products brought from Tethyr were sold out. Just as they were about to leave Baldur’s Gate, the city council delivered some bad news to the visiting merchant caravans.

It seemed that some Troll tribes in the Troll Hills northeast of Baldur’s Gate were migrating. Although it was unlikely they would enter the human settlements of Baldur’s Gate, they might pass through the Death Lands, thus threatening a section of the river south of the Death Lands near the River Chionthar.

The city council informed the Hulan Trading Company of this news, hoping they would change their route or stay in Baldur’s Gate a while longer.

However, this news piqued Sif’s intense curiosity. Perhaps the events in the Valley of the Undead during the previous trade journey had made Sif yearn for the adventurous stories experienced by Qin Lun and the others. He actually got the idea to go to the Death Lands.

…

In ancient times, the continent of Faerûn was a primitive land almost entirely covered by dense forests. The Elves called it Faerûn, meaning the One Land.

Along the present-day Sword Coast, there were vast forests stretching deep inland. The most famous were the Supreme Forest in the north of the continent and the great Kaeldomo Forest that covered the entire central and southern regions.

The Supreme Forest belonged to the Sun Elves, who were the first to migrate from the Elven plane Faeriel. The great Kaeldomo Forest was home to many Moon Elves, Green Elves, and other smaller Elf populations.

Through the long ages, the Elves passed the initial, most difficult pioneering stage.

However, at that time, the Elves of Faerûn were not the dominant power. The rulers of the continent were the descendants of giants with Titan blood and the giant intelligent lizards—the ancient Dragons.

Over thirteen thousand years ago, the giants and Dragons erupted into the first Dragon War. The northern part of the great Kaeldomo Forest was destroyed by dragon fire. Another large forest separated from Kaeldomo Forest, known as the Forest of Dragons.

This apocalyptic war ultimately ended with the giants’ defeat, but the Dragons also suffered heavy losses. The then king of Kaeldomo, the Moon Elf King Tethyr, killed two ancient red dragons in the Dragon Mountains, saving a large number of his people.

Later generations called part of the great Kaeldomo Forest, located in present-day Amn and the area where King Tethyr reigned, the Tethyr Forest. Tethyr was revered as the King of Kaeldomo and was the first recorded dragon slayer in history.

After the first Dragon War, the Forest of Dragons, named after the Dragons, included the area of present-day Baldur’s Gate. Of course, its actual area was much larger than the region currently controlled by Baldur’s Gate.

In ancient times, the Forest of Dragons bordered the southern part of the Supreme Forest to the north, faced the Sword Coast to the west, extended to the Sunset Mountains, the living range of the Dragons, to the east, and reached the Cloudpeak Mountains of Amn to the south.

(The northern foothills of the Cloudpeak Mountains were where Qin Lun had previously teleported to the Tower of Durlag.)

In the subsequent five Crown Wars initiated by the Elves, the vast Forest of Dragons was again divided into several smaller forests. These now include the Trollclaw Forest north of Baldur’s Gate, the Cloak Wood and the Wood of Sharp Teeth to the south, the small Dragon Wood to the east, and the Forest along the River Chionthar.

The Death Lands mentioned by Sif Hulan were the central area of the original Forest of Dragons. This place had experienced countless Elf civil wars, underground domination wars between the Drow and Dwarves, and border wars during the rise of humans against Trolls and wilderness races.

The Death Lands are located east of Baldur’s Gate, only a few days’ journey at a gallop. This area is the hub of the Sword Coast. To the south are the three major human powers of Amn, Tethyr, and Calimshan, as well as several Moon Elf courts. To the north, it connects to Deepwater City, the City of Winter, the Silver Marches, and the Spine of the World of the Shield Dwarves.

Before the Sun Elves migrated to Cormanthor, this was also the necessary passage for southward travel from the Supreme Forest. It could be termed a strategic location among strategic locations. Year after year, it became a battlefield contested by numerous nations. Any other place like the Death Lands would have long turned into a desolate wasteland where all things fall silent.

However, the Death Lands are different. They are too close to the ocean, and there is a large river to both the north and the south. (The Winding River to the north and the River Chionthar to the south)

The warm ocean monsoon winds and rain turned this area into a large swamp and a Forbidden Zone of Life spanning hundreds of miles in diameter. Even to this day, no one can clearly say what lies within these waterlogged banyan groves and mudflats.

The era when the center of the Forest of Dragons became the Death Lands is now lost to history. People only know that before the rise of human cities like Baldur’s Gate, Amn, and Deepwater City, this place had already become a great swamp.

From ancient times to the present, countless adventurers and exploration teams have ventured deep into this swamp, hoping to gain something. In fact, a few of them did find something. The Death Lands produce various types of Magic Crystal ores and rare medicinal herbs, and there are even swamp gems rarely seen in the world.

However, more adventurers paid with their lives in this forbidden zone. Even powerful Legendary Professions dared not go too deep into the Death Lands. In the history from the founding of Baldur’s Gate to the present, only one person had ever traversed the entire Death Lands from east to west. That was the founder of Baldur’s Gate—the Legendary Pirate Balduran.

However, before his disappearance, Balduran did not leave behind any words about the Death Lands. What lies deep within this Forbidden Zone of Life remains largely unknown even today.

“You actually wanted to go to the Death Lands to seek death? Did you really think the mediocre skills you learned at the noble academy made you invincible?” Qin Lun looked at Sif as if he were an idiot. “Then what about Iristin and Idria? No matter how little common sense those two women have, they wouldn’t follow you to recklessly charge into a Forbidden Zone of Life, would they?”

“I never planned to go deep into the Death Lands. I just wanted to wander around the border and brag to my friends later.” Sif said with a mournful face.

“As for Iristin and the others…” A strange expression appeared on Sif’s face. “The reason they came with me… you can’t blame me for this. Um… they went to look for you.”