Book 11: Chapter 16: Nightmare Fright

“Too sensitive an identity… Elf King?” Lago said with a playful, teasing grin.

“What kind of Elf King would go out adventuring alone? I can’t believe you!” Rick covered his face with his hand, looking exasperated, but he did not drop the subject. He continued, “Have you heard the rumors from the central continent about the Moon Elves forming a Great Elven Court?”

“Yeah, that rumor has been going around Baldur’s Gate lately.” Lago nodded. As a Rogue, gathering information was part of his job.

“A while ago, there was news that the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission, retracing the Ancient Path, successfully returned to Evermeet. They signed treaties with various major human cities along the Sword Coast. These past few months, the Sun Elves of Cormanthor have started migrating to Evermeet along the route taken by the mission,” Rick said thoughtfully.

“What does that have to do with the Moon Elves forming a Great Elven Court?” Lago asked, puzzled.

“Of course it’s related. Moon Elves love peace. Since ancient times, they never liked the competitive nature of the Sun Elves. The Sun Court ruling Evermeet has always been dominated by Sun Elves, so naturally, the Moon Elves don’t want to go there.” Rick shrugged and spread his hands. “Now that the Moon Elves are establishing their own Great Elven Court, they are even less inclined to leave the mainland for Evermeet.”

“But wouldn’t that cause conflict with the Sun Court on Evermeet?” Lago wasn’t foolish; Rick’s hint made him realize. “The Sun Elves always consider themselves the High Elves. They probably wouldn’t want to share their glory with a unified Moon Elven Court in the future.”

“Right, that’s the key point. So, the Moon Elves naturally need to make connections everywhere, trying to persuade other Moon Elves on the mainland to join the future Continental Elven Court, to stand against the Sun Court of Evermeet.” Rick smiled. “There are several large forests near Baldur’s Gate. I suspect Firal is one of the Elf envoys sent by these forests to liaise with each other.”

“In that case, Sif’s story about working with him before makes sense. As a guild master from Tethyr, having some trade dealings with the Elves of the large forests near the Sword Coast is normal.” Lago’s doubts were cleared, and he started joking again. “An Elf sent as an envoy by the Elven Court must have a very sensitive identity. He might even be an Elf Prince!”

“That’s possible! But don’t take my words too seriously; most of it is just guesswork.” Rick chuckled, snatching the wineskin back. “Alright, get lost and go to sleep. Come take over the watch in the second half of the night.”

The conversation between Rick and Lago had partially touched upon the truth. Meanwhile, Qin Lun, resting with his eyes closed inside his tent, naturally had no idea that Rick was even smarter than he imagined, having guessed the main conflict that would arise between the Sun Elves and Moon Elves in the future.

The night passed without incident. When the sun rose again, the group had already packed their gear and set off once more towards the Death Lands.

The next two days were uneventful. The followers behind them seemed to have given up their pursuit, and the ominous shadow of the Magic Mouth was no longer seen in the sky. This eased many of the worries in their hearts.

Even Qin Lun thought the villains intending to cause trouble had retreated, knowing the difficulty. After all, as the somewhat famous Thornblood Mercenary Corps of Baldur’s Gate, their combat prowess was recognized by many mercenaries.

However, the removal of the potential threat did not lighten Qin Lun’s concerns. At least until he received definite news about Iristin, he was experiencing a feeling of restlessness for the first time.

Perhaps influenced by him, the group moved swiftly. They even reached the outskirts of the Death Lands half a day ahead of schedule. By then, exactly four days and three nights had passed since Qin Lun and the others arrived in Toril.

They arrived at the outskirts of the Death Lands at night. Taking this opportunity, they decided to rest and planned to formally enter the Death Lands at daybreak.

“Hah…” In the pitch-black tent, Qin Lun suddenly sat bolt upright. His chest heaved rapidly, and beads of sweat the size of peas dripped from his chin. His Moon Elf-born, bright silver eyes shimmered in the darkness.

Qin Lun covered his face, running his fingers through his silver hair. He had a nightmare. Unlike before, the scene in this dream wasn’t the usual childhood memories with his sister Qin Mei. For the first time, other familiar faces appeared.

His followers like Didi, Frank, and Sif; his Serial Killer companions like Hill and Grant; other familiar Apostles like Kelly and Robin; also, the Elf Elder Mafa Moliya and the Demon Elder Beruseth, whom he met in the Shattered Starry Sky.

Of course, this also included the many women he had connections with: the innkeeper Katharine, Baise, Monica, Iristin, and others. Surprisingly, even the long-unseen nurse Little Lian appeared, along with that cold beauty Hu Fei, whom he had pushed into a Zombie horde.

Yet, none of these shocked him the most. What shocked him were the people who hadn’t appeared in his dreams since he entered the Shattered Starry Sky. After so long, they finally reappeared.

In his dream, he saw those he had killed before, even including the Atlantis survivor from the Metropolis Domination War, the last little girl Mina. Her resolute and hateful expression was what finally jolted him awake from his sleep.

When conscious, Qin Lun often deliberately reviewed his past experiences. It was a hypnotherapy technique for psychiatric patients: setting a memory anchor and deliberately recalling memories to rebuild a clear consciousness after mental disarray.

However, dreaming again of those he had killed in the past seemed to mean only one thing…

“Joey, are you still there?” Qin Lun softly called out to his other self in his mind. Joey didn’t answer him. Qin Lun suddenly realized that Joey hadn’t spoken to him for a very long time since the Divine Comedy World.

Realizing this, Qin Lun felt a bone-chilling cold. He muttered dazedly, uttering syllables incomprehensible to others.

After a long while, a sigh finally came from the darkness. “Is it almost that time again? I hope we can find Iristin in time!”

“Firal, what’s wrong?” Sif, who shared the tent, was finally awakened. He groggily opened his eyes and was startled by the silver-haired Elf sitting cross-legged in front of him.

“Nothing,” Qin Lun forced a smile, his face unusually pale. His silver bangs were damp with sweat, plastered to his forehead, making him look quite disheveled.

“Are you sick?” Sif asked, puzzled.

“I said it’s nothing. Go back to sleep!” Qin Lun’s tone was somewhat rough, making Sif feel awkward. Sif smiled sheepishly and scratched his head.

“Sorry,” Qin Lun said, calming down after seeing Sif’s reaction, and sighed.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find Old Butler Mason and Iristin,” Sif waved his hand, trying to comfort him.

“Quiet!” Qin Lun, about to reply, suddenly turned serious. He clamped a hand over Sif’s mouth and crouched down, pressing his ear to the ground.

Sif’s eyes darted around. He obediently stilled his movements and quietly reached for his outer clothes in the corner of the tent. After many adventures, he was no longer the green rookie. Qin Lun’s reaction clearly meant he had heard something suspicious.

“Relax, it’s still far from here. I’ll go check it out,” Qin Lun instructed softly. He lifted the tent flap and stepped out, carrying his cloth bag.

“Qin Lun, what did you find?” Hill and Rand had already received Qin Lun’s alert through the Team Channel and had also come out of their tents.

“What happened?” As the three appeared, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Lago, the Rogue responsible for the second watch.

“Someone is watching us from a distance!” Qin Lun said warily, peering into the depths of the dark night.

Lago frowned but didn’t argue. In fact, he had also instinctively sensed something was wrong. But he was the only one on watch and didn’t dare leave his post to investigate. Besides, waking the others now wouldn’t help much.

Apart from him, neither Rick nor Winnie could pursue enemies effectively in such darkness. He had been hiding in the shadows, hoping the watcher would attempt to infiltrate the camp, giving him a chance to catch them. He hadn’t expected Qin Lun to also notice something amiss, which made him feel a bit embarrassed.

“There’s not much we can do about it now. The terrain on the outskirts of the Death Lands is very complex. After dawn, I’ll try to follow the trail,” Lago suggested seriously, without his usual playful grin.

“No need. The other party is likely an adventurer skilled in tracking, possibly of the Hunter Profession. Let me handle it. We can’t let them follow us into the Death Lands. It would cause unnecessary trouble for the search ahead.”

Qin Lun’s face was like still water. His mood was already bad, and now it was nearing its breaking point.

“Are you sure?” Lago’s eyes glinted; he didn’t refuse immediately.

He wasn’t as steady as Rick. Besides, even the Knight had said that Qin Lun wasn’t their employer; the only person they were contracted to protect was Sif. Since Qin Lun volunteered, he naturally wouldn’t refuse.

“I’m not certain yet, but in a forest environment, a Ranger has the advantage over a Rogue,” Qin Lun said with a slight smile. He walked over to a large tree near the campsite, pressed his palm against the trunk, and closed his eyes, carefully sensing.

The outskirts of the Death Lands were sparsely wooded, less dense than a typical forest but with more trees than the wilderness.

This land received ample rainfall, otherwise, it wouldn’t have formed a marsh terrain. However, years of war prevented the establishment of a normal plant and animal ecosystem. Over time, it became the Death Marsh.

The plants here were mainly aquatic shrubs and Swamp Banyan Trees. The wet, poor soil could only sustain such growth. Both aquatic shrubs and Swamp Banyan Trees had huge underground aerial roots. They could exchange air underwater in the marsh to avoid rotting, while also absorbing the sparse nutrients from the swamp soil.

However, most of these aquatic plants produced marsh gas, making it difficult for ordinary life to thrive here, resulting in a unique swamp ecosystem.

Qin Lun wasn’t exaggerating. In this environment, a Hunter did indeed have an advantage over a Rogue. Scouting ability was far more important than stealth talent. Only he could identify the threat to the team.

“Found him!”

After a long while, Qin Lun’s eyes snapped open, a cold flash in their depths. His figure unfolded as he lunged into the dark forest like a large bird, clutching his cloth bag.