Book 11: Chapter 60: Competitors

Weiss watched the Zhentarim assassins disappear into the distance. In the wilderness of southern Silverymoon’s outskirts, several unhooded figures gathered around the young man who had been called Weiss.

“Leader, that backup plan… doesn’t it seem too risky!” one of the figures asked skeptically, looking at the young man.

“No matter how risky, the plot characters will be taking the front lines. What does it have to do with us?” Weiss’ lips twitched slightly, revealing a mocking smile. Then he sighed. “Actually, what worries me isn’t the backup plan, nor the Silver Marches side, but those strangers who broke into the cellar!”

“Leader, didn’t you say those people might just be passing adventurers?” one of Weiss’ companions asked hesitantly. “Are you worried they might be…”

“Mm, correct. I have a feeling they might be people like us. Don’t forget Star Void once reminded us that this mission is a competitive plot.” A gloomy expression crossed Weiss’ face. “The Zhentarim are currently too eager to complete their orders; their mental state is already unstable. Otherwise, how could they overlook such an obvious flaw?

Think about it, if they were really just some outside adventurers who barged into the cellar, why would they leave the cellar completely untouched? If they really thought it was the work of werewolves, why wouldn’t they even bury the bodies? This isn’t some technologically advanced civilization world. Were they waiting for the police and coroner to arrive before cleaning the scene?”

Weiss’ companions looked at each other with bitter smiles. This was indeed a major flaw. Of course, this was largely thanks to Mosmir’s miraculous retrospective magic. Otherwise, they might still be suspicious, or even kept completely in the dark by the intruders.

“Leader, then what do our opponents want to do?” a shadowy figure pondered and asked. “If this is a competitive mission, then as long as they bring the body to Elastor, the Zhentarim’s plan would effectively fail, right?”

Qin Lun and the others couldn’t identify Angelo’s identity at the time, but if the body was brought to Elastor, the Silverymoon City Lord might have a way to identify the corpse. After all, she was a Chosen of the Goddess of Magic, a powerhouse ranked very high even among legendary figures, and possibly even a Saint above the legendary level.

“Heh, it depends on what those people are thinking. Perhaps their next move aligns surprisingly well with ours. Even in a competitive mission, the two sides aren’t completely unable to cooperate.” Weiss’ eyes gleamed as he grinned. “Of course, all of this is still just baseless speculation for now. I hope we won’t need to use our own backup plan…”

…

“Damn those filthy rats of the Zhentarim! For so many days, we haven’t found any clues!” Mastashia slammed her wooden mug heavily on the table, her expression slightly tipsy as she grumbled.

“Hey, Mastashia, could you keep your voice down a bit?” Qin Lun rubbed his temples helplessly. “You’re a Harper Master, after all. You shouldn’t lose your composure like this. Besides, your Harper companions have already taken action, right? Maybe we’ll hear something soon.”

“It’s no use. It’s already been five days. The night after tomorrow is the Silverymoon Celebration. I’m afraid we really won’t make it in time this time.” Mastashia hiccuped, her drunken eyes staring blurrily at Qin Lun. “Firal, I keep feeling like you already have some clues but have been hiding them from us.”

“Is that so? You’re overthinking it.” Qin Lun’s expression remained unchanged as he swirled his glass, speaking calmly.

“Oh? If you aren’t hiding anything, why have you been so calm and completely unworried until now?” Mastashia tilted her head, a glimmer of clarity appearing in her drunken eyes.

“Why should I worry? Elastor is a Legendary Powerhouse. Attempting to assassinate her isn’t easy. Besides, it’s been several days. The information about the Zhentarim’s conspiracy and the Deathbloom potion should have already reached that lord’s ears through your Harper companions.”

Qin Lun smiled indifferently. “Relax a little. We’ve done all we can. Now it’s up to that lord’s arrangements. Moreover, whether the Silver Marches can establish a nation or not doesn’t have much to do with us of the Elven Race, right?”

“Eh? Didn’t you want to use this incident to help the Moon Elves reach an alliance agreement with the Silver Marches?” Mastashia asked in surprise.

“Effort matters, but if it truly can’t be done, I can’t force it, can I?” Qin Lun shook his head with a wry smile. “You seem to expect too much from me. I’m not a deity; I can’t succeed in everything I want to do.”

“Is that so?” Mastashia gave Qin Lun a meaningful look. “Forget it, I’m heading back first.”

Watching Mastashia stagger out of the underground bar, Iristin and Idria exchanged glances.

“Firal, we…”

“You held out for a few days before telling her about what happened at the farm?” Qin Lun sighed. The reason he hadn’t wanted to tell the two his plans earlier was, first, they might not agree to using the Silver Marches as cannon fodder, and second, they couldn’t keep a secret.

Idria was slightly better, but Iristin’s heart was too soft. If Mastashia pressed a few more questions, she would definitely give it away.

“The next morning when we had tea together!” Iristin blushed, a rare occurrence for her.

“We went there late at night, and you spilled the beans the very next morning?” Qin Lun stared at the Elven Druid in disbelief, as if trying to see a flower bloom on her face. “So, the fact that Mastashia is only questioning me now means she’s the one with patience, not you two?”

“Anyway, we didn’t find more clues at the farm, did we? Or maybe you discovered something but didn’t tell us!” Iristin, flustered and angry, turned the accusation back on him. She pushed her plate away and stood up. “Idria, I’m full!”

“You shouldn’t have hidden it from her. No matter how simple-minded Iristin is, she probably noticed something odd over these past few days.” Idria said impassively, then stood up and hurried after the Elven Druid.

“So, you’re saying my acting has gotten worse?” Qin Lun smiled wryly and looked at his other two companions.

“Don’t look at us. Hill and I won’t help you handle women!” Rand raised his glass and clinked it with Hill, who was also smiling.

“Gentlemen, your drinks.” Just as Qin Lun and the others were having a casual drink, the bar attendant brought them another round.

“We didn’t order a second round?” Qin Lun frowned slightly and looked at the pretty female attendant.

“It’s on me!” The bartender, also the local head of the Hand of Light, Conan Rondo, waved for the attendant to leave. He bowed slightly to the three men, pulled out a wooden chair, and sat down.

“Thanks!” Qin Lun raised his glass toward him indifferently, then stopped looking at him, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

“By the way, you three, did you find anything in the past few days?” The bartender asked, as if completely unaware of the three Apostles’ cold and unwelcoming attitude, smiling naturally.

“Why ask us? Surely the Hand of Light sent people to check it out too?” Qin Lun sighed and put his glass on the table. It seemed tonight wouldn’t be peaceful.

“The city gates were closed that night. We went to the farm the next morning, but it was empty. We could hardly find any clues.” Conan said calmly.

As a local power in Silverymoon, the Hand of Light wasn’t affected by the closed gates; this was just an excuse.

Actually, the reason Conan hadn’t gone to investigate the farm at night like Qin Lun and the others was because he needed time to gather personnel. They weren’t just going to investigate like Qin Lun; they planned to capture all the Zhentarim assassins hidden there in one sweep.

Conan just hadn’t expected Qin Lun and the others to act so quickly, going there that very night.

“Empty?” Qin Lun’s mind stirred. He exchanged a subtle glance with Hill and Rand. It seemed that after they left, the Zhentarim must have returned.

“Qin Lun, you didn’t use the Lucky Gold Coin that night, did you?” Hill couldn’t help but ask in the Team Channel.

“No, it seems we were lucky. Although we don’t know why the Zhentarim weren’t at the farm at the time, clearly we caught them in a time gap.” Qin Lun replied with a smile in the Team Channel.

“What about you? I asked the other attendants at the inn. You weren’t resting at the inn that night.” While Qin Lun’s trio communicated in the Team Channel, Conan stared intently into Qin Lun’s eyes, asking word by word.

“Even you professionals couldn’t find anything. How could we possibly have found anything that night!” Qin Lun met Conan’s gaze calmly. He had even kept Iristin in the dark; how could he possibly tell the Hand of Light about Angelo.

“Prince Firal, given your noble status, your personal arrival in Silverymoon must mean you have very important business to attend to.” Conan suddenly smiled confidently. “If you could share what you found that night with the Hand of Light, then perhaps I could also help you with a small matter. You should know that our guild leader holds some weight in Lady Elastor’s eyes.”

Qin Lun looked at Conan with appreciation. No wonder this person was chosen by the Hand of Light to be their contact. His negotiation skills were no worse than some old foxes.

The meaning in Conan’s words was clear. Qin Lun was the Saophila Elf Prince. His coming here was either to oppose the Silver Marches or to seek allies for the future Gleaming Moon Court. The Hand of Light could speak before Elastor; they could assist him in this regard. In return, he needed to tell Conan the Zhentarim clues.

If Qin Lun were truly the Saophila Elf Prince, then Conan’s proposed trade would likely achieve its goal. Unfortunately, Qin Lun was just an Apostle. In this Toril World, perhaps aside from Iristin, nothing else mattered to him.

“You’re overthinking it. We really didn’t find anything.” Qin Lun shook his head indifferently. “As for my purpose in being here, I can only tell you one thing: King Thanequalas does not know my current whereabouts, so this isn’t an official visit. Whether Lord Elastor notices me or not doesn’t matter at all.”