Book 9: Chapter 72: The New Team

“Qin Lun, come to the Lost headquarters. It’s time!” Qin Lun sighed helplessly after receiving the message from Kelly.

With his emotions deepening, he felt more and more that idle days at Devil’s Horn were fleeting. A few days earlier, the Lost team, following the requirements of the several Serial Killers, had mailed a batch of Magic Scrolls and recovery items through the city’s auction system.

Even though the Lost team insisted that this operation was voluntary maintenance of the Order Alliance’s rules and not any form of “hiring,” they still provided some assistance. Magic Scrolls and recovery items worth hundreds of thousands of Shattered Crystals had been evenly distributed among the five Serial Killers.

The Magic Scrolls in Qin Lun’s Storage Space became abundant again. He had sold off the three remaining scrolls from before. The Seventh-Tier Wood Prison Totem became much less useful once he possessed the Holy Crown of Thorns.

He kept the Sixth-Tier Earthquake Spell and the Sixth-Tier Invisibility Spell, adding some more practical scrolls. The Sixth-Tier Earthen Wall proved very effective in real combat, so this time he asked the Lost team to help acquire two more.

Possessing the Holy Crown of Thorns, he skipped the powerful fire magic and chose two synergistic water magic scrolls: Sixth-Tier Swamp Mire and Sixth-Tier Water Dragon Wave. Additionally, the Sixth-Tier Great Mist Spell and Fifth-Tier Web Spell, which had been useful in the Divine Comedy World, remained essential support magic.

Apart from these higher-tier scrolls, the Light Body Technique, Stone Skin, and Bloodlust scrolls provided by Lost were given to Frank. These low-tier scrolls weren’t needed anymore, especially since his demand for movement and defense spells decreased after getting the Indian Feather Boots and Holy Crown of Thorns.

For recovery items, the supplies Lost provided were mostly mid-to-low-tier. Qin Lun himself spent some Exchange Vouchers and a few Shattered Crystals to replenish some high-quality items.

In total, he now had two Advanced Healing Bandages, one bottle of High-Concentration Holy Water, 500 grams of Philly Preserved Fruit, three ounces of Demon’s Blood, one box of High-Grade Moonlight Recovery Ointment, two tubes of Nanorepair Serums, 200 grams of Parasitic Lactobacillus (a kind of germ), and one bottle of Queen Bee Golden Honey Juice. Other common low-tier supplies included basic Healing Bandages, carbon-based protein tablets, and Mana Dew.

Among these, the Holy Water, Preserved Fruit, and Demon’s Blood were leftovers from the last mission. The common supplies were provided by Lost. Qin Lun himself bought the two Nanorepair Serums, 200 grams of Parasitic Lactobacillus, and 300 grams of Queen Bee Golden Honey Juice.

Just these three items cost him nearly 1200 Exchange Vouchers, plus the Shattered Crystals from selling the Seventh-Tier Wood Prison Totem scroll. Of course, their healing power was incredibly strong.

The liquid inside the Nanorepair Serum contained microscopic nanobots. They could perform small repairs on the human body, even reattaching severed limbs quickly. However, their energy was limited, making them single-use items.

In effect, the Parasitic Lactobacillus was similar to the Nanorepair Serum – one a high-tech product, the other a multiplying microorganism. As for the Queen Bee Golden Honey Juice, it was a specialized energy points replenisher Qin Lun purchased purposely.

After reaching Second Order, his major abilities – Demon Transformation, Stellar Black Hole, Thorn Clone, and Tree World Descent – all consumed immense energy points. His need for them kept increasing, demanding a highly potent energy supplement.

After Kelly’s notification, Qin Lun gave DiDi and Sif some instructions. He then headed towards the Order Alliance with Frank; a portal there led to the Lost headquarters.

His own Black Iron Team was entrusted to Integra. He and Frank were joining another medium-sized Silver-tier team.

Due to the team reshuffling, Integra and his team’s next mission interval was pushed back. But the Serial Killers’ rest period was shortened by two or three days. Consequently, Qin Lun would embark on his Otherworld Mission before DiDi and the others.

…

“So? What do you think?” Kelly walked with Qin Lun and Frank down the castle corridor, looking at the young man with pride.

“Impressive. Very distinctive. Your headquarters’ Demiplane seems larger than the Order Alliance’s trading grounds?” Qin Lun appreciatively scanned the white jade pillars lining the castle hallway.

The Lost headquarters was entirely an ancient castle perched on a steep cliff formed within the Demiplane. Only one narrow winding path led in and out. The portal to this Demiplane sat at the path’s end. Of course, whether other portals existed inside the castle remained unknown to outsiders.

The castle’s interior was luxuriously decorated, grand and dignified, reminding Qin Lun of ancient Greek temples. The hallways were lined with reliefs depicting battle scenes. The bold yet refined sculptures demanded admiration.

Even though Qin Lun didn’t understand the stories behind these reliefs, it didn’t diminish the sheer visual pleasure.

“Every large team’s Demiplane is bigger than the common trading grounds. After all, the grounds are provided by such teams. No group would share their absolute best resources!” Kelly giggled. Seeing Qin Lun focused on the wall reliefs, she explained further, “The meaning behind these carvings? I’m not too clear either. I just know they depict myths from the home world of Lost’s first Leader. Actually, every Lost core member has their own hallway of reliefs in this castle. The path from the gate to the main hall belongs to the founding Leader.”

“Oh? So it’s about… team culture? Building unity?” Qin Lun asked thoughtfully.

“Not that complicated, perhaps. Maybe he just wanted to preserve the legacy of Lost’s core members in the Star Void. Since Lost was formed, this castle holds one hundred and three reliefs. Only six belong to living members – the six current core members of our team.” Kelly smiled naturally, but Qin Lun sensed the weight in her words. Compared to him, a free Apostle, Lost’s core clearly carried far more burden. These reliefs were both their responsibility and burden, yet also their pride and faith.

“By the way, my companions…” Qin Lun suddenly remembered something and turned to ask.

“They arrived earlier than you and have already met with their mission teammates. Would you like to see them?” Kelly inquired with a smile.

“No need. Since we’re entering different Quest Worlds, no point disturbing them.” After a brief thought, Qin Lun dismissed the idea of meeting Hill and the others.

“Alright, we’re here.” Kelly led them before a lounge door and pointed. “The team members you’ll journey with are inside, ten people including both of you. There’s a portal to your Quest World at the back of this hall. You decide when to begin.”

Qin Lun nodded, unsurprised that Lost possessed its own portal. A large faction like them would never entrust their security solely to Devil’s Horn’s Teleportation Hall.

“About this team… Am I the Leader?” Qin Lun paused, hand on the door, and asked back.

“No, all of you are Deputy Leaders this time. The actual Leader is someone else!” Kelly winked slyly. “As for the team you’re joining… You’ll know when you see her. Probably won’t make you feel too tense!”

Qin Lun shrugged indifferently, pushed the door open, and entered the lounge with Frank.

The lounge covered over two hundred square meters, arranged like a members-only club’s casual salon. A self-service bar with various drinks and snacks occupied the left side. The center held a dimly lit, circular seating area. To the right were gaming tools: electronic gaming machines and a classic billiards table.

Seven or eight Apostles sat or stood around. As Qin Lun and Frank entered, all eyes swiftly turned towards them.

“Sorry we’re late!” Qin Lun scanned the room, offering a slightly bashful, shy smile.

Seeing Qin Lun’s bright, sunny smile visibly relaxed the hall’s occupants. The wary looks softened.

“Welcome! I’m Balin from the Shalin team. Come, take a seat!” A handsome, silver-haired man stood up from the seating area, gesturing friendlily to a spot beside him.

“Thank you!” Qin Lun moved with Frank towards the circular sofa, where three men and one woman already sat. Besides the silver-haired Balin, there was a visibly intimate young couple and a short, young Apostle.

“This is Bowei and Sawa. That little one is Bobby – Wind Element people,” Balin explained, leaning closer to Qin Lun to whisper, “Despite his youth, he’s quite strong in combat.”

“Hmph!” Bobby heard it perfectly, thanks to his Wind Element affinity. He shot Balin a displeased glance and turned away, clearly unhappy about being called ‘little’.

Balin chuckled, unbothered. “The big guy playing the electronic games alone is Huobiao. The two playing pool are twins, Loben and Dean.”

“I am Qin Lun, he is Frank. Pleased to meet you all!” Qin Lun offered an innocent smile, scratching his head. Quietly, he asked Balin, “Balin, are you the Leader? Also… it seems everyone isn’t here yet? With us, it’s only nine people…”

“Haha, no, I’m not the Leader,” Balin shook a finger lightly. He turned towards the back of the hall, his eyes brightening. “Ah, here she comes now…”

“Qin Lun, long time no see!” A graceful figure walked towards them from the back of the hall, arms crossed. Her beautiful face held a look of faint amusement as she gazed at the young man.

“Robin!” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow slightly. Now he understood Kelly’s earlier sly grin.