Book 11: Chapter 6: Plunder

“What?” The bronze-masked man couldn’t react promptly, but immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest. He then realized the person before him was speaking the common tongue of the continent, not the ocean language he knew.

“Ah!” Seeing the curved dagger deeply stabbed into his left chest, he instantly knew this figure was a spy who had sneaked in. He roared in fury, his scaly left hand gripping the blade of the curved dagger while his right hand flashed out to draw another curved dagger from his waist, slashing it toward Qin Lun.

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Lun’s eyes; he hadn’t expected the bronze-masked man to still have fight left after his heart was pierced. But Qin Lun acted fast—he released the unfamiliar curved dagger and stepped backward to dodge the slash, while a sinister dagger with a serrated back, the Dagger of Sin, appeared in his right hand.

The curved dagger he had picked up was crescent-shaped, narrow at the front and wide at the back—great for cutting but bad for stabbing, a favorite weapon among pirates. However, Qin Lun was unaccustomed to it. Though he had pierced the bronze-masked man’s heart moments ago, the tip had gotten stuck in the ribs.

Also, Qin Lun didn’t realize that many ocean races weren’t like humans—some had two hearts. That earlier stab had severely wounded the bronze-masked man but didn’t truly kill him.

“Die!” the bronze-masked man bellowed in a strange voice. With force from his left hand, he ripped out the curved dagger from his left chest. As blood sprayed out like arrows, he wielded dual curved daggers and charged at Qin Lun like a spinning wheel of blades. At the same time, the three remaining masked guards moved apart quickly, surrounding Qin Lun.

“Clang!” The curved dagger met the Dagger of Sin with a sharp ring. Despite the curved dagger being heavier, Qin Lun didn’t feel much pressure, calming his nerves at once.

The benefits from merging with an Angel Bloodline in the previous Gospel World were clear. Qin Lun’s strength attribute, boosted by equipment like the Iron Cross, soared beyond a hundred points—almost on par with some High-Rank Apostles. This ocean creature was only a mid-level fighter, with inferior strength, and simply couldn’t threaten him.

Still, the bronze-masked man was a veteran warrior. His right curved dagger got blocked, yet he spun again. His left blade sliced across Qin Lun’s ribs while his head rammed for Qin Lun’s face.

“Rip!” Qin Lun’s black robe tore open from the swipe, but his ribs glowed a dull yellow light that barely stopped the blade—a feature of his Earth Drake Leather Armor, called “Earth’s Guard.”

Qin Lun ducked the headbutt, feeling frustrated and lacking in close-quarters skill.

At range, he could shoot two arrows at once and handle guards with ease. But against a skilled fighter up close, he relied only on gear to block. Before leveling up, he might have been gutted by now.

Yet, the bronze-masked man’s counterattack ended there. Qin Lun’s right eye flashed with a silver Wheel of Time Clock Eye. The vine-like hands shifted slightly, activating the Clock Eye’s simulated time-stop effect.

This skill didn’t affect the outside world, but Qin Lun’s perception and thoughts raced at many times normal speed, while his Agility sped up his moves.

The Dagger of Sin in Qin Lun’s right hand left phantom trails as it thrust upward into the eye socket of the headbutting fish-man warrior.

“Ah!” The bronze-masked fish-man warrior spasmed as if shocked, an arrow-like blood spurt shot from his eye, and he toppled backward stiffly.

That stab had destroyed the fish-man warrior’s brain. No amount of life force could save him.

“Deputy Commander!” Yelled the three masked guards encircling Qin Lun, charging forward in blind rage.

The two had fought just one round—a whirlwind action where both risked hits. But Qin Lun blocked with gear, while the fish-man warrior lacked his equipment or luck.

“Humph!” Qin Lun’s lips curled expressionlessly. Since he had fought with weakness against strength and faced a loss, he didn’t care to brawl with these skilled guards.

The youth’s eyes suddenly misted over with black fog. The fog exploded out instantly, swallowing two guards like monstrous beasts.

The two fog-enveloped guards let out shrieks as if encountering terror. Watching closely, bizarre-shaped monsters flickered in the haze around them. Chilling gazes now and then made Qin Lun shiver.

As for the guard behind him, he fell to Venus from the shadows. With sharp fangs sunk deep into the guard’s neck, blood gushed out as he twitched and died.

By the time that guard perished, the fog-covered ones also lay motionless.

Peeking through fading mist, Qin Lun checked them and jolted in shock. Both guards had torn off their masks somehow and choked themselves to death with their hands.

Their scaled faces were purple and swollen, brown eyes bulging, their skin shriveled like mummies, stiff and horrific.

Glancing at his shortened Stamina points in the Death Notice, Qin Lun grimly frowned and pondered. He had just tested the A-grade skill Nine Hells for the first time—clearly, it wasn’t pure illusion.

Since the skill wasn’t fully mastered, he had tried lightly, not unleashing its full power, or the fog’s range would have been greater.

He didn’t know which tier of the Nine Hells the guards witnessed, or if they cycled through all nine. But whatever they saw, mere illusions shouldn’t dry them to death like husks.

Still, this wasn’t the moment for deep thinking. Qin Lun shook off distractions, grinning at a dozen grand treasure chests gleaming gold.

Fearing magic traps on the chests, Qin Lun stood outside the vault. Green briars like living twigs sprouted from his fingers, opening each chest expertly.

No traps appeared on the chests. Most brimmed with precious metals and gems, but a small one held Magic Crystals and Magic Cores.

Magic Crystals were mineral gems charged with Magic Elements, while Magic Cores came from rare beasts as elemental talent crystals. Both could be crafted to adorn gear.

Qin Lun scanned the treasure casually, crouched to tear a cloak from a dead guard, and stuffed a pouch with certain coins. He ignored the gems, not worth a glance.

These coins bore a crowned blonde goddess on one side and lavish carriages tangled with fronds on the other—Waukeen gold coins from the trade-god’s church.

Faerûn had many nations; beyond self-sustaining Elven Courts, most human lands traded abroad.

The great routes like the Sword Coast to Baldur’s Gate, connecting places such as Deepwater City and Icewind Dale; the Bay Road from Baldur’s Gate to Athkatla and Calimshan; the Gold Road crossing east-west; and busy ports around the Sea of Fallen Stars and Steam Lake—all showed Faerûn’s thriving trade.

Most Faerûn nations minted money, mostly gold and silver. Some sea clans used shells, forest folk traded furs or Magic Cores.

Gold was key, but differing purity and fakes caused trouble. Yet traders never forged Waukeen coins for fear of angering Wealth’s goddess.

No fool risked that for long life or riches.

Qin Lun was an Apostle; Faerûn’s wealth meant nothing, just funding adventure. So he took Waukeen cash. The jewels? He lacked time to pawn—too heavy to carry.

He tossed the coin pouch into his Storage Space and eyed the chests with Magic Crystals and cores, plus scrolls and a Mithril staff.

After thinking, he picked the best dozen Magic Crystals and cores to pack up, grabbing the scrolls. But for the fancy Mithril staff, he pried off its purple gem with the Dagger of Sin, keeping only the plain wand.

His Storage Space had room, but he feared taking too much—robbing a god’s offerings was taboo. Excess might draw the wrathful goddess.

From a Plot Character’s view, gems topped the staff.

But to an Apostle, the staff’s spellwork was priceless. Gems like that could be bought anytime from Shattered Starry Sky’s market.

“Boom!” As Qin Lun finished looting, a soft rumble echoed from above—dust and grit drifted down.

“About time; if I stay longer, those two will cause chaos!” Feeling the floor quiver, Qin Lun scowled and dashed out.

He sped toward where the guards had come from. Since the vault was the base’s heart, that path likely hid an exit up to ground.

He guessed right: beyond where he faced the bronze mask stood a ladder. Climbing it revealed an upward stone stair ahead.

At the stair’s end sat a square manhole. Through it, noise and footsteps from above rang loud and clear.