Book 11: Chapter 73: Mission Accomplished

“You are leaving? So soon?” Elastor lay reclined on a large armchair, gently rubbing her throbbing temples.

Since the assassination attempt last night, she had been in the conference room with the lords of the major city-states of the alliance. The meeting did not end until the afternoon of the next day. She had just eaten a little and wanted to rest, but Qin Lun came to say goodbye.

The assassination incident greatly shocked the lords of Silverymoon. Although the heated discussions in the conference room had not yet touched upon the specific aspects of the federation’s establishment, such as military affairs, government affairs, taxation, production, and so on, no lord raised objections to the formation of a unified federal state anymore.

In fact, all the Silverymoon lords, including the previous opponents and neutral city-states, understood very clearly that the establishment of the Silver Marches was unstoppable. They had been dragging their feet simply to secure better terms from Elastor and win more benefits for their cities and people.

However, this assassination incident was like a loud slap that woke them up. Since the Zhentarim could act without restraint and cause trouble in Silverymoon, even daring to assassinate a chosen of the gods like Elastor, then what were they worth?

If they continued to delay, the Zhentarim might next set their sights on their city-states, using them to start a civil war with Silverymoon. Whether the Zhentarim ultimately succeeded or not, the major city-states would stand to lose more than they gained.

“Yes, City Lord. The crisis in Silverymoon has been resolved, and we should take our leave,” Qin Lun said with a smile, his tone gentle but very firm, making it clear that it was not mere politeness.

Elastor did not respond immediately and looked at him with suspicion. In the view of the Silverymoon City Lord, Qin Lun’s current behavior was somewhat unusual. The silver-haired elf came to Silverymoon to help the alliance, clearly not out of selfless righteousness but with a specific purpose, hoping that the future Silver Marches and the Gleaming Moon Court would form an alliance.

In fact, this very point was mentioned during the lords’ meeting last night. Although some lords opposed the alliance, believing that helping the currently expanding Anke Elf Court would provoke hostility from the human nations in the central and southern parts of the continent and negatively impact the Silver Marches, most lords still left the final decision to Elastor.

And Elastor herself, both personally and publicly, had basically approved the alliance with the Anke Elf Court.

The Silverymoon City Lord thought it through clearly: the Silver Marches was located in the northern plains of the continent, while the future Gleaming Moon Court, which would integrate the various southern elf courts, was in the central and southern part of the continent, separated by several human kingdoms.

If the Anke Elf Court went to war with the human kingdoms in the central and southern regions, such as Calimshan, Tethyr, Shaar, and the Qiongdus Kingdom, the Silver Marches actually could not help, as there were several human powers in between.

The same was true in reverse: if the Silver Marches were to fight with Neverwinter, Deepwater City, or the Zhentarim, the future Gleaming Moon Court would also be unable to help. The significance of their union lay in strategic deterrence, a form of moral support.

Of course, many times, such support could be no less effective than direct military aid. Having a powerful ally in the same camp always brought peace of mind, at least ensuring they would not fall victim to diplomatic blackmail by enemies, unless that enemy was determined to wage war regardless.

Given this, Qin Lun’s behavior inevitably seemed a bit strange. At the very least, Elastor felt he should stay. An alliance between two nations was no small matter; many details needed discussion. It would not do for her to negotiate directly with Elf King Thanequalas, right?

Then, Elastor suddenly thought of something, her bright eyes flashing as she asked with a light laugh, “Firal, you wouldn’t be plotting something involving Lorlin, would you?”

“Your insight is truly remarkable; nothing escapes you. I do indeed plan to leave with Prince Lorlin!” Qin Lun forced a bitter smile, slightly bowed, and made an apologetic gesture.

Elastor lazily shifted her posture, resting her chin on her wrist, her gaze shifting as she looked at the silver-haired elf before her and fell into thought.

The alliance between the future Silver Marches and the Gleaming Moon Court, two behemoths, was for now only at a relatively abstract strategic level. However, if the Moon Elves could form an alliance with the Shield Dwarves, enabling King Thanequalas and Dwarf King Bruno Warhammer to reach some agreement, the practical significance would be much greater.

This was because north of the Anke Elf Court lay a massive mountain range spanning over a thousand miles—the Snowpeak Mountains, where Lorlin’s Snowpeak Dwarves ruled. Snowpeak Fortress, which had nearly tunneled through the entire Riftpeak, was home to hundreds of thousands of Snowpeak Dwarves.

If Bruno Warhammer agreed to ally with the Moon Elves, gaining the combat strength and resources of Snowpeak Fortress, the future Gleaming Moon Court would basically no longer have to worry about invasions from the surrounding human kingdoms.

The cooperative relationship between the Shield Dwarves and the Silver Marches had lasted a long time. The envoy sent by the Dwarf King this time came only to participate in the Silverymoon Celebration; last night’s help was temporary. Now that the celebration was over and Elastor was busy discussing the founding of the nation with the city-state lords, it was naturally inconvenient for them to stay longer.

On the other hand, Qin Lun was secretly urging Lorlin to leave Silverymoon and take him to that dwarf camp at the southern foot of the Spine of the World. After thwarting the Zhentarim’s conspiracy, the time Qin Lun and the others could remain in the Toril World was running out.

If they could not trigger other major plotlines, they would have to return in just two or three days. Although they had already gained quite a bit, not making an effort with a walking plot clue like Lorlin would be a terrible waste.

“Since you have made up your mind, I will not keep you any longer.” Elastor snapped out of her thoughts and said with a smile, “But as a friend, I must remind you of one thing.

Bruno, that stubborn bull, is a good friend, a great adventurer, and warrior, but as a king, he is quite unconventional. If you wish to win his friendship, then remember always to be frank and sincere, rather than treating everything as a transaction focused solely on benefits.”

Elastor’s well-intentioned advice was destined to be futile, because Qin Lun himself had no intention of meeting that Shield Dwarf King. He was there for the Epic Quest, not truly concerned about the future of the Moon Elves.

“Thank you for your advice. Before I leave, there is one more matter I would like to entrust to you, City Lord.” Qin Lun nodded with a smile, took out a letter from his bosom, and handed it to the guard captain beside him. He then said carefully, “King Thanequalas ordered me to join the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission, but I encountered an incident in Baldur’s Gate and never actually reached Deepwater City.

This letter is about my adventures after Baldur’s Gate, including matters related to Silverymoon. I ask that you send someone to deliver it to the Anke Elf Court and give it to King Thanequalas.”

Elastor took the letter from the guard captain, a hint of a smile in her eyes, and replied with a nod, “Rest assured, I will definitely send someone to deliver the letter safely to the Anke Elf Court.”

Seeing that Elastor had agreed to send the letter, Qin Lun glanced at the Death Notice and a trace of disappointment briefly flashed in his eyes. However, he quickly hid his emotions and said with a smile, “Well then… Lady Elastor, I shall take my leave now!”

Qin Lun produced this letter not to exchange pleasantries with King Thanequalas but for the interactive plot “Pact of Star and Moon.”

Although Qin Lun had essentially completed his mission perfectly during the assassination incident, his remaining time was short, and for the sake of the Mithril Hall plotline on Lorlin, he had to leave immediately. This meant that the matter of an alliance between the Silver Marches and the Anke Elf Court would lack a mediator.

Qin Lun’s letter served as a substitute. If the Silver Marches ultimately decided to ally with the Anke Elf Court, Elastor would naturally take the opportunity of sending the letter to dispatch an envoy to discuss the alliance. If the Silver Marches had no such intention, then it would merely be a simple favor of delivering the letter.

As for the Anke Elf Court side, given King Thanequalas’s great talent and bold vision, upon seeing Qin Lun’s letter, he would likely immediately understand the silver-haired elf’s meaning. The rest would depend on the elf king’s own decision.

Qin Lun’s earlier disappointment stemmed from hoping that when Elastor took the letter, she would give a verbal promise of alliance, which would directly complete the second stage objective of the Pact of Star and Moon.

…

“Qin Lun, there’s still no prompt for the Pact of Star and Moon plot. What did Elastor say?” As soon as Qin Lun returned to the room, Rand and Hill looked up at him.

“You guessed right. As the ruler of a nation, Elastor is tight-lipped and won’t easily give a promise,” Qin Lun sighed helplessly.

Qin Lun and the other two were currently involved in two major plot missions. One was the Zhentarim’s conspiracy, a branch of the epic plot—the Silver Marches nation-building task.

This mission ended completely after last night’s assassination incident. Qin Lun and the others achieved a very high completion rate. The only flaw was that the Centaur lord ultimately could not be saved and had become a vegetable.

Although both were epic plots, “Zhentarim’s Conspiracy” was only a branch. The World Exploration Degree obtained by Qin Lun and the other two was less than that from the previous epic plot—”Ancient Path.”

Due to Firal Moonlight’s plot identity, Qin Lun’s contribution was considerably higher than Rand and Hill’s, accounting for about half, and he received 0.215% World Exploration Degree. However, because the difficulty of this task was hard to calculate, the three received no basic rewards. The World Exploration Degree reward would be settled upon their return.

The other mission of the three was an interactive plot that did not exist in the original history, called “Pact of Star and Moon.”

The Pact of Star and Moon mission objectives were divided into three stages. When Elastor publicly announced Qin Lun’s plot identity during the celebration and expressed welcome, the first stage objective was successfully completed.

The third stage objective was simply impossible to complete. It required the Silver Marches and the Anke Elf Court to formally sign an alliance treaty, something Qin Lun and the others simply did not have the time to witness.

The only hope they had was that before their return, Elastor and King Thanequalas would reach a verbal agreement for an alliance, providing an opportunity for further talks. In that case, the three would complete the second stage objective and receive a large amount of World Exploration Degree.

Although this mission was not an epic plot, its basic rewards were very generous. Each achieved objective gave 20 points of Soul Life Limit, and as the main leader, Qin Lun received as much as 30 points of Soul Life Limit. Naturally, they had to strive for it with all their might.

In fact, one reason Qin Lun wanted to take on the epic plot related to Lorlin was to increase their stay duration and wait for progress in the alliance matter between the two nations.