Book 11: Chapter 9: The Message

Because they used a token to enter the Toril World, Qin Lun and his two companions lost the mission guidance from Shattered Starry Sky.

However, these three fellows grew very quickly and had obtained gold-level mission evaluations multiple times. Therefore, Shattered Starry Sky still gave them a small plot clue at their drop-off locations.

For example, at Qin Lun’s drop-off location—that underground waterway network. This water network connected many underground hideouts of Baldur’s Gate’s black organizations, with numerous small side plots to explore.

Yet, their luck was a bit bad; they only found Umberlee’s Church’s secret shrine. Because the Fierce Queen was too ruthless and indiscriminate, they really didn’t want to confront her head-on right from the start. So, the three deliberately avoided messing with Umberlee’s Church.

Otherwise, by investigating further, they might have learned why Umberlee’s Church was acting out of character by setting up a secret shrine inside the city. This was clearly an important clue related to the situation in Baldur’s Gate, this large port metropolis.

As for the drop-off location of Rand and Hill—the Oak Barrel Tavern, naturally there was also such a plot clue. If before the three had only vaguely sensed something, now Qin Lun was very certain that this clue lay with the dead-drunk drunkard in front of them.

Of course, Shattered Starry Sky’s hint was quite hidden. If the three had not chosen to return to the Oak Barrel Tavern, then this plot thread could not unfold.

“Do you gentlemen know this fellow?” The waitress showed a flash of surprise in her eyes, along with a bit of delight. Having worked for years in a place like the Oak Barrel Tavern, she had a good eye.

Although these three men were dressed plainly, they tipped generously and seemed completely unfazed by the Oak Barrel Tavern’s rowdy environment. Even though their faces were unfamiliar, she could guess they were likely mercenaries or adventurers.

Such people, when they had money to spare, usually weren’t too stingy. This drunkard owed the tavern many days’ worth of food and lodging bills. If she could help the tavern owner collect the debt, she would get a commission.

Qin Lun didn’t answer the waitress right away. Instead, he crouched down and tidied up the drunkard’s appearance a bit.

The drunkard looked messy, with his eyes closed in a daze. The stubble on his chin hadn’t been trimmed for days, growing like wild grass. But upon closer look, this person wasn’t actually old, estimated to be at most around thirty, maybe even younger.

His clothes were stained and torn in many places, but it was still possible to tell that he wore an exquisitely crafted small vest paired with a flared lace silk shirt. Below were puffy breeches and dirty long riding boots.

If you added a wool overcoat and a pocket watch with chain, he would absolutely look like a proper upper-class gentleman. Perhaps the reason he could run up such a large tab at the Oak Barrel Tavern was because the owner recognized his noble-style attire.

However, if he repeatedly failed to pay his debts, even the best appearance couldn’t help him anymore. At the very least, the owner and staff of this tavern had clearly lost their patience. If Qin Lun and the others hadn’t shown up, this guy’s eventual fate would have been to be stripped naked and drowned in some dark, filthy ditch.

“Prepare two suites for us. Also, take this fellow to get cleaned up, and let us know when he wakes up,” Qin Lun instructed two burly male servers.

The two male servers exchanged a glance and intentionally put on troubled expressions, looking toward the waitress. Small people have their own wisdom; they certainly knew how to act in this situation.

“Gentlemen, you’re really putting us in a difficult position. This kid already owes the tavern…” The waitress frowned slightly and said with an awkward smile.

“We’ll cover his tab. He was our employer once before. Since we’ve run into him here, we can’t just ignore him,” Qin Lun smiled and cut off the waitress.

Rand and Hill exchanged a look. Firecracker promptly took two silver coins from his pocket and handed one to each of the male servers holding the drunkard. Meanwhile, Hill patted the wooden stool, gesturing for the waitress to sit beside him, and secretly slipped a goddess gold coin into her palm.

“Tell us about his recent situation, and what happened that made him end up like this.”

The waitress glanced down at the glint of gold between her fingers and immediately smiled happily. “That rotten… your friend came to the tavern about a month ago. At that time, he still had a pretty decent merchant caravan. Baldur’s Gate treats such caravans from afar quite well; I heard his goods sold quite nicely…”

The waitress paused, tightening her grip on the gold coin, and looked expectantly at the three.

“Lovely lady, greed is not a good habit.” Qin Lun and the other two exchanged smiles. Hill took out another gold coin and waved it but didn’t hand it to her immediately. “Tell us, and be more specific. This is the last one.”

“After finishing his business, the caravan originally planned to leave. But later, he seemed to have heard some news and stayed at the tavern. A few days later, he hired a few mercenaries and left the city again. I don’t know what they encountered in the wilderness, but when he returned, he was the only one left. And then… he kept drinking, ended up like this,” the waitress said with an awkward laugh.

“Do you know what news he received?” Rand asked cautiously.

“No, he didn’t tell anyone at the tavern.” The waitress pouted and spread her hands. “He didn’t seem to care, but that old butler of his was very cautious, often reminding him about his behavior. If that old man were still around, he probably wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

“Do you recognize the mercenaries who went out with him? What were they like?” Hill frowned and asked.

“I didn’t see them often in the tavern; they seemed like newcomers who had only been in Baldur’s Gate for a few months.” The waitress tilted her head, thinking back. “But some of the old mercenaries in the tavern once chatted about it; those mercenaries seemed really strong. Especially a silver-haired girl elf and a red-haired female knight who always carried a large cloth bundle.”

“Iristin…” Qin Lun’s hand tightened. His face darkened as he frowned and asked, “Describe that female elf’s appearance in detail.”

“I can’t really say.” The waitress wore a bitter smile. “She always had some colorful paint on her face, as if she didn’t want people to see clearly. But some creepy guys said she must be a great beauty, and the face paint had something to do with her combat profession or something. I didn’t pay much attention.”

“It’s definitely her… must be Iristin. Then the other red-haired female knight is the follower of Lady Loviatar—Idria! Why didn’t they go north with Milleras?” Qin Lun lowered his head, muttering to himself, no longer paying attention to what the waitress said next.

Hill glanced at Qin Lun lost in thought, then turned back to question the waitress further. However, by this point, the waitress couldn’t provide much useful information. In the end, she took the gold coin and was dismissed by him.

“So… that female elf named Iristin is a friend from your last adventure?” Hill and Rand waited for Qin Lun to snap out of his thoughts, then looked at him with smiles, blinking.

The term “friend” was already a very tactful way of putting it by Hill. The five serial killers often teased each other, and there were two things they never tired of bringing up. One was guessing what Shepherd usually ate for meals, and the other was Qin Lun’s many romantic entanglements in quest worlds.

Hill was older and considered himself a Catholic; he had no interest in women. Rand’s wife and daughter died long ago, and he never recovered from the trauma. Disciple Hansen occasionally sought some fun in Devil’s Horn’s entertainment district, but that was merely for physical needs.

As for Clown Grant, let’s not even mention him—that guy seemed to have no emotional intelligence at all. When he saw a beautiful creature, his usual thought was to turn it into mask fragments; lust or anything like that was nothing to him.

Only Qin Lun was different. The other serial killers had heard more than once about him getting involved with some beautiful storyline woman or female apostle in a quest world, and these women were always very powerful.

Hill once joked that even if Qin Lun didn’t team up with them, if he just gathered all those beautiful women he had ambiguous relationships with, he could form his own team of apostles—both pleasant to look at and strong.

“Iristin is that elven druid I told you about before. After entering this world, I thought that after such a long time, she would either have gone to Evermeet with the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission or returned to Anke Elf Court. I never expected she was still in Baldur’s Gate a month ago,” Qin Lun composed himself and said.

“Could it be related to you?” Hill and Rand exchanged a meaningful look and asked with interest.

“Probably not…” Qin Lun shook his head, but in his heart, he felt a little uncertain.

Qin Lun last exited the Toril World in Baldur’s Gate roughly at the start of summer. Now it was already autumn in the Vale Calendar year 1355. More than three months had passed in between.

If Iristin and Idria appeared here a month ago, then it’s possible they stayed in Baldur’s Gate for over two months after Qin Lun and the other apostles left the quest world.

Elf Prince Milleras had important responsibilities; it was absolutely impossible for him to linger here for so long. Emily Silverhand, descendant of the Silver Queen, and her magic teacher Angelo, as well as the dwarf prince Lorlin, all had their own missions and definitely wouldn’t have stayed.

Although Iristin was very strong, she had little contact with the human world. Even with Idria accompanying her, it would be hard to endure life in a human city. Qin Lun didn’t think she could manage to live in Baldur’s Gate for over two months. Yet, a thought kept popping up in his mind, telling him it was possible.

“Anyway, when that guy wakes up tonight, we’ll know the general situation,” Qin Lun said, somewhat unsettled.

“By the way, we still don’t know what that drunkard’s relation is to you?” Rand asked, surprised. “Before entering Toril, you didn’t mention anyone like him to us. And by the looks of it, he doesn’t seem like a great beauty disguised as a man either…”

“Pft! Cough, cough…” Qin Lun spat out the wine he just drank, unable to hold back his annoyance. “That guy is called Sif Hulan, a young nobleman. Back then, to conceal our identities, we accepted employment under his merchant guild… What do you people take me for?”

Hill and Rand exchanged a glance, smiling without a word.