Death Notice

“We’ve reached the fourth phase. What do we do now?” Hill said bitterly in the Team Channel. “We never expected to be trapped in this birdcage!”

The plan that Qin Lun and his companions had created began from the third phase. Due to their limited strength, they could no longer control the details. They could only adapt to the changing situation. They already knew that Casey’s target was Master Vima. Originally, in their reckoning, the Grand Druid should have basically wiped out Fink’s team during the third phase, completely eliminating their threat.

Then, in the fourth phase, Qin Lun, who had rushed back, would save the Grand Druid. Because Master Vima did not trust Hill and Hansen, it was hard to pin the blame on Casey. So, it had to be done by Qin Lun. However, one was an Elf newcomer she had only slight contact with, the other was like a nephew. The outcome was very hard to predict.

Qin Lun and the others had also considered killing Vima. But they were the weakest among the three Apostle teams. They had no choice but to side with the Grand Druid. They hoped she could defeat or drive away the expected Casey team, allowing them to return smoothly to the Shattered Starry Sky.

This way, Vima should also repay them in some way. Although the gain wouldn’t be as great as killing the Grand Druid, eliminating the threat of Fink’s team, and repelling or killing some of the high-rank Apostles from Casey’s team, the leftover Apostle equipment and skills could still let them make a huge profit.

Of course, the worst-case scenario was entering the fifth phase. The so-called fifth phase was where Qin Lun failed to save Vima, and then attracted retaliation from Casey’s team. If it reached that point, at least one or two of Qin Lun’s trio would surely die, or they might even be completely wiped out.

As for the current situation, although they hadn’t reached the worst fifth phase yet, the third phase also had deviations. Fink’s team still had three members left; only Qingming and Sen had died. If they couldn’t help Vima escape, then forget about any gains, they might even die inside this birdcage.

“Qin Lun, search around Master Vima. She should have a communication item on her!” Hansen was actually the calmest of the three at this moment. As a former mercenary from a military background, calling for reinforcements when outmatched was the most normal thought.

Qin Lun and Hill glanced at each other, then immediately crouched down and started searching around Master Vima. The Grand Druid was now completely naked. If she had been carrying a communication item earlier, it should have fallen nearby.

“Found it!” Hill’s eyes lit up as he picked up a piece of green jade from the grass. They had seen this kind of magic jade in the camp before. It was very expensive and could be used for long-distance communication via the Magic Web. “Sigh, I really hate to disappoint them again!” Casey outside the birdcage spread his hands and shook his head with a helpless expression. He jerked his chin towards the Necromancer. “Randy, begin!”

“Hehe, Randy, it’s your favorite part again. Time to enjoy the despairing expressions of some poor fellows!” Aaron, carrying the giant Horse-Cutting Saber on his shoulder, covered his mouth and giggled. “They didn’t even stop to think that we would never overlook something like this!”

“Shut up!” Randy glared at him irritably and raised his staff high.

The large green gem at the top of the long staff slowly glowed, emitting a hazy radiance. The next moment, a purple light surged from the staff’s tip, arcing through the air and descending towards the birdcage.

The purple light spread with the wind, transforming into a perfect cube, adding another layer of barrier around the huge birdcage. Hill had just crushed the jade, and the colorful light that shot into the sky from it was blocked by this cubic barrier outside.

This barrier also enclosed Casey and his companions, as well as the three remaining members of Fink’s team. When Fink and the others saw this, they immediately regretted it greatly. If they had known, they wouldn’t have stayed to watch the spectacle. However, they also understood their lives were in others’ hands, so they had no choice but to endure it.

Now, the only person still outside the barrier was Cora. The Esmira policewoman slowly backed away, took a deep look at everyone as if to etch their appearances into her memory, then turned and sprinted into the forest without looking back.

The Necromancer from Casey’s trio glanced in her direction but paid no further attention. Even if Cora ran back to the camp now to inform the others, it would already be too late. By the time other camp members arrived, everything that was supposed to happen here would have happened, and whatever was supposed to end would have long been over.

“Hah! Looks like we’ve reached the limit. This plan was really thrilling. I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in a long time!” Hill casually tossed away the jade fragments and exchanged smiles with Qin Lun and Hansen.

The three Serial Killers were very philosophical about it. Death, to them, was just another novel experience.

If they were afraid of death, why would they, in such a difficult situation, still plot to capture both the Fink and Casey Apostle teams in one net? It was just that the difference in strength between the two sides was too great, and the latter part of the plan was too complex, impossible to control every detail, ultimately leading to failure just short of success!

“You go!” Casey pointed at the birdcage barrier, turned, and commanded the three from Fink’s team.

Fink and his two companions looked at each other silently, stepped forward with bitter expressions, and began attacking the thin barrier connecting the birdcage’s vine pillars. Each of their attacks caused the barrier to ripple. The invisible barrier was visibly thinning at a noticeable rate. However, these three, aiming to protect themselves, didn’t attack with much strength and were somewhat careless.

“I’ll go help them!” Aaron’s eyes flashed as he lowered the giant Horse-Cutting Saber from his shoulder.

“No need. The undead poison made from the Lich Lord’s phylactery fragment is very powerful, but Vima is, after all, an old Legendary Powerhouse. We need some time to wear down her will to resist. The time they take to break the barrier is perfect for observation. A Legendary Powerhouse’s final desperate struggle is not easy to handle!” Casey stopped the big man, smiling. “Besides, I still have some things I want to discuss with them!”

Aaron frowned but stopped his movement.

“Hey, Qin Lun!” Casey shouted towards the three inside the barrier. “Got time for a chat?”

“Oh, what does Lord Casey want to talk about?” Qin Lun turned his head and smiled. “Casey isn’t your real name, is it? Is the real Casey already dead?”

“No, Casey is my real name. Heehee!” Casey waved his hand with a sunny expression. “How did you guess my true identity?”

“Just lucky!” Qin Lun’s eyes flickered. He knew Casey was referring to his Apostle identity, but because Vima was here, he omitted the word ‘Apostle’.

“Master Vima is a Legendary Powerhouse who has lived for over a thousand years. Even if she has remaining bloodline in the Outer World, it’s probably very diluted. Moreover, she once said that in the Sanctuary Camp, to gain something, one must give something. Therefore, we guessed that for her to value you so much, you must have given her some token representing a direct descendant. That’s what earned you her trust, and that seventh-rank Ghost Owl!”

Casey’s eyes shifted, and he nodded secretly. He did use a “Waymark” to gain Vima’s trust. However, the Ghost Owl was only lent to him temporarily; Vima didn’t give it to him. Even though the Ghost Owl was only seventh-rank, its usefulness at night was no less than a ninth-rank creature.

If not for the “Waymark,” Vima probably wouldn’t have entrusted it to him.

“Waymark” was their general term for all plot-related tokens in a Quest World. These tokens themselves were just ordinary items, carrying no skill attributes, and were unique. Most could only be used once.

However, these tokens were very important in the eyes of Plot Characters. The value they held was hard to measure. With proper planning, they could often bring huge profits. For example, with the token Casey used this time, in Vima’s eyes, he obtained the status of a nephew.

While Vima was alive, this status merely meant Casey received the protection of a Grand Druid in the Sanctuary Camp. But thinking about it, what would happen if Vima died?

Then, Casey would have the chance, by virtue of his nephew status, to successfully inherit the legacy of a Legendary Powerhouse accumulated over a thousand years!

Perhaps Casey couldn’t inherit the entire legacy, but just getting one of the several treasure chests Vima left in the camp would mean they hit the jackpot. They might even obtain one or two Legendary Items.

This was Casey’s trio’s scheme, the reason they entered the Nals Inner World at all costs. This was the true value of a “Waymark”!

“Is that all?” Casey’s eyes flickered slightly. What Qin Lun said was indeed a flaw, but just based on that to conclude he was an Apostle wasn’t enough. After all, even if Master Vima’s bloodline tokens were rare, there must still be one or two in the Outer World. It wasn’t necessarily held by an Apostle.

“Also, it was the words you said to me. There was too much deliberate guidance in them!” Qin Lun understood what Casey meant and sighed, then continued. “You were the one who first gave me the specific intelligence about the Giant’s Cave; the one who reminded me I was being watched by Qingming was also you; also the intelligence about Master Vima going out; the move of using the Savage Rhino to test my summoned creature; after leaving the Giant’s Cave, you insisted on guiding me to rush back recklessly…

Although they were all small actions, when they all came from one person, it inevitably raised suspicion. Besides, even for your apparent age, this was too childish. You, without realizing it, showed an attitude of fearing nothing. Either it meant you were an idiot, or it meant with your strength, you simply didn’t care about these dangers!

We believed it was the latter. Since you were hiding your strength and deliberately guiding our two teams into a death struggle, while forcibly involving yourself in it, there could only be one plan. That is, you hoped to use the death struggle between the two teams to create a dangerous atmosphere for yourself, to lure your dear aunt—Master Vima—here! As for the rest, I don’t need to say more, do I?”

“Hahaha, Casey, you really made a mess of it!”

Aaron leaned on his Horse-Cutting Saber, holding his stomach as he laughed heartily. On the other side, the Necromancer also grinned silently. Casey was known in their team for being clever and tricky. It was rare to see him seen through to this extent. It let these two companions, who had usually suffered quite a bit of mischief from Casey, vent their grievances fiercely.

“That’s enough indeed!” Casey awkwardly rubbed his nose and glared fiercely at his two unscrupulous companions.

“Since you got your answer, could you tell me how you saw through the connection between me and them?” Qin Lun smiled, gesturing between himself and his two companions.