Death Notice

“Honorable Qin Lun, please speak plainly. We will answer everything we know, but please do not harm us!” The old priest lowered his head respectfully and said.

“Anlis, what happened here?” Qin Lun was about to speak when another elderly voice sounded from behind him.

Qin Lun turned to look. He saw three old men wearing white priestly robes, dressed almost identically to Anlis, approaching with a girl in embroidered clothes.

The leading priest among the three had silver hair, a gaunt face, and a stooped figure, appearing even older than Anlis. It was he who had just spoken. The girl in embroidered clothes beside him looked only twelve or thirteen years old. She had delicate features with a slightly chubby, baby-faced look and wore a cute cartoon bear sleep cap on her head. She was drowsily rubbing her eyes.

“Elder Karu, why are you up too!” Anlis frowned slightly and stepped forward to meet them. His gaze swept over the girl beside Karu, instantly carrying a hint of barely noticeable worry.

“With all this noise, how could I not get up?” Karu’s expression was unpleasant, a shadow flashing in his eyes. The other two priests beside him, however, remained calm, only looking at Anlis with questioning eyes.

Although these three priests were also Holy City priests like Anlis, their status was much higher than his. However, times were different now. Their guards had died during their escape. If Anlis hadn’t taken them into this hiding place, they would have long become food for the wild creatures.

“Elder Karu, please listen to me!” Anlis moved closer to the three priests and began whispering. The other three soon showed shock on their faces, and the oldest, Karu, looked at Qin Lun with flickering, uncertain eyes.

Unlike the other two priests, Karu originally held the highest position, was the oldest, and naturally had the most stubborn personality. He was extremely dissatisfied with the current situation where Anlis was in charge. But he had no forces of his own, and even the other two priests did not support him in seizing power, so he had no choice but to endure it.

Qin Lun watched them whispering and didn’t seem impatient. He turned and waved to the golden-haired girl called Meimei. “Saint, may I ask if you need anything?” The black-haired young man Tang’s expression changed. He subtly pulled the golden-haired girl back and stepped forward first, standing before Qin Lun and asking respectfully.

“Go find me some military rations and clean water. Fill this bag!” Qin Lun looked around and soon found a large canvas bag on the floor. This bag probably used to hold firearms, as it still carried the smell of gun oil inside.

“As you command!” Tang looked at the canvas bag, a trace of doubt appearing on his face. The bag was very large; if filled with food, it could probably last over ten days. However, he wisely did not ask anything and silently took the empty bag, walking toward the back of the warehouse.

The Atlanteans in the warehouse had all woken up by now. They spoke in hushed, suppressed tones, anxiously waiting for the several priest elders to negotiate with this young Saint. Many secretly held their guns; at times like this, only cold firearms could give them a sliver of security.

The two mechs at the rear of the warehouse slowly moved forward, shielding most of the Atlanteans behind them and taking up guard duties.

On the other side, Anlis had finished explaining the situation to his three priest companions. The four quickly reached a consensus. They decided to let Anlis communicate with Qin Lun first and wait to see how things developed.

“Honorable Qin Lun, please forgive our neglect!” Anlis carefully weighed his words and said cautiously, “My people have suffered greatly from the war these past years and can only cling to survival here. However, if you need anything, we will certainly do our best to fulfill it!”

“First, tell me about the situation of this military fortress, and also, who are you and why are you here?” Qin Lun asked indifferently.

“This military fortress is the branch of the Holy City’s ‘Celestial Wheel’ legion. Now, all the internal installations are destroyed. Only this warehouse and part of the alert systems in the Main Control Room are still operational, though they’ve halted due to lack of energy.” Anlis explained slowly.

“As for us… we are ordinary people from the Holy City’s northern district, belonging to four different tribes. The four of us old men are the priest elders of the tribes, responsible for the tribes’ rituals and traditions.” Anlis pointed to himself and the other three priests behind him as he spoke.

“After the Doomsday War, fierce beasts from the continent’s wilderness entered the city through the breaches in the Holy City. We had no choice but to rely on this military fortress to survive. Two days ago, those huge orange-yellow barriers appeared inside the Holy City, isolating us in this area. Fearing other disasters, we gathered all the survivors from this area into the fortress.”

“Two days ago?” Qin Lun rubbed his chin. Two days ago should have been exactly when Devil’s Horn held its final selection competition. It seemed the Shattered Starry Sky had prepared the venue for the Domination War at that time.

“Why didn’t you flee the Holy City like the other Atlanteans?” Qin Lun asked, somewhat puzzled.

“We people did not personally witness the Holy City’s Doomsday War. At that time, we happened to be working outside the city. After returning to the Holy City, we thought the citizens and Saints who fled would soon return to restore the Holy City’s order, so we missed the initial migration opportunity!”

Anlis and the other old priests exchanged glances and said bitterly, “By the time we wanted to leave, it was already too late. We were too far from most refugee groups, and there were Sapient Races’ slave-catching parties and fierce wild creatures along the way…”

Anlis paused here before continuing, “In addition, we kept receiving warnings from other groups, learning that other ground cities on the continent had already fallen. Except for fleeing to other Suspended Continents, we had nowhere to go. So we could only stay here, hoping to find a Sapient Race willing to take us in.”

“Is there a Star Void portal here as well?” Qin Lun glanced over just as the black-haired young man was returning with the canvas bag. He took the backpack and slung it directly over his shoulder.

“Yes, that Star Void gate device is in the Main Control Room. We have been searching the city for Magic Crystals and only recently collected enough energy to activate the Star Void gate once. We plan to teleport to the nearest Nassen Continent; the humans there are willing to take us in!” Anlis said without hiding anything.

“I heard earlier that two outsiders broke into the Main Control Room. Are they Saints too?” Qin Lun’s eyes shifted slightly as he asked quietly.

“We initially thought they were just scouts sent by other Sapient Races. But since you are here, I suppose they must be Saints like you!” Anlis said with a bitter smile, “I hope that after they come out, you can help explain a few words. All of us would be grateful to you!”

“Heh!” Qin Lun gave a noncommittal light laugh, sat down on a table behind him, his eyes flickering as he fell into thought.

Although his plan was quite complex, it was inherently very flexible and could be adapted according to the actual situation. Now, with the addition of these survivors from the Atlantis Sacred City and the two Apostles who had breached the ‘Celestial Wheel’ branch before him, he needed to reconsider and make targeted arrangements to minimize loopholes in the plan.

Seeing Qin Lun deep in thought, Anlis and the other three old priests exchanged looks. After a long moment, Anlis gritted his teeth, bowed to the young man, and asked, “Honorable Qin Lun, could you tell us about the situation outside the Holy City? Why haven’t the Sapient Races that invaded the Atlantis continent attacked the Holy City yet? And what do those orange-yellow barriers that appeared inside the Holy City represent?”

Hearing Anlis’s question, Qin Lun returned from his thoughts and glanced dismissively at Anlis. “My time is limited. I’ll explain that to you later. For now, take me to a place first!”

“Honorable Qin Lun, where in the fortress do you want to go? Most rooms here are severely damaged. Anything valuable has already been collected by us in this warehouse!” Anlis asked, somewhat puzzled.

“No, I know there is another place that has things the Saint needs!” An elderly voice came from behind Anlis.

“Karu?!” Anlis was startled. He turned around and looked at this old priest with surprise and doubt.

“Oh? You know what I’m looking for?” Qin Lun couldn’t help but laugh. This was truly an unexpected gain.

“Lord Qin Lun came here for nothing more than Saint equipment and treasures!” Karu’s eyes flickered with an elusive light. “Those three are just priests from small tribes in the northern district, but I, Karu, am different. I am the chief priest elder of the largest tribe in the northern district, the Anka Tribe. I can bring you great rewards!”

“What do you want?” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow, put away his smile, and asked indifferently.

“I’ve heard that the systems other Sapient Races of the Shattered Starry Sky use to treat Saints are completely different from our Atlanteans. There is no subordinate relationship between Saints and Sapient Races; it is a completely equal employment relationship!” Karu gritted his teeth and said, “I want to use my secret to hire you, my lord, to protect our withdrawal from the Holy City to the Nassen Continent!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Qin Lun’s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile, “However, I can promise to restart that Star Void portal, allowing all of you who are still alive here to leave the Holy City safely!”

“My lord, a verbal promise alone is not enough. You need to establish a Soul Contract!” A trace of joy appeared on Karu’s face as he said cautiously.

“Fine, no problem!” Qin Lun put on a solemn expression, immediately focused his mind into the Death Notice, and deliberately projected the Soul Contract before Karu and the others. “Is this acceptable now?”

“Thank you for extending your aid to us lowly commoners!” Karu trembled all over and bowed deeply to Qin Lun. Anlis and the others also breathed a sigh of relief. The next moment, looks of wild joy appeared on the faces of all the Atlanteans in the warehouse.

Karu straightened up, looked proudly at Anlis. His aged face glowed with a hint of vitality, and even his gaunt cheeks involuntarily flushed with two spots of red.