Book 8: Chapter 52: Crossing Paths
“The leader, they’ve already passed!” A rogue appeared soundlessly next to Robin.
This rogue wasn’t Longer, but belonged to Lost’s Apostle. Robin nodded slightly to show she understood, then turned her gaze towards the Fortress Team, spotting Longer now beside Stark, whispering his report.
It was already the second day since coming down from the Alamir Mountains, and their current position was very close to Mir Forest. However, they weren’t heading towards the forest itself, but rather following its northern edge.
Around noon, the scouts ahead reported a mercenary troop galloping towards the Alamir Mountains. These were likely the reinforcements hired by the Dwarf who’d sought help from Mir Forest earlier.
As they’d expected, the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission veered sideways to avoid this group. Naturally, the Apostles kept this information from Milleras and the Dwarves. Since Milleras already decided against going to the Elven Court of Mir, meeting with the elves of Mir Forest held no benefits—it would only attract the Apostle team whose mission they’d stolen.
As for informing the Elven Court, Milleras only needed to send one Elven Ranger. In fact, the Sun Elf Prince and the old Dwarf had already brought this up earlier that morning. But the roads were open to everyone; perhaps the two groups just happened to pass each other by? Milleras couldn’t blame the Apostles for that.
By the time the rescue team reached Ironstar Fortress from Mir Forest and grasped the situation, the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission might well be clear of Calimshan. Even if that team included Apostles, there wouldn’t be much they could do.
Perhaps that team would realise other Apostles had snatched away their Main Plotline. They might even get information about the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission from the Elf King of Mir Forest. But without the plot guiding them, finding the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. This wasn’t due to any lack of skill on their part; it was simply one of the limited constraints the Apostles themselves faced.
Rather than heading north on a wild goose chase for the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission, the Apostle team in Mir Forest might as well stay in Mir Forest or linger in Calimshan, looking for hidden quests. Since the guidance of Shattered Starry Sky hadn’t played its part, they were bound to be offered some compensatory tasks soon enough.