Looking at the actions of the five people opposite, Gilliam and other plot characters who had noticed the strangeness were a little confused. Because the dwarves were not familiar with Qin Lun and the others, each guessed in their hearts whether the five were friends of the other, so they were only a little vigilant and did not overreact.
"Assassins from the Zhentarim?" Elistine looked at the grove warily.
"No, it's impossible. Less than two days have passed since the assassination incident, and the headquarters of the Zhentarim may not have received accurate information. How could they send someone over so soon?" Mustaxia shook her head and denied, with a puzzled face Looking at Qin Lun, she instinctively felt that this might have something to do with the silver-haired elf.
"It's an apostle, an apostle from the Zhentarim faction!" Qin Lun and the others quickly came to their senses and looked at each other cautiously.
"It doesn't seem like a deliberate provocation, I'll go and have a look!" Rand drove his mount and galloped towards the grove.
Qin Lun and Mustasha each took out their longbows, and stood on high places beside the road for Rand to sweep. This place is only a few hundred meters away from the grove. Although it is not considered the combat distance, the two elf hunters are enough to ensure that Rand can hold on to everyone's support under the fighting situation.
Not a moment after Rand entered the grove, his slightly weird words came from the team channel.
"They want to join our team!"
Qin Lun and Hill looked at each other in surprise. As an apostle, no matter if they were in the same camp or in the opposing camp, fundamentally speaking, they were all mercenaries of Broken Starry Sky. As long as competing tasks aside, they can cooperate with each other at any time.
However, those five people were still their sworn enemies two days ago. But now that the competitive mission has just been completed, it seems a bit strange to come directly to seek cooperation.
"What price are they willing to pay?" Hearing Rand's feedback, Qin Lun's first reaction was that the five people opposite him were in serious trouble.
Or is it similar to the previous fortress team, which must complete certain specific goals in this world, but the original mission was destroyed by them, resulting in insufficient income. Or it is being hunted down by the enemy and needs their strength.
If this is the case, Qin Lun and the others don't mind letting these cannon fodder join the team. One is that they have not received other tasks yet, and the other is that they use and counter-use, sometimes there is only a thin line between them, and troubles are often accompanied by opportunities.
Of course, no matter what the situation is, since it is the initiative to come to seek cooperation, it is also the meaning of the question to pay some price.
"No, according to what they said, although they killed the necromancer who escaped from the Supreme Palace, they didn't leave much behind. The Zhentarim will chase after him, and it's not a trouble for them. .”
Rand responded truthfully, "They demand equal cooperation and pay a certain amount of remuneration to share our next plot mission."
"If we receive the plot of Mithral Hall, our current strength is really not enough. If the other party is sincere, we can consider cooperation!" Qin Lun frowned slightly, then turned around and asked, "Hill, what do you think?"
"If it can be proved that the necromancer really died in their hands, then the two sides will have a basis for cooperation, and the plot camp will no longer be an obstacle." Hill pondered and said, "However, to be on the safe side, let them add a temporary mortgage to the contract things. If because of their relationship, we encounter trouble in the later stage, then we will not suffer too much loss."
"Okay!" Qin Lun nodded appreciatively. Hill was very thoughtful, and he couldn't find any flaws. "Rand, tell them the conditions. If you are willing to sign the contract, bring them here."
"Lord Gilliam, I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time!" Seeing Rand leading the five apostles out of the woods, Qin Lun's eyes flashed, and he turned around to apologize to the old dwarf, indicating that everyone could go on the road again.
"You can just call me Gilliam!" Gilliam followed the shield dwarf's usual boldness and waved his hand without hesitation, but for the sake of caution, he asked one more question, "Who are they?"
"They are mercenaries. After I encountered an accident at Baldur's Gate, King Tynquilas sent them to look for me." Qin Lun's expression did not change, and lies came out, "However, their luck is not good. That's great, I always missed my whereabouts, and I didn't arrive near Silvermoon City until yesterday."
Qin Lun's words were convincing, except for Mustasia's veiled glance at him, almost even Elisten and Idriya believed it, thinking that the five people were really sent by the Anker Elf King.
The old dwarf didn't doubt Qin Lun's words. High-ranking members of various elves rarely traveled outside alone. For elves who are more delicate than flowers, this kind of behavior is really too dangerous. The elf slave trade has never stopped since ancient times.
It is already a norm for the major elf courts on the mainland to often hire some familiar mercenary groups when dealing with external affairs and business.
Although Alustriel once told the old dwarf that the elf prince was shrewd and cunning, and he should always be careful when dealing with him, after all, Qin Lun's camp belongs to lawful good, so there is no need to worry about him colluding with evil organizations like the Zhentarim Society.
Of course, a creature like an apostle has no camp or position to speak of in many cases, and this is not something that a strong dwarf can guess.
While explaining to Gilliam, Qin Lun cautiously looked at the five apostles, and opened the team channel to them. Although Rand has already signed a cooperation contract with the other party, probing is necessary, and the previous meeting was a bit sloppy.
The five apostles consisted of four men and one woman. The leader was a young man with narrow brows and phoenix eyes and a slightly gloomy face. The strong man on his left is obviously a MT, nearly seven feet tall, with a strong back and waist, and looks full of strength.
Standing on the right hand is a mage in black robe. The most impressive thing about the mage is his eyes. The gray pupils are out of focus, and they look like two glass beads that have lost their luster.
There are two men and women left. The man is thin, walks with his back arched, and his hands are as long as his knees, like a monkey. The woman's face was covered with a veil, so she couldn't see her face clearly. She was wearing a leather armor, so she couldn't tell her specific combat profession.
As soon as the two sides met, Qin Lun and Hill were surprised to find that this apostle team was very strong, at least much stronger than the three of them. Judging from the mutual induction among the apostles, the leading young man is undoubtedly a high-ranking apostle, and the aura of the remaining few people is also very strong, at least they are all veteran second-rank powerhouses.
"Are you the leader of this team?" At the same time, Weiss was also observing the three of Qin Lun, and most of his attention was given to Qin Lun. After all, the identity of the silver-haired elf is the top priority.
This is the main reason why they decided to join Qin Lun's team after letting go of their grievances and selling part of the mission proceeds.
"No, the three of us are a temporary combination. This time we entered the world of Toril and used the world token. The team we belong to is Lost of the Devil's Horn. I'm glad to meet a few of you." Qin Lun said in the team channel with a flash of his eyes.
"A world token!" Weiss said with a smile in his eyes, "We are the core branch of the Gray City 'Scarlet Castle'. Apart from the plot of Silvermoon City, you should have other plot tasks on your body, right?"
"Not for now, but this dwarven envoy is heading to their field camp at the foot of the Spine of the World. After arriving there, there is a good chance that they will receive an epic plot about 'Mithral Hall', or its prequel Drama."
Qin Lun did not hide this information, and said frankly, "Of course, if you want to share this task, you must pay some compensation."
Hearing the word "Mithral Hall", Weiss' eyes lit up, feeling deeply that his previous decision was correct. Since the other party has a pivotal plot identity, the mission plots they can access are indeed much better than theirs.
"Of course, if you don't mind, after you receive the mission, the collateral in the cooperation contract will be our reward!" Weiss replied without hesitation, and displayed the collateral agreed with Rand on the Team channel.
"Soul fire?!" Seeing the dark green flame displayed on the team channel and the text introduction it gave, Qin Lun and Hill raised their eyebrows at the same time. This is the bloodline item dropped by the necromancer!
"Are you satisfied?" Weiss asked with a smile.
"That's right, what a great deal!" Qin Lun was a little surprised. This soul fire was of high quality and belonged to high-level bloodline items.
Although the undead bloodline like Soulfire belongs to the common stock, high-level ones are rare. Seriously speaking, it is no worse than the Ice Flame Demon bloodline he got back then. Of course, if compared with Hill's rare blood of spirit suckers, it is much inferior.
"Although we don't need this thing, we can sell it at the Apostle Club. I believe it can fetch a good price." Hill smiled kindly from the side.
"That's good!" Weiss' eyes flashed, and he put away the bloodline items, and the two sides looked at each other and smiled tacitly. Everyone tested each other, and the original cooperation contract was really established at this moment.
The necromancer's blood item reassured Qin Lun and others, believing that the other party did not have ulterior motives. The Weiss team confirmed that the three of Qin Lun had the qualifications to cooperate with them through information such as the world token, Mithril Hall plot, and the Apostle Club that Qin Lun deliberately leaked.
This point is crucial to the next cooperation between the two apostle teams. Any strict contract is just a prerequisite. The Weiss team deliberately waits here for Qin Lun and others to pass by. The intention is not just to seek cooperation.
If Qin Lun and the others do not have the corresponding strength, even if they sign the contract, they still have many black means to circumvent the contract. For example: during some key battles, deliberately release water, let the plot monsters "destroy the opponent" for them, and then get all the mission benefits.
Now after probing, Qin Lun has shown that his plot identity is indeed very capable. Not only can he get in touch with epic plots, but he also has powerful plot characters around him to help. Weiss and the others also implicitly stated that they have already left the Zhentarim, and the plot power is temporarily blank, so that the two sides can even out the gap in strength and can cooperate on an equal footing.
After Weiss and the others joined the team, there was no disturbance along the way. Two days later, at dusk, they finally arrived at a hidden valley at the southern foot of the Spine of the World, and walked into the outpost camp set up by the shield dwarves.