Volume 1 Chapter 14: The Apostle Paradise

Qin Lun glanced faintly at the elf, extended his palm, and held it out in front of him, revealing the small skull pattern with eyes that glowed with a flickering crimson light.

“Please forgive Mafa’s rudeness. I have never seen a Formal Apostle’s Soul Mark before. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity!” Mafa’s smile grew even more friendly. He bowed slightly on his horse as an apology.

Qin Lun grinned. When Ged was negotiating with the elf, Mafa had already glanced at him several times in surprise—clearly, now was the moment for verification. The so-called curiosity was just the elf’s excuse; it was impossible that such an important figure sent by the Floating City to receive the Probationary Apostles had never seen a Soul Mark before.

As Mafa bowed, Qin Lun’s gaze went past Mafa’s shoulder and landed on the emerald crossbow strapped to his back. This crossbow was delicate and small, entirely emerald green, resembling a kingfisher spreading its wings.

Compared to the tall, sturdy longbows carried by the other elves in the mounted party, this crossbow not only seemed somewhat out of place, but its arms were also very short; it was unclear how powerful it might be.

Mafa Moliya quickly sensed Qin Lun’s gaze. A gentle, refined smile appeared on his handsome face. He reached out with his right hand, took down the emerald crossbow, and handed it to Qin Lun.

“This is an heirloom of the Moliya family. If you like crossbows, after we return to Moonlight Forest, I can send someone to deliver one to you as an apology for earlier!”

The surface of this delicate little crossbow shimmered with a brilliant green glow, as if it had a soul of its own. Qin Lun merely played with it briefly before handing it back to Mafa, smiling as he said, “That’s unnecessary. I don’t know how to use a crossbow—I was just purely admiring it.”

The short journey soon came to an end. The elven mounted escort led the twelve Probationary Apostles to the base of Moonlight Forest. Viewing this Floating City up close, the group realized even more clearly what a massive entity it was.

Not to mention the transparent protective shield that arched over it like a dome, even the steel guardrail tightly encircling the base in the middle was almost as formidable as the towering walls of an ancient fortress city. The base of the city, however, was not made of steel as they had initially thought, but consisted of thick, pillar-like plant roots entwined together, forming a green foundation.

After the group arrived, the plant roots at the base slowly shifted, weaving downward into a broad green corridor wide enough for four horses to ride abreast, and even the rhino beasts that Qin Lun and the others rode could enter side by side—truly marvelous.

When the prisoners emerged from the corridor, they found themselves facing a small pebble path ahead. The pebble path stretched into a vibrant, lush forest. Among the tall tree crowns on either side, young, childish-faced little elves poked out their small heads, their cute big eyes wide open as they stared at this new group of visitors from another time and space.

Inside the forest, birds sang and flowers bloomed; all sorts of rare birds and strange creatures occasionally darted past the front of the procession. These little creatures seemed completely unafraid of the unfamiliar guests. They often stopped without any wariness, tilting their heads to observe the humans in the group, giving the prisoners a strange feeling of being like exhibits in a zoo.

Among these exotic creatures, a snow-white male deer, whose body was dotted with pink plum-blossom spots, even haughtily blocked the elven mounted party. Only after being shooed away by the elven guards did it reluctantly stride off with an arrogant gait, disappearing deep into the forest.

As the group ventured further into the forest, Qin Lun and the others also noticed elven tree houses built among the tree crowns. These tree houses were simple in design, making an effort not to disrupt the trees’ original structure, embodying a kind of natural beauty.

Wonderful moments are always brief. When the sound of rushing water came from ahead, everyone realized they had passed through the forest and arrived at the edge of that sky-blue lake.

Mafa Moliya had been observing the expressions of the prisoners throughout the journey. Every time Moonlight Forest welcomed Probationary Apostles, it would lead them through the forest settlement—this held a deep purpose.

When these visitors from another time and space first encountered such a beautiful and peaceful environment, many would unconsciously reveal some of their inner feelings.

The Elven Race could then assess which Probationary Apostles liked this kind of living environment, and which Apostles coveted the rare birds and strange beasts in the forest. Based on this, they could formulate corresponding policies to strengthen the Probationary Apostles’ sense of belonging to Moonlight Forest.

“Are we not staying in the forest?” Qin Lun asked with a hint of regret.

Throughout his life, since he became aware of the world, he had never been close to nature. At eight, he entered a children’s welfare home, where he could only look up at the small patch of sky above the courtyard and the birds flying past. At twelve, he entered a mental hospital, and soon after was transferred to juvenile detention and then a maximum-security prison, from then on facing only the pale, empty walls of a prison cell.

Hearing Qin Lun’s question, Mafa’s smile grew even more pleased. He explained in detail, “We elves love being close to nature; we live simply and eat plain food. But most Apostles, due to living constantly on the edge of life and death, prefer to enjoy life. For this reason, Moonlight Forest specially built a unique Apostle Paradise at the bottom of Moonlight Lake as a residential area for our honored guests.”

As the two conversed softly, Qin Lun soon noticed a semicircular glass corridor on the right side of the lakeshore, about ten meters wide and five meters high, winding down toward the bottom of the lake. Through the glass walls of the corridor, everyone could even see all sorts of peculiar-looking fish and other colorful underwater plants.

Although the corridor was quite long, being able to admire such a wondrous underwater world meant that even the most unruly prisoners did not show impatience. Before they knew it, the two-kilometer-long corridor came to an end, and a small town reminiscent of the Middle Ages appeared before the prisoners.

Above the town was a thick glass canopy holding back Moonlight Lake. Sunlight passed through the pure, clear lake water, refracting into the town and casting shimmering, winding bands of light on the ground. The whole environment felt tranquil and serene.

“This is the Apostle Paradise?”

Most of the houses in the town were relatively low, basically made of wood. Qin Lun reached out and touched the wall of a nearby wooden house; a cool sensation immediately spread through his palm. The wood was very hard, with ancient-looking grain on the surface, making the entire town appear quaint and peaceful, full of elegant grace.

“Is it different from what your world calls a paradise?” Mafa showed a mysterious smile. “You will soon understand the meaning of so-called paradise! But for now, please come with me. After all our honored guests are settled, if you’d like, I can act as your guide and show you around the town.”

“Please call me Qin Lun,” Qin Lun replied with keen interest.

“As you wish. You may also call me directly by my name,” Mafa said, a hint of delight in his eyes as he smiled gracefully.

For Moonlight Forest, everything Qin Lun had displayed so far was very much in line with their requirements. He was calm and detached by nature, fond of nature, and polite and refined in manner. Moreover, among the twelve travelers from another world, he was the only one who had obtained a Soul Mark and become a Formal Apostle.

Mafa Moliya sometimes even had the illusion that this always smiling man before him was not a human from another world, but rather a member of the Elven Race.

As the group arrived at the outskirts of the town, the elven guards began to split them up. The twelve Probationary Apostles were each led to their respective lodgings, while Qin Lun was personally guided by Mafa. Of course, the elves still politely inquired about each Apostle’s preference, allowing Probationary Apostles willing to share a room to use the same wooden house.

In front of these wooden houses on the outskirts of the town, elven guards patrolled back and forth. Mafa explained that there were also some veteran Formal Apostles in the town, and Apostles tended to have diverse, strong-willed personalities. Setting up guard posts helped reduce unnecessary friction between the newly arrived Probationary Apostles and the senior Apostles.

“Qin Lun, how should we arrange for these honored guests behind you?” Mafa had already noticed that Lin Feng, Little Lian, and the little goblin Didi all regarded Qin Lun as their leader, so he asked for his input.

“Aside from this little one, let the other two do as they please,” Qin Lun answered with a smile after glancing at the three.

Hearing this, Lin Feng felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He immediately followed an elven guard and hurried away. The young master from a prominent family, who had been fearful and anxious until now, finally felt the exhilaration of a dragon returning to the sea, free to do as he wished. As for Little Lian, after hesitating for a while, she still chose to continue following Qin Lun and was assigned by the elven guards to a small wooden house near Qin Lun’s residence.

Qin Lun’s own wooden house was an elegant two-story wooden building. The ground floor was a living room furnished with wooden chairs and washing utensils, and opposite the entrance, a small fireplace was set into the wall.

The second floor was the bedroom, even more simply furnished, with a small window by the bed draped with delicate floral curtains. The sheets and quilts felt strangely textured—neither silk nor linen, but made from a plant fiber Qin Lun had never seen before.

Above the bedroom, there was also a small, peaked attic originally used for storage. Now, it probably had to be cleared out to serve as a living space for the little goblin Didi.

Qin Lun rested in the room for only a short while before hearing Mafa calling him from downstairs. The elf had come to fulfill his promise to take Qin Lun around the town.

The little goblin Didi, with his weak Constitution, was exhausted from the journey and had no choice but to stay behind and rest in the wooden house, somewhat aggrieved. Qin Lun went alone with Mafa into this distinctive Apostle Paradise.

As the two ventured deeper into the town, Qin Lun noticed that the wooden houses gradually changed from simple residential buildings to massive castle-like structures covering large areas. Of course, due to the limits imposed by Moonlight Lake above, these castles were relatively low, the tallest being only three or four stories.

“This town is called Moonlight Town. The outer area is basically the residential zone for Apostles. The middle layer is the entertainment district, with bars, exchanges, the Auction House, and some other recreational facilities,” Mafa explained to Qin Lun with a smile.

“Actually, the most important core area of the entire Moonlight Forest is in the inner part of Moonlight Town. Although Moonlight Forest is just a small Floating City of our Elven Race, outsiders don’t know that it is one of the two most important academy cities of the elves. The greatest Apostle academy of the Elven Race—Academy Eiflit Bogg—is located in Moonlight Town!”