Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1111 - 224 Backpack

Chapter 1111: Chapter 224 Backpack

"A backpack?" In order to maintain the balance of the wooden raft on both sides, Catherine and Ava, in the other direction, dared not move recklessly and could only watch helplessly as the three girls and Pannis huddled together at the edge of the raft, peering down, asking in surprise, "What backpack?"

"Just a backpack." Pannis answered very seriously, "You know, the kind that you carry on your shoulders, the big one that can hold lots of stuff."

"Thanks a lot, but I know what a backpack is." Catherine said, rolling her eyes, "Tell me something I don’t know, like why there would be a backpack here?"

"The problem is, what you don’t know, I don’t know either." Pannis shrugged innocently, "Actually, I’d also really like to know, why would there be a backpack there?"

"If the information I looked up before isn’t wrong, Lake of Termination should be formed by a tributary that branched off from the main channel of the Naramia River." Vivian was completely right. As a tributary of the Naramia River, the swift waters of the Silius River were slowed down by the large lake here. By the time the water flowed out from downstream, it had changed from turbulent and swift to peaceful and gentle. Seeing Pannis nodding in agreement, the Mage girl continued, "Under such circumstances, if the owner of the backpack accidentally dropped it into the water in the upper reaches of the Silius River, the backpack would be carried away by the rapids until it reached the Lake of Termination. After the velocity of the water flow decreased there, the backpack would finally escape the control of the rapids and settle at the bottom of the lake."

"Your hypothesis is very likely." Pannis nodded, "However, quite obviously, you’ve overlooked a very important issue. Although the current of the Silius River is swift, it is almost impossible for objects to be carried downstream. The courses of the Silius River at the very upper reaches are far too winding—just looking at a map makes it seem complicated. The likelihood that such a large backpack would travel downstream without being obstructed by rocks along the banks is really low." Pannis shook his head, "Therefore, I think it’s unlikely that it is a package swept down from upstream."

"What if it’s something left behind many, many years ago?" Lina asked curiously, "For instance, from the Third Epoch, when there was no Forbidden Land of Living Souls, this place was dangerous, but it wasn’t that no one had ever entered here."

Pannis looked at Lina with a very strange expression, countering, "What kind of material could a backpack be made of that, after soaking in water for at least three thousand years, could still maintain a relatively intact appearance? No matter what material this backpack is made of, after a few hundred years, it would have completely rotted to pieces and couldn’t possibly look like it does now."

"Then there’s only one possibility left." Catherine sighed, "It seems my grandfather and the others chose this lake surface route as well, did you already know that, which is why you insisted on taking the lake path?"

"That’s not it, I was not clear about their route." Pannis shook his head, "And I didn’t have any expectations of discovering something in the lake, but to be honest, I did have a vague idea why they might have chosen to travel across the lake."

"Why do you guess they would choose to cross the lake?" Catherine asked, puzzled, "Did they leave any clues in the cave?"

"Uh, that’s one way to look at it," Pannis said. "We concluded that they stayed in the cave for about three to four days, right? At first, we thought they stayed that long to search the area. But later, we found the consumed Wood Essence, which proved they used Earth-penetrating Vision magic. The effect of this magic, especially when using Wood Essence, is remarkable, and there would’ve been no need to laboriously search for anything for days. It would’ve been totally unnecessary."

"But the fact remains they stayed for three to four days," Catherine pondered. "That means they definitely used that time for something else, like... building a boat?"

"Exactly. They may not have gone to the Sea Kingdom of Kassa, and likely wouldn’t know how to make Kassa-style rafts. So, if they wanted to cross the lake, they’d have to build several usable boats," Pannis nodded. "Building boats is a lot more work than building rafts. Without experience, it could very well take three to four days."

"Hey, haven’t you two got the wrong end of the stick here?" Dillie finally lost patience after listening for a while and rolled his eyes. "You’ve been discussing this for hours, but it’s easier to just dive down, retrieve the backpack, and take a look. Whether it’s a package that the expedition team accidentally left behind could be easily confirmed by checking it, rather than you two speculating here."

"You idiot," Pannis retorted with a sneer. "To bring it up, we’d first need to clearly see the routes of the Twisted Souls below the surface. Are you suggesting I observe their routes after diving in?"

"Isn’t the wooden pole in your hand just for decoration?" Dillie growled. "Can’t you just add a hook and pull the backpack up from the water’s surface?"

"Better you don’t speak, idiots don’t have the right to an opinion," Pannis replied, pulling the wooden pole from the water and poking the scorpion-tailed lion with it disdainfully. "Do you think if this truly is a backpack left by Old Field and it’s been soaked in the water for decades, that I’d be able to hook it and pull it up intact? The slightest force could cause it to fall apart. It’s intact now, thanks to being downstream of the Lake of Termination with no chaotic currents. Otherwise, just the undercurrents alone would have long since destroyed it."

"Err, I don’t want to talk to you," Dillie said, opening his mouth only to realize Pannis’s point made sense, and he couldn’t rebuke it. So, he gloomily lay on his front paws, mumbling and pretending he didn’t exist.

"Are you going down now?" Catherine asked after Pannis had teased Dillie and then stood up. She handed him a few waterproof bags and helped him get ready, whispering cautiously, "Be very careful. Even if you’re an excellent swimmer, underwater is less nimble than on land. Dodging those Twisted Souls isn’t as simple as it seems. It’s okay if we don’t get this clue; your safety comes first. If it’s too much, just come back up. Don’t do anything reckless."

"I know, I know," Pannis said with a smile, patting the knight girl’s head to comfort her. "I won’t rush in recklessly, don’t worry."

The affectionate gesture turned Catherine’s complexion crimson in an instant. The knight girl sneakily glanced around and glared fiercely at Pannis, baring her white teeth as a threat. Amid the snickers of the other girls, Pannis also looked embarrassed. He gulped down a Breath Retention Potion and then jumped into the clear lake water like escaping from the situation.