Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1117 - 230 Ring

Chapter 1117: Chapter 230 Ring

The night-time campsite was silent; no one spoke. Amid the crackling of the firewood, everyone stared intently at the object before them as if it held a fascinating allure. However, the object wasn’t anything novel; it was a sight the adventurers had grown accustomed to over many years. It had only garnered special attention due to certain circumstances. Otherwise, it might not have even warranted a second glance in a different situation.

The object in question was a corpse, encased in a black leather bag. The flesh had long since rotted away, and the stench from the corpse and bag alike was so foul that anyone getting too close would struggle to keep their eyes open.

As expected, it was Pannis who found the corpse—but not in the water, rather near the water’s edge on the lake shore. While the girls were setting up camp in the evening, Pannis and Dillie had thoroughly searched the lakebed near the sunken ship, finding nothing of use—just a collection of assorted items like shattered crystal bottles and rusty nails, but absolutely nothing of value.

However, upon emerging from the lake, Pannis seemed to notice something. She hurried to a narrow-leaved tree on the shore and began to vigorously rub a spot where the tree met the soil. Soon, the densely packed mud clinging to the tree was wiped away, but instead of rough bark, the cleared spot revealed smooth wood with lines etched into it, now illegible from age.

Witnessing this, the girls seemed to grasp something; their expressions grew more solemn. Catherine pulled a shovel from her backpack and tossed it over. Pannis wielded the metal shovel, and within seconds, the edge of the black bag could be seen protruding from the soil. With the leather unearthed, a horrible stench permeated the air, unmistakably the odor of decaying flesh—familiar to the group and more potent than any other they had encountered.

"Why didn’t the previous corpse smell this bad?" The group encircled the corpse as if to prevent it from escaping, staring intensely as Lina pinched her nose and frowned, "This one really stinks."

"Because the last corpse was buried directly in the soil." Catherine held her breath as she ripped open the black bag entirely, exposing the corpse and instantly intensifying the stench in the air. Nonetheless, the group persevered around the body, their faces showing a trace of concern. The knight girl bit her lip and said, "Did they run into some kind of trouble?"

"Pannis, according to the records, there shouldn’t be any physically attacking entities in the Forbidden Land of Living Souls, right?" Vivian donned her gloves and prodded the corpse, "But this fatal injury was clearly caused by a physical attack."

"Hey, you idiot Vivian!" Lina poked at Vivian’s waist, voicing her discontent amid the other girl’s protests, "You sneakily took the Breath Retention Potion just to make us suffer the stench. You’re learning bad habits now, huh?"

"You two, stop messing around. Show some respect in front of the dead," Catherine said, smiling wryly as she glanced at the two laughing girls. Ignoring them, she muttered to herself, "His head must have been chopped off, right? It couldn’t have fallen off in this condition otherwise."

Indeed, this corpse was different from the warrior they had seen earlier; perhaps because it had been wrapped in a mortuary bag, it hadn’t completely decomposed. Half-grown hair clung to the back of the head, and the brownish-black rotten skin clung tight to the skeleton, with yellowish-green mucus hanging in spots. A touch to the skin would cause liquid to seep out from under the withered flesh. But the crucial factor was that the corpse’s head was separated from the body, with smooth cuts on the spine clearly made by a blade—a decapitation.

"He must have been killed by his own people," Pannis mused, stroking his chin without touching the body, "I’ve checked the fracture on the neck bone. Only a deliberate, forceful strike with a sharp weapon could have made this kind of mark."

"Why would that happen?" Catherine asked, puzzled, "This team was meticulously put together by Grandfather and the former leader. In theory, there shouldn’t have been any internal conflict leading to a feud."

"This isn’t a feud or any sort of internal discord," Pannis said sternly, his face serious, "Under certain circumstances, I wouldn’t hesitate to chop off the heads of one or some of you either."

"Are you saying he was assimilated by Twisted Souls?" Catherine was not upset or surprised by Pannis’s words, "But didn’t you say if a soul gets assimilated by Twisted Souls, even the body would twist into a non-corporeal phantom? Chopping off the head wouldn’t do any good then, right? No, by then, it wouldn’t be possible to chop off the head at all."

"Before anyone gets assimilated by the Twisted, I will cut them down," Pannis said solemnly, his voice so serious it sent shivers down one’s spine. "This is a severe matter. Once assimilated by the Twisted, one must endure eternal suffering, madness, and despair without any chance of release. No creature can withstand being twisted and assimilated. Therefore, when one is beyond saving and entangled with the Twisted Souls, the only choice to free them is to end their lives in advance."

The seriousness of Pannis’ words wiped the smiles off the girls’ faces, and they fell silent, not knowing what to think next. Dillie, who was already aware of this fact, said nonchalantly, "He’s right. Everyone who enters this area is gambling with their lives. Once twisted, there’s no escape. Suicide or assisted suicide by a teammate is an unwritten rule here. It’s not just you; it includes me and him too. Anyone who gets twisted will receive the same treatment. Hm, but what about you, Kyle? Do you still suffer the invasion of the Twisted Souls? Theoretically, you’re immortal; you shouldn’t anymore, right?"

"I don’t know. I’m still affected by it, but it’s hard to say whether I’ll be twisted," Pannis shrugged. "I certainly don’t want to test that out; it would be too stupid. Why don’t you try? Isn’t your soul different too?"

"Get lost, I want to go home," Dillie roared. "Who’s going to be responsible if the test fails?"

"So, I can’t answer your question either," Pannis spread his hands and said helplessly, "We can only wait and see over time."

"Alright, I understand." Although the two men had lightened the mood deliberately, the girls still felt a tangible psychological pressure. The knight girl took a deep breath and nodded. "You do have a point. It’s better for one to die by the hand of a friend before being completely twisted, losing oneself bit by bit, and eventually becoming mere symbols or shadows. But then, while the deceased may be liberated, the friend who killed them will have to carry the burden of guilt, probably for life. Ugh, the thought of personally killing one’s own teammate is unimaginable, the inner pain too painful to contemplate."

The girls didn’t realize that as Catherine spoke these words, Pannis’ gaze became very subtle, his whole body tensed to barely suppress the trembling of his fingers. Perhaps, apart from himself and Flare, no one knew the psychological preparations he had made or understood the resolution he held upon embarking on this expedition.

The girls didn’t think of this and continued to gather around the foul-smelling corpse, with Lina pointing at it and saying, "So, the person who killed him left a pair of identical rings as a memento?"

On the corpse’s left hand, there remained a pair of shiny gold rings: one on the corpse’s finger, and the other clasped in its palm. Due to the body’s severe decomposition and the partial fall of hand bones, the rings were exposed for everyone to see. It was evident that aside from the size, the two rings were nearly identical in both design and material.

"This is..." Catherine’s face broke into a bitter smile as she closed her eyes and sighed, "These are wedding rings."

"Did a husband have to personally end his wife’s life?" Teary-eyed, Freya’s gentle and sensitive heart was touched, regardless of how well she hid it. Scared of such tragic emotions, the princess dabbed the corners of her eyes, sniffing, "So he left his own ring to protect his wife eternally? It’s pitiful, he couldn’t even bring back his wife’s body, just had to leave her in this perilous world."

"Cough, cough." Pannis suddenly coughed dryly. At that moment, it seemed he had completely recovered from his previous agitation and said lazily, "Actually, there’s another explanation for leaving the ring. Maybe, when the husband left the ring, he was thinking, ’Finally, I have the chance to get rid of you. Now I am free – parties, wine, and new flesh. Ah, beautiful girls, wait for me, I can finally come to you, hahaha...’ Hey, hey, I’m just stating a possibility, what are you girls doing? Why, even you, Ava, why did you open your eyes? Ow, ow, are you planning on killing me? Dillie, help me! They’ve gone mad."

"Fucking idiot." Dillie, too lazy to even lift his head and with his eyes still closed, muttered, "I can’t be bothered to talk to an idiot."

"Huff, huff, I’m exhausted." After their usual daily chase, the girls dumped the mournful Pannis to the side and returned to the corpse, only to find that the previous somber and melancholy atmosphere could no longer be retrieved. Looking at Pannis with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, the knight girl removed the two rings from the corpse’s hand. "Let’s take these with us. If by chance we survive and return to the Holy City, we’ll find out who this couple was and have the rings buried, as a way for their souls to reunite back