Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1157 - 269 The End of the Expedition Team

Chapter 1157: Chapter 269 The End of the Expedition Team

"Indeed, Grandfather and President Cyp have already linked these events with the Return of the Dead from the past," Catherine stood up as she spoke, though the memories of her grandfather hadn’t merged with hers. Instead, they played out before her eyes like scenes preserved in a Memory Crystal. Full of guilt, she said, "Not just Grandfather and President Cyp, but the five surviving Legendary Rank members shared the same concern. Even if all of them were to perish here, they wanted to send a warning to the outside world so others could come to eliminate the enemy. If not that, at least they could prepare in advance and avoid the heavy loss of innocent lives like in the last Undead War."

"The intention was admirable, but the goal was hard to achieve," Pannis sighed. "In those years, probably no one could traverse the lengthy Forbidden Land of Living Souls to directly assault the temple. Our presence here is merely coincidental. Without taking that path, the temple’s location is further from any other entrance to Rordelansor Ring Mountain. Even a team composed of a Demigod would likely lose many on their way to the temple unless they can fly there directly with the help of the Guardians."

"But Grandfather and the others back then didn’t know these things. No, they hadn’t fully realized the difficulty of the task," Catherine shook her head. "And they did indeed try to remedy their actions as much as they could. In the end, they decided that President Cyp should retreat alone while the others would stay put and use a defensive formation to hold off the enemy, giving President Cyp as much time as possible to escape."

"Why was President Cyp, the one with the greatest responsibility, chosen to retreat?" Lina frowned, voicing a complaint on behalf of Catherine’s grandfather. "If it were about delaying the enemy, he should have led by example. Why was Grandfather left behind?"

"No, this was actually the most sincere decision," Freya shook her head at her. "Ask your friends and they’ll tell you; they made the right choice."

"Okay, they told me," Lina’s gaze momentarily glazed over, her lips pursed. "The best candidate for the retreat was the ranger, but all the rangers in the team were of Legendary Rank. Any Legendary Rank professional escaping from the Core Area has very low chances of survival. To leave alive, one of the two Demigods would have had to do it. Yet, as Grandfather was a mage, and considering that mages are physically weaker, President Cyp, a warrior, had the highest probability of surviving. His retreat truly had no selfish motives."

"And considering his former title as Guild President, once he managed to escape, he could conveniently mobilize the entire adventurer Guild’s resources and connections to rapidly relay this information to other powers. In terms of speed and reliability of information transfer, he could do much better than others could. Actually, surviving such a retreat isn’t a blessing; those who live carry numerous responsibilities and even accusations of abandoning their peers, making it difficult to face others," Pannis added.

"Their decision during those final moments was incredibly coordinated; they made their decision in less than a minute," Catherine sighed. "Afterward, President Cyp immediately left with light gear while the others adopted a contracted defense strategy, completely stalling the enemy. As they tangled with the enemy, they slowly retreated to this stronghold. Their goal didn’t change; as long as they could retreat to this stronghold, they could use its terrain and newly deployed defenses to better withstand enemy attacks until the very last moment. Unfortunately, the stronghold was still a bit too far, and the remaining teammates were gradually twisted by Soul Assault from the Forbidden Land of Living Souls until finally, Grandfather’s will also fell into endless madness. That’s where Grandfather’s memories completely end."

Catherine’s story finally concluded, and a silence fell over the camp. No sound was made as everyone solemnly assimilated this history that theoretically should have remained buried in the depths of time. Eventually, it was Freya’s enchanting voice that broke the silence, the princess asking in a melodious tone, "If they had all been twisted mid-journey, how then did they appear here last night, attacking us, and even launching an underground assault—an evident ambush?"

"This shows their determination and tenacity," Pannis said with a complicated expression, tinged with admiration. "Even at the last moment, their minds were still occupied with the thought of holding the stronghold and attacking the enemy. This steadfast will retained control, so even after they were twisted, in their confusion, they involuntarily returned here. However, having lost their minds, they couldn’t tell who the enemies were. To them, all normal living beings were enemies, so they used the remnants of their consciousness to ambush any normal beings who entered, aiming to inflict the maximum damage on the ’enemy’."

The girls once again fell silent. Although these twisted Undead caused significant trouble, even nearly killing Catherine, Pannis’s explanation also evoked a feeling of reverence among them, and their expressions mirrored Pannis’s complexity.

"Actually, what I really want to know is, what exactly happened to President Cyp," Dillie broke the silence once more. "But I guess these are now unsolvable mysteries, likely without answers ever."

"President Cyp probably wasn’t caught. As for his state after escaping, it’s clear now that his soul was severely damaged, likely from the effects of the Forbidden Land and various Twisted Souls. But these are only speculations now, with no one able to confirm," Pannis nodded. "Of course, those are just minor issues. The key issue is, your grandfather recorded the exact location of the Temple of Danacus, right? There’s also another matter, what was the big gain you initially mentioned?"

"Yes, we’ll set off first thing tomorrow morning. I can take everyone directly to the temple," Catherine said with a smile, mysteriously adding, "As for the big gain, hehe, it’s a genuine Deities relic. Although very small, possibly just a few houses, it truly is a relic, not just some temple."