Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 175 - 31: The Inversion of Day and Night_1

Chapter 175: Chapter 31: The Inversion of Day and Night_1

(263...084...458... for fellow readers who want to join our discussion group. PS: I appreciate all the support and recommendations from passersby, your support is my greatest motivation. Also, I welcome constructive suggestions. PS2: For information on the name change, please refer to the related work.)

"Mr. Guli-Elmer, the canyon where you found the bodies was here, right?" Pannis laid out a large map on the ground and pointed to a marked spot asking," Counting from our current location, it takes around ten days to reach this canyon."

"Not this one, there’s a smaller one to the west." Guli-Elmer gestured at the map, "It’s not very big, about three to four kilometers away from the one you pointed out. It’s too small to be marked on the map."

"I know that place." The guide, Elrad, also leaned next to Pannis and circled a spot on the map, "Hunters call it Raccoon Valley."

"There are lots of raccoons there?" Pannis asked in surprise. "I haven’t heard about raccoons in the Shining Forest."

"Not at all, not a single raccoon." Elrad shrugged, "Who knows why it’s called Raccoon Valley."

"Alright, alright, it doesn’t matter what it’s called." Pannis sighed while covering his face, "Let’s study the route."

The dinner had been going on for ten minutes. Most people frowned while quickly eating their share of the food. For people camping temporarily, there was no time for boiling or stewing food, only grilling. The taste wasn’t satisfying, forcing people to swallow for nourishment. But the three young girls of the adventure team seemed to have quite an appetite. They delicately savored the grilled meat, seeming to quite enjoy it while Pannis studied the map.

"Hey, sister, are you really that hungry?" Dora, who had moved from the mercenaries’ fire pit, asked, "Why are you still eating?"

"Go away, I don’t have time to cut you right now." Catherine’s hands were greasy, but she used her feet to push away Dora who had come to snuggle, "Dare to come closer, and you’ll see after I finish eating."

"Is it that delicious?" Dora skeptically looked at the almost finished grilled meat, quickly cut a piece, stuffed it into her mouth, and ran off. Catherine smiled helplessly, shaking her head.

"We will set off from here, pass through the Misty Forest, here is the spot, cross the Broken Skull Hills, this place, then cross the Naramia River, then detour from the edge of the Butterfly Woods, as it’s too dangerous there, and then cross over the Earth Bear Mountain, and we can reach Raccoon Valley." Elrad outlined a faint line on the map with his fingernail, indicating the path ahead.

"This area," Pannis pointed to the zone between the Misty Forest and the Broken Skull Hills, "are we to detour it?"

"We must detour, it’s impassable." Elrad said affirmatively, "This place is called Death Fog Sea; actually, the Misty Forest is an extension of it. Inside the Death Fog Sea, everywhere, for 22 hours a day, more than 19 hours will be shrouded in dense fog. Regardless of how excellent your eyesight is, you can’t see clearly beyond a meter. Moreover, it has a very complicated terrain and is inhabited by a large number of ferocious magical beasts that hunt by sound and smell. The mortality rate there is quite high, basically only one in a hundred people could luckily make it out. If we detour, it only wastes a day’s time. It’s not worth risking such a huge danger for one day."

"Death Fog Sea, I have long heard of its notorious reputation." Pannis clicked his tongue, "I heard there are multiple such Death Fog Seas."

"There are indeed countless." Elrad nodded, "However, we’re only passing by one."

"Then, here, if we don’t detour from the east side of the Butterfly Woods, but go from the west side?" Pannis suggested, "It seems like it could save a lot of time."

"The west side is the territory of the Ironback Wild Bulls, although they are called bulls, they are actually carnivorous. They have a strong hunting desire and it’s relatively dangerous." Elrad paused and then smacked his forehead, smiling for once. "I almost forgot, that shouldn’t be a problem for you guys, okay, let’s change it a bit, we will pass by the habitat of the Ironback Wild Bulls, then cross the Earth Bear Mountain."

"Sister, how did you prepare it? It’s so delicious." Dora, after finishing her stolen grilled meat, shamelessly came over again, "Teach me."

"Team secret, don’t even think about it." Catherine, who had washed her hands and started to clear up the tableware, pushed Dora’s face away with one hand, pushing away the opportunistic Dora.

Dora wasn’t angry about being rejected, she leaned in and whispered, "Have you noticed, the guide doesn’t get along well with anyone, but he talks and laughs with your Pannis."

"It’s normal." Catherine said, "Although he’s just a Lower Rank professional, when it comes to survival and exploration skills in the wilderness, we are far inferior to him, of course he’d look down on us. Only Pannis can have a real discussion with him, naturally he would feel a sense of camaraderie."

"How long have you been working together?" Dora asked tentatively, "It seems you guys trust him a lot."

"Actually, only a few months, but we trust each other, that’s why we have mutual trust." Catherine cut her a glance and said, "What, you want to poach him, forget it, fool."

"That’s not necessarily true." Dora gently stroked the black silk on her thigh with a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Someone can’t help but stare at my thighs whenever he has a chance. Perhaps a simple wave of my finger would do the trick, hehe."

"Pfft." Lina, who was reading a book on the side, suddenly burst out laughing. She raised her head towards Dora and said, "Let me tell you a story."

"In the past few months, every time we’re in the Holy City, Pannis tries his best to woo all the girls there, from fourteen to forty. What was that you said, my dear? Ah, alright, all the way up to hundred fifty years old. They all fall within his defense range. But he’s never done so with you. Just yesterday, I asked him why, do you know what he said?" Lina donned an evil smile, mockingly imitated Pannis as she retreated, rubbing her arms fearfully, "All the women I pursue are normal beauties. Unlike certain person’s infatuated and perverted ones, oh god, even thinking about it is like a nightmare, hahaha."

"What’s there to be so proud about." Dora huffed heavily. "He hasn’t done anything with you guys either, has he? Clearly he includes you too in his statement, hehe."

"That’s different." Lina raised a finger and wagged it in front of Dora. "We are his family. He would never make a move on family."

"Humph." Dora stomped her foot in annoyance, going back to her own team members. As she turned around, she overheard Catherine whisper, "So, who is it this time?"

"It’s this one, look, look, it’s this person."

"Alright, it’s about time." Pannis had already packed up the map, clapped his hands to attract everyone’s attention. "Have you packed everything up? Let’s get ready to set off."

Guli-Elmer nodded at Pannis, walked over to Catherine and Dora, and bowed respectfully to the two ladies, "Thank you for your help. I’ll remember this act of kindness. If you ever happen to visit Casarila in the future, please let me know in advance so I can get a chance to show my gratitude."

"Mr. Guli-Elmer." Catherine asked, "So you are all set to leave too? Are you sure we shouldn’t escort you to the edge of the forest?"

"No need." Guli-Elmer smiled. "Hasn’t it been said? The enemies aren’t targeting us anymore. Without their interference, we can still defend ourselves near the edge of the forest. Don’t you worry."

"Alright then." Catherine and Dora bid farewell using the knight’s etiquette: "Wishing you all the best."

Watching the Blue Coral Adventure Team of five head towards the outskirts of the valley, Pannis walked over to Catherine, patted her shoulder and said softly, "Stop watching. It’s time for us to get going too."

Catherine, frowning, glanced at the dark forest outside the valley, but she didn’t object. She nodded trustfully as they all slung their adventure backpacks onto their backs.

The time had reached nighttime, and the three bright moons hung high in the sky. In the little valley, due to the vastness above, moonlight could directly reach the valley, making things inside the valley still visible. However, just outside the valley, devoid of the moonlight, the dense forest plunged into total darkness. The moment the Blue Coral team entered the dense forest, they vanished without a trace in less than a minute.

Such darkness was clearly the mortal enemy of travelers, but neither Elrad nor Pannis showed any concern as they carried their backpacks and walked straight into the darkness. Standing at the edge of the valley, Pannis stopped before the dense forest. Elrad chuckled: "Perfect timing. You’ve got it down to a T."

"Hehe." Pannis smiled, then turned and announced loudly to everyone, "Ladies and gentlement, welcome to the most magical sight of the Shining Forest - the inverted day and night!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the previously pitch-black forest behind Pannis suddenly burst into light, transforming from dark night to bright daylight. Flashing Vines scattered throughout the forest lit up together, illuminating the entire forest.

Even though they had seen it from afar before, the first-hand experience was vastly more shocking. Those unfamiliar with this marvel were struck speechless and could only marvel at the surroundings that should’ve been in darkness. They gazed around the forest, clearer than the vista of the day. A careful observation revealed that everything in the forest, bathed in the light of Flashing Vines, was discernable - even the treetops tens of meters high were crystal clear. The surrounding brightness seemed no different than a midday open field.

"That’s why we have to travel all day and night." Pannis said, "In the Shining Forest, the day and night are reversed. From noon to eight in the evening, we camp and rest while from eight in the evening to noon the next day is the time for action."

"Is the entire Shining Forest like this?" Lina asked curiously, her eyes surveying the surroundings.

"No, there are a few areas without Flashing Vines." Elrad answered, "Those places have a normal day and night cycle, but most areas are similar to what we see now."

"The wonders of the Creator are beyond our understanding." Catherine admired, then followed up, "So, should we set off now?"

"Let’s go now." Pannis once again took the lead, "Next stop, the Misty Forest."