Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 250 - 16 Fleet_1

Chapter 250: Chapter 16 Fleet_1

In the customs of the Humans in Yarran World, marriage is a troublesome affair, and it’s even more troublesome for those of certain status to get married.

In Yarran customs, when two individuals of equal status marry, the groom has to prepare the wedding venue in his hometown, and the bride has to assemble a varying-sized bridal procession. A significant portion of the people in this procession would be quite familiar with the wedding organizers; they would carry numerous gifts to the groom’s house. Upon arriving at the venue, they would coordinate all aspects of the wedding with the groom’s family to avoid unpleasantness due to significant differences in wedding customs.

This sort of custom once led to a trend of extravagant weddings among commoners. Both the number of people in the bridal procession and the value of the gifts would continuously inflate. At its peak, a normal family’s wedding procession often needed as many as a hundred people for the wedding to be held. The groom’s family correspondingly had to assemble even more people to receive and cooperate, imposing a heavy burden onto both families.

However, traditions like these tend to self-correct over time. When people had been competing for a while and realized that such behavior was only making everything exponentially troublesome for everyone involved, this trend gradually faded. Both families would live within their means and no longer blindly compete.

When the four members of the adventuring group arrived at the agreed rendezvous point—the city’s eastern gate—in the morning, they first noticed the wedding convoy. It was comprised of seventy-to-eighty people, with no fewer than ten carriages.

The carriage at the forefront was lavishly decorated. Made from hefty solid wood, its exterior was varnished with festive red paint, the corners engraved with delicate gold patterns by hand. Six windows were fashioned from transparent crystals on each side of the carriage. The windows were one-way; those inside could see clearly outside, yet the people outside were unable to see in. A dragon, symbolizing protection, was carved atop the carriage—its pose stately and elegant, seeming almost lifelike. The carriage was very broad, as it appeared that six persons could sit in a line inside. The interior was embedded with a Stabilization Array and a Gravity Reversal Application Array; their mutual effect offered very comfortable seating in the carriage.

Due to the unique customs near Neutral Land, the bride is not allowed to meet relatives and friends on the way to her wedding. Matters such as dining and resting along the journey are handled by a close friend or a personal maid chosen by the bride. It’s customary to wish the bride a blessing of never turning back after she’s married. Should one break this custom, it’s equivalent to cursing the bride with a quick divorce—it’s rare for anyone to be foolish enough to do so. To accommodate this tradition, the dedicated wedding carriages around Rhea are often equipped with special one-way transparent crystal windows. Hence, upon seeing this carriage, Miss Catherine and her party understood that Freya must be inside.

Following behind were five six-wheeled standard small passenger carriages. The carriages were very long, with six rows of seats inside split in the middle by an aisle. For passenger carriages, this twelve-person model is considered small. City public carriages used within the City of Knowledge are mostly for thirty-two or thirty-six people—much larger than these. Of course, such large carriages aren’t needed for the wedding procession; twelve-person specifications are adequate. These multi-passenger carriages were prepared for the staff organizing the bride’s side of the wedding.

The last were four cargo carriages, with their cargo tightly covered by a thick oilcloth. Inside were gifts from the bride’s side for the groom. According to tradition, when the bridal procession returns after the wedding, the groom’s family should also exchange gifts of comparable value as a return gift. Therefore, theoretically, aside from the first carriage with the bride, all other carriages should return with the same cargo load.

Seeing the convoy from afar, the first thought that rose in the minds of the adventuring group’s four members was surprise. Not because the wedding procession was too large, but because it was too small. Being the daughter of a large city’s lord, Freya’s wedding procession should have been grand. The departure ceremony should also be magnificent. In Catherine’s imagination, concerning Lord Odin and Freya’s reputations, the wedding procession should have at least two-to-three hundred people. As the darling of the City of Knowledge and seen as Princess Freya’s farewell to singlehood, a large-scale farewell ceremony should at least be expected. However, all of these conjectures fell through. There was no ceremony, no large wedding procession; everything was proceeding quietly.

"This event is becoming stranger and stranger," Catherine quietly murmured, dismounting her horse several tens of meters away from the wedding convoy. "Why do I keep suspecting that there’s something wrong with this wedding? The president must have concealed something. Is something really going to happen this time?"

"It’s hard to say," Pannis, leaping straight from his horse to Catherine’s side, squinted up, his gaze passing a hundred meters to a small shadow at the top of the city’s east gate. That was Odin. Even though close relatives ideally wouldn’t appear today, Odin couldn’t help but sneak away to see his daughter off from afar. "What is this guy planning? But there probably won’t be any major dangers. Otherwise, given how much that guy dotes on his daughter, he would definitely escort her personally, regardless of anything."

"Forget it; it’s useless thinking so much." Catherine shook her head as if wanting to shake off the doubts in her mind. "Let’s go join them. Regardless of what oddities there are, we’ll have to face them."

"Yes, guessing here for a hundred years is useless." After dismounting, Lina picked Vivian up, adjusted her priest robe, arranged her warhammer and spellbook orderly, and finally carried the girl with one arm, she lead her horse towards the convoy. "Whether there are any oddities isn’t important. We’re just here as friends and former partners to help Freya fulfill her wish. As long as this goal is achieved, what do any additional oddities have to do with us? Big sister, you always worry too much. Pannis, you too, why think so much? Encountering problems, and solving them, these two steps are enough."

Pannis and Catherine looked at each other helplessly and laughed, then caught up with their horses. Soon they were beside the convoy.

"It’s Captain Ayrland!" Seeing a middle-aged city guard who was restless around the convoy, Catherine waved. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Miss Catherine, you’re here." The forty-something Ayrland showed a smile on his rough face. "I’m leading the team this time, responsible for sending our little princess to the City of Freedom."

"You’re leading the team?" Catherine asked in surprise, "It’s been a while since you’ve personally led a mission. What brought you out this time?"

"No choice, all those little brats under me are unreliable. Can’t let them spoil the mood of our little princess." Ayrland said with a wide grin, "I wouldn’t trust Miss Freya with those young hooligans, so I had to step in to lead the team myself."

"Alright, let me introduce you. You already know Lina and Vivian, this is Pannis, our newest teammate." Catherine then turned to Pannis, "Pannis, this is Captain Ayrland, one of the three leaders of the city guard."

"A warrior of the Gold Rank." Pannis shook the hand Ayrland extended, "I didn’t expect such hidden talent in the city guard."

"Good observation." Ayrland gave a thumbs up, "You could tell my strength at a glance, worthy of being Miss Catherine’s teammate. But I’m hardly a hidden talent, just an old man about to retire from swinging a sword."

Despite his high-ranking position as a captain of the city guards, Ayrland’s straightforward and hearty personality easily won the affection of those around him. After a brief interaction, Pannis had to admit, Ayrland was likable and their joint mission should be pleasant.

"Ayrland, about this escort mission, have you noticed anything unusual?" Catherine went straight to the point, "Did the guild leader provide you with any instructions?"

"Not really, it seems like a typical wedding journey." Ayrland scratched his short hair, "The city lord just instructed us to follow your lead this time."

Catherine and Pannis exchanged a glance, carefully pondered before saying, "But why are there so few people, and no farewell ceremony?"

"Ah, the city lord probably forgot to tell you," Ayrland said, "Miss Freya requested simplicity, and the city lord agreed it was better. Hence, there are less than eighty people. Oh and the city lord once said the fewer people the better, it draws less attention. Is that what you meant, Miss Catherine, someone is planning to ambush our convoy?"

"Nothing of that sort," Catherine chose to withhold information after a moment’s consideration, "It’s just that the journey is long and we’re carrying a lot of valuable goods. It’s better to be cautious. So there was no send-off ceremony?"

"Everyone knows the place Miss Freya holds in our hearts." Ayrland grinned knowingly, "Originally, people planned to prepare a grand farewell ceremony for her. However, the city lord was worried it would disrupt the city residents’ new year celebrations, and strictly ordered us to keep it secret. Hence, we’re leaving secretly; it’s not even reported in the papers."

"The guild leader is indeed thoughtful." Catherine’s lips voiced agreement but her heart was filled with doubts. She couldn’t help but warn, "Nevertheless, Captain Ayrland, we better be careful. I have heard claims of bands of thieves crossing Rhea lately, we might run into them."

"Rest assured, I’ve already warned the team, they’ll be alert." Ayrland patted his chest, "You can rely on us. I brought thirty carefully selected elites this time; they can definitely ensure the princess’s safety. Plus, we have the four of you as backup, we fear no one."

"Alright, it’s good that you’re confident." Catherine nodded, asking, "Where’s Freya? In the carriage?"

"Yes, the princess is in the carriage." Ayrland confirmed, "You should go see her. When she heard you were coming, she was overjoyed."(To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read).