Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 343 - 55: Pannis’s Rage_1

Chapter 343: Chapter 55: Pannis’s Rage_1

"Whoo," a wind suddenly blew from somewhere, passing through the sewer and causing the campfire in the center of the camp, originally for cooking, to flicker tantalizingly. Pannis, who was on night watch, reclined half-sitting against a mound of everyone’s packages, eyes unfocused as they aimlessly stared straight into the empty sewer. His right hand occasionally picked up some food from his side and stuffed it into his mouth subconsciously, as if this had been ingrained into his behavior.

A soft footstep echoed from behind him, encapsulating a distinct metallic texture in its sound. Upon hearing it, he knew instantly who it was.

"Among us, you are the most severely injured, yet you refuse to take rest." Pannis’s vacant gaze refocused, and he uttered without turning his head, "You’re not hungry again, are you?"

"Don’t compare me to you." Catherine sat down alongside Pannis, casually removing the metallic shin and ankle guards fastened to her leg. As she flexed her deformed ankle, brought about by prolonged training, she asked quietly, "Are you upset?"

"Not at all, I’m in a great mood." Pannis popped a chunk of bread into his mouth. The ragout on the bread had long since cooled, but none of this seemed to bother him. He swallowed it casually, and said: "Actually, everyone knows that we’ve essentially failed our mission. In such a vast underground space, it’s virtually impossible to find the enemy again. Right now, they just need time to convince themselves to face the reality. So, why would I be upset when I will be free soon?"

"Remember what I told you before?" Catherine gently kneaded her arm, still throbbing faintly from the earlier battle. She spoke nonchalantly, "Understanding the human heart is an instinct ingrained in the blood of those, like me, who have received a noble education from childhood. I wouldn’t be so clueless as to not notice you’re angry. Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" Pannis forced a smile, "You didn’t do anything wrong."

"Hehe." Catherine let out a laugh, like a child achieving a tiny conspiracy, "I think you must have guessed it. Indeed, I could have fled with Vivian, leaving the two sisters behind. Yet, I chose to escort all three of them out."

"I wouldn’t be so foolish as to anger you over this inevitable choice. If you had not done so, you would not have been Catherine. Besides, your decision was the best one at that moment. You, severely injured, wouldn’t have made it far even if you could break through the encirclement." Pannis let out a sigh, speaking in a low voice, "You were only a step away from death. If we had been even five seconds later, the dilemma now would have been how to retrieve your body from the battleground intact."

"Hehe." Catherine chuckled, "Don’t use such a terrifying description."

"Don’t play dumb." Pannis retorted with a scowl, "It doesn’t suit you."

"Alright then, let’s get real." Catherine looked straight into Pannis’s eyes and stated seriously, "So, tell me, why are you upset? I can tell that throughout the entire night, even though you’ve been fooling around, acting as you always do, your eyes never really smiled, just like... when we first met."

"No need to worry. As I told you, I am still waiting for your redemption, I am not going anywhere." Pannis’s lips curved into a smile, his eyes gleaming, "However, hehehe."

"Oh you." Catherine looked at Pannis’s eyes, narrowing into thin slits. She lightly patted on his clenched fist and let out a small sigh, "Thank you. But when dealing with an enemy, it’s enough to just defeat them. There’s no need to be angry."

"By the way, it seemed as if you left out certain details in your recount. I assume Indulgence and Passion had their own reasons for seeking our help. Let me think..." Pannis shifted the subject and continued, "Something that makes you intentionally vague about the details must certainly be some internal issues within their guild, hence the need to keep it confidential. If my guess isn’t off, I bet it has something to do with a mole. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been infiltrated so easily."

"Sigh." Catherine let out another sigh, speaking helplessly, "Are you planning on taking out your anger on the Shadow Hand? After all, this is not the Holy City. Even though you get along well with Passion, we must still be cautious."

"Rest assured, I understand the rules of the City of Innocence very well." Pannis’s eyes, now narrowed, shone with an indescribable light, "Back then, in order to make myself perfect, I would deliberately suppress my emotions at all times. But now, as I prepare to start this journey anew, I must make some changes, right? Hehe. Since it was because of them that you nearly lost your life, it would be impolite not to return the favor."

"Forget it, I can’t convince you." Catherine gave a bitter smile, "But I also know that whatever you intend to do, you would keep it under control, making sure it stays within a certain extent. So, do as you wish, and thank you. I am really tired, I’d better go sleep."

"Catherine." Pannis did not turn around to watch her leave. With his back to her, he called out to stop her, "Remember the promise you made to me, that you’d give me the redemption I have been waiting for. So, you must survive."

"Of course." Catherine’s smile brightened on her face as she slowly walked away with her hands behind her back, "I firmly believe that we will all be redeemed."

————————————————

The clocks at the top of the two temples in the City of Innocence’s Central Square struck eleven, heralding the arrival of noon. The monotonous chime echoed beneath the gloomy sky, carrying an indescribable heaviness that gave everyone in the city a sense of foreboding before a storm.

Unlike other cities or other districts of the City of Innocence, where the buildings on the outside of each block were lower and those on the inside were taller and more ornate, it was the opposite in the Guild area. In the Guild area, the buildings at the periphery were three-story structures with three additional subterranean floors, which were allocated for use by junior members of the Guild. Conversely, the buildings in the central region were increasingly lower, amounting to only single-story houses. These houses were exclusively for the top-ranking individuals in the Shadow Hand, a privilege enjoyed by no more than twenty people.

However, amusingly, of these twenty individuals, almost none of them would actually spend the night in these houses. These individuals would rather spend each night in any vacant room they found in the Guild area, or even in the entire city, rather than return to their own tiny courtyard for the night. It was not a matter of them enjoying self-punishment, but rather due to the habits bred by their profession as thieves, ingrained so deeply in their souls. For those living in the shadows, having any level of predictability in their daily life could indicate an impending visit from Death.

A saying from a thief ancestor a thousand years ago was that those who disregard others’ lives are in fact most afraid of death. That’s why they would send anyone who could pose a threat to their lives to hell in advance. The saying applied perfectly to these twenty individuals. Each of them had killed more people than a commoner living peacefully in the countryside would ever meet in their lifetime. As such, they were even more terrified of death, to the point that they would change their dwelling place two or three times a night. Perhaps this was the price to be paid for holding a high position in the Shadow Hand.

Today, however, in a usually vacant courtyard, the door was unexpectedly flung open. A slim figure emerged from the house and, facing the midday sun, lazily stretched and pirouetted on the spot a couple of times. After completing these actions, she quickly glanced around to ensure that no one was around to see her childishly behavior, before straightening her face back into her accustomed icy demeanor.

"It’s quite pleasant to return home once in a while." Indulgence, clad in nothing but a nightdress and barefooted, emerged from the house, allowing the midday winter sun to shine onto her fair skin. "It’s a shame that I can’t stay long, when will this nerve-wracking life finally come to an end?"

"It ends when you die; that’s the fate of an assassin." Upon hearing Indulgence’s voice, Passion turned around. Her pupils constricted, and she said in a low voice, "Go, go inside and get dressed properly."

"Why so shy?" Indulgence leaned in closer and pecked Passion on her cold lips, "You saw everything last night, and now you’re suddenly shy."

"Go get dressed." Passion gave a chuckle, pulled a straight face again, and pointed at the house, "Go away. Now."

"Alright, alright, you’re so cold-hearted." Indulgence grumbled as she disappeared back into the house. When she re-emerged, she was entirely transformed. She wore a long, black skirt that fell to her ankles, black high-heeled boots on her feet, and had her medium-length hair pinned on top of her head with a black decoration.

"Are you going to a funeral?" Passion cast a sidelong glance at Indulgence and coldly said.

"It’s nearly the same thing. Any time I meet privately with the other team leaders between official, Guild-wide meetings, it’s as though I’m off to a funeral." Indulgence shrugged, speaking nonchalantly, "My own funeral, that is."

"Then prepare yourself, just in case you have to turn it into their funeral instead." Passion spoke calmly, "Yesterday, Ruthless placed a vote for us and requested a meeting for today. I don’t know what scheme he’s got up his sleeve."

"Who cares? He asked to meet here." Indulgence, uncaring, lounged on the sofa in the living room and closed her eyes, "I’ll deal with it when we meet."

"Knowing that he’s asked to meet here, you dare spend the night here." Passion spoke coldly, "You aren’t afraid of being assassinated."

"Who could have guessed? On the least likely day for us to be here, we actually spent the night." Indulgence smiled mysteriously, extending her pink tongue to lick her bright red lips. Her moist lips shimmer under the sunlight that came in through the window, "And don’t you think there’s a certain appeal to being in such a dangerous environment? Don’t you find it exciting?"

"The only thing I know is that talking with you is stimulating for my current state of mind." The expression on Passion’s face went from cold to resigned as she rubbed her brow and said in annoyance, "Just shut up. Stop talking to me." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote and recommend it at (qidian.com). Your support is my strongest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)