Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 348 - 60: Breaking In_1

Chapter 348: Chapter 60: Breaking In_1

A metallic door lies ahead; the first they’d encountered since Catherine had entered the underground sewer.

They were now in a junction within the sewer system. Seven or eight connecting pipelines from various directions converged here into a secondary main pipeline leading to the distance. On a pathway next to the junction, there was a metal door slightly above the ground. It was a silvery door made from goblin alloy. Despite its exposure to the environment for tens of thousands of years, only the surface had a layer of rust, the rest remained intact. This was proof of the advanced metal refining technology of the Goblin Era.

Eleven members from both sides were gathered just outside the metal door. The real-time map showed a sizable space behind the metallic door, its purpose unknown. Before arriving here, there had been debates on how to infiltrate it undetected, but Pannis put an end to the discussion with just one sentence. It was relatively simple to understand, in such a cramped environment that had been long operated by caster professions, it was impossible for a group of people to infiltrate without being noticed. Rather than wasting energy on an impossible task, it would be more realistic to analyze the potential strength of both sides.

Indeed, the current situation was quite awkward for adventurers. Nobody knew the exact number or combat capabilities of the enemy, yet the enemy was clearly aware of their numbers, the information was extremely unequal. Such circumstances were dangerous; all adventurers would do their utmost to avoid them as most attritions and team annihilations were associated with it. However, in actual adventuring, they often encountered such awkward situations where they had insufficient information on the enemies they were about to face, and the fleeting timing didn’t allow further research on the enemy. These things would lead to unequal information, which was also why the casualty rate among adventurers remained high even under the protection of the Guild.

Upon encountering such situations, unless they abandon their mission and retreat, they can only grit their teeth and push forward. After all, the basic requirement of the mission that Catherine took up was to ’confirm’ the specific location of the enemy, speculations were not acceptable without seeing the enemy firsthand. However, Catherine had also taken into consideration the fact that, unless there was a Demigod on the enemy’s side, their own strength should be enough to ensure safety, even if they might not be able to eliminate the enemy. With this consideration, Catherine was willing to allow her team members to continue, otherwise, given her safety-first nature, she would never let everyone take such a big risk.

"So, any method of infiltration against this door is futile," Pannis pointed out at the metal door, "This door is probably the best early warning system available. It’s impossible to open it silently."

"So, what’s your plan?" Ben from the Wind God Church looked at Pannis with a bit of a provocative stare. Although he admired Pannis’s abilities, being a man he couldn’t help but feel a bit discontent and competitive, "We have to get in there after all."

"Of course, by opening the door in the normal way, like this." Pannis grinned, suddenly launching a heavy kick towards the door. The massive impact caused a huge sound to echo as rust flaked off from the door’s surface, but the door itself remained unchanged, not even a slight tremor, let alone opening.

Vivian walked over with a poker face, gently grabbed the door’s round handle and pulled. The door was easily pulled open without any obstruction. After opening the door, the three girls looked simultaneously at Pannis, who was hopping around in pain while clutching his foot and took a few coordinated steps backward, pretending not to know him.

"I have to say, your method of opening the door is rather unique." Muir sighed, pat Pannis on the shoulder, and took the initiative to walk towards the door to peep inside.

In comparison to the fifty-meter-wide outside sewer, the interior of the door was not that spacious, containing a straight uphill staircase. Both sides of the staircase were about three meters wide. Looking upwards, the entire staircase comprised of approximately eighty steps, making a total of fifteen meters in height. There was no luminescent rock on the ceiling of the staircase corridor for lighting, but a faint light radiated from the top of the walls on both sides, preventing the hall from being completely pitch black. The walls of the corridor were also made from goblin metal. Although prolonged exposure had made the walls covered in a thick layer of dust, one could still faintly see the sea-blue paint beneath the dust.

"Is there really someone hiding here?" Teresa lightly rubbed the wall and left a clear mark on it, "Look at all this dust, it seems like no one has been here for a long time."

"No, there are indeed people here." Marcia, the usually quiet greatsword warrior seemed to sense the aura of battle and suddenly became much more active, "Look at the ground and you will realise there are people here."

"These are footprints?" Teresa looked down; on the stairs, where there should be more dust than on the walls, there was only a large number of crisscrossing disordered footprints covering each step, "But even though there are these footprints, why aren’t there any traces of touch on the handrails of the stairs on both sides?"

"Because that height was meant for goblins," Muir activated his magic shield extravagantly, and took the lead to climb the stairs, "I’ll take the lead, everyone follow behind. If we encounter any enemies, refrain from starting a fight unless the enemies’ intent to attack is very clear. Wait for everyone else to join up and assess the situation to decide whether to fight or retreat."

"Then I’ll go last." Pannis nodded. "To prevent an unexpected attack from behind."

"Everyone, be careful. Let’s go," Muir took out his weapon for the first time. It was a golden Flaron Harp. Its thirteen strings emitted a golden glow and were made from special materials. Muir brushed his fingers over the strings, and a crisp metallic sound resonated. The sound seemed to solidify into notes, swirling around him and forming an invisible shield.

"Chanting for the gods, part-time mage, part-time wandering bard, rumored to be a part-time ranger too," Pannis whispered to the girls beside him as he watched Muir climb the stairs. "Actually, this guy is a genius, he’s just got too many interests. If he focused on one or two things, he might already have stepped into the realm of the demigods. It’s hard to predict now if he’ll become a demigod eventually. When we go up later, Lina and Vivian, try not to go too far from him. He’s the most powerful legendary character I’ve ever met. He can even withstand a demigod for about two or three minutes, as long as you stay close to him, most of the time, you will be safe."

"The most powerful?" Catherine looked surprised as she gazed at Muir’s retreating figure. "I still can’t believe it."

"Yes, he’s one of those who keeps a low profile, he barely appears in public," Pannis replied. "Every race has a few characters like these, but the elves have a little more."

"That’s amazing." Catherine glanced at Pannis sideways, a teasing smile on her face as she asked, "How do you compare to him?"

"Hahaha, what a good joke," snorted Pannis, he gave Catherine a light shove on her back. "Your turn, go ahead."

"Hmph," Catherine snorted in laughter and continued her climb, ignoring the distressed Pannis. Lina, however, sidled up to him, and whispered into his ear, "I’ve been thinking about something."

"What?" Pannis asked, "Is it important?"

"Yeah, it’s important," Lina whispered. "I’ve been wondering whether or not to tell my sister that you’re close to Muir, and you know the Elf Queen. My sister is so smart, she’d surely come up with fascinating speculations."

"Hey, be careful what you say," Pannis exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror. "I’m not close to Muir at all, and I merely know Fula. Please refrain from wild guesses."

"Hehe, who knows about these things?" Lina’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "We may not question each other’s past, but it doesn’t mean we can’t guess, right? The space for imagination is infinite, whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter at all."

"No, it matters a lot," Pannis said with a mournful face, "Please, Lady Lina, spare me."

"Well, we can negotiate," Lina chuckled wickedly. "But, you’re not allowed to tell my sister how I got that book."

"This..." Pannis’s face changed. The story behind how Lina found her friend was not so straightforward. In the demolished villa’s basement outside Dilsaren, the book and some treasures were stored in a safe next to a teleportation array. Lina was too excited when she saw the book’s cover and impulsively reached for it. If Pannis hadn’t stopped her, she would have triggered the numerous traps, possibly causing severe injuries or even death. It’s a dangerous habit that Pannis planned to tell Catherine about, and, as a result, Catherine would certainly give Lina a memorable and extremely painful lecture. But to his surprise, Lina used this information to negotiate disgracefully. After pausing to think, Pannis replied with disappointment, "I can’t agree to that, it involves your future safety, and you should learn a lesson no matter what."

"You stubborn guy," Lina did not get angry or disappointed. Instead, she sported a satisfied smile as she walked away.

"I heard that," Vivian followed behind Lina and chirped, and her face quickly fell at Pannis’s stunned gaze. "Too bad I didn’t hear it clearly."

A loud thud echoed through the hall as Muir reached the top of the stairs leading to another large door. Muir gave it a kick, and this time the door didn’t cause any trouble, but swung open as they wished. Everyone raised their magic shields and entered the dark room one by one. (To be continued. If you like this piece, please vote and support us at Qidian.com. Your support is our greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)