Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 365 - 76 Rotating Waltz_1

Chapter 365: Chapter 76 Rotating Waltz_1

The most crucial rule in the City of Innocence travel guide, something everyone coming to the City of Innocence to feast had to remember. As long as the rules were followed in the City of Innocence, one generally wouldn’t face an open conflict. However, if they did happen to stumble upon other people’s fights, there was no need to worry. They just had to find an unobtrusive spot against the wall and they could safely enjoy the show.

So, when a body smashed through the door of the dance hall, tumbled into the dance floor along with the door, there was silence for three seconds in the hall. No one could react to what had happened. Nobody had imagined that someone would openly attack in such a tightly secured place at the core of the unified gambling district. After three seconds, once everyone realized what had happened, the guests in the dance hall quickly crowded against the walls on either side. Even the ladies, expressing their delicate nature with shrieks, were whisked away by their male partners. In no time, the nearly tens of thousands of square meter hall cleared out, leaving behind only a few shoes abandoned by their owners, narrating their own misfortune.

"I apologize for the scare," Pannis, stepping through the doorway of the dance hall, released Catherine’s hand, bowed with a hand on his chest, and apologized. "We merely wish to take a shortcut to the meeting upstairs. We hope everyone won’t mind. To the right front."

Catherine drew her sword, her energy-filled knight sword swung horizontally towards the right front. Underneath her attack, a silhouette abruptly appeared in the path of her sword. A head flew high, and the beheaded corpse still held its standing posture. Blood sprayed half a meter high from the neck before splattering onto the ground, forming a rain of blood.

Sheathing her sword, even though Catherine was not adorned in an elaborate gown, and her scale armor was bloody, she still managed to gracefully curtsy, with a charming smile spreading across her face. This ladylike smile, which many nobles and wealthy businessmen were accustomed to, formed an eerily seductive beauty against the backdrop of the pervasive blood mist and traces of blood on her cheeks.

"To convey our guilt," Pannis jerked his head, letting a dagger graze his neck as he vanished into thin air like a thief. A few short screams resounded; when Pannis appeared again, four thieves who had been hiding around them had their concealed status dissipate. Each one clutched at the wound on their throat that had opened up like a massive laughing mouth, stumbling outwards. Pannis dusted off his hands, resumed speaking calmly, "To compensate for the inconvenience caused, how about we present a captivating dance drama?"

"Heh, since you’re so eager, how about I provide the accompaniment for you?" Behind Pannis, Muir looked at the deserted musicians’ area. The band that had been hired had hidden against the wall with the guests when Pannis and his group broke in, curiously peeking over. "They don’t seem inclined to continue the accompaniment. Yet a dance soiree always needs someone for accompaniment."

"Then let me express my gratitude in advance." Pannis was taken aback, chuckled, then said, "With that, please take the stage."

Muir let out a soft hum, his Legendary Rank Magic Shield suddenly spread outwards, exposing several thieves and assassins who harbored ill intentions towards him. The rogues, who had lost their stealth protection, staggered and were nonchalantly killed by Pannis and Catherine. The remaining hidden assassins didn’t dare to approach this Legendary Rank user who had no intention to join the battle. They decided to focus on the self-proclaimed performers instead.

"Ding!" Muir calmly took a seat by the piano, his hands simultaneously hitting the piano keys, eliciting a sharp blast from the piano. Muir nodded in satisfaction, his fingers dancing on the keys, a series of cheerful and joyous notes flew out from the keys, forming a captivating tune. It felt like a mountain spring gently flowing, resonating in everyone’s ears.

"The Salmenco waltz?" Catherine’s eyebrows moved, looking with interest at Pannis’ face. "Are you suggesting...?"

"Yes." Pannis sprung into action, circling Catherine once in a swirl, sending a few too-close hidden enemies flying, grabbing two of their thin swords before finally stopping in front of Catherine. He extended his right hand in a gentlemanly bow. "Fair and brave lady, may I have the honor of sharing a dance with you?"

"As you wish, my warrior." Catherine took Pannis’ offered hand with a warm smile, graciously replying, "I would be grateful to share a dance with you."

Pannis timely handed her one of the thin swords, their hands held each other’s, while their other hands held their thin swords, placed behind their backs. They began to move with the rhythm of the musical introduction, slowly stepping onto the dance floor.

"Ding dong dong ding ding, ding dong dong ding ding," the melody abruptly changed, the gently rolling tune suddenly gained speed, transforming into a dance inducing, rushing mountain spring. Its rhythmic notes impulsively played with every listener’s heart, pushing one toward the desire to dance. With this, the sight of Pannis and Catherine twirling rapidly across the dance floor, in beat with the music, bore the stark resemblance to a dancing whirlwind of death. Although they had never practiced this particular routine, their familiarity with each other’s movements was akin to countless rehearsals, demonstrating a seamless harmony; no hesitation, no pause. Amidst the twirling dance, the tips of their swords reflected brightly, the tearing of air under the sword points echoed distinct sounds. Alternating strokes of their swords danced to a life and death waltz, accentuated by the constant sprays of blood.

"Clang." Pannis’s thin sword quivered in the air, hitting a concealed dagger more like a whip, not only blocking it but also exposing the dagger’s bearers under the lights. The next moment, Catherine had rotated into Pannis’s position, her sword glowing with Gold Rank Aggression, aiming ruthlessly like a venomous snake at the neck of every exposed individual. The distressed thieves who narrowly managed to avoid the biting edge of the sword, only wished to retreat into obscurity. However, the rotating dance brought the duo closer again. The ceaseless sword cuts shredded the survivors’ defense. The small daggers they carried fell short in attempting to obstruct Pannis and Catherine, and in no time, they too were defeated and fell lifeless.

"Ding dong dong ding ding," the music went on, and the startled crowd saw Pannis and Catherine hand in hand, dancing in the deserted dance floor. Wherever they went, jets of blood sprayed out, or a man would suddenly appear, only to become a blood-soaked corpse within seconds, finally falling lifeless to one side.

"Ding dong dong ding ding," the music continued, two Gold Rank assassins finally moved close to Pannis unnoticed, but before they could launch their attack, Pannis suddenly raised his right hand and Catherine spun underneath his arm. The two assassins were heavily hit in the chest by Catherine, screaming in agony as they flew backward with their bones cracked. Using the momentum, Catherine quickly spun in the opposite direction, slipping through Pannis’s arm, and quickly thrusting two swords.

"Ding dong dong ding ding," up on the stage, Muir looked up at the sky, his fingers speeding across the keys. As an auxiliary bard, he could use his music to boost the performers or allies. With each flowing note, magical energy kept gathering around Pannis and Catherine, their speed of Aggression recovery startlingly high. Such a rate of recovery allowed the duo to squander their inner Aggression during their dance blows without worry.

One by one, the concealed thieves and assassins began to lose ground and fall. Their gathering would indeed have been terrifying for any other opponent, effortlessly dispatching enemies multiple times their number. However, today they were unfortunate to have encountered Pannis, whose divine sight for spotting those sneaking about, rendered them as glaringly visible as lighthouses in the night. Their attempts at protective magic while in stealth mode thus became their fatal weakness — each hidden person was almost defenselessly attacked by Pannis and Catherine and had no way to counter.

Stepping to the rhythm of the music, Pannis and Catherine sometimes held each other’s hands with their bodies stretched out to the sides, and sometimes their arms interlinked in a close embrace. Lost in the ecstasy of music, dance, and battle, they seemed to have forgotten where they were, merely hoping the music would never stop.

The number of casualties on the ground was mounting, and the stench of blood in the hall was progressively intensifying. The blood flowing from over fifty corpses soaked the floor—so much so that stepping on some spots would result in splashes of blood.

"Ding!" Muir strummed the keys, a series of ascending notes signaling the end of a tune. As the music ceased, Catherine lowered her sword, bending backward and resting against Pannis’s raised arm. Pannis’s sword once again hidden in the back, his other hand rested on Catherine’s waist, assuming the standard pose at the end of a dance.

The remaining thieves in the hall had completely withdrawn from the dance floor and disappeared amongst the audience of bystanders standing along the walls. As members of the Shadow Hand, acting out of self-interest and self-preservation was their instinct. Although cruel orders were important, they were always secondary to their own lives. Furthermore, no one could predict how things would develop after today, so the best choice was to stay alive and await the outcome.

Thus, the dance floor fell silent again when both parties suspended their act. Only sparse applause echoed in the open space.

"What a marvelous performance," Muir applauded, "Those robbers met a pitiful end in your hands."

"Thank you." Pannis tipped his hat towards Muir and shared a knowing smile with Catherine, their hands finally parting. "However, the party isn’t over yet. There is still one person left, waiting up there to join our spectacle. It seems like nobody is stopping us now—let’s go." (To be continued. If you enjoy this book, please vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)