Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 398 - 24: The Undead that Can Run Away_1

Chapter 398: Chapter 24: The Undead that Can Run Away_1

"Awooooo~~~", the howl of the Silver Wolf echoed through the mountains.

This is the Beastmen Prairie, near the munane mountains close to the client’s tribe. Often referred to as a mountain range, its peaks never surpass five hundred meters and its lowest points are only around three hundred meters, making the landscape resemble rolling hills more than mountains. Dozens of these peaks stretch for hundreds of kilometers, each covered in grass up to about halfway, beyond which the rocky upper halves remain barren.

At the foot of the outermost mountain, for some unknown reason, several mountain goats had wandered onto flat lands. At the sound of the howling wolf, they instantly turned tail and disappeared into the dense grass. As the howling grew closer, it arrived at the foot of the mountain. The dense, emerald green grass parted, revealing a silver-haired girl who stuck her head out of the grass and craned her neck to look up the mountain. Behind her, five of the strongest Silver Wolves emerged from the grass, bearing four individuals on their backs, each with an air of novelty on their faces.

Silver Wolves are unlike other wolves in that the back can bear a rider’s weight, which is an impossibility for other species due to their weaker waists. However, the muscles across a Silver Wolf’s back and waist are incredibly firm, easily capable of carrying two or three adults. Because of this, even with Catherine and the others on their backs, the Silver Wolves maintained nearly their full speed, bounding and jumping as if there were no burden.

"I can’t believe you thought of this way." Catherine dismounted from her wolf and gratefully stroked the Silver Wolf’s huge head. The Silver Wolf seemed to understand that this was a friend of its leader and gently licked Catherine’s face with its tongue. The rough sensation against her face made Catherine chuckle.

"Ugh~~~" Vivian’s reaction was completely the opposite of Catherine’s. The moment the rushing wolf stopped, Vivian rolled off and did a couple of turns on the soft grassy turf. She then ran off to one side and began retching. After a while, she managed to say with a pained expression "I’m never going to ride a wolf ever again, that was a nightmare."

Vivian’s response actually was the most normal. Only people who experienced it first-hand would understand how painful riding a wolf can be. The spine of the wolf constantly arches during its run, unlike a horse or a cow where the back remains stable. This caused the rider to always be in a state of uneven balance, resulting in a sensation where long periods would feel like their organs are about to jump out of their mouths. However, professionals from the Physical Department can mitigate this discomfort by matching the rhythm of their own bodily movements with that of the wolf’s arching back. This, however, is a feat of an excessive degree of difficulty for Vivian as a mage. In the end, she could only force herself to tolerate the discomfort.

"Are you really okay?" Catherine moved over to steady a swaying Vivian and asked with a wry smile, "Do you want to rest a bit?"

"No, I’m fine." Vivian panted for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "Being uncomfortable like this isn’t too bad. At least I can feel that I have a body. Normally, no matter what I do, I can never feel my own body. It’s like all that exists is my head. I think, after a few more rides, I might start liking it."

"I think you’re more likely to crush your bones under your own weight before you start liking it." Catherine replied with a strained smile. She bent over, lifted Vivian, and said, "Stop forcing yourself, I’ll carry you for a while. You can get down again when you’re feeling better."

"Thank you, big sister." Vivian nestled into Catherine’s back, brushing against her face, "I’m causing you trouble again."

"Shut up, don’t talk nonsense." Catherine rebutted before raising her voice, "Marcia, we’re close enough, right?"

"Almost there." Marcia surveyed their surroundings and said, "Bypass that area over there, and we should be able to see the undead."

"No, I think we can already see them." Pannis coughed to get everyone’s attention, "Look over there."

At the foot of a mountain several hundred meters away, two stark-white skeletons stood on the grassland. They were too far away to see clearly, but judging from their outlines, they were not regular skeletons as they were mounted on skeletal goats. This was a typical Bone Knight model. Skeletons and Bone Knights may both consist of bones, but their strengths are completely different. Regular skeletons never surpass the Bronze Rank while Bone Knights begin at the Silver Rank.

At this moment, the two Bone Knights were carefully peering around. It seemed that they had sensed people’s gazes and had abruptly turned towards them. Catherine frowned. She hadn’t expected to be noticed by the undead at this stage, but since they had already reached this point, the only thing left was to confront them head on.

"We have been spotted, so get ready." Catherine thought for a moment, then quickly let Pannis take Vivian. She ran over to the Silver Wolf she’d ridden and gently patted its back. The giant wolf looked at her doubtfully, seeming to understand her signal and lowered its body. Catherine smiled gratefully, climbed onto the wolf, pulled out her sword and shield, then gestured towards the Bone Knights, "Pannis, look after Vivian. Marcia, let’s meet them head on and crush them."

The Silver Wolf under Catherine moved slowly at her signal towards the Bone Knights. Marcia didn’t have Catherine’s riding skills and wasn’t good at fighting on horseback. So, she simply followed Catherine on foot with her long sword slung over her shoulder.

However, something surprising happened. The Bone Knights, far aware, noticed them approaching and appeared to freeze for a moment. Then, suddenly, they turned and dashed away, disappearing around the foot of the mountain in the blink of an eye.

Everyone’s expressions darkened. This unprecedented situation raised an ill-omened feeling in everyone’s heart. Catherine returned with the same gloomy expression as Marcia. The five of them gathered together and were silent for a long time.

"If I remember right," Catherine began in a low voice, "the undead naturally hate the living. Every time they detect the scent of life, they’ll go all out to kill them, right?"

"You’re not wrong." Pannis’s face was equally dark, "in theory, that’s the only possible outcome."

"But now the second result has clearly appeared." Catherine bit her lip, anxiously saying, "They ran away. Have you encountered such a situation before?"

"I have." Pannis nodded, then added, "That was Annie."

"Yes, only Annie." Catherine concurred, "So it seems you think the same. Those two Bone Knights, like Annie, probably retain their consciousness from when they were alive. That’s why they turned and fled. Two of such Bone Knights appeared at once, I suspect there might be more conscious undead inside."

"Who is this Annie you speak of?" Marcia asked in confusion, "Another conscious undead?"

"I hope you can keep it a secret." Catherine said seriously, "She is our little sister, a Death Banshee."

"I understand, don’t worry, I won’t speak of it." Marcia nodded, "However, I think you’re being a bit too serious. Don’t forget, I’ve been inside before and all I’ve encountered are regular undead. I haven’t seen what you’re describing. So, I think this could just be an anomaly."

"An anomaly with two instances at the same time?" Catherine shook her head, "I suspect that is unlikely, because the chance is too slim."

"There is another possibility." Pannis murmured, "Don’t forget, powerful undead can command weaker ones. If there is a powerful, high-ranking undead with divine wisdom inside, then everything can be explained."

"You make a valid point." Catherine nodded in understanding, "Has there been a precedent in history?"

"I believe so." Vivian, leaning against her Silver Wolf, rested, "I once heard a historian mention it, but I didn’t take note of much historical knowledge, so I can’t remember clearly."

"That was an event in 937 Continental Calendar." Lina, the silver-haired Elf, removed a package from the back of the lone unmounted Silver Wolf and pulled out a thick book, "That incident was quite serious."

"Huh? Lina?" Vivian gave a short exclamation, "When did you get back?"

"Just now." Lina cheered suddenly, "Look, I found it. In 937 Continental Calendar, approximately where the Falar Empire’s hinterland is now, there was an ancient battlefield. Countless bodies were buried underground. For some reason, a Necromancer acquired divine wisdom. Using the power of death from the ancient battlefield and its own power, it birthed countless skeletons and skeleton mages on the battlefield. When the number of its subordinates expanded to a certain degree, it started to expand outward. A few small countries were destroyed at that time, and countless refugees fled to neighboring countries. Eventually, only one of the three Demigods, who were the only ones in the human world at that time, managed to control this tragedy. Hmm, it’s quite like a storyline from a legend, but it’s said to be true."

"Yes, that’s it." Vivian nodded, "The event is believed to be real. Although it happened almost three thousand years ago, it’s only two or three generations ago to the Elves. Current Elves’ parents or grandparents were witnesses to the event. The historian who mentioned this to me has visited many such Elves, so it should be reliable."

"I think the key point now is not to discuss the truth of the past events." Catherine looked helpless towards Lina and Vivian, tapping their heads, "Whether it’s true or false doesn’t matter now. All we have to deal with now is real. Instead of focusing on the past, we need to think carefully about what we should do next. If a conscious Undead is manipulating things, the difficulty of our mission will be completely different."

"You don’t need to worry too much." Pannis shook his head, "With the vitality of a Bone Knight, it can’t control that many undead. Even if it’s a demigod, it can only control up to two or three hundred. The Necromancer in history relies on its strong vitality for battles, which is why it could control tens of thousands of undead. We don’t need to compare with that Necromancer."

"But according to records, it controlled far more than tens of thousands." Vivian disagreed, "That’s a number enough to destroy a small country."

"Control isn’t necessary, just slight influence would be enough," Pannis explained, "It’s not difficult for a Necromancer to guide the actions of the undead with their hatred for the living."

"So you’re saying, the difficulty might not be as high as we imagine?" Catherine asked for confirmation, "How confident are you?"

"I’ve said before, there are probably not many people in the world who understand these things better than me." Pannis’s lips quavered as he sighed, "I am at least 90% sure. What I am considering now is not this. I am considering what the increasing number of conscious undead means." (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please vote and recommend it on qidian.com. Your support motivates me greatly. Mobile users can read on m.qidian.com.)