Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 427 - 53 Pannis’s Acquaintance_1

Chapter 427: Chapter 53 Pannis’s Acquaintance_1

"Hei~~~~~Ha, hei~~~~~ha." Ninety-nine robust young Beastmen circle around each other, holding their shoulders. Each wearing nothing but green shorts, their upper bodies bare and decorated in colorful designs of ancestral totems. With bare feet, they keep circling a wooden platform, their hands on each other’s shoulders. But beneath them, their ninety-nine strong legs danced out robust and coordinated steps, following the tune of drumbeats and gongs. On the platform, about thirty meters high, stood a young girl from the Rabbit Clan. She stood straight and tall against the wind, dressed in a multicolored outfit. Her hair and her skirts fluttered, making her seem as if she could fly away with the Wind of the Prairie at any moment.

The skin of the Rabbit Clan girl had the slight roughness characteristic of the Prairie people, tanned somewhat dark by the sun. Yet these did not dim the brilliance of her beauty. She was acknowledged as the most beautiful girl among more than ten tribes, possessing the most attractive figure, the dazzling dance moves, and the most charming looks. Above all, her clear and shining red eyes twinkled like two precious gemstones. Spoiled by the tribe, every unmarried young man dreamed of her. She was the dream lover of all young men. For this Horse Herding Festival, she not only served as the maiden assisting the Shaman in the ritual of the warrior god but was also set to choose her life-long companion from the most popular horse racing tournament. The news had excited half the Prairie, and young men from the surrounding tribes rushed here, just for the chance to catch her eye.

"This method of choosing a marriage partner is rather rash, isn’t it?" Dressed in riding attire, Catherine toured the nearby Prairie with a group: "She doesn’t even know most of these people. How can she pick a suitable partner?"

"Girls on the Prairie always choose this way," Pannis and Marcia walked together, each holding a large chunk of dry curdled horse milk: "It’s the Horse Herding Festival. These are the days of spring, lasting for three consecutive days. During the bonfire nights, the girls will choose the men they fancy to spend the wonderful evening together and pledge their eternal love."

"Sounds lovely," Lina sneered as she continued her judgment, "In reality, it’s nothing more than an excuse for a pair of instinctively driven men and women to do some things during a season of emotional outbursts."

"Er... you’re overthinking it," with his mouth full of dried cheese, Pannis mumbled, "The Beastmen on the Prairie take such unions seriously. Once they’ve made their choice, it’s rare for anyone to change their mind without reason. To do so might incite wars between two clans or even tribes. The cost is high."

"I see." Holding her unsmiling face, Lina glanced sideways at Pannis: "You must have fooled quite a few girls around here; otherwise, how could you know so much?"

"Ha, ha, ha, how could that be?" Pannis nearly choked on the dried cheese in his mouth, coughing as he said, "I rarely come to the Prairie. I only know these things because I am knowledgeable, ha ha ha ha."

"Really?" Not only Lina, but several other girls also looked at Pannis, their gazes filled with skepticism. Pannis wasn’t dressed in his usual black swordsman outfit but rather in a black tunic, collar up, wearing a wide-brimmed hat. He also wore a pair of black crystal glasses, which revealed only his nose and mouth: "You certainly don’t look like a proper person. I think we should alert the girls nearby to stay away from you, to save any potential tragedies."

The group arrived at the Moqiya Tribe early in the morning. Because they were so many, they chose to rent a piece of land in a designated area and pitched a small cozy camp, instead of living with the local Beastmen for a fee. After that, they all plunged into the lively crowd, strolling among various games and activities. The biggest difference between festivals on the Prairie and those among humans is the means of transportation. Usually, the girls of the adventure team would walk around during festivals, but on the Prairie, they must ride horses. It would take almost half a day to travel between two venues on foot. Thus, they all rode horses, making a fresh experience during the festival.

"Hmm? How come she’s here too?" Lina raised her eyebrows, the glance she shot at Pannis sharp as a knife: "You indeed have a hidden agenda for coming here, didn’t you? To meet them?"

"Ha, ha, ha, how could that be," Pannis laughed awkwardly, "I don’t even know them - no - I don’t even know who you mean. How could I possibly come to see them, ha ha ha ha, no way."

"Who?" Not paying heed to Pannis’s nonsense, Catherine asked Lina in a low voice: "Someone you know?"

"She has helped me once and brought me great enlightenment," Lina pointed in a direction, "That girl in the white dress over there."

Following Lina’s gaze, Catherine noticed a group of people mounting their horses gathered before the starting line, waiting for the horse race to start. They were the next batch of participants in the horse racing tournament. Being the most critical event of the Horse Herding Festival, both tourists and Beastmen from neighboring tribes, professionals or ordinary people, were free to register. In the game, participants were only allowed to race on ordinary horses, and professionals were forbidden to use their skills. Beyond that, no other restrictions applied.

The target of Lina’s stare wore a dress entirely white. A white dress, white shoes, a white parasol, she sat on a black horse, waiting patiently. Not far from her, a girl similarly dressed, except all in black and holding a black parasol, was looking upwards and speaking to a companion. She stood tall and slender under her black cloak, face hidden under grey fabric, made it impossible to tell about her looks and figure. All one could see were those mesmerizing eyes.

"Huh? Eyes?" Catherine immediately averted her gaze as the target seemed to have sensed her stare and looked back from tens of meters away. As Catherine looked away, she glimpsed a large dog that resembled a lion lying next to the girl with the black parasol. The dog appeared bored, yawning, but when their eyes met, Catherine could have sworn she saw a human-like smirk in its eyes.

"Who are those people?" Catherine frowned, saying with concern, "I’m getting that weird feeling again, just like when I met the chairman, did you really come here to see them? Hey, Pannis, what are you hiding for?"

When Catherine looked at Pannis, she found that there was no one on the horse’s back. Pannis was hiding behind the horses named Indulgence and Passion like a thief, careful and mysterious. Upon hearing Catherine’s question, Pannis hid even more secretly, laughing awkwardly and said, "No, no, no, I don’t know them, I’m here to pay homage to the Undead, hahaha."

"You’re playing dumb again." Vivian had been silent all along, but finally couldn’t help but utter the most fitting comment. Although Pannis refused to answer, the three girls stood side by side, blocking any potential eye contact between Pannis and the group of people.

"Snap." A long whip cracked in the air, sounding a loud bang. The riders, ready for a while, took this hint, giving their horses the signal to start. In a blink of an eye, dozens of horses stood in a line, like the waves of the Naramia River, rushing forward with a thunderous rumble, quickly advancing to a place thousands of meters away.

"Hahaha." On horseback, the little girl in a white dress let out a series of crisp laughters. She floated up and down with the undulating back of the fast-moving horse, effortlessly leading the pack.

"Aren’t professionals supposed to not use skills?" Catherine, who was watching from a distance, suddenly asked nonchalantly, "How can she run so fast?"

"She didn’t use any skills. She’s just very light in weight. And she can’t ride a horse at all, just wait for the excitement." Pannis looked gleeful, but quickly looked elsewhere, speaking evasively, "Um, that’s just my guess, I don’t know them at all, hahaha."

"I can’t be bothered with you." Catherine sneered at Pannis, "Don’t worry, we won’t ask anymore, you can keep your weird secrets to yourself, tsk."

"Hehehe." Pannis let out a silly laugh, turned around, and saw Passion and Indulgence intertwined, looking at him with a peculiar gaze. "Why are you two looking so strange, plotting something again?"

"Do you know them?" Indulgence suddenly leaned over to whisper into Pannis’s ear, "No wonder you’re always at the Silver Rank, the disparity in strength is too huge. Which one of the six humans are you? Or do you belong to someone hidden?"

"Hahaha, what are you talking about." Pannis laughed nervously, beads of cold sweat forming, "I didn’t understand a word."

"It’s okay, I’ve just coincidentally seen those two girls from afar." Indulgence whispered into Pannis’s ear, gently blowing a breath of air into it, "Don’t worry, I won’t tell them."

"Ouch." Lina’s horse seemed suddenly restive, trotting in-place uneasily and with a swing of his head, abruptly bumped Pannis, who was leaning close to Indulgence, and knocked him away.

"That’s strange, why are you spinning in place." Lina feigned bafflement, patting the horse’s neck, "Look what happens when you don’t listen, you bumped into something strange. You mustn’t do that again."

"Hey," Pannis moaned pitifully as he laid on one side after getting bumped, "Why did you suddenly hit me, I didn’t do anything."

"Ha, it was its decision." Lina tried to keep a straight face, emotionless, "Why don’t you ask it yourself, if you understand it, that is." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to vote for recommendation, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users can read at m.qidian.com.)