Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 472 - 37 Storm God Temple_1

Chapter 472: Chapter 37 Storm God Temple_1

The feeling when walking up the coral-formed staircase in bare feet is quite unique. Tiny algae peeked out from the gaps of the coral staircase, gently brushed against the soles of the feet, evoking a tickling sensation as one walked. Each step quite high. But this was deep sea, even with the regulation of the Amphibian Beads, a faint sense of buoyancy could still be felt in the water. Banefitting from this buoyancy effect, a single gentle step was all it took to float upwards and ascend to the next step. In no time, a hundred steps were left behind, and the grand entrance of the temple neared.

The temple had no doors, nothing impeded the entrance which led directly inside. Looking through the entrance into its interior, it was completely pitch black, nothing could be seen, presenting a stark contrast to the phosphorescent algae that covered the temple’s exterior wall, emitting radiance.

"Please, come in." Seeing the girls hesitating at the entrance of the temple, looking uncomfortably at the dark interior, Doris encouraged them with a warm smile, a touch of mischief in her eyes, and said, "You’ll understand once you step in."

Before the girls could respond, Pannis had already taken the lead, stepping confidently through the temple’s main entrance. As someone took the first step in, the girls had no reason to continue their hesitation. Catherine nodded her head slightly towards Doris, who was eagerly awaiting their reactions, and cautiously stepped into the temple. The space inside the doorway was just as dark. She could only feel the light from behind and had no way to penetrate through the darkness in front. In other words, no one was able to see past the darkness and could only fumble to move forward in the dark. After walking seven or eight steps, Catherine suddenly felt a heavy sensation like passing through a thin membrane. In the next instant, light was restored before her eyes and apart from the return of light, she also heard sound, it wasn’t simulated speech made using tools, but actual ambient sounds she was accustomed to hearing every day, the murmuring sound of flowing water.

"Wha... what’s going on?" Catherine suddenly felt a bit unsteady and subconsciously asked. At the moment she opened her mouth, she realized not only could she see light and hear sounds but also she could smell and breathe normally, and even speak. Only then did she understand that she seemed to have left the sea, which she’d been living in for the past two days, and entered a dry environment.

Catherine looked down at her hands. They were no longer blurred as though obscured by a mist when immersed in water, but were clearly visible. She also looked at the ground near her feet, the sea water dripping from her body had soaked the dry ground.

"Is this... real? Have I really left the water?" Catherine asked Pannis, who was standing nearby, arms folded, observing her with a look of amusement. Before Pannis could answer, a series of splashing sounds echoed from behind them. The other three girls appeared one after the other beside Catherine. With the others as a reference, Catherine understood what had happened. In the arched way behind her, there seemed to be an invisible barrier separating the seawater from the way, creating two completely different worlds on either side of the barrier.

"Be careful." Foreseeing what was about to happen, Pannis extended a hand as Vivian stepped inside. Just as she entered the waterless space, Vivian slightly wobbled and fell headfirst forward but was saved by Pannis, who had reached out in time to prevent her from falling. "You’ve just left the water, you need to readjust your strength control," he advised.

"So this is why Doris was acting all mystic earlier?" Lina’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked, touching the dry coral reef-like wall. "What on earth is going on? Why is there suddenly a waterless space? We’re at the bottom of the sea. To create a space like this, how strong the water pressure must it resist?"

"Don’t forget this is a temple, and it belongs to Caleto, the deity who controls the sea and storms." Pannis softly said, letting go of Vivian, who was gradually adapting. "This place is an extension of the deity’s will. Anything can happen here."

"So it includes using divine power to resist the water pressure of the deep sea?" Catherine blankly looked at the sight before her. The temple in front of her didn’t seem much different from its counterparts on land. Crystal Energy lamps were suspended high on either side of the enclosed passage. The ocean flag, representing the divine, hung high on the arched ceiling. A slight smell of the sea permeated the air, and faint hymns echoed from the depths of the passage.

"Nope." Doris, followed by Lanna and Lamia, was already standing behind them without them noticing. The other maids who were welcoming them should have returned via other entrances. The three members of the Sea Race were now in dry priest robes, their intricate bare feet stood directly on the ground. Their wet hair trailed down their shoulders. The three Sea Race members, now in human form, smiled gently at the unperturbed girls. Hearing Catherine’s question, Doris gently corrected her in a neighborly tone. "They did not resist the water pressure, the ocean is part of our deity. Everything in it is under the deity’s control. So, it’s not about resisting, but a command. The deity commands the seawater to yield to the temple and not to enter it. And so the seawater retreated from the temple, rendering the inside of the temple a dry space."

"But why?" Catherine asked, perplexe., "You’re all members of the Sea Race, right? There’s no need to create a space like this void of water, it doesn’t make any sense."

"No, it’s necessary, very necessary." Doris did not elaborate, instead leading everyone deeper down the corridor. Lanna, who trailed behind, explained on behalf of her mother, "A large portion of the Sea Race have bodies that are larger than the entire temple, some are even larger than several temples combined. It’s impossible to construct a place big enough for them to gather, worship and pray. Therefore, it was uniformly stipulated that those entering the temple must transform into a terrestrial form, similar in size to humans. This way there are no issues of overcrowding or anyone not being able to enter. However, another problem arose, it’s not convenient for the terrestrial form to move in water. So we prayed to the Deity to make the Temple District a waterproof area, which solves all the problems."

"Hmm, it seems that size does pose quite a problem," Catherine imagined what it would be like for a Sea Beast that was several times the size of a temple trying to squeeze in and sighed as she shook her head, "I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that. And this solution works great for us, otherwise, even with the Amphibian Beads, living underwater would still pose difficulties."

As they made their way down the corridor and through several arches, the girls were astonished to find themselves standing in a courtyard. There was no roof overhead, and looking up revealed a dome formed by the vast expanse of seawater. Occasionally, a luminescent fish would leisurely swim past the dome, akin to a meteor streaking across the night sky.

The courtyard was adorned with various corals growing out of the ground, their colors shifting under the light, reflecting an almost dreamlike halo. Between large clusters of coral, stone tables and chairs, sculpted from an undetermined type of rock, were scattered around. The surfaces of the tables and chairs were smooth and warm to the touch. The girls could almost imagine what it would be like to stroll amongst the coral clusters or lie on the smooth stone chairs, stargazing at the occasional swathes of light passing overhead after dinner. This scene gave the girls a rather peculiar feeling - a kind of leisure mixed with an inexplicable sense of loneliness.

"Follow me," Doris turned around and said, "I think it would be best for you to take a bath first, wash off the salt from your bodies, and then change into a fresh set of clothes. Dinner time is approaching. I have prepared an underwater feast for you all. The formalities outside the temple are over, so consider this dinner a small family feast in honor of my daughter’s new friends."

Although Catherine wanted to refuse these social obligations and focus on understanding and completing her mission as soon as possible, when she looked up and saw Doris’s eager smile, reminiscent of a hospitable mother, her heart softened somewhat, and she subconsciously nodded agreement.

"Hey, that’s enough," Pannis suddenly coughed heavily, glaring at the overly pleased and laughing Doris, "Stop subtly using your charm on minor matters, is this really necessary?"

"I don’t care, you’ve already agreed." Doris’s face was filled with the joy of a successful plot, her poise mixed with a sly, lively expression made her seem less like Lanna’s mother and more like her sister, "I don’t like the rushing around of you humans. There’s no sense in it. You should relax, take your time. Staying the night won’t cause too much harm."

"Ah, thank you." Although she had been influenced by the innate charm, Catherine couldn’t be irritated by such a small thing, so she could only shake her head in resignation with a wry smile. Even Lanna seemed embarrassed by her mother’s behavior, twisting her head away to avoid looking at her.

"I’ve told you before, you can’t make such comparisons," Pannis sighed, "You live underwater, where there is no distinction between day and night and you can’t feel the passage of time. You have long life spans, so a minute or a day makes no real difference to you. But for humans, every day is precious."

Doris blinked, then said to the girls, "Come with me, I’ll take you to your rooms. Having just come to the seabed, it’s best to stay here for three days to rest. It’s not only about physical rest, as I’ve mentioned before, but also about getting used to the ways to communicate and fight underwater. Otherwise, it would be dangerous to go into battle unprepared."

"Hey, stop ignoring me," Pannis sighed in frustration, running his fingers through his hair, "Your character is truly terrible." (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it at qidian.com, your support keeps me going. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)