Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 475 - 40: The Inextricable Situation_1

Chapter 475: Chapter 40: The Inextricable Situation_1

"It was a peculiar experience," Doris recounted, propping her chin with her eyes closed at the table’s edge. "Once I entered the zone, I suddenly felt as nothing else mattered, only the command to protect the Sea Area and prevent anyone from carelessly entering. It’s difficult to imagine that the desire to protect was so strong, it compelled me involuntarily towards the depths of the Devilish Sea Area. If Bayer hadn’t abruptly pulled me back, I probably would’ve ended up like those who disappeared, never to return."

"Who’s Bayer?" Catherine asked. "Is he one of the Sea Race you mentioned earlier who explored with you?"

"Yes, Bayer is from the Sea Snake Clan," Doris answered. "He’s the mightiest leader of the Sea Snake Clan, one of the powerful demigods among the Deep Sea Tribe. His underwater form is a sea snake over three hundred meters long. He used his snake tail to coil around me, pulling me back in time."

"So, only a portion of the body entering the Devilish Sea Area is fine?" Catherine asked. "Is that how he managed to pull you back?"

"Indeed, from multiple experiments, it was confirmed that only when the whole brain enters the area, the body becomes completely controlled," Doris explained. "Merely having a limb inside did not affect anything. However, this made the probing process quite tricky, since we could not use limbs to test the area, and risking fully entering meant there might be no way back."

"I see," Catherine nodded solemnly. "Please continue, what were your personal experiment results?"

"It’s not something you can resist just by willpower alone," Doris resumed her recollection. "I consider myself among the top five strongest-willed in the Sea Race, but the moment I entered, my thoughts were distorted."

"So the mind was directly twisted?" Mr. Pannis asked in surprise, "Rather than simply eroding the will?"

"Yes, that’s what I wanted to warn you about," Doris sighed. "You may not understand the distinction, eroding the will is like forcing obedience. You could resist based on your willpower. If your willpower is strong enough, you can entirely ignore the commands. But mind twisting makes you want to obey from the bottom of your heart. You have no chance to resist it because your will has fundamentally been converted to obedience. Do you understand?"

"It does make sense," Catherine furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lips. "But it’s hard to imagine what it must feel like."

"Without personal experience, I wouldn’t be able to understand it either," Doris admitted. "It felt like my thoughts were changed in an instant. I remembered who I was, what had occurred, and what I was there to do, but at that moment... in my mind, the person giving commands was everything. Yet, there was no one actually giving orders. The only thought was to guard the Sea Area and attack any sentient beings entering the territory without permission."

"Quite an intriguing experience," Mr. Pannis stroked his chin and chuckled. "It’s hard to imagine what could cause such an effect in such a wide range. Uh-huh, please continue."

"Afterwards, Bayer abruptly dragged me out," Doris continued. "The moment I left the area, I immediately came back to my senses. To say ’awake’ isn’t quite accurate, rather my thoughts were reverted. I remembered everything that happened, and even how I had thought, but couldn’t understand why I had those thoughts."

"Was that the only experiment?" Catherine probed. "There must’ve been other tests."

"Yes, similar experiments were repeated multiple times," Doris replied. "After experiencing that, many targeted experiments were conducted, including defensive measures at the level of will, but no way was found to prevent the mind control effect. As soon as you enter the area, you become controlled. Upon leaving the area, you revert."

"Nevertheless, individual willpower should have an influence, right?" Mr. Pannis voiced. "Anyway, it’s an assault on the spiritual level. I find it hard to believe that personal willpower has no effect whatsoever."

"Well, you could say there is an effect," Doris nodded. "With Badiya, who’s the leader of the Deep Sea Octopus Clan and one of the elders of the Deep Sea Tribe over six thousand years old, he had just awoken seventy years ago and hadn’t entered his next hibernating period. I asked him for help. His tentacles reach over one thousand five hundred meters. Thanks to the length of his tentacles, he was able to reach inside the Devilish Sea Area and pull out a few controlled Sea Race members patrolling on the perimeter. Whether it was due to differences in their will or the length of time they were controlled, these Sea Race members couldn’t recall what happened inside. Their consciousness remained at the instant they accidentally entered the Devilish Sea Area. Among them was one who had gone missing in the Devilish Sea Area three hundred and fifty years ago. To him, those three hundred fifty years seemed like a blank, as if he had merely blinked, then found himself in a different place, and three hundred fifty years had passed."

"The thought of it is terrifying," Lina involuntarily shivered and murmured. "It’s like a tragedy that could only happen in a novel."

"It is indeed a tragedy," Doris sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile. "We can’t be sure whether it was due to a difference in willpower or the length of time they were controlled. No one dared to try. We all possessed similar strengths. Anyone who got controlled could easily be dragged out, but holding a person under control for an extended period time was impossible. They would easily slip away. By then, we might as well be bidding them goodbye."

"I see," Mr. Pannis mocked with a slight curve on his lips. He mimicked Doris’s posture with his chin propped up and chuckled again, "I see."

"You’ve figured it out?" Doris asked bitterly, "But I didn’t do anything wrong."

"Indeed, we can’t blame you for it." Pannis nodded: "Anyone in your position would have done the same."

"What are you guys talking about?" Catherine asked in confusion: "Can you clue us, the audience, in a bit?"

"I mean..." Pannis suddenly paused, shook his head and chuckled: "Let her tell it, I won’t play the bad guy."

"Heh, there’s nothing to be ashamed of saying." Doris said self-mockingly, "This matter should have been resolved fifty years ago, but we have delayed it for fifty years. Now that the crisis is growing increasingly severe, we are only starting to take action. Don’t you find that strange?"

"Indeed, it’s strange." Lina nodded: "Why didn’t you respond earlier?"

"Because we can’t solve it completely." Doris smiled bitterly: "After countless trials, we can only conclude that it’s an impasse for the Sea Race. To find out the root of the issue, we must delve into the depths of the Devilish Sea Area, but it’s impossible for any of the Sea Race to retain the will to investigate after entering that area. It’s a vicious cycle for us with no viable solution. If we go at it alone, it merely means waiting for the disaster to take place."

"Then seek help." Lina pushed up her glasses and asked: "Why didn’t you ask for help from others sooner? You guys... ah, I see now."

"Heh, it’s best if you understand. We can’t trust others." Doris lowered her head, her expression hidden, her voice noticeably less cheerful: "For two centuries, the Sea Race has maintained a neutral stance because we have our unique world, separated from the land-based races. If our current crisis were exposed and exploited by those with ulterior motives, it’s hard to imagine the consequences. It’s possible that the peace and comfort that the Sea Race has enjoyed for tens of thousands of years would be shattered. How could we possibly trust humans with such a grave issue? Compared to that, it’s better to watch the situation get worse bit by bit. If anything goes wrong, I’d be the greatest villain in the history of the Sea Race."

"While uncomfortable to hear, I do understand your viewpoint." Catherine said: "However, why are you willing to ask for help now?"

"Looking at the increased expansion rate of the Devilish Sea Area, there’s simply no choice left but to seek help." Doris cast a stealthy glance at Pannis and sighed: "Even though I know it’s unwise, I have no choice but to trust you guys. Even though humans don’t have a good reputation in the Yarran World, especially among the long-lived races, I still prefer to trust you."

"Looks like you have a high level of trust in Mr. Pannis." Freya finally lifted her head from the food and muttered: "Just as I thought, you have a keen eye like I do. I also trust Mr. Pannis. I believe our emotions are always genuine towards each other, our bond is forever unyielding, our love won’t change due to interests, crises, greed, weaknesses, and even if there are beautiful sceneries along the way, I will always be the destination of his emotional journey, I..."

"Bang," Once again, the world fell silent.

"It’s not just because of his brother." Doris smiled and sighed: "The name of your adventure team, and your reputation played a big part."

"Adventure team’s name?" Catherine exclaimed in surprise: "Do you know Lady Nellie?"

"Of course I do. We’re good friends." Doris pointed at Catherine: "Back then, she was sitting in the very chair you’re in now. Your choices are so alike."

"What, what, what, what kind of person is Lady Nellie?" Catherine asked excitedly: "Can you tell me about her?"

"She’s very similar to you in many ways. She’s as enthusiastic, as sacrificial, as willing to help the weak, and as just as you are." Doris stole a glance at Pannis: "Even some of your choices are completely identical."

"Enough with the digressions, we can chat more when we have the chance." Pannis, wearing a stern face, interrupted the conversation between the two women: "There’s an important question you haven’t addressed. Can you guarantee people outside the Sea Race entering won’t be controlled?"

"We’ve already tested with unsuspecting individuals." Doris nodded: "Absolutely not."

"Then let’s give it a shot." Catherine decided: "I can’t guarantee we will have a solution, but we’ll give it our best." (To be continued. If you like this novel, please feel free to vote on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)