Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 547 - 16: How the Goblin Became Extinct_1

Chapter 547: Chapter 16: How the Goblin Became Extinct_1

"Master Christo said that?" In the mansion at No. 6 Fox Street, five adventurers sat in a circle in the cozy living room. Three girls listened in varying emotions as Pannis went into detailed narration. Not until Pannis recited Master Christo’s final request, changing it to third person, did Catherine finally ponder and say, "So, the Master just wants to clarify the causes of the goblins’ extinction? This is a bit dangerous. If the goblins’ extinction wasn’t due to Divine Punishment, but due to something in the research center, if we get in contact with those things, will we..."

The morning sunlight made its way through the bright windows of the mansion, casting a grid pattern of light spots around the coffee table. The five of them were seated semi-circularly near the coffee table, enjoying the warmth of the long-missed home.

There were two kid-sized undeads in the basement of the mansion which, whether as children or undeads, were fond of sleep, still indulging in a delightful slumber. They were both rescues by Catherine, experiencing a sense of home for the first time after having been alone for decades. They made new friends, found a new family, lived without worries, got rid of loneliness, and could even doll themselves up and go on outings with the neighboring merchant sisters. The carefree life made them feel extremely happy. Sometimes, the young banshee Annie would even forget about her wish to see her parents and preferred this life to continue forever.

The Pansy and Mimosa, too, felt contented. They were City of Innocence’s children who had never adjusted to living outside. But, as a two-sister servant team, they discovered that they were gradually adjusting, probably due to the presence of their good masters. The initial period of adjustment was the most crucial in familiarizing oneself to a new environment. Being frail, no level of outrageous reaction, owing to habits, by the sisters towards their masters, could cause any harm. Their masters were quite understanding of their actions, neither blaming them for it nor exposing them to the outside world. These factors facilitated them to adjust to the environment, gradually driving away the darkness that had enveloped their heart for over a decade, due to the City of Innocence. Their heart was slowly getting filled with a new world. The sisters’ faces often reflected real smiles, expressing true feelings and not just the submissive smile, typically employed as self-defence against the strong.

Their transformation made Rachel and Nicole, who were entrusted with their care when Catherine and others were not around, extremely happy. They sometimes even allowed the two to go out for shopping by themselves when it was not crowded. Like now, the servant sisters were so excited when they noticed their masters were back that they voluntarily rushed to the market to shop. They were preparing an extravagant feast to celebrate their masters’ return.

Therefore, there were only five members of the adventure team in the mansion now. A pot of freshly brewed black tea sat in the center of the coffee table. The steam rose from the five delicate teacups, and the room was filled with the sweet scent of fresh cookies and the invigorating aroma of the black tea, creating a comfortable environment, making one feel lazy. Despite such a cozy environment, the topic of discussion was not so comforting.

No, the extinction of goblins is indeed due to Divine Punishment," said Lina with a somber face, "It was confirmed by the deities themselves. Over eighty percent of the deities teamed up to impose the Divine Punishment and exterminated the goblin race in two hours. Only a few thousands of the strongest and luckiest goblins survived it.So, there’s no mistake about the fact that their annihilation was due to Divine Punishment."

"But, Master Christo said that there’s no way a war possibly capable of destroying the world existed," argued Catherine. "So, what could have led to the Divine Punishment then?"

"Manipulating life recklessly, this reason should suffice," said Lina coldly, her anger shining through her words. She seemed upset, probably recollecting their treacherous experience at Angus Village, or maybe due to disapproval of goblin activities. She said, "Altering the organisms without any restraints, they treated lives as what? Even if they were magical beasts, they represented lives too, no, they are part of the Yarran World. We can exploit them, kill them, tame them, use them for experiments, or even exterminate a whole race - that’s acceptable as it’s all part of nature, represents a fair competition for survival. But those goblins altered lives, twisted the source of life itself for their research. It’s blasphemy against the creator, Lord Yarra. All deities and clergies take Lord Yarra as the highest father, so such blasphemous actions are enough to invite Divine Punishment."

"No, that’s not enough," retorted Catherine. "Remember, when you and Pannis went to Angus Village, what you saw there hinted that their technique of altering magical beasts had matured. Although we don’t know why, the magical beasts were self-destructing, but it’s clear that they already had complete combat capabilities and had adapted well to their new characteristics. This is enough to prove that the goblins had been conducting their research and transformation activities for a very long time. If it was truly because of this, the Divine Punishment would have been enforced much earlier."

Though angry at goblins’ disrespect for life, Lina as a clergy didn’t lose her calm. She considered Catherine’s words and agreed, "Sister, you have a point. Then, what do you think is the reason for their annihilation?"

"The fear is in not knowing," said Catherine with a bitter smile. "If they got to know some secret or hit some forbidden taboo, and we unconsciously dig into it, our fate would probably not be any better than that of the goblins from the second era."

"So, what do you mean, Sister," asked Lina. "Are you suggesting we don’t go?"

"Of course, we have to go," Catherine stated, "but we should be mentally prepared. Don’t touch what shouldn’t be touched, don’t look at what shouldn’t be seen. We only need to gather the names of the projects the goblins were working on and present them to Master Christo. He can discern where things went wrong. Maybe we’ll notice something during our investigation. We might learn the reason for the goblins’ demise but without getting into the specifics. This way, we’ll be safe."

"A good plan," Pannis nodded, "but the risk is still high."

"What task doesn’t come with risks?" Catherine laughed, shaking her head and countered, "Compared to our gains, any risk is worth it. I’ve decided for us all. Rest at home for three days, fully prepare. If the research center is underground, we prepare for underground adventures. In the last six months, Vivian has prepared backpacks with the same effect as hers for everyone. These backpacks have eight times the capacity and are weight-reducing due to embedded Arrays. So, bring everything that might be needed. Pannis, I leave the planning to you. Is that okay?"

Pannis didn’t answer right away. He tapped on the armrest of his chair lost in thought before agreeing, "I have a rough plan. I’ll work out the details today and give you the list tomorrow morning. We can then discuss the details."

"No problem, these decisions should be left to the expert," Catherine casually waved her hand, continuing with the assignments, "Lina, you have the heaviest task. Spend your next three days in the library and comb through novels and historical legends. Extract any information about the Darnes Plateau and the Ferlias Mountain region in Kulan Kingdom. The more detailed, the better. We’ll carefully go over it on the road and it might even help us narrow down the search area."

"Alright," Lina closed the novel spread across her legs, carefully wiped the hardcover clean, and set it aside, "I’m the most familiar with the library; I’m the best person for this job."

"Next, Freya," Catherine continued, "The direct route is almost three thousand kilometers. If we were to take a carriage, it would take over two months. That’s too long, but now that Freya is with us, using magic-powered motorbikes could solve this. Two bikes would be enough. Vivian, Freya, and Pannis can all drive, and can take turns if need be. So, if we push on, we should reach our destination in about twenty days. Even if something unforeseen happens, it shouldn’t take longer than thirty days. So, Freya, your task is to borrow another motorbike from your instructor and have them both tuned up to their best conditions. They can’t break down on the way. Pannis, you and I will decide on the best route once you’ve prepared the plan."

"Actually, if you’re willing, we can take a Floating Ship. It would only take fifteen days at most," Pannis mentioned, "As for the ticket price, don’t worry. Ever since the accident, the Business Federation, to ensure safety, has been hiring three legendary rank professionals to accompany the voyages, and we’ll not only ride for free but will also earn a bit."

"Well..." Catherine was clearly tempted, but she only sighed and shook her head: "No, after the last accident, I have a phobia about such flights. I’d rather take a few more days to travel by land than board a Floating Ship."

"Haha, alright, let’s go by land," witnessing Catherine showing fear for the first time, and the object of it being a flight, Pannis and Lina burst into laughter simultaneously, earning a roll of the eyes from Catherine.

"Last but not least, Vivian," Catherine continued, "We’re heading into the unknown, so try to prepare as many types of potions as possible. We never know when we might need them."

"I have a question," Vivian, who had been silent from the beginning, finally spoke up.

"I want to ask everyone, what’s in that research institute? Gold? A library? Beautiful women? Opportunities for new romance?" Vivian’s calm gaze skimmed over each member, "Or do you all think I’m an idiot?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and recommend. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please read on m.qidian.com)