Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 570 - 37 Ike?Lava_1

Chapter 570: Chapter 37 Ike?Lava_1

"Dong, dong, dong," six tremendous bell tones echoed over Grand Highland City, awakening the city’s sleep-drenched inhabitants. It was a clear morning in August, and at six in the morning, the sun had already brightened the sky, and the streets began to slowly bustle. As Grand Highland City served as a transport hub between the three nations, most merchants here ran inns or rented warehouses. Early in the morning, transport teams began hustling various sized carriages filled with goods out of the warehouses, traveling deeper into or leaving the Mountain Country via Flame Street. The Mountain Country’s forged goods and artworks, left Kulan following Flame Street, flowing to all corners of the Yarran Continent. Meanwhile, handmade crafts from the Lost Forest, pearls, coral, and seafood from the Sea Kingdom of Casa, furs and meat from the Beastmen Prairie, minerals, industrial products, mass-produced magic goods from the human world, and even rare herbs from the Whispering Swamp would continually flow in through this transport route, spreading into every dwarven city within the mountains.

"Ding, ding." In one small inn’s ground floor, Pannis, entirely cloaked in black knight attire, sat idly in the inn’s hall, staring blankly at the door. Due to the early hour, only a few customers planning to leave early were handling their lodging expenses, and almost no one else was in the hall. Pannis rested his chin on the arm of the chair, yawning drowsily. Even though he was still so drowsy he could hardly keep his eyes open, he was determined not to return to his bed to continue sleeping. Instead, he kept watching outside, seemingly waiting for someone. Waiting can be quite boring, so he clutched a few gold coins in his hand. He’d toss one high into the air, then flick the rest upwards from below to hit the coin soaring in the air, keeping it aloft while accurately catching the coins being knocked into a downward fall.

He didn’t even glance at the coins, but his movements were skillful and precise, with no mistakes. The smooth continuity of his actions had a few of the businessmen and travelers who had just settled their lodging fees and were about to leave gawking, almost forgetting their own affairs as they crowded around the entrance to watch Pannis’s performance. Regrettably, the show was soon interrupted. A figure streaked from the staircase towards the hall like a silver flash, charging up to Pannis with a freezing gust of wind. The next moment, all the gold coins had disappeared as if swallowed by an alternate space, leaving behind only a black-haired, silver-armored knight girl glaring furiously at Pannis on the chair. The surrounding audience was starting to wonder if the performer would be eaten whole by the girl.

"What about you isn’t normal?" Catherine snapped angrily, "Playing with gold coins first thing in the morning, do you know how noisy that ’ding ding dong dong’ is? You don’t know how sensitive I am to this kind of noise? I can hear it clearly even with my door closed upstairs, are you letting others sleep? Such unethical and reprehensible behavior should be met with divine punishment."

"Eh, I don’t know why you’re so angry," Pannis blinked innocently, "But that’s my gold."

"Was yours, now it’s mine." Catherine carefully stashed the few hijacked gold coins into her money bag, ensuring its safety, before pulling a chair to seat herself next to Pannis and grumpily said, "You purposely used this method to call me down here, so there must be a reason, tell me, what is it?"

"Actually, it’s nothing major." Pannis had just finished speaking when he felt a knife-like gaze stabbing into his face and hurriedly added, "No, no, what I mean is, it’s not a big deal, it’s just that we’ll be having guests coming in a bit. I thought it’d be better to leave those three spellcasters to get some additional rest. We two can handle the reception."

"Guests?" Catherine rubbed her eyes to wake up, tilted her head to ponder, then asked, "The guide you mentioned the day before yesterday? The one introduced by Mr. Klarke, the Cavern Dwarf explorer, what was his name, Ike?"

"Ike Lava." Pannis added, "The most experienced explorer within the Cavern Dwarves, who takes joy in exploring new worlds. His famous quote is — ’To eternally rest in an unexplored, unknown region is the most glorious end for an explorer.’

"This person... Did you say he’s been to the Wound of the Earth in Felias Mountain before?" Catherine verified, "Is he reliable? I don’t want to encounter the same situation as we did with Elrad in the Shining Forest."

"That shouldn’t be the case." Pannis shook his head, "After all, he’s got a status within the Cavern Dwarves. It’s not very likely he’ll be like Elrad. Furthermore, to be on the safe side, if we find the research center, I don’t plan on letting him in. I’ve negotiated with him; the reason being certain secrets of the goblin tribe. So, once we find any clues to the research center, we’ll ask him to turn back. We won’t inform him about the specific location or the situation inside. He agreed to this in the end, but the condition was that he could follow this breadcrumb in the future, and we can’t interfere then."

"That’s not a problem." Catherine sighed with relief, "But without the guide, can we find our way out by ourselves?"

"Rest assured," Pannis flashed a confident smile, "I might get lost in unfamiliar surroundings, but once I’ve traveled a path, heh heh, finding my way back is a breeze."

"Alright, I get it," Catherine replied, "Mr. Living Map, we’re going to rely on you then. Hopefully, we won’t end up as yet another group of victims lost deep underground... Hm? Is he here?"

"Yes, he’s here." Pannis stood up, looking outside the inn’s open doorway. Clearly visible past the door, a dwarf was slowly approaching the inn along the circular street outside. The approaching dwarf wore a close-fitting coarse cloth jacket and a wide sunglass covering his eyes. Unusually pale comparing to other dwarves, he was a textbook Cavern Dwarf. However, his frame was also exceptionally slight, unlike the typically robust dwarves. This physique is ideal for navigating intricate landscapes, even narrow fissures, without getting stuck or wedged, a common plight among his broader kin.

Of course, none of that was what genuinely surprised Catherine and Pannis. It was the dwarf’s walking style that took them aback. His upper body remained a perfect straight line when he walked, without any swaying, his arms waving naturally as his legs strode out in a manner unlike an average person. It seemed awkward, but at the same time, Catherine and Pannis both breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, "Now, that’s a real explorer."

Their remarks weren’t just a musing. Though peculiar, this walking style, once accustomed, doesn’t waste any extra energy, making it one of the most energy-efficient motions. If you could see through his body, his spine remained straight, every vertebra stacked perfectly on top of the other, allowing the upper body to stay in a relaxed state. His legs offered all the support, his body weight nearly entirely borne by the rigid, erect leg bones, sparing minimal muscular effort to maintain balance and stabilize the upright posture. This frugal walking style is typically mastered only by those needing to sustain prolonged periods of walking. Even with Pannis’s experience, he couldn’t adapt to this bizarre stance. One could imagine the dwarf outlasting Pannis in a walking endurance competition, thanks to his demigod physique. Some have even tested and showed that, once this method of walking is ingrained, the person could possibly sleep while moving, assuming they didn’t have to worry about directions and conditions of the path.

Noticing the dwarf’s approach, Catherine politely stepped outside the door, Pannis right behind her. She extended her hand in greeting, "Welcome, Mr. Lava. Thank you for accepting our invitation. This is our first meeting. But seeing how you walk, we are already reassured. We know you will do an excellent job as our guide."

"Legendary?" Ike Lava, not one for conversation, looked at Catherine and Pannis. He ignored Catherine’s pleasantries and came straight to the point, "This one’s a Demigod? Doesn’t look like it. Oh wait, now he does. What about the others? What’s their capabilities?"

"The other three are all Caster Professions, Mr. Lava." Catherine patiently explained, not taking to heart Ike’s lack of social skills. This was a typical behavior of someone who’d spent a lot of time in the wild alone. The less he was inclined to interact, the more it revealed his experience in solitude. "One’s a Sage from Denia, an Alchemist and a Machine Mage also dabbling as a Crystal Gunner. All three are of the Legendary Rank."

"Six in total: five Legends and one Demigod." Ike mused to himself before nodding in agreement, "That’s enough power. We can give the underground exploration a try. But I have conditions. I know you have all had several field adventures and I also hear from Mr. Klarke that Mr. Pannis’s field experience might surpass my own or even offer more profound knowledge. But when we are inside the Wound of the Earth and find ourselves disagreeing, we can have discussions. But I insist that you accept my views in crucial situations. Otherwise, I’m not going in. Of course, by "views," I mean reasonable suggestions. I won’t make irrational demands."

Catherine and Pannis exchanged a glance and both nodded, "We understand, Mr. Lava. Regardless of our experience, we are newcomers to the Wound of the Earth. You are the expert. I can speak for those who are not here, and we fully accept your terms."

"Then, here’s to a successful partnership," Ike forced a smile on his bark-like face, "You can just call me Ike. No need for the ’Mr. Lava.’" (To Be Continued. If you enjoy this book, please show your support by voting on qidian.com. Your encouragement keeps me going. Mobile users can switch to m.qidian.com for a better experience.)