Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 601 - 68: The Strange Slope_1

Chapter 601: Chapter 68: The Strange Slope_1

The air was scorching and the ambient temperature was high, with the air seeming to be around forty-five degrees. Even in the shade where the group was resting, it was still around thirty-six or thirty-seven degrees. Breathing in this environment had a faint scent of burnt things and everywhere around their bodies had an unshakeable feeling of being burned, as if they were being roasted on a spit. Glancing around, one could see hot air slowly rising from the ground outside the forest. It seemed as if the air was being distorted.

The light-green plants were also somewhat withered under the high temperature. The originally upright grass was quietly bending, just like the magical beasts around them. They seemed powerless to resist the excessive temperature. However, this was only temporary. According to Ike, this was the highest temperature in the subterranean world. It was equivalent to noon in the outside world. After another hour, the temperature around would quickly drop. Four hours later, the temperature would be at its lowest point, around five degrees. The sudden change from scorching heat to cold, such extreme temperature changes would be incredibly painful for those not accustomed.

"We came down a little early. In the eighth layer below, it generally stays hot for eleven hours and cold for eleven hours. If we’d come down three or four hours later, we wouldn’t have to endure this painful experience," Ike grabbed several sips of the ice water, letting the water droplets slide off his rough beard. He did not pay attention to the water on his beard, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he then remorsefully said, "Actually, this is my mistake. It’s been more than ten years since I last came down here, I didn’t calculate accurately, I’m really sorry."

"It’s okay, Mr. Ike." Catherine gently smiled, "It’s not your fault at all; you’ve done a good job all along. Plus, descending three or four hours early allowed us to experience the peculiarity of this illusion. If not for this place, we probably never would have known that there are such peculiar regions in the Yarran World. The area is vast. It’s unexpected to find such an open and well-lit space in the Underground World. You don’t seem very familiar with this area either; have you not been here often before?"

"Yes, I’ve only been here two or three times," Ike admitted, "But each time was just a quick pass-through. I never really rested here like we’re doing now. However, I can confirm that the target you’re looking for will definitely not be here."

"Hmm, I don’t think it would be here either," Catherine nodded, "Though the area is vast, it’s completely open. If there were any buildings, we could probably spot them at a glance. There would be no need for such an arduous search."

About ten minutes ago, the team set up camp under the shade of the gentle slope. On Ike’s suggestion, everyone unanimously agreed to rest here until the temperature started dropping in an hour before moving on. Six people were hiding in this cool spot, struggling to regain their strength that had been consumed by the high temperature earlier.

The environment was tranquil. The only sound around them was the rustling of the wind through the branches of the tree. The occasional low growl of magical beasts came from the distant spread of woods. Most magical beasts, like the girls, were hiding in their nests, silently waiting for the temperature to drop. In the small camp, Pannis was laying on the lawn in the forest with his head on his backpack. He had been on guard all night, and although he had the constitution of a demigod, he was still mentally exhausted. So, when Catherine forcefully ordered him to rest, all he could do was accept her goodwill with a bitter smile. Lina and Freya were also half-awake. With the scorching weather, it was easy to feel sleepy.

But Vivian wasn’t taking a nap. She was pulling out a cube with a side length of ten centimeters from her massive backpack and was preparing to cut it with a small knife. It was a colorless, transparent, gel-like substance. It felt elastic under her fingers and it would deform when she pressed it. But as soon as she let it go, it would return to its original shape immediately. This was actually water reserved for the team. The ten-kilogram water was compressed into a solid cube with a volume of a thousand cubic centimeters through a special magic. Although the weight remains the same, the volume is easy to carry around. It is also convenient to store. It does not spoil or get contaminated when stored for a long period of time, which makes it the favorite method of water storage for adventurers and mercenaries. To use it, all you need to do is cut a small piece according to the corresponding ratio and use a spell or a scroll to restore it, which will enable you to turn it back into regular drinking water.

As the team had consumed a lot of drinking water during the few hours of travel, to make sure they had enough water for the afternoon and evening journey, Vivian had to fill everyone’s water bottles while they were resting. Of course, she wasn’t the one doing the actual operation. Holding the knife was nothing more than a formality. Catherine was the one in charge of cutting the solid water. Vivian was only responsible for calculating the angle and size of the cut. Then Catherine held the knife and cut the solid water into uneven pieces before putting each strip into the water bottles. After doing all this, more than a dozen water bottles were piled in front of Vivian. She then cast a spell uniformly, removing the compression spell on the solid water, allowing them to return to their original liquid state.

"Done." Vivian clapped her hands together, closed the lids of the water bottles, and picked up her own water bottle, "Pannis’s method is really good. After activating the Ice-attribute crystal shards and throwing them into the water, the water bottles immediately cooled down. Even more comfortable than using the crystal shards directly."

"That effective?" Upon hearing Vivian’s comment, Lina immediately sat up, "Give me one to try. I want to sleep with it. I want to see if it will make my sleep better."

"No way, dummy. If you want to sleep with it, you have to fill one up yourself." Vivian curled her lips. Though she refused, she still picked up a water bottle and rolled it over to Lina, "Sometimes you’re lazier than me, not even willing to walk a few meters to get it yourself."

But the next moment, Lina did not catch the water bottle, and those who were awake were all stunned. Lina was at the bottom of the slope, while Vivian was at the top. The cylindrical water bottle began to roll towards Lina as soon as it left Vivian’s hand. However, its rolling speed slowed down, and it even stopped just halfway down the few-meters distance. To everyone’s surprise, it defied gravity and started rolling uphill. Its speed increased, and in no time, it rolled past a dumbfounded Vivian. If it weren’t for Catherine, who was behind her, catching the rolling bottle, no one would know where it was going to end up.

"Is it too hot? I think I just hallucinated." Lina maintained her posture of reaching out to catch the bottle, her voice hoarse after a long pause. "It must be it, otherwise, why would I see the water bottle rolling up the slope?"

"How likely do you think it is that five people have the same hallucination at the same time?" Lina heard Freya behind her, also looking surprised at the water bottle in Catherine’s hand. "What you just saw, I think everyone saw it too."

"Vivian." Catherine, too, was staring blankly at the water bottle in her hand, shaking it in front of her eyes before suddenly asking, "Are you using some magic to fool Lina?"

"I’m not that idle." Vivian looked just as surprised, shaking her head, "I am certain that I didn’t use any magic."

"Well, that’s strange, why would the water bottle roll up the slope?" Catherine opened the bottle curiously, confirmed there was nothing strange inside, replaced the lid, and, just as Vivian had done, gently pushed it along the ground towards Lina’s position. Perhaps Catherine used a stronger force because this time the bottle rolled further, almost reaching Lina before it slowed down. And just like before, the bottle once again climbed the slope and rolled back to Catherine.

"This is so strange." Vivian’s eyes glowed with a desire for knowledge, and she turned to Ike and asked, "Mr. Ike, is this a special phenomenon in this area?"

"I have no idea." Ike shook his head vigorously, denying the claim, "I’ve never encountered such a situation, nor have I ever heard anyone mention it. However, there are very few people who can get down to the eighth level in the first place, and even fewer who stay here. Among them, I don’t think anyone would have rolled a bottle on the slope."

"Let me try again." Catherine picked up another cylindrical water bottle and repeated the previous action. As expected, even when she changed the bottle, the end result remained the same, and the bottle returned to her hand. "I’ve never heard of anything like this. Vivian, Freya, both of you have encountered the most bizarre knowledge, have you ever read anything about such a thing?"

"Absolutely not." The two scholar-girls looked at each other and shook their heads affirmatively, "We can assure you that if there had been any record of this, we definitely wouldn’t have forgotten it."

"Wait a second." Lina suddenly interrupted everyone, rummaging through her backpack to pull out various novels. She quickly skimmed through them, frowning and said, "Perhaps I didn’t bring it this time, but I remember reading somewhere about this strange phenomenon. If I recall correctly, it mentioned a place where a similar thing happened, but no one could explain why. The author suggested it might just be an optical illusion, inferring that the path seems uphill due to the influence of the surrounding trees and terrain, when in reality, it is downhill."

"That person must have had a problem with her brain." Vivian rolled her eyes, "Do you agree that the sense of balance can be deceived as vision can? Even if I can’t feel it, can you guys not tell if this is uphill or downhill when you walk here?"(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote and support. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)