Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 603 - 70 Dumb Things_1

Chapter 603: Chapter 70 Dumb Things_1

"It seems he can finally go home." Pannis smiled warmly as he thought of the scorpion-tailed lion who was always longing to go home, "I just worry if a dry environment like this might suit him or not. It’s probably better for him to live a few levels above."

"You know that demigod hero?" Lina asked curiously, "I heard he has been living in the Forest of Death and rarely shows himself in the human world. How did you get to know him?"

"Do you still think that was a big dog you’ve seen?" Pannis asked back in surprise, "You never noticed that it was actually a scorpion-tailed lion, just shrunken in size and hiding its tail?"

"A big dog?" Lina blinked, searching her memory and then realizing, "The one we saw in Angus Village? And again on the Beastmen Prairie? That was the scorpion-tailed lion?"

"So you really thought it was a dog." Pannis said, trying to hold back his laughter and maybe a bit of tears too, "I thought you recognized it a long time ago."

"How am I supposed to recognize something I’ve never seen before?" Lina was led astray from her original question by Pannis, who breathed a sigh of relief that his concealed past had not been discovered. He looked up at Catherine’s puzzled look and asked, "What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I’m waiting for your explanation. Didn’t you say you were going to gather your thoughts first?" Catherine gave a strange smile. "A while has passed now. Are you done yet?"

"What have you all been doing over there?" Vivian closed her notebook after recording the overlapping space phenomenon and conjectures, then stood up and saw everyone gathered at the edge of the camp looking out. She asked puzzled, "What happened that I don’t know about?"

"We are watching the scorpion-tailed lion." Freya replied, "Do you want to come and see?"

"Oh, watching the scorpion-tailed lion, huh." Vivian shook her head without interest. As she packed her notebook and suddenly realized what was happening, she rushed over, "What? Scorpion-tailed lion? Is there another scorpion-tailed lion here?"

After some chaos, everyone sat back down at the camp center once Vivian had seen enough and gotten her questions answered. Pannis paused for a moment and then said to Ike, "Dwarf brother, if nothing unexpected happens we should be at the end of our journey. As we discussed before, please manage to find your way back to Grand Highland City by yourself."

"I guessed so." Ike was not at all surprised and nodded, "I overheard your conversation with Catherine earlier and I estimated that you have found a way to our destination. But are you sure it’s a good idea not to wait for me here a few days? The roads in the Underground World are complex. I worry you might get lost on your way back. Once you’re lost here, it’s like a lifetime sentence."

"No need to worry, we won’t be appearing here again." Pannis shook his head with a smile, "Without any mishap, we will directly return above Earth’s Scar when we leave. If you’re really worried, you can wait for us at the last camp before we reached the Scar. We might even get there before you. Even if something unexpected happens, we would find our way back from here as I remembered the trail very clearly. The only problem was jumping into the water, but I’ve found the road to the fourth level afterwards. So don’t worry, everything has been taken care of."

"Alright then, if you insist." Ike thought for a moment and agreed, "I am quite confident in your navigational abilities, let’s part ways now. I must leave first to avoid discovering your employer’s secret."

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Ike," Catherine bowed in a knight’s salute to Ike and spoke seriously, "We agreed that we should accompany you back according to the rules. It was our mistake, once we return to Grand Highland City, we will surely apologize to you."

"Ha ha ha, don’t say that." Ike laughed with his hand on his beard, "We made the agreement before we set off, there’s nothing wrong with what you did. Besides, don’t underestimate me. As an adventurer, I often travel alone in the Underground World, there is no need for you to worry about me. Alright, my little ladies, I’ll take my leave now. What a pity, with Pannis the demigod here, I had hoped to explore more parts of the ninth layer, but it seems I won’t get the chance."

"You will get the chance," Pannis said seriously, "I promise, once we’ve dealt with some pressing matters, I’ll come to Grand Highland City to find you. We will explore the deeper layers together and try to walk through the ninth layer as much as we can."

"I dare not dream of that, it would take years, even decades to traverse the ninth layer, it’s too vast. But I’ll remember what you promised. You must keep your word." Ike shook his head, put on his backpack, and walked out of the woods, "I’ll wait for you at our last camp. Don’t make me wait too long. I hope to see you again, safe and sound. Ha ha, goodbye."

Catherine waved and watched Ike walk away. Once his figure disappeared from sight, she sat down and said, "Alright, now that Ike’s gone, would you mind telling us what stupid thing we’ve actually done?"

"The stupidest thing we’ve done was to come here in the first place," Pannis said with a wry smile. "I just realized that our initial approach was wrong. We shouldn’t have entered the Earth’s Scar."

"What do you mean?" asked Catherine in confusion. "Are you saying that the Goblin Empire’s research center isn’t here?"

"Do you remember the hint Mottis gave me earlier?" Pannis sighed, "It’s here, yet it’s not here."

"Stop talking like the Clergy." Catherine reprimanded, "Speak clearly, and in terms I can understand."

"I’ll try to keep it simple," Pannis said, reaching out to Vivian. "Activate the Goblin Code Disk and its additional parts and give me the translated manuscripts."

Vivian nodded, handed the transcript to Pannis, and quickly activated the Goblin Code Disk. The content they had already looked over a multitude of times was once again projected into the air. Vivian frowned and said, "I think I understand what you’re getting at. You believe that the research center and our current location don’t exist in the same space, right?"

"More or less. I only came to this realization when I saw this ramp." Pannis nodded and quickly adjusted the projected map to the area around Felryas Mountain. He pointed to the green highlighted area surrounding the Peak of Felyas and said, "When we began searching, we naturally assumed that our target was within this area. We discussed why there was no specific location for the target and concluded that it was partly for secrecy. We also assumed that anyone deemed worthy of entering the research center would be well aware of its location. That’s why we foolishly rushed in here and, after confirming that there was nothing on the surface, dug straight underground."

"Mm-hmm." Catherine nodded, "Continue."

"After we got in, we all realized there was a problem. The magical beasts here are too powerful. No amount of researchers would be enough if the goblins had built their research center here," Pannis continued, "Then, while I was bewildered, I saw this ramp. I thought of the concept of overlapping spaces and recalled some interesting stories a friend of mine, who is an ardent researcher of space, once told me. Among them were some about the goblins’ spatial technology from their era. That’s when I understood. The goblins didn’t mark the exact location of the research center? No, in fact, they did. This large green area is the location of the research center. It encompasses an area of several dozen kilometers, including parts of Felias Mountain. In other words, we’ve been inside the research center all along; it’s just that no one can see it."

"I see," Vivian said as she adjusted the Goblin Code Disk and contemplated, "The goblins built an overlapping space within this vast area. No, that’s not quite right. They first built a large research center either in an artificial space or a stable demiplane. Then, using their bizarre spatial technology, they forcefully overlapped this artificial space with the actual space of this area. That is indeed the best method of concealment. However, if that’s the case, where’s the entrance? If we can’t locate the entrance, how can we enter the research center?"

"Entrance? There’s no entrance, nor is there any need for one," Pannis said, "As for how to get into the research center, heh, we’re already inside the research center. No special method needed."

"That sounds like something we’d say," Lina clapped, "Sounds like you’ve said something, but actually didn’t. It feels like we understand, but in reality, we understand nothing. Pannis, do you have many members of the Clergy among your friends?"

"Remember this passage?" Pannis, ignoring Lina’s teasing, opened the translated manuscript to a section in the middle, "These nonsensical lines seem like oaths but also not. They could be hymns, and yet they’re not quite hymns. Other than understanding that possessing the Code Disk allows entry into the research center, nothing else made sense."

"I remember," Vivian nodded, "You once suspected it to be a chant to open the door, but nothing happened despite reciting it several times."

"Try reading it here," Pannis suggested.

"In light this, under the witness of the Supreme Guide Disk, we do solemnly swear to the World United Conference and to the royal families of all nations, we will strictly adhere to the Confidentiality Agreement..." Vivian held the manuscript and quietly read the lines once more. However, the Code Disk stayed inert, showing no reaction.

"Do you think the goblins from over ten thousand years ago were fluent in a common language?" Pannis teased, "And even spoke it so formally."

"I’m not familiar with ancient goblin language. I can only read it, not speak it." Vivian threw the manuscript back to Pannis, pouting, "You read it."

Pannis shrugged, opened the manuscript, and began reading. Though his pace was slow and he often paused, his pronunciation was accurate. As he finished the last syllable, the world before the girls blurred. In the next instance, the world had changed. (To be continued. If you like this novel, please visit qidian.com to vote or buy a monthly ticket. Your support is my biggest motivation. For mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)