Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 604 - 71 Research Center_1

Chapter 604: Chapter 71 Research Center_1

Without a sound, without any light or shadow, there were no signs. Just three seconds after Pannis finished reciting in goblin language, the girls merely blinked and found themselves in another world. It was a dim world, the sky was devoid of sun, moon, and stars. In fact, there was no sky at all. When they looked up, they were met only with an abyss deep darkness. But surprisingly, there was a soft light permeating around them, with no visible source—it seemed to emanate from inside the nearby buildings.

They were no longer amidst slopes and trees; they no longer saw the glittering crystals against the distant rock walls and their skin no longer felt the high temperature and scorching heat of the environment. They were now in an astonishingly large square that stretched across hundreds of thousands of square meters. In the center of the square was a colossal fountain, although emptied over time, it was reduced to an desolate pool. Around the fountain were dozens of unique pavilions and several peculiar four-wheeled vehicles powered by Crystal Energy. These vehicles were unusual due to their huge size, they were large enough for multiple people to walk around inside. The side of the vehicles had windows similar to vendor counters, where merchandise could potentially be displayed for sale. Outer the fountain, the ground was a lawn, surrounded by circular areas enclosed by bricks. Traces of decorative trees originally planted could still be indicated. Besides the central fountain and the cluster of pavilion, few smaller fountains were scattered across the square, surrounded by metallic benches, and more of those peculiar crystal energy vehicles designed for commercial use.

This plaza looked like a place for Researchers to relax and unwind after their hectic work shifts. They could imagine leaving the lab to tread on the soft, tender grass, to feel the cool droplets from the water spraying from the fountains moisten their faces, to enjoy the beautiful surroundings while sitting on a bench, letting their exhausted minds unwind completely. For the researchers, it was the most rewarding way to rest.

At the edge of the square, there was a ring-shaped space of forty to fifty square meters encased by a transparent crystal wall. There was only one gate-like structure that pointed towards the fountain through which they could enter the square, and it was the exact spot where the adventure team was located.

"So, this must be the main entrance to the Research Center." Catherine was the first one to recover from the shock brought to them by the research center. She touched the thick and transparent surrounding wall and said, "Strange, could it be a coincidence that we just happened to be standing in front of this gate?"

"No, the displacement between spaces isn’t as we thought it would be." Vivian, awakened by Catherine’s voice, shook her head and said, "Just because we were originally at a certain place, it doesn’t mean that we would end up in a position corresponding to it. In fact, if there was a previous setting, no matter where we entered this space from, we would end up here."

At both sides of the gate, there stood two metallic puppets that looked like sculptures. All four puppets were almost three meters tall. Despite withstanding the test of time, they remained intact, staring down at those who entered. At first glance, these puppets seemed to have been built for decorative purposes, however, a closer observation revealed muzzles concealed within their bodies pinpointed their function was anything but decorative.

"Beep." A clear and crisp sound came from their side. They had heard this unique notification sound of the goblins quite often in the sewers of the City of Innocence: "Welcome to the Goblin United Government National Research Center, Dear visitor, we’re verifying your identity. Please wait for a while."

"Do we have to wait?" Lina asked while listening to the translation provided by Pannis, "We’re considered invaders no matter how you look at it. It feels silly to obediently wait around."

"Let’s wait a bit and see how the situation develops," Catherine said as she took a few cards out of her backpack. These were identity cards they had found in the sewers beneath the City of Innocence. As they were exploring the Goblin Ruins, she had picked five visually pleasing cards to carry with them: "This place is huge, and its security level is higher than that of the sewer systems. If we get into a fight, it might be dangerous. If possible, it would be safer to avoid fights."

"Beep, an unidentified entity detected, holding A36 city identity proof of the Nolan Federation. Linking to the identity database, beep, connection failed. Reconnecting, beep, connection failed, unknown error detected, notified identity management center for maintenance. Beep, unable to verify visitor’s identity, connected to the research center security department, applying for temporary isolation." The mechanical voice from an above device at the gate seemed to falter before it continued: "Beep, detects visitor with the highest access privileges. Temporary isolation application withdrawn, entry to the research center is granted. Welcome, honored visitor."

"Highest access privilege?" Catherine was startled. "Are they talking about the Goblin Code Disk?"

"It seems so. I didn’t expect that the Code Disk would have such high privileges." Pannis said after waiting a while for the mechanical voice to finish: "We should hurry and enter. I don’t want to hear any more beeping sound."

"That’s strange," said Catherine, who was at the forefront and was the first to walk out after pushing open the transparent crystal doors, "The goblin researchers must use a code disk to access this place too, right? That would indicate a large number of holders since the code disk grants high-level access. So what’s the point of these access rights?"

"Who said that everyone needs to use a code disk to enter?" Pannis retorted, "If I didn’t have keys to my house, wouldn’t you be able to open the door for me?"

"Alright, that was indeed a dumb question," Catherine pouted, shaking her head, "However, even though we hold the highest authority, it’s better to be cautious. After all, we have no idea what’s in here."

Upon leaving the entrance of the plaza, the girls found themselves in a strange space. The air in the plaza was fresh, as if they were in the middle of a thick forest. The surrounding temperature was mild, neither cold nor hot, offering the most comfortable conditions. The only discomfort was due to the eerie silence, devoid of any sound, which was quite stifling.

On one side of the plaza were four large buildings, each about forty to fifty meters high. The outer walls of these buildings were lined with windows, each seeming to represent a room. On the other side of the plaza was a patch of dry and cracked land, on which stood houses resembling villas, numbering two to three thousand. The sight of the cracked land around these villas suggested that they were once surrounded by lush, tree-lined paths.

"My goodness, how big is this place?" Exclaimed Catherine, "We can barely see the edges with only two residential areas. If we add in other functional facilities... This place could easily occupy square kilometers."

"It probably could," replied Pannis, "Haven’t you noticed? There are hardly any functional buildings here. No shops, no pubs, no restaurants, no entertainment venues. In other words, it’s simply a research center with dormitories. The daily necessities required by the researchers are probably provided by the Research Center itself, similar to what we saw in the research institute in Crying Cave. However, the facilities here exceed that institute by far. Not only can the researchers move about freely, but they probably also have transportation to and from nearby cities."

"Yes, the treatment of senior researchers at national research centers is typically very good," Vivian nodded, "Sometimes, it’s almost scary. I’ve even heard of them being provided with wives."

The girls headed straight towards the enclosed area surrounded by a metal fence that stretched as far as the eye could see, ignoring the residential area on one side of the plaza. The fence was very high, easily fifteen meters. At the top of the fence, there were white crystal cones every twenty meters or so. Freya glanced at them and responded to the girls’ queries, "It’s something akin to the Eye of the Mage. Yet, its effectiveness pales in comparison to the Eye. At least, the Eye is invisible and allows omnidirectional observation; this doesn’t. However, it does have its advantages, as it’s usually not readily affected by magical powers. However, the goblins’ mastery of magic is not so developed, so they may not have considered this aspect."

As the girls reached the large ten-meter-wide gate opposite the plaza, the white crystal at the top seemed to flicker slightly. The closed metal gate opened automatically to their stunned gaze, and a gentle feminine voice, tinged with a metallic quality, calmly said in the ancient goblin language, "Honored holders of the highest authority, good afternoon. Four million eight hundred and seventy thousand and twenty-eight days have passed since the last authority holder left the center. We hope you had a pleasant vacation."

"Um, it was indeed pleasant I guess, if you could actually have a vacation for over four million days," Pannis shrugged, mumbling, "I just wonder though, if all these ten thousand years have been as pleasant for those inside the center."

"Not pleasant," replied the voice, surprising Pannis that his comment in common language had been understood and responded to, "The center suffered significant damage over this period. Notably, an abnormal spatial distortion which lasted for nineteen days disrupted the normal operation of the center one million three hundred fifty-five thousand nine hundred one days ago. Once the space reverted to normal, responses from the Eighth District, District Eleven, the Twenty-third District, the Twenty-fourth District, and the Thirtieth District were lost. Repair machinery could not open the pathways to the above five Districts, leaving repair work uncompleted and stuck in limbo. We hope you, as holders of the highest authority, will fulfill your obligations by promptly applying to the Goblin United Government for initiating large-scale repair projects." (To be continued. If you like this book, please feel free to recommend it, or cast a vote at qidian.com. Your support is my strongest motivation. Phone users can also read it at m.qidian.com.)