Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 642 - 6: Symbol of Friendship_1

Chapter 642: Chapter 6: Symbol of Friendship_1

"Creak, creak," Pannis and Catherine’s feet trudged through the knee-deep snowdrifts. Every step they took produced a strange noise as the snow compressed under their weight. Behind them, a string of deep footprints stretched along the stone-paved roads of the town, disappearing into the distance. The falling snow quietly blanketed the ground, rapidly filling in the tracks their feet had made.

"The town leader said it’s toward the east side of the town, it should be around this area," Catherine lead the way, her hand shielding her face from the snow, she turned to shout over the howling wind. "But there are so many houses here, how can we be sure which one it is?"

Since the distance was relatively short, both of them hadn’t bothered to bring their large sunglasses. Now, moving against the swirling winds, they could barely squint their eyes against the snow. Pannis strained his eyes to see, yelling against the wind. "The town leader said it was on the east side of the town, not exactly within the town. I suspect he was referring to the solitary house over there, just on the outskirts of town, standing alone. When that house was initially built, that spot was probably considered outside the town."

"Then let’s go and check it out," replied Catherine. She looked in the direction Pannis pointed for a moment, barely making out the shape of the house in the snow. Without being able to see specific details, she could only agree. "Coming to the Snowfield for this mission, I’ve certainly learned a new thing. Back in the Holy City, I could never have imagined that just walking could become such a grueling task."

"Well, this is the Snowfield," Pannis swung his head, shaking off snow from his hat. He shouted in response, "But among all the harsh environments, the Snowfield and the Magical Beast Forest actually have the lowest fatality rates for professionals. It’s sort of a lucky thing, do you know why?"

"I didn’t know before, but I understand now," Catherine shouted in return. "Unless it’s absolutely necessary, which professional would choose to venture out here? The harsh conditions are all too visible. Just this snowstorm alone could scare away most adventurers, let alone the sub-zero temperatures and those damned natural traps."

"You’re right, most people are deterred. There are plenty of other opportunities to make money; there’s no need to risk lives here. Be careful, there might be obstacles hidden in the snow," Pannis pushed Catherine from behind, helping her regain her balance in the winds. He pointed ahead, "Let’s speed up, we’re just about there. Unless there’s something unexpected, he should be able to let us in for a rest. That would give us a chance to recover a bit."

Soon after, the pair arrived at the furthest outskirts on the east side of the town. A lone wooden building stood there. The house was said to have been built by the very first liaison officer, and each succeeding officer would carry out repairs. The house, therefore, has survived for hundreds of years without collapsing. The architectural style of the house is similar to the others in town; however, it is taller. Clearly, the Dragon’s preference for spacious caves influenced the Dragon Worshipers too, leading them to build spacious houses. For them, this kind of living space is very comfortable. If conditions allowed, they would probably prefer to move into a cave just like the Dragon.

The lights had not been switched on in the cabin, but through the window darkness prevailed, belying the impression that anyone was home. However, faint smoke piped from the chimney, preventing the house from looking completely abandoned. Just as the town leader had said, the front gate was open. The yard was devoid of sledge deer or dogs, except for a single stone statue standing in the open. The sculpture was large and appeared to be still unfinished, but even in its incomplete state, it was clear that it was intended to be a depiction of a great dragon in flight. For the liaison officers of the Dragon Worshiping Clan, coming to this small town for five years is very dull work, and carving images of dragons is their best way to pass the time. After their term ends, they will usually enlist the help of a few friends from the clan, and transport their personally carved statues back to the Dragon Worship Autonomous Prefecture.

Catherine walked around the statue and stood by the door, knocking. Similar to the town leader’s description, there was no response from inside. However, Pannis sniffed near the door and muttered, "Someone should be in there, I can smell it."

"It looks like he’s not planning to answer us," Catherine unwrapped the woolen scarf from her face, grimacing, "Didn’t you say you had a way to make him answer? It’s your turn."

Pannis grinned mysteriously, pulling out a small box from his pocket. After opening it, there were several energy isolation arrays engraved on the inside of the box which held another box inside. As he pried open the first energy isolating box, Catherine couldn’t see what was contained within the second, but she felt a distinct sense, a sensation she had never felt before emitting from the tiny box, a sensation that instinctively felt exceptional.

Her perceptive ability was sharp, the energy released by the box was indeed special. So special that soon after the box was opened, there were sounds of movement from inside the house. Following the sound of footfall, getting closer, the door of the house unexpectedly creaked open. The house owner, who was also the liaison officer from the Dragon Worship Autonomous Prefecture, stood inside the door with an emotionless, silent expression on his face.

Upon opening the door, the liaison didn’t even glance at Catherine but only looked at Pannis who held the box. After studying it for some time, he gestured for them to follow him back into the house. Pannis gave Catherine a triumphant smile, ushering her into the liaison’s house.

It was only upon entering the house that Catherine realized she had been duped. From the outside, the house appeared to be made of wood, similar to the other buildings. However, upon entering, she discovered that the wooden exterior was merely a facade. Behind the wood panels, the entire structure was made of stone, with sturdy, thick walls that provided excellent insulation. She had scarcely been in the house for a minute before feeling warm all over, prompting her to take off her heavy coat, hat, and scarf.

Only after they seated did Catherine get a good look at the Dragon Worshipper Liaison. He was a burly man in his forties with shining, hairless scalp decorated with several dragon-shaped patterns. Although she couldn’t make out the exact details of the patterns, out of etiquette, Catherine decided against walking behind him for a better look.

The liaison’s right eye was unusual, possessing a dragon-like red vertical pupil. He likely inherited excellent eyesight similar to a dragon’s. He seemed to dislike talking, as he stared blankly at the box in Pannis’s hold for a while, serving his guests steaming hot water from a kettle by the fireplace before he resumed his silent stare.

Eventually, Catherine couldn’t hold back any longer and awkwardly said, "Hello, we are Nellie’s adventure team from the City of Knowledge. We want to establish contact with the Drakes. Therefore, we hope that after you transition your duties to the next liaison, you could take us to the Dragon Worship Autonomous Prefecture. Would you have any opposition to that?"

The liaison still ignored Catherine, only pointing suddenly at the box in Pannis’s hand without uttering a single word. Pannis shrugged and opened the second layer of the box. Catherine then saw a golden scale laying quietly in the box. The scale was beautiful, with a smooth, neat edge, a mirror-like surface, and a pure gold color, as beautiful as a gold coin. Catherine barely managed to suppress her urge to touch it. She reintroduced herself to the liaison, "Hello, my name is Catherine, and this is Pannis."

"Hel-lo," the liaison, whose voice was slow and raspy as if he rarely spoke the Common Tongue, said, "I am Mackervillain. Whose proof is this?"

"It’s for our adventure team," Pannis answered before Catherine could, "It belongs to all of us."

"Do you know what this is?" Mackervillain asked slowly, "Do you understand what it means?"

"Of course, it’s our item, so we know what it is," Pannis replied with a smile, "This scale doesn’t hold any intrinsic meaning, but it symbolizes friendship with the Dragons. Only those acknowledged by a specific Dragon and given its friendship can receive such a scale from its chest. In other words, those who possess this type of scale are friends recognized by the Dragon, and good friends at that. It serves as a testament to friendship. As for the owner of this scale, you should know."

"How strange, those two lords haven’t left the Dragon Mountain Range in a long time, how did you...ah, I see, you’re one of them," Mackervillain’s tone was perpetually slow, enunciating each syllable distinctly, but his mind was sharp. As soon as he understood the origin of the scale in Pannis’s hand, he nodded, "Since you are friends with that lord, you are friends to us Dragon Worshippers too. So... Catherine? What was it that you said earlier?"

"The thing is," Catherine breathed a sigh of relief, this was off to a promising start, "We want to establish contact with the Drakes. So we hope that, after you transition your duties to the next liaison, we can go together to the Dragon Worship Autonomous Prefecture. We’re not familiar with the roads in the Snowfield or the location of the Prefecture. Having you to guide us would save a lot of effort."

"I see," Mackervillain said, "Mulah has yet to depart, and should arrive here in about four days. Come find me then." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote, donate, or leave reviews on qidian.com. Your support is our greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)