Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 647 - 11 Unique Ways of Finding Clues_1

Chapter 647: Chapter 11 Unique Ways of Finding Clues_1

"Sorry, everyone." The village chief left to deliver the good news to Dak and his team. After he left, Catherine laughed awkwardly and said, "I have a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right about this. I want to go check it out, but I promise, I’ll make sure to keep it within the time we agreed on. If it goes beyond that, I’ll abandon the search and prioritize our own business."

"Yeah, yeah, sister, no need for explanations," Lina said casually, reverting back to her normal self as soon as the chief left. "It would be abnormal if you didn’t poke your nose in such matters. We’re all used to it. We were all prepared for it when we were listening to the story. It was bound to end this way, so don’t apologize. Just get on with the important stuff. Pack up our travel essentials, put on your heavy outdoor clothing, don’t let whoever’s coming to pick us up find us not ready."

"No, you should all stay," Catherine shook her head. "This time, Pannis and I will go alone. There’s no use having more people and we’re not going to fight anyway. We’re told there are only three sleds, and there won’t be enough room if all of us go. You’re all Caster Professionals, so to prevent any abnormal functioning due to fatigue in the case of an emergency situation, get some rest. So, it’s best if only the two of us go this time."

"Huh?" Lina gave Catherine a strange look and sulkily said, "Fine, just go. We four will stay here and watch the house. It will save you from complaining that we’re in the way, hehe."

"I also want to go," Ava suddenly jumped up from her chair, speaking with a straight face. "These human emotional entanglements are unique. Data analysis can’t comprehend them. I need to observe and document them in detail, so I’m going too"

"If you also leave, our close combat power here would..." Catherine hesitated for a moment, then mockingly patted her head and laughed bitterly. "Everyone is now a Legendary Professional and I’m still not used to this conception. Alright, if you want to join, let’s see if there are enough seats. If so, you can come along. But I guess the emotional entanglement you want to witness won’t likely be seen. We may see other disputes though. I hope we don’t witness anything unpleasant."

"Let’s go, since we genuinely want to help, let’s first get some preparation done." Pannis got up, took his coat off the hanger and put it on. "Let’s first go to Neil’s house and gather some basic information."

"Could we find any clues at his house?" Catherine and Ava also got up. As Catherine was helping Ava put on her coat, she asked, "Even if there were any clues in his house, wouldn’t they have been ruined by the townsfolk’s frequent visits?"

"At least we could find his frequently used items." Pannis said, "Being able to smell what did, that’s also good."

The girls all glanced at Pannis simultaneously. Freya said with shock, "Are you a dog? You’re finding clues by smelling?"

"You get used to it. When we were adventuring together in the past, we found his nose to be more sensitive than a dog’s!" Catherine said, "Never thought that he would admit it so openly this time. Do you mean that after you smell it, we can hold you on a leash and you can guide us? But didn’t you forget something? There should be many dogs accompanying us this time. We do not need you to smell it."

"Hey, you’ve used the word ’leash’ wrong," Pannis protested discontentedly. "Although there will be many sled dogs, those are just regular dogs without specialized training. They might not be that accurate in distinguishing smells, and there could be omissions. Hence, I mentioned that I might sniff around, an extra layer of insurance is good. You probably don’t know this, but in the Elven Forest, the top hunters there have a sense of smell even sharper than dogs’. No matter how complicated the environment, they won’t miss any trace left within a day. Those guys do find clues by smelling. Let’s leave. You guys take care of the house. If representatives from the Dragon Clan come looking for us, just ask them to wait a little while. But I guess it won’t be required; we should be able to return by tomorrow at the latest."

The trio left the courtyard to find that most of the snow on the street had been cleared, and what remained was just enough to cover the feet, not hindering normal walking. Walking on the street, the air after the snowfall was uniquely fresh in the cold. Taking a deep breath, the refreshing air followed the nasal passage all the way into the lungs, the cold stimulating the brain, making one extremely awake. As they stepped on the road, rhythmic, crunching sounds from the snow under their feet made Ava extremely curious. Though her face remained calm, upon closer inspection one could see that although her speed remained steady, each step was reduced by at least half, and her pace doubled, making the crunching sounds even more frequent.

"Is it fun?" Pannis asked teasingly, "You’ve never truly experienced this before, have you?"

"The structure of snow is strange," Ava predictably, once again, ignored Pannis and changed the topic--a strange thing she only did with him. "Its elemental state is somewhere between water and ice, like an incomplete ice element, but its internal structure is a lot fluffier. I’m curious as to how such a form occurs naturally."

"You, rascal." Pannis said with an exasperated sigh, ruffling Ava’s silky golden hair as if taking out his frustrations. Ava quickly dodged Pannis’ harassing hand, brushing down her disheveled hair with a stoic expression, restoring it to its original neat state.

There were plenty of people on the streets, most of whom recognized the trio who used to be with the silver-haired priest, so after asking around, they easily located Neil’s house. After waiting at the doorstep for just a few minutes, the town mayor received the message they had delegated to passersby and hurried over. The town’s security was exceptional, and residents tended not to lock their doors. Witnessed by the mayor, the three pushed open Neil’s door and entered the house.

"It seems you guys don’t have a habit of locking doors," Pannis scrutinized the area and asked, "Even when people leave town, they don’t lock the doors? What if a wild animal runs in to escape the cold?"

"Uh, when people leave, doors are generally locked. But sometimes we might forget," the mayor explained, "As for this door, it must have been Old Dak who opened it while looking for his daughter. Old Dak treats Neil like a son, so he has a key to Neil’s house."

"Oh, I see." Pannis nodded without passing any remark and leisurely strolled around the house with his hands behind his back. It was a small house with only a living room, a kitchen, a narrow bathroom, and a storage room on the first floor and two bedrooms upstairs. Pannis silently toured every room. Each room was immaculate, and every object was neatly placed—a clear indication that the homeowner was meticulous. After riffling through the items in the rooms and smelling some knick-knacks, Pannis returned to the living room. He inhaled deeply, seemingly trying to remember the scent of the place. The mayor, completely confused with Pannis’s actions, blankly watched until Pannis gave him a nod. "So, have you finished checking?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yes, I’m done." Pannis wore an odd expression as he told the mayor, "Could you take me to Chester’s house? I have some questions for him."

The mayor looked stunned, then asked in a low voice, "Are you implying that little Chester is also involved in this?"

"Hard to say." Pannis shook his head, "But don’t you find it curious? If I remember correctly, you mentioned that the kids who go north for experience usually return to town after a few years no matter what."

"Yes, yes, yes," the mayor agreed, recalling his words. "I did mention it."

"From the arrangement of the room, it appears Neil was ready for a long journey. Everything was tidied up." Pannis pointed at the furniture in the room, "If the owner had carefully packed up everything, why would he forget to lock the door? As for your guess about Old Dak opening this door, it’s even more unlikely. Old Dak was in such a hurry that he didn’t even thoroughly check his daughter’s room before running out to find her. Would he even have the time to carry Neil’s key? Also, I checked the lock, and during the recent snowstorm, there are no signs of the door being locked from outside. So, he must’ve left without locking the door. This contradicts our earlier assumptions, doesn’t it?"

"So, you think Chester might know something about this?" asked the mayor, tentatively. "Or perhaps when Neil left, he entrusted his house to Chester?"

"They both have a pretty good relationship, right?" Pannis asked, "If Neil was leaving, would it be strange for him to entrust Chester? Besides, another reason for my suspicion is the two chairs in this room. The townspeople who came in earlier obviously didn’t want to rest here, so two distinct scents linger on these chairs. One belongs to the homeowner, and the other, certainly not Betty or any other female, is a stranger’s. More importantly, the time frame for these two scents is too close. It’s highly possible that this stranger left the room with the homeowner."

"Indeed, they have known each other since they were children and, having lost their parents around the same time, have grown amazingly close, just like real brothers," recalled the mayor. "Now that you mention it, it does seem possible. Damn Chester! Did he really hide the truth for those two kids? If so, I must give him a good thrashing in memory of his deceased parents."

"I doubt his parents would appreciate you taking that action on their behalf," Catherine commented with a joking tone, though her expression showed some seriousness and doubt. "Let’s ask Chester first. I believe he will provide us with the answers." (To be continued. If you like this story, please recommend and vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. If you are reading on your mobile, please visit m.qidian.com.)