Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 651 - 15 Pannis’s Question_1

Chapter 651: Chapter 15 Pannis’s Question_1

"Dong, dong, dong," the somber bell tolled in the sky above the small town. In a town of a few hundred people, every citizen’s life, old age, illness, and death were events that shook the whole town. Whenever a citizen passed away, the mournful tolling of the bell would echo in every corner of the town. Everyone would spontaneously come to the square, offering their final blessings to the deceased. Especially in instances like this, where two young children had tragically perished in the Snowfield, an elderly father had lost his sole emotional support. It had been a long time since such an event had happened in the small town. The townsfolk gathered in the square, silent, unsure how to console the grieving father.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry." The young Chester knelt on the ground, one arm wrapped around Neil’s stiff body, and the other clasping his frozen thigh. He wept bitterly, "I was foolish. I shouldn’t have hidden it from you. If I had told Uncle Dak earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. I owe you all, sobbing, sorry Uncle Dak, sobbing."

The townspeople congregated in the square in small groups, gesturing at the scene before them. Everyone realized that one really couldn’t blame Chester for this. After all, he was a young man too; his thinking could not be as comprehensive as adults. His judgment being clouded by emotions was commonplace. Whether he had hidden the truth wouldn’t have changed anything. The two were determined to leave; if they were hindered temporarily, they would seize another opportunity to run away. It could only be said that the young couple had horrendous luck. They had encountered a famished, savage beast on their way. Ordinarily, the roads between towns were safe, with magical beasts hardly ever appearing. But due to the continuous ten-day blizzard, the ravenous magical beasts were nearly crazy, attacking humans on the main roads.

Old Dak sat next to the corpses in a daze, staring fixedly at his daughter’s mutilated body, his eyes wide open and unblinking. No one knew what he was thinking. But from the vacant look in his eyes, everyone had guessed his outcome. An elderly man who had lost his sole emotional support, a father who had lost his most cherished daughter, what could the ultimate outcome be? Perhaps, a lonely death would be his best end.

"No, Uncle Dak." Chester suddenly thought of something. Crawling on his knees to the stupefied old man, he hugged the old man’s legs, his face pressed to the old man’s knees, crying loud, "Uncle, I owe Betty, I owe you, sobbing, don’t be sad, I will treat you as Betty did, I will treat you as my father. I will take care of you in your old age, sobbing, I will make up for my mistakes with all I have."

"Ah." Old Dak heaved a deep sigh, tears filling the corners of his wrinkled eyes. The old man raised his trembling hands and patted Chester’s head, saying, "It is not your fault, child. You can’t be blamed for this. You are a good boy who wished them well. Ah, if there’s anyone to blame, it’s their rotten luck. Child, you shouldn’t be like this. If you keep grieving, the souls of Betty and Neil won’t be able to rest."

"But, but I feel guilty." Chester flung himself on Old Dak’s legs like a child and wailed, "Little sister Betty, little sister Betty, sobbing, I didn’t want her to die, sobbing..."

Old Dak finally lost control of his emotions, he rose and hugged Chester. Streams of tear rolled down from his aged face. Silent tears pierced through more than cried-out grievances. On one side of the square, Freya’s handkerchief was soaked, she wiped her tear-streaked face and choked out, "So pitiful, sobbing, children in love, seeking happiness from the outside world, but their delicate lives...oh."

In such a situation, Vivian also unusually roused from her trance, leaning on her magic staff with a solemn expression, blessing the deceased from her heart, forcefully stopping the tearful Freya from voicing her heart-wrenching feelings. Pannis suddenly coughed once, softly saying, "There is a task that requires your attention soon."

"What?" The girls were startled, looking at Pannis in surprise, "You found something else, didn’t you, tell us, what task do we need to carry out? How many can complete it?"

"To be safe, Lina, come with me." Pannis earnestly said, "You four should complete the task. Oh, Mackervillain, I need to bother you as well. The greater your fighting power, the better. If it wasn’t necessary for me to be there, I would wish to accompany all of you."

"I don’t mind helping." Mackervillain slowly said, "But where do you want us to go?"

"Come here, let me tell you." Pannis beckoned them over and they huddled next to him. In a low voice, he explained for a whole five minutes. The expressions on their faces changed. Even the usually indifferent Mackervillain was surprised. Catherine’s lips moved for a while before she said incredulously. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course, it’s true; I am more than eighty percent sure," Pannis whispered, "Didn’t you also have a similar idea earlier?"

"But I..." Catherine bit her lip, contemplated for a while, then nodded, "Alright, if you say so. We’ll do as you said. We don’t need to do anything else?"

"Find him and then send him back to where he belongs." Pannis snorted, "Just leave this side to us. Don’t worry; we’ll have everything under control. We’ll wait for you to arrive in due time. If we’re lucky, hehe."

The blessing ceremony for the deceased ended amidst Dak and Chester’s wails. The villagers gradually dispersed, wiping their tears. Chester assisted Old Dak as they slowly headed towards Old Dak’s home. In the square, only the mayor was left, still commanding a few young villagers to prepare coffins for the deceased and plan for the burial. Pannis pulled the mayor aside with Lina and murmured something in low tones, causing the mayor’s face to contort drastically. He nearly lost control of his volume, "Are you for real?"

Pannis nodded and discreetly handed the mayor an object. The mayor inspected it and gave it back to Pannis, gritting his teeth, "I see, but... how is this possible?"

"We’ll find out in a bit." Pannis shrugged, "Some things happen beyond our expectations."

"Alright." The mayor clenched his fist with a strange look on his face and whispered, "Shall we catch up with them first?"

The mayor hurried a few steps to join the two who had left not long ago, old Dak and young Chester. He whispered something to them. Chester paused hesitantly and looked at Old Dak for confirmation, and only after Old Dak’s nod of approval did he agree to the mayor’s suggestion. The two then changed their original route and headed towards Chester’s house.

Chester’s house was on the edge of the main road in the town. It has two floors with five rooms on the first floor. Besides the living room and the kitchen, there’s a trophy room, a room for storing furs, and one room for storing and maintaining weapons, traps, and various kinds of arrows. The upstairs consisted of two bedrooms and a room which had been converted into a prayer room. Chester’s deceased parents had been devout followers of the Snow Goddess. Chester himself, in his generation, might not be as devout as his parents, but he kept the prayer room intact.

Upon entering Chester’s house, Mayor seemed to have nothing urgent to deal with, chatting casually with Old Dak and Chester. Meanwhile, Pannis and Lina wandered aimlessly around the living room. After a few rounds, Pannis flashed a mysterious smile at Lina, who was looking impatient with a book in hand, but on seeing Pannis’s smile, she scoffed in return with a cold face, followed in silence behind Pannis, her head lowered.

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Chester, Mr. Dak." Pannis returned to the mayor’s side, addressing Chester, "Even though we promised to bring Betty and Neil back, we were incapable and too late to save them. I feel terribly sorry for letting you down."

Old Dak was puzzled why the mayor wanted them to gather at Chester’s house first. The mayor had previously mentioned that there was some crucial information concerning Betty and Neil he wanted to communicate in private, and that’s why they were at Chester’s house.

"It’s not your fault." Old Dak sat down on the chair, covering his face with a hand. He sighed heavily, "We went searching together. Without you, we might not have found even their bodies. There is no need for you to apologize. If anything, we should be grateful to you."

"Indeed." Chester, with bloodshot eyes, bowed deeply towards Lina and Pannis, "Thank you for bringing back Neil and Betty’s remains. It allows us to have a chance to give them a proper burial."

"There is no need to say thanks just yet." Pannis had a smile on his face that seemed a bit untimely, squinting his eyes, "And it’s too early to mention remains. After all, we did not find Betty’s main body, so we cannot say for sure that she is dead."

"No, you guys are not from the Snowfield. You probably don’t understand." Chester spoke in agreement with Old Dak, "In this type of weather, if you lose a leg, it’s nearly impossible to survive in the Snowfield."

"Indeed, I agree, survival in Snowfield is really tough. But what if she wasn’t in the Snowfield?" Pannis kept his mysterious smile and squinting gaze, "Mr. Chester, I have a small question to ask you. Your relationship with Neil and Betty must be very close, like family, right?"

"Of course," Chester answered. "Closer than family."

"Then could you tell me..." Pannis’ smile faded gradually, "Why would a girl who just decided to choose you suddenly elope with your love rival?" (To be continued. If you like this story, welcome to recommend and vote at qidian.com (URL of the platform in Chinese). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can read at m.qidian.com.)