Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 673 - 37 Girls’ Uneasiness_1

Chapter 673: Chapter 37 Girls’ Uneasiness_1

Time is a peculiar thing. When you have nothing to do, it drags on slowly, filled with monotony and ennui. But when something urgent comes up and you wish it to slow down, it relentlessly speeds up instead, like a teasing maiden stirring the tendrils of your heart. All you can do is watch its ethereal figure depart, powerless to grasp onto it.

Atop the snowcapped peak above Mina’s cave in the Dragon Mountain Range, the girls of the adventure team were experiencing just that. Mina had been away for more than ten hours now. According to her, she would return within a day at the most. However, the girls were agitated, wishing for her to return sooner. They could clearly see Vivian’s condition deteriorating with each passing hour. It wasn’t just her mana channel or her increasingly labored breath, her vision, hearing, and taste were all fading. No one was certain what Vivian would become even if Mina returned and the operation was successful before they could find a complete body restoration device. If this strong and proud mage was to truly lose all sensation and ability to move, even temporarily, it would be the greatest mental torment for her.

However, no matter how anxious the girls were, they couldn’t change the relentless march of time. Time ticked by, second by second. As they watched the sun rise majestically, traverse across the sky of the Yarran World, then gradually set. Vivian was lying on a freshly hewn stone reclining chair at the entrance of the cave, silently watching the gradually setting sun. Her gaze held a calm nostalgia, even she herself didn’t know whether she would have the chance to watch this scene again at the same time tomorrow, or even if the scene in front of her was the last sunset she would see in this lifetime.

The cold wind blew in from outside the cave, brushing against the face of the mage girl. Vivian, who was wrapped in thick clothing and blankets, wasn’t affected by the cool breeze but she insisted on keeping her face exposed to the elements, allowing the cold wind to redden her cheeks. In her heart, she cherished this feeling. The cold on her face made her aware that she was still alive, it was the only part of her that could still feel the external world. At this point, the girl could feel a slight numbness on her face. She didn’t know whether it was due to the bitter cold or the invasive illness, but it didn’t matter at this point. She could just wait patiently for the inevitable judgment of fate.

Lina sat beside Vivian on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest, a thin storybook open on her lap. The priestess girl didn’t dare to raise her head to look at Vivian’s face. She instead kept her eyes glued to the book, softly reading the story within to Vivian. The cold wind blew intermittently into the cave, whipping the girl’s silvery hair into the air. Only when the hair got in her way, Lina would quickly wipe away the tear marks at the corners of her eyes, then carry on reading as if nothing had happened.

Inside the cave, the other three girls were busily working. At Pannis’s request, Freya was modifying her mobile fortress. The semi-circular fortress was repeatedly reinforced, all the viewing windows were sealed except for one door and a ventilation hole at the top of the spherical dome to ensure a stable environment free from wind disruptions. In the center of the fortress was a bed made of metal components. The base of the bed was deeply embedded into the ground of the cave to ensure it didn’t wobble at all. Catherine and Ava were also inside the fortress. Before Mina had left, she had forced Bast to assist the girls in their work. Consequently, the poor Red Dragon had to carry Catherine, and they had undertaken a ten-hour round trip to the nearest city in the Snowfield. Spared no expenses, they had purchased hundreds of Light-attribute crystals each worth more than a thousand Taels. Now, both of them were crawling around inside the fortress, installing these crystals in designated positions. When needed, they could activate the crystals to illuminate the entire fortress for several hours, providing ample lighting conditions for later work.

Pannis wasn’t there, nor did he mention what he was going to do. Nevertheless, Catherine could keenly sense the energy fluctuations emitted by his Inherent Psychic Domain. They were constantly moving around the forests at the base of the mountain. The intermittent energy explosion indicated that he would engage in battle with some magical beasts every once in a while. Although she wasn’t sure why he was doing this, Catherine didn’t plan on asking either. She fully trusted Pannis’s degree of concern for Vivian; he wouldn’t resort to pointless actions at such a crucial time. Since he was doing it, there must be reasons that didn’t need explicit explanations.

Peace lingered over the Dragon Mountain Range. It wasn’t like how some artists fantasized it in their works, with Dragons soaring everywhere. Aside from Bast and Mina, the girls didn’t see any other Dragons. These lazy Dragons, oblivious to what was happening outside, were comfortably dozing off in their own nests. They didn’t care that a few humans had trespassed on their territory. They were less concerned that one of these short-lived creatures could be on the brink of extinction.

"Phew, it’s finally complete." Catherine installed the last crystal and seeing Ava with empty hands as well, signaled to Freya. The three girls left the metal fortress together. Upon reaching the entrance of the cave, they saw Lina and Vivian, cuddled up together on the stone reclining chair, emitting soft laughter.

"What’s so funny?" Catherine adjusted her mood secretly, putting on a smile and asked the two girls, "What are you chatting about?"

"We’re just reminiscing about when we first met." Vivian’s voice held no trace of abnormality, which slightly eased Catherine’s tense nerves. Vivian said with a hint of glee, "I remember once when you came to see me, you told me how you had picked up a silver-haired dummy. As soon as she entered the house, she hid in a closet. When you tried to get her out for a meal, she almost bit you hard. You thought you had accidentally picked up a puppy."

"You’re the puppy." Lina, out of habit, reached to pinch Vivian’s face, but her strength was as tender as if touching frangible canvas, "You think you were any better? You would just lie in bed and sleep every chance you got when you first came to live here. It was hard even to wake you up. Who would dare provoke you? What if they touched you and you just lay there, who would know whether you were just asleep or..."

"You two." Catherine shook her head and laughed, "Any chance you get, you start a fight. Then you cling to each other once it’s over. I can’t tell if you get along well or not. Hmmm, well, it doesn’t really matter. You’re both just blockheads."

"You all are... very strange." Ava, who had been standing aside all this time, looked expressionless, no hint of her thoughts visible, her mechanical tone devoid of any emotional fluctuations. "I can’t understand the state you’re in right now. It’s obvious that each of you wants to cry, yet you all put on these forced smiles. It looks so fake, so fake. I don’t know what’s going through your minds. It’s not like you at all."

"I couldn’t say something as annoying as that, even though I probably feel the same." As Freya patted Ava’s head and turned to face the wall, she left her broad back to the others and surreptitiously wiped her face, hiding her expression. "Isn’t it a little early to assume the worst, dont you think?" She says, her voice sounding calm.

"Exactly." Vivian angrily added, "I’m not ready to die this early. You all promised me so many things that haven’t been fulfilled yet. I’m not going to let you off the hook that easily. Just wait and see how I’ll pester you all later."

"That’s easier said than done." Lina’s smile froze on her face as she abruptly threw her arms around the young mage’s neck and buried her face in her blue hair, sobbing softly. "Pannis said this strategy was our last resort—an option with such a low success rate he didn’t dare tell us. How could we not be worried?"

Catherine lifted her head, blinking hard, before walking up behind the two girls. She placed a hand on each of their shoulders, trying to comfort them. "Don’t think too much. It’s pointless to discuss our chances of success now. Let’s just do our best, together."

"That’s what I mean, Lina. You and Catherine are both so dense, especially you, Lina." Vivian tugged hard at Lina’s hair, pointing at the priestess’s pale cheek, "You probably forgot, huh? Back in Icebound Town, after you finished treating Betty, do you remember what advice you gave her?"

"Icebound Town?" Lina was confused and didn’t even try to free her hair from Vivian’s grip. "What did I say?"

"Oh, you are so forgetful." Vivian eyed her annoyedly. "You said, ’Prepare for the worst ahead of time, and then be pleasantly surprised if things turn out well. That’s the best approach. If keep your hopes up and end up failing, then the psychological blow would be the most devastating.’ You used this approach on someone not too long ago, but you don’t even remember when it concerns yourself. I can hardly believe you’re not an idiot."

"Hmm, I did say that." Lina scratched her head. "Maybe you’re right."

"Whether I’m right or not doesn’t matter. There’s only one path we can take now." Vivian added nonchalantly. "Instead of worrying and being down, why not look on the bright side and hold onto hope? Don’t you agree, Catherine?"

"I guess it’s my turn to be schooled by you." Catherine sighed after a long silence, resting her hand on Vivian’s head, "You’re right. Let’s believe in Pannis. He has never let us down before, and hopefully this time will be no different."

"Then look forward with high hopes for my recovery." Vivian raised her thumb. "In the future, we six are going to adventure together again."

"Yes, let’s look forward to it together," Catherine nodded heavily, her gaze shifting towards the increasingly dim cave entrance. The clear cry of a dragon echoed from afar, followed by the sound of beating wings - slowly, but surely, drawing closer to the entrance of the cave. (To be continued... If you enjoy this story, please visit qidian.com to vote and support. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)