Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 674 - 38 Vivian’s Question_1

Chapter 674: Chapter 38 Vivian’s Question_1

"Where’s Kyle?" The dragon had just landed in the cave and before coming to a stop, a slender figure jumped off its back. "He was in such a hurry to call me here, why did he run off?"

"He’s on his way back." Catherine pointed to the forest at the foot of the nest hill outside. "There must be something important at hand."

"Oh, he’s almost back." The elf who had jumped off the dragon’s back suddenly froze her movements, and then glanced at Catherine with deep meaning. An elegant smile crossed her noble face, and in a soft, tender voice, she said, "You clever girl, you must be the Catherine Pannis always talks about. No wonder, you two have such similar temperament..."

"Yes, I am Catherine, the knight of the City of Knowledge." The knight girl felt a wave of confusion in her heart. Facing the teammates of her idol and former hero was overwhelming enough, but ever since she gained some clarity, she found herself able to face these heroes directly and calmly. Catherine gave a formal knight’s salute to the legendary figure who appeared before her. Wearing a pale green floor-length dress, sandals braided with emerald green leaves, and a brilliantly woven crown of a hundred fresh flowers atop her head, she stood gracefully in the cave. Beneath her feet, the grass ignored the temperature of the soil and sprouted through the rock to support her light body. Catherine saluted and said quietly, "Your Majesty Flare, I’m very grateful for your assistance in our healing. We’ll always remember your kindness and never forget it."

"No need for such formalities." Flare replied with a smile befitting a queen—which, of course, she was. "Since it’s Pannis’s request, no matter how tough, I’ll do my best to fulfill it. Besides, it’s just a visit to Mina’s home. Also, Pannis’s new friends are my friends too. Isn’t it quite normal for friends to help one another? No need to keep that always in mind."

"You all are back?" A figure appeared at the entrance of the cave, it was Pannis, emanating a thick smell of blood. The girls looked up to see him, his thick coat spotted with blood, even his face and hair were soaked in it. His eyes flickered with unshed signs of gloom and ferocity. He nodded at the girls, then walked over to the Elf Queen. "Thank you, Your Majesty. We need to borrow your Lifespring Ring this time."

"I thought you invited me for the Life Sharing Ceremony." Flare’s eyes sparkled, seemingly pleased at the thought, she said with a smile, "I was surprised, I recall telling you in secret that...Oops, I shouldn’t say this."

"Let’s not get into that now. Your Majesty, please follow me." As Pannis gestured towards the metal fortress in the cave, he added, "Lina and Vivian, you two come along as well. Lady Mina, you and the others will wait outside, let’s keep the number of people inside the fortress minimal."

"This time, you owe me a favor." Flare suddenly blinked mysteriously and said softly, "Do you want to keep calling me ’Your Majesty’? Or would you like to change that, even temporarily?"

"Ah, alright." Pannis showed signs of annoyance at still discussing her title at such a time. Rubbing his forehead, he said, "Miss Flare, could you please help us?"

"That’s better." The corners of Flare’s mouth curled into a smile, her dainty nose wrinkled adorably as she turned her back and took Vivian’s frail hand, "Let’s go, we’ve met before, remember, little girl?"

"Yes, I remember." Vivian nodded, "Seven or eight years ago. Chairman Antuin took me to the Elven Royal Court, where I paid homage to Your Majesty. At that time, you also examined me, but the cause of the illness could not be identified."

"Yes, that time." Flare patted the brim of the young mage’s soft hat, "Who’d have thought we’d meet again? And who’d think that in just a few short years, you, dragging along your sick body, would succeed in advancing to Legendary Rank. I believe that with the cure to your illness, there will likely be a place for you among the demigods."

"Come in, all of you." Pannis ushered everyone into the metal fortress. Before closing the door, he exchanged a reassuring glance with the three girls outside. Nodding his head with conviction, he affirmed, "Don’t worry. Once I take her in, I’ll do everything in my power to bring her out safe and sound. No more tears for her."

Hearing Pannis’s promise, Catherine’s strained heart relaxed. Her body softened, and even with Freya’s support, she sagged to the ground. Burying her face in her knees, she resembled a girl who had cast off her shell of resilience, whimpering and shaking. Freya sat down beside her, threw an arm around her shoulder, and sighed while remaining silent. Ava, however, merely stood to the side, silently observing everything.

"Are you nervous?" Inside the fortress, Vivian lay on the metal platform, a white silk cloth covering her withered torso. Flare and Lina stood to one side. Gone was Flare’s usual playful demeanor. As a creation of the forest and the Life Deity System, she wouldn’t treat the preservation of life with frivolity. Lina leaned on the edge of the platform as if she might fall without the support. Her usually fair skin was even paler, and her pink lips were subtly trembling, along with her hands. Pannis stood on the other side of the platform, a faint smile on his face. He stroked the mage girl’s short ponytail and whispered, "If you’re feeling nervous, it’s okay to admit it."

"Why would I be nervous? Sure, I know what you’re about to do is extremely risky and you’re actually uncertain. You just did some experimenting with those innocent magical beasts, right? But I’m not nervous at all." Vivian turned her head to look at the approaching Pannis, gently smoothed his furrowed brow, and laughed like a child. "I’ve entrusted my life to you, so I have nothing to be nervous about. If anything, you’d be the one who’s on pins and needles. But it’s okay. We have Flare’s Lifespring Ring. As long as I don’t die outright, I can hang in there. With Lina’s healing magic, even if the operation fails, I won’t die, will I?"

"Indeed, you won’t die, as long as the Lifespring Ring is in place." Flare tossed Vivian’s hat aside, removed the spectacular crown from her head and placed it solemnly on Vivian’s. Her hands hovered on either side of the crown, chanting a prayer in silence.

"So you see, I’ll be fine." Vivian shook her head, curiously savoring the strange sensation of the Lifespring Ring. "Don’t worry about me. I really won’t get nervous. You can begin whenever you’re ready. By the way, do I need to do anything?"

"Sigh." Pannis let out a breath and patted Vivian’s head. "Thank you for being so strong. You don’t need to do anything. Just withdraw all puppet control and take a good rest with your eyes closed. When you wake up, the deteriorating condition threatening your life will be completely gone, even if the disease isn’t fully cured."

"Alright, I’ll do as you say." Obediently, Vivian closed her eyes and relaxed her entire body. However, before dropping the puppet control entirely, she asked, "Can I ask you a question, Pannis?"

"Of course." Pannis looked startled and nodded. "What do you want to ask?"

"After curing my illness, you’re going to leave, aren’t you?" Vivian murmured with her eyes closed, like sleep talking. "A lot of things that might lead to conjectures you’re no longer hiding. This means you’re preparing to leave us all. Don’t lie to me. You know my capabilities. You can’t deceive me."

"Phew." Pannis’ wrist flickered. He drew a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice steady. "Maybe, after all, knowing or not knowing certain things can cause significant changes between people. It’s the inevitable result of all developments. It can’t simply be resolved by saying whether one will leave or not."

"I don’t understand anything so serious." Vivian opened her eyes. Her big blue eyes gazing up into Pannis’, she gently asked, "Can you not leave? Regardless of what’s to know or not to know, no matter what happens, we don’t want you to leave. We’ve grown accustomed to having you by our side, to being able to see your shadow ahead every time we turn around. None of us want to go back to life without you. It’d be very painful for us if you leave like this. So, please, can you stay? That’s everyone’s wish. Lina feels the same, don’t you, Lina?"

"What?" Lina was taken aback. She stood up straight, her arms crossed. "I didn’t think that way at all. But since you’ve said it, I’ll reluctantly go along with it."

"See, she feels the same way." Vivian disregarded Lina’s awkward response. "Please stay, don’t leave. Can you bear to see our eldest sister suffer? To leave Freya with no one to express her love to? To abandon Ava, who clings to you? Can you bear to return home and tell Annie and Little Deer that their brother Pannis will never come back? None of us wants to lose you, so please stay. Let everything be as it was before, okay?"

Pannis stood in a daze by Vivian’s side. After a long pause under Flare’s peculiar gaze, he suddenly gave a wry smile, let out a sigh and said, "Let’s talk about this later."

Though Pannis’ words appeared evasive, Vivian seemed to have found her answer. Smiling, she closed her eyes and relinquished all control of her body.(To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, show your support on qidian.com by recommending or voting for it. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read more.)