Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 677 - 41 The Girl Under the White Cloth_1

Chapter 677: Chapter 41 The Girl Under the White Cloth_1

"Clack, clack, clack," the sound of battle boots hitting the rocky ground echoed unceasingly in the cave, originating from its entrance. Catherine didn’t linger at the closed gate of the metal fortress; instead, she found refuge at the cave’s mouth. Even with the firm resolve of a female knight, she found it hard to bear the mental stress of waiting at the gate, constantly bracing herself for bad news. Thus, she hid further away where she paced restlessly back and forth.

Freya didn’t disturb the young knightess. At this point, no matter how much anyone tried to console, it held no meaning. Only when the final result was right before her eyes, could Catherine regain her calm. Hence, Freya merely sat down in front of the fortress. Ava followed suit; she quietly sat, gazing at the metal fortress, her fingers unconsciously poking and prodding her round stomach. As for the dragon Mina, she had already returned to her exclusive platform deep within her cave, reverting back to her original dragon form. Closing her eyes, she fell back to sleep. The Elven Royal Court was a good four thousand kilometers from the Dragon Mountain Range. A round trip of over ten hours - flying more than 8000 kilometers - was laborious, even for the mighty dragon. Henceforth, the even, heavy breathing of the dragon soon resonated within the cave.

"What are you thinking about?" Freya, leaning against the wall, lightly stroked Ava’s silky, smooth hair, and asked softly, "You’ve been staring blankly for a while now. Is something on your mind?"

"I’m running a self-check," Ava paused, then looking up at Freya, she said, "Checking for any special errors."

"But you’re not a control center anymore," Freya chuckled, "You could only run a self-check when you were the control center. Now that you have a human body, can you still conduct it?"

"On a mental level. I can’t explain this to you," Ava thought for a moment, then shook her head, "You humans from the Fourth Epoch have a different understanding of souls than us, it’s impossible for me to explain. But to sum it up, I’m running a mental check because lately, I feel like something is off about my mentality."

"Somethings off?" Freya stared blankly, turning Ava’s face towards her and stared at it for a long while. She then asked, puzzled, "I don’t see anything wrong. Do you feel unwell? If you’re feeling uncomfortable, why didn’t you tell the elder sisters? They would definitely help you."

"It is not a physical discomfort. What I mean by ’off’ also pertains to a mental level." Ava, usually devoid of any expressions, wore a puzzled look on her small face as she agonizingly said, "Recently, I’ve been experiencing inexplicable emotional fluctuations, something that’s never happened in the past ten thousand years. For example, right now, I’m filled with an indescribable sense of panic like I’ve encountered something dangerous. There is a feeling that seems to be anxiety. Then, when we were at Icebound Town a few days ago, on several occasions, I felt an impulsive desire to attack. I can’t find any reason for these strange emotional fluctuations. Logically speaking, they shouldn’t be happening. So, I must conduct a self-check to pinpoint the issue, for easier debugging in the future and ensure a longer lifespan."

"I see, so that’s it." Freya chuckled lightly, pinching Ava’s stiff, doll-like face. "I’m afraid you won’t find anything through your self-check. This isn’t you malfunctioning at all."

"Do you also understand this field of knowledge?" Ava inquired, "If it isn’t a malfunction, why am I feeling this way?"

"Those are raw, unique human emotions," Freya smiled, "We cry, we laugh, we express joy and anger, sadness and happiness. You’re living with us because you wish to learn these, right? Ironically, these don’t need to be learned. Once you get used to the existence of your own body, you naturally start experiencing these emotions. Like your current feeling of panic and unease... why is it? It’s because deep down, you’re anxious about Vivian’s treatment results. You find it illogical and feel you shouldn’t worry about someone theoretically unrelated to you. Regrettably, this is a unique aspect of life. We worry about friends, feel angry about a stranger’s misfortune, delight at the blossom of a flower because that is the manifestation of life’s beauty. Um... good thing Vivian is in there getting treated. I’m so lucky. I thought I was going to get scolded."

"Perhaps you’re right," Ava said, bemused, "Though I don’t quite understand. However, my self-check revealed no issues, maybe it’s for the reasons you said. Should I consider this a good thing?"

"Of course, it’s a good thing," Freya lightly ruffled Ava’s hair, "You’re no longer machinery, but pure, sentient life. If you continue thinking like a machine, that’s what’s abnormal. The fact that you’re experiencing this change means you’re becoming increasingly more human. Isn’t this what you aimed for? How can this not be a good thing?"

"Alright, if you say so, I feel more at ease." Ava remained expressionless, but her body slumped considerably. She asked earnestly, "So, my fervent hope for Vivian to come out unscathed, is that normal too?"

"Of course. It couldn’t be more normal," Freya nodded, "This shows that you regard her as a good friend. That’s why you’re worried for her. However, rest easy. She will come out safe. I have faith in Pannis’s abilities as well as Vivian’s resolve. When the two are combined, there’s no way Vivian will die here."

"I believe so too." At some point, Catherine, her face stern, had already returned from the entrance of the cave. She stated affirmatively, "Vivian will not meet with an accident. I shouldn’t be this panicked. So, I’ll wait for her to come out right here."

"Have you decided?" Freya asked her, "Have you decided to face reality?"

"Yes, I am a knight." Catherine nodded, "A knight never retreats, whether in the face of challenges or pain, I will never back down. So, I’ve decided to stand here, no matter what the outcome, I will confront it head-on."

"Then, let’s look forward to it together, hoping that they, like us, believe that they will come out safe and sound, not one less." After Freya finished speaking, she fell silent. The three girls didn’t say a word, quietly letting the time pass by, waiting for the outcome.

"Eek", the tightly closed fortress gate slowly opened inwards, attracting everyone’s gaze. The face of each girl outside was a little off, staring intently at the fortress gate. The first to appear in the girl’s view was the noble Elf Queen. The Lifespring Ring was once again placed on the queen’s head. Flare walked out of the fortress without an ounce of expression, deeply looked at the three girls, gave a soft sigh, and without a word, walked towards the cave.

For an instant, the three girls felt a clenching in their hearts, as if their vision was blurring. Following Flare, Lina walked out with her head lowered. The priestess’s hair hung down, covering her face, hiding her facial expression. Lina didn’t walk out on her own, her arms were holding Vivian’s body, white cloth was draped over the mage, only the occasional blue short ponytail appearing from beneath the white cloth, proving the girl’s identity. Below the white cloth, Vivian’s body did not move, there were no signs of breathing, she looked like a real doll.

Pannis followed behind Lina, his face somewhat lost, his expression confused and anxious, his eyes filled with deep confusion, as if he still couldn’t believe what had happened. The dazed Pannis didn’t react to the outside world at all, he even didn’t feel it when his shoulder bumped into the fortress wall as he stepped outside.

Three people, no, four people, came out one after another, with each step making the air more oppressive.

"How foolish." But surprisingly, Freya was still sitting against the wall, poking Ava’s face with her finger, whispering, "Don’t you ever learn to be as foolish as those three idiots, they’re unbelievably stupid."

Catherine also curled her lip, walked over, and feigned a kick in Lina’s direction, rolling her eyes, "Get up already, what’re you trying to do hiding under that white cloth, who do you think you’re going to fool, you three idiots."

"Haha, I told you, you can’t deceive big sister." The white cloth suddenly lifted, and Vivian jumped out of Lina’s embrace, hands on her hips standing in front of Catherine, laughing and saying, "Big sister, I’m back, hahaha."

Catherine’s lips trembled as she seriously appraised Vivian, who seemed absolutely fine. She hugged the young mage, after a few seconds, she suddenly started to slap her on the backside, and said angrily, "Pretending, I knew you were pretending. I could guess it was your idea, nobody else would do something this stupid, I’ll kill you."

"Oy oy, big sister, you’re gonna cause a scene." Despite not being able to feel Catherine’s thwacking because her body still had no sensation, Vivian pretended to be under attack, laughing and said, "Really, how did you two guess it so quickly?"

"Do you think we’re as dumb as you?" Freya rolled her eyes and said, "If something had really happened to you, Lina and Pannis would never have had the heart to carry you out and shock Catherine. They would have given Catherine some time to process it. Since you were brought out directly, obviously everything went smoothly. If we couldn’t even figure out this simple thing, we have been befriending you for so many years for nothing."

"Oh, I see where I messed up." Vivian seemed excited too, and she couldn’t stop talking, "I’ll keep that in mind next time, hehe."

With the small scheme exposed, the other three no longer acted. Lina lifted her head, no longer holding in her laughter till she shook. Pannis also recovered from his confusion and shock, speaking softly, "Actually, it wasn’t all smooth. We narrowly missed. We were so close to disaster, really just a whisker, Vivian was almost in danger." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to recommend and cast your monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com to read.)