Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 681 - 45 The Queen’s Farewell Words_1

Chapter 681: Chapter 45 The Queen’s Farewell Words_1

The thousands of kilometers high in the sky, the golden dragon spread its wings and flew, just as it did a hundred years ago when it left for the Sighing Desert. The chilling wind assaulted them head-on, ever-changing white clouds tumbling beneath their feet. Looking through a gap in the clouds, everything down below has become a different view in their line of sight. Viewed from high above, the villages and roads are absent, huge expanses of farmland reducing to tiny spots of color. The forests and hills have become inconspicuous signs on a map. The magical beast forest covered in snow has disappeared from view. At the edge of the snowfield, the ground’s color was gradually changing. The land that holds everything has shed its white coat, revealing its original yellow-brown skin which is occasionally embellished by a dark green, a rare sight in winter.

High-speed flight in the sky differs significantly from galloping on the ground. When galloping on land, everything around retreats at a rapid pace, and it’s the sense of these retreating scenes that gives one a strong sense of speed. However, in the sky, everything seems to be still, except for the moving clouds beneath their feet. It is impossible to see any environmental changes. Yet, amidst this stillness, everything on the ground is negligently left behind.

There’s nothing to obstruct the view in the high sky. Standing on the back of the dragon and looking into the distance, they could see rolling mountains, desolate wilderness, and golden-colored lakes touched by sunlight. Everything is clear, like a painting from a master’s brush, condensing a landscape impossible to take in all at once into one canvas.

"Wait a minute, a lake?" Catherine interrupted Freya’s poetic appreciation of the landscape, asking in surprise: "How come there’s a lake?"

Right now, the six members of the adventure team were all riding on the back of Mina. Having solved Vivian’s life-threatening crisis, everyone was filled with joy. Despite potentially facing the threat of divine servants, the smiles could not be wiped off their faces. Freya stood on the back of the dragon, hands behind her back, completely immersed and emotionally touched by their surroundings. The girls were all in high spirits, even Freya’s exaggerated expression did not fall victim to Vivian’s habitual reprimanding. Instead, the other girls gathered around her, clapping whenever they heard something fascinating.

Catherine’s question was reasonable. Although the dragon did not strictly stick to the route they had taken here, the deviation wasn’t very large. If there were large lakes along the way that could be clearly seen from thousands of kilometers in the sky, they wouldn’t have missed them. However, they didn’t see any such lakes on their way here, only to suddenly come across one on the return journey. This bizarre occurrence was sure to capture Catherine’s attention.

"Big sis, that is the unique Upstream Lake in the Neville Federation." Vivian was in the best mood. Not only did she get rid of her immediate crisis, but she was also touched inside herself. This joy erupting from within made her not wallow in her usual contemplation but sit cross-legged on the dragon’s back with an unmistakable smile on her face. Upon hearing Catherine’s question, Vivian explained with a laugh: "A lot of research papers mention it, you can look it up."

"Oh? This is the Upstream Lake?" Catherine, clearly having heard of it, exclaimed: "So the Upstream Lake is here, I’ve heard many tales about it, but this is the first time I’m seeing it."

"What’s the Upstream Lake?" Ava asked, wedging herself next to Pannis, her face expressionless: "How come I’ve never heard of it?"

"The Upstream Lake is a very special intermittent lake." Lina explained: "It covers a vast area, probably four to five hundred square kilometers. Usually, it’s a depression, and the lake only appears during the winter. Moreover, when other lakes freeze, there is not a hint of ice on its surface, and the water inside is very warm, like in summer. Its performance defies most natural laws, just like a rebellious child, wanting to do everything differently than others. Hence, it was named ’Upstream Lake’. As for the reasons behind this phenomenon, no one can explain it clearly... hey, idiot, sure there is still no accurate explanation, right?"

"Have you already become as idiotic as to call yourself by your name when speaking to others?" Vivian threw Lina a glance and dismissed her. After casually retorting Lina, Vivian explained: "Indeed, there isn’t a systematic explanation. Some people say it is related to underground minerals, some say it has to do with the will of the deity, and some say it has something to do with the tide of the moon. Anyway, all kinds of theories are out there, but no one can produce definitive evidence. They are all groundless guesses. Thus, the Upstream Lake can be considered one of the mysteries of the Yarran World. It’s unknown when its secrets will be unveiled. By the way, was this lake present during the Second Era? If it was, can you recall whether the goblins had any explanations?"

"Oh, I see. You’re referring to Calibour Lake." Ava’s eyes glazed over for a moment before returning to their usual blankness. She replied in a flat tone: "The goblins didn’t have an explanation either. Some speculated that it might have something to do with some deep underground fire-attribute crystal veins, but this conjecture can only explain the non-freezing state of the lake water, not the intermittent nature of the whole lake. Even up to the collapse of the Goblin civilization, many researchers were still conducting geological studies nearby, but there were no valid findings. Therefore, if you search carefully in the vicinity, you might find many of their remnants."

"I’ve got it down." Catherine, who had somehow managed to pull out a notebook at some point, kept writing and exclaimed: "Haha, every excavation of goblin ruins always brings a large amount of wealth. This time it is truly a gain, a huge gain, go on, Ava, are there any records of other ruin locations? Please, tell me another one or two, even one will do."

Even Ava, with her stoic personality, couldn’t help but silently roll her eyes. Choosing to remain silent, Catherine slowly grew disappointed, her face fell with regret as she carefully put away her notebook in the best waterproof pouch she had. Only then did she regain her composure, asking, as though nothing had happened: "Looking at the direction we’re flying toward, we should be heading towards the Shining Forest, right? Are we going there first?"

"No." Pannis shook his head, "Later, we’ll turn east and go to the Falar Empire. We’ll stop at two potential locations in Falar for Ava to sense. If they’re not the target, we’ll keep going north, head directly to the Perpetual Icefield. The Shining Forest will be the last choice, because if the relics are really deep beneath the forest, it’ll be quite troublesome to get in. We should leave that for last."

"Thank you." Catherine didn’t ask anything further, but unexpectedly said in an almost inaudible voice, "Without you, we could never have saved Vivian’s life."

Although Catherine’s voice was low, Pannis could still hear it clearly thanks to his keen perception. He chuckled and shook his head, "Do you remember our agreement?"

"I do. I should not be saying redundant words of gratitude." Catherine gave a bright smile, looking up at the clear sky, whispering, "Many people and many things don’t need to be thanked for. We’re like family, and families should support and rely on each other."

"So I didn’t hear the thanks you gave just now." Pannis patted Catherine’s shoulder, stood up facing the sunshine, "And, it’s not over, is it? When Vivian is fully recovered, if you still want to say thanks, say it then."

"Well, don’t worry about that, you won’t hear it." Squinting in the dazzling sunlight, Catherine smiled obscuring her thoughts, "I will not say such gratitude that represents politeness and estrangement."

In the bright sunlight, the air was fresh, but in Catherine’s mind, it seemed to go back to last night, back to Lady Mina’s dim den. She remembered her taking a seat on the steep slope outside the cave to watch the moon alone due to internal troubles after everyone went to sleep. But out of nowhere, she smelled the scent of flowers, the distinctive aroma of the Elf Queen. She remembered, the unpretentious Queen Flare, sat by her, like a friend. They talked about a lot of things, the past, the future, deceased ones, survivors. When it came to happy moments, they laughed together; they sighed in compassion when it was gloomy. Catherine felt that the person in front of her was not a hero coming out of the legend, but a living being with flesh and blood. She also felt, having tonight’s talk implied the Elf Queen’s personal approval, approval that they were eligible to be Pannis’s teammates, just like the former heroes.

Facing the sunlight, Catherine sighed with a smile, recalling the last conversation she had in the memory. It wouldn’t settle down in her heart.

"Actually, we should be enemies." Before Flare returned to the cave, she paused, her back to Catherine, "You should understand what I mean."

"Shouldn’t we have a common enemy?" Catherine replied with a smile.

"No, we can never defeat that common enemy. No one can defeat an enemy who has passed away, there’s no need to think about defeating them. What needs to be defeated are only the enemies before us." Flare sighed with melancholy, "But I won’t regard you as enemies, do you know why?"

"Is it because we are not qualified enough?" Catherine asked, "Or is it not worth your effort to fight?"

"You are more than qualified, but I’m not worried at all, because he’ll be mine eventually." Flare turned around, her smile was charming as flowers, "I have plenty of time to wait, and so does he. But what about you? Can you stay with him, thirty years, forty years, fifty years? What about after that? In the future, only I can stay with him for a long time, don’t you think? Cherish this time of companionship. And remember, I will always be waiting for your mistake. Hehehe." (To be continued. If you like this novel, please vote and support on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users please visit m.qidian.com)