Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 821 - 86: The New Slaughter

Chapter 821: Chapter 86: The New Slaughter

"Yes, that’s the matter," replied the leaner Samoer with a nod. "Just two days ago, another massacre occurred in the borderlands between Falar and the Neutral Land. This time, four adjacent villages were slain, with around eight hundred ordinary people dead. Not a single person from those villages survived."

"All dead?" Catherine asked, frowning. "Are the circumstances of their deaths exactly the same as the previous incidents? All died in their old age?"

"I’m not quite sure about that," Samoer hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I haven’t seen it with my own eyes; I’ve only heard from familiar friends. According to them, it seems that everyone was lying in bed at the time of death, apparently killed in their sleep at night. The manner of death was also similar, appearing as if they were too old to move."

"Another incident," Catherine murmured absentmindedly, her hand unconsciously caressing the hilt of her knight sword at her waist. "It’s moved to the Neutral Land this time? It seems these attacks are indeed indiscriminate."

"Strange, why didn’t Freya hear about this news this morning?" Vivian, not falling into a trance this time and listening intently, sharply asked. "Could it be that the Mage Guild is unaware of this matter?"

"Perhaps we arrived a bit faster." Samoer explained, "Both of our dominions are the smallest ones closest to the border, right next to Falar. We only heard the news this morning. As for our travel here, we used Butte’s internal teleportation channels, which should be the fastest, so we probably got ahead of the Mage Guild’s information network. I guess that’s the case, but whether it’s truly like that, I don’t know."

"That must be right," nodded Vivian in agreement. "We’ll inquire at the Guild again first thing tomorrow morning. There should be more detailed information by then, although I’m not sure to what extent. Right, did this happen the day before yesterday?"

"Yes, the night before last," answered Samoer. "Then it was only discovered yesterday morning. It’s said the person who found it was quite timid, nearly frightened to madness on the spot. When you think about it, the sight of several hundred people all having died of old age in their beds is indeed too eerie."

"Have you heard any other related information?" Muir asked rhythmically, almost as if singing. "For example, news about Mages having been seen near the villages around the site of the tragedy, even if it’s just rumors that cannot be confirmed as true."

"I’m not aware of that," Samoer admitted, his curiosity piqued by the Legendary Rank Elf Spellcaster before him. Elves in the Kingdom of Mages weren’t particularly rare, after all, as the Forest Mages of the Elves were one of the Three Major Mage Schools. Nowadays, the various Mage Schools were becoming more closely connected, and exchanges between them were increasingly frequent. Seeing an Elf Mage in the Kingdom of Mages, or a human Mage at the Elven Royal Court, wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. However, Elves from other professions were not commonly seen in the Kingdom of Mages. Due to geographic differences, Elves, who favored trees and forests, did not enjoy the highland environment with its meadows and shrubs, nor the relatively thin air, so few Elves visited the Mountain Country without a purpose, let alone a Spellcaster from the pantheon of Elven deities, beneath the sacred seat of Yeda. Samoer’s curiosity was natural. However, while curious, the Gold Rank Mage lord did not express his interest outwardly, and continued to respond normally: "The news came very suddenly, and we already had a set itinerary that was not too flexible. We didn’t have much time to gather related clues, nor even to verify the authenticity of the message."

"Great, so it’s unverified news." The portly Mage Jonas, who was quick-tempered and not very skilled at socializing, had offended many colleagues in his early years. As a result, at gatherings like this, his few friends had expressly forbidden him to speak up. Thus, throughout the conversation, he had been trying hard to blend into the background, pretending to be an innocuous piece of furniture. But by now, he could no longer hold back and said in a low voice to his friends in anger, "To think they would deceive us with unverified news! What if I believed it, rushed off to investigate, only to find out nothing had happened? Wouldn’t that be a wasted trip?"

"You shut up," Samoer glared fiercely at his friend, forcibly suppressing his incessant complaints regardless of the situation or time, and turned his head with an apologetic smile, "I’m truly sorry, esteemed masters. My friend here suffered brain damage from an experiment explosion in his youth, and he has been a bit rude. But rest assured, although I cannot verify the accuracy of the information, I can guarantee that the tragedy did indeed happen. As for the exact number of deaths, the villages involved, and the time of occurrence, I am unable to confirm, since they haven’t been verified."

"My brain wasn’t damaged by any explosion," Jonas retorted through gritted teeth, but his basic reason held him back from arguing with his friend on the spot. Catherine, on the other hand, didn’t put on any airs of a master and didn’t fault Jonas for his naïveté; instead, she covered her mouth with a light chuckle, "If that is the case, then I will not disturb the two lords’ mood any further. We will go to the Mage Guild tomorrow to inquire about the details, and thank you for the information. Ah, right, we did talk about exchanging intelligence earlier. However, I’m not sure how much you lords know about the matter, or what you would like to find out. Don’t worry, go ahead and ask. We will answer to the best of our ability, except for the matters that require confidentiality."

Actually, this meeting made Catherine feel very awkward. On one side was a young professional of the Legendary Rank who could be called a master, and on the other was an older average Gold Rank professional. Catherine was conflicted about how she should interact with them. If they were in any other region, it might have been easier; she would have engaged from a young person’s perspective, with a stance of respecting elders but from an equal status, which wouldn’t unsettle the older but less powerful elders. But this place was the Kingdom of Mages, and Catherine was well aware that this nation was ruled by Mages, or more broadly, it was the only country controlled by professionals and a few ordinary human scholars. In such a country, there is immense respect for strength and academic achievements. Thus, within the Kingdom of Mages, professionals of the Legendary Rank are much more revered than those of the Gold Rank, and those of the Gold Rank are far above those of the Silver Rank. And among professionals of the same rank, Mages are held in the highest esteem, with other professions ranking below them.

As such, the correct demeanor which would ordinarily avoid any missteps was now ineffective, because not all situations and times call for maintaining equal standing; sometimes it causes panic and even displeasure that leads to adverse outcomes. Hence, after much deliberation, Catherine ultimately decided to adopt a slightly superior stance while maintaining sufficient politeness based on Samoer’s reaction, as he seemed most accustomed to such a stance without experiencing strong dissonance.

What the knightly lady didn’t know was that the other party also felt quite awkward. These two Mage lords usually lived in their own worlds, rarely conversing with strangers or interacting with unfamiliar professionals. They were not used to engaging with outsiders, a trait mostly found in some fanatical scholars and Mages who would lock themselves in their laboratories almost every day, either to study academia or to research magical models. They might see fewer people in a year than most see in a day. For such people, interacting with strangers was torture. Fortunately, Samoer managed slightly better than Jonas, avoiding any serious faux pas, but after a brief conversation, he also felt like he had reached his limit, eagerly wishing for these unfamiliar masters to leave. Upon hearing that Catherine was about to end the conversation, he couldn’t care less about his friend Jonas’ curiosity, and hurriedly spoke, "Uh, no need, we are just curious, nothing specific we want to know. We won’t waste the masters’ valuable time. The masters must still have important matters to discuss, and we have other affairs to attend to as well, so we’ll take our leave. We hope the masters have a pleasant evening and wish you success in finding the information you seek tomorrow."

"Um, gentlemen," Catherine said with a wry smile, understanding that their arrival had an impact on the two mages, "I’m terribly sorry, it seems that our visit did indeed disrupt the two Mage gentlemen’s original mood. We hope you can forgive our intrusion."

"No, no, we really have other matters," Samoer kicked his old friend covertly: "Right, we have to meet Derrick, and if we don’t leave now, we’ll be late."

"Ah? Oh, right, right," Jonas, who wore a bewildered expression, finally caught on under Samoer’s murderous gaze, agreeing "Yes, we still have to meet Derrick, a very important matter. But, Derrick isn’t he still on his Floating Island? Did he come over too?"

"If you don’t shut up now, I’ll freeze your lips," Samoer nearly wanted to strangle his companion. Even though Jonas spoke in whispers, he didn’t believe that the Legendary Masters wouldn’t overhear, but at that moment, there was no other choice but to pretend it went unheard, laughing awkwardly, "That’s right, we need to meet with our friend, the appointment time is approaching, so it’s not an issue on the masters’ part."

"All right, I understand," Catherine said with a resigned smile, "We won’t trouble you gentlemen further, and hope you both have a good mood tonight, good night." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)