Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 922 - 39: The Person to Meet

Chapter 922: Chapter 39: The Person to Meet

The Temple District in Neville City differed from the one in the Holy City. The prosperity of the City of Knowledge was not inferior to that of Neville City, but as the Neutral Land was an emerging power with a relatively short history, the temples in the District, despite their abundance, did not include the headquarters of any church in the Holy City. In contrast, the history of the Neville Federation, although not very long either, could trace its roots back to an amalgamation of over twenty independent nations some 2,500 years ago. As such, several churches had their headquarters within the Federation, and with Neville City being the capital, it naturally had the most—fourteen headquarters dotted across the city, making it the city with the highest number of church headquarters on the Continent.

A temple often covered a vast area, far exceeding that of a typical building, and the headquarters of a church occupied even more space. In addition to the grand cathedral, there were libraries, schoolhouses, training grounds, and various other annex buildings, meaning the complex could rival the size of a small village. Of course, due to urban planning considerations, headquarters within a city could not expand to their full extent, except for those in cities devoted to a single faith. Nevertheless, the fourteen headquarters in Neville City covered more than half of the city’s area, causing constant headaches for municipal officials. They frequently faced challenges with other churches wishing to relocate their headquarters there but found the city was already at its capacity for accommodating additional headquarters.

However, this issue had nothing to do with Lina and Pannis. They were oblivious to the municipal officials’ headaches, nor did they need to know or care. The pair strolled leisurely, shoulder to shoulder, through the Temple District. Their presence didn’t stand out; after all, the District was open to the public. Aside from ordinary believers coming to worship and devout followers making pilgrimages, many tourists were also drawn here. Curious about such a large cluster of temples, they wandered the streets in fascination, much like Pannis and Lina. The only distinction was their distinct adventuring attire, which marked them as unique amidst the temple district’s visitors, where most tourists were ordinary pilgrims.

It was almost noon when the two had slowly made their way to the Central Garden in the Temple District, and Lina was right—it was indeed very beautiful. The Central Garden was actually a vast plaza covering tens of thousands of square meters. Scattered across the plaza were over a dozen large flower beds, and in the blooming season, flowers of various colors dazzled and their fragrance permeated the air with the help of the breeze.

Being a commercial city, Neville City naturally had all sorts of merchants. Using horse-drawn carts or pushcarts as their mobile shops, they weaved through the crowds. These common mobile shops didn’t offer high-end goods; they hawked city-specific souvenirs and, nearing noon, lunches. Many tourists would casually buy food from these vendors, choosing to eat by the flower beds without the need for tables or chairs. Such a simple meal, enjoyed amidst the sweet fragrance of blossoms, presented a uniquely pleasurable experience. Not just tourists but also many clergy in clerical dress seemed to enjoy the plaza’s atmosphere, preferring to bring their meals to enjoy there.

"We used to enjoy this too," Lina said blankly, staring at a flower bed in a corner of the plaza, her distant gaze as if seeing shadows of the past. "My sister and I especially liked this flower bed, coming here to eat every noon. There was nothing particularly special about this place, except once we met a stray cat here and shared our food with it. After that, we came every day, just hoping to see it again, but unfortunately, after more than a year, we never did."

"It must have just passed by," said Pannis, shrugging. "I never would have guessed you liked cats, you’ve never shown it before. Huh, quite surprising. On the other hand, I really don’t like cats."

"Of course, I haven’t shown it because I gave up all such likes in the past... you understand," Lina answered with a wry smile, then asked, "What about you? Why do you dislike cats?"

"Because they compete with me for tree branches," Pannis complained discontentedly. "When I climb up to sleep on the branches, I sometimes encounter cats with bristled fur hissing at me, and they won’t leave no matter what. That’s why I dislike cats."

"Sigh, you’re beyond help," Lina said, patting her forehead. "You’re actually so bored that you get into a rivalry with a creature and hold a grudge, too. And it clearly thinks you’re one of its own; otherwise, who would sleep in a tree, you dummy?"

"Hahaha, that was just an accident, just an accident," Pannis chuckled foolishly, casually pulling out a fruit and popping it into his mouth. "Are you planning to wait here a bit longer?"

"Hmm, it’s mealtime now; there might be too many people around." Lina sat down by the flower bed like she did when she was little, curled up in a ball, hugging her legs, and nodded. "I’m planning to go in a bit later. The fewer people who know, the better."

"What are you really planning to do?" Pannis sat next to Lina and asked, "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes, I’m ready," Lina replied. "I just want to see three people, visit one place. First, I want to see the Archbishop; the Holy See is old, and even though he’s still in good health now, it’s... always right to see him. Then there’s the Dean Auntie. She looked after my sister and me personally since we were babies; to us, she was like a mother. I exiled myself for so many years, and after coming out, I only saw her once before I left again. I think she must be upset. Heh, thinking about it now, I was really cruel. To escape my past, I ended up hurting so many people who cared about me."

"It’s not too late to have regrets now," Pannis comforted her. "If they truly love you, they’ll definitely understand your difficulties. Coming back now, they’ll just be happy for you."

"I hope it’s as you say," Lina smiled, curling up and leaning against Pannis’s side. "You must have guessed who the third person is, right? I want to go see my... sister. No matter what happened back then, I owe her an apology, an apology for my thoughts."

"Eh, Helena?" As the two talked, a surprised voice suddenly came from not far away: "Is that really you, Helena? You’re back?" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to give it a recommendation ticket, a monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)