Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 972 - 89: The Departed Informant

Chapter 972: Chapter 89: The Departed Informant

"Back then, your grandfather Old Field," Snape said gloomily, "also said something similar to me before he left, and he told me with a smile that the place he was going to was very safe and there wouldn’t be any danger." Snape continued sullenly, "What’s unforgivable is that I was foolish enough to believe him. The first two times he ventured out, he made profits worth millions, including the rarest materials, the most expensive treasures, and a precise clue to an underground relic. That single clue was sold to the adventurers’ Guild for over four million gold coins. I should have realized that a place that offered such high returns couldn’t possibly be safe. If one could make such a profit by going to a safe place, then why would anyone work so hard to make money? He was too calm at the time, leading me to naively believe him. Ah, if only I had known where he was going, I would have done everything in my power, even at the risk of my life, to stop him."

"Where exactly was grandfather’s target back then?" Catherine asked curiously. "Didn’t he tell you before he went?"

"He lied. The place he went was not what he had told me before," Snape said indignantly. "Years later, I only deduced where he had actually gone from some clues. If it weren’t for the mention of his destination during his last resupply to someone else, chances are no one would know even to this day."

"I remember you once told my father that grandfather’s last destination was the Forest of Death," Catherine said, her eyes suddenly widening, almost snapping a piece of wood from the railing in surprise, as she asked, "Could it be that the place grandfather went was the Core Area of the Forest of Death? Is it close to our destination?"

"It should be so, according to the results deduced from the clues," Snape sighed. "It’s not hard to imagine, after all, where else could reward more extravagant than the previous gains except there?"

"But... why did grandfather go there?" Catherine asked, puzzled. "Indeed, there are high returns to be had there, but the risk and reward are not at all proportional. Unless there’s a specific purpose, like a mission requiring something unique from that area, otherwise no one would be willing to venture deep into the Core Area. Among adventurers, this is common knowledge."

"I don’t know the specifics," Marquis Snape shook his head with regret. "It’s said that it was due to a mission with extremely high rewards, tempting enough to intrigue him to delve into the center of the forest. However, I didn’t get the detailed intelligence of the mission. Or rather, the mission itself was quite mysterious, details only known by the person who accepted it."

"The person in question was my grandfather," Catherine said with a wry smile. "Now we might never clear up the reason."

"Actually, there was one other person who knew some details," Snape recalled. "He was a member of the small team that set off for the forest’s core with Old Field, and the only one who came back alive. It was through him that the Guild learned of your grandfather’s actual destination. Sadly, you have no chance to ask him because less than a year after his return, he died early from his severe injuries."

"That person... who was he?" Catherine asked hesitantly, biting her lip. "I’ve never heard you mention such a person."

"Because it was pointless," Snape shook his head. "After he returned, he was bedridden, unconscious more often than not. Even when awake, he was confused. The news about your grandfather only came about because he briefly regained clarity just before dying, leaving behind a few simple instructions. Unfortunately, he died having almost said nothing, and the information, already vague, became even more obscured when relayed to me."

"Still, I want to know who this person was," Catherine said, frowning. "Even though he’s passed away, there must have been other people around him when he died, allowing the information to reach you. Finding this ’other person’ might give us a chance to learn more clearly about grandfather’s situation, right?"

"This ’other person’ is me," a voice suddenly sounded from not far behind the two. To Catherine’s astonishment, her senses had not alerted her to someone standing just behind her. Surprised, Catherine and Snape both turned around to find an elderly man with snowy hair standing there, who calmly said, "I was by his bedside when he died. I heard every word he said very clearly."

"President...?" Catherine felt her brain struggling to keep up, staring blankly at the President who had controlled the adventurers’ Guild for over thirty years. Suddenly connecting another thought, she gasped, her voice strained with shock, "If it’s you, then nearly forty years ago, could it possibly be that the person who died was..."

"You’re not mistaken," Odin affirmed Catherine’s guess, continuing, "The one who ventured deep into the Forest of Death with your grandfather forty years ago was the predecessor President of our Guild. After returning, he barely appointed me as the acting President before falling into a coma and, one year later, upon briefly regaining consciousness before he died, officially handed over the presidency to me."

"I see..." Catherine, recalling the various past events, said thoughtfully, "No wonder, no wonder I’ve always felt over the years that I was able to snag missions with a higher reward-to-risk ratio, as if someone was helping me subtly. It seems it wasn’t just my imagination. You were the one looking out for me in the shadows, weren’t you, Lord Odin?"

"You’re very perceptive, and yes, it was indeed me. But it’s not quite ’helping’ you, it’s just a slight bias towards you without breaking any Guild rules," Odin nodded. "After all, the Guild has a tradition of allowing some support for members with potential for development. I just raised the level of support to a higher but permissible standard within my authority—all within the regulations, meaning you haven’t taken any undue advantage from the Guild."

"Even so, I must thank you for looking after me." Catherine sighed, saying, "But please don’t do that anymore, Mr. President. It’s not fair to the other adventurers."

"No, it’s quite fair. You and your team have developed to a level that fully justifies such treatment," Odin solemnly stated. "Moreover, since all of you advanced to Gold Rank professionals, the bias has become less and less. Once you were promoted to a Gold Rank Adventure Group, the preferential period ended completely, and there’s no special treatment anymore." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)