Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 137 - 2: The Treasure Room_2

"You guys were pretty careful though." Catherine’s expression finally eased: "But, is it safe to live there long term, considering the concentration of demonized energy inside?"

"Absolutely no problems." Lina confidently said: "Even staying there for a month or two won’t be a problem. As long as we step out for some sun, it won’t affect our bodies."

"So, we now have complete control over that laboratory?" Expressing her relief, Catherine sighed and suddenly pointed at the two girls’ heads: "You two terrified me. Do you know how worried I was about you for the past month, losing sleep over it? Can’t you just make my life easier? Two big dummies."

"And that’s why we’ve brought you gifts." Vivian scrambled to protect her head with one hand while reaching out with the other to grab her big backpack. She pulled out three items and presented them to Catherine: "Look, sis, here are the gifts."

"The former director’s collection?" Catherine’s attention was diverted to the gifts. Keeping her hands off the girls’ heads, she observed: "Uh, this is Master Marigas’ metallic engraving. It’s quite valuable, how come we didn’t see it before?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"We found the director’s office in the core area we didn’t have time to explore before." Vivian proudly gloated. "These gifts are from the director’s office. Take your time to admire them, Catherine. We’ll also give you a big surprise."

"Really?" Catherine was skeptical about the ’surprise’ Vivian mentioned, but she turned her attention to the next gift. "Ah, this is a porcelain plate modeled after the style of the Yabadiyuh Dynasty during the Third Epoch. It’s worth at least fifty thousand gold coins. And this one, it looks like the standard arm guard used by the Sea Race guards two thousand years ago, the type that summons Water Elements once every ten days when Aggression is activated. Although I’m not happy about you guys rushing in there, I have to admit, the value of these three items already exceeds our last haul."

"That’s nothing." Vivian sneered. "Most of the equipment inside is still usable after inspection. Many of them are large-scale instruments. Each is as valuable as these three items."

"Yes," Lina also slapped her bulging backpack: "And look, I’ve brought back a lot of good friends. Every time I go in, I can bring a lot out. That’s my most satisfying achievement."

Catherine took a deep breath, "Although you guys harvested a lot, I want to warn you again, there mustn’t be a ’next time’. We can discuss everything. Like this time, even though I might find it risky and be nagging, if you insist, wouldn’t I accompany you? Without me as your shield and without Pannis’s support in exploring and alerting, can you guarantee that your luck will continue to hold? So, absolutely no next time, got it?"

"Hehe, thanks for forgiving us, sis." Lina and Vivian, one on each side, grabbed Catherine’s hands and shook them vigorously: "It won’t happen again."

Huh, you should thank Pannis for speaking up for you," Catherine said: "If it weren’t for him assuring me that everything would be fine, I would’ve followed you long ago."

Hehe, thank you, Pannis," Lina said with a thanks, but gave Pannis a teeth-baring, threatening grin.

Pannis shrugged helplessly: "No matter the process, at least we have a satisfactory result now. So, from the labs of the Crying Cave..."

"No, now it’s called Nellie’s Adventure Team Research Institute." Vivian puffed out her chest and chin up: "Our very own research institute, our second base."

"Okay, okay." Pannis revised accordingly: "So, what kind of surprise have you discovered from Nellie’s Adventure Team Research Institute?"

Hehe, you’d never guess." Vivian mysteriously unfolded a neatly folded piece of paper and placed it on the tea table: "A piece of information, very important information."

"What information?" Catherine and Pannis leaned over to see the paper and ask questions.

"Remember the files we found in the locked room of the former director? The report mentioned something that only the Naren royal family knew about — a treasure room." Lina lowered her voice, creating an atmosphere of mystery.

"Of course I remember." Catherine’s eyes glowed. "Could it be that this piece of paper is..."

"Exactly." Vivian confirmed: "This is the map to the vault. The notations made in Magic Cipher have been translated into a common language. However, the translations aren’t very meaningful; they’re just some surrounding place names from the past."

"Hmm, it looks like it’s in the center of the Shining Forest." Catherine crouched by the tea table, holding a contemporary map in her hands and carefully comparing it to the map on the table: "Even though there are some changes, most of the terrain remains the same. It should be to the southwest of the Shining Forest."

"That makes sense. Back then, the territory controlled by the kingdom of Naren included part of the Shining Forest. It’s entirely possible that they built their vault there," Lina nodded in agreement.

"But, the Shining Forest is so vast." Catherine furrowed her eyebrows. "Where exactly could it be?"

"It should be near a small hill." Vivian pointed at the map. "Look at this image here, it should represent a small hill. Also, I found another picture which I suspect to be hinting at the entrance of the treasure room in a code I don’t understand."

She then pulled out the picture she mentioned, which was quite simple. It depicted a pitch-black cave with a long straight tunnel leading to the outside world. A round moon could be seen from the entrance. In the middle of the cave floor was a small pool, reflecting the moon in the sky.

"What does it hint at?" The four of them stared at each other and nobody could make sense of the content in the picture.

"No matter." Catherine finally made a decision. "We’ll prepare for three days. After three days, we’ll set off for the Shining Forest. By the way, who’s familiar with the Shining Forest?"

Despite posing the question, three sets of eyes were fixed on Pannis’s face. Pannis scratched his cheek with a pressured laugh, "Don’t look at me, I’ve been there, but I’m not familiar."

"No worries," Catherine said, "If necessary, we can hire a guide from a nearby village. Many people in those villages hunt for a living, and there are some decent guides. Alright, everyone go rest first. We’ll start preparing when you wake up, remember, we set off in three days."