The Cornflower Witch Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Visiting Winnie’s Family

Entering a quiet alley, Talil led Hylial to a door and gently knocked.

“Sister, are you home? It’s Talil.”

After a moment, footsteps sounded from inside the house, and then the door creaked open, revealing a woman who bore some resemblance to Talil. She had the same auburn hair, but styled in a braid over her shoulder, and wore an apron. Though her appearance wasn’t striking, she exuded a gentle and virtuous aura. Beside her was a boy of about five.

“Come, say ‘Auntie’,” Winnie guided, holding the boy’s hand.

“A-Auntie,” the boy said, a bit shy, then hid behind his mother, clutching her skirt.

“Hehe, it’s little Randy! Have you been good?” Talil chased after him, stroking the boy’s head, ready to play.

At that moment, Winnie clearly noticed the figure behind Talil and couldn’t help but ask, “Talil, who is this?”

Hylial pulled back her hood, revealing her soft silver hair and face, causing Winnie to gasp slightly in surprise.

“Hello, my name is Lia. I’m Talil’s friend and just arrived in Burntstone City,” the girl introduced herself.

“Hello, I’m Winnie, Talil’s sister. Um, please come in and sit down.” With that, she stepped aside, allowing the two to enter.

Talil and Hylial then entered the house and sat on the long bench in the living room. Soon, Winnie took the teapot hanging over the fireplace and poured them warm tea.

“It’s been brewed for a while, so the taste might not be the best. Please excuse it.” If Talil had come alone, she wouldn’t have been so formal, but there was an outsider today.

“It’s fine,” the girl said, taking the tea and then surveying the room.

Its size was similar to her current dwelling, probably around 110 square meters. The house contained wooden cabinets, tables, and chairs, and there were many ceramic bottles and jars on the shelves.

After the three sat down, they quickly began chatting, and Winnie gradually learned about Hylial’s background and current situation.

“I see, so Miss Lia can’t remember anything from before,” she pondered for a moment.

“There are many reasons for this situation. Besides common head injuries, it could also be due to other transcendent powers.”

“Oh, what kind of transcendent powers can do such a thing?” The girl was eager to know.

“Those involving the mind mostly belong to the Moon attribute, which are the ‘Shining Moon,’ ‘Misty Shadow,’ and ‘Nightmare’ aspects,” Winnie explained, displaying her considerable knowledge.

“But I don’t know exactly which abilities and secret techniques can interfere with memory. Perhaps I’ll have to ask the Scholars.”

“Thank you.” Hylial wasn’t in a hurry to retrieve her memories; settling down was more important for now.

The three then discussed Lia and Talil’s future life in the city.

“As for work, I’m familiar with being a maid in restaurants. I don’t know if Talil can adapt,” she said, knowing her sister’s personality.

“A maid? I don’t like it,” Talil confirmed, shaking her head.

“You have to stand still and maintain a posture, and speak in that kind of tone. It’s very uncomfortable.”

“Then other jobs won’t be so easy,” Winnie continued with a smile.

“Sigh, Sister, tell me,”

“Laundry, bathhouses, odd jobs cleaning in inns…” Winnie listed a number of jobs.

“Ah, these don’t sound good either.” This was a far cry from the wonderful city life Talil had envisioned.

“They’re not great. I know some good jobs, like pruning gardens, assisting in pastry shops, being a maid in a wealthy household, a shop clerk, and so on.”

“Some of these jobs require certain skills, some demand good looks and manners, and some require literacy and arithmetic. Unfortunately, you don’t meet these requirements,” her sister replied with a sigh.

“Ah, I know, Sister, don’t sigh. It’s just that I didn’t study hard in the past, you always tell me that,” Talil said, covering her ears.

“Oh, by the way, I recently learned swordsmanship. Is there any use for it?”

“Swordsmanship?” Winnie tilted her head, looking at Talil, somewhat disbelieving and puzzled.

“Where did you learn it from?”

“I learned it from Sir Friein, but Lia taught me more,” Talil said, pulling the girl beside her closer.

“Is that so? Then do you know how to use breathing techniques?” Winnie continued to ask.

“No,” Talil shook her head like a rattle.

“If you don’t, it’s of little use,” Winnie replied.

“Simply knowing swordsmanship isn’t very useful. Your physique isn’t strong enough, your strength is weak, and your reaction speed can’t keep up. You wouldn’t be able to defeat warriors who use breathing techniques. Even some strong adults could easily overpower you.”

“Waaah…” Talil’s confidence was shattered by her sister’s words, and she had no power to refute them.

“I know, so what should I do? Should I really go work as a maid in a restaurant? I feel like I won’t be good at it.”

“This… that’s true,” Winnie was also at a loss for a moment, and could only shake her head. “When your brother-in-law comes back, I’ll ask him. Perhaps there will be some opportunities in the Guild.”

After discussing Talil’s situation, Winnie’s attention shifted to Hylial.

“Miss Lia, do you have any plans for now?”

“Not yet, but I plan to learn some knowledge. I’m not sure what channels are available in the city, or how much the tuition fees are,” Hylial replied.

“I can teach basic enlightenment. The difficult part might be arithmetic. If you truly want to delve into various subjects, you’ll have to consult the city’s scholars.”

“Are there any recommendations at the moment?”

“There are currently three scholars in the city. Scholar Heide is the oldest and the teacher of the other two,” Winnie explained.

“However, Scholar Heide is no longer accepting students. As for the other two, Scholar Romanda is Viscount Xuefeng’s advisor and doesn’t have time to teach. The other is Scholar Edson, who is currently an advisor and appraiser for the ‘Oak Barrel’ Guild. He seems very busy and it’s difficult for him to find time to teach,” Winnie said regretfully.

“My husband Ancel and I met through Scholar Edson, so perhaps I can ask him again.”

Hearing Winnie’s description, Hylial knew that hope was slim, so she turned to ask about other matters.

“Are you looking for a job?”

Winnie looked at Hylial with some surprise. In her opinion, girls like Hylial rarely needed to work. As long as they made an appearance among the nobility, countless gifts and invitations would surely be extended, and their daily schedule for banquets and outings would be packed.

“I have to live independently, after all. Besides, I don’t like to let others dictate my future.” This was a world of transcendent powers, and external factors were often unreliable.

“In that case…” Winnie generally understood Hylial’s character. She, too, admired such a personality.

“If it’s Miss Lia, you could find many excellent jobs, such as an actress in an opera house, a publicist for a jeweler, or a host of a flower salon.”

“No, no, please recommend jobs that involve less public exposure,” the girl said, not wanting to be so ostentatious.

“Less public exposure, huh…” Winnie fell into thought again.

“Book copyist, no, that’s too much work. Maid in a high-class restaurant, no, that doesn’t suit Miss Lia’s status…” She rejected several options, and the jobs she mentioned made Talil, who was nearby, envious.

Is this the advantage of being smart and good-looking?

“Earlier, I heard you mention the Alchemist Guild and the Gardener’s Guild. Are there any suitable jobs for me there?” Hylial became interested in this.

Her discernment eyes should be very helpful in identifying herbs and their properties. Moreover, if she could learn how to concoct potions, she could earn her own living expenses and wouldn’t need to go out in public. As for gardening, she wanted to find out if there were any cornflower seeds and related cultivation techniques.

“That, we’ll have to ask to find out,” Winnie nodded in agreement.

In the evening, Winnie’s husband Ancel returned home from work and met the two guests.

“So that’s how it is.” After hearing Winnie and Talil’s account, he generally understood the situation.

“Tomorrow I’ll ask Mr. Edson. As for the Alchemist Guild, I recommend Miss Lia first purchase a herb identification guide. It will be easier to work after studying it,” he suggested during dinner.

“Talil knows where to buy books. If you lack the money, I can lend it to you.” Considering Lia had just arrived in Burntstone City, it would indeed be difficult for her.

“How much would a book cost?”

“If it’s the herb identification guide I mentioned, it would be about 8 silver coins.”

“Wow, are books that expensive?” Talil exclaimed in surprise.

“Of course, knowledge is never cheap,” Ancel nodded.

“No problem, thank you for your guidance, Mr. Ancel,” Hylial

thanked him.

“It’s nothing. You’re Talil’s good friend, and you’ve also helped the residents of Linden Village. For me, these are things I should do.”

After dinner, Talil and Hylial said goodbye and returned to their lodging.

After they left, Ancel and Winnie discussed the silver-haired girl.

“Miss Lia’s background is definitely not simple,” he remarked with some emotion.

“That’s right. Just her standard accent and her graceful demeanor are vastly different from ordinary people.”

“Moreover, talking with her is very comfortable, without the indifference and arrogance of typical nobles,” Winnie recalled her feelings from earlier in the day.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the guild and ask around. Oh, and about my sister Talil, Grandpa sent her to the city, probably because he doesn’t want her to waste time at home anymore.”

“She’s also sixteen this year, so she can start working.”

“Talil is lively, so quiet jobs probably won’t suit her. If there are a lot of errands to run, she’ll love it,” Winnie said, describing Talil’s personality.

“There will be,” Ancel assured his wife.

As they discussed these matters, the conversation shifted to their child, Randy. The couple planned their life and future, until late at night when they finally went to sleep.

(End of Chapter)