The Cornflower Witch Chapter 59

Chapter 59: White Stone Chess Piece

In the early morning, Hylial, dressed in a simple white gown, stood in the small garden, watering the flowers and plants with a watering can. It was a day off, and she didn’t have to go to Scholar Hyde’s, so she enjoyed a leisurely time at home.

Water droplets turned into mist, refracting glints of light in the morning sun, hazy and beautiful.

This was her exclusive small garden, where she had transplanted Swan Orchids, Bubble Flowers, and newly planted ‘Fire Cloud Orchids’ and ‘White Camellias’. The latter two were seeds provided by Madame Faran.

After she learned the Branch Combing Method, Madame Faran had gone out again, asking Hylial to look after the flower fields. The free time after completing that task was her dedicated time for this small garden of hers.

After observing the new plants and confirming they were fine, Hylial dispelled the emerald tint in her eyes and stood up.

“Lia, breakfast is ready~” Talil scurried over to inform Hylial.

Working at Madame Faran’s residence, Talil’s job was to share Lining’s duties, and recently she started with the simplest task: making breakfast.

‘It just so happens that Madame is not at home these days, so even if what you make is terrible, it won’t affect Madame. But it remains to be seen if Miss Lia is willing to endure it.’

Lining had said that day, and such words immediately ignited Talil’s competitive spirit, making her vow to make breakfast that was no worse than Lining’s.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” Hylial put down the watering can, looked at the flowers and plants swaying in the morning breeze, and then left.

Breakfast didn’t take much time. Although it wasn’t particularly delicious, Talil’s progress was evident. Today’s breakfast was edible and not too bad.

“The eggs are too burnt,” Lining criticized coldly from the side. The back of one of the fried eggs was already a bit black.

“It’s fine, Lining, don’t be too harsh.” The girl comforted Talil.

“I’m harsh because it concerns Madame’s reputation.” Lining turned her head away, but she indeed didn’t criticize Talil anymore.

Compared to the almost perfect maid Lining, Talil was indeed too awkward and naive, so it was no wonder Lining didn’t think much of this clumsy and reckless girl.

“People always need to grow. Please give her some time, Lining. At least from now on, you can let Talil run errands,” the girl consoled Lining.

In the morning, Hylial walked in the flower fields, observing the growth of the sunflowers while practicing her newly learned ‘Branch Combing Method’ to familiarize herself with this new ability.

After lunch, she moved a lounge chair to the backyard of the residence. This area was shady, offered a view of the vast flower sea, and had fresh air and clear blue skies, making it a perfect spot for an afternoon nap or reading.

Taking off her shoes, the girl bent her legs, resting them on the lounge chair. Then, she picked up her favorite gardening book, occasionally pausing to glance at the distant scenery.

Even though it was almost December, the climate here was still warm; autumn in the Aurora Wind Season was exceptionally long.

Just as Hylial thought the day would pass uneventfully, a faint ringing sound drifted from afar, coming from the entrance of the residence.

“Is someone coming?” she slowly sat up.

…

Outside the gate, a well-dressed old man paced back and forth, followed by several guards and young attendants.

Before long, Lining calmly arrived at the gate, and the old man, as if seeing a savior, stepped forward.

Handing over a handwritten letter of recommendation, the group waited patiently outside the gate.

After briefly glancing at the recommendation letter, Lining returned it and then told them to wait for a moment.

“No problem, please ask this lady to inform Madame Faran,” the old man bowed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The chirping of insects in the trees continued, and the diagonal sunlight made it a bit uncomfortable for them. Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long. The maid reappeared at the gate about ten minutes later, unlocked the iron gate, and let them in.

Respectfully passing through the front yard of the residence, the group was led by the maid to the living room to wait.

“Madame is not at home today,” Lining turned and told them, surprising the old man.

“However, Miss Anluoer is here. She is Madame’s student and can represent Madame in all matters for now.”

Relieved, the old man nodded, indicating his understanding.

They waited in the living room for a second time. About three minutes later, a silver-haired girl in a bright yellow summer dress slowly descended the stairs. The sixteen-year-old girl, with her stunning beauty and demeanor, immediately captivated the eyes of everyone present.

Fair skin, a well-proportioned and healthy physique, slender ankles and wrists, and that ethereal face—when Hylial changed into an elaborate dress, fully displaying her charm, her beauty immediately captivated everyone.

As if their breathing had slowed, when Lining led and supported the girl from the staircase to sit on the sofa, the visitors hastily bowed and greeted her.

“You may also sit,” the girl nodded slightly, then spoke. Her clear and moving voice delivered a second impact.

The lead old man carefully sat down, while the others remained standing behind his sofa.

“Miss Anluoer, please forgive our abrupt visit…” The old man began to explain the reason for their visit.

They came from the distant Limetree Fort, which was Baron Beto’s residence, surrounded by several villages and towns.

“So, you’re asking for medicinal herbs?” the girl softly replied.

It turned out that Baron Beto’s wife had fallen gravely ill. After treatment by physicians, the illness was still difficult to eradicate, only barely suppressed, but her condition remained critical, potentially worsening at any moment. After discussions and consultations between physicians and local scholars, they determined that some ‘Blazing Sun’-aligned herbs were needed to replenish vitality and expel the evil sickness from the Baroness’s body.

“We searched for apothecaries’ guilds in nearby cities and finally learned that only Madame Faran here has the required herbs.”

As one of the higher-tier alignments, ‘Blazing Sun’-aligned herbs are inherently rare, and gardeners who cultivate them are even rarer. Not just in the southern region, but probably in the entire Regas Duchy, there are few people like Madame Faran who can extensively cultivate ‘Blazing Sun’-aligned plants.

“Could you tell me the specific condition of your lady? Although I have ‘Blazing Sun’ aligned ingredients, I also need to consider if they are suitable for the patient,” the girl thought for a moment and replied.

She didn’t know how to treat illnesses, but she was aware of some symptoms caused by the erosion of ‘alignment power’.

When ordinary people cultivate various abilities, they guide and control the power of alignments themselves, operating and absorbing them in an orderly manner, so there are usually no major problems. However, if ordinary people who are completely unfamiliar with related skills and knowledge accidentally come into contact with ‘alignment power’ in the outside world, various situations can occur.

In the Aurora Wind Season, the most common occurrences are heatstroke, persistent fever, coma, and shock caused by exposure to the sun and subtle ‘Blazing Sun’ alignment, which can lead to death in severe cases.

Furthermore, occasionally, when people walk in the mountains and forests, they might encounter hidden supernatural phenomena or be attacked by supernatural beasts, thereby becoming infected with alignment power that is difficult to dispel.

“This is the physician’s handwritten report on the condition, with annotations from the scholar as well.” The old man directed his attendant to retrieve the letter from the copper box where it was kept.

It was handed to Lining, the maid, who then unfolded it before Hylial for her to read.

After a few minutes, the girl nodded slightly and had Lining put the letter away.

“I understand.”

From the description in the letter, the lady was likely afflicted by a disease transmitted by certain insects or birds in the forest. Such diseases often strike rapidly, and without specific treatments, the only course of action is to strengthen oneself and endure it.

“Lining, would you mind getting me two bottles of ‘Sunseed Oil’?” Hylial looked at the maid beside her.

“Yes, Miss.” The maid respectfully bowed and withdrew.

Not long after, amidst the tense and curious anticipation of the crowd, the maid appeared, carrying two glass bottles filled with an amber liquid.

[Sunseed Oil] (Tier 1 – Blazing Sun): A pure oil extracted from sunflower seeds, rich in ‘Blazing Sun’ alignment power. It can be used for alchemy, medicine, dispelling cold, and harming ghost creatures.

One such bottle, approximately 300 ml, had a pure, golden hue, like liquid amber, dazzling the eyes of the people across from her.

“The bottle opening is specially sealed. If opened, the ‘Blazing Sun’ power within will slowly dissipate, so be careful when using it,” Hylial reminded them.

“We’ll remember that.”

The old man respectfully and gratefully accepted the two bottles of sunseed oil. It was then that he remembered the young girl had not mentioned remuneration.

Whether out of respect for Madame Faran or gratitude for the assistance, he couldn’t just leave empty-handed. Doing so would make Baron Beto a laughingstock among the nobility.

“May we know how we can express our gratitude for your and Madame Faran’s generosity? This is a gift we prepared in advance. Please accept it, Miss Anluoer.” He had a随从 escort bring a small box, which he opened on the coffee table.

Inside the velvet box, 20 gold coins were neatly arranged, adorned with exquisite Cold Plume Bird motifs, reflecting a shimmering golden light.

Even though ‘Blazing Sun’ is a high-tier alignment, a Tier 1 extraordinary item typically costs no more than three times that of other alignments, meaning at most 3 gold coins per item. Two bottles would be about 6 gold coins, and the fact that they offered 20 gold coins immediately showed their sincerity.

This was likely because their visit was sudden, without prior notification to Madame Faran, and they feared bringing too little would offend Madame Faran.

Should she accept it? The girl pondered for a moment.

There should be no problem in accepting it, but she was aware of the market price of the items and felt somewhat uncomfortable with such a high markup.

“It seems I’m not cut out for making money,” the girl thought to herself.

Not knowing how Madame Faran usually handled such situations, she turned her gaze to the maid beside her. Lining seemed to understand Hylial’s dilemma at this moment. She stepped forward half a pace, bowed, and spoke.

“Thank you for the generous gift, sir. Our young lady rarely receives guests and is not yet familiar with these procedures,” she explained first.

“Yes, yes, I was too abrupt,” the old man seemed to realize something and quickly had the box put away.

It was indeed too blunt, it seemed to imply that Madame Faran and the young lady were greedy, even if it was a thank you, it shouldn’t be like this.

After a few seconds of thought, the old butler again took out a small box from his pocket. This box, wrapped in red silk cloth, was placed on the table and opened, revealing a white chess piece inside. The piece looked somewhat like the pawn chess piece from international chess in Hylial’s memories of her past life.

[White Stone Chess Piece] (Tier 1 – Castle): A chess piece formed by a titled noble using their own status, imbued with ‘Castle’ alignment power. It can allow a person with the capacity to carry it to advance to ‘Tier 1 – Castle’. (The bestowal of such a chess piece often signifies ennoblement.)

“This is a Castle chess piece bestowed by my master, Baron Beto. Since there are no suitable candidates in the territory for now, it has been vacant. This time, I came without a suitable gift for Madame Faran. Please accept it, Miss Anluoer.”

At this moment, Hylial saw Lining nodding slightly to her, so she accepted.

“I only helped a little, Baron Beto is very generous.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the old man excused himself.

“As my mistress is still ill, please forgive me for not being able to stay long. We will visit Madame Faran again to express our gratitude once she recovers.”

At this point, Hylial also stood up and bid farewell to their party.

(End of this chapter)