The Cornflower Witch Chapter 117

Thus, the two diners occasionally communicated through notes, seemingly preferring written exchanges over direct face-to-face conversation.

When Hylial finished her meal and was sipping the last of her chilled “Breezy Moon Dew Juice,” the rabbit-eared maid approached again, this time holding a peculiar ice-white flower.

“Miss Florella asked me to bring this to you as a gift. She said she was very happy to meet you today.”

The flower in the rabbit-eared maid’s hand was clearly extraordinary. It had previously been worn as a hair ornament by Florella, its broad ice-white petals adorning her hair and enhancing her beauty, making her exceptionally lovely.

[Ice Goblet Flower] (First-Order Sleepy Winter): A special, exotic flower possessing the power of icy aura. It is an exclusive breed cultivated by elves, rarely seen outside.

This flower was still alive. If planted in suitable soil and water, it could continue to bloom and grow. Furthermore, its potential was not fully developed; with continued cultivation, it could potentially advance to higher stages.

Upon receiving the flower, Hylial felt overwhelmed, as such a gift was quite precious among students.

She bowed her head slightly to the elf girl in the distance, expressing her gratitude. After some thought, she realized she could offer a Fire Cloud Orchid as a return gift, and she still had two left, so losing one wouldn’t be a big deal.

She wrote down her intended gift and thoughts on a note, which the rabbit-eared maid delivered. Shortly after, the maid returned with another note.

‘I’ll be in my room after 7 PM. You can find me in Room 3 on the third floor, my dear Hylial~’

Hylial wrote “understood” in response, telling Florella that she would visit her that evening.

So, she too was a third-floor student? No wonder she seemed quite extraordinary, the girl now realized.

Soon after, the elf girl bid her an early farewell, waving goodbye to Hylial before leaving the restaurant.

Not long after, the girl finished her drink and summoned the rabbit-eared maid to pay the bill.

“Just remove your badge and press it on the bill,” the maid said, presenting the bill detailing the expenses, which totaled 5 silver coins.

After looking at the bill, Hylial took her badge and pressed it on the paper. The badge warmed slightly, leaving a faint imprint.

The rabbit-eared maid then collected the bill and happily escorted the silver-haired girl in the black dress out.

“Please come again anytime~” she waved, bidding Hylial farewell.

…

After her meal, Hylial continued to explore the current floor for a while before returning to her room on the third floor. She found someone already waiting for her at her door.

The person was dressed in a dark blue windbreaker with black trim, and had neatly styled short black hair, with one side swept diagonally to the left, revealing deep blue eyes.

This noble youth seemed to be of high status. He wore a badge similar to Hylial’s on his collar and was currently leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, seemingly waiting for someone.

As Hylial approached, his gaze turned to her. Noticing the badge on her dress, his expression changed, and he pushed off the wall, standing upright before her door.

“You’re Hylial, right?” he introduced himself.

“My name is Edjin. The teacher asked me to escort you to the restaurant for a meal, but from the looks of it, you’ve probably already eaten.”

Hylial then remembered that the middle-aged man who had guided her had indeed told her to rest in her room and wait.

“I apologize. I went ahead, making you wait so long,” Hylial said, bowing her head slightly in shame.

The noble youth across from her showed little change in expression, simply waving his hand to indicate it was fine.

“Since you don’t need to eat, I’ll still show you around the environment. This is the task the teacher assigned me.”

“If you don’t need to get or put away anything, just come with me.” He walked past the girl.

“Okay, I’ll put my things away.” She placed the Ice Goblet Flower she was holding inside her room, temporarily putting it in a vase to ensure its survival, then came out.

The two descended the stairs again, arriving at the fourth floor.

“The fourth floor is where books are kept. There are many miscellaneous books here, so if you’re interested, you can come and browse. However, if you’re hoping to find any valuable secret histories or forbidden arts here, you’ll be disappointed.” He led her on a quick tour of the libraries on both sides of the floor.

The environment here was quiet, with a few students sitting and reading books, some borrowed, others brought from home.

“Borrowing costs money, but we don’t have to. Just use your badge,” he explained further before leading Hylial down to the next floor.

Wшw ●тTk an ●℃O

“Below is the fifth floor. You’ve probably been here before; it’s quite lively.” The two walked into the hall, which was still as bustling as it was when Hylial first arrived, with many students gathered in twos and threes, some even conducting simple trades, exchanging items.

“This is fine tequila distilled in Moraguo, worth a sword, absolutely,” a burly man in a vest said, holding a bottle of liquor and negotiating with someone.

“Forget it, I don’t like drinking, find someone else.”

As Hylial passed by, she glanced at the bottle of wine. Although it was of good quality, it merely tasted better and had no special effects, so it was no wonder the other party was reluctant.

The two continued through the hall and into a side corridor.

“There are several lounges here, like inns, quieter than the usual dorms, available for extra rent. But you and I won’t need them.” He continued walking towards the stairs leading to the lower floor.

The two descended to the sixth floor, where the main hall was quite lively, the structure seemingly converted into an arena, with a spacious open area in the middle where people were engaging in combat.

“This place can be used for sparring and duels. If students have any private conflicts they wish to resolve, they can come here.”

After circling the area, the two were about to explore other floors when someone rushed over.

“Senior Edjin, there’s a conflict over there! Some foolish lizards are trying to take things from the new students, and several others are involved.”

Hearing this, Edjin frowned slightly. He disliked unexpected disruptions to his plans, but he couldn’t show his frustration now.

“Lead the way,” he said, turning to Hylial with an apologetic gesture.

“If Hylial has nothing else to do, she can come with me to see.”

“Okay.”

The two followed the student, and soon found the gathered crowd.

“Make way, make way, Senior Edjin is here!”

The student leading the way shouted loudly. The students along the path quickly made way, apparently having heard of his reputation.

Hylial followed closely behind the swiftly moving Edjin, arriving at the center of the crowd, where she observed the scene.

A noble youth dressed in silk clothes lay on the ground, with a few traces of blood beneath him. He was surrounded by several people who were helping him lean against a companion. Judging by their attire, these students seemed to be from the same place.

Facing them were three tall lizardmen. The scales of the leader resembled mudstone, but interspersed with streaks of blood, making it appear somewhat fierce and powerful. It held a glass orb in one claw, within which crimson liquid shimmered, reflecting strange red hues under the light.

[Serpent Blood Orb] (First-Order Blood Discipline): Contains refined superior serpent blood, which can assist in the practice of bloodline secret arts.

“You lost, this blood orb is mine,” the lizardman hissed, cunningly.

“You lowly lizard, I never agreed to a duel! You dragged me to the arena!” the bleeding youth retorted, pointing a finger at the lizardman.

“Oh, but that’s how the rules work here. We’re in the arena, and if you lose, you have to hand over your things, hiss hiss,” the other party boasted, sticking out its tongue.

“You brute!” The youth’s companions were furious, but they dared not step forward, knowing that even together, they would likely be no match for the large lizard before them.

Even the least capable new students selected were at least First-Order, but there was a significant disparity within the First-Order. At least most students, in Hylial’s opinion, were inferior to Mick and Solin, but perhaps comparable to Balun’s strength.

As for the lizardman in front of them, though it was also First-Order, with its innate physique and bloodline power, it could easily handle five or six other new students simultaneously. Moreover, it had two companions who wouldn’t just stand by.

“The weak must simply accept reality.” The lizard coiled around the orb, putting it away, then turned its lizard head to glare menacingly at the surrounding crowd, forcing some onlookers to back away.

“The weak must accept reality, that’s quite interesting.” Edjin’s eyes gleamed with coldness, and he strode forward, instantly covering ten meters to stand before the lizardman.

The power of the Sleepy Winter aspect diffused, crystallizing a layer of frost on the ground.

—

Aspect [Sleepy Winter]: The absence of heat, the stillness and frozen cessation of life.