The Cornflower Witch Chapter 127

Walking on the street, Hylial passed through the bustling streets, hearing a burst of music from afar – the sound of bagpipes and guqin playing together.

Behind a distant stall selling potatoes and parsnips, two people sat on stacked barrels and boxes. One played the bagpipes, pressing the air bladder, while the other lightly plucked the strings of a guqin.

Judging from their mud-splattered clothes, the two were likely stall owners rather than professional musicians. Their melody was simple and melodious, and their movements relaxed, as if improvising according to their mood.

Most people on the noisy street were busy, some moving goods, some picking out items. Not many listened to their music; the most attentive was probably the down-and-out vagrant in the corner.

Hylial didn’t leave, but stood under the awning of a nearby stall, quietly listening to their performance before continuing to browse the market.

Was there any use in listening to this piece of music? Probably not, but this peaceful and natural atmosphere made Hylial subtly fond of it.

Perhaps years later, she would have long forgotten what she bought in the market that day, or how much she haggled with the merchants. But the image of those two spontaneously playing instruments in the market that day would stay with her for a long time.

This is a nice place, the girl thought, her steps becoming a little lighter.

After resting yesterday, she planned to explore the fortress today. It had a considerable population, probably over ten thousand people. Even though it was less than a quarter the size of Burntstone City, in the Shadow World, it was definitely one of the large cities.

After a day of exploring, Hylial had a初步 understanding of the fortress, and her mind felt much more at ease.

Although the population was smaller, the shops and various guilds and associations in the city were much higher level than those in Burntstone City. She could even see Level 3 – Castle items, equipment, and potions directly for sale here. Of course, the prices were also very “pleasing,” meaning she couldn’t afford them.

After returning to her lodging to sleep and rest, they gathered again the next morning to listen to the old man’s guidance.

“Over the past two days, I believe you all have walked around the city once. I won’t go through the more prominent guild organizations one by one. Now, let’s talk about some practical matters for daily life.”

“First, living in the Woodland, whether it’s for living, collecting secret art resources, or buying things to improve yourselves, you need money. But how to earn money is a matter that requires long-term attention.”

“It’s easy for Gardeners’ students; they can rely directly on selling their produce. Students pursuing the path of a craftsman can also earn money by crafting things themselves, helping others with repairs, or working as apprentices for master blacksmiths.”

“As for those of you who have chosen the path of a knight, the association also arranges patrol missions, but the pay isn’t high.”

“If you want to earn some extra money, you can either find some side jobs or go patrolling the plains on the border of Gulunga Mountains. If you can kill a few monsters, you can earn some, but this is rather a matter of luck. If you feel it’s a waste of time, then focus on improving your own strength. When you reach the Second-Order, the options available to you will be much greater.”

“Additionally, whether you are selling your harvest or buying things you want, remember to come to the market within the fortress on the third day of each month. On this day, everyone gathers to trade. Not only can you sell for better prices, but you can also find what you’re looking for.”

“That’s basically all I have to say. If you have any questions in the future, you can come to the association and consult me. I will be stationed here permanently.”

“Thank you, Instructor Bede.” Although he only taught some basic things, they were all quite practical, and everyone was generous with their respect.

…

After staying for a few days, association personnel informed Hylial that the valley plain she had chosen earlier had been initially cleared.

That day, a guard in a white smock approached Hylial.

“You must be Miss Hylial, right? I’m a patrolling knight from Whitecliff City. Five days ago, the Woodland Association informed us to help clear the newly opened valley plain, and it was finished yesterday.”

“According to your request, a two-story stone hut has been built for you on the sunny side of the valley, and next to the hut is a newly dug well that can be used to water crops. However…” He hesitated slightly, then continued.

“Because it’s newly opened land, the water there is still somewhat contaminated, meaning it contains a certain degree of distorted essence. It needs to be regularly purified with ‘Shadow-Reducing Powder’ to be drinkable. Considering that drinking water indeed has a significant impact, we will supply you with an additional six months’ worth of ‘Shadow-Reducing Powder’. After that, you may need to purchase and process it yourself.”

“Is that so…” Hylial didn’t mind this. She could even directly drink water with a ‘distorted’ essence without many problems, as her origin was from the stars and she wasn’t afraid of distortion or contamination.

However, water with a ‘distorted’ essence would affect crop irrigation.

“Although I understand your difficulties, using Shadow-Reducing Powder for a long time will be costly and will also affect my future crop cultivation,” she stated.

“Can you compensate me in other ways? After all, a large portion of my crops will be submitted to Whitecliff City.”

“This… I don’t have the authority to decide, but I can report your situation to my superiors later.” The other party also knew that the water issue would have a significant impact on crops.

After some further discussion, a few patrolling guards arrived that afternoon to help Hylial move her luggage onto the cart.

“Today, we will take you to the valley west of Whitecliff City.”

Soon, a tall, grey-black draft horse pulled the cart out of the association’s premises and into the city streets.

Sitting on the stacked wooden boxes and hay bales in the carriage, Hylial lightly held the guardrail, watching the four knights escorting them below.

The leader was a Second-Order Knight attendant, who, it was said, had already begun learning the prerequisite abilities for a ‘White Knight.’ The other few were First-Order Light Cavalry, probably older students from Hylial’s previous year.

The group of five rode along the streets and out of the city, traveling across the sprawling plains. Along the way, they occasionally chatted, and Hylial heard them discuss recent training and interesting anecdotes from Whitecliff City.

“The strongest in the city should be Knight Commander Share. He entered the Fourth Stage a long time ago, and just last year he completed his trial, successfully condensing the ‘Holy White Knight’ profession.”

“Aside from him, there are two other Fourth Stage Transcendent in the city, but their main focus isn’t combat, and not much is known about them externally.”

Hearing this, Hylial couldn’t help but ask, “Are Fourth Stage Transcendent common in the Woodland?”

“Of course not common. A Fourth Stage is often a high-ranking member of a small organization, and even in large organizations, they are core members, usually exploring the fringe secret realms of the Shadow World or carrying out dangerous and difficult missions. They rarely appear at stable outposts in the central regions.”

“We don’t know much about higher-level powers because we don’t have access to them.” After saying this, the few continued riding, one of them humming an unknown tune.

“That’s a song from his hometown; he always likes to hum a few lines when he has nothing to do,” joked a companion.

“I guess it’s probably a tragic romance from his youth, haha,” the other two laughed, then spurred their horses to catch up.

Hylial lay amidst the dry hay, her skirt spread over the golden straw. She stretched her arms slightly, gazing at the azure sky above, her body like a drifting boat, slowly moving forward with the carriage.

It had been a long time since she had looked at the sky like this. In her previous life, when she worked, the streets were lined with tall buildings, and she couldn’t even see the sunrise or sunset, only the glaring midday sun.

Recalling her ordinary past, Hylial closed her eyes, leaning on the hay. Her body was warmed by the sun, and the gentle heat made her drowsy, so she slowly drifted into a midday nap.

The carriage continued along the dirt path through the wilderness, the girl amidst the golden straw drifting slowly into the distance, accompanied by the Aurora Wind Season.