The Cornflower Witch Chapter 129

Early morning, Hylial woke up from her bed.

Perhaps it was because she had just arrived at a new place and hadn’t yet adapted to the unfamiliar environment, so her sleep was light. She didn’t stay in bed but woke up shortly after dawn.

Sitting in front of a simple dressing table, she smoothed her hair that had been flattened in sleep, then got up and picked out an early white linen dress from her luggage to change into.

Downstairs, the large Reed Horse was still resting on its knees, with two small horses nestled beside it.

Hearing the sound, the draft horse opened its eyes, saw the slender girl in front of it, slowly pushed itself up on all fours, then shook its head, its thick mane swishing through the air, before snorting loudly, spraying warm, coarse breath onto the girl.

“Ugh,” Hylial covered her nose and took a few steps back before approaching from the side.

According to the patrolling cavalry, this draft horse was gentle and easy to train; just feed it enough hay and fresh water daily.

She first brought several blocks of hay and placed them in the trough, then went to the well.

Besides the traditional method of drawing water with a bucket, this well also had a pump handle nearby. When pushed, a pump would draw out water.

After the water emerged from the ground, it flowed into a large pool below, which had two layers above it, like a multi-tiered fountain.

The first water filled the upper layer, where ‘descent powder’ was placed to condense and precipitate the faint ‘Distortion’ aspect in the water. Then, the relatively clear well water flowed into the lower layer, undergoing another round of ‘descent powder’ precipitation before finally collecting in the pool below.

Carrying a wooden bucket, Hylial drew a bucket of water from the partially purified pool and brought it to the stable, pouring it into a designated stone trough. The draft horse drank it all in one gulp.

“This won’t do. Otherwise, I’d spend the whole day just getting you water,” Hylial shook her head helplessly.

She brought over a wooden box and stood on it so she could easily reach the horse’s head. She first tried to gently stroke its head, allowing the draft horse to get used to her scent, then fed it a few carrots as a snack.

Just as the cavalryman had said, this draft horse was indeed very gentle. It used its lips to pick up and chew the carrots, careful not to bite Hylial’s hand.

After soothing it for a while, Hylial, seeing that the situation was good, untied the rope and led the draft horse out.

Walking slowly on the grassland, Hylial led it to the edge of the pool, where the girl let it drink directly from the water.

The horse lowered its head into the pool and began to drink heartily, Hylial watching as the water level visibly decreased.

After a short while, the draft horse finally had its fill, and the two small horses that had been sleeping in the hay pile also came trotting over, curiously gathering around the pool.

They also drank some, but only a small amount.

After the horses had drunk their fill, Hylial led the large horse across the freshly tilled land in the valley. The weeds in the soil, separated from the ground, were gradually drying out under the sun, turning withered and yellow.

Reaching the center of this newly cultivated field, the girl knelt down, picked up some soil, carefully examining it, feeling its moisture and looseness, then sniffed it lightly before putting it back.

There was also some Twisted-aspect contamination in the soil, so she stood up.

Although crops could still be planted here, it would be difficult to cultivate high-quality produce.

No wonder no Gardeners were willing to take over this place. They likely knew the local conditions and preferred the fields around the fortress, which were already well-developed and cleared of any contamination.

She continued leading the horse forward until they stopped at the edge of a small hillside.

“From now on, you’ll do your business here. Don’t do it in the stable, understood?” She wasn’t sure if the draft horse could understand but decided to try and train it first.

Hylial then used some gestures to assist in teaching the large draft horse. Finally, after a period of confusion, the draft horse understood the girl’s meaning. It turned around and, at the edge of the hillside, began to deposit the ‘discarded remnants of digested food’ downwards.

The girl waited at a considerable distance, covering her nose, thinking that placing the stable 100 meters away from the cabin was indeed the right decision.

Both foals curiously watched for a while, then followed their mother’s example. Afterwards, Hylial led the draft horse back to the stable and let it continue eating hay.

Back in her bedroom, Hylial went to the windowsill, where three potted plants covered by glass domes were displayed: ‘Fire Cloud Orchid Flower’, ‘Ice Lantern Flower’, and ‘Swan Orchid’.

She carefully removed the ‘Fire Cloud Orchid Flower’ and transferred it into a lamp, then walked downstairs holding the lamp.

After tilling, weed remnants still remained in the soil, and considering pest control, Hylial decided to first scorch the field with high heat.

As she stepped into the field path, Emerald Honey power flowed into the lantern. The tiny stamens of the Fire Cloud Orchid swayed within it, emitting ripples of light. Then, an invisible wave of fire spread outwards from the lantern, igniting the dry grass on the ground and rapidly sweeping into the distance.

The withered weeds caught fire, emitting wisps of blue smoke, then flames rose, crackling softly, and a wave of heat spread.

Standing at the edge of the field, Hylial watched the large area of smoke and wild fire spreading before her, observing and waiting patiently.

She occasionally added a few more ripples of fire, striving to thoroughly cook the field, killing insect eggs and viruses in the soil.

Around noon, the large fire in the field gradually extinguished, leaving only faint blue smoke and scorched residual heat.

…

The next day, Hylial scattered the seeds, then pulled a water cart filled with fresh water with the draft horse, walking along the field path. Along the way, the girl opened a stopper on the side of the water cart, and a thin stream of water sprayed out, irrigating the soil and seeds along the path.

After nearly ten days of such labor, she finally completed the initial seeding of this newly cultivated fifty-acre field.

Afterwards, Hylial lay on the bed, not wanting to move at all, only occasionally turning over, her dress and hair tangled together, and continued to sleep. Although farm work was not as intense as battle, it lasted a long time.

That evening, Hylial dedicated time to heating water for a bath, sitting in the warm wooden tub, and relaxing for a good while.

After finishing the sowing, she finally had some free time and began to focus on her cultivation and improvement.

First, she wanted to test if she could temporarily seal the abilities in her Fate Card and then free up space.

Sitting in the meditation room, Hylial closed her eyes and carefully felt the Fate Card in her soul consciousness. Then, she activated her innate ability, transforming herself from [Emerald Honey] to [Alien Star].

A wonderful sensation once again arose in her heart, as if she could see many different aspects of this world.

In the Alien Star state, her perception was further enhanced. Not only could she detect subtle spacetime fissures, but she could also easily traverse them with the power of the Alien Star.

Hylial slowly opened her eyes. Her normally light blue eyes now seemed to hold faint starlight emerging and vanishing, incredibly mysterious.

Then, she lightly moved her feet, passing directly through the wall from the meditation room to the adjacent study.

The entire process was as simple as breathing, consuming no significant energy.

This discovery gave Hylial a clearer understanding of her own innate abilities.

After exploring her ability to traverse spacetime fissures, she continued her previous plan, attempting to seal the newly learned [Aromatherapy Lv. 1].

On the Fate Card, the starlight-drenched Fate Card [Girl Under the Starry Sky] (First-Order Alien Star) emitted waves of light. This light then spread to the [Aromatherapy Lv.1] card in the bottom right corner of the Fate Card, gradually enveloping and covering it with the power of the ‘Alien Star’.

After a few breaths, a flash of light passed over [Aromatherapy Lv.1]. The flowing star power instantly solidified, like a film coating the card, isolating it from other existences.

Soon, this card, adorned and surrounded by flowers, slowly detached from the Fate Card and finally fell into Hylial’s fingertips.

The intangible card, carrying a faint aura, rested between the girl’s fingers. She realized that if no measures were taken, the [Emerald Honey] aspect power of this card would slowly dissipate.

However, as an intangible and incorporeal concept card, it could not be stored like a physical object.

After several attempts, Hylial finally found a place to temporarily store the card.

The central Fate Card [Girl Under the Starry Sky] once again glowed, absorbing the sealed card, which then settled into the painting on the card face.

On the card face, the silver-haired girl still slept, and on the grass beside her, a small card had appeared. If one looked even closer, they would notice a white book with silver edges hidden under her sleeve.

“Merelankah Praying in the Lake”

After sealing it, Hylial’s Fate Card once again had an empty ability slot, allowing her to begin learning a new ability.