The Cornflower Witch Chapter 131

The bright sunlight spread across the valley. Hylial, wearing a delicate woven sun hat, walked across the grass of the valley. As far as her eyes could see, green grass undulated in the wind.

Since that night, the ‘Distortion’ aspect within this valley had been dispelled and purified. For at least three months, there was no need to worry about contamination of the surface vegetation and creatures.

The gentle breeze passed through the gaps in her sleeves, caressing her body, making her feel refreshed and lifting her spirits.

This land, located within the Shadow World, was less affected by the ‘Blazing Sun’ in the firmament, which meant that even in summer, it wouldn’t be very hot, making it quite comfortable.

In the past two days, the green seedlings in the fields had grown luxuriantly, arranged neatly, filling Hylial with many expectations.

【Wheat】 (Pass -41): After removing the effects of distortion, the crops are growing smoothly.

Now that the foundation has been laid, it’s time to test the true skills.

She took out a small tube of ‘Green Eye’ potion, dripped it into her eyes, and then a verdant halo colored her pupils, allowing her to see the more complex and delicate spectrum emitted by plants.

Her footsteps halted. Hylial gently pressed her hand on the green seedlings in front of her, then took a deep breath. Invisible ripples spread, and a hint of emerald green appeared in her pupils.

Her perception extended along the trees in front of her, spreading and expanding across this land. Countless colorful spectra appeared in her eyes, and the insects and ants among the grass, the withered leaves, and the cracks in the soil all emerged one by one.

【Wheat】 (Pass -41): After removing the effects of distortion, it is currently stable, but the growing environment still needs to be improved.

Germination analysis…

Water transport analysis…

Nutrient analysis…

Ventilation status check…

Pest and disease search…

Hylial knelt between the ridges of the field, meticulously performing each task, then held a pen in her other hand, constantly recording data and observations.

(‘Gardening Skills’ proficiency +15)

(‘Gardening Skills’ proficiency +19)

(‘Gardening Skills’ proficiency +12)

(‘Gardening Skills’ proficiency +25)

…

A whole day passed. In the evening, Hylial brought the recorded book pages back to her small cabin, ready to continue organizing, analyzing, and solving each problem.

Growing crops and cultivating flowers are vastly different. The latter, due to their small numbers, can have their environment individually created and carefully nurtured, making it easy to produce high-quality flowers.

However, for large-scale crops, it’s difficult to attend to the condition of each plant. One can only improve them based on general average conditions, and then, with sufficient energy and time, fine-tune them individually.

After spending some time sorting out solutions, Hylial organized and wrote them down.

However, even with solutions, she alone would be overwhelmed trying to care for nearly 40 mu of land.

It seemed that adding manpower was essential. She remembered that the market day was coming up at the beginning of the month, so it would be a good time to visit Whitecliff City. She also needed to replenish food and daily necessities.

The next morning, Hylial harnessed the large Lakeside Horse, then led two foals with ropes, keeping them close to their mother to prevent them from getting lost on the way. She then sat in the carriage, lightly shook the reins, and set off.

Because there was only one road to Whitecliff City, with no forks, she didn’t need to constantly adjust the direction once the horse started moving. She then leaned back in the carriage, enjoying the scenery and occasionally taking a nap.

Roughly nearing noon, the carriage arrived at Whitecliff City. Hylial led the large draft horse to a stable in the city and temporarily left the three horses there. “Fifty Copper coins for half a day, one Silver Coin for a full day,” the stable attendant told her, handing her a small wooden token as proof.

“Alright.”

Taking the token, Hylial put it in her pocket, then pulled up the black hood of her jacket, with only a few strands of silver hair peeking out at her neck.

She first entered the market. Since tomorrow was the official market day, many vendors had already set up their stalls in advance today.

“Fresh apples, 50 Copper coins per Jin.”

“Clean water, 20 Copper coins a pot.” Can water be sold for money now? The girl was quite surprised.

She walked over, and someone was already asking questions in front.

“You’re selling this water so expensively; on the surface, 20 Copper coins can buy 20 Jin of wheat.”

“You said ‘on the surface,’ can it be the same?” The burly man selling water fanned himself with a reed fan, explaining,

“This is pure water I drew from the Holy Spring of Whitecliff City. It has very little pollution and can be drunk directly. Selling it to you for 20 Copper coins is a very fair price.”

Seeing that the other person still wanted to argue, he continued, “You wouldn’t think this water is just for drinking, would you? You know that whether it’s for making potions, alchemy, or practicing esoteric arts related to water, high-purity, unpolluted water is needed. If you view it as a raw material for creation, won’t you find it very cheap?”

“This… that also seems to be the case.” The audience, who initially thought it was expensive, now changed their minds.

“But, can your water really be used as a potion ingredient? I remember the distilled pure water sold at the Alchemist’s Workshop costs one Silver Coin a pot.”

“That’s for professionals. You, who aren’t even an apprentice, don’t need such high-purity pure water. The requirements for ordinary potions aren’t that high. This water is sufficient.” The burly man selling water paid no mind to the other’s face, directly pointing out his identity and situation, telling him not to aim too high.

“Even if you want to improve yourself, you should save the money for water, buy more materials, and try to practice alchemy and potion-making more to advance your rank. That’s the right path.”

The originally wavering audience was even more convinced this time, and many began to pay for water. From their appearance, most were first-order students, still in the early stages of their professional journey.

Ah, so even selling pure water can make money, Hylial thought thoughtfully, looking at the stall not far away.

However, if she spent her energy selling water, it would waste too much time, not only delaying her main job as a Gardener but also making it difficult to gain any additional experience from selling water.

Walking past this stall, she saw some selling simple homemade crafts, mostly students.

“Red Snow Powder, 20 Silver Coins a pack, fast burning, immense power.” The girl secretly muttered that the power was probably not that immense.

“Hundred-Refined Steel Sword, crafted with special techniques for enhanced sharpness and toughness, far exceeding other fine steel weapons.” This was somewhat useful, Hylial walked over.

“One sword for just one Gold Coin.” Well, it was still a bit expensive, the girl moved away, but it seemed that being able to forge was quite profitable.

Previously, Edson had also entrusted her to find a skilled blacksmith here to help forge a gilded long saber, so now was a good time to ask.

With that thought, she no longer lingered in the market but went directly to the blacksmith district in the city, which was the stronghold of the ‘Gold Forging Hammer’. From first-order apprentices to third-order professional blacksmiths, it was a famous organization in the Glittering Gold Plain, where one could buy suitable weapons and equipment at various price points.

Thinking this, Hylial walked into a side street and, after about 300 meters, arrived at a street entrance. At this entrance, two tall blacksmith statues stood, holding large hammers, with stern faces and clearly defined muscles. The towering gate also had hard lines, giving a sense of sturdiness and reliability.

【鍛金鐵錘】

‘Forge iron and gold with a hammer, majestic as a mountain.’