The Cornflower Witch Chapter 142

In the two days of waiting, Hylial did not stay at her residence to sleep, but instead went to explore the market. This time, she had brought some wheat to the city, intending to sell it individually.

According to the rules of the Woodland Association, after submitting the required portion, any surplus wheat could be handled independently. This was also to encourage all the students to cultivate and produce more grain.

Even if she didn’t plant wheat afterward, the 8,000 jin currently stored in the granary would be enough for the submission, leaving 3,000 jin for her to dispose of as she pleased.

Arriving at the market, Hylial rented a stall, hung a sign that read “Excellent Quality Wheat Flour, 3 Silver Coins/1 jin.”

The price and slogan were unpretentious. She wore a black hooded dress and sat behind the stall, her demeanor somewhat out of place with the goods she was selling.

A price of 3 Silver Coins per jin was acceptable for students to occasionally buy a meal or two, but if they ate it for every meal, it would cost nearly 1 Gold Coin a month, which was almost all of a student’s normal income.

Therefore, most students chose “good” or “excellent” quality staple foods as their meals, only preparing high-quality provisions when on missions or expeditions.

Many people frequented the market, but few specifically came to buy food, let alone wheat flour.

Hylial sat through the entire morning, only selling 16 jin of wheat flour. This was mostly due to some students, seeing “excellent” quality flour for the first time, wanting to try something new.

In the afternoon, Hylial continued to sit at her market stall, thinking that if she couldn’t sell it all today, she would just hand it over to the association. After all, she had experienced selling at a stall, and a slight loss in price wouldn’t matter.

Around three o’clock, Hylial was lost in thought behind her stall, contemplating whether to pack up and go for a walk, when a customer in white clothing approached her stall.

“Oh, they’re still selling wheat flour, how interesting.” The person came to the stall, looked at the samples, pinched a small amount with their fingers, and tasted it.

After a moment, the person exclaimed in surprise.

“This texture, and the purity, it’s really good, even better than the special supply from the association.” This comment finally roused the young girl from her reverie. She lifted her hood and, after a glance, observed the customer in front of her.

Hylial’s nose twitched slightly, and then her eyes swirled with light. She quickly understood the identity of the person.

Is it a baker?

——

Name: Unknown

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (no abnormalities)

Talent: Fire Perception [Excellent], naturally sensitive to fire intensity, a good prospect as a chef.

Fate Card: [Baker by the Hearth] (Second-Tier Gold Steam)

‘A baker who controls the heat of fire, who can use oven fires to bake better and make high-quality pastries.’

–

Effect [Fire Control Lv.3]: After being immersed in high-temperature oven fires, your control over fire has become more precise, allowing you to bake bread and pastries at optimal temperatures and preserve their nutrients. This results in your pastries having a quality +1.

–

Class [Baker Lv.3]: A formed class, capable of skillfully fermenting dough and releasing its nutrients. (Fermentation · Nutrient Activation Lv.3)

Ability Cards: [Baking Method Lv.4 (Gold Steam)], [High-Temperature Oven Fire Lv.4 (Gold Steam)]

——

“It’s actually Gold Steam Aspect,” Hylial thought with a slight surprise. This was her first time encountering a professional transcendent baker.

“Hello, would you like to buy something?” She stood up slightly.

The person didn’t pay attention to the girl behind the stall, but rather focused on the flour and wheat grains beside her.

“Oh, fresh wheat grains, unprocessed wheat grains. Did you grow all of these yourself?” The baker had initially thought these were things the girl had resold from other places.

“I grew them myself,” the girl answered honestly. There was no need to deliberately conceal it.

“The quality is truly excellent. By the way, you’re also a seasoned Second-Tier student, no wonder.” He noticed that the girl was already a “Second-Tier Emerald Honey,” and nodded repeatedly.

“I’m Fred, a baker from the Wind Furnace Bakery in the city. I’m very interested in the wheat and flour you’re selling.” He didn’t beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose. “Three silver coins a jin, that’s really cheap, you must be selling wheat in the city for the first time, right?” he asked.

“That’s right, is there a problem?” Hylial thought for a moment, wondering if she had violated any rules.

“No problem, it’s just that the price is too low,” the other party smiled.

“The standard price set by the Association is indeed three silver coins a jin for excellent quality, but in reality, the yield of ‘excellent’ quality wheat is much lower than ‘good’ quality. It’s actually not easy to find.”

“The Glittering Gold Plain grows a large amount of wheat, managed by high-level gardeners. The wheat produced, which is of ‘rare’ quality or higher, is supplied directly to various organizations within the Association and does not enter the market. So, the best wheat flour currently available in the market is ‘excellent’ quality.”

“Although most people see ‘excellent’ quality as all the same, in the eyes of professional bakers or chefs like us, even ingredients of the same quality can still be differentiated by superiority and difference.”

“You’ve cultivated it very well. It must have taken you many years to raise the quality to this level,” he said admiringly, nodding.

“And you look very young too,” he added.

“How much stock do you have now? If possible, I’d like to purchase all of it, and I’ll give you four silver coins per jin.”

If she were to submit it directly to the association, the price would be about 2.1 silver coins per jin. Selling it directly to him would almost double her income.

Even though she hadn’t expected to earn much initially, actually seeing the proceeds from her handcrafted produce made Hylial feel a sense of joy. This wasn’t just about earning money to do many things; it was also the satisfaction of her achievements and efforts being recognized.

“All of it? Let me think.” She had to keep at least 5,000 jin for submission, which meant only 3,000 jin could be handled on her own. Considering some losses, she could probably sell about 2,600 jin.

“About 2,400 jin.”

“That much? I thought it would only be a few hundred jin.”

He was curious, as gardeners had limited energy. If one wanted to focus on improving quality, they could only tend to small plots of crops.

“It seems you are very skilled.” Thinking this, he was also in a good mood. It seemed he could stock up on a batch of excellent ingredients this time.

“It seems we need to discuss this transaction in more detail.”

“Do you have time to sit down at a restaurant? By the way, I haven’t introduced myself, my name is Fred.”

Afterward, Hylial had the toads by the stall pack up the items and move them back to the inn. Then, she followed the baker Fred to a dessert restaurant on the street for a chat.

“Actually, many of the desserts in this restaurant are supplied by us, we have a good relationship,” he introduced first, then beckoned to a staff member.

“Please bring this young lady a ‘Orange Windmill Cake.’ I remember supplying you with six this morning, this item has been selling well recently.”

“No problem, Mr. Fred, your masterpiece is always our signature item,” the staff member replied with a smile, jotting down the order.

Soon after, an exquisitely crafted and delightful cake was brought to the table. Its cake base was a faint lavender, adorned with small Orange-Red windmills whose blades were orange slices, and golden cheese representing wheat fields. The overall arrangement brought forth a serene and pleasant pastoral scene.

[Orange Windmill Cake] (First-Tier Gold Steam): Made with excellent quality oranges, cream, eggs, and flour. All ingredients are perfectly blended, harmonizing into an exquisite taste. (Has transcended the realm of ordinary food, can excellently restore physical strength, soothe fatigued minds, and heal some hidden mental wounds)

Picking up a spoon, Hylial took a small piece of cake into her mouth, feeling a sweet taste burst on her tongue, and then her whole body felt as if floating gently on clouds.

This double comfort for both body and spirit was truly unforgettable, leaving Hylial secretly amazed.

She vaguely remembered that only by elevating the quality to “perfect” could an aspect potentially be crystallized. Yet, the baker before her had used a collection of “excellent” quality ingredients to create a product of nearly “perfect” quality, and it had even crystallized an aspect.

Indeed, no transcendent profession should be underestimated.

——

Aspect [Gold Steam]: Metal hammered, steam roaring, this is the scorching power that reshapes the world.