The Cornflower Witch Chapter 144

On the first floor of the Woodland Association, bright sunlight streamed into the hall through the branches outside the window, illuminating scattered students who were busy with their affairs.

“Miss Hylial, I sincerely apologize for the delay earlier,” the woman attending to her said, before continuing to explain matters concerning her advancement to the second rank.

“Do you know the earliest origins of the Woodland, Miss Hylial?”

“I have some general understanding.” She knew that the Silverlight Church was likely the first to explore the Shadow World.

“Going into the Shadow World beneath the continent in the early days was an extremely dangerous endeavor, requiring the establishment of ‘lighthouses’ to maintain a stable coordinate system.”

“The initial purpose was to address the interference of the Shadow World with the surface world. The principle involved complex mirror symmetry theories.”

“Essentially, a distortion or anomaly in one part of the Shadow World would cause similar strange changes on the surface world.”

“To curb the spread of these distortions, surface organizations had to send members into the Shadow World to address the root causes of these twisted anomalies.”

“Back then, traveling to and from the Shadow World was incredibly difficult, so many members who went there found it hard to return.”

“This situation led to a great reluctance among people to venture into the Shadow World.”

“To remedy this and compensate for the personnel deployment, the various organizations agreed to provide those willing to go to the Shadow World with various living supplies and advancement resources, which gradually stabilized the situation.”

“Although the Shadow World is not as dangerous and arduous now as it once was, this supply system has continued.”

“When choosing your station, you should have seen explanations about the differences in supply ratios, which will affect the quantity of supplies you actually receive.”

“Supplies are distributed quarterly, once every three months. Your current supply was originally issued according to the first-rank student standard, but since you have advanced, this time it has been temporarily adjusted to the second-rank student supply standard.”

“This is your supply list. Please check it. I will bring your supplies over shortly.” The woman’s attitude was much more respectful. Generally, students would pick up their supplies from the association’s warehouse with their list.

“Okay, thank you.”

With that, Hylial picked up the list printed with dark brown ink from the table.

[First-rank Student Supply Standard]

1. 120 portions of good quality food provided quarterly (mainly dry rations and biscuits).

2. 1 portion of ‘Blood Wine’ or ‘Meditation Incense’ provided quarterly (quality: First-Rank Excellent).

3. 1 portion of ‘Blood Healing Potion’ provided quarterly (quality: First-Rank Good).

4. One black steel ingot provided annually, usable for crafting weapons.

5. Two sets of refined clothing and armor provided annually: one set of common attire and one set of light armor.

[Second-rank Student Supply Standard]

1. 120 portions of excellent quality food provided quarterly (mainly dry rations and biscuits).

2. 10 portions of ‘Blood Wine’ or ‘Meditation Incense’ provided quarterly (quality: First-Rank Excellent).

3. 3 portions of ‘Blood Healing Potion’ provided quarterly (quality: First-Rank Excellent).

4. One gilded ingot/molten stone ingot/black rosewood provided annually, usable for crafting weapons or armor.

5. Two sets of custom clothing and armor provided annually: one set of common attire and one set of light armor (quality: First-Rank Excellent).

Hylial compared the supply differences between first-rank and second-rank students, noting a roughly tenfold increase. No wonder the teacher told the students to improve their strength as quickly as possible when she first arrived at the Woodland.

Unfortunately, due to the safe environment of the Glittering Gold Plain, many students came here, and the supply standard was only 70% of the normal standard.

After a short wait, the receptionist returned with a white stone wooden box. She opened the box in front of Hylial and introduced each item.

“The Glittering Gold Plain’s supply standard is below the normal standard, but your performance has been exceptionally good, so your first disbursement after advancement will be at twice the normal standard.”

“First, these are ‘Vanilla Biscuits’ wrapped in oil paper, totaling 240 portions.” The normal standard was 120 portions.

Each 10 portions were packaged in a rectangular iron box. Hylial opened one, which contained 10 pieces of faintly fragrant baked biscuits.

【Vanilla Biscuits】 (Excellent): Made from high-quality wheat flour and thyme leaves, baked until crispy and sweet. They provide twice the nutrition of ordinary dry rations and are a long-lasting reserve food. “Next are the ‘Blood Wine’ and ‘Meditation Incense’,” she said, then took out 20 bottles of red liquid Blood Wine and 20 small bundles of pale purple Meditation Incense from below.

【Blood Wine】 (First-Rank Blood Discipline): A medicinal wine refined from the blood of supernatural beasts, which can enhance abilities related to the ‘Blood Discipline’ attribute, and is also very suitable for training in breathing techniques.

【Meditation Incense】 (First-Rank Emerald Honey): Made from a special blend of spices and various auxiliary ingredients. It can enhance meditation effects, stabilize spiritual energy, and can also be used as an initial aid for learning meditation methods.

“Following that are six portions of ‘Blood Healing Potion’.” She continued to pull out six test tubes of light red liquid, each sealed with a cork stopper.

The young girl took one of the light red test tubes in her hand and curiously examined it.

【Blood Healing Potion】 (First-Rank Blood Discipline): A special potion used to replenish blood, restore physical strength, and accelerate wound healing. (Quality: Excellent)

Next were six palm-sized pieces of different materials: the dazzling ‘Gilded Ingots,’ the dark red, stone-like ‘Molten Stone Ingots,’ and the dark ‘Black Rosewood’ with its delicate grain.

“Weapons forged from Gilded Ingots will be exceptionally sharp and possess demon-breaking properties.”

“Weapons forged from Molten Stone Ingots are extraordinarily heavy and sturdy, emitting intense heat.”

“Tools crafted from Black Rosewood can allow the user to control spells more easily and reduce the onset of mental fatigue.”

Finally, there were four sets of clothing and armor, black with dark red borders. Two sets were regular robes with hoods, and the other two were adjustable light armor made from special tanned animal hides, making them lightweight and tough.

【Dark Brown Robe】 (First-Rank Excellent): Woven from tough reddish-brown fibers, it can withstand attacks from ordinary swords and blades, being both soft and durable.

【Dark Brown Light Armor】 (First-Rank Excellent): Made from the leather of first-rank beasts, it can effectively resist ‘First-Rank’ level attacks.

After examining these items, Hylial made her selections. The Blood Wine was not useful to her currently, as her breathing technique had transformed into the ‘Moonlight Breath Method’, which no longer involved the ‘Blood Discipline’ attribute. So she chose the ‘Meditation Incense’. As for the crafting materials, she picked ‘Black Rosewood’. This was because her current learned abilities, ‘Bloom-Flowering Method’ and ‘Hylial’s Spring’, were both spell-like abilities that required spiritual power to cast and maintain, making ‘Black Rosewood’ more practical.

After her selections were made, the other party checked off the items on the list, then packed them for Hylial, closed the box, and handed it to her.

“It feels a bit heavy,” Hylial mused as she took the box. However, a faint sense of satisfaction and happiness reminded her of the first time she earned a salary after starting work.

No wonder many young people wanted to come to the Woodland. For students from humble backgrounds, there were almost no opportunities to acquire many resources on the surface, nor could they earn such a high income.

“Finally, this is your Second-Rank Student badge. Please accept it.” A brand-new badge was handed to Hylial.

The badge’s design still featured trees and vines entwined around the sides, with sunlight breaking through the clouds in the center, conveying an artistic concept of seeing the light after the clouds part. Hylial’s name and the words “Glittering Gold Plain” were engraved on the back of the badge, signifying that she had completed her first-rank student period and advanced here.

“Thank you.” After carefully pinning both badges side-by-side, Hylial stood up and left with the box.

With her business at the association concluded, her next steps involved purchasing supplies and then returning to the valley with her people.

Constructing windmills, adding drying grounds, excavating warehouse cellars, building better homes for the toads, and delivering wheat to the bakery—all these tasks needed to be initiated.

It would be busy, but also exceptionally fulfilling.