The Cornflower Witch Chapter 227

### Ironwall Cliff Outpost

The once disciplined outpost was now a mess. Watchtowers were understaffed, some completely empty, and the infirmary was overflowing with patients.

The formerly elite soldiers and students now looked years older, their bodies weak, fearful of the cold, huddled in their blankets. Some coughed incessantly, others shivered under their covers.

They constantly cried out for food, yet no matter what they ate, their hunger persisted, leading them to frequent the latrines before seeking more food.

This situation was rampant throughout the outpost, though the severity varied among individuals. Generally, first and second-tier individuals were severely affected, third-tier individuals showed some resistance but were extremely fatigued, fourth-tier individuals were less affected, and only fifth-tier individuals could barely resist.

Inside the outpost’s central hall, the commander, clad in dark armor, paced back and forth. He looked at the figures sprawled across the hall, his heart filled with anxiety, yet he felt powerless.

The “Castle” Aspect’s curtain force field, while able to alleviate the symptoms, only reduced them by 10%, nowhere near a decisive effect.

If faced with a powerful, terrifying monster, he could fight fiercely alongside his comrades, but against this invisible disease, he felt exceptionally helpless and distressed.

“How much longer until the Association’s headquarters sends support?” he stopped pacing and asked the knight beside him.

“We have already dispatched three relief teams along three different routes to the nearest outposts with transfer points. We also released over twenty messenger birds, all carrying messages to the outside world.”

“But…” he paused, then continued, “Our actions will also bring great danger to others, causing this strange ‘Gray Mud’ plague to spread. And once it spreads through the entire Woodland Association, it will be an utterly terrifying disaster.”

Hearing this, the commander fell silent.

“Alright, I understand,” he waved his hand, dismissing his subordinate.

“I’m going to my room to rest for a bit. Notify me immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes, sir.”

He turned and left, heading to a stone room on the side to rest. The commander hadn’t slept for several days.

Urgent footsteps echoed through the fortress corridors. A armored warrior rushed through, carrying a letter and a pouch of powder towards the outpost’s center, searching for the commander.

Minutes later, he practically collapsed into the main hall.

“Where is the commander? Urgent intelligence to report! Extremely urgent! Extremely urgent!” he repeated several times, emphasizing the gravity of the situation to those around him.

“He’s in the resting room. What on earth has happened?” A guard knight helped him up and led him inside.

“Lantern Town… dispatched… a rescue team… they brought… revealing powder… that can… detect the ‘Gray Mud’… plague,” he gasped, barely able to speak.

“Really?” The supporting knight was extremely surprised, but there was no time for him to react. The door in the corridor suddenly burst open, and the commander rushed out anxiously.

“Is what you say true? Where is the powder? Let me see it,” he grabbed the messenger soldier, lifting him as if he were a chick.

“In my arms,” the soldier quickly handed it over, understanding the urgency.

“Good.” Taking the pouch, the commander hastily opened it, took a small amount, and sprinkled it around.

An ethereal mist diffused, and small, silver-blue iridescent dots and marks began to appear on the walls, ceiling, and floor.

“Here, and here. I didn’t realize it had spread everywhere!” He looked around in surprise, then calmed himself and read the letter that came with the powder.

“It’s Zalia’s letter.” Thinking of his renowned valiant knight under his command, the commander’s heart settled significantly.

He practically skimmed the letter, quickly understanding the entire process and situation.

“I never thought, never thought, truly never thought,” he couldn’t contain his emotions, trying to suppress his ecstatic joy to avoid losing composure.

“You all immediately… no, I’ll go myself, and all accompanying members must be Tier 4 or above.” He now realized that only high-ranking knights could resist the erosion of the ‘Gray Mud’ plague.

“We will go to retrieve that batch of revealing powder. Now, immediately prepare to divide the personnel within the outpost into 20 unconnected sections. Then, use high heat to treat the connecting points, eliminate the hidden ‘Gray Mud’, and then we will use the revealing powder to inspect.”

“Once separated, we can gradually handle the situation step by step and reverse the current predicament.”

“Understood? Act immediately!”

“Yes!”

Subsequently, the commander led six elite Tier 4 knights, heading straight for the boardwalk guard post outside the fortress.

That night, Hylial and her companions had just settled down in the abandoned camp, preparing to sleep, when they heard a troop of Tee Cavalry ride through the wind and snow at an incredibly fast pace towards their camp. It seemed there would be no good sleep tonight. She rose from her tent, donned a thick coat, and slipped on light, soft plush deerskin boots, then stood up.

As expected, shortly after she lifted the tent flap, the knights, carrying the wind and snow, charged up the hillside in front of the camp and arrived before her.

The majestic knight at the forefront dismounted. Even before he reached Hylial, the vast and heavy force field of his “Castle” Aspect bore down like a slowly descending boulder, making it difficult for the girl to breathe.

The opponent must be above Tier 5, and an extremely powerful individual within that tier, Hylial immediately recognized.

A Tier Aspect difference of more than three would result in an overwhelming effect, one that even she would find difficult to overcome.

“You are Hylial, correct?” Seeing the girl standing before the tent’s lamplight, he spoke, retracting the expanding “Castle” Aspect force field around him.

“Yes, I just came from Lantern Town.” The girl clasped her hands lightly in front of her and bowed respectfully.

“No need for such courtesy. It is I who should thank you,” he shook his head, looking at the girl as if to remember her appearance.

“The situation at the outpost is critical now, and we don’t have much time for small talk. Please hand over the supplies to me as soon as possible, Hylial.”

“No problem.” Hylial nodded, then gave some instructions to the student who emerged from behind her. Soon, several boxes were unloaded from the carriage.

“This is one batch. Three-quarters more are on the carriage. I think if you need it urgently, you can take some back first, and the rest can be brought back by carriage,” Hylial suggested considerately.

“You’re right.” The other party nodded, ordering four knights to immediately load some of the boxes onto their horses and depart.

He continued to scan the supplies in the camp’s carriage, noticing more goods.

“What are those?”

“These are grain crops produced in our camp. Because I thought ‘Gray Mud’ would consume energy and nutrition, you would definitely need to supplement your food, so I brought some food reserves as well.”

“Rachel, you and a few others bring some over for the adult to see.”

“Yes, Tee.” Rachel called over two knight attendant students, who brought two sacks of flour and a sack of vegetables, placing them before the commander.

With a light poke of her finger, Hylial took a small amount of flour and placed it in her palm, presenting it to the commander.

“This is ‘perfect’ quality wheat flour that I cultivated. I believe it can meet the supply needs of the members within Ironwall Cliff.”

For high-ranking knights and professionals, ordinary food is very inefficient in supplementing nutrition; only high-quality food will suffice.

Upon seeing these items, the commander took a deep breath, then slowly nodded, his deep gaze fixed on Hylial like a bright candle in the dark night.

“You’ve thought this through very well. Excellent, excellent.”

“Goethe, Morang, you two accompany me and transport these supplies back to the outpost,” he signaled to the two remaining Tier 4 knights beside him.

“I’ll need some of your help to pull the carriage to the boardwalk guard post. After that, we can handle the rest ourselves.”

“No problem.” The girl nodded, helping to arrange manpower.

While the knights and students pulled the carriage, the silver-haired commander untied the broadsword from his waist.

“To express my gratitude, I’ll entrust this sword to you for now,” he gripped the hilt, and as he infused it with Aspect power in a peculiar frequency, the scabbard shimmered slightly, then opened, revealing a snow-silver and formidable blade.

“Now you can draw it out.”

“Several combat techniques are inscribed within this sword. If your talent and ability are sufficient, you should be able to comprehend them.”

“Just take it for now. When I’ve prepared a proper thank-you gift, I will come back for this precious sword.”

**[Steelbreaker Blade]** (Tier 5, Perfect)

The legacy sword of the knight organization “Ironwall Crown Furnace,” said to have been forged by fairies in the Heavenly Courtyard and bestowed upon Emersond, the founder of “Ironwall Crown Furnace.” He, wearing an iron crown and leading the “Steel Furnace Knights,” became famous in the early Ninth Epoch. He vowed to defend the borders of civilization against monsters from the Twilight. The “Iron Knight” class he founded, though not exceedingly powerful, is currently the most widespread knight class.

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Effect 1: Bestows the user with three abilities: [Steel Body], [Razor’s Edge], and [Rider and Horse as One]. (These three abilities are essential for the “Iron Knight” class.)

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Effect 2: Activates [Ironwall Curtain], which can shield against the erosion of other Aspect powers and block attacks.

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Effect 3: Activates [Steelbreaker Holy Blade], manifesting legends and sanctifying the weapon, briefly elevating its status. (Requires making an oath to activate.)

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Effect 4: Activates [Sword of Amors], a powerful sword slash that can be released once every three days. (Amors was Emersond’s sister, who died young from an attack by a beast of the Twilight. Emersond later named this effect in memory of his sister.)

Holding the incredibly heavy precious sword in both hands, the girl’s eyes were filled with confusion and surprise.

Such a valuable holy relic, just handed over to her for safekeeping so generously?