The Cornflower Witch Chapter 230

To quickly develop targeted medicine, the physicians of the ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ invited Dorothy and Hylial to join the analysis and discussion meeting. Having studied ‘Gray Mud’ for quite some time, the two quickly provided these physicians with many valuable materials and experiences.

In the ensuing two weeks, the strange plague within the Ironwall Cliff Outpost was brought under control and stopped spreading. The infected members, under the suppression of medication, were in stable condition.

“However, the process of developing targeted medicine remains difficult,” Zeralan Greenwind reported to the assembled personnel at the discussion meeting.

“We did discover a medicine that can counteract this type of strange organism, but even with recovery, patients still have over a 90% chance of recurrence. My hypothesis is that some microscopic ‘Gray Mud’ has infiltrated and lies dormant within some people.”

“Even if they heal during medication, after a period, the dormant ‘Gray Mud’ will spread again.”

“Is it really that tenacious?” the commander at the head of the table frowned.

“If we can’t control it, does that mean the entire Woodland, and even the Surface Continent, will be infected and harmed by this ‘Gray Mud’?” a masked figure in gray seated at the table spoke in a low voice.

“That’s correct.”

“Currently, outside of Ironwall Cliff, an additional 241 people have been infected, all through contact during rescue efforts. All access routes into the Dark Mist Mountains have been placed under martial law, and all communications have been switched to ‘Water Mirror Ritual’ for exchange.”

“This is strange. If the ‘Aspect Power’ is weak to a certain extent, it cannot bring about transformations and powers beyond common sense, just as many life forms have hidden, unmanifested Aspect characteristics.”

“Under such circumstances, if this ‘Gray Mud’ is just an ordinary viral disease, how can it possess such strong resistance and withstand the cleansing of purification forces?”

“No, it is indeed very fragile.” Zeralan shook his head.

“Just like an ordinary viral disease, without the blessing and protection of Aspect rank, it can be easily purified and cleansed.”

“However, it is also gentle. What I mean is that it can coexist harmoniously with the human body, leading to a very coordinated integration into the flesh and blood. This prevents them from being rejected, and the power of purification cannot clear out the ‘Gray Mud’ that has become one with the body.”

“Does life itself not reject this ‘foreign object’?” a scholar wearing a white robe with gold trim on the collar looked up.

“Generally not rejected, because from the ‘self’s’ perspective, ‘Gray Mud’ is like a half-brother.”

“Why is that?” Many people were perplexed.

“Because they are ‘mycelium’,” Zeralan sighed.

“As the origin of many aspects, ‘mycelium’ itself contains their common parts, and the filamentous connections represented by ‘mycelium’ are the foundation of all things, like the most basic lines, making them difficult to reject.”

“Although the ‘mycelium’ aspect has weakened, the concepts they represent have long spread into all living things and phenomena.”

“Furthermore, ‘Gray Mud’ itself has no malice; it merely uses nutrients to help its hosts connect with each other. If we continuously provide nutrients to those infected with ‘Gray Mud’ but don’t curb the ‘Gray Mud’, eventually the person will become a writhing, large ‘Gray Mud’, effectively becoming one of them. In extremely ancient times, this was how fungi reproduced.”

“Does that mean there’s no solution?” Many faces turned grim.

“It’s not yet time to give up; we are now looking for other ways,” Zeralan replied.

“If external factors make it difficult to interfere with ‘mycelium’ to induce self-rejection, we can use another ‘mycelium’ life form to connect and transform, making it harmless and expelling it.”

“This idea actually came from the ‘Revealing Powder’ developed in Lantern Town not long ago,” Zeralan shared his thoughts.

“This…is feasible?” The people present were somewhat skeptical, feeling it was too far-fetched.

“Let’s try it and see. Also, if I’m not mistaken, if I fail, the Association will convene various factions to deal with it together, right?”

“Yes, if even an experienced person like you cannot solve it, then we will have no choice but to appeal to the ‘Harp Flower Union,’ ‘Sea Cliff Bloodkind,’ and even the ‘Mage Alliance’ to jointly address this problem.”

Within the Woodland Association, though numerous organizations existed, only a handful specialized in pharmacological analysis and dispelling toxins and curses. The ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ was already the strongest among these few organizations.

“I understand. However, please give me two months.” Zeralan nodded. …

After the meeting, inspired by the principle of ‘Revealing Powder’, the physicians again used ‘Purple Jellyfish Mushroom’ as raw material, which had the same ‘mycelium’ aspect but different properties, to develop and prepare a targeted medicine.

During this period, Hylial had to set up a temporary greenhouse at Ironwall Cliff to cultivate a large number of ‘Purple Jellyfish Mushroom’ for experiments and future medicinal ingredients.

Throughout this time, she often participated in the discussions of the ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’, learning a great deal about the principles of medicine.

Perhaps it was cross-referencing, or perhaps it was due to the improvement of her knowledge level, but she could now suddenly understand some previously obscure parts of the book “Merelankah Praying in the Lake.”

Merelankah gained fame back then by leading the Silverlight Church to quell the ‘Raven’s Madness,’ a plague spread by birds. Infected individuals would grow black feathers all over their bodies, and once fully covered, they would go mad and die.

If they didn’t die, the infected creatures would transform into twisted ‘Black Crow Monsters’, soaring into the sky. The dust shaken from their feathers would carry the seeds of the plague, spreading them everywhere.

During the ‘Raven’s Madness,’ about one-fifth of the population on the Fourth Continent perished, leading to the weakening of many organizations and attracting the opportunistic invasion of the ‘Golden Honey Dynasty’ from the Fifth Continent.

However, these were all later events. What was important was that the ‘Raven’s Madness’ plague from back then shared many similarities with the ‘Gray Mud’ encountered this time, and could provide valuable insights.

Thus, Hylial proactively requested numerous pharmacopoeia books from the ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ organization and began learning about drug development.

During these two months, her learning speed was remarkable, and her growth astonished Zeralan.

“No wonder the ‘Four Seasons Alliance’ protects you like a treasure, instructing me that even if Ironwall Cliff was to be cleared out, I must take you with me when I leave.”

“Uh, that happened?” Hylial awkwardly covered her eyebrows with her fingers, indicating she was completely unaware.

“Yes, it happened. Not only do I know, but several high-tier Transcendent members currently at Ironwall Cliff know about it. We even occasionally talk about you; you just weren’t aware,” Zeralan nodded.

“I see you have a great talent in both ‘Glorious Moon’ and ‘Emerald Honey,’ and you quickly grasp these medical texts. How about joining our ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ in the future? I can take you as an apprentice and personally teach you various secret arts of our sect.” He rarely encountered such a suitable junior; he felt that Hylial’s talent and personality were naturally suited to be a physician.

“Our sect’s main legacy is ‘Glorious Moon’ and ‘Emerald Honey’. If you go to the ‘Four Seasons Alliance’, while they can help you with ‘Emerald Honey’ related gardening professions, the ‘Glorious Moon’ legacy there is sparse.”

“What they specialize in is combining ‘Blazing Sun Emerald Honey’ for large-scale cultivation and production, not our use of ‘Glorious Moon Emerald Honey’ to analyze, explore, and discover deeper mysteries.”

Under the persuasion of the white-robed physician, Hylial was indeed tempted, but remembering her upcoming ‘Autumn Garden’, she still shook her head.

“I appreciate your kindness, but I am on the verge of advancement, and it would be inappropriate for me to switch sects now.”

“You chose to advance with ‘Emerald Honey’, right? That’s fine. When you reach Tier 5, you can choose another ‘Aspect’ to integrate for advancement. I suggest you choose ‘Glorious Moon’ over the ‘Four Seasons Alliance’s’ ‘Blazing Sun’.”

“High-tier beings often possess composite Aspects, perfectly merging two Aspects to unleash even greater abilities.”

“You are so affinity with ‘Glorious Moon’; it would be a pity to choose another ‘Aspect’,” Zeralan sighed, worried that the girl might go astray.

“So, above Tier 5, you can merge two Aspects?” Hylial pondered her future talents, and a decision formed in her mind.

“I understand, but even so, the ‘Four Seasons Alliance’ has nurtured me greatly, and I cannot simply change factions.”

“After I repay them, I will consider your proposal again.” Hylial was indeed very interested in the ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ which specialized in ‘Glorious Moon’ and ‘Emerald Honey’. She also realized that if she learned the knowledge of the ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ school, it would become extraordinarily easier to unravel the secrets of “Merelankah Praying in the Lake” in the future.

She would likely consider choosing the advanced secret arts of the ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ school at tier five to condense composite aspects, which would better suit her talent and expertise.

Receiving the girl’s reply, Zeralan was finally satisfied. During this time, he no longer held back, directly imparting much of the ‘White Scroll Herb Pot’ organization’s knowledge and skills to Hylial, helping her understand pharmacology and grow rapidly.

Thus, two months flew by quickly amidst Hylial’s continuous learning and practice.