The Cornflower Witch Chapter 238

After putting away her luggage, Sylphidya mounted a Tier 2 Wind Horse raised in the town. She bade farewell to the members of Lantern Town and galloped towards the wilderness outside the Dark Mist Mountains.

The Storm Season had arrived a year ago, and now was the season with weaker winds, making it the most suitable time for long journeys.

Passing through the Black Lion Wilderness, Sylphidya traveled eastward and reached Mammoth Town. From there, she used the teleportation array to transfer to the Golden Glades.

Returning to her familiar golden plains and White Stone Fortress, Sylphidya first went to the Woodland Association to report and apply for return to the surface continent. Then, she paid a visit to the wizard of the Four Seasons Alliance, Kurland Hill.

“Two years later, Tiya has already advanced.” He had already learned of the girl’s advancement, but seeing her in person, the experienced wizard still exclaimed.

“It took me almost five years to advance from Tier 2 to Tier 3, which was already very fast.” He reminisced about the past, then asked Sylphidya.

“Are you ready to join the Four Seasons Alliance now that you’re back?” He was already thinking about how to apply for the organization’s benefits and treatment for the girl.

“Thank you for your guidance and the continuous support from the Four Seasons Alliance, but I won’t be joining any organization for now.” The girl shook her head.

“The reason, you might laugh, is that I want to have some freedom for a while, straighten out my own affairs, and then consider how to choose my future path.”

“Is that so?” Kurland Hill pondered for a moment.

Although it was a bit regrettable, considering that the girl had indeed grown too quickly, unlike other students who heavily relied on the organization’s help during their growth and slowly became bound to it.

“I understand, but you have chosen the Autumn Courtyard Advancement Secret Art of the Four Seasons Alliance after all. Many subsequent inheritances and secret arts are difficult for us to impart to an outsider if you don’t join the organization.”

“I understand.” Sylphidya nodded. She understood this point well, but she still had many things to do. Having recently advanced to Tier 3, she needed to consolidate many things and learn a lot of new knowledge and secret arts. It wouldn’t be too late to consider the subsequent inheritances when she was fully prepared.

In fact, she had a good impression of the Four Seasons Alliance, but she didn’t want to bind herself to any organization too early.

Later, the two continued to discuss some horticultural experiences. Kurland Hill also curiously asked Sylphidya about the recent blockade of the Dark Mist Mountains.

“That period…” Sylphidya recalled.

“It all started with a knight who reported to us.”

Sylphidya recalled the spread and urgency of the Ash-mud Plague, telling Kurland Hill the general situation of that period.

“So that was the cause and process.” Now, Kurland Hill, far away in the Golden Glades, understood why such an incident needed to be kept under strict wraps.

“If anyone else asks you about this in the future, just say that you were busy coordinating supplies and were unaware of the specific process at the time.” He warned the girl.

“I understand.”

Subsequently, Sylphidya stayed at the Four Seasons Alliance’s stronghold for another week, learning about job construction from the gardeners there and understanding the future development direction of gardeners.

After Tier 4, gardeners would gradually choose a specialized direction to continue improving themselves. Some focus on the cultivation of flowers, some on grain crops, some on various strange mushrooms, and others excel at combining horticultural products with witchcraft rituals to become special hybrid professions.

The wizard Flanders Hill, whom she had visited before, was on this path.

“Tiya, here are the cultivation notes for the Fertile Soil Method you requested.”

To condense the gardener profession, the Dew Prayer Method, Branch Combing, and Fertile Soil Method were required. She had already learned the first two, and only this last one remained.

Unlike her previous abilities, this ability required the use of spellcasting materials to adjust the water and soil composition of the earth to suit different crops.

“Different fertile soils require different recipes, but all fertile soil recipes require three ingredients: ‘fish’, ‘water’, and ‘stone’.”

“When the Primordial True Fish died, its body turned into soil and rocks, which is the current earth. Therefore, ‘fish’ represents the concept of soil. Next is ‘water’, which is essential for the growth of all things. Finally, ‘stone’, whether it’s gravel, broken mud, or dry soil, will affect the growth environment of the plants.”

“For example, if I want to cultivate the Red Dragon Scale Fruit, a Tier 4 special fruit, I need ‘Volcano Fish’, ‘Lava Glass Water’, and ‘Earth Fire Diamond’ as three types of raw materials to prepare the required ‘Fertile Soil’ as spellcasting materials.”

“Hearing this, do you remember the process of matching the ‘Courtyard’ before you advanced?”

“That’s right, the ‘Courtyard’ is a higher form of manifestation of the ‘Fertile Soil Method’. Generally, one first learns the ‘Fertile Soil Method’ as a foundation before approaching the ‘Courtyard’ advancement secret art.”

“You’re an exception; you actually built the courtyard first before coming back to learn the ‘Fertile Soil Method’.”

Hearing this, Sylphidya felt a little embarrassed. “Actually, I didn’t think that much at the time. The main reason was the lack of information and experienced seniors to guide me in the Dark Mist Mountains. I also didn’t know that I needed to learn the ‘Fertile Soil Method’ as prerequisite training.” “So, I bravely learned the ‘Autumn Courtyard’ advancement secret art and constructed it little by little.”

Should one say she was ill-informed, or too strong? Without the guidance of seniors or teachers, she managed to advance relying solely on the knowledge she learned from books and classical texts.

In fact, the people of the Four Seasons Alliance did not expect this young girl to advance so quickly, which led to them missing the best opportunity to win her over.

“This is the Clear Spring Flower Tea I cultivated and prepared. I hope Senior Kurland Hill likes it.”

After learning the Fertile Soil Method, there was no problem in condensing the gardener profession. Sylphidya used the Clear Spring Holy Water she prepared, combined with the White Camellia growing in the courtyard, to make high-grade tea as a gift for the senior who had guided her repeatedly.

Looking at the tea with wisps of white steam in front of him, Kurland Hill picked it up and tasted it slowly, feeling a comfortable sense of purity rising from within him.

The Holy Water prepared by Sylphidya had a miraculous purifying effect, and this sense of purity surprised Kurland Hill.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes.” The girl nodded.

“If it were used for members returning from Secret Realms, it would definitely be very popular,” Kurland Hill commented.

“Many people get twisted corruption when exploring Secret Realms, and they usually need a long time to recuperate before their next exploration.”

“The tea you prepared has excellent purifying effects, so they’ll definitely need it.”

“I just don’t know if preparing it consumes a lot of your energy. If it does, I wouldn’t recommend you spend too much time on these things.”

“I understand.”

Sylphidya tilted her head and thought. She didn’t need to manage the White Camellia; a large bundle could be harvested from her Autumn Courtyard in a few months. As for the Tier 2 Verdant Dew, she could prepare a lot of it while practicing meditation, without spending extra time.

It seems she could give this as a gift in the future, but if it were only for selling, it would indeed be a bit of a waste.

She was now considered one of the few wealthy young women among her peers. Just the share from Lantern Town alone amounted to countless gold coins. She remembered that before she left, the gold coin chests under her bedroom bedboard were almost overflowing.

It seemed that half a year ago, she already had nearly fifty thousand gold coins.

Anyway, she had been selling high-quality crops produced in the town, and she didn’t have many expenses in her life. Many times, she would just give some potions and Cornflowers directly to the students in the town without charging them.

Everyone stayed in the Dark Mist Mountains, busy every day, and she was very grateful for their assistance. However, she didn’t have many good gift options before, so every time she rewarded a student, she would pick a few Cornflowers from her garden, make them into a bouquet, and give it to them.

After a long time like this, the students in Lantern Town often called her the “Cornflower Princess.” Of course, this title was somewhat playful and not spoken in front of her, but Sylphidya’s hearing was so good that she always heard it.

After learning the ‘Fertile Soil Method’, Sylphidya spent a day transforming [Gardening Apprentice Lv.5] into [Gardener Lv.5] (Dew Prayer – Branch Combing – Fertilizing Soil Lv.5).

Finally, the gardening profession was established. The process was calm and smooth, without the dramatic changes that occurred when the courtyard was successfully built.

However, after completing the [Gardener] profession, Sylphidya suddenly realized that she had unknowingly caught up to the Tier Level of Madam Fran back then.

In other words, about four years ago, when she first met Madam Fran, the elegance, mystery, and power that the Madam possessed had filled her with envy and awe. But now, she had also reached the same height as Madam Fran back then.

This peculiar feeling, so fresh and strange, made Sylphidya feel a sense of trance and nostalgia for the passage of time.

“Unwittingly, has it been four years already?” Standing in the tower of White Stone Fortress, Sylphidya overlooked the distance, recalling the scene when she first arrived in the Forest Land.

At that time, she was still somewhat naive, only thinking of building the valley and carefully completing the tasks given to her by the Forest Land. And because of her initial weakness, she preferred to stay in quiet corners, slowly improving, not wanting to get involved in many disputes.

Such a mindset led to her rarely communicating with other classmates during the first half year of her arrival in the Forest Land. Sophiedina also teased her, saying she was aloof back then and misunderstood by her classmates.

Recalling her slightly childish and naive actions in the past, Sylphidya felt a little like laughing, but it was herself after all, and she just felt that her ideas at the time were somewhat adorably silly.

But now, she indeed had the means to protect herself and had found her predestined companion ‘Cornflower’. It was time to go out and explore, and she also missed the people in Scorched Stone City.