The Cornflower Witch Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Mist Mountain Departure

The morning of farewell.

Hylial stood before the city gate, bidding farewell to Scholar Hyde and the others behind her. Madame Faran, Viscountess Xuefeng, Lei, Winnie, and Talil were also present.

“Lia, this departure is likely our last meeting,” Scholar Hyde said with a calm, smiling tone.

He was already old, with not much life left, and was particularly open-minded now, probably having no regrets.

“Teacher Hyde…” Hylial looked at the old man, unsure what to say to comfort him.

“Hehehe, don’t worry about me. I’ve long since let go,” he said with a relaxed tone, free of inner turmoil.

“The Hour Lords have arrived, unstoppable.”

“My time, too, will come to an end one day.”

“Childhood, the past, and many things will slowly dissolve into mist, leaving only the empty firmament.”

“Lia, you’ll understand slowly.” He gazed at the sky, his robe and white hair gently fluttering in the wind.

“But your lives are just beginning, and you will encounter many things in the future, some perhaps extremely painful, or huge setbacks.”

“Always be strong, never belittle yourself, never bow to your enemies. Even fleeing is better than giving up in despair.”

“Life is like a winding road, always full of surprises and changes.”

“Go, Lia, go find your life and future, like a bird, climbing that mountain.” After saying his last words, he let go of everything, waving to this student of his later years, as if saying goodbye to all the faces of the past.

Hylial, too, was stirred by a myriad of emotions. She looked at the other people bidding farewell—Madame Faran, Sister Winnie, Talil, Lei, and Mick—nodded slightly, then tucked back a strand of hair that the wind had blown across her ear, and turned to board the carriage.

The wheels crunched over gravel, slowly starting, and gradually descended the mountain path outside Burntstone City.

Inside the carriage, Hylial, dressed in a black dress with white trim, sat on her trunk, her eyes closed in reflection, recalling everything she had experienced in the past six months.

The wind swept through the carriage window, causing the white gauze curtains to billow, fluttering with her long, silver hair, stretching out within the carriage like a nostalgic photograph, frozen in a moment.

…

The carriage continued forward, leaving Burntstone City and traveling several kilometers, then crossing a mountain ridge to reach the top of a tall hill, that triangular cliff tilting towards the sky.

At the top of the cliff, where small white flowers bloomed, the carriage slowly stopped. The knight driving it dismounted and gently tapped on the carriage door.

“We’ve arrived, Lia.”

“Okay, Knight Morick.” Hylial opened the carriage door, carrying her heavy luggage in both hands as she stepped down.

The knight, clad in full silver-gray armor, effortlessly took the trunk from her hands and led Hylial slowly towards the platform at the mountain peak.

At the end of the grassland here, there was a large stone slab whose inscribed words had long been blurred by rain and erosion. In front of the slab, an ancient stone sword, weathered by time, stood embedded in the ground.

“This is where King Regard and a company of knights made their vows, and there are over thirty such places throughout the Regas territory,” the knight, walking ahead, set down the trunk and explained to Hylial.

“He ennobled those knights as guardians of various regions, which is the origin of many noble families within Regas today.”

“The knights who received land swore to protect this land and its people from night demons, from being hunted by wild beasts, to maintain lighthouses in the chaotic mist, becoming the strong walls on this continent, preserving the boundaries of civilization.”

Knight Morick slowly knelt on one knee before the stone slab, gently touching the weathered inscriptions. Invisible ripples spread, as if a beacon had been lit, illuminating this vast world.

“We are on a continent above a sea of clouds, and this world still risks falling into the abyss. Every established nation must build walls and towers in various places to prevent the chaotic mist of the Twilight Sea from encroaching.”

“This has been a struggle spanning three epochs, ever since the fall of the Seven Dragons.”

“The place you are going is the shadow below this continent, the world reflected in the Twilight Sea.”

“Many organizations and schools gather there, recruiting and absorbing talented young people from all over to delve into the endless depths of the abyss, searching for vitality and resources.”

“It will be very dangerous, but you will also gain a lot.”

“I’ll see you off here today, Lia.” The knight stood up.

He walked slowly down the mountain slope, and the silver-haired girl waved goodbye to him in the wind.

“Thank you, Knight Morick.”

The closed helmet of the knight nodded to Lia, then he led the carriage slowly down the mountain slope, leaving the girl and her luggage to stand alone amidst the sea of grass and wind.

After about several minutes, a distant, profound sound echoed from far within the mountains.

Hylial lightly shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand, but her gaze couldn’t discern any figure.

In a certain moment, as if an invisible film of water was slowly tearing apart, a massive figure, hundreds of meters tall, slowly emerged from one side of the mountains and sky. It was surrounded by lingering mist, extending for thousands of meters.

The colossal figure’s six long legs were a hundred meters high, stepping between canyons and mountain-foot streams, approximately fifty stories tall. On the back of this huge camel-like figure were even more towering, layered structures. Its eaves and window frames reached high into the sky, casting vast shadows, as if the sky suddenly changed color, and everything grew dim.

This beast-like camel walked among the mountains, as if it were a part of them, immensely tall. Where it trod, mist diffused, making its entire body appear between illusion and reality, incredibly mysterious.

This giant, mountain-like camel carried with it the distant sound of bells, slowly passing through the mountains, gradually approaching Hylial’s location.

The mere movement of the other party created invisible air currents and water mist. Hylial, standing in place, felt as if she were in a sea of clouds, with a river of mist constantly rushing past her. Her tiny figure was engulfed in this vast sea of misty clouds, like a small dot.

Finally, the giant camel slowly came before Hylial. At this point, the girl also clearly saw the pavilions on the camel’s back.

It was a twenty-seven-story tall building, layered and tiered, with a style completely different from any architecture seen in the Regas Kingdom. Each floor was adorned with colorful long ropes, and on these ropes, bells of varying sizes hung.

Some of these bells were old and worn, like corroded bronze, while others were brand new, as if just hung. As the camel moved forward, these bells would sway, producing a sound like the ocean.

The camel’s six tall legs stepped into the canyon below the cliff. Its back was perfectly level with the cliff. When it stopped and stood still, the previously noisy ringing of bells ceased.

Everything suddenly fell silent. Hylial noticed that the ‘Woodland Badge’ pinned to her chest was now emitting a faint glow, illuminating the misty grassland.

Then, a clear bell chime echoed from the layered tall buildings, breaking the silence.

Hylial pressed down her fluttering hair and looked up at the tall building at the top. One of the sealed doors opened, and then an invisible force lifted Hylial, along with her luggage placed to one side, slowly ascending towards the tall building on the camel’s back.

Watching herself rise higher and higher from the ground, Hylial instinctively stretched out her arms and grabbed the luggage beside her.

Shortly after, she gently landed inside the open door. As her toes touched the ground and she landed with her luggage, the door behind her closed again.

Then the camel rose once more, striding forward, heading towards the distant mountains, its figure slowly fading into the clouds and mist.

(End of Chapter)