The Cornflower Witch Chapter 118

Hylial followed behind, watching Edson handle the situation. It was clear he was very strong; the power of Sleepy Winter he displayed in an instant was comparable to Iona’s full burst.

If Iona and Edson fought, she would probably lose within minutes.

“Is this truly a genius going to the Hidden Grove?” The girl lightly twirled a strand of hair, a subtle desire to catch up sparked within her, feeling she too needed to redouble her efforts.

However, this was merely her own thought. To Scholar Hyde and Madame Faran, this girl’s talent was astonishing. It was important to remember that Iona had been exposed to various arcane knowledge since childhood and had studied at the Royal Academy for nearly four years to reach her current level of strength. This girl, starting from scratch, had completely caught up in just 4-5 months, and that wasn’t even accounting for the extra time she spent on remedial studies.

In the area ahead, Edson drew the black-backed, gold-patterned longsword from his waist. With a few swift moves, he subdued the three tall lizardmen. The invisible frost froze them, making the arrogant lizardmen shiver uncontrollably.

Even though both sides were First-Order, the difference in strength was too significant.

“As expected of Senior Edson.”

“Senior Edson, so strong.”

The others next to them exclaimed their admiration, and some unfamiliar faces began to inquire, eventually learning the name of the blue-clad noble youth.

Edson (Sleepy Winter), Badge Holder, Room 16 on the third floor.

“Another individual with Level 1 talent,” someone whispered.

“Are there really so many geniuses in this class?”

“According to their summary, there have been a total of 6 students with Level 1 talent and 11 students with Level 2 talent so far, and they all reside on the upper three floors.”

“Oh, does someone actually keep track?” someone asked curiously.

“Of course, some even sell information. If you know which student has talent in advance and build a good relationship, you’ll have a good connection in the Grove later on.”

“So, where does Edson rank in terms of strength?”

“No one knows for sure, as they haven’t fought, but based on their discussions, Edson should be among the top six strongest students in this class, considering the other Level 1 talented students are also quite capable.”

“Is there a big difference between Level 1 and Level 2 talent?”

“This is a standard the Hidden Grove has developed based on hundreds of years of training experience. Level 1 talented students can usually reach the Second-Order within two years, while Level 2 might take three years. As for Level 4-5, it would take five years.”

“If it’s a student with Level 6 or 7 talent, it would take approximately eight to ten years.”

“Ten years? That would make them around twenty-seven, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly. Reaching Second-Order at twenty-seven would be considered an outstanding talent in the outside world, but it means nothing in the Hidden Grove.”

Hylial listened to the various whispers around her. Although it was noisy, she could clearly distinguish and remember them.

She hadn’t expected such a talent ranking system. Was this a system developed by the Hidden Grove itself?

After Edson taught the lizardmen a lesson, he helped the student retrieve the ‘snake blood orb’ and then sent them away.

Returning to Hylial’s side, Edson tidied his clothes and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we continue?”

He then led Hylial away from the crowd, continuing their tour of the floor, and explained what had just happened.

“I boarded the Camel Tower three months ago. After a while, the accompanying teacher asked me if I was willing to take on the role of maintaining student order.

“If I agreed, I would be given 200 points upon arrival at the Grove, which was a very generous reward.”

“What are these points for?” Hylial quickly thought of the various systems she had seen in her previous life.

“They have many uses, but most commonly, they can be exchanged for certain courses.”

“You probably know that many abilities cannot be learned through mere verbal instruction or written descriptions. They require someone to demonstrate them in person or provide guidance.”

“For example, the most common Breathing Method. The rhythm of the body’s bloodline cannot be described verbally at all. It can only be guided by the instructor, allowing others to slowly grasp it and then learn it.”

“Below First-Order, ordinary arcane ability courses cost about 50 points, while complex arcane abilities cost 100 points.”

“In addition, points can also be exchanged for supplies, such as incense for meditation, blood wine for practicing Breathing Methods, and recovery teas, among other things.”

“Can points be bought with money?” the girl asked curiously.

“They can’t be bought directly with money, but they can be bought indirectly,” Edson said with a playful expression.

“For instance, you’re assigned a task that offers points upon completion. Instead of doing it yourself, you pay someone else to complete it, and then you turn it in yourself. That’s a way.”

“Don’t the teachers mind such behavior?”

“No, they don’t. Because some students from disadvantaged backgrounds really need money. If someone is willing to pay a high price to do it, then let them spend their money.”

“Generally, the exchange rate between 1 point and gold coins is roughly 1:2, meaning 50 points can be exchanged for 100 gold coins.”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean a single course costs 100 gold coins? Is it that expensive?” Hylial was surprised.

“That’s the exchange rate. If a student does tasks to earn points, they can earn about 20 points a month, so they can take a course every three months. It’s not actually that expensive,” Edson explained.

It was the same with Teacher Hyde; he would only teach each student one special arcanum. Hylial chose the ‘Dew Prayer Method’ and the recipe for Green Eye Potion, while Komia chose the ‘Meditation Method’ and the ‘Illusionary Eye’. This was the content taught during the six-month course.

But even so, many people still couldn’t learn it. Fewer than half of the students could truly master new abilities within six months.

Understanding the importance of points, Hylial chatted with Edson about the situation in the Grove, curious how he knew so much.

“Of course, a senior who had been there before told me,” Edson said, somewhat puzzled. Didn’t anyone tell this girl about it?

Madame Faran didn’t grow up in the Grove, nor did Scholar Hyde. While they knew the general situation, they didn’t know many details. And Burntstone City was, after all, a small place. If any talented individuals did emerge, they would mostly go to more prosperous areas to develop, not stay locally.

It seems her hometown, Burntstone City, was still quite isolated from information. The girl ruffled her hair, feeling that she needed to communicate more with others during this period to avoid informational discrepancies.

In the afternoon, Edson took Hylial on a tour of the entire Camel Tower. Then, they parted ways.

“My current room is 16 on the third floor. Feel free to visit if you have time. However, I’m usually only reliably in my room on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Other times, I might be out for different reasons.”

“If you want to make friends with others, it’s best to arrange a consistent time to be in your room, otherwise it will be difficult for people to find you.”

“Understood, thank you, senior.” Edson looked about eighteen, indeed much more mature than Hylial appeared.

Then the two parted ways, and Hylial returned to her room, number 22.

She was a little tired after walking all afternoon, so she took a short nap on the bed. After dinner at the restaurant at 6 PM, it was time for her appointment with Florella.

It was time. Hylial picked up the glass bottle containing the Fire Cloud Orchid Flower and walked into the corridor on the same floor, searching for Florella’s room.