The Cornflower Witch Chapter 136

June slowly arrived, bringing with it a hint of high summer in the wind.

Sitting on the slope in front of her small house, Hylial gazed at the golden waves of wheat below. The full ears of wheat swayed in the wind, rubbing against each other and making a faint rustling sound.

These wheat plants had now reached their final stage; she only needed to patiently wait for them to ripen.

It was a rare moment of leisure. The toads were now accustomed to life in the valley and no longer required her daily management. After finishing their day’s work, they would either soak in the pond in front of the house or bask on rocks, enjoying a brief nap in the breeze, sometimes even emitting soft croaking snores.

Feeling the summer wind brush past her ears, Hylial tucked a few strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear. She felt a desire to record the scenery and mood she was experiencing.

Unfortunately, there were no cameras in this world. She reached her hand into the wind, as if trying to grasp the scenery before her.

Recalling the ability her mother had taught her, she closed her eyes and concentrated, transforming herself back into an [Alien Star]. Then, specks of starlight swirled in her eyes as she released her perception, letting it spread towards the wheat field and the valley grassland in front of her.

The rustling of leaves, the trembling of hopping insects, the distant swishing of wheat ears rubbing together, the clear blue sky, the air currents flowing freely across the land…

Everything was so clear, as if a painting unfurled before her eyes.

The wheat she had cultivated vibrated with vigorous vitality, and the [Jade Nectar] aspect within it faintly emerged.

A realization slowly dawned in her mind, and another path gradually unfolded.

If she could cultivate a wheat field where the [Jade Nectar] aspect fully condensed, she could, through this practice (trial), elevate her own [Jade Nectar] aspect and advance to the Second-Order.

Her first attempt at cultivating wheat had many imperfections and was limited by various conditions, such as the crucial lack of fertilizer, her unfamiliarity with early-stage experience, and delays.

Nevertheless, Hylial was still very happy. At least she had found her direction and laid a solid foundation.

Days later, the golden ears of wheat were fully ripe. Hylial demonstrated in the wheat field, teaching the toads in the valley how to harvest.

“First, cut from near the roots, then stack the cut wheat on the grass rope.”

“After that, tie up the wheat, stack it neatly, and transport it back to the warehouse.”

Today, she wore a hand-knitted sun hat and a linen jacket suitable for labor. Only occasionally did the long hem of her skirt reveal the pleasant curve of her waist and her fair calves.

“Croak.”

“Learned it, croak.”

Watching the girl demonstrate, many toads were eager to try.

Afterward, these toads began to harvest the wheat in the way Hylial taught them. They were not tall, so they didn’t need to bend down like the girl to harvest the wheat. Their arms were also relatively long compared to their bodies, allowing them to easily cut the wheat at the root without stooping.

After harvesting, they bundled the wheat, first stacking it in the field, and then continued to harvest the next area.

The golden wheat field gradually faded to gold as the toads harvested, revealing the dark soil beneath.

In the evening, the harvested wheat was transported to a higher, flattened area on a hillside in the valley. The ground here had been compacted, making the soil firm.

The next morning, the harvested wheat was spread out on this flat ground to dry, gradually dehydrating under the sun’s heat.

During this time, Hylial walked through the harvested wheat field with a lantern, burning the remaining stubble to create plant ash fertilizer. This also served to eliminate pests and weeds in the field.

The next day, she began sowing alfalfa seeds and guided the toads in watering them. About three days later, the dried wheat was sufficiently dry for threshing.

However, there were no stone rollers available in the valley for threshing, so they had to use the cartwheels. First, they placed stones on the cart, then had the draft horses pull the cart back and forth repeatedly, rolling over the wheat ears to thresh them.

“Croak, threshing wheat grains.”

“So many wheat grains, croak.”

Watching the cart go back and forth, the toads found it very interesting and felt a fresh joy.

After threshing, the dust and chaff were blown away, and finally, the wheat grains were left to dry.

Considering that early drying could prevent mold and also remove insect eggs from the wheat, Hylial stood in the center of the drying area with a lantern in hand, and invisible heat waves continuously washed over the wheat, directly drying it.

“Croak, it’s so hot, croak.”

Watching the girl stand in the center of the drying field, with faint air currents spreading out, a few toads that had been curious to approach were now scared away by the heat waves, hopping and scattering.

Two days later, this batch of wheat was finally ready to be stored in the granary, marking Hylial’s first experience with a complete agricultural production cycle.

Golden wheat grains piled up, sunlight streamed through a small window, and specks of dust floated in the air.

Standing in the fully stocked granary, Hylial was filled with emotion. The ordinary, unassuming flour she took for granted usually required so many details in its production process. Even with her talent and ability for meticulous observation and continuous adjustment, she couldn’t avoid moments of scrambling due to lack of experience and insufficient preparation.

Fortunately, it had all landed smoothly in the end.

She walked to a large vat filled with wheat grains and plunged her hand into it. The golden grains sifted through her fingers and fell into her palm. She spread a small amount of wheat in her hand and closely examined it. The grains were golden, with a brown groove in the middle, and held a faint, pleasant aroma of wheat.

[Wheat Grains] (Excellent): Full, nutritious, and very high-quality wheat, surpassing ordinary excellence to reach exceptional quality.

If excellent quality wheat sold for 1 Silver Coin per Jin in the market, then exceptional quality wheat would fetch 3 Silver Coins per Jin. Flour made from this wheat would provide over three times the nutrition of ordinary wheat.

Many students in the Woodland would prepare sufficient dry food before exploring dangerous areas, and food made from this exceptional quality wheat was often the best choice, as it could quickly replenish energy while only occupying a small amount of carrying capacity.

On the surface, wheat of this quality would often be used for military supplies, provided to powerful warriors to quickly restore their strength.

This harvest was better than expected. She had initially thought that achieving ‘excellent’ quality for her first cultivation would be the limit, but as her understanding of wheat cultivation deepened, the quality of the final product further improved.

Fifty acres of land yielded approximately 8,000 Jin of excellent quality wheat. These results alone were enough to receive an outstanding evaluation, and even far exceeded it.

She wondered if she should be a little more low-key, and submit this batch of wheat in three months, as there was still some time before the evaluation.

Standing out wasn’t impossible, but she didn’t currently need it and didn’t want too much disturbance from the outside world. Hylial was quite satisfied with her current steady and progressive life.

She still had many things to do, whether it was further exploring the cultivation of ‘perfect’ quality wheat, researching her own talents, or developing this valley. All these required a considerable amount of time, and she truly didn’t want unexpected incidents caused by fame to interrupt her work.

She decided to proceed as planned. She glanced at the granary in front of her, then walked out and had the toads temporarily seal it with wooden planks.

Now, she was ready for the next stage: rotational planting of alfalfa, reclaiming new fields, and constructing various auxiliary facilities.