The Cornflower Witch Chapter 149

Having handed over the perfectly cultivated wheat, Hylial was arranged by the association staff to reside directly in a high-end room within the association. This room was usually reserved for honored guests and was currently vacant, making it suitable for her short stay.

The fabrics and decor in the room predominantly featured dark blue, accented with touches of cool white, creating an ambiance reminiscent of a midnight starry sky. All the amenities were exceptionally high-class and exquisite, and a beautiful iris blue porcelain tea set adorned the table.

Sitting by the small round table in the room, Hylial used the tea leaves provided on the table to brew a pot of Orange-Red tea, then slowly savored it.

‘Aurora Wind Season Black Tea’ (Rare): Made from the tender buds and leaves of tea trees harvested during the Aurora Wind Season, processed through typical methods of wilting, rolling, fermentation, and drying. It can relieve fatigue, invigorate the spirit, and replenish vitality.

Although she rarely drank tea, during her months in the Camel Tower, she noticed that tea was always a highly sought-after item among the students.

This was because prolonged use of the Meditation Method kept the mind constantly tense and fatigued. If not rested properly and continued, it could damage the spiritual consciousness.

Before, she had been busy with gardener matters and hadn’t practiced the Meditation Method much, nor had she engaged in intense combat or frequently cast spell-like abilities. Thus, she had no need for tea.

In the future, she could consider growing tea trees to earn money. High-quality tea leaves were even scarcer than food. After all, eating a little less food was not a big problem, but if mental fatigue could not be relieved in time, it would delay learning progress and reduce combat power.

After resting and sleeping in the room, the next day.

Soon after waking up in the morning, Hylial received a notification that an important person wished to see her.

Several maids from the association came to her room to help her tidy her dress and hair. Afterward, they simply tied Hylial’s hair with a bow, which made her look slightly cute and added to her girlish charm without making her appear too young, creating a perfectly balanced aesthetic.

Following the maids to the reception hall on the third floor of the association, where the floor was covered with a deep purple carpet, Hylial was prompted by the leading maid to knock on the door and enter.

“Hello.” She knocked twice, then pushed open the unlocked door and stepped inside.

In the spacious reception hall, there was a large dark hardwood table with all chairs currently empty. Only a Red-Haired man stood with his back to her by the window. He was wearing a bright yellow wizard’s cloak, a color similar to autumn leaves.

Hearing the girl’s footsteps as she entered, he turned around, revealing a face that was not aged, appearing to be around 40 years old. However, as a Transcendent, his true age was difficult to ascertain.

“Hello, I am Hylial.”

“Hello, please take a seat.” His tone was casual, yet even so, there was an undeniable aura of authority.

The wizard in the bright yellow cloak was around Fifth Rank in strength. Even a slight proximity brought a strong sense of oppression to Hylial.

This feeling was akin to driving a small car on the road when a fully loaded large truck slowly passes by. The truck’s shadow covers most of the light, and the heat emanating from its body brushes past the skin, causing a slight fear. Even if the other party means no harm, a slight change or mistake could crush the person by the roadside, and then drive away unnoticed.

The other party’s aspect was also ‘Emerald Honey.’ As he approached Hylial, she felt her Fate Card tremble slightly, as if it could be twisted and bent at any moment.

At this point, the other party seemed to notice the situation, so he stopped and the invisible pressure on him slowly decreased, eventually becoming calm.

In this state, Hylial finally breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing a little.

No wonder Teacher Hyde said that once the difference in aspect rank exceeded three, it would lead to terrifying suppression.

“I am one of the representatives in charge of the Glittering Gold Plain outpost, and also the president of the Four Seasons Alliance branch stationed here. You can call me ‘Kurand Qiu’.” He pulled out a chair and sat opposite Hylial.

“Hello, Mr. Kurand Qiu.” Hylial nodded.

“Yesterday, I learned about your affairs and reviewed all the information from when you came to the woodland. I found that you have quite a deep connection with the Four Seasons Alliance.”

“Friein, the founder of the ‘Sunflower Hut’, was my senior during his apprenticeship and taught me many lessons. Recalling that time is quite pleasant.” He nodded slightly, then continued.

“Although Friein has now left the Four Seasons Alliance, the ‘Sunflower Hut’ he founded still has many cooperative relationships with us and can be regarded as an peripheral organization of the Four Seasons Alliance.”

“Since your former teacher was a member of the ‘Sunflower Hut’, she should have informed you about relevant matters.”

“Yes, Mr. Kurand Qiu.” The girl nodded.

“My teacher told me about some situations in the woodland and said that if I found it difficult to achieve results in the woodland, she would also recommend me to a peripheral organization of the Four Seasons Alliance for study in the future.”

“Oh, is that so?” Hearing this, he glanced at the table and smiled.

“It seems your teacher underestimated you, or perhaps she didn’t want to put too much pressure on you.”

“Since there’s this connection, I can consider you a junior. Would you be willing to study at the Four Seasons Alliance for a period of time?”

Hylial understood that this was an invitation to join the Four Seasons Alliance.

“I have a good impression of the Four Seasons Alliance, but I’ve only recently advanced and am not yet clear about what obligations I would undertake, so I’d like to understand that beforehand.” She neither immediately agreed nor refused. “You are currently still in the Second Rank, which is arguably the stage with the fewest obligations and the most relaxed.” He considered for a moment before answering.

“Generally speaking, apprentices at the Second Rank receive limited benefits from the organization, so not much is required of them.”

“Many responsibilities and obligations will only be conferred upon reaching the Third Rank. For example, as the current president and representative of the organization’s branch in the Glittering Gold Plain, I must ensure that the output of this region does not fall below a certain standard. Some of these products are supplied to the Woodland Association, and another portion must be provided to the Four Seasons Alliance.”

“Furthermore, as one of the individuals responsible for the ‘Glittering Gold Plain’, we also have an obligation to cultivate talent. If this can be done well, not only for us personally, but also for the organization behind us, we can gain a higher say in the woodland.”

“You may not understand what kind of organization ‘Woodland’ truly is, as apprentices have limited exposure to such things.”

“I can tell you now that ‘Woodland’ is in fact a military and economic alliance formed by the various Transcendent Schools in the Southern Continent after multiple great wars, by mutual compromise.”

“We need the ‘Woodland’ organization to coordinate various forces, together developing the resources of the Shadow World, to prevent the feedback of disasters from the Shadow World from affecting the current continent.”

“On the other hand, we also need to unite to resist the ‘Mage Alliance’ from the central continent, which is also a union of many organizations, though most of them are mages.”

“In the countries of the Southern Continent, you basically won’t see the profession of mage, at most you’ve only heard of it. But they are indeed powerful, especially after reaching the Third Rank.”

“You will gradually learn the specifics later. After explaining the general situation, you should understand the environment you are in and the responsibilities you must bear.”

“If your assessment results prove to be flawless, the ‘Woodland Association’ will then allocate significant resources to you. You will also gradually be assigned responsibilities to hone your various abilities.”

“If you can undertake these responsibilities, then your path forward will be smooth, becoming a leading figure among this cohort of students, the future backbone of the ‘Woodland’, and you will wield great power in the Southern nations of the continent.” He presented a bright future to the young girl.

Unfortunately, this silver-haired girl was not someone passionate about power, and for now, she did not wish to engage in such competitive struggles.

“I understand, I will fulfill my duties, but please allow me some freedom. My nature might prefer a quiet environment rather than a place full of noise.”

“That is natural. Since you have showcased your talent and strength, you rightly deserve the respect of others.” He chuckled, stroking his beard.

“After this, we will not disturb you excessively; you only need to complete some simple tasks on time.”

After discussing formal matters, the two then chatted about minor everyday things, such as how he embarked on the gardener path, the difficulties he encountered in the early days of the woodland, and his thoughts and experiences at the time. These resonated deeply with Hylial’s current situation and also enlightened her on many common facts and conditions of the woodland.

Approximately two hours later, their conversation concluded. Afterward, a group of white-armored knights emerged from Whitecliff City. Under their escort, the carriage carrying Hylial and the president sped smoothly towards the valley.

The inspection of the valley farm took nearly five days. During this period, Hylial meticulously demonstrated her cultivation process and all the remaining traces in the valley, such as the residues of ‘Dark Blood Sap-sucking Insects.’

“Alfalfa… so that was the reason.”

In fact, Kurand Qiu had pretty much grasped the biggest difference between Hylial and the other students by the second day. The key lay in the alfalfa’s fertilizing effect, which provided a large number of favorable conditions for wheat growth.

As for soil contamination, he believed Hylial must have first cleaned it with the ‘Glorious Moon’ clear spring, then cultivated alfalfa, deeply rooted underground, to absorb and isolate the subsequent “distortion” contamination underground.

The ‘Glorious Moon’ aspect’s ability to purify ‘distortion’ was no secret. In fact, some outposts did exactly that, but Transcendent individuals with the ‘Glorious Moon’ aspect were, after all, a minority. Most gardeners couldn’t afford to hire them, and even if they did, the contamination would likely return within a month, as the purifying ability of Second-Rank Transcendents was limited and could not completely eradicate ‘distortion’ contamination.

Due to these various factors, this cleaning method was not widely adopted. After all, to some gardeners, isolating the spread of contamination with ‘Foundation Powder’ was sufficient; whether it was ‘Glorious Moon’ purification or ‘Blazing Sun’ burning, they were seen as similar methods.

After observing Hylial’s results this time, the branch president nodded slightly.

In his opinion, isolating pollution was merely a cost issue, not the main point. After all, there were so many unpolluted lands on the surface, yet no one had cultivated any extraordinary results. This young girl, however, had genuinely cultivated ordinary crops to a ‘perfect’ level on a large scale.

Compared to this, the methods of dealing with pollution were minor details.

To achieve results far surpassing Third-Rank gardeners at the Second Rank was truly astonishing in terms of strength and talent. Over the next few days, Kurand Qiu’s admiration for the girl grew steadily.

The accompanying gardeners from the Four Seasons Alliance, who had initially been skeptical, gradually fell silent after a thorough inspection of the valley farm.

Even if Hylial had not yet reached the Third Rank, in their eyes, it was merely a matter of time.

“I can’t believe we truly found such a talented rising star in Glittering Gold Plain.” They whispered amongst themselves. It was precisely because they were peers that they could better understand the extent of Hylial’s achievements in gardening.

“Let’s go back. It’s time to discuss the next steps with those few.” Five days later, a satisfied Kurand Qiu led the group once again.

This time, the upper echelons of the Glittering Gold Plain were prepared to thoroughly report this matter to the headquarters.