The Cornflower Witch Chapter 155

The dinner was very pleasant, and the several people in the team got along quite easily. Although their personalities differed, they were all good people.

After dinner, the group sat in a corner of the tavern hall, continuing to discuss their upcoming expedition.

“So, Lia, you haven’t participated before?” Bona asked curiously, munching on a bag of fries she held.

“Yes, I’ve been busy with Gardener-related tasks and learning new abilities, so I haven’t had time,” the girl nodded.

“Ah, no wonder you advanced so quickly at such a young age.” Among the five, Hylial was probably the youngest, but she wasn’t short, being of average height among them.

“Then I’ll have to give little Lia a good knowledge briefing. It wouldn’t be good if something went wrong on the way,” Rodriguez, also known as Bad Apple, said, skillfully peeling an apple with a dagger and dividing it into several pieces, which he handed to everyone.

“First, explorations should be gradual. Don’t rush into completely unfamiliar and highly dangerous zones.”

“It’s best to follow experienced people. It doesn’t matter if you earn a little less on the way; safety is paramount in the beginning.”

“Then, planning the route is very important.”

“When we traverse the black-and-white Shadow World, it’s like a paintbrush across a white canvas, leaving traces, consuming our own Aspect power, and incurring the distorting pollution of the Shadow World.”

“Fortunately, the Secret Realms or borders we can access now are relatively shallow areas. As long as we are careful not to accumulate too much distorting pollution and return to our outpost for rest and purification in time, we can recover.”

“The danger threshold for this is 30% contamination. Generally, when it approaches 20%, you should consider returning as soon as possible.”

“According to the empirical formula circulated by the Association for years, for every 1% of contamination you incur, your strength will decrease by 2%. This is because the distorting Aspect will gradually interfere with the发挥 (performance) of your own abilities.”

“Reaching 30% contamination means a 60% reduction in your own strength, which is why it’s considered extremely dangerous.”

“To avoid this, we often choose the shortest and most direct routes for exploration. If it’s safe, we generally don’t retrace our steps, allowing the entire route to form a twisted loop that returns to the starting point.”

“Over the years, the Association has accumulated many methods to overcome pollution or extend the duration of adventures. The simplest way is to increase one’s own rank. If a Fourth-Order Transcendent were to embark on the ‘Deep Forest Path’ we’re going to, they could easily clear it alone, though the benefits along the way wouldn’t be very useful to them.”

“Secondly, one can bring some means of purification, such as specially made holy water, or include professions with purification abilities. They can reduce the level of pollution, significantly extend the adventure, and deal with enemies more easily.”

“Finally, there are certain fortuitous encounters discovered during explorations that might help us recover physical strength and purify pollution, but these are rare and cannot be sought.”

“I understand.” Hylial had read the Woodland Association’s handbook before, but she hadn’t realized how important this matter was.

“As for pollution, just be careful. It’s like chronic poison; troublesome, but predictable, and not too dangerous. What truly causes mass casualties are the strange creatures and phenomena of the Shadow World.”

“The Sea of Twilight is a product of the great war caused by Alien Star侵蚀 at the Seventh Era. Even the Hour Lords of the Heavenly Courtyard struggle to resolve this sea of monstrosities. The distorting Aspect has gradually contaminated the primordial sea, and ‘Blood Discipline,’ the source of all life’s pulse, is now connected to ‘distortion.'”

“I heard that if you clear powerful monstrous creatures in the Secret Realm, you might receive commendation from the Upper Realm, meaning the Heavenly Courtyard. However, such matters usually involve beings above the Sixth-Order; at our stage, we don’t need to consider it at all.”

“Suppressing such monsters is often the task of an era, requiring countless heroes to bravely step forward to achieve it.”

Seeing Hylialabsorbed in thought, the small captain clapped his hands.

“Hahaha, isn’t that a legendary scene to yearn for? I used to be like that too, hearing many magnificent epic stories from poets. I’d get so excited I often couldn’t sleep all night.”

“But things have to be taken one step at a time. Only by overcoming the small hurdles we face today can we appreciate grander scenery.”

“Alright, that’s all for tonight. Go back to sleep. Tomorrow, Hylialwill join us to purchase some exploration supplies, and the day after tomorrow, we’ll set off.”

After they finished, it was already late. Hylial nodded, got up and went upstairs, where she briefly washed up before lying down and falling asleep.

The night passed peacefully.

The next morning, the chirping of sparrows outside the window woke Hylial as she rubbed her eyes.

She was still a bit sleepy, but she had promised everyone yesterday. So, she slowly sat up, washed and dressed, then went downstairs. The hall was already bustling with people having breakfast.

“Lia~ come here.” Bona got up and enthusiastically waved to her. The other two were also sitting with her. Hylial walked over and noticed that the black-haired wizard hadn’t arrived yet; Bad Apple and Yarn, however, were almost done with their breakfast.

“Karl probably pulled another all-nighter, refining his potions or reading in his room.”

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the wizard, with dark circles under his eyes, slowly descended the stairs, seemingly not fully awake yet.

“Come over,” Bad Apple beckoned. The black-haired wizard then sat down in a chair and closed his eyes again.

“Eat up, Karl.” Bona placed a sliced apple pie in front of him.

“Thank you,” he mumbled with his eyes closed. He dozed off for a bit before reluctantly opening his eyes and slowly eating his food.

“Never mind him, Lia, how was your breakfast today?” Bona’s gaze shifted to the black-haired girl next to her.

“Mmm, it was delicious,” the girl nodded slightly.

[Apple Pie] (Excellent): Even with ordinary ingredients, in the hands of an excellent cook, it can blossom into a delightful delicacy, providing ample nutrition.

Although the ingredients were common, the nutrition and taste were on par with ‘excellent’ quality food. No wonder Bona was so popular in the team.

Name: Bona

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (No abnormalities)

Talent: Ingredient Perception [Exceptional], naturally sensitive to the properties and characteristics of food, a genius as a Cook.

Fate Card: [Traveling Cook Apprentice] (Second-Order Gold Steam)

‘A cook apprentice who masters various cooking techniques, capable of cleverly utilizing various strange ingredients.’

–

Effect [Ingredient Activation Lv.4]: Precise grasp and control of ingredients allow you to excellently activate their characteristics and nutrition, resulting in finished food of +2 quality. (Ordinary ingredients can be enhanced by a maximum of +2 quality).

–

Class [Cook Apprentice Lv.4]: A developed class, mastering multiple cooking techniques to perfection. (Ingredient Analysis – Dissection Lv.4)

Ability Cards: [Baking Method Lv.4 (Gold Steam)], [Ingredient Blending Lv.3 (Emerald Honey)], [High-Temperature Furnace Lv.2 (Gold Steam)]

——

From this perspective, the Cook profession Bona chose was a higher tier than Baker, similar to how wizards and Gardeners only become formal Transcendent ‘Chefs’ after reaching the Third-Order.

The group finished breakfast and headed to the town streets.

Along the way, the accompanying team members explained the uses of various items to Hylial, the novice. These included special windproof candles, Aurora Wind Season torches for dispelling mist, Sky Crystal powder for purifying water, crescent moon clocks for discerning direction, antidote potions, sleeping tent bags, special holy water for purifying pollution, signal arrows for distress, flammable powder for burning, and so on.

They talked continuously, but the girl, with her astonishing memory, didn’t complain and listened diligently to everything.

“Did you understand and remember all that, Lia?”

“If not, it’s alright. Everyone’s a bit confused at first. After a few expeditions, you’ll naturally get familiar with it, haha.”

After buying everything, the group discussed the encounter procedures and various hand signals, then returned to rest.

That night, Hylial lay in bed, finding it hard to sleep.

Perhaps it was the excitement of finally embarking on her first Secret Realm adventure, fulfilling a childhood fantasy, that made her particularly expectant.

Tossing and turning with her pillow, it was a long while before the girl, her hair scattered, finally drifted off to sleep.