The Cornflower Witch Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Dew Prayer Method

Two days later, Hylial walked out of the Adventurers’ Guild hall alone, clutching a book and a small bag of seeds.

These were given to her by Marilyn, supposedly acquired from Madame Faran in the West District, who was said to be an expert in gardening.

Back home, Hylial sat under the shade of a tree in the backyard, poring over the unnamed notebook. It contained many hand-drawn illustrations, with some small tips.

The book wasn’t thick, only documenting the cultivation process for four types of flowers: ‘Spring – Honey-Sweet Dendrobium,’ ‘Summer – Blood Wolfsbane,’ ‘Autumn – Swan Orchid,’ and ‘Winter – White Camellia.’ The Swan Orchid seeds were included with the book.

Normally, it would take nearly half a year for a Swan Orchid to germinate and bloom, but there were only two and a half months until the end of autumn.

“This is probably the test Madame Faran gave me,” Hylial said, putting down the book.

If she just watered and cared for the flowers like any ordinary person, Madame Faran would surely not be satisfied. The old woman likely wanted to see someone with aspirations to become a professional gardener.

“That means I also need to learn the ‘Dew Prayer Method’ to promote plant growth.”

[Dew Prayer Method] (Jade Nectar): Gather morning mist at dawn, transforming it into vital dew. (Dew water can promote plant growth and cultivation.)

At dawn, the ‘Blazing Sun’ phase had just begun to show, and it was at its gentlest. Its vitality could be collected and transformed. By midday, it would become fierce and difficult to transform. The amount of dew water she could collect each day also indicated how many plants she could cultivate simultaneously.

However, learning the ‘Dew Prayer Method’ required some ‘dew water’ as an引导种-inducing seed, just as learning the ‘Concealment Method’ required cold mist wine.

To pursue her studies, Hylial needed money – gardeners could earn money – learning to be a gardener required ‘dew water’ – buying ‘dew water’ required money – gardeners could earn money.

The starting phase was truly difficult, the girl sighed softly, covering her head with the book.

Marilyn, Winnie, and even Mr. Van der Heath had helped her a lot before. If not for these people, her situation would probably be even tougher now.

‘I won’t ask for help this time.’ The girl stood up, went into her bedroom, opened a loose brick under her bed, and took out her cherished coin purse, pouring the coins onto the bed.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…”

The girl knelt on the bed, counting the small silver coins one by one.

“Eighteen silver coins in total.” She usually kept copper coins in a drawer for easy access.

She had spent a lot on books and daily necessities earlier, and now only 18 were left. She heard that dew water could be bought at the Gardeners’ Guild, but she didn’t know the price. She picked up the silver coins and put them back in her purse, thinking silently.

She decided to go and check. If it wasn’t enough, she would have to borrow money from Winnie. The girl felt a bit ashamed; was she being too sentimental? If it really didn’t work out, she could only become a songstress, because Marilyn had said her voice was beautiful and she would definitely be hired by a theatre and become famous.

Clutching the remaining silver coins and wearing her reddish-brown hooded coat, Hylial arrived at the Gardeners’ Guild.

She found the napping shop assistant, lightly pressed her hood, and then asked.

“Hello, do you have ‘dew water’ for sale here?” Her voice was not loud. The assistant slowly opened his eyes, yawned, and replied.

“Dew water is 10 silver coins for a small bottle, but you need to order it in advance. It’ll be ready tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Hylial breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed ‘dew water’ wasn’t expensive, probably not as rare as ‘cold mist wine.’

“Here are five silver coins for the deposit. Do I need to register anything else?” She placed the silver coins on the counter.

“Yes, just fill in your name here. You can pick it up tomorrow, but don’t come too early.” The other person was still very sleepy, casually pulling out an account book from under the table for Hylial to sign.

“Okay.” The girl quickly wrote her name, ‘Lia,’ and returned it to the assistant.

“That’s all. You can go now.” The assistant waved her off, then slumped back down to sleep.

…

Upon returning home, Hylial went to the backyard, preparing to clear out the weeds and wild flowers in the small yard.

She first changed into a plain linen dress, tied her hair into a neat high ponytail, then found the shovel she had recently bought and began turning over the soil from the corner of the wall.

The soil was a bit hard. As she dug, the girl recalled watching adults work in her hometown when she was little, imitating some of their movements, such as stepping on the back of the shovel to push it into the earth.

An hour later, Hylial stood under the eaves, wiping the sweat from her forehead, letting out a sigh of relief. She then put down the shovel and sat on a chair to rest. By now, the soil in the small yard had mostly been turned over and was much looser.

Ten minutes later, she stood up again and gathered the pulled weeds, placing them on a stone to dry. This way, they would probably be dry enough by the day after tomorrow to shake off the soil and burn the excess weeds in the fireplace.

After turning the soil, Hylial soaked the ‘Swan Orchid’ seeds in water, then planted them one by one.

After all this, Hylial changed out of her dirt-stained clothes and went to take a bath.

In the evening, after her bath and in her pajamas, she returned to the small yard, sat on a chair, and admired the reddish-purple sunset in the sky. The gentle autumn breeze dried her slightly damp skin, making her feel exceptionally comfortable.

Well, this kind of life seemed pretty good too.

…

The next day, she visited the Gardeners’ Guild.

“Here’s your reserved ‘dew water.’ If you’re going to use it to hasten flower blooms, remember to mix it with clear water. Don’t drop it directly onto the flowers,” a new female assistant explained to her.

“The dilution ratio is roughly 10 drops per bucket of water, and this bottle contains about 30 drops of ‘dew water’.”

“Okay, here are the remaining five silver coins.” Although she wasn’t using it to water flowers, she was still quite curious.

“Do other people usually buy this?”

“Yes, some wealthy families occasionally use ‘dew water’ to force flowers into bloom for parties or celebrations, decorating their gardens and mansions,” the female assistant replied smoothly.

“Many experienced gardeners know how to use ‘dew water,’ but they usually can’t afford it.”

After registering, the assistant handed a small, exquisite glass bottle to the girl.

“Thank you.” The girl’s eyes shifted slightly as she looked at the quality of the dew water.

[Dew Water] (Tier 0 – Jade Nectar): Dew that can make flowers and plants grow and bloom quickly. (Concentration 14%)

Only 14% concentration, the girl thought, but at this point, it was hard to say whether such a value was reasonable.

She could only go back and try it.

After getting the ‘dew water,’ she was excited and expectant all night, not falling into a deep sleep until very late.

…

Another morning.

Hylial opened the window; she could see the recently risen sun, and the morning air was quite chilly.

She poured a few drops of the dew water onto the only celadon plate in her home, then closed her eyes and began to sense and learn, according to the ‘Dew Prayer Method’ instructions.

First, she sensed the faint ‘Jade Nectar’ force within the few drops of ‘dew water’ on the porcelain plate, then slowly used her spiritual perception to guide it.

Time passed minute by minute. The water droplets on the porcelain plate remained unchanged in the morning sun. The girl stood motionless by the window, her gentle eyebrows illuminated by the dawn, her face tinged with a faint golden hue, where tiny hairs were clearly visible in the pale golden light.

Gradually, the sun rose higher, almost reaching a point where it would be difficult to shine on the girl. Wisps of water mist gathered in the air, finally condensing into a small droplet that fell and mixed with the ‘dew water’ on the plate.

(‘Dew Prayer Method’ progress +6)

[Dew Prayer Method Lv.0] (Jade Nectar): An unformed ability, current progress (6/100)

Whew, she finally took the first step. The girl opened her eyes, looking at the extra drop of liquid in the plate.

If she could really become a gardener, she would be able to establish herself here, as for the future… she would take it one step at a time.

Thanks to Tang Tang

uYexi u, Salted Fish Cuisine, Peach Peach Zero, Dream Boy, Lonely Immortal Cloud, Don’t Leave Easily, Sweet and Sour Liyu, and book friend 20250905225138389, and other readers for their rewards~

(End of chapter)