The Cornflower Witch Chapter 218

The Dark Mist Mountains were vast and dangerous, but the town within was remarkably peaceful.

The koelreuteria trees planted along the roadsides had grown tall, their trunks adorned with strings of delicate pink blossoms.

The air currents here had been distorted by erosion, but the flowering of the koelreuteria meant that the town’s environment had reached a high level of purity, no longer affected by the corrosive winds blowing from outside.

Three white towers stood within the town, topped respectively with a clock, a giant lamp, and an observatory. These three structures performed a mysterious ritual, creating a transparent barrier that isolated the town from the distorted intrusions.

Inside the town, clean white stone streets connected all parts, and six scattered fountains continuously gushed forth pure water for the students and residents, or for watering plants.

A circular restaurant, adorned with orange-red tiles, stood in the center of the town. Students were constantly coming and going, and occasionally travelers would stop to rest and eat.

In the east, a group of students rode white horses in the equestrian training grounds, practicing their swordsmanship and honing their combat skills. Sometimes, students from other professions would also come to spar with them.

To the west was a five-story complex mansion, which served as the town’s office. Although many rooms were still unused, the mansion was paved with white veined marble, beautiful and clean.

On the outskirts of the town, apartment buildings were constructed, surrounded by trees to purify the air. In the inner ring, closer to the mountains, were greenhouses of various shapes, housing the crops produced within the town and serving as important food production points for the various outposts in the Dark Mist Mountains.

Inside the mountains, various sizes of cave warehouses had been excavated. Currently, several warehouses were filled with high-quality vegetables and grains, with dedicated staff inspecting and maintaining them daily, ensuring a cold and dry environment.

A year and a half had passed, and this outpost had developed admirably, exceeding the performance indicators set by the Association for the year. Hylial’s name was mentioned multiple times within the Association, and the treasures commending her were delivered to the young girl by a Cold Plume Bird.

It was morning when Hylial, still asleep in bed, was awakened by a persistent tapping at her window.

Opening the window, a large bird with splendid blue feathers looked at her, then flapped its wings, revealing a metal box clutched in its talons.

The box was adorned with vines and colorful floral patterns. Hylial, following the instructions on it, placed her finger on the surface and infused it with her Aspect power, then recited the incantation.

‘Trees, great trees, the sky of three moons’

‘Sea of clouds, gentle breeze, shadow of water and sky’

The patterns on the box then unfurled, loosening the entangled vines, and with a soft click, the closed box opened.

Upon opening it, Hylial saw three exquisite, transparent gemstones inside: a third-tier ‘Gold Pillar Stone,’ an ‘Orange Moon Diamond,’ and a ‘Green Cloud Stone.’ These were all perfect quality gemstones suitable for constructing an Autumn Garden, collected as essential resources from various chapter outposts within the Association.

She had previously wondered which alchemical organization or mineral association to approach for the gemstones needed for her advancement, but to her surprise, the Association, upon hearing her need, directly allocated the best quality gemstones to her.

Even Hylial, who was aware of the Association’s circumstances, felt that the high-ranking officials of the Association were unusually generous, almost indulgent, this time. It was a known fact that even a fourth or fifth-tier Transcendent would find it difficult to obtain a “perfect” quality third-tier gemstone.

Resources of such quality were inherently rare; ironically, higher-tier, ‘fourth-tier Excellent’ quality gemstones might be slightly more common.

Carefully putting the gemstones away, Hylial thanked the bird that had brought her these treasures, feeding it grain cultivated from her own wheat.

Watching the bird happily eat, Hylial felt a wave of joy.

“All right, I’ve received the items. You don’t need to wait any longer,” she said, stroking the bird, knowing it understood her words, then released the special Cold Plume Bird.

After circling the town twice, the bird flew out of its boundaries and into the twisted, corrosive winds. However, a special deep blue glow emanated from its feathers, protecting it as it rapidly darted through the cold wind, accelerating until it disappeared from sight. With the gemstones, Hylial rummaged through a large box in the underground storage of her house, revealing a full chest of ‘Dome Feather Soil,’ then retrieved the refined ‘Hylial’s Clear Spring Holy Water (Third-tier, Rare)’ she had accumulated over the past year.

This silver bottle, about the size of a beer bottle, contained the essence she had refined and advanced from the ‘Moon-Waiting Holy Water’ she had previously made. Each time, she could only save a small bottle, and it had taken her a year to amass this much.

Kneeling on the mattress, Hylial counted her accumulated treasures. Currently, her garden contained only one ‘third-tier’ cornflower, though she had many other second-tier plants.

“How to construct the autumn scenery required for an ‘Autumn Garden’?” Hylial pondered.

First and foremost, autumn is about fruits. Hylial selected six special Transcendent plants that bear fruit in autumn: ‘Three-Colored Grapes,’ ‘Deep Purple Myrtle Fruit,’ ‘Golden Pears,’ ‘Fire Persimmons,’ ‘Blood Currants,’ and ‘Frost Blue Apples.’ She then paired these with ‘Cornflower’ and ‘Bubble Grass,’ making a total of eight plants, including flowers, shrubs, and trees. She still needed to add fungi.

Additionally, she needed plants that grow in autumn, plants that flower in autumn, trees that thrive in autumn, and plants that bear fruit in autumn. The ‘Cornflower’ was a flower that grows in autumn, but not one that flowers in autumn, so she needed to find another plant that flowers in autumn.

She chose ‘White Camellia’ and ‘Black Rose.’ The former was given to her by Madame Faran, and the latter是从seeds she had recently obtained from other outposts.

This brought the total to ten plants, and she still needed two types of fungi.

Fungi are not very seasonal, so she remembered the fungi Yarn had mailed her and found the small box.

‘Purple Jellyfish Luminous Mushroom’ (mycelium, faint), paired with the ‘Bewildering Mushroom’ that could be used to make poison, completed the twelve plants.

It took Hylial two days to gather all these items, and then she began the first phase of her ‘Autumn Garden.’

‘Cornerstone,’ ‘Living Soil,’ and ‘Clear Spring’ — she placed all three before her.

First, she raised her hand and unfolded a ‘Gold Pillar Stone’ as the seed cornerstone.

In her palm, the gemstone slowly floated, imbued with the ‘Emerald Honey’ aspect, emitting a strange glow. Hylial’s gaze was fixed on it, as runes continuously appeared and were inscribed into the gemstone.

About half an hour later, the gemstone dissipated into light, and then a phantom image of a golden-green blank card appeared. She took a deep breath, then began the next step.

Hylial opened the box containing the ‘Dome Feather Soil.’ The living soil floated up and, under the flickering light of the card, was absorbed into it, becoming the soil of the card’s landscape.

Afterward, she took out the second ‘Orange Moon Diamond,’ adorning and injecting runes into it. The edges of the card were then plated with another layer of gold, and she sealed the ‘Dome Feather Soil’ a second time.

Next, she opened the silver bottle holding the ‘Clear Spring.’ The third-tier clear holy water floated out, transforming into a trickling stream that continuously swirled in the air before slowly flowing into the card.

A circular pool appeared on the card, encircling the central land.

Finally, she took out the ‘Green Cloud Stone,’ activating it once again, causing its light to flicker and continuously injecting complex rune imprints. Afterward, moss-covered stone pillars appeared around the pool, forming a framework that harmonized with the environment.

This completed the basic environmental card. However, to stabilize this card, she still needed to nourish it for a period, continually refining and adjusting it until it was completely stable and fixed. Only then could she proceed to the second step: transplanting the plants.

Once all the plants were transplanted, there would be a third step: circulating the plants and natural environment within the card to create a beautiful autumn scenery. Only then would the ‘Autumn Garden’ truly be established.

The entire advancement process could take anywhere from one to two years if fast, or four to five years if slow, depending on the size and complexity of the garden built. For Hylial, using three ‘perfect’ quality gemstones to construct a core secret art represented the highest standard and the limit controllable at the third tier.