The Cornflower Witch Chapter 223

A fierce wind howled, and iron chains swayed in the air, emitting a bleak clanking sound.

This was a steep canyon within the Dark Mist Mountains, with knife-sharp cliffs and jagged rocks on both sides.

Below the cliffs was a dark, bottomless canyon where it was hard to find a foothold in sight. It was either shrouded in black mist, like an abyss, or dotted with sharp, sword-like rock spires.

This was the ‘Iron Wall Cliff’ outpost, one of the passes connecting the Dark Mist Mountains to the outside, and one of the six most dangerous frontline outposts of the Woodland Association within the Dark Mist Mountains.

On the gray iron corridor, integrated with the cliff face, soldiers patrolled with torches. The burning flames, amidst the giant cliffs and canyon, were like tiny red dots, appearing and disappearing in the night and mist, like ants.

The environment here was harsh. The ‘Iron Wall Cliff’ outpost was built on the cliffs on both sides of the giant canyon, literally carved out of the steep and desolate mountain walls.

The outposts on both sides of the cliff were connected by thick iron cable bridges. Only once every few days would a small team brave the ferocious canyon winds to traverse the bridges, delivering supplies or information.

During the usual Aurora Wind Season, the environment here was relatively calm, but with the arrival of the Storm Season, the living conditions at the ‘Iron Wall Cliff’ outpost became increasingly harsh and difficult.

Days passed, and the mountain winds grew stronger, their roaring sounds drowning out the communication among the soldiers on the corridor.

“Hoo—” Warm air escaped from inside a helmet.

After their patrol, several soldiers sat resting in an observation post. A charcoal fire burned inside this small observation post, emitting a faint warmth that helped them relax their weary minds.

“I’m going to lean back and get some sleep.” A soldier turned sideways, leaned against the back of a circular chair, and his head drooped to one side. Soon, he was snoring.

“This guy is snoring again.” His companion poked the charcoal fire, feeling a bit sleepy himself.

“How about we also get some sleep? No one comes here anyway.”

“Yeah, why not.”

The remaining three soldiers were also fatigued. With no objections, everyone leaned back in their chairs, slouching in various comfortable positions to rest.

The charcoal fire in the stove emitted a dark red glow, and the cold wind outside the window continued to howl relentlessly, occasionally bringing with it ice pellets and snowflakes.

Amidst the snow that engulfed the world, the two-thousand-meter-high cliff face gleamed with a cold gray hue, standing unyielding.

At the bottom of the cliff, some strange ‘gray mud’ slowly moved upwards in the wind and snow. They were silent, and if their position didn’t slowly change, they might have been mistaken for gray dust on the cliff face.

Although very slow, these ‘gray muds’, under the effect of the canyon winds, gradually approached the upper part of the cliff face, getting closer and closer to the corridor embedded in the cliff.

It was another afternoon, and the soldiers, accustomed to napping at the observation post, were resting there as usual.

However, today, several ‘gray muds’ crawled over the window sill of the observation post and slowly seeped inside. They slithered like slugs, then approached the sleeping soldiers, silently clinging to their bodies and slowly merging into the inner layers of their clothes.

…

For some reason, these past few days, the patrolling soldiers felt exceptionally tired. Often, they would return, forget to eat, and immediately fall asleep, overwhelmed by drowsiness.

Fortunately, this situation was not unique to him; several of his patrol companions experienced similar symptoms.

“Maybe we’ve been too exhausted lately,” a companion said with a yawn.

“The wind is strong, and walking in armor on the clifftop corridor is especially cold and tiring.”

“I think so too,” the remaining companions chimed in.

Since everyone was experiencing the same thing, the soldier concluded it wasn’t his problem and continued with his daily work and life, until one day…

“What? An entire squad, all asleep at the observation post?”

The commander of ‘Iron Wall Cliff’ stood up in surprise, pacing back and forth in the room.

“Were they frozen to death? Or was it an attack, dying from some unexpected incident?” There were several other high-ranking officials from the outpost in the room, discussing based on the information they received.

“No wounds were found on their bodies. When they were discovered, there were still some charcoal embers in the stove, so they shouldn’t have frozen to death.”

“Later, the outpost’s doctor examined them and said that their deaths were likely due to extreme fatigue and malnutrition.”

“I understand fatigue, but malnutrition? Did they not eat? The outpost’s food supply is indeed a bit short, but it’s not at the level of famine.”

“According to the people they generally interacted with, and the reports from the mess hall staff, they did forget to eat several times, but it was only several times. They still ate something every day.”

“How strange…”

The group did not reach any substantial conclusions, but over the next month, several similar incidents occurred, finally alerting the outpost personnel.

“This is absolutely not an ordinary accident. There is a hidden force or creature secretly attacking and reducing our personnel!” the highest commander of the outpost ordered an immediate lockdown of the outpost and organized specialized personnel to investigate.

After the incidents, days passed. More members died, and some members began reporting that their recent state was unusual.

Gradually, the true culprit behind the deaths of the patrolling soldiers began to surface.

“It’s actually such an inconspicuous thing.”

In the high-level meeting at the outpost, everyone gathered before a transparent glass cage, observing the ‘gray mud’ squirming inside.

“Its form is not fixed, and it can change at any time, mimicking many things,” said a scholar, reporting on the investigation results.

“The most dangerous part is that they don’t emit any significant ‘aspect’ aura, nor do they have a heartbeat, blood, or even organs. If they were on the roadside, they would basically be indistinguishable from rocks, attracting no notice whatsoever.”

“But in reality, once it attaches to a human or other organism, it slowly siphons off nutrients and energy, causing exhaustion and hunger, eventually leading to death.”

“Is there any way to deal with them?”

“If it’s fire, it needs extremely high temperatures to kill them. Spells reaching such temperatures can only be cast by a small number of ‘Blazing Sun’ aspect practitioners, and they are likely to cause damage to the architectural environment,” the scholar shook his head.

“Secondly, cutting them with knives or axes can cut them, but only cut them. The ‘gray mud’ divided into two still retains a certain vitality and can continue to live.”

“Finally, freezing. If the temperature is extremely low, it can suppress their activity, but it won’t kill them.”

“So, other than gathering them together and burning them at extremely high temperatures, there’s no other effective solution?”

“It’s difficult. Their aspect likely originates from ‘mycelium’, but under the corrosive influence of the sea of monstrosities, they underwent countless mutations and distortions in the abyss. Their current aspect has transformed into ‘distortion’, and monsters that can survive in such environments all have their unique ways of survival, making them difficult to eliminate with conventional methods.”

“These gray muds vary in strength from ‘Tier 1’ to ‘Tier 3’ and can continuously divide, making them extremely difficult to completely eradicate.”

“This…”

“If they are caught, they can indeed be dealt with by high temperatures, but they are now ubiquitous in ‘Iron Wall Cliff’, perhaps in some corner crack or under some floorboard. Their aspect is extremely faint and fragmented, making it impossible for us to completely clear them out.”

“Moreover, if they are not completely cleared, given a bit more time, they will resurface and spread everywhere.”

“Such a headache…” The commander covered his head.

A few minutes later, he sat upright and addressed the personnel present.

“Call for aid from the Association headquarters. This problem is beyond our ability to solve alone.”

“Yes, sir.”