The Cornflower Witch Chapter 240

Receiving the finished maple wood box, Sylphidya carefully placed her important belongings inside, one by one. Among them were clothes, weapons, armor, prepared potions, dried herbs, fruits and grains she had cultivated herself, as well as purchased gifts, various spoils of war she had acquired, and two full chests of gold coins.

She stored these in the Autumn Courtyard, the maple wood boxes hidden and covered within the bushes beneath the trees.

Once everything was ready, Sylphidya stood in the pond, bidding farewell to everyone, then, as the teleportation array lit up, her figure was replaced with a spot on the surface continent, instantly arriving in the world above the sea of clouds.

A gentle breeze wafted, the sky was azure, and the air was exceptionally fresh.

Back on the surface continent, Sylphidya felt that everything in her sight had become much more vibrant, and the colors of the world were especially rich.

Her mood was cheerful, and her perception spread along the grass beneath her feet. The surrounding natural environment seemed to have a faint life, breathing and living, welcoming her arrival.

This is the world seen through a “Tier 3 Emerald-Honey” attribute life, isn’t it?

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Even though she was in the same world, Sylphidya felt an extraordinary difference, as if a single color could now be divided into five more subtle and distinct hues.

With each breath, she could influence the plant environment around her, making it grow, blossom, and bear fruit.

After stepping into Tier 3, life had entered another level; even unconscious actions and thoughts would affect the surrounding environment.

“Hello, could you tell me where this is?”

After stepping out of the pond, Sylphidya asked the association wizards nearby.

“This is deep within the Grani Mountains. To the west is the former Regas, which should now be called the Anty Kingdom. To the east is the territory of the Merchant Capital Union.”

“There are many dangerous beasts in the mountains. Only our association has established a stronghold here, there are no other towns.” For ordinary people, this place was indeed dangerous, but for members of the Woodland Association, the environment here was actually quite good, much safer than the Shadow World.

“I understand, thank you.” After understanding her location, Sylphidya rested and explored this small stronghold for a day before departing on the second day.

“Just follow the mountain path westwards, but it will eventually disappear, so you’ll need to find your own way,” the stationed personnel at the stronghold informed her before she left.

“By the way, are you Ms. Sylphidya? There’s something the ‘Four Seasons Alliance’ has left for you here.”

“For me?” The girl was surprised.

“Yes.” The other party handed Sylphidya a wooden box.

Opening the box, the girl saw a letter and a key inside, and quickly realized who had left them for her.

Madam Fran…

She turned to the pages of the letter, where Madam Fran’s elegant and clear handwriting was visible.

In the letter, Madam Fran told Sylphidya that she was leaving Scorched Stone City and returning to her northern homeland, which was very far away, and that she probably wouldn’t return to Regas Kingdom for several years. If Sylphidya had time in the future, she could try to find her there.

Furthermore, Madam Fran had entrusted her mansion in Scorched Stone City to Sylphidya and informed her in the letter that she had left some books and seeds for her in the cellar storage room of the mansion, which would likely be useful to Sylphidya in the future.

After reading the letter, Sylphidya felt a surge of emotion, a faint melancholy, wondering if she would ever see Madam Fran again.

In Scorched Stone City, she had received so much care from Madam Fran, who had helped her through those weak and ignorant times.

“Don’t worry, teacher, I will come to find you later, and when I do, I will thank you properly.”

Putting away the letter, Sylphidya mounted the white Wind Horse that had followed her out of Lantern Town, bade farewell to the personnel at the outpost, and entered the mountain forest, heading west.

…

Meanwhile, north of Valley City.

The elite army dispatched from the Anty Kingdom, having traversed most of Regas, finally arrived. Roughly eight thousand strong, they encamped below the cliffs north of the city, at the upstream of Valley City, effectively sealing off the northern access.

Grey felt tents were set up in an orderly fashion, stretching as far as the eye could see. Even before engaging in combat with these Anty Kingdom soldiers, the city’s defending forces were astonished by their strict military discipline. These were not the useless remnants left behind in Regas; these were Anty elites temporarily recalled from the frontline against Winter, now commanded by ‘Baron Cerberus’ and ‘Viscount Wildbear,’ both infamous generals in the Anty Kingdom.

Now, the enemy had openly declared their distrust of the Anty garrison stationed in Valley City, refusing to enter the city. They sent a message demanding that the current lord of Valley City, Fabrice, leave the city and receive a new imperial decree from the Anty Kingdom at their military camp.

Such a demand was naturally not something the current lord of Valley City dared to accede to. He feared that if he went, he would be captured and thrown into prison, his fate uncertain.

However, he currently only had a little over 2,000 defenders, over 1,000 of whom were newly recruited local commoners with little combat experience. Facing elite forces four times their number, they had no confidence in fighting. The only reason he hadn’t fled yet was Prince Jabez’s presence.

“How many people have we gathered now?” Prince Jabez asked Sir Everett beside him, gazing through a telescope from the city wall’s high tower.

“We have gathered about 2,000 combat-ready Regas descendants and another 3,000 soldiers recruited from a dozen nearby towns.”

“Those 2,000 Regas descendants are mostly former lesser nobles of Regas, or their ancestors fought with the Knight King. Their strength is far superior to ordinary people; with some training, they would be qualified warriors.”

“As for the 3,000 newly recruited soldiers, most of them are commoners from the countryside. They are still greenhorns and cannot undertake important tasks.”

The problems with new recruits were numerous. Rashly deploying them into high-pressure battlefield environments would lead to massive routs, disrupting their own formations and causing a collapse in overall morale.

“Adding the city’s garrison, that’s barely seven thousand people.” Prince Jabez felt that the chances of victory were slim.

“How could they draw so many people from the front line? Are they not afraid of Winter breaking their defenses?” He knew that the Anty Kingdom was in a dire situation, not much different from Regas at the time.

Unfortunately, no one around the prince could answer his questions; they all knew very little about the Anty Kingdom.

On the other side of the city wall, two figures in distant military tents discussed the matter.

“Uncle Hines, why do you think they could pull so many elites to suppress us in Regas?” the young man beside him asked, perplexed.

Hearing his question, the grizzled uncle in leather armor looked into the distance and chuckled, “You don’t understand, because you don’t grasp the ambitions of the Anty royal family.”

“That’s right, fighting Winter is already their limit, but they still can’t give up Regas, this rich prize. Or rather, this is where their hope lies.”

“Many old noble families of the Anty Kingdom have their ancestral holdings in Anty. They fear being conquered by Winter, so they naturally resist with all their might.”

“But what about the Anty royal family? They know in their hearts that continuing to fight Winter will likely lead to disaster and defeat. After conquering Regas, many of the royal family’s confidants were ennobled, and they are now scattered throughout Regas. Although their power is not yet strong enough, these areas also lack other powerful local forces, which makes it easier for the Anty royal family to control them.”

“If Anty itself falls, their royal family can simply abandon their former lands and move directly into Regas to continue their rule. As for covering their retreat, that will naturally be handled by the local nobles whose interests are directly at stake.”

“But, even if they come to Regas, if the Winter Kingdom continues to pursue them, wouldn’t it be over?” the young man beside him still didn’t understand.

“They won’t keep pursuing. The Winter Kingdom’s territory is in the mountains, so supplies are not easy. Anty is not far from Winter’s homeland, so they can barely sustain themselves. If they fight into Regas, the supply line would be too long.”

“Besides, there’s also the Hawk-Scorpion Khanate. They are watching from the sidelines, ready to pounce. They wouldn’t just sit idly by and watch Winter continue to grow stronger with such a long supply line right in front of them.”

“With the Hawk-Scorpion blocking their way, Winter cannot fully focus on advancing south. They must deal with it first before they can expand further south. And there isn’t much difference in strength between the Hawk-Scorpion and Anty, so they won’t be easily defeated. It will likely take a long time, enough for the Anty royal family to control Regas.”

“Wow, is it really that complicated?”

“Heh, you’ll understand more as you experience more in the future,” Hines said with a laugh, patting the other person.

“But…” he changed his tone.

“The current Valley City doesn’t seem to have enough strength to resist this army. I wonder what action Prince Jabez will take.”

“Will he resist to the end, or choose to abandon everyone and flee?”

“Regard, the ‘Knight King,’ renowned in the mountains of the southern Glory Lands, your descendants may not possess your bravery and steadfastness from back then…” Hines sighed.