The Cornflower Witch Chapter 262

After the banquet, Sylphidya informed the caravan members that they would be staying in Stream Valley City for a while.

Everyone quickly accepted this decision.

For the next few days, Sylphidya stayed in the inn, reading and not going out. Even so, with her keen hearing, she could clearly hear the conversations and discussions of the people downstairs, so she was never out of the loop.

Sylphidya’s side was calm, but the other wealthy and prominent figures in Stream Valley City were having a difficult time. Under Katchis’s constant coercion, they were forced to personally join the battlefield alongside the Anti soldiers.

On this day, Sylphidya still didn’t go out, but she heard the dense sound of horse hooves and footsteps from the street. She could even make out how many people were advancing with the army and what kind of armor they were wearing.

This time, Katchis dispatched a total of 6,000 troops, of which 4,000 were Anti army elites, 1,000 were original Anti garrison troops who had surrendered, and another 1,000 were newly recruited local soldiers.

They would search the Three-pronged Forest for the whereabouts of Prince Jobs.

After leaving Stream Valley City, this army marched south along the road. The path ahead had been scouted by Katchis’s scouts in advance and was completely safe.

Three days later, they successfully arrived near the Three-pronged Forest and began to split into two groups. One group slowly advanced, searching the forest, while the other circumvented the forest to encircle it from the rear.

According to the Anti scouts’ reports and statistics, Prince Jobs’ remaining forces in the forest numbered more than 800 people. A small portion of them had escaped from Stream Valley City with him, and a large portion had gathered later.

…

In the forest, elite Anti army small teams with hunting dogs moved through the woods, continuously marking the areas they passed through before advancing.

If viewed from above, one would notice that the movement trajectory of these small teams resembled a large net being woven, slowly filtering through the entire forest.

“Woof, woof!”

A hunting dog seemed to have discovered something and quickly ran into the grass, barking all the way.

At this moment, a sharp arrow shot out from the forest, piercing the hunting dog’s throat and killing it.

Hearing the hunting dog’s wailing before its death, the Anti soldiers behind it moved more quickly, rushing to where the dog died and continuing to pursue and search in the direction from which the arrow had come.

The person who had previously ambushed and shot the hunting dog did not draw their bow this time but retreated secretly.

Deep in the forest, Prince Jobs paced back and forth in the makeshift camp, listening to his subordinates constantly report on the situation.

“Your Highness, the enemy forces have begun to sweep the Three-pronged Forest. We probably won’t be able to resist for long,” an elderly ranger quickly returned to the camp.

“I know,” he waved his hand irritably, then stopped pacing and looked at the figures on the other side of the camp.

These people wore dark red robes with eye-like patterns on their clothes, indicating that they were all members of the ‘Hundred-Eyed Cult.’

“Do you have a way to deal with the enemy? If it weren’t for your demands, I would have already led my people to other cities.” It turned out that Prince Jobs and his group stayed in the Three-pronged Forest for so long not only to evade pursuers but also due to the influence of the Hundred-Eyed Cult.

“Of course, but Your Royal Highness is too impatient. Many things cannot be solved by simply rushing,” an important figure from the Hundred-Eyed Cult walked over. He looked at the few remaining knights and members in the camp and nodded slightly.

“My lords, you have worked hard. After this battle is won, we will all receive the blessings of the stars,” he seemed particularly honored and proud of this.

The blessings of the stars, what are those? The soldiers present shook their heads in confusion and even doubted whether these cultists really had any strength. If it weren’t for their current isolation and helplessness, they really didn’t want to deal with this group of madmen.

Although the Hundred-Eyed Cult was not as universally condemned as the ‘Twin Serpents Cult,’ its reputation was not much better, as they were in league with the ‘alien’ extraterrestrial life that was eroding the world.

“Hold on until night. By night, our ritual will be complete, and then we will surely turn the tide for everyone,” he finally revealed a crucial piece of information, temporarily reassuring the personnel present.

“At night?” Prince Jobs breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then it’s at night. Did you hear that? All of you, hold on. Don’t embarrass yourselves at this time.”

Prince Jobs believed that their defeat in Stream Valley City was entirely due to the soldiers being too timid. If they had all fought to the death, the battle would not have been such a one-sided defeat.

After learning that the Hundred-Eyed Cult had a solution, Jobs returned to his tent and called for a maid.

“Quick, prepare me some good food and wine. I’m going to have a proper meal today.”

Hearing the prince’s request, the maids carefully agreed and then left the tent to prepare.

Hearing Prince Jobs’ voice, another figure with golden hair and a black dress walked out from a side tent.

After more than half a month of fleeing, Princess Masha, though exhausted, still retained her captivating charm. Her black silk dress made her skin appear even whiter.

“How are things?” She sat in a seat next to Jobs, her expression worried.

“It’s fine, elder sister, don’t worry.” Jobs propped his head with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, letting out a yawn. He had stayed up late last night and originally planned to catch up on sleep during the day, but the Anti people’s pursuit made it difficult for him to sleep. Now, he was indeed sleepy again.

Seeing that she couldn’t get anything out of him, Princess Masha could only shake her head helplessly. Although she was Jobs’s older sister, her status was far inferior to his in the eyes of the royal family and other subordinates. In fact, some people had previously coveted her beauty and proposed marriage to Prince Jobs, but Prince Jobs looked down on the other party and did not agree.

In this world, there is no shortage of queens, but in the vast Southern Continent, most human males inherit the throne, and princesses are generally only used as tools or beautiful ornaments for political marriages.

She had originally planned to marry a nobleman within Regus territory, but the world changed too quickly. Now that Regus had fallen, her value as a princess naturally no longer existed.

Fortunately, she still had a decent appearance that could be used for marriage if necessary, to secure one last ally for the royal family. However, if the restoration failed in the end, she and her descendants would probably become ordinary people, no longer possessing noble blood.

As the people in the camp gradually settled down, the hunters obstructing in the forest fought and retreated, constantly contracting their lines. Although they were no match for the Anti people in terms of numbers, and because they were familiar with the environment and had set up ambushes in advance, as long as their luck wasn’t too bad, they wouldn’t be caught by the searching soldiers. As night fell, the search teams moved slower and slower. Many Anti soldiers were feeling tired at this point, as moving through the complex terrain of the mountains while constantly being wary of ambushes and hidden arrows was extremely taxing on their energy and focus.

At night, under the orders of a senior military officer, the Anti troops finally stopped searching and began to set up night defenses, then pitched camp and started fires.

Flames ignited in the wooden branches, and faint green smoke slowly rose until a bonfire blazed much later, and the green smoke gradually thinned and dissipated.

When the Anti people stopped, special magic circles were clearly outlined on the ground in Prince Jobs’ camp. Then, the cultists took candles, placed them in designated positions on the circles, and lit them.

After that, they placed several special silver ritual objects in a circle in the center of the magic circle. At this point, they also tied a special fat man to a circle in the magic circle, making him lie there.

When the fat man saw his surroundings, even with his mouth gagged, he began to struggle violently. But unfortunately, he had not undergone rigorous combat training and had no ability to unleash an burst of power. His struggles were meaningless against the thick ropes binding him.

“Your Highness, please take the other personnel back 20 meters. The ritual is about to begin,” the leader, whose back was to the prince, said in a low voice.

“Yes, yes.” Feeling the terrifying pressure of the Tier Level directly aimed at him, Jobs quickly retreated.

The flames crackled, and members in dark red robes gathered around the magic circle. They began to chant ancient and eerie songs in unison.

The sound, like a prayer yet also like madness, imbued with a hint of determination, slowly spread throughout the camp.

For the first half hour, there was no change, but the cultists didn’t care. They became even more devout, many slowly kneeling on the ground, chanting the strange songs.

‘Chorus’ is a common环节 in many rituals. Through unison chanting, emotions resonate with each other, and when immersed in that state, the boundaries between individuals gradually disappear, as if they are all merging, making everything in body and mind give way to a sense of unity returning to the heart.

This feeling is so ecstatic and sweet that it makes one forget the loneliness, insignificance, and scarcity of the self, gaining the sweet aroma of collective belonging, making one willing to indulge in it, forgetting all worries and pains.

This is the charm of religion, absorbing all the suffering of the mundane world and promising people a beautiful future. It can tell you the answer to any question, that all this is the will of the gods, that all this is the inevitable path, that all this will be saved by Him.

‘O those at the end of their ropes, please return to that gentle embrace, within His embrace, everything will be reborn…’

The chorus grew increasingly grand, and the emotions even spread to other members in the camp. Even those who had never known the Hundred-Eyed Cult before began to hum along, slowly kneeling and looking at the burning bonfire with devout eyes.

They longed for some spiritual support to alleviate their anxiety and salvage their lives that were heading towards ruin.

Finally, after a certain critical point was breached, a dark red, mist-like transparent beam of light pierced the sky, rushing towards the distant world above the clouds.

However, this thin misty light did not stop. It traveled tens of millions of miles, and the huge beam of light, originally a hundred meters wide, became extremely weak, leaving only a tiny speck smaller than an ant.

This red dot finally reached the edge of the world, where an incomparably magnificent golden array was waiting.

At the very edge of the world, golden, transparent dragon scales covered everything, arranged tightly and layered upon layer, like perfectly disciplined soldiers, interlocking and riveting, forging an endless wall that made the world sigh, guarding this world and isolating it from the astral realm.

This was the world’s barrier, the legacy left by the six great Dragon Laws, and also the majesty and responsibility of dragons as the world’s overlords.

Aspect [Dragon Eye]: (The scales and majesty of the world, observers gazing upon the world)

The tiny red dot swiftly traversed hundreds of miles on the sighing wall forged by dragon scales. With its power, it simply couldn’t penetrate this incredibly strong barrier. However, this world was no longer the flawless form it had been before the Sixth Epoch. That world-shaking war never truly ended, and even today, it could still be said to be in the aftermath of that great conflict.

The tiny red dot swiftly moved for hundreds of miles, finally finding a flaw in this sighing wall. There, the dragon scales were missing, and strange purplish-red mist swirled, as wisps of alien power seeped from the hole in the gap, corroding and distorting the surrounding dragon scales, preventing them from healing.

Finally, having found its target, the red dot shone into the opening, passing through the hazy unknown mist, and at last transmitted some information to the distant astral shore.

Time passed minute by minute. In the Three-pronged Forest, some cultists could no longer withstand the exhausting ritual and fainted.

In the center of the magic circle, the royal ritual objects that were originally placed lost their luster. The power of the ‘Castle’ Aspect that had once condensed upon them gradually dissipated.

The leader of the cult, who was presiding over the ritual, frowned deeply. He looked up, as if his gaze could pierce through infinite distance and see the edge of the world.

However, it was merely an illusion. Even he could only rely on luck to find possible weak points in the world barrier, transmit certain information, and then pray for a response from entities within the astral realm.

Fortunately, over these past few centuries, the previous members of the ‘Hundred-Eyed Cult’ had, through countless sacrifices and searches, finally identified several specific stellar positions.

The use of these stellar positions had incredibly stringent conditions. It had to be a specific wind season, a specific continent, and a specific year and season to be able to communicate through the ritual and find the location observed and recorded by their predecessors.

If they missed this opportunity, their cult would have to wait for the next Storm Season, which meant waiting 54 years for the same opportunity.

He couldn’t wait that long, and neither could the Hundred-Eyed Cult. The world was undergoing drastic changes, and the Hundred-Eyed Cult’s influence was far less than before. Now, they no longer had the ability to independently search for stellar positions. They could only rely on the experience and locations left by their predecessors, cautiously investing resources to perform the ritual.

‘When the stars align, great life will cross the galaxy to arrive…’

The leader silently recited the unimaginably ancient prophecy, praying in his heart that this ritual would succeed. Years as a cult leader had long allowed him to perfectly control his emotions and expressions.

Everyone believed that this ritual would succeed, and that the distant deity would respond, but only he knew that such a response didn’t happen every time.

Flames burned in the night, and time, under tension and immense pressure, ticked by second by second.

One figure after another fell within the magic circle, ceasing to breathe, yet the sounds at the scene did not stop. They would use their last breath to sing for it, greeting that distant and incomparably beautiful future.

Finally.

The flames began to twist, the wind ceased, and an invisible aura gradually spread through the forest. Everything was absolutely silent, like before a thunderous strike.

The cult leader, standing in the center of the magic circle, opened several pairs of eyes. In the tumultuous ocean of his consciousness, a vague will began to communicate with him.