The Cornflower Witch Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Folk Songs and Dances by the Fire

As Hylial and her companions approached the square, the enormous bonfire cast long shadows of the three on the ground, and the crimson fire, even from a distance of over ten meters, still made her feel its surging heat.

Around the square, several drummers held animal skin drums and beat them. They were old, their deep-set eyes and wrinkled skin bathed in the firelight, yet at this moment, they possessed an inexplicable artistic charm.

Ancient songs echoed by the bonfire. Each time the drumbeats sounded, the people encircling the bonfire would lift and stomp their feet. They would sometimes rotate in a clockwise circle, sometimes counter-clockwise, and the circle formed by their crossed arms would sometimes expand and shrink.

The songs and dance steps, the drumbeats and the flames, achieved a wondrous harmony and resonance, bringing with it the infectious spirit of ancient times. It was as if their ancestors, people from several epochs ago, had gathered around bonfires, singing, celebrating harvests and peace, dispelling the chill and fear of the night.

So, Hylial and her two companions unconsciously put down their fish, stood outside this bonfire circle, and immersed themselves in it.

At some point, someone walked over, took Hylial and her companions’ hands, and led them to join the dance by the bonfire. It was then that the three realized many other students had already joined, and Scholar Hyde was also across the bonfire, waving and nodding at them, reassuring them.

The firelight expanded with the drumbeats, stray embers floated into the night sky, and the surging heat spread, bathing everyone around the bonfire.

The chill in their bodies was dispelled, their tired bodies were re-energized, and old accumulated injuries now felt warm, slowly healing invisibly.

No one taught them; simply relaxing their bodies and following the hands entwined around them, their bodies began to step in rhythm, gradually moving in unison.

Another chorus of humming began, the melody simple, like the natural expansion and contraction of their own脉律.

Harvested grains were sprinkled into the bonfire, scattering sparks and forming a column of fire that brought forth a new wave of heat.

Following the call of the bonfire and the dance, Hylial gradually became immersed in it, joining the crowd in composing this ancient and timeless movement, until her feet were sore, and the dance by the bonfire gradually came to an end.

[Ancient Ritual: Bonfire and Dance] (Beast Tooth, Blood Discipline, Blazing Sun)

‘In the Seventh Epoch, King Mureto led the ancestors through the vast Starry Wilderness, trekking for nearly twelve years, overcoming countless difficulties to reach the Midsummer Land, where they established humanity’s first home. To commemorate that long expedition and the peaceful harvest, people danced around bonfires, listening to elders humming ancient ancestral songs.’

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Conditions: Although this ritual has loose requirements, it still needs three basic elements: rhythmic beast-skin drumbeats (Beast Tooth), a circling crowd (Blood Discipline), and a grand burning bonfire (Blazing Sun). If you are familiar with the legendary twelve-year journey of King Mureto, the more the arrangements align with that legend, the stronger the ritual’s effect.

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Summary: After this ritual is performed, it will spontaneously adjust to gradually synchronize the脉律 of those around the bonfire. When the drumbeats, dance steps, and flames achieve a harmonious rhythm, the ritual’s effect will be produced. Because this legend originates from King Mureto, non-human races cannot participate, or it will disrupt the ritual. Drums must be made of animal hide, or it will also disrupt the ritual. Bonfires in the Aurora Wind Season naturally carry a faint ‘Blazing Sun’ affinity, requiring no additional arrangement. In other seasons, ‘Blazing Sun’ affinity objects are needed for adjustment.

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Effect: Dispels the chill and fear of the night, harmonizes pulse rhythm, and relieves old injuries. (Can suppress the erosion of ‘Sleepy Winter’ and ‘Nightmare’ affinities, bring peace to the spirit, and alleviate old injuries).

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At night, after the dance around the bonfire ended, the students and local villagers enjoyed the prepared food, which included roasted meat on the bonfire, freshly made bread pies, and a small amount of mead.

Even Iona, who was usually the most reclusive, sat and ate with everyone that night. After the party ended, everyone, tired but relaxed, returned to their respective accommodations to rest.

After a very good night’s sleep, everyone woke up invigorated the next day and had never felt so good.

Is this the power of ritual, so magical and inexplicable?

Waking up in the morning, Hylial recalled the scene from last night, still feeling somewhat incredible.

In the early morning, after a simple breakfast of oatmeal, Scholar Hyde led the students to the Luanshu forest not far from the village.

Walking beneath the trees blooming with tender, small, yellow flowers, everyone smelled a faint floral and woody fragrance. The ground in the forest had sparse fallen leaves and shrubs.

Passing through the forest, they arrived at a clearing. Scholar Hyde then had everyone sit on the ground and began teaching the day’s lesson.

“Listen to the birds, feel the tranquility of nature,” he first raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to quiet their minds for a moment.

Thus, the learned scholar slowly described the events of last night.

“Last night, you all experienced a rare bonfire party. I think many of you probably noticed something. This party was not just about the overflowing enthusiasm and delicious food,” he slowly narrated.

“Perhaps you have heard, through various means, of the legends of ancient times, the stories circulating throughout the world, and so on.”

“Many of these legends are not fiction, but rather events that actually happened. In fact, the legends themselves are a kind of power, and this power becomes more significant as more people know about it and as it brings about profound effects.”

“The so-called ‘ritual’ is the re-enactment of a legend.”

“When you understand this sentence, you will have entered the threshold of mastering various ‘rituals.’ How to recreate a legend, however, is a much deeper and more complex knowledge and skill.”

“Unlike the abilities cultivated by extraordinary beings, the effects of ‘rituals’ do not depend on one’s ‘affinity level,’ but rather on the completeness of the ritual and its correspondence with the legend.”

“This means that even a mortal, as long as they perfectly recreate a certain legend and perform a ‘ritual,’ can use the ‘ritual’ to bring about tremendous effects and change the situation.”

“What you experienced last night was the ancient ritual ‘Bonfire and Dance’ passed down from the Seventh Epoch. This is a summation of the deeds of King Mureto, and similar rituals include ‘Red Pear Fruit Music,’ ‘Fish Rainbow Fossil,’ ‘End of Scars,’ and so on.”

“These rituals are still too profound and difficult for you to understand at present, and they involve many legendary histories. Today, you only need to learn the ancient ritual ‘Bonfire and Dance’.”

“If any of you, like me, are particularly drawn to the truths and legends of history, and pursue the study of these skills and the dissemination of knowledge as your life’s goal, then in the future you may go to Candlefort to seek the path of the ‘Secret History’ affinity.”

Previously, Scholar Hyde’s lectures had never received such rapt attention from the students as they did today. The legends Scholar Hyde recounted made the students present dreamily ponder, yearning for more.

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Affinity [Secret History]: (History is hidden in proverbs, the past forges the future)

(End of this chapter)