The Cornflower Witch Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Tending the Flower Field

After school, standing before the quiet mansion, Hylial took out her key, opened the side gate, and slowly walked in. Even standing before the grand and elegant manor, she could hardly believe she was living in such a place.

As she entered, before she could return to her bedroom to change, the mysterious maid called out to her.

“Miss Lia.”

With seemingly unhurried, yet in reality quite swift, steps, the maid approached Hylial.

She appeared to be about 19 years old, with pale blonde hair, a delicate maid’s headband, and a perfectly fitting black and white maid’s uniform. Upon closer inspection, the fabric had an exceptionally fine texture.

“What is it, Lining?” Hylial tilted her head, curious.

“You must not wear such plain dresses at home, from now on,” she pointed out the girl’s clothing issue.

“This…”

The girl blinked. Aside from that simple white dress, all her other clothes would probably be considered “plain” in the maid’s eyes.

“Whether you are at home, or going out for activity, I can prepare special clothes for you,” she continued to inform the girl.

“Ordinary fabrics, due to friction and texture, can impede movement, but certain specialized fabrics do not.” Lining seemed slightly disappointed that Hylial didn’t understand these things.

“Please follow me.” Afterwards, the maid led Hylial to a house at the back of the mansion, where she retrieved a stack of smooth, uniform fabric from a sealed metal box.

【Fine Snow Gauze Fabric】(Excellent): Exceptionally smooth, light, and soft fabric that does not hinder movement and is highly resistant to pilling or fuzzing. It is a premium quality fabric.

“Additionally, if you need battle attire tailored, there are these types of fabrics,” she then brought out another stack of snowy white, silver-tinged fabric.

【Silver Snow Gauze Fabric】(Tier 1 · Jade Nectar): Fabric woven by professional tailors using the power of the ‘Jade Nectar’ aspect, selecting superb quality cotton, extracting its fibers, and carding and weaving them. It possesses excellent toughness, a smooth and stain-resistant surface, and can deflect arrows and less sharp weapons, resisting penetration.

“Such fabric, it seems even Viscount Xuefeng hasn’t worn it,” Hylial said, somewhat surprised.

“No, Viscount Xuefeng certainly has some at home, but he normally cherishes it too much to wear, only using it for formal occasions,” Lining refuted Hylial’s guess.

“After all, tailoring one piece costs nearly 20-30 Gold Coins, and Viscount Xuefeng, with his low taxes, naturally feels the pinch.” It seemed she was well aware of Viscount Xuefeng’s financial situation.

“Although Viscount Xuefeng’s territory generates a good income, his expenses are also high,” Lining explained a little.

“However, Madam needn’t worry; her allowance is always inexhaustible.”

“If you become a gardener like Madam in the future, you’ll probably also have endless money.”

“Compared to other professions, gardeners skilled in cultivation are always popular, and their various products are always in demand.”

“These exquisite cotton fabrics were gifts from another gardener friend of Madam’s.”

No wonder the Madam was so generous to her, and this mansion was so luxurious, Hylial thought.

In the evening, Lining prepared a hot bath for Hylial, allowing the girl to experience the mansion’s opulent bathtub for the first time.

Bathing, immersed in the warm water, Hylial felt the minor wounds she had sustained during the day gradually healing. It was probably due to the vitality of the ‘Blazing Sun’ aspect rich in the water. She looked at the pale golden petals floating on the water’s surface; Lining had given her these petals before her bath.

Soaking in the water, not only did it radiate the vitality of the ‘Blazing Sun’ aspect, but it also maintained the water temperature, preventing it from cooling down too quickly.

After her bath, Hylial changed into the snowy gauze nightgown Lining had prepared for her and walked through the mansion’s corridor. A gentle evening breeze wafted by, causing the fabric of her nightgown to flutter slightly, bringing a soft and comfortable touch.

There was still plenty of time before bed. Hylial saw the lit candles in the dining room and walked in. Dinner had already been set for her, but what made her slightly uncomfortable was that in the vast dining room, at a long table that could seat nearly twenty people, there was only one seat for her, and it was at the head of the table.

Lining was already waiting in the dining room. As Hylial walked past her, the maid bowed respectfully, then followed and stood beside the girl’s chair, introducing today’s dinner.

“The main course is Summer Wind Roasted Steak, accompanied by onion soup, stewed potatoes, and Red Chrysanthemum Cointreau for drinks.”

After the introduction, Hylial began to enjoy her meal. The taste of these dishes was no worse than what she had eaten at Grelia Restaurant, and the ingredients were even slightly better.

“Is Madame Faran not dining in tonight?” She had seen Madame Faran just yesterday.

“No, Madam has gone on a long trip today. She asked me to inform Miss Lia that she will probably be back in about a week.”

“That long?” The girl had thought the lady would only be gone for a day or two, but then she remembered that this was not Earth with its developed transportation. A week-long trip was actually quite short.

She had originally wanted to discuss her advancement with Madame Faran today, but it turned out the lady had already left.

However, a week wasn’t that long; she could wait.

“Tomorrow, Lining, please come with me to inspect and tidy the flower field.” The girl remembered her duties.

“Yes, Miss Lia.” Lining bowed slightly in response. Although her voice was sometimes cold, she always showed great respect in her actions.

…

The following afternoon, Hylial and Lining walked through the sunflower sea of tender yellow and gold. As the autumn wind blew, large patches of petals undulated like waves, creating a magnificent beauty.

“How do you usually irrigate such a large area?” Hylial asked, curious.

“Of course, with convenient tools.” Lining bent down, pushed aside some soil, and revealed water pipe-like roots beneath. These peculiar roots were distributed throughout the soil. When Lining shook a bell, a clear and pleasant sound emerged, and water drops began to seep from the surface of the roots.

“Water-absorbing Roots have been planted here for Madam. They can draw water from deep underground rivers to irrigate the sunflowers.”

“And the Jade Nectar?” the girl wondered, no Jade Nectar needed for assistance?

“No, sunflowers are plants with the Blazing Sun aspect, and they can directly absorb the faint aspect power from sunlight,” Lining shook her head.

“However, if this absorption occurs spontaneously, it will be very slow. It requires an experienced gardener to stand in the flower field and guide the process.” No wonder Madame Faran often walked through this sea of flowers with a parasol, Hylial suddenly understood the reason for the Madam’s strolls.

And so, Hylial inspected the growth of the sunflowers while listening to Lining explain the cultivation matters of sunflowers, and thus an afternoon quietly passed.

The next day, after checking the irrigation, she began to prune the sunflowers in the flower field with the scissors Lining had given her.

This work was quite time-consuming and required meticulous attention, but Hylial enjoyed it. Through repeated observations and pruning, she increasingly understood the nature of these sunflowers.

If she were given a handful of seeds now, she was confident she could also cultivate a sunflower sea, but making these sunflowers reach Tier 1 would require immense effort, as she was not a practitioner of the ‘Blazing Sun’ aspect.

In the future, she would probably plant a field of cornflowers. If she stood in the flower field, a gardener’s strength would be maximized.

(End of this chapter)