The Cornflower Witch Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Merelankah Praying in the Lake

“Moon, Fantasy Moon, Miracle Moon, Dream Moon.”

“The first moon, vast and formless, then disintegrated.”

“The second moon, wandering through treetops, weaving years and months.”

“The third moon, descending into dreams, roaming虛境 (virtual realm).”

“The fourth moon, clear and flawless, balancing the scales.”

Ancient songs echoed through the temple. Around the cool fountain was a group of members dressed in snow-white priestly robes. Their faces were hazy, with only the silver trim on their sleeves standing out.

As the song was hummed, a woman with a light veil over her face walked slowly towards the pool, her hands gently clasped in front of her. Then, she slowly floated up, her pure white toes lightly touching the surface as invisible currents of water rushed out from beneath her feet, forming a transparent spherical water shield that enveloped her.

Afterward, she floated in front of the tall white stone statue, humming a light song. She slowly raised her hands, and unseen ripples spread out. In the night sky above, the silver moon shone down with what felt like substantial moonlight.

This moonlight fell upon the pool, and the previously dry pool gradually became stained with dew. In the water bottle of the white stone statue, even more precious and intangible “Moon Tear Liquid” condensed.

This unknown ritual continued for a long time, until the Moon Tear Liquid in the bottle was full.

Finally, the singing gradually stopped, and the other people gradually left the fountain and the temple, leaving only the woman standing beneath the statue, praying with her eyes closed.

The Moon Tear Liquid in the bottle flowed once again, creating tiny ripples and scattering specks of moonlight, and the liquid itself further decreased.

Until at last, only a single drop of special transparent liquid remained.

This drop of liquid slowly floated out and dripped into the forehead of the veiled woman, integrating into her body, making her feel as if she had been cleansed, becoming even lighter and more ethereal.

After all this, the unknown woman turned around again, and Hylial, in her dream, clearly saw the jade holy grail she held in her hands, within which a transparent and formless liquid flowed gently…

The dream ended.

Hylial rubbed her temples, feeling exceptionally good, as if she had also participated in the ritual in her dream. Although her affinity level was zero now, her physical fitness was even better than before.

Thinking of this, she tried to jump and found that she could easily leap onto a broken stone pillar two meters high.

Not only that, her running and reaction speeds were also much faster. This meant that even without condensing an affinity level, she had basic self-preservation abilities against ordinary first-tier opponents.

After recalling the dream, Hylial came to the pool again. She observed the beautiful white stone statue in front of her, pondering its origin and possibilities.

According to the words exchanged between the Witch and the Hag in her dream, they both once belonged to an organization called the “Moon Council,” and this organization and the “Silverlight Church” had once competed for the Star-Lord position of “Glorious Moon” in the distant past, leading to a war that lasted for hundreds of years.

The ability to contend for the Star-Lord position meant that the top figures of both organizations were at least “Nametakers,” powerful individuals who possessed a True Name and could influence a certain affinity law.

The fall of the Silvermoon Dragon was an extremely significant event, an indelible piece of history. This was a major event that occurred in the Eighth Epoch, because the fall of the Silvermoon Dragon meant that all six Dragon of Law that sealed the Dragon of Stars had lost their Star-Lord position.

This event directly led to the “Dragon Hunt War,” because of the weakening of dragons, the giant dragons in the mortal world were hunted down by combined forces and heroes from various factions. The giant dragons and ancient dragons that survived the “Dragon Hunt War” all went to live in the Heavenly Courtyard, the “Dragon Kingdom,” and are rarely seen in the present world.

“So, the existence of the Silverlight Church was erased from history, then?” She had never seen this name in any classic text or secret history records.

Recalling the ritual in her dream, she began to hum softly.

At first, it was a bit clumsy, but then the song seemed to possess a magical quality. As she hummed, she gradually found its unique rhythm, and then it became more and more fluid and effortless. She hardly needed to consciously remember or recall it; she could hum it perfectly by intuition.

This piece had no specific lyrics, only a few humming syllables that changed freely with her thoughts. It had an unrestrained yet atmospheric charm that felt wondrous.

As the song echoed through the ruins of the temple, everything became still. Faint, hazy figures drifted back and forth, apparitions of people who once lived and held various activities there appeared and then dissipated.

That was a forgotten history.

And sealed past events.

They celebrated here.

And advanced hand in hand here.

Until later.

They withered little by little.

Finally, the entire temple fell from the continent above the sea of clouds and sank into this unseen Shadow World.

‘Silverlight Saint – Merelankah’

A ‘Nametaker’ who once vowed, along with many like-minded individuals, to build ‘Dream Lighthouses’ to guide the lost wanderers back. The saint followed by all members of the Silverlight Church. She fell during the Cataclysm War of the Eighth Epoch, when the Golden Honey Dynasty broke through the last Dream Lighthouse.

This Nametaker, once favored by several Hour Lords and considered the most suitable successor to the ‘Glorious Moon’ position, thus disappeared, and all legends about her were erased.

Silverlight Church: A massive organization that followed the ‘Silverlight Saint – Merelankah,’ once spanning multiple continents and hundreds of countries, with billions of followers. They were dedicated to building ‘Dream Lighthouses’ in various places to guide the ‘lost wanderers’ from the Shadow World back, and to lead moonlight deep into the lightless sea of monstrosities to purify and eliminate its defiled areas.

Golden Honey Dynasty: A colossal dynasty that unified the Fourth Continent during the Eighth Epoch, with nearly ten billion people, and launched several continent-spanning destructive wars, finally perishing at the hands of the newly ascended ‘Scorching Sun’ Hour Lord, the Corona Dragon.

…

The song was hummed again and again, and the remaining ‘Glorious Moon’ power in the ruins of this temple slowly gathered, gradually converging on the beautiful white statue.

Slowly, faint silver light emerged from the edges of the statue, spreading little by little, until the entire statue was completely covered.

Hylial opened her eyes and looked at the white stone statue in front of her. The previously still facial features now seemed to reveal a faint smile. Then, the statue slowly crumbled and peeled away.

These dissipated pieces of glorious moon floated towards the sky, wandering and rotating in the dim, night-like sky, finally falling gently like feathers.

The silver fragments gathered like sand in an hourglass, reassembling in front of Hylial.

‘Merelankah Praying in the Lake’

‘(A poetry classic documenting the life of the Nametaker Merelankah, one of the three holy scriptures of the Silverlight Church) (According to its legend, two rituals can be performed, and clues to the sixth-tier profession [Saintess of the Lake] can be obtained. Merelankah once received the title of ‘Saintess of the Lake’ in her youth.)’

[Purity Ritual – Bathing in Moonlit Glory] (Glorious Moon, Blood Discipline, Jade Nectar)

[Purification Ritual – Lake Baptism] (Glorious Moon, Spiral Fish, Sleepy Winter)

Warning: Advancing to the [Saintess of the Lake] profession will be perceived by high-ranking members of hostile factions (Golden Honey Dynasty, Moon Council).

(End of Chapter)