Cornflower Witch

Chapter 108 Black Dream Meditation Method

Inside the carriage, purple velvet covered the entire interior. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary-sized carriage, but inside it was as spacious as a house.

The spacious room was covered with a deep purple carpet, and a round, elegant table and chairs were placed in the center of the carpet. At this moment, a pot of steaming tea was placed on the table.

"Please sit down," Melinsa said, gesturing for Hilti to sit, then tapped the table lightly with her folding fan.

Upon hearing the noise, a black stork flew in through the window and landed on the table. As if it possessed wisdom, it looked at Tia and Mrs. Melinda, then grabbed the teapot handle with one foot and poured tea into the two teacups on the table.

The gentle sound of water was particularly clear in this quiet space. Watching the rising steam from the tea, Melinsa first picked up the cup and blew on it gently.

She didn't seem to be in a hurry to explain anything to the girl, but simply sipped her tea slowly.

Hiltiya held the teacup in her fingers, her eyes glancing curiously at the black stork on the table.

This black stork does not appear to be an ordinary creature, but rather a special bird of the second-order Nightmare type.

"This is a dream-stealing bird. It flies into the dreams of living beings and steals their dreams," Melinda explained, putting down her cup, blowing on it for a moment, her voice slightly languid.

"Dream Stealing?"

"That's right, you can understand it as the disappearance of a certain strong desire, and a person becomes calm."

“However, this ability usually only manifests at the fourth level or above. Right now, it can only enter dreams at most.” Melinda put down her teacup, a slightly mischievous smile playing on her lips beneath her deep purple eyes.

"The girl who died last night, her name was Iona, right?"

“Yes.” Hiltiya nodded.

"How do you feel about her death, Tia?"

"It's probably a bit of a regret, or rather, a sadness."

"Oh, where is the regret, and why the sadness?"

"If I had to say what's regrettable, I think she didn't have to die there. The sadness comes from the fact that if I were in her position, I probably would have had a hard time letting go. The reason I didn't is just because I was a little luckier."

"An interesting answer." Melinda covered her mouth and chuckled.

"She's quite cute, Tia."

“This is probably the first time you’ve seen a scene like this, so you’re probably feeling a lot of emotions, but I’m no longer moved.” She tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

"In the future, you will encounter many more ruthless people in the woods. I hope you are mentally prepared. I still have high hopes for you."

"You don't need to worry about Iona's death, nor do you need to explain. I will speak with Viscount Scheffen later, and he will not concern himself with this matter. Other nobles will not concern themselves with such trivial matters either."

"The team that will take you to the woodlands will arrive in about a week. Use this time to prepare, as you will not be able to return for at least three years."

"Keep that badge safe. You'll gradually understand its value and significance later."

"Consider it an investment I made in advance. This gem is for you. You have beautiful eyes; you'll probably find it very interesting to use them." With that, she slowly pushed a purple octagonal gem from the table toward Sylvia.

【Amethyst (Engraved)】: A gemstone engraved with a certain secret technique or information. When placed on the forehead for meditation, one can glimpse the contents inside.

Although she didn't know what was recorded inside, Hilti took it and carefully placed it in her palm.

"Alright, time is running out, I should head to my next destination, let's say goodbye here."

"If you ever reach the third level, you can visit me at the 'Night Dream Tea Party'. I believe we will have many things to talk about at that time."

……

Outside the carriage, Maester Hyde and Viscount Schefeng, after hearing the narration, were greatly surprised to learn that Hilti was the winner of this assessment. However, since the two most important people were not present, they suppressed their curiosity and began to arrange for the students and team members to return home.

Afterwards, Hilti stepped out of the black carriage, which then slowly drove away and disappeared into the forest. Sitting in the returning procession, Hilti was still pondering her conversation with the witch and recalling the strange events that had occurred to Iona the previous night. Her head rested lightly against the carriage window, her eyes quietly fixed on the table.

"What are you thinking about, Tia?" Komia asked, sitting next to her, unable to contain her curiosity.

"It's alright, Iona's death has nothing to do with you, it's all her own fault," she whispered, trying to comfort her.

At this moment, Hilti shook her head slightly, pulling herself out of her reverie. With her smooth silver hair, she was much more eye-catching than usual today.

Upon seeing the girl recover, the other trainees who had been peeking at her on the bus looked away and pretended to chat enthusiastically with their companions. However, the occasional furtive glances from the corners of their eyes betrayed some of their true thoughts.

Without her glasses or her usual understated black hair, today Siltiah resembled a true young lady, surrounded by the attention of all the students. Her simple movements were seen as incredibly beautiful by others, who were also surprised that they had never noticed such a dreamy girl in their class before.

At first, Hilti thought that people were probably just curious about how much she had changed.

Later, she discovered that the attention she received had exceeded normal levels; even when she was resting to the side, many people would stare at her.

Slightly embarrassed, she rubbed her forehead to shield herself from everyone's gaze. Hilti began to regret not having done her homework before leaving the mountain, such as dyeing her hair black again and putting on glasses.

For the other students, this was probably a day full of novel topics and seeing a brand new silver-haired beauty, but for Hilti, who was the focus of everyone's attention, it was a day of some discomfort and shyness.

……

Upon returning to Scorched Stone City, Viscount Xue Feng, just as the witch had predicted, did not inquire about Iona at all. He considered Iona's death an unexpected consequence of her own actions.

Although everyone was surprised by this result, Viscount Xue Feng was the highest-ranking person in Jiao Shi City, and he was also the person most closely related to Iona by blood. Since even he said so, naturally no one dared to offend him or protest, and not many people really cared.

When Hilti returned home, she was inevitably caught by Madame Fran and questioned in detail about the process and the final outcome.

"So, you saw her gradually degenerate and eventually become a twisted monster?" Mrs. Fran leaned back on the sofa armrest, listening to the young girl's story.

“That’s right,” Hiltiya answered honestly.

"This was a nightmare. You should rest well today. I'll prepare a cup of calming herbal tea for you to help you sleep later."

"Thank you, teacher." At this moment, Hiltiya remembered something, took out the purple octagonal gem, and handed it to Lady Fran.

"This was a gift from the witch; she said it was an extra reward she gave me personally."

After taking the gem, Lady Fran examined it and smiled with interest before returning it to Hilti.

"This contains a secret technique for the 'nightmare' aspect, which is very practical and valuable."

"It seems that witch really thinks highly of you, and she actually used such a method to seduce you."

"lure?"

"That's right. Most of the students who have just arrived in the woods lack resources. If they want to learn such secret techniques, they have to spend a lot of money and points."

"If you possess it naturally, you will naturally make good use of it and learn the secret techniques within. Once you have learned them, you will probably use them for a long time and make them your main core ability."

"In this way, you will gradually lean towards the Nightmare aspect, and you might change your aspect at some point and join their organization."

"Because the secret technique I gave you, the subsequent advancement and other uses can only be passed down by their organization."

"Now I've told you their plans. The choice is yours."

After saying this, Lady Fran handed the jewel back to Hilti.

【Dark Dream Meditation Method】(Nightmare): Intermediate meditation method, recommended for use after level 2. It can release the shadows deep in your heart in your dreams and fight against them. After breaking through them, it can further enhance your mental strength. In addition, this meditation method can also be used against enemies, causing them to be shrouded in fearful dark dreams and collapse on their own.

(End of this chapter)