Cornflower Witch

Chapter 109 Trial Ground

After a good night's rest, Siltia finally woke up around noon the next day.

She changed into a pure white dress with pale yellow ribbons and lace trim, put her hair up on one side of her shoulder, and then went downstairs.

Mrs. Fran did not go out today, but sat in the living room reading books. When she saw the silver-haired girl in a dress come down, she nodded slightly and then waved.

"Come here, Tia~"

"Okay." The girl, who had intended to sneak away to grab a bite to eat and fill her stomach, could only turn around and come to Mrs. Fran's side.

Seeing the girl's little tricks, Mrs. Fran found it amusing and told her.

"Wait a little longer, Lining is already preparing a sumptuous lunch."

“Okay.” Hiltiya sat obediently on the sofa.

“You were too tired yesterday, so I didn’t talk to you much about the Hidden Woods. I can probably have a good talk with you today.”

"First of all, how much do you know about the Hidden Woods?"

"It's probably where various organizations recruit trainees," the girl replied, based on previous information.

"Yes, but not entirely," Madame Fran replied after a moment's thought.

"The Hidden Woods is just a general term. In fact, it is the outpost of multiple shadow worlds in the southern part of the continent. It absorbs and puts countless talented young people into it. Some of them grow up quickly and become the backbone of various schools of thought and organizations that resist distortion and obtain resources."

“But those who fail will also die silently in the woods, unknown to anyone.” She rested one hand on her ear, her golden hair slightly curled.

“I rarely tell you about my past, Tia.”

“I once had a very good companion who also went into the local hidden woodlands. At first, she wrote to me once a month to tell me about her progress and growth. I could tell she was in a very good state at that time.”

"However, a few years later, she began to feel anxious because her workload was increasing and she was starting to fall behind the other geniuses of her age."

"After that, she had to take on more dangerous but more rewarding missions, and I never received a reply from her again until eight years later."

"Years later, when I advanced to the third rank, I joined the loose organization 'Sunflower Hut.' Although it was a very small organization, because the founder had been a member of the 'Four Seasons Alliance' and had deep connections in the woodlands, I obtained a letter of introduction through him and went to the woodlands branch where my companions had gone missing."

"After several months of investigation, I finally found her name, which contained her last information: she and her entire adventure team disappeared while searching for the 'Crimson Monkey' in a hidden world within the shadows."

"'Crimson Monkey' is a monster in the Shadow World. Its eyes and heart can be used to extract a special elixir called 'Crimson Stone Dew'. This elixir can stabilize and enhance the 'Blood Law' attribute energy. It is also a rare potion for many extraordinary individuals who have difficulty advancing to the third rank."

"Ordinary students simply can't afford it; they have to go to the Shadow World to find the raw materials and refine them themselves."

"Actually, her talent is no less than mine. You can imagine that she was able to advance to the second rank within five years and break through to the third rank before the age of thirty. This is beyond the imagination of many people."

"It can only be said that her excessive anxiety and eagerness harmed her, but that's just the atmosphere of the Hidden Woods. It cultivates extraordinary individuals in an extremely efficient way, but it also eliminates a large number of trainees who are unlucky, lack talent, or have gone astray along the way." "In the past, many organizations didn't care about the Shadow World and the abyss beneath the Twilight Sea, but those organizations that ventured into the Shadow World early on have achieved rapid development. Fresh blood is constantly joining, new core members of the organizations are growing, they are becoming stronger, and they are beginning to squeeze the living space of other organizations."

"Under such circumstances, various organizations and schools of thought have no choice but to participate in the competition within the Shadow World. Even the royal family of Regas, which you are familiar with, has a branch in the Shadow World and is training prospective squires for the 'Fir Knights' there."

"The Candlehold School is a bit special. They don't participate much in the conflicts of the Shadow World, but they are deeply involved in the politics of the secular kingdoms. Few people compete with them in this field, so the only thing that ordinary people know about is the Candlehold School. In fact, there are many organizations that are more powerful than the Candlehold School, such as the 'Four Seasons Alliance' that I mentioned before. They are one of the three strongest forces on this continent and remotely control many countries from behind the scenes."

"The so-called hidden woodlands are the entrance for these organizations to recruit new members. Once you go there, you will receive resources from the local woodlands and be taught various kinds of knowledge by specialized teachers."

"These benefits come at a price; each course has to be charged, and the training resources provided to students will have to be repaid slowly over several years."

"However, once you advance in rank and join one of the organizations, all the previous training costs will be reimbursed by the organization and wiped clean."

“Talented students or those with special skills are very popular there, and various organizations will offer generous conditions to recruit them.”

"There are many benefits to joining the organization. First, the organization helps with resource gathering. Second, your safety is guaranteed to a certain extent, because killing members of the organization at will will result in retaliation from the organization."

“Originally I didn’t care about this, but a few years ago I joined the relatively loose and relaxed ‘Sunflower Hut’ because of safety concerns. As a member of the organization, I am obligated to hand over a portion of refined ‘sun seed oil’ every year. Apart from that, the ‘Sunflower Hut’ doesn’t have many requirements, and of course they don’t provide many benefits either. That’s the price of freedom.”

After listening to Mrs. Fran's account, Hilti finally understood what the Hidden Woods was like.

"Is it very difficult to pursue education through other means if one doesn't go to the secluded woods?" she asked Madame Fran.

"That's right. Different organizations have different temperaments. Without a recommendation, it's hard for them to trust you. So it can take several years to join one, working in peripheral organizations and passing the assessment before you can gradually get closer to the organization."

"Furthermore, once you move to a different place, all the previous connections are wiped out, and you need to rebuild trust and relationships from scratch," Mrs. Fran commented.

"It is difficult for others to trust someone who does not have the endorsement of an organization, just like a stranger whose identity and origin are unknown. When you have the identity of an organization, as long as the organization has a good reputation, you can easily gain the trust of others."

"Of course, if you do something that damages the organization's reputation, the organization will also have corresponding punishment measures, some of which are even particularly severe."

"For the Candleburg School, writing books and establishing theories is extremely important, and plagiarism is considered an absolutely intolerable thing. Now you understand why Maester Hyde was punished so severely when he was falsely accused."

"According to the previous plan, if you continue to learn from me, I can recommend you to the outer organization of the 'Four Seasons Alliance' in two years. If you work there for five years, you can become a formal outer member. However, if you want to truly join the 'Four Seasons Alliance,' you must perform exceptionally well in the outer organization and demonstrate special talent and strength."

"If you go to the Hidden Woods, as long as you achieve outstanding results within three years, you can directly join the 'Four Seasons Alliance' as a prospective apprentice and begin to enjoy the organization's many benefits and advantages."

"Upon reaching the third tier and officially becoming a member of the 'Four Seasons Alliance,' they will allow you to choose one of the four seasonal potions and bestow it upon you. If you choose the 'Spring Potion,' you will gain twenty years of eternal youth. If you choose the 'Summer Potion,' your body will be revitalized, and any injury or illness, including severed limbs and disabilities, will be healed. If you choose the 'Autumn Potion,' your essence will be refined and condensed, making it easier to advance to the next stage. If you choose the 'Winter Potion,' your physical condition will stagnate, and you will be frozen and dormant for sixty years."

"Of course, if you are not interested in the 'Four Seasons Alliance,' you can join other organizations, such as the 'Moonfall Forest,' 'Holy White Knight Hall,' 'Rainbow Glass Bottle,' and 'Demon Eye Cult.' These are all well-known and powerful organizations, and their new members will receive different and valuable benefits."

"The advantage of the Hidden Woods is that the achievements you make there are recognized by various organizations, which is much easier than in the outside world and gives you more options."

(End of this chapter)