Cornflower Witch

Chapter 128 First Arrival in the Valley
"We've arrived, Miss Siltiia."

The carriage slowly drove into the vast valley and finally stopped in front of a stone hut.

The first floor of this small house is rectangular in shape and built of white stone. It is empty inside and can be used to park carriages and other items, or to store harvested crops. Going up the steps on the side of the house, you will reach the second floor, where Hiltiya lives. There is a bedroom with a good view, a study, and a small private meditation room.

"The kitchen is on the side of the first floor, and there's a cellar dug next to it, where Hilti can store her things later." The leading knight squire led her to inspect the various places.

How to build city walls, castles, towers, and dwellings? There are professional planning examples along the 'Castle' route. Often, these buildings are part of a grand 'Castle' formation and a symbol of the boundary of civilization.

Although small, this stone house is perfectly adequate for Hiltiya to live in alone, and it is situated on a high hillside in the valley, so there is no need to worry about it being flooded.

About 400 meters behind the cabin to the north are steep mountain walls surrounding the valley, covered with wind-eroded rocks, and no birds fly by.

The entire valley is vaguely shaped like a 'C', with a 200-meter-wide entrance in the east, and inside is a vast plain, roughly estimated to be about 1200 acres, or the size of 120 football fields.

There are still large areas of virgin forest, rocks, and weeds on the inner side of the valley. Only the area near the exit has been simply cleared so far.

Hilti had made some preparations in her mind, but after arriving, she realized that she had underestimated the difficulty of cultivating this area. Putting aside the issue of planting, just clearing the land was no easy task.

Fortunately, the staff of the forestry association, taking into account the difficulty of getting started, had already helped her clear and plow the initial 50 mu of land, so she was not completely at a loss.

“Miss Hilti should now understand the general situation. Do you have any further questions?” The second-tier knight attendant stood with her in the open space in front of the hut.

"We are still short-staffed."

Hiltiya guessed that this problem was difficult to solve; if they weren't short of people, they wouldn't have sent her over.

"There's nothing we can do about it. But you can try looking in the market early next month to see if you can find some slaves or laborers from other races. However, managing and living with these people will require a lot of effort," the other party suggested.

"Also, is it safe here? I see there are large areas of forest and trees on the inside of the valley."

“We’ve cleared that area out. There are basically no wild animals left, maybe just some rabbits and mice.”

"If you are still not at ease, there are three signal rockets here. Just light them and launch them, and they will be detected by the towers of White Rock Fortress, and then patrol cavalry will arrive."

"About 6-7 kilometers south of the valley, there is a hunter's lodge where rangers are stationed. They patrol the border and deal with any monsters or wild animals that wander in. If you have any trouble that needs to be resolved, you can try to negotiate with them."

"About 10 kilometers to the north, there is a logging camp where people work on weekdays. If you want to add furniture, expand the fence, or buy the most basic things, you can go there to take a look."

"By the way, when we set off, our captain said that the carriage and horse used to transport the luggage would be given to you as compensation. In the first year, we would regularly send you hay and beans to feed the draft horse and the two ponies."

Upon hearing this, Hiltiya took a closer look at the tall draft horse that had brought her there. Its coat color was similar to that of a reed, appearing grayish-white, but its broad, thick hooves were black.

[Lakeside Horse]: A tall draft horse with a small amount of bloodline attribute. It is strong and sturdy and can be used to pull heavy goods and plow fields. It is not fast and is not suitable as a cavalry warhorse.

The girl gently stroked the tall draft horse. Its hooves were probably thicker than her thighs, and it weighed around a ton. Standing beneath it, Hilti's head barely touched the horse's chin. She couldn't mount it normally; she could only sit sideways on its broad back. Although the draft horse was enormous, the two miniature ponies beside it were a perfect size for Hilti, making them a comfortable ride for her.

【Lakeside Pony】: A lakeside pony that has not yet grown up and has a lively personality.

The two little ones, one brown and one black, had been following the mare on the way here. When they rested, they would hide under their mother's body and occasionally tilt their heads to look at the cavalrymen with their black eyes.

When no one is around, they come out to play, jumping and frolicking around.

After explaining a few more things, the cavalrymen returned and left, leaving Hiltiya to live in the newly reclaimed valley.

……

That afternoon, the girl walked through the valley fields, getting acquainted with the surroundings, before returning to her stone hut.

Should she cook? She thought for a moment and went to the kitchen. There were two bags of vegetables under the cupboard, which had been delivered by carriage that morning.

Hiltiya untied the drawstring on the pocket, opened it, and looked inside.

Inside were about 20 pounds of potatoes, an 8-pound pumpkin, five onions, six green tomatoes, four large cabbages, sixteen parsnip roots, and eleven turnips.

After taking inventory, Hiltiya opened another bag, which contained three bundles of smoked sausage (26 sections in total), five catties of smoked jerky, and a bag of salt.

If she eats sparingly, this food will be enough for her for a month.

She stood up and looked at the flour bag on the other side. It contained 30 jin of good quality flour, which was a fairly good staple food that could be bought in White Stone Fortress.

As for high-quality wheat flour, it is not widely sold in the market; most of it is supplied to formal members of the organization in other locations.

Peel three potatoes and a parsnip root, then put them in a pot of water and boil them. Soon after, Hirutiya added a little bit of smoked meat and a small spoonful of salt.

For the main dish, she mixed flour with water until it became thick, then poured it into an oiled iron pan to make simple pancakes. Once cooked through, she scooped them up, cut them into small pieces, and put them in a bowl.

Steaming buns and making bread are too troublesome, and since she's eating alone, she naturally wants to save time.

After doing all that, Hilti sat at the table by the fireplace, eating the vegetable and meat soup she had cooked, along with some crispy flatbread. She found it quite delicious.

In the stillness of the night, after washing up, Hiltiya sat on the edge of the bed, covered with a brand-new cotton quilt. A candle was lit by the bedside so she could read the book in front of her.

Under the dim light, the girl's gentle cheeks were bathed in a soft, warm glow. Her eyes were bright and lively as she turned the pages of the book with great interest. She lay down reluctantly when the candle was almost burned out.

The world outside the window was pitch black and quiet, and the night passed quietly.

(End of this chapter)