Cornflower Witch

Chapter 148 A Higher Rating Than Excellent

"You shall move these grains of wheat to the warehouse inside the cave for storage."

After thinking for a while, Hilti made a decision.

Of the 17000 jin of "rare" wheat harvested, 15000 jin were moved to a warehouse inside a cave for storage. The warehouse was cool and dry, and the wheat grains, after being dried, were less likely to mold or spoil.

Wheat that is not hulled can be stored for 3-5 years at room temperature, and for 5-8 years at low temperatures (below 15°C), provided that the taste is preserved. If you don’t mind slight changes in taste, it can be stored for even longer.

The remaining 2000 jin of "rare" wheat was stored in a warehouse next to the windmill for milling, in preparation for sale or consumption.

As for the remaining 3000 catties of 'perfect' quality wheat, Hiltiya plans to store it in the cellar next to her hut. The environment there is safe, and it is isolated by a 'castle'-like magic array, which will prevent the 'emerald honey' aura from leaking out.

After making the arrangements, the toads began to move the harvested wheat grains and carefully divided the area for stacking, making it easier to inspect and process them later.

After the harvest, a large amount of straw remained in the field. Hiltiya instructed the toads to keep the straw from the 'perfect' quality wheat for storage. As for the straw from the other wheat, the intact parts were used as bedding material for the toads, and the rest were used to weave straw mats or hats and other daily necessities.

As for the remaining loose straw, it is burned together with the turned soil. This not only kills the insect eggs in it, but also adds some fertilizer to the soil.

After dealing with these matters, Hiltiya once again caused the alfalfa deep in the soil to sprout and grow, taking over the entire field. The lush, tender alfalfa also blossomed with purple petals.

"It's time to go to the city to report," Hiltiya thought.

She took some wheat of various qualities with her and set off for White Rock Fortress.

……

The carriage traveled across the early autumn fields, the air crisp and clear. Lying atop a tall haystack, Hirutiya gazed at the distant blue sky, contemplating the future.

The past six months at Huijin Plain have allowed her to make rapid progress in her career as a horticulturist; indeed, practice makes perfect.

She has now reached a relatively stable stage in her work as a horticulturist, and it's time for her to explore other fields.

For example, you could learn one or two combat skills, observe how bakers turn wheat flour into higher-quality food, how skilled blacksmiths forge tools, and how border expeditions are conducted and what you can gain, etc.

I've been in the Shadow World for over half a year now, and I've always stayed in the Valley and White Rock Fortress. It's time to go somewhere else.

Oh right, she promised Agren she'd forge a longsword, and now she should have the money to do it for him.

In addition, I need to write a letter to Florella to tell her about my recent situation and how the elven girl is doing.

Unfortunately, communication between the world in the film and the surface of the earth is still difficult. Even if she writes letters to Madame Fran and Maestro Hyde, it would probably be half a year before they receive them.

At noon, as before, Hiltiya had the carriage stop at the post station in the city and had about a dozen toads guard and live there.

Afterwards, she brought a small bag of wheat and flour to the Woodland Association.

"Hello, Miss Siltia." The person who greeted her seemed to recognize her and welcomed her with a smile.

"Hello, I would like to apply for a six-month evaluation period."

“Okay, let me check your number and records.” The receptionist flipped through the register and records, and then found the page for Siltia.

"You arrived at Huijin Plains six months ago. Since this is your first time participating in the assessment, you only need to reach 70% of the target requirements to pass. However, if you want to obtain evaluations such as 'good' or 'excellent', the standards remain the same as before."

"I understand." The girl nodded slightly, then asked another question.

"Is an excellent rating the highest? What kind of reward will I receive if I get an even better grade?"

“‘Excellent’ rating is indeed not the highest. There is ‘outstanding’ rating above that. However, there is no exact standard for this rating. It is a rating that teachers apply for during the assessment and that is then evaluated by more than five reviewers.”

"Very few students receive an 'excellent' rating, probably only 3-5 per class, and they all achieved outstanding results during their training."

"Oh, I see. What are the benefits of getting it?" She wondered if she should try to acquire it.

"There are many benefits, such as higher supply standards, more permissions, and more attention."

“Each student who receives an ‘Excellent’ rating will be awarded a ‘Tier 3 Excellent’ artifact by the association, and will be allowed to choose a mid-level secret technique to be taught and taught free of charge.”

"In addition, students who receive an 'excellent' rating can use the teleportation array to go to various bases without limit on the number of times. This is a privilege that is generally only available to third-tier professionals."

"Ordinary second-tier students can only use the teleportation array once every three months to travel between different branch locations."

Originally, Hilti also longed for a leisurely and natural rural life, but what the other party offered was just too much. The right to freely go to different settlements instantly overwhelmed the scales, forcing her to make a choice.

Well, I'm famous in the Radiant Plains now. I can just go out and explore other places. Not everyone knows me, the girl thought to herself.

"Thank you for telling me all this." The girl bowed slightly in gratitude, then took out a grain of wheat she carried with her. "This is the 'perfect' quality wheat I cultivated. I wonder if it will impress the teachers."

The golden wheat grains were spread on the black stone slab of the counter. Even though they had been removed from their growing environment, these grains still contained vitality, as if they were still breathing faintly, emitting a faint halo.

Upon seeing the bag of golden wheat, the woman behind the counter was filled with surprise. She carefully picked up a few grains, examined them in her palm, and then asked the young woman to wait a moment.

"Please wait a moment, Miss Hiltiya, while I go and fetch the expert appraiser from the association."

A renowned appraiser is a professional who specializes in appraising items. They often carry a large box of mirrors, and most of them are extraordinary individuals with the characteristics of "Radiant Moon" and "Secret Words".

Soon, an appraiser, led by the woman, hurried over. He approached the counter, glanced briefly at the silver-haired girl, and then his gaze was drawn to the grains of wheat on the table.

The appraiser, with his neatly combed hair and capable appearance, opened his pouch, took out a lens, placed it into the monocle frame on his nose, and then aimed it at the wheat grains on the counter.

【Identification Lens (Grain)】(Excellent): A lens specifically designed to identify the quality of grains. It is engraved with many fine detection arrays. When the various data of the grains meet the standards, different light filament textures will appear on the lens.

At this moment, the magic circle on the lens is activated, and tiny rays of light shine through the lens onto the grains of wheat, then are partially reflected back, bringing various kinds of information.

Nutritional data feedback...

Freshness data feedback...

Completeness data feedback...

Natural texture data feedback...

……

'Pass' (Gray light filament... lit up)
'Good' (Light green light filaments... lit up)
'Excellent' (cyan light filaments... lit up)
'Excellence' (bright blue light... lit up)
'Rare' (Purple light filaments... lit up)
……

'Perfect' (Golden filaments...light up)
The golden light manifested, turning the spreading purple filaments into pale gold and then bright gold.

Finally, the bright gold threads outlined a complete golden wheat ear pattern on the lens, incredibly clear and beautiful, like a stunning work of art.

"Wow—it's unbelievable! This is the work of a second-tier student!"

“I mean, even some level three gardeners aren’t this ‘flawless’.” The appraiser reluctantly put down his glasses, and it took him a while to look away from the grains of wheat.

"May I tell you your name, beautiful lady?"

“Tia, you can call me Hirutia.”

The silver-haired girl's clear voice and the manners and demeanor she displayed made it clear how the word 'perfect' should be described, and any doubts that had previously surfaced were immediately dispelled.

Indeed, such a genius is someone whose talent is immediately apparent and cannot be ignored.

Afterwards, Hilti's bag of wheat and ears of grain were passed up through the ranks and finally reached the table of the high-ranking officials in White Rock Fortress.

The group had some doubts at first, but soon a gardener from the 'Four Seasons Alliance' arrived and told them that he had seen the girl before and that she was a genuine genius, which dispelled some of their doubts.

"In other words, in our peaceful and unremarkable central region, a shining new star has emerged, a talent rarely seen even in dangerous border areas." A knight clad in sturdy armor sat at the head of a long table, his fingers, covered by arm guards, tapping the hardwood surface with a thumping sound.

"They always say that dangerous places are good for training people and should receive more resources. So over the years, funding and supplies for the Huijin Plain have been cut, and we have been asked to provide more food and produce to support other garrisons."

"Now, can we finally put those old fogies of the association to their knees?" A wizard dressed in bright yellow robes adorned with vines and flowers stood by the window, looking down at the city below.

"Hehe, I don't understand. Never mind that. But if that little girl wants any reward, she can call me to forge one for her." A blacksmith with a thick beard sat at the table. He was burly, with muscles that looked like they were cast in bronze, solid and powerful.

The three of them represent the three major organizations that occupy the 'Golden Plains': 'Holy White Knights Hall', 'Four Seasons Alliance', and 'Forging Iron Hammer'. These three organizations were also the first to invest in and establish their bases in the 'Golden Plains'. Of course, these three are all branches, while the organization headquarters are on the surface continent.

"Let's take some men to the valley to investigate and verify first. If the situation is indeed as described, we'll need to be prepared." The tall knight at the head of the group finalized the decision, and the other two sides agreed.

“Rewarding talent is definitely necessary, and we can even take this opportunity to advocate for some policy adjustments from the association headquarters. After all, we have truly produced a ‘rising star’ here, while those bases that receive a lot of resources but still suffer losses every year have not produced any outstanding results.”

"From both a moral and logical standpoint, headquarters should make some concessions to us."

After the group discussed it, the wizard, dressed in bright yellow robes with green leaf and flower decorations on his cuffs, stood up.

“This time, I will personally lead the team to conduct the assessment.” He revealed the badge on the side of his collar, a symbol of identity given to certain fifth-tier extraordinary individuals within the 'Four Seasons Alliance'.

Surrounded by golden and emerald leaves, it boasts a vibrant array of three-colored flowers: golden 'sunflower', pink and white 'clematis', and blue and purple 'sage'.

The 'Crest of Spring' was awarded to 'Kurandchu' in recognition of his act of saving the 'Lost Land' from calamity in the year 2107 of the Covenant Era.

(End of this chapter)