Cornflower Witch

Chapter 149 The Forestry Association's Investigation
After handing over the perfectly high-quality wheat, Hilti was arranged by the association staff to stay in a high-end room within the association. This room was usually used to entertain distinguished guests and had been vacant recently, so it was perfect for her to stay for a while.

The room features a large area of ​​deep blue fabrics and decorations, paired with a small amount of cool white, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a starry night sky. The various items are also exceptionally high-end and exquisite, and a beautiful iris blue porcelain tea set is placed on the table.

Sitting at the small round table in the room, Hilti brewed a pot of orange-red tea with the tea leaves provided on the table, and then slowly savored it.

'Xufeng Black Tea' (Rare): Made from the buds and leaves of the Xufeng seasonal tea tree, it is refined through typical processes such as withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying. It can relieve fatigue, boost spirits, and replenish vitality.

Although she didn't drink tea very often, during the months she stayed at the Camel Building, she noticed that tea was always a hot commodity among the students.

This is because prolonged use of meditation can lead to a constant state of mental tension and fatigue. If one does not take proper care of themselves and continues to use meditation, it can actually damage their mental state.

She had been busy with her work as a gardener and hadn't practiced meditation much, nor had she participated in intense battles. She didn't use her magical abilities frequently, so she didn't have much need for tea.

In the future, we can grow tea trees to make money. High-quality tea is in even higher demand than food. After all, it's not a big problem to eat less food, but if we can't relieve mental fatigue in time, it will delay our study progress and reduce our combat effectiveness.

After resting and falling asleep in this room, the next day...

Not long after she woke up in the morning, Hilti was informed that an important person wanted to see her.

Several guild maids came to her room and helped her tidy her clothes and hair. They then simply tied a bow in the back of Silti's hair, making her look slightly cute and youthful, but not too young, giving her a just-right appearance.

Following the maid to the reception room on the third floor of the association, where the floor was covered with a deep purple carpet, when Hiltiya arrived at that room, the maid who was leading her indicated that she could knock on the door and enter.

"Hello." She knocked twice, then pushed open the unlocked door and went inside.

In the spacious drawing room, there was a large, dark hardwood table. The chairs were currently empty, except for a man with deep red hair who stood by the window with his back to her. He was wearing a bright yellow wizard's coat, the color of which resembled autumn leaves.

Hearing the girl's footsteps as she entered, he turned around, revealing a face that wasn't old, looking to be around 40 years old. However, as a superhuman, his true age was difficult to know.

"Hello, I am Shiltiya."

"Hello, please have a seat." His tone was casual, but even so, there was an undeniable air of authority about him.

This wizard in the bright yellow trench coat was around the 'fifth rank' in strength. Even getting close to him gave Hilti a powerful sense of oppression.

This feeling is similar to riding a small car on the road, and then a large truck loaded with goods slowly drives past you. The shadow of the truck blocks out most of the light, and the heat emanating from the vehicle brushes against your skin, making you feel a slight fear. Even if the truck is not targeting you, a slight change or mistake could run you over and drive past without you noticing.

The other party's astrological sign should also be 'Cui Mi'. When she got close to Xi Lu Tia, she felt her destiny card swaying slightly, as if it would be twisted and bent at any moment.

At this moment, the other party seemed to realize the situation and stopped. Then, the invisible pressure on him gradually decreased and finally subsided.

Only after being in this state did Hilti catch her breath and relax a little.

No wonder Professor Hyde said that once the difference in sexual phase levels exceeds three, it will bring terrifying crushing power.

“I am one of the representatives in charge of the Radiant Plains, and also the president of the 'Four Seasons Alliance' branch stationed here. You can call me 'Kurandqiu'.” He pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Hilti.

“Hello, Mr. Kurlandchu.” Hiltiya nodded.

“I heard about your situation yesterday and also looked through the documents you had when you came to the woodland. I found that you have quite a history with the ‘Four Seasons Alliance’.”

“Flanderlin, the founder of Sunflower Cottage, was my mentor during my apprenticeship and taught me many courses. Recalling that time is quite heartwarming.” He nodded slightly and then continued.

"Although Senior Flanderlin has now left the 'Four Seasons Alliance,' the 'Sunflower Hut' he founded still has a lot of cooperation with us and can be regarded as an external organization of the 'Four Seasons Alliance.'"

“Since your former teacher was a member of ‘Sunflower Hut’, she should have told you about the relevant matters.”

“Yes, Mr. Kurlandchu.” The girl nodded.

“My teacher told me about the situation in the woodland and said that if I couldn’t achieve good results there, he would recommend me to the peripheral organizations of the ‘Four Seasons Alliance’ in the future.”

"Oh, is that so?" Hearing this, he looked at the table and smiled.

"It seems your teacher underestimated you, or perhaps they just didn't want to put too much pressure on you."

"Since we have this relationship, I can also consider you as a junior. I wonder if you would be willing to come to the 'Four Seasons Alliance' to learn for a period of time?"

Hiltia understood that this meant they wanted her to join the Four Seasons Alliance.

“I have a very good impression of the ‘Four Seasons Alliance,’ but I’ve only recently advanced and am not yet clear about what obligations I’ll be responsible for, so I’d like to find out beforehand.” She didn’t immediately agree or disagree. “You’re currently at Tier 2, which is arguably the stage with the fewest obligations and the easiest,” he replied after a moment’s thought.

"Generally speaking, second-tier apprentices receive limited benefits from the organization, so they don't ask for much."

"Many responsibilities and obligations will only be given after you enter the third tier. For example, as the president and representative of the organization's branch in the Radiant Plains, I am responsible for ensuring that the output of this region is not lower than a certain standard. Part of the output is supplied to the Woodland Association, and another part is also supplied to the 'Four Seasons Alliance'."

"In addition, as one of the leaders of 'Huijin Plain', we also have the obligation to cultivate talent. If we can do this well, not only will we as individuals, but also the organization behind us will be able to gain a greater voice in the forest."

“You may not understand what kind of organization ‘woodland’ actually is, after all, the apprenticeship stage is very limited in what you learn.”

"I can tell you part of the story now. The 'Woodland' is actually a military and economic alliance formed by the various extraordinary schools of thought in the southern part of the continent after many wars and compromises."

"We need the 'Woodland' organization to coordinate the efforts of all parties to jointly develop the resources of the Shadow World and prevent the disasters in the Shadow World from affecting the real continent."

"On the other hand, we must also unite to fight against the 'Mage Alliance' from the center of the continent. They are also a union of many organizations, but most of them are mages."

"In countries in the southern part of the continent, you will hardly ever see the profession of mage. At most, you may have heard of it, but they are indeed powerful, especially after they reach the third rank."

"You will gradually learn the specifics later. After I explain the general situation, you should understand the environment you are in and the responsibilities you need to bear."

"If your grades are verified and there are no problems, the 'Forestry Association' will then allocate a lot of resources to you and gradually give you some responsibilities, starting to develop your abilities in various aspects."

"If you can take on these responsibilities, you'll basically rise through the ranks and become a leading figure among this cohort of trainees, the backbone of 'Woodland' in the future, and enjoy immense power in the southern countries of the mainland." He presented the young woman with a bright future.

Unfortunately, this silver-haired girl was not the kind of person who was keen on power, and she did not want to participate in such a competition for the time being.

“I understand, and I will do my job well. However, please allow me some freedom. My personality may prefer a quiet environment to a noisy place.”

“That’s natural. Since you’ve demonstrated your talent and strength, you deserve to earn the respect of others.” He stroked his beard and smiled.

"We won't bother you too much after that. You just need to complete some simple tasks on time."

After finishing their business, the two chatted about some everyday matters, such as how he embarked on his career as a horticulturist, the difficulties he encountered in his early life in the woodland, and his feelings and experiences at the time. These stories resonated with Hilti's current situation and also taught the girl a lot about the common knowledge and conditions of the woodland.

About two hours later, the two finished their conversation. Afterwards, a group of knights in white armor drove out of White Stone City. Under their escort, the carriage carrying Hilti and the guild leader sped smoothly towards the valley.

The inspection of the valley farm took nearly five days, during which Hiltiya meticulously demonstrated her cultivation process and various traces left in the valley, such as the remains of the 'Dark Bloodsucking Worms'.

"Alfalfa...so that's why."

In fact, Kurandchu roughly understood the biggest difference between Hilti and the other trainees on the second day. The key was the fertilization of alfalfa, which provided a lot of favorable conditions for the growth of wheat.

As for the soil pollution, he believes that Hilti should first clean it with the clear spring of 'Radiant Moon', and then cultivate alfalfa to take root deep underground, absorbing and isolating the subsequent spread of 'Twisted' pollution underground.

It's no secret that the 'Radiant Moon' affinity can purify 'Twisted'. In fact, some outposts do just that. However, there are only a few superhumans with the 'Radiant Moon' affinity, and most gardeners can't afford to hire them. Even if they did, the contamination would likely return in less than a month, since the purification abilities of second-tier superhumans are limited and they can't completely clean up the 'Twisted' contamination.

These factors are why this method of cleanup has not been promoted. After all, some gardeners believe that as long as 'foundation powder' is used to isolate the spread of pollution, whether it is 'moonlight' purification or 'scorching sun' incineration, they are all similar methods.

After viewing Siltia's achievements, the branch president nodded slightly.

In his view, isolating pollution is just a matter of cost, not the main point. After all, there are so many unpolluted lands on the surface, and no one has seen any extraordinary results. This girl, on the other hand, has genuinely cultivated ordinary crops to a 'perfect' state on a large scale.

Compared to this, the methods used to deal with pollution are trivial matters.

To achieve a level far surpassing that of a third-tier gardener at the second tier was truly astonishing in terms of skill and talent. In the days that followed, Kurandchuo grew to admire the girl even more.

The accompanying 'Four Seasons Alliance' gardeners were initially skeptical, but after thoroughly inspecting the Valley Farm, they gradually fell silent.

Even though Hilti has not yet reached the third tier, in their view, it is simply a matter of time.

'I never expected to actually see such a rising star appear in the Radiant Plains.' They whispered among themselves. Because they were in the same profession, they could better understand how far Hilti had come in the field of gardening.

"Let's go back. It's time to discuss the next steps with those people." Five days later, a satisfied Kurandchu led his group back.

This time, the upper echelons of Huijin Plain are prepared to report this matter to headquarters.

(End of this chapter)