Cornflower Witch

Chapter 161 The End of the Black Floral Vine

After keeping watch for the first half of the night, Hilti and Bona fell into a deep sleep in the second half. When she woke up the next day, the sun had already risen above the trees.

"Didn't they wake me up today?" She rubbed her eyes and struggled to climb out of the blanket.

Apart from her, the other members had already woken up, and seeing the girl's bewildered appearance as she woke up, they couldn't help but find her rather cute.

"Just like a little kid," the others thought.

However, compared to the other team members, Hilti is indeed several years younger. Her current physical appearance makes her look at most 17 years old, and she is not yet mature.

"Are you awake, Tia?" Bona walked over with a smile, carrying a covered roasted meat pie.

"Drink some water, rinse your mouth, and then eat something." She opened the lid, revealing a still-warm breakfast inside.

"Thank you, Bona." Siltia accepted it with a hint of happiness.

Being able to have this kind of breakfast in the wild is truly a blessing.

She sat down to eat, glanced around briefly, and noticed that Karl was sitting opposite the campfire. Although his complexion was still a little pale, it was much better than yesterday.

According to Yane's summary of yesterday's battle, he was almost scared when he helped Karl retreat, because Karl was extremely blood loss, his face was as white as paper, and there was no color in his eyes.

If it weren't for the fact that the 'Crimson Blood Fruit' was condensed from the Demon Blood Vine, Karl wouldn't have been saved yesterday.

At this moment, Karl saw Hilti looking at him, gave the girl a weak smile, as if to comfort her and tell her not to worry, and then continued to look at the flames, as if he was thinking about something.

Although yesterday's battle had a good outcome, with no one seriously injured and Karl recovering quickly, the danger involved still left them with lingering fears. They rested a little longer today and didn't rush to set off.

Just as Hilti was finishing her breakfast, Captain 'Bad Apple' returned from outside the woods, glanced at the situation in the camp, and nodded slightly.

"I just checked the surrounding area, and there's nothing unusual. It's relatively safe here."

"How did you sleep last night, Tiya?"

“I slept very well in the second half of the night,” Hiltiya replied.

"That's good." He nodded, then sat down and patted Karl on the back.

Are you feeling any better?

"Heh, much better. Actually, it's not a serious injury." Karl smiled.

“This is quite serious,” the short captain said, shaking his head.

"You usually speak coldly, but you actually smiled today. There's definitely something wrong with you."

"How about we take the safest route for the rest of the journey and avoid any more risks? Let's just go back safely." If they take the safest route, they will gain far less, which is something they wouldn't normally choose.

"There's no need for that. Let's just do it the same as usual, just reduce the risks a bit." Karl didn't want to hold everyone back because of him.

Going on an adventure often requires a lot of preparation and effort. After returning, one must rest for a period of time to remove the distortion and erosion of the shadow world before stepping back into the black and white shadow world.

As a result, the trainees can only go on an expedition once a month on average, wasting this opportunity and having to wait a long time for the next one.

“Alright, let’s stick to the route we planned before, but avoid the more dangerous areas.” Bad Apple stood up.

He then called Yann and Bonna over and told them about the decision. They basically agreed and there were no objections.

"Let's have a good rest today and have lunch before we leave."

To ease the tension from yesterday's battle, they took an extra morning off today. Except for Karl, who was just spacing out and sleeping, everyone else was busy with their own things.

Ya'en processed the snake skins and scales he had collected yesterday, removing excess and rotten flesh, leaving only the relatively clean and intact snake skins. Bona, on the other hand, took out the ingredients she had brought and prepared a hearty lunch to help everyone recover their strength and energy.

Captain Bad Apple then planned out the route and then inventoried and distributed the various items in the luggage.

As for Hilti, she used the "Crimson Blood Fruit" technique to stabilize the "Emerald Honey" she had collected yesterday, preventing the condensed power within the fruit from dissipating and weakening.

At noon, the five of them gathered around the stone table and enjoyed a rare and sumptuous lunch, which included large pieces of roasted meat, delicious mashed potatoes, mushroom soup gathered along the way, and a plate of freshly baked bread rolls.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone regained much of their strength and energy, and then got up and set off again. ...

Over the next two days, Hilti followed everyone through long canyons and mountains, searching for the grayish-white 'Ash Fruit' in the mountains, and then found it the following evening.

"I didn't expect the skeleton monster guarding that fruit to be so tough; it even chipped my sword."

After the battle, Yann looked at his greatsword with some surprise.

【Half-orc skeleton】(Tier 2 - Death Ash): Composed of multiple human and beast skeletons, it is a twisted, dead creature that acts with a chaotic soul consciousness.

"There wasn't anything of value to be gained after beating that guy," Bad Apple shook his head.

"However, the 'Ash Fruit' that Karl needed has finally been found."

The group looked at the two fist-sized fruits in the package. Their skin was as white as bone, but it felt relatively soft to the touch. If the skin was peeled off, the inside was pure, fine gray powder.

According to Karl's explanation, this ash powder can be used to refine and make 'ash coagulation potion', which can enhance the soul resilience of ghost creatures and increase their chances of advancement.

"That skeleton monster just instinctively felt that this thing was useful, but since it was a physical skeleton, it couldn't use the things that ghosts needed, so it could only keep wandering around."

Having found these two fruits, their objective in exploring the secret realm was essentially achieved; the rest was simply a matter of acquiring some optional extras.

They then spent two more days traversing the 'Deep Forest Road' before gradually turning back towards the town.

On the way back, although they encountered some strange things, such as the kind of creatures that devour dreams that Hilti had seen before, and monsters that can stealthily attack, the group relied on their reliable and stable strength to safely crush them without any accidents.

On the seventh day, Hilti and the others emerged from the black and white world they had been immersed in for so long and returned to the edge of the 'Fir Black Forest'.

"Phew, finally some fresh air." 'Bad Apple' walked ahead, easily leaping onto a branch. After looking around for a while, it finally came down contentedly.

"If you drive a few more kilometers, you'll see the town."

"We're almost there." Yann was wearing the thickest armor in the team and carrying the heaviest luggage, and he was getting a little tired.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ya'en. You always have to carry the spoils." Bad Apple said this, but she didn't offer to help at all.

As a captain who needs to maintain quick reflexes at all times, he can't carry too heavy a load. Of course, the reason why he brought in Ya'en when he first formed the team was because he valued this hardworking young man who could both withstand heavy loads and fight.

Everyone was in a good mood, having escaped the tense and unsettling environment of the secret realm.

"I must take a good bath when I get back this time." Bathing in the wild is too difficult; you can only wipe your face and sweat.

“Me too,” Bona raised her hand.

"Tiya, how about we take a bath together when we get back?" she suddenly thought of something.

"Uh, taking a bath..." Hiltiya didn't actually dislike taking a bath, and even really wanted to take a good bath right now, but she was still a little uncomfortable and shy when she was with other people, even if they were of the same sex.

"Oh, little Tia is shy, hehe." After spending these past few days together, Bona had naturally figured out the girl's personality.

Although she is exceptionally reliable in reconnaissance and combat, she is indeed like a little girl who rarely goes out, and can be quite shy and introverted at times.

"Alright, alright, I won't force you anymore, but you can definitely take a good shower and get a good night's sleep tonight."

Around noon, the group finally arrived at the town's tavern. With their last bit of patience, they finished explaining the expedition to the association members, and then, unable to resist, they disbanded the group, each rushing off to take a shower, go to sleep, and drink something cool and refreshing to relieve the stress.

"Haha, let's leave it at that for today. We'll take stock of the harvest and distribute the items tomorrow."

Hiltiya's first adventure, though fraught with danger, has come to an end.

The process had a few minor hiccups, but overall it went very smoothly, and I made a few nice friends.

At night, after a comfortable hot bath and changing into light pajamas, she sat at her desk by the window and wrote down her experiences from this adventure.

The delicate handwriting appeared on the paper with a soft scratch, and then the black pen tip drew a graceful arc, like a new bud on a flower vine, bringing this experience to a close.

(End of this chapter)