Cornflower Witch

Chapter 209 A Letter Across the Sea of ​​Clouds and the Continent
Pushing open the tavern door, Hilti walked in, dressed in a black robe. Various noisy sounds filled the air, which was slightly murky and warm.

Mammoth Town has a small population, but the tavern is never quiet. It is probably the only entertainment and gathering place in the town, and both students and permanent residents love to come here.

Finding a relatively quiet spot to sit down, Hilti took off her hood, revealing her beautiful face and silver hair. At that moment, the tavern staff also came to her side.

"Hey, what would you like to eat?"

"Give me a grilled pork chop and a bowl of vegetable porridge." She wanted something hot to eat.

"Ok."

After noting down the girl's request, the staff went to inform the chef to prepare. At this time, Hilti also sat at the table, observing the situation in the store.

Many of the guests here are local residents. Their ancestors may have been early pioneers who came to explore the world of the film and later settled here, so their descendants also live in various locations.

Unlike the trainees who were all extraordinary individuals, most of the descendants of these pioneers were ordinary people who also took on many mundane tasks in their respective posts.

Compared to the surface world, since the settlements are all under the jurisdiction of the association, and the superhumans don't care about those petty gains, the treatment given to these ordinary people is often much better than in the surface world. There are also no nobles who collect heavy taxes. If they can stay in a safe settlement, most of them can live a peaceful life and then pass away around the age of fifty.

The tavern staff, three men and two women, were all in their early twenties. They were ordinary people who had not yet solidified their spiritual essence. They were constantly moving between tables and customers, almost never stopping. They were very busy, but judging from their appearance, although they were sweating, they were quite used to it and their process was skilled.

Occasionally, they would run into acquaintances from town, stop for a short while, chat for a few words, and then make plans for what to do after get off work. Some would go fishing by the river, while others would play cards and have some drinks together.

The town has a population of just over three hundred, and there are almost no secrets among the neighbors. In just the short time that Hilti sat there, she heard many repeated gossips and news.

Who's fallen for each other again, what kind of wicked thing did that person do last night, or what new faces have recently joined the community.

In an era when information was scarce, taverns were rare gathering places for news. Even if there was nothing to do, people loved to come here to listen to gossip and pass the time.

Twenty minutes later, the grilled pork chops that Hiruti had ordered were ready, along with a bowl of simmered vegetable porridge.

She ate in small bites, occasionally pausing to drink some porridge to cleanse her palate, enjoying the tranquil moments after her adventurous journey.

……

After finishing lunch, Hilti stood up and stretched her body a little. She felt a little sleepy, probably because she hadn't slept well for several days in the Spider Forest.

She first led her warhorse to the inn in the town and settled in, then went to the room that had been arranged for her, wrapped herself in the freshly washed quilt and fell asleep peacefully.

She slept soundly for an afternoon and a night, and only reluctantly got out of bed at ten o'clock the next morning.

Looking out the window, she realized it was almost noon. Silti helped herself up, sat in front of the vanity mirror, and tidied her somewhat messy silver hair.

It seems that sealing the spider's core abilities that day took a toll. I didn't feel it on the way back, but as soon as I arrived in the town and relaxed, fatigue overwhelmed me.

After quickly tidying herself up, she went out for lunch, then came back and took a hot bath before going back to bed to continue sleeping.

After sleeping for another day and night, Hilti felt she had finally recovered.

A new day begins, and feeling refreshed, Siltia arrives at the Woodland Society in town to report on her adventure.

"You mean you went to the Spider Forest all by yourself and even dealt with the third-tier giant spiders there?" The association members were skeptical, thinking that the girl in front of them was exaggerating.

"As a member of the Forestry Association, you should know the consequences of lying about this kind of thing. Please be careful with your words," the other party had to remind the seemingly delicate girl.

"Sigh." The girl sighed, then took out a special mithril badge from her bosom and placed it on the table.

The badge has a base of metal with a bluish luster, engraved with a pure white crescent moon surrounded by white and blue bellflowers, which represents that the student is a true genius who has won the association's highest evaluation and official recognition.

"This should prove that my identity and words are not fabricated."

Upon seeing the badge, the other person's pupils contracted, their shock beyond words.

"I'm sorry, I was presumptuous." Even though the other party was only at the second level, this association member felt deeply apprehensive.

He immediately picked up the paper and pen from under the counter and filled out the form according to what the girl had told him, as well as recounting his adventure.

"...You mean you also discovered traces of the Twin Serpents Cult's past activities?"

“That’s right, these are the remnants we found.” Hiltiya took out the broken metal snake cup.

"Can you contact us to access local information and history?" the girl asked.

"My knowledge is limited, but I can help you apply for it, and a scholar will handle the matter afterward." After saying that, he took out a specially made box and carefully placed the cup inside to seal it.

"In that case, I've basically covered everything I needed to report," the girl said after a moment's thought.

"This is the applicant's form. Please sign it, Miss Hilti." The other party handed the completed form to the girl.

After signing her name, Hilti returned the form to the other party, and it was then kept by the association members.

"Leave the rest to me, Lady Siltia." The other person's address became increasingly respectful. "Yes, that's settled then."

Hiltiya tried to recall what else she needed to do, but she didn't expect the other party to bring it up in advance.

"The association still has your emails here. We were originally going to wait for Lord Reginson to come next time and then take them to the Dark Mist Mountains. But since you're here, you can take them yourself first."

"Oh, is it for me?" Hiltiya seemed slightly surprised.

"Yes." The other person brought over two sealed boxes.

One of them had neat, slightly artistic handwriting, while the other box had more formal and simple handwriting.

"This box was mailed to you by student Florella, and the other one was mailed to you by student Yann."

“Okay.” Hiltiya accepted the two boxes and took them back to the hotel.

She first opened the box that Yann had mailed, which contained a short letter and a packet of mushrooms.

"I'm sorry, Hilti, this is Yan. I was going to give you a gift to thank you, but I was called to join a team adventure recently, which delayed me for a while. I only remembered it after it was over."

During this adventure, we discovered a strange mushroom in a dark cave. As it grew, it resembled a pale purple jellyfish and emitted a faint aura.

At first we didn’t know what it was, but the scholars in the team said it was probably very rare, so we dug some out and took it back. I also kept a smaller part of it.

After examination by the association's experts, this mushroom is believed to be a rare 'mushroom fiber' type. Their growth and cultivation are particularly difficult due to the weakening of the 'mushroom fiber', but it is still very helpful for studying the process of fiber evolution.

I figured you're a gardener and would be interested in something like this, so I mailed you a small portion. I hope you don't mind that the gift is too simple.

—Your friend, Yann

"It's actually a mushroom shred?" Hiltiya picked up the shriveled mushroom and carefully examined it. It still retained some vitality and was not completely dead.

After carefully injecting a trace amount of emerald honey, the shriveled mushroom regained some vitality, putting Hiltiya at ease.

Then, she picked up another box, unsealed it, and as soon as she opened it, a long-lost sense of familiarity and warmth washed over her.

Even though she had never met him in this world, even though she hadn't seen the words on the letter, this innate sense of closeness welled up in her heart.

Lying on the letter was a dried flower, and below it, several seeds wrapped in cloth.

The petals had long since turned brownish-yellow, but their vague appearance still told Hilti that this was the 'cornflower' she had been searching for so long without any clues.

Holding the withered flower, Hirutia's emotions surged. The excitement was like a rising tide, overflowing her heart, yet there was also a sense of dazedness and unreality.

As if by fate, the withered cornflower was brought back to life in her hands, sprouting tender buds and new leaves little by little from the withered flower stem, then taking root and growing again, until the last brand new pale blue flower bloomed.

Happy birthday, Tia.

I don't know your exact birthday, but since it's been almost a year, your birthday should be coming soon, or it may have already passed.

Communication between the Shadow World and the Surface World is quite troublesome, and my hometown is on the far-off Second Continent, so it took a long time to find the cornflower. I hope Hiltiah won't mind this belated birthday gift.

I really like Siltiia, and I'm so happy to be your friend. Since we're friends, of course I'll help you fulfill the wish you've always wanted to achieve.

Although the clues were few, fortunately my family back home took my letters very seriously. They helped me find that elder and obtained a cornflower and a few seeds.

I wonder if this is what you've been searching for all along. If it can help Hilti, that would be wonderful.

I heard you did exceptionally well in the Radiant Plains and received high praise from your teacher. I need to work hard here in the orchard too. Next time we meet, I must let Siltiya taste the fruits I grow.

Looking forward to seeing you next time!

—Your friend, Florella

After putting down the letter, Hilti turned the box over again and saw the seal on it. The box must have arrived at 'Golden Plains' first, but they found she wasn't there, so the association transferred it to 'Mammoth Town'.

It has traveled countless miles, passed through countless people, and crossed the clouds and skies of several continents before finally arriving in this incredibly remote town and into her hands.

Although it was just a small box, Hilti felt like she was about to cry.

I only mentioned it a few times, but the other person remembered it so carefully and later spent so much time and effort to help me find it.

Whether in her past or present life, she had lived and acted alone for a long time and had never felt this way before.

This burning sincerity slightly melted away the faint loneliness deep in her heart.

　Thank you to Dracula Hismongo, YouxieQ, and my brother's chuunibyou for the donations.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)