Cornflower Witch

Chapter 213 The Song of the Girl Under the Moon

Her long, silver hair was neatly combed in front of the mirror, falling smoothly from the back of her neck, with each fine strand clearly visible, creating a dreamlike beauty.

A hairband adorned with blue-dyed cornflower petals was gently tied, forming delicate bows on both sides. The pure white long dress accentuated the girl's innocence, while the blue-dyed belt highlighted her slender, crescent-shaped waist, adding a touch of alluring charm and preventing her appearance from appearing bland.

To ensure the completeness of the 'Waiting for the Moon Ritual', Siltiah studied the clothing style of the former Silverlight Church and commissioned this dress.

After finishing her makeup, Hilti stood up, turned slightly, looked at herself in the mirror, and then walked out of the room.

At this time, braziers were set up and burned along the road in the town, illuminating the area even at night.

One by one, the trainees, dressed in silver-white robes, stood on both sides of the road, waiting for Hilti to appear. During this time, under Hilti's guidance, they had learned the process of the 'Waiting for the Moon Ritual' and knew the roles they would play tonight.

As Hilti stepped out of the house, the gazes of the students along the way converged on her. Although the stares made her feel slightly embarrassed, she took a deep breath, raised her head slightly, looked ahead, picked up the bouquet of cornflowers in front of her, and walked forward step by step with her eyes fixed on the ground.

Each time she walked past a student, the student and their companion would catch up with the group, and in this way, the group gradually arrived at the White Stone Pool behind the town.

Hilti stood in front of the pool, while the students behind her continued forward, each advancing around the pool until the sixty people formed a crescent shape resembling a 'U', standing in two rows.

Hiltiya first lit two specially made incense burners by the pool, and the aroma of 'Fragrance from the Sky' drifted into the night sky, bringing gentle breezes.

Then, Hilti clasped her hands together and recited the prayers of the Silverlight Church, praying for the purifying power of the 'Radiant Moon' to manifest. Although she did not know whether such prayers were truly effective, she tried her best to synchronize her actions with the legend in order to ensure the completion of the ritual.

Afterwards, each member took out a silver plate, scooped out water from the pool, and placed it on the stone platform beside the pool.

Then the clear sound of glass wind chimes rang out, dispelling the noise of the night. Everyone slowly held their breath and looked at the girl standing in front of the pool.

At this moment, Hilti slowly opened her eyes and looked at the night sky covered by dark clouds, and the bell stopped ringing.

Multiple mystical runes of the Silver Glow Church appeared in her eyes, and then a soft song rose in the night breeze.

In the light of hope

"The Waiting Moment"

The dormant heart is gradually awakened.

I will sing in your ear

……

The melodious song, a ballad that transcends the vicissitudes of history, the prayers of countless people, the miraculous sound that ended calamity.
Singing again under this sea of ​​clouds
Even those present who were unaware of the history of the Silver Glow Church were moved by the compassion and hope conveyed in the song.

Singing songs of gratitude to her for her blessings.

And the boundless power that brings growth to all things.

(Longing) I devoutly pray for hope.

I earnestly request that it reach my heart.

I pray for the light of hope.

……

(Earnestly) I beg you to listen to my soul. "Come again."

Tonight, the group of students were immersed in the night breeze and gentle singing. Their thoughts gradually aligned as they were moved by the ancient prayer for salvation.

Then, faint points of light finally appeared in the breeze, like fireflies dancing in the dim sky.

Though tiny, these faint points of light responded to the prayers of the people and began to appear.

Like returning travelers, they sway gently in the wind, drifting across the sky and earth covered by dark clouds.

A few specks of light fell on the silver-haired girl, and an invisible halo appeared, spreading outwards from her to the pool, touching every member standing by the pool holding a bouquet of cornflowers.

At this moment, they gently dipped the bouquets in their hands into the water in the silver tray and sprinkled them into the night sky, where they merged with the floating specks of light.

Then these water droplets and points of light shimmered and floated, swaying and rising in the wind with the song, until Hiltiya finished singing the prayer song, and then slowly fell, flowing into the silver plates like flowing moonlight.

Faced with the prepared 'holy water for waiting for the moon', the students took out the prepared silver bottles and carefully poured the water into them to seal them.

After a long while, the gentle breeze carrying the songs dissipated, and the holy water in the dish was completely sealed.

After the ceremony, everyone silently prayed and gave thanks again before tidying up the items on site and putting all the silver bottles into a box with compartments.

“30 bottles per box, 300 bottles in total for ten boxes, Lady Hiltiya.” This time, the student who was reporting used honorifics, probably because the ceremony tonight had completely won him over.

"Okay." Hiltiya breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This should be enough to meet the supply needs of Dark Sand Valley, and she might even have some left over to use for purifying water sources and treating pollution symptoms in Lantern Town.

However, this ceremony was extremely taxing. It would probably take her another three months to cultivate another batch of 'second-tier' cornflowers. This time seemed long to her, but to other gardeners, it was terrifying.

It's important to know that cultivating second-tier plants is not as easy as cultivating first-tier ones. Normally, it takes a gardener nearly two years to cultivate the 'second-tier' plants they need. The large sunflower field that Mrs. Fran cultivated back then also took more than two years, and she was considered a genius by her peers.

Even with meticulous cultivation by horticulturists, not every plant can reach the second tier. Approximately one in ten 'first tier' plants can advance to the second tier. For example, Mrs. Fran's success, where one in three first tier sunflowers reaches the second tier, is a rare and remarkable achievement for a horticulturist.

After preparing the holy water vials, Hiltiah waited until the next arrival of Reginson's transport team to hand them over to him and entrust them to be transported to the Dark Sand Valley.

“Since this is an important item entrusted by Hilti, I will take good care of it when it is delivered.” Reginson was a discerning person and knew that this batch of holy water was especially important to the development of Dark Sand Valley, so he solemnly accepted the commission.

“I will probably return in about a month and a half and bring you back the magnetic sand that was exchanged in Dark Sand Valley.”

"For now, Siltiya should focus on developing Lantern Town." At first, Reginson was still somewhat skeptical that this young girl could manage this brand-new settlement well.

However, over the past six months, he has watched as a beautiful town has gradually been built up at the foot of the barren mountain, which has put him in a particularly good mood.

If 'Lantern Town' develops well, their transport teams will have more places to rest and resupply when traveling to various outposts in the Dark Mist Mountains, and their safety will be greatly improved.

"Wait for my news, haha."

After bidding farewell to the girl, Reginson called his team to mount their horses and set off again from the town, heading deep into the distant Dark Mist Mountains.

(End of this chapter)