Cornflower Witch

Chapter 224 The Lone Iron Knight
In Dorothy's second week in 'Lantern Town', a violent gale swept across the wilderness from the southwest of the Dark Mist Mountains.

In the howling wind, the doors and windows of the town's buildings were tightly shut, and the wind howled everywhere. There were also far fewer patrol members on the streets, with many members hiding indoors.

Inside the circular restaurant, bright candlelight hung from above, illuminating the environment. Some students were playing cards or chess around the table, some were discussing what they had recently learned, and others were quietly reading in a corner.

Outside, snow was falling heavily, but inside, there was a warm and lively atmosphere.

Hiltiya sat in a private room on the second floor of the restaurant, a small fireplace burning inside. She tucked her legs, which were clad in black stockings, and sat crosswise on the sofa, flipping through the knowledge books of the 'Six-Part Glass School', learning the advanced glass forging techniques. Occasionally, she would sit up, drink some freshly brewed coffee, and then jot down the key points and her own thoughts.

The room was quiet, the windows swayed slightly in the wind, and occasionally the lively sounds from downstairs could be heard.

……

More than twenty miles outside the town, in the wilderness, a four-man cavalry squad was struggling forward in the wind and snow. They could barely see anything ahead, and even the gaps in their helmets were covered with frost, blocking their narrow field of vision.

The squad leader was a 'Tier 3' knight, whose feet emitted a pale white halo that spread out to form a small circular wall, protecting the three people behind him from the wind and snow.

"We're almost there. Ahead should be 'Lantern Town,' the new base established last year. We can rest there for a while," the captain encouraged his team members behind him.

"Yes, my lord."

The group continued their journey through the snowstorm, quickly disappearing into the swirling snow and becoming almost unnoticed.

At night, Hilti was sleeping in bed when she suddenly heard a knocking sound from downstairs, and the doorbell rang.

She sat up from the bed, picked up her coat, put it on temporarily, and then went downstairs in her slippers.

She opened the door and saw several familiar patrol members.

"Has something happened?" She knew that calling her so late meant something must have happened.

"Yes, several members from the base deep in the Dark Mist Mountains have just arrived. They are exhausted, extremely weak and hungry, and they have something very important to report to you."

"For me?" Hilti was a little surprised. Although she was the leader of the town, she was still relatively inexperienced and powerful. Envoys from large garrisons would usually just stop and transit through the town and rarely came specifically to her.

"I understand. Take me to see him." She tightened her coat around her waist and went out.

After traversing the snow-covered streets, Hilti arrived at the medical and recuperative mansion, where two physicians were tending to the messenger on the bed. One of them was a 'third-tier' knight, and the other three were 'second-tier' knight attendants.

The knight was still in relatively good condition, but the other three had already fainted. It seemed that reaching the town was their limit.

When they arrived in front of the knight, the man's head was drooping, and he was exhausted and weary.

"I am Hilti, may I ask what happened?" The girl looked at him with a hint of curiosity.

Upon hearing the girl's clear voice, the other person barely raised their head, their vision somewhat blurry, the only impression in their mind being those captivating blue eyes.

"It's really beautiful," he murmured to himself, then remembered his mission and began to tell Hilti about what had happened at the 'Iron Cliff'. "My team and I may have also been infected and eroded. You must carefully examine and treat us, and try to isolate us..." He felt a little dizzy, a feeling he had never experienced since entering the third tier.

After listening to the other party's description, Hilti looked at his condition.

Name: Zalia Todd
Race: Human (Bloodline Advancement)
Condition: Sub-healthy (exhausted)

talent:

Cold Resistance [Excellent]: An innate talent passed down through bloodlines, granting resistance to cold climates and making one more adaptable to harsh weather conditions.

Fate Card: [The Lone Iron Knight] [Tier 3 - Castle]
'An extraordinary professional who has integrated the skills and abilities of a knight into their very blood'
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Effect [Bloodline Advancement]: Upon entering the third tier, all your abilities will be comprehensively enhanced, and you will be exempt from the effects of many lower-tier abilities.
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Effect [Cold Resistance Lv.5]: Immune to low-to-medium levels of cold, able to adapt to harsh low-temperature survival environments.
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Class [Iron Knight Lv.5]: A fully developed class, mastering various combat techniques. (Steel Body, Sharp Blade, Horseback Ride Lv.5)

Core Card: [Knight Who Practices the Way of Valor] [Castle]
'You single-handedly defeated seven enemies of higher sexual divinity than yourself, and are considered a model of bravery among knights.'
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Effect: [Valiant Knight], when fighting alone, gains enhanced reaction speed, resilience, and moderate resistance to various enemy abilities and effects. (Solo combat enhancement +3, Willpower +2, All resistances +3)

Ability Cards:
[City Wall Barrier Lv.6 (Castle)]: You can cast an invisible light barrier to isolate the influence of other elemental abilities. (Maximum range 20 meters)
[Soldier Blessing Lv.5 (Castle)]: You can bless twelve 'Tier 1' soldiers around you, temporarily raising their rank to 'Tier 2' [Halberd Guard] or [Light Cavalry Follower].

【Sword of Amorus Lv.5 (Castle)】: You can raise your longsword high, answering your oath, and unleash a powerful slashing blade. (Can be used once every three days)
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"They're incredibly powerful," Hilti thought to herself after analyzing the opponent's condition.

This was the most powerful third-tier transcendent she had ever seen. If this knight were to challenge the petrified lizard and giant spider she had encountered before, it would be an easy task.

However, judging from the situation, they were still suffering quite a bit from that strange 'plaster'. This enemy was less like an invincible monster and more like some kind of mutated virus or bacteria, making it impossible to deal with, which led to the crisis at the 'Iron Wall Cliff' base.

Considering the root causes and risks of the problem, Hiltiah ordered the place to be temporarily closed.

"Don't go out yet, all of you stay here." Her gaze swept over everyone present, her eyes flashing with an incessant light.

Now, not only is the 'Iron Cliff' being eroded by 'mud', but even her small town may be affected. If it is not dealt with as soon as possible, she will be powerless to reverse the situation once it spreads.

Although she didn't understand what these strange 'plasters' were, fortunately, she could now use her extraordinary observational skills to find the corners and traces where they existed, thus preventing them from causing harm.

"I need to cleanse everyone here, and the environment here."

She spread her arms, and a faint silver glow outlined behind the girl, forming beautiful patterns. One of the beautiful girls closed her eyes, her hands gently holding a water bottle. The bottle's mouth rippled with light, and a faint silver glow shone like water being poured.

【The Spring of Hiltiya】(Shining Moon)

The clear spring water, imbued with purifying power, can be used for irrigation and washing to remove contamination from properties such as 'Twisted' and 'Dead Ashes'.

The members present watched this scene with curiosity, only feeling a light mist enveloping their bodies and filling the room. Then, some corners flickered slightly before everything dissipated and peace returned.

(End of this chapter)