Cornflower Witch

Chapter 238 Third Tier: Gardener

After putting away her luggage, Hilti bid farewell to the members of Lantern Town and rode on the 'second-tier' wind-measuring horse kept in the town, heading towards the wilderness outside the Dark Mist Mountains.

The storm season has arrived once again, and now it's the season with weaker winds, making it the best time to travel.

After traversing the Black Lion Wilderness, Hilti traveled eastward to Mammoth Town, and then used the teleportation array there to reach the 'Golden Plains'.

Upon returning to the familiar golden plains and White Stone Fortress, Hilti first went to the Woodland Society to report and apply to return to the surface continent. Then she paid her respects to Kurandqiu, a wizard from the 'Four Seasons Alliance'.

"It's been two years, and Tia has advanced in rank." In fact, he already knew about the girl's advancement, but when he saw her in person, this senior wizard still sighed with emotion.

"It took me nearly five years to advance from the second tier to the third tier, which was already very fast." He recalled the past and then asked Hilti.

"Is she back this time to join the 'Four Seasons Alliance'?" He was already thinking about how to apply for the organization's benefits and perks for this girl.

"Thank you very much for your guidance, and for the Four Seasons Alliance's continued support, but I will not be joining any organization for the time being." The girl shook her head.

"You might laugh at the reason, but I want to be free for a while to sort things out before considering what path to take in the future."

"Is that so?" Kurandchui considered for a moment.

Although it's somewhat regrettable, considering that this girl has indeed grown up too fast, unlike other trainees who rely heavily on the organization's help during their growth and gradually become bound to it.

“I understand. However, what you have chosen is the Autumn Garden advanced secret technique of the Four Seasons Alliance. Many of the subsequent inheritances and secret methods are difficult for us to pass on to an outsider if they do not join the organization.”

“I understand.” Hiltiya nodded. She was well aware of this, but she still had a lot to do. She had only recently entered the third tier and needed to consolidate many things. She also needed to learn a lot of new knowledge and secret techniques. It wouldn’t be too late to consider the subsequent inheritance after she was fully prepared.

Actually, she had a pretty good impression of the 'Four Seasons Alliance', but she didn't want to tie herself to an organization too early.

Afterwards, the two chatted about their gardening experiences, and Kurandchu asked Hilti about the recent blockade of the Dark Mist Mountains.

“During that time…” Hiltiya recalled.

"It all started with a knight who brought us a message."

Hilti recalls the spread and urgency of the 'Morcelain' plague, and tells Kurandchu about the general situation during that period.

"So that's how it all started and what happened." Now, Kurand Hill, far away on the Radiant Plains, finally understood why such matters were kept strictly confidential.

"If anyone asks you about this in the future, just say you were busy coordinating supplies and didn't know the specific procedures at the time," he advised the girl.

"I see."

Afterwards, Hilti spent another week at the 'Four Seasons Alliance's' base, learning about the structure of job classes from the gardeners there, and understanding the future development direction of gardeners.

From the fourth level onwards, gardeners will gradually choose a specialization to continue improving themselves. Some focus on cultivating flowers, some on food crops, some on various strange mushrooms, and some are good at combining garden products with witchcraft rituals, becoming special composite professions.

The wizard Flanders she had visited earlier had followed this path.

“Tiya, here is the 'Fertile Soil Method' practice notes you requested.”

To achieve the 'Gardener' rank, one needs the 'Dew-Inducing Method', 'Pruning Method', and 'Fertile Soil Method'. She has already learned the first two, and only the last one is missing.

Unlike previous abilities, this one requires the use of spellcasting materials to adjust the soil composition and water composition of the land to suit different crops.

"Different fertile soils require different recipes, but all fertile soil recipes require three ingredients: 'fish,' 'water,' and 'stone.'"

"After the ancient true fish died, its body turned into soil and rocks, which is the earth today. So we use 'fish' to represent the concept of soil. Next is 'water,' which is essential for the growth of all things. Finally, there is 'stone,' which affects the environment in which plants grow, whether it is sand, gravel, mud, or dry soil."

"For example, if I want to cultivate a special fourth-tier fruit like the 'Crimson Dragon Scale Fruit,' I need three types of raw materials: 'Volcanic Fish,' 'Lava Glass Water,' and 'Earthfire Diamond,' to mix with the required 'Fertile Soil' as a spellcasting material."

"Hearing this, do you think back to the process of decorating the 'courtyard' before advancing to the next level?"

“That’s right. The ‘Courtyard’ is a higher form of the ‘Fertile Soil’ technique. Generally speaking, people learn the ‘Fertile Soil’ technique as a foundation before they can learn the advanced secret techniques of the ‘Courtyard’.”

“You’re quite an exception. You actually built the courtyard first before coming back to learn the ‘fertile soil method’.”

Hearing this, Hilti was a little embarrassed. "Actually, I didn't think that much about it at the time. It was mainly because there was a lack of information and mentors in the Dark Mist Mountains, and I didn't know that I needed to learn 'Fertile Soil Method' as a prerequisite training." "So, I gritted my teeth and learned the advanced secret technique of 'Autumn Garden' and built it up little by little."

Is it that she was out of touch with the information, or that she was too strong? Without the guidance of a senior teacher, she relied solely on the knowledge she learned from books and classic texts to advance her level.

In fact, the Four Seasons Alliance members did not expect this girl to advance so quickly, which is why they missed the best opportunity to recruit her.

"This is the 'Clear Spring Flower Tea' that I cultivated and prepared. I hope Senior Kurlandchu will like it."

Having learned the 'Fertile Soil Method,' achieving the 'Gardener' rank was no longer a problem. Hiltiya then combined her prepared 'Pure Spring Water' with the 'White Camellia' growing in the courtyard to create a high-end tea, which she presented as a gift to the senior who had guided her several times.

Looking at the steaming tea in front of him, Kurlandchu picked it up, took a small sip, and felt a comfortable sense of tranquility rising from within him.

The 'holy water' prepared by Hilti has a miraculous effect in purification, and this feeling of cleansing surprised Kurandchu.

"Did you do this yourself?"

"Yes." The girl nodded.

"If it were given to members returning from the secret realm, it would definitely be very popular," Kurandchu commented.

"Many people get contaminated with twisted pollution while exploring secret realms, and usually need to rest for a long time before they can go on the next expedition."

"The tea you prepared has a very good purifying effect, and they definitely need it."

"I just don't know if it will take you a lot of effort to prepare it. If it does, I don't recommend that you waste too much time doing it."

"I understand."

Hiltiya tilted her head and thought for a moment. She didn't need to worry about the white camellias; she could pick a large bunch in her 'Autumn Garden' in just a few months. As for the 'Holy Spring Water,' if it was only of the second tier, she could prepare a lot of it while practicing meditation, without having to spend extra time.

It seems like I could give this as a gift in the future, but it would be a waste to just sell it for money.

She's now considered one of the few wealthy girls among her peers. Just the share of the profits from Lantern Town alone amounts to countless gold coins. She remembers that before she left, there were so many gold coin boxes piled up under her bed in her bedroom that they could hardly fit.

It seems like I had nearly 50,000 gold coins about six months ago.

Anyway, she was always selling the high-quality crops produced in the town, and she didn't have many expenses in her life. Many times, she would just give some medicine and cornflowers directly to the students in the town without charging them.

Everyone was busy in the Dark Mist Mountains, and she was very grateful for their help. However, she didn't have any good gift options before, so every time she rewarded a student, she would pick a few cornflowers from her garden, make them into a bouquet, and hand it to the recipient.

As time went on, the students in Lantern Town often called her "Princess Cornflower." Of course, this title was somewhat of a joke, and they wouldn't say it to her face. However, Siltia's hearing was so good that she could hear it every time.

After learning the 'Fertile Soil Method', Hilti spent a day transforming her [Gardening Apprentice Lv.5] into [Gardener Lv.5] (Dewdrop, Branching, Fertile Soil Lv.5).

The professional setup for the gardener was finally completed. The process was uneventful and smooth, far from the dramatic changes that occurred when the garden was successfully built.

However, after completing the [Gardener] rank, Hilti suddenly realized that she had unknowingly caught up with the rank of Lady Fran back then.

In other words, when she first met Madame Fran about four years ago, the elegance, mystery and power that Madame Fran possessed filled her with envy and awe. Now, she has reached the same level as Madame Fran did back then.

This wonderful feeling, so fresh and unfamiliar, made Hilti feel a little dazed and nostalgic about the passage of time.

"Has it really been four years already?" Standing atop the tower of Whitestone Fortress, Hilti looked out into the distance, recalling the scene when she first arrived in the woodlands.

At that time, she was still a bit naive, only thinking about building the valley and completing the tasks assigned to her by the forest. Moreover, because of her weakness in the early stages, she preferred to stay in a quiet corner and slowly improve, not wanting to get involved in many conflicts.

With that mindset, she rarely interacted with other students during the first six months after arriving at the woodland. Sophitina jokingly said that she was very aloof at that time, which led to misunderstandings among her classmates.

Looking back on her somewhat naive and simple actions, Hilti wanted to laugh a little, but after all, it was herself. She just felt that her thoughts back then were a little silly and cute.

But now, she does have a way to protect herself and has found her destined companion, the 'Cornflower,' so it's time for her to go out and see the world. She also misses the people in Scorched Stone City.

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(End of this chapter)