Cornflower Witch

Chapter 26 Blood Wine and Eye Medicine

In October, the morning breeze gradually dissipated.

Hiltiya squatted in the field in the backyard, carefully examining the swan orchids that were arm's length tall in front of her.

The green bulbs, shaped like spindles, stand upright in the soft soil, with long, light green leaves branching out from the bulbs and curving naturally.

【Swan Orchid】(Good-53): Growing, with suitable humidity and light, and good ventilation.

Is it merely good? The girl gently touched the flower stem, a little disappointed.

She originally thought that if all the conditions required for the growth of the Swan Orchid were met, its quality would be excellent.

It seems things aren't that simple.

If meeting the growth requirements is not enough, then the growth conditions need to be further analyzed to reach a very suitable state. The question is how she knows under what conditions the Swan Orchid will grow best.

Communicating with the plant? But the Swan Orchid is just a plant, not a living thing, and it can't speak.

Wait a minute, although the Swan Orchid cannot speak, it is not an inanimate object. Just as blood flows in the body of an animal and has its own pulse, there is also a liquid called 'honey' flowing in the body of a plant. If we can sense this pulse, can we know its condition and help it grow stronger?

A glimmer of hope rose in Hilti. She placed her hand on the bulb of the Swan Orchid, closed her eyes, and carefully sensed it, searching for that subtle pulse.

time flies……

After a long while, she opened her eyes and shook her head in disappointment.

Plants and animals are vastly different; they don't have heartbeats, and therefore no pulse.

We can only ask Bachelor Hyde.

……

The next day, after class, Hilti went to Maester Hyde's study to inquire about cultivating plants.

“It seems you’ve hit a bottleneck.” Scholar Hyde had anticipated this.

"Your question is the same question that the earliest gardeners encountered many ages ago."

"Unlike fairies, who are naturally skilled at cultivating plants, humans and other living beings need to overcome the barriers of communication and understanding if they want to learn how to cultivate extraordinary crops."

"There are actually two methods. The first one is very common, which is to directly replicate the experience left by predecessors. The second one is to understand each plant individually and then make targeted adjustments."

"The latter is clearly more effective, but it is also very difficult. Most gardeners use the former method at the beginner level."

"Therefore, you can see that in the same orchard, there are high-quality fruits and low-quality fruits. All the gardeners can do is try to increase the base number so that more high-quality fruits can be produced."

"What I actually wanted to suggest to you is that you can just follow the experience template for training now."

“However, after spending this time together, Tia, you must be dissatisfied with just relying on experience and waiting for luck, right?” Scholar Hyde stroked his beard and spoke with considerable understanding.

"Yes, teacher, please teach me." Seeing his confident demeanor, the girl knew perfectly well that this teacher must have a solution.

"Hehe, you always call me teacher so affectionately at times like this." The old man complained a little. Hilti rarely interacted with him in class, usually staying quietly in the corner listening to the lecture and not actively answering questions.

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you anymore." He stood up, rummaged through the bookshelf, and finally pulled out one of the books.

The Book of Pears (transcribed version), written by the Hermit of the Forest in the Fifth Age, describes the cultivation process of the 'Red Pear Fruit (Second Stage)' and the methods for observing the Red Pear Tree.

Turn to a page in the book and show the contents to Siltia.

【Emerald Eye Potion Recipe】(Tier 1); A magical potion dripped into the eyes, one of the seven basic eye potions, which allows the recipient to perceive the subtle flow and state of plants.

"This is the recipe for the Elixir of Emerald Eyes. Originally, such secret knowledge was supposed to be given to you only after you graduated," Scholar Hyde explained.

"Since you urgently need it now, I'll teach you in advance. There won't be any extra rewards after you graduate, so don't blame me for being stingy then." "To refine the magic potion 'Emerald Eye,' you need some rare herbs. I can provide you with one portion for free, but you'll have to prepare the rest yourself," he instructed again.

“I understand.” Hilti took the book, then sat down and copied the potion recipe onto paper again.

Most of the herbs in the recipe are relatively rare and do not have a specific attribute or rank. However, one of the main ingredients requires a fresh flower bud with the attribute of 'Rank 1 - Emerald Honey'. Just this one bud costs nearly 70 silver. No wonder Scholar Hyde is not generous. If every student were to sponsor it, he probably wouldn't be able to support it.

The total material cost is estimated to be around 90 silver coins, according to the young woman. This is under ideal circumstances; if any of the herbs are hard to find, the cost will increase.

"Thank you, teacher." After finishing copying, the girl bowed in thanks.

"Okay, take my list and go find Manson. He'll prepare the materials for you in a couple of days. The reason I'm not giving you money is because some of these materials are hard to buy even if you have the money."

Indeed, in the name of Maester Hyde, one can easily obtain materials from various guilds and nobles in the city, but for an unknown person, it is extremely difficult.

……

As Siltia strives for her path as a horticulturist, her fellow students also gradually develop their own plans.

"Mick, aren't you in class today? Why are you back?"

In a courtyard in the lower town, the adventurers' team saw the young man walk in.

“We’re not having class today,” Mick replied, though he was clearly preoccupied.

"Is Brother Jeroen home?"

"He's not here right now, probably at a bar."

"A bar? I'll head straight there."

Half an hour later, Mick finally found the drunk Jero in the dimly lit bar and helped him out.

"Brother Jero, I need your help with something." He hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"Wh-what is it...tell me." Jero was still a little drunk, waving his right hand wildly in the air, the force of which almost made Mick lose his balance.

“Here’s the thing, our trainees will have an assessment next month, and there will be a big reward for those who get the top spots.” Mick gritted his teeth.

"So, I want to improve my skills and get good results in the assessment, and that requires some help."

"Haha... What kind of help do you need? Just tell me." Jero was a bit more sober now.

“I need ‘blood wine’ to improve my breathing technique.” Mick felt a little ashamed, realizing he seemed to be too dependent on this older brother, even though the two were not related by blood and had only met during their adventures.

"Heh, I thought it was something serious." Jero patted Mick's shoulder with his large, rough hand.

"Here you go!" He felt around in the inner lining of his belt with his fingers and pulled out a shiny gold coin.

The gold coin, a round metal coin with a pale golden luster, features a design of a frost-feathered bird, indicating that it comes from the northern winter kingdom.

Mick looked at the gold coin, his emotions a mix of gratitude, nervousness, guilt, and a hint of anticipation.

Holding the still-warm gold coin in his palm, Mick helped Jero back to his room in the courtyard to rest.

After explaining things to his friend, Mick took the gold coins and left for the Adventurers' Guild, where the guild sold 'Blood Wine'. This was a medicinal wine made from the blood of beasts of the first rank or higher, which could improve abilities related to the 'Blood Law' rank and was also very suitable for breathing exercises.

"With this, I can break through to the second stage of the breathing technique within a month." Mick walked out carrying the blood-red wine bottle, secretly making up his mind.

When I have the strength in the future, I must repay Brother Jero.

(End of this chapter)