Cornflower Witch

Chapter 32 The Door in the Eyes
After the assessment, because everyone had been tense, Hyde University wanted to help them relax and change their mindset.

“We will spend the next week in a village outside the city,” the scholar announced to his students.

"Each person can only bring one suitcase containing a change of clothes. We will depart together tomorrow morning."

"We will teach in a natural environment and give you a real understanding of the various crops and the environment in which farmers work."

"Alright, after the classes this morning, you can go home and prepare."

"Oh~" The students cheered when they heard that there was a holiday.

Afterwards, everyone gathered together to discuss how to spend the next few days in the rural villages.

This was nothing out of the ordinary for students from commoner families, but it was quite novel for some students from noble or wealthy families.

"I don't know if hunting is allowed there. I learned archery a year ago, but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to practice it."

"Can I bring my beloved pet Kaka? He's a loyal hunting dog."

"If only I could ride a horse and gallop across the grass with my loved one."

"I'm tired of staying in Jiaoshi City."

"Is there a river there? Is it safe to swim in it?"

"You can fish wherever there's a river."

"Sigh, it's no fun without the maids."

"Perhaps we can go see the scarecrow. I recently read a strange story about a scarecrow."

At this moment, Komia also pulled Hilti and Karen together to discuss the matter.

"Karen, take your bow and arrows. You'll have a chance to use them this time. Maybe we can even hunt some game and have a barbecue," Komia suggested.

“No problem, I have a set of field tools that I’ve used before.” Karen nodded.

"Tiya, what are you good at?"

"I can probably help you identify wild plants, and I can also prepare food," the girl thought for a moment.

"How about you bring some seasonings, or maybe we'll need a picnic blanket?"

"As for me, I plan to have my dad prepare a tent and carry it over."

“We’re living in a village, not in the wild,” Hiltiya thought.

"Sigh, isn't this supposed to be a camping trip? Okay, I'll bring some good food and a blanket, I need to be comfortable to sleep in." She really loves sleeping.

"It's settled then, we'll set off together tomorrow."

"Ok."

……

In the afternoon, Siltia returned to her lodgings and began preparations.

Actually, she didn't need to bring much. Besides the necessary clothes, she only had two books, a notebook, and a small bag of seasoning utensils.

Should I bring a pillow? She really likes the buckwheat pillow she recently made. Since she can't afford cotton, this kind of pillow is already very comfortable.

She picked up the pillow and touched it, then decided to bring it with her.

It's not heavy anyway, she can carry it.

Then there are the flowers and plants in the backyard that I can't let go of.

Thinking of this, she went to the bedroom to get the bottle of freshly made potion and examined it closely.

This potion was given to her by Teacher Hyde yesterday. It is said that the people of the Apothecary Guild spent several days trying to concoct it.

【Emerald Eye Potion】(Tier 1 - Emerald Honey): Drops into the eyes allow you to see the nutrient flow, latent phases, and growth status of plants. (Good quality, effect lasts 3 minutes each time)

"Only three minutes?" the girl murmured softly. Then she opened the bottle cap, carefully took out a few drops with a special glass tube, and dripped them into her eyes.

A cool sensation spread instantly, and everything in her vision turned gray, like a black and white world. However… she blinked and looked at herself in the mirror.

One of her light blue eyes turned emerald green, creating a unique and mysterious charm that added to the girl's appearance in the mirror.

Upon arriving in the backyard, Hilti's gaze swept over the flowers and plants, and she discovered that in this black and white world, these plants possessed exceptionally vibrant colors. Even the green ones displayed hundreds of different shapes and hues, which was truly magical.

Returning to the swan orchids she had cultivated, the girl carefully bent down and observed them closely. As if she could see through them, she gradually perceived the 'colors' inside the orchids. This 'seeing' was more like a kind of intuition, discovering the rhythm and differences within them.

Based on the texture of these colors, Hilti placed her hand on the Swan Orchid, stimulating the 'Emerald Honey' aspect of the potion in her eyes. A more delicate and clear sensation emerged, as if another layer of 'tactile sensation' had been added to the 'color', along with the slight 'rhythm' of the plant's breathing. With these three senses merging, a more three-dimensional and completely different perception was presented.

The world hadn't changed, but she saw scenes she'd never witnessed before, as if emerging from a narrow, dark cave and gazing upon the vast wilderness beneath the sky for the first time. Countless pieces of information converged in her eyes and mind, then she simultaneously comprehended, analyzed, and gradually pieced them together.

Three minutes was not enough time, so she had to drip a few more drops of the Emerald Eye Potion into her left eye. The green eyes had a strange charm; the emerald color in the pupils seemed to float and flow like liquid, drawing people in.

With each perception and each analysis, the secrets of the plant before her opened like closed doors in Hilti's eyes.

The unknown behind the door, the knowledge behind the door, the mystery behind the door, are revealed one by one.

(Gain insight into 'Swan Orchid' and gain an intelligence advantage when facing 'Swan Orchid' plants; 'Identification Eye' completion +1)

A sudden realization dawned on the girl's mind, and she slowly detached herself from that state of immersion.

At this moment, as she observed the swan orchid in front of her again, all the sorted information came to mind.

【Swan Orchid】(Good-58): Currently growing, humidity is not optimal and needs to be increased to 21.24%. The ambient temperature is slightly low and needs to be increased by 5.8 degrees Celsius. The soil has become compacted due to watering, resulting in reduced aeration and insufficient nutrients, particularly micronutrients…

She was shocked to discover so many problems once she looked.

Humidity and temperature? These are not things she can solve right now; she'd probably need a greenhouse. However, she did come up with many solutions for soil compaction, aeration, and nutrient supply.

First, loosen the soil, replace the topsoil, and mix in a small amount of gravel to increase aeration and prevent clumping. Then, water some of the swan orchids. Finally, find some eggshells, crush them into powder, and add them to the soil as fertilizer.

She wrote down the solutions she came up with in her notebook, and then began to loosen the soil. During the process, she kept adjusting and recording data, as if searching for the perfect fit of gears.

And so, Hiltiah kept busy until it was almost dark. Only when Thaliel came home from get off work did she stand up from the edge of the field in the backyard.

"Tia, I bought some bread on my way back today." Taliel put the bread she was carrying in the kitchen and then found the girl who had just come out of the backyard.

"Why are your arms and skirt covered in mud? Were you that busy today?" She took Silti's hand and helped her pat it off, asking with concern.

"Taliel, I've made a lot of discoveries today." Hilti's voice was unusually cheerful, with a hint of excitement.

"Are you so happy today?" Although Taliel didn't understand what Sylvia had discovered, she was equally pleased.

"How about we skip the bread and go to a restaurant for a big meal instead?" she said, her mouth watering.

Normally, Hiltiya would be a little reluctant to spend the money, because she didn't have many silver coins left.

But she was really happy today, and she nodded in agreement.

“Let’s do it today, but next time will be a little later, we still need to save money.” Seeing that she agreed, Taliel jumped up happily, then looked at Sylvia and hurried to the kitchen.

"What are you doing in the kitchen?" the girl asked curiously.

"I'll boil some water for you. You can't go out like this, Tiya." Her voice came from the kitchen.

……

About an hour later, after taking a shower, a refreshed Hiltya changed her clothes and went out with Taliel.

They returned to the Gloria restaurant and found a quiet private room.

Tonight they ordered 'Braised Oxtail'.

【Braised Oxtail】(Excellent): Braised oxtail, while sautéing onions and bay leaves in hot oil. When the oxtail is about 80% cooked, add the sautéed onions and bay leaves, carrot chunks, and season with garlic cloves, salt, sugar, and tomato sauce. Finally, serve with several roasted round potatoes and drizzle with oil.

The two enjoyed a rare and delicious meal. Afterwards, Taliel and Sylvia went home satisfied. At this time, the girl had already thought of the task she wanted to give Taliel.

"So, Tia won't be home for the next week?" Talil was a little disappointed after hearing this, because Tia was a good cook and she could have some new dishes every night.

Although it can't compare to the chefs in the restaurant, she still likes it very much.

“If Tia isn’t home, I’ll be eating dry bread and vegetable soup every day.”

"Just bear with it a little longer. If it really doesn't work, you can go to Winnie's for dinner," the girl joked.

"I can go, but I'd feel embarrassed if I went too many times."

"Speaking of watering flowers, Tia, how do you water your flowers? I see you keep a record of the amount of water and the time every day," Talil asked.

"Don't worry about that. I'll put together the table tonight, and then you can just water according to the amount listed."

Taliel certainly couldn't be as meticulous as her, but for the cultivation of 'Swan Orchid', all other conditions have been adjusted. As long as the watering error is within 30%, it is enough to cultivate 'Swan Orchid' of excellent quality.

"Then, I'll leave the next week to you."

"Leave it to me, o(*￣︶￣*)o~" After saying that, the two walked home with smiles.

To be honest, it had been more than a month since she had left Jiaoshi City. This trip out brought Xilutiya a renewed sense of novelty and anticipation.

(End of this chapter)