Cornflower Witch

Chapter 340 The Gathering in the Mansion
Hilutia's life in Quebec became more regular.

During the day, he studied at the lighthouse, learning the various theoretical foundations required to become a mage, as well as studying the esoteric books placed in Knox's study.

In the evening, she would bid farewell to her teacher and walk down the cliffs by the sea to return to her mansion in Alainford in the city.

Hiltiya loved taking walks in the evening. She could see the beautiful sunset, hear the sound of the waves on the beach, watch the long sails undulating in the distant harbor, and then walk lightly along the stone path.

Occasionally, she would buy a warm piece of bread from a roadside snack shop, carry it home, and have it as a late-night snack while she was studying.

Currently, she appears to the outside world as a mortal without a condensed spiritual form. If she were to go to the Mage Alliance, she would need to condense at least a 'first-tier' spiritual form, and this time she has chosen 'secret words'.

[Secret Words]: History is hidden in proverbs; the past shapes the future.

This is the nature of 'history', 'records', 'law codes', and 'memory'. It is also the nature most suitable for becoming a scholar. After condensing this nature, one will gain an improvement in memory. Upon reaching a high level, one can also convey many physical sensations and information that are difficult to describe in words through the secret techniques of this nature.

It is weak as a primary phase because it lacks both offensive and defensive capabilities, but it is very convenient as a secondary phase and can be used in conjunction with many other phases.

For example, when paired with a 'castle', power can be materialized into a kind of binding rule, allowing it to manifest within the domain. When paired with a 'glowing moon', it can traverse thousands of miles, using special light to transmit information. This is the same as the 'water mirror ritual' used when exploring the shadow world.

Alternatively, it can be paired with 'Hibernation' to seal a memory or feeling in a gemstone or vessel and convey it to the next person.

It can be paired with 'Golden Steam' to give certain high-level mechanical creations self-repair capabilities, and so on.

When faced with a vast sea of ​​knowledge, 'secret words' can greatly accelerate the speed of learning and memorization. Therefore, most mages will also cultivate the ability of 'secret words'. Most high-level mages have the dual nature of 'Golden Steam and Secret Words'.

After selecting her target, Hiltiya organized her knowledge notes according to the techniques taught by Knox, and continuously summarized and categorized what she had learned during this period until one day, she fully digested and absorbed this knowledge and formed her own knowledge theory system. At that time, the 'Secret Word' aspect would condense, allowing her to embark on the path of that aspect.

Sitting by the window, Hilti closed her book and checked her progress.

It will probably take another three days to condense the 'First-Order Secret Word'.

The early stages of this type of 'sexuality' require the most patience and perseverance, no matter how high one's talent. However, Hiltiya's speed was much faster than that of ordinary people. This was probably because the systematic education she received from childhood in her previous life made it much easier for her to organize and construct a knowledge framework than for people in this world.

Looking at the starry night sky outside, Hilti stood by the window for a while, enjoying the breeze, then turned off the candle and went to sleep.

The next day was a day off, and she didn't have to go to the lighthouse.

It's been almost two weeks since we arrived in Quebec, and the servants in the mansion are gradually getting used to the presence of this new third young lady.

"It seems like the house is quite busy today." Hilti noticed that the servants in the mansion were constantly walking around, carrying some things.

Upon hearing this, Margot, the maid standing nearby, bent down and told the young girl.

"Yes, Miss is hosting a party at home today and has invited many familiar friends."

"Really? When will they start?" Hiltiya asked with slight curiosity.

“A small number of familiar people will arrive before lunch, while most others will arrive around 2 p.m.,” Margot replied.

"It seems like it'll be soon." Hiltiya estimated the time; it was about 10 a.m. now.

She stepped out of her room and strolled in the courtyard. There were many beautiful flowers and plants, as well as several temporarily hired musicians adjusting their instruments. On the other side of the lawn, there was a large table covered with a white tablecloth, on which were placed washed fruit and some snacks.

"Greetings, Third Miss." The maids and servants on the road greeted her with bows, but quickly went back to their work.

Hilti didn't care about this. After walking around, she returned to her room and prepared to continue reading.

Just then, bursts of laughter and chatter came from the front yard of the mansion.

"Ariel, did you prepare this? It's so beautiful, you must have put a lot of thought into it." The voice sounded like a woman of similar age to Ariel.

“Vina, you’re still so good at talking, hehehe.” The girl heard Ariel’s familiar laughter.

Then came a flurry of chatter as Ariel and several of her best friends sat on the benches along the corridor, laughing and talking about recent funny stories.

"Have you heard? A clothing store in the east of the city has purchased a batch of expensive fabrics from the east."

"It seems to be called 'seaweed yarn.' It's very light and soft, with a wonderful feel. When placed in sunlight, it emits delicate, iridescent light." "I saw Lady Sarah wearing it at the banquet at the city lord's mansion the day before yesterday. She used seaweed yarn as an outer lining over her gold silk skirt. This filtered out the overly direct and gaudy golden light of the gold silk, creating a hazy effect. Many people were stunned at the time. It was also that night that everyone inquired about this new fabric, seaweed yarn."

"According to the clothing store owner, this is a specialty of the 'Harp Flower Union' area. It is made by local artisans using a special kind of fish glue to weave yarn. It is very difficult to make and is more expensive than gold coins of the same weight."

"I wish I had one."

As they talked, the topic shifted to other areas.

"Hey, Ariel, didn't you recently get a little sister? Why haven't we seen her around?" one of them asked.

"She's probably not home," Ellie said, somewhat reluctant to let her friend see Hedra.

"Where did you go this morning if you weren't home?"

"I heard she went to find a tutor to give her some extra lessons, otherwise it would be too embarrassing," Ariel said casually.

“Tutoring? Did you never go to school before? Hehe.” A girl said with a laugh.

“Sigh, you’ve probably heard, she’s from a small town, you can’t learn anything there,” Ariel replied dismissively, as if she weren’t talking about her own family.

“To have such a sister…” She shook her head again.

“Eriel, this is a difficult situation. If that sister has a bad reputation, it will be hard for you to get married in the future.” A close friend brought up the very thing she didn’t want to talk about.

"Tsk." Ariel frowned slightly, feeling somewhat annoyed.

Seeing that she was in a bad mood, another person quickly came over to smooth things over.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's move on to other things."

Time passed quickly. At noon, Ariel hosted her friends for lunch at her own restaurant. Of course, she didn't call out to Hilti, but at the end, she heard from the servants about the Third Miss's situation.

"She didn't go to class today?" Ariel frowned.

"Yes, Miss is off today."

"Why not rest earlier or later? Why choose to rest when I'm hosting a party? They really know how to pick their time." Ariel stomped her foot.

"You keep an eye on her and don't let her leave the room."

"Is this a good idea? After all, the master said he wanted to take care of the third young lady. If we stop her, won't that be..." Several servants hesitated.

“You must listen to me today. As for Father, I will explain to him later.”

"We understand," the group reluctantly agreed.

After the servants left, Ariel paced back and forth in the room.

"It's really annoying. If she comes out, I'll have to introduce her to everyone and explain. If she really is my cousin, that's fine too, since we're not that close anyway."

"But my mother said that she is actually my father's illegitimate daughter, and if this gets out, my reputation will be affected." She muttered to herself in frustration.

"The key is that she doesn't understand anything. She's probably from the countryside and doesn't know any manners. If she embarrasses herself at the party, the scene will be really..." Ariel felt like she was about to lose face.

"It's laughable that a country bumpkin from out of town would try to climb the social ladder. How could such a story happen in my family?"

"Besides, I also invited Young Master Wes today. That silly boy's personality is alright to understand, but if he gets interrupted, the others won't let it go." Not everyone at this gathering is Ariel's close friend; some are just friends on the surface, but secretly rivals.

Although Ariel disliked some people, as a peer in the upper-class circle of Quebec, it would seem too deliberate and like she was targeting them if she didn't invite them.

With a mix of anxiety and irritability, anticipation and tension, the afternoon slowly arrived, and the front yard of the mansion gradually filled with carriages.

Young masters and ladies from the upper echelons of Quebec began to appear one after another.

(End of this chapter)