Cornflower Witch

Chapter 353 'Switch City' Chicas
Late at night, the candlelight in the bedroom was still on.

Hiltiya sat in the chair, slowly flipping through the notes she had taken over the past few months. Her delicate handwriting was neat and clear, and the various knowledge points were arranged in a clear and organized manner.

As she read, she recalled the events, occasionally putting down her notes and glancing at the night outside.

A pale moon hung in the sky, and the night was unusually quiet, with only the gentle sound of a breeze.

When a person becomes familiar with a certain way of life and environment, it is inevitable that feelings will develop.

She lived in Quebec for only 4-5 months, but she developed a slight attachment to it. Even though they weren't really family, the family environment made her feel a little nostalgic.

Separation was inevitable, and all she could do now was savor this feeling before leaving.

Holding her book, she leaned back in her chair, her long, dark hair falling behind her waist, a few strands slipping down and casting long shadows in the candlelight.

……

The next day, Hiltiya arrived at the lighthouse with her packed suitcase. Behind her were the Griffin family, who had come to see her off, as well as Rosalie and Verlena.

She nodded to the crowd, opened the door under the lighthouse, and went inside.

Not long after, a sharp bird call came from the distant sky.

A huge falcon, white and gray in color, descended from the sky, swooping down and cutting a long trail of air. It descended at a speed visible to the naked eye, and only when it reached the lighthouse did it spread its wings to slow down. The air it flapped spread out, causing the clothes of the people waiting outside the tower to flutter and retreat.

The enormous falcon stood atop the tower waiting, and soon Knox appeared in a wheelchair, with Hilti following behind him.

Under the girl's curious gaze, Knox buried his entire wrist in the thick feathers, stroked the giant falcon for a while, and then turned around to introduce it to Sylvia.

"Its name is 'Knight,' a little bird I adopted a while ago, but it's all grown up now."

"Is this a little bird?" the girl thought to herself, but she also began to observe it closely.

【Wind Feather Falcon】(Tier 3 - Sky Dome); A raptor that soars through the sky with exceptional flying ability. It is said that high-tier individuals can traverse the sea of ​​clouds alone and travel between different continents.

"It will take you to the Mage Alliance. I also have two letters here. Give one to a mage named Qidi in the border city. Keep the other one for now and give it to Grando, the master of the 'Bionic School,' later, depending on the situation."

"I've already spoken to Qidi about your situation. He'll help you with the paperwork so you can enter the academy normally. If you encounter any difficulties in the Mage Alliance, you can ask him for help. However, his strength is limited, so it's best not to make things too difficult for him."

"Here's another box for you. It contains some things I wanted to give you. Keep it safe." With that, he took a small briefcase from under his wheelchair and handed it to Hilti.

"Thank you, teacher."

Half an hour later, under Knox's guidance, Hiltiya strapped the saddle onto the giant falcon and then sat on it.

At that moment, Knox waved to her from below, and then the giant falcon beneath Hilti took off, soaring into the air before the girl could even say hello.

With just two flaps of her wings, Hilti found herself getting farther and farther away from the ground. The little figures under the white lighthouse waved to her, but their words had already been scattered in the wind and could no longer be heard.

The giant falcon carried her on its back, flying higher and higher, while the wind in the sky grew stronger and stronger.

Hiltiya watched as the giant falcon plunged into the clouds, a mist swept by, and then it emerged. Only then did it stop climbing and maintain a steady pace forward.

"Wow, it's so high!" Holding onto the saddle on the back of the giant falcon, Hilti carefully turned her head to look at the world below. From here, she could clearly see the boundary between Meteor Lake and the land. One side was as blue as a mirror, while the other side, after a small amount of sandy yellow transitioned, was a vast expanse of green land.

As the giant falcon continued forward, the meteor lake behind it gradually disappeared, and towering mountains and plains appeared below.

Half a day later, Hilti saw the sun in the distance gradually align with the clouds, its golden light spreading across the sky, transforming the once empty and monotonous firmament into a tapestry of layers. The interplay of gold and red created countless layers of orange-red and yellow, like paint spread across an oil painting. Slowly, the giant falcon descended, and Hilti could gradually make out the buildings on the ground. Unlike the white brick and orange-tiled architecture of the area by Meteor Lake, the buildings here were noticeably taller and more complex.

Just then, the falcon beneath her swerved sideways through the valley between the mountain peaks, and a cool breeze swept over her, instantly invigorating the girl. She then saw a city nestled between a great river and the mountains, bustling with people, and wisps of smoke rising from the city, bringing a sense of liveliness and complexity to her face.

Slowly, the falcon flapped its wings and landed at the foot of a tall tower outside the city. The tower was in the same style as the lighthouse where Knox lived, but it was black and gray in color.

A man in a black trench coat was already standing at the foot of the tower waiting. When the falcon landed, he smiled and waved to Hiltiah on its back.

Untying the ropes, Hilti, carrying her suitcase, jumped off the falcon's back. Her little black leather shoes touched the soft grass as she took a few steps forward to regain her balance.

"Hello."

Holding her suitcase in both hands, Hilti politely bowed, her wind-blown hair curving gracefully across her face.

"Hello, lovely child." The other person walked over with a smile, adjusting the monocle on their nose.

"My name is Qidi, what's yours?"

“My name is Hedra. Please wait a moment. This is a letter that my teacher asked me to give you.” Hilti opened her suitcase and took out the letter.

After handing it to the other party, Qidi opened it, quickly checked it, and nodded.

"Okay, I understand." He put the letter away.

“Come with me first, let’s rest in the tower for a while.” After saying that, he seemed to remember something, walked to the giant falcon, gently patted it a few times, whispered a few words, and then the giant falcon named 'Nate' took off again and disappeared into the distance.

Afterwards, Hilti followed behind him into the slightly shady black tower, listening to his explanation of the situation along the way.

“I heard about you from Professor Knox. He even wrote to me a while ago asking me to look after you.” As he reached the corner at the bottom of the tower, he gently pulled the rope, and strange fluorescent lights lit up one by one.

"Let's go sit in the living room on the third floor for a while, and I'll tell you about the arrangements later."

“Thank you, Mr. Qidi.” Hiltiya followed.

After sitting down on the third floor, the other person brought over a cup of freshly brewed tea and placed it in front of Hilti, then introduced themselves.

“My name is Qidi, and I am also a local mage. I joined the bionics school when I was young. At that time, Senior Knox served as a substitute teacher for a period of time, teaching newcomers in the school, and I happened to be one of the students.”

"Time flies. Come to think of it, that was more than 30 years ago," he sighed.

"Currently, I serve as the guardian of this 'Blackbird Tower,' primarily responsible for maintaining the local environment and preventing it from being corrupted by the Shadow World. Additionally, when encountering strange phenomena or powerful magical beasts, I am responsible for reporting them and contacting relevant parties to handle them." He possesses fourth-tier strength and appears to have the rare 'Death Ash' attribute.

"I already know about your situation. Tomorrow I will take you to a subordinate organization of the City Mage Alliance to take the exam. After you pass, you will receive a blue recommendation letter, and then you can go to the core area of ​​the Mage Alliance to study."

"Thank you." The girl put down her teacup and thanked her again.

"Don't be shy. Sit for a while, and then I'll take you into town to find a comfortable hotel."

“My place is alright for me, but it’s a bit damp and cold, so it might not be suitable for you. It would be more comfortable for you to stay in the city overnight, and you can also have a nice dinner there, haha.” He admitted that he wasn’t good at cooking, so to avoid both of them having a bad meal, it would be better to just go to the city to eat.

After talking for a while, Qidi got up and led Xilutiya into the populous riverside city.

"Oh, by the way, this place is called Chicas, the 'Switch City' Chicas. The Mage Alliance's massive industrial products flow out of this river and city."

(End of this chapter)