The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 29: Preparations for the Expedition

Vol 2 Chapter 29: Preparations for the Expedition

Dinner was quite pleasant, and the interactions among the team members were relatively relaxed. Although everyone had different personalities, they were all decent people.

After the meal, the group sat in a corner of the tavern's main hall and continued discussing this expedition.

"So, Tia, you've never participated in one before?" Pona asked curiously, tilting her head as she munched on a handful of snack fries.

"That's right. I was previously always busy with tasks related to being a gardener and learning new abilities, so I never had the time." The young girl nodded.

"Ah, no wonder you were able to advance at such a young age." Among the five, Sylutia was probably the youngest, though she wasn't particularly short, being about average height among them.

"Well then, I should give Little Tia a proper rundown of the basics. Otherwise, it would be bad if problems arose on the road." Rodriguez, also known as Bad Apple, made a dagger dance across his fingers, deftly peeling an apple with precision before dividing it into several pieces and handing them out to everyone.

"First of all, exploration should be done step by step. Don't just rush headlong into completely unfamiliar, extremely dangerous areas right away."

"It's best to follow experienced hands. Earning a little less on the road doesn't matter;

safety is the priority in the initial stages."

"Then comes route planning. This point is extremely important.""When we traverse the black-and-white Shadow World, it's like a brush painting over white paper, leaving traces. It also consumes our own Aspect power and brings along the Distortion pollution of the Shadow World."

"Fortunately, the secret realms or borderlands we can currently access are relatively shallow areas. As long as we're careful not to accumulate too deep a Distortion pollution and return to base in time for rest and purification, we can recover."

"The danger threshold for this level is 30%. Generally, once you approach 20%, you need to quickly consider turning back."

"According to the empirical formula passed down over the years within the association, for every 1% of pollution you accumulate, your strength decreases by 2%. This is because the Distortion Aspect gradually interferes with the execution of your own abilities."

"When pollution reaches 30%, it means your own strength has dropped by 60%. That's why it's said to be exceptionally dangerous."

"To avoid this situation, we often choose the shortest, non-detouring route for exploration. If it's safe, we generally don't backtrack, making the entire route a twisted loop that returns to the starting point."

"Over the years, the association has also accumulated many methods to resist pollution or extend the length of adventures. The simplest way is to raise your own Tier. If a Fourth Tier Transcendent were to undertake the 'Deepwood Forest Path' we're about to attempt, he could easily fight his way through alone. However, the gains along the way would be of little use to him."

"Secondly, you can bring along some purification methods, such as specially-made holy water, or professions possessing purification abilities. They can reduce pollution levels, greatly extending the adventure's duration and making it easier to deal with enemies."

"Lastly, certain fortuitous encounters discovered during the expedition might also help us recover stamina and purify pollution, but such things are unpredictable and cannot be sought out intentionally."

"I understand." Sylutia had read the Hidden Grove association's manual before, but she hadn't realized this matter was so important.

"Just be mindful of the pollution issue. It's like a slow-acting poison. Although troublesome, there are always traces to follow, so it's not too dangerous. What truly causes a large number of deaths are the various strange creatures and phenomena within the Shadow World."

"The Twilight Sea is a product of the great war triggered by the alien star's erosion during the Seventh Epoch. Even now, the Hours of the celestial gardens find it difficult to deal with this Monstrous Sea. The Distortion Aspect has gradually polluted the Primordial Sea, and the 'Bloodline,' the source of all life's pulse laws, has become connected to 'Distortion.'"

"I've heard that if you eliminate powerful Monstrous creatures within a secret realm, you can even receive rewards from the upper realm, that is, the celestial gardens. However, such matters generally involve entities of the Sixth Tier or above, so at our stage, we don't need to consider it at all."

"Subduing that kind of monster is often the task of an entire era, requiring countless heroes to advance wave upon wave before it can be accomplished."

Seeing that Sylutia was listening intently, the short captain clapped his hands.

"Hahaha, do you yearn for that kind of legendary scene? I used to be the same, listening to those bards tell many grand, epic stories. I'd get so fired up, often unable to sleep all night."

"But things must be done step by step. Only after passing today's small hurdles can you glimpse higher vistas."

"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Let's go back to sleep first. Tomorrow, Sylutia will come with us to purchase some expedition supplies. The day after tomorrow, we set off."

By the time they finished, it was already quite late. Sylutia nodded, got up, and returned upstairs. After a simple wash, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

The night passed peacefully.

Early the next morning, sparrows chirped cheerfully outside the window. Sylutia rubbed her eyes and woke up.

Truthfully, she was still a bit sleepy, but she had promised the others yesterday. So, she slowly sat up, freshened up, and walked downstairs. By now, quite a few people were already having breakfast in the main hall.

"Tia~ over here." Pona stood up and waved enthusiastically to her. The other two were sitting beside her.

Walking over, Sylutia noticed that the black-haired wizard hadn't arrived yet, while Bad Apple and Yan were almost finished with their breakfast.

"Karl probably stayed up late again last night, refining his powders or reading books in his room."

Sure enough, not long after, the wizard with dark circles under his eyes slowly walked downstairs, looking like he wasn't fully awake yet.

"Over here." Bad Apple beside him called out, and the black-haired wizard sat down on a chair, closing his eyes again.

"Eat something, Karl." Pona placed a cut slice of apple pie in front of him.

"Thank you." He spoke with his eyes closed, dozed off a little more, then reluctantly opened his eyes and slowly began eating.

"Never mind him. Tia, how was breakfast today?" Pona shifted her gaze to the black-haired young girl beside her.

"Mhm, it was delicious." The young girl nodded slightly.

[Apple Pie] (Excellent): Even with ordinary ingredients, in the hands of an excellent chef, they transform into delicious flavors and can replenish a large amount of nutrition.

Although the ingredients were quite ordinary, the nutrition and taste were almost on par with general 'Excellent' quality food. No wonder Pona was so popular within the team.

Name: Pona

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (No Abnormalities)

Talent: Ingredient Perception [Superior Grade], naturally sensitive to the properties and characteristics of food, a genius seedling as a chef.

Fate Card: [Traveling Chef Apprentice] (Second Tier · Gold Steam)

'A chef apprentice who masters various cooking techniques, capable of utilizing all sorts of strange ingredients well.'

- Effect [Ingredient Activation Lv.4]: Precise grasp and control over ingredients allow you to excellently stimulate the characteristics and nutrition within ingredients, increasing the quality of the finished food by +2. (Ordinary ingredients can be improved by a maximum of +2 quality)

- Profession [Chef Apprentice Lv.4]: A formed profession, mastering multiple cooking techniques, just right. (Ingredient Analysis · Anatomy Lv.4)

Ability Cards: [Baking Method Lv.4 (Gold Steam)], [Ingredient Harmony Lv.3 (Verdant Nectar)], [High-Temperature Furnace Lv.2 (Gold Steam)]

From this, it seems the chef profession Pona chose is a higher-level occupation than baker, just like wizards and gardeners. Only after stepping into the Third Tier can one be considered a true Transcendent 'Chef'.

After the group finished breakfast, they headed out onto the town's streets.

Along the way, the accompanying team members explained the uses of various items to Sylutia, the newcomer. For example, specially-made windproof candles, Dawn Wind torches that disperse fog, Dome Crystal powder for purifying water quality, Crescent Moon clocks for determining direction, antidote potions, tent packs for sleeping, specially-made holy water for purifying pollution, signal arrows for calling for aid, burning and igniting powders, and so on.

Basically, they talked non-stop the entire way. Fortunately, this young girl had an astonishing memory and didn't ask them to stop, listening to everything completely.

"Did you understand and remember, Tia?"

"If you didn't, it's okay. Everyone's pretty confused at the beginning. You'll naturally get familiar with it after participating in a few expeditions, haha."

After buying the supplies, the group exchanged ideas about the procedures for encountering enemies later and various hand signals, then returned to rest.

That night, Sylutia lay in bed, finding it a little difficult to fall asleep.

Perhaps it was because she was finally about to embark on her first expedition to a secret realm, fulfilling a childhood fantasy akin to playing games, making her particularly expectant.

Hugging her pillow, she tossed and turned in bed. Only after a long time did the young girl, with her disheveled hair, slowly drift into dreamland.