The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 36: Summary and Farewell

Vol 2 Chapter 36: Summary and Farewell

The next day, after lunch.

Everyone was too lazy to get up for breakfast, so they didn't gather together again until noon.

Captain Rodriguez, also known as 'Bad Apple', sat at the table with his hands folded and one leg crossed, his foot swinging as he waited for everyone to take their seats.

Seeing Yan and Karl finally arrive and sit down, he snapped his fingers to get everyone's attention.

"Excellent, it's that wonderful time again to tally up our gains," he said, his gaze sweeping over the group as he nodded in satisfaction.

"This time our harvest is quite bountiful, roughly double our usual haul."

"We have to give our heartfelt thanks to our new member, Sylutia~" After saying this, he started clapping, and the others joined in, their eyes turning toward the slightly embarrassed black-haired girl.

"Hehe, I'll make something extra delicious for Tia tonight," Pona said, nudging her with an elbow.

"Mhm," the girl replied softly.After that, 'Bad Apple' picked up a notebook resembling an account book and began listing and tallying the items one by one.

'Strange Antler', 'Color-changing Hide', 'Deer Blood'

"First, the special fruits and plants we gathered along the way," he said, opening a basket on the table. Inside were neatly arranged fruits of various vibrant colors, quite a pleasing sight.

3 'Morning Dew Pomelo Fruits', each worth 3 gold coins, total 9 gold coins.

41 'Ring-Hued Mushrooms', each worth 20 silver coins, total 8.2 gold coins.

2 'Ash Evil Fruits', each worth 20 gold coins, total 40 gold coins.

23 'Crimson Blood Fruits', Superior quality, each worth 3 gold coins, total 69 gold coins.

4 'Tide Moon Grasses', each worth 1 gold coin, total 4 gold coins.

"Next, the hunting spoils."

'Strange Antler', can be used for alchemy, value 3 gold coins.

'Color-changing Hide', can be used to make a color-changing cloak, value 6 gold coins.

'Deer Blood', can be used to make Blood Wine, value 1 gold coin.

4 'Venomous Snake Galls', usable for medicine, each worth 1 gold coin, total 4 gold coins.

25 'Shadow Owl Feathers', each worth 30 silver coins, total 7.5 gold coins.

1 'Vampire Snake Fang (Second Tier·Bloodline)', value 16 gold coins.

16 meters of 'Snakescale Hide (Superior)', value 30 gold coins.

5 'Wraith Bones', each worth 2 gold coins, total 10 gold coins.

"Then, other miscellaneous gains."

4 'Rock Dew Stones', each worth 50 silver coins, total 2 gold coins.

3 'Black Death Bird Eggs', each worth 3 gold coins, total 9 gold coins.

"Finally, the total sum of all three categories is 218.7 gold coins!" Bad Apple finished the tally, his voice high and excited.

"Even after deducting various expenses, the final profit is still over 150 gold coins."

Ah, can expenses even be reimbursed? Sylutia thought belatedly.

Then came the tally of each member's adventure expenses, such as Yan repairing his damaged armor and shield, Karl replenishing various powdered ingredients, Pona's used spices and cooking materials, the seeds Sylutia used during the adventure, and the depreciation loss fee for the compound bow.

Looking at the 15 gold coins allocated to her for reimbursement, Sylutia gently nudged them with her finger, feeling that having a team was indeed wonderful. Even in her previous life's job, many expense reimbursements weren't this convenient and easy.

"Finally, after deducting the 57.3 gold coins for reimbursed expenses, each person can get about 32 gold coins."

The captain divided the remaining profit equally among the five team members. In the end, Sylutia received 47 gold coins.

From departure to return, a total of one week, 47 gold coins. Some ordinary Second Tier apprentices completing a year's worth of tasks might only receive supplies worth 30-40 gold coins. No wonder everyone was so enthusiastic about exploring secret realms.

Sylutia recalled earlier times. The 'Superior' quality Wheat she sold, a total of 8000 Jin. Even if all sold at the market price of 3 silver coins per Jin, it would be worth 240 gold coins. That took three months in total. Allocated per week, it was only about 20 gold coins.

However, growing wheat was indeed stable, not as dangerous as exploring, and it could be continuous. Combining this with her observations during her half-year at the Hidden Grove, she summarized a rough hierarchy.

Elite apprentices who can produce +3 quality >

Apprentices with abundant exploration gains >

Excellent apprentices who produce +2 quality >

Apprentices with mediocre exploration gains >

Ordinary apprentices who complete tasks.

(Cultivating Good quality wheat is +1, Superior is +2, Rare is +3, Exquisite is +4, Perfect is +5)

As for her, currently she could probably be considered a rare apprentice producing +5 quality. At her stage, she basically didn't lack money anymore. Another benefit of exploration gradually became apparent: obtaining rare resources difficult to buy on the market or from the association.

For example, the 'Ash Evil Fruit' that Karl needed. Such things were produced in extremely small quantities. Hoping for someone to list them for sale on the market meant waiting who knows how long. And he urgently needed it. In such cases, one could only rely on a reliable team to go to a secret realm with clues and try their luck searching.

After the distribution ended, Sylutia thought for a moment, then took out the gold coins she had just received and used 9 gold coins to exchange for the 3 'Morning Dew Pomelo Fruits' from the haul.

"Tia, are you planning to take them back for cultivation?" Because she was a gardener, the others quickly thought of this.

"Yes."

【Morning Dew Pomelo Fruit】(First Tier·Verdant Nectar): A fruit containing sweet, refreshing juice. It can effectively replenish hydration and can also be used to make fruit tea. When paired with other teas, it aids in restoring mental energy.

"Although some gardeners have successfully cultivated them before, many plant fruits from secret realms are born from a combination of various environmental factors. Taking them outside to plant might not yield usable fruits," the other team members reminded her.

"I know, but I still want to try," she said. Continuing to cultivate wheat held little meaning for her now. It was a good opportunity to practice with other plants.

Afterwards, the captain wrapped the three pale yellow fruits in a paper bag and handed it to her, which Sylutia accepted.

Then came the discussion about future arrangements.

"After this expedition, we probably need about two weeks of recuperation to eliminate the erosion from the Distortion," 'Bad Apple' said, resting his head on his hands and leaning back in his chair.

"I plan to get my equipment repaired, then continue studying the abilities required for the 【Heavy Swordsman】 profession," Yan replied.

"I've obtained the fruit, so it's time to advance my black cat," Karl explained, lightly tapping the table with his fingers.

"I want to use that snake fang to forge a decent weapon. It'll probably take some time," Captain Bad Apple stated.

Pona looked at everyone, hesitated for a few seconds, then said what she and Sylutia had previously discussed.

"I won't be participating next time."

"Before, we had all just entered the Second Tier not long ago, and the secret realm we chose wasn't too difficult. If we continue onward, the places we go will definitely become more and more dangerous. If I still tag along, I'll just be holding you back."

"This..."

The others looked at each other, unsure how to comfort her, because what Pona said was indeed the truth. During this expedition, they had all felt lingering fear, but they hadn't reached the point of abandoning Pona. However, Pona herself had sensed it early and brought the issue to light beforehand.

"In the future, I'll stay in the rear and prepare supplies for you all. As long as you come to my place for a meal together every time you return~" Pona said with a smile, breaking the somber atmosphere.

"After all, I'm a cook. That's my real profession."

"Then you must remember to give us a discount in the future, Pona~" Bad Apple was the first to speak, using laughter to break the others' silence.

After a round of teasing and cheerful laughter, they gradually accepted Pona's decision to leave the team.

Even though everyone felt reluctant deep down, considering future journeys, this arrangement was indeed the best. Otherwise, if an accident happened during a future adventure, facing injury or death then would only deal a greater blow to everyone's emotions.

"Alright, it's not like we'll never see each other again," Pona shook her head, actively comforting the others.

Finally, she turned her gaze to the black-haired girl beside her.

"Tia, since you'll have some free time afterwards, would you like to learn some cooking skills from me? I noticed you seemed quite interested."

"Well, then I'll trouble Sister Pona for guidance," the girl replied in a soft, slightly shy voice.

"No problem at all. From now on, Little Tia can just take my place in the team," Pona said, wrapping her arms around the girl and hugging her tightly.

Only after a good while did she reluctantly let go.

"But you're different from me after all. You don't need to prepare food for them every day like I did before. During regular expeditions, just feed those guys some rations. Making a delicious meal occasionally is enough."