The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 86: Awaiting the Moon Ceremony

Vol 2 Chapter 86: Awaiting the Moon Ceremony

Advancing to the Third Tier requires high-grade gems. Gems require alchemy. The products of alchemy need to be exchanged for resources. Resources need to be traded for with holy water. Holy water requires the purification ability of the 'Luminous Moon' Aspect to refine.

Thus, in order to reach the Third Tier with 'Verdant Nectar', the ability of the 'Luminous Moon' Aspect also needs to be improved. Sylutia massaged her forehead.

She always felt she had a tangled, inseparable fate with 'Luminous Moon'.

However, studying that book, 'Meleranke Praying in the Lake', would still take some time. She needed to properly arrange her schedule, balancing her work at the garrison and her private research time.

Fortunately, as the highest administrator of 'Lantern Town', the current rules were basically whatever she said, making adjustments quite simple.

The mornings were used to handle the town's affairs, whether administrative duties or tending to the crops in the greenhouse. The afternoons were used to peruse ancient texts, cross-referencing the records in 'Meleranke in the Lake' to comprehend the technique for making Clear Spring holy water.

As for the evenings, she would relax a bit, read some leisure books, or talk with everyone, take a walk, and look at the cornflower potted plants she grew.

For the following month, Sylutia lived an exceptionally stable, orderly-scheduled life like this.

During this month, she became increasingly familiar with the abilities of the cornflower and built another small private garden greenhouse within the town. Although the space was only forty square meters, it was filled with various potted flowers large and small, with cornflowers being the most numerous....

In the afternoon, after finishing her studies on Clear Spring holy water, Sylutia walked on the town's cobblestone paths for a stroll. The trees planted along the roadside had slowly grown. Although it was difficult for them to blossom and bear fruit under the erosion of the evil winds, their large and small, slightly yellowed leaves spreading out still gave this town a bit more natural atmosphere.

Sitting on a bench under a tree, Sylutia lightly lifted her pale sleeve, the slender fingers revealed within feeling the breath of the gentle breeze, her gaze looking into the distant wilderness.

The clear wind was bleak and desolate. The heavy clouds under the vaulted sky hung low, the earth seeming to tilt, leaning into the endless darkness on one side.

Although the scenery outside was exceptionally gloomy and oppressive, within the town protected by the city walls, it was like a warm room in winter, not assaulted by the fierce winds, possessing a tranquil environment of finding peace amidst the evil.

This allowed Sylutia's spirit to relax slightly, and she gained a bit more understanding of the concept of 'Autumn'.

Autumn, a season clear and cool like the wind. It signifies the departure of the scorching summer while simultaneously heralding the arrival of the harsh winter. It is the withering of all things, yet also the season when fruit crops ripen.

...

A week later, Sylutia came to the pond behind the town at night. She placed a silver plate on the platform by the pond's edge, then took out a small amount of clear water and poured it into the plate.

Afterwards, she took out a cultivated cornflower, held it in her hand, closed her eyes in prayer, and softly chanted a prayer hymn.

That quiet and gentle hymn, like the softest feather brushing by, echoed within the night wind.

Slight ripples spread, and then a faint silver halo glowed around Sylutia's body, like intangible moonlight.

Then, she used the cornflower to dip into the small amount of liquid in the plate. The water touched the petals, condensing into droplets of crystal-clear water beads.

These water beads slowly absorbed the power of 'Luminous Moon' and 'Verdant Nectar' amidst the maiden's song, finally being lightly sprinkled into the air by Sylutia, then drawn by her special power, rising and falling in the night wind.

Thus, the 'Luminous Moon' hymn, the 'Verdant Nectar' flower branch, and the 'Vaulted Sky' night wind achieved a certain balance.

The 'Awaiting the Moon Ceremony' began to take effect. This was a ceremony Meleranke used in her early years to dispel plagues, which could also be used to make purifying holy water.

As the water beads in the night wind began to glow with a faint radiance, they finally spun again, falling back into the plate, imbuing the originally clear water with a strange efficacy. It was 'holy water' clearer than clear, purer than pure.

[Awaiting the Moon Holy Water] (Second Tier · Superior): Holy water prepared using the Awaiting the Moon Ceremony, possessing the efficacy to purify plagues and contamination.

Compared to the purified water liquid previously made with [Sylutia's Clear Spring], its effect is stronger. Just one drop can purify a whole pond of clear water. It can also be directly consumed to remove the Distortion erosion acquired from wandering in the Shadow World. Finally, it can also be used in the preparation of medicines, to purify a certain required substance.

Logically speaking, Sylutia's imitation of Meleranke's ceremony could be considered crude. There was no large choir team, she didn't wait for a time when moonlight shone everywhere, and there was no blowing, clean night wind. But simply because she utilized the participation of the 'cornflower', the entire ceremony's effect was enhanced, finally producing Second Tier holy water.

After finishing the ceremony, the cornflower in Sylutia's hand exhausted its Aspect power and slowly dimmed.

This one would probably need to rest and be cultivated for a while again before it could recover. Sylutia silently thought to herself, then carefully put it away, planning to later insert it into a pot for recuperation.

Currently, her exclusive greenhouse garden was filled with a large number of cornflowers of 'First Tier · Perfect' quality, but only this one had just stepped into the 'Second Tier'.

After finishing the Awaiting the Moon Ceremony, Sylutia took out small silver vials and slowly poured the condensed '[Awaiting the Moon Holy Water]' from the plate into them. In the end, they were exactly filled with five small vials, each about the width of two of the maiden's fingers.

Thus, the [Awaiting the Moon Holy Water] preparation was completed. Because it was her first time imitating Meleranke's ceremony, she was still somewhat unfamiliar;

it would probably be better next time.

After packing everything up, Sylutia returned to her room to sleep and rest.

The next day, she sealed one of the silver vials and handed it to an apprentice Eagle Scout within the garrison.

"Please deliver this small vial and the letter to Dark Sand River Valley."

"Understood, Lady Sylutia." The other person looked to be around twenty-eight years old, far more mature than this maiden, yet his expression was respectful.

He gave some instructions to the eagle he had trained, then released it. It would probably fly to Dark Sand River Valley by evening. If the other party acknowledged the purification ability of this vial of holy water, they would send Sylutia a reply. At that time, Sylutia would then mass-produce it.

Additionally, the cornflowers she was cultivating in her greenhouse still needed a bit more time to step into the 'Second Tier'.

...

Two days later, a reply came from Dark Sand River Valley, stating that the holy water Sylutia provided had very good purification effects, and they were willing to exchange it for the Dark River Magnetic Sand they produced.

This way, large-scale preparation was possible. Sylutia thought that she definitely couldn't handle it alone and began considering finding other apprentices to assist.

Unfortunately, among this batch of apprentices, no one practiced the 'Luminous Moon' path, because the difficulty of the three upper Aspects was relatively high, and the Glittergold Plains only had the legacies of a few organizations with the 'Blazing Sun' Aspect.

In other words, the most crucial step of the prayer hymn singing could only be completed by her alone. And thinking about having to sing in front of so many classmates made Sylutia feel a bit unable to let go.

When it came down to it, she wasn't that kind of outgoing personality. Whether in her previous life or this one, she still retained a bit of a maiden's shyness.

However, no matter how shy she was, the tasks that needed to be done still had to be done. Sylutia could only secretly cheer herself on, making herself slowly adapt to this scene of praying and singing before a crowd.

Speaking of which, how did Meleranke adapt back then? Perhaps she was always thinking about saving people and never considered these trivial personal matters. A faint feeling of reverence rose in Sylutia's heart.