The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 125: The Dead Embers Path Senior

Vol 2 Chapter 125: The Dead Embers Path Senior

A treehouse within the Hidden Grove settlement.

This was Sylutia's temporary residence. The giant tree, catalyzed to grow by her, formed an enormous canopy that shaded tens of meters. Beneath this tree, she had built a treehouse against the trunk, using the same material as the tree bark.

Inside the treehouse's main room, the warm orange glow of the Lantern illuminated the space as Sylutia and an old man sat facing each other, a small tea table between them.

"Feeling better, Mister Vanderhey?" Sylutia stood up and poured the brewed flower tea for the old man. It contained a bit of 'Sunflower Seed Oil' and 'White Camellia', which could effectively restore physical vitality.

"A bit better, thank you, Miss Tia." He picked up the teacup, his voice sounding somewhat weak as he replied.

After that, Sylutia sat back down in her chair and asked Vanderhey about his experiences over the past few years.

"...That year, after sending you to Scorchstone City, I went to the distant Merchant Capital Alliance to purchase goods."

"When I returned, I heard from Talier that you had already gone to the Hidden Grove. It was a shame I couldn't see you again, Miss Tia."

"For the next two years, I traveled around doing business as usual, until the war broke out and the Anty people invaded.""After the Anty people took control of this land, many rules changed. I found it particularly hard to adapt. Although I tried to bribe the local officers with money to make them less harsh..."

"But they frequently rotated personnel that year. After the Anty officers I was familiar with left, the newly arrived commanders would start demanding money again."

"I wasn't that kind of big merchant with substantial capital to begin with, so I couldn't keep up for long, and my business suffered terribly."

"After that, a minor officer arrested me on false charges. They first demanded my family pay a ransom to get me out, but even after paying, they would ask for more."

"Finally, when my family truly couldn't come up with any more, they threw me into the mine pit." Vanderhey recounted his past.

"Now my wife and children, afraid of being implicated, have long since run away. I'll probably have to spend the rest of my days alone from now on." He sighed, his eyes long devoid of the spirited drive and shrewdness of the past.

Hearing this, Sylutia comforted him a few words, then spoke of her own life in Scorchstone City that year.

"That year, I made quite a few friends and also had two teachers who cared for me deeply."

"If you don't mind, I can find a place for you to settle down in the future." Sylutia thought of the Hidden Grove's Glittergold Plains. The environment there was peaceful, and the city was exceptionally safe.

"This... well, thank you then, Miss Tia." He truly didn't have the courage to politely refuse anymore and could only nod in agreement.

After resolving the issue of his future whereabouts, Vanderhey's spirits improved slightly. Over the next two days, he was even able to initiate conversations with the people around him.

During these few days, Sylutia wrote a letter and entrusted it to a messenger bird summoned by a special secret method, instructing it to carry the letter to the Hidden Grove's surface outpost.

Waiting for a response from the 'Glittergold Plains' would probably take another 1-2 months. Sylutia thought that if she didn't destroy that mine pit, the lord of Scorchstone City would surely resort to his old tricks, continuously capturing people to fill the pit.

Since that was the case, she might as well completely destroy that mine pit.

Furthermore, she also wanted to go down into the depths of the mine pit to see if any remains or legacy of the corpse dragon were still left there.

Among the many Aspects of this world, the 'Dragon Eye' Aspect was the only one she had never come into contact with or understood.

...

Returning to Scorchstone City once more, but this time Sylutia did not enter the city. Instead, she skirted around the mountains outside Scorchstone City and headed directly towards the mine pit she had left several days ago.

The mountain paths here were full of marks from blades and fire. It seemed the weeds and vines she had scattered before leaving had given them a lot of trouble to clear.

Furthermore, several hidden sentry posts had been added along the mountain paths to observe the mountain road and the mine camp situation. Although they were well concealed, Sylutia spotted them at a glance.

Easily avoiding the sight of these people, Sylutia moved through the shadows of the trees.

When she returned to the outskirts of the mine camp, she didn't expect to find people already engaged in combat there ahead of time.

The other party was also dressed in a gray robe, his face hidden. He held a pale skull in his hand, with several monsters stitched together from white bones by his side, currently fighting the Anty soldiers within the camp.

'Dead Embers Mist'

As the pale skull in his hand spewed wisps of mist from its empty eye sockets, spreading along the mountain wind towards the enemies. Any soldier touched and engulfed by it quickly collapsed. Unfortunately, this time there was no one like Sylutia to show mercy; these people soon clutched their throats and died, motionless.

At this moment, only two Second Tier Anty officers remained fighting desperately within the area. Covering their mouths and noses, they desperately fled the range of the gray-white mist, preparing to leap down the mountain path to escape the pursuit of this gray-robed 'Bone Stitcher'.

But the other party did not let them go. He raised a finger, and one of the bone monsters by his side shot out a row of bone spikes, directly hitting the two fleeing men.

The bone spikes embedded themselves in their bodies. The power of the 'Dead Embers' Aspect spread, rapidly devouring the life vitality within their bodies. Finally, the two men fell to the ground with withered, gaunt faces, no longer breathing.

After dealing with all the soldiers in the camp, this mysterious gray-robed figure slowly shifted his gaze towards the direction of the tree canopy where Sylutia was.

"You probably aren't an Anty person, and we share similar goals. Please come out." His voice didn't sound old, probably around thirty years old.

At this moment, Sylutia jumped down from among the trees, her toes lightly touching the grass before she stood firm.

Two strands of black hair peeked out from within her hood. A faint aura of 'Third Tier · Verdant Nectar' emanated from Sylutia, causing the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees to sway and change slightly, dispersing the lingering 'Dead Embers Mist' in the air.

At this moment, the mysterious man opposite also released an aura of the 'Third Tier · Dead Embers' Aspect. The two forces subtly held each other in check.

Seeing this, the other party nodded slightly, then put away the skull in his hand and began to introduce himself.

"My name is Lucas. I originally came from Scorchstone City. If you lived here, you've probably heard my name." He introduced himself.

Huh? Was this person very famous locally? Sylutia blinked, unable to recall who he was.

Seeing Sylutia not reply, the other party frowned slightly, seemingly unsure whether this young woman was friend or foe. His fingers beneath his sleeve once again gripped the skull.

"My name is Sylutia. I also lived in Scorchstone City for a while before. I was studying under Scholar Hyde at the time. Sorry, I hadn't heard your name before."

The young woman finally spoke, and the other party relaxed a bit.

"Which year did you enroll? Could you have graduated before me?" A Transcendent's appearance and age weren't necessarily the same, especially since many women preferred to maintain their youthful looks.

It was possible that this young woman who appeared to be seventeen might actually be older than his own grandmother. Lucas had to treat this carefully.

"I... should have enrolled four years ago and graduated three years ago." Sylutia counted.

"You're lying. How could you have enrolled four years ago?" Lucas felt she was making fun of him.

"Why do you say that?"

"If you enrolled four years ago, you'd be First Tier at most. Even with exceptional talent, reaching Second Tier by then, how could you possibly advance to Third Tier in just three or four short years? Isn't that a lie?" Lucas pointed out the flaw in the young woman's words.

"This..." Sylutia felt it was hard to make him believe with words alone, so she took out two badges: one representing the specially recommended 'Hidden Grove Badge' and the other the 'Wind Chime Grass Badge' awarded for an Outstanding evaluation.

Seeing these two badges awarded by the Hidden Grove association, the other party's pupils contracted slightly, somewhat incredulous.

"To think..." He was somewhat speechless and also felt a sense of defeat.

"I thought I was already a rare genius, but I never expected..." After saying this, he shook his head and also took out an identical 'Wind Chime Grass' badge, showing it to the young woman.

After some conversation between the two, Sylutia finally remembered she had heard Lucas's story from Winnie.

'...The one who obtained the spot that time was a commoner from within Scorchstone City. His father was a guild employee, the family was relatively well-off and supported his studies, and he himself was quite talented, displaying special aptitude for the 'Dead Embers' Aspect.

At only seventeen, he had mastered two abilities of the 'Dead Embers' Aspect and, relying on the 'corpse rot poison' he made himself, successfully killed the second-stage target in the assessment, securing the qualification.'

"So it's Senior Lucas." Sylutia obediently bowed slightly in greeting, her gaze full of curiosity.

According to Sister Winnie's description, it had only been about ten years since he entered the Hidden Grove. To go from First Tier to Third Tier in just ten years was indeed a rare genius within the Grove.

"Since we both come from Scorchstone City and have both returned from the Hidden Grove, I assume you're also very interested in what's inside the mine pit. How about we explore and search together?" Having one more person would mean an extra helper to hold off the Anty garrison if they came later. That was what Lucas was thinking.

Moreover, even if they teamed up, she was a gardener, not a dedicated combat profession, so she posed little threat to him and could even help with minor troubles.

Hearing his proposal, Sylutia hesitated for a brief moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll thank you in advance for your care and company, Senior."

Since the other party trusted her, she didn't seem to have much to worry about either. If they truly encountered an extremely dangerous situation, she could use the 'alien star' Aspect's traversal ability to escape.

Furthermore, besides 'alien star', she still had many means she hadn't revealed. Whether it was that 'Knight Badge' or the ability enhancement from 'Cornflower', both could instantly skyrocket her combat strength.