The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 134: The Banquet Invitation

Vol 2 Chapter 134 The Banquet Invitation

After finishing the dinner provided by the inn, Sylutia went to sleep peacefully, and the night passed very quietly.

The next day, she changed into a relatively plain dress and dyed her hair black. Then, she left through the inn's side door and headed into Valley City, towards the place where Karen lived.

Recalling the address Yero had told her, Sylutia walked along the street. It was around eight in the morning, and there were quite a few pedestrians on the road. Walking among them, she didn't stand out at all.

After some searching, Sylutia didn't spend too much time before arriving in front of the small courtyard where Karen lived. It was a house on the eastern side of the city.

"Knock, knock." She knocked on the door and waited outside for a while.

Soon, Karen opened the door and saw this friend she hadn't seen for three years.

"Tia, is that you?" Karen's voice held a note of surprise.

"It's me." The young girl blinked her eyes, confirming it was indeed her.

Afterwards, the two entered the small courtyard. Karen welcomed Sylutia into the small house she lived in and brought her some hot water."This place is quite simple and crude. Sorry for making do, Tia."

"Not at all." Sylutia shook her head, her gaze briefly sweeping the surroundings.

The house wasn't large, and the furnishings in the living room were very simple. However, the bow and arrows hanging on the wall were quite eye-catching.

Seeing the curiosity in the young girl before her, Karen explained, "I rented this place two years ago. The previous owner was an aunt who worked at a local oil press. She's gone back to her hometown in the countryside now."

"Originally, I planned to study here for a few years before traveling to other places. But with the current turbulent situation, I haven't made a move." Karen explained.

"I heard a big battle happened in Valley City not long ago. I was very worried about whether you got involved, Sister Karen." Sylutia brought up the events from some time ago.

"It was a very fierce battle, but I stayed at home the whole time and hardly went out." Karen recalled the smell of burning corpses that was everywhere outside Valley City during that period and shook her head slightly.

"You must be very curious about the battle in Valley City recently. It just so happens I experienced it firsthand, so I can tell you in detail." Afterwards, Karen narrated the situation in Valley City from some time ago to Sylutia.

"So, Prince Jabers managed to turn the then-lord of Valley City and recruited a large group of old ministers and knights from Regas."

"Yes, at that time, his subordinates basically controlled Valley City. Many people on the streets openly proclaimed their identities and mobilized residents to enlist."

"Some people even came to me, trying to persuade me to join the patrol team to help them hunt down Anty scouts, but I refused."

"War is a cruel thing. I don't want to participate in it casually. Besides, Prince Jabers hasn't yet shown the bearing of a wise ruler, making him hard to trust."

"How did that big battle end up, specifically?"

"During their first assault, the Anty army breached the city walls. After that, it was a one-sided pursuit and rout. Many new recruits died just like that during the siege."

"After occupying the castle in the southern part of the city, the Anty forces discovered that Prince Jabers and Princess Mursa had already fled. So, General Nokton led an elite team to pursue them."

"But on the way, they reportedly encountered an ambush by a strange third-party force, which resulted in General Nokton being seriously injured and falling into a coma. Many of the knights under his command also suffered heavy losses."

"After this incident, 'Baron Prison Hound' Carkis, who took over command in place of Nokton, issued a strict lockdown order to root out resisters or cultists in the city. Many people were arrested."

"However, under the prolonged lockdown, supplies in Valley City became increasingly scarce. Seeing the situation was about to spiral out of control, Carkis finally ordered the lockdown to be lifted."

"Now, merchant caravans can enter and leave Valley City freely, but there are still many patrols on the streets. That General Carkis hasn't given up yet." Karen finished recounting the recent situation.

"How did you manage to come back, Tia? I heard apprentices in the Hidden Grove can't leave easily."

"Well, about that..." Sylutia thought for a moment, closed her eyes slightly, and then opened them. Her originally light blue, clear irises now showed a hint of emerald green. This hint of emerald green seemed to possess a strange vitality, suffusing the surrounding world, allowing Karen to feel the vibrant aura of sprouting vegetation.

"This is... Third Tier Verdant Nectar?" Karen's jaw dropped in utter astonishment.

She did know this young girl had extraordinary talent, but she never imagined she could advance to the Third Tier in just three short years.

"No wonder, no wonder you could come back." She pressed a hand to her chest, taking a deep breath as if digesting this shocking news.

Afterwards, Karen became interested in Sylutia's experiences living in the Hidden Grove and asked the young girl how she had spent these years.

Sylutia recounted her observations and experiences in the Hidden Grove, starting from the farm in the valley, then studying on the Glittergold Plains, and later going to the Darkmist Mountains to establish the garrison, and so on.

Karen marveled at how rich Sylutia's experiences had been over these three years. As for herself, although she had also made considerable progress compared to the past, in terms of excitement, it couldn't compare to Sylutia's.

"Sister Karen has worked very hard too." Sylutia comforted her. Her own situation was indeed quite special and not something an ordinary person could emulate.

The two talked like this until noon. Afterwards, Karen and Sylutia made lunch together. After eating, in the afternoon, they briefly exchanged archery techniques in the courtyard. Karen also showed Sylutia her newly learned ability and her archer progression path.

Progression Path [Archer Lv.3]: A formed primary progression path, proficiently mastering the skill of archery. (Eagle Eye, Wind-Listening Spatial Discernment Lv.3)

"Actually, I've been hesitating lately about whether to choose the 'Castle' Aspect path or the 'Bloodline' Aspect path." Karen spoke of her recent troubles.

"The 'Castle' path contains quite a few inheritance secret techniques for elite army archers, while the 'Bloodline' path has many inheritance techniques for ranger archers." Karen briefly described the differences between the two.

If we delve deeper into their differences, the elite archers of the 'Castle' path are more specialized, with extremely strong long-range killing power, while the ranger archers of the 'Bloodline' path are more well-rounded, suitable for handling many unexpected situations.

"It depends on what kind of life you want, Sister Karen." Sylutia thought for a moment.

"If you choose the 'Castle' path, it will be relatively stable, but you'll inevitably have to deal with people and matters related to the School of Royal Authority in the future, meaning you must join some organization."

"If you choose the 'Bloodline' path, you'll have much more freedom, but life often won't be too stable, because advancing in the 'Bloodline' Aspect frequently requires you to hunt high-tier creatures to obtain resources and complete trials." Based on her own studies, Sylutia helped Karen analyze.

After listening to Sylutia's analysis, Karen fell into thought.

"Let me think about it for another two days. Thank you, Tia, for today."

In the afternoon, Sylutia bid farewell to Karen and returned to the inn where she was staying.

However, as soon as she entered her room, she was stopped by the maidservant who had been waiting for some time.

"Lady Tia, there's a special invitation letter, said to be for you." She handed over a special invitation letter bearing the wax seal of the Kingdom of Ante.

"'Baron Prison Hound' Carkis?" Sylutia was certain she had never met this person before. But why would he send her an invitation? Moreover, she had only just arrived in Valley City and stayed one night; did the other party already know her identity?

"Yes, that soldier said he was conveying General Carkis's invitation and insisted we deliver the letter to you. He also said he hoped Miss Tia wouldn't break the appointment, otherwise something bad would happen." The maidservant described the attitude of the soldier who delivered the letter.

"Something bad... Is that a threat to me?" Sylutia's fingers lightly twirled a strand of her hair.

She pinched the invitation letter with her fingers, somewhat displeased, and opened it to check the time and location inside.

"It's actually tonight. How impatient." Sylutia even suspected the other party was specifically targeting her.

She had only been in the city for a day, right? Had the Scorchstone City matter been exposed?

That couldn't be right. If the other party knew about the Scorchstone City matter, they probably wouldn't be this polite. After all, that General Carkis's strength is around the Fourth Tier. If he really wanted to target her, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble and give advance notice.

If it wasn't targeting her, then why was Carkis looking for her?

Just out of curiosity? Or was there some other unspeakable secret?

While pondering, Sylutia took off her plain outer garment and changed into that luxurious dark green dress. Afterwards, the maidservant beside her helped comb her hair and put on exquisite golden hair ornaments.

By the time Sylutia was ready, the sky had already darkened. It was time to set off for the banquet.

"Let's go."

Escorted by several riders from the merchant caravan, Sylutia got into the carriage. Listening to the clip-clop of hooves outside, they gradually drove towards the tall castle in the southern part of Valley City.