The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 7: Silk Thread Bird

"Hello, do you have wind-breather lizards here?" Sylutia closed her umbrella, shook off the water droplets, and entered the shop.

"Hello, do you want live 'wind-breathers'? This way, please." Hearing Sylutia's voice, a shop assistant emerged from behind a counter.

"Yes, I need about twelve. Also, I'd like to purchase ten stalks of willow-catkin white grass, 100 grams of cachila stone..." Sylutia recited a long list of items.

"Alright, please wait a moment. I'll prepare them for you as quickly as possible." Hearing that this young lady wanted to buy quite a few things, the assistant happily and swiftly got to work.

While the assistant was preparing the materials, Sylutia sat on a high stool at the front counter, observing the surroundings. The air was filled with the scent of medicine. In a cabinet not far away, there were glass jars containing various soaked herbs and biological ingredients.

Black frog eyeballs, snake gallbladders, biting sawgrass, color-changing damselflies, tuning-fork jade, wind-antelope horns...

These were all relatively rare Tier 1-2 ingredients. It seemed this shop had a well-stocked supply. However, the prices for these things were more than double what they were in the Hidden Grove.

Half an hour later, the assistant handed Sylutia a packed bag. The young lady took it and handed over four gold coins.

"Please, take care on your way."

After leaving the shop, Sylutia, carrying the somewhat heavy bag, raised her umbrella again and stepped onto the street.By now, dusk was approaching. If she missed the last public carriage, she would have to look for a steam vehicle. But everyone had the same thought when it rained, so the steam vehicles occasionally passing by on the street were all packed with passengers.

Standing under a streetlamp to wait, the young lady's black silhouette blended with the twilight, becoming hazy amidst the rain.

Twenty minutes later, Sylutia looked at the now completely dark sky, thinking she might have to walk back tonight.

No longer waiting for the public carriage, she walked step by step, carrying her things. Wasp Street had many shops, and under the glow of lights, everything still appeared prosperous and pleasant.

After walking for about half an hour, Sylutia left the relatively bustling Wasp Street and crossed into the adjacent Agate Street. This street was much darker, with fewer shops. On the road, she could see many laborers who had finished work for the day. Most wore coarse, dirt-resistant linen clothes, and quite a few were burly beastmen.

Carefully stepping over a puddle on the ground, Sylutia looked up to check the way and continued walking forward, mentally calculating how much longer it would take to get home.

As she passed through a dimly lit section, several figures whose features were unclear suddenly surrounded her. Even before they spoke, the sour, foul odor emanating from them made Sylutia stop in her tracks.

They probably haven't bathed in half a month, the young lady thought, then looked up to see what these people intended to do.

"Hey, you're a new student who just arrived in Asra, right?" A beastman with a thick, round head stepped forward from the group.

"Um, yes." Sylutia was thinking that if a fight broke out, she absolutely must protect the things she bought. There were fragile glass jars inside. If they broke, she'd have to buy them again, and that would be such a hassle to run back for.

"Leave the stuff. Also, hand over three gold coins, and we'll let you pass." The other party didn't bother with pleasantries either, stating their demand directly.

They're actually quite polite, the young lady thought. However, she really didn't want to go shopping again.

"This... sorry, I can't agree to that." She decided to try reasoning with them a bit.

"The materials I'm holding are for an experiment tomorrow. They're not just for me, but for several of my roommates as well." For many new students, grades were their lifeline, because outstanding students here received scholarships. And scholarships were the key to whether many impoverished students could survive and keep up with their studies.

"You all should leave. I'll pretend I didn't see you and won't report this."

Hearing her words, another beastman nearby raised an eyebrow and made a scoffing sound.

"You've got quite an attitude, daring to talk like that. Forget the stuff, you're not leaving here at all today!" He seemed to have night vision. Seeing the young lady's appearance, his intentions began to shift.

"Wait a moment." The leading beastman stretched out a hand, stopping his companion beside him.

"You give us five gold coins, and I'll let you take the materials and go."

Five coins? Sylutia's pocket only had four gold coins left. After all, gold coins were heavy, and she usually didn't carry extra. If she really needed more, she could switch Aspects and burn life force to retrieve some from the storage space in the manor.

But right now, it was clearly not suitable to specifically switch Aspects just to take out one extra gold coin.

"Can four gold coins work? That's all I have." The young lady took the small pouch from her waist. It indeed only contained four gold coins.

"Not enough! Hand over that pocket watch on your waist too!" One of them spotted something valuable.

That [Blue Butterfly Pocket Watch] was a gift Mage Kidi had previously bought for Sylutia. It was useful daily for telling time and as a mirror, and Sylutia had been using it frequently lately.

"Sigh..." Sylutia sighed, stopping in place.

If only they had asked for just four gold coins, she wasn't that unwilling to part with the money.

"You're sighing now? I told you this little girl isn't honest. We must keep her here tonight, heheh." The beastman who had made the earlier suggestion let out a greedy laugh, then strode forward, attempting to grab this seemingly delicate, helpless young lady.

Several strands of violet light-thread appeared beside Sylutia. As they floated and rotated, they sliced sharp cuts into the approaching beastman. Then, these light-threads continuously interwove and wove together. Intricate, beautiful Patterns constructed a small, delicate flying bird that circled around Sylutia.

At this moment, a faint violet glow also appeared in the young lady's eyes, particularly striking in this dark night environment.

The nimble little bird, flapping its wings, flew in circles around her body. Its feathers became increasingly distinct, each one seemingly vivid and lifelike, with fine textures. Under the delineation of the Runic Imprints upon it, the edges of the feathers grew sharper and sharper.

Seeing their companion injured, emotions running high, the others immediately took action. The leading beastman among them was "Second Tier·Beast Fang," and the other three were also "First Tier·Bloodline" or "First Tier·Beast Fang."

A fierce punch, like a cannon hammer, swung out. As Sylutia dodged, it shattered the pavement beside her. The other few, adrenaline surging, rushed over with fierce eyes, pouncing down like mountains.

Under Sylutia's command, the pale violet flying bird nimbly darted about. The threads connected to its tail embedded into the flesh of several men, slicing open sharp wounds. In less than a moment, the underlings fell to the ground in agony, blood flowing everywhere.

'Bird·Charge·Speed·Sharpness·Thread'

Under the exquisite runic construction, this spell displayed power far exceeding its tier.

Facing his fallen companions, the leading beastman's rage surged. Clenching his blood-streaked arm, he swung his fist with all his might again, continuously chasing that nimble flying bird.

Ten seconds later, dragging his blood-soaked body, he grabbed hold of the flying bird and, amidst cracking bone sounds, directly crushed it.

Although such a spell was already quite powerful, the opponent was, after all, a "Second Tier·Beast Fang" existence, the Aspect with the strongest physique among its tier. Under the conceptual effect of the Aspect, his bones were no longer something ordinary threads or blades could sever or cut. Even if the skin was injured, the sturdy bones and teeth were the best defense and offense.

Such a thick-skinned, tough guy, Sylutia couldn't help but recall that Second Tier Ogre she encountered during the assessment that year. She was also First Tier at the time and couldn't pierce that thick hide at all.

If facing ordinary First Tier Transcendents, this guy could probably crush them, taking on ten at once wouldn't be a problem. However...

Sylutia blinked her eyelashes, and another violet flying bird appeared beside her, driving the opponent frantic. He decided to ignore this flying bird's attacks and grab this seemingly agile young lady first.

While dodging, Sylutia spread her fingers, and another violet flying bird was woven into existence. Then, under the opponent's incredulous gaze, she summoned a third flying bird.

These three flying birds darted around the beastman's body. Sharp threads crisscrossed, binding his joints and throat. If Sylutia exerted a bit more force, even if his neck didn't break, he would likely end up with a slit throat and die.

The sharp, dangerous chill transmitted from his throat rendered the beastman speechless. His previously boiling blood rapidly cooled, and bean-sized beads of sweat began to drip from his forehead and temples.

"W... wait..." He raised his hands, slowly bending his knees to kneel, hoping this young lady wouldn't kill him.

By now, less than a minute had passed since the fight began, and the dark street was already covered in blood.

"Sigh..."

Sylutia looked at the rainwater and bloodstains on her own clothes, starting to think about how to explain this when she got back. She couldn't very well say she just went out to buy some things and ended up killing three people, could she? Although they weren't dead yet, due to excessive blood loss, death would come soon enough.