The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 60: Crown of Glory

After seeing off the old butler and his entourage, Sylutia and Lining returned to the residence.

Looking at the small white chess piece on the table, the young girl was somewhat curious.

"Lining, do you know the value of this chess piece?"

"I do not know, Miss Tia." The maid replied calmly.

"However, compared to those rather useless 20 gold coins, this chess piece is clearly much rarer."

Gold coins, or money in general, were something Lady Franne was never short of, while chess pieces like this were very few in her inventory. Given Lady Franne's usual style, she would definitely prefer this chess piece.

"I see." The young girl nodded slightly, then tried to pick up this small white chess piece, sensing the solidified 'Castle' Aspect power within it.

"Can all nobles make chess pieces like this?" This was her first time seeing one.

"Only nobles with actual power, meaning nobles with territories, can." Lining answered.

"Ordinary nobles, while they possess the status conferred by their territory, are not skilled in such supernatural arts and secret techniques. They need scholars by their side to assist them in order to condense and create such chess pieces.""However, most of the time, nobles do not do this. They usually directly confer the title in person and bestow 'Castle' Aspect power. This is simpler and can also establish a loyalty contract with their subordinate."

"So, such chess pieces are rarely seen on the market." Lining explained.

"In that case, doesn't it mean nobles can mass-produce soldiers or knights possessing 'Castle' Aspect ranks?" Sylutia inquired.

"They can mass-produce them, provided their territory is vast and their own status is sufficiently powerful." Lining continued her answer.

"For example, a Baron can at most confer the title of 'Second Tier·Castle' to their guards, while a Viscount can confer up to 'Third Tier·Castle' to knights. Each conferral permanently consumes a portion of the noble's own status."

"Currently, Viscount Xuefeng has three knights under his command, which is his limit, and there is also the danger of regression."

"If a noble is stripped of their title or loses their territory, then the knights and soldiers under their command will gradually lose the bestowed 'Castle' Aspect." Hearing this, Sylutia couldn't help but think of Iona, the daughter of the former Viscount Caren.

"No wonder in history, those nobles were so obsessed with territory and population." Sylutia recalled the books she had read before.

"By that logic, if a completely mediocre ordinary person ascended to the throne, wouldn't they also be able to soar to the heavens in one step, obtaining a high-status 'Aspect'?" She thought of something.

"Yes, several such events have occurred in history. In fact, such an ascension process is itself a type of 'Ritual'."

[Ritual of Royal Authority·Crown of Glory] (Castle·Secret Word·Bloodline)

'During the Eighth Epoch, as the lineages of Dragons and Fairies diminished, they gradually withdrew from the mortal continent, opening new gardens in the heavens, far from the tainted Twilight Sea. Various weaker lineages expanded across the continent, with a hundred races vying for supremacy. During this time, 'Swan King' Moransa, the firstborn among humans, pioneered the School of Royal Authority, promulgated the first Codex of the Mortal Realm, and constructed the prototype of a state. His ascension to the throne while holding the Codex was recorded by countless poems and histories, becoming the starting point of the 'Castle' Aspect.'

- Conditions: This ritual requires the coronated individual to have a sufficient population swearing allegiance (Bloodline), stone towers, high walls, and castles distributed across the territory, symbolizing control over the land (Castle), and the proclamation of laws and rules to be implemented in the territory (Secret Word). The more the various arrangements synchronize with the legends of 'Swan King' Moransa's legendary experience, the stronger the ritual effect.

- Record: This ritual requires territory and sworn allegiance, which are the cornerstones for constructing status. During the ritual, the coronated individual's name must be inscribed on the stone towers, high walls, and castles distributed across the territory, while a sufficient number of subjects declare their allegiance. The codex proclaimed during the ritual will form its efficacy. Afterwards, the more residents within the territory who recognize and abide by the codex, the stronger the royal authority's destiny.

- Effect: Grants the coronated individual the blessing of royal authority during the ritual, elevates the status rank of the 'Castle' Aspect, and grants the ability to bestow and revoke 'Castle' class positions from those who have sworn allegiance. (The larger the territory and the greater the number of sworn followers, the stronger the blessing becomes.)

After accepting this chess piece and placing it in the residence's underground storage room, Sylutia returned to the backyard again to rest and read.

...

The next day, she went to Scholar Hyde's residence and met her friends whom she hadn't seen for several days.

"Ah, Tia has also advanced." The group happily congratulated her.

They had long expected Sylutia to advance; they were just curious why the young girl herself wasn't in a hurry. Now she had finally advanced.

"Yes." The young girl smiled and accepted everyone's congratulations, and then the group became curious again.

"What's the difference between advancing in the 'Verdant Nectar' Aspect and 'Bloodline'?"

"Well." The young girl lightly touched her chin with her finger, recalling the sensation.

"It probably doesn't emphasize personal physique and combat prowess as much as 'Bloodline' does, leaning more towards cultivation and assistance." Not all class positions focus on combat, but that doesn't mean they are weak.

For example, for Viscount Xuefeng, having a 'Third Tier·Mist Shadow' wizard under his command would be far more useful and provide far greater practical help to the Viscount than having two 'Third Tier·Castle' knights.

This is because wizards possess diverse methods and master various secret technique knowledge, able to assist the Viscount in multiple fields, while what knights can do is relatively limited, especially during peacetime.

Following Solyn, Mick, and Ray, Sylutia was the fourth in the class to advance. Not long after, Baren, Komea, and others also stepped into the First Tier. However, Baren chose 'First Tier·Castle', while Komea chose 'First Tier·Mist Shadow'.

The successive advancements of the students greatly pleased the territory's master, Viscount Xuefeng, who invited them to have dinner at the castle.

That night, Scholar Hyde and the many students enjoyed a sumptuous banquet. Moreover, Viscount Xuefeng generously had tailors make a set of winter clothing for each person as a gift for the approaching winter.

Compared to lightweight summer clothing, winter clothing uses more material and is often more durable, wearable for many years. This gift was timely assistance for some of the commoner students.

At night, after the banquet ended, the students dispersed, with only a few remaining behind, as they already resided within the castle.

Iona stood up from her seat. Her golden hair reflected a faint luster even in the candlelight. Tonight, she wore a red dress, looking quite beautiful.

"I'm going back to rest, Uncle." She and Viscount Xuefeng were relatives.

"Alright, you go back first, Iona." Viscount Xuefeng, having drunk some wine, didn't pay much attention and continued discussing recent matters with Scholar Hyde beside him.

Leaving the brightly lit dining hall, Iona walked alone along the long corridor inside the castle. Because some areas were unlit, it felt somewhat desolate under the moonlight.

"Everyone has advanced." She muttered to herself in a low voice, her gaze turning outside the castle, watching the departing students below, various thoughts churning in her heart.

Originally, when she first came to Scholar Hyde's place, as a former student of the Royal Academy who had already stepped into 'First Tier·Blazing Sun', she possessed advantages far surpassing her classmates, which also soothed her originally somewhat fragile and troubled state of mind.

However, as those inexperienced students gradually mastered knowledge one by one and caught up, her advantage was no longer obvious, and it even felt like her progress was slow.

Now she had just turned 17 not long ago, with a supernatural rank of 'First Tier·Blazing Sun', and mastering two Third Segment abilities: [Breathing Technique Lv.3] (Bloodline) and [Golden Needle Piercing Blade Lv.3] (Blazing Sun). Even in the Royal Academy, she would be considered a student with decent grades.

Unfortunately, she had ultimately fallen behind in progress. If her father were still here, providing her with ample cultivation resources, she probably would have long completed the [Golden Thorn Apprentice] class position. Her more distant goal was the 'Third Tier·Blazing Sun' class position [Golden Sun Swordsman], a class position of the 'Blazing Sun School', exceptionally powerful and often among the best of the same tier.

If she could step into 'Third Tier·Blazing Sun' before the age of thirty, she would be called a genius by everyone. Only then could she return to the upper echelons of the kingdom's noble circles, gaining a certain qualification for social interaction. Otherwise, those great nobles would simply ignore her, and there would be no way to talk about rescuing her father and restoring her family's glory.

Should she continue to wait like this? She felt that if she continued to stagnate like this, she probably had no chance of winning in the competition a few months later and obtaining the qualification to enter the Hidden Grove.

That's right, Viscount Xuefeng was her uncle. But faced with more outstanding, more promising students, would he really unwaveringly choose her and reserve the spot for her? Iona wasn't sure and didn't dare to guarantee it.

Iona's footsteps grew slower and slower, finally stopping at the top of a watchtower in the castle, gazing into the night sky.

The silver moon hung high, but clouds chased around it, causing the moon's disk to occasionally fall into them, becoming dim and lightless.