The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 84: Crimson Berry

"Wahh, Tia, you finally came back!"

In the village chief's room, Talier hugged Sylutia while wiping away tears. If this young girl hadn't returned, she wouldn't have known what to do.

"It's alright, I'm back now." Sylutia held Talier's back, comforting her while stroking her hair.

It was indeed her own fault. Because she didn't understand the situation with her innate ability, she had fallen into the Shadow World.

After the two had a good long catch-up, Sylutia asked the old village chief how long she had been missing.

"About a day and two nights. I sent many villagers up the mountain to look for you, but with no results. If we still couldn't find you today, I would have had to send someone to set off immediately and notify the important people in Scorchstone City." The old village chief looked thoroughly worried and frightened.

"I'm sorry, Village Chief." Sylutia was still very grateful to this old village chief.

When she first entered this world with naivety, it was entirely thanks to the kindness of the villagers that she was able to peacefully integrate into the environment without any accidents occurring.

"Alright, it's good that you're back. Now Talier and I can finally get a good night's sleep, hehe." The old man's mood had improved considerably by now.

After resting another night at the village chief's house, Sylutia and Talier set off the next day to return to Scorchstone City.December was nearing its end, and the assessment day would be on some day in January or February of the coming year. There wasn't much time left for Sylutia to prepare.

...

Returning to Lady Franne's mansion, Sylutia found an opportunity to tell her teacher the general story of how she fell into the Shadow World this time. However, she omitted the part about 'Meleranke Praying in the Lake', as this holy scripture involved too many complications. Moreover, there were currently no external records circulating about the 'Silver Radiance Church', so asking her teacher wouldn't be very meaningful.

"I never expected you to experience the Shadow World in advance this time, and return completely unscathed." For the first time, Lady Franne looked at Sylutia with a gaze of surprise and astonishment, which made the young girl feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Your situation actually occurs occasionally across the continent, but it's extremely rare for someone to fall into the Shadow World and then return on their own like you did."

"The reason everyone lives in cities, towns, and villages is to use the ritual formations of the 'Castle' Aspect to stabilize space and avoid encountering this strange 'falling away' phenomenon," Lady Franne explained.

"However, after advancing in Aspect rank, one generally won't encounter such things anymore," she continued.

"It's like using a bamboo sieve to filter wheat flour. The large particles can't fall through. Higher-level Aspects have difficulty passing through such weak spacetime fissures." Lady Franne also seemed unaware of matters concerning the 'alien star' Aspect.

"Have you transformed from Verdant Nectar to Bloodline?" She noticed another interesting thing.

"Uh, yes. Because it was too dangerous inside, the Verdant Nectar profession I later condensed also shattered. I could only temporarily switch to 'Bloodline' to survive first," Sylutia replied somewhat sheepishly.

"Bloodline isn't really a problem." Lady Franne waved her hand dismissively.

"At the 1st and 2nd rank stages, Aspect power isn't stable, so switching isn't difficult. Many rituals can accomplish it."

"It's just that these rituals require resources, and ordinary people can't afford them."

"Sylutia, do you think gardeners can be divided into good and bad?" She asked the girl before her with great interest.

"Gardeners can be divided into good and bad?" In her impression, the most powerful gardener was probably someone like her mother, who almost had the ability to alter local climate and seasons.

"Of course, just like the difference between black witches and white witches." Lady Franne lightly tapped her fingers.

"I mean, a small number of gardeners are particularly skilled at combining 'Bloodline' and 'Verdant Nectar', thereby utilizing the power of blood and pulse rhythms."

"This approach can't exactly be called evil, but unfortunately, some of its methods are too effective and have been abused, giving it a very bad reputation."

"What is it?" Sylutia was curious why Lady Franne was being so roundabout today instead of stating things directly.

"It's using living people as fertilizer, Tia." Lady Franne lifted her eyelids and looked at the girl.

"A common evil usage is extracting an enemy's blood and pulse rhythms to nourish the mutated plant in their hands, then condensing 'Crimson Blood Fruit'. This kind of fruit can strengthen the physique of those who cannot learn Breathing Techniques."

"A slightly better usage is using one's own flesh and blood to nourish a plant, then gaining the ability to control a specific plant as if it were one's own arm."

"The highest-level usage is the legendary birth ritual of the 'Blood Flower Fairy'. That involves using one's own flesh, blood, soul, consciousness, and everything to nourish a single flower. When this flower blooms, the original self dies and disappears, giving birth to a 'Blood Flower Fairy' that possesses the original host's memories."

"But the two are ultimately different. The latter merely inherits the former's memories, and 'Blood Flower Fairies' easily develop extreme and bizarre personalities, causing great destruction."

"Uh, teacher, then isn't there a kinder, more righteous usage?" After listening, Sylutia felt her whole being was not doing well.

"Giggle, let me think about that. It seems there is indeed one relatively righteous usage. That is to drip one's own 'Bloodline' Aspect into a blooming flower, allowing it to be infused with 'Bloodline', finally producing 'Blood-colored Berries'. The juice of these berries can be used as a substitute for one's own blood."

"Some physicians use this method to prepare 'Blood-colored Berries' for rescue purposes for warriors in advance, to be used in dangerous surgeries."

"If you don't plan to continue on the 'Bloodline' path, I can use this method to extract the 'Bloodline' Aspect from your body, then let you re-enter the 'Verdant Nectar' path."

"Then let's choose this one."

She still wanted to continue on the 'Verdant Nectar' path. As for 'Luminous Moon', she could also transform her Aspect in the future by cultivating plants to achieve similar ability effects.

In the following days, Lady Franne used a needle to prick Sylutia's finger and had Sylutia gather and expel a tiny bit of the 'Bloodline' Aspect from her own blood to nourish the berry flowers she had prepared.

About three days later, Sylutia sat back in a chair with a pale face. By this time, she had also returned to the stage of not having a condensed Aspect.

"Rest well, Little Tia. I'll be home these next few days, so you don't need to entertain guests or tend to the flowers." Lady Franne lovingly stroked the girl's hair.

"Mhm." She drank the 'Blazing Sun Flower Tea' Lady Franne had prepared for her, recovering a bit of vitality. Her complexion also regained some of its rosiness.

Phew, now she had to start all over again.

At night, she lay on the soft large bed under the window, recalling the experiences of these past few months. Ripples of emotion drifted through her heart.

Although she had left her family, her mother, and the world she once knew, she had also met many wonderful people. Whether it was the stern Captain Frien, the kind Scholar Hyde, the graceful Lady Franne, or Winnie, Mareen, Talier, Vanderhey, and others who had helped her.

This world was indeed very dangerous. Whether it was the beasts in the mountains, the bandits at night, or the endless monsters beneath the Twilight Sea, they all threatened many lives. But in this chaotic world, there also existed some warmth and conviction.

In distant times, the 'Silver Radiance Church' that initially explored the Shadow World, the resolute knights who opened up territory in the frontier wildlands, the scholars who imparted knowledge—even if they couldn't be called perfectly selfless, their actions ultimately brought much positive meaning to this world.

Just as Scholar Hyde had taught her: Even if you wish to obtain supreme freedom, would you rather swim freely in a filthy, wicked ocean, or stroll through a sea of colorful, vibrant flowers?

Would you rather be king among a group of primitive people who are barely clothed and fed, or become a free member of a splendid, civilized world, witnessing the spark of countless inspirations burst forth, feeling the birth of countless novel things?

The Silver Radiance Church, Knight Horlin, the witches during the founding period of Regas—these people had no connection to her present self, but the traces they left behind back then ultimately, bit by bit, changed the world of today, shaping the life she was experiencing now.

The connection of threads and strings, the accumulation of countless tiny details.

Even though 'Fungal Threads' had already dissipated, as the most ancient Aspect, its concept remained the foundation and starting point of everything.