The Cornflower Witch

“These are the elites I’ve selected from the outer organization. With them, you should be able to quickly understand and grasp the local situation.” Da Vinci introduced the twenty members to Sylutia.

The Mithril Clock was currently the top-ranked faction within the Mage Alliance. Although its core formal members weren’t many, it had numerous subordinate institutions and organizational personnel, and the benefits were exceptionally good—it was a dream for countless people to join.

Sylutia nodded, her clear eyes scanning their faces. They were mostly around Fourth Tier, with professions including Alchemists, Apothecaries, Engineers, Scholars, financial staff, and so on, each possessing deep experience in their respective fields.

Generally speaking, First and Second Tier were considered the apprentice stage. Third Tier was a watershed, marking someone as a formal professional. In many small towns and remote areas, a Third Tier professional was often the most prominent figure in the entire town, enjoying a very high social status.

When Sylutia first studied in Scorchstone City, even the most powerful professionals there were only at Third Tier.

Reaching Fourth Tier usually meant that one had accumulated extensive experience in the field and could conduct in-depth research and practice on their own, honing a particular skill to its peak. They would then use this specialized area as a fulcrum to pry open various other opportunities.

For example, a Fourth Tier Apothecary could generally master two or three potions they were absolutely familiar with and specialized in. Using only Third Tier materials, they could brew high-quality Fourth Tier potions. Relying on this advantage, they could repeatedly brew these potions to obtain abundant resources, then use those to trade for whatever they lacked—such as high-quality pharmaceutical instruments, higher-grade herbs, rare recipe manuscripts, powerful equipment, reliable guards, and so on.

Alternatively, a powerful Fourth Tier warrior could use their combat strength to venture into the dangerous secret realms of the Shadow World, harvest various resources and materials, and then trade those for what they needed.

While a Third Tier professional might still struggle financially, most Transcendents at Fourth Tier and above would become well-off. At that point, hiring them or commanding them came at a significant cost.

In most cases, nobles and the wealthy couldn’t afford to keep such powerful professionals on permanent retainer. They typically only issued tasks and paid a hefty sum when needed.

To truly command these Fourth Tier and above Transcendents at low cost and over the long term—or make them obey orders—one had to rely on relational bonds. For example, the sisterly kinship within the Witches organization, the oath of loyalty between lord and subject, the master-disciple tradition, or the sense of responsibility and belonging within a faction.

Within mage factions, most used a system similar to master-disciple inheritance, combined with the sense of responsibility and belonging to the same organization, to unify all members.

This was different from ordinary employment or labor. After joining a faction, you truly gained many things. For instance, if you encountered an enemy you absolutely couldn’t handle, you could seek help from teachers and classmates within the faction, and you’d likely survive. If you suffered a severe, untreatable injury, fellow faction members would often actively rescue you rather than abandon you. In old age, you could live peacefully in a place arranged by the faction without fear of bullying or abandonment.

Beyond that, in areas such as finding work, searching for rare resources, or seeking guidance in an unfamiliar field, you could obtain considerable convenience within the faction. Otherwise, doing everything entirely on your own was not only extremely difficult but also required constant vigilance against fraud, scams, threats, extortion, and so on.

Laws had strong constraints on ordinary people, but not on Transcendents. For example, if you were a pharmacist who hadn’t joined any organization, even if you could produce high-quality potions, others could use their channel advantages to arbitrarily suppress the price when purchasing from you.

Furthermore, if your self-defense capabilities were insufficient, you had to be careful not to be forcibly detained, locked up in some unknown dark room to keep working. Even if you were in a relatively safe city and earned money, when you tried to use that money to buy rare herbs and secret art manuscripts, you still had to be wary of being cheated with fake materials and counterfeit manuals—or simply unable to find the rare herbs you wanted.

All of the above caused most Transcendents in this world to join some organization. It was extremely rare for anyone to exist independently. For example, Lady Franne, who once taught Sylutia, even though she preferred a quiet, secluded life, still joined a relatively loose small faction called Sunflower Cottage, so she could stay updated on the latest intelligence and exchange resources.

The current security environment of the Mage Alliance could be said to be very good. This was thanks to the popularization of education and the fact that the various creations produced by mages required a complex and enormous supply chain—and such a supply chain depended on a good security environment. Therefore, the security standards in all major cities of the Mage Alliance were very high.

But it wasn’t just in the Mage Alliance that one could see many solitary professionals and members of minor factions. Such situations were actually very common on other continents.

However, even within the Mage Alliance, the benefits of joining an organization were still enormous and highly tempting. Even if there was no vertical integration of resources, simply gaining access to orthodox, safe, low-side-effect secret arts with clear advancement paths was an immense help. Otherwise, relying entirely on self-exploration would waste countless time, take many detours, and even suffer various unpredictable accidents.

Advancement rituals were not absolutely safe. New powers could go out of control if not properly mastered. The consequences of failure were not just a failed advancement—they could also mean disability or death. These were the concerns of minor factions and self-taught practitioners.

Going back in time to when Sylutia first arrived in the Kingdom of Regas, giving the then royal family twenty Fourth Tier elites could have instantly increased the national strength by half. That alone would have prompted Regas’s Grand Duke to offer several Count fiefs as thanks and marry off a princess for alliance, ensuring a stable relationship.

If one were to hire such twenty elites for a year at the Task Hall, the cost would be unimaginable—the annual profits of a medium-sized guild wouldn’t be enough to cover it.

But those were just the evaluation criteria of the external world. Within the Mithril Clock faction, a single order was enough to assemble these elites without any compensation. And they would carry out the mission with even greater focus and dedication than when working for a guild.

This was the strength of a powerful faction—it could consolidate a large number of high-level combatants at a relatively low cost, while ordinary guilds and gangs could not bear such huge personnel expenses.

The subsequent self-introductions of these personnel took about a day. Sylutia memorized their names and areas of expertise. On the second day, the group set off for the Mishil District.

Before Sylutia left, Da Vinci also returned to the Dean’s office and gave a brief report on the situation.

“From your description, it seems Sylutia doesn’t care much about the position in the Mishil District.” The Dean sat behind his desk, flipping through the academy’s reports as he spoke.

“After all, she’s still young. She might not realize the importance of this position yet.” Da Vinci leaned against the wall and replied.

“Is that so?” The Dean smiled slightly and put down the reports.

“Haven’t you noticed her personality traits yet? This child is not the type who yearns for fame, fortune, or wealth. You could even say she’s a bit laid-back and lazy. It’s just that her talent and strength often make people overlook this.”

“In all my years as Dean, I’ve taught batch after batch of students and met many people with different personalities. Everyone has their own character preferences, habits, and traits. If you unthinkingly assume that everyone has the same likes and dislikes, that’s far too shallow.”

“You’re right, Teacher.” Da Vinci straightened up, becoming slightly more serious.

“Ambition is a double-edged sword. Ambitious people often have a strong drive to study diligently and find solutions to problems, which allows them to surpass their peers at a young age and achieve considerable accomplishments.”

“However, strong ambition can also lead to certain problems. It’s easy to be led by the eagerly pursued goal, straying from the right path. They may either start resorting to any means, seek shortcuts, become blinded by anxiety and urgency, or let impatience cloud their judgment, leading to missteps and huge collapses.”

“People who have ambition but also calm perseverance, who take solid steps with a steady attitude in pursuing their goals, are actually very rare. This requires a strong mind and will.” He stood up and walked to the map hanging in the office.

“The Mishil District is located in the eastern part of the Alliance and is close to the Harp Flower Union’s region. Many guild organizations from the Harp Flower Union are stationed there. They purchase goods locally and transport them east for sale.”

“Although we’ve suffered a massive storm disaster, the impact on the areas ruled by the Harp Flower Union is relatively small. If we can leverage the trade advantages of the Mishil District to purchase food from the Harp Flower Union, it would relieve a lot of pressure and save many lives.”

“Master Sagna is the fifth-ranked master of the Carving and Casting School. He is very senior. As I just said, he is the type of person who has ambition but also calm perseverance, building his career step by step.”

“Originally, according to Alliance conventions, since he has operated there for so long and the Mishil District is home to many Carving and Casting School members and workshops, after his retirement, the Tower Guardian there would also be selected from within the Carving and Casting School.”

“At first, everyone thought so. Master Sagna himself first selected promising young juniors from the school to serve as deputies, then passed on his experience and insights.”

“So why did he change his mind later?” Da Vinci asked curiously.

“Because he cares too much about the achievements he has poured his life’s work into.” The Dean sighed.

“You know? Forty years ago, the Mishil District was nowhere near an industrial hub. It was more of an important trade node for the Harp Flower Union. Although there were many guilds there, it mostly functioned as a distribution center rather than a production center.”

“After Master Sagna was transferred there, he changed the local situation.”

“He was deeply passionate about studying carving and casting techniques, and gradually found a new development path from the mainstream steam machinery. Although this path was just a small branch, to him, it was the culmination of a lifetime of energy, effort, and reputation.”

“If it were you, would you casually hand over such a life’s work to just anyone, then retire to water flowers and drink tea without a care?”

“Well… I’d probably choose my successor quite carefully.” Da Vinci rubbed his chin.

“Yes, that’s what he thought too.”

“But unfortunately, none of the younger juniors in the Carving and Casting School met his expected standards.”

“Some members were proficient in mechanical creation but had little understanding of complex carving Patterns. There were also geniuses who understood both carving Pattern techniques and mechanical creation, but they still couldn’t figure out how to perfectly merge the two. The things they designed and made ended up being neither one thing nor the other.”

“If you want my honest opinion, the path Master Sagna took was entirely his own—born from his unique ideas and Inspiration. It was like walking a tightrope, balancing the strengths and weaknesses of both aspects.”

“Finding someone to inherit that skill is extremely difficult.”

“But just giving it up and handing it over to someone else would mean all his life’s work was for nothing. In a few years, the industries in the Mishil District would decline rapidly. The glory he once created would vanish like smoke, and no one would remember him.”

“He can’t accept that outcome.”

“Precisely because he has strong ambition and has calmly and persistently studied for that goal for decades, he finds it even harder to let go.”

“Ambition brings obsession. That’s both his strength and an unavoidable weakness.”

After listening to the Dean’s account, Da Vinci finally understood why the position had eliminated several candidates.

“But can Sylutia do it? As far as I know, she has no experience in mechanical manufacturing or carving runes.”

Hearing this, the Dean picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

“There are many things you don’t know yet.”

“What if I told you that when she was only Second Tier, she crafted a Perfect Fourth Tier creation, and it was using compound runes she had just learned? What would you think?”

“Furthermore, from receiving the request to completing the finished product, it only took her a week. How does that make you feel?”

“Uh… are you sure the person you’re talking about is Sylutia?” Da Vinci opened his mouth in surprise.

He couldn’t imagine that young girl standing by the furnace, wielding a hammer and tools to forge things. The image was far too different from the temperament he usually saw in her. He had also never seen her go to the academy’s forge room, and during his several visits to Black Rose Palace, he had never seen any forging equipment, rooms, materials, or anything of the sort.

“I’m not wrong, and I’m not exaggerating.” The Dean shook his head.

“Remember what I said after you finished your report? That child has a very laid-back and lazy personality. Unless something is absolutely necessary, she won’t bother to dig deep into her own potential.”

“Sending her to the Mishil District this time is a great opportunity. It will give her enough motivation to learn and understand things. I believe she won’t let us down, and she won’t disappoint Master Sagna either. Even if she fails in the end, this experience will allow her to study and learn more about the mechanical industry. That’s a good thing.” After saying this, the Dean put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the window to gaze outside.

“If she doesn’t take this time to understand it deeply, by the time she reaches a high position and has to catch up on this knowledge, it will be too late and inappropriate.”

“What sets the Alliance apart from other large organizations is that we have a massive and complex industrial system. If she doesn’t understand how this system operates, she’ll end up making a fool of herself in the future.”

“It seems you really have very high expectations for Sylutia.” Da Vinci sighed after listening.

“That’s because you’re still young.” The Dean turned around.

“When you reach my age and position, you’ll understand that many things leave no room for error or relaxation.”

“Children can play and be carefree without worry, but adults have to think about many things. And when you become a leader at the highest level of the Alliance, every move you make will have a huge impact. When everyone looks to you and relies on you, you’ll realize that there’s no one left to support and lean on you like before. You are the biggest pillar, bearing the full weight and responsibility of the Alliance.”

“Many people who originally had good temperaments become irritable when they reach my position. It’s not that their personalities change drastically, but because they have to shoulder this responsibility. There’s simply no way to be easygoing.”

“Gentleness is a luxury that only belongs to the strong.” The Dean said at last.