The Cornflower Witch

“This is the largest stronghold currently established in the Shadow World below the Western Mountain Range—the 'Red Ochre Mountain.’”

After settling down, Sylutia stood atop the high cliff wall, overlooking this vast land.

The entire world was shrouded in dull gray, yet from within this grayness, a deep red undertone could still be seen. It was said that these undulating mountains were entirely composed of iron ore. If converted, the iron deposits of the entire Red Ochre Mountain Range would exceed two billion tons.

According to legend, the mountain range originated from the body of an ancient True Fish from the Vault Sea Epoch. Scholars had named it the 'Red Ochre Fish.' Its flesh had settled and condensed, forming these rolling mountains of Red Iron, while its bones had transformed into special 'Red Crystal Iron.' The remaining internal organs had turned into various rare mineral gems.

[Red Crystal Iron] (Fourth Tier); A rare metal crystal ore, suitable for forging weapons, with excellent Demon-Breaking and Armor-Piercing effects.

Although the resources were abundant, mining them was no easy feat. 'Red Crystal Iron' lay deep within the mountains, and piercing through this iron-like rock was far more complex than digging through soil. Moreover, even extracting steel from these exposed Red Iron ores required immense manpower and material resources, not something that could be accomplished overnight.

If this mountain range were on the surface, it would have long been targeted by various factions. But this was the Shadow World, where all development costs were nearly ten times higher. Transporting steel via expensive teleportation methods was ultimately a losing proposition.

“So, most of the iron ore mined here is currently used for the stronghold's construction, not shipped to the surface world,” introduced a local staff member.

Guided by him, Sylutia and the other apprentices toured the various facilities within the 'Red Ochre Mountain' stronghold with great curiosity, including a large-scale artisan workshop, a beacon tower, a ring mountain fortress, the Red Ochre Archive, and so on.

Over the following two months, using this stronghold as their core base, they followed their instructors to explore nearby secret realms and familiarize themselves with the various matters that required attention during Shadow World exploration. This included how to deal with strange and bizarre monsters, how to respond after being eroded by Distortion, how to choose an overnight campsite, and how to reorient themselves and self-rescue if lost.

Once all this content had been thoroughly taught, the semester gradually drew to a close.

In the following month, the apprentices formed teams and began exploring on their own. However, the secret realms and locations they chose at this stage were all places with relatively low danger.

Finally, the professor selected a few secret realms of moderate difficulty and had the apprentices form teams to explore them as the semester's final exam.

During the expedition, Sylutia's team unsurprisingly took first place. As the team captain, this young woman single-handedly killed eleven Third Tier 'Hunting Sound Moths' within the secret realm, earning the academy's newfound respect.

Afterward, the group rested and tidied up before leaving 'Red Ochre Mountain' under their instructor's guidance, returning to Tetis College. This long journey of over half a year had finally come to an end.

Back at her long-missed 'Black Rose Palace,' Sylutia first enjoyed a nice, long bath, taking a half-day nap in the bathroom before changing into a breathable summer dress and heading to the second-floor backyard balcony to catch the breeze.

Leaning back in a wooden chair, she opened the Picture Book before her and reviewed the various gains she had made over the past half year in the Western Mountain Range.

Among them were numerous materials obtained from killing monsters, mostly at the Second and Third Tiers.

Ten pairs of Insect Moth wings, forty-eight various hard beast horns, fifteen pairs of sharp claws, fifty-four bottles of refined beast blood, thirty-one sheets of rare pelts, sixteen Evil Spider eyeballs, twenty-four various venom fangs, two hundred and six fine feathers, seventy-nine Second Tier gems, and twenty-one Third Tier gems.

These materials were vividly displayed in the Picture Book, divided into illustrated grid slots, with their quality and origins noted.

It was a pity that if she could exchange them all for money, she would become rich overnight. Unfortunately, she couldn't easily explain the source of these materials, as the storage Key she held couldn't hold this much.

After that, before killing monsters in the mountains, she had already sold many materials directly to the City Alliance's stronghold, recovering nearly ten thousand gold coins. The rest were items that were either too difficult to sell or felt like a waste to sell outright due to their decent quality.

Even so, looking at the harvest she had earned through battle, piled up in the warehouse, gave her a faint sense of satisfaction and happiness. Perhaps humans were inherently hoarders by nature—accumulating food and supplies, even if unused, brought a sense of stability and comfort.

Her fingers slowly traced over the illustrations in the Picture Book. Sylutia finished reviewing the harvests and then took out her diary, summarizing her experiences and observations from the past half year.

Ti Ya moved a lounge chair from inside the house and placed it on the small balcony.

She had wanted to do this for a long time. This spot was truly a wonderful place for an afternoon nap.

Lying on the chair, the young woman covered herself with a light, thin blanket and drifted into a sweet nap.

A summer breeze gently brushed by, and cicadas chirped in waves from the branches.

...

A few days later, in the morning, Sylutia sat inside reading a book. In her spare time, she perused the Mage Alliance's grand geographical compendium, learning about the unique features of various regions.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

She walked down the stairs and opened the door, seeing Carmilla, whom she hadn't met in a long time.

This Blood Clan princess looked in good spirits now, dressed in a pink-and-white luxurious dress, holding an equally extravagant parasol as she stood before the door.

“Long time no see, Hedra.” She smiled, bending gracefully in a bow. Her silk-gloved fingertips lightly pressed against her chest, making her already ample figure even more noticeable.

“Carmilla.” The young woman's response carried a hint of surprise and delight.

“Mm.” The other nodded slightly, then closed her parasol and stepped inside.

She curiously looked around the interior of the house, seemingly interested in the environment where Hedra lived.

“What are you thinking about?” the young woman asked, brewing a cup of refreshing herbal tea for her, setting it down in front of Carmilla.

“I'm wondering how you would decorate your house.” Carmilla took the tea the young woman offered with both hands and held it in front of her.

“Generally speaking, the style of a house's decor reflects the owner's personality.” She sipped the tea and spoke slowly.

“You've been to my room, Hedra. I prefer luxurious decorations, but I'm lazy. Without servants to clean, it tends to get messy.” She said this with a slightly troubled tone.

In the past, this Blood Clan princess was surrounded by maidservants, so she never lacked people to clean and tidy up. But now, to keep her Blood Clan identity hidden, she hadn't hired any maidservants or servants.

“What you're saying reminds me of something Aurora mentioned before. She doesn't like others interfering with her life, so she chose to use puppets to assist herself.” Speaking of this, Sylutia remembered something, went back upstairs, and brought down the 'Black Kite Puppet' that had been placed by her bedside.

“This is the puppet I got from participating in Rorik College's Silver Bell Festival. Now, it's embedded with a memory gem I've programmed. It can autonomously handle some simple household chores, like cleaning, making the bed, and so on.”

“I'm giving it to Carmilla. It should help you with a lot of housework.”

“This...” Carmilla initially wanted to refuse, but upon hearing that Hedra had embedded part of her own movement memories into it, she desperately wanted it. It felt like holding that puppet would be like holding a miniature version of Sylutia.

“Thank you.” After a few seconds of hesitation, Carmilla nodded and accepted the puppet, holding it in her arms.

Afterward, Sylutia taught her how to operate the puppet. Watching the puppet clumsily pour tea for Carmilla and fix her hair, Carmilla's fondness for it only grew.

After properly storing the puppet, the two exchanged stories about their experiences over the past year since they had last seen each other.

“With my teacher's help, I quickly recovered my strength. Half a year ago, I had already reached 'Third Tier·Secret Word.'” She had chosen not to follow the 'Bloodline+Aspect' path, still sticking with the 'Secret Word+Aspect' path.

“When I advanced, I chose the 'Ancient Chapter Page' from the 'Origin Hourglass' school. It's a core secret art for inscribing ancient creatures. It allows me to inscribe powerful ancient beings onto a page and later borrow their might. At a certain stage, I can even fully summon their manifested entity.”

“I chose the 'Blood Origin Black Lion.' It's an extinct Primordial Beast and the ancestor of modern lions.” After saying this, Carmilla walked to an open area in the room, gently touched her ear, and invisible light particles gathered. Then, the phantom of a massive lion, nearly three meters tall at the shoulder, appeared behind her.

This giant lion took a step, circling behind Carmilla. Its enormous head turned, and its thick mane lightly brushed against Carmilla, as if it were alive.

[Blood Origin Black Lion] (Primordial Beast·Bloodline-Dead Embers)

'A Primordial Beast of the Star-Beast Epoch, once the overlord of the land, commanding thousands of beasts.'

After the display, Carmilla flicked her wrist, and the giant black lion phantom instantly dissolved into light particles.

“For now, I can only use a very small portion of the 'Blood Origin Black Lion's power. Probably after the Fifth Tier, I'll be able to initially summon its entity for combat.” Carmilla explained her new abilities.

“The reason I chose this is because when I was little, my mother gave me a 'Blood Essence Gem,' which contained a drop of the 'Blood Origin Black Lion's blood. So, my inscribed 'Blood Origin Black Lion' will be stronger than if I had inscribed other ancient creatures. If I reach even higher ranks in the future, I might be able to summon a complete 'Blood Origin Black Lion.'”

“That's amazing~” Sylutia gently clapped, offering sincere praise.

Then Carmilla became curious about Hedra's choice during her advancement.

“As for me, it's my school's signature 'Astronomical Clock Chapter Page.'” The young woman didn't hide it and told her directly.

After that, she slightly joined her hands in front of her chest. In front of her chest, a beautiful silver-blue phantom of an Astronomical Clock appeared, while behind her, a magnificent, enormous clock face emerged. Within that face, smaller dials for the moon phases and the sun's position were nested layer upon layer, complex and ornate.

This time, it was Carmilla's turn to be curious and amazed.

The two chatted for a while, and time passed imperceptibly until evening.

Considering it was quite far to go out for dinner, Sylutia decided to cook herself, with Carmilla acting as her assistant, helping to prepare the ingredients.

The two busied themselves in the kitchen. During the process, Carmilla was unfamiliar with even washing vegetables and peeling skins, but Sylutia patiently guided her, and the Blood Clan princess quickly caught on.

About an hour later, a sumptuous dinner was ready. They washed their hands and sat down at the dining table.

“Phew, cooking doesn't seem so simple after all,” Carmilla said, recalling the various techniques the young woman had just used, feeling a bit of admiration.

“It's not hard just to make something edible, but if you want to make it truly delicious, it really tests your experience and attention to detail.” Sylutia remembered the time when she had learned cooking from Pona in the Hidden Grove Alliance. She wondered how everyone from that old team was doing now.

“Pan-seared meat chops, creamy egg pancakes, roasted king beans, and purple grapes—four dishes should be enough for us.” The grapes were for after-dinner fruit, with no extra processing.

Sitting together at the table to enjoy dinner, though the process was simple, Carmilla felt a novel and faint happiness she had never experienced before. If only it could always be like this, she suddenly thought.

But Hedra seemed to have so many things she wanted to do. She probably couldn't always stay by her side, Carmilla mused.

As a Blood Clan princess and queen, she was still too weak. If she could control the entire Blood Clan like her sister, perhaps she could help Hedra a lot. But then, she would be dragged into complex and fierce struggles, and she would probably lose the time she could spend with Hedra.

After slowly finishing their meal, the two cleaned up the table together. Then they went to the second-floor small balcony, lay on the lounge chairs to look at the stars, and chatted leisurely, talking about the big and small things in their lives. Time slipped away unnoticed.

In the following days, Sylutia took Carmilla to tour the bustling streets of Tetis District, visiting various scenic spots. Time flew by.

A week later, Carmilla reluctantly bid farewell and returned to Glass College. After that, Sylutia returned to her solitary life.

During the break, she sorted and summarized the geographical environment, history, and customs of various regions within the Mage Alliance. Following the format of those case study templates, she began writing about her experiences in the Western Mountain Range and the history of the various tribes' development and prosperity.

During the writing process, she encountered many unexpected difficulties. She had to pause multiple times to consult a large amount of data, seek advice from professors experienced in such matters, and even took the time to return to the Western Mountain Range for further investigations. If she could compile and finish this book, advancing to 'Fourth Tier·Secret Word' would no longer be a problem.

Thus, by the time the new semester started, she had only written about one-third of her book, “Sights of the Western Mountain Range.”

After the new semester began, various courses started one after another. Sylutia had to shift her focus and continue investing in her studies.

So, it wasn't until the winter break arrived that she could find time to write and go to the Western Mountain Range for investigations. These repeated visits and tours made her familiar with many people in the 'City Alliance,' especially the Grand Guildmaster of the 'City Alliance,' Harlson. He was very eager for Sylutia to come and take up a position in the City Alliance in the future.

“Hedra, look, we're already this familiar, and you understand the cities and geography of the Western Mountain Range so thoroughly. It would be such a waste if you didn't come to develop here.” He said this with an affectionate expression toward the young woman, completely unlike the demeanor of a major organization's leader.

“Ahem, Guildmaster, I understand your kindness, but whether I can take on practical responsibilities in the future isn't something I can decide on my own.” Sylutia had to explain.

“Oh? Then who decides it?” Harlson became curious, his face turning serious.

“It's decided by the Dean of Tetis College. My instructor told me half a year ago.” The young woman shook her head helplessly.

As the Chief of the academy, the core and leading figure among this batch of students, she possessed privileges many couldn't imagine, but she also had to bear many responsibilities. She couldn't make arbitrary decisions.

“The Dean?” Harlson thought of that shrewd old man. When he was a student, he had suffered quite a bit at the old man's hands, being scolded for not being steady enough.

Though nearly forty years had passed, the thought of competing with that old man for Hedra still made Harlson lose his nerve.

That old man seemed to already be at the Seventh Tier. He was not only his former teacher, but now he also couldn't beat him in a fight, let alone the lingering psychological shadow from the past.

But hadn't the old man stopped appearing in public to handle affairs for a long time now? Why was he specifically taking an interest in a young Third Tier apprentice this time? Harlson pondered, feeling more and more that the young woman before him had limitless potential.

Suddenly, he thought of something and asked.

“Hedra, which core secret art did you choose when you advanced?”

“The Astronomical Clock Chapter Page. What's the matter, Guildmaster?”

“Cough, cough, nothing.” Harlson coughed as if he had choked on water.

After a moment, he calmed down and looked at the young woman with a kind gaze.

“Hedra, you know, I've always felt that you're a lot like my daughter.”

“But Guildmaster, aren't you not married?” The young woman looked up, puzzled.

“That's not the point. What I mean is, if I had a daughter, she'd probably be just like you.”

“How about this? I've accumulated a lot in my life, but unfortunately, I don't have any good students to pass it on to. How about becoming my half-apprentice, Hedra, and inheriting the academic secret arts I've researched all my life?”

“Guildmaster, you're still young. You could easily live another forty years, so there's no need to be in such a hurry.” The young woman shook her head slightly.

“That's true, but finding another child as excellent as you, who knows when that would be.” He said with a rather regretful tone.

“How about this? I know you want to finish writing that book of experiences quickly. Coincidentally, when I graduated back then, I also independently surveyed many places and have quite a bit of experience. I can guide you. You just need to write my name at the end of the book as a contributor and assistant. What do you think?”

“This...”

Sylutia didn't look down on the Guildmaster. Although he was a bit unconventional, he was actually quite capable. The fact that he was trusted by the Mage Alliance and managed the City Alliance efficiently all indicated he wasn't as frivolous as he appeared.

However, to have a Sixth Tier master-level mage, the highest leader of the 'City Alliance,' merely listed as an assistant and contributor on the last page of the book—wouldn't that be a bit disrespectful? Or might it lead people to mistake him as the true author, with her just being a figurehead who didn't contribute much?

Though she had some concerns and doubts, refusing him based on these would be ‘judging a gentleman's heart with a petty man's measure.’

“Alright, but you must allow me to access the City Alliance's archives and grant me the right to interview the local tribal elders. The records alone aren't enough. I want to personally ask the elderly of those tribes to learn about the history of this land.”

“No problem, Hedra.” Harlson patted his chest and agreed. He even personally wrote a letter of recommendation, which allowed her to present it at any city in the Western Mountain Range.

The letter read:

“This student, Hedra, is an excellent apprentice of Tetis College, of good character and trustworthy. She is currently preparing to compile the history of the Western Mountain Range. I ask for your full cooperation. — Harlson, Guildmaster of the City Alliance of the West”