The Cornflower Witch

A few days later, Sylutia returned to Candela aboard the train. Although it had only been a five-day journey, she had witnessed a great deal of the real lives of the local beastman herders.

On one of those days, she even followed a group of beastman children out to graze the livestock. She crouched on the grass, watching the sheep in front of her eat, while the children taught her how to distinguish the quality of different furs, learned simple whistles to summon sheepdogs, and so on.

Though it had only been a few days, returning to Candela felt as if an eternity had passed. She had a strange, almost dazed sense of loss. Truly bizarre.

However, the peaceful life back in Candela did not last long. One afternoon, someone suddenly ran over to inform Sylutia, and only then did she learn the news.

It was about Hulan District, the place she had passed through on her train journey. At the time, food was scarce there, the snow-covered ground around the station was littered with the dead, and the survivors were hopelessly waiting for death in the blizzard.

Back then, she was on a mission with the Ninth Train and couldn't stay to help them. So, she asked her companions on the train to prepare simple vehicles and mechanical haulers for those people, hoping they could make it to Candela safely.

Now, she had received word. These people had arrived at the North Wind Defense Line two days ago, though only some of them had boarded a train from a node on the defense line and reached Candela today.

Upon learning this, Sylutia followed her companion and met with several members of the Hulan District tribe who were waiting for her in a side hall.

The moment they saw Sylutia, their emotions surged. They told her about their arduous journey, the hardships they faced along the way, and everything they encountered.

"The most difficult part was the second day after you left. The blizzard was incredibly fierce. We had to camp in the snow, and many people remained there forever. On the rest of the journey, though some fell behind, the overall losses weren't as severe."

"So, how many people in total reached the North Wind Defense Line?" Sylutia wanted to know.

"When we set out, there were over forty thousand. Roughly thirty thousand arrived at the North Wind Defense Line," they replied gratefully.

Though this number wasn't ideal, it far exceeded their initial estimates. After all, among those forty thousand, many were elderly, weak, sick, or disabled.

"It was mostly those mechanical devices that helped tremendously. Not only could they drag the vehicles through the snow, but the heat they emitted could also melt the snow in the water tanks into hot water. That hot water solved countless problems."

"In the blizzard, we linked the vehicles together, forming a long train to advance, which greatly reduced resistance. We moved in fits and starts, following the direction you guided us in, and finally, after the blizzard subsided, we reached the North Wind Defense Line."

"The most dangerous part was the first three days. The blizzard was the worst, and the temperature was freezing. But later, as the weather cleared and warmed up, the death toll dropped sharply."

"Thank heavens. We're alive, and we made it to the North Wind Defense Line."

After listening to their account, Sylutia felt relieved. Then, she followed them by car to the defense line node where this group had arrived. It was located about a hundred kilometers east of Candela.

When they got there, they found the people camping below the Giant Wall. They had also received basic food rations from the defense line node.

"Next, we need to figure out how to make a living here. The stationed soldiers said we'd better find some work to do so we can settle down."

"I understand." Sylutia nodded. It seemed she would have to help these people find some basic jobs.

While making them rich would be difficult, finding simple work to sustain their most basic needs shouldn't be a big problem.

Candela, as a northern giant city and industrial hub, had many workshops that were always hiring workers. Every year, a large number of beastman tribe residents came here to work. After arriving, these people would also become like many of the local beastman residents.

That afternoon, Sylutia drove to that node and saw Elder Hemo, whom she hadn't seen for nearly ten days. His temples were still gray, and he had lost a bit of weight, but his spirit was much more vigorous and energetic than before. When Sylutia arrived, he was talking with the temporary representatives of each tribe, discussing the next steps.

Seeing Sylutia again stirred many emotions. Some were excited, while others thanked her in their local dialects, which Sylutia could barely understand.

With a wave of her hand, the Shadow-Walking Beast beside Elder Hemo bounded over, raised its head, and rubbed against Sylutia's palm. Then, under the awed gazes of the crowd, she turned the massive beast into a writhing shadow that merged back into her own shadow.

As for the Thunder Demon Eye floating in the sky, it had actually returned to the Astral Plane after guiding them on the first day. It couldn't stay in this world indefinitely. Displaying its power back then was only to intimidate everyone and drive away any possible monitoring entities, ensuring they could follow Sylutia's designated plan.

In fact, that tactic proved quite effective. In the first two days, everyone was indeed fearful. But after surviving the most difficult first few days, trust and shared hardship gradually formed among them. They slowly relied on each other, crossing the vast wilderness until they reached their destination.

"We thank you, great one from Hulan District." Elder Hemo led the group in a bow of gratitude. In their eyes, this young woman was like a savior descended from the heavens. She had changed their doomed fate in an unimaginable way, allowing them to survive in the end.

"I only helped a little. Most of it was up to you," the young woman said with a slight shake of her head.

"Still, I'm really glad to see you all again." She had witnessed the violent clashes of air currents that night. Even without the North Wind Defense Line's blockade, the grasslands would not have been peaceful.

To survive from such an environment was a stroke of luck in life. Perhaps, having endured the trials of life and death, many of their perspectives had changed. Now, the remaining survivors of Hulan District no longer harbored the same hostility toward each other as before.

Moreover, after arriving at the North Wind Defense Line, they faced the challenges of surviving in a strange environment. In times like these, people from the same place naturally felt a greater sense of kinship.

Sylutia stayed there for two days, listening to their stories of the journey and running around to contact some large workshops and guilds within Candela, securing simple jobs for these residents.

"It might not be good enough yet, but once you settle down and get familiar with the local environment, you can use your own skills to find something more suitable," Sylutia told them with a hint of apology.

"It's no trouble at all. We're grateful for all your efforts, Lady Hedra." Though the young woman was modest, Elder Hemo considered her an incredibly important figure.

After all, the people from those large workshops and guilds were Third and Fourth Tier Mages or Transcendents. They would never get a chance to meet such people normally. If not for this young woman stepping in, those people wouldn't have bothered with such a trivial matter.

Even arranging the simplest job meant these people could survive in Candela. For those who had just been pulled back from the brink of death, there was nothing more fortunate than this.

In the years to come, they would all spend their time here. Though the North Wind Defense Line could greatly reduce the storms, the snow and frost would still spread over many places. They probably wouldn't be able to return to their homeland in Hulan District safely until the raging wind season ended—if they could even return at all.

After helping resolve these people's affairs, Sylutia found herself free again. She initially thought the train crew would soon be heading back, but then another piece of news arrived.

"Hedra, Master Ge Zhen is looking for you."

"Oh, what is it about?" Sylutia asked curiously.

"I heard the masters are organizing a team to hunt down that plesiosaur-like dragon that cut off the western rail line."

"Ah, we're going dragon-slaying?" the young woman exclaimed in surprise, standing up.

"That's right."

It seemed that this journey back wouldn't be too uneventful after all.