Cornflower Witch

Chapter 16 Praying for Dew

Two days later, Siltia walked out of the Adventurers' Guild hall alone, carrying a book and a small bag of seeds.

This was given to her by Mylene. It was said to have come from Mrs. Fran in the West End, who was supposedly a very knowledgeable person in the field of gardening.

Back home, Hilti sat under the shade of a tree in the backyard, flipping through the nameless notebook, which contained many handwritten illustrations and some small tips.

The book is not thick; it only records the cultivation process of four flowers: 'Spring - Dendrobium nobile', 'Summer - Euphorbia fischeriana', 'Autumn - Swan orchid', and 'Winter - Camellia davidii'. The book comes with Swan orchid seeds.

Normally, it takes nearly half a year for a swan orchid to go from sprouting to blooming, but now there are only two and a half months left until the end of autumn.

“This is probably the test that Madame Fran gave me,” Hiltia said, putting down her book.

If it were just ordinary people watering and caring for flowers, it certainly wouldn't satisfy Madame Fran. She probably wanted to meet someone who aspired to become a professional gardener.

"In other words, I also need to learn the 'dew-seeking method' to promote plant growth."

[Dew-Gathering Method] (Emerald Honey): Gather morning mist at dawn, transforming it into emerald dew. (Emerald dew promotes plant growth and helps nurture the plant.)

At dawn, when the 'blazing sun' aspect is just beginning to emerge, it is also the gentlest time, and its vitality can be collected and transformed. By noon, it will become violent and difficult to transform. The amount of emerald dew that can be collected each day also means the maximum number of plants that she can cultivate at the same time.

However, learning the 'Dew-Invoking Technique' requires some 'Emerald Dew Water' as a guiding seed, just like learning the 'Invisibility Technique' requires Cold Mist Wine.

To study at Hilutia, you need money—gardeners can earn money—learning to be a gardener requires 'Emerald Dew'—buying 'Emerald Dew' costs money—gardeners can earn money.

"The initial stage is really difficult," the girl sighed softly, covering her head with the book.

Previously, Mai Lin, Winnie, and even Uncle Vanderbilt had helped her a lot. Without these people, she would probably be in an even more difficult situation now.

'I won't ask for help this time.' The girl stood up, went to the bedroom, opened a brick under the bed, took out her treasured money bag, and poured the coins onto the bed.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6..."

The girl knelt on the bed, counting the small silver coins one by one.

"There are 18 silver coins in total." She usually keeps the copper coins in her drawer and takes them out whenever she needs them.

She had spent a lot on books and daily necessities, and now she only had 18 coins left. She heard that the Dewdrop could be bought at the Gardeners' Guild, but she didn't know how much it cost. She picked up the silver coins and put them back in her purse, thinking to herself.

Go take a look. If it's not enough, I'll have to borrow money from Sister Winnie. The girl felt a little ashamed. Was she being too dramatic? If all else failed, she would have to go out and become a singer. Because Mai Lin said that her voice was very beautiful and that she would definitely be hired by a place like a theater and become famous.

With her last silver coins in hand, and wearing a reddish-brown turban coat, Siltia arrived at the Gardeners' Guild.

Finding the shop assistant who was dozing inside, the girl gently pressed down on her hood with one hand and then asked.

"Hello, do you sell 'Emerald Dew' here?" Her voice was soft, and the shop assistant slowly opened her eyes, yawning as she answered.

"A small bottle of Green Dew is 10 silver coins, but you need to pre-order it, and I can only give it to you tomorrow."

Hearing this, Hiltiya breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that 'Emerald Dew' was not expensive, probably not as rare as 'Cold Mist Wine'.

"This is a deposit of five silver coins. Do I need to register anything else?" She placed the silver coins on the table.

"Yes, you need to fill in your name here. You can come pick it up tomorrow. By the way, don't come too early." The other person was still very sleepy. He casually took out the ledger under the table and asked Silti to register it.

“Okay.” The girl wrote her name, ‘Tiya,’ on the paper and handed it back to the clerk.

"That's all, you can go now." The other person waved his hand, then lay down and fell asleep again.

……

After returning to her residence, Hilti went to the backyard, intending to tidy up the small yard that was full of weeds and wildflowers.

She first changed into a linen dress for work, tied her hair into a neat high ponytail, then found the shovel she had recently bought and started turning over the soil from the corner of the wall...

The soil is a bit hard. As she turned it over, the girl recalled the scenes of adults working in her hometown when she was a child, and imitated some of the movements, such as stepping on the back of the shovel with her foot to press the soil in.

An hour later, Hilti stood under the eaves wiping the sweat from her brow, sighed in relief, put down the shovel, and sat down to rest. By then, the soil in the courtyard had been mostly turned over and was much looser.

Ten minutes later, she stood up again, picked up the weeds she had dug out, and placed them on a stone to dry. They would be almost dry by the day after tomorrow, and she could shake off the dirt and put the excess weeds into the fireplace to burn.

After turning over the soil, Hiltiya soaked the 'Swan Orchid' seeds in water and then planted them one by one in the soil.

After doing all this, Hilti changed out of her mud-stained dress and went to take a bath.

As evening fell, after taking a shower and changing into her pajamas, she returned to the courtyard. Sitting on a chair, she admired the crimson sunset. A gentle autumn breeze blew, making her slightly damp skin feel dry and exceptionally comfortable.

Well, this kind of life seems pretty good.

……

The next day, she went to the Gardeners' Guild.

"This is the 'Green Dew Water' you ordered. If you want to use it to ripen your flowers, remember to mix it with water and don't drip it all onto the flowers," a new female shop assistant explained to her.

"The exchange rate is roughly 10 drops per bucket of water, and this bottle contains approximately 30 drops of 'Emerald Dew'."

"Okay, here are the remaining five silver coins." Although she wasn't going to use them to water the flowers, she was still a little curious.

Do other people usually buy this?

"Yes, some wealthy families occasionally use 'Green Dew Water' to accelerate the growth of flowers and decorate their gardens and residences for banquets or celebrations," the female shop assistant answered skillfully.

"Many experienced florists know how to use 'green dew water', but they just can't afford it in ordinary times."

After the registration was completed, the shop assistant handed a small, exquisite glass bottle to the girl.

"Thank you." The girl's eyes flickered slightly as she examined the quality of the bottle of Green Dew Water.

【Emerald Dew】(Level 0 - Emerald Honey): Dew that promotes rapid growth and blooming of flowers and plants. (Concentration 14%)

"Is the concentration only 14%?" the girl wondered, but it was difficult to judge whether such a value was reasonable at this moment.

I'll have to go back and try.

After receiving the 'Emerald Dew', she was excited and looking forward to it all night, and finally fell into a deep sleep very late.

……

Another morning.

Hiltiya opened the window, just in time to see the sun that had just risen, and the morning air was still quite chilly.

She poured out a few drops of the dew onto the only celadon plate in the house, and then, following the instructions in the 'Dew-Seeking Method,' closed her eyes and began to study it.

First, there's the porcelain plate, and then the faint "emerald honey" energy within the tiny amount of "emerald dew," which is then slowly perceived and guided by the spirit.

Time passed second by second. The water droplets on the porcelain plate remained unchanged in the morning light. The girl standing under the window was also motionless. Her gentle eyebrows were reflected in the morning light, and her face was tinged with a faint gold. A few downy hairs were clearly visible in the pale gold light.

Gradually, the sun slowly rose, about to enter a place where it could no longer shine on the girl. Wisps of water mist swirled in the air, eventually condensing into a small droplet that fell and mixed with the 'emerald dew' on the porcelain plate.

('Dew Prayer' Completion +6)

[Dew-Drinking Magic Lv.0] (Cui Mi): An undeveloped ability, current progress (6/100)

Phew, finally taking the first step. The girl opened her eyes and looked at the extra drop of water in the plate.

If I can really become a gardener, I can establish myself here. As for what happens next... let's take it one step at a time.

　Thank you Tangtang

　　u夜汐u, 咸鱼料理, 桃桃零, 梦境书童, 孤仙云, 等闲莫别离, 糖醋liyuu, 书友20250905225138389, awaiting donations from fellow readers~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)