Cornflower Witch

Chapter 239 Preparing gifts
Since she was going to return to the surface continent, following the advice of her predecessors, Hilti should make proper preparations.

First of all, many things in the Shadow World are scarce and difficult to obtain in the Surface World. If you could bring some back, it would be great whether you gave them away as gifts or used them for trade.

“So, I need to buy a box first.” Hiltia stood in front of the market gate, recalling what she needed to buy today.

Her 'Autumn Garden' can be used to store some inanimate items, but due to the concept of the core arcane art, she needs to wrap these items in specially made wooden boxes instead of placing them directly into the garden.

The core secret technique involves 'concepts'. If too many other items are placed inside, it will disrupt the overall 'Autumn Rhythm' and greatly reduce its effectiveness. Therefore, a suitable box is needed as an isolation to avoid any impact.

Upon arriving at a furniture shop, Hilti explained her purpose.

"Oh, so you're buying a trunk, miss? What style do you like, and what do you plan to use it for?"

"We have sturdy iron boxes, beautiful and suitable wooden boxes, and small boxes specifically for storing jewelry, etc." The shop owner greeted us warmly.

“I want a batch of maple wood chests, and the chests cannot have nails on them,” Hilti explained her purpose.

"This..." Such a request is somewhat rare.

Hilti thought for a moment, then took out a small bag of gold coins from her bosom and placed it directly on the table.

"This is the deposit. Can you find someone to make it?" She didn't have much time to find a carpenter right now.

"Of course, no problem. Whenever you need it, I can have someone make it for you today." The shopkeeper opened the bag, glanced at it, and saw that there were at least 30 gold coins inside, which was a considerable sum of money.

"The sooner the better, preferably within three days," the girl thought for a moment.

"The box doesn't need to be too fancy. It should retain its original, natural characteristics and blend in with the natural environment. Ideally, it should look like a tree stump or log, and it doesn't need to be locked."

"I've noted it down. How big do you need?"

"The length must be at least 1 meter and the width at least 0.6 meters. The quantity must be at least ten. For each additional one, I will give you an extra 2 gold coins, up to a maximum of twenty."

"I understand."

After giving her instructions, Siltia left the shop and continued to explore the market.

The specialties of Huijin Plain are grain crops and weapons and armor. In addition, there are several printing workshops here, so there are also many books.

Thinking of the possibility of encountering Ray, Mike, Komia, and Karen, Hilti bought a long-handled great axe, a two-handed sword, a short sword, and a longbow. For armor, she chose a lightweight adventurer's armor that could be adjusted in size, which was tough leather with a few armor plates for key defense.

This would be more practical. Besides, if she were to buy full plate armor, the weight would probably only be manageable for Lei.

All four sets of weapons and armor are of 'Tier 2 - Excellent' quality. Hilti was afraid that giving away higher quality weapons would bring trouble to her friends. Some high-level weapons already possessed a certain quality, which would be difficult for low-level superhumans to control.

Thinking of her two teachers, Mrs. Fran and Sir Hyde, Hiltiya made another selection and bought three bottles of 'Falling Moon Flower Dew' and three bottles of 'Cedar Cold Honey'. The former can help extraordinary individuals improve their mental strength and calm their minds, while the latter can nourish the body, repair hidden injuries, and alleviate some chronic diseases.

Then there were Winnie, Taliel, and the village chief's family. Hilti didn't know what they needed, so she bought five bottles of 'Tier 2 Excellent' quality 'Emerald Wind Honey'.

Even Viscount Scheffer, Hilti had prepared a gift for her: a 'Four-Colored Glass Flower Cup' that could be placed in the living room. This was an exquisite ornament made by an alchemist that could regulate the temperature of the surrounding environment, making it more comfortable.

Thinking back, Hiltiah recalled people she had known in the past.

Oh right, there's also the merchant Vanderhi who lent her the house. Silti thought for a moment, then went to the Alchemy Workshop and bought two 'Alarm Lanterns'. This item is similar to the brooch she's currently wearing; both can provide early warning, but the effective range is slightly narrower, only 80 meters. The one she carries, however, was meticulously crafted by Dorothy, and its range is about 200 meters; it can also detect ghosts and other evil entities.

Over the next two days, Hilti visited some acquaintances in the Lower Radiant Plains, including Tristan, the guild leader of the Forging Hammer Guild who helped her forge her armor, and Cassius, the leader of the Holy White Knights Hall.

The two happened to be on the tower of White Stone Fortress. After Hilti went there, she was led directly to the meeting hall by the fortress's servants and met the two of them.

Similar to their visit to Kurandqiu, the two were interested in Hilti's experiences in the Dark Mist Mountains over the past two years, asking her many questions and praising her.

"Are you going back to Jiaoshi City?" Cassius wondered, realizing something.

"Yes."

“Things have changed a lot there, and you may not be able to find anyone you used to know,” Cassius told Hiltia about what had happened a year ago.

"Viscount Xue Feng has moved away?" Xilutiya asked in surprise.

"Yes, it is said that he went to a very far Eastern country, and Maester Hyde went with him."

"The knights I sent left their contact information. You can take the address and visit them later, but that's not in Regas anymore."

"I understand." Although it was a pity she wouldn't be able to see Scholar Hyde, she still planned to go to Scorched Stone City first. After all, there were other people there. Mike Karen and the others were probably still in Regas Kingdom and wouldn't have gone too far. Hearing that Hilti was going back, Tristan, the 'Giant Stonemason' who was as tall as a giant, took out two thumb-sized magnets and tossed them to Hilti.

"Take this. If your weapon gets chipped or dull, you can use this to temporarily repair it."

【Hot Iron Magnet】(Tier 2, Excellent): When it adheres to a weapon and is rubbed, it melts itself, repairing minor nicks and restoring its sharpness.

"Thank you." Hiltiya accepted the small gift with slight surprise.

“If you run into trouble when you get back, you can also mention the name ‘Holy White Knight Hall.’ I’ll vouch for you, so feel free to call it out, haha.” Cassius sat at the head of the table, his slightly rough voice coming from inside his armor and mask.

This person is the real leader of an organization or faction, while Kurlandchu and Tristan, although they are branch leaders, are bound by rules and cannot say many things or make promises casually.

"Thank you, Lord Kassius." Hilti bowed her head in thanks, feeling that these seniors on the Radiant Plains were all exceptionally doting on her, and sometimes she felt it was a bit unfair.

After all, many students work very hard, but they don't receive much care and attention.

"By the way, do you still have the badge you won in the competition?" Cassius suddenly asked.

“It’s still here.” As if remembering something, Hilti took out the white stone badge from the inside of her clothes.

[Knight Squire Badge] (Tier 2, Castle): A badge symbolizing victory in the competition. It can release 'Holy White Armor' once every seven days. (1/1)

“Give it to me.” Cassius held out his hand, and Hiltiya placed the badge in the palm of his hand, which was covered by silver gauntlets.

Holding the badge, a dazzling light shimmered between his fingers, and a gust of wind seemed to sweep through the hall, the air currents swirling, and the invisible power of the castle surged from the towers and the entire fortress, then poured into his fist.

Soon, the light faded, and Cassius handed the badge to Hilti again. The badge, which had previously been of the 'Second Tier · Castle' type, had now become the 'Third Tier · Castle' type.

[Knight's Badge] (Tier 3, Castle); A badge symbolizing victory in the competition. Through conferment and empowerment, it temporarily grants a 'Tier 3, White Knight' status buff for ten minutes, granting them all the abilities of a White Knight. (Can be used once every seven days)
While this was a rare and precious item for Hilti, it was a small gift that this incredibly powerful knight commander could easily create.

"Take it, you never know when you might need it. When you're traveling alone, you can't be too careful."

"Yes, senior."

Hiltiya carefully took the badge and placed it inside her clothes.

After giving the girl some more instructions, warning her to be careful of all sorts of accidents and scams, they let her go only after confirming that she had really listened.

After Hilti left, the two of them continued talking about the girl in the now quiet hall.

“This feeling is truly wonderful. I haven’t cared about anyone this much in a long time.” Cassius sat at the head of the table, his steady voice coming from beneath his helmet.

“Haha, I’m different. I usually give away any interesting little gadgets I make to my apprentices and students.” Tristan laughed.

"I think it's because your standards are too high. You don't usually pay much attention to those juniors who seem too green and immature to you. It's rare that you've met a junior who is extremely talented, sensible, obedient, beautiful and lovely."

"After paying attention to her for so long, it's inevitable to develop some feelings for her. And Xiao Tiya is indeed the only true genius to have appeared in our area in the past few decades, and she may be the one to inherit our position in the future."

“There are many students in the woodland every year, but you and I have been through a lot and we know very well that most people have limited talent. Reaching the third level is probably the limit. Only a very few people have the opportunity to step into the fifth or sixth level and reach the same level as us.”

After listening to Tristan's words, Cassius pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

"I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful."

"That's just your Knight Can's prejudice. To be a craftsman, you need the most keen observation skills. You can't do it if your timing and technique are even slightly off."

"Haha, is that so? Maybe I'll come to your place to work as a blacksmith in a couple of days."

"Then forget it, I'm afraid you'll smash my anvil into the floor." Tristan waved his hand. Despite his tall and muscular stature, in terms of strength and combat power, ten of him probably wouldn't be enough to defeat the Knight Commander of the Cassius in front of him.

"Alright, now that I've seen Xiaotiya, I need to go back and continue forging."

"Recently, various countries on the surface of the continent have been engaged in a series of wars, and there have been many more orders for armor and weapons in the forest. It's a good time to make money."

"Okay, you go."

Soon, only Commander Cassius remained in the hall, his fingers, covered in metal armor, interlaced, his elbows resting on the table, seemingly still deep in thought.

"Jiaoshicheng... that name is really nostalgic. Now, I'm afraid no one knows why it's called Jiaoshicheng anymore."

(End of this chapter)