Cornflower Witch

Chapter 292 Bedtime Games
Gathering numerous war beasts, and with the assistance of the people from 'Beast Cry Valley', Hilti returned to 'Lantern Town' at the foot of the Dark Mist Mountains.

After traversing the long, sloping wilderness, Hiltiya arrived at the camp once again. The past six months felt like an eternity, filling her with many emotions.

"Tiya~"

As the girl stepped through the gate, someone came to greet her.

Rachel jogged over and hugged the girl tightly, the armor pressing down on Hilti's face with a coldness.

"Alright, you don't have to keep hugging me like that. How have you been lately?" After a while, Hiltiya pushed the other person away with both hands.

"Things have been pretty normal for the past six months. The only major incident was probably the attack on the transport convoy by a small number of Twilight Beasts a while ago, which resulted in the loss of some food," Rachel recalled.

"But it's been resolved. That troublesome Tier 3 'Black Jackal' is now hanging in the council hall as decoration."

Rachel then called to the patrol members behind her, "You guys go patrol and check first, I'll talk to Tia about the situation in the town."

"Yes, Captain." They stood at attention and answered, but their curious gazes were still fixed on the slightly cute girl next to Rachel.

"Is that Lady Siltia? She looks so young."

"Lady Tiya must be about twenty years old now, but she still looks the same as before."

"Lady Dorothy's figure is much more mature and voluptuous."

"Keep your voice down. Lady Tiya is a third-tier transcendent being; she can hear you easily."

"Uh, cough cough, I didn't say anything." The group quickly jogged away.

Rachel, who was standing nearby, had just finished catching up with Tia and then teased Silti for a while.

"Tiya is like this, she's obviously very capable, but she always looks like a little sister, hehe."

"Hmph." The girl snorted lightly, ignoring Rachel's teasing, and then her gaze fell on the group of people walking in the distance, namely Green, Halton, and Dorothy.

Now the core personnel of the town are basically all here.

After Dorothy approached, she, like Rachel, picked up Siltiah, lifted the girl off the ground, spun her around in the air, and then put her down.

To be honest, Siltia isn't short; she's about 165cm tall. It's just that Dorothy is so tall and has such a mature, sophisticated figure that she appears somewhat petite.

"Senior Tiya is back." Green pushed up his glasses, carrying a large stack of books and forms, probably data he had compiled during this period.

“Now the town is saved again,” Halden said with a smile.

The group returned to the town's council hall. On the way, Hilti told them about the large number of war beasts she had recently purchased and then sent members of the town to receive them.

“This will greatly improve the town’s trade capacity. Perhaps we can consider building a small market for the use of people from the nearby settlements,” Green pondered.

“The wild horses are well-suited for transporting goods, and the sharp-eyed eagles and electric-winged falcons can be used for reconnaissance and surveillance, maintaining security for dozens of miles around the town.”

“In that case, let’s do it.” Tia blinked, then told Rachel that the areas that needed to be guarded over would be larger in the future.

"Sigh, Tia gave me another task," Rachel complained softly.

"You're just too free right now," the girl retorted.

"The town is surrounded by wasteland, and monsters rarely attack here. We only need protection when our transport teams are out on missions." "But routine patrols are also part of the security. If no one patrols, many bad intentions will be nurtured without us even realizing it." Rachel said, hands on her hips, explaining her reasoning.

“That makes some sense, but isn’t this just an excuse for you to be lazy?” Hilti asked curiously.

"Ahem, what do you mean by slacking off? That's resting and conserving energy so we can better handle unexpected situations~" Rachel shook her finger.

“Alright, but now that you have the Sharp-Eyed Eagle, things should be much easier for you,” Hiltiya said, mentioning the war beasts she had just brought.

The five people talked as they arrived at the town's council hall. The layout here was vastly different from what it had been six months ago. First of all, there was a huge round stone table in the center, with a rough model of the Dark Mist Mountains in the middle. A large black animal hide hung on one wall. The seat prepared for Hilti in the center was made of white rock, decorated with light blue cornflower carvings, and adorned with sapphires.

Upon arriving, Rachel clapped her hands and then called to her companions.

"Welcome home, our little princess Tia!"

After she finished speaking, a side door opened, and familiar members entered carrying candles to welcome and congratulate Siltiia on her return.

"Welcome back, Senior Tiya~"

"Welcome, Lady Tiya~"

Some welcomed them, others greeted them with smiles, and candles were placed on candlesticks and tables, illuminating the entire room. Then they sat down in the council hall, where the two hundred people gathered were roughly the earliest members of the town.

Faced with such a welcoming ceremony, Hiltiya felt slightly embarrassed, but also a little touched. Perhaps it was this long-lost warmth and liveliness that reminded her of the concept of 'home'.

Although they are not related by blood, after two years of living together, their relationship has become similar to that of family.

"Thank you, thank you everyone." Hilti bowed in gratitude before slowly sitting down in her seat.

Afterwards, everyone reported on their situation over the past six months, and Hilti listened attentively with nods, offering brief summaries and pointers.

Several hours passed before the meeting ended.

As night falls, the town's circular restaurant once again comes alive with activity. Brightly lit and filled with a variety of delicious foods, it provides a wonderful and memorable evening for both local trainees and travelers.

After the lively dinner party, Hiltiya carried a lamp back to her bedroom, took a shower, and then sat down on her long-missed warm wooden bed in her pajamas.

She wasn't sleepy yet. Leaning against the headboard, with her hands on the blanket, she closed her eyes and recalled the past six months, finding it all somewhat unbelievable.

Dragon bones, eagles, princesses, countries, queens, royal scholars, acting prime ministers—these once unfamiliar and distant terms popped into my mind one by one, and then I savored those memories.

In her memory, a special seven-colored picture book appeared in the girl's hands. She slowly turned the pages, and the pictures on it were lifelike, with colors that had a rare and beautiful beauty.

As she gently stroked her fingers and looked at her reflections in the different images, Hilti slowly reviewed these past moments of her past. Although they were all different, they were all a part of herself.

With a slight lift of her fingers, small, realistic cards appeared in her palm. Under the candlelight, Hilti watched as these cards floated before her and then landed on the paper, just like a game from her childhood.

These cards are randomly arranged and appear on the pages, representing individual characters. She, as a fledgling protagonist, travels among them, embarking on one magical and unknown adventure after another.

The orange candlelight in her eyes flickered along with her memories, and a faint look of nostalgia and happiness appeared on Hilti's face.

So it wasn't until very late that she reluctantly closed the picture book, pulled up the covers, leaned against her pillow, and fell asleep, continuing her unfinished journey in her dreams.

(End of this chapter)