Cornflower Witch

Chapter 6 Dark Night Shadows (Thanks to MagnoliaSnow for the patronage)
next day
"Get moving, guys."

"Pack everything up, don't leave anything behind."

As dawn broke, shouts rang out from the caravan's encampment, with several leaders urging their members to pack up their belongings and load them onto the wagons.

Originally, the caravan led by Van der Hee was supposed to stay for two days before leaving, but considering the presence of the giant crimson wolf, the caravan feared being attacked on the way, so they waited until the cavalry returned to Three Towers Town before setting off together.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Lord Frien won't wait for us. If we're late, we'll fall behind." Van der Hee also came over to supervise and urge us on.

On the other side of the village, the cavalry members had already gotten up and were gradually loading some of the wounded onto the wagons, while Frien and the old village chief were discussing things in the square.

"Old Master Pang, I'll borrow these two carriages. I'll have them returned in a while." He didn't bring any carriages with him when he came.

"It's alright, but when you come back, you'd better bring me ten bows and arrows, as well as some iron traps. Linden Village is in dire need of these right now."

“These things you’re talking about aren’t cheap,” Frien shook his head.

"Even a white ash wood longbow costs 4 silver coins, plus arrows, it'll probably cost 5 silver coins. Ten bows would be 50 silver coins. The iron clips would also cost about 10 silver coins, so that's 60 silver coins in total."

"You should apply to the Baron, and tell him that if something happens to Linden Village, next year's taxes will be hard to pay." The old village chief waved his hand, leaning on his wooden cane.

Baron Holling's strength is more than enough to surpass that of Linden Village, but the old village chief is highly respected in the area and is also Baron Holling's elder and a friend of the previous Baron Holling. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the current Baron Holling will not cause a rift over such a trivial matter.

"Okay, I understand." Frien could only reluctantly agree.

Around 7 a.m., the cavalry and caravan, having completed their preparations, set off together, accompanied by a small number of villagers. Some of them were going to Heshi Town, while others were going to Jiaoshi City.

In the group, Hilti and Thaliel sat in the carriage. Today, Hilti was wearing a reddish-brown wool cloak with a hood that could be pulled up at any time. Underneath, she wore a newly sewn cotton dress. The cotton dress was a gift from the merchant Van der Hee, but judging from his distressed expression at the time, it must have cost a lot of money.

In the Duchy of Legas, wool is not expensive, costing three times as much as linen, but cotton is much more expensive, costing about ten times as much as linen. This is because the duchy has many forests and plains, and many villages that raise cattle and sheep, so there is no shortage of wool, while cotton is imported from other countries, so its price is naturally high.

The plain white silk dress that Hilti originally wore was too precious and conspicuous, so it had been put away and is now placed in the small wooden box she was traveling in.

Speaking of the small wooden box, inside were Silti's silk dress, short sword, hairband, and three silver leaf coins—that was all her possessions at the moment.

The average villager in Linden Village earns about 2-3 silver coins a month, and the 3 she possessed were the reward given to her by Frien for caring for the wounded.

Accompanied by the swaying of wheels, shouts, and the clatter of horses, the group drove out of the village and headed west along the road across the fields.

On the road.

Hilti leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery in the distance. There were wide, undulating plains and grasslands, but the distant mountains and forests were also clearly visible. Occasionally, flocks of birds could be seen flying over the mountains and forests, and bursts of birdsong could be heard.

The road was bumpy, and the old-fashioned carriage didn't have much shock absorption. Hiltiya kept being shaken awake whenever she wanted to sleep, and could only rest occasionally on the table in front of her.

Across from her, Thaliel was in high spirits, chatting with Hilti about interesting things happening in the area from time to time. Occasionally, she would draw back the curtains and point outside, telling Hilti what places were and what had happened there.

"See that big rock? Isn't it a bit out of place, even though it's all flat ground around it?" Taliel started chattering again.

"That stone was specially carved out of the mountain when Baron Hollin's grandfather wanted to build a castle, but the carriage overturned halfway there. The accompanying scholar said it was an ominous sign, so the stone was left unused and placed by the roadside. Now it has become a useful guide stone. Generally, when you see it, you know that you are not far from Riverstone Town."

Hiltiya looked at the rock and saw some charred marks from burning firewood underneath, guessing that travelers sometimes spent the night there.

The convoy continued on its way, arriving in Heshi Town around 3 p.m.

The sound of the river grew louder as it approached. A simple stone wall, three meters high, surrounded the town, some of which was covered with vines and moss. Several idle guards sat in wooden sheds on the wall, their eyes occasionally sweeping over the road and city gate below.

Captain Frien and Van der Hee were old acquaintances of Riverstone. After a brief greeting, the convoy entered the town. Compared to Linden Village, the houses here were much more densely packed, with many built along the street, giving it a town-like appearance.

Arriving at the temporary inn, the group dismounted, intending to rest there for the night. It was still early before dark, but once they passed Heshi Town, there wouldn't be many places to stay overnight.

“Let’s get off too.” Hilti pulled up the hood of her cloak to cover her striking silver hair, and then got off the carriage with Taliel.

The carriages were parked in the backyard of the inn, and the caravan members were busy at work. Some were untying the horses, some were pulling some of the wagons to the market to do some small business before dark, and others were preparing to eat something and rest.

The cavalrymen were all at the inn. Frien took out a bag of money and asked the innkeeper to prepare some food. Just then, Hilti walked in, and he beckoned the two girls over.

"How was your journey, Tiya?"

"It's alright, the scenery along the way is quite refreshing." Tiya nodded.

Seeing that she was in good spirits, Frien nodded slightly. This child was much better than those pampered noble ladies. He remembered the first time he accompanied Miss Xindu on a long trip, she complained the whole way, giving him a headache.

"Get a good rest tonight." He didn't say much, and after giving his instructions, he told Hilti to go to her hotel room to rest first, and that someone would bring her food later.

Hilti agreed, but she wasn't in a hurry to go to sleep. Instead, she took a walk around the town with Taliel.

Heshi Town has a population of about two thousand. The main road is paved with stone bricks, and there are brick houses along the street. You can see many villagers from the surrounding area coming to town to buy and sell. The two of them walked less than a hundred meters to the town's market. The market is surrounded by a simple fence, and inside there are wooden sheds and stalls. There are two local patrol members sitting lazily at the entrance.

As evening approached, the market became less crowded, and Hiltiya strolled briskly, browsing through the various items.

Taliel walked behind her. She was quite familiar with the place and wasn't particularly curious. She was even thinking about where to get some good food that night.

The food in the village is very simple. Only Aunt Moti knows how to make bread and pies. Everyone else usually eats wheat porridge and vegetable soup. There is very little meat and few seasonings, so the taste is very monotonous.

This trip to Jiaoshi City with Xilutiya was probably the only time in the past six months that she had the opportunity to eat something different.

Hiltiya looked curiously at the various goods displayed here. There were vegetables brought by nearby villagers, including common vegetables such as 'white wind root', 'purple turnip', and 'black pebble wheat', as well as local fruits such as 'osan fruit' and 'grape drupe'. Osan fruit was similar to apples in her previous life, but it was yellowish in color and irregular in shape, with many small spots on the skin. Grape drupe was similar to grapes, but the seeds inside were particularly large, so the flesh was only a small layer on the surface.

Other items sold include honey, beeswax, hemp rope, straw sandals, woven baskets, jam, smoked sausages, animal fur, tree sap, and so on.

“The copper coins you’re using all seem to be different,” Hiltiya noticed that many people were holding copper coins of different sizes and shapes.

“Yes, the design of the copper coins is very casual, and many people are unwilling to accept them,” Thalyl explained to Sylvia, having regained her composure.

"Because nobles could mint copper coins, some cut corners, some had rough workmanship, and the shapes were irregular. We called them rotten copper coins."

"What about the silver coins?" Hilti asked curiously.

"Only high-ranking nobles were qualified to mint silver coins, and they would also supervise each other, because taxes were mainly paid in silver or gold coins."

"gold?"

"Only the king can mint gold coins, and one side will be imprinted with their family crest, which also represents their reputation and credibility. Even the most powerful duke in our Duchy of Regas is not qualified to mint gold coins. The gold coins currently in circulation all come from the distant Kingdom of Winter."

"It is said that making gold coins is very complicated, requiring the joint participation of alchemists and craftsmen, who inscribe marks inside the gold coins to prevent counterfeiting."

"My sister told me there are even more precious special gold coins, but I've forgotten what they are."

After strolling around the market, the two bought a few mulberries and a small bag of drupes before heading back to their hotel.

After the two figures disappeared at the end of the street and entered the hotel, a short young man carefully walked out from the corner of the street. He stared at the location of the hotel for a long time before leaving.

A wool cloak, a cotton hem, delicate wrists—is she a noblewoman...?

;

夜晚
After finishing their dinner, Hilti and Thaliel sat inside, with washed fruit on a wooden platter in front of them, which they had bought during the day.

"Phew, the bean paste stew with meat tonight was so delicious." Taliel lay on the bed, still rubbing her belly, feeling unsatisfied.

Hiltiya sat at the table looking through the yellowed and worn notices, which they had found in the hotel lobby when they returned; they were all outdated items.

'Wanted Poster: Hunt down thieves!' 'Slay the Gale Vulture!' 'Buy the finest timber!' 'Find the brightly colored, fiery flowers on the cliff!'...

Below the notice are some words describing the situation and the needs.

Seeing that Hilti didn't reply, Thalys got out of bed to look at her, and then walked over.

"These are usually copied from guilds in Jiaoshi City and posted in nearby towns or villages to see if they can find anything, haha~" She yawned, it seemed she was getting sleepy after eating.

"If I complete it, will I get the bounty?" Hiltia asked with interest. "Yes, but the things on the notice are not something that ordinary people can do." She put her hands behind her back and looked up at the ceiling.

Come to think of it, if everything were really that simple, there would be no need to offer a reward.

"Thieves and the like appear every year. The Gale Vulture appears a few years before the Ascending Wind Season and is even more dangerous than the Tiwolf."

"The wood, the wood is probably for a nobleman or merchant who wants to make furniture." As she spoke, she became sleepy again.

"Bright Flower... Bright Flower..." She had already climbed into bed and was leaning against the pillow.

Seeing that she was about to fall asleep, Hiltiah found it somewhat amusing and did not ask any further questions. Instead, she covered Taliel with a thin blanket.

After Taliel fell asleep, the room became quiet. By the light of candlelight, Hiltiya flipped through the old, outdated notices a few more times, then stood up, closed the window bars, and prepared to go to sleep.

As night deepened, the chirping of insects in the meadow became more active, and occasionally a few strange bat calls would pierce the night sky, only to be drowned out by the sound of the town's flowing water.

……

In the dead of night, a furtive figure cautiously crept into the backyard of the hotel. He first carefully observed the location from the corner of the wall before taking action.

The moonlight was dim tonight, and the sky was dark. His clothes were an exceptionally dark color, covering his entire body. If he stood still in the shadows, he would be completely invisible.

In this rural town, candles are valuable, and no one would leave them lit all night. The streets are exceptionally dark, and without a torch, you probably couldn't even see the ground beneath your feet.

Familiar with the environment, the figure moved through the darkness at a steady pace, climbed over the wall, and used the haystack in the backyard to climb up to a corner on the second floor of the hotel. Then he calmed his breathing, spread his arms slightly, and moved through the corridor as quietly as possible.

He knew the hotel's layout and room arrangement by heart. He didn't bother to rummage through the rooms of guests with little money. This time, his target was the big fish he had been eyeing during the day.

He looked quite fair-skinned and delicate, with a cotton dress peeking out from under his cloak, and he had attendants following him. He must be a nobleman. If he could steal that cotton dress, he would be set for the rest of the year. If he could also get his hands on other jewelry, he wouldn't have to work for the next few years.

The risks are high, but the rewards are absolutely worth it.

The figure crept stealthily to the target door, paused to observe the surroundings, then took out a thin iron bar and carefully inserted it into the keyhole. The faint sound of the spring turning was barely audible in the night.

Finally, after a tense moment of unlocking, accompanied by a slight popping sound, the lock loosened, and then the door was pushed open little by little at an extremely slow speed, trying to minimize any possible noise.

At this moment, his heart was in turmoil. If everything went smoothly, he should be able to see two sleeping figures.

In the dim light, he glanced around and saw that there were people lying on both beds. He breathed a sigh of relief and felt a surge of joy. It seemed that today was in the bag.

Adjusting his breathing and pace, he bent down and slowly walked into the room, his eyes searching for anything of value, carefully feeling around.

Unfortunately, when he scanned the entire room, a wave of disappointment washed over him. There wasn't much luggage; in fact, there was only one suitcase.

It's said that nobles bring a lot of things when they travel, especially noblewomen, who always bring a lot of clothes and jewelry. They are particularly concerned about appearances.

What kind of nobleman are you if you don't have money? Are you even a fake? At this moment, his mood soured, and the patience he had built up earlier began to dissipate.

After searching around and finding nothing of value, he finally focused his attention on the small wooden box on the bedside table, on which a reddish-brown cloak was folded.

His coat was still okay, and his bad mood had improved a little. He slowly moved towards the middle of their bed.

The short-haired girl on the right was snoring softly and occasionally smacking her lips, while the figure on the left was very quiet, with barely a sound of breathing.

As his fingers touched the wool cloak, the soft texture of the fabric barely touched his skin when a shock came from his lower back, sending him flying against the opposite side of the bed. The impact made him groan in pain.

The huge shaking and impact startled Taliel awake. She groggily got up, saw the strange dark figure in the room, and screamed in shock.

"Ah—ya ya ya ya—"

First came a scream, then a series of screams. By the end, the panic in the voices disappeared, replaced by a kind of excitement.

Startled by the sharp sound, the dark figure panicked. He didn't have time to grab anything and prepared to smash open the window and jump out to escape.

Unfortunately, before he could make a move, the cloak was thrown over, covering his face, making what he had originally wanted to grab an eyesore.

He hastily ripped off the cloak and climbed onto the table without stopping, preparing to escape. A cold touch pressed against his neck, instantly sobering him up.

Weapon, sword, he quickly assessed, then stopped moving.

Stealing might only result in a beating, but if he died now, he would lose everything. As a habitual offender, he knew the difference all too well.

"No, no..." he hurriedly begged for mercy, backing away little by little from the window.

Only then did he see clearly who had attacked him. It was daytime and the person was hooded and far away, so he only knew that the other person was probably a woman.

Now, in the dimly lit room, her snow-white silver hair was quite striking, as were her bright eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the darkness. The girl held a sword in one hand, causing him to slowly retreat.

So it was a little girl... He lowered his eyelids and then suddenly stepped back to avoid the swinging blade.

At this speed, what kind of breathing technique?

Hiltiya stared intently at the dark figure in front of her, a strange light flickering in her eyes.

She then gave chase, her sword thrusting straight at the shadowy figure. This time, she showed no mercy, as she had restrained her strength and speed to avoid killing him.

Strangely, this time Hilti's thrust did not hit her opponent as she wished; it was as if she had stabbed into thin air. This difference in feedback surprised her for the second time.

After these days of practice, she is quite certain of her swordsmanship accuracy. Perhaps she is not as strong as those robust adults, but she is worse than many people in terms of accuracy, speed and skill.

But the other party just dodged it strangely. By this time, six seconds had passed since Taliel screamed. The other people in the hotel had heard it and some of them started to get up to check and come out.

Even if Captain Frien arrives, it will still take at least 15 seconds, the man thought to himself, then quickly dodged to the corner on the other side of the room and drew the short blade from his waist.

15 seconds is enough to deal with a girl like that.

The shadowy figure charged at the silver-haired girl again, the short blade in its hand barely noticeable in the dim light.

"Clang—" A crisp metallic clang rang out in the darkness.

Indeed, in such an environment, ordinary people would not be able to see clearly at all, but this silver-haired girl is no ordinary person.

With her [Discerning Eyes], she could see the cold metallic glint even in the darkness. In the next ten seconds, the two clashed several times, and the crisp sound of their swords clashing was particularly clear in the night.

Noisy footsteps and shouts came from downstairs and outside the corridor, which made the dark figure more and more anxious. He began to act recklessly, and even his eyes flashed with a fierce and violent aura.

"I didn't want this to happen," he muttered bitterly, then twisted his foot, accelerating the circulation of blood throughout his body, giving his muscles even greater power, and once again bursting forth with astonishing speed as he rushed toward the silver-haired girl.

Facing the sudden attack from her opponent, the girl remained calm, as if she had already entered a state of focused concentration. She turned around, and the short sword in her hand drew a beautiful and perfect arc in the darkness, like a new moon flashing, before slashing at the short blade that was striking fiercely.

Sparks and shattered iron fragments burst forth in the darkness. The shadowy figure felt a numbness in his palm as the short blade was knocked from his hand. At that moment, the sharp short sword struck again, piercing his shoulder bone. The coldness of the iron blade entered his body, filling him with immense fear.

"No, no, please." He knelt on the ground, pressing his hands to the ground, pleading frantically.

This time, Hilti didn't let him off easily. Instead, she drew her sword and held it against his neck again, but this time with the tip of the sword, which was still stained with blood.

Thick drops of blood trickled down his neck and into his chest. This strange sensation made him acutely aware that his life was hanging by a thread, ready to snap at any moment.

He was truly afraid and no longer tried to resist.

　Thanks to a lazy bum who wants to work hard for the support.
　　Thank you, brother, for sheltering from the rain. Other related terms include: Xianchen Muyu, Gu Xijin, Love and Cherry Blossom Grass, Qianxue Zhihua, Shenqi Taitai wants to stick close to Alice, Misaka Mikoto 20001, Xingxing de Geyao, 丿Tokisaki灬Kuangsan丶Book Friend 20210824084543073, and Yi Yu.

　　Salted Fish Cuisine, Bai Qinglian, A Cat Who Wants to Live a Life of Leisure, uYeXiu, The Void of Dreaming of Miracles, Clouds and Flowing Colors, Book Friend 150627093935390, Don't Part Easily, Game Xiaohei and other book friends' rewards

　　Many thanks to MagnoliaSnow for being the patron! Thanks (ω)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)