Cornflower Witch

Chapter 77 Reflections in the Water
"What will the birds see when they fly over the water, Hiero?"

In Mathematician Hyde's study, a warm fireplace burned as he inquired of a student who was copying a book to one side.

"Is it true that we can see fish and water plants in the water, teacher?" Yero asked, looking up.

“Not only that, it will also see its own reflection.” Maester Hyde coughed and covered his mouth with a towel.

“Teacher.” Yero put down his pen, walked over, and patted Hyde on the back in place of Maester Hyde.

"Phew... I'm fine. Let's continue our previous conversation." Maester Hyde raised his hand.

"Just as a bird flying on the water can see its own reflection, do you think there will be any reflections when the seven continents float on the sea at dusk?"

“This should have a shadow,” Yero nodded.

"Then in what form do you think these shadows will appear?" Maester Hyde looked up at his last formal student.

"Since it's a shadow, its outline and shape should be similar to the continent, right?" Yero pondered.

"Yes, and not just a little similar, but as if it were a completely copied copy of another continent," Maester Hyde replied with a cough.

Do you know why I never recommend you go to the Hidden Woods?

"Because I lack the talent," Hierro replied calmly, having already realized this.

“If it were merely a matter of insufficient talent, it wouldn’t change the benefits of this choice. Those nobles would certainly send their children to the hidden forests to learn powerful arcane arts,” Maester Hyde shook his head.

"But as you know, most nobles don't do that; they're even unwilling to let their children enter the Hidden Woods."

"Why is this...?" Yero looked at him directly.

“Because the Hidden Woods are not anywhere on the continent, but in the shadows beneath our continent,” Maester Hyde said with great effort.

"That is a space submerged by the Twilight Sea, a filthy sea where countless monsters are born, a desperate place where distorted forms constantly erode and spread."

"If that's the case, why is it still arranged in that place?" Yero felt there was some reason behind it.

“Yes, that’s right, it’s a filthy place, but in a sense, it’s also a place with many precious resources,” Maester Hyde sighed.

"During the Seventh Era, an alien star descended upon the world, piercing the earth and causing many paradises to sink into the depths of the Twilight Sea. The seven continents where we now reside are merely a small part of the world of that time."

"Those worlds that sank into the depths of the Twilight Sea became a breeding ground for monsters and also gave rise to many things we never knew. Some of these things have been analyzed by certain schools of thought and can be used."

"To facilitate research and to access those resources, they established a base in the Shadow World deep within the Twilight Sea, where many personnel reside permanently."

"If the Twilight Sea is an unknown sandy land, and no one knows what lies buried beneath, then the shadows of the seven continents drifting across the sky are like a net filtering through the sand. When the shadows cover the area, certain things are captured within them, which is the origin of the monsters in the world of shadows."

"Why is the first test for going to the Hidden Woods always about finding something? It's to select students with search skills."

"The reason why the second test for going to the Hidden Forest always requires defeating enemies of the same level is because you will always encounter various monsters in the Shadow World."

"The reason why the third test for going to the Hidden Woods is to obtain something amidst great difficulty is because those rare resources are always so hard to come by."

“If you’re not strong enough, going there will be suicide. Now you understand my predicament, right? Cough cough.” Scholar Hyde coughed again.

“I understand, I’m sorry, teacher.” Yero patted Maester Hyde’s back again.

"Why did you suddenly tell me this today?" Actually, he hadn't planned to go to the hidden woods.

"Why..." Maester Hyde looked at the falling snow outside the window, his eyes lost in memories.

"Perhaps it's because they don't want any more regrets or misunderstandings."

“I rarely tell you about my younger days, but I can talk about it now.”

“I used to be a lot like you. We were both students who longed for the path of ‘secret words’ or were very eager to learn, but our talents were both just average.”

"That's right. My talent isn't actually that great. Back then, I could only watch with envy as those smart students in my class easily learned knowledge and secret techniques."

“But everyone says that the teacher was a brilliant talent when he was young and achieved success very early on.” Yero shook his head.

“That’s an impression from later, silly boy.” Hyde shook his head.

"When I was eighteen or nineteen, I was unknown and nobody cared about me."

“I only have one friend, his name is Jerry. We have always encouraged each other, shared our studies, and even lived together for a long time, sharing an apartment.”

"Because we couldn't enter the hidden forests, nor could we gain the favor of those large organizations, the two of us could only find some unconventional methods, or rather, very clumsy methods."

"The Candleburg School has several channels for recruiting formal members, and the Hidden Woods is just one of them."

"If I assist 'Candleburg' in collecting and compiling certain information, I can become one of their peripheral members, and then gradually accumulate various contributions until I am recognized and accepted by them at some point."

“Jerry and I plan to take this path, isn’t that similar to what you’re thinking now?” Maester Hyde smiled nostalgically.

"Back then, I ate only a little bread and drank well water every day. I traveled around, investigated the local conditions, read and asked the locals about their past deeds, and then recorded and organized them one by one."

"This kind of work is extremely tedious and boring. Even established scholars are too lazy to waste their precious energy on this. Only we low-level peripheral members do it."

“Jerry and I traveled to many places, to the mountains, to the riverbanks, and even to the city’s sewers, looking for some kind of record.”

"Those days were very busy, but also very fulfilling, especially watching the contribution points slowly accumulate, it was like seeing my bright future."

"It took us about seven years to accumulate enough contribution points before we found the scholar from Candlehold and asked if we could be formally accepted."

"He didn't answer directly at the time, but just chuckled and handed us a book."

"I know you have high hopes, but please consider the organization's reputation. This is a valuable book explaining how to advance; come back and say this to me when you've become 'Tier 3 Secret Word Masters.'"

"Our hopes have been dashed. The book was good, but it wasn't suitable for people like us who weren't gifted enough."

"Jerry and I walked down the street looking lost, and then we went to a bar and drank a lot of alcohol."

"We were almost thirty years old then, but we were still stuck at 'Level 1' because we had wasted a lot of energy running around and hadn't saved up any resources to advance." "We were nothing," we said to ourselves with a laugh, and then the two of us wandered the streets and slept in alleys.

"From then on, we no longer traveled and explored with great enthusiasm, but instead focused on improving our sexual dimorphism."

"Perhaps it is my years of travel and visits that have given me a particularly deep understanding of the nature of 'secret words'. When I really focused on this, I achieved results that were unimaginable before."

"Soon, I advanced to 'Second Tier · Secret Word', when I had just turned thirty."

"This achievement wouldn't be considered genius, but it would make me a local prodigy. As a result, I gained a small reputation and managed to get a job with the former Viscount Xue Feng."

Perhaps it was the progress I made that gave me a lot of confidence and hope, and I started to think about the 'Third-Tier Secret Words' that I had once longed for. I decided to continue to imitate my past experiences, explore ideas everywhere, and start writing my own travelogue.

"At this time, Jerry found me. He was surprised by my progress and asked me for the method. I generously told him everything and wished him to advance as soon as possible."

"After receiving all the knowledge I had taught him, Jerry was very grateful and decided to continue his travels like me."

"In this way, we would exchange letters from time to time and occasionally meet up somewhere."

"After a few years, Jerry finally reached the 'Second Stage: Secret Word' level. We were overjoyed and went to celebrate."

“I originally thought our friendship would grow stronger because we were now on the same level again,” Hyde remarked.

“I started writing a new book, and he was equally interested. He would come over from time to time to check on my progress and wanted to learn from me.”

"Of course, he's my best friend, why would I refuse him?"

"So I generously told him about my sources of inspiration, the framework of the entire book, the ideas, and the sources of all the materials."

"But what happened later, you should have expected."

"I did not advance to 'Third-Tier Secret Word' because something unexpected must have happened. As I said before, I trusted him too much, which ultimately led to tragedy."

“He took my work, released it first, and quickly gained the approval of Candleburg.”

“At that time, he was about to advance in rank, and Candleburg regarded him as a prospective member and took extra care of him.”

“I was filled with resentment, but I was helpless, since I had no way of proving that it was something I created first.”

"The whole process was known only to the two of us, and I had already told him the origin and everything about this book."

“I was sad for a long time and was ready to leave this land, but I didn’t expect that the first thing he did after his promotion was to have me arrested and falsely accused me of plagiarizing his work.”

“Such a charge is enough to keep me in jail for decades. I don’t understand why he would do this.”

"Because he has taken everything from me, and I have no way to get it back."

"A long time later, he told me the reason: because I was his only stain, the only person who knew about his past, and if he wanted to live a peaceful and secure life, I couldn't live."

"It was all too late. I was tortured to death in prison by the people he arranged, and I never saw the sun again."

“Originally, I had given up and was prepared to commit suicide in despair. At that time, the previous Viscount Xue Feng asked someone to take me out of the prison, finally giving me the opportunity to speak out against my injustice.”

"Although he knew the entire creative process of the book and had memorized all the inspiration and materials, it was ultimately me who went to those places. The testimonies of the locals and my records in taverns and inns finally helped me clear my name."

“I was exonerated, while he lost everything and became worse off than an ordinary person.”

“On the day he was exiled, I rode in the same carriage with him again and asked him about his experiences and thoughts over the years.”

"He told me that he didn't actually want to do this at first, because I helped him a lot."

"However, he was too envious of my impending achievements, too eager to achieve the same success, and I was too trusting of him, allowing his ambition and desire to grow unchecked."

'I originally thought that if I learned your method, I could achieve the same results as you, so I was full of hope.'

'In fact, it's a cruel joke of fate; I can never be like you.'

'Others' success can never be replicated. I merely tried in vain to get close, only to be left behind once again. I shouldn't have had such hopes and ideas. These early hopes ultimately turned into the most bitter and painful things, keeping me up at night.'

"Hyde, you've misunderstood me. Do you really think we have the same talent? No, you're far more sincere and down-to-earth than I am. And I've misunderstood myself because I actually believed that by learning methods, I could replicate someone else's achievements."

'People are different, so this has no reference value.'

“Jerry died in the Hot Rain Swamp the following year after he was exiled, where the mosquitoes are said to be particularly fierce.” Maester Hyde slowly put down his cup.

"Now that you know my past, are you still going to imitate me and travel around to different places to investigate?"

“I will go, teacher.” Yero’s voice remained unchanged, even more resolute.

"Why, you child?" Maester Hyde's eyes softened.

"It's not about imitating the teacher's methods, but about understanding my own determination."

“I don’t know how you achieved your success back then, but I see a different kind of hopeful composure in you.”

"That is to steadfastly pursue what you love and watch it accumulate little by little, which is enough to soothe the unease and regret in your heart."

"A result without a process is ultimately just a flash in the pan. You taught me something similar, didn't you?"

"I don't want to wait until you're this age to sit in your room reminiscing about the things you didn't fully pursue when you were young."

"If I'm destined not to succeed, then let me give it my all so that I can give up with a clear conscience."

“Give it your all…” Maester Hyde shook his head slightly.

Where does all that effort end? Right up to the end of life...?

However, at this point, he would no longer say anything, just as if he could go back in time and try to persuade his younger self in his early twenties, but he would not be able to change his mindset and thoughts at that time.

Ultimately, it's better to live with fewer regrets.

(End of this chapter)