The Cornflower Witch

The rain drizzled down, fine streams of water seeping into the gray-blue dragon scales, slowly absorbed.

In the night, the plesiosaur dragon gazed at the young woman before it. A strange sense of closeness washed over it, and it let out low, whining cries, as if sobbing and pleading for comfort.

Seeing the pitiful state of the plesiosaur dragon, Sylutia had no choice but to console it.

"Alright, it'll get better slowly. Don't worry."

Although the two had fought fiercely before, after forming the contract, they quickly made peace. For the plesiosaur dragon especially, it had been an eternity since it last felt this sense of having someone to depend on and cry to.

Most dragons spend their lives in solitude, only coming together briefly during mating and reproduction.

Sylutia comforted the plesiosaur dragon with words, then had it open its mouth. She poured a large bunch of Blood Currants into its jaws. Ever since she advanced to a Fourth Tier gardener, the bountiful harvests from her manor had been piling up in storage. She never expected they'd come in handy today.

Her Autumn Wind Garden could now produce Fourth Tier Blood Currants. The Bloodline Aspect power contained within rapidly and coolly replenished the dragon's depleted stamina as it swallowed them. The once-thin dragon blood slowly regained a touch of redness.

Watching the plesiosaur dragon eat bite after bite, Sylutia thought to herself that the fruits she'd harvested over the years were probably doomed. After all, this creature was just too massive. A single Blood Currant that would make an ordinary person explode was barely enough to fill the gaps between its teeth.

Still, with so many Blood Currants consumed, the plesiosaur dragon had indeed recovered much of its vitality. At least now it was no longer on the brink of death.

She patted the broad, smooth forehead of the dragon's head and told the plesiosaur dragon that there was no more.

"The next harvest won't be ready for another two months," she said with a helpless shake of her head at this gluttonous creature.

Realizing there was no more food, the plesiosaur dragon raised its head and let out a dragon roar. But this time, there was no anger—just a release of the pent-up fear of death that had been weighing on it.

After a long roar, its mood settled considerably. It lowered its head again, trying to rub against Sylutia. But it still couldn't control its strength precisely. What it considered a gentle nudge was like a hundred-ton truck barreling straight at Sylutia.

"Urgh—" Sylutia quickly spread her wings and flew up a short distance to avoid the most intense impact. Only then did she carefully catch the massive incoming forehead with her hands, being carried through the air for a moment before the creature finally stopped.

After that, Sylutia patted the plesiosaur dragon again, conjured a pale white flute with magic, and began to play a gentle melody.

In this performance, she drew on the dragon secret arts passed down from the Emerald Dynasty. The soft flute notes seeped into the plesiosaur dragon's spiritual consciousness, soothing its emotions and helping it slowly heal the subtle internal injuries within its body.

After the tune ended, the plesiosaur dragon felt immensely better throughout its body. It let out a low, rumbling sound. Its jade-green dragon eye reflected Sylutia's figure as it slowly drew closer.

As if remembering something, the plesiosaur dragon lifted its head and spat out several glowing points. These points drifted down slowly, hovering before Sylutia, who only now saw what they were.

Among these glowing points were beautiful gems, ancient treasures, and materials from high-tier magical beasts—all clearly treasures the plesiosaur dragon had collected over time.

For a True Dragon, sharing one's precious treasures with another was an expression of utmost trust and gratitude. Generally speaking, with a dragon's temperament, even on the brink of death, most would be reluctant to part with their treasures.

"Sigh, can I choose one?" Sylutia sensed the information the plesiosaur dragon conveyed and slowly understood its meaning.

The plesiosaur dragon said it was willing to gift one of them to Sylutia.

Hearing that, Sylutia became curious and examined each treasure hovering in the halo of light one by one.

[Emerald River Flame Crystal] (Eighth Tier·Rare): A relic from an ancient era, said to be from the Emerald Light River above the World Tree. When shattered and burned, part of its power dissolved, forming this crystal.

[Amis Copper Decree] (Eighth Tier·Superior): A copper decree crafted by the ancient Amis Empire, engraved with the empire's strict laws. Typically carried by law enforcement officers, it cannot be used to cast Sovereign Spells.

[White Savage Beast Horn] (Eighth Tier·Superior): The horn of an eight-pointed White Mighty Ox. Cannot pierce dragon scales, but is a rare beast material.

[Eight-Colored Agate] (Eighth Tier·Superior): An agate with a peculiar eight-color pattern. Can be used to craft certain ordinary items.

[Ancient Book] (Unknown): Surface adorned with silver leaf patterns, its aura restrained. Only faintly perceptible as extraordinary inside and out.

[Surge Seashell] (Eighth Tier·Rare): The shell of an extinct creature. Said to have survived on the ocean floor after the First Era.

She looked over all these treasures. Each was quite impressive, especially the Emerald River Flame Crystal, the Surge Seashell, and the Eight-Colored Agate. But what drew Sylutia's attention most was the [Ancient Book]. When she truly saw the patterns on that book, she knew she wouldn't consider any other treasure.

Because she had seen those patterns on another book before—the holy scripture she'd obtained upon first stepping into the Shadow World: [Meleranke Praying in the Lake].

"I choose this." She accepted the ancient book. The plesiosaur dragon nodded, then drew the other treasures back into its body.

Now, after replenishing nutrition and healing internal injuries with the flute's melody, the plesiosaur dragon felt a wave of drowsiness rising.

"You want to sleep?" Sylutia put away the ancient book, which she couldn't open for now, and hovered quietly before the plesiosaur dragon.

"...But sleeping here isn't very safe." Sylutia looked around. This was an uninhabited mountainous region in the west. While there were no formidable enemies at the moment, mages would surely come to investigate by tomorrow.

"I have a very safe place where you can hibernate, but you need to cooperate fully and not resist, understand?"

She could use the power of the Picture Book and alien star to seal creatures into cards. However, this ability was usually only effective against weaker opponents of the same tier. To contain the plesiosaur dragon in the Picture Book, she needed its absolute cooperation.

The plesiosaur dragon naturally agreed.

Then Sylutia thought it over and had the plesiosaur dragon move, swimming up into the air again.

Disappearing on the ground would leave too many strange traces. It was better to do it in the air.

The young woman directed the plesiosaur dragon to rise back into the sky, then plunge into the massive rain cloud above. At that moment, dragon roars thundered, and lightning boomed. Under the cover of these phenomena, Sylutia unleashed the full power of her life force talent.

Her silver-white hair danced in the air. Starlight flickered in her bright eyes, like countless shooting stars streaking across. Then she spread both hands, an invisible framework of power unfolding in her vision, aimed at the plesiosaur dragon before her.

A faint temporal pause manifested. The plesiosaur dragon experienced this sensation for the first time. The subtle restraint felt like it could break free with a slight struggle. But it carefully maintained its stillness, trying not to cause any disruption.

So clever, Sylutia thought with admiration. This creature seemed dull-witted, but it was far smarter and more obedient than her previous Shadow-Walking Beast.

Then she gathered her power, layering it onto the plesiosaur dragon until, in an instant, the force abruptly severed time and space, compressing and sealing it. Finally, it condensed into a resplendent card.

The card's border was composed of azure and white waves, strikingly three-dimensional. Within it, the plesiosaur dragon advanced through undulating seas and storms, its head held high, lightning crackling across the sky behind it, incredibly majestic.

[Storm Dragon] (Sixth Tier·Dragon Eye·Snail Fish): A plesiosaur dragon that delights in rain. When storms descend, its power is greatly enhanced. Currently contracted to you, can be freely commanded.

"After the oceans disappeared, the plesiosaur dragons' range gradually shrank. Some of them, unwilling to crowd into the Dragon Kingdom, chose to slumber in mortal lakes, waiting for the next storm to arrive."

Phew, I finally got this big guy properly packed into the Picture Book.

After sealing the plesiosaur dragon, Sylutia breathed a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that the creature only wanted to sleep right now. If the plesiosaur dragon wanted to move around in the sealed space of the Picture Book, the current Sylutia wouldn't be able to manage it.

She would probably need to reach Sixth Tier as a gardener, at which point the manor space within could support this plesiosaur dragon bathing and moving around in a small area.

After finishing everything, a hint of white appeared on the distant horizon. Before she knew it, dawn was approaching.

To avoid worrying the masters, Sylutia hesitated no longer. She spread her wings, accelerated, burst out of the rain cloud, and vanished at the edge of the sky.

Several days later, the Mage Alliance's reinforcements arrived. But they could never find the plesiosaur dragon's final whereabouts. The investigation results only indicated that it had disappeared within the high-altitude rain clouds.

"It might have gone to the Dragon Kingdom. Since the Corona Dragon was reborn, it promised that all True Dragons, as long as they haven't committed major sins, can go there and receive shelter." A historian pushed up his glasses, recording in his notebook as he conversed with a colleague nearby.

"Our understanding of dragons is still too limited," another scholar shook his head, finding no leads.

"After all, in the last era, there weren't many dragons left on the Fourth Continent."

Ever since the Silver Moon Dragon passed away, the True Dragons that once flourished on the Fourth Continent suffered heavy casualties in the Calamity War. Later, when the Corona Dragon returned to its position, almost all the remaining ones chose to leave.

Currently, the only places where True Dragons can still be seen are the First Continent and the Sixth Continent. Both continents are protected by the Hours, the dragon deities, and both have strong, unified dynasties that are relatively stable. Under the Hours' mediation, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

Although many mages felt regret and were fixated on the plesiosaur dragon's disappearance, there were simply no clues to follow. Moreover, the next storm was about to strike, and they couldn't waste too many personnel and resources on this matter.

"It's fine if it doesn't show up. As long as it doesn't cause major destruction, that's a good thing."

After that, the Alliance archived the case, disbanded the tracking teams, and redirected their focus to dealing with the approaching storm.

...

July. The second storm struck. With the experience from the previous one, the North Wind Defense Line operated normally, greatly mitigating the storm's damage. The Alliance's overall tension eased somewhat.

Tetis College, Black Rose Palace.

Her usually quiet residence was lively today, because several of Sylutia's friends had gathered here.

"Eek, Dye-Dye, don't run around!" Lovier scrambled to chase her cat. This agile, round-headed little creature seemed to treat the new environment as an adventure zone, darting all over the place.

Watching Lovier clumsily catch the cat and hug it to her chest, Aurora couldn't help but smile.

That child is still as simple and lively as ever.

Then she stood up, manipulated several puppets to float behind her, and headed toward the kitchen.

"Hedra, need any help?"

Inside the kitchen, two figures were bustling about, preparing today's lavish feast. Sylutia had her hair tied in a high ponytail, the azure hairband swaying along with her locks as she moved, occasionally revealing her elegant shoulders and neck.

On the other side, her assistant and helper, Carmilla, the former Blood Clan princess, was stirring egg mixture. Occasionally, she helped Sylutia chop vegetables. Though her technique was a bit rusty, her expression was earnest, with a faint, happy smile on her lips, looking utterly blissful.

Seeing this, Aurora shook her head slightly. Looks like she's not needed here.

Speaking of which, how did Carmilla and Hedra become so close? Back at the academy, the two didn't interact much, did they?

Aurora returned to the living room. Lovier was squatting in front of the Shadow-Walking Beast, holding the cat in her arms, curiously examining this tamed magical creature. Occasionally, she'd reach out a finger to tentatively touch its sleek, black fur.

The Shadow-Walking Beast yawned at its owner's friend, its tail twitching slightly. It moved a bit, stretched lazily, and went back to sleep.

It could easily stay awake for days, but if it didn't sleep now, this young lady would definitely wake it up to play. It had no intention of foolishly cooperating, so it pretended to sleep.

An hour later, with Carmilla's assistance, Sylutia finished preparing the sumptuous lunch and brought it out.

Then the four sat at the table and began to eat. Throughout the meal, Lovier was like a curious child, asking about the methods behind each dish, then trying them one by one with anticipation and wonder.

For this gathering with her good friends, Sylutia had specially purchased ingredients. Today's table featured three main dishes of Third Tier quality, plus three side dishes of Second Tier quality.

[White-Cut Ivory Chicken] (Third Tier·Superior): Made with premium chicken, processed using a three-dip, three-scald technique. The skin is golden, the meat tender. When cut open, it resembles white ivory. (Nutrition +3, Spirit Recovery +2, Deliciousness +4, Refreshing +1)

[Crab-Stuffed Orange] (Third Tier·Superior): Crab meat, crab roe, and diced meat mixed with orange juice, stuffed into a hollowed-out large orange, then steamed with ginger juice and wine. The texture balances orange fragrance and crab freshness, exceptionally delicious. (Nutrition +2, Spirit Recovery +3, Deliciousness +5, Sweet and Refreshing +1)

[Crispy Swan] (Third Tier·Superior): Goose meat wrapped in flour and baked. When both sides of the flour turn golden and threadlike, like swan wings, it's taken out. The skin is crispy, the meat fragrant, with an excellent texture. (Nutrition +4, Stamina Recovery +3, Deliciousness +4)

Many of these dishes were made by Sylutia using knowledge from her previous life. It was also the first time Lovier and Aurora had encountered such uniquely flavored cuisine, and both couldn't help but praise it.

"Mmm, I wish I could live here every day and have Hedra cook delicious food for me," Lovier said with a blissful voice.

"You'd disturb Hedra like that," Aurora remarked unhurriedly, her curious gaze fixed on the small, bowl-like orange before her.

"But Hedra's cooking really is surprising. I've never seen anything like it before." As the eldest daughter of the Halter family, she was well-traveled and experienced, but this cooking method genuinely amazed her.

It was high summer, and the cicadas chirped incessantly outside the window. After weathering the storm's onslaught, Tetis College had returned to its usual tranquility.

A gentle summer breeze swept through the hall, occasionally lifting the white gauze curtains. The young women seated at the dining table chatted and savored the refreshing, delicious food, with occasional laughter echoing through the room.

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