Chapter 130: Xilutiya’s Clear Spring
After temporarily sealing Aromatherapy Lv.1, Xilutiya continued studying her Star talent, recalling the swarm of bees she had sealed in the Shadow World. She kept searching and finally found that fragile card Bees and Night Flower Bush First Order·Alien Star·Insect Moth in a corner within the Fate Card.
‘At night, white bees shuttle through the illusory Cornflower Bush like fireflies, like a dream realm.’
This card maintained a delicate balance. At that time, she had only barely sealed those white bees. If she wanted to command the swarm like the Black Cat, she was still far from able to do so.
At least Second Order or above would be necessary, the maiden sensed.
After reinforcing the seal once more, Xilutiya hid this card under the flower bush in the Fate Card, ignored it for the time being, and then opened her eyes.
Currently, she possessed two abilities Moonlight Breathing Technique Lv.3 and Flower Blooming Technique Lv.2. The Flower Blooming Technique improved slowly, mainly because her Nature tier was insufficient. She would probably need Second Order·Emerald Honey to continue improving the Flower Blooming Technique.
As for Moonlight Breathing Technique Lv.3, she had not yet reached its limit. It was just that she had been quite busy lately and had not settled down to explore and train it.
She would take this time to properly sort it out, Xilutiya thought.
At noon, she ate some baked Biscuit at home, then Xilutiya went to the Stable.
Over these ten-plus days, she had already established a familiar relationship with the three horses. Hearing her footsteps, the Mare continued eating Hay, but when Xilutiya approached, she rubbed her head against her slightly.
The other two foals were much more enthusiastic and lively. They trotted over lightly to Xilutiya’s side, bumping against her from time to time, and occasionally licking her fingers with their tongues, probably wanting some treats from this maiden.
“The previous Carrots have already been eaten up by you.” The maiden shook her head. She had no Carrots to feed them right now.
But thinking of the Turnips she still had, she cut a few pieces of Turnip and fed them to the two little ones.
While watching the two foals eat Turnip from her hand, Xilutiya observed their conditions carefully.
Lakeside Foal: A Lakeside Horse that has not yet grown up, healthy and full of vitality.
Wondering if horses could learn Breathing Techniques, Xilutiya suddenly thought, lightly pressing her finger to her chin.
Leading out the brown and black foals, Xilutiya saddled the Brown Foal, hung a Lantern on it, then mounted it herself. Her light weight paired perfectly with this foal.
Feeling someone sitting on its back, the Brown Foal was a bit unaccustomed at first, but after Xilutiya soothed it for a while, it continued walking. Meanwhile, the little black horse watched curiously and followed behind, occasionally biting the Brown Foal’s tail, then staying by Xilutiya’s leg, its warm tongue licking her Clothes.
Riding on horseback, Xilutiya strolled through the Valley, continuously heading forward toward the inner side of the Valley Plain.
After walking some distance, the weeds underfoot became noticeably taller, reaching past the foal’s legs. If Xilutiya were walking through the grass, it would probably reach her chest.
There were no traces of large animals here. After walking for a long time, all she saw were Birds occasionally flying across the Sky.
Just as Xilutiya wanted to continue exploring, the Brown Foal under her stopped moving. It snorted anxiously, lowering its head into the grass as if trying to bite something.
“What’s wrong.” Xilutiya lightly jumped down and parted the grass to check carefully.
Several strange and Twisted weeds were wrapped around the Brown Foal’s hooves, their tips drilling into its Fur like thin snakes, seemingly sucking Blood.
Seeing these bizarre weeds, Xilutiya frowned, then took down the Lantern hanging from the Saddle.
An invisible Fire Wave surged, flattening and scattering the surrounding weeds. Then she drew her Short Sword and precisely cut through the entwining weeds, drawing a bit of blood.
Twisted Weed: Strange wild grass tainted by Twisted Nature, which actively entwines passing creatures and sucks their Blood.
After helping the foal free itself from the entwining weeds, she gripped the Lantern again. Invisible flames spread continuously, burning the surrounding weeds, igniting them, and sending up large clouds of green smoke.
The thick weeds here carried moisture, making it not easy to ignite them.
The firepower isn’t enough, the maiden shook her head slightly, then pressed the button on the Lantern. Several drops of high-concentration Emerald Dew Water dripped into the Flower Stamen, and the Fire Wave at her side rapidly expanded, becoming more powerful and surging with heat.
Invisible orange fire ripples continuously spread from under Xilutiya’s feet, burning the surrounding weeds and finally exposing scorched soil mixed with plant ash. The two foals hid by the maiden’s side, curiously watching the scene.
Afterward, Xilutiya mounted the horse again and continued walking through the Forest and grass.
The deeper she went, the dimmer the light became, and the air grew quiet, as if strange creatures might rush out from the dark corners at any moment.
But none did. Xilutiya shifted her gaze, carefully examining and observing this Forest, finding no traces of large animals—just as those patrolling knights had said, the area inside and out had indeed been cleared.
It seems the Association’s people are quite thorough and reliable, she thought.
Though there were no large animals, she found plenty of Rabbits and field mice; they just weren’t much of a threat.
After patrolling the entire Valley, she felt much more at ease in her heart, then turned back, leading the two foals back home.
Removing the Saddle and letting the two little ones return to the Mare’s side, Xilutiya went back to the second floor of the Stone House to rest.
Two days later, the planted Wheat began to sprout, tender new seedlings appearing in the black soil, lined up in rows of emerald green.
Wheat Deficiency-21: Due to pollution by Twisted Nature, growth is difficult. Without intervention or change, it will wither and die in five days.
As expected, cultivating crops is extremely difficult when both the soil and water have issues, Xilutiya had anticipated this in her heart.
But how to solve these problems? Looking at the Wheat, Xilutiya pondered.
To exclude Twisted Nature, using Castle Path abilities to isolate and dispel the erosion of other Natures would work, but there was also a downside: it wouldn’t just isolate Twisted Nature—auxiliary growth Natures like Emerald Honey and Blazing Sun would be suppressed as well.
The end result would be that crops in the manor could at best be cultivated to Good quality, making it hard to go further to Excellent.
If she failed, this Valley would remain without a suitable Gardener to develop it. In the end, it would be handed over to scholars from White Stone Fortress. They would expend effort designing and setting up high walls and stone pillars to turn it into a small manor producing some Grain to supply the Fortress.
This wouldn’t be low cost, and after offsetting expenses, the value of the produced crops wouldn’t leave much, so the Association and White Stone Fortress officials wouldn’t do this unless absolutely necessary.
So, aside from Castle, were there other Natures that could better counter Twisted?
Blazing Sun could incinerate it, effectively eliminating Twisted things, but it couldn’t be used for cultivation.
Dragon Eye is the World’s scales and armor, able to resist Twisted erosion, but not eliminate it.
Brilliant Moon symbolizes clarity and Purity, able to Purify Twisted pollution, but it’s hard to clean the source.
The root of everything—where exactly does the source of Twisted come from? It’s the impact of Otherworld laws and power on this World.
Walking between the black soil of heaven and earth, thoughts surged in Xilutiya’s mind.
Anyway, she was the only one in this Valley, so she didn’t need any disguise or worry. Thus, she released her restrictions, revealing her latent Alien Star Nature.
Strange Starlight emerged in her eyes and annihilated. Then she released her perception fully, invisible ripples sweeping across this Land.
Gaps in the grass, dewdrops under leaves, particles in the soil, rubble impurities underground…
Her perception continuously penetrated downward, extending toward the dark depths, sensing the increasingly obvious Twisted Nature power underground.
Originally, she thought such Twisted things would have an end, but unexpectedly, after fully releasing it, she only felt that this Valley she was in, this Plain, even this entire Shadow World, was built upon an endless Twisted Abyss, with no end to the Abyss in sight.
Deeper in the depths, there was only even more profound darkness—an Twisted Abyss her current mental power couldn’t fully explore to its endpoint.
Finally, Xilutiya withdrew her mental perception, lightly pressing her Forehead with some fatigue, using the coolness of her fingers to slightly clear her mind.
Well then, from this perspective, it’s impossible to completely clear it. Thinking carefully, it makes sense. Back then, gathering all the World’s power to battle the descended Alien Star, countless unspeakable Otherworld creatures fell into this Abyss Sea, and even multiple Star Lords perished in the great war. If the source could really be easily eliminated, there wouldn’t have been a need for the great serpent to hold up the Continent, shuttling through the boundless Twilight Sea.
Such a historical conundrum was far beyond what she could solve now.
So, better to think of other methods, like using Brilliant Moon power to Purify this Land.
It seemed she couldn’t ignore Brilliant Moon. Since that was the case, that vacant Ability Card slot would be used to learn a Brilliant Moon ability.
But this way, her Emerald Honey Gardener felt a bit unworthy of the name. If others mentioned it—Xilutiya, as a Transcendent of Emerald Honey Nature, you must have learned many Emerald Honey Path abilities.
At that time, she would probably only be able to answer awkwardly that she had only taken Flower Blooming Technique, and used the rest to learn Brilliant Moon.
Possessing multiple Natures wasn’t strange, but truly fusing and balancing them required at least Fifth Order. Low-tier attempts often meant neglecting both sides, hindering progress, interfering with each other, and making Advancement difficult.
The founding Monarch of the Winter Kingdom only fully balanced two major Natures at Sixth Order, successfully advancing to the Sixth Order-Sleeping Winter·Castle Class Winter Crown Knight.
Originally, she had planned to continue learning Emerald Honey Path abilities with the next Ability, but now it seemed she had to change plans.
Returning to the Meditation Room, Xilutiya sat on the soft Mat, closed her eyes, and perceived the depths of her consciousness, reopening that book Prayer by the Lake about Melelan Ke.
Stories about the founder of the Silver Radiance Church resurfaced in her mind, and she began searching for certain traces in the historical legends.
……
Two days later, Xilutiya finally made a discovery and began gradually attempting to recreate the power from the legend.
‘Plague raged In the City, corpses piled up on the Streets, well water was polluted, rotten stench everywhere, cries gradually dried up, leaving only numb death.
The Mad Crow Uprising had not yet ended……
I followed that Lord walking the Streets full of ash smoke and Despair, seeing the Silver Radiance Saint’s eyes filled with compassion and sorrow, and I wept along.
……
Over sixteen days, our Companions transported Spring Water from the Mountain Forest to the clean White Stone Pool, converging it there. That immaculate Saint bathed and changed clothes, then stepped into the water one by one. She prayed under the Moonlight, invisible Moonlight descending in layers.
We sang ancient Prayer songs, beseeching the Elder of the Moon, the eternal god of Purity.
Brilliant Moon manifested, pure power filling the Pool.
……
Clean Clear Water washed the body, taking away the black malignant plague, dispelling invisible Twisted.
We thank the Saint’s mercy and greatness, wishing the figure under Silver Radiance to shine forever.
Thus, the Mad Crow Uprising ushered in a hopeful turning point……’
The book recorded how, at the end of the Eighth Epoch, Silver Radiance Saint Melelan Ke quelled the Mad Crow Uprising. This was Melelan Ke’s first impact on the World at that time, and after this event, the Silver Radiance Church she led gradually expanded, establishing branches everywhere, step by step becoming a powerful Organization of great importance.
Clear Spring Water… Xilutiya thought to herself.
Legends have many interpretations and can extend many concepts. If she wanted to create pure water sufficient to dispel Twisted, she would probably need Clear Spring Water as the base.
But in a sense, she could also reverse-engineer from the legend to obtain Clear Spring Water this way.
‘Melelan Ke’ Legend Understand+12
Like an Inspiration light bulb lighting up, Xilutiya began attempting to recreate the scene described in the book, whether scene, State of Mind, or necessary steps.
She first bathed and changed into the pure white Dress she had worn upon awakening, then came to the Pool’s edge at night.
Bathing in Moonlight, she began to pray, but she did not beseech the Brilliant Moon Star Lord, because during the period recorded in the book, the Silver Moon Dragon Dream Master still held Brilliant Moon, and the current Fantasy Black Rabbit was especially unfamiliar to her.
She could only pray to the invisible Moonlight. To strengthen this prayer and self-suggestion in her heart, this Silver-haired Maiden stepped barefoot into the Pool, half-kneeling in the water with eyes closed, hands clasped, softly chanting a Ballad fitting her current State of Mind.
In the light of hope
The moment of waiting
The sleeping heart gradually awakens
I will sing by your ear
……
Chanting the Ballad thanking her for the blessings she brought us
And the infinite power bringing growth to all things
Yearningly I devoutly pray for hope
Earnestly requesting it to reach my heart
I pray for the light of hope
……
Earnestly beseeching you to listen to my soul
Descend once more
The maiden’s clear song carried along the breeze, blowing toward the silent Valley, this World still shrouded in darkness.
This overlooked corner at the edge of the World, where no one anticipated or paid attention.
Her song chanted once, and the pitch-black World showed no change.
But she did not give up. The gentle song sang a second time, even softer.
……
The third chant of the song rose again, echoing in the wind, scattering into the dark Land, silent.
Insect chirps continued, the Twisted grass in the Mountain Forest grew wildly, invisible troubles still binding this Land.
……
The seventh chant of the song rose, the maiden unrelenting, her voice still carrying expectation and gentleness.
She believed she could not give up so easily.
……
The twelfth chant of the song rose, her voice trembling and distorting slightly; even she felt weary.
But it wasn’t time to admit defeat. This maiden recalled everything she had learned, striving to remember the scenes described in the book.
……
The seventeenth chant of the song rose; she no longer believed the invisible light and spirits would respond.
At this point, she could only believe in her own perceptions, using scene after scene from memory to awaken her imagination of a distant future.
She yearned for a peaceful and stable World, because she had suffered trauma in childhood and understood that pain in detail.
Gentleness is born from scars, Understanding from the process of perceiving pain.
Pale goodwill is but a hypocritical cloak for fame and profit; true empathy must resonate from similar sorrow.
……
Once more
Sincerely I hope we can be companions
Praying for the cry of Life
Earnestly I hope we can sing
Able to resound once more
……
This time, faint light spots finally appeared in the breeze, like fireflies dancing in the grass.
Though tiny, these weak light spots responded to the maiden’s prayer and began to truly manifest.
Like returning wanderers, they swayed gently in the wind, roaming the Sky and Land of this Valley.
Some light spots fell on the Silver-haired Maiden, an invisible halo emerging, spreading from her as center to the surroundings of the Pool.
New ability ‘Xilutiya’s Pure Water’ successfully condensed
Countless light spots danced in the sky, forming a gentle vortex that slowly converged into the Pool by the maiden’s side, Purifying the Twisted within, a faint halo appearing on the Clear Water.
Ability advanced, ‘Xilutiya’s Clear Spring’ successfully condensed
Xilutiya’s Clear Spring Brilliant Moon: Clear Spring Water containing Purification power, which can irrigate and wash away, clearing pollution from Natures like Twisted and Death Ash. (Because you are the creator of this ability, the level you can achieve is the limit of this ability.)
——
Note: The song is EXEC_REBIRTHIA=PROTOCOL, from Magtower Continent 3. A new playlist has been created; search ‘Cornflower Witch-quoted Ballads’ on Netx Cloud to find it.
Note 2: The playlist already includes Woven Song Weaving Dream Melody, as the distant Story’s starting point.
