Chapter 306 New Beginnings
As night fell, Chris bid farewell and left, leaving the room in silence once more.
Lolan Hill sat at the table, sipping her tea slowly, occasionally glancing out the window at the night scenery, gradually calming down after learning about many past events. She had thought that Tides and Night Mistress should have been on good terms, but she didn’t expect there to be such a complicated history between them. Tides was one of the two witches of Oz Country, the source of the lineage of mages in the United Kingdom of Juemei. No wonder Juemei and Goldflower were on good terms despite the vast Endless Sea, frequently trading with each other.
What exactly did Dorothy find in the ruins back then? Why did the sages react so strongly and unite to eliminate this witch who controlled time and space? Such a unique power, even just hearing the name, one could tell it was incredibly powerful. Even if she couldn’t reverse time or freeze time, she could still accomplish many things. Thinking deeply about it, it was enough to make one tremble with fear. How many S9s were there in the ranks of the sages, and how many secrets were hidden among them? If she were in Dorothy’s position back then, she might not have fared well either.
Over the next two weeks, Lolan Hill divided her time between two places. When Keti was asleep, she studied at Temple Academy as Lohil. When the fire witch awakened, she accompanied Keti at Fortress Academy.
During this period, the school entered a brief period of calm. First came the arrival of new students, similar to what Lolan Hill experienced last year. Many students rode maglev vehicles led by teachers to visit the various academies, getting a basic understanding of their histories and landscapes.
One afternoon after school, Lolan Hill walked with Keti beside Jingyue Lake in the woods. The scenery was beautiful; it was early spring, and sometimes a breeze would pass through, causing small branches to tremble slightly, already dotted with green flower buds.
These trees with flower buds had rough and uneven bark that felt rough when touched. Gray wood surfaces could sometimes shine white, with many large and small scars. These scars were where branches had once grown.
When people saw the thick branches of a large tree, they might not know that the tree had tried many directions during its growth process, but only a few remained. But these branches were sufficient for photosynthesis.
Lolan Hill walked up to a tree and leaped lightly onto a wide branch, surrounded by branches and tender shoots. Keti stood below looking up at Lolan Hill, though she didn’t speak, her eyes seemed to ask why she wasn’t taken up.
“Lohil,” Lolan Hill said to the girl below.
“Do you remember the plants the teacher asked us to recognize and find in yesterday’s herb class?”
“Yes, I do.” Keti nodded. She lacked common sense but wasn’t stupid.
“Then let’s look for them. There are five types of herbs in this forest. Bring them all back, and we’ll use them for the corresponding reagents in our next herb class.”
Lolan Hill naturally knew where these herbs were, but she wanted to try letting Keti do something independently, starting from easy tasks and gradually cultivating her independent action ability. After all, she couldn’t always stay by her side. Moreover, she hoped that this resurrected witch would not just be someone else’s tool in the future but have her own thoughts and ideas.
“Alright, Lolan.” Keti nodded and began searching among the grass.
While Keti wandered through the woods, Lolan Hill took out a book and started reading, occasionally glancing at Keti, the somewhat awkward fire witch who was still figuring out her methods.
Inside the distant academy, maglev vehicles drove through the quiet forest path, slowly stopping at the academy entrance. Various students stepped out wearing colorful clothes. Most were humans, with a few orcs or elves.
Among them, a teenage girl with black rabbit ears jumped off a vehicle and ran happily through the fallen leaves and tender shoots.
“Eliya, wait for me!” A girl with light red long hair came down from a vehicle, holding her dress, and looked at the rabbit-eared girl ahead.
“Wind must not exercise much, always moving slowly,” the lively rabbit-eared girl teased.
“There’s no such thing; you’re just too fast,” Wind said, a bit indignant.
“Haha.”
Then more students got off their vehicles. With the official establishment of Clancia, this year saw many new students from this country. Students growing up in such a constantly changing environment had more vigor and anticipation on their faces compared to those from other countries.
Students recommended by organizations from other countries might need connections or outstanding performance during their studies to become core members of the organization and receive key training. Competition was fierce, and many might never rise to prominence, as positions were limited.
But these new students from Clancia were different. They were told of their futures before coming to school. After graduation, they would directly enter various departments and institutions under the nation. In three to five years, these departments’ important positions would be filled and led by them. They carried the expectations of their hometowns and people on their shoulders.
This newly established country was so scarce and eager for talent. They were not worried about not having opportunities to realize their ambitions in the future; rather, they feared not being excellent enough to bring shame upon their homeland. Compared to other new students, they were more united, even meeting and getting to know each other organized by the state before coming to school. Over a hundred students knew each other’s names, hobbies, and strengths, making this extremely intimidating.
If some students came to Emanas with a mindset of tourism and experience, these students were professionalized, even semi-militarized. Their original families were ordinary commoners, but Clancia changed their originally impoverished and difficult lives, lifting them out of the mud and into the sunshine and happiness. It was precisely because of this that these sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds had a fervent and devout belief in Clancia that was hard for outsiders to understand.
To witness history unfold around them, even in their own hands, was there anything more exciting and glorious than that?
Red skirts beneath were black stockings, keeping her body warm. The quiet girl with black hair sat on a branch, as the sun slowly set, the lake shimmered with golden light. Lolan Hill put away her book and watched the distant scenery, allowing the sunset’s afterglow to warm her face and red-black dress.
“Lolan, Lolan, I’ve found them all!” Keti shouted excitedly, holding some peculiar plants and standing under the tree.
With a light step on the grass, Lolan Hill descended to the ground again.
“Let me see.” Lolan Hill asked Keti to place the items on the empty ground under the tree.
“Okay.”
“This purple orchid is correct, and although the Nihorgen is a bit small, it’s fine.” Lolan Hill counted the plants and noticed a pile of colorful mushrooms, including bright red, blue, and purple ones, some with spotted patterns.
“These mushrooms are poisonous.” Lolan Hill looked at them, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
“But they look so pretty, they must taste good,” Keti said matter-of-factly, in her eyes, many pretty things were delicious.
“I don’t know if they’re tasty, but they are poisonous,” Lolan Hill seemed about to say more.
“Why can’t you eat poisonous things?” Keti widened her eyes, confused.
“Well, eating them would…” Lolan Hill paused.
Ordinary people might get poisoned, but extraordinary beings like herself, especially with her full resistance to poisons, might not be affected. She could even turn into flames anytime, making her immune to poison. So, why couldn’t she eat them? Reminded and questioned by Keti, Lolan Hill began to reflect on whether her common sense was outdated and needed updating.
After a while, with a mind to try new ingredients, Lolan Hill put away the herbs and mushrooms, storing them in a ring.
The girl patted the dirt off Keti’s dress and took her hand. “Let’s go back, Keti. Tonight, we’ll make mushroom soup.”
Spreading her crimson crystal wings, Lolan Hill pulled the black-haired, red-dressed girl over the blue lake, flying toward her dormitory.
“That girl looks like Princess Lolan Hill,” the girl with black rabbit ears murmured standing beside the restaurant by the lake.
Thank you to Cloudsolmeng, Jianwenxinshen, Shuyou20180807214232107, and Xueniantianxia for your support!
End of Chapter
