"Waaah, Tiya, you're finally back!"
Inside the village head's room, Taliel clung to Xilutaiya, wiping away tears. If the young girl hadn't returned, she wouldn't have known what to do.
"It's all right, I'm back now," Xilutaiya said, hugging Taliel's back to comfort her while gently stroking her hair.
It truly had been her own fault—falling into the World in Shadows simply because she hadn't understood how her Talent worked.
After the two spent a good while catching up, Xilutaiya asked the old village head how long she had been missing.
"About a day and two nights. I sent quite a few villagers up the mountain to search for you, but they found nothing. If you still hadn't turned up today, my only choice would have been to dispatch someone immediately to Burnt Stone City to inform the prominent figures." The old village head still looked thoroughly shaken.
"I'm so sorry, Village Head." Xilutaiya felt genuinely grateful toward the old man.
When she had first stepped into this world with wide-eyed ignorance, it was entirely thanks to the villagers' kindness that she had smoothly settled into her surroundings without any mishap.
"Well, as long as you're back safe and sound. Now Taliel and I can finally get a good night's sleep, heh heh." The old man's mood had brightened considerably.
After resting another night at the village head's house, Xilutaiya and Taliel set out the following day to return to Burnt Stone City.
December was nearing its end, and on some day between January and February of the coming year, the assessment would take place. Time was running short for Xilutaiya to prepare.
***
Back at Madame Falan's residence, Xilutaiya found an opportunity to recount the general course of her fall into the World in Shadows. However, she withheld any mention of *Meleranke Praying in the Lake*, as that sacred scripture involved far too much, and presently there were no records of the Silver Radiance Church circulating in the outside world anyway, making it pointless to question her teacher about it.
"To think that you experienced the World in Shadows ahead of your time, yet came back completely unscathed." Madame Falan looked at Xilutaiya with genuine surprise in her eyes for the first time, making the young girl feel a bit self-conscious.
"Situations like yours do happen from time to time across the continent, but rarely does anyone fall into the World in Shadows and return on their own as you did."
"The very reason everyone chooses to reside in cities and towns is to rely on the ritual formations of the Castle attribute to anchor space and prevent such strange 'plunge' phenomena," Madame Falan explained.
"Still, once you advance in attribute rank, you generally won't encounter such things anymore," she continued.
"It's like sifting flour through a bamboo basket—the larger grains cannot fall through. High-ranking attributes can hardly pass through such faint fissures in space-time." Madame Falan also seemed to know nothing of the Alien Star attribute.
"Did you switch from Emerald Honey to Blood Law?" she asked, noticing another intriguing detail.
"Er, yes. It was simply too dangerous inside, and the Emerald Honey profession I condensed later shattered, so I could only temporarily convert to Blood Law just to survive," Xilutaiya replied sheepishly.
"Blood Law is no big deal," Madame Falan said, waving her hand nonchalantly.
"At the first or second rank, attribute power isn't firmly fixed. Shifting between them isn't difficult; many rituals can achieve it."
"It's just that these rituals consume resources that ordinary people cannot afford."
"Xilutaiya, do you believe gardeners are divided into good and evil?" she asked the girl with keen interest.
"Can gardeners even be divided into good and bad?" In her impression, the most powerful gardeners were like her mother, possessing the ability to alter local climate and seasons.
"Of course, just like the difference between black wizards and white wizards." Madame Falan tapped her fingers lightly.
"What I mean is, a small number of gardeners excel particularly at combining Blood Law and Emerald Honey to harness the power of the blood pulse."
"This approach cannot inherently be called evil, but some of its methods are simply too effective, leading to rampant abuse and a terrible reputation."
"What kind of methods?" Xilutaiya wondered why Madame Falan was speaking in such roundabout terms today instead of being direct.
"Using living people as fertilizer, Tiya." Madame Falan lifted her gaze to look at the girl.
"The most common evil application is drawing upon an enemy's blood pulse to nourish one's mutated plants, thereby condensing crimson blood fruits. Such fruits can strengthen the physical constitution even of those incapable of learning a Breathing Method."
"A somewhat better application is using one's own flesh and blood to nourish plants, thereby gaining the ability to control certain peculiar flora as effortlessly as one's own limbs."
"The highest-order application is the legendary birthing ritual of a blood fairy. That entails using one's flesh, blood, soul, consciousness, and indeed one's entire being to nourish a fresh blossom. Once this flower blooms, the original self dies and perishes, giving birth to a blood fairy bearing the original host's memories."
"Yet the two are ultimately distinct. The latter merely inherits the former's memories, and blood fairies tend to develop extreme, bizarre temperaments that bring immense destruction."
"Er, Teacher... isn't there any kinder, brighter application?" Hearing this, Xilutaiya felt an overwhelming sense of unease.
"Hehe, let me think. There actually is a relatively noble use: dripping your own Blood Law attribute into a blooming blossom to imbue it with Blood Law, eventually yielding blood-colored berries. The juice of these berries can be used as a substitute for one's own blood."
"Certain physicians use this method to prepare life-saving blood-colored berries in advance for warriors facing perilous surgery."
"If you don't intend to continue along the Blood Law path, I can use this method to purge the Blood Law attribute from your body, allowing you to step onto the path of Emerald Honey once more."
"Then let's go with that."
She still wanted to pursue the Emerald Honey path. As for the Radiant Moon, she could cultivate plants in the future to shift attributes and achieve equivalent effects.
Over the days that followed, Madame Falan pricked Xilutaiya's finger with a needle and had her condense and gradually discharge the Blood Law attribute from her blood to nourish the berry blossom she had prepared.
Roughly three days later, Xilutaiya sank back into her chair with a pale face, having now returned to the state where no attribute was condensed.
"Rest well, Little Tiya. I'll be home these next few days, so you won't need to entertain guests or tend to the flowers." Madame Falan tenderly stroked the girl's hair.
"Mm." Sipping the Blazing Sun Tea Madame Falan had prepared for her, she regained a bit of vitality, and some color returned to her cheeks.
*Phew, time to start all over again.*
At night, lying upon the soft, large bed beneath the window, she recalled her experiences of the past few months, gentle ripples stirring in her heart.
Though she had left her family, her mother, and the world she had once known, she had also met many wonderful people—be it the strict Captain Frien, the kind Scholar Haide, the graceful Madame Falan, or those who had helped her like Wenni, Mailin, Taliel, and Fandexi.
This world was indeed perilous. Wild beasts in the mountains, bandits in the night, and endless monsters beneath the Twilight Sea threatened countless lives. Yet amidst this chaotic world, there was also warmth and faith.
In distant times, the Silver Radiance Church had begun exploring the World in Shadows; steadfast knights had carved out territories in savage frontiers; scholars had imparted knowledge. Even if they could hardly be called perfect or selfless, their deeds had ultimately brought much positive meaning to this world.
Just as Scholar Haide had taught her: even if you wish to attain supreme freedom, would you rather swim in an ocean of foul malice, or stroll through a vibrant sea of flowers?
Would you rather reign as king among a band of half-naked, starving primitives, or become a free member of a wonderful, civilized world, watching countless sparks of inspiration burst forth and experiencing the birth of countless novel marvels?
The Silver Radiance Church, Knight Huolin, the witches from the founding era of the Raygas Principality—none of them had any intersection with who she was now, yet the traces they had left behind in those years had gradually reshaped the world today, bringing about the life she now lived.
The connection of threads and chords, the accumulation of countless minute details.
Even though Mycelium had dissipated, as the most ancient attribute, its concept remained the foundation and origin of all things.
Chapter 84