A Beekeeper in a Magical World

The shopkeeper grinned at him, the slits of his eyes unable to contain his greedy gaze.

Hua Mi shook his head. "Just curious, asking casually."

Truthfully, he didn't just have one Anti-Magic Coin on him.

There was also a plaque crafted from Anti-Magic Gold.

But seeing the shopkeeper's shady demeanor, Hua Mi suspected he might be undervaluing the Anti-Magic Coin.

To avoid being swindled, he decided not to deal with the Anti-Magic Gold for now.

"No rush to buy spatial equipment. It can wait until I return from the Misty Veil Mountains."

Besides, there might be materials worth selling in the adventure sites.

Having made up his mind, Hua Mi stopped dwelling on it and asked, "Do you buy things here?"

The shopkeeper slightly retracted his smile, looking at him strangely. Instead of an outright refusal, he countered, "What does the customer want to sell?"

"Some materials and... privately brewed magic potions," Hua Mi replied.

"So, the customer is an alchemist," the shopkeeper straightened a bit, seemingly more respectful—or perhaps cautious. "I wonder which master's academy the customer belongs to?"

The Black Forest Apiary Academy.

Hua Mi inwardly scoffed. To avoid trouble, he casually replied, "Not me, it's a friend of mine."

The shopkeeper nodded slightly in response, polite. "The magic potions here are all sourced through the guild's official channels. If the customer wants to sell potions, perhaps other specialized magic shops might be interested. As for materials... there's a store on this street that specializes in purchasing various materials. Their prices are fair. If the customer needs, you can check it out. And, concerning items related to adventures, you can conduct trades at the guild office. However, regarding prices, it depends on your bargaining skills with the trade partner. The guild generally doesn't intervene in transactions between adventurers, only providing a platform."

Hmm, it's not easy to just sell off the things on hand in any random shop.

Gaming sure makes it convenient.

Hua Mi spent about an hour in this shop, getting a basic idea of the prices here.

Leaving the shop, he followed the map for a while.

This map he had wasn't an ordinary drawn map.

His mental strength delved into it, creating a three-dimensional simulation of the city in his mind. It could be zoomed in, out, and even adjusted the perspective—overhead or eye level—and detailed enough to capture every aspect.

Just like satellite maps on a phone.

It could also keep track of explored areas, indicating exploration percentages.

Man, this Mo continent is really vast.

It's estimated that exploring 0.01% of it would take a whole day.

When he reached near the end of a street, Hua Mi stopped in front of a majestic standalone building.

Compared to the surrounding buildings, this three-story structure stood out, immediately catching one's attention.

The people coming and going from it were obviously different from ordinary folk; most were adventurers gathered in pairs or small groups.

Diverse.

Mostly humans, but there were elves, dwarves, and some humanoid species Hua Mi couldn't name.

The map also provided the name of this building: Adventurers' Guild East District Branch.

There was a sign at the entrance, displaying business hours and the main services offered.

Hua Mi glanced at it briefly.

The range of services was extensive.

For instance, one could register here as an adventurer under the guild—after which, they could enjoy certain benefits exclusive to guild members.

Starting from 1-star adventurers, as one leveled up, the privileges grew, fostering a sense of belonging within the guild.

Of course, with privileges came responsibilities.

For instance, members needed to regularly pay membership fees.

A significant portion of the guild's funds came from this.

Carter's group were officially registered adventurers under the guild.

As for their star level, Hua Mi didn't know. He hadn't asked.

Furthermore, the guild provided arrangements for adventurers regarding accommodation, meals, and transportation—though not for free, but guild-registered adventurers received discounts.

It also served as a platform for adventurers to trade and team up, publish bounty tasks, among other services.

The guild also shouldered the responsibility of maintaining sustainable development in adventure sites.

The adventuring industry in the western continent had thrived remarkably. Without control, many adventure sites might have been depleted long ago by eager adventurers.

However, the actual impact the guild could make was limited.

At most, it could establish restricted zones and hunting periods.

But its constraints were weak; often, the guild turned a blind eye.

After all, among adventurers were those who valued profits over lives. How could they be expected to strictly adhere to the guild's requirements? Human resources were limited, and they couldn't possibly control everything.

Observing from outside for a while, Hua Mi strode towards the guild's entrance.

As the protector of the Black Forest, he had no intention of joining the guild. There was no need to be bound by their rules.

However, he could still make use of the services they provided.

Pushing open the door, a tumult of noise immediately filled his ears.

The vast hall was brimming with adventurers, most grouped together chatting.

Staff in guild uniforms bustled around.

Long queues formed in front of each service window.

For the first time, Hua Mi vividly felt the bustling nature of the adventuring industry in this world.

Setting aside the commotion for now, he found a relatively quiet resting area, sat in a corner, and took out the adventure manual to browse.

With his current mental strength and focus, his reading speed and memory far surpassed normal people's. Browsing through this manual would take at most an hour, and he'd remember most of its contents in the short term.

Glancing at the contents page, he found a separate chapter dedicated to the "Abyssal Tree."

Initially, he thought the manual wouldn't contain information about the Abyssal Tree.

After all, adventure guides mainly documented dangerous areas and creatures—what danger could a tree pose?

It seemed this tree was more troublesome than recorded in alchemical notes.

Skipping to the page about the Abyssal Tree, Hua Mi read on.

The Abyssal referred to the other side relative to the human world—the world of the deceased.

This "world of the deceased" typically referred to the realm souls should travel to, the spirit realm. Souls being trapped in the Nine Hells or lingering in the human world were considered unusual circumstances.

Legend had it that this tree could communicate with the spirit realm.

In the past, people believed each Abyssal Tree in the human world corresponded to a twin tree in the spirit realm. Hence, the Abyssal Tree was also called the Twin Tree.

There was an inexplicable connection between the two trees. When mourners gathered under the tree, the souls in the spirit realm could sense the call from the human world and appear in a spiritual form, allowing simple communication.

However, after expert scrutiny, all the talk about communicating with the spirit realm was nonsense.

The misconception arose mainly due to one of its peculiarities.

The material of the Abyssal Tree was unique and contained a rare magical element, enabling it to absorb spiritual entities.

To be precise, it could imprison spiritual entities within the tree, forcibly establishing a symbiotic relationship.

The Abyssal Tree could sense and absorb magical

energy soaked with emotions of longing and grief. When a creature carrying such emotionally influenced magical energy approached, the tree absorbed and interpreted this energy, releasing the spirit form to appear as a mourner's image, enticing the individual to linger and provide itself with ample nourishment.

A cunning plant indeed.

Even though its tricks were widely known now, there were still people willingly "falling for it," lingering by the Abyssal Tree until their strength waned and they perished.

The manual specifically warned against deceiving oneself with illusions.

Additionally, due to the peculiar nature of the Abyssal Tree and its unique magical elements, it might attract powerful monsters to inhabit nearby. One must be cautious when approaching.

For such an enigmatic plant, Hua Mi wondered what effects the honey brewed from it might have.

The manual mentioned the Abyssal Tree preferred shade, usually growing in areas shielded from direct sunlight.

Like in gorges.

Hua Mi flipped to the section of the map included in the manual.

The Misty Veil Mountains mainly comprised an inner and outer range.

The outer range formed a roughly circular shape, enclosing the inner mountainous region, with just one opening.

The internal mountains had an irregular structure, actually formed by branches of the outer mountains.

This area had lower terrain, perpetually shrouded in mist.

The three-star rating considered both the inner and outer regions. Solely focusing on the inner area, it could barely pass as a four-star rating.

"Though the manual mentions more Abyssal Trees in the inner area, there might still be some in the outer mountainous regions."

If he could quickly locate an Abyssal Tree in the outer regions, he wouldn't venture inside.

Hua Mi marked two canyon areas in the outer mountainous region that were relatively close, planning to visit them first.

The records about the Abyssal Tree were concise, spanning just a few pages.

Hua Mi returned to the first page and began reading from the beginning.

This manual was evidently much thicker than the "Black Forest Adventure Guide," roughly twice its size.

Under its records were numerous non-intellectual magical beasts, alongside those with intelligence.

As long as they settled within the adventure site, they fell within the manual's scope.

Without any surprises, he'd likely appear in the updated version of the "Black Forest Adventure Guide"...

As usual, the first page introduced the overall details of the adventure site and some common precautions.

For instance, the author emphasized "Beware of Mountain Spirits"—

It seemed the Misty Veil Mountains' Mountain Spirits were akin to the Green Furred Apes in the Black Forest.

"When greeted by a beautiful stranger on the road, don't get too excited. Stay vigilant because what awaits might not be love; it might be a Mountain Spirit. They generally won't take your life, but when you wake up, you'll usually find yourself missing some organs—Anonymous retired adventurer, Mordu Gid."

These creatures possessed inherent abilities to cast illusions without consuming any materials or magic.

However, Hua Mi wasn't concerned about this.

His eyes could see through illusions, likely sufficient to handle creatures like the Mountain Spirits.

Speeding through the quantum reading, he soon entered the main text.

The first unit recorded successfully captured his attention.

His reading pace slowed slightly as he delved into it.

This was a person.

More precisely, a Druid.

Next to the description was a sketch, a slightly sloppy depiction of a female figure holding a glowing staff.

She was classified under the "Absolutely Neutral" alignment, and the manual suggested seeking her help if encountering trouble.

Of course, if one could find her.

This particular Druid had no fixed abode; the manual merely mentioned a few areas where she was frequently seen.

What truly drew Hua Mi's attention was the mention in her profile that she was designated by the Spirits of the Misty Veil Mountains as the "Guardian of the Mountains."

"Like me, a guardian. If I encounter her, it might be worth exchanging some words... Besides, this Druid should know where the Abyssal Trees are."

However, Hua Mi wouldn't actively seek her out.

The adventure site was too vast, a waste of time.

If he encountered her, it would be fortunate.

If not, so be it.

The goal remained clear—finding the Abyssal Tree—without complicating the process.

Hua Mi continued to peruse and memorize the manual's content, suddenly interrupted by a commotion.