A Beekeeper in a Magical World

As the woman glanced over, Hua Mi found her increasingly familiar.

This scene felt like déjà vu...

Before any eye contact between them could happen, her attention was drawn back to the provoking words of that burly man.

The heated exchange continued between the two sides.

Security personnel persisted in calming things down, while the onlookers kept enjoying the spectacle.

Seemingly, nothing had changed.

Was this the world of adventurers?

Shaking his head, Hua Mi returned to the resting area, engrossed in a book.

At that moment, the owner of the Shadow Veil Beast also followed him there.

"I'm Ryan Darren. You can call me Ryan. Thank you so much for your help," he sat beside Hua Mi, expressing, "The Shadow Veil Beast is excellent at hiding. If it weren't for your timely help, I might have lost this lovely little creature today."

Lovely?

Are you sure?

Hua Mi eyed his bloodstained fingers, reserving judgment on that term.

If anything was cute, it was the little bees, not something so bloody; at most, they'd make you feel excruciating pain.

"But I'm curious, how did you find it? Did you use some special ability?"

"I have some experience in raising small animals."

Originally intending to brush him off, Hua Mi didn't expect the guy's eyes to light up instantly, "Oh—so, you're a beast tamer too? This is truly surprising! It's rare to meet a fellow colleague here. I think we can exchange experiences!"

As he spoke, he leaned in, appearing quite excited.

Hua Mi shifted away slightly, "No, I'm just interested in raising small animals, not a professional."

"Ah, I see!" Ryan's enthusiasm didn't diminish upon hearing this. On the contrary, he seemed even happier and suddenly snapped his fingers, "Ah-ha! In that case, I know what to give you as a token of appreciation!"

Saying so, he lowered his head, rummaging through a side pouch.

After a moment, he pulled out a handbell.

Seemingly crafted from some black metal, it had intricate raised patterns on its surface.

Ding-a-ling—

Ryan shook it, and the bell emitted a clear sound.

"This is my spare Soul Calming Bell. Have you heard of this item?" Without waiting for Hua Mi's reply, Ryan continued rapidly, "The sound from this bell has a soothing effect. When used in taming, it can double the effectiveness—of course, limited to beasts with lower intelligence. For those as intelligent as humans or even surpassing humans, ringing this bell would only anger them... Haha!"

Finishing, Ryan burst into laughter, seemingly remembering something amusing.

Then he just couldn't stop laughing.

"..."

This guy has a peculiar sense of humor.

Hua Mi looked at him inexplicably and shifted his gaze to the handbell.

Soul Calming Bell?

The name sounded eerie, but the effect seemed decent.

Although he currently couldn't think of a use for it, as a token of gratitude, it wouldn't be right to refuse. Even if he didn't use it, keeping or selling it would still be worthwhile.

So, Hua Mi stowed away the bell in his ring space.

"Are you heading to the Misty Peak Mountains?"

After Ryan had laughed enough, he noticed the manual in Hua Mi's hand.

"Yeah."

"Is it convenient to reveal the purpose? Maybe I can be of help."

Hua Mi thought for a moment; there was nothing much to hide.

He shared his goal of finding the Otherworldly Tree.

Perhaps this person might be of some help.

"I can't be of much help with that. I don't know much about plants and I'm not interested—unless they're the kind that moves." Ryan paused and suddenly asked cautiously, "Um, forgive me for prying, but why do you want to find the Otherworldly Tree? It's not...?"

Hua Mi understood his implication. Some young people, after losing a lover, would go to the Otherworldly Tree and stay there until death. It was a popular way of sacrificing oneself for love.

But do I look like that kind of person?

"No other reason. I just want the materials from the Otherworldly Tree."

"Oh, that's good."

Ryan nodded, fell silent for a moment, and was about to say something.

Suddenly, a heavy muffled sound came from somewhere, followed by a cry of pain.

Looking in the direction of the noise, they saw the burly man clutching his crotch, knees inward, slowly kneeling down. With a thick finger trembling, he pointed accusingly at the woman in front of him, "You, you... dare..."

In too much pain to articulate.

After a moment, he looked at the motionless captain beside him, sounding somewhat aggrieved, "She kicked me."

The captain nodded, giving a warning to the woman, "Guild's premises, no fighting. Let this not set a precedent."

"Ah..."

Before the burly man could retort, the captain, in a mild tone, addressed him again, "The matter has been resolved, and you've recovered your belongings. To avoid further conflict, it's best if you don't stay together."

With a wave to the two members behind him, they immediately went and helped the burly man up and dragged him towards the door.

Relying on brute force and resisting the two, he refused to leave, shouting, "Hey! She hit me! Aren't you going to do anything? This Sulcian harlot hit me!"

"Stay calm, okay?" The captain stepped forward, hand resting on the man's shoulder. Despite wearing a gentle smile, a sudden surge of dominating golden light seemed to envelop his body, like he was covered in a layer of golden armor.

Seeing this, the man's eyes cleared instantly, becoming civil. "Okay, okay... Let's all calm down."

Glancing at the woman and then obediently leaving.

"As far as I know, that captain is also from Sulcia," Ryan whispered to Hua Mi, "But you can't detect any accent, can you?"

That's how it is.

The big oaf has dug his own grave this time.

However, the overwhelming strength displayed by the captain piqued Hua Mi's interest.

I wonder what path he follows?

After the captain persuaded the burly man away, things returned to normal. The woman watched the captain depart, glanced around, and finally settled her gaze on the rest area. She adjusted her hair and walked over, looking solemn.

"Thank you for intervening. Otherwise, I might not have been able to get away so easily," she bowed deeply to Hua Mi, "Please accept my sincere gratitude."

Before Hua Mi could speak, Ryan stood up first.

Also pressing his hand to his chest, he bowed, "To be honest, this whole thing was because I didn't keep an eye on my pet properly, causing trouble for you."

"It's not your fault; it's that big guy who's unreasonable."

"But I'm involved too."

"Please don't say that."

"But it's the truth."

"No, no, no..."

...

These two are excessively polite.

After observing her for a while, a memory fragment suddenly clicked in Hua Mi's mind, enlightening him.

He knew where

this familiar feeling came from.

It's impressive he could recall.

This woman...

Could she have some connection with him?