A Beekeeper in a Magical World

The Dwarf must have picked up his preferences from Carter.

"Could it be that he's thinking of gifting me a bouquet of flowers or a packet of flower seeds as a welcoming gesture?" Hua Mi pondered aloud.

That would be more than welcome.

Hua Mi was always open to gifts.

However, not just any flowers would suit his taste.

Firstly, they had to be nectar-producing plants.

Secondly, they needed a substantial amount of magical essence.

Otherwise, he wouldn't waste his space and energy cultivating them.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any flower seeds in my inventory," the old Dwarf regretted, "You know, these things don't sell well in Turen."

None?

So, it seemed it wasn't about a gift.

A faint sense of disappointment crept into Hua Mi's thoughts.

"But, I happen to have some information I'd like to share with you for free," the old Dwarf interrupted, shifting gears, "Before coming to Heishi Town, we stayed in an inconspicuous village."

Pausing for effect, the old Dwarf began recounting, "To avoid heavy snow, we took our pig cart to McKang Village. Perhaps you know of the place, not far from Heishi Town, it took us less than five days to get here with the pig cart."

"Of course, that village was tiny, quite remote. It's not marked on any maps. The village, compared to other human settlements, was no different—simple and serene."

"But the village held an intriguing legend…"

The old Dwarf seemed to relish telling stories, less concerned with eloquence now.

Listening intently, Hua Mi's emotions stirred slightly. Truth be told, the story the old Dwarf recounted piqued his interest.

The legend of McKang Village went like this:

Deep in the mountains near the village stood an abandoned hot spring inn.

The inn lay in ruins, unfit for habitation.

Yet, the hot spring pool in the backyard continuously bubbled with fresh thermal water, and villagers often went there for free baths.

Gradually, people noticed something peculiar about the hot spring water—it seemed to have the power to heal injuries.

Those with wounds or ailments, after soaking in the spring water for a while, would miraculously recover, leaving no scars.

But there was a catch.

For the healing to take effect, one had to be asleep.

If one stayed awake throughout the process, nothing changed.

Pretending to sleep or having a companion secretly watch, no matter how discreet, nullified the healing effect.

Initially skeptical upon hearing this legend, the old Dwarf dismissed it as a village rumor.

However, the young Dwarf was curious and decided to explore the mountains.

Coincidentally, he had caught an illness on the way. If the spring water truly had healing properties, it would resolve an urgent problem for him.

That very night, he convinced a villager to guide him to the abandoned hot spring inn in the mountains.

True to the villagers' words, amidst the dilapidated inn, there existed a steaming hot spring.

After a brief soak, the young Dwarf drifted into a blissful sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he discovered his illness had vanished.

The old Dwarf, upon hearing this, grew curious himself.

Accompanying the young Dwarf back to the hot spring inn, he used tools to analyze the water.

The results showed that it was ordinary thermal water, devoid of any magical elements, without any magical effects.

Thus, the supposed healing effect had to stem from something beyond the water itself.

Eager to unravel the mystery, the old Dwarf cut a wound on himself and immersed in the spring water.

Yet, as the rumors suggested, neither feigning sleep nor being observed by the young Dwarf triggered any miraculous healing.

Following this rule, it seemed impossible to uncover the truth.

"But I had a sudden idea, perhaps a viable solution," the old Dwarf triumphantly announced, "Among our inventory lies a rare magical item called the 'Soul Pipe.'"

"Fill this pipe with tobacco, take a few puffs after lighting it, and your soul will briefly leave your body, dwelling within the pipe, while your body appears asleep."

"...," Hua Mi thought, "A true veteran, a shrewd merchant—finding these loopholes."

Judging by his tone, it seemed certain the plan succeeded.

"In truth, this method worked wonders. As my spirit briefly left my body, floating above the hot spring, before long, I saw a little being appear beside me."

"I was utterly astounded; it was a Flower Spirit! She used magic to heal my injuries and then vanished!"

Pausing, the old Dwarf moderated his excitement.

"You see, to give birth to a Flower Spirit, extremely rare flowers are needed, especially in the wild, untended conditions. The demand on the flora for birthing a Flower Spirit is even higher."

"Usually, Flower Spirits don't stray far from the flower they were born from because they inherently possess the instinct to tend to their mother flower. So, I surmise there must be some rare flora near the hot spring inn."

"But despite our thorough search, we found nothing. We couldn't continue wasting time for a vague goal, so we had to abandon the search and continue our journey."

The old Dwarf took a deep breath, continuing, "But I still believe there's rare flora hidden somewhere nearby, perhaps concealed by some magical effect that obstructs our vision... Although we couldn't find it, with your incredible abilities, perhaps you might."

This information held significant value for Hua Mi.

He was willing to go take a look.

The Flower Spirit the Dwarf spoke of possessed a unique healing ability. This further proved that the flora birthing her must contain some rare magical element.

Besides, it wasn't too far away.

It took less than five days for the Dwarf to travel from Heishi Town.

From there, a half-day's ride on his deer mount would likely get him to the destination.

As for the search strategy upon arrival.

Of course, he'd rely on his keen eyes.

He believed his discerning abilities would easily penetrate any magical effects.

But that's a story for later.

This chaotic period wasn't an ideal time for travel.

He'd wait until the chaos subsided, then consider the winds of change.

The chaotic period lasted less than a month; he could afford to wait.

During this time, he could peacefully tend to his crops, beekeeping, reading... plenty to keep him occupied.

The Rainbow Glass Flower Field would soon be renovated, allowing him to begin cultivating the Rainbow Glass Flowers.

Additionally, he intended to breed some new bee strains during this time.

"There's still some of the 'Hilya Variant Mutagen' left; enough for a bee colony," he mused, deciding to try his luck.