A Beekeeper in a Magical World

Hua Mi eventually joined them to visit Hilia, as Carter had mentioned her odd state. Her spirit resembled a taut string, strained to its limit, ready to snap at any moment. It felt like her low-pressure field reached out several meters away.

Hua Mi comforted her, stating that alchemy was a complex field where even following recipes didn't guarantee success. Considering she was experimenting without any references, hitting a roadblock was normal. She needed to ease up and not pressure herself too much.

He learned that she hesitated to practice due to the rarity of unicorn horn powder, restricting herself to endless theoretical deductions.

No wonder. She was needlessly making it harder for herself.

Pulling out the unicorn horn from his ring space, Hua Mi showed it to her. "Just horn powder, plenty more where that came from. Go ahead confidently!"

Under his encouragement, Hilia's spirits finally relaxed.

...

Returning from Heishizhen that day, Hua Mi checked the greenhouse's floral growth. The initially planted portion of the Mother Goddess's Blessing had blossomed. From a distance, they resembled solidified flames, emitting a fragrance akin to dried petals up close.

Interestingly, these flowers felt dry to the touch, lacking in moisture. Considering honey collection here, the environment became a concern.

The Mother Goddess's Blessing grew in temperatures exceeding 40 to nearly 50 degrees Celsius. Normal bees struggled under such heat, let alone honey collection.

Testing revealed that Forest Swift Bees' heat resistance was only slightly better than regular Chinese bees, unsuitable for this area.

Hua Mi decided to employ the Might Bees and Azure Flame Bees in the Mother Goddess's Blessing area. The Might Bees were resilient, withstanding temperatures up to 60°C, ideal for high-temperature honey collection. The Azure Flame Bees, heavyweight and flame-generating, were unperturbed by heat.

Out of the newly purchased 35 regular bee colonies, 20 converted into Might Bees, totaling 31 colonies. Additionally, 10 colonies were converted into Azure Flame Bees. Twelve in total, 2 reserved for combat, and 10 split between both areas.

The choice of Azure Flame Bees was due to their honey brewing potential for generating by-products. When brewing Thunder Blossom Honey last time, it produced two Thunder Fire Beads. Perhaps brewing Mother Goddess's Blessing Honey would yield something else. If they could consistently produce useful by-products like Thunder Fire Beads or with a high probability, Hua Mi considered elevating Azure Flame Bees to a near-5th tier bee, similar to Blazing Bees.

While the floral growth was impressive, unfortunately, the first bloomed portion of the Mother Goddess's Blessing showed no signs of producing flower spirits. According to Seven Sprites, if a flower was to produce a spirit, it would show during the bud stage, and once fully bloomed, the spirit would have almost fully developed.

"More than half remains unblooming, but the chance of producing flower spirits is low, so let's keep our expectations low," Hua Mi assessed.

...

After busying himself in the greenhouse, Hua Mi flew to Alyss's residence. She had concealed her house with a spatial magic circle, making it imperceptible to passersby, even those using scout bees. Hua Mi had received a 'special invitation' before, a unique 'key' enabling him to break the spatial concealment and locate her house.

Alyss prioritized tranquility for her research; hence, her high-security measures far surpassed the Bee Whisperer's cottage. Their purposes differed.

Arriving at the second-floor study, the setup remained similar to his previous visit—organized yet plentiful. New sketches on the wall depicted the style of the Brass City.

Despite being engrossed in work, Alyss promptly rose from her comfortable high-backed chair to greet Hua Mi with a subdued "welcome."

"What's up?" she inquired, business-like.

"Regarding the greenhouse, I have an idea. Not sure if it's feasible," Hua Mi proposed, referring to the green fluid production. With the planting area doubled, the fluid's production speed couldn't meet demand.

Though other tree nymphs existed in the Black Forest, they were scarce but traceable. Their actions left conspicuous marks, easily spotted from above, especially with Hua Mi's highly perceptive scout bees. Why not integrate the green fluid production directly into the greenhouse's system? A feature accessible via the control panel, enabling the fluid to cover the entire field.

Alyss concisely affirmed, "Possible."

No additional materials were necessary, only the Enlightenment Hearts. Alyss had previously mentioned that designing and constructing were free, but materials needed to be provided by the individual.

Considering, Hua Mi thought an additional three Enlightenment Hearts would suffice for now—a total of four in the short term.

Mid-discussion, the room's alarm blared. The mirror on the wall displayed an outside scene—a man in a purple robe stood at the door, cautiously eyeing the advancing animated armors.

He had breached the spatial magic around the house.

Recognizing him instantly, Hua Mi murmured, "Clark…"

"Do you know him?" Alyss asked.

"He's a Star Evaluator from the Adventurers Guild."

Clark's voice echoed from outside, "Uh, anyone there? I'm David Clark, a Star Evaluator. If it's convenient, could you let me in? If not, I'll come back later… Also, could these metal lumps step back a bit? They're making me a tad nervous."

"He's unaffected by spatial magic," Hua Mi observed.

Without Alyss's 'invitation,' he wouldn't have entered, indicating his ability to bypass the spatial magic on his own.

Alyss waved her hand, adjusting the mirror to focus on Clark's eyes. "Observer's Perspective…" Alyss pondered. "He's an observer."

Observer… though it was the first time hearing this term, Hua Mi could guess a bit from the name. He had glimpsed that look from Clark before in the Bee Whisperer's cottage—a state granting him exceedingly high observational capabilities, even the ability to discern spatial magic's distortions.

Alyss deactivated the animated armors and the house's mechanisms, opening the door automatically.

"Apologies for the intrusion," Clark called from outside before stepping in. Hua Mi reminded Alyss, "You could've declined his entry. He might include you in the adventurer's guide."

"Not a big deal," Alyss shrugged, unfazed.

This encounter promised an intriguing turn of events.