A Beekeeper in a Magical World

Chapter 23: The Witch's Eye

"I know a place!" Hua Mi exclaimed.

A blonde pseudo-flower spirit flew out immediately and said, "It's a lake, and we all call it the 'Witch's Eye.' It's surrounded by angelica flowers, and although there isn't much honey flowing now, it will increase in a few days. It's not far from here."

Angelica flowers...

"This is the same place I had in mind."

What a coincidence.

Hua Mi gave himself a mental pat on the back; angelica flowers were indeed a source of nectar. His choice was spot-on.

"So, we'll need your guidance tomorrow."

The sun was about to set, and it would certainly be late by the time they returned. Going out at night for exploration was not a sensible choice, and they couldn't rely on these seven little beings to help in case of danger.

Before parting ways, Hua Mi filled their small wooden barrels with moon-sleep flower honey. The pseudo-flower spirits were overjoyed, and hearts seemed to be popping out of their heads. If this were a game, the affection level would have increased by at least one heart.

Before moving the beehive into the magic box, Hua Mi checked the progress of the new queen bee's development.

"It's almost ready."

Normally, a new queen bee wouldn't mate immediately after maturing. It needed to fly out of the hive and circle around for a while, a process known as "trial flight." After that, a few more days passed, and it was time for the "wedding flight," where they would fly in the air and mate with the male bees.

The forest swift bees had a faster reproductive rate than regular bees, so they didn't need to wait as long. Moreover, as soon as their reproductive glands matured and they met the conditions for laying eggs, Hua Mi could force the bees to mate without going through the cumbersome rituals of trial flights and wedding flights. His instructions took top priority, even surpassing the bees' natural behavior.

His plan was to wait until the new queen bee's reproductive glands matured and immediately have the male bees of the armored bees crossbreed with her. The favorable traits of the forest swift bees were speed and reproduction, while their weaknesses were their low survival ability and poor resistance to risks. A single normal honey-gathering activity could cause significant casualties, let alone unexpected situations. On the other hand, armored bees had high resistance to risks, but their drawback was their slow speed. If speed, reproduction, and resistance could be combined, a completely new species of bees could be born, one that might potentially outcompete both forest swift bees and armored bees, combining both honey-gathering and combat capabilities.

Back on Earth, the sun was still high, and it was just afternoon.

"My sleep schedule is completely messed up."

Fortunately, he had moon-sleep flower honey to help him sleep. Hua Mi drew the curtains, put on an eye mask, drank a glass of honey water, and drifted into a sweet slumber. Meanwhile, two customers who had come to buy honey found themselves turned away at the door.

"They're not here again?"

"Their business must be doing really poorly if they're not even open."

"I guess so. Why don't they post a notice on the door or something, so we don't make these pointless trips?"

"It's understandable. They've probably gone bankrupt. Ah, thinking back, our Hua Yu Town used to be so prosperous."

Two residents sighed as they turned and left.

"This is... what you call 'not far'?" Hua Mi, carrying a survival backpack and holding a compound bow, leaned against a tree, catching his breath. Luckily, the black robe inside automatically regulated the temperature, making it feel like being in an air-conditioned room; otherwise, he would be drenched in sweat.

"It really isn't far; you're just walking too slowly," the blonde pseudo-flower spirit circled around him and bluntly said, "Human physique is really weak."

"Don't generalize." Hua Mi said seriously, "My weak physique is a personal matter and has nothing to do with my race. Human physiques vary widely; some people can wrestle bears barehanded, while others can feed a tiger with a shovel."

"She didn't mean to belittle the human race."

The red-haired pseudo-flower spirit glanced at the blonde one. "Right?"

The latter stuck out its tongue and said, "I'm sorry."

Hua Mi took a deep breath and nodded. "Accepted. Let's continue... and slow down a bit."

In truth, Hua Mi's physique wasn't really weak. The main issue was the terrain. Forests were much more complicated than flatlands, with slopes to climb and challenging paths to navigate. The same distance that could be covered quickly on level ground could take several times longer in the forest. When traversing the forest, you couldn't just look at the straight-line distance. The seven little beings could fly, making it effortless for them. To keep up with their pace, Hua Mi had to jog most of the way, which left him breathless.

By the time they reached their destination, it was nearly noon. Hua Mi looked around and marveled at the scene. "This is the 'Witch's Eye,' and it's said to be one of the Black Witch's eyes transformed."

It was a large lake, surrounded by blooming flowers. The lake was so vast that the trees on the opposite shore looked like tiny sticks, and the lake's shore formed a spindle shape. However, the lake water wasn't very clear; it resembled a deep, mysterious eye.

But as someone from Hua Yu Town and a beekeeper, Hua Mi was completely indifferent to the mystical lake. All he could see were the flowers along the lakeshore.

"These are angelica flowers... they're beautiful."

Compared to the rough sketches in his notebook, the real scene enthralled him. The sketches captured the flowers' characteristics but lacked about one-tenth of their beauty.

Angelica flowers were primarily red with white accents at the edges of the petals. Additionally, they had three curved flat structures on the outer perimeter, resembling ribbons. When the wind blew, the petals swayed, as if one could see dancers in feathered costumes gracefully dancing.

Unbeknownst to him, Hua Mi walked into the flowerbeds. Some small flying insects were disturbed by his presence and took flight. The fragrance of angelica flowers was even stronger than that of moon-sleep flowers.

"This is indeed a great source of nectar. With the magic box, we can easily bring the bees here..."

The only problem was the rough journey, which wasted a lot of time. If it were merely a matter of distance and the terrain was flat, Hua Mi could bring a bicycle from Earth for easier transportation. However, given the challenging terrain, he would likely have to carry the bicycle most of the time. Modern people were not accustomed to natural environments like the forest.

"But there's no other choice; let's consider it a necessary transportation cost."

For those who ran mobile beekeeping businesses, they had to travel everywhere. This type of business was usually more profitable, requiring a guaranteed honey production. In comparison, the transportation cost was relatively low and manageable.

If you wanted to chase after nectar sources without extra effort, there was no such good deal. Hua Mi decided to release the bees to test the waters.

Leaving the flowerbed, Hua Mi took the magic box from his pocket, pressed the button, and placed it on the open ground. As the entrance opened, a faint honey fragrance wafted from inside.

In normal honey collection, the beehives should be placed out at intervals to prevent a detrimental stacking effect. However, for now, Hua Mi just wanted the bees to get some fresh air, so there was no need to waste energy setting up the hives individually.

Just as Hua Mi was about to release a group of forest swift bees, a commotion erupted behind him. The flying insects in the flowerbeds scattered in all directions, as if they were avoiding something. Simultaneously, the surface of the Witch's Eye trembled, resembling a shattered mirror.

Accompanied by a series of muffled sounds, the ground beneath his feet shook.

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