ALL NOVEL Chapter 22: Scheming
A heartfelt letter.
Hua Mi was moved after reading it and immediately wrote a brief reply. As the evening approached, he informed the logistics team in advance and spent over an hour packaging 100 bottles of honey.
The reply letter was sent separately.
After completing these tasks, Hua Mi finally rested in bed. Before sleeping, he enjoyed a glass of honey water.
"Now that I think about it, 500 bottles of honey aren't that many."
His beekeeping business in the other world was still in its early stages, and there were many things to do, including improving the basic infrastructure.
"In total, there are 38 hives—30 Forest Swift Bees, 1 Agony Bee, 1 Ironclad Bee, and 6 ordinary Chinese bees as backups. This ratio seems reasonable."
With thoughts of his future beekeeping plans in mind, he soon drifted off to sleep.
Upon waking up, it was still early in the Earth's morning. Hua Mi had a simple breakfast and drank a glass of honey water.
The Moon Slumber Flower honey had a sleep-enhancing effect, but it wouldn't induce sleep unless the body was extremely tired and needed rest for recovery. It wouldn't make you drowsy when you were full of energy.
That was the fundamental difference between it and sleeping pills.
Seven pseudo-flower spirits with different hair colors formed a circle, their butterfly wings gently fluttering behind them as they occasionally glanced back at him while discussing among themselves.
Hua Mi could only hear the murmurs of their discussion. He didn't show any particular reaction and continued to sit under the eaves, leisurely reading a book.
After a while, the seven little ones seemed to have reached a conclusion. Led by the red-haired one, they flew over to Hua Mi.
The red-haired one stopped in front of him, wearing a businesslike expression, and said, "Alchemist, we would like to purchase your honey. Although we don't have human currency, we can exchange it for items. Do you agree?"
Hua Mi only shifted his gaze from the book when she was halfway through her request. He smiled warmly and shook his head.
The other six pseudo-flower spirits let out disappointed sighs.
The red-haired one furrowed her brows slightly.
The food-loving little purple-haired one couldn't wait to speak, "But you said..."
Hua Mi interrupted her, "Yes, I said that honey is free, and you are welcome to enjoy it at any time. There's no need to exchange anything."
With that, he placed a bottle of honey on the table, opened the lid, and gestured toward it.
The seven pseudo-flower spirits became animated, discussing among themselves, their expressions filled with excitement as they gazed at the honey.
It seemed that the word "free" held a significant allure, even for these pseudo-flower spirits. What they didn't know was that what's offered for free is often the most valuable.
Hua Mi had already set a value on them in his mind.
His goal was clear, and he intended to stick to his plan.
What good things could these seven weak pseudo-flower spirits offer, after all? Likely just some berries and odds and ends they could find in the forest. What he truly wanted was for them to willingly serve him.
Hua Mi glanced at the vast field of Moon Slumber Flowers in front of him. After the seven pseudo-flower spirits had worked together to perform their magic, the flowers that had been crushed had suddenly sprung back to life.
While it might be an exaggeration to call it resurrecting the dead, having such exquisite floral magic was like having a natural gardener.
It would be a waste of resources not to have them take care of the flowers if he could gain their friendship and loyalty. Offering a few bottles of honey for that purpose was a small price to pay.
The red-haired pseudo-flower spirit crossed her arms and looked at him with suspicion. "Why are you so kind? What is your true purpose, alchemist?"
It was time to clear up the misunderstanding. Hua Mi closed the book, placed it on the table, and removed his hood, saying, "It seems like you've mistaken me for the original owner of this cottage."
Seeing him stand up suddenly, the red-haired pseudo-flower spirit immediately took a step back, warily asking, "Aren't you?"
Hua Mi shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm just a beekeeper passing by who decided to stay temporarily in this abandoned cottage."
After a brief pause, he continued, "I find it strange that you've mistaken me for the original owner of this cottage. Do I look very similar to them?"
"All you humans look the same, don't you?"
"Yeah, and that person always hid their face under the hood. We rarely saw their face."
"So you're not an alchemist?"
Hearing the explanations from the pseudo-flower spirits, Hua Mi understood. Different species often struggled to differentiate between individuals based on appearances. If it weren't for the distinct hair colors of these seven, he wouldn't have been able to tell them apart either.
"I am definitely not an alchemist. As I said earlier, I'm just a kind beekeeper interested in bees, flowers, and making honey."
The red-haired pseudo-flower spirit had a hint of disappointment in her expression. "Then, beekeeper, why are you dressed like that, with the same clothes and hood as that vile alchemist?"
Why wear the black robe?
Because it's comfortable.
Lightweight, breathable, and not easily stained. Once you put it on, you don't want to take it off. If it weren't for the fear of standing out, he might have worn it even when returning to Earth.
The seven pseudo-flower spirits huddled together and discussed for a while. This time, the red-haired one took on a friendlier role.
"We apologize for our earlier misunderstanding, but your honey is something you put effort into making. We can't take it for free. It wouldn't be fair to you, and it would also be disrespectful to the spirits of the Black Forest. So, tell us your request."
"Even if you say that, I don't have any specific requests for you."
Hua Mi pretended to ponder for a few seconds before saying, "Perhaps you already know that making honey requires nectar from flowers. The better the quality of the nectar source, the sweeter and tastier the honey. Now that the Moon Slumber Flowers' nectar season has ended, I need to find new nectar sources to continue making honey. Do you have any suggestions?"
These pseudo-flower spirits were experts in flower nectar, and they immediately started providing information, speaking over each other.
"Thousand Mirage Flowers!"
"White Thorn Flowers have the best honey!"
"Try the Poison Mushroom Flowers!"
"Why not give Feather Robe Flowers a shot?"
"..."
When it came to their area of expertise, they were like a group of cats with their tails stepped on. But was there anything strange mixed in there? That "poison" flower sounds suspicious. Are you sure it's safe to eat?
There was so much information that Hua Mi's head was spinning.
He coughed and said, "There's one more thing to consider. Not only should the nectar source be delicious, but it also needs to have a sufficient quantity, at least on par with the Moon Slumber Flowers. It would be even better if it were closer to this location."