Chapter 41: The Gemstone

According to the system prompts, there were still about ten days left before the apiary's first honey harvest.

Chu Jiu decided to use this time to further upgrade his "adventure gear."

Previously, when he encountered the high-level grotesque worm in the mine cave, he had used up his entire inventory of [Sticky Traps] and [Extremely Itchy and Intolerable Toxins], so he took Canned Goods for another trip to the swamp to hunt a few slime monsters and blood-sucking mosquitoes.

While hacking away at the slime monsters, he couldn't help thinking about that grotesque worm in the cave again, and what he had told Lu Qingyan: Why did that grotesque worm share the same characteristics as the slime monsters? Could there be some connection between them?

...He wondered if Lu Qingyan had managed to find any such connection later on.

This time, using the newly gathered materials, Chu Jiu crafted an [Extra-Large Bug Catching Net with Sticky Mud]. When fully unfurled, this net was as large as a small hillock. Let alone a swarm of giant blood-sucking mosquitoes or a few sand scorpions, even if a dinosaur rushed out, it should be able to block it.

Considering the overwhelming stench he had encountered later in the mine cave, he used bamboo charcoal, tanned leather, and the [hard outer shell of a centipede] to make a [simple gas mask]. One for himself, and one for Canned Goods. This way, if they ever ran into any excessively stinky monsters again—such as the [skunks that kept puffing away endlessly after finishing a meal]—they wouldn't have to worry about being directly knocked out by the smell.

He also resupplied dozens of bamboo arrows for himself and Canned Goods. The tips of these bamboo arrows were ground from [coldly gleaming scorpion stingers], possessing the special effect of [causing piercing wounds to prey and making them bleed endlessly].

Actually, Chu Jiu also wanted to upgrade the arrow shafts and make some throwable javelins using harder materials.

He did manage to find [iron-hard black iron trees whose trunks and branches were as hard as iron] in the forest.

However... he couldn't cut the tree down.

Even with the strength granted by his system cheat, a single slash only produced a loud [clang] sound, accompanied by a bright golden star popping up before his eyes and a system prompt:

[Please use a tool with higher hardness to complete the harvesting!]

So Chu Jiu had no choice but to give up.

It seemed that if he wanted to use more powerful weapons, he would just have to wait until he found the little squirrels and ask them to smelt ores and forge metals.

About a quarter of an hour later, Grandpa Du had scraped clean the honeycombs that could be harvested from this frame.

Regg's expression also relaxed a bit, and Marco even hummed a little tune.

This was merely the honey harvested from a single comb frame.

He politely thanked the owner and left the jewelry store empty-handed.

Beneath this beeswax lay the fully ripened honey.

*

Grandpa Du's lips trembled with excitement as he muttered softly, "Too much, this is simply wonderful..."

He had heard the village chief and the others say before that, with the guideposts as the boundary, monsters would actively avoid those areas.

"Has the number of monsters around here decreased because of the 'guideposts'?"

Could it be that there was nothing here at all, just a buzzing swarm of bees?

Chu Jiu recalled the sight of those three little squirrels skillfully wielding iron pickaxes, and thought to himself that it was indeed so.

Back in the day, when his grandfather was nearing the end of his life, he would even specify in his will which child the "barrel of honey in the basement" belonged to.

"When it comes to mining and excavation, humans simply cannot compare to the dwarf-orcs, yo."

Unlike the past when every honey-gathering session required destroying the beehive, this beekeeping method hardly harmed the bee colony at all.

"The [Slime Monster Core] we collected last time hasn't been used yet. Let's turn them into konjac this time, and we'll have braised fish with konjac and braised chicken with konjac for dinner," Chu Jiu chatted idly with Canned Goods while riding on the back of the dodo bird.

Canned Goods now knew very well what "braised fish" and "braised chicken" were, but what on earth was "konjac"? It let out a bewildered meow.

Fifteen days passed.

How on earth did people come up with these methods?

Bahart first raised an eyebrow, and then his expression darkened: Someone wanted to sell honey in large quantities? What kind of newbie was this, not understanding the rule that "large orders require a stable source of supply"?

Grandpa Du's heart was actually beating wildly, and everyone else present—except for Chu Jiu—was sweating anxiously.

Chu Jiu quickly gave a brief explanation about the dwarf-orcs demanding "gems bought in human cities" as an entrance fee.

At this moment.

Marco asked in astonishment, "Fully booked? I stay at your place every year around this time, and your boss always saves a room for me. What on earth is going on this year?"

*

Although the jewelry store here couldn't possibly have bulletproof glass or alarm buzzers, it had two metahumans guarding the entrance, so there was no need to worry about thieves running amok.

Meanwhile.

The pure, fragrant, translucent liquid flowed downward continuously from the filter mesh, forming a charming thread.

At this point, Marco leisurely chimed in, "Speaking of which... didn't that bunch from the 'Association' claim that the 'guideposts' were their masterpiece?"

That evening, Chu Jiu took Canned Goods to the Forgotten Forest to try out the newly assembled bamboo arrows, preparing to head back to the Pioneer's Cabin to cook dinner for everyone.

By melting down the wax repeatedly with hot water twice in this manner and letting it cool once more, a large block of mango-yellow, clean beeswax could be obtained.

Marco said, "Actually, a few years ago, someone tried to recruit me to join."

If Chu Jiu hadn't told him the method of beekeeping, how could they possibly have harvested honey so safely without climbing mountains or scaling trees!

As the carriage rolled along, Chu Jiu noticed something:

*

Aman leaped up even higher: "Honey! Honey! The honey we brewed ourselves!"

Canned Goods's tail instantly drooped: "...None."

Using a small wooden spoon, he scooped a portion of honey from the exquisite pottery jar, spread it evenly over bread made from refined flour, and handed it with a smile to his youngest daughter.

Chu Jiu gave the little fellow a thumbs-up: "Awesome! I'll make you a large portion of cucumber salad tonight!"

And the wax dregs filtered out from this process naturally could not be thrown away either—

I-I know you think my eyes are pretty...

"You humans... are really so hardworking just for the sake of food."

Chu Jiu's gaze lingered for a few extra seconds on an ice-blue gemstone.

Chu Jiu first found a jewelry shop in the city.

To save time, Marco did not linger long in Emerald Town. After doing a bit ofresupply, he left Emerald Town and headed straight east, rushing towards Sea Moon City.

The day for the first honey harvest at the Bean Village apiary had finally arrived.

Grandpa Du firmly remembered the key points recorded in the "Manual," avoiding the "brood comb" on the upper part of the comb where the bees raised their young, and selecting only the "honey comb" containing honey.

Nowadays, although honey on the market was somewhat more abundant than before and the price had dropped slightly, it still went out of stock from time to time.

Canned Goods, perched on Chu Jiu's shoulder, blinked and scratched its cat-like face with a small paw.

Inside the [Apiary], they were greeted by little Kakaba, who stood no taller than a foxtail grass.

Metahumans like Douglas had been approached by many people sent by the Association, who hoped Douglas would join them.

Inside the beehive were layers of movable, removable "comb frames" provided for bees to build nests and brew honey.

The illustrated card for the [Slime Monster Core] clearly stated that as long as one processed these grayish lump-like things according to the traditional methods of the Chinese people, delicious konjac could be obtained.

The boss also said that he had already made arrangements with the innkeeper on another street, so regular guests like Marco could go straight over this year to stay, and the room rate would be discounted by fifty percent.

In the past, after working painstakingly hard in the mountains chasing bees for half a day, and then taking the risk of falling off cliffs and breaking legs to harvest an entire beehive, the amount of honey obtained was at most a single jar—nowhere near this much.

The mansion of Bahart, the largest merchant in Sea Moon City.

As long as the journey went smoothly, they would be able to reach Sea Moon City by that same evening.

Chu Jiu told everyone that this beeswax could not only be smeared on beehives as a bee attractant, but could also be fitted with a wick to make candles!

Chu Jiu couldn't help marveling, "This 'guidepost' is truly miraculous—though, how on earth did the 'guideposts' come to be? And how were they placed in their current positions?"

"This rare ice-blue symbolizes loyalty, steadfastness, and honesty, making it the most reassuring and dreamy color."

Canned Goods's two paws trod back and forth on Chu Jiu's shoulders, its tail involuntarily curling and uncurling: "What words?"

Pulling himself together, Chu Jiu reinserted the honey-harvested comb frame back into the beehive.

After bustling about like this for the better part of the morning, the Bean Village apiary produced its very first batch of yields:

Regg had other personal matters to attend to regarding metahumans in Sea Moon City.

Right after leaving Emerald Town, the monsters on the road were not particularly numerous, and most of them were relatively small or would actively avoid people.

Canned Goods expressed hearty approval: "Meow meow!"

The shopkeeper was clearly adept at business; seeing Chu Jiu's simple attire, he did not show the slightest bit of condescension. Instead, he enthusiastically introduced the items: "This ring features craftsmanship from before the monster invasion, just look at this luster—and that necklace is also made using ancient techniques! Look at the intricacy of this..."

A portion of the honeycombs was covered with a layer of pale yellow beeswax.

Regg said that the "Association" was an organization that had split off from the "Church" some years ago. The organization's tenet was "serve the true god, bring blessings to the people." Unlike the old church—which no one cared about and which did nothing other than close its doors to chant scriptures and pray—the Association was extremely active. Through unknown means, it had won the support of the royal family, used various methods to earn plenty of gold and silver coins, and cultivated a loyal group of "members."

The servant replied, "That person said the goods he brought are 'honey'."

Chu Jiu continued, "Later on, I flipped through that book of 'Folklore,' the story I read to you—'The Adventures of the Caliph.' The protagonist mentioned in it is a child who grew up in a candy store and loved all kinds of candies the most. Later, by a twist of fate, he came to the dwelling place of the dwarf-orcs and became good friends with them..."

At this point, Marco laughed heartily and said in a ringing voice:

Because of this, people in Sea Moon City could still fish normally, and others could plant neat rows of coconut trees along the shore.

The shopkeeper immediately chimed in, "You truly have a discerning eye! These are rare gemstones mined by the dwarf-orcs some years ago, you know."

Meanwhile, Marco handed his carriage over to the young attendant, and with his precious wooden box on his back, he was just about to walk toward the inn when a young servant rushed out holding a candlestick and cried out, "Master! Master, we are fully booked today, you'd better go to another shop!"

Regg: "Ah?"

Chu Jiu: ?

When Chu Jiu asked once more this time, "What kind of place is Gulinburg?" and "What does the Association do?", Regg was no longer tight-lipped and didn't brush it off carelessly anymore.