A Beekeeper in a Magical World

Chapter 45: Blossoming

Hua Mi pondered for a moment before asking, "Is it true that harming unicorns brings a curse?"

"There is indeed such a rumor," someone replied.

"But we can't confirm its authenticity," another added.

"We've never harmed one," a third chimed in.

Suddenly, Xiao Hong realized something and asked, "Do you want to battle a unicorn?"

"Hiss!" The other Pseudo-Flower Spirits immediately halted their discussion, inhaling sharply, and turned to look at Hua Mi, even the dazed Xiao Zi opened her eyes wide.

Hua Mi remained noncommittal and said, "Building a greenhouse is my current main goal. I must find a way to achieve it."

"But you can't possibly defeat it!" one of the spirits exclaimed.

"Unicorns are incredibly powerful magical creatures, even on par with dragons!" another argued.

"No, dragons are still more formidable," a third spirit countered.

"Have you not heard the tale? In the ancient era of giants, a giant fought a black dragon, disturbing the unicorns in the forest. The unicorn singlehandedly drove them away and left behind the giant's finger and the black dragon's eye as the price for intruding into its territory."

"Do you believe that? Some even claim they can defeat dragons with just a shovel."

"It's not impossible, as long as they use the right weapon..."

"Are you referring to weapons made of Dragonsteel?"

"But the method for smelting Dragonsteel was lost after the giants went extinct."

"Did we get off-topic?"

"..."

"In any case, if you attack the unicorn, it will surely kill you."

"It's not as easy to deal with as the Tree Spirits."

Hua Mi absorbed their words. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Alright, how about this? Tomorrow, I'll attempt to negotiate with it first. If that doesn't work, we'll consider other options."

Back on Earth, Hua Mi handled some orders. The honey with magical effects sold well, and he wasn't concerned about sales. His main focus lay elsewhere. Compared to exploring this treasure trove in the otherworld, even making money seemed less important.

Lying in bed, he thought about how to negotiate with the unicorn the next day. Hua Mi figured that if the unicorn was willing to trade, things would be much easier. If it had something it desired, they could exchange for it. The only concern was if the unicorn had no desires and no interest in communication.

Lost in thought, he drifted into slumber.

Upon waking, Hua Mi cleaned up, had breakfast, and then crossed over to the otherworld. As soon as his feet touched the wooden floor of the cottage, he heard the clamor of the Pseudo-Flower Spirits outside.

Hua Mi stepped outside and saw them flying in a circle, engaged in an animated discussion. When they noticed him, they shouted, "It's blooming!"

The alchemical-altered plant had finally blossomed, seemingly without any dangerous magical effects. Hua Mi walked over to the pit, took a look, and first felt puzzled, then a chill ran down his spine. San value decreased by 1.

The flower had fully bloomed, with seven radiant petals stretching outwards. In the center of the petals was the female reproductive structure of the flower, including the stigma, style, and ovary. The ovary was where the seeds grew. At this moment, the ovary had ruptured, and a thumb-sized "little person" emerged from it. It had no hair, its body was a mismatch of various colors, and it appeared rather grotesque.

Its wings behind were also damaged and drooping. "The alchemist who created this seed must have attempted to artificially create a Flower Spirit, but clearly, they failed. Only naturally grown rare flowers can give birth to Flower Spirits. It's a sin!"

Hua Mi's perspective differed from the Pseudo-Flower Spirits'. He found the situation a bit odd but didn't harbor strong negative feelings towards the creator of the seed. It was akin to Earth's scientists conducting cloning experiments, creating life artificially, and it couldn't be considered evil. Exploration itself was not wrong, unless it was for sinister purposes.

Hua Mi wondered if the premature birth of this artificial Flower Spirit was due to excessive ripening. Despite the Pseudo-Flower Spirits claiming that their magic fully adhered to the laws of nature and accelerated the life process with the approval of the Forest Spirit, this situation raised suspicions.

"Poor thing, it never got to see the world," Xiao Hong commented.

Hua Mi thought, maybe because they rushed the process, the artificial Flower Spirit failed to develop fully. Although the Pseudo-Flower Spirits' magic appeared natural, the essence might be fundamentally different from what was happening here.

"Strange, but it indeed seems to have a desire. It craves seeds," Xiao Hong said.

"Seeds? Why seeds?" the spirits discussed.

The artificial Flower Spirit, being in a semi-plant state, had minimal mental activity, making it hard even for the Pseudo-Flower Spirits to sense it. Only the eldest, Xiao Hong, detected a trace of its mental language.

"It's very odd, but it does desire seeds," Xiao Hong confirmed.

The ovary produced seeds, and technically, it was part of the ovary. If you stretched the connection, it made some sense. Hua Mi had collected over a dozen packs of Moon-Dream Flower seeds, so he took one and offered it to the little creature using a spoon.

The creature promptly opened its mouth and swallowed the seed. Afterward, it retreated back into the ovary through the hole, and the seven petals retracted, forming a shuttle shape that enclosed the ovary.

"It appears to be digesting, more or less," Xiao Hong observed. "I can sense its mental activity now."

"I can confirm that it wants to eat," the Pseudo-Flower Spirits exchanged ideas.

As this creature was in a semi-plant state with limited mental activity, it seemed even the Pseudo-Flower Spirits couldn't fully communicate with it. The Flower Spirit released a magical field that disrupted their mental connection. It was certain that some kind of magical effect was happening inside.

Hua Mi thought for a moment and had the Pseudo-Flower Spirits use a plant-growth magic on it. To everyone's surprise, it worked. With seven beams of magical light injected into the creature, the little person twitched, previously lying motionless. After that, Hua Mi poured some green liquid onto the flower.

If the growth magic worked, the green liquid should be harmless. The deformed creature seemed more like a part of this plant. With both the magic and the green liquid, the little person eventually stood up, although it still appeared somewhat dull, resembling a plant-human.

"I think I can sense its mental activity!" Xiao Hong exclaimed, leaning in to listen closely.

"It's very hungry and wants to eat something," she added.

"Should we feed it honey?" someone suggested.

"No, it wants... seeds," Xiao Hong responded.

"Why seeds?" the spirits pondered.

Hua Mi had a collection of Moon-Dream Flower seeds, so he took one and held it near the creature's mouth. It promptly opened its mouth and swallowed the seed. Afterward, it retreated into the ovary through the hole, and the surrounding petals closed, forming a shuttle-like shape around the ovary.

"It's digesting, I think," Xiao Hong observed. "I can't sense its mental activity now. The flower has released a magic field that interferes with our mental connection."

"One thing is certain; something magical is happening inside."

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