The news of the knight order’s arrival and the town mayor’s forest ban quickly sparked discussion and speculation among the residents.
Some said a legendary treasure had appeared in the forest, catching the Kingdom’s interest.
Another group believed a terrifying ancient demon was about to break free, and the knight order had come to organize a defense.
Besides that, a drunken brute suggested Audrey might be here for matchmaking, though his companion muffled his mouth before he could finish.
Of course, there were also those uninterested in these rumors—namely, Lu Xin and Ailya.
Back in his small wooden cabin, Lu Xin proposed a plan to make honey cake to Ailya.
Looking at Ailya, whose eyes were practically sparkling, Lu Xin smiled and asked:
“What do you think, want to eat it?”
“Of course I do! Last time I passed by the pastry shop, I really wanted to try it.”
“Cut off a piece and pop it in your mouth—the sticky, sweet honey instantly coats your whole mouth, and the cloying sweetness is offset by the soft, wheat-scented bread.”
“The smooth cream and the fresh fragrance of fruit layer on top of the sweetness…”
Ailya cupped her cheeks, squinting and swaying her body. Just imagining it made her incredibly happy.
Seeing Ailya so adorable, Lu Xin’s heart stirred. He absolutely couldn’t let his little dancer down.
Action spoke louder than words, and Lu Xin immediately started gathering the materials needed for the honey cake.
Over the past few days, relying on his skills, Lu Xin had built up quite a reputation. When he bought the cake base, Aunt Martha even gave him a significant discount.
Getting cream and fruit was easy, but obtaining honey proved to be a problem.
There were no beekeepers in Morning Breeze Town, and thus no honey for sale.
The honey in town came only from occasional passing caravans or trips to the city.
The next caravan wouldn’t arrive until the harvest festival, a few days away.
But there was another way to get honey—venturing into the outskirts of the Misty Forest to find a beehive.
Upon learning of Lu Xin’s plan, Ailya quickly shook her head, worried:
“Then forget it. Entering the Misty Forest is too dangerous for you, even just the outskirts.”
“It’s fine. If I run into trouble, I’ll come back on my own.”
“But didn’t they just issue a notice banning unauthorized entry into the forest?”
“…”
Ailya’s reminder made Lu Xin remember that.
Things had been going too smoothly lately, and he hadn’t taken the knight order seriously.
“Probably… maybe… it’ll be fine? Just to get some honey.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“No need. Two people would just be more trouble.”
Ailya hesitated for a moment, then stood up and ran back to her wooden cabin.
When she returned, she was holding two throwing knives.
The next morning, Lu Xin walked along the edge of town toward the Misty Forest.
Though it was a detour, he really didn’t want to run into another mud monster and end up sticky and stinking.
Besides the wooden spear and the throwing knives Ailya had given him, he also carried black bread crumbs wrapped in cloth in his pocket.
Not for eating—they were for attracting insects.
Even though the bees in this other world might be different, it was worth a try.
The outskirts of the Misty Forest weren’t densely packed with trees. Compared to the towering, sky-shading trees deeper in, it was like a drop in the bucket.
First, he found a patch of bushes with small flowers, scattered the bread crumbs around, then hid in a concealed spot to wait.
After waiting for ages, only a few ants and beetles showed up.
“Unbelievable. This idea was so stupid.”
Lu Xin sighed at himself, then stood up and decided to switch tactics.
He closed his eyes and activated [Hair Grooming].
At first glance, this skill seemed useless, but Lu Xin had discovered it gave a faint sensing ability toward things with hair.
If that was the case, theoretically, it should work on the fuzz on bees as well.
A faint, barely perceptible pull began guiding Lu Xin.
After walking for about ten minutes, he came to an old oak tree.
About ten feet up the old oak, there was a fist-sized hole in the trunk, and several bees flew out.
After a moment’s thought, Lu Xin moved.
One step, two steps—he was walking away from the old oak.
“Are you kidding? If I climbed up there, I’d get covered in stings.”
A few minutes later, Lu Xin returned to the oak, but this time, there was something stuck on his wooden spear.
A slime that looked somewhat lethargic.
Lu Xin had improved significantly since he first arrived, so dealing with one slime was easy.
He raised his wooden spear and shoved the skewered slime into the oak’s hole.
Immediately, countless bees charged at the slime.
One by one, they went biubiu~, piercing the slime’s wet, soft body. At first, the slime’s expression was quite pleased—the tiny stings were even kind of cute.
But as more and more bees sank their stingers into its body, it couldn’t take it anymore. It was getting stuffed.
And what was Lu Xin doing?
He was using [Liquid Manipulation] to steal the honey. A thin trickle of yellow liquid slowly seeped from the edge of the tree hole.
The honey stretched into a fine thread in the air, flowing steadily toward the empty jar in Lu Xin’s hand.
Lu Xin was overjoyed, but the moment he got excited, the honey thread snapped with a plop.
Lu Xin got furious, and then he fumed.
He looked down at the thin layer of honey at the bottom of the jar—about two spoonfuls’ worth.
“That’s way too little. With Ailya’s appetite, this is basically no different from having nothing.”
But at this rate, to fill the jar, he’d have to stand under the tree all day.
That was obviously impossible. [Liquid Manipulation] was very taxing on the mind. Just from that short burst, his head already felt dizzy.
Just as Lu Xin was pondering whether to try a different tree, a rustling sound came from the bushes not far away.
He immediately gripped the throwing knife in his arms, on guard, when a fluffy head poked out.
Was it a bear?
No, much smaller than a bear, and it was just a fluffy head.
Seeing its black, beady eyes, Lu Xin loosened his grip on the knife.
He recognized it. It was a fluffball monster.
The fluffball monster was staring straight at Lu Xin—or more accurately, at the honey jar in his hand.
The monster’s nose twitched a couple of times, letting out a soft “puu-chuu~”, and then it rolled over.
Lu Xin instinctively took a step back.
The fluffball monster rolled forward another loop.
Man and ball stared each other down for a few seconds. Lu Xin remembered that these things weren’t aggressive.
He tried setting the jar on the ground and backed up a few steps.
The fluffball monster immediately rolled over and began licking the honey from the jar.
Watching the fluffball monster, an idea suddenly popped into Lu Xin’s head.
He grabbed the fluffball monster and immediately activated [Hair Grooming].
A gentle surge of magic spread from his palm. The fluffball monster froze for a moment, then squinted in comfort.
Its entire body relaxed, it even stopped eating the honey and actively nuzzled into Lu Xin’s hand.
“Just as I thought…”
[Hair Grooming] had a special effect on furry creatures like the fluffball monster. This skill was basically ‘Fluffball Monster Affinity MAX.’
Looking at the adorable fluffball monster, Lu Xin inexplicably thought of Ailya.
If this grooming affinity worked on Ailya too, he could ruffle her red hair just like this.