“Piu~”
“Then how about this: you take me to find more beehives, I’ll harvest them, and I’ll share some with you when the time comes.”
Lu Xin tilted his head, confused.
‘Did this little guy understand?’
Giving up, he pointed at the honey in the jar, then gestured around him. He spent a good while trying to explain through hand signals.
Whether the Fluffball Monster truly understood or was just hungry again, it let out a “poof” and rolled deeper into the forest.
After a few rolls, it glanced back to see if Lu Xin was following.
Lu Xin chuckled, picked up the jar, and trailed behind.
‘Having a local guide is much easier than using [Hair Grooming] to find bees myself.’
The Fluffball Monster led Lu Xin through the forest, zigzagging, and soon found a second beehive.
This hive was inside a fallen dead tree, making it much faster for Lu Xin to collect the honey.
In less than half a day, Lu Xin’s jar was full.
In high spirits, he scooped out a large portion of honey with a wooden sliver as payment for the Fluffball Monster.
“If you ever want more honey, you can come find me near the town,” Lu Xin said, patting its body.
“I live in the broken wooden house at the edge—easy to spot.”
The Fluffball Monster let out a “poof” grabbed the honey-covered wooden sliver in its mouth, and rolled into the bushes.
‘I wonder if that little guy understood.’
‘Ah well, I’ll probably run into it again next time I’m in the forest.’
Lu Xin stood up and looked around. That’s when he noticed something off.
He had been in the Misty Forest for quite a while now—even if only on the outskirts—yet he hadn’t encountered any dangerous monsters.
Earlier, when he caught that Slime, he even saw a Fat Cat with a bell around its neck.
Lu Xin immediately thought of the Knight Order. This situation had to be linked to them.
But what were they up to? Clearing out monsters to protect the residents?
No way.
Lu Xin couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. Not encountering danger was a good thing.
Still, the path in had been smooth—the way back might be tough.
Just as he was about to leave the forest, Lu Xin spotted several figures ahead.
Dressed in silver plate armor, they were unmistakably members of the Knight Order.
Three knights were gesturing in a clearing. One held a map while the other two argued.
Lu Xin planned to tread lightly and take a detour.
But his foot happened to step on a branch. The snapping sound echoed sharply through the quiet forest.
“Who’s there!”
The three knights stopped arguing and turned around, their hands gripping the swords at their waists.
‘Damn it.’
Lu Xin cursed inwardly, then forced himself out of the forest with a harmless smile.
“I was just passing by to collect some stuff. Hope I’m not interrupting you, sirs.”
The lead knight scanned Lu Xin from head to toe, then his gaze settled on the wooden spear strapped to his back and the jar in his hand.
Jack frowned, displeased. “A civilian?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Didn’t you know the forest is off-limits now?”
“I… I did, but I was only at the very edge…”
“Even the edge isn’t allowed!”
The knight cut Lu Xin off, his tone harsh.
“The notice clearly states that no unauthorized personnel are permitted in the forest.”
“You’re breaking the order, you know that?”
‘Hell, did your family plant this forest?’
Lu Xin felt a flicker of anger but kept up a smile. “Please, sirs, just let me go. I’ll leave immediately, no lingering.”
“Hold on.” Another knight spoke up, eyeing Lu Xin’s jar. “What’s in that jar?”
“…Honey.” Lu Xin hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth.
“Honey?”
The knight stepped closer, peered into the jar, and upon seeing the golden liquid, his expression turned sly.
“Where did you get it?”
“…A wild beehive inside a dead tree.”
The questioning knight exchanged glances with Jack and the third knight.
If this were in the Kingdom, letting Lu Xin go would be no big deal—honey was common there.
But this mission would take a long time, tiring them out. Plus, the food was far worse than what they’d get in the Kingdom.
The three of them were already annoyed at being sent out at dawn to survey the forest. A jar of honey, however, would be a nice perk.
Jack cleared his throat, his tone shifting oddly.
“Did you know that everything in the forest is now under the Knight Order’s control?”
“What you’ve collected counts as contraband. Understand?”
Lu Xin looked at the knight’s demeanor and immediately caught on: ‘He’s fishing for a bribe.’
After a moment’s silence, Lu Xin composed himself and put on a troubled expression. “Sirs, I just gathered some honey to make food. I had no idea it was contraband…”
“Not knowing doesn’t mean you’re innocent.” Jack stepped forward, sneering at Lu Xin.
“Here’s the deal: leave the honey behind, and we’ll let this slide. We won’t press charges for trespassing.”
Lu Xin hugged the jar tightly with one hand while the other instinctively gripped the throwing knife hidden in his clothes.
But the moment he clenched his fist, he relaxed.
‘If I fight, I have no chance. Not only are the knights well-armed, but their training far surpasses mine.’
But giving up the honey was absolutely out of the question.
This nearly full jar was the fruit of a whole morning’s work. He had promised Ailya he’d make a cake.
Even if he explained the situation to Ailya, she would understand, comfort him, and worry if he got hurt.
But he, Lu Xin, was no pushover to be taken advantage of.
“Sirs, could you give me a few minutes?”
As he spoke, Lu Xin silently activated the [Silence Barrier], completely blocking the transmission of their voices.
Jack’s eyes flickered as he scanned the surroundings. He had sensed a faint magical fluctuation.
But he dismissed it as his imagination—it was hard to connect magic with this civilian.
“Fine, but don’t try anything clever.”
With permission granted, Lu Xin first crouched down and set the honey jar aside.
Then he turned his back and rubbed his hands together rapidly.
The three knights exchanged puzzled looks, completely clueless about what this civilian was doing.
After a few minutes, Jack grew impatient.
“Hey…”
Before he could finish, Lu Xin spun around and hurled several mud balls at them. The mud balls were sticky and had a faint sweet smell.
This was what Lu Xin had been busy making.
‘They want honey, do they? Then I’ll mix some honey with mud and feed it to them.’
As for Jack and the others, they never expected such audacity. Mud balls splattered across their faces, honey oozing out and sticking to their skin.
“Damn it, kid, you’re asking for it!” Jack wiped his face, barely opening his eyes, and tried to grab Lu Xin.
But Lu Xin had already bolted several meters away, clutching the honey jar. With the [Silence Barrier] in place, their voices couldn’t travel anywhere.