Chapter 44: Unicorn Horn Powder
A beige envelope lay quietly on the table.
Hua Mi approached and picked it up.
Recipient: Bee Speaker of the Black Forest.
The term "Bee Speaker" was a transliteration.
There was no other information provided.
No sender, no postmark.
Not even an opening.
The entire envelope was seamless.
Hua Mi was about to tear it open when suddenly an irregular small hole appeared on the envelope, and its edges glowed, as if a spark had burned through it.
Then, this small hole rapidly expanded.
Similar holes appeared in other places simultaneously, gradually connecting and forming a patchwork, causing the envelope to quickly dissolve.
What remained in Hua Mi's hand was a folded letter.
Opening it, she read a message:
"I will arrive in three days. If you wish to prepare the spatial magic, ensure you have no less than 15g of Unicorn Horn Powder within three days. Latecomers will not be tolerated. - 'Dimlight' Alys, the Grand Architect of the Jade Court."
Hua Mi was momentarily taken aback.
It wasn't Sindra?
From the signature, this "Dimlight Alys" should be the master Sindra mentioned.
No wonder she was a master, her words were so imposing.
But the title was indeed simple, an architect; it gave him an Earth-like feeling.
What surprised Hua Mi even more was that the master herself replied to the letter.
And she was coming in person.
Sindra mentioned that this master didn't like humans, and Hua Mi had expected some difficulties, but it all seemed too smooth.
"Could it be the honey I sent her worked?"
However, a mere bottle of honey, even if it was something not found in this world, probably wouldn't be enough to persuade an elven master.
His intuition told him there had to be another reason.
But, for now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.
To move closer to the goal of building the greenhouse, he had taken an important step.
The current issue was how to obtain the material required for the spatial magic, no less than 15g of Unicorn Horn Powder, in just three days.
Indeed, there was a unicorn in the Black Forest.
But he couldn't just walk up to it and ask for some horn powder.
It would probably skewer him with its horn.
Hua Mi took out the Black Forest Adventurer's Guide and turned to the page about unicorns.
【Unicorn】
This is a species that resembles a white horse, but don't even think about making it your mount. The difficulty is on par with riding a dragon, if not harder. As far as the author knows, only one legendary hero has had the honor, and it was temporary.
The unicorn has a spiral horn protruding from its forehead, hence the name. This is the part it uses to control and release its magic. A unicorn without its horn will have difficulty controlling its own magic.
Unicorns typically live alone and have a very long lifespan, so they don't have a strong need for reproduction, resulting in a low population.
Apart from dragons, there might be no species rarer than unicorns (the author's knowledge is limited, but they are fragile, so if you disagree, please keep it to yourself).
Many people mistakenly believe that unicorns have low intelligence because they often don't respond to attempts at communication. In reality, unicorns have intelligence on par with most humanoid species, if not higher, but they don't respond to the outside world because of their innate pride.
[Magic Resistance]: Unicorns have high resistance to magic and, with adequate preparation, can even absorb the magic released by their enemies through their horns and use it as their own, turning the tables.
[Healing Abilities]: Unicorns have high magic resistance, making them resistant to magical attacks, and high agility, making them difficult to hit with physical attacks. However, on the flip side, their recovery from injuries is extremely slow, and due to their resistance to magic, magical medicines and restorative magic have minimal effect.
[Habitat]: Unicorns can survive in various environments but prefer forests, especially ancient ones.
[Natural Lord]: The presence of a unicorn will create a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere in its habitat. Small animals will instinctively serve it, to some extent increasing their intelligence, helping them shed their savage nature, and becoming more civilized.
[Magical Talents]: Unicorns' magical talents are astonishing. They are natural magic artists and teachers. In this regard, elves have the most say, as many of their magics are created by observing unicorns.
...
The advice given for the unicorn in the Black Forest was simple: don't provoke it, and if you encounter it, pretend you didn't see it. Unicorns won't harm you as long as you don't attack them.
However, if you anger it, don't panic, and certainly don't run. Brave the situation and look it in the eyes, so at least you can die with dignity.
Generally, adventurers entering the Black Forest wouldn't be targeting the unicorn. There were rumors that harming a unicorn would bring divine retribution, leading to a curse and bad luck. It might sound mystical, but adventurers tended to believe it.
From the description in the text, the unicorn's horn was crucial for its control of magic, and it was essentially its lifeline. Asking it for horn powder was like asking Saitama-sensei for a few strands of hair without getting punched.
If they went with a forceful approach, it might work.
Unicorns had full resistance to magic, but their tolerance for pain was not particularly high.
Release the Pain Inflicting Bees, and while it writhes in pain, get in close to cut off its horn and run.
The plan was straightforward, yet effective.
However, what worried Hua Mi the most was not whether the plan would succeed, but what might happen after it succeeded. This was a magical world, and it was hard to predict what could occur.
"Piece of cake!"
Xiao Zi overheard this and couldn't help but boast.
"Do you have a plan?" Hua Mi asked with skepticism.
"Of course! I'm good friends with it, and a bit of horn powder is all we need," Xiao Zi said, hands on hips, brimming with confidence.
"Are you sure?" Hua Mi questioned.
This little one hadn't exactly left the most reliable impression on him, and he found it hard to accept that she could easily solve this problem.
"Absolutely! I'll go ask it right now!" Xiao Zi declared, eager to prove herself.
Hua Mi couldn't help but hope she would succeed, despite his doubts.
"Let's see what you've got, Xiao Zi!"
...
In the evening, the two pseudo-flower spirits returned, looking bedraggled.
Xiao Zi was covered in soot, lying on Xiao Huang's back, barely conscious, and unable to open even one eye.
She looked as if she'd just been rescued from an illegal coal mine.
"What happened?" Xiao Huang sighed and recounted the events.
In truth, it was quite simple.
Once they found the unicorn, Xiao Zi went up to it and asked for a bit of horn powder.
The unicorn refused.
Xiao Zi insisted, saying she only needed a tiny bit.
The unicorn ignored her.
Thinking it had wavered, Xiao Zi continued to persuade it.
The unicorn, fed up, summoned a lightning bolt and struck her.
"..."
Hua Mi couldn't help but say, "Aren't you supposed to be good friends?"
Friends didn't usually get zapped just for a little extra conversation.
"Looks like we're not that close..." Xiao Zi said sadly.
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