Chapter 100: Fire Lotus and Blood Honey
Hua Mi, as usual, arranged all the canned and centrifugal equipment neatly in the open field of Huayu Town, making it easier to operate in sequence.
Outside, the cold winds howled, but inside the greenhouse, there was an air of tranquility.
Gathered in the greenhouse were Hua Mi and the eight small creatures, all brimming with the joy of their harvest.
After so many days of hard work, the fruits of their labor were about to be revealed.
Anyone claiming not to be excited would be lying.
"Let's set aside the honey for now and see if the Azure Fire Bees and Bloodsuck Bees have produced any by-products."
Hua Mi, anticipating, rubbed his hands together and walked straight to the five Azure Fire Bee hives and one Bloodsuck Bee hive.
He opened the Azure Fire Bee hives in a row, one after another.
The first one yielded nothing.
Nor did the second.
But when he opened the third hive, something fell out.
Hua Mi's eyes brightened, and he immediately focused.
At first glance, it looked like a delicate and tiny lotus flower.
But on closer inspection, it was a misconception.
The petals of that "lotus flower" kept swaying and were translucent, clearly not a solid material.
It was somewhat like flames.
Yet, not entirely.
It was intangible yet faintly resembled the shape of a flower.
It was ethereal, yet evidently affected by gravity.
A peculiar state of matter indeed.
Hua Mi casually picked up a petal that had fallen to the ground and tossed it towards the "fire lotus."
The petal passed through the "fire lotus" without any hindrance, landing on the ground.
It didn't burn or undergo any changes in form.
Neither entity interfered with the other.
He attempted to probe it with his mental energy, akin to the last time with the Thunderfire Pearl, and immediately sensed a magical force.
Unlike before, this magical energy was gentle and stable, not prone to sudden bursts.
"It seems this thing can't be used to make offensive tools."
It looked intimidating on the outside.
Inserting his finger, it felt like soaking in warm water, quite comfortable.
As for its specific magical properties, he couldn't discern them.
This was where the Pseudo-Flower Spirits' versatile appraisal skills came in handy.
The seven small creatures gathered around the "fire lotus," observing for a while before forming a circle to discuss.
They quickly arrived at a conclusion.
"Two completely different magical properties merged."
"One represents destruction."
"The other represents regeneration."
"As for how these two forces combined..."
"We don't know either."
Hua Mi pondered for a moment and had an idea.
Drawing an analogy to the formation of the Thunderfire Pearl.
It had dual attributes of thunder and fire, likely a fusion of the Azure Fire Bees' fire and the Thunder Blossom's lightning.
Then this "fire lotus" might be considered from the perspective of the characteristics of both the Honey Harvest Bees and the nectar-producing flora.
Destruction and regeneration.
Two seemingly contradictory aspects that, in reality, converged towards the same goal.
The fire element from the Azure Fire Bees represented destruction.
Yet, the fire element bestowed by the Mother Goddess represented growth.
Both were fire elements but exhibited entirely different external manifestations.
Blending them together resulted in this unique substance.
A reasonable inference.
However, this thing didn't seem useful to him.
Would it slowly disappear if left unattended?
The small Flower Spirit perched on Hua Mi's shoulder, though silent, observed curiously.
Seeing Hua Mi lost in thought, she fluttered her wings and flew off.
Hovering in front of the fire lotus, she extended her hands, cupped it in her palm, then flew back to Hua Mi.
Through mental connection, she conveyed information about the "fire lotus" to Hua Mi.
According to her, the fire lotus would be helpful to him.
Consuming it would permanently enhance his resistance to ice.
This "ice resistance" didn't just refer to frost resistance.
It would elevate defense against all ice-based magical attacks.
For instance, before consuming the fire lotus, a similar level of ice attack might leave him incapacitated.
But after consuming it, he might withstand an equivalent ice attack, standing firm.
This was a miraculous elixir directly enhancing physical attributes!
Moreover, it was not a temporary boost but a permanent enhancement.
If true, it would be more valuable than the Thunderfire Pearl.
Of course, he wouldn't sell something so rare.
Such invaluable treasures were meant for personal use.
Money was external, but the attributes added to his body would forever be his, unassailable by anyone.
Hua Mi trusted the explanation of the small Flower Spirit.
Born from the Mother Goddess' blessing, she had a certain perception of the by-products of the Mother Goddess' bestowed nectar, making her credible.
The question was, how to consume this thing.
Swallow it directly?
Could his human digestive system handle it?
What if it caused indigestion...
The small Flower Spirit approached him again, holding the fire lotus in her hands and flew close to his chest.
Closing her eyes, as if devoutly praying, a faint white light emitted from her hands, shining into the interior of the fire lotus.
Under the white light, the fire lotus seemed to solidify, its swaying less pronounced.
Then, the small Flower Spirit opened her eyes.
"Hey."
Her hands pressed against Hua Mi's chest.
And just like that, the fire lotus was casually pressed inside.
Instantly, a warm sensation filled his entire chest.
His heart felt like it was soaking in warm water, accompanied by powerful beats, spreading warmth through every cell in his body.
Eventually, even his breath felt heated.
Faintly visible around him, a massive fire lotus shadow bloomed.
"It's blooming!"
For a moment, all seven small creatures were stunned.
Having lived for so long, it was their first time witnessing a human bloom.
Lasting for a few seconds, the fire lotus shadow slowly merged, wrapping Hua Mi entirely before gradually fading until it became completely transparent.
Simultaneously, the warmth throughout Hua Mi's body dissipated.
However, he wasn't sure if it had truly dissipated or if he had grown accustomed to the sensation.
"So, my resistance to ice has improved?"
A test was in order.
Outside, a snowstorm was raging.
Hua Mi stepped outside, removing his black robe and protective talisman.
He was dressed in thin summer clothes.
The freezing snow whipped against him recklessly.
A faint chill could be sensed.
But that was it.
This experience, surpassing his previous understanding, felt novel.
Understand, an ordinary person standing in such a blizzard would be stiffened or even frostbitten.
But now, Hua Mi felt entirely unconcerned about getting hurt.
He even felt he could run in this weather without any issues.
Bending down, he scooped up some snow, holding it in his hand.
It was pleasantly cool.
Almost comfortable.
This visually demonstrated that his resistance to cold had indeed increased.
The exact extent wasn
't precisely measurable.
Roughly estimating, it had increased by ten percent.
"So, if I consume more fire lotuses, could I eventually max out my ice resistance?"
By then, he'd be completely immune to ice spell attacks.
"Well done, Azure Fire Bees."
They were truly commendable.
Returning to the greenhouse, Hua Mi continued to open the remaining two Azure Fire Bee hives.
Unfortunately, there were no drops.
"Five hives, one item. The probability is already high... Hopefully not a newbie protection."
After inspecting the Azure Fire Bee hives, he approached the Bloodsuck Bee hive.
Opening it, there was nothing inside.
But the honey inside the hive was off.
Very off.
The honey brewed by the Bloodsuck Bees appeared thick and blood-red in color.
Solely judging by color wasn't out of the ordinary.
Different honeys could naturally showcase varying colors.
The variety of nectar could influence not only the taste and effects of the honey but also the final color.
From white to amber to golden yellow... all were quite common.
Red honey was rare but not unheard of.
For instance, locust tree honey was red, often called blood honey.
However, the honey in this hive not only looked like blood but also had a strong blood-like scent.
It even overshadowed the honey's symbolic sweetness.
The combination of sight and smell made it eerie.
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