Chapter 29 The Player is a Little Monster
The bees' determination to defend their hive did not allow them to retreat. Seeing that the man in front of them was determined to protect the despicable hive thief, the bees no longer hesitated and charged towards Mihawk, waving their stingers.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Like the sound of swords clashing echoing through the forest, Mihawk used only a small knife, less than half the size of his palm, to create an impenetrable barrier around himself.
All of the bees' attempts to attack failed. No matter how tricky the angle of the attack, Mihawk was able to block the thin needle with the blade at just the right moment.
Buzz—Buzz—
The bees circled him angrily, but they couldn't find any weakness in him.
At that moment, the lead bee suddenly stopped attacking, and its action seemed to have pressed some kind of switch for the swarm of bees, and all the bees simultaneously hovered in front of Mihawk in the next second.
They continued to flap their wings, but no longer attempted to attack, and their tail stingers drooped down.
Vera: "What's wrong?"
“These are a group of guard bees,” Mihawk said. “They were unable to defeat the enemies attacking their hive and, ashamed to return to their original nest, chose to die.”
Mihawk's tone held a hint of admiration: "Ha, the wound on your back is a disgrace, so you've decided to face my attack head-on?"
"You are worthy of my use of this black blade."
Facing this swarm of "respectable" bees, Mihawk drew his black sword, Night, from his back, preparing to deliver a respectful and earnest blow to them, thus bringing this all to an end.
Violet: ?
Vera: "Wait, wait a minute!"
Mihawk: "Bees without hives will die very quickly this season." Rather than being soaked in mud by torrential rain or blown into the sea by strong winds, it was much more pleasant for him to do it himself.
“No, what I mean is,” Vera looked at the bees that had surrendered, “I don’t mean to harm you. I just hope that some of you will live in the hive I have prepared for you.”
Swarming is a very common phenomenon for bees in nature.
“You can continue to serve as guardians in the new lair,” the demon Violet whispered. “After all, you wouldn’t want the new lair to be left unprotected and completely exposed to the dangers of nature, would you?”
Buzzing—
The swarm of bees trembled, and after some unknown exchange, they finally gave up their suicidal intentions, obediently flew over Mihawk, and landed on Wil's beekeeping hat.
The bees returned to their original yellow and black coloration, huddled together in a fluffy mass on Wil's head.
“These bees are very talented.” Mihawk put the dagger back into the cross pendant on his chest. “Train them well, and they will become an important force in protecting this island.”
Vera raised her hand and rubbed the bee that had landed on her hat: "I will build you a very beautiful beehive."
Violet placed the beehives at the edge of the grove of trees. The leaves above the beehives provided shade and shelter from the rain, and not far away was a wide meadow full of grass, branches, and flowers, so the bees wouldn't have to fly for long to collect nectar.
Each beehive can hold a maximum of six foraging bees. Each bee can collect nectar once a day. After six collections, one unit of honey will be accumulated in the beehive. Once the amount of honey in the beehive reaches six units, the amount of honey will no longer increase.
Just like with wild beehives, attacking honeybees, beehives, or taking honey will enrage the guard bees, causing them to launch a collective attack.
Vera patted the beehive nailed together with wooden planks and put the foraging bees she had just caught from her pocket into it.
Buzzing—
The guard bee that had been hovering above Wil's head flew around the hive twice as if it were conducting an inspection, before leisurely crawling into the hive.
"Get to work quickly!"
Wang Wei'er, who was in charge of hanging the streetlights, couldn't stand the words "slacking off".
Violet is busy on the farm every day, determined to grow giant crops on the first three plots of land. Luo, on the other hand, continues to train hard, practicing swordsmanship with the bees in the morning and learning how to control his fruit abilities in the afternoon.
Under Violet's leadership, the entire island was bustling with activity, everyone and everything, except—
Mihawk only gives instructions to Luo and the bees in the early morning, and then wanders around the island aimlessly.
Seeing that this was the fifth time today that Mihawk had appeared near the farm, scrutinizing all the crops with a serious expression, Vera decided to give him something to do.
Violet: "Mihawk, if you'd like, could you write me a recipe you know?"
After the beehives were built, Vera had a stable source of honey, which is an essential raw material for making desserts.
Violet learned from Tiger that Big Mom and her children love all kinds of desserts and dishes. Although Violet was confident that the dishes with various effects in the game would be enough to conquer the NPCs' taste buds, what if...?
What if Big Mom and her children are all traditionalists who can't accept even the slightest bit of innovation?
Violet did not forget Shanks's reminder that Tales of the Rift is a high-risk map, and it is best to avoid engaging in combat if possible.
Mihawk, who was being stared at by Violet's expectant gaze: "..."
Mihawk adjusted his hat, blocking the two burning gazes: "...Okay."
Vera emptied Mihawk's entire stockpile. After receiving the papyrus sheets filled with beautiful cursive writing, Vera heard the long-awaited game notification sound.
You have obtained the recipe for the Banana Milkshake.
[Banana Milkshake]
[Ingredients: 2 bananas, 2 pieces of fruit]
[Mixed bananas and puree are thoroughly blended, resulting in a sweet yet refreshing flavor. The flavor varies depending on the fruits used.]
You have obtained the ingredients for making [Banana Jelly]
[Banana Jelly]
[Materials: 1 banana, 1 twig, 1 ice cube, 1 piece of fruit]
[A must-have treat in the heat: chilled bananas stuck in branches, topped with sweet jam... After consumption, body temperature drops continuously within 10 minutes, with a maximum cumulative cooling effect of -40°C from the current ambient temperature.]
You have obtained the ingredients for making the [Banana Jelly Lip Gloss] dish.
[Banana Jelly Lip Gloss]
[Ingredients: 1 banana, 1 ice cube, 1 honey, 1 piece of fruit]
[A cool and smooth texture like ice cream, bringing you a refreshing experience from the inside out... After consumption, the character's body temperature drops by 40℃]
Wow, this is a special dish with a cooling effect!
Mihawk is too generous. If she could, Violet would love to award Mihawk a "La Lyer's Best Investment Angel" certificate right now.
Violet: "I want to be Mihawk's friend for life!"
Vera: "But does Mihawk really like bananas?"
Why are all the dishes that Mihawk unlocks made with bananas?
Violet imagined Mihawk sipping red wine while peeling a banana...
Violet: "Pfft!"
Mihawk: ?
He looked at Violet, who immediately avoided his gaze and looked away in a pretentious manner: "Oh dear, this is so tacky."
For some reason, Mihawk felt a headache, a feeling unique to facing a certain red-haired pirate.
Mihawk decided to trust his intuition.
Mihawk: "These crops should be ripe soon."
From the moment they begin to bear fruit, giant crops exhibit a completely different growth pattern from ordinary crops. At least Mihawk had never seen such enormous corn anywhere else in this ocean.
Although it hasn't fully grown yet, the corn stalk is already as big as Wilt's. Once fully mature, it will likely be as tall as Mihawk, making it hard to imagine what kind of soil and seeds could eventually nurture such a formidable crop.
Mihawk's gaze then fell on Violet, who looked exceptionally short against the backdrop of the corn.
How are these little monsters conceived?
Violet said angrily, "Mihawk, are you secretly thinking I'm short?!"
He's still a little kid who's worried about his height.
Even if, a few years later, the little monster grows into a giant monster and wreaks havoc on the entire ocean, that will be a headache for the World Government and the Navy.
Giant crops mature in ten days.
With the stone hammer in hand, Violet leaped up and used the force of her fall to smash the corn in front of her.
With a bang, the giant corn split into three ordinary ears of corn and two seeds.
Vera followed the same method, using a stone hammer to pry open all the remaining giant crops.
Mihawk calculated the final output: "The output is 2.7 times that of normal."
Although Violet had mentioned the yield of giant crops before, seeing the facts in person was still quite impactful.
In addition to the three fields that all produced giant crops, the fourth field used for breeding also has a new surprise.
[You have obtained 2 eggplants, 1 pumpkin, 3 corns, 2 potatoes, and 1 onion.]
In addition to the crops that Weil harvested last time, this breeding program has added two new varieties: eggplant and pumpkin.
Vera made a backpack and filled it with seeds of several crops and some unknown seeds as tuition for Mihawk's teaching of Ro.
Mihawk placed the backpack in his coffin boat, replenished it with fresh water, and then bid farewell to the two men.
“Strong individuals grow through real combat,” Mihawk said, looking at Luo. “But there’s no need to rush to sea.”
With such high crop yields, this island won't be quiet for long.
The sea breeze billowed the sails, and the shadows of Mihawk and the coffin boat gradually disappeared into the sea.
Vera: "I wonder when the timber that Mihawk promised will be delivered."
Violet opened her palms, feeling the gentle rain falling from the sky: "And the Amazon Lily stone."
Vera told Islander Number 1, Law, about the deal with Hancock that very evening.
Luo had witnessed how Vera rummaged through countless boxes and even crossed the ocean to build her base due to a lack of materials, so he naturally knew how important the wood and stone were to them.
Hancock, Mihawk… these names that appeared one after another reminded Law that this was never a secluded paradise island, and that the next time someone with ill intentions came to R'lyeh…
Luo will make him regret his decision.
Luo: "If we want to make a trade, we need to stock up on more food."
Luo looked at Vera and said, "Tomorrow morning, after I finish training, let's go sowing together."
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Author's Note: After listening to Mihawk's conversation with the bees: So melodramatic! He's practically digging his toes into a castle! [melted]
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