Chapter 41 The Queen Mother's Wish is to Be an Adventurer
Such a sound scared everyone.
Miss White Stork held the torch high in the air, and everyone looked up.
They didn't know when a face appeared above their heads. The upper half of the face had huge compound eyes and two short tentacles, and the lower half was pointed, and it was the face of a human girl.
It was the Queen Bee, but not Queen Roland. She had no intention of attacking them, she just had been watching them for an unknown amount of time.
"Who are you?" Darien asked, clutching the Molotov cocktail in his pocket.
"I'm Celia. Who are you and why are you in my bedroom?" Queen Bee said slowly.
Because she was so cooperative, Darien was even stunned for a moment.
"Well...we are, we are adventurers, yes, we are adventurers. We accidentally fell in here from the crack, and didn't see any people or bees, so we wandered around, trying to find a place to go out." Miss White Stork lied with sweat dripping down her face.
"You lied to me." Celia puffed out her cheeks. "You came here to find the treasure trove. You tried to unlock the formation above, but you unlocked the wrong formation."
Miss White Stork immediately tensed her body, preparing to face the sudden attack.
"You're a very clever girl," Darien said to her.
The words were meant as a heartfelt exclamation, not as a distraction to Celia.
"Thank you, I felt the same way." Celia laughed.
She speaks slowly, like an innocent little girl, although sometimes her words can be a little scary.
"So where's the right one?" Darien asked her.
"Over there, I decorated the room just the way I like it," said Celia.
"Would you like to take us to look for it?" Darien asked.
"No. Unless you tell me a story, I want to listen to stories from outside." Celia put her hands on her face.
"What story do you want to hear?" Darien asked.
Sewell carried several storybooks with him, and perhaps there would be one she liked.
"I want to hear stories from the outside world. You said you are adventurers. I want to hear your adventure stories." Celia said.
Sewell put the storybook he had just taken out back.
If we want to tell an adventure story, then Miss White Stork and Kenneth must have something to say.
The two of them looked at each other, and under Celia's gaze, Miss White Stork bravely took the first step.
She told the story of her first time as a trader.
The white stork is the bird that brings children in various stories, and the stork group is also particularly good at taking care of children, but Miss White Stork is determined to become an excellent businessman.
Her first business trip took her to a desert. The desert was hot and dry, with sand everywhere and no way to see the end.
Because she lacked travel experience and it was her first time in a desert area, she got lost as expected, ate sand for several days, and ran out of water.
Due to lack of water, she began to hallucinate and flew for the last time in a daze.
When she woke up, her throat was smoking with thirst, and she found herself in the middle of an oasis lake. Her feathers were soaked and she was almost sinking.
Later she did sink and got the treasure chest at the bottom of the lake. After staying in the oasis for a few days, she was lucky enough to meet a caravan that led her to the right route.
Miss White Stork wasn't much of a storyteller. She described her desert adventure in a straightforward manner, but Celia listened attentively. After Miss White Stork finished, she said, "This is a lucky story. I love your adventure. Come on, I'll take you to the treasure house."
Celia got down from the queen's bed and maneuvered herself to lead them to the other side of the bedroom.
Darien looked at her lower body, which was a completely bee-like body, supported by thick hind legs, but most of her abdomen was dragging on the ground.
"Are you the only one here?" Darien asked her.
"Yes, I am the only one. They are all dead. Roland's mother is dead, and many aunts are dead. Their lives were so short." Celia said.
"Have you ever thought about leaving here?" Darien asked.
"But I don't know how to get out. Roland's mother has never left here, and the aunts and sisters who take care of me have never left here either," said Celia.
"I know Queen Roland. She once said that if she weren't queen, she would want to be an adventurer," Darien said.
"Mother Roland also said that she hopes I can leave here and become an adventurer or something else. Hallownest no longer needs a queen. Here we are." Celia pointed to the sofa in front of them.
"Could you please help us move it?" Darien said.
"Sure." Celia moved the weathered and worn sofa away.
Darien was about to recite the spell again to break the formation when his shoulder was gently touched.
The expressions of the people around him suddenly became horrified.
"I can help you open it." Celia retracted her front legs.
"Then I'll leave it to you," said Darien.
Many, many years ago, this formation was designed specifically for Queen Roland, and it was much easier for them to open it than for Darien.
Celia tapped her forelimbs lightly a few times, chanting a series of words like singing. The painter's runes on the floor lit up one by one, and the floor opened up a staircase leading down that slowly rose up.
"You don't mind if we take the things down there?" Miss Stork asked cautiously.
"Sure, do you want me to go down with you? It's so dark down there." Celia said.
"Then let's go together." Miss White Stork was afraid that she would lock them all down there if she stayed on top.
Walking down the massive staircase, the torchlight gradually illuminated the treasury of Hallownest.
The savings of several generations of queens of Hallownest are all here. As everyone imagines, this place is filled with valuable things such as gold coins, gemstone jewelry, gold utensils, etc., all of which are earned from the mead and royal jelly business.
Darien had been very curious. Business at Hallownest was so brisk, yet there were almost no expenses. What did they do with all the money they earned? Could it be that, like dragons, all the successive queens of the bees had a habit of collecting valuables?
"That's a lot of money." Kenneth couldn't help but sigh.
Although he was the son of an earl and his sister was a countess, he had never seen such a luxurious scene of piling things from the floor to the ceiling.
The wealth here is probably greater than that of the entire kingdom.
Darien speculated that the wealth here was probably a major factor in the invasion and fall of Hallownest.
"Celia, I have a question for you." He called out to Celia who was walking in front.
"What's the problem?" Celia turned around.
"Do you know why so many queens before them wanted to do business with outsiders for mead and royal jelly? Is it because you like these riches so much?" Darien said.
"So that's the problem. I also asked Roland's mother, and she said that they don't love these cold but golden things. It's because the people who come here can bring stories with them, so they do business with people outside. Only in this way, our daily lives will not be exactly the same." Celia said.
"Why don't you try to leave here, and go somewhere else to live and reside occasionally." Miss White Stork couldn't help asking.
"We can't leave the tribe, we can't leave the stable nest, unless it's too crowded and we need to separate, and another queen needs to go out and build a new nest. We can't leave our home." Celia said.
"You've never left here?" Darien asked.
"No. Roland's mother told me what the outside world looks like, but she has never seen it and only heard about it from people outside. I really want to know what it looks like outside." Celia's voice was filled with longing.
There was silence in the air for a moment. The huge queen bee was just a little girl who longed for the outside world. No one knew how to comfort her for a moment. Perhaps she just needed a simple sentence.
"How about we take you out? We're leaving here soon, and it won't be too much trouble to take you with us." Darien said softly.
"Really? Don't lie to me." Celia sounded happy. "I want to take Roland's mother with me. She said she really wants to be an adventurer. She said money is very useful. I can take the money here, and then we can go to many faraway places."
"Of course you can, since you have so much money. If you are willing to give me a small portion of it, I am even willing to organize a caravan for you to travel to every corner of the continent until you are willing to end this journey." Miss White Stork tried to make her tone a little more cheerful.
What Celia said was simple, but it sounded so sad. The girl who had a mountain of gold just wanted simple freedom. She had wings, but she couldn't fly out of any narrow gap here.
Miss White Stork wanted to hug the big girl, but was a little afraid of her limbs.
"Then it's a deal. I'll pay you and you take me on a trip." Celia ran down the stairs happily, grabbing handfuls of gold coins and jewel necklaces to give to Miss White Stork.
"Thank you, thank you. More is fine. I don't mind having too much of this kind of stuff." Miss White Stork immediately opened her pockets.
Celia was very happy now, and she gave everyone a handful of gold coins and gems, making everyone feel heavy.
Darien struggled to move his eyes away from the shining gold coins and gems. Even though he really wanted to print his fingerprints all over their bodies at this moment, he held back because he had more important things to do.
"Do you know where Queen Roland's 20 gold coins are, with the route of the treasure map engraved on them?" he asked Celia.
"I know, that's our game. Do you want to play the game too?" Celia nodded.
"What kind of game is that?" Darien asked.
This concerns his business and must be treated with caution.
"It's like a treasure hunt. You put important items in various corners of the hive, then wait until late at night when no one is around, avoid all the patrolling bee guards and find all the items according to the directions on the map," Celia replied.
"Oh. So this is the legendary treasure of the lost kingdom?" Miss White Stork suddenly realized.
"Is that what you call the treasure hunt game? Roland's mother loves this game. She's very good at it and is rarely discovered. I'm rarely discovered too, but it's not because I'm good, it's because there aren't many bee guards patrolling here anymore," said Celia.
"Should we continue the transaction between us?" Darien asked Miss White Stork.
The Treasure of the Lost Kingdom is so simple, and it is not a real treasure. It is just a game created by the queen because she was too bored here.
Miss White Stork needs to rethink whether to pay so much price in exchange for such a small thing.
"Do you want to play a game with me? You hide and I'll find. I can definitely find it quickly and effectively." Celia said.
"Well... go on, I've already got the treasure here." Miss White Stork glanced at Celia and said.
"Then according to the agreement, I will give you Queen Roland's 20 gold coins. Celia, can you give Queen Roland's 20 gold coins to Miss White Stork?" Darien said.
"Sure, but you have to give it back to me later," said Celia.
Queen Roland's 20 gold coins are upstairs. They will have to go up there later anyway, so they might as well pack up all the treasures here first. Celia will take these treasures on a long journey soon.
Darien asked Seville to take out the parchment and ink, and he wanted to do business with Celia.
"I'll sell you two magic circles. One is a storage circle to carry the things you want to take with you. The other one can change your body shape and make you smaller. You are a little too big, which is not very convenient for adventure." Darien said to Celia.
"Okay. How much should I pay then?" Celia said.
"Give me two more handfuls of your gold and gems," said Darien.
Celia gave him three handfuls.
Darien was very satisfied. He instructed Seville to find the gems with space elements in the treasure house, and then found two bracelets, replaced the gems on them, and engraved small magic circles on them.
He taught Celia how to use the two bracelets, and the clever Celia learned it immediately.
She made herself look very much like a human, with two hands and two long legs. She retracted her extra sharp forelimbs and hid her bloated belly that was dragging on the ground. Her light legs allowed her to walk faster. Her wings and the compound eyes on the upper half of her face remained unchanged.
"I like the way I look now." Celia touched her legs and her face happily.
"Come on, let's help pack up everything here, then we can go out earlier." Miss White Stork pushed the treasures scattered everywhere over and asked Celia to pack them up quickly.
This treasury contains the property of several generations of queens. Even with so many people, it took a long time to pack everything in here.
The bracelet on Celia's hand was inlaid with space gems. Darien inlaid more than a dozen of them for her before he finished installing all the items here.
"Here, this is Roland's mother's gold coin map." Celia handed Miss White Stork a heavy box.
Miss White Stork put the box on the ground, opened it, and arranged the gold coins neatly on the ground.
On the gold coin is a map of Hallownest, which can be repeatedly arranged into different levels and rooms. It is the Queen's favorite mini-game.
"Celia, I'm giving it back to you. Come with us and we'll take you out." Miss White Stork put the gold coins back and gave them back to Celia.
"Wait a minute, I'm going to pack up Roland's mother." Celia took the box and ran towards the bed.
They waited for her for a moment, and then they heard some crackling noises. When they stopped, she jumped out of the bed and said, "All right, I can go now."
"Let's go, follow us. Seville, find the nearby exit." said Darien.
"Why not just take her back to the tower?" asked Miss White Stork.
"Are you going back to the tower?" Darien said.
"Well... I won't go back. I can just leave." Miss White Stork thought about it and decided that there was no need to go back.
"That's perfect. I'll send you both out together." Darien looked at Kenneth and Jenny Pig.
The Queen's bedroom was located on the upper level of Hallownest. Finding a way out was shorter than exploring from the bottom up. It didn't take them too long to find a small gap that was large enough for the two people to walk side by side.
Seville went out first to make sure it was safe, followed by Darien, Kenneth and Jenny Piglet, and Miss White Stork also went out.
Only Celia was left.
Several transparent runes emerged and stopped her when she was about to step out.
"It turns out I still can't leave here."
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