Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Blue Bee Honey Temple (3)
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Sipping the tea brought a sigh of admiration all on its own.
"Wow... it's so smooth. Is Blue Bee Honey tea always like this?"
Dang Hwa-rin, who had been wary of the plump female Daoist priestess, took a sip as well, and her expression softened instantly.
"No, this is the best Blue Bee Honey tea I've ever tasted. The origin really makes a difference, huh."
Choi Si-woo's curiosity piqued, and he turned to the priestess.
"How much for this tea? I'd like to buy some."
The priestess gave an awkward smile, looking troubled.
"I'm sorry, but we can't sell it. We're barely meeting our contracted quotas as it is. I appreciate your understanding."
With her massive chest jiggling as she spoke, it was impossible to press her further.
In the brief silence that followed, only the sounds of Choi Si-woo and Dang Hwa-rin sipping their tea could be heard.
The priestess rose quietly from her seat.
"Hehe. It seems you like my secret recipe tea. Please enjoy it at your leisure. We'll deliver your reward through one of the workers."
"Ah, wait a moment."
Choi Si-woo stopped her. He needed to investigate Blue Bee Mountain anyway, so handling multiple tasks at once was ideal.
"I've heard the Blue Bee Honey harvest has been dropping lately. Any reason why?"
The priestess smiled uncomfortably before replying.
"Hmm... Since you're canceling the request, I suppose I should explain. Lately, gatherers have been going missing frequently. We were planning to investigate if it's due to ferocious beasts or yokai."
"Yokai, huh..."
'Is this the anomaly on Blue Bee Mountain?'
Choi Si-woo recalled the [Mid-Grade Monster Tracking] skill he'd gained from awakening Park Jin-su's memories. It seemed like it might resolve quicker than expected.
He glanced at Dang Hwa-rin, who nodded in agreement.
"Could we join the investigation?"
The priestess brightened and nodded eagerly.
"If you're warriors, that would be wonderful. We're setting off in two days—does that work? We'll be going with the new batch of gatherers and ronin."
"Gatherers too?"
"Yes. We've commissioned everyone for both investigation and harvesting. You can bring back hives or info on the disappearances, and we'll reward both."
Choi Si-woo coveted this honey. He wanted to stockpile a massive amount.
"If we bring back hives, can the reward be in Blue Bee Honey?"
"Of course. If you give us a portion, we'll process it into something easy to eat."
It was perfect for him.
"Sounds good. We're in."
Two days had passed since arriving in Blue Bee County.
Early in the morning, a crowd gathered at the Blue Bee Honey Temple. Mostly ronin with weapons at their waists.
They ranged from third-rate to second-rate fighters.
With gatherers vanishing, Blue Bee Honey prices had skyrocketed, drawing opportunists hoping for a big score.
The ronin buzzed with chatter.
"They really pay gold per body-weight hive?"
"That's what I heard! Shortages have made it worth its weight in gold."
"Damn expensive... Hope it's not too dangerous. Disappearances?"
"Yangmin without martial arts are different from us, right?"
The speaker flexed his bulging muscles proudly.
-Creak
The temple doors opened. The busty priestess stepped out, drawing every eye instantly.
The murmurs died down with her appearance.
"Welcome, everyone. As promised, I'll explain about Blue Bee Mountain."
It was a brief orientation for the influx of novice gatherers.
"Blue Bee Mountain is unique—it's covered in pillar-like cliffs. Countless sheer faces surround the sunken basins."
She displayed an illustration of pillar formations rising from the clearing.
"Blue bees build hives full of honey atop these cliffs. Once filled, they move to new cliffs. Unlike ordinary bees."
The priestess scanned the attentive gatherers, her gaze lingering warmly on Choi Si-woo.
She had a weakness for handsome faces.
A shaggy, hairy brute who'd been staring intently scowled and glared at Choi Si-woo.
The pot-bellied, hairy man grumbled at him.
"Hmph! Gatherers are scarce lately, so any mutt or mongrel thinks they can harvest now!"
The priestess fixed him with a stare.
"Sir warrior. This is an orientation for novice gatherers. How many times must you attend...?"
"Ahem... I keep forgetting. Sorry. Continue."
She sighed softly and pressed on.
"Blue bees prefer building high up. Climb cliffs, and you're likely to find hives—especially untouched ones."
Select a pillar, scale it: jackpot if there's a hive, wasted effort if not.
"...Today's light fog makes it perfect for climbing Blue Bee Mountain. Good luck to all."
With the priestess's closing words, people began ascending.
They started together but soon scattered in all directions.
Each moved at their lightness skill's pace—experts delving deeper.
After half a day, cliffs towered over a hundred meters.
A hundred meters was taller than most apartments.
Dang Hwa-rin looked around in awe.
"Wow! So many cliffs."
"Yeah. Which one?"
Few people remained nearby. Mediocre types stuck to shorter cliffs and never reached this far.
As Choi Si-woo pondered a suitable cliff, the hairy brute spoke up.
"Hmph! Greenhorn dares follow this far. Think you can climb these giants?"
The surroundings brimmed with vertiginous sheer drops that would daunt any ordinary person.
Only those with exceptional lightness skills would attempt them.
But Choi Si-woo just smirked. Compared to the cliffs in Manjang Valley where he'd acquired Mixed Origin Qi Art, these were child's play.
"Why don't you give up already? That hefty gut gonna hold?"
The brute's face hardened at Choi Si-woo's jab at his belly.
"Hoo... Brat's got a sharp tongue. Heh heh."
"Wanna bet?"
The brute brightened, forcing a grin.
"Great idea! Who harvests more hives. Loser... yields to Lady Ha Young-ryeong!"
"Ha Young-ryeong? Who's that?"
"Wha—! You don't know the priestess's name from this morning's talk?!"
Realizing now, Choi Si-woo shook his head.
"Hey, mister. Betting people like gambling chips? Pretty tacky, no? And not even asking her?"
The brute faltered as Choi Si-woo grew serious.
"How about loser hands over all their hives?"
"...Deal. Pup. It'll hurt losing, but call it a life lesson!"
Striking a pose, the brute whipped off the cloth covering something on his back.
Choi Si-woo was mildly surprised.
It was a cage with a massive eagle, human torso-sized, dozing inside.
"Heh heh heh! Know what this is?"
Amused by the brute's swagger, Choi Si-woo played along.
"What?"
"This is a Thousand-Li Falcon!"
"Thousand-Li Falcon...?"
Dang Hwa-rin, chuckling behind him, whispered in his ear, impressed.
"Thousand-Li Falcon flies over a thousand li in two hours. Fast, and smart enough to understand human speech."
"Oh."
If true, impressive. Choi Si-woo was a bit awed too.
The brute opened the cage and carefully placed the sleepy falcon on his gauntleted wrist.
It flapped irritably, trying to retreat. He cooed and offered food like a servant.
Totally spoiled. Preening royally, it pecked daintily, then flapped.
"That's it... No more sleeping. Time to work, birdie."
He dangled a honey comb near its beak.
-Tweet?
The falcon sniffed, nodded.
The brute grinned wide and shouted.
"Good! Lead me to the strongest scent!"
-Flap flap!
The falcon launched skyward from his arm.
Circling overhead, it veered off.
The brute sneered at Choi Si-woo.
"Uahaha! Back out now?"
Impressive indeed. Choi Si-woo clapped appreciatively.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Amazing."
"Right? Follow the falcon, I win. Apologize, and it's off—"
-Whirrr!
A swarm-like whine cut him off.
"Wh-what?!"
He yelped in panic. A boxy thing hummed in the sky.
Something spun rapidly inside—too fast to see clearly. Like a square box with a disc.
"Yeah, Silent Drone."
-Whirrr!
The silent drone ascended. Inaudible beyond a meter, top-of-the-line model.
Everyone gaped.
Dang Hwa-rin stared, asking Choi Si-woo.
"What the heck is that? Never seen one."
"Hm... Mechanism? Think super-precise mechanism."
Her confusion deepened. Mechanisms she knew were hulking industrial rigs.
This tiny thing flew. Unimaginable engineering.
He showed the ultra-HD screen on the controller; she grew more baffled.
"That's the overhead view."
"No way... This works?!"
"I'll explain later. Oh... Found it."
Sparse canopy revealed terrain clearly.
The drone climbed higher. Its high-res camera mapped Blue Bee Mountain.
Dozens of sunken basins. Towering cliffs everywhere.
Awe escaped at the unfolding vista.
"Whoa! So tall. All hives? Uh...?"
His mouth slowly dropped.
"What?"
Choi Si-woo silently showed the screen.
Dang Hwa-rin peered curiously—then gasped in shock. Unbelievable.
The countless cliffs weren't natural.
From above, their shapes with gorges were familiar. Instantly recognizable.
Choi Si-woo first thought coincidence, but realized otherwise.
Every gorge was a massive handprint slam.
Gigantic hand marks stamped across Blue Bee Mountain.