Chapter 160: The River Changes Clear
In Hua Mi's mind, scenes from fairy tales came to life.
The glistening river flowed gently, its spiritual fish leaping from the surface, creating splashes that formed miniature rainbows in the air.
Greenery stretched endlessly, accompanied by the chirping of birds and fragrant blossoms...
"Perhaps Huayu Town could turn into something like this in the future... As the backstage designer, I really need to brainstorm what this 'fantasy town' will ultimately look like."
Hua Mi was lost in thoughts of the future when suddenly, Hua Sha Zi let out a "hey."
Glancing over, he saw the float moving, indicating a catch on the line.
"He actually managed to hook it. Fool's luck!"
Hua Mi observed with interest, eager to see what would happen next.
Hua Sha Zi immediately perked up, standing with rod in hand, deftly maneuvering the line, displaying a surprising proficiency.
Watching this, one couldn't imagine that his brain wasn't firing on all cylinders.
Smooth sailing without any hitches.
Once the fish was close enough to the surface, Hua Sha Zi decisively pulled the rod backward.
With a splash, the fish burst from the water, darting through the air in a precise arc, landing perfectly in Hua Sha Zi's hand.
"Great technique."
Hua Mi couldn't help but applaud silently.
It truly validated the saying that innate talents find their purpose. Despite being a fool, Hua Sha Zi possessed outstanding fishing skills; he might even win a fishing contest.
However, the caught fish turned out to be quite unremarkable.
Hua Mi wasn't well-versed in fish species, but it seemed like a carp, roughly the size of his palm, with dull, dark scales, several areas turning black, and even some scales peeling off, evidently affected by environmental degradation.
Hua Sha Zi cheerfully unhooked the fish, preparing to place it in a bucket.
Though the carp appeared sickly and unlikely to survive much longer, at a critical moment, it displayed astonishing vitality, twisting its body and smacking Hua Sha Zi hard across the face.
Then, while he struggled to maintain a grip, it slipped out of his hand, splashing back into the water, vanishing in an instant.
"Whoa..."
Rubbing his reddened cheek, Hua Sha Zi muttered with some regret.
Yet, he didn't dwell on it for long. He turned to meet Hua Mi's gaze, grinning broadly as if forgetting what had just occurred. Skilfully, he baited the hook again, casting it into the water, resuming his serene fishing posture.
"..."
In handling setbacks, he did have resilience.
Honestly, it wasn't much of a loss; that fish seemed severely polluted. It was better to let it go.
After a brief pause, Hua Mi proceeded to the next release point.
Soon, all five Water Essences were in place.
"Hopefully, after this five-layer filtration, Luo Hua River can return to its healthy state... Let's check the results in a few days."
Not wanting to linger in the stench by the river, Hua Mi cycled back home upon completing the task.
However, at that moment, nobody knew that on this ordinary afternoon, the gears of Huayu Town's fate began to turn.
Unseen to the people above, the five Water Essences seemed to merge with the river, absorbing and continuously releasing purifying magical energy into the flow.
...
Over the next few days, honey from various flower fields was harvested.
Hua Mi's focus primarily shifted to the other realm.
The fourth batches of Thunder Blossom Honey and Grace Flower Honey were successfully harvested, albeit without generating by-products.
Followed closely by Feather Cloth Honey and Moon Slumber Honey, all brewing was completed.
The configuration of bee colonies was the same as in other fields, using Power Bees as the main force with Azure Flame Bees and Bloodsuckers as support.
More than six hundred bottles of Feather Cloth Honey and over five hundred bottles of Moon Slumber Honey were harvested, plus over thirty bottles of Blood Honey.
Again, no by-products were generated.
These honeys were temporarily stored, not immediately shelved for sale, awaiting the Harvest Bellflower Honey harvest to join them.
One day, while Hua Mi was having a meal at home and scrolling through chat records on the phone, a pop-up message caught his attention.
The message was from a residents' group in Huayu Town.
For such insignificant groups, Hua Mi usually set them to "receive messages but don't notify."
This particular town group rarely had active discussions, lacking a strong presence.
The pop-up message was from the town mayor addressed to "@Everyone."
The mayor attached a picture of the river with the caption: "Comrades, our Luo Hua River has finally come back to life!"
Followed by three tearful emojis.
The mayor's profile picture resembled an elderly gentleman, uncannily resembling his actual appearance, the wild and dark ruggedness mirrored perfectly.
His voice in the group messages seemed naturally loud, making one imagine his booming tone involuntarily.
Hua Mi tapped the image.
Indeed, it was Luo Hua River.
In just a few days, it had transformed remarkably.
The water shimmered.
It was hard to imagine that this was the same river previously dubbed a "stinky ditch."
Members of the group began expressing doubts.
"Is this really Luo Hua River?"
"Must be fake. I went to see it a few days ago, and it was still the same."
"Face the reality, don't fool yourselves."
"The mayor has finally lost it..."
None seemed to believe it.
Hua Mi chuckled inwardly.
That was quite normal; after all, ordinary folks had never witnessed the power of magic.
At that moment, the mayor sent another message, saying, "We've been striving to improve the ecology of Luo Hua River, investing many resources. It seems our previous efforts haven't been in vain; quantitative changes have finally led to qualitative changes! If you don't believe it, go see it by the river."
Several active townspeople in the group promptly expressed their intent to investigate.
Hua Mi finished his meal quickly, hopped on his bike, and headed to the scene.
Arriving near the iconic wooden bridge, he found a gathering at the river's edge. People wore expressions of surprise, excitement, engaging in lively discussions.
"Never expected to see Luo Hua River turn clear in this lifetime."
"Such a nostalgic sight."
"Is this scientific?"
Hua Mi parked his bike and approached the riverbank.
The perpetual foul odor that lingered there had vanished, replaced by the refreshing scent of flowing water.
Though not crystal clear yet, the river had evidently restored its natural ecology, as the mayor would put it, "come back to life."
Hua Mi released his psychic power, sensing the faint but stable magical effects of the Water Essences.
"First step of Huayu Town's transformation, successful!"
Everything was going according to plan.
Two days later, the Bellflower Honey was also brewed as scheduled.
Armed with equipment, Hua Mi arrived at the Bellflower field, ready for harvesting.
Upon entry, a series of cheerful sounds reached his ears.
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