Chapter 35: The Return of the War Hammer
A muffled thud echoed from below.
"I'm fine..." It sounded somewhat strained.
Seems like anything goes when you have no sensation of pain.
Even though Hua Mi possessed formidable physical strength, a jump from this height would leave anyone feeling dizzy.
After confirming her well-being, she closed the magic box, stowed it in her pocket, and returned to her fishing spot.
The seven pseudo-flower spirits started singing again, using the same melody but with altered lyrics.
"Little bee, gathering flower nectar."
"Beekeepers have their own plans."
"Sitting by the lake, fishing with all their intent."
"Whether it's red or white, we don't care."
"What doesn't concern us, we let it be."
...
As the day grew late, Hua Mi packed up her fishing gear and instructed the honeybees to return to their hives.
Opening the magic box and peering inside, she found the War Hammer curled up against the wall, sleeping like a giant muscle-bound baby.
Hua Mi moved the bee boxes inside one by one.
Then, she brought the bee boxes back outside to prevent a potential conflict between the War Hammer and the honeybees when he woke up.
She suddenly became curious about what would happen if she used the magic box to return to Earth at this moment. Would the War Hammer just drop out of it, as the Moonlit Slumber Flower had done last time? Or perhaps he would be crushed due to spatial distortions?
It was better not to experiment with that.
Tonight, she decided to stay over here.
Hua Mi fetched a water bucket from Earth and placed the fat fish she had caught in it.
Dinner, sleep.
A peaceful night passed.
The next morning.
Xiao Zi arrived as planned to serve as a translator.
Hua Mi opened the magic box.
The War Hammer was already awake, sitting against the wall. He looked up at Hua Mi and asked, "Is there food?"
...
Hua Mi had brought plenty of food with her. It was evident she was famished as she devoured it eagerly. In a matter of minutes, she had consumed everything on her plate.
Her condition had noticeably improved. Although the wounds on her arm were not fully healed, they had at least mended halfway. Most of her other injuries had also significantly improved.
Considering it had only been one night, the rapid recovery was remarkable.
Aside from the War Hammer's inherent physical resilience, the honey she had given him played a significant role.
"Your honey is indeed exceptional."
"In the future, there will be more varieties and effects of new honey."
Hua Mi handed her a bottle of honey and said, "Take this for your journey."
"I have no money."
"It's free, just remember it's from the Bee Whisperer's Little Hut in the Black Forest."
The War Hammer didn't refuse further and changed the topic, pointing at the magic box, "I can smell the scent of tree spirits inside."
Hua Mi was taken aback.
He could smell it?
Aren't you supposed to be a bloodhound for tracking?
"I stored the remains of a tree spirit I defeated in the magic box. Can you really smell it? It's been several days."
"Elves are the most suitable species to become druids. Do you know why? Because elves are naturally attuned to nature. We excel at various elemental magics and can perceive the elemental residues in the air. The residues that might be imperceptible to humans are quite clear to me."
I see.
Her outward appearance easily masked her magical talents.
It seemed that the War Hammers were truly versatile war machines, which explained why the pale-skinned elves saw them as a threat. To make a loose comparison, it was akin to humans fearing artificial intelligence.
"If I can evade this pursuit, we'll meet again."
"Good luck."
"You too, friend."
Hua Mi watched as the War Hammer disappeared from her view. A weight had lifted from her heart.
Finally, life had returned to normal.
The encounters with the two elves felt like a brief interlude in her life. Although there were gains, they did not align with her current plans or help with what she truly wanted to achieve, at least not immediately.
Hua Mi happily packed her bee boxes, took her fishing gear, and headed to the Witch's Eye to begin another day of honey harvesting.
The other six pseudo-flower spirits were already waiting by the lake, as they had been doing these past few days. The bee colony had grown used to them, and they even danced among the flowers together, though in reality, it was the pseudo-flower spirits playfully harassing the honeybees.
The diligent little bees were focused on collecting nectar.
So, she spent an ordinary yet fulfilling day.
Still, not a single fish was caught.
However, the honey in the bee hives was accumulating, offering a sense of accomplishment.
Hua Mi basked in the evening sun, surrounded by the songs and laughter of the seven small spirits, as she began her journey back home.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered her house, she was greeted by a "tragic" scene.
The seven pseudo-flower spirits gasped in shock.
The fish she had caught the previous day wasn't in the water bucket; instead, it lay on the floor.
Apart from the head, only a skeletal frame remained.
Hua Mi approached the bucket and took a look. She let out a surprised "Huh."
The bucket was empty of water, but it contained a living wooden block with a faint green glow in the central area, connected to several conduits. The wooden block was soaked in a thick liquid, and a drop of green liquid oozed out at intervals and floated on the surface of the viscous substance. A thin layer of green liquid had already gathered at the top.
"The Heart of Enlightenment?"
Wasn't it supposed to become inactive outside of a host?
How was this heart still active outside of a body?
"There's a letter!"
Xiao Huang flew over to her with a piece of paper, on which many words were scribbled haphazardly.
Hua Mi had a strong suspicion about the sender and decided to have Xiao Huang translate the letter.
"While I was on the road, I happened to encounter a tree spirit and cut out its Heart of Enlightenment to give to you as a token of appreciation."
"The Heart of Enlightenment produces a green juice that is incredibly effective for promoting plant growth."
"You mentioned that the bees need to gather nectar to make honey, so I guessed you must need a lot of flowers. This green juice will help you grow the most beautiful flowers in the world."
"Friend, when I conquer the Emerald Court, I hope to receive flowers from you!"
"Because I didn't have any other containers, I had the fish transferred to my stomach. It tasted quite good, but I didn't have time to cook it."
"Additionally, to keep the Heart of Enlightenment active, I injected a considerable amount of elven magic essence into the gel, which has left me somewhat weakened. I might be caught by that damn dog soon."
"I'm heading in the direction of the rising sun now. If you could help misdirect the dog's nose, it might buy me more time. You should know how to do that, with that arrow..."
Certainly, it wasn't just the gel.
Hua Mi asked her pseudo-flower spirits about the elven magic essence. In simple terms, the elves were sacrificing a substantial amount of their own magic to achieve this. They had genuinely gone all out.
Moreover, there were only a dozen or so tree spirits in the Black Forest. She found it hard to believe that he had merely stumbled upon one.
There was one more section to the letter.
"Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention. Yesterday, when I was lurking underwater in the lake, I accidentally found something at the lake's bottom. Perhaps you would want to take a look..."
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