Chapter 41: Gem
According to the system prompt, there were still about ten days left before the first honey harvest from the apiary.
Chu Jiu decided to use that time to upgrade his “adventure gear” again.
Back in the mine, when he encountered a high-level grotesque bug, he had used up all his stock of [Sticky Traps] and [Unbearably Itchy Toxins]. So, he took Little Can again to the swamp, where he took down a few Sticky Monsters and Bloodsucking Mosquitoes.
While dealing with the Sticky Monsters, he couldn’t help but recall that grotesque bug in the cave and what he’d told Lu Qingyan—why did that grotesque bug share characteristics with the Sticky Monsters? Could there be some connection between them?
…He wondered if Lu Qingyan had found anything.
This time, using the new materials he gathered, Chu Jiu crafted an [Oversized Insect Net with Sticky Sludge]. When fully opened, it was as big as a small hill. Not to mention a swarm of giant bloodsucking mosquitoes or a few sand scorpions—even a dinosaur wouldn’t likely break through it.
Considering the awful stench they’d encountered in the mine, he also made a [Basic Gas Mask] using bamboo charcoal, tanned leather, and the [Hard Shell of a Centipede]. One for himself, one for Little Can. This way, even if they ran into another foul-smelling monster—like the [Skunk That Goes Full Blast After Eating]—they wouldn’t be knocked out by the stench.
He also restocked himself and Little Can with dozens of bamboo arrows. The arrowheads were crafted from [Cold-Gleaming Mou Spikes], which had the special effect of [Inflicting Piercing Wounds That Cause Continuous Bleeding].
Chu Jiu even wanted to upgrade the arrow shafts and make some throwable javelins using stronger materials.
In the forest, he actually found a [Black Iron Tree with Trunks and Branches as Hard as Steel].
But… he couldn’t cut it down.
Even with the system’s enhanced strength, his blade struck the tree with a clang, a shiny golden star sparkled in his vision, along with a system prompt:
[Please use a higher hardness tool to collect this resource!]
So Chu Jiu had to give up, for now.
It seemed that if he wanted more powerful weapons, he’d have to wait until he found the squirrels and ask them to smelt metal and forge weapons.
*
That evening, Chu Jiu brought Little Can into the Forgotten Forest to test out the new bamboo arrows. Afterward, they headed back to the Pioneer Cabin to make dinner.
Under the setting sun, the dodo bird followed Chu Jiu’s slow-paced directions, leisurely walking back.
“We still haven’t used the [Sticky Monster Cores] we collected last time. Let’s turn them into konjac this time and make fish stew with konjac and braised chicken with konjac for dinner.” Chu Jiu chatted idly with Little Can while riding on the dodo’s back.
According to the [Sticky Monster Core]’s encyclopedia entry, if processed in the traditional way of the Huaxia people, this grayish lump could become delicious konjac.
Little Can understood what “fish stew” and “braised chicken” were by now—but “konjac”? It let out a confused “meow?”
“Konjac, huh… It’s actually a kind of plant back home—and it’s poisonous,” Chu Jiu explained.
Poisonous?! Little Can immediately became alert.
Chu Jiu continued, “But don’t worry. We figured out how to eat it—”
“You dig out the tuber, peel it, chop it up, grind it into a slurry with alkaline water, then let it set and simmer it gently. Once it’s cooked, it becomes soft, chewy, and completely safe.”
Little Can: “…”
“You humans… really go through a lot just for food.”
How did they even come up with all these steps?
Chu Jiu burst out laughing: “Yeah, super determined!”
As they spoke, the dodo bird carried them near the Pioneer Cabin—just in time to see the Bloodthirsty Bees returning home.
These enormous bees, each with wingspans of three meters, had finished a long day of gathering nectar and were flying back in swarms.
Inside the [Apiary], the tiny Kakaba—barely taller than a dogtail grass when standing upright—was welcoming them.
“Ding ding ding! Ding ding ding!” Kakaba waved its short little forearms, saying who-knows-what to the Bloodthirsty Bees.
But the bees seemed delighted. They flew circles around Kakaba one by one, spiraling lower and lower, then finally plopped down on the ground, waiting for Kakaba to stand on its hind legs and pat their big fuzzy heads with its front paws.
Only after each bee had gotten its head pats did they obediently return to their hives.
Noticing Chu Jiu and company, Kakaba happily ran over, chirping, “Ding ding ding! The bees worked super hard today too!”
Chu Jiu gave the little guy a big thumbs up: “Awesome! I’ll make you an extra big cucumber salad tonight!”
*
Fifteen days passed.
Finally, it was time for the first honey harvest at Bean Village’s apiary.
According to the [Manual], honey should be harvested in the morning—when the bees are “out working.”
Aside from Grandpa Du, the village’s beekeeper, Chu Jiu, Douglas, and Aman had all arrived early at the foot of the back mountain.
Grandpa Du wore a protective suit sewn by Cheng Yue, put on gloves, and got ready to open the first hive.
Unlike Chu Jiu’s system-assisted, rapid collection method, the villagers had to harvest slowly and carefully, risking misjudgments and failures.
Grandpa Du’s hands were trembling a little with nerves. The others—except Chu Jiu—were holding their breath.
Aman subconsciously grabbed Chu Jiu’s arm and whispered, “Brother Chu Jiu… do you think there’ll really be honey in the hive?”
What if there was nothing in there but a buzzing cloud of bees?
Chu Jiu placed a hand on the child’s shoulder and said loud enough for everyone to hear, confidently, “There will definitely be honey in the hive.”
Aman nodded hard.
Grandpa Du, hearing the boy’s certainty, took several deep breaths and silently told himself: Yes, we can do this. It’ll be fine.
He opened the hive. A few bees flew out, but they didn’t attack.
Inside were movable “frames” designed for the bees to build their comb and store honey.
The old man carefully gripped the edge of one frame, slowly pulled it out, and gently shook it to dislodge the bees clinging to it.
Once the bees flew back into the hive, they could clearly see a perfect brownish-yellow hexagonal honeycomb—just as described in the [Manual].
Some sections were sealed with a layer of pale yellow beeswax.
Underneath that wax was the fully ripened honey.
Grandpa Du stared for a few seconds, then couldn’t help but laugh aloud: “There is! There really is!”
“A whole thick layer!”
Douglas laughed too: “It’s real!”
Aman jumped up and shouted: “Honey! Honey! We made our own honey!”
Grandpa Du was so excited his hands started trembling again. But he’d harvested wild honey in the mountains before—he knew not to drop the frame in excitement. He forced himself to stay steady, set the frame over a wooden barrel, and began scraping off honey with a metal spoon.
The spoon made scraping sounds as thick, semi-transparent dark brown liquid slowly flowed along the grooves into the barrel.
Grandpa Du carefully avoided the “brood comb” meant for raising young bees and only harvested from the honey-laden “honey comb.”
Not only that—he made sure to leave some honey untouched, so the bees would have food of their own.
After about fifteen minutes, he’d harvested all the usable honey from that frame.
The barrel already held a layer of honey mixed with bits of wax.
And that was just from one frame.
Each hive had six frames, and there were five hives total. Even if half of the frames weren’t ready to harvest, they still had nearly half a barrel of honey!
In the old days, chasing bees through the mountains and risking broken bones or falls just to get a single hive might only yield one jar of honey—not even close to this amount.
Grandpa Du’s lips trembled with emotion as he murmured, “So much… this is amazing…”
If it weren’t for Chu Jiu teaching him how to keep bees, how could he possibly have harvested honey so safely—without climbing mountains or trees?
Steadying himself, he carefully slid the used honeycomb frame back into the hive.
Unlike the old way of harvesting honey, which always involved destroying the hive, this method of beekeeping barely harmed the bees at all.
After placing the honeycomb frame—still partially filled with honey—back into the hive, the hardworking bees would continue to build and produce honey on it, without losing their home or food source.
After a busy morning’s work, Douzi Village’s beekeeping farm finally produced its first batch:
Half a barrel of light brown liquid mixed with bits of wax.
Next, they only needed to filter and press the liquid through a strainer to obtain the purest honey!
And the wax residue filtered out in the process? Of course, that couldn’t be wasted either—
First, the wax residue was rinsed with water. Since the rinse water still contained trace amounts of honey that hadn’t been fully filtered out, this water could be saved to feed the bees.
After removing any visible impurities from the wax residue, the rest was packed into a fine mesh bag and slowly melted in hot water. This way, the impurities stayed in the bag, while the beeswax floated to the surface, where it could be scooped out and placed in a basin of cold water.
By repeating the melting process twice, and then letting it cool again, they ended up with a large block of clean, mango-yellow beeswax.
Chu Jiu explained to everyone that this beeswax wasn’t just useful for coating beehives as a bee attractant—it could also be made into candles with just a wick!
And in Douzi Village, most households still didn’t have candles. Cheng Yue, for example, had to rely on moonlight and starlight to do her weaving at night.
This batch of wax residue alone could produce a lot of candles!
After hearing Chu Jiu’s explanation, Aman cheered and danced with excitement, calling her friends to help with filtering the honey.
The pure, fragrant, semi-transparent liquid flowed steadily through the mesh, forming a mesmerizing golden stream.
Watching the glistening honey, Douglas whispered to Reg, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes—if I hadn’t been part of it myself—I never would’ve believed that honey could be harvested like this.”
Old Grandpa Du sat off to the side, his face scrunched into smiling wrinkles, tears welling at the corners of his eyes from joy.
*
Three days later.
Once again, Reg served as the escort, with Marco driving the carriage, taking Chu Jiu and the honey away from Bean Village.
Since this trip was just to promote and give out samples, they only brought two small jars—rustic, earth-colored clay pots sealed with wood and cloth, each filled with semi-solidified honey.
Looking at the humble jars, Chu Jiu thought to himself, “What a pity there’s no glass available yet. If I could package this in glass jars, they’d look so much more appealing—maybe the price could even double!”
To save time, Marco didn’t linger in Emerald Town. After a quick restock of supplies, they headed eastward straight for Sea Moon City.
If everything went smoothly, they’d arrive by nightfall.
As the carriage traveled, Chu Jiu noticed something:
Just outside of Emerald Town, there weren’t many monsters on the road—most were small and timid, even avoiding people.
But as they traveled farther, the number of monsters gradually increased. Occasionally, even high-threat beasts like Steelhide Bears would block the road, requiring Reg to use advanced fire magic to take them down.
Both Reg and Marco were clearly more tense than before, and the young helper riding with them trembled constantly, wiping sweat as he nervously scanned for more monsters.
But once they passed this dangerous stretch and neared Sea Moon City, the monsters decreased drastically.
Reg visibly relaxed, and Marco even began to hum a tune.
Chu Jiu thought for a moment, then asked to confirm:
“Is the decrease in monsters around here also due to those ‘boundary markers’?”
“Do the boundary markers of Sea Moon City cover such a large area?”
He’d heard the village chief and others explain that monsters tended to avoid areas within the range of boundary markers.
But in Bean Village, the markers didn’t seem to have much of a protective range—once you crossed the boundary and left the village, you were at risk of monster attacks.
In Emerald Town, the area around the markers was relatively safe, which is why people could forage nearby.
So, in a big human metropolis like Sea Moon City, did the markers protect an even larger area?
Reg nodded and confirmed it. He also told Chu Jiu that Sea Moon City’s markers weren’t just on land—some were placed in the sea as well. And sea monsters tended to be even more vicious and enormous than land ones.
Yet, no matter how dangerous, they wouldn’t cross the markers in the sea to attack Sea Moon’s coastal areas.
Because of this, people could fish safely, and even plant rows of coconut trees along the shore.
Chu Jiu couldn’t help but marvel: “These boundary markers are incredible… But where did they come from? How were they installed in their current locations?”
Reg replied, “Nobody really knows.”
At that point, Marco spoke slowly, cutting in: “Didn’t the people from the Association claim they created them?”
A mocking expression flickered across Reg’s face as he lowered his voice: “Those fame-hungry phonies from Ancient Linburg. The boundary markers were already standing there back when my great-grandfather was alive. Was there even an Association back then?”
…Ancient Linburg? That name again?
Just a few days ago, that man Aris came crying to their door, saying he’d been scammed when trying to do business in Ancient Linburg.
And even earlier, back when Chu Jiu had first taken Marco’s carriage to Bean Village, Reg had already mentioned Ancient Linburg.
Back then, Chu Jiu had been curious, but Reg didn’t say much.
Now that they were more familiar, perhaps Reg would finally explain more?
Sure enough.
This time, when Chu Jiu asked again what Ancient Linburg was and what the Association did, Reg was much more open.
Reg explained that the “Association” was an organization that had split off from the Church years ago. Their slogan was “Serve the true god, benefit the people.”
Unlike the old church that just chanted scriptures behind closed doors, the Association was extremely active. Somehow, they’d gained the royal family’s support, amassed wealth through various means, and cultivated a group of loyal “members.”
And Ancient Linburg was the headquarters of the Association. Its members saw being able to live there as a huge honor. It was said that once you entered Ancient Linburg, you’d never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your life—your days would be filled with divine blessings.
As for how to become a member, the Association had their own mysterious selection process, not open to the public. But one thing was certain—they especially liked recruiting high-level ability users.
They had even sent multiple people to try recruiting Douglas.
Naturally, they failed.
At that moment, Marco once again spoke slowly, “…Actually—”
Reg: “Huh?”
Chu Jiu: “?”
Marco: “A few years back, someone tried to recruit me too.”
Reg: “What?!”
Marco shook his head, “But I didn’t go.”
Even though there were no outsiders around, Marco still lowered his voice, “Something about that organization just feels… off. Evil, even.”
Then, with a loud laugh, he said confidently, “I may not be the smartest guy, but let me tell you—my gut is always right.”
“If I get a bad feeling about something, it usually is bad. Over the years, that gut feeling has saved me from plenty of traps.”
“And when I feel good about something—it always works out!”
With that, he patted his chest energetically, “And this time, I’ve got a really strong gut feeling—our Bean Village honey is gonna be a hit!”
*
As night fell, the carriage finally arrived at Sea Moon City.
Even under the dark sky, the streets were clearly wider than those in Emerald Town. The roads were paved with neat stone tiles, and the horses’ hooves clattered rhythmically against them.
This place truly lives up to its reputation as a seaside city. The moment Chu Jiu jumped off the carriage, he caught a faint salty scent in the evening breeze.
For Chu Jiu, who had only ever seen the sea in videos and pictures, it was a strange and novel smell.
In his previous life, he had dreamed that if he could ever save up enough money—enough that he didn’t have to work part-time during holidays—he would definitely pack his backpack and go see the ocean, feel the waves, and walk barefoot on the sand.
He never got the chance to do that before his death. Who would’ve thought that after transmigrating to another world, he would actually make it to the seaside?
But Chu Jiu also knew full well: this trip came with a mission. He didn’t have much free time to stroll along the shore.
On this side, Marko had handed the reins to the young assistant, slung the precious wooden crate over his shoulder, and was heading for the inn when a young servant ran out holding a candlestick and called out, “Sir! Sir, we’re full tonight—you’ll need to find another inn!”
Marko was surprised. “Full? I’ve stayed here every year around this time. Your boss always keeps a room for me. What happened this year?”
The servant raised the candlestick higher and finally recognized Marko’s face. He apologized profusely and rushed inside to get the innkeeper.
But even the innkeeper could only bow and scrape, saying he was terribly sorry, that the Association had unexpectedly sent people over this year and booked out the entire inn.
He added that he’d made arrangements with another inn on a nearby street—trusted old customers like Marko could stay there directly, and they’d get a 50% discount.
Marko understood the innkeeper didn’t want to offend the Association—especially since they’d made plans in advance—so he said nothing more and led Chu Jiu and the others to the other inn.
*
The next morning.
Marko set off early to do some door-to-door “honey sales.”
Reger had his own business to deal with—he was going to meet with some espers in Sea Moon City.
Chu Jiu, meanwhile, took the small honey jar and set out in search of a “gem shop” in the city.
Compared to Emerald Town, this city was indeed bustling. Shops lined the main streets, and the variety of goods was dazzling:
Rolls of fine linen, warm woolen vests, candied apples, pearl-and-flour face powder, and big barrels of wine…
If not for the clothing styles of the people being so different from his past life, Chu Jiu could’ve mistaken this place for a lively small town he hadn’t yet left.
He first located a jewelry shop in the city.
Though there was no bulletproof glass or alarm systems, there were two ability-users guarding the door, enough to deter thieves.
The shopkeeper was clearly a seasoned businessman. He didn’t look down on Chu Jiu for his plain clothes. On the contrary, he enthusiastically introduced his wares—“This ring was crafted before the monster invasions—look at that luster!” “That necklace? Old craftsmanship! Look at the detail…”
When Chu Jiu expressed interest in seeing raw, uncut stones, the shopkeeper clapped his hands and cheerfully brought out a wooden box lined with a white cloth, displaying sapphires, rubies, and more…
Chu Jiu’s gaze lingered a few seconds longer on an ice-blue gem.
The shopkeeper immediately said, “You have a sharp eye! This is a rare gem mined by the Dwarf Beastkin some years ago.”
“This kind of rare ice-blue color symbolizes loyalty, steadfastness, and honesty—it’s a dreamy, comforting hue.”
Little Can, sitting on Chu Jiu’s shoulder, blinked and scratched his kitty face with a tiny paw.
But Chu Jiu was more interested in what the shopkeeper had said earlier. He asked, “Did you say these gems were mined by Dwarf Beastkin?”
The shopkeeper nodded. “That’s right.”
“When it comes to mining, humans can’t hold a candle to the Dwarf Beastkin.”
Chu Jiu recalled the three little squirrels expertly swinging their pickaxes and silently agreed.
Then he asked, “Have you ever heard of Dwarf Beastkin buying gems from humans?”
The shopkeeper laughed and waved it off. “Absolutely not!”
With that, Chu Jiu got the answer he wanted.
He thanked the shopkeeper politely and left the jewelry store empty-handed.
*
Meanwhile.
At the mansion of Bahat, the wealthiest merchant in Sea Moon City—
This vigorous middle-aged man was enjoying a luxurious breakfast with his family.
Using a small wooden spoon, he scooped honey from an ornate ceramic jar and spread it on finely-made bread before handing it to his youngest daughter with a smile.
At that moment, a servant—who also doubled as a clerk—rushed in, saying a traveling merchant had brought a product sample and wished to discuss a potential order.
Bahat said, “This early? What kind of product is so urgent?”
The servant replied, “The man said… he’s selling ‘honey.’”
Honey?!
Bahat’s brows shot up—and then his face darkened. Someone was trying to sell honey in bulk? Was the guy a rookie? Didn’t he know the rule that large orders required a stable supply chain?
Honey used to be such a rare and treasured delicacy!
He still remembered how, on his grandfather’s deathbed, the old man wrote in his will exactly which child would inherit “that one barrel of honey in the cellar.”
Though honey had become slightly more common over the years and prices had dropped a bit, it still ran out of stock from time to time.
Something this scarce—even with high prices, it was hard to secure. And yet this man had the audacity to claim he could offer a steady supply?
Bahat was about to scoff when his wife interjected:
“Someone’s selling honey? Even if it’s just a jar or two, let’s take a look.”
“You know how much our little girl loves honey. Even if we keep it for ourselves, it’s worth it.”
Hearing this, Bahat changed his mind immediately.
Right—if the honey was good, he could just buy it all for his daughter.
As for the guy’s foolish dream of landing a big order, Bahat could simply give him a kind reality check.
*
At that moment.
On a street in Sea Moon City lined with snack and general stores—
Chu Jiu asked Little Can, “Did you catch what the shopkeeper said earlier?”
Little Can tapped his paws on Chu Jiu’s shoulder, his tail swishing. “What part?”
Was it about my beautiful eyes? I know you think my eyes are pretty…
Chu Jiu said, “The part about the Dwarf Beastkin and the gemstones.”
Little Can’s tail drooped. “…No.”
Chu Jiu didn’t mind. “Makes sense. You did forget everything about our run-in with the Dwarf Beastkin in that underground mine.”
He quickly recapped the incident—how the Dwarf Beastkin had required “gems bought from human cities” as an entry fee.
Then Chu Jiu added, “Even back then I thought it didn’t make sense—Dwarf Beastkin can mine gems faster than humans, and they don’t value them that much. So why would they ask humans for gems?”
Little Can nodded. “Meow!”
Chu Jiu continued, “Later, I reread that book of folktales—the one I read to you, The Adventures of the Caliph. Remember how the protagonist was a kid raised in a candy shop? He loved all kinds of sweets. By some twist of fate, he ended up living with Dwarf Beastkin and became their friend…”
“A kid from a candy shop—he probably didn’t have any expensive gems in his pocket. More likely, he had sweets from the store, right?”
Little Can gave a vigorous double “Meow meow!” in agreement.
Chu Jiu laughed. “And today, that conversation with the jeweler confirmed my hunch.”
“In my opinion, what those little squirrels really wanted wasn’t gemstones at all. It was this—”
He reached out and pointed to the signboard of another shop across the street.
Written boldly on the sign was:
“Gem Candy Shop.”
Thank you for the chapter