Hua Mi often found the feathered flowers near the lakes in humid soil, so his plan was to search for a lake in the forest.
His equipment included a compass, but in this world, it was not very reliable. The needle would suddenly change direction after a short distance, as if influenced by some mysterious force.
Hua Mi had a decent sense of direction, but in the complex ecological environment of the forest, no one could guarantee they wouldn't get lost. So he proceeded cautiously, trying to remember the landmarks along the way. He used his dagger to carve marks on the trees at intervals to ensure he didn't stray off course.
The trees here were at least twice as thick as those on Earth, but after a few days in this world, Hua Mi had become accustomed to them. The forest was teeming with various species, and on his journey, he occasionally came across some strange creatures: quadrupedal rodents, bipedal birds, and chubby purple insects.
These creatures were obviously of low intelligence and posed no significant threat. They generally avoided Hua Mi or observed him from the shadows. Hua Mi tried not to provoke them and let his swarm of forest bees protect him.
His mind was focused solely on one goal: the feathered flower. As a beekeeper, Hua Mi was well-versed in the ways of bees but knew little about other creatures. Even on Earth, he wouldn't recognize most of the magical creatures that might inhabit a forest like this.
"This is how it should be. I'm not the protagonist of a novel, blessed with endless adventures. Going out to explore and find treasures is all nonsense. Encountering monsters at every step is even more absurd. Mundanity is the true tone of reality... Hey, what's that?"
Hua Mi was walking when he noticed a small backpack hanging from a tree up ahead. At first, he thought it was hanging from a branch, but the backpack suddenly swayed.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a green-furred "monkey" perched on the tree branch, clutching the backpack.
"Probably stolen," Hua Mi thought.
The monkey also spotted Hua Mi and casually hurled a fist-sized nut towards him. With an arm span of nearly two meters, the projectile came at incredible speed.
Luckily, Hua Mi reacted quickly and dodged it. Otherwise, getting hit on the head would have led to a severe concussion at best.
Frustrated by the missed attack, the green-furred "monkey" began howling and leaped from the branch, landing on all fours. It bared its fangs and prepared to pounce on Hua Mi.
Alarm bells rang in Hua Mi's mind, and he didn't hesitate. He immediately directed his swarm of forest bees to swarm towards the creature, attacking its face.
The bees concentrated on the hairless parts of the face since their stingers wouldn't penetrate the fur covering the rest of the body.
The green-furred monkey encountered such a swarm for the first time, recoiled momentarily, and then regained its aggressive posture. It grabbed the backpack and swung it fiercely at the approaching swarm.
The bees split into two groups, utilizing their speed advantage to avoid the attack with only a few casualties. They then reformed and attacked from both sides, targeting the monkey's face.
The monkey was too slow to react. "Ah!!!!" it shrieked, flailing its hands over its face, trying to disperse the tiny insects.
However, the swarm moved with precision, defending and attacking as one. It was as if a punch landed on a pillow – it had no effect on the organized mass. In just a few seconds, the green-furred monkey fled, covering its head.
Hua Mi had only lost a dozen or so bees in the encounter, a cost he could easily accept. He hadn't even considered using his composite bow because a true archer never drew his bow lightly. When he did, blood would be shed!
But the monkey had fled too quickly.
Hua Mi rallied his swarm and pursued it until it vanished from sight.
"Just lost a few bees. That's an acceptable loss," he mused.
He had no intention of returning the stolen backpack. Firstly, finding the owner in this vast, dark forest would be a near-impossible task. Even if he knew where the owner was, he had no intention of returning it. He simply didn't have the time for that. If there were any valuable items inside, he intended to keep them. This was the most straightforward way to handle the situation in this world.
Hua Mi opened the backpack and began to inspect its contents. Inside, he found two small bottles filled with blue and red liquid, each labeled with their respective uses.
"Basic recovery potions... Slowly restores a certain amount of health and mana. This is essentially healing and mana potions," he concluded.
Hua Mi removed one bottle's cork and took a whiff, finding a strong herbal scent that nearly overwhelmed him.
"Cough, only true heroes can drink this stuff..."
Despite the unappealing taste, in a life-or-death situation, the taste was a minor concern. It was used to save one's life, after all.
Hua Mi resealed the bottle and stowed both potions in his own backpack.
Next, he rummaged through the bag and found something that made his eyes light up.
"Gold coins?"
Hua Mi pulled out a small pouch containing five shiny golden coins. Four of them were of the same design, featuring a tree on one side and crossed swords on the other. They had a soft texture, indicating they were likely made of pure gold.
The fifth coin was larger and bore an image resembling a dragon's head. It was incredibly hard and almost broke his teeth when he bit it.
"This is definitely not gold."
Were they counterfeit? They looked genuine with their shiny surfaces and a faint, mysterious purple glow. Hua Mi had a feeling they were more precious than the four ordinary gold coins.
He decided to keep them for now.
Hua Mi placed the pouch of coins in his own backpack and continued searching the stolen backpack. He found some miscellaneous food items like biscuits and candies, nothing with special effects, just ordinary sustenance, probably meant for replenishing energy during exploration.
Finally, he came across a small booklet.
"Black Forest Adventure Guide, Second Edition, by Lord Dashing..."
Well, it seemed this place was somewhat famous if it had its own adventure guidebook.
Hua Mi opened the booklet and saw a handwritten note from the author at the beginning.
"Survival Rule Number One in the Black Witch's Forest: Beware of Green-Furred Apes! These pesky creatures will steal or snatch your belongings when you least expect it!"
These "green-furred apes" were most likely the monkeys he had encountered. It was a rather dark sense of humor, as it seemed the owner of the backpack hadn't taken this warning to heart.
Hua Mi turned to the first page of the actual guidebook.
The introduction started with a warning: "Although the Black Witch's Forest is rated as a two-star adventure location, there are certain things you must know. Underestimating it could result in the forest punishing you..."
"This will be helpful for exploring the forest," Hua Mi thought. However, now was not the time to read. He put the booklet back in his backpack and continued his journey.
But he hadn't gone far when another unexpected problem revealed itself.
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