Chapter 43 - New Companions (1/2)

The whole family, including Lian, were busy watching the egg showing signs of movement. With all that had happened after its discovery, they had forgotten to check it until now.

Bao Bei, fortunately, had always given periodic checks to make sure that the creature inside was fine and there were no problems with its birth.

But while they were all concentrated, there was a knock from outside. It was a sign that the people outside had left and it was time to go home.

At that point, Hei quickly took the egg and placed it carefully in his hands. To avoid disturbing the little bee that was being born, he had his mother create a kind of small silk cloth with which to wrap the egg.

Bao Bei then went back to her small size and jumped on Hei's head while Ye and Xing climbed his body and looked curiously at the struggling little creature coming out. Lian was also interested but just watched from afar.

Returning home was rather rapid and without inconvenience. Hei wasn't a guy who liked to talk to strangers, and the guards in the regulation division were instructed to stay quiet during their duties.

Obviously, this wasn't a rule applicable to all its members since, from time to time, there would be some animated members who loved to make noise during their service.

Once the guards left, Hei had finally reached his home. It was late afternoon, and since they had skipped breakfast, hunger was building up in his stomach as well as in the others present. However, he didn't care about it for now. There was a much more urgent issue at the moment.

Outside the spiderweb house, there was Shui, the albino buffalo, along with his other eight buffaloes companions. They had been on guard during the morning, taking time off from time to time.

Hei thanked the buffaloes for their work and then approached Shui and placed the egg next to it so that they could see it. Shui instantly recognized what it was about and uttered an excited bellow. Even if it hadn't yet been born on that occasion, Shui considered the creature inside a companion. A companion of the period in which they were in the merchant's residence.

Without delay, Hei put the silk cloth on the floor while the others placed themselves in a circle around it, waiting.

Unlike the eggs that contained Ye and Xing, which were hard and resistant, the egg in question was much softer. It had a whitish color similar to a grain of rice but larger. It also had an amber tinge in some places.

After a while, that soft egg was smashed, and from inside came out a 3cm-sized honey bee. It was bigger than a normal honey bee, and maybe that was the reason for its awkward movements as it went outside.

Once it freed itself from the egg, it looked around - there were only creatures much bigger around, but it didn't seem worried.

Suddenly, it turned its gaze to Hei's head and looked intently at that position. Bao Bei, therefore, descended from her son's head and elegantly landed on the silk cloth on which the egg was held.

The honey bee started making excited noises as it tried to get closer to Bao Bei, who raised one of her legs and told it to calm down.

Hei intrigued, couldn't help but ask his mother for explanations.

”Mother, what's going on? Why does the little bee behave like this? ”

'It's because she recognized me. Usually, honey bees destined to be queen bees are fed from the larval age with a substance called royal jelly produced by worker bees. Since that merchant was not an expert, she remained malnourished for a long time. Once taken with us, I gave her some of the milk I produce as a substitute for royal jelly. That, combined with the fact that I gave her a bit spirit power to help her grow, allowed her to recognize me.' Bao Bei explained as she examined the little bee.

This one was still producing a loud buzz, but it remained steady in its place, letting Bao Bei make her examination.

During its stay in the merchant's stable in Green City, it had experienced severe difficulties and was about to die. But with the help of Bao Bei, it could finally be born. So it was very grateful for that.

At one point, the little bee noticed something and turned to Shui and produced an excited buzz again. It also had recognized Shui. It was normal since Shui lived in the same stable together with the other buffaloes.

Once recognizing who it knew, the bee then turned to Hei, who had Ye and Xing on him and Lian behind him. Everyone was watching that little newborn that was full of vigor.

The bee could somehow notice something belonging to Bao Bei inside Hei, Ye, and Xing while Lian was a stranger. Not knowing what it was, it cutely inclined its head slightly, not understanding what the bond was.

While the bee was busy formulating her thoughts, Hei asked his mother what to do.

”What are we going to do with her now?”

Bao Bei thought for a while before answering,

'What do you say about giving her a name first? So you can call her more easily. We should also look for a hive to take care of her. Queen bees need a lot of attention and are protected by other bees. Also, since this one is a spirit queen bee, when she would be old enough to produce eggs, her future bees children will likely be spirit bees that will produce spirit honey.'

”Spirit honey? What is that?”

'It's like normal honey but containing spirit power. By comparison, it is like spirit wheat. However, its properties are more concentrated and have more effects depending on the level of the spirit bees that produce the honey.'

Hearing the word honey, Ye and Xing started having their mouth water with their growling stomach. During their residence with Lei Lei and Lei Bai, they had tasted honey, and that sweet and sticky substance had much pleased them. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to eat it again after their departure. But now they could finally taste it again.

Hei was also happy to try honey again but remained focused on the task given to him by his mother in finding a name for the little bee.

”Mi.” At one point, Hei came up with that word. Because they were talking about honey, he chose that name; moreover, it was a cute and short name suitable for a newborn queen bee.

Mi?

The bee tried to pronounce the word Hei said, but only a buzzing sound came out. However, it seemed that she didn't mind at all, given the cheerful noises she was making.

Happy that she liked her name, Hei then moved on to the other task left - to find a hive of bees for Mi. In the vicinity of the spiderweb house, he hadn't seen any hive, but in the woods further on, he recalled to have met several bees that roamed in search of pollen.