On the south slope of Red Tide Territory, the newly built apiary has begun to take shape.

The entire site is located in a leeward, sunlit valley, covered with a translucent animal skin dome to prevent the cold.

The Red-striped Fir hives are arranged neatly, occasionally emitting a pale blue calming mist, exuding the scent of Frost Leaf Vine and Night Snow Moss.

The Cangwen Bee Swarm flutters quietly in the air, maintaining orderly discipline.

"The state of the swarm is excellent." The accompanying Beekeeper Knight reported to Louis, "The Queen Bee has adapted to the new hive, the collection of Fighting Qi Honey is stable, and it's expected that we can expand the colony next month."

Louis nodded, his expression satisfied.

The honey produced by this swarm, while not enhancing Fighting Energy significantly, excels in stability and longevity.

It pairs perfectly with Frost Blood Redberry to create a supplement suitable for a knight's regular consumption.

He turned and instructed his old butler, Bradley, beside him: "You take charge of this matter, from honey collection to storage, and subsequent processing. Once the Frost Blood Redberry ripens, coordinate with Hillco to combine it with the berries and develop an efficient knight supplement."

Bradley listened, and a rare hint of excitement flickered in his eyes.

He understood well what this symbolized, not just a simple resource of honey, but the birth of wave after wave of knights, signaling the rise of Red Tide Territory's military foundation!

"Understood, my Lord." He took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, "I will personally oversee everything to ensure not a drop of honey is wasted."

At that moment, someone rode into the apiary, interrupting their conversation.

"Lord!" A knight in armor dismounted, slightly sweaty, and saluted.

He was one of the knights sent by Lambert to search for the mage battle remnants.

"You're back." Louis stood up, brushing grass clippings from his cloak, "How did the investigation go?"

"Reporting, my Lord, we searched the vicinity of Cold Pine Ridge according to the route." The knight unfurled a parchment map and tapped a marked spot with his knuckle, "Indeed, signs of intense combat can be seen, such as scorched forests and fractured earth veins."

"Any bodies?" Louis's gaze was calm.

"... None at all." The knight hesitated, "Not a trace of blood either, almost like... it was intentionally cleaned."

Louis remained silent, looking at the map for a few seconds, then gestured for him to continue.

The knight continued to add, "Even the traces don't look like those from a Fighting Energy battle."

"What do you mean?" Louis didn't look up, his eyes fixed on the open map.

He knew it was a battle between mages and corpse worms, yet he wanted to hear how the scene appeared.

"The ground indeed suffered severe damage, but not like weapon strikes, more like... high-temperature corrosion." The knight paused,

"Some surfaces collapsed, charred and brittle, as if splattered by some potent corrosive liquid. Yet the surrounding vegetation remains untouched, as if only designated areas were scorched."

Corrosion, yet without spreading?

Louis gently tapped a gray shadow on the map with his fingertip, "Where are these traces concentrated?"

"Tent wreckage, near the campfire site, and around some large boulders. In the most severe locations, even the soil is gone."

The knight paused, pondering his words, "It's not fire, more like... something 'corroded' it and then evaporated."

"Additionally, there's another peculiar detail."

"Speak."

"There's a pervasive... indescribable smell on the scene."

Louis slightly raised an eyebrow, "Is it a blood smell?"

"No, a blood smell is stronger and more acrid. It's like... the stench of a corpse rotting in hot weather for a week or two, mixed with a metallic and rotten egg odor."

The knight shook his head, frowning in recollection, "The smell was particularly sticky, clinging to the nasal cavity. Even after returning for two hours, it seemed to persist on our clothes."

"Is it from a single source or the entire area?"

"The whole area... when the wind blows, it can spread to the trees on the other side." The knight's eyes showed a trace of unease.

"And those charred areas are barren. But a little further away, the grass is unaffected, as if... someone had precisely drawn a boundary, inside which everything burned, corroded, erased, while outside not a bit touched."

"No signs of wild animals getting close either?" Louis asked slowly.

"Yes... absolutely none. We initially thought wolves might approach to scavenge post-battle, but that area was eerily silent, not even a single insect sighted."

He paused for a few seconds and cautiously supplemented, "It's like... it's cursed."

Louis gazed at the woodland mark on the map, wordless.

The knight waited for two seconds, "My report is complete."

"I understand. You may leave now, remember not to speak of this matter."

"Yes." The knight saluted and left quickly.

By the hives, bees buzzed like a tide, leaving dappled light and shadow on the wooden boxes in the afternoon sun.

Louis stood before the fence, gently brushing a slowly crawling worker bee with his fingers, yet his gaze was far from the present.

He waited until the sound of the knight's footsteps gradually faded.

Louis withdrew his gaze, calmly calling out: "Lambert."

Lambert walked briskly from under the shade, his face devoid of any smile. He had caught the gist of the previous conversation, his expression already turning grave.

As one of the few informed, he knew that area was no ordinary battlefield.

That was where Lei Xi'er and two other Silver-faced Mages were attacked by corpse worms.

And according to the knight, nothing remained on the scene but the lingering scent of decay.

"You also heard the situation." Louis looked at him, "Not a single body was left. Even bloodstains seemed to have been... completely wiped clean."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.