Chapter 48：The Inactive Honey

This time, Allen's goal was to find the drugs and materials needed to brew the Plant Mage's Hymn.

The Plant Mage's Hymn, a potion that promotes plant growth and healing, didn't require treasures like the Magic Brain Mushroom.

It didn't even need the secondary Magic Brain Mushroom, which is a rare material just below the level of treasures.

Its formula was the simplest and most straightforward among the three potions Allen had mastered.

It required the shell of the Star-Spotted Beetle, the tooth powder of the Rainforest Black Bear, the figs of the Banyan Tree, and Bear Bee honey, all brewed with the blood of a land tortoise.

Allen had already collected plenty of Rainforest Black Bear tooth powder and land tortoise blood while brewing the Enlightenment Potion for Plant Mage's meditation.

Both the Bacha and Baken bases had several land tortoises and stored several skeletons of Rainforest Black Bears.

The only somewhat difficult ingredient, the shell of the Star-Spotted Beetle, had been purchased from the Insect Valley tribe merchants.

Now, all that was left were the Banyan Tree figs and Bear Bee honey.

In the vast rainforest, Banyan Trees were a common tree species, and those that bore figs were abundant.

In many tribes, the figs from Banyan Trees were a staple food during certain seasons or periods.

With his newfound wealth, Allen easily bought three large baskets of Banyan Tree figs from a frail tribal hunter with a wave of his hand.

"Hmm? Something feels off. These figs vary too much in quality," Allen frowned.

Fisher and two little beggars carried the figs Allen had bought.

These figs varied from tight, green, fist-sized fruits to bright red or yellow, burst-open large fruits.

"Old man, are these really Banyan Tree figs?" Allen asked.

The frail tribal hunter, already old and unable to hunt, mostly engaged in gathering to support himself.

Hearing Allen's question, the old man was displeased, "Of course they are! You young people lack knowledge. Banyan Tree figs come in many varieties, and from unripe green ones to ripe red and yellow ones, all are edible with different tastes. Try them if you don't believe me."

With a glance from Allen, a little beggar immediately picked up three differently looking figs and took a bite from each.

"Boss, the green one is a bit sour, the red one is very sweet, and the yellow one is neither sour nor sweet, kind of like a raw melon."

Alright, it should be fine. They aren't worth much anyway.

Allen stopped troubling the old man and ordered the others to carry the figs back to the base and wait for him.

"Despite my recent frenzy of acquiring knowledge, the original Allen's knowledge base is still too lacking. There are still areas I haven't touched on and need to fill in the gaps," Allen thought.

It was inevitable. No matter how tirelessly Allen worked, his energy was ultimately limited and required time to accumulate.

Moreover, some knowledge is like a blank slate until you experience it firsthand, knowing only the name but not the details.

For instance, the Banyan Tree figs, although he had eaten and seen them, he wasn't aware of their numerous varieties.

"Forget it. The contents of the sheepskin scroll 'Dark Rituals' are not an encyclopedia and need to be verified. I'll test them one by one this time, and eventually, I'll succeed," Allen thought.

After all, with the Green Poison Lizard as his test subject, even if the potion failed, it could still enhance the little guy's toxicity.

However, while he thought the variety and fruiting period of the figs were the last challenges, the Bear Bee honey posed another problem.

Frustrated, Allen could only blame the sheepskin scroll 'Dark Rituals' for being too vague.

At the same time, he was secretly relieved that he had managed to brew the Enlightenment Potion without any errors despite the vague and general nature of the book.

Allen had already instructed Peter to buy the necessary materials from the Bacha black market.

Bear Bee honey, a seasonal product, had been prepared in advance by Peter.

Bear Bees were distinctive insects.

They were black and yellow, furry, resembling little bears.

But the Bear Bees of the Baken Rainforest had unique habits.

They only burrow into Banyan Tree trunks to build nests and reproduce.

A Bear Bee hive would have one queen bee and one king bee, with the colony never exceeding a hundred bees.

During the dry season in the rainforest, when flowers and fruits were scarce, Bear Bees would become carnivorous insects, no longer collecting nectar.

During the three-month rainy season, when plants flourished and flowers and fruits were abundant, Bear Bees would collect nectar and make honey.

Bear Bee honey was produced in small quantities, only enough for the queen bee, while the king bee, often dying a month after mating, was just a tool.

Compared to the queen bee, which could live for over ten years, the king bee's fate was a tragedy.

The queen bee's longevity was partly due to the strong vitality contained in Bear Bee honey.

Because of this, Bear Bee honey became a prized delicacy among the nobility in the Red Cedar Country and the entire western continent.

Noble ladies, in particular, were drawn to the beauty-enhancing properties of Bear Bee honey.

However, Bear Bee honey was produced in small quantities and only during part of the year.

This led to hunters in the rainforest frantically searching for Bear Bee hives, making the Bear Bees almost extinct in the outskirts of the Baken Rainforest.

Now, to collect Bear Bee honey, one had to venture deep into the rainforest during the rainy season.

Due to these factors, Bear Bee honey's rarity made it a material second only to treasures.

During the dry season, obtaining Bear Bee honey was as difficult as finding the Star-Spotted Beetle, which lived deep in the dangerous Insect Valley.

"Damn it! The sheepskin scroll didn't mention that Bear Bee honey has a shelf life of less than a month!"

Allen looked at the honey jar, its color normal but lacking sweetness, and felt frustrated.

The loss of sweetness meant the loss of vitality, rendering the small jar of Bear Bee honey, worth two hundred copper coins, useless.

Allen wondered if his luck had run out.

Had his encounter with the Thorny Blood Vine exhausted all his luck?

Well, it's the end of the rainy season now. Even if I can't buy Bear Bee honey in the black market, I can collect some myself in the rainforest.

With my skills, I'm not afraid of the crocodiles and pythons in the deep rainforest.

As Allen pondered, Peter returned with the deed for the shop and the permit for the miscellaneous market.

Seeing Allen holding the honey jar with a gloomy face, Peter was startled, "What's wrong, boss? Is this honey fake?"

Peter, outraged, immediately offered to deal with the old man who sold the honey.

"No need. It's our own fault for improper storage. In the black market, transactions are clear-cut; no one owes anyone. The seller had no obligation to tell you everything," Allen said, clear-headed. This was the rule of the black market. If you got scammed, it was your own fault.

"Fine, take me to where you bought the honey..."