Chapter 62: Bees

Aside from one’s own strength, the most important thing was naturally food.

Survivors could buy food from Treasure Chests or The Supreme Shop, but Treasure Chest drops were notoriously unreliable—a harsh reality for those with entire families to feed. The Supreme Shop, on the other hand, boasted a massive supply of provisions for the Survivors. Yet, despite the vast quantities of vegetables and fruits listed daily, the sheer number of buyers meant the available stock was barely a drop in the bucket.

As the saying went, relying on others was never as good as relying on oneself. When it came to food, self-sufficiency was paramount. However, not everyone had the right conditions for farming on their vehicles. Because of this, small planter boxes had become highly sought after.

The same went for glass fish tanks. Not only could they store water, but they were also perfect for raising Golden Fish and Special Fish—both incredibly valuable resources.

Lily Rhodes stored each newly crafted planter box into her spatial inventory. After a long while, she finally stood up, took out her water flask, and drank a mouthful of cooling water. The oppressive heat instantly vanished.

Even though the forest canopy lowered the temperature significantly, it was still sweltering. It certainly didn’t help that Lily had wrapped herself up tightly from head to toe. Without the cooling water, she would have succumbed to heatstroke and fainted long ago.

Along the way, aside from crafting planter boxes, she had stopped to inspect any rocks she came across. She hoped to find the green crystal stone she needed, but without fail, they were all just ordinary rocks. She had found the previous green crystal stone in an owl’s talons. Perhaps there simply weren’t any green crystal stones on this island to begin with.

Lily sighed. "Forget it. I’ll take my time. My primary vehicle is Shelly anyway, so there’s no rush for anything else."

With that thought in mind, she ventured deeper into the woods. Before she knew it, she had arrived near the center of the island.

Suddenly, her ears twitched.

She recognized the sound immediately. It was the buzzing of bees.

Lily’s eyes lit up, and she hurried toward the noise. On the previous vehicle ranking board, one of the two special buildings awarded for first place was a beehive designed to attract bees. Yet, after all this time, not a single bee had appeared. She had figured it had to do with the weather, combined with the fact that Shelly spent all her time in the water. She had been on the verge of giving up on the hive. To her surprise, she had stumbled upon bees right here.

Following the buzzing, Lily soon located the hive.

It was absolutely massive. Clinging to a lush, ancient tree, the giant hive wasn’t just nestled in a single fork; it sprawled across almost every branch. Rich golden honey gleamed enticingly in the dappled sunlight.

"Found it!"

However, Lily didn’t step out immediately. Aside from the bees and the hive, two black bears were currently raiding the honey. She had suspected last night that large animals roamed the island, but she hadn’t expected to encounter them so soon.

Lily stayed hidden until the two bears, overwhelmed by the swarming bees, finally fled the scene. Only then did she step into the open.

The agitated bees were still in a furious frenzy. Spotting Lily, they instantly branded her as a new enemy and dive-bombed toward her.

Lily didn’t panic. Since she dared to show herself, she naturally had a backup plan.

With a mere thought, a thin wall of water materialized, blocking the bees’ vicious assault. She closed her eyes and reached out to communicate with them—or more accurately, with the Queen Bee inside the hive.

"Come with me. I can provide you with a larger, safer living environment," she offered sincerely.

Beyond her sincerity, Lily had a secret weapon: the point of Divinity Value she had obtained earlier.

She still hadn’t figured out exactly what Divinity Value was, and the System panel offered no explanation. But ever since she acquired it, she noticed that hardly any Sea Beasts attacked her anymore. Following the end of the Sea Beast Frenzy, monster attacks had generally decreased in frequency. Yet, while other Survivors still suffered occasional ambushes, Lily remained completely untouched.

Of course, it was also possible that Shelly’s colossal size deterred other Sea Beasts from approaching. However, the System had explicitly informed her that this peace was tied to her Divinity Value. It was as if the ocean itself had suddenly become friendly toward her. And it wasn’t just the sea—even the animals raised on her farm had grown unusually affectionate toward her.

After a long pause, a slightly larger, entirely golden bee flew out of the hive. She circled Lily once, as if verifying something.

"You carry the aura of the ocean. I believe your words," she finally said. "But what price must we pay to leave with you?"

"Your honey," Lily replied.

The Bee King fell silent for another moment, seemingly deep in thought. Slowly, she nodded. "I agree. But I have one condition. Some of my children cannot fly yet. I want you to help me take them as well."

"Deal."

Lily agreed without a second thought. She drew her dagger and, under the watchful eyes of the swarm, began carefully cutting the hive from the tree piece by piece. She placed the sections containing bee pupae into one Treasure Chest and the pure honeycombs into another.

It took her two full hours to clear the massive hive from the tree, leaving her hands entirely coated in sticky honey.

Once she finished, Lily climbed down. "I plan to stay here a little while longer. Don’t worry, I won’t go back on my word."

The Bee King landed on her shoulder. "What are you looking for?"

Lily initially intended to decline the offer of help, but the words died in her throat. She suddenly thought of the green crystal stone. Perhaps she could ask the bees to help search for it. After all, they busied themselves gathering pollen across the island every single day. They had to be intimately familiar with the terrain.

"I’m looking for this kind of stone. Have you seen it?" Lily pulled out the only green crystal stone she had.

The Bee King studied the stone for a moment. A split second later, the rest of the swarm scattered in all directions, as if they had received a silent command.

"I have sent my subjects to search for it. Just wait for the news."

Lily’s eyes brightened. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She didn’t stay idle, resuming her work crafting small planter boxes and scavenging for useful resources.

Just then, a sudden flash of gold in the tall grass ahead caught her attention. Parting the foliage, Lily uncovered a golden Treasure Chest.

"Another Treasure Chest."

She pried it open, only to find a single, weightless sheet of slightly yellowed paper inside.

"It’s a blueprint." This was a truly unexpected delight.

When Lily finally read the contents of the blueprint, she almost jumped for joy.