NovelChina Chapter 1082: Stock: 3/3
Chapter 1082: Stock: 3/3
Well, to be fair, those golden eyes weren’t looking anywhere untoward, either.
Instead, they were completely locked onto the projected prompt, carrying an extremely attractive header:
[LIMITED-TIME ITEMS]
Compared to the ordinary Trove listings, this one was noticeably fancier. Each item appeared inside its own individual box, bordered with gleaming gold that’d pulse every time Luca shifted his focus from one listing to another.
Honestly, it looked dangerously luxurious.
And while the little money-grubber didn’t initially feel the panic associated with the steadily decreasing countdown timer hovering overhead, it only took three swipes before his entire outlook changed.
And somehow—
It was all because of honey.
More specifically, honeybees.
"Honey!"
Luca nearly lurched out of his seat all over again.
Xavier, who’d already experienced one emotional jolt earlier, immediately whipped his head toward the dungeon owner in alarm.
"Luca? What’s happening?" the Prince asked cautiously.
But the focused little chipmunk didn’t answer immediately.
Because right there before his widened eyes was something so beautiful it almost looked divine.
[BEGINNER BEEKEEPING STARTER KIT]
[INCLUDES: TREATED HONEYBEE PACKAGE]
"..."
"..."
There were so many things written in much smaller text between them, but the emphasized ones alone were enough to capture his attention.
Understandably, Luca looked moments away from ascending.
See, it wasn’t as though bees didn’t exist within the Empire of Solaris.
While many surviving planets were nothing like old Tesseris and mainly consisted of reclaimed territories where people lived within life-sustaining domes, there were still several worlds much closer to what Luca remembered from his earlier life.
Because of that, he’d always quietly hoped they’d eventually encounter familiar pollinators that could help stabilize and support the dungeon ecosystem.
And honestly, at the very top of that list?
Honeybees.
Not only would they help with maintaining flora and improving crop growth, but they’d also produce sweet by-products capable of making Luca smile in his sleep.
Naturally, the dungeon owner had once become extremely excited after hearing that a Day Care patron brought in a bee as his pet.
At the time, despite the alarm he felt over a single bee being separated from its colony, Luca still couldn’t stop the guilty excitement building inside him because he genuinely thought his dreams were finally about to come true.
Unfortunately—
The "bee" turned out to be much closer to the solitary bees back on Tesseris.
Of course, Luca was still delighted to learn that something similar to mason bees survived within the Empire. Those tiny creatures were adorable and impressively resilient considering the harsh and ever-evolving environmental conditions.
But sadly, unlike the peaceful mason bees Luca remembered, most surviving species within the Empire were rather aggressive and territorial.
Worse—
Likely because nectar-rich flora wasn’t exactly abundant anymore, they also weren’t the type to produce sweet, sweet honey.
Or even if such honey-producing bees still existed... with plant life outside of the dungeon rapidly dwindling around them, who would realistically consider harvesting honey when whatever the bees produced likely wouldn’t even count as surplus?
That discovery had been deeply tragic for one Luca Kyros.
And yet—
Today.
Right there before him.
Ignoring the rapidly decreasing countdown timer threatening his emotional stability—
Was an actual beekeeping starter kit that came with a package of specially treated honeybees.
They even looked strangely familiar!
And cute too!
"!"
Luca stared.
Then stared harder.
Then, suddenly noticed something even more shocking.
"Huh...?"
His eyes widened further.
Because if he was understanding the interface correctly—
Then the tiny glowing symbol at the corner that read [3/3] meant he could purchase the kit three separate times.
Holy cheeseballs!
__
Luca could barely breathe at this point.
Xavier, who had long noticed that his wife looked seconds away from combusting with excitement, had been holding him throughout the entire experience. The poor (not) little money-grubber was practically trembling in place, golden eyes shining with such strange delight that the prince almost felt worried.
"Did you see something good?" the curious husband finally asked.
Good?
Was this merely good? Probably not.
Because normally, even when Luca liked something, the very first thing he looked at was the price tag. That was simply common sense for one hardworking dungeon owner trying not to bankrupt himself every three business days.
And yet this time?
The future beekeeper hadn’t even glanced at the price written at the bottom. Instead, he’d been staring at the inclusions listed beneath it like someone already halfway convinced to buy the bundle after only seeing those bold uppercase words alone.
"Husband," Luca started, voice trembling slightly, "I don’t know how successful we’ll actually be with this, but if we manage it properly, then..."
His eyes sparkled even more.
"This might become something even better than just good!"
That definitely earned him a suspicious brow raise from the wolfish Prince. But at the same time, how could the devoted husband really interrupt when Luca already looked like he’d found the fountain of youth?
Still, despite all that excitement, the usually sensible shopper surprisingly didn’t immediately smash the purchase button.
Instead, after several painful seconds of visible internal struggle, Luca’s thankfully functional brain cells managed to regain control just enough for him to continue reading through the listing carefully.
There was absolutely no way he could purchase something like this without preparing first.
What if the bees escaped?
What if people panicked?
What if someone accidentally attacked the bees, thinking they were dangerous monsters?
No. No. Preparations were necessary.
He needed to know exactly what would come with the package so they could prepare a proper place for it beforehand and make sure nobody collectively lost their minds afterward.
And so, after a deep breath that did absolutely nothing for his heartbeat, Luca turned toward Xavier.
"Husband, can you gather everyone first?"
The efficient Imperial husband naturally got things done frighteningly quickly.
In practically no time at all, everyone available had been gathered by the beach, including the Elders, who arrived wearing the suspiciously floral shirts Luca had once enthusiastically recommended for everyone to wear there.
The result was honestly uncanny.
Several hidden, powerful individuals stood by the relaxing shoreline, dressed as if they were attending a summer resort outing rather than an emergency meeting.
Even Elder Pao Xi, who maintained his usual dignified and regal posture amidst the melodious sound of crashing waves, looked bizarrely approachable in the floral shirt.
"Lord Luca," the Elder began calmly, "what is it that you wished to show us?"
The dungeon owner immediately swiped his hand through the projection. The holographic listing expanded before everyone’s eyes.
[BEGINNER BEEKEEPING STARTER KIT]
[A complete entry-level beekeeping package designed for safe, efficient, and low-maintenance honeybee care.]
[HIVE KIT INCLUDES:
Auto-Flow Beehive System
Classic Brood Boxes with Brood Frames
Lifter Deluxe Kit
2 Sets of Protective Gear (Full-body suits, gloves, and bee smokers)
Tool Caddy
Beekeeping Manual]
[INCLUDES: TREATED HONEYBEE PACKAGE]
[A starter colony treated against common hive parasites, fungal risks, and transport stress. Includes one mated queen, worker bees, and early-stage colony support feed.]
[NOTICE: Requires placement in a stable outdoor environment with flowering plants, clean water access, and minimal hostile beast activity.]
The Elders immediately reacted.
Unlike the others, they actually understood what they were looking at.
And surprisingly?
Their expressions visibly brightened.
The rest, however, mostly looked confused.
Bees?
Why was Luca reacting this strongly to bees?
But then Luca quickly explained that these weren’t the same bees most of them were familiar with.
More importantly—hopefully—with this, they would finally be able to taste actual honey.
"Actual honey?" repeated several people almost simultaneously.
"Yes!" Luca nodded eagerly. "While there are products in Star Mall marketed as honey, I think everyone would enjoy organic honey even more!"
Truly, such products that tried to resemble honey were listed online, and while they did taste sweet, Luca always thought they just weren’t the same.
Not to mention all the other byproducts that would come from having bees around!
Beeswax, royal jelly, propolis—
Who in their right mind wouldn’t want access to those?!
But Luca didn’t even need to go through the pros of having honeybees around. For just at the mention of food, one blonde immediately perked up like that was all that mattered.
"What?!" Ollie gasped dramatically. "Would it be delicious, brother?!"
The mop looked downright radiant after spending the afternoon prancing around the beach like an escaped little doggy. Yet despite all that energy, he still managed to ask the single most important question with complete sincerity.
"Yes!" Luca answered immediately. "Definitely delicious!"
And just like that, the two sworn brothers stared at each other like they were sharing the same disturbing thoughts.
Safe to say, once Luca finally looked down and saw the actual price tag, he only half-shook from emotional damage, which honestly counted as impressive restraint.
And even better, it only happened the first time!
[BEGINNER BEEKEEPING STARTER KIT]
[COST: 200,000 CP]
[STOCK: 3/3 | LIMITED-TIME ITEM]
[YES] [NO]
The others, similarly infected by Luca’s growing excitement, also started looking forward to seeing the bees he’d just purchased.
Unfortunately for them, who would’ve thought they’d first be required to wear something resembling a hazmat suit just to take a look?
"???"