The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]

Chapter 1085: The Divine Treasury

The chatter remained lively as one blonde desperately insisted that he was now a reformed person amidst increasingly concerning (accidental) threats of eventually being thrown out of their "hive."

Unfortunately for Ollie, the alleged drone bee, several people were starting to feel that the comparison had become just a little too accurate, and far too many of them looked way too amused for the sake of his poor little heart.

Still, not everyone present was actually privy to the conversation.

Certain groups of tiny beings couldn’t particularly hear or understand all the loud exclamations coming from the giants towering around them. At most, they could only sense the vibrations traveling through the surfaces beneath their feet as enormous creatures stomped around and occasionally chased each other dramatically.

Normally, such disturbances should’ve alarmed them greatly.

But strangely enough, the bees inside the transport packages couldn’t care less.

Because right now?

They were far too overwhelmed by the environment itself.

In fact, even if a natural disaster had suddenly descended upon the area, there was a good chance the bees still wouldn’t have moved.

They were simply too stunned by something else entirely.

The worker bees waggled with such unbelievable intensity that any outside colony witnessing it would’ve likely assumed the entire thing was a ploy.

Complete misinformation and an attempt at misdirection.

Because who would believe that every single direction counted as an absurdly rich nectar source?!

It was impossible.

And yet that was exactly what the displaced colony had suddenly encountered the moment they arrived in this unfamiliar environment.

Everywhere.

Everywhere smelled rich.

Everywhere smelled alive.

And just as they struggled to process that shocking reality, something even more unbelievable happened.

The bees froze.

Because not only could they sense nectar vastly superior to anything they had previously known... they also realized it was being freely handed to them.

"!!!"

The hardworking worker bees collectively suffered existential shock.

From above, a miraculous mist of this heavenly nectar descended, coating them in sweet, intoxicating moisture.

Now, that was how the newly arrived bees perceived the situation. In reality, Luca was merely misting the screened package with a spray bottle exactly as instructed by the manual.

But from the dramatically overwhelmed perspective of the bees?

The heavens themselves had opened in mercy.

To think they hadn’t even worked a single day yet!

And already they were being blessed with the highest quality nectar they had ever encountered in their entire lives.

What kind of absurd paradise was this?!

The bees vibrated harder.

Meanwhile, outside the package, Luca looked relieved that the bees appeared calm while Xavier held the transport container steadily for him.

Now, one adjutant certainly didn’t understand how any of that could possibly look calm when the bees were very clearly squirming around intensely, but Jax simply remarked, "Maybe they’re just excited."

That naturally earned him a raised brow. Fortunately, the golden-eyed novice beekeeper explained that if the bees had actually been agitated, they likely would’ve already attempted to sting them through the screen.

Thankfully, Elder Pao Xi—who could genuinely sense the emotional state of most living creatures—finally gave his verdict.

"They’re doing well," the Elder said calmly. "Surprised, but doing well."

Maybe a little too well, in fact.

Especially once the next unbelievable event arrived for the little bees.

__

It happened shortly after they’d been gifted with unimaginable wealth. One moment, the colony had been collectively overwhelmed with gratitude toward this sudden prosperity, and then the next, every single bee abruptly redirected its attention toward one particular direction.

Because from where they were trapped, they could unmistakably sense an immense and concentrated mountain of nectar being placed nearby.

Outside, the cadets—led by one particularly enthusiastic blonde—were carefully following the manual step by step as they assembled the hive.

The brood boxes for all three hives had already been set up, while every frame and waxed foundation sheet had been properly placed and accounted for. Finally, they were able to install the feeders, each one carefully filled with the freshly collected dungeon nectar Elder Pao Xi had gathered earlier.

But to the bees?

It was a divine treasury.

And then—

THUNK!

A sharp vibration rattled through the package as the entire colony suddenly shifted.

Xavier, who had volunteered to transfer the bees into their new hive, had given the package a firm shake so the clustered workers would fall directly into their new home properly.

To the bees themselves, however, the experience was less of a "practical transfer procedure" and more of a "miraculous relocation event."

They had been moved.

Closer.

So much closer to the impossible nectar source.

This—

This absolutely had to be a miracle.

But who would’ve thought that this miracle was only the beginning?

Because the truly unprecedented change would only start once their newly freed Queens finally had their fill.

__

"WHAT?! We actually have to wait that long before we get honey?!"

The horrified cry came from one deeply betrayed mop who had only just managed to escape the beekeeping suit that had practically swallowed him whole earlier.

"Ah, yes, Brother!" Luca nodded while consulting the manual again. "It says here that people usually harvest honey around one to three times a year."

Ollie immediately looked like he had heard one hell of a tragic news.

Unfortunately, his good brother wasn’t done.

"But the manual also says it’s best not to harvest anything during the first year," the newbie beekeeper continued honestly.

"Apparently, newly established colonies need to use all their energy and honey reserves to build up their home and prepare enough supplies to survive."

Gasp!

Seriously?!

"Brother..."

The blonde slowly turned toward him with visible despair.

"So you’re saying we might only get to taste the honey next year... and that’s if we’re lucky?" he verified weakly, sounding like he was desperately clinging to the hope that he’d somehow misunderstood.

But instead of correcting him like he silently prayed would happen, his brother only looked apologetic enough that everyone already knew the answer before Luca even gave a reluctant nod.

However, before the devastated mop could collapse dramatically onto the ground, Elder Pao Xi suddenly spoke.

"That would normally be correct," the Elder said calmly. "But not for these bees inside the dungeon space."

That immediately got everyone’s attention.

"It’ll likely be possible to harvest earlier and much more frequently."

The Elder delivered that statement in the same relaxed tone one might use when discussing pleasant weather, but its effect on the surrounding group was immediate.

"!"

"Huh?"

Luca’s eyes widened instantly.

"Elder Pao Xi, is that really true?" he asked, visibly brightening.

The Elder nodded.

"The conditions here are far beyond optimal," he explained. "Not only is there no winter requiring long-term survival storage, but nectar production also isn’t limited by seasonal blooming periods."

"More importantly, there are practically no natural predators in this area. Food sources are abundant, and even the nearest water source happens to be spiritual water."

At this point, even the others began looking around differently.

Because when listed out like that...

This place really did sound absurdly ideal.

"If one were to choose a place to thrive," Elder Pao Xi continued with a faint smile, "there would likely be no better environment than this one."

One little system readily agreed, even going so far as to imagine the dungeon it managed as a wonder of the universe itself.

Hmph!

Meanwhile, the far humbler owner, Luca, immediately reddened upon hearing that.

For some reason, hearing someone praise the dungeon-linked space so sincerely made him strangely happy.

The little dungeon owner awkwardly muttered, "That’s great then... I hope they really end up liking this place."

"Probably just as much as we all do," Elder Pao Xi replied with a soft smile.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned unexpectedly warm.

But the heartwarming bubble was popped when Jax suddenly asked a question that immediately made everyone realize something very important.

"Earlier, you said they’d reproduce, right?" the redhead asked innocently. "So...do we actually have enough homes for all of them?"

"..."

"???"

Luca froze.

Then, very slowly, the cadet turned toward the Trove interface.

And what he saw there nearly made him spiritually ascend in the worst possible way.

The Beginner Beekeeping Starter Kit was not only greyed out but also displayed:

[STOCK: 0/3 | LIMITED-TIME ITEM]

It prompted a hasty search for anything related to bees and beehives.

But aside from a few absurdly overpriced honey-related byproducts, there were no additional hive systems available for purchase at all.

"!!!"

At that moment, the little money-grubber realized the horrifying truth.

They would actually have to produce their own bee-related supplies moving forward.

Surprisingly, this was the first time they’d encountered such a problem. It wasn’t like the Trove had everything he could possibly think of. If only that were true, then he would’ve been incredibly pleased.

However, it was fairly common to see several versions of the same facility offered. And there was even the likelihood of having upgraded options afterward.

But now?

Nothing.

So was this the effect of being labeled as a limited-time item?

If that was really the case, then wouldn’t it be better to purchase everything being offered, even if none of it made immediate sense?!

Just the thought alone was enough to make a lump form in Luca’s throat, forcing him to hurriedly shake his head as though trying to physically fling those dangerously irrational thoughts out of his mind.

Thankfully, after inspecting the manual carefully, the beehives themselves didn’t actually appear overly complicated.

And if there was one thing Luca trusted completely, it was Auntie Cece’s craftsmanship.

She could absolutely make more. Probably better ones, too.

Still, despite all the preparations and frantic scrambling they would eventually go through, the group would ultimately have to accept one painfully simple truth.

They genuinely had been moving as fast as they possibly could.

Which meant that it wasn’t actually their fault that they couldn’t keep up with the pace of such absurdly overeager bees.

"..."