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Tafel’s expression darkened as she waved her hand, removing her phoenix flames from existence. Although it couldn’t move or show any reactions to outside stimulus, Tafel swear she heard a breath of relief escape from the red ant pupa’s unmoving body; after all, the heat source underneath it had just vanished.
Vur blinked and raised his head, looking up at Tafel. “Why’d you stop?”
“If I knew you were going to use my flames to cook the pupa, I wouldn’t have started in the first place,” Tafel said. She looked around, and the surrounding ants stopped buzzing. It was a strange sound to hear since she always associated buzzing with bees, but the sheer amount of ant legs and mandibles grinding against more legs and mandibles droned much louder than any bee she had ever heard. “Did you really trade away a diamond for a meal?”
Vur glanced around, but there really weren’t any phoenix flames left for him to roast the pupa in his hand. He considered using some of his own flames on it, but he liked the taste produced when cooking meat using Tafel’s flames. The smokey flavor was a bit spicier. Vur looked up at Tafel, and judging by the look on her face, he determined the question she had asked wasn’t a rhetorical one. Did he trade a diamond for a meal? It wasn’t his fault he thought it was rhetorical; the answer was obvious. “Yes.”
Tafel extended her arms and grabbed the pupa, gently but firmly removing it from Vur’s grasp, though his fingers did latch on pretty tightly as the pupa slid out from underneath. “We are not going to eat the pupa.”
Vur blinked. “We’re not going to eat the pupa?”
“No,” Tafel said and shook her head. She glanced at Kim Hajun, who was wrapping the Heart of Fire in a handkerchief. Tafel tucked the pupa underneath her left armpit and placed her hands on her hips.
Vur tilted his head. “Why not?”
Tafel gestured towards the pupa with her right hand. Other than the fact it looked like more like a statue than a living creature, the ant pupa looked like a dog-sized ant with wings. “This can conquer empires.”
“So?” Vur asked. “I can conquer empires too.”
Tafel turned her head towards Kim Hajun. “I don’t know much about the prices of objects here, but how many meals would you be able to buy with the money you’d get from selling this?”
Kim Hajun pocketed the wrapped Heart of Fire. “If you were to use all the money from selling the pupa to purchase meals, you’d never go hungry for the rest of your life. In the tower, food is cheap.”
“Unless you want to eat princess ant pupas for lunch every day,” Lindyss said.
“Of course,” Kim Hajun said, nodding at Lindyss. “The same can be said if you want to eat palaces and enchanted weapons.” He looked at Vur, who was still eyeing the pupa underneath Tafel’s arm. “I appreciate your willingness to part with the Heart of Fire. If you’re looking for a place to enjoy delicacies, there’s a group of individuals who’ve established a headquarters on the thirty-seventh floor of the tower. They call themselves the Gluttonous Gourmets, and they’re people who’re also willing to eat strategic resources like that pupa. I think you’d get along well with them.”
“Aren’t you a newcomer to the tower like us?” Erin asked, the fairy queen narrowing her eyes at Kim Hajun. “Where exactly do you get your information from? Are you part of an organization?”
A faint smile appeared on Kim Hajun’s lips. “An organization?” he asked. “There’s one I’m interested in joining, but I’m currently a free man. As for where I obtain my information from, do you know what prophetic dreams are?”
“You can see the future?” Lindyss asked and raised an eyebrow. “I suppose that explains a few things.” She gave Kim Hajun a once-over, staring at the top of his head down to the tips of his toes.
Goosebumps appeared on Kim Hajun’s skin, and he cleared his throat. “Well, I rushed here to obtain this pupa, and I didn’t have time to gather any ant honey. We might’ve been given three days, but that’s a trap the tower set to lower people’s guards. If you don’t finish the honey gathering during the first day, you’ll fail.”
Tafel glanced at Lindyss. “Do you want to give him a jar?” Apparently, the pupa was worth much more than the Heart of Fire. Throwing in a jar of any honey wouldn’t make their balances even, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt, not with all the honey Vur had collected in an ant-friendly manner.
“Alright,” Lindyss said. A hand emerged vertically out of her shadow with a jar in its grasp. The shadowy hand moved through the ground, leaving a trail of darkness on the ground. It approached Kim Hajun and held the jar out at knee level.
Kim Hajun blinked before bending over to retrieve the jar. “That certainly saves me some time,” he said and nodded at Lindyss. He brought the jar up to his face and inspected the amber liquid inside. “Do you perhaps have an extra three jars? I know some individuals who’re willing to exchange some items for some.”
“Know them through your dreams?” Erin asked. She was still staring at Kim Hajun.
“More precisely, I know them through one very long dream,” Kim Hajun said and tilted his head to look upwards despite the ceiling of the cavern having nothing on it. He seemed to be staring past the rocky layer as if he could see the upper floors of the tower hidden behind it. “It feels almost like I’ve climbed the tower before.”
“Were we in your dream too?” Erin nudged Lindyss’ head and whispered, “See? People do dream about you!”
“What are you going on about?” Lindyss asked with a dark expression.
“Do you remember that conversation we had back then,” Erin asked while nodding her head. “Yeah? Yeah? Well, I’m right.”
“If I had to remember every conversation I’ve had with you, there wouldn’t be any space in my head for anything else,” Lindyss said and rolled her eyes before looking at Kim Hajun. “Anyway, you need three more jars, right?” Three shadowy hands emerged from below, each holding a jar of ant honey.
Kim Hajun bent down to grab a jar, but the shadowy hand retreated, keeping the glass just out of reach. Kim Hajun looked up, and Lindyss raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t think those would be free as well, right? Pay up.”
Thanks for the chapter!
…* Although it couldn’t move or show any reactions to outside stimulus, Tafel swear she *… *Tafel could have sworn she*