Chapter 40: Efficacy
Chapter 40: Efficacy
Xiao Zi answered his question with action.
Swallowing the honey in her mouth, she stuck out her tongue and licked off the honey that had splattered around her mouth. Then, with a flap of her wings, she pounced towards the honey bottle.
Her approach was like that of a hungry tiger. If her friends hadn't stopped her in time, she might have dived headfirst into the honey.
Even a hardcore drinker drowning in a barrel of wine wouldn't be as intense as this little glutton.
"It looks like we don't need to worry about the taste... We still need to observe the effects," Hua Mi remarked.
Hua Mi walked forward and grabbed the back of the glutton's clothing, lifting her up to make it easier for the other six honey experts to enjoy the honey.
"Too sweet," Xiao Hong was the first to taste it and gave her serious assessment. "The taste of the Moon Dream Flower honey is just perfect. If that's a 10, then I can only give this honey an 8."
"Thank you for your feedback," Hua Mi replied, not too concerned about losing points.
Eating it directly would, of course, seem overly sweet. Most people consumed honey by mixing it with water, making honey water, honey yuzu tea, or using it as a seasoning on food. Some even invested a significant amount of time in brewing honey wine. Very few people, like them, ate it straight from the jar. To honey enthusiasts, this was akin to eating raw meat and hair.
So the "too sweet" criticism for honey was relatively trivial, depending on how you ate it. Hua Mi decided to teach them some advanced ways to enjoy honey.
"I prefer the Featherflower honey; it's even sweeter than the Moon Dream Flower honey!"
"Moon Dream Flower honey is tastier!"
"What would it taste like if we mixed the two?"
The judges' comments shifted, eventually turning into a debate between Moon Dream Flower enthusiasts and Featherflower enthusiasts. The debate became chaotic as both sides argued vehemently.
Only Xiao Zi stayed true to her initial impressions. Despite being held by Hua Mi at the back of her neck, her determination remained unwavering. She stared intently at the honey jar on the table, and her entire body strained towards it. She gritted her teeth, looking like a restrained beast.
So far, Hua Mi hadn't noticed anything extraordinary about the judges who had tasted the Featherflower honey. But as he felt the glutton's struggle in his grip, he couldn't help but wonder if this honey had some kind of short-term strength-enhancing effect. He didn't know that it was simply the power of a food lover.
The debate mainly revolved around the level of sweetness. As for the differences in taste brought by the different flowers, they didn't really care because they enjoyed the flavors of both flowers.
Hua Mi taught them how to make honey fruit tea, which would address the issue of excessive sweetness at its root. He only had to show them once, and they quickly grasped the technique.
After taking a sip, their wings unfurled, and the dispute between Moon Dream Flower enthusiasts and Featherflower enthusiasts was resolved without any violence.
Xiao Hong performed a small magic trick, producing a delicate set of teaware and some bite-sized snacks not much larger than sesame seeds. They laid a clean picnic cloth on the table, and the six of them sat together, enjoying their snacks and honey tea, indulging in a delightful tea party.
As for Xiao Zi, she was excluded from this sisterly tea party as a punishment for her earlier rudeness and to teach her a lesson.
Xiao Hong had initially considered chasing her away, but Hua Mi felt that it was too cruel and unfair. Instead, he suggested tying her to the side to let her watch and feel somewhat involved.
The following scene was harmonious and heartwarming. The six sisters enjoyed themselves, discussing interesting stories from the Black Forest, such as the hot-tempered bear-transformed man who had inexplicably intruded into the Black Castle Ruins, which was the territory of unicorns. A conflict had erupted between them, resulting in the bear-transformed man getting struck by the unicorn's lightning magic, leaving his fur scorched.
There was also the story of the ghostly couple from the Shadowy Marsh, who had recently had a fierce fight that had nearly resulted in a life-or-death situation, seemingly due to a romantic entanglement...
Xiao Zi was tied to the side of a staff and watched these stories unfold, her eyes filled with tears of emotion. Hua Mi, on the other hand, was busy bottling the honey.
A total of 753 bottles of honey.
After he finished bottling, it was already evening, and the seven little ones had returned home, showing no signs of anything unusual.
"Could it be that this batch of Featherflower honey doesn't have any special effects? Well, it's hard to say. Pseudo-Flower Spirits and human bodies are different, after all."
For instance, no matter how they ate, their body shapes remained unchanged, making the humans envy them. Even if it didn't have any special effects, it didn't matter; the quality was high enough, and it wouldn't be difficult to sell.
Hua Mi put the honey in his magic box and brought it back to Earth.
It was still daytime on Earth.
He first went to the relevant authorities in town to complete the necessary procedures. After returning, he logged into the online shop's backend and posted an announcement: "New products available tomorrow, with a new flavor. Please stay tuned."
Once the announcement was posted, it attracted a lot of attention from customers.
"I've been waiting for this. Fortunately, I didn't give up!"
"A new flavor? Please don't make it too fancy. The previous one was just fine. When will it be back in stock?"
"It may be related to the season; they use different flower nectars in different seasons."
"It doesn't have any additives, does it? I came for the pure, all-natural, no additives."
"Don't worry; this place specializes in no additives. If we had additives, it would ruin our reputation."
"Young man, businesses from Huayu Town have never sold industrial adulterated honey; the ingredient list contains only honey."
"I came for the sleep aid effect of this honey. I want to know if the new honey has the same effect as the previous one."
"Boss, I posted a taste test video of your honey on a certain platform, but someone reported it for false advertising, and now I'm banned. T_T."
"Poor guy above, this honey's sleep aid effect is unbelievable; it's no wonder people don't believe it. If I hadn't sent it for testing, I would have suspected there was some kind of sedative added."
"Looks like the comments section is full of shills; the praise is way over the top."
"The fragrance of honey is unstoppable! The shop will establish its reputation sooner or later. I, Wang Goudan, make this post in my real name as a pledge!"
"We'll be longtime fans then. Hehe."
...
Hua Mi was exhausted by the end of the day. After posting the announcement, he was ready to go to bed. Before sleeping, he drank a glass of Featherflower honey tea. He had a very pleasant dream.
He lay on a grassy field with a gentle breeze, the sunlight not too strong or weak but just right. The wind brushed against his face like a tender hand caressing...
Upon waking up, however, he felt that the quality of his sleep was not as good as when he had drunk Moon Dream Flower honey. His face felt numb.
The outside world was still dark, and Hua Mi stumbled to the bathroom and washed his face. When he looked in the mirror, he was instantly awake.
In recent times, he had been staying by the Witch's Eye Lake, and although he mostly wore a hood, it was inevitable that he'd gotten a few shades darker.
But now? His face in the mirror was unbelievably pale and fair! His skin condition was even better than before he got tanned.
He leaned closer to examine it. His skin was smooth, firm, and elastic, like it was filled with collagen.
As a man, he usually didn't pay much attention to his skin. He didn't care about blemishes, blackheads, or anything of the sort. But this contrast was just too obvious. Even though he wasn't concerned about his skin, the difference was striking.
"The effect of Featherflower honey!"
Hua Mi immediately realized. Featherflower honey had a beautifying effect.
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