Chapter 107: The Honey Thief

The instant Luo Mu and Lieqinma rose, rustling sounds arose from branches brushing against clothing and fur, and hundreds of Triumbees and the Queen Bee turned their gazes toward them.

Nimo obediently hid in the grass, holding her breath, while Kadi Dog and Gouzi Bao guarded her side to prevent any accidents.

After Luo Mu and Lieqinma revealed themselves, the Triumbees did not launch an immediate attack; instead, they all turned their gazes toward the Queen Bee.

To them, the Queen Bee’s orders were absolute: if she ordered an attack, they attacked; if she ordered them to make way for this human and the large cat, they stepped aside.

The Queen Bee was the evolved form of female Triumbees, using pheromones to command male Triumbees to build nests and rear offspring; to her, any creature entering her territory—human, Pokémon, or helpless animal—was a hostile presence to be ruthlessly driven away.

But the moment her gaze fell upon Luo Mu and Lieqinma, the Queen Bee hesitated.

The human appeared weak, yet radiated an aura of confidence.

And that large cat was even stranger—its body emitted no trace of energy, yet the Queen Bee’s primal instinct screamed a frantic warning.

Run! This opponent is beyond your strength!!

The Queen Bee remained silent for a long while; Luo Mu and Lieqinma waited calmly, expressionless.

Moments later, the Queen Bee closed and reopened her ruby-like eyes, flapped her arms, and ordered the Triumbees to clear a path for Luo Mu and Lieqinma.

She had no guarantee of victory, and the human and the large cat did not seem hostile—better to see what they truly wanted.

Under the Queen Bee’s command, a vast swarm of Triumbees parted, opening the path to the hive. Luo Mu and Lieqinma exchanged glances and walked toward the Queen Bee’s position, escorted by the Triumbees’ “welcome.”

For safety, Luo Mu did not let Nimo show herself, in case any sudden change occurred.

As he drew closer, Luo Mu could not help but marvel at the Pokémon’s craftsmanship: layers upon layers of hexagonal chambers formed a massive hive, its exterior appearing incredibly sturdy—likely able to withstand ordinary Pokémon physical attacks.

Coupled with the presence of the Queen Bee and the Triumbees, this hive had become a dominant force in the wild; no wonder he and Nimo had seen so few wild Pokémon along the way.

Any threatening wild Pokémon had been driven off by the Triumbees’ overwhelming numbers.

“Bibibibi.”

The Queen Bee emitted a low, resonant hum—as if asking why Luo Mu and Lieqinma had intruded into her territory.

Luo Mu understood the culture and hierarchy of many Pokémon; the best way to peacefully deal with a high-ranking controller like the Queen Bee was—

Luo Mu unzipped his backpack, pulled out pre-packaged Pokémon food, and smiled: “Respected Queen Bee, I wish to trade these Pokémon foods for some honey. Might you be willing to part with some?”

The Queen Bee fell silent for an instant, then suddenly flapped her wings and descended from above the hive, making Nimo tense up.

Luo Mu remained calm—he was confident the Queen Bee would not attack, and even if she did, he could easily neutralize her.

The Queen Bee swiftly flew to Luo Mu’s side, glanced at him, and gestured with her eyes for him to follow.

Safe!

Luo Mu smirked and called toward the grass: “Nimo, Kadi Dog, and Gouzi Bao—you can come out now!”

Seeing the Queen Bee’s puzzled expression, Luo Mu smiled: “It’s fine if I bring my companions along, isn’t it?”

The Queen Bee nodded indifferently.

“Oh my.”

At the sight before him, Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, his expression odd.

Nimo also asked curiously: “It looks like someone violently broke into the honey storage area.”

The Queen Bee led them to the side of the massive hive—this was one of the storage sites for the Triumbees’ collected nectar.

Now, irregular holes of varying sizes gaped open; precious honey spilled across the ground, but much more had been stolen and eaten by some unknown Pokémon.

After considerable effort, aided by Lieqinma’s translation, Luo Mu finally understood her meaning.

Exchanging honey was no problem—the Queen Bee was also interested in the nutritious Pokémon food, which would help her raise stronger offspring.

But the ongoing theft of honey from her hive by an unknown intruder had plagued her; she proposed that if Luo Mu could solve the matter and find the culprit—

Then whenever he needed honey in the future, he could come freely; as long as he didn’t empty half the honey stores, she would give it to him for free.

After consideration, Luo Mu accepted the task. Though it was slightly unfair to Nimo, who wanted to capture Pokémon, this mission brought him nothing but benefits.

The hive was not far from the farm; completing this task would provide a stable, high-quality honey source. If he cultivated good relations, he might even snag a rare female Triumbee and bring it back to the farm—soon, the farm could produce its own premium honey.

Nimo had no complaints; instead, she beamed: “I’m not in a hurry to capture Pokémon. If all else fails, Teacher Luo Mu, you could just catch the honey thief for me to capture, right~?”

Luo Mu nodded slightly, carefully studying the damage marks on the hive, his mind rapidly running through possible suspects.

First, bear-type Pokémon and those fond of sweets were the most likely culprits—human involvement was highly unlikely—

After all, no human would waste so much honey on the ground; humans are the most greedy creatures.

Considering the common Pokémon distribution in the Paldea region, the probabilities rose for Bidoof, Bibarel, Snorunt, and Ursaring.

In fact, the damage marks on the hive were clearly made by sharp claws; the culprit’s nose was extremely sensitive—every breached chamber contained honey. Combined with the bear-type Pokémon footprints Luo Mu found in the nearby grass, the culprit was unmistakable.

The Queen Bee mentioned the thief struck mostly just before sunset—dusk—when Triumbees struggled to see clearly due to some reason, allowing the cunning thief to evade capture for so long.

After a moment of silence, Luo Mu spoke his plan under the expectant gazes of the Queen Bee, Nimo, and the Pokémon.

“The plan is simple—the most basic and reliable baiting strategy. I’ll place some honey in a container at a fixed spot, then have ButoPo dig a hole and lie in ambush nearby. The Triumbees will patrol normally; the thief will surely slip past them to reach the container.”

“Once the honey thief appears, ButoPo makes a noise—then Lieqinma moves in.”

Nimo worriedly asked: “But that Pokémon’s nose is so sharp—it immediately detected the honey chambers. Won’t the container’s vicinity be too risky to hide in? What if the honey thief flees before we can arrive?”

The Queen Bee also looked anxiously at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu smirked, patted Lieqinma’s back, and said: “Who do you think we are? This distance? In a single breath, Lieqinma can race over with sparks and lightning.”

(End of Chapter)