Taking advantage of the queen bee's good mood, Ed also seized the opportunity to say:
"By the way, Hive Will, my companion and I are a bit thirsty. Could we have some of your local specialty sweet water?"
The queen bee, having just reaped a bountiful harvest from her deal with Ed, was naturally pleased. She emitted a distinctive buzzing sound, and soon two Worker Bee flew in carrying royal jelly.
This time, instead of just a single drop like last time, they delivered two hexagonal prism cups made of beeswax, filled with a sweet and mellow liquid.
While Ed and Seraphina were enjoying their sweet drink, the Swarm's consciousness seemed to remember something and said to Ed:
"I recently came up with a name for myself, and you can call me that from now on."
"Oh?"
Ed was also quite interested in this, and he looked up and asked:
What is it?
In fact, he had long wanted to suggest that the Hive Will give itself a simpler name.
Because the name "[ Hive Will ]" describes too much of the nature of the name, it is more like a title than a name.
Just like " Ancient Shadow " and " Melter of All Things," it's fine to call them that when you're not very familiar with them, but once you get to know them better, you'll always need some more affectionate names.
Otherwise, constantly using terms like " Hive Will" or "Hive Will" gives off a very strange feeling.
Seeing Ed's keen interest, the queen bee was also in a very good mood.
It uttered a name in a profound and enigmatic tone that completely astonished Ed:
Kara.
Ed felt his eyelid twitch.
It's obvious where the inspiration for this name came from.
What exactly did the Soul Returner say while riding the Soldier Bee?!
"... Okay, then I'll call you Kara from now on."
Ed did not express any dissatisfaction with the name, after all, it was still unknown whether the name came from a mental link with a game in another world.
However, at least there will be a simpler name to refer to the Hive Will in the future, which is a good thing.
After seeing off the man and the dragon, the queen bee happily danced the figure-eight pattern in the air, emitting a satisfied buzz.
After enjoying its solitude for a while, it flew back to the very center of the huge hollow in the middle of the Hive, emitting a low hum.
A command was rapidly transmitted to the outside world via both sound and mental networks, until it was picked up by every stray bee.
The message contained the following:
" The Swarm are swarming, preparing to move the capital!"
Leaving the Hive and on the way back to the Second Holy See, Ed asked Seraphina:
"You flew here last time, so why were you able to open a spatial rift this time?"
Dragon Girl rolled her eyes at Ed with disdain:
"You might have some misunderstanding. I'm constantly practicing and getting stronger. Don't underestimate the dragon."
"You?"
Ed looked at Seraphina, the first image that popped into his mind was the dragon girl with her feet propped up on the counter, her whole body sinking into the chair, her face covered with her economics notes, emitting a barely perceptible breathing sound.
Seraphina says she practices constantly, which sounds as credible as a big eater saying he exercises daily.
Are dragons some kind of race that automatically grows stronger over time?
Ed couldn't quite remember if he had added this setting, after all, the Creator had created far too many races, and it wasn't worth searching through a memory palace that was like a library just for such a small matter.
Seeing this, Seraphina added:
"I've never been here before, so I had to fly over this time. Now that I have the memories of my last visit, and you as my coordinates, I can certainly tear open a spatial rift."
No wonder.
Ed felt this was the correct answer to the question. As for whether Seraphina had actually become stronger during this time...
He felt that even if a race that could live for five thousand years could become stronger simply by existing, it wouldn't show its effects in just one year.
Although the stats panel is meaningless to him now, if we consider Ed has just advanced to the High Tier, as level 61, Ed guesses that Seraphina's level should be around 70, making her a dragon in the rising stage.
With his High Tier strength, Ed was also able to perceive the strength of his companions more clearly.
Upon returning to the Second Holy See, he planned to quantify the strength of Willow, Duma, Duolin, and others, ideally creating a table that would be updated daily.
As they walked, Seraphina suddenly said:
So you were just implying something to me?
"What?"
Ed was momentarily dazed, and the dragon girl continued:
"You think I'm worried you won't pay your debts, so you used Kara to show me that you keep your promises, but actually you wanted to tell me you'll definitely pay back what you owe me?"
Ed paused for a moment, then realized that this explanation actually made sense.
Admitting the truth now should have a temporary effect of appeasing Seraphina.
But saying that would be unfair to Ed. As a gentleman, Ed always speaks his mind to his own people and never makes vague insinuations.
Also, he really has no intention of paying back the money...
So he thought about it and said:
"No, it really is just a coincidence..."
Looking into Seraphina's eyes, he suddenly asked a question:
"If I could come up with something equivalent to one million gold coins plus interest, would that be enough to pay off my debt?"
Seraphina tilted her head in confusion; a year ago, she would have refused without hesitation.
But the Dragon Girl has now realized that the concept of money encompasses a much broader range than just shiny, glittering things.
You should also learn to accept new things.
She pondered for a moment and then hesitated before saying:
"If it's worth the price, then yes."
Ed nodded, looking completely in control.
"Great, don't worry, I definitely won't owe you 'money'."
"Although I still trust you quite a bit..."
Seraphina's lips curved downwards:
"But you should focus on fattening your wallet first."
"Hmm? You're doubting my abilities?"
Ed smiled and asked in return, a smile already appearing on his face:
"I have a closely guarded secret of economics that I've never shared with anyone before. Would you like to learn it?"
"So what is the price?"
"I'm used to paying for knowledge, "Seraphina asked.
"The cost is that the loan interest rate will return to one percent."
Seraphina's face darkened.
"You haven't forgotten what the interest rate is now, have you? The interest rate is only 1% for the first loan you took out, but it gets 2% after that, which adds up to a total of 1.8%."
"I know."
"So you mean one piece of your knowledge is worth 800,000 gold coins?"
"Excellent value for money."
Ed answered with certainty.
Seraphina scoffed:
"Do you think you can make the money flow backwards?"
"... I don't possess that power."
Ed paused for a moment before saying:
"But not by much."
"What exactly is that?"
"Making money out of thin air."