Chapter 629 - 626: The Diversity of Scents

Chapter 629: Chapter 626: The Diversity of Scents

Mo Ling had really liked the orange scent from before, and now he found himself quite fond of this fresh, floral fragrance as well. Upon arriving in this scent zone, he sniffed around restlessly, rolling over and over within it.

"Do you want to fix the Bone White Flower fragrance, too?"

"Come on, come on!"

"It smells so good, so good! Take a good sniff!"

The newborns who had already fixed their scents gathered around Mo Ling, following him as he drifted back and forth within the scent zone.

’So this flower is called a Bone White Flower? It seems to be the most common one in the flower patch.’

Its very name carried a cool purity. The fragrance was faint, yet it lingered, settling deep in the mind and proving impossible to forget.

’It’s so nice, but I can’t fix it.’

As he rolled about, Mo Ling committed the unique scent of the Bone White Flower to memory.

When the newborns following him realized he was only sniffing around with no intention of fixing the scent, they stopped following. Bidding Mo Ling farewell, they intertwined with one another and drifted off into the distance.

All those newborns had chosen a scent they loved. Mo Ling, however, could only commit these fragrances to memory before drifting on to the next scent zone.

A rich, fruity aroma. The moment Mo Ling entered this scent zone, he was overwhelmed by the dense fragrance.

’This is the leader’s scent,’ Mo Ling recognized instantly.

Just as in the Bone White Flower scent zone, Mo Ling encountered newborns who had already fixed their scents here.

"Hello!"

"You don’t seem to like this scent very much."

"If you don’t like it, that’s okay! Just have a sniff around, and we’ll show you the way out. This way!"

The newborns here were incredibly enthusiastic. Even though they sensed Mo Ling didn’t care for the scent, they still zipped around with him in tow, following him closely and enthusiastically explaining the area.

"This is the Red Heart Fruit! The incredibly sweet Red Heart Fruit! Its fragrance can drift to places far, far away. I want to drift to places far, far away too, so I can help more of our companions!"

As he experienced the differences between the two scent zones, a question formed in Mo Ling’s mind:

’Does fixing a scent determine one’s personality, or does personality determine the choice of scent?’

’They only just fixed their scents. Could it have already changed their personalities?’

’Or was it because these newborns were naturally enthusiastic that they fell in love with the equally passionate scent of the Red Heart Fruit?’

Mo Ling had no firm answer. Lost in thought, he was escorted to the edge of the scent zone by the enthusiastic newborns.

"Goodbye!"

"Be sure to find the right scent for you! You can do it!"

And so, Mo Ling was seen off with great enthusiasm, arriving in a new scent zone.

’The Grass and Wood Fragrance...’

This was the scent most familiar to Mo Ling, the fragrance of that Guardian.

Upon entering this scent zone, no newborns who had already fixed their scent came forward. Mo Ling was left to explore the area on his own.

Compared to the previous two scent zones, there seemed to be far fewer newborns here, but Mo Ling still managed to spot one or two.

However, the newborns here seemed to be loners. Even when they saw Mo Ling arrive, they wouldn’t greet him, instead cautiously slipping away to hide elsewhere.

’Are the newborns here timid? Or just reclusive?’

Thinking of the Grass and Wood Fragrance Guardian’s temperament, Mo Ling had a pretty good idea.

That Guardian had always been a loner, never interacting with the other Fragrance Bees. They simply did their work in silence, with utmost seriousness.

The newborns in this scent zone likely didn’t enjoy interfering with others, which explained why they kept hiding. They were probably preoccupied with understanding their own new abilities and had no time to bother with Mo Ling.

So, Mo Ling didn’t disturb them. After spending some time in the scent zone, he moved on to the next area.

’This is... the scent of earth.’

It was a pure, earthy smell, and there seemed to be even fewer newborns in this scent zone.

However, Mo Ling did spot one. It was positioned in the middle of the scent zone, its body constantly expanding outward.

’What is it doing?’ Mo Ling wondered, drifting closer out of curiosity.

Even when he passed into the newborn’s body, it didn’t react at all.

The faint, earthy scent was spread wide. Its diffusing molecules constantly captured stray scent particles from the surroundings, incorporating them into its body. The process was clumsy, but remarkably effective.

’It’s already started feeding? So impressive.’

As Mo Ling observed his earthy companion’s feeding, the scent of earth suddenly pulsed, and a dense wave of information was transmitted to him.

"What are you doing here? Why aren’t you going to fix a scent?"

There was no malice in the pulse, just blunt directness.

"Are you trying to steal my food?" it suddenly asked, growing tense.

"Fine, take some if you must, just don’t take too much. It took me forever to find a scent with this much food..."

After muttering for a moment, the earthy companion became engrossed in its foraging once more, ignoring Mo Ling completely.

Listening to its mumbling, Mo Ling began to understand its choice.

Earth is one of the most abundant things in nature, so its scent is naturally the most plentiful.

This companion had chosen the scent of earth for one simple reason: to eat its fill.

If one chose a fruit fragrance, they would have to wait for the fruit to ripen, stay by the tree, and guard it just to obtain enough scent molecules to grow stronger.

If one chose a floral scent, they had to stay within a suitable patch of flowers, unable to move freely. They would have to do their utmost to nurture the blossoms, and the amount of scent molecules they could gather would vary with the flowering season and the weather.

The scent of earth, however, was not so demanding. Its smell might not be as pleasant or special, but the great thing was, there was always more than enough.

It was there on rainy days and sunny days alike, with no particular requirements for weather or environment.

The foraging range was flexible, too. Earth was everywhere, so there was no need to stand guard in one place.

And you never had to worry about running out of scent molecules.

If all you wanted was to be "full," the scent of earth was truly an excellent choice.

Then again, maybe it just genuinely liked the "smell of earth." Every Fragrance Bee had its own preferences, after all.

To be able to feast on a scent you loved every day, and to always have your fill—from that perspective, liking the scent of earth was a very lucky thing indeed.

’Unfortunately, I still can’t fix a scent.’

Mo Ling’s body still showed no reaction to any of these scents. While he could form his own opinions about them, the uncollapsed scent molecules within him remained unusually stable, completely unwavering.

’Do I really have to search for one of those intensely stimulating scents? I wonder if the fixation ceremony even has any of those prepared.’

Mo Ling lingered in the earthy scent for a few more moments before departing for the next scent zone. As he went, the anxiety in his heart deepened...