"Humidity. What about the cave where the townspeople fetch water?" Isis suggested from the side.
But she immediately dismissed her own speculation, "No, that water-fetching cave is quite small and enclosed, with no connecting passages. We already drove out and eliminated the Vespoids inside, so there couldn't possibly be a Bee Hive there, right?"
"This might still be a clue," the Professor shook his head. "While there's no Bee Hive inside the cave, the water source within might be seeping downward through rock crevices."
"Are you suggesting the Vespoid nest is located beneath the water-fetching cave?" Altaïr asked.
"It's just a possibility. After all, the water in the fetching cave also comes from condensed vapor evaporating from the bedrock's base. Vespoids don't need much water to survive, just a few drops or even moist air would be sufficient."
"What about the hot environment?" Erik kept thinking about this point. "Some academic views suggest high temperatures promote Vespoid reproduction, which is why there are so many in volcanic areas. Perhaps the Queen's mutation is also related to high temperatures?"
"Could it be the Solar Furnace?" Isis muttered. "That place is certainly hot enough, isn't it?"
Altaïr immediately shook his head, "That place is too hot, and it definitely can't be inside the Solar Furnace, otherwise it would have been discovered already. But what about near the Solar Furnace? The heat radiation should be sufficient there."
"Good, let's summarize. Considering food sources, the Bee Hive might be near the beast pen at the mountain's base. Considering water sources, it might be beneath the cave, meaning somewhere between the mountainside and the bedrock's base. Considering temperature, it might be near the Solar Furnace at the bedrock's summit."
Erik's eyes bulged like a dead fish's, "So in conclusion, the Bee Hive could be at the mountain peak, the mountainside, or the mountain base. So what exactly have we analyzed?"
"..." Altaïr and Isis were momentarily speechless.
The Professor reached out and rapped his student heavily on the head, "What are you shouting about? Since we're conducting screening, we naturally need to list as many possibilities as possible first, then gradually eliminate them. If you don't have this much patience, how can you conduct investigations? We'll split up and focus on investigating these three locations: the beast pen, the cave, and the Solar Furnace. This time, don't just bury your head searching for Vespoid traces, ask nearby townspeople and craftsmen more questions. They might know something."
—--
Altaïr rode the Lift alone to the Solar Furnace at the bedrock summit.
Actually, according to his original plan, he wanted to investigate the beast pen at the bedrock's base. The reason was simple, he missed those two woolly camels and thought he could visit them along the way.
Unfortunately, the Professor mercilessly rejected his request.
The old scholar believed that compared to water and temperature, the food clue was more crucial, so he took his student Erik to investigate that personally.
Between the remaining Solar Furnace and water-fetching cave, one hot and glaring, the other cool and refreshing, out of masculine pride, Altaïr voluntarily took on the tough task of investigating the Solar Furnace, leaving the cave investigation to Isis.
But the moment he stepped out of the Lift, he regretted it. I should have flipped a coin with her.
It was high noon, the time of day when the sun's rays were most intense. Even walking directly under the sunlight could be considered torture, let alone approaching the Solar Furnace.
When Altaïr arrived near the Solar Furnace, it was just starting up. The crucible suspended at its core emitted astonishing brightness and intense heat. The radiating waves of scorching heat burned his body, and he could even smell the acrid odor of singed hair. The exposed skin felt as if countless needles were pricking it, a clear symptom of impending heat burns.
Altaïr shielded his eyes with his hand and took a few steps back, beginning to realize something was wrong.
What's going on? When I came here with the Elder last time, the temperature outside the furnace wasn't this extreme!
"Hey!"
A panicked shout reached his ears as a figure cloaked in a dark red mantle came sprinting over. "No protective armor, no Fireproof Mantle, not even wearing goggles! Charging straight to the Solar Furnace like this, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
The person threw another dark red mantle he was carrying onto Altaïr, wrapping it tightly around him while pulling the hood down to cover his eyes and face.
Altaïr immediately felt much better. The dark red mantle blocked most of the radiant heat, and for a moment he even felt a cool relief.
"Come with me!"
The person pulled Altaïr along, quickly running into a small hut constructed from heat-insulating metal and fire-resistant bricks.
Only after the door closed did Altaïr push back his hood. The man before him was a muscular middle-aged Wyverian, evident from his pointed, elongated ears.
The man glared at Altaïr with an angry expression. "Who are you? A tourist? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?
Thankfully the furnace just started up. At full power, the temperature at that spot can exceed seventy degrees! Even if you were wearing armor and wouldn't get seriously burned immediately, your eyes would still be blinded, you know?!"
Though the man's attitude was harsh, Altaïr only felt a wave of fear upon hearing his words, too shaken to care about the tone.
"Sorry..."
"So who are you exactly, and what are you doing here?" the man interrupted him. Having calmed down slightly, he realized that someone wearing full protective gear and carrying a massive Long Sword couldn't be an ordinary tourist.
Unsure where to begin explaining, Altaïr took out the token given to him by the Elder. "I'm a hunter sent to deal with the Vespoid infestation problem."
The man stared at the token, momentarily stunned. "Ah, you're one of those from the Guild headquarters?"
"Yes." Altaïr didn't overexplain, decisively using the Guild's authority. "We've mostly cleared out the wandering Vespoids, but there are still hidden Bee Hives to deal with.
Considering that high temperatures attract Vespoids, the Professor sent me to investigate the Solar Furnace."
Hearing this, the man's angry expression gradually faded. Not just because the Elder had notified them, every resident in town knew about the group from the Guild who had recently helped eliminate the swarming Vespoids.
People had even been discussing how to thank them.
"But that's no reason to charge over to the Solar Furnace without any protection! The Fireproof Mantles and goggles are all hanging on the rack outside the Lift!" The man was no longer furious, but his tone still carried traces of complaint and lingering fear.
Altaïr tugged awkwardly at the corner of his mouth. When he first stepped out of the lift, his mind had been filled with thoughts of woolly camels and whether he should settle things with Isis by flipping a coin.
Plus, during his previous visit with the Elder, while it had been hot near the Solar Furnace, it hadn't been this extreme. He hadn't paid much attention to it then.
Hearing Altaïr's explanation, the man let out a heavy sigh. "Ah! You do realize your last visit was in the morning, don't you? How could the sunlight in the morning possibly compare to that in the afternoon?
The smelting process is different too. Right now, we're in the final refining stage. At full power, the furnace core temperature exceeds three thousand degrees, hot enough to melt even heat-resistant metal. Even the craftsmen in their armor don't dare stay inside the furnace. How could you even think of getting close?"
Altaïr looked utterly speechless, his expression blank. The Elder had indeed warned them about the dangers of the Solar Furnace before, and he'd even made a note of it in his memo.
But he'd forgotten to check the memo. I need to reflect on that.
After thanking and apologizing to the man once more, promising to be more careful in the future, the two continued their conversation.
From what the man said, Altaïr learned that he was actually one of the supervisors in charge of overseeing the Solar Furnace. Intentionally steering the topic, Altaïr brought up Vespoids.
"Do Vespoids ever come around the Solar Furnace?" Hearing Altaïr's question, the Wyverian supervisor widened his eyes. "What kind of question is that–"
Indeed, with temperatures reaching thousands of degrees, what living creature would be foolish enough to come here? Just as Altaïr was thinking this, he heard the supervisor say through gritted teeth:
"Those damn pests love coming here way too much!"