The Inn of Coming Wealth - 28

Aso squatted by the vegetable patch, watching the bees flit between the butterfly ginger and lemon balm. Wu Xuan's voice came from inside her ear: "Detected six new biological frequencies. Three of them have no corresponding records in the local ecosystem." Aso didn't turn around. "Where did those three come from?" "Cannot confirm. But their frequencies partially overlap with the inn's resonance layer." Aso was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Then let them stay." After that, the ecosystem in the backyard began to change quietly. The scent of the butterfly ginger became more delicate—not stronger, but 'softer,' as if a layer of invisible fuzz had been added. The lemon balm leaves also became thicker than before, their edges glowing faintly, as if lightly polished by something. One evening, a young traveler walked into the inn, saying he smelled a fragrance as he passed by—not wafting from the kitchen, but circling above the inn's roof. "It's like... many flowers saying 'good' all at once," he said. Shopkeeper Jin was wiping the counter. After hearing this, he stopped and didn't reply. He walked into the backyard and stood by the vegetable patch. The pale purple insects were still flying, their colors a shade deeper than last week, their wings shimmering with a very faint golden luster in the sunset. He squatted down and spoke to one of them, "If you want to stay, don't cause trouble." The insect didn't respond, but their flight paths all shifted slightly at that moment, as if nodding.