It had already been 2 days since the transformation of the Scout into a Tracker, and in these last days, I dedicated myself solely to the creation of a royal jelly capable of accelerating the growth of the larvae of workers, and in the creation of a large cluster of [Pieces of honey] to feed the soldiers and workers who would be born.
In the meantime, I got 1 level in [Create food] that really scared me because it seems that I would need to create absurd amounts of food to evolve this skill any further.
The boys had built the tanks in the new room and had already filled it, and now they were working on a giant apartment! At least 20X the size of the first room they had made. The new building contained wax pillars and small individual rooms, but what was most striking was its size and shape. The old room was a perfect cube made of wax, but if you weren't looking at the right place, you wouldn't be able to notice it. This new room was rectangular like a building and could literally be seen from very far away, and it wasn't even 20% ready yet! The boys only managed to make the main plans and raise a few pillars.
The eggs had hatched that morning, and all the worker larvae were fed only the special royal jelly. This drastically reduced the maturation time of the workers, and soon, they had all hatched after only a few hours. Now I had a large group of 20 young bees waiting for my words.
All of these bees had unique personalities and seemed as curious as the boys when they hatched. I thought of giving each one a name, but I don't think I'll remember each one, and I don't even know if I have the creativity for it. So, I decided to let the boys choose what to call them.
"All right, everyone! Attention on me!"
Quickly, all the bees that were scattered and inattentive looked at me and waited for my words.
"W-Well, first hello and welcome to the world! I'm your... Mom, and I need you all to help me with the chores. I need most of you to help with the construction, 2 of you to help Ken take care of the infirmary, 2 of you to help Carl with food production, 4 of you to help Matt collect nectar, and 2 of you to help Miles distribute resources around the base!"
"Of course, Mom!"
"Is that it?"
"Can we choose what to do?"
"I'm hungry!"
Everyone had some different opinions, but as always, everyone was more than willing to work and help.
"First, you can choose what you want to do, as long as the numbers I talked about are being met. Second, there's plenty of food right there! You may eat all you want before you begin the work, and lastly, if you don't like the work you are doing, you can exchange with each other to see if you like it, if you have mutual consent."
"Okay!"
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After talking to everyone, I went to the soldiers' eggs. They would hatch in a few hours, and I would feed them the growth jelly. Now that the workers' breeding combs had been vacated, I could raise more soldiers and some scouts, well, that is when Ken finished the "clean up."
In the old days, I used to create the "jars" to create new bees. When the larvae did the metamorphosis, they just created a lid made of silk and then tore the whole jar when they hatched. So, I just needed to take this torn jar and throw it away. But these brood combs were made of [Hard Wax] and couldn't be easily torn. So, when the bees did their metamorphosis, they just tore the lids made of silk and left a dirty brood comb behind.
To reuse the combs, we need to completely remove all the silk. So, Ken would tear off every piece of silk stuck to the combs and then repair them with wax if necessary. The process was easy but extremely time-consuming. It needed about 10 minutes to fully clean each comb, so I would need to wait a while until I could create another drone load.
After the new recruits had finished their meal, they ran outside and huddled around Steve, who was asking each of them what they wanted to do and then directing them in one direction. Soon, all the workers were at work, with most going to help Levi, some going back inside to help Ken, Carl, and Miles, and the rest heading towards some flowers where Matt was.
"How are the new workers, Steve?"
"Mom! Well, they're a little naive, but they're all healthy and enthusiastic!"
"Naive? Why do you say that?"
"I don't know... it just seemed that way to me, but not the kind of naivety of a dumb person, it's more like the kind of childish naivety."
"Hmm, I didn't notice anything wrong with them, but I also only exchanged a few words... I also felt a little bad for not naming them like I did with you guys..."
"We don't need names, Mom! Don't mind that! For me, names are just a pretty little thing. I can always just differentiate them with the link anyway."
"Hmmm... okay, then..."
Steve was right on that point... Even without names, I would never confuse one with the other. Even though they were all physically identical, they were totally different when viewed through the link. Each had a "string" that connected me to them, and the strings had different shapes, colors, textures, smells, and even unique "sounds," as if each link was a unique "code," which cannot be copied. If the workers wanted to tell me that someone inside the hive was doing something wrong, they didn't have to speak verbally and point to someone. They could just "copy" that individual's specific "code" and send me a message that said " individual #34 is acting weird!" and I would know exactly who Individual #34 is and who had sent me the warning!
All this link was impressive. The only problem was that I didn't know how to use it competently. While all the drones I owned could use it with a certain degree of mastery, Hans by far was the best in the matter. I didn't know if it is because when he was born, I had no awareness of this link, so Hans took advantage and created a solid "chain," or if it was just because he was talented. The reality was that everyone born after Hans could only use the link in a reduced version, much worse than Hans, but infinitely better than me.
While Hans could send memories, sensations, and even smells through the link, the workers could only send a few simple sensations such as "danger" or "help" and broken pieces of messages like " red flowers. Trees. Danger. Do not eat," which couldn't really be used masterfully. Once Matt sent me a message that said "Black Stones. Ball. Metal. Danger?". I didn't understand what he meant and sent some tugs to tell him to come back, and when I asked he said:
"AH. I wanted to say that I found another circle with those black stones, and this one had a big strange metal ball with a hole, much like that thing you use to make your potions, so I wanted to know if it was dangerous..."
Probably Matt found a pot? Which was very worrying. Did that mean there was some group of humans around? Unless this pot was left there on purpose by a passing group.
"Thanks for the help, Steve. Keep up the good work!"
"Of course, Mom!"
I wanted to go back to making my potions until the new soldiers were born or until Ken and the others had finished cleaning the breeding combs. But when I got to my "lab," which was nothing more than a fire flower and some ingredients on top of a large branch, I could see the new group of bees removing everything and taking it somewhere else.
"Hello! What are you doing?"
"Mom! Levi asked us to move all these things to one of the bedrooms, so that area would be free for construction!"
"I understand..."
"Mom! One question! Should we move this smelly, jelly thing too?"
"What stinky, slimy thing?"
"That!"
Arriving at the place, I saw the jar where I kept my vigor potion and the dishes that had ingredients such as flower pastes and herbal essence. But in place of the vibrant ingredients of before, there was a potion that looked like Black syrup and black and stinky pastes.
[Description]
[Potion]
A potion that has rotted, tastes horrible, and can cause the effect [Sickness] if consumed
Quality: Rotten
[Description]
[Paste]
A paste that has rotted
Quality: Rotten
[Description]
[Liquid]
A rotten liquid
Quality: Rotten
What the hell! All my hard work went down the drain! Everything rotted! The only thing still good is the oil and a small amount of boggles powder. So, would I need a refrigerator to store these ingredients? How does a bee make a refrigerator?!
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Mom?..."
"Oh, sorry... You can throw that away. Just keep the things that aren't rotten... Can you move that flower?"
"I don't think so... We would need everybody, or Hans' help, or maybe more soldiers!"
"I understand.. then leave her there! When the new building is done, I'm going to ask Levi to build a clay lab."
"All right!"
After everyone left, I started calling myself dumb. It was obvious that these things would rot an hour, so I needed a refrigerator? Or at least a better bottle? After all, they were not sealed. They had only been covered by leaves and stones. But if I had glass jars, could I increase their durability?
Now how does a bee make glass?!
These Fire Flowers didn't heat up enough to melt sand, and I don't think glassblowing is something I can do. Maybe Levi could do something, but with the unconscious fear of fire that I planted in everyone, I doubt they would agree to create a glass furnace.
So what do I do? Is there a replacement for the glass? If I create clay pots? No... I would need a furnace to turn them into ceramics. What if I made [Hard wax] bottles? I am not talented in this art of wax molding, but Levi could create something very good! Then I only need to create some corks made of wood and some "labels" to know what is in each jar.
Thinking about my future plans, I go back inside the nest and go to the nursery, where Ken was yelling at a worker.
"You're an idiot!? I said do it carefully! Now look what you did! You broke another whole unit just because you thought you could get away with ripping it all off at once!
"I-I'm sorry... I thought I could do better..."
"What's going on, Ken?"
"This idiot has already broken 3 whole units because he can't follow simple orders! I have already taught him how to remove the cocoon stuck to the combs correctly, but he insists on trying to speed everything up and ends up breaking everything!"
"I!..."
"Shut up, Psymus!"
Psymus? What kind of name is that? Ken took that from Mumpsimus? Where did Ken get that name?!
"K-Ken.. No need to fight him so much, Psi- ...Simus, he's just too young, give another chance for him..."
"Another chance?! I already gave 3, and he kept insisting on doing shit!"
"All right, let's do this, Simus, you can continue with your "experiments" but if you break a comb, you have to repair it yourself, and if Ken doesn't like the result, you have to undo and redo from scratch. How about it? After all, you never know, right? Simus may end up discovering a new and faster method!"
"Is fine for me! I will do it all over again and again if I have to!"
"Humpf... All right! But only because Mom said so! And don't think that I will accept any comb! If you don't make them perfectly, you will spend your whole life making them again and again!"
"Sure! Thank you very much, Ken. Thank You Very Much, Mom!"
The other worker who came along with Simus did everything very carefully and had an aura similar to Ken, only quieter and more conservative, while Simus himself looked more like a nursing student who thinks he will change the world. Ken seemed to be just waiting for him to fail to step on his will. I didn't know if it was just Ken's cruelty or a way to "teach" him a little thing.
"Ken, when were the new soldiers going to be born?"
"Soon, Mother! Are you going to feed them the jelly that makes them grow really fast?"
"Yes! We still have plenty of it, and if we feed them well, they might even get the effect of -"
Damn... [Well nourished]!
Hans was powerful for sure, but was that on account of [Well nourished]? If these new soldiers didn't get the effect, would they still get the traits like [Super developed] and [Perfect soldier]? If they didn't gain these traits, they would end up being much weaker than Hans! Would they have what? 1/3 of his strength?! I focused so much on creating jelly that could accelerate their growth that I didn't even think about creating a jelly capable of increasing their overall quality!
"Mom?"
"Ken! Excuse me, I need to do something immediately! Keep up the good work and be nice with the newbies!"
"But-"
Leaving everyone behind, I went to the honey tank and tried to create a little jelly to "strengthen" and "nourish." In these last days churning jelly without stopping, I get very good at doing it, and now I have a general idea of how much jelly I can create with my "mental power." In addition to being easier to imbue the effects I want, I even discovered several facts about the jelly. Such as the fact that the simpler the desired effect, the easier it will be to produce the jelly. While unique and "abstract" effects were very dangerous and varied greatly in their creation. I once tried to create a jelly that could "change the color "of anyone who ate it, just to test, and ended up spending all my reserves of "mental power " to create a jelly that could leave the color of my tongue with an aleatory coloring for a few hours.
So from this, I learned, the jam has to be clear and objective, no "cracks," and no room for "however's." Just a path that is not open for interpretations of the system.
'Leave them strong, big, and resilient, no matter how long it takes. The important thing is that they are strong and well-nourished...'
When creating this new jelly, I felt like I was almost going to faint, and I soon realized that I couldn't create more than a single drop for today.
[Description]
[Royal jelly]
Created by a queen bee, this royal jelly is capable of super nourishing any [Larva] of [Bee] type monsters with [Battle] classes and increase a random [Stat] by 5 points.
Quality: Excellent
'Wow! Jelly can also be limited by [Classes]! And these effects are incredible! It seems that the more specific the use of the Jelly, the greater its bonus becomes. So if I were to create a unique jelly for workers, what would the bonus be?'
'The most important thing now... this drop will not feed 4 soldiers! I would need 3 more! I could produce other drops like that, but I don't know if the [Well nourished] effect needs a while to work right... what to do... what to do...'
Looking at the jar full of royal jelly capable of accelerating growth, I thought of mixing the 2 drops. I haven't done it before for fear of creating a useless "amalgam," but if I fed only a soldier, the others would be born weak and small. I wanted to invest in general quality, not in individual quality. So I think I can take that risk. If I ended up disabling this jelly, I would try to create a worse version tomorrow and feed the soldiers with it.
After some thought, I put a good amount of growth jelly, and strengthening jelly, and mixed it all in another pot with a ratio of 3 to 1.
[Description]
[Royal jelly]
Created by a queen bee, this royal jelly is able to nourish any [Larva] of [Bee] type monsters, and accelerate their growth by 50%, limiting to [Battle] classes.
Quality: Good
'Well... it's something, I think... I lost the incredible bonus of 5 extra points, and it is no longer a "super nutritious" food, but it still has a significant bonus. And I can serve some of that to each soldier and then try flooding them with honey or growth jelly, to complete the effect of [Well nourished].'
Wait...
I still have the first jelly I created and other smaller versions. I didn't use any of them until now, so I could try to use them now. After all, if I don't use them, they will rot anyway.
[Description]
[Royal jelly]
Created by a queen bee, this royal jelly is able to super nourish any [Larva] of [Bee] type monsters, and accelerate their growth by 70%, granting 1% increase in a random [Statistic], being limited to [Battle] classes .
Quality: Good
I created a crazy jelly... She can super Nourish, which is nice, but 1% bonus?! That's just for stuffing sausage! And quality dropped to hell! I think that's what happens when you mix jam.
Leaving everything aside, I return to the nursery carrying the jar of special jam.
"Ken! I brought the soldier's jelly!"
"Oh! all right, is that why you just left?"
"Yes! I forgot to make this jam.. I'm not exactly satisfied with the result, but it will have to do for now!"
"All right! Come here the new soldiers will already Hatch and we are all waiting for it!"
"OH! all right!"
When I went to the combs that contained the eggs of soldiers, all the workers stopped what they were doing and came to witness the birth of the soldiers. And soon when the timer reached 0, the eggs began to break and from inside small larvae that ate the Shell and then began to swing in a sign of hunger emerged.
"Quick Ken! Food for them!"
Ken and the other "nurses" soon drank small amounts of the special jelly and then spat into the breeding Combs. And soon, all the soldiers began to eat furiously as if there was no tomorrow. And when the jar of jelly was emptied, the soldier larvae were visibly not satisfied.
"He he, the relentless hunger of a soldier... reminds me of Hans... at least they're not on the effect of [Dying of hunger]. I think it's because they've just been born."
"What should we give them, mother? The jam in the other jar?"
"Yes, you can use it. If it's not enough, you can use honey. I was wanting to do another wave of soldiers and scouts. Do you think we can start?"
"Yes! We only have 15 breeding combs available because someone broke some of them, but we can use the ones that are already clean!"
"All right, so 10 soldiers and 5 Scouts? Or 5 soldiers and 10 scouts? What do you think?"
"I think it's going to be very difficult to feed 10 hungry soldiers..."
"It is.. you're right then 10 scouts and 5 soldiers, and speaking of scouts, how's the tracker?"
"Soon he will emerge mother! He has already begun to weave his cocoon! I think by the end of the day, he had hatched!"
"Great!"
Moving away a little, I go to a clean area and start creating the eggs of the new drones. I'm already getting used to the feeling. It's very light, and it didn't even feel like a real birth. I think if it were as painful as those of humans, I wouldn't have created any of these eggs.
After laying the last Scout egg, I'm bombarded again by the system that gives me another problem to solve.
[Warning]
The [Egg laying] skill has reached Lv3! You have unlocked the new laying option to choose.
{Laying options}
[Bee Silk Larva]
A bee larva, which spends all his life in larval form, only producing silk of the highest quality
[Nurse Bee]
Nurse bees can grant breeding, feeding, and care bonus to other members of the colony.
[Beacon bee]
Beacon bees can serve as transmitters and receivers of the [Link] and serve as the last barrier against mental attacks.
[Royal Cooks bee]
Royal cooks are the only workers capable of producing [Royal jelly] other than the queen bee.
[Saw bee]
Saw bees, are able to cut through hard and resistant materials, as well serve as effective defenders.
[Warning]
You can choose 2 new posture potions
Damn it!, these options look amazing how come I can choose only 2?!