Chapter 177: Chapter 177

Down in the Underway, just past the rot cap field in a tunnel with no light, two pairs of eyes lit up in the dark, barely reflecting the faintest hints of light. A soft voice drifted on the air, a faint whisp that would not be heard over the rustling of the stink bugs in the field beyond.

“Are you certain this is the place?”

“And you’re certain you saw people here? Not just another cave bear, right?”

There was a low growl.

“You think I would mistake an entire hunting band? That I’d just make that up? They were here. That’s a fact. Look, the stink bug numbers still haven’t recovered.”

The first voice gained volume, letting a sigh pierce the quiet.

“So? A cave bear could’ve done that too. And it’s been days and we haven’t seen any sign of anything but stink bugs here.”

The second voice hissed.

Well, such questions, no matter how she answered them, would not improve her hive, so she continued crawling, arriving at the worker cells. She turned to face her daughter, who was still watching her with concern. ℟𝔞ŊȰВËṢ

“I think…should be patient. Army still too weak but…King trusts to grow. Wants to grow. So should do what can now and trust King to help.”

Yes, that was her conclusion. She knew from the failure with the bird-shade that the King was not going to abandon or replace them. That was not his way. She knew from the new strength she now felt in her legs that the King planned to continue growing them. In fact…she may have been looking at this wrong from the start. It had been the King who had given them soldiers, sprayers, and lancers in the first place. The army was, therefore, not something they build for the King, but something they built with the King. It was as much his efforts as theirs, if not more.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and Read the latest chapters on NovelHub - completely free! She knew that in time the King would provide them with new options himself. What the army needed to do was make the most of what the King gave them, and ensure they were prepared when new options came. They needed to trust in the King’s design. They needed to consider themselves as a part of the greater hive of hives.

Her daughter danced a salute.

“Ok, what can do now? More lancers? More soldiers?”

But the Firstborn danced the negative.

And then Firstborn began to lay some new worker eggs…and then gathered together her oldest and most experienced foragers, who crawled into glowing cells packed with honey. Her daughter saluted and followed suit with her own workers.

The Firstborn had originally planned to raise more lancers…but had changed her mind. The mana of the realm did more than strengthen her muscles, it had carried knowledge that one of the latest bee types had been improved. A bee type that she had thought intended for the Apiary queens, a worker evolution focused on foraging rather than fighting. Something that would help the Bee Barracks as well but would require them to cease raising soldiers while their limited foragers took the time to evolve. So, something the Flower Meadow queens had not gotten around to yet.

But now the Firstborn had decided to adjust her priorities. The honey to evolve a single lancer could not only evolve several gardeners; the remainder could also serve as a stockpile that would cover the hive while its most productive foragers rested in their cells. Taking this step now would improve their honey production, not only allowing them to afford more lancers and other soldier types, but to have the extra honey necessary if and when the King provided them with new options. While the hive of hives would Read the latest chapters on NovelHub - completely free!

Additionally, this new bee not only improved foraging, they would also improve the health of the flowers themselves…and would now work to spread the flowers as well. New mana flowers were obviously useful to improve honey production, but that was not the Firstborn’s only thought. If she considered herself as part of the greater hive of hives, the soldier bee army as just one part of the King’s design, then she should consider her surroundings as well, and the King’s other efforts to defend the hive of hives. The great chasms and fire sticks, the underground tunnels that bought time, and the honey sprayers could all be considered part of the army in that manner.

And then…there were the plants. On the palisade outside of the Bee Barracks grew vine covered in sharp thorns. Further on in the Flower Meadow was a flower her foragers didn’t like to gather from. They said it disrupted their flight and was difficult to approach. One moment, it would randomly make them heavier, forcing them to fly with all their might not to crash into the ground. The next, it would make them even lighter than usual, causing them fly above and beyond their target. It was therefore not very popular among the Flower Meadow’s foragers, despite its high mana-density.