Chapter 220: Chapter 220
Without delay, Belissar opened the reward.
Please select a perk:
- Bee-Type Speed Boost (Small) (Rarity: Uncommon)
- Bee Breeder (Rarity: Uncommon)
- Swarming Soldiers (Rarity: Uncommon)
His eyes widened. All uncommons this time? That was a god’s reward, no doubt. After just a second staring at the list without a single common, Belissar started to read out the descriptions.
Bee-Type Speed Boost (Small)
- All Bee-type monsters receive a small boost to speed
- May affect Bee-type rooms and features where relevant
“All of them! Any! Amazing, incredible!”
Belissar chuckled as he turned to the karnuq. Most of them were staring blankly or furrowing their brow. Chief Rohsuak made a wry smile and shrugged while Metsaitti rubbed his chin. He slowly lifted his head to make eye contact with Belissar.
“All of them have their use but…Sacred Den Master, from what I have seen, you prefer to minimize casualties, correct?”
Metsaitti crossed his arms as he nodded.
“In that case, it may be wiser to strengthen your army than to expand it. Though, I speak only as a warrior, so I cannot tell you which will make your Sacred Den strongest overall.”
Belissar nodded and hummed to himself. Metsaitti had a point. A general speed boost would make it easier for his bees to dodge attacks. A boost to every stat for soldiers would correspondingly help in every way, making it easier to dodge attacks, easier to survive getting hit, and easier to defeat the enemy before they attacked in the first place. Bee Breeder, on the other hand, gave him more bees, but didn’t make the individual bees any more resilient. It could be useful for overwhelming the enemy and absorbing casualties…but only if Belissar was willing to take casualties in the first place. More powerful bees also meant he could tackle more purifications and expansions, acquiring more floors and choices in the process.
Though, Metsaitti did say he was thinking as a warrior. If Belissar tried not to think like a warrior…that would be thinking more like the First of the Fifth than the battle meadow queens? More bees not only meant more soldiers, but more workers and gardeners as well. More workers and gardeners would mean more honey. More honey would in turn mean even more bees. And not just more soldiers, more honey could allow the army to evolve more sprayers and lancers or could let the bumblebee queens raise more of their larger soldiers.
Bee breeders would also help regarding new bees and flowers. More workers and gardeners would boost cross-pollination, meaning more and new kinds of flowers as well and faster spreading flowers. And bee breeders would directly help new queens set up their hives, with implications when new types of bees arose. For example, the Tower Guard had marched right through the Dirt Tunnels unopposed because the regular soldier bee army couldn’t fight there either. If, however, the digging queen had expanded their hives and accumulated a decent batch of soldiers, Belissar could have attacked the Tower Guard while the wyverns were unable to fly at all. Or if the burning queen had an army of her own, then he could have considered fighting in the Lava Field and letting the mini-volcano do some of the work for the bees.
Belissar frowned. This time, he wanted all the options and so had a hard time deciding which. Did he want to make the bee army stronger directly? Or did he want to focus on aspects of his Tower besides fighting? And how should he pick when one would help the other as well?
He felt Niobee land on his head.
Belissar glanced up at her and smiled. Indeed, there was one other bee who hadn’t spoken yet.
“What do you think, Niobee?”
“Whatever King chooses!”
“And if you were choosing?”
Niobee paused and her dancing slowed.
“Please, I’d like to know what you think.”
Niobee fell still. Then, slowly, she started to tap out unsteady steps.
“If Niobee chose…Niobee wants stronger bees. Need to sting enemies without losing bees. Won’t let anyone hurt King again.”
Belissar’s mouth curled up a bit. Niobee…had a bit of an aggressive streak, didn’t she? He reached up and brushed her back.
“And I won’t let anyone hurt the bees.”
Belissar made his choice.
Swarming Soldiers selected.
He decided that the brave soldier bees deserved the boost. Time after time again they risked and sometimes gave their lives to protect him and all the other bees behind them. He would not forget them or all that they had done, even if lancers could pierce their foes, sprayers could attack at a distance, or the karnuq could hold the line in their place.