POBee 155.3 - Experimental Bee-sults
Belissar watched as the karnuq hunters took turns at the Shrine of Bees. The shrine glowed bright for each one and Belissar noticed the hunters’ mana grow stronger. It seemed that this indeed was the way forward for the karnuq to receive blessings, which in turn would progress one of his longest-running missions.
He considered how else he might help them. He recalled Chief Rohsuak and Juosiutik both mention that mana-infused food, like his bees’ mana honey, would promote the growth of mana in those who ate it. Maybe he should start giving the karnuq more honey?
On the other hand, they would naturally gain access to more as he taught them beekeeping and invited hunters who fought in purifications to the post-battle celebrations, so perhaps things were fine as they were now. In any case, it was time for the celebration, so Belissar put those thoughts to the side and started to bring out the honey these hunters had earned.
It would turn out, however, that the karnuq were not the only ones growing…
A worker covered in small, glowing specks of mana flower pollen landed on a water lotus, careful not to fall into the water. After drinking some nectar and flying off, the center of the lotus began to glow faintly…
A gardener landed on the flax flower, dusting her legs to brush off the glowing pollen. The workers didn’t like to visit this one. It produced less nectar than other flowers, its nectar had no particular features of note, its pollen was heavy and hard to carry, and its delicate petals that couldn’t support much weight made nectar collection difficult.
So, the gardener took it upon herself to see that these flowers were properly cross-pollinated, allowing the workers to focus on more productive flowers. She brushed her antennae up and down the stem of the flower, mingling her mana into the trace amounts flowing through the mundane plant. If her observations were accurate…the flowers were nearly ready to produce seeds. She’d find out in the next day or two if her efforts would be rewarded…
In the Dirt Tunnels of the Fourth Floor, a digging worker flew through pitch-black tunnels. She could send out small pulses of mana through the air to identify her immediate surroundings, and landed at regular intervals to send longer ranged pulses through the ground. As such, she had no issue navigating without her sight.
And then, finally, she found her target. Vines growing along the floor of the tunnels, melding into the darkness to hide from sight. But practically shining bright to her mana pulses given the density of their own mana…especially within their flowers. She landed on the closest flower and found it gushing with nectar for its first ever visitor.