Chapter 163: Bee-suming Expansion
Belissar practiced his magic until it was time for the next purification. There were two small bird shades this time, but karnuq archers took down one in the tunnels and the bee army surrounded and dealt with the other when it reached the Flower Meadow.
The next morning Belissar practiced his magic again, seeing if he could replicate the healing herb honey without actually drinking said honey. It took him a couple of tries but eventually he got it right. Now, he’d be much more helpful when trying to save wounded bees.
It still wouldn’t help much in battle, but it was a step in the right direction. More than one right step, even, as Belissar felt that imagining his mana as a swarm of bees just…fit better, for lack of a more descriptive explanation. Like that was the right way to grow further in his magic.
After that, Belissar popped over to the karnuq floor to greet the newest queen. He introduced the newly born Second of the Ninth to Velebee, gave the new queen her instructions, and then headed over to the budding karnuq Apiary. The aspiring beekeepers all watched the Second of the Ninth intently as she examined their latest work, while Belissar took the one successful beekeeper over to the First of the Ninth’s hive.
“Regular bees normally need a few days to start hatching, but monster bees do so overnight, so we should be able to check the hive now.”
The karnuq’s eyes sparkled as they walked over to the hive, noting worker bees already conducting their orientation flights to memorize the way home. Belissar lifted the roof and pulled out one of the trays.
“Here, you can see some of the brood cells. We mostly let the bees do their thing, but there are some things you should take note of. Look closely for any signs of parasites or intruders, or for eggs that seem too small for their cells. Or if you see them building a bigger cell outside of the normal comb, that normally means their raising a new queen and getting ready to split…”
Belissar had taught all the aspiring beekeepers this before, but reviewed with the new beekeeper now that she had a hive of her own. He then instructed her to wait a few days before attempting to gather honey. Well, technically the beehive feature was making honey on its own that she could have taken, but Belissar felt it better to let the bees use that honey to kickstart the growth of the hive.
He heard another karnuq cheer as the Second of the Ninth chose her home. He congratulated the new beekeeper and promised to teach him everything he taught the first once his hive raised its first workers. He then wrapped up the lesson with some feedback for the beehouses that weren’t chosen, and went on his way.