The next day, Belissar sent off Chief Rohsuak to inform the sigmaka that the fair folk wished to send them a delegation and to discuss extending defenses across their land. She would also ask them how they wanted to receive the delegation if they chose to negotiate, as Belissar would likely need to prepare a location if the sigmaka didn’t want the negotiators in their home. If they chose to meet at the borders of their territory in the Underway like when they first negotiated with Belissar, for example, then Belissar would need to set up defenses in the Underway given the threat of more spiderkin appearing.
But both the signatories and Chief Rohsuak predicted that the sigmaka would need some time before they decided how to respond, so Belissar’s work on that task would have to wait for their reply. And, finally, the signatories did not have anything else to discuss in the meantime, so Belissar was free to stay in and work on his Tower.
The bees were doing their best and evolving all new bees all on their own. Belissar walked around to check on them regardless, but they seemed to have things well under control. The ash bees were now working with the gardeners to improve soil fertility across his Tower, the Fourth of the Fifth and Fourth of the Seventh’s hives were now working together to raise a tunneling nomadic bee broodmother, and the drones were trying their hardest to evolve soon.
Belissar did find something he could help with, though. He stood before the First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter.
“So, you want to move your hive to the Floating Isles? It’ll be safe for your hive and your brood, right?”
The First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter’s antennae drooped but she managed to dance out a reply.
“Should be…workers fine. Can stop rocks from crashing…think…”
Belissar quickly smiled to reassure the queen. The gravity queen’s workers had fully scouted and acclimated to the Floating Isles now, apparently they liked the room so much they were commuting there to forage rather than gathering from their home Apiary’s flowers. Belissar had been concerned that the floating islands’ movements might threaten a beehouse if they crashed into one another, but if the gravity queen said it would be fine then he would believe her.
“Got it. Where should we move your hive, then? And do you want another underground hive one or is there something else you would want? Let me know if there’s any way we could improve the design.”
The First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter paused as queens usually did whenever Belissar surprised them with his support. Belissar just waited calmly until she burst out into frantic dance, stumbling over her first step.
“N-No, King’s hives best hives! Hive already good enough, don’t need change!”
Belissar just smiled at her as Niobee swooped in to calm the queen down, as he now relied on for her to do.
“King! First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter says hive design is good, just wants move to flying rock! Gravity hive can move rock so will be fine!”
Belissar blinked for a second before grinning. The gravity bees would be able to move an entire island? That was something he looked forward to witnessing.
“Sounds good to me, I can move your hive as is then. Could you prepare your hive to move?”
After the First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter gathered her workers back to her hive, Belissar picked up and moved the Tower feature over to the Floating Islands, to one of the islands that her scouts had selected. A medium-sized island by Belissar’s perception, larger than a boulder but not big enough for more than a single tree or two. The First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter’s beehouse was a subterranean design with a stone face in order to prevent her hives gravity mana from unintentionally lifting it off the ground, so Belissar was able to place it right within the interior of the chosen island, its carved front settling into the rock face of the island.
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The First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter peeked her head out once Belissar informed her the move was done…and began stumbling around.
“A-Amazing, incredible…will work hard for King!”
Belissar himself was still in the Apiary so he used his Tower messages to respond.
“I know you will. Please, enjoy the room, and let me know if there’s any way to improve the beehouse.”
Belissar treated himself to the sight of the gravity bees adjusting to their new home. A swarm of gravity bee workers hovered and zipped around the island that held their hive, reorienting themselves so they could find their way home later. The gravity bees barely even had to beat their wings to fly around in the room, taking advantage of all the gravity mana to float as they pleased. Belissar could even see gravity mana start to emanate out from the hive, halting the island’s movement for a moment and drawing the workers around to land on its surface. The workers then began shooting off the island, using the mana to accelerate up to full speed in an instant.
Belissar was incredibly pleased. The Floating Isles would now allow the gravity bees to grow faster and happier than ever before. Additionally…he could see much potential for a Floating Isles defense in the near future. Gravity bee soldiers and lancers would be quite the sight to see if they could use the room’s mana like their worker sisters did to propel themselves at will. And better still…the gravity bees could control the islands enough to prevent their hive from crashing…so they could definitely do the opposite and send islands crashing down into an invader.
There was only a few gravity soldiers at the moment, but Belissar would think about adding a defense Floating Isles as soon as the First of the Fifth’s Sixth Daughter expanded a bit. For now, though, he had other business to attend to. Other business that had been delayed far too long.
He returned to the Apiary farmhouse and checked upon his honey stores. He smiled at the stacks of glistening honeycomb, made of all sorts and kinds of honey. He grinned as he checked one group in particular…the growing stockpile from the First of the Fifth’s own hive. The stockpile of swirled honey…which was now enough for Belissar to attempt making swirled mead.
Belissar hummed to himself as he set up a jar for a swirled honey fermenting attempt. He also went ahead and did the same with other types of honey he had available. He had no idea what kind of mead breeze bee honey would produce, but he was excited to find out! Or shocking honey from the Fourth of the Eighth’s hive! Or the shining honey that lit up the room, or the blinding honey that appeared pitch black! Belissar had so many recipes to attempt…and only more in his future as new bee types scaled up their hives enough to begin offering honey to him. Belissar, in his mead-experiment frenzy, even set up a jar full of toxic bee honey! He had absolutely no idea what he’d do with toxic mead even if it successfully fermented, but he was too curious not to give it an attempt!
Once the farmhouse was full of jars, Belissar then checked on the previous batches…and froze. He found over ten jars full of burning mead…all done and ready to go. He started to sweat and quickly began gathering them up.
With all the meetings and missions from different gods…he had nearly forgotten that he had two missions from the God of Fire, one of which he was unknowingly ready to fulfill. He could only hope the God of Fire was not upset…and get these jars to the nearest shrine as soon as possible.
Belissar all but ran back and forth between the Apiary and one of the Lava Fields, carrying several jars at a time with each trip. In short order, he had ten jars gathered together in front of a shrine with one of the God of Fire’s braziers.
“Thank you for all your blessings and your help. Here is some mead for you as you requested. Sorry about the delay, I’ll make sure I do better next time.”
With that, Belissar placed the first jar in the brazier…and a massive column of fire immediately burst from the brazier and pierced the sky. Belissar fell backwards…but the blaze did not burn him, so he quickly gathered himself and starting tossing the jars into the fire. The column only burned higher and brighter with each jar, Belissar couldn’t even look directly at it by the time he reached the last jar. He had to throw the jar from a distance as the heat grew too great for him to approach.
Mission: Offer ten jars of mead made with Fire-type honey to the God of Fire completed!
Reward: Fire-type perk choice ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI~Fire.net
Additional reward granted for: The God of Fire’s compliments for the mead!
Reward: Fire-type room choice
Fortunately, it seemed the God of Fire was not upset in the slightest.