I put my only attribute point into endurance, and was immediately shown a new window.
〔For improving endurance, you have a choice of next genes: 'Increased Lifespan I', 'Deeper Breathing', and 'Fat Padding'.〕
〔Increased Lifespan I: +30 days to lifespan.〕
〔Deeper Breathing: increases stamina recovery and amount of time the owner can spend without breathing by 20%.〕
〔Fat Padding: allows to accumulate fat padding by overeating, which slightly increases defense and maximum health.〕
Genes. They would pass to Ambrosia and to my offspring, increasing the colony's development. The stronger I will become, the stronger my progeny will become! I had to think about my daughters. My… thousands upon thousands of daughters…
God, it was still daunting.
I wanted myself *and* my children to live longer, of course, so I chose 'Increased Lifespan I'. It was just what I wanted—a bit more of life—but there were tears in my eyes as I pressed the buttons.
'30 days… it only gave me 30 days… And a point of maximum stamina from the endurance. 30 days...'
I wiped my eyes and sniffed. I was so tired and hungry after all this work… and for what?
"Let's go home, girls."
***
Flying up with a hammer in my arms was three times harder than flying down without a haul. My stamina dwindled by a minute, but the flight ended before my stamina did.
When I reached the hive entrance, I saw a group of Forager Bees watching a dancing Forager. It was a simple dance, with a lot of twirling in circles and a few small hops into the air.
"Oh, does this bee point at sources of food? A bee dance?" I pointed at the dancing bee.
One of my Foragers nodded.
"Yeah. I didn't think that Drones knew this."
"Food… We have that in the hive to eat, right? Show me where guys like me even get food from here, girls."
"Yeah, I'm hungry, too. Let's go to the storage!"
"To the storage!"
"Food time!"
Well, if the Forager Trio was still guarding and guiding me, I was fine with that.
I hurried after the Forager Trio, who had already almost disappeared inside the hive.
There weren't just two, but a dozen of honeycomb walls inside the hive, stretching between the floor and the ceiling of the cave.
The Foragers flew straight to an area of honeycombs that definitely smelled tastier than all the others. More bees were coming and going—some bringing food to the storage, others feeding.
I clung to the nearby wall, and the Foragers gathered near me. One poked a hole in a cell and began slurping on the nectar flowing from it.
"So anyone can come and take food from here?" I asked.
"Yeah!" another Forager said, copying her brethren.
"Uh… So you don't check how much is left, or how much everybody takes?"
"Nah!"
They were so unconcerned with this… They just went and ate freely. There was no organization at all! If I didn't have a system to tell me how much food was left in the colony, I wouldn't know anything.
I sighed, then went to slurp on some nectar, too, polishing it with some pollen from another cell.
Delicious!
'I really have to do some basic organizing. This all is so ineffective. Maybe I can live like a king, too—after I build a civilization here.'
After we all ate and drank, I turned to my Foragers, feeling much better than before.
"I'm going to show the hammers to Ambrosia—the Queen, I mean. Are you with me?"
They hesitated for a moment, then began nodding.
"Sure!"
"She told us to follow you, Drone!"
"Let's go!"
I was afraid I wouldn't find Ambrosia's royal chambers again—the hive looked so uniform that it was hard to navigate. But I soon noticed a familiar scent in the air—the pleasant and arousing scent of Ambrosia's skin.
It was always there, I realized—but before I had a hard time finding it in the mix of all other smells. Now my brain has adjusted. It seemed I had a pretty good sense of smell in those antennae on my head!
I got to Ambrosia's chamber in no time. She was inside—I could smell her.
'At least *she* must understand the wonders of technology!'
The Queen Attendants weren't preventing me or the Foragers from entering Ambrosia's room.
Inside, she was sitting on the ground. Her stomach and bee abdomen were much larger than I remembered them being. It was hard to not pay attention to.
She was pregnant! With my eggs! And she looked halfway to giving birth!
But technology was more important.
"Drone, you have returned alive. Good," she greeted me. "What's with all this garbage you are carrying? Was this why you were outside, risking your life?"
"G-garbage? It's great stuff! Clothing and a hammer!" I turned to Foragers to support. "Tell her, girls!"
"We were attacked by a small hunter, Queen!"
"But a hammer smashed its head to death!"
"That was very wow!"
"A lot of smack!"
I scratched my neck bashfully.
"Hey, you helped, too, Foragers! You were about to sacrifice your lives for me. But!" I raised the hammer in my hands triumphantly. "Amby, they didn't have to, because they had this. And if more bees will have hammers, they won't have to die in fights, either."
Ambrosia tilted her head with interest.
"You even killed a small hunter. So you aren't entirely stingless, Drone… And what about the leaves over your waist?"
"This is clothing. To protect my most important parts, you know?" I wiggled my eyebrows.
She nodded with utmost seriousness.
"Yes, keep your seed protected. Although leaves won't protect it from much…"
I sighed.
"Yeah, I wish I had actual *pants*. Anyway—focus on the hammers, alright? You understand how cool they are now? We should make a lot of those and give them to the bees."
Ambrosia nodded.
"And you can make them from forest garbage?"
"Yeah… I can even teach others. I *hope*. At least the next generation of bees, because I don't believe in the brains of these ones. Will you let me?"
This was it—the moment of truth. Would Ambrosia care about my suggestions, or just lock me away in the end?
"Very well, Drone. Do it!"