No, I had to think about my daughters!
How would they fare with those unpredictable mutations? What if they got sothing unwieldy or even detrintal, like dense bones that made them fly too slow? What if their sisters mocked them for being ugly?
Although, my daughters were all very nice to each other, and any serious bullying was unheard of. But what if?!
"No, we won't have *just* 200 useful bees. *Every* bee will be useful! And more protected," I declared, picking the 'Thick Skin' upgrade.
I had two more points left, and there was another attribute I was curious about. My Advisers were just as curious about it.
"If you are really luckier than usual on the first try, then this should be very worthwhile," Ambrosia comnted.
〔For improving perception, you have a choice of next genes: 'Magnetic Field Perception I', 'Olfactory Perception V', and 'Adjacent Pheromone Detection:'.〕
〔Magnetic Field Perception I: gives a weak sense of magnetic fields.〕
〔Olfactory Perception V: improves the sense of sll by 20% compared to the previous tier.〕
〔Adjacent Pheromone Detection: allows finding and deciphering pheromones of other species of bees, wasps, hornets, bumblebees and ants.〕
'Adjacent Pheromone Detection' was a prerequisite for 'Adjacent Language Understanding'. Which would've been an interesting gene if, first, I got it at all, and second, if other insects didn't have an average of 3 intelligence.
'Magnetic Field Perception' was a prerequisite for 'Electric Fields Perception'. The stuff that sharks had… I wasn't sure if it would be any useful out of the water.
As for being able to sense magnetic fields—so far, my daughters could orient themselves well just by the sun alone.
"I'd rather invent a compass than waste attribute points on that," I said. "And before you ask, Researchina, we don't have the materials for it yet."
"Oh, but that last gene would help us a lot to find and eradicate ants and wasps in our territory, Father! Their burrows can be hard to find, but if we can just follow their pheromone trails, it will be like smashing a skull with a hamr!" Bloodhero exclaid after I told everybody the setup.
I frowned.
"But what about afterward? After we deal with them? It will beco useless."
"I don't think we will *ever* fully deal with them," Workharder said darkly. "Commandos constantly destroy wasp nests, but there are always more of their ugly mugs! If we could eradicate them all, the productivity of Foragers and Material Foragers would definitely increase, Father! Although a better sense of sll will help us find new flowers, too."
"Pheromones are a short-term improvent. A sense of sll is a long-term improvent. But it will help in the short term, too, so it's balanced. Balanced options are the best," Researchina said.
"I can't argue here."
Amby silently shook her head in disagreent, but didn't comnt further when I took the 'Olfactory Perception V' gene.
The difference was imdiate. Every scent my antennae felt beca brighter, and I even could discern differences in slls of my daughters!
Before, whenever Amby was near, her sll overshadowed everything. anwhile, my daughters all looked and slled the sa. Now I could not just see the differences in their clothing, but also the small scents they carried.
Tabletina slled of blood and plants; Things-Things of wood and tanned leather; Bloodhero of bone dust; Workharder of honey and pollen; Researchina of clay and dirt.
"Father?" Tabletina asked. "What about the last point?"
I stopped waving my antennae at them and cleared my throat.
"Ah, yeah. Yeah. I will just drop it into endurance—we have lots of it, but I wonder if I will get any good genes from this pool."
〔Efficient Flight I: reduces stamina cost of flying by 10%.〕
〔Slow-Twitch Muscles: increases maximum stamina by 20%.〕
〔Improved tabolism I: reduces need for food by 5%.〕
"I feel like I shouldn't sleep on the last one this ti," I said. "721 thousand bees eat like… 721 thousand bees!"
Workharder nodded.
"This is true, Father. Our supplies have been growing, but too slowly! Of course, this is nothing more Foren, Foragers and Hunters can't deal with—but we can gather all that food faster if we need to eat less!"
This was true—by my best estimate, we produced just barely enough food to make supplies. A lot of this was because the populace of the sub-hives was just not as competent as that in Hive Supremo. But what could I do?
At least improve their genes for the future.
"Either way, it will take a long ti until bees with these genes beco a majority of the populace. I an, that's a good thing! My girls have been living longer and longer! But wouldn't it be nice to just *snap*," I snapped my fingers, "and transfer my genes to everybody in the Empire? Right now, I feel like with each gene I'm building a noble caste that will be leagues away from the common bees of the Empire. And I'm already a feudal…"
As I spoke, I picked the 'Improved tabolism I' upgrade—and as soon as I did, the system spooked again.
〔Morphotype Pheromones: allows releasing pheromones that induce morphotype developnt in larvae.〕
'Wait, 25 already? But I'm only at developnt level 5. Ah, right—I got so free attribute points early on from the achievents! Damn, this is cool. A new feature! Morphotypes—what's that and how does it work, system? No, wait… System, are you calling retarded?!'
Was it bullshitting ? Or…
"Father? Why is your face scrunched like that?" Things-Things asked.
"Ssssh, girls! Your father is thinking really hard. Your father had an epiphany. I an, an achievent. System stuff, alright?"
Things-Things made wide eyes and quietly nodded.
The robotic voice of the system… It really had no emotion. The system was just a divine AI or sothing… It was *Goddess of Bees* who was calling retarded!
What a bitch. Can't even make normal achievent nas.
'Yes, tell already!'
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