The next day, every bee was a busy one. Even more than usual.
Since there were not enough smart bees in the subjugated hives to purge them, the Great Purge had to be done in stages. At least parasites were much easier to stop than viruses and bacteria.
The Material Foragers and Hunters sent to search for mites inside larvae cells quickly returned with the first results.
Fat and disgusting varroa mites were hiding at the bottom of several larvae cells, hiding under the larvae themselves and the stores of their food.
Mites were found on sick bees in the quarantine village, too. Like I guessed, they hid on bees' tails, usually at the bottom. With their small size, they could crawl between chitin plates, and their back fur blended with that of bees.
At most, the bee felt slight discomfort there, but it wasn't out of the ordinary. Like a creak in your neck after sleeping on the wrong side of a pillow.
Varroa mites were unnoticeable until you knew what to look for. Even if you did, you had to search for them by touch.
But after their hiding places were found, my Advisers rapidly spread the news of that through the Hive Supremo and sent ssengers to Hive Hornets' Nest with instructions.
By noon, Nurse Bees in both hives scoured every larvae cell, finding and killing countless mites. So were taken to Tabletina for research, but most were disposed of like the garbage they were.
By evening, I ca to visit the quarantine village again. Both to check the progress in dealing with the mites, and to see Worriesgone again.
Jellia-14 t outside my poor girl's room.
"Father! Are you here to see Worriesgone again? She's asleep now, but you can still visit her, if you want," she whispered, smiling at .
"Yes… How is she?"
"Oh, she has been doing a little better than yesterday, Father! One of Lieutenant Tabletina's people found a dicinal herb in the archives, one that helps with coughs like hers. I've been giving it to her with honey, as instructed, and it already seems to work."
I exhaled with great relief.
The 'dicinal Plants' research wasn't done too late!
"This is amazing. Let just peek at her, alright?.."
I raised the leather "door" in the room and looked through. Although the overall picture didn't change since my last visit, the difference was clear to my system-enhanced eye.
〔Nurse Bee〕 〔Ally〕 〔Progeny〕
〔Na〕: Worriesgone
〔Health〕: 8 / 22
〔Stamina〕: 3 / 21
Indeed, her health and stamina were already higher than yesterday, even if just by 1 point. I hoped this ant she would make a full recovery soon.
"Tell her I wished her well when she wakes up, Jellia-14," I said, letting the curtain-door fall back and stepping away from the door.
Jellia-14 nodded, following down the hallway.
"Yes, Father. It's so unfair that she got sick now, when you discovered the cure for the Paleness! The varroa destructors, I an. Those vile things…" Jellia-14 clenched her fists. "I want to spend my entire life killing them, and it won't be enough!"
My eyes widened.
'Oh no, now even Nurse Bees, my most gentle daughters, are feeling murderous?! Where is this society going like that?'
To my relief, Jellia-14 quickly cald down and returned to being a model picture of a Nurse Bee—gentle, caring, smiling. A mont later, she looked away from sheepishly.
"But watching all those sick bees made think, Father… I don't want to leave them in the care of so other Nurse Bees who don't know them as well as I do, or know the healing procedures taught to by Researcher Bees."
I blinked.
"Is that a problem? Don't leave them, then. Even after we deal with varroa mites, there are always sick bees in the hospital to care for. As sad as it is, you won't be out of job opportunities, Jellia-14."
She gasped, flailing her arms.
"But Father! I'm almost old enough to beco a builder bee! Soon, my body will stop making royal jelly! How can I be a Nurse Bee, then?"
I eyed her thoughtfully.
Jellia-14 just pointed out a major flaw of bee society as it was.
Specialist bees, who had to go through training to get their positions, carried their titles and jobs until the end of their lives. That, or until they were given an order to change their jobs. There wasn't much horizontal mobility, but nobody complained so far…
'And if nobody complains, I can leave spreading liberal values and individualism to later. Much, much later!'
However, non-specialists, which included Cleaning Bees, Nurse Bees, Queen Attendants, Builder Bees and Forager Bees, mostly just followed their instincts. They needed no education and changed their position as their instincts and maturity dictated.
But as Jellia-14 pointed out, as the Bee Empire developed, even non-specialists needed education now.
'The entire system will have to be revamped. The general workers pool, then the jobs for both specialists and non-specialists… It's against their instincts, but bees go through the school already. I can even change the curriculum, add job orientation to it…'
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