I gave Rulia and her Council a brief description of what they had to do. It wasn't much.
"Incredible… you can do even that now?" Rulia said after I finished. "Father, you are truly the best! I wish my Drones were a fraction as smart and strong as you are! Now fly to Hive Supremo quickly, and I will prepare everything you need here!"
I nodded.
"Good luck, Rulia. Please, don't miss your father too much… or too little, you adorable manipulator!"
I gave all the bees present a headpat and flew out to my waiting guards.
"Back to Hive Supremo. And hurry!"
***
Bloodhero and Workharder pounced on almost as soon as I ca back. Things-Things wasn't with them, at least.
"Father, you are back already! Did you only speak with one Queen?"
"She must've told you the sa thing we did!"
I waved them away.
"Quiet, quiet! Your father didn't even have a snack from the road—oh, thank you."
I gratefully smiled at a bodyguard, who offered a jar of nectar, and downed it in three gulps.
"Alright, girls. Now let's move to the Council room and call Researchina. Plan 'cleanse the bees by force' is being called off! I have a better plan now!"
"Yes, Father!" Workharder saluted.
"A better plan? Alright, Father!"
***
The plan was simple, as were all brilliant plans. And like all the *best* brilliant plans, it didn't take long to execute.
As soon as the Colony Council dispersed again, Foragers and Foren spread out of the Hive Supremo, gathering necessary supplies.
The day didn't even end yet, and half the work was done already.
There was enough to start the operation!
15 thousand bees—almost all our Foragers and plenty of Foren and Warrior Bees—flew out toward Rulia's hive, carrying heavy jugs full of honey, pollen and nectar.
I was accompanying them together with the Chief Foreman Lovehamr in charge.
Thanks to the 'Flying Carriers' that a lot of bees had by now, the transporting of an entire hive worth of food took much less ti than it could've been.
Thanks to the gene, and the sheer amount of haulers, of course!
A swarm of bees like that was inevitably attracting a lot of attention from other insects who slled the food—but nobody was suicidal enough to attack us.
Even the giant beasts stayed away. I spotted a familiar badger in the distance between the pillar mountains—but it scurried away in fear at the re hint of our buzzing.
'As it should!'
The bees in Rulia's hive jolted in alarm at our approach, but the swarm paused near the entrance.
"Unload everything… Hm, yes, right on this horizontal pillar! This is a good spot!" Chief Foreman Lovehamr pointed at a horizontal pillar coming out of the Rulia's pillar mountain, fifty ters above the hive entrance.
It was small and short compared to the massive protrusions that were poking out of the mountain higher above, but still at least fifty ters wide. Nothing was growing on its rocky surface except for so moss.
"Chief, yes, Chief!" bees shouted, following her command.
As they unloaded their jugs and opened them, an even more powerful scent of honey and nectar spread around. The local bees began peeking out of their hive, and so even hovered around, curious but too cautious to approach.
I was about to go inside the hive, but Rulia must've heard us already—she flew out to the exit herself.
"Father!" she shouted, seeing , then looked above. "Is this it?"
"Yes, Rulia! We will leave soon—you will direct the bees there, yes?"
"Sure, Father!" she said before flying back inside.
Lovehamr's subordinates efficiently finished unloading and flew away from the pillar mountain.
30 units' worth of food was left lying behind, unguarded.
Almost imdiately, a dozen bees flew out of Rulia's hive and began poking their curious noses into open jars. They grabbed handfuls and flew back to the hive.
A few minutes later, several dozen more flew out to get the honey.
Then, several dozen beca several hundred!
Bees returned even from farther away—why should they carry nectar from flowers when then there was nectar right there?
Rulia must've directed them, too.
The sight of so much food disappearing in no ti at all was fascinating—like watching a snail eat a cucumber.
These bees didn't even pick the jugs—they didn't understand what it was. Instead, they gathered everything inside with bare hands, soaked their fur in nectar, and flew to the hive like that.
Barbarians, truly!
"How long do we need to keep waiting, Father?" Lovehamr asked .
I shrugged.
"Might take a… until the sun reaches this tree?" I shrugged. "I've been eyeballing minutes and hours ever since I got isekaid. And you have no idea what I'm even talking about, don't you?"
"None at all, Father!" Lovehamr looked incredibly proud of that.
"Well, anyway, we have ti to do another hive while this one is… being ready."
The swarm flew back to Hive Supremo, only to bring 30 more units of food to another subjugated hive. Bees there were just as happy to see fresh food nearby, and the young Queen inside was just as happy to see as Rulia.
About three hours have passed by the ti we returned to Rulia's hive—and the sight there was drastically different from what it was before!
Only a third of the previous guards were at the entrance, and none of them were flying. They were just sitting there, so blinking drowsily, so sleeping outright!
The endless buzzing of a beehive turned to almost nothing.
But Rulia and a dozen of my other daughters were hanging near the exit, waving at as soon as we got close enough.
I grinned and was the first to land nearby.
"I see things are doing great on your part, girls! Operation 'Sleeping Beeauty' is doing great!"
"Sleeping… Bee-auty? Oh, I understand! 'Bee' and 'beauty'… And she's even asleep! What a fun combination of words!" Rulia giggled.
"I still don't get it," Lovehamr said, landing next to . "Do I have to?"
Rulia imdiately raised her nose with a haughty expression.
"No, Chief Foreman. Anyway… As you said, Father, all bees who ate the food you brought fell asleep!" Rulia waved at the drowsy guards. "You can kick them, you can search them for mites—they won't do anything! Father, please, tell again how you achieved this! And also… when will they wake up?"
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