Reincarnated To Evolve My Bee Empire - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: A chapter where this story becomes PG
“Next? Well—Wait, what do you mean by *only ten injured*? I thought you had protective gear!”

I gestured at the plant gloves the Science Adviser was wearing. The researchers had already invented clothing, and it would’ve been implemented already if the Craftsmen Bees weren’t making all that armor.

The Science Adviser began folding fingers.

“Four bees were injured by stone shards that flew at parts not covered by clothes. Three bees dropped rocks on their feet. Two bees had a fight over opinions, which their Sergeant didn’t interrupt in time. And one bee underestimated how sharp the stone knives were compared to bone knives. But we’ve treated all the injuries, and all the wounded bees are ready to work.”

I hid my face in my palms and looked at Science Adviser B581 between the fingers.

“Shit. Even with protective gear… Is Researcher the second most dangerous profession in our colony after being a Forager?”

B581’s eyes lit up.

“Do you want us to find out, Father? We can count everything as soon as we learn how to count.”

I shook my head.

Stone knives were dangerous as fuck, even to people who were making them.

“You know what? Leaf clothing is good, but leather will protect you better, and last for longer. We can even make armor out of it. Research how to tan leather.”

I explained to the bee what I knew about tanning. The first step was to clean the leather, and the second step somehow involved piss.

“But on the side, make those spear and axe prototypes,” I added. “It shouldn’t take you many people, and I want my Craftsmen to make some later.”

With spears, we could have a small caterpillar hunt. Hammers won’t damage these creatures as much.

“Yes, Father. I will leave a team for this task.”

“And teach Craftsmen how to make clothes. This is really important!”

***

A day later, my industrial complex finished equipping all the Commando Bees. They were currently my most well-equipped team.

This was unfair to Warrior Bees, so I ordered armor for them, too. 330 suits of armor were done by 3000 Craftsmen Bees in less than a day.

They had entire honeycomb cells full of bones and plant matter for ropes.

Next, I told them to make clothes for everybody in the hive.

It was finally time!

“Sure, Father. The Researcher Bees taught us how to make them,” my Industry Adviser said. “I will tell the Material Foragers to get the leaves.”

Soon after, from inside my cell, I saw a terrifying sight.

3330 Material Foragers flew out of the hive in a single swarm. Fascinated, I followed them from a distance.

I watched how they flew to the forest at the foot of our pillar mountain and began cutting leaves from the nearby trees. Massive fern trees, ordinary trees, even dick-shaped mushroom trees—if it had leaves, they took them.

It was as my bees had turned into locusts!

When they flew back toward the hive with their haul, they left behind a forest patch bare of leaves!

‘Wow. I only started developing technology, and I’m already destroying local ecology!’

The thought made me smile.

I hated local ecology, and it hated me right back and wanted to eat me.

‘Fuck you, ecology.’

Two days later, you could see grass near the foot of our pillar mountain without flying to the ground—that’s how clean Material Foragers picked the forest of leaves.

During that time, Commando Bees found a couple more hives of the *wrong* ants. But they kept searching.

And now the entire hive was now wearing clothes! By my decree, every bee was wearing a simple leaf skirt and a leaf top, which was just a second skirt, but put over the shoulders to cover the chest.

<Congratulations! You’ve implemented a ‘Primitive Clothing’ technology in your colony. You gain 2 development points.>

〔Primitive Clothing〕

Brainpower requirement: 7

Resilience: +1 per 1 thousand affected populace.

〔〕〔〕〔〕

Finally, my life became PG-rated!

And although the clothes didn’t look like much, it was an additional layer between the bees and the weather. My colony’s resilience shot up, and so did my development points!

〔Your colony〕

〔Wellness〕: 85 %

〔Population〕: 37 thousand

〔Development level〕: 3

〔Development points〕: 32 / 200

〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee

〔Attributes〕

> Workpower: 59

> Military: 31

> Brainpower: 158

> Logistics: 32

> Resilience: 59

〔Resources〕:

> Food: 1715 units

> Building materials: 155 units

〔Colony Council〕

〔Military Adviser〕: increases total military by 10%. (B1374)

〔Science Adviser〕: adds 10% of total workpower to brainpower. (B581)

〔Industry Adviser〕: increases total workpower by 10%. (B601)

〔Economics Adviser〕: adds 10% of total workpower to military. (B339)

〔Culture Adviser〕: increases all total attributes and wellness by 3%. (Ambrosia)

〔Technologies〕

Dance Communication, Hive Building, Food Preservation, Stone Hammers, Forager Posts, Rank-Based Hierarchy, Primitive Containers, Border Patrols, Primitive Knives, Primitive String, Fire, Candles, Primitive Spiked Armor, Primitive Medicine, Primitive Clothing

〔〕〔〕〔〕

‘Maybe the next development level isn’t so far away. I have 57 entire days… Only 57 days! Oh, better not think about it.’

But not bees weren’t happy about having to wear clothing.

“This itches,” Ambrosia said after putting her set on.

She had a tailor-made set of clothing made to accommodate her luxurious forms. It took thrice the normal amount of material.

No, Ambrosia wasn’t fat! But other bees were really flat everywhere they could be.

“It can’t be this bad, Amby… it’s for warmth!” I cajoled. “Please… For me? Wear it for me. So you don’t get cold, and so I can finally focus on higher matters than staring at your chest.”

“What’s wrong with staring at my chest?”

“Nothing! I love doing that! But sometimes I have to think smart thoughts instead, you know? I can’t have my baser instincts interrupt me every other time I try!”

Ambrosia frowned.

“If this actually helps you think, Nectus… I suppose I will wear it, at least when we are together.”

“Great!” I gave her four thumbs up and grinned. “Just perfect, actually—because teachers have to dress respectably.”

“Teachers? Wasn’t *you* the teacher between us both?”