Chapter 139. Bees and needs

"So there's something I want to know," Helayt said, opening the bag she'd been carrying and pulling out a bottle of what looked like wine. She then poured a glass for everyone but Zeldi, Anna and Tarakona. Though the latter was more because she couldn't consume it in her current form rather than because she was pregnant.

I took a small swig, feeling it burn like whiskey but creamier and tingly. It was a bit like a mead I tried that was forty percent alcohol when I was on my old family farm. That had been an experience that had caused me a coughing fit in front of a man trying to buy our cows. Thankfully, this time I held it down.

Abelha took her glass and drained the whole thing without so much as a twitch in her eye. She then gave me a smirk as Helayt gave her a new bottle instead of refilling her glass.

The three pregnant women were all offered an alternative drink that Madu had also requested silently.

"And what would that be?" I asked, having let the liquor go down before I spoke.It was strong; there was no doubt about that, but that wasn't surprising when it was meant for Centaurs. Most alcohol affects people based on their body weight, so having a village of people averaging around three hundred kilograms meant you needed some pretty strong stuff to get them buzzed.

Thoughts of a drunken horse sprouted to my mind, but I held my face as everyone drank. If it helped everyone loosen up a little more, I was all for it.Taking another sip, I thought about honey mead and moonshine. Both were things that were illegal to make without a license back where I was from, but they were still things I knew how to do... When you have a farm that's over a hundred acres, hiding things is remarkably easy. Most police won't expend the manpower to search everywhere, even if a complaint is made.

Maybe I could make something similar if Abelha does decide to join. She must know how to make honey as a bee, right?The Queen Bee had placed herself close to me but still far enough that she could escape if I tried to get up. The fact she wasn't was a good thing, I told myself.

"Got a new idea?" Zeldi hummed, tapping me on the shoulder. When I turned back to her, she clarified. "You have this look when you suddenly realize you can do something that you couldn't do before, and you just had it again when you looked at Abelha."

"Oh, do tell." The Queen Bee said with her accent getting thicker. "What idea sprang to your mind when you looked at me just now?"

Helayt seemed okay with waiting for her own questions as curiosity seemed to flow off the group. Even Tarakona was displaying her own interest.

"The wine just gave me an idea about a similar thing I could make with honey. Would need a few other things that I'm sure my shop has, of course, but since I'm in a much better position right now, I could afford some luxuries for those that weren't pregnant." I said, making sure to boop Zeldi on the nose.

"With honey?" Abelha questioned, looking between the bottle and me. "You could make wine out of honey?"

"Mead or honey wine, I guess it can be called. It's a lot weaker than this but made using a similar process, wait. You guys don't have anything like that?" I suddenly pivoted as I got a blank look from everyone. It was a staple in most places to have made alcohol out of everything, honey included.

"Honey is a rare resource," Yenem replied when no one said anything. "Bee hives are guarded fiercely by the warriors, as only the Queens can survive off of foods other than the Honey they make. So if one is found and pillaged, there is a high likelihood that the hive dies of starvation afterwards, as they would be unable to survive long enough to replenish. Once all the drones die, the Queen soon follows because she cannot move."

"No one farms them?" I asked, seeming to not understand why this was a problem. "Or do Queens not trade their honey for other items?" I directed the last question at Abelha, who shook her head.

"What use would trading be? The hive only needs the honey to survive, so the only one that would need anything outside of that is the Queen. Rooms and housing are made using wax we secrete and hold up infinitely better than the mud hits you guys use. Plus, and this is always the case. The scarcity of honey to everyone non-bee-related else means anyone within trading distance is a potential threat. The only exception is Dryads; all they want is pollinators. They care little for honey."

"Not even for luxuries you can't make?" I probed. "Like bedding or decorative items?" I was beginning to understand that there were no bees like in my old world. Abelha was literally the only creature species capable of making honey. That begged a question about pollinators if bees were scarce.

"Luxuries come at a cost." She replied. "And that cost is safety. If I did trade, I would somehow have to know they are trustworthy to keep my location a secret. Remember, once a Queen Bee starts a hive, we can't move. We are prime targets for those wanting us and our honey."

"Unless she was somewhere she couldn't be harmed at all," Zeldi whispered innocently.I nodded along in understanding but still didn't quite get it.

"So forgive me if this sounds weird, but in my old world we farmed bees for their honey. By offering them safety and protection from predators in hives we premade, we took a portion of all the Honey they made in trade. By planting specific flowers around, we could control the flavor of the honey produced while giving the bees a rich selection of nectar-giving plants. This would allow them to make the extra we take without endangering the hive." I explained, getting some odd looks from everyone but Abelha. She was looking at me like I was crazy. "Would that not be something worth doing here as well?"

Abelha burst into laughter. The Queen Bee let out loud bouts before taking a long drink from the bottle in her hand. "That would work." She said with another laugh. "It's what the Dryads do, though they're more concerned with propagating their precious flowers."

She then got up and came in close, close enough she had to bend over so that our faces were almost touching. This did make certain parts of her anatomy hang so tantalizingly close as the overalls struggled to hold them in.I could make out Zeldi off to my side perving in a way I wish I could have right now.

"But you are forgetting one really big thing. And it is the reason so many hives fall even if they have outside help." Abelha moved my head sideways to look at Tarakona, who was trying her best to hide. "You said that you protect the bees in your world from predators? Well then, Clovek. Here is a predator that kills hives for fun."

Realization dawned on me as I looked towards Tarakona. There were very few things that could stop a Dragon, and even human-sized bees would not even register in the wake of one.Tarakona let out a pitiful sigh.

[Yes, my love, you don't even need to say anything. Dragons love a sweet treat, and because nothing is made for our size, honey hives are the best source of that. What Abelha says is true. Honey hives need to be hidden both from sight and a Dragon's nose, or we will hunt for it. You say you protect them in your world, but here? There is no protection that could ever justify one growing big enough to make extra honey like you have said.]

"Unless there is a place they could go that only they could access." Zeldi sang this time louder.

"Zeldi has a point." Madu offered from her position looking up at two sets of dangling breasts. "We each have our own rooms under Clovek that not even a Dragon can enter without our express permission. Wouldn't that be exactly what you want?"

Abelha crossed her arms under her chest and straightened up. "And let me guess. I have to accept being his livestock first? I can't have a look at these rooms?"

"No," I said before retracting it. "Well, partly. You can see each of the girls' rooms if they give you their permission, as Madu said; however, you will need to be my livestock to get your own. That would require you to somehow get to my farm, as only myself as my livestock are returned with me when our timer expires."

Abelha let out an explosive sigh. "Of course." She then looked at me like I was somehow lying, but the ring was still very much on her finger.

Deciding we needed a change of conversation, I drew us all back to Helayt. "You mentioned there was something you wanted to know?"

"Yes." She nodded taking the bait. "Why does my daughter need a milkmaid?"