The Bee Dungeon

The day’s purification went on without a hitch, and Belissar picked up some more mana to start making up for all his recent expenditures. His DP income had also grown a bit now that the karnuq hunters resumed challenging, and he’d have enough for yet another choice in a couple of days…though, he might need more mana before then to implement everything. Even with the new purification he was down to fifty available, to the point that he declined to make any more lava lotus nodes. He’d have to rely on the gardeners for those, given that more boons from the Circle were incoming.

And indeed, the next morning Tarwantrad returned once again, accompanied by Nenavann, who was holding a chest that seemed to be adorned with some sort of colorful rocks that had almost branch-like shapes, as well as smooth, perfectly round white gems. Tarwantrad beamed as he approached them…and to his surprise, Nenavann also gave him a smile and a nod.

“Belissar! Nice to see you again! I spoke with Nenavann, since he saw a bit of your dungeon, he’s ready now to give you his boons.”

Nenavann nodded to confirm.

“I’m glad to see you well, Tower Keeper Belissar. I…hope all is well with the heart?”

Belissar nodded even as Nenavann’s expression turned worried.

“We planted it just yesterday. It hasn’t been long but the gardener bees tell me it’s already doing well.”

Nenavann smiled warmly at that.

“Thank you, Tower Keeper Belissar.”

“Belissar…did you say there are…gardener bees?”

Belissar tilted his head.

“Yes? Ah, did we miss those on the tour?”

Tarwantrad began to tremble.

“Yes. We did. I certainly would have remembered such a wonder.”

Her gaze turned intense enough that Belissar gulped.

“You must introduce me to them after this.”

Belissar quickly nodded while Nenavann chuckled.

“Your Tower will indeed be a great home for the heart. Let us make sure of it.”

Nenavann opened the chest and presented it to Belissar. Inside was a pile of moist, blue-colored rocks, as well as a bundle of thin plants topped with bunches of small, white flowers. Belissar raised an eyebrow.

“Is that…hemlock?”

Nenavann nodded.

“Close. This is vapor hemlock, a notably more dangerous cultivar of the mundane water hemlock. It aerosolizes its toxins and will unleash them in a burst of mist if damaged. If you grow enough of them, they will create a fog that will slowly poison anything that walks within.”

Belissar gulped.

“That sounds dangerous.”

Nenavann nodded with a serious expression.

“It is. The karnuq, especially, should take care. I have, however, observed bees pollinating them, so I do believe your bee monsters should be fine…and perhaps might benefit from the presence of such a flower. I do intend it mainly for your defense, however, particularly if you acquire a more Water-aligned room.”

Belissar shook his head.

“Not at the moment.”

Nenavann gave him a smile.

“Then these might help.”

He motioned to the rocks.

“These are water stones, per common parlance. When exposed to mana, they grant it a Water attribute and so begin to spontaneously produce water.”

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Belissar’s eyes widened a bit as he nodded along.

“Ah, that could be useful.”

Nenavann’s smile grew.

“Indeed, the fair folk make great use of them in our daily lives and I suspect the karnuq will do the same. That, however, is only the surface of their value for dungeon masters such as you or I. The conversion of mana to a specific attribute will impact anything of a mystical nature in the rock’s surroundings…such as mana flowers or monsters with a tendency to evolve. Going further, a dungeon master could even use such a method to acquire new rooms.”

Belissar’s eyes went as wide as they could go.

“We…can acquire rooms? Without choices?”

Nenavann nodded.

“Tarwantrad tells me you have had a feature named after you, correct? So, I assume you are aware that you can acquire features by more manual efforts?”

Belissar nodded, so Nenavann continued.

“The same goes for rooms, though greater efforts are required as you might expect. If you intentionally change a room through features, manual efforts, and grand feats, you may one day shift its fundamental nature to something other than originally intended. If that occurs, then the dungeon will respond and shift its own efforts to match the room’s new nature.”

He motioned to the water stones.

“As an example, the amount of water a water stone can produce depends on the concentration of mana flowing through it. Were you to leave a sufficient quantity of water stones near a particularly powerful source of mana, say next to or directly under a large patch of mana-producing plants, they would produce a vast amount of water indefinitely. That could result in an entire room flooding.”

Belissar slowly began to nod.

“So…I could use these to make a lake?”

Nenavann smiled.

“A lake, a marsh, or something similar. Place them instead in an elevated location with a channel and you might make a river. I am told you have access to salt as well? Place some salt nodes in the water and you could make marine environments as well.”

Belissar blinked at that.

“Salt…in the water? What exactly is a marine environment?”

Now it was Nenavann’s turn to blink.

“…you are not familiar with saltwater? The seas and the oceans are made from it…”

Belissar continued blinking.

“Seas? You mean like a sea of Hunger? And oceans...what are those?”

Nenavann’s jaw dropped.

“You…haven’t heard of the ocean? Or of the sea, in its original meaning?”

Belissar wanted to shrink under Nenavann’s gaze but that wouldn’t exactly help him figure out what a sea or ocean was, so he could only nod.

Nenavann swayed on his feet, his face twisting in astonishment and horror.

“He…hasn’t heard of the sea…”

Belissar gulped. Was…was this some sort of crucial dungeon master thing he was missing? He glanced over at Tarwantrad, praying she could help.

Tarwantrad gave him a sympathetic smile and then patted Nenavann on the shoulder.

“Belissar told me he was but a humble beekeeper for most of his life. He had few opportunities to leave his abode.”

Nenavann heaved a sigh.

“It is not that. It’s just…how much of the world has been lost to the Hunger that even the existence of oceans is unknown now?”

All three of them grew solemn and silent at that.

Belissar furrowed his brow.

“So…there are massive lakes deeper than mountains and wider than entire continents?”

Nenavann nodded.

“And…they’re filled with saltwater that we can’t even drink?”

Nenavann nodded again. Belissar stared into the air and blinked.

“Huh. That’s…strange.”

Nenavann sighed softly.

“I…suppose it would seem so, to one who was unaware of their existence. Tower Keeper Belissar, you must come to visit my dungeon once we have worked things out with the Compact. It will be far easier for you to understand if you can see the wonders of the ocean with your own eyes. For now…simply understand that if you place salt nodes within a body of water, it will create a different environment from one made of freshwater. Different plants and animals…and monsters, too, will prefer one over the other, so it will be a simple way to diversify if you manage to unlock Water-based rooms. If you intend to do so, please feel free to ask for me anytime. I would be more than happy to share my knowledge regarding all things aquatic.”

Belissar just nodded slowly at that, still trying to process the idea of more water than he ever knew existed all sitting in one place. Nenavann sighed once more.

“In any case, I have taken much of your time today, and Tarwantrad is still waiting to meet your gardener bees. Please let me know if you acquire any sort of aquatic room, I can help you populate any that you may encounter. I would love to see any aquatic bees you may raise one day, and I would as well to show you all the different forms a Water room can take.”

Belissar found himself smiling at that.

“Got it. Thank you for the help, Dungeon Master Nenavann.”

Nenavann shook his head.

“No, it is I who must thank you, Tower Keeper Belissar. This is but a small gesture compared to what you have done for us.”

They said their farewells and then Nenavann took his leave. Tarwantrad, however, remained behind, staring at Belissar with an intent gaze.

“Belissar…”

Belissar couldn’t help a chuckle.

“Would you like to meet the gardeners?”

“YES!”

Tarwantrad squealed as some of the gardeners hovered in front of her.

“Look at you! That proboscis can reach into practically any flower, no matter how deep! The extra hairs so you can pick up extra pollen for the plants! Those big, fuzzy antennae…is that for picking up scents to find the plants?”

Belissar nodded.

“Scents and mana, apparently. They connect with the mana of plants to learn how the plants are doing and what they need.”

Tarwantrad staggered back, swaying about. Belissar frowned.

“Are you ok?”

Tarwantrad stared blankly for a moment before suddenly snapping to attention, her gaze boring holes into Belissar once more.

“Belissar, would you be willing to arrange a trade? I intended to wait until we got you your boons from the Circle…but I need these bees in my dungeon. Preferably right now.”

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