Chapter 39: Wasp

Wasps!

Having read the "Apiary Construction Manual," Chujiu naturally understood the threat wasps posed to an apiary.

Though they are both "bees," wasps are fierce and large, significantly less social and industrious than honeybees. While they occasionally consume nectar, their primary food source is other small insects—such as honeybees.

As autumn arrives, wasps enter their peak breeding season. Requiring large amounts of protein, they hunt honeybees with increased frequency. They station themselves at the hive entrance, tearing apart and devouring bees as they come and go, and will even invade the hive to attack the queen.

Ordinary honeybees are no match for wasps. A mere two or three wasps are enough to decimate an entire colony. Conversely, if bees sense that a location has been claimed by wasps, they will avoid it and refuse to settle there.

Hearing these two words from Aman now, Chujiu felt a chill in his heart. However, he tried to remain calm in front of the boy, crouching down to ask, "What happened? Don't cry, tell me slowly."

Aman sniffled, his eyes red as he began his story. It turned out that after Douglas and Grandpa Du finished building the hives yesterday, they had smeared honey inside and out to attract bees more quickly. Aman, unable to stay home this morning, had rushed to the apiary to see if any bees had moved in. To his dismay, he didn't find any honeybees, but rather a swarm of fierce, large wasps—the kind with gold rings on their bodies—scurrying about the apiary.

Aman had spent the last two days reading the "Apiary Construction Manual" to Grandpa Du, so he naturally knew how terrifying wasps were. Panic-stricken, he had run straight to Chujiu.

Grandpa Du’s eyebrows drooped, and he said with a bitter expression, "Now that you mention it... there really are quite a lot."

Chujiu said, "Here is the plan. I, um, I can determine the safe level of flame magic to use in any given area. If we go to the back mountain together, we can burn the wasp nests without worrying about starting a forest fire."

Today, as they entered the mountain, they found the autumn scenery just right. Wild chrysanthemums covered the hills, staining the mountain breeze with a delicate fragrance. But none of them were in the mood to admire the flowers; they were looking upward, prepared for a "great slaughter."

Douglas had suggested using his fire-based abilities to burn the wasps, but was stopped by others—the area was dense with brush, and the wooden hives were highly flammable. A single fire arrow would kill the wasps, but it would also destroy the hives.

Chujiu, without hesitation, crafted "Small Insect Nets" and smeared them with honey before tossing them to the others. "Use these!"

"First fire, then water—that will be foolproof," Chujiu thought.

The "remedy" Chujiu proposed was a set of "Basic Fire-Extinguishing Equipment." The water tanks were simple—large wooden boxes designed for storage and transport. The bamboo-tube water guns were devices made from bamboo segments that used air pressure to suck up and spray water. It was said that in ancient China, the earliest "firefighters" used these simple bamboo water guns to extinguish flames.

Douglas remarked, "Not only is precise control of abilities important, but the fire-extinguishing gear that Chujiu made is also incredibly useful. Honestly, without this equipment, I wouldn't dare use fire in the mountains."

Chujiu nodded. "I know. That's why I have these 'remedial measures.'"

In the apiary, Douglas and Grandpa Du had each taken a piece of dry, hard bread, chewing it down with cold water while praising its delicious taste. Chujiu, listening nearby, thought to himself that it was indeed a rare, high-quality version of bread, as most contained coarse bran and lacked proper fermentation, making them so hard they could be used as weapons.

Chujiu secretly shared some dried fish with Little Canned, thinking that it wasn't that he was a picky eater, but that the bread of this era was simply too tough.

"If the variety of crops in the village increases in the future, perhaps the wasps might even be useful," Chujiu mused.

When the others expressed confusion, Chujiu didn't explain, but the moment they agreed to stop killing them, he received a notification: [Host has received the reward "Interdependence!"]

* * *

Chujiu felt a sense of déjà vu regarding the scene of everyone waiting for the other to speak, but he pushed it aside and said, "Actually, I was thinking that our methods could complement each other. We can use fire to destroy the nests, and the nets to catch the stragglers."

After some cleanup work, the group, feeling tired, sat on a rock to eat lunch.

"Come, come, this is bread baked by Erin. She added fine flour, it's very fragrant, come and eat," Douglas said, opening the provisions.

"Oh, right, I brought my own meal and shared it with the cat, so I won't be having any bread," Chujiu said quickly.

Little Canned looked at Chujiu with ice-blue, round eyes, silent. Chujiu felt a strange sense of reluctance in the kitten’s gaze.

"When spring comes, the flowers in these mountains will be even more abundant—Chinese milk vetch, azaleas, vast fields of them," Chujiu said, his eyes curving into a smile. "Flowers bring bees. Bees bring hives, and hives bring honey."

He turned to Grandpa Du. "Grandpa, don't worry. Our apiary will produce plenty of fine honey; you won't ever need to climb those cliffs again."

Grandpa Du sighed, "I've fallen once while tethered to a tree. My arm hit the cliff, and it took three months to heal. It's truly dangerous."

Chujiu squeezed his lips, then said, "I'll go tell Lei Ge and the others now."