Reincarnated To Evolve My Bee Empire

In the end, the solution was like most others the bees had.

Overwhelming numbers and brute force!

I ordered Workharder to get on it, and in no time at all, the coin was surrounded by the strongest, toughest Forager Bees available—as many as could fit around them.

Each had a stone axe, which could function decently as a pickaxe.

At command from their Foreman, the Forager bees began hitting metal with the axes.

Ding! Ding! Di-di-ding!

The sharp sounds made me wince and get away from the sight, but my girls kept working.

The metal was too soft to break even under this onslaught. Instead, every strike left a large dent. However, this didn't discourage my girls at all.

They kept hitting, each of them striking the same dent and making it deeper and deeper. And where metal caved it, it eventually became more tightly packed and less prone to bending.

Instead, as minutes passed, it began cracking!

They say, "a reed bends but not breaks". Well, if you hit a reed for long enough, it will break, too!

Or a brass coin, in this case.

The first cracks were small compared to the main body of the coin, but they got wider with each axe strike. When a bee got too tired to keep hitting, another immediately took her place while the first one regained her stamina.

In another half an hour, the first chunks of bent metal broke off the coin. By the end of the day, only a pile of metal chunks ready for smelting was left!

I never learned what was printed on its other side.

But it didn't matter, because we had a *shitton* of brass, and while the first bits were delivered to Hive Supremo, I already worked with Researchina, discussing options.

The misshapen piece of metal I held was twice as light as a piece of gold of a similar size, and much harder.

"We can actually make good tools and weapons out of this. If we are frugal with the metal and use slender designs, we can stretch a single coin for thousands of items! No… tens of thousands!"

Researchina nodded.

"Yes, but they can't be too slender, or they will break. Finding the optimal shape will be a complicated task, Father. I will have to consider points of stress and many other factors, not to mention, work with unfamiliar material that Things-Things will want to steal from me before I can even finish my research…"

Her eyes glinted, and I knew she relished the challenge.

I smiled, patting her shoulder.

"I trust you to deal with this. You and all the assistants you will throw at the job. After all, if you fail, you can just reforge the metal again! And I will tell Things-Things to not pester you before the designs are ready."

Researchina nodded.

"Thank you, Father. What should we start with? Perhaps more nails?"

I thought about it.

As strange as it seemed, stone was still the best material the Empire had for things like pickaxes and axes. Stone was hard to shape and would eventually shatter, but at least it didn't bend after a few hits.

I doubted even a brass pickaxe could dig through a mountain.

However, metal could be shaped into forms that other materials just… couldn't.

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The coin probably had enough metal to make nails for the entire Hive Supremo, but we already had gold for nails. Brass, which we had in limited amounts, had to be put to things we couldn't use gold for.

"We must make things we need, but can't make from anything else. At least, not well. Proper shovels, sharp carving knives for woodworking, scalpels for Physicians, needles to sew with that will break slower than bone ones. Especially needles—we can make a ton of them, and they will save so much effort for Craftsmen! Brass axes will be much better than bronze ones, too, and we need a lot of wood for all that furniture… and for mine supports. I also bet smiths, cooks, and potters will appreciate metal tongs to get things out of fire."

Researchina wrote my words down and nodded.

"I will make optimal designs for these items, Father. Expect it by tomorrow."

Indeed, by tomorrow, her Researchers made clay molds for every item I listed, and even made prototype items!

With those or some melted wax poured into molds instead of metal, the clay molds could easily be copied.

Meanwhile, I've ordered Things-Things to build an extra workshop for smithing.

However, a large forge couldn't be placed inside Hive Supremo itself. Because of all the clay kilns we already had, the hive was already warm even during the chilliest days (neither of which was truly *cold*, but I was glad to not be naked).

Like the quarantine village, the forge was built on the ground. However, by now, the Empire had the "Improved Underground Architecture", which made all underground buildings 50% tougher.

Not to mention, we had better materials.

"I want this forge to withstand any storm that might fall on it and not get swept away. It will need to have some system to keep the water away, and water-proof walls. But make them less flammable than wood. Bake clay bricks for them."

On my orders, several dozen bees descended at once on the higher part of the ground.

Coincidentally, it was right near where we usually threw garbage… I already knew I would have to change the garbage dumping spot.

By evening, the first small forge with a primitive furnace and clay chimney leading outside was built in the ground. Its walls were made from bricks and put together with resin.

The place was more flammable than I hoped, cramped (efficiently used space) and hexagonal. The forge also had an entrance hatch that could be covered and sealed with wax to become waterproof and a drainage hole near the floor, which led outside.

I personally examined the entire building. Although it used primitive designs and materials, I felt like it should pass the test of time.

There was only one detail missing...