Reincarnated To Evolve My Bee Empire

Whisper waited impatiently for her message to reach Father down the line. The telepathic chain worked fast, but not instantaneously.

Finally, she got an answer.

'Whisper, Father speaks directly with you. He asks, "Whisper, my girl, you were right to ask me. Farini might be what propels the Bee Empire to even more greatness than it already had. Exponentially. Now, describe to me in all detail what Farini's symptoms are and what his doctors have been doing to help him so far." We are receiving your answer, Whisper.'

Whisper giggled at the praise. Father noticed her abilities! Of course he would—he was too wise not to.

She focused on the telepath who sent the message and translated her own. Although she only met the telepath once, while they both studied letters in Hive Supremo's school, Whisper's perfect memory stored faces and names of all her Beehound sisters, so messaging them was easy.

Whisper described all of Farini's symptoms as they were identified by doctors: cough with green mucus, red irritated eyes, flaking chitin and bad temperament. The latter mostly because he snapped at the physician's annoying manners—at least, Whisper didn't notice Farini to be in much better or worse temperament than he was for the last weeks.

'Farini's personal physician treated each symptom separately. Against coughing, he told Farini to drink honeyed tea with leaves of a certain tree.' Whisper did her best to describe its appearance despite only seeing the crushed leaves. 'For eyes, the physician burned several smelly wood trunks in Farini's room and called a priest to read seven prayers over Farini's bed. I'm unsure about *his* eyes afterward, but mine were tearing! For bad temperament, the physician gave Farini powdered silver to drink with his water, and for flaking chitin Farini has an ointment from animal fat and something the smell of which makes my antennae curl. And Farini was also told to rest a lot, which he ignored to keep working instead.'

She added more details, which she caught from watching Farini and listening to his and his physician's thoughts, then waited for an answer.

'Whisper, Father replies with shock. Hear his words, "They what?! I already knew that locals' medicine was poor, but I expected better from their best healers, at least! Whisper, first of all, tell Farini to kick his physician out and throw all his cures away. No, wait. Leave the honeyed tea and the ointment. Also, I want you to pass to Farini a list of medicinal practices he should get rid of in his territory, and practices he should add. I bet his doctors didn't even advance to washing hands and other basic hygiene. Do you have questions, or are you ready to receive the instructions?" We are receiving your answer, Whisper.'

Whisper thought about it for a moment.

'Father, do you think Farini will survive?'

This time, Whisper waited for an answer much longer. Almost an hour—she began wondering if Father stopped this conversation.

'Whisper, hear Father's reply, "Yes, he will. Even Oracles confirm that his chances of dying from this illness, at least in the next week, are negligible. As long as you keep working hard to protect him from the incompetence of his healers…" We are receiving your answer, Whisper.'

That was the last thing Whisper needed to fully cheer up. Afterward, she received a long list of Father's instructions, left the nook of Farini's room where she communed with her sisters in peace, and went to search for her human.

He was working instead of resting, yet again—writing some missives to his allies or subordinates.

The buzzing of Whisper's wings made Farini put away his writing stick, turn around with a surprised click, bow his head, and then start coughing.

After several seconds of coughing, he finally spat a disgusting globe of mucus into a special blanket of thin (by human standard) fabric and put it aside.

'Esteemed Whisper! You've returned to my side—I've noticed your absence earlier…'

'I have been communing with the divine, Farini,' Whisper announced haughtily. 'The gods shared with me the secret of bringing you back to full health.'

After so much time spent among humans, Whisper could even interpret the way they moved their jaws to form expressions. As she told Farini Father's instructions directed at him, Whisper saw perfectly how his emotions turned from optimism, to shock, to confusion.

'But… The physician… Oh, no, I didn't mean to doubt your words! They are just… shocking. Of course, I will do as you said!'

To confirm Whisper's words, Farini immediately went to the corner of his room, where the smelly tree trunks were still burning and exuding noxious smoke. Farini extinguished them by pressing the smoking tips to a metal cup they stood in, then returned to his table and Whisper.

'Rest some more, too, Farini,' Whisper added. 'Your Chancellor is not the best person and not the most devout, but despite his complaints, he will keep your province whole while you rest. And the divine guardians will take care of the rest.'

Farini nodded and agreed. However, before he could actually leave the room, Whisper sat on his shoulder.

'Do only one thing before you rest, Farini. Write the instructions I tell you and spread them over your province. Every physician and every healer must know them! This will help the health of your subjects more than the extra healers you hired!'

'Instructions? Of course, holy Whisper. I will write them down immediately!'

But when Farini actually sat to write, his writing stick stopped every few words from shock and confusion.

'Not using metal dust as a cure? But how else can we balance the humors in bodies of the sick?'

'"Forget about the humors"? But—Yes, of course, holy Whisper. I'm just… Forgive me my impudence.'

'Train more physicians from scratch? Of course, but it will take years…'

Now Whisper was the shocked one.

Years? Human physicians trained for years and were still all wrong? Bee physicians trained in twelve days or fewer and were all right! And what should she say to Farini about that?