All the important deals with the caravans being settled, they spent another five or six days completing this year's regular trades.

Dragon Cypress led the ant colony back to Xianglan Mountain.

As per custom, they inventoried the warehouse wealth and held a grand feast in celebration.

Cypress was assigned to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain to manage the orchard and care for the Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed.

They headed to Ghost Fan Mountain to gather nectar from the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed, and brought some Metal System Origin Force Food to Ghost Fan along the way.

Areca was sent back to Scarletlight Mountain.

Fragrant Cypress was sent to Molan Mountain for land reclamation.

Round Cypress went to White Lotus Lake, weeding and fertilizing the orchards over there, and at the same time directing the Worker Ants to build new-style ant nests, attempting to train Specialized Worker Ants and Specialized Blue Soldiers, teaching them to act according to written instructions…

...

This year's deal with the Flame Spider Roving Merchants resulted in the purchase of 1,000 Divine-Given Green Persimmon Seeds—a key acquisition.

Molan would use 200 seeds, enough to accelerate evolution to Mountain Lord Level.

White Rice was allocated 200—they could also start planning to evolve to Mountain Lord Level.

For now, the relatively underdeveloped Blue Catalpa, Snakebark Maple, and White Willow each received 200 seeds.

They also bought 1,000 Divine-Given Purple Kiwifruit Seeds from Melde, distributing 500 each to Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple. They would now need to evolve to Mountain Lord Level at the rate of 1 Age Period per year.

Snakebark Maple had already been confirmed to Awaken the strongest combat Elemental Talent among the Elements—the Thunder System Talent. Snakebark Maple would be the strongest force in the assault on the Termite Kingdom.

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple had grown up together and always talked in turns, even walked in sync. It would be too unfair to only help Snakebark Maple evolve and neglect Blue Catalpa—so both were included.

Blue Catalpa is Wood Element, and the Furry-Horned Beetle would Awaken a Wood Element Healing ability. They could also contribute something in the fight against the Termite Kingdom.

...

Dragon Cypress quickly took care of all affairs and settled in comfortably at Xianglan Mountain, focusing on cultivating Combat Soldier Ants.

The lifestyle was highly regular: each morning, they'd go to Shanxi Reservoir on schedule, repeatedly practicing Rend, Water Control, Boiling, and Freezing abilities.

At noon, after practice, they would return to the ant nest to patrol and arrange various tasks.

In the afternoon, accompanied by Black Leaf, they would walk up and down the mountain, inspecting the territory and passing on various kinds of knowledge.

Molan stayed peacefully on the mountain as well, using Origin Force Food worth 5,000 Source Stones per month, maintaining a calm mindset and resting quietly to Accumulate Force for evolution.

...

At Xianglan Mountain Ant Nest, larvae continued to spin silk, forming cocoons and emerging as adults.

The number of Mountain Lord Level Specialized Blue Soldiers reached 400.

The number of Mountain Lord Level Specialized Soldier Ants reached 100, with Large Soldier Ants up to 200.

The garrison sub-nest established beside Shanxi Reservoir, guarding the mountain fortress, was full to bursting.

Dragon Cypress followed the mountain range westward, picking a mountain peak near the Origin Force Barrier to establish another garrison sub-nest.

The 2,000 Specialized Soldier Ants and Large Soldier Ants cultivated during the High-Level Ant King period were all transferred there, to act as the first line of defense for the Ant Kingdom and to make it easier for Spiked Cypress and Giant Cypress to lead troops on hunting expeditions.

On the Shanxi Reservoir side, the garrison sub-nest was renovated and expanded, now only garrisoning the more powerful Mountain Lord Level Combat Ants. This became Xianglan Mountain Ant Kingdom's second line of defense, also the final line that must never be breached…

...

Once again, it was the annual harsh summer drought season.

After molting to become a full-fledged Command Ant, Black Leaf successfully underwent another Molting Evolution and became a 2 Age Period Mid-Level Assistant King.

Highly intelligent, they had basically learned all the foundational knowledge.

Dragon Cypress sent them to Molan Mountain for practical training, where they would learn from Fragrant Cypress how to command Worker Ants, reclaim land, build orchards, and master the skills of digging and constructing marsh gas pools and ponds.

Next year, a portion of the High-Level Worker Ants, Soldier Ants, Blue Soldiers, and Blue Ants could be split off under Black Leaf's command to open up a tropical orchard in the Areca Rainforest.

Meanwhile, on Xianglan Mountain, the Worker Ants and Blue Ants doing daily chores and managing the orchards would gradually be replaced by Mountain Lord Level individuals, with the Kingdom's Main Nest undergoing a full upgrade first.

…

…

…

Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, Stone Pattern Kingdom.

Early morning,

The winding mountain path leading to Hidden Wing Mountain.

White Ivy carried exactly ten bagfuls of cargo on its carapace, running quickly in the lead.

Red Peach chased desperately to keep up.

White Ivy suddenly stopped in its tracks.

Red Peach crashed right into them.

"What's wrong?!"

Red Peach instinctively raised their front legs in alert, then relaxed.

Up ahead in the mountain forest, Grass Dragon and Lupine leapt out.

Lupine: "White Ivy Mountain Lord."

Grass Dragon: "My most, most, most respected elder…"

Lupine: "I heard about the Night Fragrance Divine-Given Seed."

Grass Dragon: "White Ivy Mountain Lord, are you planning to sell the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit to Hidden Wing Mountain?"

Lupine: "I also think that's unwise. We schemed and worked hard for years, finally earning some trust."

White Ivy: "???"

White Ivy: "Who told you I was going to sell the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit to Hidden Wing Mountain?"

"???"

Lupine looked to Grass Dragon.

Grass Dragon was confused, "You aren't?"

White Ivy: "Nonsense. Can't you use your brains? Of course I can't sell to Hidden Wing Mountain."

Grass Dragon: "Then you sold it to…"

White Ivy: "Purple Back Mountain. The price is set: 500,000 Source Stones. I already got a 50,000 deposit."

"Purple Back Mountain? You've already got the deposit!"

Grass Dragon stomped in frustration.

Lupine grew anxious, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, I remember you told me you had a great relationship with the Ten Thousand Years Lord of Purple Back Mountain, that they're your most important trading partner, and nearly half the Origin Force Honey is bought by them."

White Ivy: "The Ten Thousand Years Lord is in charge of Origin Force Food procurement over at Purple Back Mountain."

Grass Dragon: "Aren't you worried that one slip will cost you the Purple Back Mountain trade?"

White Ivy: "How could that happen!"

Grass Dragon: "But what if? How much do you make a year on Origin Force Honey trade with Purple Back Mountain? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? That's a long-term stable income; managed well, it will benefit you for life. Why risk it?"

White Ivy: "..."

White Ivy: "You two are as paranoid as Melde and Seven-Leaf!"

White Ivy: "You're both independent roving merchants now, so I'll teach you one last time. Listen and learn."

White Ivy: "No insect is an idiot. Every Insect Clan Warrior has their own thoughts and judgments. When trading with the cunning and greedy spiders, of course you have to gauge them with a base and shameless heart. When dealing with sincere and forthright spiders, then it's unnecessary to haggle over every detail."

White Ivy: "What kind of spider am I?"

Grass Dragon: "…Obviously the latter."

Lupine: "But 500,000 isn't a small sum; it's not as simple as haggling."

Grass Dragon asked, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, did you explain the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit's abilities to them?"

White Ivy: "Of course."

Grass Dragon: "…And they still bought?"

White Ivy: "The Ten Thousand Years Lord wanted to buy it for a million apiece. I refused—I don't dare, and shouldn't, make too much."

"..."

Grass Dragon and Lupine fell silent, glancing at each other, dumbfounded.

Is that Ten Thousand Years Lord an idiot too?

Or did White Ivy and Red Peach not give a true description of the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit?

If the effects of the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit are exaggerated, then that's a huge problem—not only would they lose the Purple Back Mountain trade, but their reputation among nearby Insect Tribes would be utterly ruined.

Grass Dragon glanced at Red Peach, who stood calm and collected, eyes glinting with sarcasm and mischief, thinking hard, and asked, "If I recall, Purple Back Mountain is Banded Assassin Bug Tribe?"

White Ivy: "Which other tribe would it be?"

White Ivy lost patience with the suspense and explained, "What tree did the Night Fragrance Divine-Given Seed mutate from? Night Fragrance Tree. What's the primary enhancement of an ordinary Night Fragrance Tree Life Seed? Exceptionally rare Mental Power Enhancement. No matter how the Night Fragrance Divine-Given Seed mutates, it can't escape the boundaries of the Spiritual category. The ability granted by the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit is a spiritual-type power, specifically mental hallucination—the hallucination effect is that the insect feels they're smelling floral scents."

White Ivy: "Banded Assassin Bug Warriors awaken Water or Wood Element Talents, and can stably awaken a Waterwood Dual System Hallucination ability…"

White Ivy paused and asked, "You didn't know this?"

Grass Dragon: "…Not really, no."

Lupine: "There's nothing about the Banded Assassin Bug Tribe in the inherited memory."

White Ivy: "Makes sense! You haven't been to the Beautiful Shield Bug Kingdom, right? The Banded Assassin Bug is a mutated sub-branch split from the Beautiful Ji Bug Tribe, appearing only about five hundred years ago. The tribe hasn't existed as long as the Old Spider King Spurge…"

White Ivy muttered, "So, you're not stupid, just ignorant."

White Ivy: "When fighting on land, the Banded Assassin Bugs can use their environment to activate their hallucination ability, creating a semi-real, semi-illusory domain full of grass and flowers."

"Ah, that's it!"

"Got it!"

Grass Dragon and Lupine instantly understood.

Perhaps the Night Fragrance ability granted by the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit could merge perfectly with the Banded Assassin Bug Tribe's own innate power.

If so, it would be a perfect embellishment, making the hallucination far more realistic, combining Water, Wood, and Spiritual elements—the confusion effect of this Hallucination Ability would be taken to a whole new level.

Grass Dragon thought back carefully…

The supremely clever White Ivy Mountain Lord had deduced this the very first instant they heard of the Night Fragrance Divine-Given Seed!

Red Peach probably figured it out only afterward…

Grass Dragon stamped their feet, "Oh Mountain Lord White Ivy, whom all spiders respect, and you sold it for just 500,000?"

Lupine complained, "A Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit is worth a million Source Stones to the Banded Assassin Bug Tribe! You're instantly losing half a million per fruit!"

White Ivy was both angry and resigned, sighing sadly, "I always remember Carpesium's teaching: What destroys a Flame Spider Roving Merchant isn't clumsiness, nor ignorance, nor poverty—it's insatiable greed. But you two idiots just never remember my lesson."

Lupine: "…I'll remember."

Grass Dragon: "…I'll remember, okay?"

White Ivy gave a cold look.

Grass Dragon: "..."

Lupine: "..."

Lupine: "Let's talk business. Let's discuss the 'Lightwing Seed' issue again. Things are different from what we first guessed! I heard from Grass Dragon about the situation over on Cloud Trace Continent. That Dragon Cypress Ant King has to first succeed in taking the Termite Kingdom, only then will there be White Poplar Divine Seed…"

Grass Dragon: "The first batch of fruits produced by the Night Fragrance Divine-Given Seed must be given to you, White Ivy Mountain Lord? Dragon Cypress's intentions are obvious: he wants you to have this Divine-Grade Fruit to prove to Hidden Wing Mountain that you have access to Divine-Grade items. Dragon Cypress wants to acquire the 'Lightwing Seed' as soon as possible."

Red Peach joined in the conversation, saying, "This is a risky move. The essence of this is that we're taking a chance by snatching away the Divine-Grade White Poplar Fruit allocation that was meant to go to Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord. But we need to convince Hidden Wing Mountain to give us a 'Lightwing Seed' ahead of time, to aid Dragon Cypress Ant King in attacking the Termite Kingdom."

Red Peach: "The risk is—if, in the end, Dragon Cypress Ant King fails in battle, or for some other reason fails to win the White Poplar Divine Seed, then the fallout…"

Lupine: "For me and Grass Dragon it's not too bad, but you, White Ivy Mountain Lord, will surely be infamous—your trade with Hidden Wing Mountain will be destroyed, and your other dealings will also suffer."

White Ivy: "Yes—the consequences will be dire~"

Lupine: "White Ivy Mountain Lord, how about, um, don't help Dragon Cypress get the 'Lightwing Seed' anymore? Find an excuse to turn it down…"

Red Peach: "Dragon Cypress Ant King has already allocated us a share of Divine-Grade White Poplar Fruit; he shouldn't take it back just because we didn't help secures him a 'Lightwing Seed' in advance."

White Ivy: "Grass Dragon, you're the one in contact with Dragon Cypress. What do you think?"

Grass Dragon: "I'm neutral. I have no opinion. White Ivy Mountain Lord, the stakes are clear—you'll have to decide for yourself."

Grass Dragon added, "When attacking the Termite Kingdom, the 'Lightwing Seed' grants healing power, which could make a difference."

White Ivy fell silent, thinking for a long, long time, before finally making up her mind: "Let's go for it!"

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