CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 030: STRANGE ALIEN PLANTS

"Ink Orchid! Have you been guarding outside the whole time?"

"No... I came to see if you had woken up."

"Was my sleep this time very long?"

"Wrong! It was brief. It only took one day and two nights."

"Oh!" Dragon Cypress was secretly pleased. The shorter the sleep, the better my body’s condition and the smoother the Evolution, he mused.

Dragon Cypress also noticed that Ink Orchid’s gaze and spiritual power were focused on the Bamboo Tube held in his jaws, and he said proactively, "The Deep Blue God-Given Seed has successfully completed!"

"That’s great! Congratulations, Dragon Cypress, you have a Divine-Given Seed now!"

Ink Orchid asked, "Dragon Cypress, are you planning to plant it now?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "Yes, right now!"

Ink Orchid asked, "Don’t you need to soak it in water first?"

Ink Orchid continued asking, "Dragon Cypress, do you know how to plant it? Shouldn’t you at least find out whether it grows in water or on land?"

"I don’t know... It’s not hard... Let’s go, let’s try."

Dragon Cypress quickly ran back to the Ant Nest, took out the Dominating Throne, and led the way to a location slightly lower down the mountain range, next to a small pond formed by cascading water.

He dug a hole by the water, placed the seed inside, and covered it with a layer of sand. Although it’s unclear whether the Deep Blue God-Given Seed thrives in water or on land, I’m quite certain it’s of the Water System and loves water.So, I’ll plant it by the waterside. After it sprouts, I’ll observe its growth status and plant form, then plan the next step.

Dragon Cypress waved his Tentacles, and the Specialized Soldier Ants quickly surrounded the pond.

The Dominating Throne parked to the side, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid resting on it, guarding and waiting.

The Divine-Given Seed, nurtured by the Life Pouch, possessed a Life Force far superior to ordinary plant seeds.

Under the permeation of spring water, just one day passed, and the heart-shaped husk of the Deep Blue God-Given Seed cracked open at its tip.

Another day passed; the husk’s color dulled, the Origin Force patterns vanished, and a pale blue tender shoot broke through the shell, rooting itself in the sand.

Yet another day passed, and the tender shoot, still carrying the husk, broke through the soil.

Ink Orchid brought three Source Stones over. Dragon Cypress stood beside the seedling, scraping his toeclaws to sprinkle Source Stone powder, supplementing its Origin Force.

Through their tight spiritual connection, Dragon Cypress sensed that it greatly liked the Source Stones, greedily craving more Origin Force.

Three days later, two thick, heart-shaped cotyledons finally broke free from the husk. They unfurled in the brilliant morning sunlight, with a small bud peeking out from the center.

His spiritual power scanned the roots. They look somewhat like an Arbor, he thought. But looking at the tender shoot, it also resembles a lotus leaf.

This left Dragon Cypress, who had originally planned to wait and see, somewhat unsure of what to do.

I’ll just have to observe it a bit longer... Dragon Cypress decided.

The sapling stood tall, growing rapidly.

Three days later, the cotyledons wilted. The lotus-like bud shot up to about 10 centimeters high. After a day of sunlight, the leaf slowly unfolded.

A single, round, broadleaf. At its center, another small bud tip emerged.

The main stem was woody, looking more like an Arbor.

I knew plants from extraterrestrial civilizations could differ from those of the Natural System, but I didn’t expect the difference to be this significant! he realized.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid searched their Inherited Memory, pondering deeply all day, yet found no plant that resembled it in appearance.

The underground roots stretched uniformly towards the pond. This confirms with absolute certainty that it’s very fond of water, he noted.

Ink Orchid questioned, "Dragon Cypress, do you think it could be a type of Arbor similar to a Mangrove, a large tree growing in water?"

"Nine times out of ten, that’s the case..." Dragon Cypress replied.

Ink Orchid said, "Then if you plant it here, won’t the harsh summer sun and drought, which dries up the mountain springs, cause a big problem?"

"Then let’s transplant it!"

"Move it to the riverbank at the foot of the mountain! As soon as possible!"

"Ink Orchid, you keep an eye on things here. I’ll take the Worker Ants down the mountain to dig a water pit first."

Dragon Cypress jumped onto the Dominating Throne, took control, and flew back to the Ant Nest.

Expanding the Dominating Throne to its maximum size, Dragon Cypress picked up the Worker Ants one by one and, carrying them, flew down the mountain.

At the mountain’s base was a narrow stream less than two meters wide, a continuation of the brook from the mountain.

Dragon Cypress had already considered that the Deep Blue God-Given Seed might be an aquatic plant and had selected a site at the mountain’s base early on.

He went directly to a low-lying depression about four or five hundred meters from the foot of the mountain.

The Dominating Throne quickly shrank, and the Worker Ants CLATTERED onto the ground.

Seven or eight meters from the stream, he ordered the ant colony to start digging. A temporary emergency pond doesn’t need to be very large—roughly 3 meters in length and width. Eighty Specialized Worker Ants can’t all spread out in that space, so I’ll assign thirty to dig a drainage channel. There’s also no need to dig too deep. We’ll dig down 0.8 meters, then backfill with a 0.3-meter-thick layer of clay, for a final depth of 0.5 meters, he planned.

Working overtime, they completed it in 4 days.

「Atop the mountain,」

the first broadleaf of the Deep Blue God-Given Seed grew rapidly. It contracted and transformed into an upward-facing, open-mouthed trumpet shape, with an opening diameter over 0.3 meters.

It was rich green with blue-green veins; its surface was smooth, its texture tough, and its leaf margin turned downward with coarse, jagged edges.

The main stem beneath the leaf stood straight and firm, exceeding 0.2 meters in height.

The tender shoot emerging from the leaf’s center also surged upward, nearing 0.2 meters, with the second broadleaf about to unfurl.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid carefully excavated it, encased its roots in a Spider Silk Bag, and transported it onto the Dominating Throne to be airlifted down the mountain.

In the center of the newly dug pond, a planting hole had been prepared earlier, and the Deep Blue God-Given Seed was settled into its new home.

Dragon Cypress swayed his Tentacles and issued the order.

Thirty Specialized Worker Ants started digging simultaneously, breaking through the final half-meter separating the water channel from the stream.

River water flowed through the channel into the pond, quickly reaching a depth near the base of the first broadleaf.

Dragon Cypress continued to command the Specialized Worker Ants to push two goatskin bags filled with gravel into the channel. They then backfilled it with clay to seal it completely, preventing the pond water from flooding over the Deep Blue God-Given Seed’s leaves; it would only be unsealed when water needed to be replenished.

Ink Orchid watched the entire process, utterly amazed and full of admiration.

"Dragon Cypress, is this all we need to do?"

"It’s enough for the short term."

"And for the long term?"

"Currently, our Life Seed Plants are still very young and not numerous. If a drought occurs, they can cope. The mountain’s water pools can wait a bit. I will dig several more large ponds, 1 to 1.5 meters deep, around this small one. Then I’ll connect them, forming a continuous body with the stream."

Dragon Cypress swayed his Tentacles, pointed southeast, and said, "In the future, as the Deep Blue God-Given Seed grows, if the water depth becomes insufficient, we can excavate this entire valley floor another half-meter down. We can use the excavated soil to block the valley mouth over there, transforming this low-lying area into a reservoir."

"Later, when we develop orchards downhill, we can also draw water from the reservoir for irrigation."

Dragon Cypress raised a forelimb, pointing toward the western mountain range. "In the future, once our ant colony grows stronger, we can dig a large reservoir on that Ridge. We can then extend river channels and converge them towards this side of the mountain to replenish the downhill reservoir, while also irrigating the orchards along the way."

Ink Orchid took flight, surveyed the surroundings, and praised enthusiastically, "Dragon Cypress, you’re truly brilliant!"

Ink Orchid landed, pointed at the pond, and asked, "Dragon Cypress, what if there’s heavy rain and the water level rises? The Deep Blue God-Given Seed won’t drown, right?"

"Ink Orchid, you always spot potential issues quickly." Dragon Cypress complimented her, then said, "However, that’s not really an issue. We just need to widen the stream at the valley mouth a bit to ensure floodwaters can be promptly discharged during heavy rainfall."

"Oh!"

Ink Orchid looked up at the sky. "Dragon Cypress, it’s getting cloudy and looks like rain. You better hurry and dig."

"Yes, uh..." Dragon Cypress responded.

Ink Orchid turned to look at the Deep Blue God-Given Seed, then remarked, "Dragon Cypress, with leaves shaped like this, won’t rainwater accumulate inside when it rains?"

"Definitely, it will accumulate," Dragon Cypress stated.

Dragon Cypress said, "The forms of all animals and plants are the result of natural Evolution and selection. Each has its reasons, so there’s no need to worry too much."