CHAPTER 408: CHAPTER 393 ROUND LEAF KEG VINE

On the southern side of the hill, along the foot of the mountain, fifty Keg Vines were planted in neat rows, spaced ten meters apart.

Wooden stake frames, spider silk guiding the vines upward toward the mountain.

Keg Vine likes moist conditions.

A small river had even been specially dug out, meandering past nearby.

"Great King!"

Black Cory pointed at the hillside ahead.

By the river at the foot of the slope, three Specialized Blue Soldiers idly played with the flowing water, but upon noticing the Ant King arriving, they hurried to stand properly at attention.

Beside them, a Keg Vine seedling was protected by a circle of thorny vines.

Dragon Cypress trotted forward to inspect it.

Just as Black Cory had said, apart from the slightly rounder leaves, there weren’t any other differences visible in this Keg Vine yet.

"Great King?"

Black Cory inquired.

Dragon Cypress shook his antennae, saying, "The seedling’s too small; it’s hard to judge if it’s mutated."

Black Cory raised a claw and gently pointed to the sky, asking, "Great King, if it is mutated, will that trigger a Law Divine-Given and grant a Divine-Given Seed?"

Dragon Cypress shook his antennae, replying, "Not necessarily. There are lots of plant mutations in the wild, most of which are inferior mutations. Only in exceedingly rare cases do stable, high-quality varieties appear. I suspect that only a quality variant can trigger a Law Divine-Given."

"Oh—"

Black Cory was a bit disappointed and dejected.

Dragon Cypress added, "This Keg Vine is probably a mutated plant. Send some more Soldier Ants here to guard it. Even if it isn’t exceptional enough, and can’t immediately trigger a Divine-Given, we must still preserve it. When it blooms and sets seed, we can promote it widely, select for robust seedlings, optimize it generation by generation, and one day reach the standard to trigger a Divine-Given."

Dragon Cypress summed up, "This counts as a rather stable chance to gain a top-level Divine-Given Seed. We cannot let it slip by."

Black Cory pondered for two seconds, raised his antennae high, and said sonorously, "I understand, Great King!"

Dragon Cypress looked up thoughtfully and said, "Let’s name it first..."

The naming of a new entity might earn the recognition of the Natural True God and get recorded into the Inherited Memory of the Insect Clan.

This is the supreme honor for any Insect Clan Warrior.

Black Cory sensibly said, "You name it, Great King..."

Dragon Cypress: "Based on its leaf characteristics, let’s call it ’Round Leaf Keg Vine.’ How about that?"

Black Cory: "...Great King’s naming is excellent!"

Dragon Cypress also felt the name was a bit bland, but was too lazy to think up something else. He waved his antennae and urged,

"Go on, go on, be quick about it. Take care of the Southern Sour Jujube Mountain matters and let’s go."

Black Cory dashed toward the Mountain Ant nest.

Dragon Cypress fluttered his wings and took off again, coming to the tree of Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed, looking up and inspecting carefully, instructing the Worker Ants to pick all the fruit from the tree.

He then checked the Red Cypress, Chestnut Beans, and Sea Blue Divine-Given Seeds one by one and confirmed they were fine.

Black Cory also swiftly finished all arrangements.

Together, they set off for Black Lotus Lake to tend to White Willow’s Life Seed Plant.

Returning to Xianglan Mountain, the Dominating Throne was placed in the Royal Family’s chambers. Silver Cypress took the throne, preparing for an evolutionary breakthrough to Mountain Lord Level.

Dragon Cypress kept watch outside the cave.

Black Cory, guarded by Soldier Ants, set off alone for Rednan Mountain to help out...

...

The Seven-Leaf’s transaction was completed first, departing with Natsumi.

The Origin Force Honey deal between White Ivy and Grass Dragon involved such vast quantities that it would take several more days.

Silvergrass and Red Peach each hauled off a large wagonload, only to return some hours later, wheels rumbling.

"Red Peach! Silvergrass..."

White Ivy signaled, leading the way down the hillside.

Grass Dragon, Red Peach, and Silvergrass raced after, following her into the depths of the small grove.

Grass Dragon, more anxious than White Ivy, asked, "Red Peach, what did you tell Dragon Cypress? How did you get your Divine-Grade Kunlun Seed trade share early?"

Red Peach: "I lied~"

Red Peach: "At the time, by my observation and guess, Dragon Cypress Ant King had already set the Kunlun Seed allocations, likely with the Aconite Spider King monopolizing three, Spurge and Wormwood Spider King each getting one..."

Red Peach: "So, in the heat of the moment, I made up a name—’Spotted Thicket Fruit’—for the Divine-Grade Fruit from Cloud Crown Mountain that grants Waterwood Dual System Hallucination Ability, and told Dragon Cypress Ant King..."

Red Peach: "I didn’t nail things down; what I said was that the Mud Ke Bug King of Purple Back Mountain’s Banded Assassin Bug Tribe promised to introduce us into Cloud Crown Mountain to trade, and we would probably be able to exchange for ’Spotted Thicket Fruit’..."

Red Peach: "As expected, Dragon Cypress Ant King showed great interest, and without hesitation, changed his mind, told me to call back Red Moonseed, and readjusted the Divine-Grade Kunlun Seed allocation..."

Grass Dragon: "Smart..."

Silvergrass: "Clever..."

White Ivy was delighted but put on a stern face and scolded, "Red Peach, as roving merchants crossing the continent, the most important thing is honesty. Treat other insects with sincerity; no more lying from now on."

"Mm! Mm!"

Red Peach tapped her antennae, stammering, "I also told another little lie..."

Grass Dragon: "Yuezuo Mountain, Moon Peach Fruit?"

Red Peach: "Yes. I told Dragon Cypress Ant King that Lord Melde knows many Burying Bettle Warriors in the Green Torreya Kingdom, has means to enter Yuezuo Mountain, and plans to cooperate with White Ivy Mountain Lord to trade for Moon Peach Fruit..."

Red Peach: "So, the Jinhe Fruit allocation was adjusted too, and Lord Melde got a share..."

"Lord Melde?"

Silvergrass was dumbfounded.

Red Peach: "Regarding Jinhe Fruit’s yield, Lord Melde gets one share."

"Melde didn’t even come—how did he get a share too?"

White Ivy was surprised and a bit annoyed.

Are such good deals still possible in this world?

She felt like she’d suffered a major loss.

Grass Dragon was speechless for a moment, then grew worried and asked, "Red Peach, what if neither the trades with Cloud Crown Mountain nor Yuezuo Mountain go through—then what do we do?"

Red Peach: "That’s why I didn’t make promises—I only said we’d confirm again this year, and give Dragon Cypress Ant King a definite answer next year. So Dragon Cypress Ant King will only confirm the Divine-Grade Kunlun Seed and Jinhe Fruit allocations officially next year."

Silvergrass raised her forelegs in protest, saying, "No, no, that’s not right!"

White Ivy: "Why not?"

Silvergrass: "Red Peach, don’t you always say the Soul-Setting Ability can tell lies apart?"

Red Peach: "Yes, I’ve always said that. And I’ve been mulling countermeasures."

Grass Dragon and Silvergrass glanced at each other, eyes lighting up. "What’s the countermeasure?" they both asked.

Red Peach: "That, I can’t tell you. Someday, White Ivy Mountain Lord will have to eat a Soul-Setting Fruit too! Just wait, you two—no, three, Lupine counts as one as well."

Grass Dragon: "..."

Silvergrass: "..."

White Ivy, delighted, patted Grass Dragon on the head with her foreleg, then Silvergrass, and said seriously, "Let’s get down to business."

White Ivy asked, "Melde took a share of Divine-Grade Jinhe Fruit? Then he needs to exchange for Moon Peach Fruit, right?"

Red Peach: "He should."

Red Peach: "Dragon Cypress Ant King didn’t wait for me to finish—he just decided on the spot and said one share goes to Lord Melde."

Red Peach, musing, said, "You can really feel it—Dragon Cypress Ant King doesn’t want to put all the Divine-Grade Fruits in the hands of the Spider Kings. He’s deliberately distributing some to us."

White Ivy: "Didn’t I say all along, Dragon Cypress is an affectionate and loyal ant."

Grass Dragon: "Then I’m an affectionate and loyal spider!"

You?

Heh~heh~

White Ivy shifted aside, not bothering to look at him.

Grass Dragon didn’t care to say any more either.

Red Peach suggested, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, that’s even better. We can eat the Moon Peach Fruit we get from Yuezuo Mountain, or exchange it for other Divine-Grade Fruits including the Soul-Setting Fruit."

White Ivy: "Makes sense! That’s what I was planning."

White Ivy said seriously, "We must get into Cloud Crown Mountain this year and seal the deal, or it’s all talk. Let’s all work our brains and see if there’s any way to raise our chances."

White Ivy: "Or rather, suppose we bring a Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit and Melde in the fall, yet still can’t get into Cloud Crown Mountain or can’t reach a deal—what do we do then?"

Grass Dragon was about to say something,

Red Peach raised a claw, "I’ve thought of a backup plan!"

White Ivy praised, "Red Peach, you’re the cleverest!"

Red Peach: "If we can’t notch a deal at Cloud Crown Mountain this fall, next spring we’ll tell Dragon Cypress Ant King that it’s done, to be sure to get ourselves a share of the Divine-Grade Kunlun Seed."

Red Peach: "The Spiky Wing Mantis King of Hidden Wing Mountain has Awakened Water System Talent, right? It needs the Kunlun Seed badly. With the Kunlun Seed, Spiky Wing Mantis King completes the Waterwood Dual System, so it should want Divine-Grade Fruit from Cloud Crown Mountain too. We can ask Spiky Wing Mantis King to act as intermediary..."

Red Peach: "No matter how reserved and closed off Cloud Crown Mountain is, they can’t keep a prestigious Insect King outside their gates, right? This is a sure-fire backup plan."

But inviting an Insect King as an intermediary would cost a lot—certainly not a trivial price.

White Ivy: "Let’s keep this backup plan for emergencies only when we’re out of options."

White Ivy: "Grass Dragon, anything you want to say?"

Grass Dragon: "White Ivy Mountain Lord, do you know Revolve Spider King?"

White Ivy: "I know of him. But he apparently doesn’t know me."

Grass Dragon: "...That’ll work."

Grass Dragon: "That’s another backup plan—White Ivy Mountain Lord, could try to work with Revolve Spider King."

"No way!"

White Ivy instantly vetoed, using a lecturing tone: "Flame Spider Roving Merchants are even more unscrupulous than Mantis Warriors, and they get greedier with age. Your idea is even worse than Red Peach’s."

Grass Dragon: "..."

Grass Dragon: "Then there’s nothing to be done."

White Ivy: "No rush. While we’re on the road as roving merchants, let’s all put our minds to work. What I want are ways to increase our chances, ideally clever tricks that won’t cost us much."

"Okay—"

"Alright—"

Grass Dragon, Red Peach, and Silvergrass agreed.

White Ivy waved her foreleg to summon them, "Back up the mountain, let’s continue the trading."

...

...

...

Xianglan Mountain.

Silver Cypress woke from slumber, having smoothly completed Molting Evolution. He tried out his spiritual power, scanning around, and tried to use his mind to call out:

"Great King?"

"Done?"

Dragon Cypress raised his claw, moved aside the door panel blocking the cave entrance, shook his antennae, and issued orders.

The two Large Blue Ants waiting by the side crawled into the cave to feed Silver Cypress.

"Great King! I have spiritual power now too!"

"I know."

"Shouldn’t we hold a banquet to celebrate?"

Silver Cypress was very excited, expectant, and quite pleased with himself.

"No need."

Dragon Cypress answered coldly.

With Command Ants like Spiked Cypress, Giant Cypress, Cypress, Round Cypress, and Fragrant Cypress already having ascended to Mountain Lord, Dragon Cypress was unmoved by now.

At present, of the Ant Kingdom’s nine Command Ants, six have smoothly evolved into Mountain Lords. Only Black Cory, Black Leaf, and the newly Awakened Black Birch remain.

Dragon Cypress left the nest, caught two fish from Shanxi Reservoir, brought them back to the King Nest, tossed them to Silver Cypress, and advised,

"Eat some fresh meat, recover quickly, then go downhill to greet Azure, Southern Gorgon, and Black Yellow, but pay extra attention to Black Yellow."

Silver Cypress: "...Okay... Great King..."

Silver Cypress walked down from the Throne along the wood plank, twisting his body and glancing back to examine himself.

Just like the Great King and Cypress, four blue rings circled his abdomen, representing Water Control, Hydrology, Boiling, and Freezing—four Water System abilities.

Silver Cypress waved his antennae to signal for the Blue Soldiers to fetch water and cook the fish before eating.

"Great King, do you want to test my Water System Ability?"

"No need. Practice at Shanxi Reservoir when you have time."

Dragon Cypress: "There’s lots to do in the Purple Tung Insect Nation. Once these deals are done, I need to hurry there. I’m going to Rednan Mountain to split the nest and switch places with Black Cory, so he can borrow the Dominating Throne and evolve to High-Level Assistant King at age nine. Be careful while guarding things."

Silver Cypress: "Understood, Great King."

Dragon Cypress said no more, hurriedly left the nest, flew to Rednan Mountain Ant Nest to relieve Black Cory, and commanded the Blue Ants to refine Origin Force Food and mix Origin Force Honey.

Not a moment was wasted.

All trades with the Flame Spider Roving Merchants for this spring were finished, and when they returned to Xianglan Mountain, Black Cory had also completed his Molting Evolution.

Black Cory went to guard Southern Sour Jujube Mountain.

Areca went to White Willow’s territory to help watch over it for a year.

The Dominating Throne set off carrying Red Moonseed...