Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, Jade Peach Kingdom.

A morning just cleared after autumn rain.

White Ivy led the way, dashing along the narrow, muddy mountain paths of the primitive forest. Red Peach, Grass Dragon, and Silvergrass followed close behind, leaving a long trail of messy footprints.

The team entered the peach orchard at the foot of the mountain, ran straight through, and headed directly up the mountain.

"White Ivy Mountain Lord!"

Lupine popped out from the peach orchard beside the mountain path. Behind, thousands of Little Flame Spiders—big and small—rushed after, swarming around and surrounding the team.

Caravans traveling this side of the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent usually brought along Little Flame Spiders. If a Flame Spider Warrior was born, they could be discovered and protected at once.

If journeying to the Wan Country Continent for roving trade, the Little Flame Spiders could be fostered in the Diaphus Flame Spider territory of the Flame Spider Kingdom, with veteran warriors to care for them, though numbers were limited.

After White Ivy made a fortune, she kept thinking of raising two more juniors to expand the scale of the caravan. So, she changed to fostering them at Yellow Peach Mountain Lord's place.

The number of Little Flame Spiders grew year by year, but…

"Any Little Warriors born?"

White Ivy asked.

Lupine: "No…"

White Ivy: "So what are you so happy about?"

Lupine asked, "Um, respected elder White Ivy, did you get the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit?"

White Ivy: "Of course!"

Grass Dragon asked, "Has Lord Melde arrived?"

Lupine: "Of course. We arrived seven or eight days ago."

White Ivy couldn't help feeling smug: Haha! Now even Melde has to rely on me!

"Melde's here? Then why isn't he coming down the mountain to welcome me?"

White Ivy complained, muttering, "After all the effort I spent to help him get a Divine-Grade Fruit share."

Lupine: "???"

Grass Dragon: "Good news! Let's talk up the mountain."

On the mountain.

Melde was helping open and spread a bunch of oversized silk bags, airing out the premium peach kernels that Yellow Peach Mountain Lord had harvested and sorted this year.

"Yellow Peach Mountain Lord, I'm back!"

"Lord Melde!"

Red Peach rushed up the mountain first, bringing good news: "Lord Melde, we have good news."

Melde: "You successfully got the Night Fragrance Fruit?"

"Of course!"

Red Peach: "The Huagi Divine Tree and the Linnan Divine Tree on Huagi Mountain have already rooted this spring. And surprisingly, there's a third Divine God-Given Seed on Huagi Mountain!"

Red Peach: "It's called 'Jinhe'—the Jinhe Fruit it produces grants a metal-enhancement ability called 'Jinhe Pattern.' It's very valuable. White Ivy Mountain Lord helped secure you a fixed trading share for a Jinhe Fruit..."

"Wait a second!"

Melde raised a foreleg to interrupt, asking, "The Huagi Divine Tree has also been reborn?"

Red Peach: "Yes. Rooted in the Purple Tung Insect Nation."

Melde: "Then the share allocation for the Divine-Grade Kunlan Seed..."

Red Peach: "White Ivy Mountain Lord gets one!"

Melde: "And there's another Divine God-Given Seed called Jinhe? I get a share?"

Melde was baffled, unable to comprehend, finding it hard to believe: This year I've been traveling this side of the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, haven't even gone to the Insect Capital…

And I still get a share?

Red Peach emphasized, "It was White Ivy Mountain Lord and I who helped fight for it for you."

Melde didn't believe it, asking, "Red Peach, do you even believe what you're saying?"

Red Peach retorted, "Lord Melde, then how do you think your share of Jinhe Fruit came about?"

Melde: "What's the catch?"

Red Peach: "You need to trade for Moon Peach Fruit from Yuezuo Mountain…"

"Heh~heh~" Melde knew it! Nothing falls from the sky for free.

Still, this business was sure to be worth it—a huge gain for him.

Melde's gaze turned to the mountain path.

"Yellow Peach! Melde."

White Ivy charged up the mountain, full of bluster, starting to mock from afar.

"Oh Melde, like I told you, everything is calculated, just stick to my plan. Look at you, not young anymore, yet you're still so restless—came seven or eight days early. Isn't that just a waste of life..."

Melde replied coolly, "I was just afraid you'd even forget the date."

"Lord Melde."

"White Ivy Mountain Lord."

Grass Dragon and Silvergrass hurried up right after.

Seeing Melde and White Ivy clash at first sight, Grass Dragon quickly stepped forward to smooth things over,

"Good news, good news! Huagi Mountain also has a 'Jinhe Divine God-Given Seed', divine grade, Melde, you get a share of Jinhe Fruit…"

After simple greetings, the bugs gathered together. Grass Dragon gave a detailed account of the situation on Cloud Trace Continent. After a round of discussion and calculation, they began sorting goods and packing up.

Yellow Peach and Red Peach headed into the forest to hunt.

Fed and rested, after a day's pause, they would set off at night.

…

…

…

Cloud Crown Mountain.

The late afternoon sun slanted fiercely.

The Mid-Autumn sun was still rather hot.

Beneath the two towering Cloud Crown Trees on either side of the planted checkpoint entrance, the guarding Beautiful Ji Bug Warriors clustered in little groups, lazing and chatting in the shade.

A lord-level Beautiful Ji Bug Warrior keenly sensed vibrations from the ground and stood up.

The other Beautiful Ji Bug Warriors all stood as well.

A moment later,

a Flame Spider Caravan burst from a side mountain trail, appearing on the broad main road, charging straight for the checkpoint.

"Eh?"

"Them again?"

Lord Spiny Mulberry recognized them.

To outsiders, Flame Spiders all looked similar.

But the flashy Metal Mantis Warrior running with this caravan was brightly colored and easy to identify.

The caravan selling Origin Force Honey?

Stopped last year,

And this year, they brought a lord-level Flame Spider to bolster their presence?

Just one lord-level Flame Spider?

Lord Spiny Mulberry shuffled slowly, blocking the middle of the main road.

"Lord Spiny Mulberry!"

More than a hundred meters away, White Ivy slowed her pace, waved her foreleg enthusiastically, and nudged Melde beside her, hinting for him to mind his position.

White Ivy walked briskly to the front of the caravan to negotiate.

"You are…"

Spiny Mulberry remembered this small caravan sold Origin Force Honey, but had forgotten their name—or perhaps never cared to know.

Spiny Mulberry glanced at the carapace on White Ivy's back, recalling that last year her carapace was nearly empty, holding almost no goods. This year, it didn't look much different.

But the lord-level Flame Spider Roving Merchant behind her was loaded with goods atop his carapace, and from the way the silk bags on his back bulged, it was obvious the cargo was rich.

Spiny Mulberry had kept this checkpoint for years and seen countless Flame Spider merchants. Just a glance at a Roving Merchant's cargo sufficed to tell rich from poor.

"I am White Ivy Mountain Lord!"

"Oh——"

"I told you last year…"

"Honey?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"Divine grade…"

"Divine-Grade Fruit?"

"Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit!"

"You brought it?"

"Brought it!"

"???"

Spiny Mulberry instantly grew serious: Divine grade for real?

Divine-Grade Fruits are extremely rare in trade, and are monopolized by the Spider Kings.

How could a minor mountain lord possibly get their hands on divine grade?

Spiny Mulberry waited for White Ivy to act.

White Ivy just stood still, unmoving.

Spiny Mulberry immediately grew suspicious and asked icily, "Messing with me?"

White Ivy: "I brought it. Go report in. I will only negotiate with the Insect King of Cloud Crown Mountain who manages the Divine God-Given Seed with Waterwood dual hallucination abilities."

Spiny Mulberry: "That would be Fenghuai Mountain, Insect King Yanguan? I can't report at random—I have to confirm the goods before passing word."

White Ivy: "Fine! Once you see and confirm it, you'll go report, right?"

Lord Spiny Mulberry nodded his tentacle.

White Ivy wasted no words, unfastened the Spider Silk Rope on her back, pulled a silk bag from the bottom of the goods, opened it, took out the metal can, and held it to Spiny Mulberry.

Seeing this, Spiny Mulberry accepted it solemnly, inspected it, hooked a claw under the lid loop, twisted it open, and gently pried open a crack, scanning within with spiritual power.

"!!!"

Spiny Mulberry snapped the lid shut at once, screwed it tight, and handed it back to White Ivy.

"Wait a moment!"

He finished, turned, and dashed off.