CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 052 SOUTHERN SOUR JUJUBE

"Ink Orchid, what tree is this?"

"A Southern Sour Jujube?"

"Southern Sour Jujube?"

"Let me take a closer look..."

Dragon Cypress, controlling the Dominating Throne, circled the large tree, examining it from top to bottom for quite some time.

Due to the leap in Life Level of the Divine-Given Seed, its branches and leaves had changed compared to ordinary plants. For a moment, neither Dragon Cypress nor Ink Orchid could recognize it.

Green Fruits hung from the tree. Their shape somewhat resembled jujubes, but judging from the leaves and the tree’s form, it was definitely not a jujube tree.

"Dragon Cypress, can’t you recognize it?" Ink Orchid asked, having looked carefully again but still unable to determine the tree’s species.

An idea struck Dragon Cypress. "Let’s explore the vicinity to see if there are any similar trees," he suggested. "We might be able to identify it indirectly that way."

"Such a clever Dragon Cypress!" Ink Orchid praised heartily.

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne, flying in circles centered on the wild Divine-Given Seed, gradually expanding their search radius.

They soon found something.

On the slope of a small hill stood a few arbor trees, each over ten meters high. The shape of their leaves was very similar to that of the wild Divine-Given Seed. Their flowers had recently fallen, and the fruits were just beginning to develop.

Comparing the fruit shapes, they confirmed it was the same type of plant.

"A Southern Sour Jujube!" Ink Orchid exclaimed. "It’s a type of tall tree that only grows in the humid climates of the south."

"No doubt about it, it’s a Southern Sour Jujube!"

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid recognized it simultaneously.

Its name included ’jujube,’ but it was a Great Tall Tree bearing no relation to common jujube trees.

The berries it produced were tart and sweet, making it a non-toxic fruit tree.

Its enhancement effect was somewhat niche: it strengthened the toughness of membranous wings, useful only for winged members of the Insect Clan.

Ink Orchid searched her Inherited Memory and quickly realized a problem. "Dragon Cypress," she asked tentatively, "is it valuable?"

Dragon Cypress pondered for a moment before evaluating, "It’s rather specialized. For plants of the same quality, it would fall into the lower-priced category. However, it is a Divine-Given Seed, after all, and its quality far surpasses that of common Life Seeds. That quality can compensate for the specialized nature of its enhancement effect."

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne, returning beneath the wild Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed. He prepared to use its dense canopy for shelter from the rain, and as he inspected the trunk, he remarked, "Wild Divine-Given Seeds grow slowly. A tree this large must have been growing for several hundred years."

"Yes, indeed," Ink Orchid agreed, then pressed, "So, how much could its fruits sell for each?"

Dragon Cypress twitched his tentacles. "It’s not easy to determine."

"Approximately?" Ink Orchid asked.

"We’ll have to wait until its fruits ripen," Dragon Cypress replied. "Only when I see the actual product can I make an estimate."

"Alright..." Ink Orchid conceded.

She looked up at the tree. "Dragon Cypress, the fruits on the tree look like they’re about to ripen soon!"

Dragon Cypress sighed. "As a wild Divine-Given Seed and a free Origin Force Life, it grows and evolves much like our Insect Clan’s Ant Kings and Mantis Warriors, so its Blossom-Fruit Cycle will also gradually lengthen as it develops."

He paused, then voiced his uncertainty, "We can’t determine if it’s currently equivalent to a Mountain Lord-Level or Lord-Level entity—it’s certainly not a Tree King. We also can’t estimate its exact Blossom-Fruit Cycle in years..."

He continued, "Judging by the size of its fruits, it indeed isn’t far from maturity. However, looking at their color, it seems there’s still a long time until they’re fully ripe."

Something suddenly occurred to Ink Orchid. "Dragon Cypress," she asked with concern, "when it reaches maturity, will we need to supplement it with Source Stones for its Origin Force?"

"Source Stones aren’t necessary," Dragon Cypress stated.

Then he added, "Ink Orchid, I’m tired. Let’s rest for now."

"Oh—" Ink Orchid responded. "Dragon Cypress, you go to sleep. I’ll keep watch for you."

Having rested earlier, Ink Orchid was now full of energy. She flapped her wings and took off, circling the Southern Sour Jujube Fruit Tree and counting the fruits on its branches.

***

The rain ceased.

Under the golden morning sun, birds perched on branches, singing joyfully.

Ink Orchid spiraled down to land on the Throne.

"Dragon Cypress!" she called, flapping her wings against Dragon Cypress’s head. "Lazybones, time to get up!"

The noise woke Dragon Cypress.

"There are 3,477 Southern Sour Jujube Fruits!" Ink Orchid announced proudly. "I’ve counted them three times; there’s absolutely no mistake!"

How bored must you be? Dragon Cypress thought, somewhat speechless. He slowly stood up, twitched his tentacles, flexed his legs, and stretched his membranous wings.

"Dragon Cypress," Ink Orchid asked, her eyes gleaming, "can each fruit sell for 10 Source Stones?"

She was already fixated on the money.

"They definitely can..." Dragon Cypress affirmed.

"Wow!" Ink Orchid cheered before he even finished. "Dragon Cypress, if we sell its fruits, I can buy back the Ice-Fire Water-Making Pot!"

Still so fixated on that pot? Dragon Cypress mused.

He countered, "But who would we sell them to? A caravan? Caravans are out of the question. Ghost Fan? Ghost Fan might buy a few, but what it urgently needs right now is Origin Force Food that strengthens its Comprehensive Physique."

He added, "Ghost Fan’s condition is really bad. We can’t push it too hard; it would cost it its insect life."

"Oh, right!" Ink Orchid’s spirits fell. Dejected and unwilling to give up, she stammered, "But Dragon Cypress, didn’t you say that Melde is absolutely trustworthy?"

"Ink Orchid," Dragon Cypress explained, "besides me, there’s no one you can trust one hundred percent. Likewise, Ink Orchid, besides you, there’s no one I would ever truly, absolutely trust."

"I understand!" Ink Orchid chirped, her heart swelling with delight.

Dragon Cypress sighed softly. "Ink Orchid, don’t worry. Before long, we’ll have gathered enough Source Stones. Plenty of them. We’ll buy two Ice-Fire Water-Making Pots—one for you, and one for me."

"Eh?" Ink Orchid exclaimed. "Why buy two? That’s a waste of Source Stones! One is enough. Dragon Cypress, I’ll use it to make water for you to drink..."

Dragon Cypress was silent.

***

Dragon Cypress checked on the Gigantification Soldier Ant larvae and the ant eggs in the bamboo tubes, replenishing their Pheromones. As a new thought occurred to him, the Dominating Throne slowly lifted off the ground. He then circled the Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed for another inspection.

"The Origin Force Concentration here is good, and its growth state is perfect, so it doesn’t need much attention," he observed.

"Ink Orchid, let’s go check out other places."

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to ascend, flying at a hundred meters for an aerial view.

First, he located the edge of this Land of Origin Force and flew a circle along its perimeter, getting a rough idea of its extent.

Then, he flew in a straight line from the eastern edge to the western edge. This gave him a clear understanding of the basic layout.

It was an undulating, roughly circular hilly area with a diameter of seven to eight kilometers—quite a large expanse.

The Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed was rooted in the central zone, which was particularly rich in Origin Force.

After flying back and forth several more times, he confirmed that no Insect Clan Warriors had settled here.

Dragon Cypress expanded the Dominating Throne to its maximum size and concealed it within a patch of forest. He then parted ways with Ink Orchid and, relying on his own wings, flew swiftly to conduct a comprehensive search.

After three days, he still hadn’t found a second Divine-Given Seed or made any other valuable discoveries.

Finally, he helped clear the surrounding weeds, loosened the soil around the Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed, and hunted some large animals. He then dug pits under the tree, burying the carcasses to create compost.

"Ink Orchid," Dragon Cypress said, "this place isn’t very far from Ghost Fan Mountain. When we visit Ghost Fan in the autumn, we can stop by here again."

"Okay!" Ink Orchid agreed.

Then she asked, "What now? Are we going back?"

"We can go home now," Dragon Cypress confirmed.

"Dragon Cypress," Ink Orchid remarked, "the temperature here is high, and it’s humid and rainy. It seems suitable for planting Keg Vines, don’t you think?"

"That makes sense!" Dragon Cypress agreed. "In the future, we can also develop this area into a Keg Vine plantation and cultivate them in large numbers. We could also plant tropical fruits like Mangoes, Longans, and Lychees to produce Ant Honey."

"Awesome!" Ink Orchid cheered.

Dragon Cypress said no more. He took one last look at the wild Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed, then controlled the Dominating Throne to fly north.