CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 069: ROVING MERCHANT’S JOURNEY (PART 1)

Transaction complete.

Melde took out two small Spider Silk Bags and handed them to Dragon Cypress, saying:

"These are the 15 Large Fruit Ghost Fan Tree Seeds you asked me to help collect, each from a different tree."

"These are Green Torreya, Great King Fir, Golden Pine, Black Emperor Peach, Dominant Chestnut, and Spotted Star Pear Seeds, 10 of each."

"Dragon Cypress, this is the third and also the last time I’ll help you collect seeds for free."

Dragon Cypress said gratefully, "Thank you, Melde."

Dragon Cypress: "Melde, there’s still a small thing about seeds I need your help with."

Melde said nothing.

Dragon Cypress: "Please help collect some Rice Tree and Persimmon Tree Seeds. The focus is on collecting different varieties; I know the rules, I’ll pay you 20 Source Stones per variety for your trouble."

Melde was puzzled and asked, "Why are you collecting Rice Tree Seeds?"

Dragon Cypress: "I found a few wild White Rice Trees. They’re pretty nice. I thought I might as well plant a bunch for fun."

Melde: "That doesn’t sound fun at all."

Dragon Cypress: "I won’t plant them everywhere, just use them as isolation trees between orchard rows."

Melde: "Why not use Cypresses for that?"

Dragon Cypress: "I’m using Cypresses, too. I use several kinds of trees and plant them in rotation. That way it’s more effective in preventing diseases and pests from breaking out in the orchard. Melde, since you said Cypresses are good, why not help me collect some more Cypress Tree Seeds?"

Melde: "..."

That made some sense.

Melde agreed: "All right. Noted. I’ll help you find some good Persimmon Tree Seeds."

Dragon Cypress: "Sky-Blue Persimmon Seeds!"

"Mm—"

"I’ll try..." Melde reluctantly replied.

Dragon Cypress: "Melde, give me a few more spider silk bags—not valuable ones. Not long ago, Ink Orchid and I were logging and clearing land, and I almost got crushed by a tree. Give me two longer Spider Silk Ropes, too."

"Not valuable Spider Silk Bags? Since when are spider silk bags not valuable?"

Melde, grumbling, manipulated two Spider Silk Ropes about ten meters long, bundled up two small and two medium Spider Silk Bags, and tossed them to Dragon Cypress.

"One of the bags is embroidered with ant and spider patterns. Grass Dragon had me bring it to you."

Dragon Cypress: "Okay. Melde, please thank Grass Dragon and send greetings for me."

Dragon Cypress: "Melde, since one Spider Silk Bag was sent by Grass Dragon, you should send me one more..."

"Get lost!"

Melde quickly packed their stuff and left.

"Melde, I’m just kidding. Say hi to Spider King Spurge for me."

Dragon Cypress smugly waved his tentacles, signaling Ink Orchid to pack up and head home.

...

...

...

Xianglan Mountain.

Of the high-quality Origin Force Food worth 4000 Source Stones, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid kept 2000 worth for personal use; the rest, valued at 2000 Source Stones, would be used as trade capital with White Rice Mountain.

At age period 3, Dragon Cypress had already eaten 40 Ghost Fan Seeds, 10 Southern Sour Jujube Seeds, 25 Fruit-Scented Orchid Seeds, plus some other Origin Force Food.

Soon completed another Molting Evolution.

The mental power enhancement effect of the Ghost Fan Seeds showed up. Trying his best, he found his maximum range had grown to about 18 meters.

The higher you go with mental power strengthening, the harder it gets, and there’s an upper limit. A Mid-Level Ant King’s mental power limit should be 20 to 25 meters.

Waking from this evolution, Dragon Cypress felt a bit weak, called for the Blue Ants to bring some Ant Honey, buried his head in it, licking away as he sorted through the newly awakened Inherited Memory.

With food in his stomach, the weakness faded quickly. He wiped his mouth and couldn’t wait to check the Dominating Throne for changes.

Spiritual communication—activating the ’Messenger’ function.

[Please select Messenger type]

[Guardian of Strength]

[Guardian of Hydrology]

[Producer: Agriculture]

[Producer: Refinement]

Dragon Cypress selected [Guardian of Strength]

[Please select quantity]

[Quantity: 1]

[Quantity: 2]

...

[Quantity: 5]

As expected, after evolving to a 4th age period Mid-Level Ant King, the Dominating Throne’s max number of eggs produced each round increased by one, from 4 to 5.

Following this pattern, by the 7th age period, the limit would rise to [Quantity: 6]

When promoted to a 1st age period High-Level Ant King, the cap increases to [Quantity: 7],

4th age period High-Level Ant King [Quantity: 8],

7th age period [Quantity: 9]

And so on.

Dragon Cypress tried choosing [Quantity: 5]

Blue light swept over.

[Physical state is suboptimal, please select quantity again]

—All right, then.

—I knew it.

Dragon Cypress started over, conservatively selecting [Quantity: 3]

This time it worked smoothly; a suction came from beneath the cushion.

Just after completing evolution, having barely regained some physical strength, Dragon Cypress was hit by an even deeper weakness, stomach growling.

Dragon Cypress shook his tentacles and called the Blue Ant in the nest chamber to spit out more Ant Honey, quickly gobbling it up.

He spat out the Dominant Chestnut Life Seed nurtured during age period 3, and gave it to Worker Ants for soaking and prepping for sowing.

He tucked a Black Emperor Peach Seed into his Life Pouch, to cultivate as his next age period’s Life Seed.

...

Spring was in full bloom.

The sown Silver Cypress Seeds sprouted, growing into seedlings about ten centimeters tall. Dragon Cypress directed the little Worker Ants to weed out those that were crooked or obviously scrawny.

A new batch of Specialized Blue Ants emerged one after another.

Before your soldiers move, stock up the granaries first—another 12 Specialized Blue Ants ensured the food reserve for the Ant Nest. Next, there would be a mass hatching of Specialized Worker Ants to put in the real work.

Dragon Cypress and Round Cypress started getting busy on a little hill on South Mountain, clearing weeds and shrubs to begin pioneering new land, preparing to transplant Silver Cypresses in the future.

Tall arbor trees were first girdled around the trunk, cutting off phloem to kill them. Let them sit and dry out over the summer before handling them.

Amidst the busyness, late spring arrived before they even noticed.

Ink Orchid evolved right after Dragon Cypress, advancing to 6th age period Mid-Level Flower Mantis Warrior. On Dragon Cypress’s advice, she chose a Dominant Chestnut Seed as her Life Seed; they’d plant together when they got back anyway.

...

The wild White Rice Tree Divine-Given Seed in White Rice Mountain ripens in early summer.

At Ghost Fan Mountain, Ghost Fan is still looking forward to this year’s new Origin Force Food to strengthen its overall physique.

Dragon Cypress began packing up.

With a clear destination and stable trading partners, this counted as a formal Roving Merchant voyage.

And since it involved trading Divine-Given Seeds of both White Rice Tree and Ghost Fan Tree, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid both took it very seriously.

This year’s haul was decent:

First, 1000 Source Stones.

Second, high-quality Origin Force Food worth 2000 Source Stones on credit from the caravan. Those damned Flame Spider Roving Merchants jacked up prices yet again, and after much deliberation Dragon Cypress decided not to hike his own price this time.

Third, Origin Force Food purchased from White Rice Territory last year, plus a batch of Stone Orchid Seeds, with a sale price of 2000 Source Stones.

Fourth, 90 Ghost Fan Seeds, sale price 2250 Source Stones.

Fifth, 58 Fruit-Scented Orchid Seeds, sale price 464 Source Stones.

Total goods worth 7714 Source Stones.

After doing the trade circuit, the goods brought back could be worth more than 10,000 Source Stones.

On top of that, there were 100 Southern Sour Jujube Seeds, not sure if they’d sell;

Specialized Blue Ants, 7 of which were empty, 3 with full bellies—stuffed with a super-complicated mix of dozens of fresh and dried fruits, honey, and meat honey, making for regular Ant Honey with a dizzying variety of flavors and scents.

Two gourds full of regular Ant Honey, the travel rations for Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid on the road.

With land development in the territory facing a labor shortage, they couldn’t skip egg production on the way, either. As usual: 10 each of mid-sized, small, and micro Worker Ants, three big bamboo tubes tied together on blocks of stone.

Any eggs produced on the trip would be left to the Worker Ants to take care of.

...

After Ink Orchid’s evolution, they rested a night and set off south early the next morning.

On the way,

They searched for Lands of Origin Force along the route, looking for rare seeds and Starship Wreckage and such.

Four days later,

They arrived at Southern Sour Jujube Mountain.

The Southern Sour Jujube Divine-Given Seed, after flowering and fruiting last year, shed its leaves in winter, regrew them in spring, and just put out a new flower spike, about to bloom.

Dragon Cypress helped thin the flowers appropriately.

Ink Orchid hunted down a large number of big animals for them.

They dug a pit under the tree and buried the bodies, making compost.

After a busy afternoon,

They set off again early next morning, reaching Ghost Fan Mountain by dusk.

Ink Orchid detached herself from the Throne and flew out.