CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 077: AUTUMN HARVEST TRADE SEASON

After more than half a year of development, the number of Specialized Soldier Ants in the Ant Nest had reached 280, Specialized Worker Ants numbered 200, and Specialized Blue Ants 130. There were also 20 of the less useful Specialized Blue Soldiers. Such a massive swarm of specialized ants required the coordination of corresponding large, medium, small, and tiny Soldier Ants, Worker Ants, and Blue Ants, their numbers considerable. To accommodate such a large colony, the Ant Nest also needed expansion.

The plan proposed by Round Cypress and Spiked Cypress—to dig a tunnel south to north through the mountain range, connecting Dragon Cypress’s domain with Molan Territory—was already underway, with almost 300 meters excavated. Along the tunnel, new ant nests were established at every hundred-meter interval, with a few Worker Ants assigned to reside in each and two Soldier Ants dispatched for defense.

As the Ant Kingdom flourished and expanded, the issue of food gradually became apparent. Within the borders of Xianglan Mountain, the food supply struggled to meet demand, often requiring Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid to travel far to hunt large animals. Each time they stockpiled food for the Ant Nest, it took Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid a day or two.

As the Ant Kingdom continues to grow, the demand for food will skyrocket. It’s not feasible to always send the Ant King out to hunt, is it? What kind of image would that create?

Dragon Cypress considered breeding another Gigantification Soldier Ant, specifically to lead a team of Soldier Ants responsible for hunting. They would head west along the mountain range towards the area near the Divine Force Barrier, where space was boundless and food inexhaustible. Dragon Cypress now had the financial means to breed another Gigantification Soldier Ant.

However, Gigantification Soldier Ants and Intelligent Worker Ants both possessed independent consciousness and intelligence; their evolutionary growth also needed careful consideration. They were born at the Mid-Level and then, Age Period after Age Period, underwent successive molting evolutions. They also required various Origin Force Foods for comprehensive enhancement; otherwise, there was a risk of failure. Their level of evolution could be lower than the Ant King’s but could, at its peak, be on par with his.

Currently, Dragon Cypress was a fifth Age Period Mid-Level Ant King. Round Cypress, now a second Age Period Mid-Level Intelligent Worker Ant, had undergone one molting evolution, a process that took one year and consumed Origin Force Food worth approximately 500 Source Stones. If they also wished to evolve rapidly, advancing every half year, it would require Origin Force Food worth over 1,000 Source Stones. That was about half the cost of the Ant King’s evolution. A bit pricey.

With Round Cypress and Spiked Cypress already present, if another Gigantification Soldier Ant were bred, each advancement of one Age Period for the three of them would cost between 1,500 and 3,000 Source Stones. Evolving from Primary-Level to Mid-Level, with costs increasing slightly with each Age Period, would require a total expenditure of twenty to thirty thousand Source Stones. That’s still somewhat acceptable. But how many Source Stones would it take to evolve from High-Level to Mountain Lord Level? An enormous amount!

Considering the cost, Dragon Cypress became conflicted again, unable to make a decision...

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid spent two days on a long-distance hunt, stockpiling enough provisions in the Ant Nest to last for two months before they began to pack for their journey.

Before departure, they took stock of their goods:

300 Divine-Given Ghost Fans, worth 7,500 Source Stones.

Only 500 common Ghost Fans remained, worth 500 Source Stones.

1,000 Divine-Given White Rice Seeds, worth 2,600 Source Stones.

200 Divine-Given Southern Sour Jujube Seeds, no discount, worth 2,000 Source Stones.

The variety was limited, and the quantity wasn’t large, but they were mostly high-quality items.

With goods valued at 12,600 Source Stones, they set off.

The Dominating Throne flew for an entire day and arrived at Molan Mountain.

As usual, they split up: Dragon Cypress took the south side of Molan Mountain, while Ink Orchid searched the north, both looking for Divine-Given Seeds.

Three days later, their search concluded with no success.

After resting for a night, they set off again, heading straight for White Rice Mountain.

At the northwest end of the mountain range lay the territory of Little Black Rice, the Small Sphere Insect Warrior.

Red Fox lay beneath a cypress tree, squinting and napping. White Rice was clearing a patch of wasteland. Little Black Rice followed behind, clamping weeds with his mandibles. He struggled with all his might, retreating backward to pull them out, then cleared them away.

"The Roving Merchant Ants have arrived!" White Rice suddenly stopped his work.

Red Fox opened his eyes, glanced up, then lay back down.

"Ant Honey! Ant Honey!" Little Black Rice released a weed he hadn’t managed to pull out and scurried towards Red Fox.

Red Fox reluctantly stood up, lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said, "White Rice, let me give you some advice. When you’re trading, don’t argue with that Dragon Cypress Ant King anymore."

"First, you were born here, grew up here, and are confined here. You’ve seen too little and know too little; you can’t win an argument against the Dragon Cypress Ant King. Second, if you and Little Black Rice want to evolve to the Mountain Lord Level, you must rely on them. Arguing will only alienate them."

Red Fox continued, "Third, they control the Dominating Throne and hold absolute leverage in trade. The prices for their goods aren’t excessive, and they aren’t stingy insects. Instead of haggling over prices, you’d be better off asking them for some useful trinkets or requesting they bring more high-quality Origin Force Food and superior seeds suitable for nurturing Life Seeds."

Upon hearing this, White Rice initially felt a surge of defiance, but after careful consideration, he found Red Fox’s words made a lot of sense.

"I understand now, Red Fox."

"Hmm—" Red Fox said no more and slowly walked towards the ridge.

Suddenly, Little Black Rice, perched atop Red Fox’s head, cried out, "They’re coming! They’re coming!" He vigorously waved his Tentacles, pointing towards the distant sky.

"Red Fox!"

"Little Black Rice!"

"White Rice, busy clearing new land?"

The Dominating Throne hovered at a low altitude. Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid called out greetings.

White Rice said, "Little Black Rice is in his eighth Age Period; next spring, he can evolve to the ninth Age Period. He will have three Life Seeds that need planting. I’m helping him prepare the land and set up protective fences now."

Ink Orchid remarked with a sigh, "It’s truly wonderful to have elders looking out for you. With Origin Force Food to eat, evolution is swift, and you don’t even have to clear your own territory."

"I cleared the weeds myself!" Little Black Rice retorted, then called out, "Ink Orchid! Ant Honey!"

"So Little Black Rice helps out too! What a diligent Sphere Insect Warrior!" Ink Orchid praised. Carrying a gourd full of Ant Honey, she glided down in front of Red Fox, placed the gourd on the ground, and explained, "This summer was too hectic; Dragon Cypress and I only managed to gather fresh fruits in Xianglan Mountain and the nearby areas. So, this year’s Ant Honey isn’t as fragrant as last year’s."

Doesn’t it taste as good anymore? Little Black Rice was stunned. He slid down from Red Fox’s forehead to the ground and hurriedly moved forward to inspect the gourd.

Dragon Cypress asked, "Did you have any major rainstorms here this Midsummer?"

White Rice replied, "We had some heavy rain, but nothing too severe. It’s been a year of favorable weather, all things considered."

Then White Rice asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, what happened on your side?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "We live in the southeastern part of the continent. We had fierce gales and torrential rains; one of my territories was nearly flooded."

Ink Orchid added, "Yes, exactly! Where we live, every summer brings either devastating rainstorms and floods or droughts and water shortages. White Rice, Red Fox, what’s the natural climate like here? Is it always so favorable every year?"

When it came to regional climates, Red Fox, having lived for over a hundred years, was the most qualified to speak.

Red Fox replied, I remember a few droughts, perhaps? "But I’ve never seen rainstorms cause floods."

Dragon Cypress remarked, "Then your area is very livable!"

Little Black Rice busied himself with the Ant Honey inside the gourd. Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, Red Fox, and White Rice chatted about rainfall, climate, territory development, and plant cultivation.

They had arrived at White Rice Mountain in the late morning and chatted idly until noon, when Dragon Cypress finally steered the conversation to business. He asked, "White Rice, has your Rice Tree Life Seed ripened? I’ve come this time mainly to purchase a batch of fresh Rice Tree Fruit to brew Origin Force Ant Honey."

White Rice replied, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, Ink Orchid, you’ve come a bit early. The Rice Tree Fruit still needs another five or six days of sun to fully ripen."

"Oh—" Dragon Cypress said, "No problem. Ink Orchid and I will wander around the vicinity and see if we can find any other Origin Force Points."

Ink Orchid added, "We’ll be back in six days, right on time!"

"Alright..." White Rice then asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, do you have any news about the Rice Tree Seeds I asked you to look for?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "I’ve already commissioned other insects to help collect them. I’ll be out as a Roving Merchant again from late spring to early summer next year. I’ll give you an answer on my next visit. I’m sure I can find some; I’m just not certain which varieties."

White Rice exclaimed, "Any variety will do!"

"As long as you’re not picky," Dragon Cypress said. "Red Fox, White Rice, Little Black Rice, Ink Orchid and I will take our leave for now!"

Dragon Cypress bid farewell once more, and the Dominating Throne slowly ascended into the sky.