Early winter.

The Dulai Flame Spider Kingdom, situated in a tropical rainforest, still enjoyed bright sunshine and sea breezes that carried moist, hot air into the jungle, creating the most comfortable climate of the year for the Flame Spider warriors.

The Flame Spider Roving Merchants would return to the kingdom during this season to gather, eat, interact, and trade.

It was the annual festival for their kin.

「In the Cangshu Spider King Trade Circle, at the entrance of a small grove.」

White Ivy had just purchased some Origin Force Food, packed it into small bags, stuffed them into metal cans, tied them up in bundles, and loaded them into an oversized Spider Silk Bag. She then placed it on Red Peach's carapace and secured it with Spider Silk.

"Red Peach, can you carry it?"

"...I can carry it."

"Take a few steps and try."

Red Peach walked around White Ivy and sighed, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, this won't do~"

White Ivy asked, "Why won't it work?"

Red Peach replied, "After all, I am a Metal Mantis, and only a 2nd instar High-Level Golden Mantis Warrior. I can only carry one bag of goods."

White Ivy soothed him, "Being able to help carry one bag isn't bad! I'll pay you extra."

White Ivy really had no other choice.

In recent years, ordinary Origin Force Honey had gained a good reputation for its affordable price and sweet taste, gradually becoming popular among warriors from both large and small tribes. Moreover, with this year's abundant supply of Azure, Scarletlight, and Southern Sour Jujube Bee King Honey, she had further gained the trust of her trading partners.

This year's order quantity had skyrocketed.

Calculated by selling price, the pre-sale amount reached a staggering 720,000 Source Stones, a total of 300 cans.

Accordingly, White Ivy needed to transport 510,000 Source Stones' worth of ordinary Origin Force Food to Dragon Cypress.

The air-dried Origin Force Food wasn't heavy, but the sheer quantity was overwhelming.

White Ivy wasn't very strong among the Dulai Flame Spider Tribe, standing just over four meters tall with a carapace width slightly over two meters and less than three meters in length.

On her limited carapace space, she had piled packages large and small, stacking them three to four meters high.

It wasn't just Origin Force Food; there were also the 10,000 Source Stones in cash and 300 metal cans requested by Dragon Cypress.

Source Stones were heavy, and the metal cans weren't light either.

The Grass Dragon hadn't been wrong; the once lively and energetic White Ivy Mountain Lord was long gone, weighed down by the heavy cargo to the point of barely being able to walk.

But she was reluctant to give up.

Delivering one more bag of Origin Force Food to the Ten Thousand Nations Continent meant earning about 2,000 more Source Stones.

The clever White Ivy considered having Red Peach share some of the burden.

"For this year's pay, I'll add 2,000 Source Stones for you!"

"You, as a High-Level Golden Mantis Warrior, working tirelessly for a year with Yellow Peach Mountain Lord in the mountains—could you earn 2,000 Source Stones?"

Seeing Red Peach was somewhat reluctant, White Ivy rationalized and tempted him with benefits.

Red Peach said, "I can't earn that much..."

Red Peach added, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, just like you, I also want to earn more..."

Red Peach continued, "But the problem we're facing now is the lack of strength to transport more goods. Our roving merchant venture has reached its limit, like a mountain road at its peak."

White Ivy said, "We're already earning enough now! More than Melde did!"

Red Peach asked, "With a profit of 140,000 to 150,000 Source Stones a year, is that enough for us to reach the Evolution Lord Level?"

White Ivy affirmed, "It is!"

Red Peach asked further, "Is that enough for us to evolve into an Insect King?"

White Ivy answered, "Not enough—"

Red Peach asserted, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, we can't be satisfied with the status quo. We need to think about change."

White Ivy replied, "Then I'll look into buying a batch of Divine-Given Origin Force Food that causes Gigantification, along with some Origin Force Food that strengthens Comprehensive Physique. I'll enhance my size and strength and strive to transport more!"

Red Peach was silent for a moment, then said, "A Mountain Lord-Level physique is already stable. How much more can it be enhanced? That won't fundamentally change things."

White Ivy, losing patience, said, "Red Peach, what's your good idea then? Just say it!"

Red Peach said, "I've thought of two methods."

"Two?" White Ivy was overjoyed and praised, "Red Peach, in these three years with me, you've learned quite a lot."

Red Peach: "…Yes."

Red Peach: "The first method is to reduce the burden. Those 10,000 Source Stones we are transporting for the Dragon Cypress Ant King are really too heavy. White Ivy Mountain Lord, we don't have to transport the Source Stones. When we reach the Eastern Transit Trading Plaza on the Ten Thousand Nations Continent, you can find other caravans. Use 1,000-denomination Spider King Silk Scrolls to exchange for 900 cash Source Stones. By offering a 100 Source Stone profit margin, there should be caravans willing to make the exchange. You just need to find 11 such caravans, and the 10,000 Source Stones you promised to help the Dragon Cypress Ant King transport will be accounted for."

Red Peach: "Maybe we won't even need 11 caravans. Surely there are caravans whose trade routes pass through Source Stone production areas. If it's just a short-distance transport for them, they'd be happy to earn this margin."

Red Peach: "White Ivy Mountain Lord, you'd carry 10,000 fewer cash Source Stones, taking a small loss of 1,000 Source Stones. But you could transport 10 large bags of Origin Force Food, earning 20,000 more Source Stones. It would also be much easier."

White Ivy: "Makes sense! I've had this idea for a while."

White Ivy had always valued Red Peach as her partner and promptly asked, "What's the second method? Let's hear it."

Red Peach: "White Ivy Mountain Lord, have you noticed that most Flame Spider Roving Merchants, starting from the Dulai Flame Spider Kingdom and traveling to the Eastern Transit Trading Plaza on the Ten Thousand Nations Continent, do not have their carapaces fully loaded?"

White Ivy: "I'm very familiar with this; no need to observe. In roving trade, merchandise is sold and bought along the way. The wealth on their carapaces continually increases, as does the volume of merchandise. Everyone needs to reserve carrying capacity to purchase goods on the latter half of the journey."

Red Peach: "Then, could we mobilize some Flame Spider Roving Merchants to transport goods for us? If each Flame Spider Roving Merchant only helps transport one or two bags, think how many bags 10 or 20 Flame Spiders could transport."

White Ivy: "That would certainly come at a cost! No one in our Dulai Flame Spider Tribe is a fool. On the contrary, they are all very shrewd, quite crafty. Seeing you earning Source Stones, they are all secretly figuring out how to take a share of the benefits from you."

Red Peach: "Yes. The hearts of spiders are treacherous; we must be cautious everywhere."

Red Peach: "However, sharing might not necessarily lead to a loss."

Red Peach: "If there's a 5% profit, there should be Mountain Lord Level Flame Spider Roving Merchants willing to transport more. If there's a 10% profit, I think most Mountain Lord Level Flame Spider Roving Merchants would be willing."

"A 10% profit?" White Ivy did some mental calculations. It was a bit complex, so she asked directly, "Will we still make a profit then?"

Red Peach: "Yes! We can have other caravans transport the Origin Force Food from High-Level and Mountain Lord-Level Warrior Territories, which has a lower unit price. White Ivy Mountain Lord, you would only transport the Lord-Level Origin Force Food, which has a relatively higher unit price."

Red Peach continued, "It's an easy task; just carrying a bag along their route can earn them hundreds or even thousands of Source Stones. These Source Stones are so easily earned that many spiders will surely be eager to cooperate with you. You belong to the Spider King Zeqi Caravan. Any benefits should rightly be shared first with the other spiders from the Spider King Zeqi Caravan. Moreover, you are of the same lineage, making negotiations easier."

White Ivy: "That's only natural."

Red Peach raised a claw, pointed ahead to the Cangshu Spider King Trade Circle, and said, "Bee King Jelly limits the maximum scale of the Origin Force Honey trade, but the Atractylodes Spider King has channels to obtain Bee King Jelly. Thus, we must also cooperate with the caravans of the Atractylodes Spider King. This is very important!"

Red Peach: "Bee King Jelly is just a luxurious, tasty food with no special enhancement effects. It sells for 3,000 Source Stones per bottle. Selling it to anyone is fine, but selling it to you means one bottle can bring their caravan an extra ten to twenty thousand Source Stones in revenue. The Atractylodes Spider King would surely prioritize you; they would be so eager they'd practically give it to you for free."

White Ivy: "…Makes sense!"

White Ivy: "I'll go talk to that old Atractylodes spider then!"

"Don't!"

Red Peach hastily intervened, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, it's not quite appropriate to bother a Spider King for such a minor matter."

Red Peach: "A Spider King's spiritual power is strong; they are always monitoring their caravan's movements. You should talk to other spiders from the caravan. The Atractylodes Spider King will know, and he can do the math."

"Yes! Right!"

White Ivy strongly agreed.

Red Peach: "White Ivy Mountain Lord, metal cans filled with Origin Force Honey are even heavier than Source Stones. I suggest you consume more Origin Force Food that strengthens Comprehensive Physique, especially those that enhance strength and speed."

Red Peach: "With increased strength, we could quickly expand the quantity of Origin Force Ant Honey to four hundred, five hundred, or even six hundred cans."

White Ivy: "Red Peach, you're becoming more and more like a qualified roving merchant. That's exactly what I was planning..."

Red Peach: "Once the quantity of Origin Force Honey increases, we'll need to consider the sales problem. The goods are transported back to the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, and we'll only have two months to sell them. We need speed. We must run faster to travel farther and visit more Great Tribes."

White Ivy: "Red Peach, your analysis is very accurate!"

Red Peach: "Regarding speed, I have another little trick."

White Ivy: "Let's hear it."

Red Peach: "Over on the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, the existing trade route starts at Yellow Peach Mountain and goes north. We are already traveling far enough north; there's no need to go farther. We can open up a second trade route, starting from Yellow Peach Mountain and extending west."

Red Peach: "Transport the large, heavy loads of Origin Force Honey back to the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent. Leave a portion stored at Yellow Peach Mountain to reduce the load on our carapaces. Then, move at top speed northward to complete the northern trades. Return to Yellow Peach Mountain, pick up another batch of goods, and head west."

White Ivy was stunned.

White Ivy: "Makes sense!"

White Ivy: "Red Peach, how many more Source Stones can we earn then?"

Red Peach: "About sixty or seventy thousand, perhaps. We might also be able to talk to the Dragon Cypress Ant King and ask it to offer a slight concession."

White Ivy: "Hmm, we can discuss that."

White Ivy: "Red Peach! I need to give you a raise!"

Her mind suddenly clear, White Ivy was impatient and said, "Let's go! We'll find some spiders from the Cangshu Spider King Caravan to talk to."

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