Xianglan Mountain.

As soon as the Dominating Throne approached the mountains, a green silhouette shot up from the forest, racing over to meet them.

"Dragon Cypress!"

"Areca."

Ink Orchid greeted them, spiraling down to land. "How come you picked up Areca?"

Areca took the initiative and said, "Dragon Cypress Ant King took me to Huagi Mountain to see the Knowledge Hall and Quandong Divine Tree."

Ink Orchid: "Early winter trade, huh? It's cold up north, you'll freeze to death."

Areca: "I won't. Let's head over early! I'm not going to Silver Cypress Mountain."

"Alright then." Ink Orchid looked toward Fragrant Cypress and asked, "How's the Red Cypress Divine-Given Seed doing?"

Dragon Cypress: "Stable condition, won't die anytime soon. We can confirm that the Exuviae of the Fruitful Dragon Cypress Divine-Given Seed has some effect."

Dragon Cypress asked, "Have you harvested the Cuihua Hanlan? How's the quality?"

"Not bad." Ink Orchid: "Round Cypress says it can sell for 3 Source Stones per seed."

"Let's take a look!"

Dragon Cypress urged the Dominating Throne to speed up, landing straight at the entrance of South Mountain Ant Nest.

Fragrant Cypress touched down and, surrounded by Worker Ants, raced toward the Ant Nest Treasury.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid rested with Areca in the dining hall.

Before long,

Fragrant Cypress and Round Cypress arrived together, directing Worker Ants to carry out a medium-sized Spider Silk Bag.

Only half a bag.

The Orchid Seeds were too small, and the quality could only be considered average.

Counting carefully, the quantity was impressive: 156 cloned plants, each yielding 16 seeds, for a total of 2,496 seeds.

"Dragon Cypress, how is it?" Ink Orchid asked expectantly.

Fragrant Cypress and Round Cypress were equally eager. With the Cuihua Hanlan Divine-Given Seed harvest, each would get a 10% share of the income.

Dragon Cypress: "Round Cypress's pricing is pretty accurate. If we sell to a caravan, the price is about 3 Source Stones per seed."

Dragon Cypress: "Counting 2,500 seeds, Fragrant Cypress and Round Cypress, you'll each get an income share of 750 Source Stones."

"This is your first ever income from cultivating Divine-Given Seeds. It's worth celebrating. Round Cypress, notify Spiked Cypress, Giant Cypress, and Silver Cypress. We'll have a banquet tonight."

"Alright." Round Cypress didn't leave immediately, testing, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, 750 Source Stones? Why not round it off for easier accounting?"

Fragrant Cypress quickly agreed, "Yeah, Great King. One rice grain mark is 1,000 Source Stones."

The Command Ants all had their own ways of handling their private wealth.

Round Cypress and Fragrant Cypress were reluctant to eat theirs, always saving up, only eating some when Dragon Cypress prodded, for growth and evolution.

Spiked Cypress was entirely opposite—each time rewards were handed out, it ate immediately, couldn't sleep until it was all gone.

Giant Cypress and Cypress were a bit more rational. They saved up and ate steadily, for even intake, making sure the Origin Force Food had the maximum strengthening effect.

Dragon Cypress: "No need to round off. We'll distribute Origin Force Food directly, using the standard of 750 Source Stones—make five cans, and don't waste any Bee King Jelly in the process. Fragrant Cypress, go take care of it now."

Fragrant Cypress: "...Alright."

Round Cypress: "..."

Round Cypress waved its tentacles, summoned a batch of Worker Ants, and left quickly.

Dragon Cypress fetched two small Spider Silk Bags, dividing the Orchid Seeds into two portions, 1,200 seeds each, for next year's sale to Seven-Leaf and Grass Dragon.

"Ink Orchid, there are 96 seeds left over. Keep them for yourself."

"Oh——"

Ink Orchid didn't care about such a small amount, readily agreed. Then, seeing Areca staring blankly at the rough map carved on the stone wall by Dragon Cypress, asked:

"Areca, can you understand it?"

Areca: "Nope."

Ink Orchid: "Yet you're staring so focused."

Areca looked away and said, "It's because I can't understand it that I'm studying it so carefully."

Ink Orchid: "Don't bother. Even Dragon Cypress can't make sense of it. Come on, I'll take you up the mountain to look around."

Ink Orchid led Areca outside the cave, and at the entrance, saw Dragon Cypress hadn't followed, still staring at the stone wall map in a daze, so turned back to ask:

"Dragon Cypress, it's just the end of autumn, still a month until the early winter trade. Where do we go?"

Dragon Cypress: "Searching for Lands of Origin Force. There are still some places in the western region of the continent that haven't been explored. We'll set out tomorrow morning, bring Areca, and check them all."

Dragon Cypress: "You two go have fun. I'll plan the route."

…

…

…

Due north of Molan Mountain.

Southwest of the swampland where White Lotus Lake sits.

The Dominating Throne floated in the sky. Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, and Areca lay at the edge of Stump Ant Nest, looking ahead.

A barren plateau with sparse vegetation, yellow earth, wild winds, and flying sand.

A new Land of Origin Force had been found, but it didn't seem worth exploring.

"Dragon Cypress, let's go over and take a look."

"Just name it directly."

"How can I name it without looking?"

"There's a patch of woods over there."

"Let's go down——"

The Dominating Throne dropped, slowed down, flew sideways, and hovered.

There, in the valley below, was a natural bay-shaped lake, slender and crescent-shaped, just over a hundred meters long, and at its widest only a dozen meters across, the water crystal clear.

It must have been formed by an underground dark river rising up.

On both banks grew a few elms and weeds.

In this entire Land of Origin Force, this was the only spot with vitality; a few small animals had gathered here, but not many.

Dry and barren, this was a place where the probability of an Origin Force Life emerging was zero.

Ink Orchid named it Crescent Lake.

They rested here for a night before zigzagging north to continue searching.

The next day,

Ink Orchid again sensed Origin Force Fluctuation.

They flew over to check—it was still on the plateau, all windswept eroded yellow earth, with barely any plants.

Records in Huagi Mountain Knowledge Hall said that in the last Origin Force Era, this area was prosperous, with big and small tribes settled here.

It must be that the past few thousand years of changing climate had reduced rainfall, causing the drought.

They simply named it Yellow Earth Wasteland.

Continuing north, two days later, the terrain dropped and they entered the plains, vegetation grew denser, life flourished.

Back and forth, zigzag searching, but they couldn't find a Land of Origin Force.

On the way, they made a stop at Xiaoyang Mountain, loaded 10 bags of Willow Divine-Given Seed Exuviae—5 for Huagi Mountain, 5 for Silver Cypress Mountain.

Every year at late autumn and early winter, the roving merchant trade always included a batch for delivery along the way.

...

The cold northern wind lasted the entire night.

The temperature plummeted.

The summit of Huagi Mountain was coated with a thick layer of white snow.

Flame Spiders are tropical insects; Areca couldn't stand the cold and hid inside the Stump Ant Nest.

Dragon Cypress first observed from the air but found no trace of Yellow Stem or Spruce—those two must be hiding in a cave, avoiding the cold.

After a year of recovery and growth, the Quandong Divine Tree now stood over 300 meters tall, nearly as tall as the mountains themselves.

The Dominating Throne floated down to land beneath the tree.

"Greetings, Quandong Divine Tree."

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid greeted.

"Greetings, Quandong Divine Tree." Areca poked his head out from the Stump Ant Nest entrance.

"Oh!"

"Flame Spider Warrior."

Quandong Divine Tree asked, "Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, is this the little one you mentioned last time?"

Ink Orchid: "Yes. We're taking it traveling, to broaden its horizons."

The Quandong Divine Tree was a warm, chatty tree. In an unhurried tone, it said, "In the past winters, those Spider Kings never liked coming to Huagi Mountain, said it was too cold. You've brought such a tiny Little Flame Spider north in this season for a journey—it's not a wise move."

Ink Orchid: "It's only autumn right now. We didn't expect the sudden drop in temperature."

Areca: "The Ant Nest is very warm."

Quandong Divine Tree swept spiritual power into the nest, saw a metal can full of hot water inside, and immediately understood: You insects really know how to improvise.

Quandong Divine Tree asked, "Ink Orchid, did this little one receive any Inherited Memory? Any clues about its tribe's whereabouts?"

"Huh???"

Ink Orchid didn't get it.

"So, the answer is no."

Quandong Divine Tree explained, "The Inherited Memory in the Insect Clan is ever-increasing. Some important information is passed on and preserved by Natural Law."

"For example, Primitive Flame Spiders split to become Roving Merchant Flame Spiders, but before that happened there'd be no such record in the inheritance. The record had to be added later, right? Or, take some plants—their wild and cultivated varieties."

"!!!"

Ink Orchid and Areca finally realized and were quite shocked.

Dragon Cypress had thought about this long ago, and had already considered all this, so wasn't surprised. Instead, he asked, "Quandong Divine Tree, at your peak, was your tree height just over 400 meters?"

Quandong: "Yes."

Dragon Cypress: "You've recovered very well—almost back to peak condition."

Quandong: "Only my height has recovered some; my strength is still far off."

Quandong Divine Tree knew what Dragon Cypress wanted to ask, so went straight to it: "But in my current state, flowering and bearing fruit is definitely not a problem."

Dragon Cypress: "We're not in a rush. You can wait another year to flower and bear fruit, it's fine..."

Dragon Cypress added a polite formality, then said, "When I evolved from Age Period 6 to Age Period 7, I used a lot of Origin Force Food to strengthen myself. Based on tests, I confirmed that the Dominating Throne's carrying capacity is closely linked to my own strength. Right now, my limit load is 10,000 Source Stones. Presumably, after I reach Evolution Mountain Lord Level, carrying forty or fifty thousand in a trip won't be a problem. I'm sure I can deliver the Source Stones to buy Soul-Setting Fruit at Huagi Mountain in time."

Quandong: "Then Yellow Stem can rest assured."

Quandong: "Are you and Ink Orchid exploring other parts of the continent this year? Or are you still seeking Source Stones...?"

Plants can't move, so they can only get information through Insect Clan Warriors.

The Quandong Divine Tree was adept at this, and very naturally struck up conversation with Dragon Cypress, expressing curiosity about all sorts of news.

They chatted until noon,

when Yellow Stem and Spruce came out of the cave to look for food, and suddenly realized that at some point Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid had arrived…

Then they all chatted late into the night…

After a night's rest on Huagi Mountain, Areca and Ink Orchid stayed at the Knowledge Hall to study, while Dragon Cypress traveled alone to Silver Cypress Mountain to trade.

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