Return to the Ant Nest.

Round Cypress brought over the honey-pickled, ordinary Sea Blue Tree fruits.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, Sea Blue Fruit…"

"Heard from Ink Orchid that it doesn't taste good?"

Dragon Cypress curled a tentacle, hooked out a fruit and studied it.

A drupe, roughly persimmon-shaped, and about the same size as a persimmon.

Sliced it with its claw tips to check.

The skin was quite thick, the flesh a bright purplish-red, didn't really have any fruity aroma.

Gave it a light taste—very sweet! Sweet to the point of being cloying.

The texture was average.

This fruit isn't tasty.

Still, sweetness means the flesh contains ultra-high energy.

Dragon Cypress: "We have to push large-scale planting of Sea Blue Tree, need to cultivate it en masse in the Areca Rainforest. Round Cypress, try mixing Sea Blue Fruit with Lotus Seed and Rice, refine and make it into Ant Honey to serve as a staple food for Blue Soldiers and Blue Ants."

Round Cypress: "Got it."

Dragon Cypress handed the oversized metal case containing the Sea Blue Tree Divine-Given Seed to Round Cypress, reminding, "Put it in the Treasury, keep it safe."

...

This return to Xianglan Mountain, Dragon Cypress mainly came to check on the Sea Blue Tree Divine-Given Seed's status; upon confirming a successful harvest, finally felt at ease.

This year, only sporadically sent 480,000 Source Stones to Huagi Mountain, totaling now 3 million Source Stones sent.

Out of the 900,000 Source Stones needed to buy two Soul-Setting Fruits, a third of the payment is now completed.

No need to rush, good excuse to rest for a while.

Dragon Cypress sorted all currently known Lands of Origin Force, and mapped out, for spring and autumn, two itineraries for searching Divine-Given Seeds:

Spring route: Xianglan Mountain – Black Lotus Lake – Southern Sour Jujube Mountain – Cold Orchid Mountain – Jianlan Plain – Areca Rainforest – Red Cypress Mountain – Cicada Orchid Mountain – Tiger Orchid Mountain – Xuelan Mountain – Banlan Mountain – Desolation Plains – White Lotus Lake – Molan Mountain

Finally circle back from Molan Mountain to Xianglan Mountain.

Autumn also involves important Origin Force food harvesting and trade, with routes split north and south.

Southern route: Xianglan Mountain – Molan Mountain – Cold Orchid Mountain – Jianlan Plain – Areca Rainforest – Southern Sour Jujube Mountain – Black Lotus Lake

Return to Xianglan Mountain from Black Lotus Lake, after prepping, head north.

Northern route: White Lotus Lake – Desolation Plains – Banlan Mountain – Xuelan Mountain – Tiger Orchid Mountain – Cicada Orchid Mountain – Red Cypress Mountain

Finally, head straight from Red Cypress Mountain back to Xianglan Mountain.

Every spring and autumn, Ink Orchid joins the outings on schedule.

In most plants' flowering and fruiting seasons, searching twice ensures nothing is missed. Along the way, complete Cloud Trace Continent's internal roving merchant trade—two birds with one stone.

There are 14 large and small Lands of Origin Force in total, with a combined area of about 310 square kilometers; limited land, to be utilized to the max.

If the conquest of the Termite Kingdom succeeds, the ultra-large area Land of Origin Force there must be taken over and operated.

But there are 48 Barley Bug Warriors of various sizes over there; specifics will be determined when the time comes.

Route planned—will test-run it this autumn…

...

Late autumn.

White Rice Mountain.

The time for the Divine-Given White Rice Fruit to ripen.

Late afternoon,

The Dominating Throne arrived on time.

"Red Fox!"

"White Rice! Black Rice!"

Ink Orchid detached from the throne, figure flickering and accelerating, landing beneath the tree.

"Ink Orchid." Red Fox responded lazily.

"Ink Orchid."

White Rice and Black Rice greeted.

During spring's trade chat, they'd heard that this year Red Cypress Mountain and Tiger Orchid Mountain would be developed…

White Rice proactively picked a topic, asked, "Did the Red Cypress Mountain development go smoothly?"

Ink Orchid: "Something unexpected happened; it hasn't started yet."

——Unexpected?

White Rice and Black Rice's tentacles stood up, waiting for more.

Even Red Fox, who wasn't very interested, perked up. "What happened?"

Ink Orchid: "In early summer, a Sea Blue Tree planted in the river trench below Azure Blue Reservoir produced a Divine-Given Seed…"

Another Divine-Given Seed!

Sea Blue Tree?

A plant from an Outworld Civilization?!

Red Fox: "..."

White Rice: "..."

Black Rice: "..."

Everyone understood—Ink Orchid hurried over just to brag.

Red Fox asked, "What type of enhancement effect? Any initial assessment?"

Ink Orchid: "Water System. Probably another comprehensive Water Element Ability enhancement."

Ink Orchid continued, "Sea Blue Tree grows in shallow water—it's a tropical plant. So, the original Red Cypress Mountain land reclamation work was delayed, Fragrant Cypress got sent to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain to dig water bays and renovate canals…"

The Dominating Throne sped over at low altitude, coming to a steady stop under the tree.

After exchanging greetings,

Dragon Cypress asked, "White Rice Mountain Lord, nothing else to keep you busy this winter, right?"

"…Pretty busy."

White Rice replied a bit helplessly, then asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, is it the new water bay at Southern Sour Jujube Mountain that needs reinforcement?"

White Rice knew very well that it was solely thanks to Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid that they were able to evolve to Evolution Mountain Lord Level. Black Rice's evolution next year would also require the Dominating Throne.

Couldn't refuse this request, even though he was really reluctant…

"Yes."

Dragon Cypress: "Workload isn't huge, just a small job, a month to do. Consider it training your Earth System abilities."

White Rice: "Alright then—"

Dragon Cypress: "Then once the Divine-Given White Rice Fruit is harvested, we'll head out."

Dragon Cypress glanced up at the White Rice Divine-Given Seed, extended spiritual power for a sweep, confirmed the fruit was about to ripen, set down the wooden board, and gave orders.

Worker Ants and Blue Ants go wait under the tree.

Dragon Cypress thought: letting White Rice help for free isn't sustainable.

There are reservoirs, water bays, canals, dams, pools, marsh gas pools, river trenches, Ant Nests, etc. at Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, all needing Earth System ability reinforcement.

Be serious—it would keep one busy for at least a whole winter.

Then there's Black Lotus Lake, White Lotus Lake, Molan Mountain, Cold Orchid Mountain, and other opened and unopened Lands of Origin Force—plenty of places needing White Rice's Earth System abilities.

Reinforcement alone is enough work for years.

White Rice also has a soil improvement ability…

Dragon Cypress: "White Rice, you can't work for nothing; I'll pay you."

"Pay me?"

White Rice perked up at the words.

"Salary!"

Dragon Cypress answered firmly, thinking aloud, "With your current Earth System ability, efficiency is still low, so for now it's 1,000 Source Stones a month."

Dragon Cypress added: "I'll pay you with Origin Force Ant Honey! If you evolve further and your ability gets stronger and more efficient, I'll consider giving you a raise."

Work a full year and get 12,000 Source Stones?

White Rice did some quick math and cheerfully agreed: "Deal!"

Dragon Cypress: "Then it's settled."

Ink Orchid chimed in, asking, "Black Rice, you'll also be evolving to Evolution Mountain Lord Level next year. Are you prepared?"

Black Rice: "I'm ready!"

Ink Orchid reminded, "Make sure your Life Seed Plant takes a break from flowering and fruiting."

Black Rice: "Already planned for!"

White Rice asked, "I recall Mountain Persimmon and Spruce planned to evolve to Evolution Mountain Lord Level this autumn, right? Dragon Cypress Ant King, Ink Orchid, you haven't mentioned it, so they must have succeeded, yes?"

Ink Orchid: "Yes. Very smoothly."

Black Rice: "Mountain Persimmon's impressive! How much yield does its territory make per year now?"

Ink Orchid: "A lot…"

Drifted off into idle chatter.

In the late night, the Divine-Given White Rice Fruit fully ripened, and harvest and refinement began.

Busy through the night. Next day, Dragon Cypress made a solo trip to drop White Rice at Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, gave simple work instructions, picked up Ink Orchid, and continued on the road.

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