CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 037 REFINEMENT

Consistent with the conventional egg-laying of female Ant Kings, as Dragon Cypress advanced to a Mid-Level Ant King, correspondingly, the Ant Eggs produced by the Dominating Throne and the cultivated Worker Ants and Soldier Ants were also Mid-Level.

Compared to the Primary-Level Ant King stage, the most direct change was the increased size of both Worker Ants and Soldier Ants. Dragon Cypress cultivated several Worker Ants for comparative observation.

The Miniaturization Worker Ants grew from less than 1 centimeter to about 1 centimeter.

The small Worker Ants grew from about 1.5 centimeters to just over 2 centimeters.

The medium Worker Ants grew from about 3 centimeters to about 5 centimeters.

The Large Worker Ants grew from about 5 centimeters to about 8 centimeters.

The Specialized Worker Ants were still in the larval stage but were definitely expected to exceed 20 centimeters. In the Great-Headed Ant Kingdom, the Specialized Worker Ants were even larger than the Ant King.

Following this pattern, the changes in the Soldier Ants were similar to those in the Worker Ants. Increased size also brought corresponding improvements in speed and strength, and the Soldier Ants’ combat power would be greater.

A Large Blue Ant underwent Feather Transformation and emerged. Dragon Cypress captured it to conduct a test. After feeding it a certain amount of fruit, he fed it a Stone Orchid Seed.

His spiritual power scanned back and forth, observing continuously.

Indeed, after consuming the Stone Orchid Seed, the Great Blue Ant did not die from the shock of the Origin Force Energy. Instead, it digested the seed smoothly, transforming it into a wisp of pure Origin Force Material. This material was stored in its abdomen, mixed with the fruits it had eaten earlier.

With continued observation, the Origin Force did not dissipate.

Dragon Cypress plucked a leaf and gave an order to the Great Blue Ant. The Great Blue Ant lowered its head and slowly regurgitated the food stored in its belly. It was a semi-transparent, pale yellow gelatinous substance, similar to honey but stickier. A faint fragrance of wild grapes and Hairy Peach mixed together emanated from it.

Dragon Cypress tasted it and found it quite sweet. However, with only a solitary Stone Orchid Seed mixed in and diluted, it was almost impossible to find the Origin Force Material that improved Cultivation and strengthened the physique.

Continued observation revealed that when exposed to the air, the Origin Force Material began to dissipate slowly.

Does it need to be stored inside the Blue Ant’s stomach?

Dragon Cypress was slightly disappointed and named this substance ’Ant Honey.’

Continuing the test, he ordered the Great Blue Ant to re-consume all the Ant Honey on the leaf. Then, he fed it 5 Stone Orchid Seeds. Stone Orchid Seeds enhanced digestive power, a rather insignificant effect. Dragon Cypress also selected 5 Blood Rice grains, which strengthened blood, and 2 Gold Cherries, which strengthened the heart, and fed them to the ant.

During observation, he found that the Great Blue Ant expended a large amount of Physical Strength to ’refine’ these Origin Force Foods, and the rate was very slow. However, as expected, the Origin Force Material from the three different types of Origin Force Food began to slowly mix and merge once inside the Great Blue Ant’s abdomen. The entire process took two full days.

"Dragon Cypress!"

"Dragon Cypress? What are you busy with?"

"Has your Blue Ant emerged? It has such a big belly; does it have any special abilities?"

Ink Orchid arrived at the Ant Nest carrying a large bag of freshly picked fruit. The Worker Ants approached to inspect it, but upon finding no meat, they turned and fled.

Dragon Cypress: "I’ve figured out the Blue Ant’s Ability. It’s ’Refinement’!"

Ink Orchid: "Refinement?"

Dragon Cypress: "Refinement is digesting and purifying food, retaining only the necessary nutrients and Energy, including Origin Force Food!"

Dragon Cypress waved his Tentacle, signaling the Great Blue Ant to follow him out of the nest. Ink Orchid seemed to understand.

Dragon Cypress trotted over to a nearby Crown Vine, plucked a leaf, and brought it back, placing it before the Great Blue Ant. The Great Blue Ant was clever. Upon seeing the leaf again, it immediately understood Dragon Cypress’s intention. Without waiting for an order, it stepped forward and began to spit out the contents of its stomach.

Dragon Cypress: "These are your small Grapes and Hairy Peaches from the other day, plus 6 Stone Orchid Seeds, 5 grains of Blood Rice, and 2 precious Gold Cherries."

"Ink Orchid, would you like to try?" Dragon Cypress pushed the leaf forward, offering it warmly.

"You eat first..." Ink Orchid took two steps back. This kind of food was somewhat difficult for an Insect to accept.

Dragon Cypress bent his head and tasted a mouthful, praising, "Delicious!"

Dragon Cypress looked toward Ink Orchid. Ink Orchid looked up at the sky.

Dragon Cypress said, "Ink Orchid, I’ve named it ’Ant Honey,’ similar to bee honey. Want to try?"

Ink Orchid: "No need. I don’t eat sweets. Dragon Cypress, you’re the Ant King. You should eat more."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Dragon Cypress understood why it refused to eat and patiently explained, "Ink Orchid, do you know how bee honey is made?"

Ink Orchid: "How is it made?"

Dragon Cypress: "Bees have two stomachs. They store the pollen and nectar they gather in a specialized stomach. They swallow it, then regurgitate it, swallow again, and regurgitate again, repeating the process over a hundred times to finally create the honey everyone loves."

"Blue Ants are similar to bees; they also have two stomachs, one specifically for storage. But they’re even more impressive—Blue Ants don’t need to repeatedly swallow and regurgitate."

Bees are that disgusting? Ink Orchid looked down contemplatively, tilting its head forcefully.

Dragon Cypress: "Ink Orchid, have you ever eaten bee honey?"

Ink Orchid: "Never, and I don’t plan to in the future."

Dragon Cypress: "Among the goods traded by caravans is Bee King Honey. It’s crafted by Origin Force bees that gather pollen and nectar from Life Seed Plants. This honey is a luxury item; only wealthy and powerful Insect Kings can afford to buy and eat it."

Upon hearing this, Ink Orchid wavered a bit. "Dragon Cypress, have another couple of bites for me to see."

Dragon Cypress bent his head and took two more bites, deliberately smacking his lips to make a sound.

Ink Orchid hesitated, then lowered its head and tasted it.

"WOW!"

"It’s so delicious!"

After Ink Orchid finished all the Ant Honey on the leaf, Dragon Cypress proposed joyfully, "Ink Orchid, I’ll cultivate more Large Blue Ants and Specialized Blue Ants. From now on, we’ll have the Blue Ants refine our Origin Force Food before we consume it."

Ink Orchid: "Okay... What a hassle."

"It’s not a hassle," Dragon Cypress said. "During natural Evolution, plants often evolved to be bitter and unpalatable, sometimes even poisonous, to prevent their Seeds from being eaten. As Origin Force Life forms, we aren’t afraid of these toxins, but it still takes Physical Strength and Time to detoxify."

"For example, Orchid Seeds and Gold Cherries contain slight toxins. After eating them, we need some Time for ’digestion.’ This digestion process partly involves absorbing Origin Force Material, and partly involves the body expending Energy to detoxify."

"Having the Blue Ants handle this body-harming detoxification process—the benefits are obvious, right?"

"Yes!" Ink Orchid agreed, praising, "Dragon Cypress, your Blue Ants are amazing."

Ink Orchid then pointed to the Spider Silk Bag and said, "Dragon Cypress, I’ve picked some more Hairy Peaches and Brown Fruit Jujubes. Quick, let the Blue Ants... refine them all."

Ink Orchid added, "If you use several kinds of fruits, the flavor will definitely be even better! I’ll go up the mountain again to see if there are any Grapes left."

The potential applications for Blue Ants were enormous.

One could choose different fruits to produce Ant Honey with varying fragrances. A mix of several fruits would result in Ant Honey with a blended fragrance. A product refined from meat wouldn’t count as ’honey.’ It lacked fruity or meaty aromas, but the process did remove any unpleasant raw or fishy smells. One could also add meat to the Ant Honey to enrich its nutrition and make the texture silkier and smoother.

At the same time, combining different types of Origin Force Food into Ant Honey meant that consumption would provide a comprehensive and balanced enhancement, which was beneficial for Evolution and growth.

Additionally, the Blue Ants’ food storage Ability had extensive uses. Meat spoiled easily. Previously, it could only be dried, but in the humid Ant Nest, dried meat was especially prone to mold. Now, there was no need to worry about this.

Moreover, Ink Orchid often hunted large prey like mountain goats and wild boars, which the family couldn’t finish. If the weather was bad and drying the meat wasn’t an option, the only choice was to bury it under trees as compost. Now, they could cultivate more Blue Ants to refine and store surplus food.

Another point was that in the event of war, with Soldier Ants on a campaign, Blue Ants would serve as mobile logistical support; their refined food could rapidly replenish the Soldier Ants’ stamina.

The uses for Blue Ants were simply too numerous.

Cultivate more!