CHAPTER 399: CHAPTER 384: MISER INSECT

Purple Tung Insect Nation.

Clear skies, not a cloud in sight.

In the sunlight, the snow and ice were slowly melting away.

Cypress led the soldier ants, heading to the edge of the Land of Origin Force to hunt.

Next to the White Poplar Divine-Given Seed tree,

Black Birch followed Black Leaf, commanding the Blue Soldiers and activating water system abilities to wash the massive stone pot used for cooking, boiling up a broth.

To welcome the new spring, they were holding a celebratory banquet.

All Blue Soldiers, Soldier Ants, and Worker Ants would attend, to pump everyone up for the work of the coming year.

Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, Spruce, Snakebark Maple, and Round Cypress lounged around the pot, chatting and relaxing.

Suddenly,

The White Poplar Divine-Given Seed sent out a spiritual mind-call: "Dragon Cypress—"

"Hm?"

Dragon Cypress turned slightly, raising its tentacles in reply.

White Poplar said uncertainly, "I think I might... be able to blossom and bear fruit?"

"!!!"

Dragon Cypress’s tentacles twitched. It stood up instantly.

"What’s up?"

Ink Orchid next to it asked, following suit and rising.

Spruce, Snakebark Maple, and Round Cypress stood up as well.

Spruce activated its Soul-Setting ability, sensing the surroundings: nothing unusual.

Spruce’s tensed nerves relaxed again, and it asked, a bit puzzled, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, what’s going on?"

Dragon Cypress: "The White Poplar Divine-Given Seed can blossom and bear fruit now!"

"Oh——"

Spruce was silent.

Yellow Stem was already showing pronounced signs of old age and desperately needed a Divine-Grade Baihe Fruit to extend its life.

Of course Spruce hoped the tree would blossom and fruit as soon as possible.

However,

The White Poplar Divine-Given Seed had only been planted a year ago. Its physical size was sufficient, but the tree was just one year old—its soul consciousness still not fully solidified or stable.

This was a Life Seed, vital to existence, and nothing could be left to chance.

Spruce didn’t want to offer an opinion on this.

Ink Orchid and Snakebark Maple were even more at a loss—they didn’t know what to decide or what to say.

Follow the plan—let the tree mature another year and blossom and fruit next year?

Or do it early? The earlier the blossoms, the earlier the harvest...

Dragon Cypress was just as hesitant.

The Ant Clan was sensitive to smells; Yellow Stem now had a heavy scent of decline wafting from its body.

This year might be crucial for Yellow Stem...

But, the White Poplar Divine-Given Seed was its own Life Seed, only a year old—if anything went wrong...

Its own little life was more important...

Dragon Cypress quickly thought it through, came up with an idea, and said: "We could consider blossoming and keeping the fruit! We can use Life System Origin Force Ant Honey to make up for the energy the White Poplar Divine-Given Seed would spend bearing fruit, and ease its burden."

Dragon Cypress: "Let’s delay the banquet a bit. I’m going to make a trip to Huagi Mountain now and ask Yellow Stem if it’s willing to shoulder this cost."

Dragon Cypress hopped onto the Dominating Throne, controlled its flight, and floated over to the White Poplar Divine-Given Seed.

"White Poplar, do you know how many blossoms you can produce?"

"I know. Six."

"Oh! Nice! So, can you control when you blossom?"

"Seems like... I can’t."

"Try really hard to control it. I’ll be right back."

"...Okay."

The Dominating Throne lifted off and shot into the skyline.

...

Huagi Mountain.

Yellow Stem was lying alone atop a giant rock on the ridge, sunbathing.

Sensing the Origin Force fluctuation from the Dominating Throne, it felt a little confused: Dragon Cypress just left this morning—how come it’s back again at noon?

The Quandong Divine Tree was also puzzled, and asked: "Yellow Stem, did the Dragon Cypress Ant King forget something important?"

"Nope~ No idea."

Yellow Stem shook its tentacles in bewilderment.

"Quandong Divine Tree! Yellow Stem!"

Dragon Cypress came bustling in, straight to the point: "The White Poplar Divine-Given Seed can blossom this year. But since it’s only a year old, my thinking is—either we wait another year, or we use Life System Origin Force Ant Honey to cover its nutrients."

Dragon Cypress: "So, Yellow Stem, it’s up to you—if this year is urgent for you, Huagi Mountain will have to bear the expense, which isn’t much, maybe about 200,000 Source Stones. If you’re not in a rush, then forget it."

200,000 Source Stones?!

Yellow Stem hesitated.

Now slightly over seventy years old—whenever it worked, it quickly felt weak and tired.

Yellow Stem was desperate.

But to bring things forward only one year, and still pay an astronomical fee of 200,000 Source Stones...

Way too expensive!

No insect life is worth that much...

Yellow Stem turned to look at the Quandong Divine Tree.

The Quandong Divine Tree said simply, "Alright!"

Yellow Stem turned back, feeling the pinch, and said, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, with the White Poplar Divine-Given Seed blossoming and fruiting ahead of schedule, you’ll benefit the most from the early harvest, right? Why don’t we split the cost, fifty-fifty?"

Dragon Cypress replied coolly, "I’m not in a hurry this year."

Yellow Stem: "..."

Yellow Stem: "...Okay then."

Yellow Stem muttered, a bit peeved, "You only owe us 13.3 million Source Stones now at Huagi Mountain..."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Sitting atop a mountain of treasure yet still this stingy.

This bug called Yellow Stem was truly one of a kind.

Dragon Cypress had nothing to say.

"There’s a banquet celebration today. I’m heading back—I want some meat."

"Later!"

The Dominating Throne shot straight up into the sky.

"Wait a second!"

The Quandong Divine Tree called out.

The Dominating Throne hovered midair.

"Quandong Divine Tree, surely you wouldn’t haggle with me personally over 200,000 Source Stones, right?"

"...Of course not... It’s not about that."

The Quandong Divine Tree, equally speechless about Yellow Stem’s penny-pinching habits, paused and then asked:

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, I heard from Yellow Stem that you plan to repay Huagi Mountain’s debt at a rate of a million Source Stones per year?"

Dragon Cypress: "That’s right."

Quandong Divine Tree: "That means Xianglan Mountain won’t have many resources left to keep growing and evolving... What’s the meaning of this? We weren’t hounding you to repay."

Dragon Cypress answered honestly, "Because Ink Orchid and I are in no hurry to evolve. Our plan is: from Mountain Lord Level onwards, at every Age Period Evolution, we will nurture a Divine-Given Seed as our Life Seed, all the way up to King-Level."

Dragon Cypress: "At the moment, both Ink Orchid and my Life Pouches are empty. Whenever we get a Divine-Given Seed, that’s when we’ll evolve."

Dragon Cypress: "It’s the same for Origin Force Food needed for evolution: we only eat Divine-Given Origin Force Food. If we have it, we eat, if we don’t, we don’t. Long insect life, slow and steady."

"This..."

Yellow Stem was outright stupefied.

The Quandong Divine Tree was silent, lost for words for a long time.

Thousands and tens of thousands of years lived, and never had it seen an insect like this.

So ambitious, these ants and mantises!

But considering just how many Divine-Given Seeds Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid had amassed already...

These two had no tribe, no juniors, held huge tracts of prime land, had ant colonies to manage everything—they could afford to do as they pleased, and had the means for it as well.

For the moment, there was no way to persuade them otherwise.

Since things had gotten this far, Dragon Cypress simply laid it all out: "Quandong Divine Tree, Yellow Stem, you’re planning to plant the Linnan Divine Tree once I evolve to Evolution Lord Level? That’s probably not doable now. I’m still six Divine-Given Seeds away from Lord-Level. If I’m lucky, maybe a few decades, unlucky, who knows—might be more than a hundred years waiting."

Quandong Divine Tree and Yellow Stem fell into deep silence.

Dragon Cypress suggested, "If you still doubt my insect morality and don’t trust me, here’s what we can do: I’ll pledge a God-Given Life Seed to Huagi Mountain as collateral."

Yellow Stem’s eyes lit up. "Yours?"

Dragon Cypress: "Definitely not mine. Ink Orchid’s—her next one, the Red Phellodendron Divine Seed."

Yellow Stem: "..."

Dragon Cypress: "I could abandon the whole world, but I’ll never abandon Ink Orchid."

Yellow Stem: "..."

Yellow Stem choked up again, speechless, and turned to the Quandong Divine Tree.

After a long, drawn-out silence, the Quandong Divine Tree said solemnly, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, I believe in you, but as for Huagi Mountain’s situation, you still need to understand more."