CHAPTER 406: CHAPTER 391: THE DEMANDS OF THE HUAGI DIVINE TREE (PART 2)

Starship Passage.

Natsumi was running at the front.

Red Moonseed flew behind to follow.

Silvergrass trailed leisurely at the rear, unhurried.

"Silvergrass, hurry up!"

Natsumi urged.

"Oh—"

Silvergrass made a show of trying hard, running as if her life depended on it but just couldn’t go any faster.

The acting was terrible.

Obviously intentional.

Natsumi stopped and turned back.

"Silvergrass, you’re dragging your feet on purpose. Are you waiting for Red Peach?"

"Nope~"

"Red Peach has business to discuss with Dragon Cypress Ant King?"

"No idea~"

"Run faster!"

"I’m already trying my best."

"Then I won’t wait for you."

"Then I’ll tell Aconite Spider King on you."

"..."

Like I’m afraid of your tattling?

Natsumi turned and called out, "Red Moonseed, let’s go!"

They hadn’t run far when Natsumi stopped again and turned to check behind.

At the rear, Red Peach dashed up in a whirlwind, rushing to catch up.

"Red Peach? Where’s your cart?"

"It’s urgent, left the cart over there for now."

Red Peach ignored Natsumi, going straight to Red Moonseed: "Dragon Cypress Ant King told me to pass on something: there’s a year to prepare for bringing in the new caravan. Spider King Spurge and Aconite Spider King are to find the caravan, negotiate and arrange things, and report back to Dragon Cypress Ant King before next year’s spring trade. By then, Dragon Cypress Ant King will decide on the allocation of Divine-Grade Kunlun Seed and Jinhe Fruit shares according to the situation."

Red Moonseed: "...Oh."

Red Moonseed spiraled down to land, craned her head up a bit, thinking, thinking. "I get it."

Natsumi glared at Red Peach, then fixed a deadly stare on Silvergrass.

Definitely, these two are scheming something together.

They’re fighting over shares of Divine-Grade Fruit...

They’ve interfered with Dragon Cypress Ant King’s distribution of Divine-Grade Fruit...

Maybe they’ve already succeeded!

Damn it!

But Natsumi had no clue what Red Peach actually said or did, and was powerless.

...

On the hillside, at the Starship Passage exit.

Seven-Leaf and Grass Dragon waited patiently.

White Ivy couldn’t stay still, kept pacing. By agreement, the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit would arrive this year; it was just too important to stay calm about, anxiety peaking.

"They’re back."

Grass Dragon calmly reminded, slowly getting up, peeking out through the cave entrance.

Natsumi was at the front, with Silvergrass, Red Peach, and Red Moonseed right behind.

Natsumi squeezed through sideways, struggling to get out.

"Red Peach? Where’s the Night Fragrance Fruit?"

"And your cart?!"

White Ivy saw Red Peach came running back with empty claws, instantly dancing anxiously.

Red Peach: "I got the Night Fragrance Fruit. It’s at Dragon Cypress Ant King’s place for now."

Silvergrass: "There’s something even more important."

Natsumi: "Both the Huagi Divine Tree and Linnan Divine Tree have revived and taken root in the Purple Tung Insect Nation. Huagi Mountain has a third Divine-Grade... Let’s head down and find Aconite Spider King."

A third Divine-Grade?

Seven-Leaf, White Ivy, and Grass Dragon were stunned, and then couldn’t hide their excitement.

Natsumi muttered gloomily, "Doesn’t mean it’s good news though..."

Silvergrass: "Dragon Cypress Ant King wants to bring in two more caravans led by Spider Kings."

Seven-Leaf, White Ivy, and Grass Dragon froze again, expressions stiffening.

Red Moonseed urged: "Let’s go down together, I’ll report it all to the three Spider Kings in detail."

Seven-Leaf flicked his forelegs. "Let’s go."

...

The group jogged down the mountain, crossed the dirt plaza, heading straight for Aconite Spider King.

Nearby, Spider King Spurge and Wormwood Spider King sensed something big was up and instinctively gathered over.

"What’s up? What’s up? You all look so tense."

Aconite Spider King stood calmly.

Seven-Leaf leaned in, lowered his mental power, and said, "Aconite Spider King, big news, the Divine Trees have revived..."

Aconite Spider King was taken aback for a moment, then praised, "Excellent! Very good! That little Ant really gets things done fast!"

As he spoke, primordial energy flowed from the tips of his eight legs into the earth, spreading invisibly. After a slight pause and waiting for Spider King Spurge and Wormwood Spider King to get closer, he activated his ability, forming a primordial energy shield to block out telepathic eavesdropping.

Spider King Spurge asked first, "Red Moonseed, Linnan Divine Tree revived? Rooted in Purple Tung Insect Nation?"

"Yes."

Facing the three Spider Kings, Red Moonseed wasn’t nervous in the slightest, standing atop Natsumi’s carapace, tilting her head to tidy her antennae, giving her head a gentle shake, speaking solemnly:

"There’s a lot to cover, I’ll go through it all. I’ll start with the less important matters."

"You three Spider Kings probably expected it: the White Poplar Divine Seed grew rapidly and it flowered this spring. Six blooms, six fruits, replenished with Origin Force Ant Honey, also reinforced with the remains of Linnan Divine Tree and Huagi Divine Tree, and is stable! Next, Dragon Cypress Ant King will excavate more ruins to find suitable Divine-Given Remains to further reinforce and promote its growth."

"Dragon Cypress Ant King said, for the first batch, three for Huagi Mountain emergency use, and three for White Ivy and the Luoli Caravan..."

"Oh!"

"Yay~"

"Ha~ha~ha~ha~"

White Ivy jumped for joy, lifted her forelegs and pounded Grass Dragon’s head.

Under the fierce stares of the three Spider Kings, she slowly calmed down.

White Ivy adjusted her mindset and said sternly, "Red Moonseed, if that’s not important, what is? Continue."

Red Moonseed: "The important thing is, this spring, both the Huagi Divine Tree and Linnan Divine Tree awakened in turn and were reborn in the Purple Tung Insect Nation. Now, the Huagi Divine Tree’s trunk has restored its height to nearly 200 meters, and is growing about three meters a day—a basic recovery can be expected within the year."

Red Moonseed: "Linnan Divine Tree too, more or less. Both trees will flower and fruit next spring."

Red Moonseed: "The Huagi Divine Tree flowers and fruits every year, producing pine nuts annually, with quality surpassing King-level. The Farsighted ability will be enhanced, and the pine nuts will fetch quite a bit of Source Stone..."

—A Divine-Given Origin Force Food beyond King-level, boosting visual power!

White Ivy’s eight eyes flashed blood-red.

The Dulai Flame Spider’s Evolution Mountain Lord-level talent ability is in the eyes, called "Green Eye True Sight." Once activated, eight eyes blaze green, seeing through rocks and trees—these lifeless things—and directly spotting hidden or camouflaged living beings.

White Ivy’s talent ability had mutated and enhanced; when activated, her eyes glow red, now with an added power to pierce all illusory and disguised things...

The Divine-Given Bestowed Floral Banner Pine Seeds work for all Dulai Flame Spider Warriors, especially White Ivy.

White Ivy waited calmly for more.

Red Moonseed didn’t beat around the bush: "For the Divine-Given Bestowed Floral Banner Pine Seed output, Dragon Cypress Ant King keeps 20% for himself and the Cloud Trace Insects. Seven-Leaf Lord gets 20%, Lord Melde gets 20%, White Ivy Mountain Lord 20%, Grass Dragon Mountain Lord 20%."

"There aren’t many Cloud Trace Continental Insect Clan Warriors, so their needs are small. After everyone’s tried some, 20% goes to Wormwood Spider King."

Surpassing King-level Divine-Given Origin Force food, quite the draw.

Farsight ability upgrades. Even if sold among Dulai Flame Spiders, it would fly off the shelves, not to mention command a premium.

Second only to Divine-Grade items.

The crowd of spiders was inwardly delighted.

Spider King Spurge asked, "What about output and pricing?"

Red Moonseed explained: "After an Origin Force Plant surpasses King-level, the output doesn’t go up, just the quality. The Huagi Divine Tree produces only 800 pine cones a year—that’s a total of 12,000 pine nuts."

Red Moonseed: "Huagi Mountain will sell them for a flat price of 100 Source Stone per nut to Dragon Cypress Ant King. He’ll then sell to everyone else at cost."

"..."

The spiders were silent.

Pine nuts are tiny, with thick shells. The kernel’s just a speck...

Source Stone per nut?

Based on their roving merchant experience, this seemed a bit steep.

We’ll need to see the actual thing before making a judgment; negotiations can come later.

Red Moonseed paused, then continued, "Linnan Divine Tree will flower and produce fruit next year too—let’s talk then."

Red Moonseed: "There’s a third Divine-Given God-Given Seed on Huagi Mountain. It’s called ’Jinhe’..."

Aconite, Spurge, and Wormwood Spider Kings could no longer remain composed—each straightened and stood tall on their eight legs.

One tribe, three Divine-Grades!

How rich had Huagi Mountain been at its peak?

White Ivy sighed, "Don’t get too excited, you three Spider Kings. Dragon Cypress Ant King wants two more caravans brought in."

Red Moonseed: "Exactly. Strictly speaking, this is the Huagi Divine Tree’s demand. From what I heard, the Huagi Divine Tree wants Dragon Cypress Ant King to give the output of Jinhe God-Given Seed to those two new caravans. Huagi Mountain is stockpiling Origin Force Honey in a big way—the Huagi Divine Tree is looking to expand sources for Origin Force Food..."