CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 051: WILD DIVINE-GIVEN SEED

The direct path between Xianglan Mountain and Ghost Fan Mountain had been flown over twice by Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid, confirming the absence of any Land of Origin Force.

The return journey had a slight deviation, veering off about 30 kilometers to the east, then bending north, searching along the way.

「...」

Away from Ghost Fan Mountain, Ink Orchid suddenly cheered and jumped up, fluttering her wings and landing atop the Dominating Throne.

The feeling of trade was simply wonderful. It allowed them to form new friendships and earn money from others, all while gaining their gratitude.

Ink Orchid said, "Dragon Cypress, shall we come here in autumn?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "Yes."

Ink Orchid asked, "So when do we set off to continue searching for the scattered Origin Force Points across the Cloud Trace Continent?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "Aren’t we searching right now?"

Ink Orchid clarified, "I mean after we return to Xianglan Mountain."

Before Dragon Cypress could answer, Ink Orchid quickly followed with another question, "After the Spiked Cypress emerges?"

Dragon Cypress said, "You evolve once!"

"Got it! Simple!"

Ink Orchid responded cheerfully, "After the Spiked Cypress emerges, it would definitely be the end of summer, right? Dragon Cypress, there will be lots of ripe fruits in the south then. We can bring a few more Specialized Blue Ants, search for Origin Force Points along the way, and pick fruits to make delicious Ant Honey."

Dragon Cypress gladly agreed, "That’s a good suggestion."

Ink Orchid added, "We could also visit Ghost Fan along the way."

Dragon Cypress replied, "That works too."

Ink Orchid suggested, "Dragon Cypress, I’ll let you have all my Ghost Fans. I’ll also give you half of the Origin Force Food I bought from White Ivy, so you can evolve again and make the Dominating Throne fly even faster."

"No..."

Dragon Cypress refused.

What kind of joke is this? I just evolved a few days ago! Is she trying to take my ant life?

Dragon Cypress, always patient, explained yet again, "It’s best for a Mid-Level Ant King to keep their evolution frequency at over half a year."

Dragon Cypress said, "Evolving once a year isn’t slow."

Dragon Cypress cautioned, "Evolving every three to four months is very risky."

"Oh—"

Ink Orchid asked, "Then how about feeding the Spiked Cypress more Origin Force Food? Wouldn’t that make it develop a bit faster?"

"That..."

Dragon Cypress considered, "That’s worth a try."

Ink Orchid said, "Let’s try it then..."

Ink Orchid and Dragon Cypress talked for a good while. Growing a bit weary, they lay side by side at the edge of the Throne, sticking their heads out and quietly observing the forest below, hoping to find a rare plant like the Keg Vine along the way.

「...」

On the vast continent, a Land of Origin Force really was just a tiny spot.

And plants like the Keg Vine were even harder to come by.

Darkness fell, and it was a rainy night.

Ink Orchid turned over to sleep.

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne and continued to travel. He planned to make up for the half-day delay from visiting Ghost Fan Territory that morning, as well as the time spent shifting eastward.

He put in a night shift, hoping to return to Xianglan Mountain as soon as possible.

"Dragon Cypress!"

Ink Orchid, who had been dozing, suddenly woke with a start and stood up.

Startled, Dragon Cypress shuddered.

Is she having a nightmare? Doesn’t she usually have nice dreams?

About to ask, Dragon Cypress heard Ink Orchid exclaim, "Origin Force Fluctuation!"

What in the world? Dragon Cypress thought. How can she sense Origin Force fluctuations while asleep?

Dragon Cypress, who had been lazily sprawling on the soft cushion of the Throne, stood up sharply, focusing his Perception.

Ink Orchid pointed with her foot. "Over there!"

With that said, she was about to kick off and fly.

"Ink Orchid, wait!"

Dragon Cypress called out sharply, halting her. "It’s night now, and rainy at that. Be careful, or you might fly off and not be able to find me."

Dragon Cypress’s heart was ablaze with excitement, but he cautioned aloud, "Ink Orchid, stay calm. Don’t always be so hasty. What if there are ferocious and combative Insect Clan Warriors at that Origin Force Point? Rushing in recklessly, wouldn’t that be dangerous?"

Ink Orchid hesitated for a moment but stayed put.

"Dragon Cypress, over there, hurry up!"

"Okay!"

Dragon Cypress was anything but calm, straining to control the Dominating Throne’s flight.

Ink Orchid seemed especially sensitive to Origin Force. After a long time, Dragon Cypress finally began to feel a faint Origin Force Fluctuation.

Following the direction, the signal gradually became clearer.

After flying for a while longer, a weak presence of Origin Force became detectable in the natural environment.

The Dominating Throne came to a sudden halt, hovering in the air.

In the nighttime rain, the terrain below was somewhat difficult to discern.

"Ink Orchid, let’s wait for daylight before we head over," Dragon Cypress suggested.

"Why?" Ink Orchid asked.

"What if it’s like Ghost Fan Mountain, with Insect Clan Warriors settled there? Bursting into their Territory in the dead of night is somewhat impolite."

"Yes..."

Ink Orchid said, "Dragon Cypress, we could take advantage of the rainy night to sneak over and check if there are any Origin Force Plants. If there are, we’ll quietly back out and pay a visit after dawn. Plus, when we go, we can avoid their Territory to prevent any misunderstandings."

"That’s a good point!"

Thinking it over, Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to continue forward and reminded, "Let’s conceal our Origin Force presence a bit."

As they moved forward, the Origin Force Concentration gradually climbed, then stabilized.

The Dominating Throne descended to about 30 meters above the ground.

Below were undulating hills without any prominent mountain ranges.

This Land of Origin Force covered a significant area. They followed a straight path and went over three hillsides without seeing an end to it.

But the Origin Force Concentration was quite average, similar to the ordinary forested lands of the Ten Thousand Nations Continent and the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent.

"Dragon Cypress, over there..." Ink Orchid softly pointed in a direction.

Dragon Cypress also noticed an unusual Origin Force Fluctuation. He maneuvered the Dominating Throne to climb a bit higher, concealed his Strength, and approached slowly.

"Why is there the scent of a Divine-Given Seed?"

"Could it be the Origin Force Fluctuation of a Divine-Given Seed?"

"Great! The Insect Clan Warriors here also have Divine-Given Seeds!"

"No, something’s not quite right..."

Through the hazy veil of rain, there appeared to be an isolated hill in the distance, and the Origin Force Fluctuation was emanating from there.

Upon closer inspection, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid were stunned into silence for quite some time.

It was a supermassive tree, about forty to fifty meters tall, standing erect.

Its shape was rounded, with thick branches and leaves, resembling a hillock.

Upon approaching, they were even more convinced that its Origin Force aura was unusual.

"It doesn’t seem like a Divine-Given Seed," Dragon Cypress said, puzzled.

"Nor a Common Life Seed," Ink Orchid confirmed with certainty.

"There’s another possibility..." Dragon Cypress’s Mind stirred, prompting the Dominating Throne to ascend and approach slowly.

This was a flat area surrounded by undulating hills.

There were no other Life Seed Plants in the vicinity.

Dragon Cypress exclaimed excitedly, "Ink Orchid! This is a Wild God-Given Seed! We’re going to be rich!"

"Wild" means a Divine-Given Seed born naturally in the wild, successfully landing, germinating, and growing into a large tree without the nurturing of an Insect Clan’s Life Pouch.

It was also a form of Origin Force Life that would bloom, bear fruit, and yield Origin Force Fruits.

But because it had not been fortified by an Insect Clan’s Life Pouch and lacked Natural Godsend, the level of this Origin Force Life was one tier lower than that of a Divine-Given Seed nurtured by a Life Pouch.

Yet it was a tier above Common Life Seeds bred from ordinary seeds.

It was in between the two.

The yield, quality, and fortifying effect of its Origin Force Fruits were all between those of the two types.

However, a huge advantage of a Wild God-Given Seed is that it would not die with the death of an Insect Clan Warrior.

It was free and could live for a very, very long time.

On the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, many Great Tribes intentionally avoid nurturing Divine-Given Seeds into Life Seeds, instead cultivating them as fixed wealth to be passed down through generations.

Dragon Cypress had told Ink Orchid about this.

Understanding immediately, Ink Orchid joined Dragon Cypress in delirious joy, exclaiming, "We’re going to be rich! WOW! WOW! WOW! Dragon Cypress, we’re going to be rich!"