Ant Lord in the Star Realm

"Mulberry, we're back!"

"HMM..."

"This is the Dominating Throne of the Creator Civilization."

"It can fly..."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm dying."

"You won't! We're here."

"You're too late."

The Dominating Throne landed on the flat ground next to the cave entrance.

Mulberry lay in the cave, motionless, responding half-heartedly without any intention of coming out.

He had given up all hope.

Dragon Cypress said, "We aren't that late. Mulberry, don't lose heart; there's still hope for you. We have the fruit of the Divine-Given Seed of the Rice Tree, freshly picked a few days ago."

Ink Orchid held up a metal jug filled with Ant Honey, leaped to the ground, placed it at the entrance of the cave, and helped to open the lid.

"Is there hope?"

Mulberry shook his broken tentacle. "Thank you. But I'm beyond saving."

Dragon Cypress said, "This is the Ant King Honey brewed from Divine-Given White Rice Fruit, which I directed Blue Ants to collect. Search your Inherited Memory to understand the additional effects of the Divine-Given White Rice Fruit pulp."

Mulberry remained silent.

"OH. Healing."

"Life Force enhancement. Healing Ability enhancement."

"Too bad. It's one step too late. The enhancement effect of Origin Force Food can only be fully realized in the next Age Period, and I won't survive the next Molting Evolution..."

Mulberry shook his tentacle, showed a slight burst of excitement, then fell into despair again, lifting his body on his forelegs to reveal his belly carapace.

There were three vicious and terrible cracks hidden from view on his abdomen.

Both Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid felt uncomfortable looking at it.

Such severe injuries...

It was a miracle that Mulberry had survived the evolution from a 2nd Age Period.

"Not too late..."

Dragon Cypress explained, "The Dominating Throne also has the function of assisting with evolution. The general principle is to provide the Origin Force needed for evolution, accelerating the completion of the process."

"For example, if you were to ascend from the 2nd to the 3rd Age Period, you'd normally need to sleep for five to eight days. However, if you use the Dominating Throne to assist, you might wake up in just three or four days. With the significantly reduced sleeping time, you'll be able to conserve more Physical Strength to cope with the injuries brought on by the sudden increase in body size after evolution."

Mulberry: "!!!"

Mulberry stood up.

Dragon Cypress asked, "Mulberry, after you evolved to the 2nd Age Period, have you not used any Origin Force Food?"

Mulberry: "No... I don't want to die. But all I can do is wait for death."

Dragon Cypress: "How many years has it been since you evolved into the 2nd Age Period?"

Mulberry: "Almost four years now, I guess."

Origin Force Life forms, even without consuming Origin Force Food, will still autonomously absorb Natural Primordial Force, growing and evolving at a slow rate.

Dragon Cypress: "That's good. Four years isn't very long. Without consuming Origin Force Food, you're still far from the 3rd Age Period. So, you have plenty of buffer time."

"In the 2nd Age Period stage, Ink Orchid and I can provide you with a large quantity of high-quality Origin Force Food that provides Enhanced Carapace. Additionally, we can supply you with a batch that includes the Divine-Given Fruit-Scented Orchid Seed and various other Origin Force Foods that enhance Comprehensive Physique."

"If you can survive the next Molting Evolution, you will be three parts safe."

"In the 3rd Age Period stage, continue using high-quality Origin Force Food to enhance both Carapace and Comprehensive Physique. If you can get through it, you will be another three parts safe."

"After getting through two Age Period stages of enhancement, you will essentially be safe. After going through three stages of Age Period enhancement, you essentially won't face any life-threatening risks during growth and evolution at High-Level Stages."

"OH..."

"Can it be done?"

In half-belief, Mulberry walked to the entrance of the cave, his intact and slender tentacle bending to gently touch the Ant Honey in the metal jug, dabbing a bit to taste.

Ink Orchid jumped onto the Throne, picked up a jug of Origin Force Ant Honey originally prepared for Ghost Fan, jumped down from the Throne, and placed it at the entrance of the cave.

"This batch mainly strengthens Comprehensive Physique."

"Thank you!"

"Next summer, early in the season, we'll bring you two jugs of Origin Force Food that provides comprehensive Enhanced Carapace."

"Thank you..."

Ink Orchid said happily, "Don't mention it!"

"Is this Ant Honey? Do Ants make honey?"

Mulberry ate the Ant Honey with his tentacle and praised, "This is the second-most delicious food I've ever had."

On hearing this, Ink Orchid felt unhappy and asked, "What's the most delicious then? The Golden Light Fruit?"

Mulberry: "Yes..."

Mulberry: "No... it's a variant of the Golden Light Fruit. Its fruit is scarlet, not recorded in the Inherited Memory. I call it 'Scarletlight Fruit'."

Scarletlight Fruit?

Ink Orchid: "Scarletlight Ant King Honey, made through Refinement with Scarletlight Fruit, is the second most delicious food in the world."

Mulberry: "Why not the first? My Inherited Memory shows that Scarletlight Fruit is the most delicious fruit in the world."

Ink Orchid proudly said, "We have fruits even tastier than Scarletlight Fruit, also a Divine-Given Seed, named Azure. It's from the Outworld Creator Civilization, not belonging to the Natural System, a unique existence across the entire continent. Its texture and flavor..."

Dragon Cypress patiently waited for Ink Orchid to finish boasting and then said at the right moment, "Mulberry, Ink Orchid and I are Roving Merchants. We have come for profit. We can save you, but there are conditions attached."

A spark of hope for life reignited in Mulberry's heart.

Mulberry asked, "What conditions?"

Dragon Cypress: "Half of the yield from that wild Divine-Given Scarletlight Seed belongs to Ink Orchid and me!"

This was a creature with a very strong will to survive.

Without the slightest hesitation between life and wealth, Mulberry decisively said, "Agreed!"

Ink Orchid and Dragon Cypress exchanged glances and happily tapped their tentacles.

Ink Orchid inquired, "Mulberry, how many years does it take for the fruit of the Divine-Given Scarletlight Seed to mature?"

Mulberry: "Four and a half years. In two or three months, it will flower, blooming in winter. Then wait another three or four months, and a batch of fruit will mature, ripening in summer."

There are no clear distinctions between the seasons in the tropics. Many tropical fruits do not follow the four seasonal patterns when flowering and fruiting, especially after the evolution of Origin Force Life; the adaptability of plants to their environment strengthens, making the timing of blossoming and fruit ripening more arbitrary.

Dragon Cypress reminded, "Mulberry, you can finish the White Rice Ant King Honey as soon as possible. But this jug of Origin Force Food that enhances Comprehensive Physique, you must eat it slowly; you can't rush."

"I know..."

"Ink Orchid and I will go have a look at the Divine-Given Scarletlight Seed."

"Okay..."

Having paid the price for assistance, Mulberry felt much more at ease.

「...」

The Dominating Throne crossed over the mountain range, hovering above the canopy of the Divine-Given Scarletlight Fruit tree, circling and spiraling downward.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid scanned with their spiritual power simultaneously, counting.

The Blossom-Fruit Cycle of the wild Divine-Given Scarletlight Seed could be considered one year.

Next summer, 121 clusters of fruit would mature, each cluster containing 16 to 18 fruits.

They made a careful count.

"2,058 fruits!" Ink Orchid declared.

Dragon Cypress didn't speak.

The numbers seemed slightly off.

Ink Orchid must have miscounted.

It's close enough, no need to correct it.

"Dragon Cypress, how much can they sell for?"

Ink Orchid's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Dragon Cypress: "Wild Divine-Given Seeds, currently at Mountain Lord Level, with fruit sizes comparable to Azure Fruit, might fetch between 13 to 15 Source Stones each."

Ink Orchid: "And?"

Dragon Cypress: "We can split 1,029 fruits. At the lowest price, that's an annual income of 13,377 Source Stones! The actual revenue will only be more, not less."

"WOW!"

"Half of a complete Ice-Fire Water-Making Pot?"

"OOH! WOW!"

"That's fantastic!"

"OH! OH! OH! We've really struck it rich this time!"

Ink Orchid jumped excitedly, circling around Dragon Cypress.

"HEH! HEH!"

Dragon Cypress was also excited for quite a while.

Ink Orchid calmed down and said, "Sell them as honey-preserved Scarletlight Fruit?"

Dragon Cypress: "That's possible! An even better choice is to use Refinement to make pure Scarletlight Ant King Honey."

Unfortunately, it was of the Fire System, not compatible with Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid, nor with White Rice, Black Rice, Ghost Fan, Woodberry, White Willow, Mountain Persimmon, or the others.

In the Cloud Trace Continent, no Insects had yet been found that would require it.

Dragon Cypress looked around, seeing only mango trees, and said musingly, "Ink Orchid, let's take a look nearby tomorrow morning and see if we can find any Golden Light Fruit. Refinement Ant Honey made from ordinary fresh fruit also tastes superb."

Ink Orchid: "Okay!"

Night fell, and it was time to rest.