Ant Lord in the Star Realm

"Spider King Spurge, I'll go talk things over with Seven-Leaf."

White Ivy hastily rooted the Life Seed and, leaving this remark, turned and ran without waiting for Spider King Spurge's consent.

Spider King Spurge was left speechless.

Arriving at the trading circle where the Caowu Caravan had rooted, White Ivy made a beeline for Seven-Leaf. Leaning in close, she lowered her mental perception and asked, "Mountain Lord Seven-Leaf, did you get the Fruit-scented Orchid Seeds?"

"Of course," Seven-Leaf replied.

"How's the quality?"

"Top-notch."

"And the price? Spider King Spurge ordered us to unify the purchase price."

"A single price: 11 Source Stones per seed."

"Good!" White Ivy exclaimed.

"Goodbye!"

White Ivy turned to leave. She walked patiently and slowly to the bottom of the hill, then quickly climbed it and dashed toward the small woods.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid were waiting, each holding a Spider Silk Bag.

"Ink Orchid! Wow! You saved so many Fruit-scented Orchid Seeds for me! Awesome!" White Ivy chirped.

Then she noticed something. "Eh? Little Dragon Cypress, what are you doing with a metal can?"

"Mountain Lord White Ivy!" Ink Orchid greeted joyfully. With a RIIIP, she opened her Spider Silk Bag and announced proudly, "600 seeds!"

Dragon Cypress waved a tentacle. "Let's see the Fruit-scented Orchid Seeds first," he said.

White Ivy manipulated her spider silk, picked up a seed, and scrutinized it like an expert. Then, she started to haggle, "10 Source Stones per seed. I'll take them."

Ink Orchid replied, "Sure."

Dragon Cypress agreed, "Alright."

??? White Ivy was bewildered. Why aren't you two bargaining?

She was inwardly ecstatic. A huge profit!

Then, a flicker of unease. Suddenly, she realized something was off. Is that bastard Seven-Leaf screwing me over?!

White Ivy asked, "Ink Orchid, what price did Mountain Lord Seven-Leaf buy them at? Can you share that?"

Ink Orchid replied, "10 Source Stones per seed."

As I suspected! White Ivy thought. Insect hearts are truly wicked!

She was inwardly annoyed.

Dragon Cypress said nonchalantly, "600 Divine-GivenFruit-scented Orchid Seeds come to 6,000 Source Stones."

White Ivy confirmed, "That's right."

Dragon Cypress continued, "I owe Melde 4,000 Source Stones. With principal and interest, that's 4,800 Source Stones. Plus 500 Source Stones for the Sky-Blue Persimmon Seeds. In total, that makes 5,300 Source Stones."

White Ivy did some mental math and said, "That's correct."

Then, White Ivy asked, "You two have 700 Source Stones left. Do you need to buy anything?"

"No rush," Dragon Cypress said. He opened the Spider Silk Bag he was carrying, revealing a metal can inside. He pressed it down with both feet, grasped the pull-ring with his mandible tooth, and pulled hard, removing the lid.

A faint, sweet fruit fragrance spread out, carrying a hint of Origin Force.

"This is—"

White Ivy stared for a moment, then manipulated a strand of Spider Silk Rope, dabbed a bit, and tasted it.

"Tastes pretty good."

"It has many kinds of physique-enhancing Origin Force Food."

"The aromas of many types of fruit are blended together."

"There's also a little honey mixed in."

White Ivy manipulated the Spider Silk Rope, dabbing and taking several more bites. "Delicious! Tasty!" she exclaimed.

White Ivy asked again, "What is this?"

Dragon Cypress stated, "Ant Honey."

He explained, "Remember I gained that Mutant Water Ability? After advancing to a High-Level Ant King, I awakened this new ability. It allows me to refine, concentrate, and mix various foods, including Origin Force Food, to create this delicious Ant Honey."

"Really? That's impressive!"

White Ivy untied the Spider Silk Ropes binding the cargo on her carapace. With a series of RIPS, the Spider Silk Bags full of Origin Force Food opened. She spread one bag on the ground and laid out various Origin Force Foods on it.

"Dragon Cypress, show me exactly how you refine, concentrate, and mix them."

Dragon Cypress remained silent.

Ink Orchid interjected, "It's not convenient to demonstrate..."

Dragon Cypress added, "There's nothing exciting to see. It's similar to how bees make honey."

"Is it? I want to see for myself." White Ivy's curiosity was overwhelmingly strong.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid had considered how to explain the origin of the Ant Honey before coming, but they had never expected that White Ivy, this utterly foolish creature, would demand an on-the-spot demonstration.

Ink Orchid said, "Mountain Lord White Ivy, please give us an estimate for it first."

White Ivy asked, "How many Source Stones' worth of Origin Force Food did you use to make this?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "Based on the prices we sell to the caravans, 700 Source Stones."

White Ivy suddenly understood Dragon Cypress's implication. "You can mass-produce Ant Honey?" she asked.

"Yes," Dragon Cypress confirmed.

White Ivy said, "We could collaborate to mass-produce metal cans and Ant Honey, and then..."

Dragon Cypress continued, "You'll buy those bitter, inedible—even poisonous—Origin Force Foods from the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent and the Ten Thousand Nations Continent at low prices. Then, you'll hand them to me for refinement. I'll remove the bitterness and impurities, then concentrate and mix them to make this type of Ant Honey."

"I'll use Origin Force Food worth 700 Source Stones to produce one can, and sell it to you for 800 Source Stones per can."

"You transport it to the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, and you can sell it for 1,000 Source Stones per can. You'll make 200 Source Stones per can."

"Absolutely!" White Ivy saw the business opportunity, her compound eyes sparkling.

Dragon Cypress picked up a prepared wood plaque sample and explained, "I used the pattern of a robust mantis hind leg as a mark, representing comprehensive physique enhancement."

He then turned the wood plaque over. "I used the pattern of a woodberry fruit to represent the light fragrance type of flavor for the Ant Honey."

Dragon Cypress added, "Considering that different insects have different tastes, I've designed four types of Ant Honey: light fragrance, strong fragrance, dry fruit mellow fragrance, and mixed mellow fragrance. Today, I only brought a sample of the light fragrance type."

White Ivy exclaimed, "!!!"

She understood Dragon Cypress's intention and was too excited to speak.

Dragon Cypress continued, "The cans containing the Origin Force Ant Honey can be made in standard sizes. When I finish making them, I'll tie a wooden plaque like this one to each can's lid with spider silk rope, indicating the type of enhancement and flavor."

"Understood!" White Ivy said.

Dragon Cypress pointed at the rice grain-shaped indentations on the wood plaque. "One rice grain imprint represents that the goods are valued at 1,000 Source Stones. For now, we'll set our Origin Force Ant Honey at two price points: 1,000 Source Stones per can and 2,000 Source Stones per can."

"That way, when you sell the items, you'll no longer need to waste time on complicated price calculations. Just count the rice grains—it's simple and straightforward."

White Ivy cried out, "!!!"

"An absolutely brilliant idea!"

"A genius idea!"

White Ivy praised him wildly.

Dragon Cypress said, "First, take this sample and test its effectiveness. If insects are willing to buy it, we can gradually increase the quantity and then move to mass production."

White Ivy declared, "There will definitely be insects willing to buy! Just start mass production directly!"

Dragon Cypress lightly swayed his tentacles. "Not necessarily," he said.

"Why not?" White Ivy asked.

Dragon Cypress explained, "Ordinary insects find it hard to accept innovative new things, especially when they have drawbacks."

"Drawbacks?" White Ivy questioned.

Ink Orchid jumped in to explain, "The Origin Force inside the Ant Honey slowly dissipates."

...Oh. White Ivy thought.

That is a fatal flaw.

Upon hearing this, White Ivy's excitement vanished. She looked at the metal can again, thought for a moment, and put the lid back on.

She concentrated, trying to sense it.

Dragon Cypress said, "Ink Orchid and I have tested it. Keeping the lid on can lock in the Origin Force effectively. Within a year, there won't be significant losses. But if it doesn't sell for a long time, severe quality issues will occur."

White Ivy mused, "Seed-form Origin Force Food, stored in Spider Silk Bags, can last for two to three years, or even up to four to five years, without spoiling."

She continued, "In roving merchant trade, the biggest risk is purchasing Origin Force Food that no insect wants to buy. When I was younger, many of my losses were caused by this."

"Exactly," Dragon Cypress agreed. "That's why we should first confirm that the goods can be sold before considering gradually increasing production."

"Understood," White Ivy said.

She opened the lid again, manipulated her Spider Silk Rope, and took several large tastes. Her confidence reignited.

"It's even tastier than Origin Force Honey! Absolutely, definitely, there will be insects willing to buy it."

Dragon Cypress countered, "Even so, we need to confirm that first. You have Mountain Lord Melde supporting you, so you're not afraid of losses. Ink Orchid and I can't afford to lose."

White Ivy grumbled, "...I can't afford to lose either."

Dissatisfied, she pressed on, "How exactly is this Ant Honey made?"

White Ivy shared Ink Orchid's inquisitive nature; she had to get to the bottom of anything that piqued her curiosity.

But Dragon Cypress, the Ant King, had not actually mastered the 'refinement' ability he described.

"It's similar to how honey is made," he said vaguely.

"Honey? Can you be more specific?"

"It involves ingesting the substances, digesting them, expelling them, ingesting them again, expelling them again... repeating that about a hundred times..."

"You?" White Ivy asked, aghast.

"Who else? Could it be Ink Orchid?" Dragon Cypress retorted.

"Drat it! You're one truly disgusting ant!" White Ivy exclaimed, feeling nauseous.

But the Mountain Lord Level Flame Spider's powerful digestive ability meant that the Ant Honey was almost instantly absorbed upon consumption. She wanted to vomit, but couldn't.