Ant Lord in the Star Realm

Sold 4 cans.

Earned 800 Source Stones. After deducting the costs of the metal cans and Bee King Jelly production, the profit was still 560 Source Stones.

A new beginning, a new roving merchant journey—successfully earned my first batch of Source Stones!

White Ivy set out at twilight, steps light and brisk, jogging along the road.

...

Back when White Ivy was still a High-Level Warrior, she lost the protection of her elders—sometimes traveling as a lone roving merchant to remote little places, or teaming up with Melde to visit some Great Tribes.

After walking the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent for nearly 30 years, she'd still come to know quite a few Insect Clan warriors and developed stable trade partnerships with some of them.

In the past, White Ivy and Melde would take turns: one would go to trade in Wan Country, and the other would travel throughout the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent.

Before, White Ivy had to spend a whole year making these visits one by one.

That's not possible anymore.

Now White Ivy is all on her own. Every year during the coldest season, she must set off with the caravan led by the Spider King Spurge, heading into Wan Country to get goods from Dragon Cypress.

In autumn, she would return to the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, with only about 90 days to journey across the land—time is tight.

Apart from lessening her load and running faster, White Ivy also decided to sift through and streamline her current trade contacts.

She'd skip those who were too far, not to waste her limited and precious time.

She'd skip those who were too poor—they couldn't offer many Source Stones, and it wasn't possible to sell Origin Force Honey in bulk to them.

Try to make for the territories of Insect Clan Warriors who raised little warriors.

Try to move toward territories with Water System or Fire System talent.

Try to head to the lands of wealthy Insect Clan warriors.

Try to visit prosperous Great Tribes.

The second stop of this journey: the well-known "Vinegrowth Mountain" and its Red Soldier Beetle Tribe.

Vinegrowth Mountain has a wild Fire Stone Banyan Divine-Given Seed, passed down for thousands of years.

There is also a Fire Stone Banyan Divine-Given Seed that has matured into a Life Seed, a Water Stone Banyan Divine-Given Seed that is a Life Seed, a Toothleaf Loquat Divine-Given Seed as a Life Seed, a Hundred Department Divine-Given Seed as a Life Seed, and a White Fresh Divine-Given Seed as a Life Seed.

Vinegrowth Mountain is home to two Insect Kings and four Lords, nearly a thousand Red Soldier Beetle Warriors gathered—a flourishing and strong region.

A down-and-out little Mountain Lord-level roving merchant like White Ivy naturally had no qualifications to visit the Insect Kings and Lords.

However,

White Ivy knew the Mountain Lord Chickweed of the Red Soldier Beetle Tribe.

This Mountain Lord Chickweed didn't possess a Divine-Given Seed, so couldn't be considered wealthy, but was a direct junior relative of the Water Stone Lord.

The Water Stone Lord's status in the tribe was only second to the two Insect Kings, and had high hopes to become Vinegrowth Mountain's third Insect King.

The Water Stone Banyan Divine-Given Seed enhances Water Element Ability, and Dragon Cypress just happens to have a mutant Water System talent…

If she could connect with the Water Stone Lord and get stable trade access to its Divine-Given Seed…

White Ivy considered a lot, thinking far and wide.

"Mountain Lord Chickweed!"

"Are you there?"

At the foot of a towering mountain, outside an orchard, beside the stone path, White Ivy released her spiritual power to call out, simultaneously sending out Origin Force Fluctuations.

"Here."

"White Ivy Mountain Lord? Come on up the mountain."

The Red Soldier Beetle are a clan fond of fruit. They primarily cultivate Fire Stone Banyan, but also widely grow loquat, mango, peach, apricot, kiwi and other fruit trees.

Mountain Lord Chickweed had been working in his own mango grove and walked to the main stone road to greet her. The moment he saw White Ivy's carapace, he froze.

"White Ivy Mountain Lord, this… don't tell me…"

White Ivy: "I've split from Melde. The Divine-Given Fruit-Scented Orchid Seed and Gorgon Fruit Seed were both given to Melde. The share I promised you probably can't be delivered. I'm truly sorry."

White Ivy quickly changed the subject, saying, "I can make it up to you with another Divine-Given Seed, and one you'll definitely love—the most delicious fruit."

"The most delicious?"

Chickweed: "Didn't you say last time that Azure Fruit was the most delicious? One of a kind in the world. But Azure Fruit enhances Water Element Ability."

White Ivy: "How about the Golden Light Fruit? A mutated Golden Light Fruit Divine-Given Seed, called 'Scarletlight,' whose enhancement is for Fire Element Ability. What do you think?"

Chickweed: "???"

Chickweed: "Mutated? Now that's very nice! If you can really get it, that'll do, too!"

Chickweed raised a foreleg, signaling her to go ahead, taking the lead and asking as they walked:

"White Ivy Mountain Lord, in recent years, you suddenly seem to have acquired trading rights for a lot of Divine-Given Seeds."

White Ivy sighed, "Not that many. I only have three kinds in hand."

Chickweed was puzzled again, turning to glance at White Ivy's empty carapace. "Didn't you just say you split with Melde, and both the Divine-Given Fruit-Scented Orchid and Gorgon Fruit were given to Melde?"

White Ivy: "Yes. Right now I control stable trade access to Divine-Given Azure Fruit, Southern Sour Jujube Fruit, and Scarletlight Fruit."

White Ivy: "Scarletlight Fruit is produced every year, and it's from a wild Divine-Given Seed that's more than a thousand years old—Mountain Lord level at its peak and with abundant yields."

Chickweed: "!!!"

Chickweed: "Southern Sour Jujube?"

Chickweed froze on the spot, fell into contemplation, and soon found relevant information from his Inherited Memory.

Enhanced Membrane Wing—a rather uncommon type of enhancement.

Indirectly enhances flight capability, which could be of some use.

If the price is right, Mountain Lord-level or above Insect Clan warriors might consider eating it alongside Origin Force Food that enhances flight ability.

As for the Divine-Given Scarletlight Fruit? Fire System Ability enhancement? That's absolutely a good thing!

However,

This White Ivy isn't really that reliable.

She'd promised Divine-Given Fruit-Scented Orchid Seeds for years, even showed a couple sample pieces, and in the end, she said…

"White Ivy Mountain Lord, you haven't eaten, right? Come up the mountain. Let's talk while we eat."

Mountain Lord Chickweed was nothing like that Wind Wheel Mountain Lord. As a second-generation Insect from a Great Tribe, his education taught him never to slight any Flame Spider Roving Merchant.

Even if this one broke her promise again and again.

Even if right now, she had nothing at all.

Mountain Lord Chickweed still maintained the proper bearing of a great tribe warrior, leading White Ivy to the cave where he lived and serving up fresh fruit and meat as hospitality.

White Ivy manipulated her Spider Silk Rope to take out a metal can filled with Origin Force Honey and began to explain:

"This is Origin Force Honey brewed by a mutant Water System Bee King from Wan Country. It gathers fruit, refines Origin Force Food, and blends them together…"

…

…

…

White Ivy entered Vinegrowth Mountain in the morning; by midmorning, she was skipping away in high spirits, found a spot in the nearby forest for her Life Seed to take root, and rested on the spot.

White Ivy knew that Chickweed no longer trusted her.

But,

The Red Soldier Beetle is pure Fire System talent—they have a massive need for Origin Force Food that enhances Fire Element Ability.

Mountain Lord Chickweed couldn't refuse the Divine-Given Scarletlight Fruit and was also quite interested in the Divine-Given Southern Sour Jujube.

The Red Soldier Beetle loves sweets, and Mountain Lord Chickweed had high hopes for the Origin Force Honey as well.

No longer trusted, but seeing real, tangible product samples, he couldn't just reject them outright.

After all that, even though White Ivy didn't get a deposit of Source Stones, she hadn't lost the possibility for further trade either.

So long as next year she could bring Scarletlight Bee King Honey and Southern Sour Jujube Bee King Honey to Vinegrowth Mountain, the trade was sure to happen, she'd be able to sell a few cans of Origin Force Honey and make a big bundle of Source Stones.

With two successive successes, White Ivy's confidence soared—unprecedented certainty.

Rest for a night and then set out again.

Next stop,

The close kin of the Red Soldier Beetle—the territory of the Yellow Soldier Beetle Tribe, with Fire System talent as well.

This was a not-too-big, not-too-small branch living on a range of low mountains thirty to forty kilometers long. Its leader was called "Lord Blood Paulownia," who had a Thornfruit Blood Paulownia Divine-Given Seed.

The Luoli Caravan's roving merchant route never went through here.

White Ivy's own trade route passed nearby, but she'd never established trade relations with Lord Blood Paulownia—had only met once.

Long ago, she'd visited to seek trade but was brusquely refused.

This time, though, White Ivy was fully confident of success.

A wild Divine-Given Scarletlight Seed was the master key to opening the doors of trade.