Ant Lord in the Star Realm

"Dragon Cypress, pack away the goods. Come, let's talk business!"

"Spider King Spurge helped me calculate. One bottle of Bee King Jelly is only enough to seal 100 cans of Origin Force Honey. On average, this means each can's production cost has risen by another 30 Source Stones. Our already low, pitiful profit has been squeezed even further. Therefore, we must find ways to increase it."

"The can of Origin Force Honey that enhances comprehensive physique you gave me last time used 28 kinds of Origin Force Food, all of which came from High-Level Warrior Territories, right?"

"Here's the plan: for this year and the next, let's not make any major changes. During these two years, I will also do my best to collect more varieties of Origin Force Food that are both cheap and of high quality."

"The year after next, we will make a change. We'll increase the variety of Origin Force Food used to 100, fixed at 100, and at least 50 of them will be from Mountain Lord-Level Territories."

"By enhancing the overall quality of Origin Force Honey, we can correspondingly reduce costs. The production cost of Origin Force Ant Honey, priced at 1,000 Source Stones per can, will then be reduced from 700 to 650 Source Stones."

"I will provide the Bee King Jelly used for sealing for free. The profit increase from this cost reduction is only 20 Source Stones, which should rightfully belong to me, right?"

White Ivy finished speaking and then emphasized heavily, "I can transport between 300 to 500 cans, and I'm confident I can sell them all!"

The pre-sale performance of 51 cans made White Ivy confident, even a bit overconfident.

Dragon Cypress looked on with a cold gaze.

It wasn't that he was concerned about the distribution of the 20 Source Stones in profit. He earned 100 Source Stones per can. If White Ivy could truly sell 300 cans, he would earn at least 30,000 Source Stones. That was much, much more than raising a Divine-Given Seed.

Dragon Cypress questioned, "White Ivy Mountain Lord, do you travel to the Ten Thousand Nations Continent every year? Or every other year?"

White Ivy replied, "Every year!"

Dragon Cypress said, "Then you won't be able to go far on the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent."

White Ivy explained, "I've made two simplifications. Firstly, from now on, I'll only sell Origin Force Honey and Bee King Honey and nothing else. I also won't purchase goods under normal circumstances. I'll reduce my carapace load as much as possible so I can travel faster and reach more distant places within the limited time."

"For goods exchanged among Flame Spider Roving Merchants, no one makes a profit, or they only earn a minimal one. I will centrally purchase the Origin Force Food required to produce Origin Force Honey from within the Flame Spider network and give it to you at cost. I won't earn a single Source Stone from it."

"The second simplification is that I will no longer travel to the territories of those distant, remote, and impoverished Insect Clan Warriors. I don't want to abandon them, but... I am very sorry."

White Ivy sighed. "Lupine is already a 7th Age Period High-Level Flame Spider Warrior, and Grass Dragon will soon be a 3rd Age Period High-Level Flame Spider Warrior. They are about to become independent Roving Merchants. As their elder, I don't have much to give them, so I'll pass on those abandoned trade partners to them."

Dragon Cypress said, "Uh..."

A very clever change! You're a genius!

Dragon Cypress re-evaluated White Ivy. Is this her second Awakening?

Dragon Cypress asked, "Did you really have a falling out with Melde?"

White Ivy replied, "It and I are no longer on the same path."

Dragon Cypress asked, "So, was it Spider King Spurge who gave you advice and strategies?"

White Ivy said, "Spider King Spurge wouldn't care about these details."

White Ivy proudly said, "These are the changes I have made after careful consideration. How about that, impressive, right?"

Dragon Cypress truly admired White Ivy.

As a Roving Merchant, to give up relationships that took twenty to thirty years to build at a moment's notice... she was a ruthless spider. She handed over those abandoned trade partners to Lupine and Grass Dragon, greatly impressing the two juniors. Killing two birds with one stone.

Dragon Cypress calmly said, "The pre-sale of 51 cans of Origin Force Honey has almost used up all your previously accumulated partners. There is room for improvement, but not much, at least in the short term."

Dragon Cypress earnestly said, "White Ivy, since you're so clever, then you should understand a basic principle: you can't be impatient when you do things."

Dragon Cypress continued, "I heard from Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord that you and Melde split up. I figured you would definitely come here, so I urgently brewed 15 cans of Southern Sour Jujube Bee King Honey and 15 cans of Scarletlight Fruit Bee King Honey."

Upon hearing this, White Ivy jumped for joy, her eyes lighting up. "Ready? That's great!" The goods on her carapace CLATTERED to the ground as she praised enthusiastically, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, you're absolutely brilliant! I'll go get them. You keep this safe for me for now."

Dragon Cypress handed the Spider Silk Bag containing the Divine-Given Gorgon Fruit Seed to White Ivy, picked up a bag of Source Stones, and quickly left.

He went back deep into the Starship, placed the Source Stones on the Dominating Throne, picked up the bag with the Metal Cans, and returned once again to the small grove behind the hill.

Before Dragon Cypress could steady himself, a strand of Spider Silk coiled around the bag and whisked it away.

White Ivy opened it to check, unable to contain her joy.

Having acquired these two vital types of Divine-Given Origin Force Food, the only bit of worry in her heart disappeared completely.

Checking the labels one by one and calculating silently for a while, she said, "Priced at 40,000 Source Stones. I need to pay you 32,000 Source Stones?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "Yes."

White Ivy said, "I have Origin Force Food worth 91,000 Source Stones here. I brought 120 Metal Cans this time, 30 of which are filled with honey. Will that be enough?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "The honey is more than enough..."

Dragon Cypress said, "Forget it, just give them all to me."

White Ivy's Spider Silk jiggled, and she removed a medium-sized Spider Silk Bag, opening it with a RIPPING sound.

Inside was an oversized Metal Can with a diameter of 50 centimeters.

White Ivy asked, "Dragon Cypress, how is the Origin Force Honey mixed? Do you refine the Origin Force Food here first? Will there be enough time?"

Dragon Cypress: "..."

I can't refine...

Dragon Cypress was speechless for a long time before saying, "It's the same if I take it back and refine it."