NOVEL NEXT Chapter 157 Rose Halo
This year's autumn trade, Dragon Cypress can only go alone, but that's not a big problem.
Scarletlight Mountain, I'll leave Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple here to accompany Mulberry for a while.
Leave behind some Worker Ants and Blue Ants, and give Black Cory another chance, let it lead the team, waiting for Mulberry's Life Seed Plant to ripen its fruit for harvest and to refine Ant Honey.
Dragon Cypress lingered at Scarletlight Mountain for a few days, personally harvesting, collecting large quantities of Mangoes and various wild fruits, handing them over to the Blue Ants for refinement.
Calculating the time and setting off, first heading to Jianlan Plain, spending a few days on a thorough search, confirming there were no Divine-Given Seeds, gathering a batch of wild fruits, then proceeding to White Rice Mountain for trading, and along the way gathering a large batch of ordinary rice fruits to refine into Ant Honey.
Immediately after, he hurried on to Ghost Fan Mountain and pocketed all the most important Divine-Given Ghost Fans in one go.
The most important deal of the year completed, and it was now deep into autumn.
The Deep Blue God-Given Seed will also bear fruit this year! This is the first batch since Advanced Evolution into High-Level Ant King, and the exact timing is still unclear.
Dragon Cypress headed straight back.
...
Fragrant Orchid Mountain.
Azure Blue Reservoir.
After a whole summer of growth, the Deep Blue God-Given Seed had only grown about 1 meter taller. The broadest leaf at the top had only reached about 20 centimeters in diameter, while the bottommost, first broad leaf had barely changed at all.
Growth rate plummeted.
Of course, compared with the Natural God System arbors' Divine-Given Seeds, a growth rate of one meter per year is still considered fast.
"Azure!"
Dragon Cypress called out, the Throne slowly approaching, hovering above the water.
"Dragon Cypress—" Azure replied. It was currently directing the five Blue Soldiers Dragon Cypress had assigned, carrying Worker Ants, to harvest Lotus Seeds together.
Azure took the initiative: "Dragon Cypress, after winter sets in, dig open the reservoir dam and let some water out."
Dragon Cypress: "Why?"
Azure: "We'll dig up the lotus roots and sow new lotus seeds in the spring next year."
Dragon Cypress: "Why do we have to reseed?"
Azure: "Select the strong flowers and plump seeds to sow—they'll grow into better lotuses."
Dragon Cypress: "..."
This was the Insect Clan's most common method for cultivating superior plant varieties.
—Did I ever teach Azure this?
Dragon Cypress thought back. In his memory, he hadn't mentioned it.
However, Dragon Cypress had long grown used to Azure's weirdness, so he didn't dwell on it, and carefully checked the growth of the Azure Fruit under the leaves, while agreeing:
"Alright. Azure. When the time comes, just direct the Worker Ants yourself to dig down the drain at the dam a bit."
Dragon Cypress also asked, "Azure, sense it carefully: about how long until your fruit is ripe?"
Azure was silent for a while, then said: "It could be a few days earlier, or a few days later."
Dragon Cypress: "???"
The ripening of a Divine-Given Seed can vary like this?
Dragon Cypress asked, "When exactly is 'a few days earlier'?"
Azure: "Tonight."
Dragon Cypress asked, "And 'a few days later'?"
Azure pondered and shot back, "Next year?"
Dragon Cypress: "..."
Dragon Cypress: "Let's not delay, just make it tonight. I'll go notify Fragrant Cypress to get ready!"
Dragon Cypress hurried back up the mountain, notifying Fragrant Cypress and Cypress to prepare at Azure Blue Reservoir, and told Spiked Cypress to step up territory patrols.
Dragon Cypress did a sweep of the inside and outside of the Ant Nest, up and down the mountain, confirmed all was well in the territory, and then also arrived by Azure Blue Reservoir to wait.
At midnight, Azure began to rapidly absorb Origin Force.
Dragon Cypress used the Dominating Throne to quickly replenish it, allowing the Primordial Energy Quality Change phase to pass easily.
At dawn the next day, under the morning light, the blue-green fruits began to change color: pure blue, deep blue, blue-black—riping and ready for harvest.
Dragon Cypress pinched and inspected them.
Mountain Lord Level quality, still Superior Grade!
A total of 570 pieces, one jar for honey immersion, and another set aside for White Ivy to use as promotional samples.
Fragrant Cypress and Cypress both had Water System Talent, and had Awakened Water System Abilities—each ate 5, enhancing themselves a little.
Dragon Cypress only dared eat one, just to taste it.
The remaining 550 even pieces—first, the pulp would be refined to make Azure Ant King Honey. The dried fruit cores would be kept until next spring to refine before trading with Roving Merchants.
With the most important Divine-Given Azure Fruit harvest finally wrapped up, with nothing else major to fret over on the mountain, Dragon Cypress brought a batch of Worker Ants and Blue Ants and set out again, heading for Molan Mountain.
Searching for Divine-Given Seeds, gathering wild fruits.
Worked solo for five or six days more, then flew southeast to Cold Orchid Mountain.
…
…
…
The Dominating Throne entered Cold Orchid Mountain, flying high and heading straight for the central main mountain.
In the secluded and dense forest, Ink Orchid sensed the Origin Force Fluctuation, soared up, rushed over, and landed atop the Stump Ant Nest.
Before Dragon Cypress could even ask, Ink Orchid lifted its foreleg, excitedly calling out: "Dragon Cypress, look! Found something good!"
"This is—" Dragon Cypress focused and examined it closely.
Hanging from the tip of Ink Orchid's foreclaw was a silvery-white metallic Circular Ring, just over 1 centimeter in diameter and about 3 millimeters wide, with a gorgeous, bright red gem inlaid on it that glittered under the sunlight like a blooming rose—dazzling and eye-catching.
"Dragon Cypress, do you recognize this? Is it valuable?" Ink Orchid asked hopefully.
Dragon Cypress: "...No idea."
Ink Orchid: "No idea?"
Ink Orchid got even happier, and a bit smug: "Dragon Cypress, watch this!"
As soon as Ink Orchid finished, it channeled Origin Force into the ring, letting it gather in the red gem. Instantly, a surge of Primordial Energy fed back from the gem, forming a bright red rose-patterned Primordial Energy design, swiftly spreading from Ink Orchid's right foreleg over its whole body—like a cluster of roses in full bloom.
"What's this, defense?" Dragon Cypress lifted a foreleg and poked it gently.
With surprise, he found it wasn't just a simple pattern—this Primordial Energy was almost material, covering Ink Orchid's whole body.
Poke harder, and the sharp claw-tip pierced right through, but as soon as he retracted it, the damage instantly healed over.
It gave a bit of protection, but was not quite like a "Hydrology Shield," not the type of defensive Primordial Energy Barrier used for battle, nor was it an Outworld Civilization Artifact designed for combat.