NOVEL NEXT Chapter 256 Wujia Fruit
"...Life as an insect is tough!"
"We Flame Spider Roving Merchants traverse mountains and rivers, roam the south and north, and often we're so rushed that we don't even have time to eat a bite."
"In fact, the Ice-Fire Water-Making Pot is most suited for us Flame Spiders. When traveling through the icy snowfields of the north, to sip a mouthful of sweet, hot water—it warms the entire spider. In blazing summer, when we rest, to get to eat a cool, icy chunk, just imagining it feels amazing."
The Grass Dragon held an ice cube with its pincer limbs, crunching and chewing, sighing with deep feeling.
"A couple years ago, White Ivy was asking everywhere for news about Ice-Fire Water-Making Pots. Lupine and I thought she'd earned herself some Source Stones, planning to buy one for herself! Who knew she was buying it for you all."
The Grass Dragon declared, "Someday, when I'm rich, I'll definitely buy one as a reward for myself."
"Stick with me, and you'll be rich for sure!" said Dragon Cypress reassuringly.
"What do you mean, 'stick with you'? We call this cooperation!" The Grass Dragon was displeased.
Dragon Cypress held an ice cube between its two claws, turning it over and over, licking little by little, then shifted topics and asked:
"Grass Dragon, how's the matter with the One-Glimpse Fruit?"
Grass Dragon: "Spider King Spurge has taken care of it. Spurge, Aconite, and Atractylodes—the three Spider Kings—will vouch. We successfully got permission to bid for the One-Glimpse Fruit. Melde will bid on your behalf."
Grass Dragon said happily, "Lupine and I, as Melde's direct juniors, can also use this chance to enter the Flame Spider Ancestral Land and broaden our horizons."
Flame Spider Ancestral Land?
Dragon Cypress's heart gave a jolt.
Before, from Melde's stories, Dragon Cypress had heard: in the Flame Spider Ancestral Land stands a great mountain, and behind the mountain is a 10,000-meter deep abyss. Every year, the Spider Kings of the Flame Spider Tribe gather the surplus Source Stones from all the caravans of their lineage, send them to the Ancestral Land, record the amount, then deposit them in the abyss, watched and managed collectively by the old Spider Kings of the five great Flame Spider Tribes.
Theoretically, however many Source Stones a Spider King deposits in the Ancestral Land determines the issuance quota for Spider King Silk Scrolls.
Spider King Silk Scrolls are used in place of Source Stones for transactions across the continent.
Spider King Silk Scrolls can be exchanged at the Flame Spider Tribe's Ancestral Land for a corresponding amount of Source Stones.
In reality, each year far more Source Stones are deposited than withdrawn.
After thousands and tens of thousands of years, how much has been stored?
Can the Flame Spider Tribe on the Ten-Thousand Tribes Continent, thanks to that reserve of Source Stones, weather the long Origin Force Silent Periods and keep their lineage alive…
Dragon Cypress made conversation casually, asking offhand: "Grass Dragon, there must be more than one Wild God-Given Seed in your Ancestral Land, right?"
Grass Dragon: "Of course."
Dragon Cypress asked: "How many Wild God-Given Seeds are there?"
Grass Dragon: "No idea. Only Spider Kings are qualified to know that sort of information."
It seemed Grass Dragon really didn't know anything.
Dragon Cypress continued, "What about Divine Grade? Aside from the One-Glimpse Flower, are there any other Divine God-Given Seeds?"
"That's an even deeper tribal secret—only Spider Kings can access that knowledge."
Grass Dragon sped up, finished its ice cube, wiped its mouth, then changed the topic, "But, I did overhear something: I can tell you for sure, yes, there are!"
Sure enough!
Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid both straightened their tentacles, quietly awaiting more.
Grass Dragon: "I don't know the exact plant species. Its name is 'Five-Colored Graftwood'—it's not in the inherited memory, so it's definitely a mutant species named by a Flame Spider ancestor. The fruit it produces is called 'Wujia Fruit.' I don't know the blossom-fruit cycle, only that each time five are produced, each a different color, corresponding to the five elemental systems: earth, wood, water, fire, and wind. Each fruit grants a matching elemental ability."
Grass Dragon: "Spider King Spurge once bought both an Earth-Colored Wujia Fruit and a Wind-Colored Wujia Fruit, and ate them personally."
Dragon Cypress: "!!!"
Ink Orchid was intrigued, and chased for details: "What kind of abilities did they bestow?"
Grass Dragon: "All I know is, the ability given by the Wind-Colored Wujia Fruit is called 'Restless Wind'—an extremely powerful scouting ability. Year before last, our caravan ran into an Ant Kingdom war. Spider King Spurge detected it dozens of kilometers away in advance and guided us to take another route, avoiding it precisely. I learned this from chatting with other spiders in the caravan afterwards."
What a useful ability! Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid listened, their curiosity piqued.
The Orchid Mantis's talent ability is a mix of earth, wood, water, and wind elements. Upon evolving to Evolution Mountain Lord Level, one of these four systems awakens at random, unlocking its element ability further.
Currently, Ink Orchid shows special affinity for the wind element, so unless something changes, she'll awaken wind element talent in the future.
The ability from the Wind-Colored Wujia Fruit matches the Orchid Mantis's talents perfectly!
Dragon Cypress pondered, then asked, "So Spider King Spurge has also eaten a Divine Grade Fruit that grants wind elemental talent?"
Grass Dragon: "That's the only explanation."
Grass Dragon: "These old Spider Kings, they don't just make money; sometimes they're downright extravagant, investing in themselves."
Dragon Cypress paused to think.
Ink Orchid asked, "Grass Dragon, how many Source Stones is a 'Wind-Colored Wujia Fruit'?"
Grass Dragon: "No idea."
Grass Dragon: "But I do know this—Divine Grade fruits produced by the Ancestral Land aren't just on sale for anyone. You've got to deposit a matching sum of Source Stones first."
Grass Dragon: "You need to deposit one hundred million Source Stones to qualify to buy a Wujia Fruit."
Dragon Cypress: "..."
Ink Orchid: "..."
Dragon Cypress thought again of that ten-billion price tag for the Night Fragrance God-Given Seed: the Flame Spider Tribe existed in the Origin Force Era on Cloud Trace Continent too—did they have an Ancestral Land? Why doesn't the Huagi Knowledge Hall have it marked?
At the same time, Dragon Cypress wondered: does the Flame Spider Tribe of the Ten-Thousand Tribes Continent have some inheritance from the previous Origin Force Era?
Grass Dragon, seeing Dragon Cypress silent, assumed the one-hundred-million figure had stunned him, and clarified: "It's not Spider King Spurge himself depositing a hundred million, but all the Flame Spider caravans of Spurge's line working together."
Grass Dragon: "I've also heard that our Spurge lineage will soon reach another one hundred million. Spider King Spurge doesn't need more, so the wealthiest Lord-Level old Flame Spiders in the caravans are discussing pooling funds to buy an 'Earth-Colored Wujia Fruit.'"
Dragon Cypress: "!!!"
Ink Orchid: "!!!"
Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid silently took note.
Dragon Cypress could get a 'Water-Colored Wujia Fruit,' Ink Orchid would want a 'Wind-Colored Wujia Fruit.'
Dragon Cypress: "Grass Dragon, your Ancestral Land must have some other Divine God-Given Seeds, right? Maybe some that are especially ancient..."
Grass Dragon: "Ancient?"
Grass Dragon: "No clue. I'm just a pitiful, still-hungry Little Flame Spider. Anything I know is stuff I overheard."
A twenty-year-old Little Flame Spider?
Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid didn't respond.
Suddenly, Grass Dragon asked: "Ink Orchid, did you all dig up a Divine God-Given Seed tree heart? Planted it? Planning to use the One-Glimpse Fruit's power to revert it to seed form, turning it into a Life Seed?"
"Huh?"
"How could that be?"
"Where would we find a God-Given Seed tree heart?"
"Grass Dragon, don't let your mind wander."
"Pack up, let's make the trade..."
...
This year's trade with the Flame Spider Roving Merchants concluded smoothly.
Dragon Cypress immediately sent Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple back to Kiwifruit Mountain, and brought Round Cypress and Cypress to Xianglan Mountain.
He passed on them the news about the Chestnut Bean God-Given Seed.
In the Xianglan Mountain Treasury, everyone tallied their wealth together and distributed rewards.
The celebratory banquet was held, and then Round Cypress was sent back to White Lotus Lake.
The Dominating Throne helped Silver Cypress evolve into a Mid-Level Six-Age Command Ant, who was sent to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain.
Cypress, with its ample orchard management experience, was put in charge of guarding the Chestnut Bean Tree currently nurturing the God-Given Seed.
Dragon Cypress, over the course of about ten days, smoothly evolved into a High-Level Six-Age Ant King.
…
…
…
The Night Fragrance God-Given Seed revealed that of the ten Glinting Golds, the other ten belong to the ten great tribes, two of which are in the southwest region of Cloud Trace Continent.
Spring is still a long season ahead.
Time to dig!
First stop: Ink Orchid's relatives, the former Blotched Mantis Kingdom, dwelling at Xuanling Ridge—the land where the Brown Blotched Mantis Tribe lives.
It stands out: the mountain runs north-south, and its east face overlooking the plain is a sheer cliff.
Departing from Molan Mountain, they head west.
The Dominating Throne flew for two days, and the location was rather easily locked in.