Ant Lord in the Star Realm

The triumphant news of the expedition's overwhelming victory over the Termite Kingdom spread back to Xianglan Mountain, sending the whole kingdom into jubilation.

However, there were just too many follow-up matters to handle, so there was no time for celebration.

With Giant Cypress and Spiked Cypress staying behind to oversee the defense of the kingdom, Dragon Cypress could set his mind at ease.

He escorted Blue Catalpa back to Kiwifruit Mountain.

He took Black Rice back to White Rice Mountain to bring the good news to Red Fox, and along the way, harvest this year's Divine-Given White Rice Fruits.

He headed to Scarletlight Mountain and Ghost Fan Mountain, notifying Areca and Woodberry of the news respectively.

Areca assisted in weaving a large number of medium-sized Spider Silk Bags, all packed up to be taken away.

He then proceeded to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain to harvest the Divine-Given Red Cypress Seeds.

Lastly, he took Black Cory back to Black Lotus Lake.

Dragon Cypress inspected the management status of every territory; after confirming all was well, he brought Black Leaf and hurried non-stop straight to the Purple Tung Insect Nation.

...

The cold wind from farther north blew at a measured, unhurried pace.

The blue sky was streaked with wisps of white clouds, drifting along on the breeze.

White Willow, who knew where he was or what he was doing, discovered the Dominating Throne and sped over.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King! This Command Ant is...?"

"Black Leaf. You've met him before."

"Oh. Yes, that's right."

"White Willow!" Black Leaf, lively by nature, waved his tentacles in greeting to White Willow.

White Willow flipped through the air, his form flickering, perching atop the throne's backrest. Changing the subject, he asked, "Where's Black Cory?"

Dragon Cypress: "I arranged for him to return to Black Lotus Lake. Your Life Seeds are all faring well, but as for your orchard, quite a few trees have died out, drowned by weeds. I'll compensate you with some Source Stones."

"Oh—"

White Willow beat his wings and took flight, circling once, then cruising along parallel to the Dominating Throne, asking, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, so when can I return to Black Lotus Lake?"

Dragon Cypress: "It's getting colder by the day. Possibly, in another ten days or half a month, the water's surface will freeze. I will escort you all back then."

Dragon Cypress asked, "Has the royal palace reconstruction been completed?"

White Willow reported, "It's finished. White Rice is currently renovating the branch nests; Ink Orchid, Ghost Fan, Spruce, Mulberry, and Snakebark Maple are helping out, and by your orders, all the domes are being converted. Fragrant Cypress and Cypress are leading the ants in excavating water channels. The Life Seed Plants of the Barley Bug Warriors have entered the mature harvest season and have all returned to their territories."

White Willow: "This morning, Fuzzy Flower, Mountain Thorn, and Magnolia Bark, the three Mountain Lords, even came by the kingdom to ask when trade would be possible."

Dragon Cypress gestured with his tentacles, saying, "On my last trip to Xianglan Mountain, I gathered a batch of Origin Force Ant Honey suitable for the Barley Bug Warriors, but the amount might not suffice. White Willow, go inform the three Mountain Lords that High-Level Warriors get trading priority. Mountain Lord-Level Warriors will have to wait until next spring, when I've traded for more goods with the Flame Spider Caravan before trading can resume."

"Alright—"

White Willow immediately darted away, flickering a few times before vanishing as black dots in the distance.

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to ascend into the sky, accelerating in flight, soon locking onto the laboring ant colony, and angled down for descent.

"Fragrant Cypress! Cypress!"

Black Leaf waved his tentacles in greeting.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"Black Leaf!"

Fragrant Cypress and Cypress, surrounded by Soldier Ants, jogged over to meet them.

Carrying Black Leaf, Dragon Cypress landed and cut straight to business: "Cypress, take more Soldier Ants with you, and lead Black Leaf to first get familiar with the environment. After that, Black Leaf is to direct the Worker Ants to dig the boundary river canal, while you, Cypress, coordinate Worker Ants to assist on the side."

Cypress: "Understood, Great King."

"Understood, Great King." Black Leaf scurried up nimbly onto the carapace of a Mountain Lord-Level Soldier Ant, instructed it to step forward, and stood closely beside Cypress.

Dragon Cypress continued, "Fragrant Cypress, while the weather isn't yet cold enough for icing, start by clearing a few nursery plots, so next year you can sow Large Fruit Round Cypress, Silver Cypress, and Sky-Blue Persimmon Seeds and begin cultivation."

"The Origin Force concentration in the Central Region of the Purple Tung Insect Nation is high and the land is precious. As for all the different poppets that originally grew here, just leave a hundred or so of each kind; clear out the rest and replace them by sowing more promising Silver Cypress and Sky-Blue Persimmon Trees. As for other cypress and persimmon trees, sow small amounts as appropriate based on the conditions."

Fragrant Cypress: "Understood, Great King!"

Dragon Cypress: "And one more thing—in this place, Specialized Blue Soldiers are our Ant Kingdom's main fighting force. But Blue Soldiers' combat strength relies heavily on water sources...so, we need to dig more ponds in the woodland—one for irrigation, one for combat."

Dragon Cypress: "The ponds don't need to be too large, just three or four meters across is enough, but dig them deeper, four or five meters deep. I'll ask the White Rice Mountain Lord to reinforce them with Earth System abilities."

Fragrant Cypress: "Alright, Great King! When should we start? There aren't enough Worker Ants..."

Dragon Cypress: "Let Black Leaf get familiar with the environment first, then we'll discuss in a couple of days. There are still some land-clearing Worker Ants left in the Tiger Orchid Mountain's branch nests, I'll make a couple of trips to bring them over as backup."

Fragrant Cypress: "Understood, Great King."

Dragon Cypress: "Our stake in the Purple Tung Insect Nation covers about 350 square kilometers, more than all the other Lands of Origin Force combined. The Termite Kingdom's been cultivating here for over a hundred years—most regions already have excellent Great Tall Trees planted, so there's no need to replace them..."

As Dragon Cypress was speaking, he suddenly sensed something. He activated his Soul-Setting Ability, locked onto Ink Orchid's location, and established a connection.

Ink Orchid: "Great King, everyone is worried about their territories."

Dragon Cypress: "Reassure them, all is well in the territories."

Ink Orchid: "What about my Chestnut Bean God-Given Seed? Have you checked it?"

Dragon Cypress: "The tree's height has surpassed thirty-five meters."

Ink Orchid: "What about the Divine-Given Snow Orchid Seed?"

Dragon Cypress: "It was harvested this year, with a considerable yield. Average annual revenue can reach fifteen thousand Source Stones."

The Divine-Given Snow Orchid Seed multiplies fivefold through offshoots, so production is decent.

However, the Divine-Given Snow Orchid Seed is also only average in quality despite comprehensive enhancement from Wood Element abilities, and can't fetch a high price.

Ink Orchid: "Alright~"

The Soul-Setting Ability communication ended.

Ink Orchid swiftly rushed over.

Spruce followed right behind.