Kiwifruit Mountain.
The two sides of the mountain where Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple reside are now fully planted with Green-Red Kiwifruit Life Seeds—a total of 30 trees.
The main vine of the Green-Red Kiwifruit Divine-Given Seed runs along the mountain ridge, having grown nearly 300 ters long, with secondary and tertiary vines climbing the slopes on both sides, forming a sprawling verdant sea.
In the deep autumn, with ripe fruit, the scent of kiwifruit fills the whole mountain.
The fruit from Common Life Seeds ripens one after another in succession.
Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple are busy on the mountain, patrolling back and forth, picking each kiwifruit as it matures.
Dragon Cypress has set up a branch nest on Kiwifruit Mountain, stationing Blue Soldiers and Blue Ants there long-term.
When the harvest season arrives, 10 Specialized Blue Soldiers take the lead, bringing 100 dium and small Blue Soldiers, splitting into two groups, following behind Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple, delivering freshly picked kiwifruit back to the Ant Nest, handing them over to the Blue Ants to be refined into Ant King Honey and then stored in large tal boxes.
This way, Dragon Cypress only needs to co regularly each year to collect the tal boxes.
White Rice Mountain, Scarletlight Mountain, Ghost Fan Mountain, Black Fruit Mountain, and Silver Cypress Mountain all operate the sa way.
Saves ti.
During the drought season, the clever Specialized Blue Soldiers even know to help carry water for irrigation; in harvest season, they help gather ordinary fruit in the orchard.
Dragon Cypress has left symbol commands, so they also patrol the orchard regularly, sweeping to eliminate pest insects.
...
"Blue Catalpa! Snakebark Maple!"
Ink Orchid arrived first, descending straight down onto the ridge.
"Mountain Lord Ink Orchid!"
Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple greeted.
Blue Catalpa: "Ink Orchid, has the Jinhe Divine-Given Seed fruit ripened yet?"
Snakebark Maple: "What about Ghost Fan? Has it eaten Jinhe Fruit?"
"Jinhe Fruit only ripens at the end of autumn. Ghost Fan is already waiting in the Purple Tung Insect Nation."
Ink Orchid turned to glance at the hillside below and asked, "Have all the Green-Red Kiwifruit been harvested? How’s this year’s yield?"
Blue Catalpa: "These days are right at the peak of kiwifruit ripening."
Snakebark Maple: "Yield hasn’t changed much. Compared to last year, only 300 more fruits have been left."
After evolving to Evolution Mountain Lord Level, each Green-Red Kiwifruit yields 12 Source Stones per fruit.
This year’s inco increased by 3,600 Source Stones?
Last year, the total inco for Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple’s territory was 274,500 Source Stones.
Ink Orchid: "Blue Catalpa, Snakebark Maple, your annual inco is about to break 280,000."
Blue Catalpa: "That’s the inco for two insects."
Snakebark Maple: "Not much at all."
Blue Catalpa: "A single Divine-Given Seed can’t support two insects."
Snakebark Maple: "If only we had another one."
Blue Catalpa: "Best would be a top-level one like Purple Kiwifruit..."
A single male Green-Red Kiwifruit Divine-Given Seed brings Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple around 120,000 Source Stones per year, nearly matching a top-level plant seed.
Actually, this inco is enough for both of them to et their normal evolutionary needs as Mountain Lords.
However, Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple want to imitate Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid, eating only Divine-Given Origin Force Food.
That’s certainly not enough, not even close.
You two think you can manage that?
Ink Orchid slanted its head, eyeing them askance, not wanting to say more.
Two young, clueless insects—let them fuss if they want to fuss.
The Dominating Throne flies in rapidly.
Snakebark Maple calls out: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, you promised to send Worker Ants over to help Blue Catalpa and develop all our territory."
"These past few years have been too busy. Once I’m done, I’ll send Black Cory over to help you."
Dragon Cypress leapt to the ground, getting straight to the point, "Blue Catalpa, you’ve been tinkering with grafting these years?"
Blue Catalpa: "Just for fun."
Dragon Cypress: "Co on, let’s go take a look at the orchard down the mountain."
At the foot of the mountain,
Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple themselves have developed an orchard of about 5 square kiloters.
The crops are sowhat single: mainly kiwifruit, with a few plots of grapevines. Between plots, there are planted cypress, peach, pear, apricot, chestnut, and other arbors to serve as barriers, preventing the spread of pests and diseases.
Blue Catalpa used the Wood Elent ’Successive Grafting’ ability to make quite the show in the orchard’s kiwifruit trees.
Purple Kiwifruit mother plant grafted with Green-Red Kiwifruit...
Green-Red Kiwifruit mother plant grafted with Purple Kiwifruit...
Golden Flower Kiwifruit grafted with Columnar Fruit Kiwifruit...
Kiwifruit are dioecious, but by grafting, making them monoecious is the most basic operation.
The boldest move: Blue Catalpa used an old Green-Red Kiwifruit stump half a ter thick to graft all 142 kiwifruit varieties it gathered by various ans, so one tree blooms with 142 kinds of flowers and bears 142 different kinds of kiwifruit.
The Wood Elent ’Successive Grafting’ ability is a true grafting divine skill.
This fellow Blue Catalpa has always been lively since childhood, quick-witted, always coming up with flashy tricks and cheeky stunts.
Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid have visited before, and every ti, can’t help but praise it profusely.
All is well, except it hasn’t cultivated a Divine-Given Seed yet.
Dragon Cypress: "The scale is too small. Without a massive base, it’s ultimately hard to achieve great results."
Dragon Cypress added: "After a few more years when I’m done being busy, I’ll assign a batch of Worker Ants to help you two develop the whole Kiwifruit Mountain. And leave so more ants to help look after things."
Dragon Cypress then shifted the focus, saying, "Blue Catalpa, next spring I’ll need you to go to the Purple Tung Insect Nation to lend a little help."
ntioning the Purple Tung Insect Nation, Blue Catalpa instinctively shrank back, mind flashing with the terrifying image of the furious, roaring Linnan Divine Tree—tentacles standing upright, it asked warily:
"Dragon Cypress Ant King, what little help? I’m awfully busy here at Kiwifruit Mountain."
Dragon Cypress, displeased: "What are you afraid of?"
Ink Orchid explained, "Giant Cypress discovered another mutated branch on a Do Leaf Berberis Tree. Purple Tung Insect Nation is a long way from Xianglan Mountain—nursing cuttings and transporting them back and forth is too troubleso. So the plan is to use conventional grafting to expand the mutated branch quickly."
Dragon Cypress: "We also collected 6 seeds this year. We’ll try sowing them next year. If it works, Blue Catalpa, all you’ll need to do is go over in spring and help out with the grafting."
"!!!"
Snakebark Maple’s tentacles also shot upright.
—Another bud mutation branch!
—Discovered by Giant Cypress again?
—There’s another chance to get a Divine-Given Seed?
—Could it be another Divine Grade?
—It’s not impossible, you know.
—Oh my god~
—Natural God is playing favorites~
Dragon Cypress waved a claw and stopped them: "It’s not that simple! Black Peach and Mutated Ink Orchid—I’ve poured my all into nurturing them for five or six years, and there’s still no sign of result."
Dragon Cypress: "For this kind of cultivation, with good luck maybe a few years, ten-odd years, bad luck might be decades or even longer."
Snakebark Maple: "It’ll happen sooner or later."
Blue Catalpa hesitated: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, next spring?"
Dragon Cypress: "Early spring. There’s just one mutated branch right now, so we’ll cut it and graft onto a dozen Do Leaf Berberis Trees. It’ll just take half a day, and I’ll bring you right back after."
Blue Catalpa: "Alright."
Blue Catalpa: "I’m not that kind of fighting insect; I love peace—combat training and such..."
Dragon Cypress: "I’ll sneak you over and sneak you back, without alarming the Linnan Divine Tree."
"In that case—agreed!" Blue Catalpa responded cheerfully.
Dragon Cypress called out to continue harvesting kiwifruit.
Calculate the harvest, complete this year’s trade.
...
Continuing south,
First circling Cold Orchid Mountain, then searching the Jianlan Plain.
Timing it right, arriving punctually at White Rice Mountain, to complete this autumn’s trade.
Next stop: Scarletlight Mountain.
After trading with Mulberry and Areca, the Dominating Throne heads straight south, arriving at the sea.
"Ink Orchid, wait here on the shore."
Dragon Cypress parked the Dominating Throne on the coastal cliffs, spread its wings, took off and dived down, skimming over the sea surface at high speed, scanning beneath the water with spiritual power.
It halted abruptly and landed on the water.
Standing still, accumulating force.
The ’Furious Rage’ ability erupted suddenly.
With a thunderous boom, towering waves over ten ters high surged up, water spraying everywhere.
A fish four or five ters long was stunned to death by the force, then dragged out of the sea by the current.
A fish with no scales.
In Insect Clan inherited mory, knowledge about the ocean is scant; almost nothing is recorded about marine life forms.
Dragon Cypress examined it briefly, confird it didn’t recognize the species, didn’t dwell on it, condensed Primordial Energy in its forelegs, swiped a claw to slice off a large chunk of at.
Then cut a small piece, carefully stuffed it into its mouth.
Not salty!
Not bitter either!
Sea fish really are edible!
Dragon Cypress sliced off another big piece to taste.
Probably because the fish was so big, the at was a bit coarse and the flavor so-so, but it was indeed edible.
It waved its antennae, dipped it in seawater, and licked it at its mouth.
Here, the seawater was the sa salty and bitter taste—the Origin Force Life’s instincts sensed the seawater was heavily poisonous, with toxins not even the Insect Clan’s detoxification gifts could resolve; drinking it would cause severe bodily harm.
Tentacles swayed, detecting the scent of sea breeze—a strong odor causing extre discomfort to ants.
How could poisonous water produce non-poisonous fish?
Hard to believe, yet the truth was right before its eyes.
The marine environnt was extrely harsh, but the fish in the sea were indeed edible.
An infinite, boundless sea—an inexhaustible food source!
Dragon Cypress cut off another big piece of fish, raced back to the cliffs, and shouted excitedly, "Ink Orchid, the Jinhe Divine-Given Seed was right! Sea fish are edible! The food problem of the Xianglan Mountain Ant Kingdom is solved!"
"Really? That’s wonderful!"
Ink Orchid cheered excitedly as well, "Let have a taste!"
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