Ant Lord in the Star Realm Chapter 566 - 545: Developing Swinging Leaf Island (Part 2)

With Dragon Cypress and White Rice working together, it took 60 days to dig through the underground escape tunnel from the Central King Nest to the northern seabed, and to make preliminary preparations for the excavation of the western tunnel.

Northern Hemisphere, New Year, spring begins.

Dragon Cypress and White Rice didn’t linger, returned on ti, and each got busy with their own tasks.

Spring, sumr, autumn, winter—another year passes.

Winter arrives,

Dragon Cypress first took Ink Orchid into Wanglan Continent, quickly completing the search of Swinging Leaf Island and the Thousand Reefs Archipelago.

After sending Ink Orchid back to Xianglan Mountain, he brought along White Rice and continued digging the escape tunnel.

Currently, there are 14 Specialized Worker Ants and 14 Large Worker Ants on the island.

Work thods were adjusted,

Dragon Cypress personally led 4 Specialized Worker Ants and 4 Large Worker Ants at the front, responsible for digging.

White Rice’s workload decreased, now only responsible for gathering the dug-up stones, consolidating them into square bricks, and solidifying them slightly.

The transportation was handled by 10 Specialized Worker Ants and 10 Large Worker Ants.

White Rice’s workload was reduced, and digging efficiency doubled.

The total length of the escape tunnel leading from the Central King Nest to the western seabed of the island was about 7 kiloters, with a temporary exit every 2 kiloters to shorten the route for the Worker Ants carrying materials.

The whole process took 80 days, and the second escape tunnel was completed.

White Rice was sent back to White Rice Mountain.

After three consecutive trips, first picking up Black Birch and Tie Bush and heading to Swinging Leaf Island.

The final trip, Silver Cypress was picked up...

...

Noon after a heavy rainstorm. The scorching sun hung high, not a cloud in the sky.

The Dominating Throne subrged in the deep sea ascended vertically, broke through the surface, and soared toward the sky.

"Silver Cypress! Over there."

Dragon Cypress raised a claw, pointing the direction, and said, "About 300 kiloters straight ahead, Leafcutter Island. Activate your Scorching ability and check out the situation on the island."

"Okay, Great King!"

Silver Cypress agreed, then asked, "Great King, could you be more specific? What exactly should I look for?"

Dragon Cypress: "What do you want to look at? Just look around."

Silver Cypress: "..."

Silver Cypress turned around, poked his head over the edge of the Throne, and fixed his gaze into the distance. Primordial Energy gathered at his forehead’s Heavenly Eye, creating a huge blue-purple Primordial Energy Barrier nearly thirty ters long.

After about five seconds, the Primordial Energy Barrier disappeared.

Silver Cypress reported, "Great King, I saw the island. Probably because it’s so hot at noon, there are hardly any ants out of the nest. Nothing unusual."

Dragon Cypress: "Idiot! Why are you looking at the ants? Life Seed Plants! A Lord-level Ant Clan Kingdom, occupying a 400 square-kiloter island, will definitely have Divine-Given Seeds. The God-Given Life Seed is certainly planted near the Main Nest. Find the Divine-Given Seed! Pinpoint the Main Nest’s location."

Silver Cypress: "Uhh..."

Silver Cypress muttered in protest, "I asked earlier, but you didn’t say clearly..."

The response was a slap from a tentacle.

Silver Cypress bowed his head and dared not speak, rested for a bit, then activated his Scorching ability to look again.

After seven or eight seconds, he withdrew the ability.

"Great King, found it!"

"Great King, you’re truly prescient! There’s a majestic mountain, and I saw many ants moving around. At the foot of the mountain, there’s a Goldna Tree planted, very tall—must be the Divine-Given Seed. And then...well, that’s it..."

Dragon Cypress: "You only saw one?"

Silver Cypress: "Judging by the visual patterns gathered from light information, this is just a preliminary assessnt. There may be other Divine-Given Seeds that aren’t so tall or prominent."

Silver Cypress: "Great King, from this angle I can only see the island’s southwest side, and can only gather information from the mountain’s southwest slope... Should I change angles?"

Dragon Cypress: "No need. Take a closer look at the ordinary plants on the island."

Silver Cypress: "...Okay."

Silver Cypress thought for a bit, rested for a while, then used Scorching ability to check again.

"Great King, the main crops of the island’s orchards are Osmanthus Flower, Mulberry Tree, Wampee Tree, Phoenix Tree, Chinese Tallow Tree, Photinia, and other great tall trees. I also saw Fey Oil Fruit trees, obviously improved breeds, growing quite tall. There are a few other kinds of trees I don’t recognize, never seen before."

Silver Cypress: "They’ve cultivated the land into neat plots, with cypress, pear, apricot, and other fruit trees planted here and there. But obviously, they don’t like eating fruit—hardly any are planted."

That’s more like it...

It was now one hundred percent certain that the island was occupied by a Leafcutter Ant Kingdom.

Dragon Cypress: "Alright. Let’s go."

With a thought, Dragon Cypress let the Dominating Throne fall freely, dropping vertically into the deep sea, and continued their underwater journey.

...

...

...

Swinging Leaf Island.

Under the Swinging Leaf Iron Core Tree’s Divine-Given Seed.

"Great King!"

"Silver Cypress!"

Tie Bush and Black Birch ca forward to greet them, calling out.

The total ant population of the Western Sub-nest had exceeded 300.

As soon as Black Birch arrived, he imdiately organized a team with Tie Bush to clear out the river channels and ditches, and tidy up the vegetation around the Swinging Leaf Iron Core Tree’s Divine-Given Seed.

Dragon Cypress leapt lightly to the ground, stowed the Dominating Throne back in his mouth, and waved his tentacles in gesture, leading Silver Cypress, Black Birch, and Tie Bush together up the mountain to the summit.

"Silver Cypress, barring any surprises, you’ll all be living on Swinging Leaf Island for many, many years in the future. You have two tasks: First, build an impregnable military outpost; second, open up land and start by planting Rain Tree No. 1 on a large scale, then plant other tropical crops later."

"Got it."

"Understood. Great King."

Silver Cypress, Black Birch, and Tie Bush responded.

"If you encounter danger, keep survival as the priority, don’t overthink it. Arrange for the Blue Soldiers and Blue Ants on the island to hide in the Underground Water Vein Network, and the rest of you should escape directly via the undersea tunnel. Dive to the southeast—there’s a reef about 1,000 kiloters away where you can rest; after escaping, et up there and wait for ."

"As for the specific route, I’ll take you through it in a few days."

"Understood!"

"Got it!"

"You can count on us, Great King!"

Silver Cypress and Black Birch responded resolutely.

Dragon Cypress: "This is the Western Sub-nest. Of the entire island, this mountain is the highest. Silver Cypress, rember this: every morning, noon, and afternoon, at least three tis a day, climb to the summit and use your Scorching ability to observe the distant seascape."

Silver Cypress: "Okay, Great King."

Dragon Cypress: "If there’s nothing else to do, Silver Cypress, stay on this summit on alert; use your Scorching ability from ti to ti to check the surroundings. If any insects approach, or there’s any intrusion, detect it imdiately and inform Black Birch and Tie Bush, so everyone can escape in ti and minimize risks."

Silver Cypress: "Understood, Great King."

Dragon Cypress: "Tie Bush, either stay under the Swinging Leaf Iron Core Tree or stick with Black Birch—try not to move around alone."

Tie Bush: "Understood, Great King."

Black Birch was one of the rare few among the Assistant Kings to have both a calm temperant and intelligence.

Dragon Cypress looked at Black Birch, paused for a mont, and instructed, "Black Birch, be vigilant."

Black Birch: "Understood, Great King."

Dragon Cypress: "The escape tunnels from the Central King Nest to the island’s northern and western sea areas have been dug. I’ll take you all to have a look and get familiar with the environnt."

...

Dragon Cypress had already arranged all matters on Cloud Trace Continent for the year.

He also beca a long-term resident on Swinging Leaf Island, first leading Silver Cypress, Black Birch, and Tie Bush to get familiar with the island and its surrounding sea area, and to visit the reefs to get used to the escape path.

He explained the construction plan.

Ti to officially start work,

Silver Cypress was mainly responsible for sentry and hunting duties.

Tie Bush guarded the Swinging Leaf Iron Core Tree’s Divine-Given Seed.

Dragon Cypress and Black Birch led the ant colony in labor.

The first task was to build and expand the Western Sub-nest.

They dug the ’Underground Water Vein Network’ to connect the Western Sub-nest with the escape tunnel leading west under the island. For now, they didn’t completely break through; they needed White Rice to co and use Earth System Abilities to reinforce the stone walls.

The network was designed in a semi-circular arch, about 2.2 ters in diater, wide enough for three Specialized Soldier Ants to walk abreast. At intervals of every hundred ters, there was a wide space for Assistant Kings to turn around during retreats.

In two months, the Western Sub-nest and the first segnt of the network were completed.

Dragon Cypress and Black Birch continued to lead the ants, digging the escape tunnel from the Central King Nest to the eastern seabed of the island.

First, dig; during the winter, when White Rice arrived, he could use Earth System Abilities to reinforce it.

At the sa ti,

Dragon Cypress continuously bred Blue Soldiers, Blue Ants, and Worker Ants to expand the colony.

Large and dium-sized Worker Ants continuously Feather Transford and joined the excavation team.

Dragon Cypress divided the team in two, with himself and Black Birch each leading a group, excavating two sections at once, doubling efficiency.

The third westward escape tunnel designed by Dragon Cypress was about 11 kiloters long. By the ti of the Cloud Trace Continent’s Mid-Autumn Festival, it was basically finished, with only a few hundred ters left to complete. Once White Rice arrived and finished reinforcing and hardening the tunnel, they could break through and let water in.