Ghost Fan Mountain.
Last year, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid ca at the end of autumn when most of the Life Seed plants on Ghost Fan had matured and been harvested; the remaining few were priced at 2,400 Source Stones.
Dragon Cypress provided two jars of Ant Honey for Ghost Fan, priced at 1,200 Source Stones each.
Ghost Fan lived alone. After the trade, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid stayed to chat with it for half a day. They rested for one night before bidding farewell and leaving the next day.
Passing by Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, as usual, Dragon Cypress loosened the soil for the Divine-Given Seed of the Southern Sour Jujube and hunted a batch of animals to bury for fertilization.
He stayed one day and then continued on his way.
「...」
The Dominating Throne approached Black Lotus Lake.
A black dot appeared in their field of vision, rapidly approaching.
"White Willow!" Ink Orchid called out.
As it ca closer, Dragon Cypress was the first to notice sothing amiss; White Willow’s six legs were closed together, clutching a small beetle only slightly longer than one centiter.
The small beetle was trembling fearfully.
Facing the Dominating Throne and flying backward, White Willow greeted them excitedly, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, Ink Orchid, you’ve finally arrived!"
"Look quickly! I caught a Click Beetle Warrior!"
It had sleek, elongated, black, lustrous elytra, and an orange-red thorax with three black spots—a common Three-Spot Click Beetle Warrior.
It had just been born not long before, probably a Little Click Beetle Warrior in its first age period.
"Ah!" Ink Orchid exclaid in surprise and joy as sharp ntal Power burst forth, "White Willow! Let it go at once!"
White Willow was taken aback and loosened its legs.
The Little Click Beetle Warrior plumted toward the ground.
Ink Orchid pushed off with her legs, dashing to catch it, and brought it back to the Dominating Throne.
"Dragon Cypress! Little Warrior!"
"...I saw it."
"A newly awakened Click Beetle Warrior!"
"That’s right!"
Dragon Cypress asked, "White Willow, where did you find it?"
White Willow replied, "Under a Maple Poplar Tree. It just awakened and was looking for seeds to make its Life Seed."
Ink Orchid tried to communicate with the Little Click Beetle Warrior. The little creature curled up its six legs and remained motionless.
It wasn’t dead, but it had been scared stiff.
It triggered its Talent Ability: Feigned Death.
Its spiracles closed, and its life signs ceased.
However, it had been born not long ago and was still unable to conceal its own fluctuations of Origin Force. One could sense it without deliberately probing with spiritual power.
Ink Orchid asked with so reproach, "White Willow, why did you catch it? It’s already an Insect Clan Warrior. You can’t harm it."
White Willow replied innocently, "I didn’t harm it... I was playing with it..."
Playing?
"..." Ink Orchid was speechless. Flying so high, so fast, you almost played it to death!
Dragon Cypress took out a wooden dish made from a Keg Vine Seed and commanded Specialized Blue Ants to spit a bit of Ant Honey onto it.
Ink Orchid picked up the Little Click Beetle Warrior and placed it into the wooden dish.
"Little guy, are you hungry?"
Ink Orchid’s ntal Power was gentle and soothing. She reassured it, "Don’t be afraid, we’re Roving rchants; we won’t hurt you. This is Ant Honey, try so."
The Little Click Beetle Warrior’s tentacles trembled slightly, but it remained motionless, continuing to feign death.
Ink Orchid opened the Spider Silk Bag, pinched out a Common White Rice Seed with her toe, and placed it in front of the little warrior.
"This is Origin Force Food."
The little warrior’s tentacles stood up straight as it got to its feet and waved them amicably at Ink Orchid. It held up the White Rice Seed to examine it, then held it and began to nibble.
For Origin Force Lifeforms, it turns out that only Origin Force Food is truly effective.
The newly-awakened little warrior, still in its first age period, was unable to communicate using ntal Power.
Ink Orchid asked White Willow, "Is it searching for a seed to be its Life Seed? Has it found one?"
White Willow replied, "It’s sumr now. Last year’s seeds have all sprouted, and this year’s seeds aren’t mature yet..."
"Oh—"
Ink Orchid looked toward Dragon Cypress.
The Three-Spot Click Beetle Warrior, still in its first age period, was simply too small. It couldn’t even swallow a Cypress Seed.
The seeds of Maple Poplar and White Willow were small, but they wouldn’t mature until the end of autumn.
Dragon Cypress said, "Woodberry Berry Seeds are quite good. Moreover, the Woodberries in the southern tropical region are just about to ripen at this ti of year."
There were plenty of Woodberries at Ghost Fan Mountain. Ghost Fan had chosen two plants as its Life Seeds when it first awakened, evolving from shrub to small arbor, providing reasonable yield and quality.
Ink Orchid asked, "So, shall we..."
Dragon Cypress replied, "First, go to Black Lotus Lake."
「...」
The Dominating Throne flew over the mountain range and landed by the lakeside.
Dragon Cypress glanced around. Both the Gorgon Fruit and Great Jade Butterfly Lotus seeds he had given White Willow last year had been tily sown and had now grown into two lush patches.
White Willow had also chosen a Great Jade Butterfly Lotus as its Life Seed. It likely evolved into the ninth age period and completed nurturing at the end of spring, so it wasn’t sown until recently and hadn’t blood this year.
Dragon Cypress asked, "White Willow, what do you plan to do with this Little Click Beetle Warrior?"
"I..." White Willow looked lost.
Dragon Cypress asked, "Are you planning to keep it as a companion?"
"Sure..." White Willow fell into deep thought.
Having a Click Beetle Warrior living with oneself, chatting, flying, and playing – that would certainly be nice.
But then, Inherited mories say that after a little warrior is born, it should imdiately seek protection from the elders of its kind. But she wasn’t its kind, nor an elder. She didn’t have any elders herself. If she hadn’t t Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid, she most likely would have perished during her Primary-Level warrior stage. She still relied on Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid for support.
White Willow said dejectedly, "I can’t afford to raise it... I can’t even support myself..."
At this point, Ink Orchid’s excitent had faded, and she too began to think about what to do with this Little Click Beetle Warrior.
"Dragon Cypress, what should we do? Arrange for it to go to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain? It can help us take care of the Divine-Given Southern Sour Jujube Seed."
Dragon Cypress shook his tentacles. "I can only think of two good places for it."
"First, hand it over to lde. Take it to the Continent of All Tribes, where there are many Click Beetle Tribes. There are sure to be elders of its kind willing to take it in. Surviving there with its own kind on the vast and fertile Continent of All Tribes is the best choice."
"The second option... Ghost Fan earns an inco of seven to eight thousand Source Stones from its Common Life Seeds each year. Next year, when the fruits of Ghost Fan’s Divine-Given Seed mature, that’s another substantial inco of over thirteen thousand Source Stones. Ghost Fan should be able to ascend to Mountain Lord in another seven or eight years, right? The overall inco of its territory will greatly increase. Ghost Fan is a wealthy beetle. It would find it rather easy to support a Little Warrior, and it has always wanted a junior."
Ink Orchid imdiately dismissed Dragon Cypress’s first suggestion.
It wasn’t easy for Cloud Trace Continent to have finally birthed a Little Warrior – how could she let it be taken away?
Ink Orchid said, "But the Wooden Darkling Beetle and the Click Beetle are two completely different species. Would Ghost Fan be willing to take it in?"
Indeed! That was a problem as well.
Dragon Cypress said, "It’s only a two-day journey from here to Ghost Fan Mountain. Shall we take it there and ask? If Ghost Fan is unwilling to keep it..."
Ink Orchid insisted, "Then we’ll send it to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain!"
Dragon Cypress fell silent.
Being sent there, wouldn’t it be just a solitary insect? It would be better off staying at Black Lotus Lake as a companion to White Willow.
「...」
Inside the wooden dish made of a Keg Vine Seed, the Little Click Beetle Warrior finished the White Rice Seed and tasted a bit of Ant Honey. It flicked its tentacles and then buried its head, lapping it up voraciously.
"Eat slowly. Eat slowly," Ink Orchid quickly warned, cautiously stretching out a foreleg and gently tapping the Little Click Beetle Warrior’s tentacles.
Dragon Cypress turned around, taking out the prepared Origin Force Food worth 500 Source Stones. After thinking, he took a little more and handed it to White Willow. "You really can’t afford to raise this Little Click Beetle Warrior. Ink Orchid and I will take it with us for now."
"The Beautiful Winged Dragonfly isn’t good at managing territories. The best option is to cooperate with other Insect Clans for developnt. White Willow, once you beco a High-Level Warrior, Ink Orchid and I will find another agile warrior to partner up with you."
"Oh—"
"Okay!"
White Willow happily agreed upon receiving the Origin Force Food.
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