The gentle spring breeze brought warmth to the height of the season.

White Ivy had also sent a bag of fruit tree seeds this year, half of which were peach seeds.

These seeds were not very valuable. They were intended for building an orchard, harvesting fruits, and refining them into Ant Honey.

Dragon Cypress, along with Round Cypress, directed the Worker Ants to urgently clear four large nursery plots on North Mountain, taking advantage of the season to plant all the seeds at once.

Round Cypress and Giant Cypress had each completed a Molting Evolution, reaching Mid-Level Age Period 7.

Spiked Cypress was responsible for hunting and was given priority when resources were scarce; it had evolved to Mid-Level Age Period 8, its body length surpassing Dragon Cypress's at about 1.3 meters.

Cypress and Fragrant Cypress, born later, had evolved to Mid-Level Age Period 5.

The five Command Ants were steadily evolving.

The Deep Blue God-Given Seed blossomed as expected. Its first six broad leaves bore fruit, significantly increasing the yield to 1,074.

There were many other tasks on the mountain in spring, but nothing that required Dragon Cypress's personal attention.

Ink Orchid had been constantly talking about the Treasury on Cold Orchid Mountain, something Dragon Cypress had long been looking forward to.

Gathering 45 Specialized Worker Ants, 45 Large Worker Ants, 5 Specialized Blue Ants, 15 Large Blue Ants, 5 Specialized Soldier Ants, and 20 Large Soldier Ants, they set off to the south.

「Black Lotus Lake.」

There were three nursery plots on the mountainside and two at the foot of the mountain.

Black Cory led its ant colony, lazing on the slope between the mountainside and the foot of the mountain, basking in the warm sunlight.

White Willow was hanging upside down on the trunk of a Great Elm. Feeling the Origin Force Fluctuation from the Dominating Throne, it released its claws, executed a mid-air flip, gently flapped its wings, and ascended with a flicker.

During its Mid-Level warrior phase of Age Period 7, it had consumed Silver Cypress Seeds and Divine-Given Southern Sour Jujube Seeds. After evolving to Age Period 8, its body became more optimized. Its wings grew a bit narrower and shorter, making it more agile in flight.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"I've reached Age Period 8!"

Approaching the Dominating Throne, White Willow performed three consecutive right rolls followed by three left rolls. Just as it seemed about to collide with the Throne, it executed a backward somersault to create distance, retreating in sync with the flying Throne.

"..."

The dazzling display of flight left Dragon Cypress somewhat speechless.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid had also been persistently using Silver Cypress Seeds and Divine-Given Southern Sour Jujube Seeds to optimize their wings and enhance their flying abilities. They had even attempted aerial rolls but gave up after a few falls.

Dragon Cypress: "White Willow, your Life Seed? How did you choose it?"

White Willow: "Black Lotus!"

Dragon Cypress: "Uh…"

Dragon Cypress: "The enhancement effect of the Black Lotus is indeed rare and valuable—an excellent choice. However, there's no need to choose so many of the same Life Seed. I've obtained a batch of high-quality Yellow Peach Seeds. I'll give you five; keep one as your Life Seed and have Black Cory plant the rest."

White Willow: "…Thank you."

Dragon Cypress: "White Willow, I've brought you a jar of Origin Force Ant Honey. I'll send you another jar during the autumn trade. If you time it right, by the End of Autumn or early winter, you should evolve to a Mid-Level Age Period 9 warrior. Then, next autumn, with the Dominating Throne's assistance, you can evolve into a High-Level Warrior."

White Willow: "Understood."

Dragon Cypress rested on the edge of the Stump Ant Nest, lowering his head to gaze down the slope.

White Willow said hurriedly, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, the nurseries are set up, all seeds have been planted on time, and they are sprouting one after another."

White Willow continued, "The Southern Sour Jujube Seeds were planted first, and the seedlings have already grown to four or five centimeters tall. Black Cory, following your instructions, promptly ordered small Worker Ants to cull the weaker seedlings, making space for the stronger ones to grow."

Oh! Black Cory has done very well.

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to descend slowly.

Feeling the arrival of the Ant King, the ants all stood up, raising their heads and waving their Tentacles.

"Great King—!" Black Cory greeted, sensing something amiss as it noticed a large number of Worker Ants accompanying the Throne.

Dragon Cypress: "Black Cory, are you done with your tasks?"

Black Cory: "Not yet—"

Dragon Cypress: "It's just ordinary plants left. Let White Willow help with the irrigation."

Black Cory: "But White Willow can't even irrigate properly!"

Dragon Cypress: "Enough talk! Follow me."

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to land and dock. Then, using spiritual power, he conveyed the message: "White Willow, I'm taking Black Cory away for a while. The ant colony stationed at Black Lotus Lake will remain."

White Willow: "Oh..."

White Willow: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, are you taking Black Cory for work?"

Dragon Cypress briefly explained, "Yes. There's a special job that requires its help. I'll send it back once the early summer trade is complete."

White Willow: "Understood."

Dragon Cypress: "White Willow, please do me a favor and hunt some fish from the lake to stockpile food for the colony that's staying behind."

White Willow replied, "Okay," and flew toward Black Lotus Lake.

Dragon Cypress turned to the reluctant Black Cory and said, "I, your Great King, am taking you to Cold Orchid Mountain to make a fortune! We'll excavate the Treasury. If we find anything good, I'll reward you with Source Stones or other valuable items."

Dragon Cypress: "Black Cory, consider yourself semi-independent from Xianglan Mountain for now. Until you evolve to a High-Level, I will provide all resources free of charge. During this period, you can earn rewards through labor, which can be recorded on account. Once you evolve to a High-Level, you can withdraw them from me anytime."

Black Cory: "!!!"

Black Cory, excited, vigorously shook its Tentacles. "I'll follow the Ant King's orders!"

Dragon Cypress unfurled his wings and commanded, "Lead your colony back to the nest and have them rest inside the Ant Nest. Don't let them wander off. I'm also going to hunt a few large beasts to stockpile enough food for them. You might not return from this journey for two or three months. I will come here at noon to check on things."

After speaking, he took flight, soaring over the mountain peak and diving into the forest behind.

「...」

Dragon Cypress spent half a day preparing and then rested for a night.

The next day, taking Black Cory along, he set off straight east.

Cold Orchid Mountain. The Treasury's existence had been confirmed in a mire there. Due to excessive spring rains, various weeds had grown wildly, turning the area back into a lush swamp.

The Treasury was buried more than 10 meters deep in the mud, which was difficult to deal with.

Dragon Cypress thought of two plans.

The first plan was to dig trenches to channel water and flood the area. Then, during the summer rainstorms, he would lead the Blue Soldiers to use their Water System Ability to stir the earth into mud, which could then be drained away.

After several Deductions, Dragon Cypress discarded this method as it was too much effort.

The second plan involved diverting the river flowing into the swamp and digging multiple drainage ditches around the wetland. The high temperatures of peak summer would dry out the swampland. Then, they could direct Worker Ants to excavate the sun-dried mud layer by layer and carry it away.

This plan had an issue. If they dug to a certain depth and encountered a torrential rain, the pit would inevitably fill with water and become a muddy pond.

In that case, they could switch to plan one and use their Water System Ability to drain it.

Dragon Cypress maneuvered the Dominating Throne to stop by the river at the foot of the mountain. He laid down planks and waved his Tentacles to give orders.

Dragon Cypress ordered, "Black Cory, lead the Worker Ants to that mountainside and establish a temporary Ant Nest."

Black Cory responded, "Roger that, Great King."

Black Cory led the Worker Ants in formation off the Throne. Under the protection of Soldier Ants, they climbed up the mountain.

Dragon Cypress spread his wings, took off, and circled low over the swampy wetland, observing the terrain.

Then he landed and walked around twice, carefully surveying everything.

After some mental calculations, Dragon Cypress quickly formulated a detailed excavation plan.

He moved into the forest and hunted large animals, carrying the game back for the Blue Ants to process through Refinement. They would store it in their abdomens, stockpiling enough food for the colony for a month.

Dragon Cypress called out, "Black Cory! Come here."

Dragon Cypress called over Black Cory, who was personally leading the charge with the Worker Ants in digging the Ant Nest.

There's a reward for this job! Black Cory sprinted forward enthusiastically.

Black Cory exclaimed, "Great King, your orders!"

Dragon Cypress said, "Come down the mountain; I'll explain the specific excavation plan. Then I need to return to Xianglan Mountain to bring another batch of Worker Ants and Blue Ants."

Dragon Cypress led Black Cory down the mountain, pointing out the work to be done on-site.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.