Dragon Cypress waited with Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple in the little grove.

As expected, White Ivy was once again the first to arrive this year.

To White Ivy's left was a Metal Mantis Warrior about sixty or seventy centimeters long; that must be the "Red Peach" mentioned last year. Oddly, on the right was a Flame Spider Warrior, legs nearly two meters across, carapace bare and empty.

The Flame Spider Warrior trotted over quickly.

"Dragon Cypress?"

"Huh! Grass Dragon?"

"It's me! These two Sky Ox Warriors are…"

"Oh. Born in my territory, juniors—Blue Catalpa, Snakebark Maple—they're helping carry the goods."

Dragon Cypress asked puzzled, "How come you're hanging out with White Ivy?"

Grass Dragon: "Oh! I've defected. I decided to give up being neutral and take a firm stand with White Ivy. From now on, I'm White Ivy's spider."

After all these years, Grass Dragon was still just as shameless.

Dragon Cypress joked, "Won't Melde beat you to death for that?"

"If I didn't defect, White Ivy would've killed me up on the mountain just before." Grass Dragon stared at Dragon Cypress's spider silk bag, asking, "Dragon Cypress, what's up between you and White Ivy? You didn't lose money? That's unbelievable!"

Grass Dragon said with a gratified tone, "Worthy of being a former peer of mine, Ant King. I knew, wherever you went, you'd always rise above the rest."

Grass Dragon looked over Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple, then glanced at the watchful White Ivy beside them, full of envy, sighing long:

"Dragon Cypress, you're way more successful than me, you've got juniors already, and two of them at that. I'm still just a junior who can get beaten up anywhere, anytime."

Ha~ha~ha~ Dragon Cypress chuckled aloud.

Over a decade now, and Grass Dragon hadn't changed one bit.

White Ivy said coldly, "If you keep flapping your gums, you're getting a beating right now. Out of the way!"

Grass Dragon: "..."

Grass Dragon stood at Dragon Cypress's side, watching with anticipation.

"Ant King Dragon Cypress! Blue Catalpa. Snakebark Maple."

The Red Peach beside White Ivy greeted politely.

"White Ivy Mountain Lord. Red Peach."

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple responded, a little nervous: This White Ivy Mountain Lord is so fierce?

White Ivy looked at Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple, considered a moment, then untied the spider silk rope on their carapace, took out a delicate spider silk bag, and handed it to Dragon Cypress, saying:

"I got 10 seeds each of Water Stone Banyan, Mountain Stone Banyan, Cloud Stone Banyan, and Green Stone Banyan. They're not top-level plant seeds, but among elemental plants, they're definitely in the top tier. You and Ink Orchid can for sure use them, and so can these two kids."

"Banyan fruits aren't very sweet—maybe good for making 'Light Fragrance Honey.'"

Dragon Cypress instantly understood.

These seeds were from Vinegrowth Mountain, from the Red Soldier Beetle Tribe.

Dragon Cypress had once followed Melde to Vinegrowth Mountain, a pretty big and flourishing place.

Dragon Cypress: "The best thing in Vinegrowth Mountain should be the Fire Stone Banyan."

White Ivy: "Actually, I could've gotten some Fire Stone Banyan seeds too, but neither you nor Ink Orchid needed them… This little guy, is he from the Purple-Spotted Capricorn Beetle tribe? Has he awakened a Fire or Thunder elemental talent? If he develops a Fire Talent, I'll get you a Fire Stone Banyan seed for a Life Seed."

"Thank you—" Snakebark Maple thanked her, then looked blankly at Dragon Cypress: Fire Stone Banyan?

Dragon Cypress explained simply, "A top-level elemental plant cultivated in Vinegrowth Mountain."

Dragon Cypress: "White Ivy Mountain Lord, let's talk business. How much Origin Force Ant Honey did you sell last year? How much do you need this year?"

"Everything from last year's batch has sold out!" White Ivy couldn't help but brag, took off a spider silk bag, opened it, and handed Dragon Cypress two stone slabs carved all over with patterns, saying:

"Here's this year's—see for yourself!"

Dragon Cypress held the slabs in his claws and looked. His gaze swept over them, and he was shocked.

Last year it was just tentatively decided: 2,000 Source Stones per can for Origin Force Honey used by high-level and Mountain Lord-level warriors—there were 27 preorders already!

Origin Force Ant Honey at 1,000 Source Stones per can had 75 preorders already, up from last year's 64, a steady increase.

That's quite a lot~ Dragon Cypress bent his head, did some quick math, then raised his head and shot a doubtful look at White Ivy's carapace.

"White Ivy Mountain Lord, with all due respect, did you actually bring enough origin force food?"

"Of course!"

White Ivy manipulated the spider silk ropes and took down the spider silk bags from her carapace, one by one.

"That's your 10,000 ready-source-stone goods. Want to count them?"

Dragon Cypress waggled his tentacles.

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple understood, stepped forward to check each bag in turn.

Next, White Ivy took down five large spider silk bags, opened them to reveal smaller spider silk bags nested inside, and explained, proud as anything:

"These are guaranteed by Spider King Spurge. I bought on credit from three roving merchant lords, Plumed Cockscomb, Wild Amaranth, and Swirl Flower—all together worth 50,000 Source Stones—origin force foods produced in lord-level warrior territories. They're all bitter, poisonous, or hard to sell because too many warriors plant them, so prices are lower."

"The pace of making money can't keep up with expanding trade shares, so I had to borrow. They're taking a cut from me."

White Ivy said in pain, waving a foreleg in indication: "The variety's pretty random; open and check them all, see if there's anything you don't recognize."

"All right!" Dragon Cypress didn't waste words, opening the bags one by one to inspect.

White Ivy was borrowing Source Stones everywhere again~

This round she went in big—50,000 in one go!

Grass Dragon couldn't help growing anxious, checking as he went, and asked, "Dragon Cypress, is this all presale? Confirm some Insect Clan warriors want it, take their down-payments, then make as needed?"

Dragon Cypress: "Of course."

Grass Dragon: "How do you actually make that 'origin force honey'?"

White Ivy: "Hmph!"

Grass Dragon: "..."

Grass Dragon: "How much have you sold?"

Dragon Cypress: "Presale is 129,000 Source Stones; we can ship a little extra, so real sales should top 150,000."

Grass Dragon: "!!!"

Even at a basic 20% profit, that's still 30,000 Source Stones income.

Grass Dragon was shocked, unable to believe it.

For a roving merchant, the hardest thing is actually selling stuff.

Who bought so much origin force honey? How was it all sold?

Could White Ivy really manage this? No way!

Grass Dragon glanced at Red Peach.

This scheming little Golden Mantis Warrior—was he giving White Ivy tips?

No, that's not right.

Last autumn, when passing through the Yellow Peach Mountain Lord's territory, this guy was quietly staying up on the mountain, not running around with White Ivy.

Grass Dragon's gaze swung to the big sack of metal cans Dragon Cypress had delivered, just as he was about to step up and take a look, a spider silk rope whipped over and snatched them away first.

White Ivy barked, "Grass Dragon, we're in the middle of a trade, don't mess things up!"

Grass Dragon: "..."

White Ivy personally twisted open one of the cans to check.

Grass Dragon swept it with his spiritual power and was utterly shocked: Fire System Divine-Given Origin Force Food!

White Ivy took out some Bee King Jelly, used a spider silk rope to dip some, and traced three circles inside the can, twisting the lid repeatedly to seal it up.

Then she took another can and opened it…

Grass Dragon's spiritual sense swept over it, shocked again: this was some kind of carapace-strengthening Divine-Given Origin Force Food!

Grass Dragon immediately understood: White Ivy was selling regular origin force honey by opening up the market with Divine-Given origin force food.

Now he had a new question: Where were these Divine-Given origin force foods coming from?

From Dragon Cypress?

Or were they shipped over by White Ivy?

Grass Dragon calmed down, scanned the area with his spiritual power, carefully observing.

The wooden plaques tied to the can lids had all sorts of markings.

The stone slabs were densely engraved with all sorts of symbols.

Grass Dragon quickly figured it out—the rice grain symbol meant price, and one rice grain equaled 1,000 Source Stones.

He carefully counted the 35 cans of origin force honey Dragon Cypress had delivered.

There were 20 cans of fire system origin force food, each marked at 2,000 Source Stones, totaling 40,000 Source Stones;

There were 15 cans of carapace-strengthening Divine-Given origin force food—10 marked at 1,000 Source Stones, 5 marked at 2,000, for a total of 20,000 Source Stones.

——The Divine-Given origin force food Dragon Cypress delivered was worth a hefty 60,000 Source Stones.

——A 30% profit share on Divine-Given origin force food—nothing wrong with that, right?

——And then add in the 129,000 Source Stones of preorders recorded on the slabs… Wait, it's actually 150,000…

——Holy crap!

Grass Dragon said calmly, "Dragon Cypress, White Ivy, you two are playing this game pretty big~"

Grass Dragon: "We're all pretty tight—how about letting me in?"

Dragon Cypress: "Sure~"

White Ivy sneered, "You and Melde get along just fine—why get poor with me?"

Grass Dragon: "Melde? Who's Melde?"

Grass Dragon: "When it comes to elders, I only acknowledge the White Ivy Mountain Lord!"

This guy just gets more shameless every year~ White Ivy said coolly, "Bee King Jelly's what's limiting the supply of origin force honey. Spider King Spurge can only get 1 to 3 bottles from the Youlian Kingdom each year, and she promised them all to me already. I have just enough for myself, so bringing you in… probably not doable."

Grass Dragon: "I'll find a way."

White Ivy: "Then go talk to Dragon Cypress yourself."

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