Blue Catalpa held the spider silk bag, hiding in the Starship Passage.

Snakebark Maple poked his head out from behind a clump of bushes on the hill, peering downward.

At the base of the hill, Natsumi, who had been watching the hilltop all along, immediately noticed.

"Seven-Leaf, Snakebark Maple's here!"

"Mm. Let's go!"

Seven-Leaf stood up, informed the Aconite Spider King not far away, and strode quickly toward the hill.

Up on the hill, Snakebark Maple saw this and ran straight back to the Starship Passage.

...

"Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord. Natsumi."

"Blue Catalpa. Snakebark Maple."

They greeted each other.

Blue Catalpa stepped forward and handed the spider silk bag to Natsumi. "Not many trades this year, only 100 Divine-Given Fruit-Scented Orchid Seeds."

Snakebark Maple: "But there'll be more next year. Azure and Southern Gorgon's Divine-Given Seeds ripen and are harvested together."

"Great!"

"1000 Source Stones."

Seven-Leaf asked, "Anything you need? Source Stones in cash?"

"Yes!" Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple nodded their antennae in unison.

Seven-Leaf thought for a moment, untied the spider silk rope on his back, and shifted a bag of Source Stones that had been prepared in advance onto Natsumi's back.

Seven-Leaf then asked, "Does the Dragon Cypress Ant King need anything else? Would you like some high-quality Origin Force Food?"

"Not for now." Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple shook their antennae in sync.

"Alright then."

"You two are pretty in sync, huh~"

Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord muttered, worked the spider silk rope, moved the spider silk bags on his back armor, fished out a bottom-buried bag, opened it, pulled out a petite spider silk bag tucked inside, weighed it, and asked:

"You guys aren't the ones in charge of expensive goods, right?"

Blue Catalpa: "Definitely not in charge."

Snakebark Maple: "We're just the messengers and porters."

Blue Catalpa: "We purchase the specified Origin Force Food as directed by Dragon Cypress Ant King."

Snakebark Maple: "And check the quality and quantity."

Blue Catalpa: "Dragon Cypress Ant King says there's enough Origin Force Food for this year."

Snakebark Maple: "Next year we'll get a batch of high-quality stuff from you."

Seven-Leaf: "..."

Seven-Leaf used the spider silk rope to tie the petite spider silk bag onto Natsumi's back and said, "Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid want to speed up their Evolution to Mountain Lord Level—they need Divine-Given Persimmon Seeds. I went to a lot of trouble, got Aconite Spider King to help… Managed to get them!"

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple exchanged glances.

Blue Catalpa: "Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord, thanks for your effort!"

Snakebark Maple: "Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord, you've really gone out of your way!"

Blue Catalpa: "What grade?"

Snakebark Maple: "How much?"

Seven-Leaf: "Mountain Lord Level Click Beetle Warrior territory output. I'm not making a profit on this—100 Source Stones each."

"!!!" Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple were speechless.

Blue Catalpa: "Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord, you're not earning anything on this deal?"

Snakebark Maple: "Purchase price is at most 50 to 55 Source Stones each, right?"

Blue Catalpa: "Doubled?"

Snakebark Maple: "Isn't that robbery?"

Blue Catalpa: "80 Source Stones each…"

Your tone sounds awfully familiar. Did you learn from that Orchid Mantis named Ink Orchid? So young and already learning bad habits!

"Enough! Cut it out."

Seven-Leaf called a halt, not in the mood: "Aren't you two not the ones in charge? Don't bargain with me."

"Tell Dragon Cypress for me, there are only 100 in stock, unstable trade. Next batch is five years from now, and that's not even guaranteed."

"You three better get moving. Don't waste time."

"Follow the markings, don't leave the main passage. If you get lost, there's no insect coming in to rescue you."

Seven-Leaf tidied up his goods, nagged, and hurried them on their way.

...

This was the first time using Little Warrior as a middle-bug for a transaction with Flame Spider Roving Merchant.

Dragon Cypress knew the Flame Spider liked to travel at night and waited alone at the Starship exit.

As expected, deep into the night, Natsumi came by with the Source Stones, Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple waving their antennae from atop a spider silk bag to greet him.

"Hey, you two… Can't you walk on your own legs?" Dragon Cypress couldn't help scolding them.

Blue Catalpa: "They made a killing."

Snakebark Maple: "Earned so much, giving us a lift is the least they can do."

Natsumi hurried to explain, "Don't be mad, Dragon Cypress Ant King. Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple are slow on foot, so I brought them over at a trot."

Natsumi untied the spider silk rope binding the goods.

The large spider silk bag opened up: exactly 1000 Source Stones, cash in hand.

The small spider silk bag was opened…

"Hey!"

"Divine-Given Persimmon Fruit Seeds?!"

Dragon Cypress lit up in delight, "Quick, let me see those!"

Blue Catalpa: "100 Source Stones each."

Snakebark Maple: "And no bargaining allowed."

Natsumi handed the spider silk bag to Dragon Cypress, explaining, "It's not that there's no bargaining, there's just no room to lower the price. Dragon Cypress Ant King, since you and Ink Orchid needed them, Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord specially asked Aconite Spider King for help, and got 100 from another caravan at a high price. In the future, if Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple need to evolve, they might not even be available."

This sounded quite a bit like a threat.

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple, full of righteous indignation, shut up reluctantly.

"Ohhh—" Dragon Cypress took the bag, picked one up to inspect.

Good stuff!

Bit pricey, though.

Dragon Cypress knew the trade tricks. Other caravans buy at 50 to 60 each, give them to Seven-Leaf for about 80, and by the time they reached him it became a sky-high 100 Source Stones.

Caravans don't do business without a profit.

No profit, no service from caravans.

"Nice! 10,000 Source Stones, I'll have White Ivy Mountain Lord pay you later." Dragon Cypress agreed cheerfully, already calculating how to divvy things up.

Ghost Fan's about to break through to Mountain Lord Level—a batch of 50 as insurance.

The other 50, for myself or Ink Orchid to use.

So, do I use them, or let Ink Orchid use them?

Ink Orchid's got three Divine-Given Seeds—if she hits Mountain Lord Level ahead of schedule, the payoff's even bigger. Plus, against White Poplar Ant King and Red Phellodendron Ant Queen, Ink Orchid's our main fighting force and needs to get stronger.

If I use them, that's good too. The Dominating Throne's flight speed goes up, searching for Origin Force Points and relics gets faster; the Dominating Throne produces Ant Eggs faster, strengthening the kingdom and speeding up expansion; plus there's the superior Divine-Given Azure…

"Natsumi, thank Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord and Aconite Spider King for me."

"Got it!"

"Ink Orchid and I will work all out for Mountain Lord Level—get as many Divine-Given Persimmon Fruit Seeds as you can, price is negotiable."

"Understood."

"Ideally, try to get some Divine-Given Origin Force Food that comprehensively boosts Life Force. Aconite Spider King should be able to get some, right?"

"I'm not sure… Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord doesn't have any… I'll ask for you…"

Breaking through to Mountain Lord Level from High-Level is the most dangerous hurdle. Any Divine-Given Origin Force Food that increases the odds of evolutionary success is not only pricey, but also extremely hard to get.

Dragon Cypress didn't force it, tapped his antennae, and said, "Natsumi, you'd better get going. Seven-Leaf Mountain Lord will worry."

"Alright."

"See you next year, Dragon Cypress Ant King. Blue Catalpa, Snakebark Maple, bye."

Natsumi bid farewell and departed.

Dragon Cypress tossed a persimmon seed between his claws and popped it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it whole with the shell.

Looking up, he found Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple looking at him eagerly. Dragon Cypress flicked out two seeds and handed them over. "Don't wander off. Get back up the mountain and rest."

…

…

…

Zeqi Caravan slowly entered the mud plaza at the foot of the mountain.

This year, the Grass Dragon's carapace was also piled high with cargo, stacked up a full two meters tall, even sporting a metal can, clanking and swaying with every step.

Leader Spider King Spurge picked a spot, planted himself, and opened his mouth, spitting out his Life Seed…

White Ivy and Grass Dragon couldn't wait to spit out their own Life Seeds, planting, rooting, and swaying as they grew.

"Spider King Spurge, I gotta run~"

Grass Dragon turned and charged for the hill.

"Little Red Peach, let's go!"

White Ivy fired out a strand of spider silk, wrapped it around one of Grass Dragon's hind legs, yanking him back, then shot out over a dozen more, binding him up tight.

Without waiting for Spider King Spurge to get angry, she dashed off, not looking back.

"White Ivy! You cheat!"

"Spider King Spurge, save me~" Grass Dragon wailed and fumed.

Spider King Spurge: "..."

Spider King Spurge, fuming: "You bickered non-stop all the way here. Elders don't act like elders, youngsters don't follow any rules. Don't bother coming with my caravan next year."

"White Ivy always bullies the little ones~" Grass Dragon protested.

"What are you two even fighting about now?" Spider King Spurge demanded.

"Nothing… Let's just get up the mountain and do the trade…"

"Does it really matter who's first?"

"Doesn't matter, but White Ivy insists on being first."

"So what were you doing?"

"Grass Dragon can't let a blockhead like White Ivy be faster than me…"

Spider King Spurge was seething. "Out of your whole batch, only Melde seems to have her head straight. Is there something wrong with your bloodline? When you get back, have Melde swap out all the Little Flame Spiders—don't leave a single one!"

Replacing ordinary Flame Spiders is no joke; that basically means your whole branch is finished.

Spider King Spurge was really angry now.

Grass Dragon wisely shut up, undid the spider silk bindings, then lay down for a while. Seeing Spider King Spurge make no further moves, he spun around and dashed off in the direction of the hills.

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.