Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple each had a large Spider Silk Bag full of Source Stones tied to their carapaces, trudging behind Grass Dragon with great difficulty. As soon as they neared the cave entrance, all six legs went soft, and they collapsed on the spot.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, save us~"

"Grass Dragon wants to kill us bugs~"

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple wailed piteously.

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Dragon Cypress looked toward Grass Dragon, "What's wrong?"

Grass Dragon replied calmly, "These two little things are bold as thieves, they actually dared to threaten and extort Mountain Lord Melde."

Grass Dragon shot back, "Dragon Cypress, didn't you assign them to watch me? But they started scheming for kickbacks themselves. Even know how to play tricks. How old are these little warriors anyway? Can't just let them run wild. I'm helping you discipline them."

Dragon Cypress: "...Well disciplined!"

Dragon Cypress: "…I'll give them a real lesson when we get back."

Dragon Cypress: "Let's talk business first."

Dragon Cypress waved his tentacle, asking in confusion, "Wasn't it always White Ivy Mountain Lord who showed up first in past years?"

Grass Dragon: "White Ivy's got a huge haul this year, busy as ever. I teamed up with Melde to come trade on the mountain first."

"Oh——"

Dragon Cypress: "Grass Dragon, let's get down to business, how's my Strength System Divine-Given Origin Force Food? Did you get it?"

"Of course."

Grass Dragon twitched his thoughts, untying the Spider Silk Rope on his carapace and began offloading goods, describing them while handing them over.

Dragon Cypress checked them one by one.

Inventory completed.

Only then did Grass Dragon untie the Spider Silk Rope binding Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple.

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple immediately dashed back to Dragon Cypress, ready to complain about Grass Dragon's "abuse," but Dragon Cypress waved his tentacle, signaling them to go rest.

Once they'd walked away,

Dragon Cypress finally asked, "Grass Dragon, what happened with that Metal Case from last year?"

Grass Dragon: "Sold for 12,000 Source Stones, just some hard-earned pocket change."

Dragon Cypress wasn't buying it, and asked, "Did you get Spider King Spurge to appraise it?"

Grass Dragon's eight eyes locked fixedly on Dragon Cypress, silent.

Dragon Cypress: "Be honest, how many Source Stones did it really sell for?"

Grass Dragon: "12,000 Source Stones—if I'm lying, I'm not a spider."

Dragon Cypress asked, "And how did Spider King Spurge appraise it?"

Grass Dragon: "10,000 Source Stones."

Dragon Cypress: "Alright. I'll be straight with you—Molan and I really did dig up more than two of those. But you sold it way too cheap. I'm still going to partner with White Ivy instead. White Ivy Mountain Lord's biggest advantage is honesty—truly trustworthy."

"It really did sell for 12,000 Source Stones…"

Grass Dragon's confidence deflated, "I sold it to a friend—12,000 was the friend price."

Dragon Cypress, shocked: "A spider like you actually has friends!"

Grass Dragon answered earnestly, "I asked Spider King Spurge for advice; in its estimation, 15,000 Source Stones would sell very well. If you're not in a hurry, you could slowly sell them for 18,000 to 20,000 Source Stones each—someone's bound to buy."

Dragon Cypress: "Then selling to you for 12,000 Source Stones each is about right."

Grass Dragon: "Friend, can't you let me make a small fortune too?"

Dragon Cypress: "I can. But—you've got to do me a little favor."

Grass Dragon: "Name it."

Dragon Cypress: "Go talk to Spider King Spurge. I'll trade 100 Metal Cases for one Divine-Grade Ghost Lotus Seed."

Grass Dragon: "???"

Grass Dragon: "100?!"

Grass Dragon: "You want to trade for a Divine-Grade Ghost Lotus Seed?"

Grass Dragon turned to the side, looking askance: "It's for Molan Mantis, isn't it?"

Dragon Cypress: "Got a problem with that?"

Grass Dragon: "No problem at all… but what about me? We're all friends here."

I don't have friends like you~

Dragon Cypress: "I've still got more Metal Cases, can sell you 10 at a discount."

"A round 100 and a round 10?"

Grass Dragon reacted instantly, declaring, "There's more! Gimme more! I want a full 100 too."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Dragon Cypress: "Where would I get so many? There are only 11 left."

Dragon Cypress: "Go speak to Spider King Spurge first. Use your head, figure something out, help me make the deal happen and I'll throw in one for you."

Grass Dragon did a quick calculation, then beamed, "Deal!"

Dragon Cypress: "Let's trade first…"

...

At midnight,

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple left with Grass Dragon.

At dawn,

Red Peach came dashing over, pulling a Stone Slab Wheelcart.

"Red Peach, lots of goods this year?"

"Yes. Total value of Origin Force Food is 650,000!"

"Did you team up with other caravans for transport?"

"Yes."

"So you're not making that much then, right?"

"It's alright. White Ivy Mountain Lord is now in its 5th Age Period, it needs to start planning for the post-Lord Level evolution path early."

This was a Little Golden Mantis who knew how to plan for the future.

Dragon Cypress gave an approving bob of his tentacle.

Red Peach: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, you could be making a lot more too."

Dragon Cypress: "No doubt."

Red Peach: "But White Ivy Mountain Lord can't earn enough Source Stones, so there's a proposal for long-term cooperation."

Dragon Cypress: "What's the proposal?"

Red Peach: "Let's calculate by the marked price of Origin Force Honey—capping at one million. Within one million, you get a 10% cut for refinement and production—that's 100,000 Source Stones. Beyond a million, you get a 5% production fee on the excess."

Red Peach: "White Ivy Mountain Lord can guarantee by reputation that, for each of the next three years, by working together you'll earn over 100,000 Source Stones annually, Dragon Cypress Mountain Lord."

Dragon Cypress did some quick math, bopped his tentacle, and said crisply, "Deal!"

Dragon Cypress really should thank White Ivy and Red Peach.

He even admired the two of them a bit.

In the early days, when he teamed up with White Ivy to make and sell Origin Force Honey, Dragon Cypress hadn't held out much hope.

It was White Ivy and Red Peach who came up with the clever idea of using Bee King Jelly to seal the Origin Force Honey, and they were the ones who promoted it, bringing Dragon Cypress tens of thousands of Source Stones in revenue every year.

It was thanks to these huge earnings that Dragon Cypress could be so extravagant during the High-Level Warrior stage.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

Blue Catalpa handed over a Stone Slab with pre-sale records.

Dragon Cypress took it, gave it a quick look, then put it away, saying, "Red Peach, there's also some news I think you and White Ivy Mountain Lord should hear in advance."

Red Peach: "What news?"

Dragon Cypress: "The Divine-Given Scarletlight Seed is about to evolve to Evolution Lord Level. As quick as two or three years, as long as five or six. My plan is to cut off all its flowers this winter."

"Oh——"

Red Peach's tentacle trembled in excitement, lost in rapid thought.

Red Peach: "For a few years before and after evolution, there'll be no Divine-Given Scarletlight Fruit produced, so the Scarletlight Honey trade will be suspended, right?"

Red Peach: "Great! Got it!"

Red Peach: "I'll inform White Ivy Mountain Lord ahead of time to allocate Source Stones!"

...

The transaction with White Ivy took five full days to finish.

Red Peach was seen off.

Grass Dragon came running over quickly.

"Dragon Cypress, good news! After my relentless efforts, Spider King Spurge very grudgingly agreed to your trade request, but…"

"What but?"

"Ghost Lotus Seeds were just harvested the year before last. Next harvest isn't for another nine years."

"That's fine."

"But…"

"But what?"

"Anyway, those Metal Cases lying around your cave aren't earning anything, so why not turn them over to Spider King Spurge first?"

"When?"

"Right now."

Dragon Cypress thought for a moment, then agreed, "No problem."

Dragon Cypress added, "The 10 I sold you cheap, and the 1 I'm gifting, I'll deliver all together."

Grass Dragon was overjoyed, "That's what friends are for!"

...

Dragon Cypress led the ant colony back to Xianglan Mountain, then made a solo trip to deliver the Metal Cases, which had been laid out in the dining hall, to Grass Dragon.

That concluded this spring's transaction with the Flame Spider Roving Merchant.

He sent Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple back to Kiwifruit Mountain.

Brought Fragrant Cypress back to Xianglan Mountain for the celebration, counted their wealth in the treasury together, handed out rewards, and then sent Fragrant Cypress off to White Lotus Lake—for which she was in charge of reclamation work this year.

Everything was wrapped up.

Dragon Cypress secluded himself in the Ant Nest Royal Family, began using all sorts of Divine-Given Origin Force Food, and started brewing for evolution.

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