Chapter 63 - 063 Admonishment

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid hadn’t eaten for three or four days. After finishing fertilizing Azure, they went deep into the mountain forest, hunted a wild boar together, and used the Dominating Throne to bring it back to the cave.

Round Cypress commanded the ant colony to cut up the boar, picking out the fattest parts, slicing them into long strips, placing them on clean leaves, and serving them in the dining hall.

Dragon Cypress separated out 1,500 of the more than 3,000 Southern Sour Jujube Seeds they brought back, assigning 5 Specialized Blue Ants and 10 Great Blue Ants to refine them.

There was just too much of this stuff to eat it all. They didn’t dare sell it to the caravan, and it didn’t sell well on Cloud Trace Continent, but they couldn’t just throw it away, could they?

They could only refine it, mix it into the ant honey, store it away for now, and decide what to do with it in the future.

...

At twilight, Spiked Cypress, imposing and spirited, led the ant army and the day’s hunt back in a grand procession.

Just in time, the Blue Ants had finished refining some Cypress Seeds.

Dragon Cypress directed the Blue Ants to start blending, producing top-level Origin Force Food—a mixed honey with dozens of fruit and nut aromas.

"Round Cypress. Spiked Cypress. These are the first yields from my Life Seed Plant, also the fruits of everyone’s hard work this year. Let’s all eat together and have a taste of something new."

Dragon Cypress waved his tentacles in invitation.

"At your command, Ant King." Round Cypress sensed that something was up, and obediently replied.

"Okay!" Spiked Cypress answered crisply. Leading Soldier Ants in hunts and battles, he’d gradually developed a sharp-headed temperament.

"Ink Orchid. You can eat now."

Dragon Cypress waved his tentacles, signaling the worker ants of various sizes to bring up the food.

Ink Orchid tasted a bite and began to lavish praise.

"Wow!"

"Delicious."

Ink Orchid buried her head, eating ravenously.

Spiked Cypress didn’t stand on ceremony and joined in the meal.

Round Cypress knew this meal was no simple matter. Watching Dragon Cypress, and seeing the Ant King start eating, he finally joined in too.

"Spiked Cypress, how many Specialized Soldier Ants do we have now?"

Dragon Cypress slowly picked up a piece of meat, dipped it in ant honey, chewed and swallowed, his tentacles waving as he gently inquired.

"Seventy-eight mid-level Specialized Soldier Ants, two disabled; sixty-four primary-level Specialized Soldier Ants, fourteen disabled. In total, 142, with 16 disabled."

Spiked Cypress answered readily, listing them out:

"I’ve arranged for 48 mid-level Specialized Soldier Ants and 20 primary-level Specialized Soldier Ants to guard the territory. I lead 30 able-bodied Specialized Soldier Ants, 44 primary-level Specialized Soldier Ants, and 60 soldier ants of various sizes out hunting."

Dragon Cypress: "When I left, I entrusted you with 150 Specialized Soldier Ants."

"Yes..."

Spiked Cypress, realizing what was coming, suddenly felt the meat in his mouth lose its flavor.

Dragon Cypress asked again, "Why is the loss among the big, medium, and small Soldier Ants so high? How did you lead them?"

Spiked Cypress replied, "All the small insects and animals near the territory have been hunted out. I took them farther away for hunting."

Spiked Cypress: "The smaller soldier ants aren’t smart enough. When they go far, they lose direction and many go missing..."

Dragon Cypress’s tone turned stern, "There’s no shortage of food in the ant nest, so don’t be impatient to go out hunting—especially when Ink Orchid and I aren’t here. Your main duty is to protect the territory! Keep the Life Seed Plants safe! Those big, medium, and small Soldier Ants are mainly for defending the territory, to stop the Life Seed Plants from being harmed by plant-eating insects and animals."

Spiked Cypress drooped his tentacles and mumbled, "I understand, Dragon Cypress Ant King."

Dragon Cypress: "For our Insect Clan, Life Seeds are our lives, and Origin Force Food is our most important wealth. Spiked Cypress, remember your duties and don’t make the same mistake again."

Spiked Cypress: "I won’t..."

Dragon Cypress: "Do you understand?"

Spiked Cypress: "I understand..."

"Good. As long as you understand. Let’s not have a next time. All right, hurry up and eat."

Dragon Cypress softened his tone, "In the coming months, I’ll be cultivating a large number of Specialized Blue Ants. Next time, before Ink Orchid and I leave, I’ll make sure the nest is well-stocked with food."

"Later, I’ll raise 60 more Specialized Soldier Ants, increasing the total number to 200."

"Great!" Spiked Cypress was energized by this. He’d long been troubled by insufficient manpower.

Dragon Cypress: "In the inherited memory of the Giant-Headed Ant, there’s still a lot of knowledge about commanding ant swarms in hunts and wars. I’ll be going into an evolutionary sleep soon, and when I wake, you’ll follow me and I’ll teach you all of it."

"Round Cypress, same for you. Spiked Cypress will learn with me in the morning; you’ll come in the afternoon. I’ll pass on more knowledge to you both."

Round Cypress, seeing that Dragon Cypress only gave Spiked Cypress a lecture, secretly sighed in relief and said, "Understood, Ant King."

...

...

...

The Divine-Given Ghost Fan Seed from the High-Level Warrior really packed a punch.

Dragon Cypress rested back at the territory for two days. After eating about twenty-eight of them, his next evolution came.

He fell asleep, then awoke, shedding his old shell and spreading his membranous wings.

His body expanded, and the new carapace hardened rapidly.

Dragon Cypress scanned himself with spiritual power.

Having eaten plenty of Ant King Honey refined from Southern Sour Jujube Fruit Pulp, his new membranous wings were actually a bit shorter, now flush with his tail when folded in, making his entire body more proportionate.

He tried spreading them, then buzzing.

Wing membranes strengthened, flying abilities improved slightly—it should be a bit more nimble in flight now.

—This Divine-Given Southern Sour Jujube Seed isn’t entirely useless after all!

—I can eat it in moderation! In the future, I’ll be the Ant King with the best flying ability on the entire continent!

Dragon Cypress mused, sending his spiritual power spreading through the ant nest tunnels.

He first detected Ink Orchid waiting in the dining hall.

He rushed out the cave entrance, extending his reach forward, all the way to the slope in front of the nest.

"This evolution boosted my spiritual power dramatically, shooting up from just over 10 meters to nearly 15 meters!"

Dragon Cypress quietly evaluated, delighted in his heart.

He lowered his head, spat out a Great King Fir Life Seed at age 2 completed, told the Worker Ants to put it away safely, then brought the long-prepared Dominant Chestnut into his Life Pouch.

A Worker Ant brought over a bamboo tube filled with water.

Dragon Cypress locked onto it with spiritual power, focused, and activated the ’Water Control’ ability.

Inside the bamboo tube, a plum-sized ball of water slowly rose up, condensed into a sphere, and floated shakily out.

Dragon Cypress put more force into it.

The water sphere accelerated, smashing into the stone wall of the nest chamber.

—Still not good enough...

—This Water System Ability is about as good as not having it at all. It’s so weak, it’s completely useless...

Dragon Cypress grumbled inwardly, shrank the throne, floated out of the ant nest along the wide tunnel, and glided toward the hall.

...

...

...

Dragon Cypress began earnestly teaching Round Cypress and Spiked Cypress knowledge.

Time flew by,

the Spring Orchid, Stone Orchid, and Cold Orchid Life Seeds in Molan Territory matured one after another.

A single cold wind swept through at night, temperatures dropped sharply, and the mountain forest entered a bleak winter.

Forty more days passed,

The Divine-Given Fruit-Scented Orchid Seeds finally absorbed large amounts of Origin Force, entering the final fruit-maturing stage.

Another six or seven days passed, and the fruit was ripe for harvesting.

Round Cypress commanded the Worker Ants to sun-dry and store them away.

Ink Orchid couldn’t hold out, falling into evolutionary sleep at the first chance.

Dragon Cypress stayed with Spiked Cypress and a large force of Soldier Ants, guarding the cave entrance.

Two days later, Ink Orchid woke up.

Successfully evolved into a five-age mid-level warrior.

...

"Dragon Cypress, how many days was I out this time?"

"Two days as well."

"I don’t feel weak, don’t need to rest, we can head out now!"

"Eat something first."

"Here’s an idea: I’ll eat, you arrange territory matters and pack up, then we can set out right away..."

Ink Orchid couldn’t wait.

Dragon Cypress called Round Cypress and Spiked Cypress together, giving a round of reminders and instructions.

Packed their luggage.

They set out at noon.

First, heading east to Molan Mountain.

In the past, this trip took a full day and night, but this time, reaching it after midnight, it only took half a day plus much of the night.

Travel testing confirmed that after the surge in spiritual power, the Dominating Throne’s flight speed also increased, now one and a half times that at age 2.

All told, going from Molan Mountain to Ghost Fan Mountain now took only five and a half days.

But Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid weren’t heading to Ghost Fan Mountain on this trip.

They rested briefly, then set out again the next morning, heading north.

In the depths of winter, going north together to see the snow.