Chapter 92 - 092: Destination (Eight Updates)

Another year’s midsummer rainy season has arrived.

Ghost Fan Mountain.

In the central hollow of the mountain, where Life Seed Plants are densely cultivated, Ghost Fan is clearing mud, rocks, and withered twigs that clog the drainage channels. Suddenly, it senses a familiar Origin Force fluctuation; looking up, the Dominating Throne atop the distant mountain peak is slowly approaching.

—Wasn’t it said that Xianglan Mountain is busy building the reservoir and would only come over in winter?

—What happened?

Ghost Fan wondered, feeling nervous, and quickly ran to stand in a conspicuous spot.

Dragon Cypress saw Ghost Fan—the Dominating Throne slightly adjusted its direction, tilting and descending.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, Ink Orchid, what’s going on..."

Ghost Fan asked, sweeping out with spiritual power, and discovered a Little Click Beetle Warrior standing atop Ink Orchid’s head. Realizing something, Ghost Fan was momentarily stunned.

"Ghost Fan!"

"We’re back again."

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid greeted.

Ink Orchid got straight to the point and directly asked, "Ghost Fan, what do you think of this newly awakened Three-Spot Click Beetle Warrior?"

Dragon Cypress also said, "If you’re willing to look after it, you can arrange for it to stay at Ghost Fan Mountain and keep you company."

"Uh—"

Ghost Fan came to its senses and countered, "Does it want to take root here?"

Dragon Cypress: "It doesn’t have a better place to go, either."

Dragon Cypress: "Although this hollow isn’t very large, the Origin Force concentration here is definitely among the best of all Land of Origin Force discovered so far—more than enough for two or three Insect Clan Warriors."

Ghost Fan: "That’s true..."

Ink Orchid: "Wooden Darkling Beetle and Click Beetle are both Coleopteran Beetles. Going back a hundred million years, you two would be from the same clan."

"Good point..."

Ghost Fan asked, "How should a Little Warrior be cared for? Is giving it Origin Force Food enough?"

It was clear that Ghost Fan was quite willing to take in this Little Warrior; it was just worried about not looking after it well enough.

Moreover, Ghost Fan’s concern was not unwarranted—this tiny thing, barely a centimeter, could so easily meet with accidental death.

Predatory animals like birds, snakes, and rodents in the forests could easily take its life.

Dragon Cypress said, "Ghost Fan, you’ll need to spend several months, maybe a year, carefully nurturing it, always keeping it by your side. If you’re going out to work, make sure to place it somewhere safe—ideally in your living cave."

Ink Orchid suddenly came up with a brilliant idea and suggested, "Ghost Fan, aren’t you able to manipulate metal gravel and drill into wood? Find a stump, drill many holes, and make a mobile insect nest for it. When you’re working, just bring the nest with you, place it nearby, and remind it not to wander off."

Dragon Cypress: "A Junior Warrior, as long as it has enough Origin Force Food, can molt and evolve once every three months. Each successful Age Period evolution makes it much safer—after its fourth Age Period, you won’t need to worry too much."

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid sang in harmony, dispelling what little worries Ghost Fan had.

Ghost Fan said, "As long as it’s willing to stay, I certainly have no objections."

Ink Orchid said, "Ghost Fan, take out the Ant Honey and let it see—it’ll definitely want to stay."

Ghost Fan: "Uh..."

Ghost Fan hurried back to the living cave, cradled the metal canister, and ran back, lifting the lid.

Ink Orchid fluttered to the ground.

"Little one, go to Ghost Fan—they have more Origin Force Ant Honey than you can ever finish."

The Little Click Beetle Warrior spread its wings, circled, and landed at the mouth of the metal canister, peering down inside.

About half of the Ant Honey had been eaten; it couldn’t reach it.

Ghost Fan bent its tentacle, dipped a little, and held it in front of the Little Click Beetle Warrior.

"Eat..."

The Little Click Beetle Warrior cupped Ghost Fan’s tentacle with its two claws and licked.

Ghost Fan was overjoyed and asked, "Which Life Seed Plant is its first choice?"

Dragon Cypress: "It hasn’t chosen yet."

Ink Orchid: "Isn’t there wild Woodberry ripening on the mountain? Woodberry is quite suitable for it."

Ghost Fan pondered for two seconds and asked, "Then should we name it ’Woodberry’?"

Ink Orchid: "That’ll have to wait until it’s nurtured its first Life Seed."

Ghost Fan: "There are several large clusters on my mountain, but they still need some time to ripen."

Dragon Cypress reminded, "Don’t give a newborn Little Warrior too much Origin Force Food at once."

"I understand!"

Ghost Fan gently shifted its tentacle, placing the Little Click Beetle Warrior onto the top of its head, while the other tentacle dipped some Ant Honey from the jar and smeared it on its forehead carapace.

The metal ability lifted the lid and closed it shut.

Seeing this, Dragon Cypress said, "Very well, Ghost Fan, this Three-Spot Click Beetle Warrior is yours to care for now. Ink Orchid and I have to hurry back to Xianglan Mountain—the reservoir won’t be completed on schedule, and Ink Orchid won’t be able to advance to High-Level Flower Mantis Warrior."

Ghost Fan said seriously, "Understood! I won’t keep you any longer."

...

...

...

This trip took another 25 days.

The time reached the end of summer.

Xianglan Mountain, north.

Eighteen daughter plants of the Divine-Given Gorgon Fruit Seed had fully grown, sprawling lushly around the mother plant.

The mother plant had also completed its second growth—still five leaves, but each up to a meter and a half in diameter, and a height of three meters, rising proudly above the water’s surface, gently swaying in the breeze.

The Divine-Given Gorgon Fruit Seed entered a steady stage of absorbing sunlight and Origin Force, accumulating energy.

Ink Orchid felt completely at ease.

During the absence, Round Cypress led the ant colony and shaved nearly a meter off the western mountain slope.

The project to expand the lake’s area paused for the moment.

Dragon Cypress returned and turned to continue building the dam’s foundation.

Dividing into segments, constructing in batches.

First, digging a pit three meters long, two meters wide, and two meters deep.

When the pit was dug, the Dominating Throne would transport pine, cypress, and cedar—hard woods over eight meters long—standing them vertically in the pit.

Spider silk ropes were tied to one end of the timber.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid, together with many Specialized Worker Ants, hauled the spider silk ropes, used the Dominating Throne to lift, and stood the timber up straight.

Round Cypress directed the Worker Ants to backfill the pit with stones and clay of all sizes.

After filling, Dragon Cypress would then use the Dominating Throne to repeatedly smash up and down to compact the foundation.

A dam fifty meters long and eight meters wide was designed to be built segment by segment: dig pit, plant piles, backfill, and compact.

Spiked Cypress, when free, would even take Soldier Ants to gather gravel, and could direct the Soldier Ants to help deliver materials while backfilling.

Large and small, thousands of Soldier Ants and Worker Ants worked together in perfect order.

One pit per day.

Two months later, the dam’s foundation was roughly completed.

Looking out, sixty-six wooden piles stood packed tightly together.

Time had reached the mid-autumn season.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid both entered deep sleep to evolve once.

Ink Orchid, ninth Age Period, chose Sky Blue Persimmon as the Life Seed, planning to evolve into a High-Level Warrior in the vibrant Deep Spring Season of the coming year.

Dragon Cypress, seventh Age Period, had cultivated a Divine-Given Gorgon Fruit Seed for itself, carefully stored. Next spring, it would plant it and also choose Sky Blue Persimmon as the new Life Seed to nurture in the next Age Period.

Dragon Cypress also needed to dig a pond for itself.

Time was pressing.

After evolving, they rested for two days and continued building the dam.

Dragon Cypress kept using the Dominating Throne to haul timber and lay it horizontally.

Round Cypress commanded Worker Ants, and Spiked Cypress also directed Soldier Ants to assist. Together, they carried out large-scale backfilling of clay and stones, restoring the one meter previously removed so it was level with the surrounding ground.

From there upward, the dam needed to be built into a trapezoid, one layer at a time, each 0.5 meters thick, with horizontal timber beams in each layer to serve as the dam’s "skeleton."

The base would be ten meters wide, narrowing by half a meter per layer upwards, until the two-meter-wide crest at the top.

The main materials remained clay, stone, and timber.

Materials were running low...

The ants split into three groups,

Round Cypress led a team of Worker Ants to keep digging at the western slope of the North Reservoir, both expanding the reservoir and collecting clay and gravel.

Dragon Cypress took a team of Worker Ants south of the mountain, and at a low-lying area 1,500 meters away from the Azure Divine-Given Seed’s rooting pond, selected a gentle sloping land to begin preparing a rooting pond for its own Divine-Given Gorgon Fruit Seed.

Spiked Cypress directed the Soldier Ants, gathering stones all over the mountain.

Ink Orchid wasn’t idle either, specializing in hunting and stockpiling food for the Ant Nest.