Chapter 397 - 382 Mutual Benefit

Melde walked alone along the mountain path back to the kingdom, suddenly stopped, slowly turned around, and faced the mountain forest on the side.

"Lord Melde!"

"My most most MOST respected elder~"

Grass Dragon and Lupine popped out, jogged forward.

Just looking at these two troublemakers made Melde angry—he didn’t want to pay them any attention.

Grass Dragon ran off with White Ivy.

Lupine also followed White Ivy. Without Lupine running errands, the trade with the Mantis Kingdom dragged on till winter this year before wrapping up.

Resources wasted, raising these two freeloaders for nothing.

No luck in the past few decades either—no new Little Warriors born, couldn’t even train a Little Flame Spider to help out again.

"Lord Melde, was the trade going smoothly?"

Lupine asked with concern.

Melde didn’t want to talk to him.

Grass Dragon said, "We’re here just to welcome you, you know."

Heh~ Heh~ Melde replied irritably, "If there’s something, spit it out. If not, get your asses back to the kingdom already."

"Oh, there’s something!"

Lupine asked, "Melde, aren’t you curious where I went off with White Ivy?"

Melde: "Not curious."

Lupine: "..."

Grass Dragon picked up the thread, sincerely saying, "Melde, about that argument you had with White Ivy over Origin Force Honey—turns out, you were wrong."

So what if I was wrong? So what if I was right?

Melde didn’t care. "And then?"

Grass Dragon: "Lupine and I apologized to White Ivy on your behalf and got her forgiveness."

Lupine: "White Ivy gladly accepted your apology and agreed to rebuild the caravan, to help you sneak into Yuezuo Mountain, to help you exchange for the Divine-Grade Moon Peach Fruit."

Melde: "Hm?"

Melde flew into a rage, jumping up and down.

"You idiots! I’m going to wipe you two out!"

"Wait! Let me finish first."

Grass Dragon blurted out quickly, "Melde, aren’t you curious why White Ivy was so quick to forgive you?"

Like I need her forgiveness?

Origin energy stirred around Melde, the earth trembled, he was ready to unleash Earth System Abilities and bury this idiot Grass Dragon first.

Lupine hurriedly said, "Melde, it’s because White Ivy is in trouble and needs your help."

"Trouble?"

The primordial energy gathered at Melde’s toe slowly calmed down, and he snorted, "Oh. As soon as she’s in trouble, she thinks of me, huh? And still says she forgives me, like it’s so nice-sounding."

Lupine raised his claw to point at the mountain trail beside them, solemnly saying, "Melde, it’s quite serious, let’s talk on the mountain."

How bad could it be?

Melde thought it over, and reluctantly agreed.

...

The group reached a forested slope halfway up the mountain, looked all around to make sure there were no insects nearby.

Grass Dragon didn’t dare drag it out and said directly, "Melde, you remember the Banded Assassin Bug Tribe from Purple Back Mountain, right? That’s where White Ivy sold the Night Fragrance Fruit..."

Melde: "Oh——"

Melde: "Not surprised at all, after thinking it over, that was the only place it could go."

Grass Dragon: "Lord Melde, you’re sharp as ever. But, do you know where the Banded Assassin Bug Tribe originally came from?"

Melde: "Over five hundred years ago, they split off from the Beautiful Ji Bug Tribe of Cloud Crown Mountain. Carpesium was one of the earliest Flame Spider Roving Merchants to trade at Purple Back Mountain. That Mud Ke Bug King Insect was terrible, haven’t been there in thirty or forty years. Certain dumb spiders only see Purple Back Mountain’s wealth and keep running over there year after year."

Lupine: "..."

Grass Dragon: "..."

Melde asked, "White Ivy plans to sell the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit to Cloud Crown Mountain?"

Grass Dragon: "Exactly!"

Melde: "Are there also Banded Assassin Bug Warriors on Cloud Crown Mountain?"

Grass Dragon: "Not sure."

Melde waited for an explanation.

Grass Dragon explained, "According to reliable info, Cloud Crown Mountain also has a Divine God-Given Seed that gives Waterwood System Hallucination abilities. The Banded Assassin Bug Tribe was born under that Divine Tree, and their talent ability comes from it too."

Grass Dragon said no more.

Melde was quick-minded—just a moment’s thought and he understood.

Then looking at Grass Dragon and Lupine...

These two guys have it tough too. Ever since White Ivy split off, they’ve been stuck in the middle, swinging back and forth—not only threatened by White Ivy to get buried alive, but threated by me to have their spider heads smashed in...

Melde asked, "Lupine, this year when White Ivy called you along, did you go to Cloud Crown Mountain together?"

Lupine: "I was just tagging along."

Melde: "I went to Cloud Crown Mountain in my youth... couldn’t get in, right?"

Lupine: "Didn’t..."

If they got in, you’d be out of luck, huh~

Lupine explained, "The White Ivy Mountain Lord’s plan is to use the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit to trade for the Waterwood System Divine-Grade Fruit with hallucination ability from Cloud Crown Mountain. Then combine those two Divine-Grades together as a package to sell."

Melde: "Is that your idea? Or Red Peach’s?"

Lupine: "That’s not important. What’s important is, this Divine-Grade set, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid can use it too—maybe Huagi Mountain could use it as well..."

Melde: "!!!"

Melde snapped awake, jumped, and shouted angrily, "You’re trying to fight Spider King for a share of the Kunlun Seed?"

Lupine: "Fair competition, what’s wrong with that?"

Grass Dragon: "Every time five Divine-Grade Kunlun Seeds are produced, the Aconite Spider King already grabs one. Now it wants a second, even a third. What we’re competing for is Aconite Spider King’s share."

Melde: "..."

Melde didn’t say it out loud, but deep down had long been annoyed by Aconite Spider King and Seven-Leaf Lord’s greediness.

Melde stayed silent, waiting for more.

Grass Dragon continued analyzing, "Knowing Dragon Cypress like I do, by next year, at the latest the year after, it’ll have Huagi Mountain sorted and get the Linnan Divine Tree planted in Purple Tung Insect Nation. The following year, or the year after, Dragon Cypress will distribute the shares."

Grass Dragon: "When spring trading comes, the White Ivy Mountain Lord gets the Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruit—without delay, heads to Cloud Crown Mountain. With a Divine-Grade opening doors, eight or nine times out of ten it’ll work out, and Melde, you’ll tag along to boost the presence."

Grass Dragon: "Same with the dealings at Cloud Crown Mountain. No matter how it goes, the White Ivy Mountain Lord is taking the Divine-Grade Fruit to Yuezuo Mountain with you."

Grass Dragon: "As for the Yuezuo Mountain trade, two Divine-Grade Baihe Fruits for one Moon Peach Fruit. Melde and White Ivy each provide one. The first one traded goes to White Ivy, the second to Lord Melde, and you take turns after that."

Melde pondered.

Lupine reminded at the right moment, "O most most most respected Elder Melde, you do the math—this deal, you’re getting the big advantage!"

What’s White Ivy after in trading for Moon Peach Fruit?

As soon as Melde thought about it, he understood, his expression grew serious.

The Divine-Grade Kunlun Seed quota—White Ivy’s definitely getting her share!

If this whole scheme succeeds, White Ivy will control trade rights for Baihe Fruit, Kunlun Seed, Night Fragrance Fruit and Cloud Crown Mountain’s Waterwood System Divine-Grade Fruit.

After decades of trading, all White Ivy will need to pay is Source Stone or Origin Force Food, and she can swap for these Divine Fruits, and decide for herself who to sell or exchange them to.

It’s like watching a new Spider King rise up in power...

Ever since splitting up, shifting to the Origin Force Honey trade, White Ivy’s luck suddenly turned for the better—everything smooth sailing, running wild all the way...

Melde thought, and felt a hard-to-express discomfort in his heart.

A thought sprang to Melde, and he asked, "Grass Dragon, Lupine, you two idiots go help White Ivy—what did you get out of it?"

Lupine: "No direct benefits."

Grass Dragon: "Indirectly, it means we get to strut our stuff with the White Ivy Mountain Lord!"

Melde: "..."

These two idiots could lie without batting an eye.

Lupine still couldn’t help himself, and confessed, "The White Ivy Mountain Lord promised—if we can get stable Kunlun Seed trading rights, both Grass Dragon and I can buy one each at cost price to eat ourselves."

Grass Dragon: "Come on Melde, you can do it too!"

Melde: "..."

Melde snapped, "Cut the crap, let’s get moving. Back to the kingdom—I’ve still got plenty of trades to handle."