Chapter 561 - 540 Divine Grade Pre-Sale: Spiky Wing Mantis King

Ten-thousand Tribes Continent, southeastern mountainous region.

Hidden Wing Mountain,

early autumn when the Divine-Given Hidden Wing Seed was yet to mature.

Every year, the Zelan Caravan delivered a batch of Origin Force Food purchased from the Ten Thousand Nations Continent. This was sent directly to the Butterfly Wing Mantis King, who managed trade and finances.

As of today, White Ivy and the Melde Caravan were top-ranking guests of the Stone Mantis Tribe.

Spider King Boneset led the caravan. Loaded with goods, the swarm of spiders crossed the plaza, pressing forward directly to the critical location, Hidden Wing Peak.

Crossing mountain ridges, they halted before a small river.

"Lord White Ivy! Lord Melde!"

"Greetings, Spider King Boneset!"

Lord Heartwing was already waiting on the stone bridge, his body held high, enthusiastically waving his forelimbs in greeting.

"Spider King Boneset, White Ivy and I will first pay a visit to the Spiky Wing Mantis King."

"See you later, Spider King Boneset!"

White Ivy and Melde greeted Spider King Boneset, crossed the stone bridge, and went their separate ways.

Leading the way, Lord Heartwing engaged in warm conversation, asking, "Lord White Ivy, Lord Melde, has this year’s trade gone smoothly?"

Melde: "As per usual."

White Ivy: "Extraordinarily smoothly!"

Having interacted for many years, Lord Heartwing had long understood the temperaments of Melde and White Ivy.

Melde was thoughtful and worldly-wise.

White Ivy was less complex in her thoughts, straightforward and hearty.

Lord Heartwing immediately looked toward White Ivy and chuckled, "Lord White Ivy, did you come across a good deal again?"

White Ivy: "A big deal!"

Lord Heartwing: "What kind of good stuff? Remember to send some to us at Hidden Wing Mountain."

White Ivy: "Absolutely top-notch stuff! Let’s hurry. We can talk more when we meet the Spiky Wing Mantis King."

Lord Heartwing: "Alright!"

Their first stop was Heartwing Peak, where many Little Warriors were already waiting.

Red Peach, Lupine, Grass Dragon, Silvergrass, and Column Spotted remained on the mountain. Origin Force Honey and Bee King Honey, ordered by the various peaks of Hidden Wing Mountain, were distributed centrally from Heartwing Peak.

Melde and White Ivy, following Lord Heartwing, headed for Lightwing Peak.

「...」

On the north side of the mountain, halfway up the slope, beneath the Spiky Wing Wood’s Divine-Given Seed tree.

Lord Heartwing busied himself. He brought out some Divine-Given Origin Force Food, a specialty of Hidden Wing Mountain, and arranged it on a stone table to entertain the distinguished guests.

Melde chatted with the Spiky Wing Mantis King about some of this year’s events on the Ten Thousand Nations Continent.

The Ten Thousand Nations Continent was perennially at war, never short of news topics.

White Ivy took out a petite Spider Silk Bag and opened it for display.

Inside were exactly one hundred brownish-yellow pine nuts.

Lord-Level!

Lord Heartwing’s eyes lit up, but he was also puzzled. He asked, "Lord White Ivy, has that Shield Grasshopper Warrior who nurtured the Divine-Given Huangqian Seed evolved to Lord-Level so quickly?"

White Ivy: "It’s not that fast. Lord Heartwing, you should try to sense it more closely."

Lord Heartwing focused his perception. "It’s accompanied by a Strength System Primordial Energy Fluctuation? This is the Divine-Given Life Seed of some Lord-Level Ant King!"

White Ivy: "Exactly! It’s from another Divine-Given Huangqian Seed. Melde and I secured a forty percent share of the trade!"

Melde added, "It’s a newly emerged Divine-Given Life Seed, yielding for the first time this year. This is a sample. Starting next year, the output will gradually increase, reaching its peak fruiting period in five to ten years. Spiky Wing Mantis King, if you need more, we can send them your way."

Another Top-Level Divine-Given Seed, indeed.

The Spiky Wing Mantis King courteously said, "You’ve gone to great lengths, Lord White Ivy and Lord Melde."

He had initially thought only the Origin Force Honey would be popular and that White Ivy’s caravan had good potential. The outcome was unexpected. In just a few short decades, he had witnessed their meteoric rise firsthand, watching them become one of the few Top-Level caravans on the continent controlling such premium resources. Hidden Wing Mountain was close to the Flame Spider Kingdom, so it was easy to learn about White Ivy and Melde’s backgrounds; they had no elder Spider King backing them. Across the entire Flame Spider Kingdom, caravans like theirs, which had risen through their own abilities and luck, were few and far between. They were so young yet had built such a large business; their future was truly boundless.

"What a treasure!"

Lord Heartwing picked up a pine nut to scrutinize it. He was fascinated and astonished. Setting it down, he asked, "Lord White Ivy, is the big deal you mentioned earlier these Lord-Level Divine-Given Huangqian Pine Nuts?"

"Certainly not."

White Ivy paused, then her tone turned solemn. "There’s a new Divine-Grade Fruit, called the Divine-Grade Molan Seed. It bestows an exceptional visual ability..."

White Ivy elaborated in detail.

The Spiky Wing Mantis King and Lord Heartwing listened, repeatedly expressing their admiration.

Such an impressive scouting ability!

Melde finally added gravely, "There is one taboo with this ability: one must never look at the moon! An unknown, powerful entity resides on the moon. Some insects have already suffered for it; a power far surpassing King-Level transformed them into grass-leaf-shaped Original Energy Patterns, sealing their eyes."

"!!!"

The Spiky Wing Mantis King’s expression also turned solemn.

Lord Heartwing’s tentacles shot straight up. He stammered, "Could it be... the Natural... True God?"

Melde: "Definitely not."

White Ivy: "Didn’t the Inherited Memory say? The Natural True God resides on the sun."

Spiky Wing Mantis King: "The sun? Did you try looking there with the ability as well?"

White Ivy: "I did. But the sunlight is too intense, blinding. I couldn’t see anything. That’s where the name ’Scorching’ comes from."

Spiky Wing Mantis King: "Hmm—"

Lord Heartwing: "Could it be that it’s too hot on the sun, so the Natural True God moved to the moon? Or perhaps the Natural True God lives on the sun during the day, providing light and heat, and goes to the moon to rest at night, which is why moonlight is gentle."

"..."

White Ivy and Melde were speechless.

The Spiky Wing Mantis King’s heart was greatly stirred.

This Scorching ability was no ordinary power! To be able to offend a suspected divine being residing high on the moon directly demonstrated the ability’s formidable nature.

Spiky Wing Mantis King: "Lord White Ivy, Lord Melde, how many shares of this Divine-Grade Molan Seed do you have? And the price? This old mantis might need one."

White Ivy: "Not many. Melde and I each have one."

Melde: "It just recently appeared. This year’s first batch only yielded one sample, and that’s what we obtained."

White Ivy: "Spurge, Aconite, Wormwood, and other Spider Kings also have shares. After discussions among the Spider Kings, the price was uniformly set at 10 million Source Stones per seed."

Melde: "Spiky Wing Mantis King, to thank you for your many years of looking after White Ivy and me, we can offer it to you privately at a reduced price: 8 million Source Stones per seed."

10 million? 8 million? These spiders are too extortionate!

Lord Heartwing lowered his head, his tentacles drooping, not daring to speak.

The Spiky Wing Mantis King fell into silent contemplation.

Melde: "The Blossom-Fruit Cycle is lengthy. Currently, it takes about thirty-five years to produce one batch of only twelve seeds."

Spiky Wing Mantis King: "Only one sample in the first batch?"

White Ivy: "Only one sample was produced, and it was eaten."

Spiky Wing Mantis King: "Who ate it? It wasn’t again..."

Melde: "White Ivy ate it herself..."

White Ivy explained, "I’m about to undergo an Evolution. Once I comprehend the Scorching Ability, I can give a live demonstration when selling the Divine-Grade Molan Seeds."

"..."

A moment of silence ensued.

The Spiky Wing Mantis King gently swayed his tentacles and sighed, "Eight million is too expensive, and thirty-five years is too long. This old mantis can neither afford it nor wait that long."

The Spiky Wing Mantis King was supporting a large brood of juniors and wasn’t particularly wealthy.

White Ivy immediately said, "Spiky Wing Mantis King, we can do this: if you’re not in a hurry to leave, I can bring you a Moon Peach Fruit. One Divine-Grade Moon Peach Fruit plus one Divine-Grade Molan Seed in exchange for two Divine-Grade Lightwing Seeds. You would just need to add 6 million Source Stones."

White Ivy: "However, we have a small additional condition..."

After speaking, White Ivy gently pointed at the Spiky Wing Mantis King’s Divine-Given Seed tree and said, "The Moon Peach Fruit extends life by a hundred years. We want an eighty percent share of the Divine-Given Awl Wing Seed’s output for the next hundred years. That’s quite reasonable, isn’t it? The 6 million Source Stones can also be repaid in installments using Divine-Given Awl Wing Seeds."

The Spiky Wing Mantis King agreed without hesitation, "An exchange like that? Of course, there’s no problem at all!"

White Ivy: "Good, then it’s settled. I’ll bring you the Moon Peach Fruit from the very next harvest."

Lord Heartwing was secretly overjoyed and helped express thanks, "We’re imposing on you, Lord White Ivy."

White Ivy: "It’s no trouble at all. You’re welcome."

Melde: "We should be the ones thanking the Spiky Wing Mantis King for his consideration."

A transaction that left everyone overjoyed.

Source Stones are the hard currency of the continent.

Divine-Given Origin Force Food, however, is an even harder currency than Source Stones.

When Insect Clan Warriors undergo Evolution, they might do without Divine-Grade Fruits, but they cannot be without Divine-Given Origin Force Food.

Divine-Given Origin Force Food not only differs in quality and enhancement effects but also in rarity. Generally, the scarcer it is on the market, the higher the profit.

The Spiky Wing Mantis King’s Spiky Wing Divine-Given Seed was born of a mutation, making it unique. White Ivy and Melde had been secretly planning for many years and had finally found the opportunity to achieve their long-held wish.