Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 462 - 442: Where is the Natural Godsend?

Warm spring.

The black peach tree seeds gathered last year are sown.

All failed.

Dragon Cypress makes trip after trip transporting black peach saplings to Cold Orchid Mountain, with Black Cory directing the worker ants to plant them, continuing to expand the scale.

Once the work is done, black peach blossoms bloom.

Dragon Cypress brings Blue Catalpa along and heads to Purple Tung Insect Nation to swiftly complete the grafting of Mutant Dome-Leafed Berberis branches.

Then they rush to Black Fruit Mountain, pick up Chinese Clematis, and return to Xianglan Mountain to organize this year’s roving merchant trade.

...

Silvergrass waits alone at the crevice entrance, with piles of spider silk bags filled with Source Stones stacked like mountains nearby.

Red Peach isn’t here, no need to ask, it’s definitely out rushing to deliver Source Stones.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"Chinese Clematis."

"Fragrant Cypress, Spiked Cypress, Cypress."

"Hey! Blue Catalpa, Mountain Lord Ink Orchid, long time no see!"

"Blue Catalpa, what brings you here?"

Silvergrass greets each one in turn.

Blue Catalpa: "I was grabbed to do hard labor."

Silvergrass: "What kind of hard labor?"

Blue Catalpa: "Helping out with some grafting work."

Too many insects came at once, the cave couldn’t fit them all, so after a quick greeting, Fragrant Cypress, Spiked Cypress, and Cypress head out first, going to Rednan Mountain to prepare the branch colony.

Dragon Cypress doesn’t waste words, waving its tentacle in signal.

Chinese Clematis passes a spider silk bag through the crevice, "Silvergrass, these are Divine-Grade Jinhe Fruits harvested last year. The Ghost Fan Mountain Lord already ate one, completed one age period evolution, and successfully comprehended the corresponding ability."

"Great!"

Silvergrass takes it, rips open the spider silk bag with a tearing sound, freezes mid-action, then carefully examines it, lifting a metal can with the front legs to inspect.

A black can made from Iron Sand, surface covered in fine, dense black patterns.

Just by eyesight alone, one can feel that the overall strength of this metal can is extraordinary.

"Chinese Clematis, was this can enhanced with the ’Jinhe Pattern’ ability?"

"Of course! Packaged like this, not only does it look high-end, but it also directly showcases the ability effects of divine-grade fruits—makes exchanges and transactions smoother, right?"

"Exactly! Exquisite packaging design! From now on, all our Origin Force Honey metal cans for trading can be enhanced like this, too!"

Silvergrass gives high praise, unscrews the lid to check, confirms it’s correct, and then quickly seals the can, finally asking for confirmation:

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, seven?"

Dragon Cypress: "Seven. No rush. Let’s wait for Red Peach."

Not much waiting,

Red Peach rushes up, pulling a stone slab wheelcart loaded full of Source Stones with a rumbling noise.

Inspect goods, settle accounts.

Dragon Cypress reminds at the right time: "Chinese Clematis, when you meet the five Spider Kings later, explain to them carefully: I may have comprehended Wood Element Ability, but since I lack innate wood element potential, my ability is weak and needs strong reinforcement. I urgently need a large batch of wood element Divine-Given Origin Force Food..."

Silvergrass takes the initiative, raising a front leg in assurance: "Don’t worry, Dragon Cypress Ant King, I’ll explain it to the five Spider Kings."

Dragon Cypress lightly touches tentacle, "Mm, bring the Source Stones over first."

...

This year is the first delivery of Divine-Grade Jinhe Fruits, quite important.

But now that similar important trades have happened many times, everyone’s used to it; no longer as eager or excited as before.

...

Red Peach hauls the cart, carrying Silvergrass and Chinese Clematis away at a run.

By midday, comes rushing back with a full cart of Divine-Given Origin Force Food.

Silvergrass: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, Spider Kings Purple Jade and Tiankui each helped you gather a batch of wood element Divine-Given Origin Force Food worth one million Source Stones. Aconite, Spurge, and Wormwood also called in favors, helping put together some as well, and accounted them under Seven-Leaf Lord, Lord Melde, and myself respectively."

Chinese Clematis hands over a thick stack of stone slabs recording detailed information.

Dragon Cypress flips through them one by one.

Very good!

Over half of the Divine-Given Origin Force Food required for a 7-age period Mountain Lord’s evolution to the 8th age period is now gathered.

Blue Catalpa can have some too, and quickly evolve as well.

Busy for half a month, all trading is finished.

...

Dragon Cypress heads to Purple Tung Insect Nation.

Good news from Round Cypress as well: the six seeds gathered last year from the Dome Leaf Berberis Tree have all successfully sprouted and grown into seedlings.

The seeds can be propagated normally.

But no Natural Godsend was triggered.

Which means this mutant new variety still has other flaws, not meeting the godsend requirements.

The solution is the same as with Mutant Molan and black peach: large-scale cultivation, selection by insects, optimizing generation by generation.

This job is handed to Round Cypress, Black Leaf, and Black Birch.

Purple Tung blossoms bloom,

Dragon Cypress organizes and completes the spring trading with Barley Bug Warriors.

The Dominating Throne, carrying Molan, patrols each Origin Force Point.

As always, there are no results.

Molan stays at Xianglan Mountain.

Azure uses bud cultivation technique, quickly produces 1,000 new mutant Molan seedlings, all planted on the southeast slope of the hills east of the Azure Blue Reservoir.

Molan guards them personally.

Dragon Cypress, for its part, starts early to transport Source Stones to Huagi Mountain: 4.5 million in total, taking 38 days to complete.

...

Midsummer drought season.

Black Cory heads to Cold Orchid Mountain to care for the black peach saplings transplanted in spring.

Dragon Cypress doesn’t have much to do, Molan is also idle.

The Dominating Throne carries Molan, wandering between Xianglan Mountain, Molan Mountain, and Southern Sour Jujube Mountain.

...

...

...

Time flies, spring, summer, autumn, winter.

It’s late winter season again.

Blue Catalpa, using ’helping with grafting saplings’ as an excuse, has stayed at Xianglan Mountain for a whole year and refuses to leave.

Molan is about to send out spikes.

Blue Catalpa is just as enthusiastic as Molan, standing guard night and day without moving, stationed motionless on the hill west of Azure Blue Reservoir.

Dragon Cypress counts the days, returns to Xianglan Mountain, and, together with Black Cory, White Willow, Fragrant Cypress, and Silver Cypress, all stand guard at the foot of the hill’s southeast slope.

Cypress and Spiked Cypress are stationed at the Shanxi Reservoir Fortress, still taking turns patrolling the territory; the two take turns coming this way.

From time to time, Azure and Black Yellow’s spiritual power will sweep over to check the status here.

Especially at night, all the insects are alert and focused on the night sky, hoping for a white light spot to appear in the pitch-black night, signaling the coming of Natural Godsend.

They don’t really care about the profit from one Molan Divine-Given Seed,

But the Divine Power of the Natural True God must be experienced for themselves.

No eating or drinking, six days and nights of waiting.

Dawn,

On the Dominating Throne, Dragon Cypress is drowsy, half asleep, half awake.

Suddenly, an intense Origin Force Fluctuation erupts at the mountaintop. Dragon Cypress startles awake, looks up, only to see Molan shoot skyward and then plunge downward, diving headfirst into the forest.

Azure’s spirit force comes through, "Dragon Cypress, Dragon Cypress, Divine-Given Seed! Molan Divine-Given Seed!"

— A Molan Divine-Given Seed has appeared?

— What about Natural Godsend?

— What’s going on?

— Where’s the power of the Natural True God? Wasn’t it supposed to be terrifying, enough to scare insects to death?

Dragon Cypress is a little confused, turns to ask: "Black Cory, you weren’t distracted last night?"

Black Cory: "Nope~"

Dragon Cypress looks at Fragrant Cypress and Silver Cypress.

— I wasn’t distracted.

— Didn’t see any bright lights in the sky.

— Didn’t sense any blessing.

Fragrant Cypress and Silver Cypress shake their tentacles together.

White Willow finally says decisively, "We dragonfly warriors are the most sensitive to light. I was awake all night, there were no light spots in the sky."

Everyone’s so certain, that must be it...

Dragon Cypress raises a claw, calling: "Let’s go! Let’s check it out!"

...

On the southeast slope of the hill, under a Golden Pine Tree, twenty or so new mutant Molan seedlings have been sparsely planted.

Among them, one—its flower spike just emerging—emits a faint Origin Force Fluctuation.

No mistake!

Absolutely right!

The Divine-Given Seed is about to be conceived and born!

"Molan?"

"Dragon Cypress?"

Dragon Cypress and Molan lock eyes; all they see in each other’s eyes is confusion.

Molan: "I was fully awake all last night. Didn’t catch any light from the night sky, nor did I sense any ’Divine Power’ descending."

Dragon Cypress: "Same here, but, this..."

Dragon Cypress wiggles its tentacle, pointing at the Molan flower spike radiating Origin Force Fluctuation.

Blue Catalpa suddenly shudders, standing its tentacle up straight in horror: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, could it be, um, the Natural True God noticed us? Realized we were camping out to watch, so then, well, it avoided us and quietly sent down the blessing in secret?"

— Impossible!

— Not entirely impossible~

— The facts are right here~

— There’s no other explanation.

— Did the Natural True God really notice us?

— Could it be upset and punish us?

— Surely not?

— No way! No way! What kind of existence is the Natural True God? How could it ever notice a bunch of little insects like us?

— We’re all Mountain Lord Level, not little anymore.

— Mountain Lord Level is nothing! In great tribes like Huagi Mountain, our kind at Mountain Lord Level are just Little Warriors.

— You’re the Little Warrior. I’m the Assistant King.

— You’re a combat-type Command Ant, so a warrior, too.

The insects argue on, their words getting wilder and wilder.

Fragrant Cypress raises a claw, asking: "Great King, could it be the Natural Godsend happened during the day?"

That question is a killer...

Black Cory hesitates, then says no: "No way, right? Based on my experience squatting on Round Leaf Keg Vine last time, when Divine Power descends, the flower spike quickly starts showing Origin Force Fluctuation. If the blessing had come down during the day, Second King would have noticed long ago."

Dragon Cypress buries its head in silence, not wanting to speak.

Azure’s spiritual force, always keeping an eye on things, calmly says:

"That Origin Force Flower Spike on this mutant Molan—it probably came about at random, not from the Natural God."