Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 544 - 523: Wind System Talent, Wind Glyphs and Gathering

Chapter 544: Chapter 523: Wind System Talent, Wind Glyphs and Gathering

The resources required for Lord-Level stage growth and evolution, calculated in terms of ordinary Origin Force Food: evolving from Age Period 1 to 2 costs about 2 million Source Stones; from 2 to 3, about 3 million Source Stones; from 3 to 4, about 4 million Source Stones...

And so on, increasing steadily with each tier.

The general rule is that to evolve to Age Period N, the cost is about N million.

If only Divine-Given Origin Force Food is eaten, the cost of Age Period evolution is about four, five, or even six times that of ordinary Origin Force Food, depending on what is consumed.

If one eats Origin Force Food that enhances elemental abilities, it’s relatively cheaper—in general, about four times the cost.

...

Using a Divine-Grade Fruit that bestows an Elemental Talent, together with 8 to 10 million Source Stones’ worth of the corresponding Divine-Given Origin Force Food, the awakening probability is basically maxed out.

The exact number depends on the element system. Thunder is the most expensive; Wind and Metal are moderate; Earth, Wood, Water, and Fire are relatively cheap.

...

Last year, the caravan delivered Divine-Grade Winged Gourds, anticipating that Dragon Cypress would be in urgent need of Wind System Divine-Given Origin Force Food, and started shipping it.

This spring, another large shipment arrived.

Dragon Cypress was eager to evolve, needed it badly, and even cajoled into buying another high-priced batch from other Flame Spider Caravans.

For Dragon Cypress’s Age Period 2 to 3 evolution, eating 10 million Source Stones’ worth of Wind System Divine-Given Origin Force Food—the probability of awakening Wind System Talent was maxed.

In addition, 2 million Water System Divine-Given Origin Force Food, plus another 2 million worth of Divine-Given Origin Force Food to enhance Comprehensive Physique, Carapace, Tentacles, and Eyes.

The total is 14 million.

The debt instantly soared to 36 million.

Borrowing more from the White Ivy Trade Caravan was embarrassing...

Dragon Cypress went back to borrow another 10 million from Huagi Mountain.

Counting the 14 million worth of those sky-high Divine-Grade Winged Gourds, a single Age Period evolution cost a staggering 28 million Source Stones—enough to scare an insect to death.

million of that was spent specifically on Wind System Talent; if it still didn’t work...

...

Late spring, early summer.

Xianglan Mountain Ant Nest.

Dragon Cypress arranged for Silver Cypress to guard the cave entrance, gulped down 300,000 Source Stones’ worth of Ant King Honey in one go, and began to feel the vague symptoms of falling into sleep for evolution.

Rested quietly until midnight, then drifted off in a drowsy sleep.

Xianglan Mountain assumed an unprecedented state of high alert.

If the Great King failed again this time...

The first to get beaten up would definitely be Silver Cypress on guard at the entrance...

The second would most likely be Spiked Cypress...

Silver Cypress and Spiked Cypress were restless and uneasy.

...

Six days later,

Arose from the sleep.

Shed the old shell, and the new carapace was rapidly hardening.

Dragon Cypress immediately immersed its mind, feeling the changes in its Elemental Talent, its eyes suddenly bright, and leaped up.

It worked!

"Silver Cypress!"

Dragon Cypress called out.

Silver Cypress, on guard at the entrance, was startled, cautiously pried open the blocked cave door, and poked its head out nervously.

"Great King... I’m here..."

"Quick, go get some food, then inform Fragrant Cypress to prepare a banquet to celebrate tonight."

"Yes! Great King!"

Silver Cypress: "Great King, you succeeded?"

Dragon Cypress: "Of course!"

"Congratulations, Great King!"

"Great King, mighty as always!"

"I’ll get right to it!"

Silver Cypress finally relaxed, cheered, waved its antennae, and led the ant colony rushing off.

South Mountain Restaurant,

Ink Orchid saw Silver Cypress blazing by with a crowd, and her heart sank:

—Are they running away?

—Failed again?

—Could ants really be this unlucky?

Ink Orchid activated her Soul-Setting Ability, locked onto Dragon Cypress.

"Great King?"

"Second King?"

"Failed?"

"Succeeded!"

"???"

Communication ended abruptly.

—That idiot Silver Cypress, what’s he running for?

Ink Orchid muttered, stepping out of the restaurant and running into the depths of the ant nest.

King Nest Cave,

Dragon Cypress held a jar of Ant Honey, leisurely licking the rim with its antenna tip, deep in thought.

"Dragon Cypress?"

"Oh—"

"You successfully awakened the Wind System Talent?"

"Had to awaken, of course."

"How many abilities did you comprehend?"

"I’m thinking..."

Dragon Cypress pondered and said, "Seems like three!"

"Three?!"

Ink Orchid stomped her foot. "Are you sure?"

Dragon Cypress calmly replied, "Pretty sure, I was just thinking about it—until you interrupted."

Ink Orchid: "..."

Ink Orchid quickly calmed down and waited quietly.

Dragon Cypress sped up, finished the jar of Ant Honey, recovering most of the physical strength consumed by evolution.

Opened a large metal case, bent low, flicked its tongue, stored the Nine-Leaf Huangqian Divine-Given Seed into its Life Pouch, and started nurturing it early.

Consciousness linked to the Dominating Throne.

[Guardian of Strength]

[Guardian of Hydrology]

[Guardian of Wood]

[Guardian of ???]

[Producer of Agriculture]

[Producer of Refinement]

[Producer of Symbiosis]

[Producer of ???]

The Dominating Throne transmitted a message: [Please name]

Dragon Cypress didn’t hesitate and settled one first: [Guardian of Wind Glyphs]

And another Producer...

—What can Wind System Worker Ants do?

Dragon Cypress’s thoughts spun rapidly—he got an idea.

If Wind System Worker Ants can also inherit ’Wind Wings’ and have the ability to fly like bees, then they can take on orchard gathering and harvesting far better.

Dragon Cypress named: [Producer of Gathering]

Naming done, but no rush to nurture the Ant Eggs yet.

Dragon Cypress withdrew his consciousness, looked at Ink Orchid, and slowly spread his wings, channeling Primordial Energy into the wing veins, forming an invisible layer of Wind System Primordial Energy over the membranous wings.

"First ability: the ’Wind Wings’ ability that comes bundled with the Divine-Grade Winged Gourd has been smoothly comprehended."

Dragon Cypress retracted his wings, gently raised his left foreleg, gathered Primordial Energy at the tip of his toe, and let a current of air spiral around the toe tip, spinning faster and faster, rapidly expanding into a cyclone sweeping through the entire cave.

Ink Orchid spread her wings and gave a powerful flap, disrupting and calming the cyclone, "Second ability?"

Dragon Cypress: "Yep. Seems like—not really powerful—just generating a whirlwind centered on either my body, claw, or tentacle."

Ink Orchid: "Uh..."

Ink Orchid: "So it’s like a tornado at sea?!"

Dragon Cypress: "Just a little whirlwind, nowhere near as strong as the storms of the natural world."

Ink Orchid: "Alright then."

Dragon Cypress: "The third ability is even simpler—basically Airflow Control, similar to Water Control or Fire Control, the elementals’ basic manipulation skill."

Ink Orchid: "..."

—Ant, you’re really not making the grade~

—Three abilities, alright.

—But in terms of actual usefulness, pretty much only the Wind Wings counts.

Dragon Cypress stayed calm, unwilling to discuss further.

"Great King!"

"Congratulations, Great King!"

"Great King, how many abilities have you awakened?"

"Great King, should we call Black Peach, Black Cory, Black Leaf, and Tie Bush back to celebrate together?"

Spiked Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Persimmon rushed over as soon as they got the news.

Dragon Cypress led everyone out of the nest, heading to the Shandong Reservoir for testing.

First up: testing the ’Whirlwind’ ability.

Dragon Cypress strode over the water, standing in the center of the reservoir, fully detonated Wind System Primordial Energy, causing the air about his body to rotate, accelerate, and expand outwards...

Spin speed increased, taking the water beneath his feet swirling up with the wind.

Dragon Cypress suddenly stopped, waving his claw: "Ink Orchid, Fragrant Cypress, move away. I want to try combining my new Wind System ability with Water and Strength abilities."

"Three-system power combo?!"

Ink Orchid instantly grasped Dragon Cypress’s intent, her eyes lit up, and she turned and bolted toward a distant mountain peak.

Fragrant Cypress, Spiked Cypress, and Black Persimmon, seeing the ever-valiant Second King run so fast, quickly led the watching ant crowd to a safe distance.

Clearing the field.

Dragon Cypress brooded for a moment, then began again.

Activated Whirlwind, set himself as the core, streams of air swirling fast, drawing the reservoir water upward.

Freezing!

Furious Rage!

The spinning torrent of water froze, and with a thunderous crash, countless shards of ice shot out at high speed in all directions.

A cacophony of splashes.

The cypress, mulberry, and cedar trees planted around the reservoir split and shattered, broken branches everywhere.

—Just as expected!

Ink Orchid was astonished by the terrifying power of the combined abilities.

"!!!"

Fragrant Cypress, Spiked Cypress, and Black Persimmon, momentarily stunned by the shock, then cheered and charged down the hillside.

—Great King, awesome!

—Great King, invincible!

—Great King, you’re a real genius!

—Great King really is a notch above Second King.

...

Next: testing ’Wind Wings’ ability.

Dragon Cypress stood atop a mountain, first folded his membranous wings, gathered Primordial Energy, and condensed two invisible, intangible Wind System Primordial Energy ’wings’.

Tested flapping, pushed off, and took flight.

It can fly...

But...

Dragon Cypress made a simple flight in a circle, then looped back down to the peak. Without waiting for anyone’s questions, he explained:

"At present, the Wind Wings ability is quite disappointing, with considerable drawbacks."

"First flaw: flight speed is very hard to increase—it’s even slower than the Dominating Throne."

"Second flaw: not agile. Only two energy wings; the structural mode results in flight not nimble, even clunky."

"Third flaw: continuous energy drain while flying—which means, this ability can’t fly very far."

Dragon Cypress summed up: "Even if I successfully pass Wind Wings down to Wind System Soldier and Worker Ants, at best they’d be able to fly—not fly well."

Ink Orchid immediately said: "Wormwood Spider King! Divine-Grade Wind-Knowing Fruit!"

Exactly!

The Wind-Knowing Fruit’s ’Zhifeng’ isn’t an explicit ability, but can enhance and amplify the vast majority of Wind System abilities.

Especially flight abilities, it’s the biggest amplifier.

Dragon Cypress shook his antennae regretfully: "There’s too little you can eat during each Age Period. Before I collect all Nine System Talents, I just can’t fit in any ability-granting fruit."

After saying this, Dragon Cypress unfolded his membranous wings: "Let me try fusing ’Wind Wings’ with the natural wings."

With that, he flapped, soared high, streaked around Xianglan Mountain, circled once and landed.

The combination of Wind Wings with the natural membranous wings worked nicely, boosting flight speed.

Ink Orchid had a wind ability for acceleration too.

There was a difference.

Ink Orchid’s was a sudden, instantaneous speed burst.

Dragon Cypress’s Wind Wings gave sustained speed boosts during flight.

Both pretty good!

The 24 million Source Stones were money well spent.

He even felt like he’d earned a bonus.

...

Early morning,

Dragon Cypress hurried off to Molan Mountain, Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, Areca Rainforest, and Cicada Orchid Mountain, rounding up Black Peach, Black Cory, Black Leaf, Tie Bush, and the Giant Cypress, and brought everyone back to Xianglan Mountain for a grand celebration.