Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 642 - 571: A New Variety of Cypress

The spring roving merchant trade of the new year.

The Snow Velvet Spider King arrived on time.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, how was last year's trade?" he asked. "How much Source Stone did the Aconite Spider King compensate?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "We asked for 20 million but settled at 6 million. This was calculated based on the value of the Divine-Given Origin Force Food needed for Ink Orchid's and my evolution."

The Snow Velvet Spider King had long seen through him. This was a tactful, fat ant, unwilling to truly offend the Aconite Spider King.

Before eating the Divine-Grade Fruit that granted Soul System talents, the Snow Velvet Spider King himself was also unwilling to offend.

It was quite satisfying to irk the other party, though.

"Not bad—" the Snow Velvet Spider King commented, then changed the subject. "Dragon Cypress Ant King, is your trading army ready?"

Dragon Cypress said, "Everything was prepared yesterday; we're ready to set off at any time."

The grand procession marched to Rednan Mountain. At the Trade Cave, as always, Red Peach, Heliotrope, and Column Spotted were already waiting early by the Starship Passage.

They exchanged greetings, small gifts were presented, and the ordinary Little Flame Spiders were transferred.

Once that was settled, Heliotrope and the Snow Velvet Spider King had a private talk first. After Heliotrope ran off quickly, Dragon Cypress, Red Peach, and Column Spotted stepped forward to continue the trade. They began by checking the Ant King Honey and Divine-Given Seeds that Dragon Cypress's contingent from the Cloud Trace Continent had for sale, examining their quality and tallying the numbers.

While working, Column Spotted casually said, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, I won't be able to come next year. I'll be helping Lord White Ivy compete for the Leader position."

Dragon Cypress said, "Column Spotted, rest assured, I will miss you."

Dragon Cypress hesitated for a moment but still said, "The way your Dulai Flame Spider Tribe selects its Leader doesn't seem right. An Old Spider King who has traveled the continent for hundreds of years—how many high-quality resource channels and Insect Vein connections has he accumulated? Without the Spider King's patronage, even if your Lord White Ivy has exceptional abilities, it would be impossible to match the Old Spider King's centuries of accumulation."

Column Spotted replied, "The share of Divine-Given Origin Force Food transferred by the Old Spider King doesn't count; it's not included in the statistics."

Indeed, it didn't count. But what about the indirect trade weight?

They knew this better than he did.

Dragon Cypress didn't want to say more disheartening words. Saying too much would only dampen their spirits, without any benefit.

Column Spotted stopped working and turned to look at the Snow Velvet Spider King.

"Snow Velvet Spider King, Lord White Ivy has an excellent idea."

The Snow Velvet Spider King asked indifferently, "What idea?"

Column Spotted explained, "If our Caravan wants to surpass others, we must find a new path. Lord White Ivy plans to divide the Caravan into two. One detachment, with Red Peach, Grass Dragon, Lupine, and Silvergrass, will continue trading on the Ten Thousand Nations Continent. The second detachment, consisting of Lord White Ivy and me, will travel the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent together to open new trade routes. Lord White Ivy and I will focus on trading Divine-Grade Fruits, also dealing with Divine-Given Seeds and Bee King Honey. We will completely abandon the regular Origin Force Food and Origin Force Honey trades. Divine-Grade Fruits are primarily found on the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent. Many flourishing Great Tribes there possess Divine-Grade Divine-Given Seeds but keep them exceptionally well-hidden. The Divine-Grade Fruits they produce are not sold externally, or only very rarely. Our main targets are these Top-Level Great Tribes."

Column Spotted suggested enthusiastically, "Snow Velvet Spider King, don't you need Divine-Grade Fruits? We can cooperate!"

Dragon Cypress's tentacles twitched. His mind raced, pondering for a moment, and then he had an epiphany. These fellows really knew how to come up with ideas!

The Snow Velvet Spider King had shown dissatisfaction with the Aconite Spider King's methods.

They had keenly caught on to this and wanted to use the Snow Velvet Spider King's influence to deal with the Aconite Spider King and other large Caravans of the same caliber.

Dragon Cypress pondered again with his claws and immediately guessed, This must be Red Peach's idea.

The Snow Velvet Spider King thought for a moment and also understood immediately, asking, "How would we cooperate? Divine-Grade Fruits from the Southern Hemisphere can't just casually appear in the Northern Hemisphere."

Red Peach, who had been quietly engrossed in his work, looked up and said, "To protect our clients' privacy, our Caravan will drastically change how we trade Divine-Grade Fruits. First, all Divine-Grade Fruits we sell, including those we already control, will have their origins, names, yield, and Blossom-Fruit Cycle information concealed."

Red Peach continued, "Secondly, our sales model will also change completely. For example, Snow Velvet Spider King, if you want Divine-Grade Fruits, you can tell us which type you need: Combat Attack Type? Healing Type? Scouting Type? Or perhaps a type to aid in management? Talent Granting Type? Specifically, which system? Soul System? Strength System? Or Wood Element, Wind System? You would tell us roughly what type of Divine-Grade Fruit you need or desire. If we have it, or know of it and can obtain it, we will provide you with the relevant information. However, we will only disclose the Divine-Grade Fruit's specific effects, price, and delivery time—no other details."

Red Peach added, "Thirdly, Divine-Grade Fruits are generally not sold but traded. We will swap similar Divine-Grade Fruits, using shares of Divine-Given Seed to compensate for the difference in value."

Column Spotted summarized, "Whatever type of Divine-Grade Fruit you want or need, we have a way to get it for you, and we'll only earn a fixed 20% profit margin—no more, no less." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Column Spotted then said, "Snow Velvet Spider King, with your support, this new trading model for Divine-Grade Fruits could take off."

Column Spotted continued, "Regarding Divine-Grade Fruits alone, the annual transaction volume is at most two or three types, totaling perhaps four to eight fruits. The quantity isn't large. If production from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres is mixed and distributed among various tribes on the continent, and strict confidentiality is maintained, it won't attract attention."

Red Peach added, "Thanks to the Origin Force Honey and Bee King Honey trades, Lord White Ivy has also built a resounding reputation on the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent. Gradually transitioning the business focus in this way shouldn't easily arouse suspicion."