The Ant Clan and Bee Clan are ferocious.
The Flame Spider clan must be led by a Spider King and have members of at least Mountain Lord Level to ensure safety during their trade journey into the Ten Thousand Nations Continent.
Melde followed Spider King Spurge into the Ten Thousand Nations Continent every two years.
Dragon Cypress, following Melde, got to know Spider King Spurge as well.
Dragon Cypress gave his Spider Silk Bag to Ink Orchid, planning to "borrow one" from Spider King Spurge.
「...」
Before dawn, Dragon Cypress got up early and arranged the affairs of his territory. He then flew over the mountain range and came to the cave where Ink Orchid lived, calling her to set off.
It wasn't until evening that they finally entered the Ten Thousand Nations Continent.
Standing on the hillside, Dragon Cypress looked down to see a large number of Flame Spider Caravans gathering on the plain below.
"Dragon Cypress, how is it?"
"Dragon Cypress, will they hurt us?"
Looking at the groups of huge reddish-brown spiders below, Ink Orchid suddenly felt a bit scared.
Dragon Cypress consoled her, "The Flame Spider Caravan won't actively harm other Insect Clans. Don't be afraid, Ink Orchid."
Dragon Cypress said, "The path walked by Spider King Spurge is quite long, so it probably hasn't arrived yet."
Dragon Cypress shook his tentacles and called out, "Ink Orchid, are you tired from flying all day? Let's rest for tonight, and we'll look again tomorrow morning."
"Okay!"
Ink Orchid followed Dragon Cypress back through the tunnel and took refuge inside Starship to rest for the night.
The next day at dawn, Dragon Cypress stood on the hilltop early, looking out from his high vantage point.
Ink Orchid, a bit braver, hid under a thicket of thorns at the hilltop, watching the activity below.
Several caravans arrived one after another, finding spots to settle in, but Spider King Spurge was nowhere to be seen.
Caravans tended to travel at night.
By noon, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid retreated inside Starship. It was not until the next morning that they climbed back to the hilltop to continue their watch.
Even by midday, there was still no sign of Spider King Spurge.
They waited four days in a row.
Finally, on the fifth day, in the late morning, a familiar silhouette came into view.
Spider King Spurge led the team, followed by 8 Mountain Lord Level Flame Spiders, and at the rear were 3 Lord-Level Flame Spiders.
"They've arrived!"
Dragon Cypress called out a warning, waving his tentacles and lifting his forelegs to point the way.
"Oh—"
Ink Orchid stood up to look out and asked, "Dragon Cypress, are you going over there by yourself?"
If you're too scared to go, just say it.
Dragon Cypress replied, "Not in a hurry..."
After Spider King Spurge led the team onto the assembly ground, it spat out an oversized seed. The seed took root upon landing, sprouted, and under the sunlight, rapidly grew into a more than ten-meter-tall Zeqi Grass with speed visible to the naked eye.
Flame Spiders are different from other Insect Clans. They nurture only one Life Seed in their lifetime. After repeated cultivation in the Life Pouch, this seed gains the ability to switch freely between plant and seed forms.
The Life Seed of Flame Spiders does not bloom or bear seeds. For them, the Life Seed is merely a tool for drawing Origin Force to replenish themselves and a symbol of identity.
The symbol of Spider King Spurge is the super-sized Zeqi Grass.
The other Flame Spiders in the caravan each spat out their Life Seed. They formed a circle around Spider King Spurge as the center, quickly growing and setting roots to form a circular trading ground.
Within the circle lay the trading ground of the caravan led by Spider King Spurge.
Gradually, Flame Spiders from other caravans came forward to communicate.
At the same time, a Lord-Level Flame Spider and 5 Mountain Lord Level Flame Spiders from the Zeqi Caravan also began to move, heading to the trading circles of other Flame Spider caravans.
Dragon Cypress was in no hurry to descend the mountain.
The caravan had just arrived, and there was a constant stream of powerful Flame Spiders seeking Spider King Spurge for conversations and trade.
It wasn't until late afternoon that Spider King Spurge finally finished his business.
"Ink Orchid, shall we go down the hill together to pay respects to Spider King Spurge?"
"Dragon Cypress, you go ahead. I'll wait for you."
"Alright then."
The mountain-like size of the Spider Kings could indeed daunt other insects.
Without pressing further, Dragon Cypress flapped his wings and took flight down the hill.
「...」
"Spider King Spurge, do you still remember me?"
Dragon Cypress fluttered his wings, carefully landing on a leaf of the Zeqi Grass to make it easier for the other to see him.
"Oh! Of course! Dragon Cypress. That smart little guy."
Spider King Spurge had a strong impression of Dragon Cypress: the Little Ant King with exceptional memory and computational abilities, a rare male Ant King.
When following the caravan, every time a trade was made, Melde hadn't even finished calculating the accounts when this little guy was able to blurt out the precise result.
Spider King Spurge also tried hard to recommend Dragon Cypress to the various Great-Headed Ant Kings. Sadly, for some unknown reason, male Ant Kings naturally faced rejection among the Ant Clan.
"Spider King Spurge, is Mountain Lord Melde doing well?" Dragon Cypress inquired.
Waiting all these days, he also wanted to inquire about Melde's recent situation.
Spider King Spurge replied, "Melde is doing just fine."
Spider King Spurge took the initiative to speak, "Little fellow, seeing you again is such a joy. Last year, after we parted ways, Melde was sorrowful for a good while, worrying over your safety and future."
Dragon Cypress said, "I'm fine…"
Spider King Spurge asked, "Have you found a suitable territory to settle in?"
Dragon Cypress replied, "I have."
Spider King Spurge slowly lifted a forelimb, pointed towards a distant hill, and asked, "Dragon Cypress, is that Orchid Mantis Warrior your friend from Cloud Trace Continent?"
Dragon Cypress replied, "Yes. Its name is Ink Orchid, and it likes orchids. We met last winter. The Origin Force is abundant near its territory, so I moved over. We became neighbors, lived together, and helped each other out."
Spider King Spurge asked, "And what about your Life Seed Plants?"
Dragon Cypress explained, "Currently, all four Cypress Life Seeds are healthy and growing vigorously. I expect they will flower and bear seeds the year after next."
Spider King Spurge said, "That's excellent. Melde will be very pleased to hear about you."
Spider King Spurge then expressed his concern, "Dragon Cypress, you're two years old now, aren't you? Last year when we parted, you were at the fourth Age Period…"
A year had gone by, and Dragon Cypress had only progressed by one Age Period.
This growth rate was too slow.
The life span of a Primary-Level Ant King was a mere dozen or so years. After their prime, advancing and breaking through became difficult. At this rate, an early death was likely.
Dragon Cypress didn't want the news to reach Melde and cause worry, so he confidently stated, "I'm not far from the sixth Age Period. I can grow to the seventh Age Period this year!"
"Oh? If you're confident, that's good," Spider King Spurge replied, though deep down, he was not optimistic about Dragon Cypress's chances.
The higher the Age Period, the more difficult it was to evolve. With an insufficient supply of Origin Force on Cloud Trace Continent, it became even more challenging.
Dragon Cypress didn't want to dwell on this issue and shifted the topic. "Spider King Spurge, I came to you because there's a small matter… Ink Orchid and I need a Spider Silk Bag to store various items. I'll get one on credit from you and repay it with Origin Force Food when my Cypress Life Seeds flower and bear seeds."
"Oh— Haha," Spider King Spurge said. "A Spider Silk Bag isn't worth a few Source Stones. I'll give you one."
With that, the spider silk binding the bundle on its back automatically untied. RIP! A Spider Silk Bag opened, filled with empty Spider Silk Bags of various sizes, wrapped into rolls.
One of the rolls floated up by itself and landed on the Zeqi Grass below.
Spider King Spurge said, "Dragon Cypress, this is the smallest bag I carry."
The smallest bag was also 30 centimeters wide and appeared to be 60 centimeters deep.
"Thank you, Spider King Spurge!"
Dragon Cypress happily expressed his gratitude, vibrated his wings to land, and proudly lifted the bag—several times larger than himself and rolled into a cylinder—exclaiming, "It's just the right size!"
"As long as it's suitable. It'll be just right for that Mantis Warrior."
Spider King Spurge could see clearly that Dragon Cypress was getting the Spider Silk Bag for Ink Orchid.
"Thank you, Spider King Spurge."
Dragon Cypress thanked him again. Worried that Ink Orchid up on the hillside was growing impatient, he took his leave. "Spider King Spurge, please convey my regards to Melde. Ink Orchid and I have been waiting here for 5 days; we must hurry back to our territory."
"Okay… Wait!" Spider King Spurge called out to Dragon Cypress and asked, "Dragon Cypress, there haven't been any signs of Origin Force resurgence on Cloud Trace Continent, have there?"
Dragon Cypress replied, "No."
RIP!
On Spider King Spurge's back, a Spider Silk Bag that held Source Stones automatically opened. The spider silk, as adept as limbs, grabbed five Source Stones.
"It's our turn to check over there this year. In that case, I won't send Little Warriors over."
"Dragon Cypress, this is your compensation."
After Spider King Spurge finished speaking, Dragon Cypress's raised Spider Silk Bag automatically expanded. RIP! It opened up, the spider silk twining around the five Source Stones and dropping them into the bag.
Spider King Spurge asked, "Dragon Cypress, can you carry it?"
Dragon Cypress was thrilled and declared resonantly, "I can carry it!"
RIP! RIP!
On Spider King Spurge's back, 23 Spider Silk Bags filled with Origin Force Food successively opened. The numerous spider silks, like tentacles, swayed as they picked out one of each kind of Origin Force Food. They placed them into Dragon Cypress's Spider Silk Bag, and Spider King Spurge said, "Then add a portion of Origin Force Food. You can carry that, right? Flame Spider Roving Merchants don't make unprofitable trades. This is what I'm giving you on credit on behalf of Melde. You'll repay it with Cypress Seeds produced from your own territory in the future."
"Evolve sooner," Spider King Spurge admonished.