Dawn Spider

Leaving the cliff square,

Lord Mukui led the way, crossing mountains and leaving the territory of the Coast Tiger Armor Tribe.

"Jin, those Flame Spider Warriors trust you completely."

"Yes. In case of danger, even a lord-level warrior might not be able to escape, but I certainly can."

"What kind of amazing ability do you have? Can you show me?"

"Of course!"

Jin agreed, his figure vanished on the spot, and the next moment, he appeared on the mountain road two hundred meters away, having crossed space.

"Oh!"

"That's the power!"

Lord Mukui was shocked, then realized, and said, "The dangerous aura I sensed from you originated from this power! This isn't lightning or water power, it's a mutated ability?"

"That's right!"

Jin said, "I have awakened three talents. This is the third mutated talent, a power and ability related to space. When I encounter danger, I can instantly move to a distance of four or five kilometers away, leaving no trace and becoming untraceable."

"awesome!"

"That's really impressive!"

"Unthinkable!"

"A bug has actually awakened three talents!"

"Unheard of! Unbelievable!"

Lord Mukui was full of amazement.

Jin waved his claws and called out, "Lord Mukui, it's over two thousand kilometers, let's run!"

"it is good!"

Lord Mukui led the way, and we set off at full speed.

...

Threatened by ferocious beasts, the Zerg warriors live in highly concentrated groups.

They passed through dozens of settlements along the way, and Lord Wood Palm gave them a general overview. It recognized many of the insects there, but time was short, so it wasn't in a hurry to visit them.

Hiding during the day and moving at night,

Three days later, we entered a mountainous rainforest with rolling hills and crisscrossing rivers.

"That mountain is called 'Red Camellia Mountain,' and it is inhabited by two stag beetle warriors and one red-tipped pinkwing butterfly warrior. The three Zerg warriors live together in a patchwork."

"That mountain is called 'Xiangyuan Mountain'. Narrow-winged longhorn beetles and rainbow longhorn beetles live together. There are many of them, and there are fourteen warriors."

"The Narrow-winged Longhorn Beetle is very skilled in combat. Lord Fragrant Flower underwent ten years of combat training in Black Mountain and passed the test of the Wise Cypress King. He is one of the reserve members of the Hunter Alliance. He is the most capable warrior in our area. In order to deal with the Thunder Beast attack, our insect tribe selected the best warriors and organized a 'Hunter' team. Lord Fragrant Flower is the commander-in-chief."

"The Fragrant Flower Lord possesses a Fragrant Flower Tree, a divinely bestowed seed, and is also one of the wealthiest warriors..."

Lord Mukui slowed his pace, explaining the situation as he walked, and inquired:
"Jin, do you still have plenty of time? Would you like to go up the mountain? I can introduce you to the warriors of the Narrow-winged Longhorn Beetle and Rainbow Longhorn Beetle tribes?"

"Alright! Since we're here and there's no rush, let's get to know each other. There will be many more opportunities to meet and interact in the future."

"Then let's take that fork in the road..."

...

The settlements have no names; different Zerg warriors occupy the hilltops, each acting independently.

The early Zerg tribes were located in the center.

Later soldiers could only occupy the outer hilltops.

For example, Lord Mukui was born in the wild jungle 160 years ago, discovered by other Zerg warriors, and migrated to Tongmu Mountain to settle down. Later, another Moss Stick Insect warrior was discovered in the wild jungle, and two more Moss Stick Insect warriors were born in the territory, which in turn formed a miniature tribe consisting of four Moss Stick Insect warriors.

Tongmu Mountain is located on the southeastern edge of the settlement.

We walked and stopped frequently, visiting several mountain peaks along the way, and finally arrived at Tongmu Mountain.

"Black nightshade! Cypress!"

"Ficus microcarpa!"

Lord Mukui shouted with a powerful mental force.

"Lord Mukui!"

A spiritual response came from the deep forest on the mountainside.

"Lord Mukui!"

The response came from the southern forest.

Soon, two large and one small moss stick insect warriors arrived running, their eyes fixed on Jin, filled with doubt and curiosity.

"Lord Mukui, who is this...?"

"Is this a Flame Spider Warrior?"

"Shouldn't Flame Spider Warriors be brownish-yellow in color? And shouldn't they have fire elemental talents?"

"This is Jin, the Mountain Lord, a mutated Flame Spider warrior from the Flame Spider Kingdom of the Northern Twin Islands. He awakened his lightning talent when he was a high-level warrior, and he awakened his water talent when he broke through to the Mountain Lord level."

"The mountain lord Jin is amazing... all the granular fertilizer we bought is from him!"

"gold!"

"Mountain Lord Jin!"

"Greetings, Lord Jin!"

Lord Wood Sunflower shook its tentacles and pointed, introducing, "This is Dragon Sunflower, this is Cypress, this is Ficus..."

We greeted each other upon meeting and went up the mountain together.

Jin Xiantan asked, "Lord Mukui, do you mainly deal in akebia, banyan, and cypress trees?"

"Yes."

"From what I've observed, almost every mountain has cypress trees to some extent, and on average, at least one out of every ten soldiers is named after a cypress tree. Is this a unique custom here?"

"Custom? You could say that. In many places in the Northeast, the Zhiji cypress is being cultivated on a large scale. Through selection, hybridization and other methods, people are trying to cultivate new cypress varieties with the same or similar strengthening effects as the Zhiji cypress."

"The reason is quite simple: it's to defend against ferocious beasts."

"On our side, all warriors, starting from the advanced level, begin using Wisdom Berries. Those with slightly better conditions will try to use Divine Wisdom Berries on their junior warriors. Once the enhancement reaches a certain level, the Thunder Beast's lightning attacks will no longer be fatal, unable to cause serious damage, and they may even become immune."

"Actually, the Thunder Beasts are not weak, but due to the existence of the top-tier plant species, the Zhibai, their threat has been minimized."

Lord Wood Palms raised his paw and pointed at the cypress, saying, "We Moss Stick Insect Warriors are not good at fighting, but when it comes to cultivating plants, there are probably few races that are better than us."

"About eighty years ago, based on the Wisdom Cypress, I successfully cultivated a completely new cypress quality, named 'Spotted Cypress.' Unfortunately, its enhancement effect wasn't as good as Insect Intent, making it just an ordinary water-type variant." "The Spotted Cypress then cultivated a completely new banyan tree variety, named 'Wooden Banyan.' It even gained the approval of the True God of Nature, who bestowed upon it a divinely granted Wooden Banyan seed for the newly born little warriors..."

Lord Mukui swung his tentacles backward and pointed to Mu Rong, the high-ranking junior warrior walking at the very back.

"Oh……"

Jin was speechless.

Banyan trees are popular everywhere.

There are several Zerg warriors on Ivory Island named 'Banyan'.

Jin Xin had an idea and suggested, "Lord Mu Kui, would it be convenient for me to take a look at your Banyan Tree's Divine Gift Seed?"

"Of course!"

Lord Mukui said, "Since we planted them in the southern part of the mountain, we have to turn back and go down the mountain..."

"This way, this way."

The banyan tree waved its tentacles, leading the way.

...

Shannan,

Deep in the jungle,

A short, sturdy banyan tree, fifty meters tall and with a trunk five or six meters thick.

It was a rare, divinely bestowed seed that remained emotionally stable. When Jin approached the tree, it showed no reaction whatsoever.

The main trunk and thick branches are covered with bluish-green moss, not ordinary moss, but with roots that penetrate deep into the bark, forming a remarkable symbiotic relationship with the banyan tree and aiding in the absorption of primal energy. It should also be able to absorb moisture, nitrogen, and carbon from the air, helping to synthesize nutrients and return them to its host.

The bryophyte stick insect's innate ability: 'epidermal growth'.

—Amazing ability!

Jin secretly praised it, and his mental energy was redirected to sweep into the ground.

The underground roots extend into dense, white, filamentous mycelium, which, upon close inspection, is indeed helping the plant absorb energy, water, and soil nutrients.

The root system of the Ficus microcarpa tree extends to the same extent as the tree crown, with a radius of about 30 meters. The symbiotic mycelium extends outward by nearly 10 meters, greatly increasing the absorption range.

Lord Mukui's self-comprehensible ability: 'Symbiotic Fungus'.

Lord Mukui commanded Banbai and Murong to carry wooden buckets to a nearby ditch to fetch water and return.

Mix a small amount of 311 granular fertilizer and water it 30 meters away from the trunk, in an area not covered by the roots of the banyan tree.

The extending mycelium rapidly absorbs these essential nutrients and transports them to the roots. This emanates a joyful spiritual energy from the divinely bestowed seed of the Ficus microcarpa.

Continue to observe,

These symbiotic mycelia will also grow rapidly, emerging from the ground and absorbing all the granular fertilizer nutrients on the soil surface without wasting a single bit.

It has some strange abilities, but without a doubt, it's a very useful one.

The complementary abilities of epiphytic mosses and symbiotic fungi can theoretically lead to accelerated growth, improved evolution, and even increased yield.

"The granular fertilizer is the harvest from the gold's excavation site. All the granular fertilizer sold on the continent comes from the gold's claws."

"Mu Rong, here are two large bags of granular fertilizer, all given to you by Jin. Keep them safe and make sure they are kept dry. In the future, when Mu Rong's Divine Gift Seed evolves to the Mountain Lord level, you can use it."

Sent?

Two big bags!
"Thank you, Lord Jin!"

Mu Rong expressed her gratitude happily.

Jin said calmly, "This is the payment I made to Lord Mukui. You don't need to be so polite."

Lord Mukui said, "Previously, granular fertilizer was sold by the Flame Spider Warriors of the Flame Spider Kingdom at the trading port. Now, Jin is preparing to sell it himself on the Zhibai Continent, and also plans to conduct some other transactions there. He needs a guide familiar with the environment, and I'm perfect for that. From now on, I'll accompany Jin on these transactions..."

Lord Mukui gave a brief explanation of the situation.

Upon hearing the salary of 12 raw stones per year, the three moss stick insect warriors, two large and one small, exclaimed with joy and surprise once again.

Jin waited patiently, and after they finished speaking, he asked, "Lord Mukui, when you go out to work, it's Longkui, Banbai, and Murong who stay behind to guard the territory, right?"

Lord Mukui replied, "Yes."

Jin asked, "Is the territory safe? Are there any problems?"

"no problem."

Lord Wood Sunflower replied, "Ferocious beasts will not attack plants of the Force. Although we moss stick insects are not good at fighting, we are good at hiding. If we do encounter a ferocious beast, we can just hide under the cover of the jungle."

"That's good……"

Jin pondered for a moment and said, "If it's convenient, Lord Mukui, you can officially join the company this year. We'll first follow the merchant ships, travel along the coast, and trade. After that, you'll come with me to the Northern Twin Islands. My territory has many divinely bestowed seeds, so please help bless the epiphytic mosses and symbiotic fungi."

"The salary will be calculated as I said, 12 per year, with settlement based on divine resources."

Lord Mukui agreed without hesitation: "No problem!"

Jin asked, "Does it take time to activate the abilities of epiphytic moss and symbiotic bacteria?"

Lord Mukui said, "It mainly depends on whether the Force Plant is a divinely bestowed seed or an ordinary life seed, as well as its evolution level and elemental attributes."

"God-given seeds are slow, while ordinary life seeds are fast. The higher the evolution level, the longer it takes. Wood-type primal force plants are the fastest, followed by life-type and strength-type plants, and then the other six of the seven elemental types."

Jin said, "Our trading team only gets one month of rest each year when they return to the Northern Twin Islands. I don't know if that's enough. If not, then, Lord Mukui, you might have to stay on the Northern Twin Islands for a year next year. Is that alright?"

Lord Mukui said, "That's fine too!"

"That's good!"

Jin said, "Let's discuss this first, and also inform your three clansmen in advance."

"Row!"

Lord Mukui readily agreed.

Jin took the initiative to say, "Lord Mukui, we have limited time on this trip. Please lead the way and take me to visit a few more mountains so I can get to know the insects here."

"it is good!"

Lord Mukui instructed, "Banbai and Murong, you stay here to guard the territory. Longkui, let's accompany Jin and wander around."

...

Led by Mu Kui and Long Kui, they spent two days visiting all the small tribes in the settlement that had more than 10 insect inhabitants and were beginning to establish themselves.

The most powerful among them is the Blacktail Claw Clan, with over fifty members and a relatively young Insect King. They have already formed a medium-sized clan that can stably pass on its lineage, and given time, they will most likely develop into a medium-to-large clan.

After the visit,
Lord Jin and Lord Mukui hastily set off, rushing back to Binyu Port. (End of Chapter)