Astral Gods

Chapter 116 The Lord's Ambitions

Chapter 116 The Ambition of the Hundred Lords

Yew carried a bag of divinely bestowed food into the nest, lay down in the nest lined with hay, and began to count the divinely bestowed food it was carrying in its paws.

On the Thousand Star Islands, it purchased God-given Force food primarily to enhance its stamina and combat abilities.

The main focus is on enhancing endurance, strengthening the armor's defensive capabilities, and improving the sharpness of the Zerg warriors' mouthparts and attack points.

At the same time, as an advanced Zerg warrior, its body expands significantly with each age advancement, making Force food that strengthens its shell essential.

The Thousand Star Islands have a very special divinely bestowed food called Shell Inflator, which is a mutated variety of pea called Shell Bean.

Armored beans are very expensive, and divinely bestowed armored beans are even more so. If sold by the piece, a single mountain lord-grade divinely bestowed armored bean can fetch 200 raw stones.

Sold by the kilogram, one kilogram could fetch 20 Originium, making it arguably the most premium divine-given Originium food in the Astral Plane. Even at such an exorbitant price, Yew bought a large quantity.

For most Zerg warriors, molting is an extremely dangerous hurdle, especially for the Rhinoceros Beetle warriors who pride themselves on their powerful carapaces.

Their basic size is much larger than other Zerg warriors, so during their growth, their carapace expands even more than that of other Zerg warriors.

Other Zerg warriors, after advancing to the Mountain Lord level, are only about 3 meters long, while the Rhinoceros Tortoise warriors, after advancing to the Mountain Lord level, can reach five or six meters in length, which greatly increases their risk of molting.

Many warriors of the Rhinoceros Tortoise tribe failed to advance from Advanced Warrior to Mountain Lord level. If they could consume more of this Force-infused food, the Rhinoceros Tortoise's shell could expand to its maximum size during evolution. At the Mountain Lord level, the expansion at one time would actually be much smaller.

Zishan bought fifty God-given Armor Beans at once, ate some during her time in the Thousand Star Islands, and now has 10 left.

Not only does it need this good stuff, but purple locust and purple artemisia also need to eat more of it.

If possible, it would even try to obtain a few seeds of the armored bean to cultivate as its life-sustaining seed. After the fruit is produced, it would share some with the other rhinoceros beetle warriors of the tribe.

It also noted that the Force food, the shell bean, was a perfect match for the gem pomegranate, one causing the shell to expand and grow to a gigantic size, and the other causing the shell to crystallize.

Furthermore, if the Water Cloud Persimmon, which strengthens the shell's toughness, can also nurture divine seeds, it will definitely minimize the probability of the Rhinoceros Tortoise Warriors failing to evolve.

It stuffed various kinds of God-given food into its mouth, and occasionally ate some fruit to replenish its strength. The rich energy permeated the nest, and drowsiness spread with it.

After a while, it finished all the food given to it by the gods and then fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, with the arrival of October, the Flame Spider Merchants' ships set sail from Thousand Trees Continent to Elephant Banana Island, as was their custom every year.

There were many merchant ships, numbering over a hundred. However, most of them did not stop at Xiangjiao Island. They would simply pass by, stop briefly to replenish their supplies, and then head straight for the Thousand Star Islands.

Only one merchant ship actually entered the trading area of ​​Xiangjiao Island, and the Flame Spider merchants on board were not from the same caravan, but rather a group of dozens of caravans.

They traveled together, starting from the north of Xiangjiao Island, seeking their respective partners to trade with. From the north to the south of the island, each caravan had its own trading partners.

The Hundred Tribes Caravan belonged to the Golden Sunflower Spider King and was its junior. Normally, it was an independent merchant, but when it went to the Thousand Star Islands, it was not allowed to enter the large tribes to trade because it was not of sufficient importance, so it traveled with the Golden Sunflower Spider King.

The Rhinoceros Tortoise Tribe of Banana Island is one of the major clients of the Hundred Tribes Caravan, especially after learning that they possess the superior-grade Cherry Blessed Seed. This client has become particularly important.

On the Golden Sunflower merchant ship, Bai Bu found his elder, the Golden Sunflower Spider King: "Golden Sunflower Spider King, I am going to Elephant Banana Island."

"Hmm!" The Golden Sunflower Spider King is a giant spider with an earthy yellow exterior and a body size of five meters.

The Hundred Tribes Lord said, "I have some insect-related connections on Xiangjiao Island. Of the seventeen tribes on the island that have insect kings, two of them have traded with me."

The Rhinoceros Tortoise tribe had the largest transactions, but it was also the Rhinoceros Tortoise tribe that always caused me trouble.

They keep asking me to send them seeds of top-quality plants, which is a bit of a hassle.

The Golden Sunflower Spider King wasn't surprised. After a moment's thought, it remembered the Rhinoceros Tortoise tribe, which had traded with the Hundred Tribes Caravan: "You mentioned before that their tribe has three Insectoid warriors whose Force can be fused together, right?"

"It's this tribe. They've been very active in recent years. A few years ago, they even built a hydroelectric power station for them."

The Golden Sunflower Spider King calmly said, "All creatures are driven by profit. We Flame Spider Merchants possess many divinely bestowed seeds, as well as many top-tier tree species."

The reason why our trade routes are so extensive and that no insectoid tribe can refuse our entry is because we rely on these two assets to roam the continent.

Since they want them, giving them a few more is perfectly reasonable.

The Hundred Tribes Lord was somewhat conflicted: "But they have always wanted the seeds of the male Green Soul Kiwi Tree, as you know, it is a super tree species that is strictly controlled by the tribe."

I am not qualified to use it, nor would I dare to. Otherwise, if something were to go wrong, the Hundred Caravans would not be able to bear the consequences.

"The seeds of a male kiwifruit plant?" Upon hearing the words of the Lord of a Hundred Divisions, the Golden Sunflower Spider King's expression also became solemn.

The Green Soul Kiwi is dioecious and is one of the top tree species in their Flame Spider Kingdom, with no more than 10 species comparable to it.

It is no exaggeration to say that if this tree species were to be lost, the cost would be far greater than the loss of a divinely bestowed seed.

The Golden Spider King hesitated for a moment: "Can't I refuse?"

Lord of a Hundred Tribes: "They've asked me for it many times already, so it's probably not easy to refuse."

I'm afraid that if I refuse them here, they will find another caravan to cooperate with and obtain the male seeds of the Green Soul Kiwi from other caravans.

In the past, it wouldn't have been so bad. Even if other caravans entered the trading circle of the Rhinoceros Tortoise Tribe, they wouldn't be able to trade much valuable Force food.

But now that their tribe has produced a super-grade divinely bestowed seed, I'm truly afraid that other caravans will be tempted and trade their male Green Soul Kiwi seeds to them.

"My concerns go beyond that. If other caravans enter the trading circle of the Rhinoceros Tortoise Tribe, that's fine too, since the meat will eventually end up in the same pot anyway."

My concern is that if this strains our relationship, they might stop selling the Super Grade Divine Seeds to us Flame Spider Merchants, or even sell them directly to the Thousand Star Islands. That would be a huge loss for us.”

"A supreme divinely bestowed seed?" Upon hearing this, the Golden Sunflower Spider King's expression shifted.

The Lord of a Hundred Tribes took out the sample of the divinely bestowed red cherry given to him by the Green Bamboo Armor King and handed it to the Golden Sunflower Spider King, explaining, "The little warrior who nurtured the super-grade divinely bestowed seed has only just advanced to the advanced stage this year. Last year, it produced several samples, which were of very high quality, but the grade was too low. I was afraid the news would leak, so I didn't tell anyone."

The Golden Sunflower Spider King took the cherry pit given by the gods and examined it. It had already peeled out the cherry flesh and dried the pit.

Based on the Golden Sunflower Spider King's hundreds of years of business experience, he could sense the rich primal energy within the fruit kernel.

Its eight eyes shone brightly: "This divinely bestowed cherry pit is brimming with primal energy."

"Yes," said the Lord of a Hundred Tribes, "the ratio of primordial energy in these divinely bestowed cherries is 1:7.3. It is precisely because they are of such high quality that I wish to acquire the right to trade them."

Hearing the Hundred Lords say this, the Golden Sunflower Spider King roughly understood its meaning: "You want me to bring the male seed with you on this trip?"

The Hundred Lords were overjoyed: "If you're willing to make the trip, that would be the best outcome."

All that buildup was for this very purpose!

The Golden Sunflower Spider King pondered carefully: "The right to trade a Super Grade Divine Gift Seed is indeed worth the trip. I remember you said that the fruit produced by that Super Grade Divine Gift Seed has a very high energy ratio."

Upon hearing that the Golden Sunflower Spider King had agreed to go, the Hundred Lords were overjoyed. It replied, "The cherries produced by that Super Grade Red Heart Cherry Blossom God-given Seed are indeed of very high quality. In the mid-stage, the ratio reached 1:7.3. In the advanced stage, the quality will definitely be even better."

"A 1:7.3 energy ratio in the mid-stage? How can it be so high?" The Golden Sunflower Spider King was very puzzled.

"Isn't a higher energy-to-energy ratio always better?"

The Golden Spider King explained: "The higher the energy ratio, the better. But under normal circumstances, even some super-grade divine-given seeds can be considered super-grade if the energy ratio reaches 1:4 in the mid-stage. The divine-given cherry is almost double that."

Even the supreme-grade divine-given seeds that I know of bear king-level fruits only have an energy ratio of 1:6 within their fruits.

"Approximately 1:7."

Then, the Golden Spider changed the subject and asked, "Bai Bu, do you know the difference between an ordinary divine-given seed and a divine-grade divine-given seed?"

The Lord of a Hundred Tribes said in a deep voice, "Of course I know that. A divine-grade divine-given seed is a superior seed of an ordinary divine-given seed. An ordinary divine-given seed has a chance to become a divine-grade divine-given seed after one or more mutations."

"That's right. These things are taught within the Flame Spider Kingdom, and you can understand them at an advanced level. But you haven't yet explained their essential changes."

"In essence, divine-grade divine-given seeds are superior varieties of ordinary divine-given seeds. The difference between them is that ordinary divine-given seeds have a relatively low primal energy. Even at the king level, the primal energy ratio of the top-grade divine-given seeds is only 1:5, while the primal energy ratio in the fruits of divine-grade divine-given seeds far exceeds this limit."

The Golden Sunflower Spider King held a divinely bestowed cherry in its claws and said, "Taking the red cherry seed as an example, the cherry seed's function is to comprehensively enhance the metal element."

After a Zerg warrior advances to the Mountain Lord level, if it consumes ordinary cherry berries, the probability of it awakening metallic abilities during its early advancement period will be very low due to the insufficient primal energy properties in the cherry berries.

However, if it consumes the divinely bestowed cherry, the probability of awakening metal-type abilities increases two to three times, which is one of the reasons why all Zerg warriors seek out divinely bestowed Force food.

"On the other hand, the original energy properties of fruits like Super Grade Divine Gift Cherry Seeds are six or seven times greater than those of ordinary cherry seeds. If you consume enough of them, the probability of awakening metal properties can increase by six or seven times."

The same principle applies to divine-grade, divinely bestowed seeds. Most divine-grade fruits awaken an ability or talent after consumption. This is because they maximize the original energy properties of the fruit and concentrate them into one point.

In terms of quality, the fruits produced by Divine-grade Divine-given seeds are much better than those produced by Super-grade Divine-given seeds. After all, the difference between fixed awakening abilities and probability-based awakening abilities is self-evident.

However, divine fruits have a drawback: most divine fruits can only be eaten once, and eating more will have no effect. But fruits produced by super-grade divinely bestowed seeds do not have this limitation.

If you consume all your resources at this age, you have a six- to seven-fold higher chance of awakening abilities than other Zerg warriors. When you advance to the next age, you can consume resources again.

Of course, if there is only one type of super-grade divine-given primal force food, it can only occupy a small portion of the primal force food needed for consumption, and the awakening rate will definitely not be that high.

However, the yield of divine-grade fruits is also low, far less than that of super-grade divine-given seeds. In this respect, the difference between the two can offset each other.

Overall, the value that a superior-grade divine-given seed can bring us is no less than that of a divine-grade divine-given seed.

The lord of a hundred tribes said sincerely, "I have learned a lot."

Although it has some knowledge of divine-grade and super-grade divine-given seeds, it is far less clear than the Golden Sunflower Spider King's understanding.

"Actually, for you, the right to trade super-grade divine-given food is even more important than the right to trade divine-grade fruit."

"Your caravan has been traveling for a century, and its time and foundation are not bad. The only thing it lacks is a mainstay product. Although divine fruits are precious, their quantity is limited. It's fine for the kingdom to consume divine fruits themselves, but if you want to obtain the right to trade, you must have fruits of the same level to trade."

As for the divine fruits of other tribes, given their already scarce quantity, it's practically impossible for them to share trading rights with you.

Even if it exists, it would probably be only one every few decades or even a hundred years.

"Relatively speaking, there is a greater quantity of Super Grade Divine Power Food, and the Rhinoceros Tortoise tribe is relatively poor. You also have a good foundation of friendship with them, so you can trade for as much Super Grade Divine Power Food as possible."

Using top-grade divinely bestowed food as a springboard, entering those strictly managed large tribes will not be a problem. As long as you can open up more trade routes, your future advancement to the King level is not without hope.

, 7

"I've learned something." In fact, the Lord of a Hundred Tribes thought so too.

Then the Hundred Tribes Lord cautiously inquired: "The Rhinoceros Golden Turtle Tribe has quite a few plans. Some of their warriors will wait until this time to break through their age, and then wait for me to send them the top-grade tree seeds to nurture into life seeds."

I promised them that I would provide them with at least three top-quality tree species each year as their life-sustaining seed. Did you bring any male Qinghun kiwifruit seeds? Are you planning to go this year or next year?

After a moment of contemplation, the Golden Sunflower Spider King said, "I have some business dealings with the Coastal Water Flea Tribe. Once I've completed a few important transactions, I'll have Longkui oversee things in my place, and then you and I will head to the Rhinoceros Golden Turtle Tribe."

The seeds of the male Qinghun kiwifruit plant are carried with him, mainly as gifts to trading partners in large tribes to help them with pest control.

"Good!" Upon hearing that Lord Longkui would be in charge of the Golden Sunflower Caravan, a hint of envy flashed in the eyes of the Hundred Lords.

The Golden Sunflower Spider King has been traveling the continent for hundreds of years and has more than 100 descendants. Not to mention those descendants below the level of Mountain Lord, there are 48 descendants at the level of Mountain Lord and 17 descendants at the level of Lord.

The Golden Sunflower Spider King is already quite old. In the next hundred years or so, it will either enter its aging period or condense many divine runes, advance to the ninth stage, and leave the Star Realm.

Regardless of which of these two options is chosen, the Golden Sunflower Spider King will relinquish its trading rights among the various tribes of the Thousand Trees Continent and transfer them to its descendants.

And its offspring will also receive the "legacy" allocated by the Golden Sunflower Spider King based on their different achievements.

Among them, the lord-level warriors have a higher probability of obtaining most of the inheritance.

Of course, there are differences between lords.

After the Golden Sunflower Spider King retires, most of the Mountain Lord and Lord-level juniors are already quite fortunate to be able to obtain some trading rights to divinely bestowed primal force food from its claws.

The truly valuable legacies, such as the right to trade with major tribes, relationships with tribal leaders, and the even more precious right to trade divine fruits, will be passed down to the few younger ones it values ​​most.

Lord Longkui, who can replace the Golden Sunflower Spider King in overseeing the caravan, and Lord Huangjiang, who can travel to the Thousand Star Islands to trade in the name of the Golden Sunflower Caravan, are both potential candidates to succeed the Golden Sunflower Spider King.

The Golden Sunflower Spider King is also an insect with dreams. Its goal is to transform the Golden Sunflower Caravan into a super caravan that can be passed down from generation to generation, just like the Hundred Flowers Caravan.

In this way, even if they leave the Astral Plane in the future, there will be a continuous stream of younger generations following them to provide assistance.

Although its caravan of a hundred chariots is somewhat famous, it is not comparable in size to the Golden Sunflower Caravan. With its current achievements, it is not even among the top five of the Golden Sunflower Spider King's many juniors, and the legacy it can inherit in the future is extremely limited.

However, if it could obtain the trading rights to one or two kinds of super-grade divine-given primal force foods or divine-grade fruits, and expand the size and profits of its own caravan by three or four times, it might be possible to gain some real benefits from the Golden Sunflower Spider King's claws.

With this in mind, its desire to acquire the trading rights to the Super Grade Divine Gift Cherries became even more urgent.

"Golden Spider King, I'll go make the trade now."

"6

"Go ahead, I'll be there when the time comes."

Having received the Golden Sunflower Spider King's reply, the Hundred Lords turned and left, instructing the Flame Spider Warriors under their command to prepare the goods for the trade and to accompany the ship bound for Xiangjiao Island to conduct the transaction.

As for the Golden Spider King, it has its own journey. As long as you agree to go, it will arrive naturally when the time comes. There is no need to arrange its itinerary.