Ant Lord in the Star Realm
Chapter 1027 - 696: Reunion
Zero Level Star Spider’s abdominal cavity, a cramped cabin space, metal four walls, the internal loose metal components rhythmically making ’clang, clang’ sounds.
Wobbling.
It gives the insects a dangerous feeling of possibly falling apart at any moment.
The inherently sharp and sensitive creatures, Rainbow Apricot and Rainbow Light, couldn’t stop their antennas and six legs from trembling.
Dragon Cypress was not very assured either.
"Poison Bean, are you using spatial system primordial energy to drive the Star Spider and crawl within the Star Network?"
"Yes—"
"This Star Spider of yours, isn’t it quite old?"
"Three thousand years older than me."
"Bought from those leaving Old Flame Spider claws?"
"There are chambers of commerce that deal in old Star Spider trades."
"There won’t be any accidents, right?"
"Dragon Cypress Ant King, rest assured. I’ve used it for two hundred years without any accidents."
The trembling Rainbow Apricot and Rainbow Light relaxed upon hearing this and calmed down.
Poison Bean continued: "However, Silvergrass’s Star Spider did have accidents, and more than once. Eighteen years ago? It just had an accident. At that time, it was carrying five insects, on the way from Twisted Blue Star to Flying Wing Star, and while running, it lost a leg, and couldn’t move anymore."
"..."
The atmosphere in the cabin froze.
Rainbow Light asked: "No danger, right?"
"No danger."
Poison Bean said carelessly, "Isn’t Silvergrass lively and jumping? Rest assured. There is specialized insect rescue. However, the repair cost 8000 Primordial Crystals, and Silvergrass was heartbroken for several years."
Rainbow Light: "..."
Rainbow Apricot asked curiously: "Can it be repaired?"
Poison Bean: "Yes. At Flying Wing Star, the Luoli Chamber of Commerce has a special Star Spider repair base, where intelligent machinery operates very skillfully, and a damaged Star Spider goes in and comes out whole."
Rainbow Apricot: "Oh..."
Hard to understand.
But it indeed sounds impressive.
Dragon Cypress felt a stir in his heart and asked: "Carrying five insects? What business are you doing?"
Poison Bean replied: "The transactions here are too difficult. Yellow Peach and Green Peach guard their territories, White Ivy, Red Peach, and Fish Vine are roving merchants. Silvergrass and I drive Star Spiders to carry passengers, running back and forth between five Life Planets, earning some hard money."
Poison Bean explained in detail: "Many insects have familiar insects in other planets and other tribes, and they go for visits out of boredom. And some insects exchange Origin Force food across planets. The more insects, the more exchanges."
"We carry passengers, 1 Primordial Crystal per insect, can carry goods equivalent to a large Spider Silk Bag. More goods, then another. Local large-sized insects, similar in size to the Dragon Cypress Ant King, cost an extra crystal."
"A Star Spider can carry seven insects. But generally, we depart with three to five insects, making four to five, or six Primordial Crystals per trip. Running six to seven trips a day can earn thirty to forty Primordial Crystals."
That’s equivalent to three to four hundred thousand Source Stones.
With the Star Space prices rising tenfold, divide by ten, it’s still equivalent to an income of thirty to forty thousand a day.
Calculated in Source Stones from the Home Planet, the annual income exceeds ten million.
Dragon Cypress asked: "Poison Bean, is this quite a considerable income?"
"Yes! It’s technical work."
As Poison Bean spoke, his emotions suddenly grew excited, and he cried out: "Every penny of hard money earned is surrendered to White Ivy, earning less means being scolded. It’s been two hundred years, and I am still a Third Trace Realm, 1 Age Period Little Spider."
Dragon Cypress: "..."
Dragon Cypress asked puzzled: "Is it so miserable?"
Poison Bean: "It is... indeed."
Black Sophora couldn’t help asking: "What about White Ivy Spider King and Red Peach Mantis King? Don’t they earn a lot from roving merchant trading?"
"Even less—"
Poison Bean: "Each planet, divided into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, is subdivided into hexagonal regions each with a side length of 100 kilometers. Regions have a boundary and shared roads for transit. Each planet’s South 1001 District and North 1001 District have broad open commercial squares, like the one when you arrived."
"Every December, insects from all sub-regions needing to sell or acquire Origin Force food gather at the squares for trading."
"Common Origin Force food has large trading volumes, but the Insect Clan Warriors themselves can handle buying and selling. White Ivy and Red Peach, during every December, run back and forth among the five planets, buying special Origin Force food from one planet and selling it to another, earning a small difference."
Dragon Cypress asked: "What about Divine-Given Origin Force Food?"
Poison Bean: "Rare on the Home Planet, even rarer in the Star Space. Precious on the Home Planet, even more precious in the Star Space. Divine-Given Origin Force Food is already a rare and precious item on the Home Planet; it’s even more precious in the Star Space. The trading rules are similar to the Home Planet, even the barriers are heavier."
"White Ivy was formidable on the Home Planet but starting from scratch here. Those old insects that have lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years, large and small tribes, who knows them? No insect recognizes them."
"Before on the Home Planet, had good relations, stable trading exchanges with some insects, but hearing White Ivy was tricked, bearing huge debts and in decline, everyone was indifferent."
"..."
All ants were speechless.
Poison Bean sighed and said: "Recalling the past, on the Home Planet, after White Ivy officially retired, every winter gathering, so many leaders of the Great Tribes came with gifts to the Abyssal Flame Spider Ancestral Land, lining up to visit."
Poison Bean sighed again and said: "Now, us, working hard, desperately trying to earn a little Source Stone... all eaten by White Ivy! It needs to grow and evolve, to maintain an impressive facade, so no insect looks down on it."
Dragon Cypress asked: "What evolution level has White Ivy reached now?"
Poison Bean: "Nine Traces Realm, 4 Age Periods?"
Dragon Cypress asked: "And Red Peach?"
Poison Bean: "Also Third Trace Realm, 1 Age Period. Evolution level is too low, during visits to important places, Red Peach and Fish Vine can’t follow along, it would lower White Ivy’s standard."
Dragon Cypress: "..."
Dragon Cypress asked: "What about the insects from the Southern Hemisphere, Wave Tree Bay Alliance? I advised them to take care of White Ivy’s business."