Astral Cockroach

"Alright! Banbu, I'll take you to see the kind of bamboo that flowers and seeds but doesn't die," the Rat King agreed, instructing the other 6 bamboo rat warriors: "Mazhu, you take Hei Sang to see the red bamboo first, then go see the purple bamboo."

"Okay," Mazhu replied.

They exited the mine and split up.

The Rat King led Banbu alone, descending the mountain ridge and traversing the vast bamboo forest.

"Banbu, last year, you said you wanted to develop a bamboo sea. How much have you developed now?"

"Very little. I only have a black bear warrior and a senior red ant tribe warrior in my territory. They can't handle it all."

Banbu's heart stirred, and he asked, "Do you bamboo rat warriors also eat meat, besides bamboo?"

The Rat King said, "We occasionally catch a couple of bamboo pit vipers, but they don't taste good."

Banbu said, "Don't taste good? So you can eat them? Right?"

The Rat King was clever and probably understood Banbu's meaning, saying, "Besides bamboo, we can also eat some grass roots, but we mainly need to eat bamboo."

Banbu said, "Then why don't you move to Lizhu Peak this year and help me develop the bamboo sea?"

"As long as you give us Origin Force food, we'll do anything," the Rat King asked, "Banbu, aren't we looking for bamboo anymore?"

Banbu said, "There are nearly a hundred senior warriors in the Ram's Hoof Mountains, and they are currently frantically searching for bamboo species. This is very dangerous for you. Of course, we must continue to look for precious bamboo species, but we can't rush it. We'll come back after the Ram's Hoof Mountains warriors have cooled down."

"If you give us Origin Force food, we'll do whatever you say, we'll listen to you."

The Rat King was very aware of his role as a laborer, repeatedly emphasizing "Origin Force food" while also being willing to follow the employer's arrangements.

Bamboo rat warriors are naturally good at digging, so they will definitely be fast at digging ponds.

Banbu was very satisfied with the Rat King's attitude, spread his pulse wings, fanned them, and urged, "Rat King, don't waste time, start running, and I'll follow you in the air."

"Okay." The Rat King put both front paws on the ground and started running.

After half a day, they arrived at the foot of a mountain ridge.

The mountain ridge had snowy peaks and several mountain springs, which converged into two streams at the foot of the mountain.

In the bamboo forest, the two winding streams merged into one, and the water flow formed a small pool at the confluence.

The bamboo that the Rat King was talking about grew next to the pool.

The bamboo culms were deep red with a slight purple hue, and the bamboo leaves had two slender pale red stripes, with a hint of pale red on the edges of the leaves.

The bamboo culms were 0.6 to 1.2 meters tall, slightly shorter than the Seven-Colored Red Bamboo, which was about 0.9 to 1.5 meters tall. Growing by the water, not lacking water, and the soil fertility was not bad, but the growth was very poor, the bamboo culms were slender, looking weak and malnourished, and the overall state was very similar to Golden Thread Bamboo.

Judging from the comprehensive characteristics, this bamboo species is extremely similar to the Seven-Colored Red Bamboo and should be a variant produced by genetic mutation.

"Banbu, what kind of bamboo is this? Do you recognize it?" the Rat King asked, casually saying, "I've eaten it. This bamboo is particularly unpalatable and bitter. I suggest you don't plant too much."

"The bamboo culms are bitter?" Banbu said excitedly, "This is a brand new bamboo species, a variant of the Seven-Colored Red Bamboo. Let's name it Seven-Colored Bitter Bamboo!"

The Rat King asked in confusion, "Banbu, why are you so happy? What's the use of a bamboo species that is so short and the culms are so unpalatable?"

It's not that the Rat King is stupid, it doesn't have inherited memories, its knowledge is lacking, and it's difficult to understand the significance of a bamboo species that flowers and seeds every year. It doesn't understand even more how huge a fortune this bamboo species will generate in Banbu's hands.

"Of course it's useful! Rat King, you should learn to plant bamboo. You are very smart, and I will teach you some profound knowledge in the future," Banbu looked at the distant mountain peaks, pointed with his antennae, and asked:

"Rat King, have you searched on the mountain?"

"We've searched," the Rat King said, "There are still several places on the mountain where Seven-Colored Red Bamboo grows. Banbu, do you still need this small bamboo species?"

"Yes! Of course, I need it! Dig up more to take back when we leave," Banbu thought for a while and muttered, "It's still early, why not make a few more trips and dig up enough in one go!"

… …

Late at night, they returned to the mine.

When Lizhu heard that they had not only found the red bamboo and purple bamboo they were looking forward to but also discovered a brand new bamboo species that seemed to flower and seed every year, he jumped up and down with joy.

"Banbu, quickly, take me to see the Seven-Colored Bitter Bamboo you mentioned!"

Banbu was much more rational and said, "Lizhu, now, there is an important matter that we need to discuss carefully."

Lizhu asked, "What is it?"

Banbu said, "The warriors of the Ram's Hoof Mountains are also looking for bamboo species, and the Rat King and the others can't easily go out to look for bamboo species if they stay in the bamboo sea. I plan to take them back to the Jinping Mountains to help me dig ponds and develop the bamboo sea."

Lizhu agreed without even thinking, "They are good at digging, a good idea!"

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Banbu continued, "I plan to transplant more Seven-Colored Red Bamboo and Seven-Colored Bitter Bamboo. There are too few Cloud Silk Golden Bamboo on Lizhu Peak, and we urgently need to transplant a batch."

Lizhu asked, "What about the purple bamboo and red bamboo? These two bamboo species are equally precious!"

Banbu said, "Yes, both purple bamboo and red bamboo are precious and rare bamboo species, and we should also transplant more to prevent accidents."

Lizhu pondered slightly and said, "Banbu, we can't move so much at once!"

"So, we need to make a few more trips," Banbu asked, "Hulu of Iron Saber Peak is a senior warrior, and he can carry more each trip. Can you invite him to help? Developing the bamboo sea also requires a large number of Ma Bamboo, Water Bamboo, Cattail Bamboo, and Moso Bamboo rhizomes. I plan to ask you to help dig them from the bamboo sea. Lizhu, I will pay you 100 Origin Stones each as a reward, how about that?"

Lizhu said, "Of course, I have no objections. I can ask Hulu. Everyone has nothing to do in winter, so it should work out."

After careful discussion, the next day, they surveyed the bamboo species locations during the day. In the evening, Banbu and Hei Sang set off with the Rat King and the other seven bamboo rat warriors, walking along the Jin River and returning to Lizhu Peak by land.

Lizhu dug up three Seven-Colored Red Bamboo plants, flew in the air, and returned first. Then, he asked Hulu for help and together they traveled back and forth between the two mountain ranges, digging and transporting bamboo species.

In order to ensure the survival rate and quickly achieve hybrid breeding, the short Seven-Colored Red Bamboo and Seven-Colored Bitter Bamboo were dug up together with the soil, and the bamboo culms were preserved. The Cloud Silk Golden Bamboo culms were slightly taller, and half of the culms were preserved.

The purple bamboo and red bamboo culms were tall, so they could only dig up the rhizomes and underground stems.

Five days later, Banbu successfully returned with the seven bamboo rat warriors.

They immediately took action and arranged for them to dig river channels, first opening up the planned river.

Banbu stayed behind to direct the work and no longer went out, while Lizhu and Hulu were responsible for transplanting the bamboo species.

The Seven-Colored Red Bamboo and Seven-Colored Bitter Bamboo were planted next to the opened ponds.

The Cloud Silk Golden Bamboo was planted on the mountain.

In this way, they could initially start hybridization experiments next year.

The seeds of the Seven-Colored Bitter Bamboo were planned to be sown after the spring, and if the hybridization experiment was successful next year, they should be able to achieve large-scale mass production the year after that.

The red bamboo and purple bamboo were too rare, and it would probably take four or five years to develop them to a certain scale before they dared to conduct the first breeding experiment.