Astral Cockroach

After crossing the Qinggang Mountains, an endless plain and forest stretched ahead.

According to legend, it was originally divided into two mountains, but later, the Crimson Steadfast Lady rose to prominence, uniting them into one, collectively known as the Crimson Steadfast County.

In the plains, devoid of mountains, the Crimson Ant warriors were scattered across isolated peaks or flatlands, rich in primal energy.

Due to the scarcity of rainfall, each warrior's territory had a small reservoir for water storage, making them easily distinguishable.

The Crimson Steadfast County was home to approximately 500 Crimson Ant tribe warriors, hence the division into inner and outer perimeters.

The vast majority of warriors resided in the outer perimeter, enjoying relative freedom, able to independently manage their territories and cultivate plants they favored.

The central inner circle was named "Crimson Steadfast Tree Sea," where residing required adherence to the Crimson Steadfast Lady's constraints, only allowing them to plant and cultivate Crimson Steadfast Trees alongside her, with the Crimson Steadfast Tree often being the primary choice for lifebond.

It took Banbu and the other two ants a full day of flight to traverse the vast forest and reach the inner circle.

Ahead lay neatly cultivated Crimson Steadfast Tree groves; even insects planting ordinary plants knew to maintain plant diversity to prevent pests. Interspersed among the Crimson Steadfast Tree groves were rows of other types of plants.

Square reservoirs were regularly distributed, interconnected by waterways and irrigation ditches.

It was currently the Crimson Steadfast Fruit's ripening season, and the buzzing of tens of thousands of Crimson Ring Acid Bees busily harvesting in the forest could be heard from afar.

It could also be seen that some common Crimson Steadfast Tree groves were being felled, those were the eliminated species, and superior species would be planted next year.

The Crimson Steadfast Tree Sea had been developed into a well-managed breeding base.

Through generations of selection and elimination, as well as various hybridization experiments, step by step, superior quality Crimson Steadfast Tree species were obtained.

Mastering superior quality tree species was the foundation for driving the entire race's development and prosperity.

The Crimson Steadfast Tree was a precious arbor with enormous development potential, serving as the iconic plant of Crimson Steadfast County, and was subject to very strict supervision, especially during the Crimson Steadfast Fruit's ripening season.

Before Banbu even got close, he felt a faint mental power locking on.

Upon approaching the Crimson Steadfast Tree Sea, the mental lock immediately became clear.

A County Lord-level Crimson Ant warrior soared into the sky from the forest.

Ya Bai hurriedly said, "Great Leaf County Lord, I am Ya Bai from Iron Saber Mountain."

Besides the Crimson Steadfast Lady, Crimson Steadfast County also had four other County Lords, two of whom were named Great Leaf County Lord and Small Leaf County Lord, respectively. They did not have God-given species, resided in the Crimson Steadfast Tree Sea, and were responsible for guarding and vigilance.

Before coming, Ya Bai solemnly introduced that Great Leaf County Lord guarded the south, and his permission was required to enter the tree sea and visit the Crimson Steadfast Lady.

Great Leaf County Lord recognized Ya Bai and was very amiable. He scanned the area, his gaze fixed on Banbu, and asked, "You must be Banbu from Lizhu Peak in Jinping Mountain."

Banbu respectfully said, "Banbu greets Great Leaf County Lord."

Great Leaf County Lord nodded his antennae and looked at Great Huangguo Rong, asking, "Then you must be Great Huangguo Rong from Sheep Hoof Mountain."

Great Huangguo Rong respectfully said, "Greetings, Great Leaf County Lord."

Great Leaf County Lord nodded his antennae again and continued, "You all have God-given species. Your purpose here should be to sell your territory's produce to the Crimson Steadfast Lady, correct?"

Banbu said, "Yes."

Great Leaf County Lord said, "Follow me."

After about half an hour of flight, a solitary peak came into view.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the mountain was divided into two layers. The lower layer was actually a small mountain with a height of just over a hundred meters, with a large base and gentle slopes, but very short. The upper layer was a towering tree over a hundred meters tall. It was so tall and magnificent that its specific height was difficult to estimate!

The upper and lower parts combined made it look like a steep peak from a distance.

The Crimson Steadfast Tree God-given species had been growing for over 300 years!

Getting closer, it could also be seen that a large number of Crimson Steadfast Tree lifebond species over 50 meters in height were distributed around the solitary peak.

As a lifebond, the Crimson Steadfast Tree arbor grew extremely slowly in the early stages, taking 20 years to reach a height of about 2 meters, which was considered initial growth. Subsequently, the growth rate would accelerate somewhat and become relatively constant, averaging 0.2 to 0.3 meters per year, growing indefinitely over time.

Now was the fruit's ripening season, and a large number of Crimson Ring Acid Bees were busily harvesting in the forest. At a unified location, a large number of bee colonies were also busy peeling off the outer green skin, revealing the nut inside.

The fresh fruit was easily stored after drying in the sun.

In Crimson Steadfast County, the fruits condensed by ordinary Crimson Steadfast Tree lifebond species were of very high quality, second only to the God-given species, and were expensive and in high demand. It was said that 10 to 20 Crimson Steadfast Fruits could be sold for 1 primal stone.

Each fruit produced by the Crimson Steadfast Tree God-given species could be sold for a high price of 40 to 50 primal stones.

Every spring, dozens of merchant caravans, carrying bags of primal stones, came from all directions. The primal stones were left behind, and they carried away bags of Crimson Steadfast Fruits.

Not to mention how much wealth the Crimson Steadfast Lady, who owned the Crimson Steadfast Tree God-given species, earned each year.

Great Leaf County Lord and Small Leaf County Lord, who did not have God-given species, had Crimson Steadfast Trees as their primary lifebond species, and their growth years ranged from 100 to 300 years. Their annual income was no lower than Banbu's current income.

The other Crimson Ant warriors who followed the Crimson Steadfast Lady and lived in the Crimson Steadfast Tree Sea were mostly like this. From L7 intermediate warriors onwards, they all uniformly chose the Crimson Steadfast Tree as their lifebond. In the early stages of growth, they relied on the Crimson Steadfast Lady's funding for more than 20 years until they were promoted to Mountain Lord.

After being promoted to Mountain Lord, their own Crimson Steadfast Tree lifebond species would almost begin to bear fruit, providing a considerable income each year, which would increase year by year. Theoretically, everyone had the hope of being promoted to County Lord.

… …

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Great Leaf County Lord led Banbu and his party to land on an open space at the foot of the mountain.

Banbu immediately felt as if a pair of "eyes" were secretly spying on him. It wasn't eyes, it was the tree spirit of the Crimson Steadfast Tree God-given species on the mountain. It was probably because he had touched the boundary of its territory. The powerful will was like a substance, carrying a threatening meaning, not strong in hostility, but more of disdain.

Close up, looking up, even across a mountain, it was still difficult to estimate the specific height of the Crimson Steadfast Tree God-given species.

Some reference objects were needed.

Behind him was a tall, ordinary Crimson Steadfast Tree lifebond species, but it was not ordinary. Banbu looked at it from the web and estimated that it was about 80 meters tall! A little short, still not good.

Looking closely, the fruits of this ordinary Crimson Steadfast Tree lifebond species were ripening, but had not yet begun to be harvested. His mental power scanned back and forth twice, roughly confirming that the number of fruits should be around 15,000. Just this one lifebond species had an annual income of 1,500 primal stones.

There was also another Crimson Steadfast Tree lifebond species of similar height nearby.

Banbu silently calculated in his mind: To be promoted to County Lord, more than 36 lifebond species must be cultivated, and more than 20 Crimson Steadfast Tree lifebond species. If each one could earn 1,500 primal stones each year, the total would be 30,000 primal stones.

Of course, some lifebond species that were planted later had a shorter growth period, and the number of fruits was relatively small. Roughly estimated, it would definitely exceed 20,000 primal stones.

The surrounding natural primal energy was abundant, even more concentrated than Lizhu Peak. Operating it required no primal stone investment and was pure income.

"Ordinary County Lords without God-given species are very wealthy!"

After a moment of silent calculation, Banbu couldn't help but start thinking again: "If Crimson Steadfast County wants to become more prosperous without finding a new God-given species, then the only way is for the Crimson Steadfast Lady to be promoted to Ant Queen, and then allocate resources to help other tribesmen grow. Great Leaf County Lord and Small Leaf County Lord definitely have no hope of being promoted to Ant Queen, however, there are nearly 30 Mountain Lord-level warriors living in the Crimson Steadfast Tree Sea, so we can subsidize a few more young ones to be promoted to County Lord."

"If Crimson Steadfast County wants to decline, then it couldn't be simpler. The Crimson Steadfast Lady has lived for more than 300 years and is about to enter old age. She must be promoted to Ant Queen, but what if she fails… Once the Crimson Steadfast Lady dies…"

"This must be Banbu from Lizhu Peak in Jinping Mountain, right?"

A gentle mental power came, interrupting Banbu's thoughts.

Looking up, in a moment of absent-mindedness, he didn't pay attention to the situation in front of him. Somehow, a County Lord-level warrior appeared in front of him.

The Drooping Banyan County Lord, the Flower Gang County Lord, and the Great Leaf County Lord that Banbu had seen all converged their primal energy aura. Even when they got close, he could still feel the primal energy fluctuations.

Unlike ordinary County Lords, this one in front of him was standing three meters away, but he couldn't sense any primal energy fluctuations on his body.

Nine-ring stage County Lord!

Just one step away from being an Ant Queen.

This should be the Crimson Steadfast Lady.