Astral Sand Locust

……

This year's rainy season was short, and both the sand locust and the bean were prepared for more than 80% of their cuttings and transplanted plants to be lost.

I never knew seashells could control water so well!

Force abilities can be improved in two ways: First, through repeated practice to increase proficiency; second, by using compatible Force foods to enhance them.

Beike has been managing the forest farm for more than ten years. He often uses the fog-gathering ability to irrigate at night, and in the process, he has also developed his water control skills.

The shell activated its ability and first watered the white thorn trees and various succulents that had been propagated last year on the hill where the Rain Tree Crown Pillar God-given seed had taken root.

After exhausting his energy and resting to recover, he then watered the two half-grown life-seeds, the Bean Seed and the Locust Seed.

Shahuai and Mudou were drilling near the planned "desert oasis". Mudou was in charge of digging, while Shahuai was responsible for using earth-type abilities to clear away the sand and rocks that were dug up.

The two insects worked together efficiently, and by the morning of the second day, the first irrigation well had been dug.

Take a half-day rest.

The digging continued into the night.

After five busy days, five deep wells were dug, each with a radius of 60 meters, covering the garden areas where cuttings and transplants were taken last year and the year before.

The shell completed the irrigation work in the corresponding area simultaneously and with ease, even watering the wild plants next to it.

"Sand locust, herdsman bean, is that all?"

"It's over..."

"We've just started managing the land, and this is all we've planted so far."

"So what do we do next? Sha Huai, are you going to search for the divinely given seed?"

"certainly."

"Shell, aren't you in a hurry to go back? You can come with me and collect raw stones. We can each do our own thing; you can take what you collect back to your territory for your own use. I'm strong, I can help you carry it."

"OK!"

Shell was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Mu Dou!"

The three insects traveled together to Black Mountain.

Mu Dou briefly taught Shell the technique of using mental energy to scan the sandstone layer to find the original stone, and then immediately began to practice.

Sha Huai glanced at it a few times before taking his leave.

Starting from the mountains north of the Windbell Basin, we sped between peaks, focusing our senses and scanning in zigzag patterns, moving from west to east to quickly investigate.

After a month and a half, there was no result.

Find the direction of the Green Trees Mountains and fly directly back.

Midnight,

Resting on an unnamed, desolate mountain.

My daily habit is to turn on the blue screen before bed...

[Divine Power: 1/100]

Another 1 point of divine power!

Over the past 40 days, a total of 3 points of divine power have been generated, with the first 2 points going to the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed.

The Golden Tortoise God-given Seed has accumulated enough primal force and life force to maintain its fruiting state.

This 1 point of divine power is surplus and can be allocated to other primal plants.

Sha Huai switched to the Divine Kingdom overview map, his gaze and mental energy simultaneously locking onto the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar, the divinely bestowed seed.

Shell loved this wild, divinely bestowed plant from the water system so much that it would sleep under the tree at night.

Every day before dawn, before the sun even rises, Shell wakes up early and activates its water-controlling ability to draw fresh water from the deep well at the foot of the mountain and water the God-given seed around the crown of the rain tree.

Love me, love my dog

The shells also frequently activate their water control and mist-gathering abilities to irrigate the various common succulents on and around the hills.

In the arid wasteland, water is life; with water, there is survival and development.

Over the past month and a half, the hillsides where the rain tree crown-shaped seed has taken root have received a freshwater supply comparable to that of the rainy season.

Looking down through the map on the screen,

Centered on the hill where the seed of the rain tree, a gift from God, takes root, the hillside and surrounding area are lush and green, forming a stark contrast to the dry and withered wasteland elsewhere.

"Water-type talent!"

The sand locust tree looked on with great envy.

Wait patiently until the shell falls asleep, then mobilize divine power to gather and infuse the seed bestowed by the god into the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar.

The Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar, a divinely bestowed seed, immediately entered a rapid growth mode, and soon its absorption of primal force accelerated.

Sha Huai: "..."

The seashell sleeping under the tree twitched its two tentacles, jumped up, stood still for a few seconds, and then rushed towards the bean seed.

"Calm down. Calm down. Shell, calm down first."

"Isn't it just a divine gift from the true god of nature, causing the primal force plants to grow faster? I and the sand locust tree encounter this often; it's nothing special."

Mu Dou, who was sleeping soundly under the tree, was awakened. After hearing the story, she calmly swayed her antennae, slowly stood up, took the seashell up the mountain, went back to the cave to get some raw stones, and leisurely came to the rain tree and the crown pillar tree on the hill.

The two insects lay on the tree, scraping the raw stone, white crystalline powder falling, and streams of pure primal energy rising up, which were then absorbed by the tree canopy above.

The effect is immediate.

With the addition of raw stones, the growth momentum of the Rain Tree Flower Crown Column God-given Seed is even stronger.

Working until late at night

The rate at which the Rain Tree Flower's crown-shaped seed absorbed the Force slowed down, allowing the two insects to rest.

the next morning,

Before dawn, the seashell, as usual, gets up early, uses its ability to draw water for irrigation, and retrieves raw stones to replenish its primal energy.

...

This time, thanks to the management of the Zerg warriors, the effect of 1 point of divine power is even better.

It took two days for the tree to grow from 8.5 meters to over 10 meters in height.

At this rate, with another 2 points of divine power to help it grow, the Rain Tree Flower Crown Column's divinely bestowed seed could break through and advance to the intermediate level.

Complete the process before the rainy season arrives, and bloom and bear fruit during the rainy season.

At that time, the first batch of divinely bestowed fruits produced by the wild rain tree crown column divinely bestowed seed will be of intermediate level.

...

...

During the day, Mu Dou and Beike dig for raw stones in the Black Mountain Wasteland, and Sha Huai goes directly to find them.

"Sand locust tree!"

"Shahuai, you're back!"

"Sand locust tree, I have seen the divine gift of the true God of Nature!"

"A gift from nature? You saw it?"

"Yes! I saw it! Three nights ago, I was sleeping when suddenly a divine gift descended upon the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar Divine Seed Tree..."

"A gift from God? What does it look like? Do you see it?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't see it. I was asleep at the time. But, Sha Huai, I was right next to you, I'm absolutely sure..."

Beike recounted the details of that evening to Shahuai in great detail.

The sand locust tree cooperated by constantly twitching its antennae, startling and exclaiming in surprise.

Mu Dou glanced at the two guys sideways, giving them a look that said, "You guys are really useless."

"Sand locust, what about you? Have you found the divinely given seed?"

"Obviously not."

"Follow the northern mountain range, search eastward all the way to the east coast?"

"Yes."

"So, what's next..."

"I'll come back to check on the situation, rest for two days, and then set off to continue searching westward along the Megalogorean Mountains."

"oh--"

"No rush. In such a vast wasteland, statistically speaking, there must be divinely bestowed seeds that have been born. The problem is how to find them."

"This would be incredibly difficult for other insects. But you, Sand Acacia, possess a divine remote sensing talent bestowed upon you by the true god of nature, making this extremely easy for you."

"Yes……"

Let's chat for a bit.

Sha Huai also joined them, searching for raw stones at the foot of Black Mountain.

Sha Huai used its "Earth Rhythm" ability to sense the underground and scan for clues. This claw technique was 10 times more efficient than Mu Dou and Bei Ke's mental scanning and detection when searching for raw stones.

Sha Huai was in charge of the search.

Mu Dou and Hai Bei followed behind, digging.

The combination of three insects increases efficiency tenfold.

It got dark.

The three insects pushed a full jar, containing 100 raw stones, back to their territory to rest.

daytime,

Sha Huai continued to follow Mu Dou and Beike to Black Mountain to find raw stones.

Sha Huai returned mainly to let Mu Dou and Beike know she was safe, and also to rest for two days and adjust her mindset.

Two days later,

The sand locust tree sets off again.

Starting from the mountains directly north of the Windbell Basin, sweep along a zigzag path, and search westward along the super-giant mountain range.

This time, it took 36 days to reach the western end of the Super Giant Mountain Range; beyond that lies the endless sea of ​​sand.

Still no results.

Given such a large area, statistically speaking, there should be divinely inspired seeds that have been born, and it's impossible for any to be missed.

It can only be attributed to bad luck.

The sand locust returned to its territory and launched a linear attack in all directions—east, west, south, and north—with the Green Tree Mountains as its center, sweeping and investigating in a clockwise direction with a radius of 400 kilometers.

While we were at it, we also surveyed the terrain and completed the map.

In the midst of busyness,

Another month has passed in the blink of an eye.

……

Midnight,

The sand locust tree rests under the sand locust tree.

My routine is to turn on the blue screen before going to bed.

[Divine Power: 1/100]

After a 40-day interval, I have one more bit of surplus divine power.

Switch to the overhead map to check the situation on the Rain Tree's crown column.

Just like last time, wait until the shell falls asleep before moving your claws, and use your divine power on the seed bestowed by the god of the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar.

Just like last time, the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar's divinely bestowed seed immediately entered a state of rapid growth, accelerating its absorption of the primal force.

The seashell was startled awake.

"Sand locust! Sand locust!"

"Come and see!"

"Another gift from nature!"

"The true God of Nature has bestowed a divine gift upon the seed of the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar, granting it the divine power to grow!"

"Mudou! Mudou!"

"Come and see!"

Shell was still so excited and overjoyed that she ran around telling Shahuai and Mudou the good news as soon as possible.

Then he rushed up the mountainside to live in the cave, took the raw stones from the storage warehouse, and hurriedly ran back to the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar, the tree given by the gods, to urgently replenish its original power.

Mu Dou: "..."

Sha Huai: "..."

At such an advanced age, he's still so impulsive and unsteady.

Mudou shook its antennae.

The sand locust flew up the mountain, raised its claws and picked up two raw stones, symbolically helping out as well.

Two days later,

One point of divine power exhausted.

The Rain Tree, a divinely bestowed seed, reaches a height of 12 meters.

There are still five months until the next rainy season. Naturally, it should grow to 14 meters. If it were to receive a little more divine power, the tree could reach a height of about 15 to 16 meters.

For the Rain Tree Crown Column God-given Seed, a tree height exceeding 15 meters basically meets the standard for breaking through to the intermediate level.

……

When Mu Dou was drawing the map, he named the shell's territory "Qiongshu River" and the semi-arid plain there "Bloodwood Plain".

"..."

"Sand Locust, do you remember the time? I've been in my second instar for almost 5 months now."

"I remember. It'll be 150 days in 5 days."

"So, Shell, can we set off for your Qiongshu River territory now?"

"Of course...but..."

The shell raised its paw and pointed at the Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar, a divine gift, saying with a thousand worries, "If we leave, what if the True God of Nature sends down another divine gift?"

Mu Dou, nonchalantly waving his paw, said, "No problem. It just means I won't have enough Primal Stones to replenish my Primal Force, so my growth will be a little slower."

shell:"……"

That's what Beike is worried about.

Sha Huai suggested, "From my observation, does the true God of Nature bestow divine gifts every 40 days? Let's go to the Qiongshu River territory, and Mu Dou should hurry up and complete her age evolution before rushing back. We'll have plenty of time."

—40-day interval?

The shell and the bean drooped their antennae, deep in thought.

The Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar, a divinely bestowed seed, received blessings from the true God of Nature three times.

The first time, everyone was absent.

The second and third time, the shell stayed under the tree.

"It seems there's a pattern to it..."

Shell was still a little uneasy, but reluctantly agreed, "Alright. Mu Dou's growth and evolution are the most important!"

The three insects discussed it.

Eat your fill and get some rest.

We set off early the next morning.

...

After two months of hard work, Beike collected 500 raw stones.

Sha Huai and Mu Dou helped transport a batch over.

Carrying heavy loads, they traversed wastelands, crossed mountains, traversed deserts, climbed barren hills, and traveled north along the plains. After 12 days, they finally arrived at the territory of the Qiongshu River.

Mudou began consuming large quantities of Bloodwood Seeds and Cedar Seeds, preparing to evolve into its 3rd Instar.

With nothing to do during the day, Mu Dou and Bei Ke also roamed in all directions from the Qiongshu River territory, searching for the divinely bestowed seeds.

Sha Huai acted alone, searching the Bloodwood Plains from north to south once again.

They quickly searched the entire plain.

Next, Sha Huai searched the desolate mountains to the south again.

Got nothing.

Flying close to the coastline, we tried to fly into the depths of the ocean to conduct reconnaissance, exploring the surrounding waters.

There was only water everywhere, a few desolate islands, and nothing else to be found.

...

After spending half a month eating enough energy food for evolution and adjusting his physical and mental state, Mu Dou entered the Qiong Tree Hole at an opportune time to sleep and evolve.

The sand locust tree and the seashells helped guard the base of the tree, using the Primal Stone to assist in quickly passing through the Force phase.

Just four days later,

A rustling sound came from inside the tree hollow.

The bean awakens, quickly completes its molting, and its carapace hardens...

A level 3 intermediate-level mega-mutant armored warrior!

Its body length increased from 60 cm to 70 cm, and its body width also exceeded 40 cm.

During this single evolutionary stage, the enhancement effects of the ultra-high-level divinely bestowed Bloodwood Seeds used in the process were fully realized.

The effect of Bloodwood Seed in enhancing blood vitality and indirectly improving the body's life vitality is similar to that of White Thorn Seed in enhancing life force, and they complement each other.

Mu Dou's life force was surging and strong, and in the mental scan, it was like a blazing little sun.

The shell-strengthening effect of the God-given Golden Beetle is similar to that of the Kauri, and the two complement each other.

In particular, the effect of cedar seeds in reducing the weight of the carapace is especially important for many Zerg warriors.

Mudou burst out of the tree hole, spread its elytra and membranous wings, and took flight.

It flew with all its might, circling the seashell forest, then landed, bouncing around in place, and contentedly tapping its antennae.

"Shell, the cedar seeds produced by your destiny seed are also quite effective! I've only used them once, and the shell weight has decreased significantly!"

"Of course! This is a life-giving plant that I specifically chose to address the inherent weakness of our armored warriors."

"Oh! How come I didn't think of that?"

"The Bean-raising destiny is pretty good too."

"It's alright. I think kauri is better. Locust and cedar seeds are very effective, I suggest eating more of them! This is also crucial for you! Reducing the weight of your shell and wing veins will make flying easier and more agile!"

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

Sha Huai echoed, though somewhat insincerely.

The Desert Locust Warrior's carapace is neither thick nor heavy. The weight reduction effect of the cedar seeds produced by the Kauri species is very limited, and the improvement is not very obvious.

Different insects have very different needs for different types of food.

The cedar seeds were indeed extremely effective for the two armored warriors, Mudou and Beike.

Thick carapaces are an innate advantage for many beetle warriors, giving them superior defensive capabilities from birth.

However, the heavy armor inevitably affects movement, speed, and agility, so from another perspective, this is a fatal flaw.

Modifying and optimizing the shell's texture and structure to reduce weight, mitigate the negative impact of a heavy shell, avoid flaws, and maximize advantages is the optimal choice and the very meaning of the evolution of Force-based life.

"Mudou, eat something to recover. It's still early. Once you've eaten, we'll head straight back."

The locust tree longs to return home.

My seedlings are already 3 years old, but I still can't find any divinely bestowed seeds. I'm very anxious.

"good!"

Mu Dou readily agreed, turned slightly to look at Beike, and asked, "Beike, is there nothing to do in your territory? Would you like to come along?"

Shell hesitated for a second, then decisively agreed, "Okay!"