193: Unique

Ye Tian quickly discussed the general plan with the construction manager.

Ye Tian wandered over to the edge of the landfill.

After standing there for a while, seeing no machinery operators coming to report any situation, he felt relieved.

It seemed that the night visibility and the rain had indeed prevented them from noticing the expansion of the tunnel.

If that was the case, he could let the Termites move house more often at night when he was feeling energetic.

With that in mind, Ye Tian returned to the termite nest behind the perimeter wall.

The former woodshed was now completely unrecognizable.

It had turned into a white fortress.

Fortunately, this location was quite hidden, and the old man rarely came here, so no abnormalities were discovered.

However, as the ant colony expanded, Ye Tian planned to let them move directly into the Waste Disposal Plant.

After all, a special space had already been reserved for them to survive inside.

They hadn't moved yet simply for his convenience in feeding them.

After all, the Gold-level Ant Queen had no mobility on her own.

He couldn't possibly run into the Breeding Farm to feed her.

Detecting Ye Tian's arrival, the Gold-level Ant Queen immediately sent a feeling of joy.

Because every time Ye Tian came, it meant she could get a nutritional boost.

He gave each a drop of blood.

This time, Ye Tian did not rush to leave.

Instead, he carefully examined their current house.

He reached out and pressed on the white soil palace.

After fully utilizing the ants' ability to move house yesterday, he found that his development of this tribe seemed too basic.

If the factory buildings were all to be built underground in the future, could he also utilize this architectural ability of the ants?

As he pressed his fingers, the termite nest remained motionless.

Ye Tian increased the force.

With his strength, even though he used almost all his power, he couldn't damage it.

Ye Tian was slightly startled.

This hardness was likely comparable to a concrete wall.

An ordinary termite nest would absolutely not be this hard.

Looking inside, the palace had been completely built into a maze.

It looked neat and was exceptionally quiet.

All that could be seen was a small group of Worker Ants moving in and out, occasionally extending a small ball of white fungal-like substance to the mouths of the queens.

The queens didn't even need to move their hands; they just opened their mouths to eat.

After a meal, their bloated abdomens began to squirm in circles—no need to guess, they were laying eggs.

Ye Tian looked down at the egg-laying location and found that, in just such a short time, the laid eggs had already piled up into a small hill.

This quantity was much larger than before.

Not eating the cockroach meat but eating this white fungus—it seemed that the food the Termites produced themselves was the real tonic for the Gold-level Ant Queen.

He just didn't know if this white fungus had any benefits for him.

He blinked his eyes.

Ye Tian followed the movement trajectory of those feeding Worker Ants.

He discovered that every time these Worker Ants finished feeding, they would return to the lowest level of the palace.

That should be the fungus room where the fungus was cultivated.

During his observation, he could occasionally see some ants biting leaves and such, returning from the surrounding ground.

And the soil around the palace had also changed with the expansion of the ant territory.

In the soil, one could occasionally see some white silk threads like spider webs.

"Huh, what is that?"

As Ye Tian's gaze swept over, in the soil with those white silk threads, there seemed to be white-brown small balls, a bit like the kind the Worker Ants fed to the Gold-level Ant Queen earlier.

However, these small balls were larger.

With curiosity, Ye Tian took a small stick and poked at the soil next to the small balls.

Then he was slightly stunned.

He was shocked to find that these were not small balls at all, but clearly individual mushroom caps.

Because after the soil was pushed aside, it revealed the stalk underneath.

And this thing, after Ye Tian was slightly distracted, he immediately recognized it.

As a child from the mountains of Miao territory, he was extremely familiar with this thing.

When he was young, his family was poor, and every time it rained in the summer, he would often follow his grandmother into the mountains to forage.

It could be said that his main source of living at that time was this.

He hadn't recognized it just now, mainly because he was misled.

At the same time, he hadn't expected that termite mushrooms could grow in his own yard.

One had to know that termite mushrooms were quite demanding in terms of growth conditions and wouldn't just appear randomly.

Usually, people looking for mushrooms would firmly remember the location where they found them because the next year, the termite mushrooms would grow in the same place.

And its main growth condition is... a termite nest!

Thinking of this, Ye Tian's expression became somewhat strange.

Had he accidentally stumbled upon another hidden delicacy?

One must know that termite mushrooms were a type of fungus that, to this day, could not be artificially cultivated.

Because to cultivate them, they must be associated with a termite nest.

And he, now, not to mention anything else, could command the Termites as if they were an extension of his own arms. Moreover, compared to wild termite nests, his were at the level of Gu insects, far stronger than ordinary Termites.

Under such conditions, could he achieve artificial cultivation?

The more he thought about it, the more excited Ye Tian became.

Because of his childhood contact, he had a special fondness for termite mushrooms.

But back then, they were too poor; many times when they collected them, his grandmother would take them to sell for money.

Only some scraps that were broken during digging were kept for them to eat.

Even so, he still felt that termite mushrooms were absolutely the most delicious existence among fungi.

Whether it was boiled in soup or made into termite mushroom oil, it always left him craving for more.

Filled with surprise, Ye Tian looked around.

Sure enough, he found more termite mushroom heads about to emerge.

"Awesome!"

With a grin, Ye Tian turned around and fetched a small shovel to start digging.

For termite mushrooms, the flavor is strongest before the cap opens.

Simply put, the tenderer, the better.

So digging them up now was the perfect time.

Relying on his many years of digging experience, the termite mushrooms on the ground were harvested one by one by Ye Tian.

And this time, it was also the most satisfying harvest he had ever had.

In the past, even if his grandmother knew the location of some termite mushroom nests, due to the natural termite nests not being large enough, collecting ten pounds or so from one spot was already considered a lot.

But here, just the surface termite nest was the size of a woodshed.

Not to mention the places underground that Ye Tian couldn't see, which were developed by the Termites to an unknown extent.

So Ye Tian only busied himself for about half an hour and filled a large box.

It was about fifty pounds.

And these were all top-quality goods with unopened caps, in the most tender state.

Not to mention anything else, just the quality alone—if taken to the market, at dozens or hundreds per pound, they would absolutely be snatched up.

What's more, it seemed that termite mushrooms rarely appeared around Copper City.

Anyway, Ye Tian had been here for three years and had never seen anyone selling them. Even if there were, they were the kind brought in from other places, with very poor quality.

He went to the vegetable patch, pulled some pumpkin leaves to wrap the freshly unearthed termite mushrooms, and without delay, drove straight to Changle Restaurant.

Since they were a delicacy, it was of course best to eat them fresh.

It just so happened that Li Ming was busy in the restaurant today, discussing the layout of the restaurant with the renovation workers.

As soon as he saw what Ye Tian brought, his eyes widened.

"Damn, brother, if I'm not mistaken, this is termite mushroom, right?"

"Yes."

"Where did you buy it? It's so fresh and so tender. Top quality! I've been in Copper City for so long and have never seen anyone sell this quality."

As he spoke, Li Ming couldn't stop taking one in his hand to observe, his face full of joy.

"Dug it myself."

Ye Tian said with a grin.

"Dug it yourself? Where did you dig it?"

Li Ming swallowed, puzzled.

"In my yard, I don't know why so many grew out; I guess it's because there was a termite nest there before."

"Your luck is insane. How big must the termite nest be to grow so many termite mushrooms?"

"Who knows, anyway, being able to eat to our heart's content tonight is enough."

"That's for sure. This quality of termite mushroom is an absolute rarity; I haven't seen it for many years. Watch me show off my skills in a bit; I guarantee it'll be so fresh you'll swallow your tongue along with it."

Li Ming was worthy of being a chef; the moment he saw the delicacy, his face was full of excitement.

Meanwhile, the box Ye Tian opened also attracted a few people in the restaurant to stop and watch.

Looking at the fresh mushrooms in the box, the few people who were just hesitating about what dishes to order gathered around immediately.

"Old Li, is this really termite mushroom?"

"Good stuff! This thing is hard to see around here. I remember once when I went to the Miao territory, the locals could sell it for dozens per pound."

"You want to buy this quality and freshness for dozens? Keep dreaming. The kind you can usually see for dozens a pound are all opened caps, and after long-term storage and transportation, they have long lost their freshness. Compared to this fresh one, it's completely not the same thing."

It seemed that these people were also gourmets, and facing something rarely seen here, they could talk about it with authority.

"Old Li, is this termite mushroom yours?"

After some debate, one of them asked with bright eyes.

"Uh... this is my brother's."

Seeing the other party's expression, Li Ming immediately knew what he wanted to say and quickly spoke up.

"Your brother's? Then can you spare some for us? Don't worry, you can name the price."

"This..."

Li Ming looked at the other party with some difficulty and couldn't help but look at Ye Tian.

Ye Tian glanced at those people and recognized them as old customers who had patronized the business for years.

He didn't refuse and smiled slightly.

"Sure. There are so many termite mushrooms that we can't finish them in one meal. If you brothers want some, I can spare some for you. Otherwise, if this thing is left too long, the taste will be greatly discounted."

"Thanks, thanks. Little Tian is still the most straightforward, unlike Old Li who is stingy. We came here today because we have a gathering at home and are planning to book a few tables for dinner. Old Li, you decide, how about ten pounds or so? Can I give you 150 per pound?"

"150?"

Li Ming was stunned.

It was obvious that the price the other party gave was definitely higher than the market price he knew.

"Yeah, if you, Old Li, can make it to our satisfaction, I'll add more."

The other party was clearly not someone short of money, and he smiled.

"Then I'll accept this money today."

Taking a look at the termite mushrooms in the box, Li Ming said confidently.

The other party was also relieved and started ordering other dishes with Li Ming.

Ye Tian watched this scene happily and was quite satisfied.

The fact that termite mushrooms were so popular would undoubtedly bring better attraction to the restaurant.

Most importantly, such a price was worth him researching the method of termite mushroom cultivation carefully.

According to past experience, the time for termite mushrooms to appear is usually the rainy season in summer.

So the cultivation conditions should be high temperature and high humidity.

And he was just planning to build a greenhouse because of the high temperature brought by the Cockroaches.

When the time comes, combining the two and artificially creating growth conditions, with so many Termites, he believed there would definitely be a chance to succeed.

When that time comes, it will be a unique existence.

The more he thought, the more Ye Tian felt it had a future.

He couldn't help but take out his phone.

Good things should naturally be shared with the people around him.

Soon, he contacted both Zhao Rubing and Factory Director Wu.

Hearing that there was another delicacy, even Zhao Rubing did not hesitate and said she would come over after work.

Then Ye Tian called Wu Gengbiao.

Finally, he asked Zhang Liang to contact his parents.

Zhang Aiguo and his wife hadn't left these two days, so it was just right to let them try his future unique product.

After the calls were made, Li Ming had also settled the guests who had booked meals.

Ye Tian told him about the people invited for the evening, and Li Ming immediately indicated he would cook a great feast.

After the discussion, Ye Tian saw there was still plenty of time before dinner.

He drove back to the Breeding Farm again.

Searching near the termite nest, he found some termite mushrooms that hadn't formed yet.

However, because there wasn't much soil here, even if the ant nest was huge, it seemed impossible to grow too many.

After studying for a long while, Ye Tian looked at the mycelium and white small balls in the soil.

If there were no accidents, the termite mushrooms should grow from these things.

Could this fungus, which could already be seen with the naked eye, be directly transplanted?

He acted on the thought.

Ye Tian directly gave orders to the Worker Ants through the Gold-level Ant Queen.

Then the Worker Ants, according to Ye Tian's instructions, began to carry out some white substances from the soil and the underground nest.

Then they rushed towards the vegetable garden behind the warehouse.

They put it between the soil gaps.

Then, at Ye Tian's signal, they covered it with soil.

Not long after, the ants had managed a small piece of the vegetable field.

Ye Tian looked up at the sky.

There didn't seem to be any dark clouds.

Who knew how long it would take until the next rain.

After hesitating for a moment, he simply fetched a watering can.

Since it was summer and the temperature was high enough, he would just try artificial rainfall to see if it was effective.

After finishing, Ye Tian clapped his hands.

He looked at the black soil that was already soaked in front of him.

A hint of anticipation appeared on his face.

If he just relied on mycelium planting like this, he didn't actually have much confidence.

But adding this black soil and cockroach manure, the probability of artificial cultivation invisibly rose quite a bit.

Besides, his were Gu insect-level Termites, and the activity of the mycelium they cultivated should not be comparable to ordinary mycelium.

Whether it would work, he should know in the next two days.

Withdrawing his gaze, Ye Tian returned to the house to get a bottle of Gold-level medicinal wine and drove back to Changle Restaurant.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he smelled a thick, fresh aroma.