Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 333. Planning To Approach The Life Tree.

After having a chat with Lakeborn Forest, Liu Shu felt better. The nagging feeling at the back of her head didn’t really disappear. Still, she could now focus on what she needed to do. ‘Let’s inform the others.’

“Flor~! Flololor~. FlooOooOOOoooorrr!”

The Flower Fairy was in Fortuna City, speaking about some Provincial matters with Eila. They were about to start speaking about outside interference when the room was filled with Liu Shu’s playful tone. Eila raised her eyebrow in amusement. “Does she always call you like this?”

Flor chuckled and shook her head. “Not always. Just when she wants to get pampered.”

Liu Shu pouted. “Hey! I can hear you!”

Flor’s lips arched in a challenging smile. “Am I wrong? Try to tell me that I am wrong, my big darling.”

“Hmph! Even if you are right, you are wrong! You shouldn’t reveal these things! You are wrong!”

Eila laughed faintly together with Flor. After playing a bit with the World Tree, Flor asked. “So, what’s the problem, Dear?”

“I found traces of a suitable Life Tree! I don’t know how strong it is, so I wanted to ask you to gather a group of Elites to help me!”

Eila blinked, confused. “Wouldn’t it be best if you just summon those ten serpents and use them as a negotiation tool?”

“Silly Eila! Do you think I don’t know about that?”

Eila’s eyebrow twitched, but she waited for Liu Shu to continue instead of answering. ‘If I answer, it will be my loss. Be the bigger person, Eila!’

“The ten serpents I can summon are strong, but they can’t help me negotiate. I am going to the Life Tree to ask for resources, not to harvest it brutally!” Liu Shu muttered. “Not to mention, I don’t even know how strong it is. However, it’s clear that it is exceptional since it has been alive in the middle of the Wall Forest for so long!”

The two leaders couldn’t really deny her words. At this moment, Fortuna interrupted. “Liu Shu, where is it? I’ve been slowly entering the Wall Forest with my roots as well. However, I have not been able to pick trace of anything.”

Liu Shu giggled. “Fortuna’s roots are so small~. They don’t reach far at all~. Hehehehe.”

Fortuna answered with an embarrassed tone. “What’s the meaning of those words!? You are always teasing me!”

Liu Shu laughed arrogantly. “Hohoho~.”

Eila shook her head with a smile. “Okay, both of you. Stop now.”

“Okay~.”

“Sure.”

“Now, what Fortuna asked is something you must share, right? Where is it?”

Liu Shu didn’t keep them guessing anymore. “It is around 80 kilometers away from Fortuna. It is normal for her not to have reached it yet since her roots can’t spread that far for now!”

Fortuna couldn’t deny it. Unlike Liu Shu’s ridiculous ability to expand her roots, Fortuna’s reach was quite limited. Currently, if she stretched as thin as possible without taking efficiency into account, Fortuna could probably reach around an 80-kilometer radius domain. But that was only a theoretical maximum. If she wanted to expand in a conscious manner without comprising her Root Net, 50 kilometers was her limit. She was indeed lacking compared to Liu Shu’s ability to reach over 100 kilometers with relative ease.

Flor pondered and asked. “You should’ve reached a limit on expanding, have you not, Liu Shu? Can you reach that Life Tree with your roots?”

Liu Shu muttered. “I probably need to reach Level 40 if I want to reach where its main body is. However, I should be able to make contact with its roots as long as they spread for five or more kilometers.”

Eila hummed and asked. “Speaking of Levels… How long do you think you will take to reach Level 40?”

Liu Shu pondered and commented. “After the peace started, my Experience Point earning speed has reduced a lot. Right now, even though I earn around 180 Experience Points daily, I should take around two years and a little more to Level Up once. Thankfully, the Dark Aether Swamp is picking up fights with me. The trees over there don’t give much Experience Points, but I can earn around one hundred on average each day! Then… There are days when I have large infusions of Experience Points due to killing a few underground beasts or criminals…” Liu Shu finally answered. “I think I can reach Level 40 in three years at most. If I have luck, around two years is possible.”

Eila exclaimed in awe. “That’s really fast. You are currently Level 37, right?”

“Nop!” Liu Shu giggled. “I am Level 38!”

Flor was curious. “How are your berries doing, love? I haven’t checked since you were Level 35, so the production must’ve gone up, right?”

“Hehehe. Yes!” Liu Shu commented. “Currently, I am generating around 116,000 Aether Mana Shards per hour~. With it, I can produce lots and lots of things! Of the regular berries that are now of much higher quality, my monthly production is as such!” 

“First, of the basic berries, I am producing 180,000 <Delicious Berries>, and 45,000 <Phoer Berries>, <Mana Berries>, and <Energy Berries>!” 

Eila raised her eyebrow. “That’s insane, no? Taking into account that each <Delicious Berry> gives 10 Experience points… You are producing 1.8 million Experience Points monthly…” Eila’s words trailed as a speechless expression appeared on her face. “If you could consume your own berries, you’d be unstoppable.”

Liu Shu humphed. “Of course! I am the best, after all~.”

Flor chuckled and asked. “What about the rest?”

“I am producing 2,000 of each of the Refinement berries! So, 2,000 <Resonant Berries>, <Refinement Berries>, <Affinity Berries>, and <Palace Berries>. Finally, I am producing 70 <Breakthrough Berries>, 104 <Energy Cycle Experience Berries>, and 11 <Cerulean Bloodfruits> monthly.”

Eila and Flor were silent for a few seconds. Eila asked, her tone filled with incredulity. “Two thousand… Of those berries that increase the Affinity percentages permanently?”

Liu Shu answered happily. “Yes~.”

Eila muttered. “So, we have 200 quotas monthly for those berries since they can give up to ten percent on each of the four stats… The quotas become 1,000 if we give them based on primary attributes.” She laughed incredulously. “That’s insane. In just a year, we can increase the main attribute of 12,000 people by ten percent permanently.”

Flor smiled wryly. “The one I find more incredible is the Breakthrough Berry. That miraculous fruit can increase tiers up to D- Tier. All the E+ Tier allies can break through a large Tier and almost double their strength.”

Eila’s lips twitched. “Right… Then there is that crazy Cerulean Bloodfruit. Who knew that I would one day eat something that made me impervious to most poisons and increase my curse resistance? I’ve been able to explore the Dark Aether Swamp with much more ease thanks to that, making my Leveling Speed skyrocket.”

Flor and Eila looked at each other and extended their hands simultaneously, picking up the cup of warm tea and taking a long sip. Flor exhaled and smiled peacefully. “Ha… Much better.”

Eila nodded, leaning back on her chair. “To be fair, this is the best tea I’ve ever tasted. Even if it had no extra effects, I would probably take it daily.”

Flor chuckled. “I can’t deny that my darling’s leaves made for the best tea in the world. Hehehe.”

Eila rolled her eyes. 

Before these two started speaking about other matters, Liu Shu’s pouty voice reached them. “... What about the Life Tree? Can you gather people, yes or no?”

“Ah.” Flor coughed and smiled soothingly. “Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. We were just impressed by you, so it's natural that we would forget!”

Fortuna commented with a curious tone, her elegant and mature voice spreading like a gentle melody. “I am surprised that you two can stay so calm after learning about the Life Tree. After all, this is what will allow Liu Shu to build another one of her ridiculous temples.”

Eila and Flor paused momentarily, their sluggish brain cogs turning until the neurons finally made the necessary synapse connections. Flor’s eyes widened, and she quickly stood up. “Ah! I completely forgot about the temple!”

Eila also stood up and shouted aloud to a secretary working outside. “Gather the first army! We are marching out tomorrow!”

Flor nodded and spoke. “I’ll also go and tell Wert to prepare. He will guide Verdantia’s and Harmonixia’s armies together with yours.”

Liu Shu chuckled. “No need to! Gather only the Level 30 and above people and make a group with them. I’ll tell Delia and Taro to come as well~.”

Eila and Flor tilted their heads but nodded nonetheless. “We’ll gather them and wait at the entrance of the Wall Forest tomorrow at the first hour.”

“Okay~.”

Liu Shu then proceeded to inform those who were going to get involved. Liu Shu even contacted Verena.

In the Liferoot mansion, Branthis was grumbling to Verena. “Love, why do I have to allow Liu Shu’s roots to enter my territory? I told you that I would only let her in after she has become stronger than me!”

The Liferoot territory was inside the Golden Sap Province. So, naturally, Liu Shu’s roots had reached them long ago. However, Branthis had his pride as a recently upgraded <Third Energy Cycle> plant. 

Verena sighed and commented, her face laced with a slightly exasperated expression. “Look, darling. I understand that it hurts your pride. However, you need to also understand that Liu Shu’s roots are not only something that expands her domain, but they also carry several buffs and other benefits with them. You will benefit as well!”

Branthis harrumphed, his roots tangling in what one would take as a defiant stance. “I refuse! That World Tree took away my baby Verdantia! Now, she wants to also take away my territory!? What’s next? Will she try to take away my house!?”

Verena’s face turned black. ‘This daughter-loving father! I thought that allowing him a year to accept Liu Shu’s existence would be enough. Still, when he was about to nod, we suddenly received the news that Verdantia had entered a relationship with Liu Shu…’ Verena rubbed her forehead, but before she answered, she heard the adorable yet profound voice of the World Tree. 

“Verena~!”

Verena’s annoyed expression relaxed, and a faint smile hung on her lips. “Give me a second, dear! I’ll go right away!”