Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 384. Accelerated Expansion. A Lovely Time With Tempestria.

A massive change was occurring on the Northwest side of the Wild Continent. Slowly but surely, the <Golden Sap Army> was advancing and notifying cities that the Golden Sap Province was taking over as the main power. Of course, at first, many protested. However, once their walls crumbled down as powerful roots pierced through them as if they were mud, everyone understood one thing.

Where the <Golden Sap Army> went, the World Tree’s roots would be there without fault.

Liu Shu’s roots advanced without a single moment of rest in almost all directions. The only direction she was not touching yet was beyond the <Wall Forest>. However, the <Dark Aether Swamp> area in the south and the rest of the land extending north were quickly subjugated. Thalgryn, Lord Stormrider, Verena, and the other leaders who had allied with Liu Shu before also rose up at this time, revealing who they were working for. 

With the <Celestial Lotus Empire> as a backer and Liu Shu reaching out everywhere at speeds previously thought impossible, everything fell like lined-up domino pieces. 

“I found another Nexus nest in the Ironwood Highland Province’s woods. Their numbers are around 120 Third Energy Cycles and a few tens of thousands of Second Energy Cycles.”

Liu Shu's calm voice reached Thalgryn and Eila, the two lead commanders of the Golden Sap Amry. Thalgryn smiled coldly. “Little bastards had so many nests hidden all around the place. If they had chosen to conquer this land first, things could’ve turned quite badly.”

Eila nodded with a thoughtful expression. “In a way, being the weakest zone of the Wild Continent had saved us from invasion and attention. Speaking of attention, have our movements spread outside of the Wild Continent?”

Thalgryn nodded, her back gently swaying with the steps of the powerful quadrupedal beast she mounted. “Do you remember the two people presiding over the meeting around a dozen years ago?”

Eila pondered for a second before nodding. “I do. The Count and… hm. I don’t remember. Someone from the Covenant, right?”

Thalgryn laughed awkwardly. “Well, yes.” She shook her head and commented. “The Covenant forces had long given up on this area, rushing to the Covenant land to defend it against the Nexus assault. Meanwhile, the Count recently sent me a letter saying that the Azure Rose Confederation is giving up on this area. To summarize it, the local powers have already been told to either surrender to us or fight as they see fit.”

Eila hummed. “I see. That’s good. We will soon go from a province to a kingdom, right?”

“Woah there.” Thalgryn laughed. “We have to become a state first. Then, when our forces are recognized, we might be recognized as a country. As for an Empire… Well, we should first have a few Fourth Energy Cycles before we speak about that. If not, our heads will fly off before we know it.”

Eila glanced at Thalgryn with curiosity. “Your loyalty toward the Celestial Lotus Empire is quite… shallow. Any other person would’ve taken my words as blasphemy.”

Thalgryn snorted. “We’ve known each other for more than a decade, Eila. Don’t do wordplays with me.” 

Eila smiled faintly. “I won’t. I was curious because I never heard the reason.” 

Thalgryn stayed silent for a few moments before speaking. “No reason, actually. It’s just that I have no reason to follow them loyally. After all, those four major powers are just failures that have not been able to push a World Tree to the top even after so many generations. Stuck in a fight between each other. I once joined to not be discarded and gather my own resources. Now, Liu Shu’s existence seems to be the little pebble that will make the system crumble.”

“Little pebble?” Eila smiled coldly. “More like a massive explosion.”

Thalgryn laughed and didn’t deny it.

“Lady Thalgryn, Lord Wert has found the entrance of the Nexus nest.” 

Thalgryn raised her eyebrow. “Did that old man rush in already? Tsk, tsk. He is as energetic as 20 years ago! Move out!”

The army rushed and quickly reached the nest, moving like floodwater entering a cave system. Liu Shu controlled the battlefield and also got rid of most traps and ambushers herself. Once she found someone who wanted to do something that would put the army in danger, her powerful roots would emerge from the walls, coiling around that person's body. Then, she would squeeze and pull in different directions with each root. The results were quite gruesome.

Eila looked at the dismembered corpses and couldn’t help but sigh slightly. “Liu Shu, are you okay?”

Liu Shu’s tender and soothing voice reached her, making her feel like a gentle breeze was caressing her body. “I am. Why are you asking, Eila?”

“No reason.” Eila smiled. “Don’t worry. Are there any stragglers?”

A deep man’s voice reached her. “Hehe. How can I allow any of these rats to flee?”

Turning around, they saw Wert walking over with a large smile and his giant war ax dripping with blood. Thalgryn commented with a chuckle. “Is that your blood that I see, Wert? You are really becoming rusty if a place like this can hurt you.”

Wert snorted. “Unlike you, Miss Beastkin, I am only human. However, if you think that I will stay out of the battlefield before I reach my 90s, you are dreaming! I am still young and energetic.”

Thalgryn burst into laughter. “I can see that!”

Eila spoke, somewhat concerned. “Now that we’ve dealt with these pests. It is time to go to that World Tree City. I hope that they surrender and don’t resist.”

Thalgryn and Wert nodded as well. 

“Let’s go!”

Meanwhile, Liu Shu had reached the edge of the World Tree’s domain. “Ahem. Hello, is anyone there~? Hello? Hello? Alolololo-”

An elegant and echoey voice reached Liu Shu. “Enough! Why are you so noisy? I can hear you loud and clear!”

“Oh!” Liu Shu giggled. “Hello, big sister World Tree! I am Liu Shu. I come from the southwest of here! Around… 400 kilometers away? Perhaps more or less, I don’t know!”

That World Tree spoke stiffly. “I know. You are the World Tree that has been spreading like crazy lately. Right? The people living in my city have warned me against you. If you are expecting me to surrender without a fight, forget about it.”

“Hm…” Liu Shu pondered a bit and asked, confused. “Why? Other than having my roots and buffs, nothing will change much from how it is now. It will only become better because of my buffs!”

“Heh. As if a simple buff can convince me!”

Liu Shu spoke temptingly. “How about a S- Rank Skill?”

“... A what?”

Liu Shu giggled in her mind and then sighed. “Ah… Well, it’s a shame. Since you don’t want to listen to me, our relationship can only go sour… Big Sister Prarya, Fortuna, and Lakeborn will also be quite sad that you didn’t join us.” 

“Wait, wait, wait. What skill? What are you talking about? Also, you said that you have other World Trees under your control. How is that possible? You are trying to deceive me!”

Liu Shu heard her questions and squinted slightly. ‘They didn’t tell her about my specialness? Suspicious!’ Liu Shu’s mind, full of political theory thanks to all the books that she had absorbed, quickly made a deduction. ‘The leaders of this city are reluctant to let go of the power they’ve accumulated. Therefore, they have painted me as a big bad evil. Hence, the defensiveness against me.’

“Hello? Tianlian Liu Shu, are you there?”

“Ah. Give me a second. Can’t a girl take her time to think?”

The other World Tree almost flipped the landscape. ‘Weren’t you the one rushing me ten minutes ago!?’

Liu Shu in the Core Room opened her beautiful amethyst-like eyes and glanced sideways. Tempestria’s face entered her vision, wearing her usual calm and beautiful smile. “Hello, love. Are you done over there?”

Liu Shu blushed slightly. Tempestria’s slightly low and pleasant voice was making her human eardrums vibrate pleasantly. “Ahem. No. But I think that the people controlling the Ironwood World Tree are a bit… greedy. I don’t want to hurt that big sister because she was deceived. However, I also don’t know how to make it so that Big Sister trusts me instead of them…”

Tempestria hugged the petite girl in her arms and asked a question completely unrelated to that. “Say, Shu’er. Why are you always naked? Didn’t we make you a few dresses in the past?”

Liu Shu’s face turned a few shades redder when Tempestria’s profound gray eyes looked into her purple-colored ones. “T-Tempestria… My questi-Hmph!”

The Sylvan quickly captured her lips, and Liu Shu’s mind completely flew off. Her body became limp in Tempestria’s arms as she opened her mouth to suck in the Sylvan’s tongue. Liu Shu was like a little bird being fed, coveting Tempestria’s tongue and winding her arms around her neck so as not to let her escape. 

“Shu’er… You love provoking us this way, don’t you?”

Tempestria felt Liu Shu’s legs going around her waist, pressing the two together. Her actions were clearly done to bring certain parts together. 

“You know that we won’t cross that last line yet~, and you take advantage of that.”

Excitement rushed all around Liu Shu’s body. Then, once Liu Shu felt her plump and wet lips touch something hard, a moan escaped her throat. Her mouth became more eager as she quickly rubbed back and forth, stimulating certain areas. 

“You are testing our limits, aren’t you, Shu’er? You trust us so much, and reciprocating that trust makes you extremely excited.”

In just a minute, with Tempestria’s voice reaching Liu Shu between their kisses, Liu Shu’s back arched, and her body started spasming. Tempestria could feel wetness spread in her waist area, and her gray eyes became dark and profound. She didn’t speak, nor did she move, because if she did so, she would end up pushing this girl down and devouring her whole.

After Liu Shu calmed down from her high, she became limp in Tempestria’s arms, her face snuggling in the crook of her neck as she licked her neck playfully. “Hehe~. I love you~.”

Tempestria looked at Liu Shu’s lovestruck face and kissed her nose gently. Such gentleness, even after what they just did, made the little girl tremble in pleasure. Tempestria used one hand to pluck one of the flowers that had bloomed in her hair and gave it to Liu Shu. “Here, love.”

Liu Shu took it with one hand and laughed happily. “So pretty~.”

Swirls of pale gray and deep slate danced across the petals, anchored by a glowing azure heart. The petals resembled flowing clouds, as if caught in a gentle breeze. When touched, they would part like air—soft and ephemeral—yet with a firmness that resisted being blown away, much like a dandelion that refused to scatter easily.

The flower’s elegant form was pleasing to the eye, harmonizing color and motion into a breathtaking bloom. And like a dandelion, when Liu Shu blew on it, a few seeds drifted free, fluttering around her before floating down like gray snow.

Seeing Liu Shu enjoy her flowers, Tempestria couldn’t help but hug her tightly and kiss her face with love. “I love you, Shu’er. I love you so much.”

While she was giggling, our cute girl suddenly paused unnaturally. Her beautiful and innocent eyes widened as she blurted. “Wah! I forgot Big Sister World Tree!”

Tempestria blinked and remembered that Liu Shu had asked her about something not long ago. She smiled faintly and answered. “If you want to check what’s going on, the easiest way would be to send a delegation. You don’t need to take over everything in one fell swoop. Right? Once that World Tree understands you, she will definitely change her opinion.”

Liu Shu’s eyes shone, and she tackled Tempestria to the ground with a big kiss. “Muah! Hehehe. That’s a great idea! Thank you, Tempestria! I love youuuuuu~!”

The Sylvan’s heart melted with love after Liu Shu’s cuddly and adorable reaction. 

Meanwhile, the World Tree was still waiting for Liu Shu to answer. A breeze blew by, rustling her leaves. ‘I wonder what’s taking her so long…’