Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 250. Toward New Horizons!

Liu Shu mulled over it for a long time, and eventually, she decided to first Level Up to Level 24 and then, if there was time, continue her Level Ups. After all, she needed to go dormant for a while during that process, leaving not only her but the entirety of the Golden Sap City vulnerable. 

The last time she did a large Level Up spree, it took her several months. This time around, Liu Shu feared that it would take at least one year if she Leveled Up until Level 25.

Liu Shu first looked at her accumulated Experience points.

Accumulated Experience: 469,251

That number always threw her off. It was probably more than what she had accumulated during her entire lifetime. 'Well… I haven't been alive for a long time, barely four years… Right?' 

With her long naps, Liu Shu had already lost track of her age. However, if she counted the time since she got the system as her first birthday, she was sure that she was not older than five. 

Otherwise, Liu Shu was quite sure that she had lived much longer as a bush in the forest than she had lived as a World Tree. The many winters and summers she went through during that time were fuzzy, but she could somewhat remember them.

Liu Shu looked around the town and spotted Cinderielle on the farm, checking the cattle's health and other administrative matters that she had taken over after Flor started evolving. "Cinderielle!"

The red-haired Sylvan's cold and indifferent face melted as a smile appeared on her face. Other than to a very few, Verdantia, Tempestria, and Cinderielle were very cold and indifferent. They did things almost mechanically, as if the only thing that mattered in their lives was Liu Shu.

The World Tree was not sure if that kind of attitude toward life was a healthy one. However, because Sylvans were a very long-lived race, they had a lot more trouble developing a meaningful attachment toward short-lived races. 

It was common knowledge that most meaningful relationships were created during the early years of a Sylvan's lifetime. 

"What do you want, Tiantian? Is there something wrong?"

Liu Shu observed how Cinderielle crouched to check the udders of the farm animal and commented in the meantime. "I am going to Level Up for a long time. So, I came here to say goodbye for now~."

Cinderielle hummed, writing something in a notebook made out of leaves. "Tiantian, can you stay in a defensive stance while you level up?"

The World Tree asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Cinderielle commented. "I mean, if World Trees were so vulnerable while they level up, there would be no wild World Trees. After all, once they started leveling up, they would be free prey." Cinderielle tilted her head. "It doesn't really fit with the image of an almighty primal predator that all creatures fear since the dawn of time, no?" 

Liu Shu paused and hummed. "Honestly, I have never really tried. Each time I Level Up, I just let myself sink in the feeling while my body digests the world's essence." 

Cinderielle hummed. "Try to think about a defensive root net that reacts to threats. Similar to your Tree Houses. Something that takes just an instinctive thought instead of a voluntary one. While the strength of that would be lacking, at least you wouldn't be completely helpless." The red-haired Sylvan smiled. "Moreover, once your base strength overcomes your previous strength by a lot, you'll probably be stronger in that subconscious state than when you were awake."

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Liu Shu got silent as her root net created thoughts at a terrifyingly quick speed. Her entire root neet seemed to become alive as it tried to come up with an idea or a method to replicate what Cinderielle had just told her. 

'The main problem is… How do I know who is a threat and who's not a threat? How do I know what to attack?'

Many ideas crossed her mind. However, most of them would almost certainly involve innocent people. While Liu Shu didn't mind much how others viewed her, what she didn't want was to hurt someone she cared about without knowing. What if she slapped a Rose Fairy that came to tend her branches? Or what if she dragged underground a farmer that's working near her roots and hits it unconsciously because they can't see them?

These things happened quite often, and she didn't want to attack those people. 'Ah…'

Liu Shu looked at her skills, and finally, it landed on <World Tree Wisdom>. Her SSS Rank skill. 'Say, Wisdom… Can you like, take over my defensive system while I am Leveling Up?'

[Wisdom: It is possible.]

The World Tree's branches ruffled in glee. 'Really!? I knew that such a high-level skill wouldn't be just an advisor!'

[Wisdom: … <World Tree Wisdom (SSS Rank)>'s known uses by the user are much more varied than just being an "Advisor."]

'Meh, an advisor that helps me learn quickly and understand all languages.' 

[Wisdom: …]

'Speaking of learning…' Liu Shu shifted her view toward the Library and saw the lines of empty shelves being slowly filled with books. Since she created the library, she had Leveled Up a lot of times, increasing her book-printing speed. Moreover, Mariane, the <Library Guardian>, would sometimes take money from the treasury and go buy books of all kinds. She always bought two copies, though.

The mothkin was dabbling in some runes, surrounded by the relaxing silence accompanied by the clacking of her tools. Suddenly, a voice spread in the room.

"Mariane!"

The mothkin's hand twisted slightly as she jumped, startled. "Ah…" Looking at the ruined Runic Field she was writing, she sighed and asked. "What's wrong, Liu Shu?"

"Which ones are the books I can eat?"

Mariane smiled and pointed up. "The ones on the floor above this one." She added. "By the way, I am close to reaching Level 30. I might need to go into a small close-door retirement to do so." 

"Woah~! You are so strong and quick!"

Mariane's wings flapped happily. "Of course!" Then, she commented. "Speaking of which. There are three books I recommend you read… Well, eat before you go Level Up. The rest are just general knowledge of the surroundings, history of some powers, historical figures, children's books, and many other types of books. You can do those later."

Liu Shu giggled. "Mariane! You didn't tell me the titles of the books!"

"Oh…" Mariane coughed. "Well. They are called <World Tree or World Forest?>, <World Tree's Powerful Subconscious>, and <The Mysterious Nature of a World Tree's Innate Knowledge>. I gave them a look, and although I understood very little, they might be interesting for you." 

Liu Shu hummed. "Thanks! You are really worthy of being the Librarian of the <Endless World Tree Library>!"

Mariane puffed her chest. "Of course~! I am learning and Leveling Up faster here than in any other place, so I need to return the favor!" 

"Hehehe. Thanks~."

Liu Shu's roots stretched from the ceiling of the other room and took those three books. Then, she activated <World Tree Wisdom> and absorbed their knowledge. 

She took no longer than a day. By the morning of the next day, Liu Shu muttered to herself. 'This is quite… Handy.' She humphed. 'Why didn't anybody teach me about this before? So many things that I could've done while I Level Up! Instead, I wasted it all by just being a potted plant and enjoying the sun!'

Liu Shu paused, and she suddenly felt a bit sour. 'To be honest… Potted plants have it so easy… They don't need to worry about someone coming because they want to devour them whole!'

Changing her thoughts, she snorted. 'But they are all so weak! I prefer being a World Tree, hmph!'

She went to look out for Verdantia and saw her sulking in her house while taking care of her plants. "Verdantia-"

"LIU'ER!" Verdantia jumped and complained, her body slowly generating an increasingly ominous aura that made Liu Shu feel a strange chill. "Why did you only visit Cinderielle yesterday!? Am I less important than her!? Are you going to abandon me!? I won't let you, do you understand!? I told you that I love you, and I am waiting patiently, but if you dare not love me back one day, I'll uproot you and plant you in a garden where no one other than myself will be able to see you!"

"Huh?" Liu Shu looked at the fuming woman, utterly baffled. "What are you talking about? I just went to read some books."

Verdantia paused and calmed down. "Oh." 

That strange aura completely disappeared. The change was so abrupt that Liu Shu didn't know how to react. "Um… Are you okay, Verdantia?"

Verdantia smiled gently. "Of course. I am perfectly fine. Are you here to say goodbye?"

Liu Shu observed the woman, checking on her just in case. After seeing that she was truly fine, she spoke. "Anyway, I am going to Level Up, and following Cinderielle's advice, I will create a defensive subconsciousness!" 

"A what?" Verdantia blinked twice, confused. 

"A defensive subconsciousness!" Liu Shu repeated proudly. "As World Trees grow in size, they can naturally not really keep up with everything that happens in their domain. Therefore, they usually create an active subconsciousness that takes care of threats. Like an immune system but on a much larger scale!"

Verdantia hummed. "I see. That's nice. Am I the first one to know about it?"

Liu Shu felt that Verdantia's focus was a bit off, but she answered honestly. "Yes. I am-"

"YEAH!" Verdantia pumped her fist, leaving Liu Shu baffled again. Of the three Sylvans, Cinderielle was the most mischievous, Tempestria the most easy-going, and then Verdantia was… the most honest.

"Ahem… As I was saying. I am going to tell Cinderielle and Tempestria later. I want you three to tell others so that they don't carelessly activate it. I warn you that when something is detected as a threat, they either get out of my domain, or they will be hunted down until they are completely eradicated."

Verdantia hummed. "Understood. We'll make sure that people behave… How about those creatures underground? Won't they trigger it?" 

Liu Shu comforted her. "Don't worry, I have made sure not to touch their nest with my roots; I am just surrounding the place slowly and covering it. I will only react if they leave their nest and attack me." 

"Understood!" Verdantia smiled radiantly. 

Liu Shu giggled and said. "Bye-bye~."

Verdantia smiled playfully. "Goodbye, Liu Shu. I love you!"

The World Tree coughed in her mind and went away, feeling somewhat flustered. 'They've been saying it more and more often lately, but instead of affecting me less, it makes me feel more and more strange each time… Ugh…' 

Looking around the place, she spotted Tempestria flying around with her sword while hunting down a few large birds. 

"Tempestria!"

The grey-haired woman blinked and swiftly dodged the attack from the bird. She stopped mid-air, her gaze on the giant bird, and smiled. "Shu'er. You are here. Are you here to say goodbye?"

"Yes! Did Cinderielle tell you, too?"

Tempestria rolled her eyes while easily avoiding the Level 21 bird. "Tell us? Once she realized that you hadn't visited us, she started bragging and rubbing it in our faces."

"Oh…" Liu Shu answered softly, holding back her laughter. "That's so tragic, pfft~" 

Tempestrai clicked her tongue, blocking the bird with her sword. "You dare laugh still? I swear that if you ever get one of those legendary avatar thingies, I am going to spank your butt until it is red!"

Liu Shu asked, laughing. "What if my skin is red?"

"I'll make it redder!"

"Hahahaha!" 

After speaking with Tempestria for a bit longer, Liu Shu left and started making preparations. 'Okay, I want my subconscious to, first of all, fill the entire empty place inside my walls with Tree Structures. A bit of everything~. I should create another farm and stable, two more water reservoirs… Anyway, follow the proportions I've followed until now and the plans for the city I have created.' 

Liu Shu pondered and continued. 'I should also make something like <Mother Of Thousand Flower Field> but on top of the wall for more offensive power! I also need to increase the size of the Golden Sap Forest, or it will become too small for me. I am a growing World Tree, after all! For the materials… Well, we've saved hundreds of <Bren> already and we are about to go over a thousand! That should be enough to buy the materials. I'll create a list and place it in the <Lignified Vault> so that they go buying as they can.'

Liu Shu observed everything and hummed. 'The only thing left is the berries… How about, instead of accelerating the berries, I just let them grow naturally? My canopy is huge, so I can grow tens of thousands of them without a problem. If I attack with my branches, the berries will go to waste… Well, I can't actively feed my berries when I am Leveling Up, so I don't really have an option… Did you understand, Wisdom?'

[Wisdom: Understood.]

'Great! Any details that you need to decide, I leave it to you! You can't speak through me, so if you need to communicate anything, use that thing in the <Lignified Vault>.'

After checking everything she needed to do while her mind went to sleep, she finally decided not to delay it anymore. 'With this new knowledge, I feel much more comfortable Leveling Up, so… Level 25, here I come! System, tell me an estimate of how long I will take!'

[Calculating… Tianlian Liu Shu wants to Level up from Level 21 to Level 25. Experience Points Needed 253,990… Estimated time from two to four years.]

"Huh?"

Those were her last thoughts before sleepiness hit her, and her consciousness was swallowed by the process.