In Nualis, Liu Shu used the forest's resources to gather enough and build a few
'They will take a bit to Level Up, but that's not a problem for now. Lakeborn is nearby, and I also have the three trees I found in the Forest.'
"Um… Lady Liu Shu, is it really okay for us to live on?"
"Oh? You finally brought yourself to speak, you stubborn one?"
Surprise flashed in Liu Shu's eyes after hearing the voice of the World Tree that resided in the forest. These three trees had been silent all this time after she forced them to submit, partly because they feared Liu Shu, and partly because they were still digesting what happened.
When the army arrived, they were able to see what had happened thanks to their new connection with Liu Shu's Inter-Continental Advance Root Exchange, or I-CARE, network. Speaking of which, the ability to exchange information was still limited to planetary, so the trees back in Ceperet couldn't really traverse space and look at what was happening in Nualis, even if they wanted to.
After seeing Liu Shu push back the giant army effortlessly while giving them a few orders to spread word of her existence among their leaders, the World Tree finally understood what kind of being she was dealing with.
'Overbearing, but gentle.'
Those were her thoughts, which prompted her to speak up for the first time. She ignored the stubborn comment and asked. "Um… Lady Liu Shu, what will happen to me?"
Liu Shu chuckled. "Let's answer both questions. First, yes, it is perfectly fine for you to live. As long as you cooperate with me, you can stretch your roots as much as you want and live freely. I will probably move you eventually if you want a city for yourself. After all, this
"I… see?"
The World Tree had enough intelligence to communicate normally. However, her knowledge was as low as it could be. As a World Tree that grew among beasts in the Nualis Golden Forest, she had zero contact with true intelligent species and was therefore unable to absorb the knowledge that civilization gave.
Knowing that, Liu Shu explained softly. "Don't worry too much. Your World Tree Wisdom skill is decently high-tiered, at B+ Tier, so you will be quick to learn everything. If I had not arrived, you probably would've become the lord of this forest and eventually followed the path Big Sister Skyflower took…"
Liu Shu trailed her words as she observed the World Tree. She had great potential, after all.
"Skyflower?"
The brief question snapped Liu Shu from her pondering. "Do not worry. Now that I am here, any future visions you had will change beyond recognition. So, thinking about it doesn't really make sense."
"Oh."
Liu Shu chuckled and hummed. "You are also nameless, right? Do you want me to give you a name? It will be easier to get along that way. I can't keep referring to you with pronouns all the time, right? It would be too stiff."
Still slightly confused, the World Tree gingerly agreed. "Alright… I'll leave it to you."
"Great!" Liu Shu hummed happily and pondered for a few moments. "Let's see… Your leaves are a gorgeous caramel color, while your canopy is wide and your branches strong. Your bark is slightly whitish, and your overall female figure is slender. Coupled with your stubborn attitude, I'll give you two options. One that is elegant and beautiful, and another that's unique and related to your being. What do you think?"
She couldn't hear anything strange, so the World Tree agreed once more.
"Perfect, for the elegant one, I recommend Carmelya, and for the more unique one, I think Honeycrown fits well. What do you think?"
The World Tree was not expecting much, but these two names resonated with her. So, after thinking for a bit, she answered. "How about we go with Carmelya? I heard that you have something like a nickname, right? That water World Tree called you… Heavenly Willow, right? I can use Honeycrown for that title."
"Oho~, aiming to have a title already? Ambitious! But I like it, haha. Alright, you will be Big Sister Carmelya from now on!"
"B-Big Sister?" Carmelya was stunned. "How could I allow a being such as yourself to address me as Big Sister?"
Not finding anything wrong, Liu Shu asked. "Aren't you older than me? How old are you?"
From what Liu Shu understood, the days and nights were the same length here and in Ceperet; they were even strangely synchronized. Therefore, their ways to measure time would not be much different.
"I am… 243 years old."
"Oh! Level 67 at that age is not bad at all!" Liu Shu then chuckled. "You are over three times my age, so calling you Big Sister is no problem at all!"
"...Huh?" Carmelya was stunned, her powerful World Tree mind failing to process that simple sentence.
Lakeborn spoke from the side after being silent for a while. Her myriad voices sounded amused. "Our Liu Shu is only 77 years old, soon to be 78. So, just accept the way she calls you. We are also much weaker than her, but Liu Shu is a bit stubborn in that regard. Although, in our opinion, boiling our addressing ways down to our age is rather comfortable compared to using strength."
Liu Shu giggled. "And there you have it! You will be Big Sister Carmelya, and I will be Little Sister Liu Shu! Hehehe."
Hearing the happy laughter from the powerful World Tree stumped Carmelya. However, after thinking for a bit, she realized Liu Shu's intent. Even if Carmelya was uneducated, her thought processing was World Tree level. Therefore, she quickly noticed that Liu Shu's intent was most likely to make others comfortable with her presence.
After all, if you were allowed to call Liu Shu 'Little Sister,' then the impact of her immeasurable strength and presence got cushioned greatly. So, after thinking for a bit, Carmelya sighed and spoke softly. "Alright, I'll refer to you as Liu Shu from now on."
Liu Shu pouted. "Hmph. Even though you missed the Little Sister, I will forgive you!"
Carmelya smiled wryly and decided not to answer her words.
With Carmelya relatively sorted, Liu Shu moved to speak with the other two large flora species in her new domain. "Hm~, hello little Life Trees. Let's talk together, alright?"
"Wah! The big bad World Tree is speaking to us!"
"Quickly, protect your roots! I will hold her back!"
"No! If you fight, I will fight! Even the big bad World Tree won't be able to defeat us if we are together!"
Liu Shu almost burst into laughter. 'These two darlings are quite close to each other. It seems that they were communicating with each other even before I arrived.'
Life Trees, unlike World Trees, were slightly lacking in the intelligence department. So, their thoughts were usually overly gentle and childish. There were exceptions, like Liu Shu's mother, but overall, Life Trees were beings who overflowed with both gentleness and innocence.
While this made them an unfortunate victim to manipulation, they also made for the best allies who you could basically trust your life to after exchanging a few sentences.
Liu Shu, of course, had no intention of manipulating Life Trees. They were beings that our World Tree considered as beings to be protected. The best way to integrate them into society was to use them as either hospitals or other facilities focused on helping the population.
"Don't worry, little ones. Haven't you two been eavesdropping on our conversation? You should know that I do not have bad intentions now, right?"
The two Life Trees panicked.
"N-No way! Didn't you say that she wouldn't notice!?"
"I thought so as well! You even reassured me that everything would be okay!"
"Are we going to get eaten now…? I don't want to get eaten, Big Sister…"
"Don't worry, Little Sister! I will not let her get close!"
Liu Shu couldn't hold it back anymore and laughed. "Ahh! Why are you two so adorable?" Her roots extended to hug them tightly, patting their branches and trunks gently.
"Wahhh! Big Sister, she is attacking us!"
"Quickly! Defend…! Hnggg! I can't move her roots!"
Liu Shu grinned. "You two surrender and accept my pampering! I will make your branches as soft as dough after I am done with you two!"
"Nooo!"
"Heeelpp!!"
And so, the two Life Trees were pampered by Liu Shu until they started mewling in comfort.
"B-Big Sister… I feel so fluffy…"
"Ugh… So comfy…"
With a refreshed expression, Liu Shu patted their bottom roots twice and chuckled. "Alright, I am satisfied for now. Now, will you listen to Big Sister?"
"B-Big Sister, what do we do? I think we should listen. There is no way this big World Tree is a bad person after making us feel so comfy, right?"
"Mhm! I also think so! Let's listen then!"
Liu Shu almost squeezed them again. 'So cute!'
"Alright, you two. First, I will give you a name like I did for that Big Sister, alright?"
The two Life Trees agreed, and Liu Shu was quick to name them. "The big sister will be Lala, and the little sister will be Lera, alright? Cute names for both of you, cute Life Trees."
"Lera? I like it!"
"Lala… Lalala? Lalalalalalalalalala."
Liu Shu gently smacked the big sister. "Alright, little one, stop saying your name repeatedly. Now, both of you tell me your ages."
Lera spoke, her tone happy. "I am forty-five!"
Lala followed, also quite cheery. "I am forty-nine!"
"..." Liu Shu looked at them strangely. "Your ages are the same as your Levels?"
Lera answered confidently. "Yeah!"
Lala followed. "Of course!"
"...What do you mean 'Of course'? Well, whatever. Let's go with that." Liu Shu checked their System Pages, and both Life Trees wiggled their roots.
Lera snorted. "Ugh… Big World Tree, what are you doing? It feels ticklish."
Lala giggled. "It feels as if my core is being poked."
After she was done, Liu Shu couldn't help but give the two Life Trees an extra glance. 'They are so interconnected that they have a
With that peculiarity in mind, Liu Shu was quite happy with the names she gave these two darlings. "Alright, you two will help me in the future to heal people and keep them safe. What do you think?"
"Yeah! I'll help tons of people!"
"I'll make them happy!"
Liu Shu smiled softly. "Great. I'll be counting on both of you. Share blessings with Carmelya, Lala, and Lera."
[Congratulations! You've received…]
[Congratulations! You've received…]
[Congratulations! You've received…]
[Congratulations! You've received…]
[Congratulations! You've received…]
[Congratulations! You've received…]
[Congratulations! You've received…]
…
There was no sound, but Liu Shu could strangely hear the screams of three innocent beings who were metaphorically violated by Liu Shu's buffs.
Our Liu Shu looked around, confused. 'Hm? What is that?'