Liu Shu's wooden Avatar sat calmly on a wooden throne she created herself. The throne was not extravagant or imposing, just a nice-looking seat made out of Liu Shu's own wood. As Liu Shu sat, she crossed one leg over the other, leaning back with a calm, gentle smile. Her arms rested at the side, but her posture was straight enough to look dignified.
Her mannerisms were incredibly human-like, something everyone in the room noticed and found perplexing. Even Sarlos was looking at her gestures with a pondering look. 'Those are her roots, but she made the effort to appear as a humanoid and even sat down in a self-made seat. Moreover, if we add the word of choice in her speech…'
A flash of insight flashed in Sarlos's intelligent eyes. Even then, he didn't point it out. Since he was the party that proposed the deal, Sarlos opened the conversation. "I've heard about the news. You have my sincere felicitations on your triumph defending your territory. I heard it was a hard fight, but Lady Heavenly Willow managed to outwit and push both the Verdant Sanctity Covenant and Abyssal Void Nexus back."
Liu Shu looked at him with a faint smile. "Your intelligence network is far beyond what I can imagine. Truly, it makes one feel as if I am prodding around in a moonless night without a source of light."
'Oho. Good deduction skills as well. She is not taking praise at face value but analyzing the deeper meaning.'
Sarlos smiled calmly. "You overpraise me."
Liu Shu chuckled. "Not at all. Still, I am thankful for your words. It was a war that didn't have to happen, yet they pushed it to the point of being irreversible. I even warned the Covenant in length before they joined."
Liu Shu wore a wistful, saddened expression. "Regretably, I seem to be someone in their eyes detestable enough for both sides to put down their millennial conflict and eliminate me. I am just thankful that no
Those who were unaware became incredibly curious for a moment. 'The Covenant and Nexus joined hands? Those two that kill each other even when they meet on neutral ground?'
Sarlos laughed internally. 'A good choice to make my subordinates know about it. Information spreads from multiple sources. There is no need to miss a chance to create a small, or perhaps large, information-spreading source.'
While they had only exchanged a few words, Sarlos's first impressions of Liu Shu were great. He liked that the World Tree didn't act indifferent, aloof, or too straight to the point. She had the ability to hold small conversations, and her retorts were clever and witty.
To be frank, Sarlos had come mostly to meet with Liu Shu rather than to exchange resources. After all, he felt there was nothing Liu Shu had that could catch his eye. The sheer volume of goods his merchant fleets exchanged daily was probably more abundant than the total produced in the Golden Sap Empire yearly. And that was without a shred of exaggeration. Both sides were at very different levels in terms of standing.
Liu Shu asked about the starships and received only superficial answers, while Sarlos asked about the Golden Sap Empire as well, only to receive equally vague responses. Both sides were basically playing Tai-chi with words, going nowhere but at the same time exchanging a more profound communication.
"...
Liu Shu nodded at his words. "That's usually the case. I've read plenty of records regarding that subject. Still, my religion is based on a true deity, so to speak."
Sarlos laughed. "Yourself? Bold, but also arrogant. Lady Heavenly Willow must keep her sight on the ground if possible, or even as a tree, you might find yourself in a tricky situation."
His words didn't offend Liu Shu. After all, she had been acting human-like, so her speech could come as either arrogant or ignorant. Therefore, she didn't prove it through words. Liu Shu's skills had already crystallized and reached a point where her presence felt "divine."
It was not a matter of speech, but a truth that Liu Shu had already taken the first step to become a godlike figure. So, she didn't beat around the bush this time. Her smile receded, becoming a dignified one as her aura, without any warning, shifted.
"Lord Sarlos, I am currently not attending in the capacity of my divine self, but as a trading partner representing the Golden Sap Empire."
Her words fell with physical weight as Liu Shu's nascent divinity took hold of the entire room. The guards tensed up, reaching for their weapons. Thankfully for them, Liu Shu's expression relaxed as she spoke gently and released the pressure.
"Therefore, I hope we do not try to label each other without deeper knowledge. Such actions will only serve to cause a rift between each other."
Everyone in the room held their breath. Even when Liu Shu had released her pressure, there was absolutely no one who could calm their fiercely beating heart. At that moment, Liu Shu's figure appeared to have magnified thousands of times, looking down on the world like what she truly was, a True World Tree with boundless strength.
Sarlos quietly swallowed. He had been face to face with many powerful figures, and he had also felt stronger pressure in the past compared to what Liu Shu just showed. Nevertheless, none of those auras he had felt resembled Liu Shu's. Due to the
It was not the pressure of the strong, but the weight of the divine and all who believed in her as a deity. Intangible yet soul-crushing. That was Liu Shu's true essence as a divine being.
Sarlos bowed his head slightly with his hands placed on his thighs. "I am sorry for my presumptuous response, Lady Heavenly Willow. I was blinded by your easygoing nature and committed rudeness."
Getting along was one thing, and not respecting the other party was another. Liu Shu nodded at him with her usual gentle smile. "I accept your apology, Lord Sarlos. Please raise your head. We can't continue our conversation if Lord Sarlos keeps looking down, can we?"
Her gentle laughter calmed the pumping hearts of everyone present, but such magnanimous bearing even when she had the ability to show true strength only made Liu Shu's essence more profound and mysterious.
It felt as if, suddenly, an enormous mysterious veil hid Liu Shu's true self, showing only what she wanted to show.
The conversation's lead quietly shifted with her move.
After Sarlos raised his head, he nodded and smiled back. "Let's do as Lady Heavenly Willow says. We are here to trade, after all."
Even when he was speaking like before, Liu Shu could feel a slightly, truly almost imperceptible, hint of caution. One that even Sarlos himself didn't notice. Yet, it was there. That small crack was the very place where Liu Shu could latch and gradually dig inside.
To keep the momentum going, Liu Shu asked about the trading items instead of letting Sarlos retake the initiative. "I read the letter you sent personally. You really know how to tempt others. The one technology you are offering is exactly what an expanding empire needs. My people have tackled the challenge, and while there is progress, it will take a while to create a mature interstellar teleportation device."
That last sentence was to tell Sarlos that, while his offer was tempting and something Liu Shu needed, it was not essential. She was, in a way, slashing at the technology's value.
Sarlos easily caught on. Usually, he would have some information about whether her words were truthful. Nevertheless, Liu Shu's previous move and the fact that she herself was developing the technology ensured there were zero leaks in that regard.
Even when he had tried, Sarlos had arrived at their meeting blind about the Golden Sap Empire's technology development. Moreover, he had heard that the Golden Sap Empire had already developed inter-planetary teleportation.
So, her words sounded even more convincing. If they found the trick to scale up inter-planetary teleportation to an interstellar level, his offer would truly become worthless.
'Still, the very fact that she approached us and even showed interest means that they are far from achieving it.'
Sarlos would naturally not allow himself to be led by the nose. If they were close to getting the technology, Liu Shu would not have come herself. In a way, her presence in their current meeting room gave Sarlos enough confidence that Liu Shu needed what he had.
Therefore, he answered in kind. "That's impressive. From what I know, the Golden Sap Empire is a young power. I even heard that you've already developed inter-planetary teleportation. While the step to scale it up is complicated, not many civilizations at the Golden Sap Empire's level have something as advanced as what you have."
A way to tell Liu Shu that she was still far away from getting what he had. He effectively placed weight in time matters and the age of the empire with truthful statements. In this way, Sarlos achieved giving his merchandise the label of "premium" and "FOMO."
Liu Shu was not dissatisfied. In the first place, she came here knowing that getting this technology would not be cheap. Still, establishing both sides allowed her to maneuver when the time came to negotiate.
Now that most cards were on the table, Liu Shu began the negotiations.
"Indeed. It is as Lord Sarlos says. We do need it. Therefore, our Golden Sap Empire has come with several local items that Lord Sarlos might find interesting."
Some of the bodyguards were skeptical. Regardless of Liu Shu's strength and presence, resources didn't rain from the sky. This was a small mistake in their thinking, forgetting once more that Liu Shu was a World Tree.
Sarlos didn't make that mistake, showing keen interest. "I would love to see it. In the meantime, I will show you a short preview and video of the technology. I am a merchant, so I must make sure our trustworthiness is not doubted."
"I appreciate it."
So, while Sarlos's attendants started the video, Liu Shu dug her hand into the void and summoned a small booklet from the void. Seeing her manipulate space so nonchalantly once more caused some gasps within the room.
After giving the booklet to Sarlos, Liu Shu shifted her eyes toward the video. In it, Liu Shu saw a rather large structure, at least 60 kilometers in diameter. The structure was a mix of technology, arrays, and rune technology. Once it was activated, the runes and arrays lit up one after another, creating a magnificent spectacle.
Then, the space inside the massive ring-like structure twisted in a spiral before it suddenly sank. Even when it was just a video, Liu Shu could feel the dimension and space being twisted.
A second later, the one filming took out a starmap that showed where they were. Then, they dove inside with a starship, and the video sped up. Teleportation was not instantaneous, after all.
After a few moments, the starmap showed that they had arrived at another star. Liu Shu was satisfied with the video. It proved more than enough.
When she turned to look at Sarlos, she saw the man flipping through the pages. He was clearly trying to remain calm, but…
"Cough." Sarlos smiled faintly, trying to hide his emotions. "Excuse me for that. I choked a little bit on the coffee."
Liu Shu smiled deeply. "Take your time, Lord Sarlos. I have some tea with me if you'd like. It has a calming effect…" 'Among many others, heh.'
Sarlos, meanwhile, was having a mild nervous breakdown. 'How can there be so many high-quality items in this list that I've never seen before!?'