While Liu Shu decided on the
As the manta ray flew about, it felt a sharp energy wave coming from Ceperet. This was a signal to call for it. The being flew down, starlight acting as its waters for it to swim through.
Once it descended, Verdantia and the others were helped on its back by Cael, Lysara, Veyra, and Elyne. Orwen also followed to satisfy his curiosity.
Standing on the back of the Manta Ray, Cinderielle couldn't help but feel a bit nervous and excited. "Such a wonderful creature… You are sure that there are no dangers, right?"
Her right hand was tightly gripping Lysara's arm, her other arm placed above her protruding stomach. Lysara smiled faintly, patting Cinderielle's arm. "Don't worry. I promise that nothing will happen. Moreover, Lady Elyne specializes in healing arts. So, there is nothing to worry about."
Harmonixia was by Cael's side, hugging his large arm while looking around as the manta ray flew up and pierced through the atmosphere. The large man didn't move or feel anything wrong, making sure Harmonixia was protected. The Harmonia Sylvan looked at him and smiled. "Thank you."
While Harmonixia and the other Sylvans were tall, Cael was over a head taller than them. So, after she spoke, Cael's wolf ears twitched a bit, and the big man looked down. Then, he nodded faintly, responding lightly. "There is no problem."
Veyra accompanied Tempestria, while Verdantia took Elyne's arm. Both of them were also nervously looking around. After all, this was their first official journey "outside" Ceperet.
Tempestria asked. "How long will it take?"
Veyra answered with a smile. "We will take our time. After all, isn't it a shame if your first spatial travel is rushed? Just enjoy the view. Remember to shield your eyes from looking in the direction of the Sun."
The envoys had warned them about a few things to take into account, just in case. Nothing that could endanger them, though. Just a few details to avoid annoyances caused by outer space.
After the Astraelis crossed the atmosphere, the temperature suddenly plummeted. This was something that they were warned about, so none of them reacted negatively. With a layer of ternary essence around their bodies, all four Sylvans protected themselves against the extreme environment.
Tempestria was impressed and tried to speak, only to realize there was no sound coming out of her throat. She blinked before remembering something. With a light effort, ternary essences coated her vocal cords and she spoke again, this time with a bit of embarrassment. "I forgot that there was no sound in outer space."
Cinderielle teased. "Seeing you open and close your lips like a fish out of the water was something I would love to show Tiantian. I am sure that she would bend over in laughter."
Tempestria's lips twitched as she glanced over. "Speak after you stop hugging Lysara as if you are about to fly out within the next second."
Cinderielle blushed, but she didn't dare let go of Lysara's arm. She was tightly hugging it, her legs trembling slightly.
Seeing their varied reactions, the envoys became amused, feeling closer to these relatively young Sylvans. Veyra felt increasingly fond of them as they interacted. At first, she thought that the resemblance to her daughter she saw at first would disappear as she got to know them. To her surprise, the opposite was true.
The more she got to know them, the stronger she felt that connection. This made her motherly feelings take root in them, treating them increasingly well. Gently patting Tempestria's back, Veyra commented lightly. "As you all well know by now, the Covenant is a relatively advanced
Verdantia asked, curious. "What speed is this limit you speak about?"
Veyra smiled. "Really fast. Around 300,000 kilometers per second."
"... Per second?" Tempestria looked to the side, stunned.
Veyra chuckled. "It sounds fast, doesn't it? But you must know that to travel between stars at this speed, you need years."
This made their brains hurt a little. Trying to imagine such large distances broke anything they were accustomed to. Knowing that, Veyra continued. "Of course, the higher the Level and Ascension, the stronger a person is and the easier they can manipulate their surroundings."
Tapping the star beast below them with her feet, she continued. "This big guy is durable and fast. While its offensive abilities are rather weak, it can traverse among the stars at a speed close to the limit I spoke of. The starlight you see around it protects it from the spatial and temporal ripples, allowing for fast travel between stars without any temporal distortion."
"Temporal distortion?" Another concept that made them blink dropped on their heads, making them slightly more confused.
"Yes. Time is a force that it's impossible to govern, but we can at least defend against it."
The four Sylvans instantly thought of the ridiculous System page of their lover, and their gazes turned strange. 'Impossible to govern? Doesn't our Liu Shu have a
Not showing anything on her face, Cinderielle laughed and commented. "Impossible is a big word, right? There must be someone across all worlds that has managed to use Time Aether or something similar, no?"
Veyra shook her head. "In all records about it that I've ever read, it states clearly that there has never been anyone with powers even close to manipulating time. It is the only force that the System seems to have prohibited access to for all living beings."
The four Sylvans had a soul-deep urge to take a sip of that delicious, calming tea. Thankfully, the cause for their slightly tensed bodies could easily be confused with their nervousness about their first spatial travel.
Veyra continued explaining a few things, most of which focused on how the only ways to travel quicker were via use of
As the four Sylvans learned a great deal today, Cael's deep but clear voice reached them. "We are arriving."
The overall journey took around 20 minutes. Neither too long nor too short, but more than enough for a quick space lesson and to feast their eyes on the sight of Ceperet becoming smaller as they moved further and further away.
Now, contrary to Ceperet, the always white and clear Moon that they could see from the surface was magnifying. Only, there was a small problem.
Not only the Sylvans, but also the envoys were speechless at the current Moon's situation. There was no atmosphere, so there was no sound. Still, they could almost hear the view in front of them.
Spatial openings surrounded the Moon, gargantuan roots connecting them with the surface of the celestial body. The surface was cracked everywhere, clearly from the constant moonquakes that tore the surface asunder.
On some edges, dark greyish matter with light red spots could be surging up and falling back down slowly due to the relatively lower gravity there.
Masses of moon matter exploded silently on one side, while the other side cracked open in voids deeper than any ocean back in Ceperet. Through those fissures that extended dozens of kilometers, the pulsing roots, wiggling and ripping apart the Moon from its entrails, could easily be seen, their veins glowing with their characteristic blue light.
In front of them, the raw force of nature Tianlian Liu Shu unfolded in all of its glory and true, terrifying reach. The Moon's current situation was nothing but what Liu Shu could do right now in Ceperet, where she was actually anchored.
Elyne wanted to fall to her knees and pray for the sight unfolding in front of them, but she held back as she was holding onto Verdantia. Instead, she began muttering chants, her purple-colored eyes shining with adoration and faith.
Verdantia glanced over once, but she didn't stop her. This woman was the religious leader of her lover's church, so she felt that there was nothing wrong with Elyne showing her faith so openly.
The one who found her voice first was Veyra. "... I was still underestimating her."
She had heard that Liu Shu was trying to terraform the Moon, but in her mind, this was a project that would take the World Tree at least a few centuries to complete. She had not expected to see an apocalyptic-level show of power.
Cael looked around as well, and he noticed something peculiar at the bottom of some fissures. "Orwen, Lysara, Veyra, Lady Elyne… Don't those things over there remind you of something? Don't they look like…"
Cael didn't finish the words because the idea sounded too absurd in his mind. It was Lysara who completed the half-plant, half-wolf man's words. Her tone was nothing but a whisper due to her overwhelmed feelings. "...Runes."
Meanwhile, Orwen felt that his insides were twisting. 'Thankfully, she was forgiving. Thankfully, she is a World Tree with a merciful heart.'
Looking at the sight before him, he knew that even if Liu Shu had killed him, the Covenant wouldn't have made Liu Shu their enemies just to take revenge for him. If the higher-ups looked at this, they would send another wave of envoys to carefully protect Liu Shu against all threats.
It was not because other World Trees were unable to do what Liu Shu was doing. But because those who could were World Trees that approached Level 200! Liu Shu was a World Tree that reached Level 100 six years ago. Not sixty, not six hundred, six!
While they were all hypnotized by the destruction and chaos before them, the cradle of what would later nourish a whole new ecosystem, the gentle and soothing voice of the World Tree reached them.
"Oh? You've all arrived. Be careful with the stray Moon chunks floating about. They shouldn't be able to hurt you, but they are quite large. Moreover, the Moon is larger than I expected, so the gravity is not small at all. Large things are still heavy!"
Liu Shu chuckled a bit before speaking to them. "Either way~, welcome to the Moon! I hope you can help me even if it is a little bit."
The four Sylvans felt their lips twitch and had the same exact thought. 'Love, this might be a bit above our branch reach!'