After escaping Liu Shu's clutches, Queen Mistcaller used her wings to swim and move onto her throne again. She was both bewildered and angered at whoever this being was. After she sat down on the coral-like throne, she pointed at Liu Shu and condemned her. "Do you not know who I am? I am the Queen of all fairies, the strongest among them! Who do you think you are to touch me as you did?"
Liu Shu would usually feel a bit bad after hearing those words; after all, she was challenging her dignity. However, Queen Mistcaller was so adorable that her anger only tickled her soul, increasing her urge to hug her again.
Controlling the urge to pamper the fairy queen, Liu Shu sat down on the chair she summoned and smiled at her. "Queen Mistcaller, I will present myself once more. I am a World Tree. Perhaps you heard about me from one of your juniors a while ago. My name is Tianlian Liu Shu, and I had the pleasure of meeting a fairy called Lunavi."
"Lunavi?" She mumbled, her thoughts racing for a few moments. Only after a little while did she recall distant news that happened around 10 years ago. Her expression shifted, her beady, black eyes widening and appearing a bit bigger. "You are that being Lunavi spoke about? The one that crumbled a mountain?"
Liu Shu's wooden avatar showed a hint of bashfulness. She went a bit overboard back then. "Yes, that would be me. Ah, but don't worry. I am not aggressive."
Queen Mistcaller's face deadpanned, her mouth creating a wide, flat line on her face. 'If destroying mountains is not her being aggressive, what happens when she is?'
She couldn't deny that there was a sense of fear within her. Nevertheless, as a fairy, she wasn't as ignorant of World Trees as the other powers. So, within her mind, she knew that the World Tree before her was far from dangerous as long as she didn't oppose it.
'According to our ancestors, World Trees are easy to deal with. The only thing you must do is not get in their way.'
"What is your purpose?" Queen Mistcaller finally asked, her emotions relaxing from the hectic initial impressions.
Liu Shu glanced at her and spoke calmly. "World governance."
Queen Mistcaller couldn't say that she was too surprised. World Trees were, among many of their qualities, conquerors. Their existence pushed them to spread and take over, gaining control over increasingly larger patches of land. Of the few World Trees she encountered during her life, none were an exception to this rule. The only thing holding them back was their lack of strength.
Because World Trees were far from adored in Nualis, whenever the top powers encountered one, they would attack it quite ruthlessly. Those that were not taken down were the ones with the lowest potential and growth rates. In the end, despite their overwhelming prowess against people of the same Level, they needed extensive periods of time to grow.
"You, unlike other World Trees that I've encountered, have enough strength to say those words without looking arrogant, naive, or reckless. Tell me, how long will it take for you to take over the entire world?"
"Already did."
Queen Mistcaller blinked. "Eh?"
Liu Shu smiled. "My roots are already spread throughout the entire world's surface. That's why I came out to speak to you and the other leaders."
"..."
All calmness in Queen Mistcaller's heart crumbled, and a sense of anxiety and fear overwhelmed her in an instant. As a ruler, she understood the implications of those words. A World Tree's domain was like their existence itself. So, if Liu Shu had taken over as she was proclaiming, nowhere around the globe was safe from her all-seeing eyes.
Liu Shu chuckled and soothed her worries. "I've already spoken with Spark King, and I am in the midst of conversing with Deep Elder, High-Clay Chief, and you. I can't tell you not to worry, since there will be many changes. Still, I want you to be reassured that, as long as you adapt, there will be absolutely no drawbacks from my dominion. On the contrary, society will evolve and reach greater heights at ridiculous speeds."
The major problem Nualis had was the lack of resources to Level Up quickly. But Liu Shu had a way to fix it: The
With it, she could take over the existing dungeons and modify them at will. Even if the time she took was a few decades, once finished, this planet's intelligent creatures would begin to catch up. Moreover, as her auras spread throughout the world, affecting the world's flora and fauna, creatures would increase in level, evolving into more suitable hunting grounds and environments.
During the years she spent in Nualis, she would naturally not miss advancing these plans. By now, all
Among all 11
Queen Mistcaller glanced at the Avatar's calm face with a complicated look. Who knew that while they were fighting among each other on the surface, some ancient beast would sneak below them and take over before they even had knowledge of her existence?
'No…' Queen Mistcaller paused. 'We did know about her. We just ignored it due to our arrogance and narrow worldview.'
As she sighed, Queen Mistcaller decided to surrender. "Alright, you have our support, Grand World Tree Lady Tianlian Liu Shu."
"Whoa… What a mouthful." Queen Mistcaller's face twitched before she heard her chuckle and speak, "Call me Lady Liu Shu. That's more than enough for you. Oh, but others must call me Lady Heavenly Willow. That's the title given by my population. Only leaders are allowed to call me by my name… With some exceptions you'll learn about later."
"Alright, Lady Liu Shu. It shall be as such."
"Great! Now come drink some tea." They were underwater, so tea was hard to prepare. Still, Liu Shu was more than prepared. She used a modified water with a much higher density, making it easy to drop into a cup, and then placed modified leaves inside. That way, Liu Shu created a cup holding tea underwater.
As she convinced the world leaders, her focus moved toward the Star Chart Newts. 'Hm… How do I even approach this bunch? They are useful, but their egos are really… inflated.'
After living thousands of years in a mediocre world and having powerful enough precognition abilities passed down by bloodline, it was no wonder they thought of themselves as the chosen race.
Checking their System Pages was enough for Liu Shu to understand that their arrogance was also not based on a mediocre belief. Even the Level 1 to 10 little Star Chart Newts had titles that would make others green with envy.
The only drawback of their lineage was their inability to develop offensive skills. Their precognition abilities aside, none of them had any affinity whatsoever with any Aether Element or Anima spell. Their bodies were also mediocre at best, even for those focused on
Were it not because of their treachery and cunningness, they would not have survived for so long. Just the Spark King and his main army alone would be enough to flatten the strongest Star Chart Newt city.
'Integrating the others might take time, but it's not impossible. However, the Star Chart Newts will never be obedient unless…' A look full of conflict appeared in Liu Shu's gaze as she observed the peculiar species.
She had discussed in the past how to tackle them, and their final conclusion was similar to hers. 'If I want to assimilate them without pressing them down for their incredible abilities, I can only indoctrinate their young while slowly but surely letting the older generations pass away in their twilight years.'
It was not the first time she did something like this. Most schools around Ceperet had a few ideological statements so that everyone would fit within her society's restraints. Was that good? Was that evil? Liu Shu frankly felt neither.
Society was too complex to let loose all ideas, especially one that had one eternal ruler and myriad species. If she allowed old customs to penetrate within the young, it was a matter of time before those felt repressed and started revolutions.
These revolutions would lead to nothing much, as Liu Shu was semi-omniscient within her realm. She could nip them in the bud and never let any movement grow.
However, she didn't want that. She didn't want to keep a constant eye, micromanage society, and puppeteer everyone. Within her rules, she wanted freedom. As long as her laws were maintained, she wanted her civilization to prosper and bring both happiness and comfort to most.
Therefore, her schools taught a few ideological standpoints that would help everyone live together. The Star Chart Newts were not a thorn on the side that always pained you, and you knew how to easily fix it. They were a silent cancer, spreading slowly, taking root, and flaring up when you least expected it, causing damage no thorn could ever compare to.
After making up her mind, Liu Shu nodded and set aside any feelings.
Inside the largest tent, Liu Shu spotted the person leading the Star Chart Newts and manifested her wooden avatar within the room.
The elderly newt didn't overreact like the rest. Instead, he smiled. "Welcome, World Tree."
Liu Shu was not surprised at his nonchalance. Her Avatar turned to look at him and smiled. "Come, take a seat."
The usual table and chairs appeared, a cup manifesting before either chair. The Star Elder, the leader of the Caeludrans, was faintly surprised. "You don't seem startled."
Liu Shu chuckled. "Why would I? Your
Her words were not wholly untruthful. Her ability to control souls was increasingly powerful, allowing her to read some thoughts and memories at a surface level. The result of that reading would be a total collapse of the soul and death of the creature. Hence, she had no intention to use it. But the option was there.
The Star Elder, who thought he would have the advantage in the conversation, was instantly frozen. Outwardly, he showed nothing, but inwardly, he felt his heart palpitate.
"Star Elder. You must've heard of me from Vyrella. That child went to the formerly known Divine Beast Forest and encountered me. She gathered all that army, knowledgeable of my arrival at Nualis. You, knowing the result, didn't stop her. Which makes me think… What was your purpose?"
The Star Elder sat in front of Liu Shu and smiled, the constellation patterns in his skin glowing faintly. "No purpose. I just know that your strength is boundless. Therefore, I wanted her, as the most talented child among the younger generation, to know about you."
"To know about me." Liu Shu repeated and smiled, her eyes flashing intelligently. "To know about her future opponent is a more correct term, isn't it?"
The Star Elder chuckled. "You are too aggressive."
"I am." Liu Shu placed her teacup down, her heart without ripples. "After all, your species is too arrogant. As you are now, it is impossible to fit inside my society."
From the very beginning, Liu Shu was not planning on scheming against this elder. The reason? Strength.
Right at this instant, Liu Shu held absolute strength. With a single skill, Liu Shu was able to obliterate their entire species. Why would she negotiate as equals, then? The younger generation would slowly integrate within her society, but the oldest… Liu Shu's eyes flashed with faint coldness. 'I can't let rotten weeds take root in a garden that's already in bloom.'