While technology was going crazy in the Golden Sap Empire, the outside kept moving forward. Inside Liu Shu's empire, 32 years had passed since she awakened from her Level 100 Ascension. That meant that outside, barely 16 years had gone by.
In these sixteen years, the Covenant people didn't pay much attention to the envoys they sent toward Ceperet. After all, 16 years was barely any time. After the few initial reports, most people expected the new World Tree to reach Level 110 at most during this time.
No one would've thought that Liu Shu would achieve the monstrous Level 150 milestone.
"I wonder how those juniors are doing over there?"
The Verdant Elder, who sent Elyne and the others and gave Liu Shu three centuries to expand out of her original Star System, asked aloud.
A woman by her side, wearing ceremonial robes, smiled. "It has been a little over fifteen years. How much could that child advance? I recommend not asking much until at least five decades pass, or you might come across as nagging."
The Verdant Elder snorted, sipping some tea. "I just don't know why that child, Elyne, is so stubborn this time."
"Didn't you give her a chance to prove her belief?" The woman sighed. Having accompanied the Verdant Elder for a while, she knew his temperament quite well. He was someone who often regretted giving juniors too much agency.
The Verdant Elder paused and nodded. "I did… but what if World Flower, that talented World Tree, decides on having someone else from our church? Elyne is talented, but she is not the only one."
The woman pondered. "World Flower is Level 153, if I remember correctly. So, she shouldn't be in too much haste to accept someone. Lady Elyne can afford a few centuries before World Flower becomes impatient."
The Verdant Elder nodded and sighed. "What about those two girls?"
"Two girls?" The woman pondered, and then her eyes flashed with recognition. "Is Verdant Elder speaking about Miss Obsidianis and Miss Seraphina?"
The elder nodded, his eyes profound. "Those two Sylvan girls have immense latent potential. While we managed to bring out some of it with our treasures, they still have some
"Miss Obsidianis and Miss Seraphina have gone to the
The Verdant Elder hummed. "Obsidianis was Little Veyra's child, right? She is one of the high level envoys we sent, if I recall correctly."
"Yes." The woman smiled. "I am surprised you remember when you only paid attention to Lady Elyne."
The Verdant Elder nodded. "That child, Veyra, is quite clever. A shame that her talent was never outstanding. Otherwise, with her intelligence, she could've become a pillar of our Verdant Covenant."
The woman just nodded, not commenting further. After all, while she was close to the
***
Very far away, in the middle of the void, a group of two World-Type Ships and a few Moon-Types crossed the void quickly. They had stopped on a nearby planet, repairing their remaining ships, and were now rushing back.
Of course, they made sure to send advanced knowledge to the higher-ups of the
They had yet to receive any answers, though.
Altherion looked at the void stretching in front of him with a neutral expression. After so many years, Altherion had calmed down and thought about everything that happened.
"Tianlian Liu Shu is too strong." He noticed when he received that "punch" after angering her.
"A Level 100 World Tree almost killed me, a Level 179 Star Lord."
After speaking those words, his heart shook. He perfectly understood how big a menace she was. Sadly, even when he asked for top powerhouses to eliminate this threat, there was no answer.
At that moment, he received one message. He blinked once and opened it.
"We've received your request to send a Star Emperor to Coordinates (xxxxx, xxxxx, xxxxx) and it has been rejected. Down below, you can read the details."
Altherion's face became ugly, and he quickly skimmed over the ten pages of flowery words and complicated terms.
Altherion snorted. "In short, they won't send a Star Emperor because the threat is something a Star Lord like me can survive."
After laughing once, he froze. He was not, by any means, stupid. Everything he experienced flashed in his mind, pieces of the puzzle clicking together.
"No… They shouldn't have planned that ahead…" He muttered, his fingers restlessly tapping on the armrest. Yet, after he reviewed everything in his mind, he reached the very same answer each time.
"Played." Altherion laughed with hatred. "I've been played!"
It was not that they managed to escape, but that they were allowed to escape! However, what else could he do?
Even if he explained everything he just realized, the only conclusion others would reach was that he was making excuses for his defeat! After all, his opponent was already registered as a Level 100 World Tree!
How could a Level 100 World Tree control two Star Lord fleets to the point that they were forced to retreat?
If he dared to spout that, his life as a reputable Star Lord would be over! "Not only have I been played, but I must play on the board that's been set up for me… Ha… haha…"
He leaned back, looking dazed and lost. He didn't expect to be played to this extent.
Altherion tried to think of an alternative, but the very concept of a Level 100 World Tree being that powerful didn't make sense. "What if I say that the World Tree is SS Tier?"
He pondered this option, but he soon threw it out. They managed to get some roots while escaping, so they knew that Liu Shu was A+ Tier. If he dared to lie and was discovered later, Altherion knew that it wouldn't end as something as simple as punishment. He might be imprisoned for lying to higher authorities and have all his life work stripped out from him.
"... I can only hope. Hope that those people will be able to piece things together as I have."
Without direct perspective, Altherion only felt hopeless about this option, but he just wanted to pray for a miracle.
***
In another sector of the Galaxy, on a large planet that looked modified to appear similar to an insect's hive, a few insectoids gathered together. They were reading a report from one of their top-class combat groups.
"Queen… are you sure that this message is reliable? I do believe that matters such as these should be taken seriously. Deciding quickly is not something we should do."
The woman sitting on the throne was a Hornet Queen. Her appearance was close to Ignatia's, but she was much more insect-like and towering over three meters in height.
Her "queen" quality was, at a first glance, easily discernible as lower-tier compared to Ignatia's. After all, the closer to a human's base looks, the stronger the Queen.
Even then, her authority was nothing short of all-encompassing within the nearby area. "I reached Level 199 a long time ago." The Queen began, calmly and regally. "If what little Xalis reported is 30% truth, it would still be worth it. Moreover, the message clearly states that it was sent with the permission of the other side. So, they are more than happy to cooperate with us. There are not many who dare or even want to cooperate with insectoids, so I believe we should not lose this chance."
One of the highest-ranked people present frowned and quickly protested. "Even then, going personally is too much, Queen."
"Should I then wait for those others who will go personally to break through first before I go myself?" The Queen was not angry and asked lightly. A smile appeared on her lips. "We are hornets. Why are we behaving like shy butterflies? If it is a trap, we'll crush it. If it is a blessing, we'll soak it in. I see absolutely no reason not to give it a try. Moreover…"
The Hornet Queen glanced at the galactic map in front of her and muttered. "They are not that far away. A trip will take less than 10 years."
A conflicted look appeared on everyone present. They wanted to continue refuting, but they'd been at it for almost a week, and the Hornet Queen had not changed opinions in the slightest. It was clear that she had made up her mind.
"Then, let us have at least 10 fleets accompany you, Queen."
"Are we going to visit or conquer?" The Hornet Queen snorted. "Three fleets are enough for this short trip. It's enough strength to show that we are not weak and low enough numbers to tell them that we are not going to conquer them."
Everyone could only helplessly agree to her words.
The Hornet Queen asked, changing the subject. "What about that problem we noticed a few light-years away?"
The one in charge frowned. "It's… odd. The spatial fluctuations in that zone clearly aim at the existence of an insectoid nest. However, the mental waves we've detected are not those of an individual. We are afraid that they are a hive-type insect group."
"Hive-type…" The Queen showed a scowl. "If that's the case, keep a few eyes on it. I doubt they'll cause trouble soon, but since they are not too far away, we can't consider ourselves uninvolved."
***
Back in Ceperet, time passed quickly, and Liu Shu continued developing the new technology step by step. There were quite a few things she needed to do before starting to create the first proper "computer."
However, with her monstrous mind and speed of craft, the process was extremely efficient and swift. Moreover, each time she presented new concepts, the large gatherings of top scientists and their sharing of ideas helped Liu Shu clear some questions.
Each time she got inspiration, Liu Shu followed the culture and made sure to give proper recognition to those she snatched ideas from.
Each time a new book was published, and someone's name was on it, they would laugh loudly and point at their competitors with wide grins.
The items that Liu Shu created after the
The
Liu Shu didn't mind. The advantage of the new technology was not short-term gains, but long-term evolution.
Finally, the
In short, the former combines multiple signals into structured outcomes, and the latter stores signal states temporarily.