Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos

The arrival of the envoys didn’t change much, if anything, of what Liu Shu had planned. In truth, they were mostly inconsequential in her plans. At most, these envoys would serve as the "hold on and see" factor that would block any aggression from the Covenant’s part.

Of course, to ensure they did their part properly, she had already planned to gradually show her uniqueness and have good conversations with them. Today was such a day.

It had been around a week and a half since they arrived, and now, the Verdant Elder and quite a few other top-tier envoys had gathered in a large conference room within a .

The room was able to house over 200 people easily, so the 150-odd people present didn’t make it feel crowded in the slightest. Moreover, among these people, those who would actively participate in the conversation numbered at most around 10.

To summarize, there was no one uncomfortable with the venue as everyone took their seats and prepared to discuss important matters.

Liu Shu was participating with her Avatar this time around, sitting at the forefront of the Golden Sap Empire’s group. To her left and right, Flor and Seraphina sat silently.

The reason to seat these two closest was that each represented a strong authority. Flor, there was nothing to explain, as she was the de facto leader of the Golden Sap Empire right after Liu Shu.

Meanwhile, Liu Shu’s intent to sit Seraphina to her right was to show the Covenant envoys that some of their people had defected to her side and were siding with her. After all, unlike Obsidianis, who had a reason—Veyra’s presence during the attack—Seraphina had been a righteous and strongly involved young talent.

If she could convince Seraphina to side with her, there should be something for them to take into account.

"I am glad you made some time to join us for today’s first formal and in-depth discussion, Lord Verdant Elder."

Liu Shu started with some basic courtesy, and the Verdant Elder answered in kind. "It is no problem in the slightest. After living in the Golden Sap City for a short time, I had quite a few matters I intended to discuss with Lady Heavenly Willow."

Liu Shu nodded with an understanding expression, and she smiled gently. "Since that’s the case, let’s change our address to not be so stiff. How about you refer to me as Lady Liu Shu? And if I may, what is Lord Verdant Elder’s name?"

The Verdant Elder shook his head. "In our church, when one reaches the level of Verdant Elder, they discard their name and become a Verdant Elder by name. So, calling me Lord Verdant Elder is neither incorrect nor rude."

Liu Shu was a bit confused, but she didn’t dig into this peculiarity. Instead, she nodded. "I understand, Lord Verdant Elder. In that case, let’s start with what intent Lord Verdant Elder and the other esteemed envoys had come to propose or suggest to our Golden Sap Empire."

"Gladly." The Verdant Elder started. "First, we want to give a formal explanation to our Verdant Sanctity Covenant’s actions. As you might know, the war between the Nexus and us has escalated into a full-scale conflict. The entirety of the Star System has raised arms, called allies, and is fighting the scourge of the Abyssal Void Nexus Empire."

Liu Shu nodded. "I am aware. It must be a difficult battle."

The Verdant Elder sighed and nodded. "That’s indeed the case. So, when we realized that Rhazor, one of the Nexus’s ace generals, had diverted its gaze from the main battlefield, the Verdant Sanctity Covenant saw an opportunity. While it does not sound good or even proper, I will be blunt. Strategically, sacrificing this flank to take advantage of Rhazor’s absence was a sound and thoroughly thought-out plan. Here are the results of that choice."

Naturally, the Verdant Elder and the other envoys had not come without a plan. The group they were trying to speak with was an abandoned pawn. Someone they chose to sacrifice. To expect any goodwill at all without resentment from such a party was straight up idealistic and naive.

Therefore, the Covenant gave the Verdant Elder positive battle results to show off and attributed them to Rhazor’s absence. Whether they were true or not, only the top of the Covenant would know.

Liu Shu asked. "Are these copies for me?"

The Verdant Elder was a bit confused, but he nodded. "Yes, you can store them away if you please, Lady Liu Shu."

Liu Shu smiled, and one of her roots moved down from the ceiling. The envoys tensed up when they saw the gorgeous and sleek root with blue-glowing veins. Then, to their stupefaction, the root actually divided into four sections, spreading out like a mouth, and swallowed the report.

Liu Shu closed her eyes for a second, and the information in the reports flashed in her mind like a document being uploaded to a computer. Soon, she had absorbed and understood the information.

"I see. These reports do indeed indicate some correlation between Rhazor and the resolution of these conflicts."

Meanwhile, the Covenant people were currently stiff, not really understanding what was happening. The Verdant Elder, while he maintained a perfectly calm facade, was sweating coldly. He smiled, hiding his tumultuous heart, and asked. "Pardon my ignorance, Lady Liu Shu. Why have you... swallowed the reports?"

He wanted to find a more refined verb to explain what he had just seen, but the scene had been so shocking that he blurted out things quite crudely.

Liu Shu blinked and smiled. "A small skill I have. Nothing too important."

By her side, Seraphina and Obsidianis had their eyes slightly locked onto the root that split and revealed a relatively moist and soft interior. Their minds involuntarily went to another word, barely restraining themselves from becoming aroused.

While everyone was shocked, Liu Shu made a calling gesture with her hand, and quite a few roots descended, all of them spitting out a copy of the reports to her people.

This ability left the Covenant envoys heavy-hearted. No one present was stupid, so the implications of Liu Shu being able to "eat" knowledge and immediately print it were just... ridiculous.

The Verdant Elder took a secret deep breath to calm his heart. ’What kind of skill could allow for such a thing? Is it a ? Does it consume ternary essence? If it is a , or worse, a