Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos

Aurelius and the others were not surprised by Liu Shu’s retreat. Their lack of surprise was not because of their superiority, but because Liu Shu’s behavior was exactly the same as other World Trees.

The grand majority of World Trees were easily dealt with as long as you clearly stated your business and origin and didn’t lie too much. If, once in their territory, you didn’t bother the World Tree and their bottom lines, you were permitted to do as you pleased.

So, once Liu Shu retreated, the five of them and other merchant leaders used their communication devices and gathered into a large hologram room.

All 28 ships belonged to different merchant chains, so there were exactly 28 seats for each of them. They didn’t know that Liu Shu had already pierced their shields with her perception and was staring straight at them.

Cassian opened up the communications between them. He, wearing an elegant suit, spoke up calmly. "What are your first impressions of this World Tree?"

Darius spoke confidently. "I can sense that she is strong. However, her behavior is standard World Tree attitude. We have nothing to fear and can dock into their planet without problems."

Selene looked out with curiosity. "This World Tree has strong control over space. That explains why our estimations fell so short. Otherwise, her growth could only be described as ridiculous."

Cassian glanced at the woman, thoughtful. "Your species is very sensitive to space and every related attribute. Have you noticed anything special?"

"Yes." Selene nodded. "The ability to manipulate space doesn’t lose out to those humanoid beings born with innate abilities to control it. That means that the Heavenly Willow is like a massive human with top-notch spatial attributes. Her strength might not be exceptional, but I doubt anyone below Level 175 can deal with her."

Aurelius spoke for the first time. "What about experts?"

Virelya snorted. "Are you serious? A is basically powerless in front of a expert. Remember, a expert receives a on top of their , , and another large boost. Finally, Level 200 is the level that unlocks the . This makes Level 199 and 200 two worlds apart."

Selene nodded. "I do agree with her. For someone at Level 200 to have troubles with a Level 199 or below is ridiculous. It’s a completely new world in both strength and how you see the cosmos."

Aurelius agreed with them, but he still spoke with caution. "I just felt a big threat from her roots. Hence, I thought of asking if any of you felt the same. My estimations are that she is as strong as a top-tier powerhouse at Level 199. So, you all better tread carefully."

Darius was skeptical. "Are you sure? From our intel, this World Tree is probably not older than two centuries old. A World Tree of that age has usually not even managed to dominate the continent they were born in, much less become a True World Tree."

Cassian spoke calmly. "That’s why, since she has managed to expand this far, we must be careful. Her strength is something that can’t be underestimated. Otherwise, we will suffer. Just think that all of our ships can’t defeat her and work with that in mind. I don’t care if we overshoot her strength, but it is better to be safe than sorry."

Looking at the Daemon, Virelya nodded. "I do agree. We are here to gather information, not to conquer this place. With the level of our wares, we will easily be able to carve a place in the empire’s economy. Once we do, it will be hard for the World Tree to make us leave even if she wants to."

Liu Shu, listening to their conversation, smiled silently. ’I would actually love it if you could suppress my locals. Let them know that there are peaks beyond mountains, and ceilings beyond the sky.’

Was she afraid of her locals being suppressed by these foreign powers forever? First, check :

***

: While under its influence, all beings gain heightened creation abilities and improved coordination in works that advance society. There is a small chance of becoming and gaining a