Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos

After the Golden Sap Empire’s fleet arrived, Xara was convinced that they had no chance. She was strong even when compared to the Golden Sap Elites... until Liu Shu’s blessings took over. Then, Xara’s stats could only be compared to an average Level 200 powerhouse from Liu Shu’s army, and those numbered in the tens of thousands.

Their group of ten had absolutely no chance. ’Those starships look quite advanced as well. I wonder if they are strong?’

Thankfully for Xara, they didn’t have to face the Star Reaching Lignified Starships. Otherwise, she might lie on her back, arms spread, and close her eyes to wait for her inevitable demise.

Meanwhile, the people from the Golden Sap Empire were quite curious about what was happening in this Solar System. After the Star Reaching Starships revealed their capabilities, the army had been feeling... cozy. Warm and protected by the massive, incredibly advanced starships.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

No longer did they have to use enemy-stolen starships at 70% of their true capabilities!

No longer did they have to learn foreign systems that sometimes wouldn’t work and caused problems, forcing them to fight up close and personal.

Now, the relatively lower-level soldiers could stay inside until they were needed, while the starships dealt with the enemy’s lower-level individuals. No more sacrifices when there wasn’t a need for them.

"Look over there."

The Star Reaching Starships weren’t just good in combat. They even had skills that let people in the control room see the hidden dimension as ethereal imagery. So, they could see Apricot’s roots coiling around Liu Shu’s and trying to pull her back, only to fail miserably.

Someone chuckled. "Cute."

Another looked at them sideways, speechless. "You call that cute? They are gargantuan, massive roots interlocking with forces that would crush us into meat paste. Where is the cuteness there?"

The first person clicked their tongue and smirked playfully. "You don’t have the aesthetic sense necessary. As expected of a non-flora species."

The beastkin rolled their eyes. "Here speaks the privileged flora-based organism... Ah. Wait, you couldn’t taste meat properly, can you?"

The dryad raised her eyebrow. "You speak of taste? Sorry, the fact that you can’t distinguish the true flavors of vegetables is the bigger tragedy here."

They bumped each other’s shoulders and then burst into laughter.

This was one of the lessons they learned about respecting other species. Don’t take it too seriously or be afraid to banter. Call out faults with humor, and accept them with a laugh. If they do it maliciously? No species is perfect. Everyone who had grown up with Liu Shu’s education could find 100 faults for each species from the top of their head thanks to the deep and obligatory biology class.

So, bantering and the like between friends was commonplace. Plus, since everyone took it as a joke, speaking maliciously was much harder than you’d expect.

Either way, Xara met with one of Liu Shu’s generals with surprise. Xara herself was a Sylvan, and while humans and some beastkins existed, only humanoid ones were somewhat accepted.

It was like this in most locations, not because of malice—most of the time—but because the way of life of some species was truly incompatible.

"I understand what you mean. Here, see these few videos."

The human general smiled at Xara and nodded, taking out a holographic screen where they could perfectly see the videos. Xara was mildly surprised, but she had also witnessed incredible technology during her lifetime, so she was not too shocked.

"Little Apricot, stop pulling at Lady Heavenly Willow’s roots as well and look here."

Apricot smacked Liu Shu’s roots a few times, like throwing a small temper tantrum, but she still listened. "Hm... Okay, Big Sister Xara..."

So, the video played and showed someone moving around the world on top of a manta ray . That one manta ray the Covenant gifted Liu Shu the first time they came as envoys had grown tremendously and was living quite a leisurely and happy life in the Golden Sap Empire.

The people on top of the looked around, and as they moved, it was impossible to miss the many World Trees in the distance. Because of their height, Warlya, Fortuna, Prarya, and the canopies of many other World Trees were visible as the camera moved around.

The person holding the camera pointed and presented each of them, their tone calm but also reverent.

"...That one with the red leaves over there is Lady Warlya. She is one of the strongest World Trees in our Golden Sap Empire and a war participant. Her story started over 1,200 years ago when..."

Xara, her nine companions, and Apricot looked at the video with rapt attention. They were immediately absorbed in the imagery of a planet with dozens of World Trees.

"...Lady Darkpure is one of the few World Trees younger than Lady Heavenly Willow. She was born from the remains of a Corrupted World Tree and has incredible Dark Aether Mana affinity. She was also blessed and purified by Lady Heavenly Willow when she was a sapling, which gave her powerful purifying abilities. Her dual affinity of Dark and Purification is unique in the entire Golden Sap Empire."

"...Lady Fortuna is our Empire’s lucky charm. Her gorgeous white leaves and lush canopy are a sight to behold. Just being near her is enough to increase your , and she can also give temporary buffs to , Luck, and even success chance. She is also the first World Tree Lady Heavenly Willow encountered, and the only World Tree that lives within the Golden Sap City, the place that surrounds Lady Heavenly Willow’s birthplace."

The video continued as the moved quickly around the world. Apricot had been silent for a while, and even her roots lost their strength and were just resting while coiled around Liu Shu.

Xara, as well, felt her emotions well up.

This is what they imagined at first. This was their hope and intention back then. Why did World Trees need to kill each other without any other option? They couldn’t accept it then because both World Trees had interacted often, and even their citizens got along well.

Sadly, nature was ruthless and won over their intentions. Without a special