Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos

When the girls arrived, Liu Shu was sitting on a chair, holding Flor in her arms. Flor comfortably ate cookies from a platter in front of her and explained a few governing matters. Liu Shu nodded and occasionally added a comment.

Though Flor was immensely talented as Liu Shu’s number two in governing the Golden Sap Empire, she was far from perfect. That wasn’t a problem, though, because Liu Shu was nearby to correct her when her thinking was too limited, or she missed the bigger picture.

As a second-in-command, Liu Shu honestly felt that Flor was the best, bar none. Her position, identity, and thinking process fit together seamlessly.

Flor sighed, resting herself on Liu Shu’s soft body. "Honestly, baby. I am a bit lost with the latest advancements in technology. There are a few new programs I need to learn that are slightly confusing."

Liu Shu laughed and was about to answer when she noticed the girls arriving. "Oh. They are here. Well, it doesn’t matter. Let me teach you quickly."

The girls smiled and approached to receive a kiss before taking their places. Flor couldn’t help but laugh. "Seeing six people queue to give you a kiss is truly a unique sight, no matter how many years pass."

Liu Shu huffed. "What’s wrong with my wives giving me kisses? Instead of that, look here. Do you see these symbols? They are the ones that substituted the ones that you used for..."

Flor listened attentively, and after a crash course lasting about an hour, Flor exclaimed in understanding. "Ah. It finally clicked. It is indeed much better and faster than before."

"Right? Once you get used to it, it is much easier to use. Not to mention, if you start with this one interface instead of the other, you’ll feel much less overwhelmed. Many functions have been compiled into sectors."

Flor agreed. "Yeah. Now it is easier to navigate."

Then, the fairy turned her ruby-like eyes to glance at the girls. "How was the , girls? Did you get anything nice?"

Tempestria crossed her legs and smiled. "We are all now past Level 290, so that’s something. I don’t think it will take us long to reach Level 300."

Flor sighed. "That would be perfect. The border has been a touch restless lately."

The girls frowned. "Restless in what regard?"

Flor tapped a few keys on the keyboard and moved her hand to move documents she had prepared. With a few gestures and using her recently learned shortcuts, Flor manifested the documents in a 3D hologram and showed them to the girls.

"Look. The activity is increasing, and not the good kind. It seems that the is slowly but surely coming our way. If we are not careful, we might need to purge one or two worlds. Moreover, with the more deeply connected Solar Systems thanks to Stella, the is quite a big threat to us. It is not a matter of one or two Solar Systems falling to it. It can spread everywhere silently."

The girls frowned, looking concerned. "Have you thought of something?"

Flor raised her elegant eyebrow. "Who do you think you are talking to?"

Of course, since she was so petite and sitting on Liu Shu’s lap like a high-quality doll, the gesture was more comical than majestic. Flor moved the documents and brought out a top-secret one.

The girls read through it and showed looks of shock. "When did you even start this...?"

Flor smiled. "Around 100 years ago? Perhaps longer. I can’t really recall. Let me present to you... The ."

Flor tapped a few points of interest, highlighting them on the reports. "We have such an interesting species with enough potential in them that even Liu Shu had been wary. Why wouldn’t we use them? Instead of treating them like a potential cancer of society and repressing them until they explode, we’ve been doing our best to fit them into our society."

The girls naturally knew that, too. Even they had as subordinates. They met that species in Nualis back then, the one Liu Shu had to rewire deeply. Since then, several new generations had been born and gone through the Golden Sap Education system, the area Liu Shu focused on most, third only to technological and military development.

As a result, they were a species everyone knew about and treated quite preciously, but not to the point of privilege. "With their natural and oracle-type skill development, they are a species that is immensely valued in research, military, construction, marketing, and many other societal positions. Even as teachers, they can sometimes predict, by pure instinct, when some children might go down the wrong path."

They were one of the most popular species because of their peculiarity. The only thing that lacked was combat power. Yes, they could predict many things, but they struggled to learn pure combat skills.

In a way, they were similar to Fortuna. It was no wonder that, among their species, Fortuna was their second most revered World Tree after Liu Shu.

"So, you’ve trained a group of to prevent large catastrophes?"

The document listed more than just . They were not the only species that could be born with affinity. Some humans, beastkin, Sylvans, and other intelligent species could possess similar talents.

The Terragore Oracle Queen BOSS Monster was a prime example.

The special thing about the newts was that every single member innately had some degree of precognition. All of them, with no exception.

Flor shook her head at the comment. "Not to prevent catastrophes. Their precognition doesn’t really work at large scale or too far in the future developments because of Liu Shu’s involvement."

The girls recalled that Liu Shu had anti-precognition abilities. Flor commented. "Even then, if they do see a large catastrophe during their combined meetings, we are notified and pay attention. It is a matter of... If Liu Shu were not there, this place could go through a profound danger."

The girls understood where Flor was going with this. Obsidianis caught the deeper meaning as well. "Aha... As expected of a mother-in-law, I suppose. This is a good way to control them and remind them that they are not, by any means, all-powerful just because of their ability to see future visions."

Flor chuckled. "You caught up quickly. Should I have expected it from the most sinister of all of Liu Shu’s wives?"

Obsidianis showed a hurt look. "...I didn’t know you thought of me that way. Ugh."

Flor snorted with laughter. "Right, right. Anyway, yes. If they predict a large catastrophe and then it just doesn’t happen, it is a reminder that, while they can see possible futures, none of them are those where Liu Shu exists."

Verdantia was a touch confused. "Then, aren’t they useless?"

"Not at all." Harmonixia rubbed her chin. "If a place would’ve gone through a catastrophe, there must be a reason behind it. So sending groups to investigate the area wouldn’t hurt anyone. It also lets Liu Shu pay extra attention to those areas and avoid being caught by surprise. No matter how powerful Liu Shu’s processing ability is, she can’t check on the entire population as she did in the past."

Liu Shu nodded while munching on a pastry. "If I focus, I can scan a world easily. However, I can’t keep constant watch like before. So, preventing normal crime has become something I don’t do anymore. Not that I need to. I have built up all this infrastructure since day one, knowing that this day would one day arrive."

Flor smiled. "Exactly. All the laws, education, infrastructure, departments, etc., we’ve built them knowing that Liu Shu’s sight can be focused but can’t cover everything like before... Well, you girls should know best about it, right? You each are leaders of different departments."

Cinderielle was the leading figure in the internal affairs department. She was the one who led the team that punished those at the very top. Of all the girls, Cinderielle was one of the most feared.

Verdantia was the leader of all food and agriculture departments. She was, basically, in charge of food supply and growth across the Golden Sap Empire.

Tempestria served in the military, but wasn’t an active general like Zaros unless it was wartime. Her job was to ensure all supply lines, resources, communication, and more stayed active. In short, she organized the logistics.

Harmonixia’s position was similar to Tempestria’s but for governments. She organized and harmonized supply lines across all government branches and ensured everything moved orderly and through proper channels.

Seraphina had lately reached a similarly high position in the justice department. She was the judge of judges, so to speak, making sure all judges were unbiased and delivered justice without personal involvement.

Obsidianis’s position was interesting, too. Her branch was the one that kept the information branch in check. What information leaked, what information was shared, and how the information businesses operated. Obsidianis had taken over that sector and become a true ruler of the shadows.

So, all the girls were deeply involved with the Golden Sap Empire. If any of them were near any official building, everyone there would straighten their backs and work twice as hard from pressure alone.

Liu Shu was very proud of them because their positions were not earned through a connection with hers. Not at all. They used their own abilities to reach the very top and sit firmly in their positions. What Liu Shu liked most was that others weren’t intimidated by their status.

There were many people who were aiming for the very top, and even while friendly, they competed to snatch their positions with everything they had. This, in Liu Shu’s eyes, was a success at the very baseline she wanted to maintain.

Regardless of status, if you showed competence, you could rise to a higher position, working up to almost the very top. The only position Liu Shu didn’t compromise on was Flor’s because it was far too important to leave it to competition.

Speaking of that, Obsidianis checked her phone and raised her eyebrow. "Girls, I have to go. Tsk, tsk. That guy is truly persistent, isn’t he?"

Liu Shu laughed. "It’s not easy to be at the very top, Obsidianis."

Obsidianis groaned. "You could give your charming lover a helping hand, no?"

"Nop~. Figure it out yourself!"

"Sigh, so much for having the Divine World Tree of the Empire as a wife. I need to get some achievements, so be right back or I’ll lose my position."

Obsidianis shook her head and slipped into the shadows. If she relaxed too much, a few people would watch her back like hyenas ready to pounce.

Seraphina and the other girls checked their devices, and Seraphina and Cinderielle also stood, looking at Liu Shu with a touch of playful blame.

"You’ll get it later."

"This is not over until I see that belly bulge outward with my baby."

Liu Shu burst into laughter.