Liu Shu knew what she had to do. First, she needed to stop growing. The constant expansion of her domain created strong spatial ripples that might cause unexpected instabilities. Therefore, she focused on strengthening what she already governed.
Her energy usage kicked into gear, all berry production coming to a halt. According to the needs of Ceperet and Nualis, Liu Shu had already produced enough berries to support both worlds for a long while. The rest could be supplented by the species and other large flora that shared her fruit production.
In a hall, Flor was face-to-face with a Rose Fairy. She was one of the highest-ranked Berry Gatherers. “Rosa, Liu Shu is about to develop and grow beyond normal bounds. Berry gathering on her canopy will beco unfeasible in the future.
Rosa frowned deeply. “How can that be? Lady Heavenly Willow might beco tall, but she can’t grow that much, right?”
Flor sighed and answered the estimated height. “150,000 ters. That’s the conservative estimate, assuming her growth will be linear until Level 150.”
The Rose Fairy beca silent. ‘150 kiloters in height…’ Even if she wanted to say that it didn’t matter, she was doubtful about her ability to go up and down more than three or four tis each day.
And that was her opinion as one of the top-ranked berry gatherers. To keep their current efficiency, Rose calculated that they would need at least 10 tis the gatherers. It was, as Flor said, unfeasible. “...Then, what will we do next?”
Flor sighed, also having struggled about their future. These gatherers have been doing their work for decades. They had woken up early each day, flown high up to the clouds, and gently and responsibly picked the berries that grow in Liu Shu’s vast canopy.
The millions of berries that Liu Shu grew daily were far from easy to gather.
As creatures of nature, none of them felt it was wrong, though. The fact that they ford part of Liu Shu’s “ecosystem” delighted them to no end, and it was sothing they would brag about with close friends and family.
Each ti they picked one berry, they felt fulfilled.
Now, things were about to change.
Flor pondered and sighed. “Liu Shu is also trying to find a workaround. She naturally doesn’t wish to have her canopy unattended. Even if she doesn’t voice it often, she adores having all of you taking care of it. I am sure you’ve seen her look at you many tis.”
Rosa nodded and smiled, her face glowing happily from those encounters. To be honest, the reason the eting point each morning was one of the large branches in Liu Shu’s field of vision was to hope to see their lady open her gentle, brilliant green eyes to look at them.
Rose asked, slightly confused about her future. “What do we do now?”
Flor leaned on her chair and shook her head. “Nothing. We wait until Liu Shu completes what she is trying to do. After she does, I am sure that she can co up with a solution for her berries. Whether the solution has all of you included, it is sothing that we will have to wait for.”
One month went by, and then another. When four months had passed, Liu Shu finally managed to consciously cover and control her current domain. ‘It’s large… Larger than I expected.’
According to her calculations, her roots should be in the orbits of the first and fifth planets of the solar system. She had not encountered them yet, but Liu Shu knew that it might be a matter of orbit placent. If these planets were on the other side of the Sun, it wouldn’t matter if Liu Shu reached the other side of the solar system; she would fail to encounter them.
“I’ve been in their orbits for one or two years already. This ans that the orbits are far larger than Ceperet’s 360-day orbit.”
In the end, it didn’t matter. She could continue to expand later and have no issues whatsoever. What she needed to focus on now was changing her current “anchor” point.
‘Feeling the dinsions around is easy. I could disconnect with almost no effort, especially after the weakened the dinsional barriers. But that’s not what I want. If I detach from Ceperet, I don’t know if the world will continue to grow together with . My influence in it is certainly helpful, as it allows the world to nurture higher-level creatures, natural dungeons, and resources.’
So, the complication for Liu Shu was not anchoring herself in another place to grow indefinitely, but maintaining her connection not only with Ceperet but also with other worlds in the future. If she could use her influence to strengthen Nualis, Vorathen, and the others.
If she managed to complete this, the chances of life developing and evolving in the relatively barren Ceperet Solar System would beco an eventuality, not a possibility.
With that in mind, Liu Shu’s face turned serious as she gathered her consciousness into a large whole. This was the first ti she had focused her entire attention on sothing in a long ti.
To not cause trouble, Liu Shu had already warned Flor and the others that she might need all her being to create sothing she was satisfied with. Therefore, the outside didn’t feel Liu Shu’s “disconnection.”
Before she continued, Liu Shu checked the new she gained from her own .
: Dinsional energies beco a natural part of your existence, increasing all related skills by 20%. Additionally, you can develop your own “realm” or beco one yourself, depending on your affinity.
“Beco a realm. Yes, that’s what I need to do.”
Her Aether Mana and Anima Energy surged endlessly, soaring into the sky and expanding outward like a wave. This wave didn’t affect living beings, but all creatures with even a tiny bit of space affinity noticed the shift.
Liu Shu’s gargantuan body, already half-shielded away in a sub-dinsion, began to blend with it. This sub-dinsion was sothing she created so that her auras and energy surges wouldn’t affect the Golden Sap City around her.
In a way, what she was trying to do was sothing similar but on a much larger scale. ‘With this, I might be able to still “exist” within Golden Sap City.’
BOOM!
Her energy was like a pillar of light that wanted to pierce the Solar System. Even as she blocked most of it with her dinsion layer, so of it escaped and reached everyone within Ceperet.
There was a loud, collective thump, their hearts skipping a beat, only to pound their chest loudly right after. It was a collective instinct that their World Tree was about to make an important breakthrough.
Elyne, being Liu Shu’s , felt it as deeply as those closest to her. Her now purple eyes glanced at the giant World Tree through the window in her praying room, shining with adoration. ‘Ah… As expected of Liu Shu.’
Veyra and the others were also surprised, but they gradually beca more accepting of Liu Shu’s existence. Of course, having a half-empty cup of tea next to them helped a lot.
anwhile, Liu Shu’s mind was connecting with the space around her and linking herself with it. Her gargantuan body flickered, and slowly, she beca more illusory. It was four in the afternoon, and her giant shadow lood over a large part of the city.
And yet, that impressive shadow beca visibly lighter in just a few minutes.
The progress was not that quick, though.
Days passed, Liu Shu’s shadow becoming more faint and translucent with each day and night cycle. In the morning, many curious people would compare Liu Shu’s shadow to what it was the morning before.
This change beca the talk of the town… Well, the world. Everyone was confused about what was happening. There were so contrarian groups that sneered and said Liu Shu was disappearing as a euphemism for dying off.
Of course, those who dared open their mouths in that regard were almost drowned by the spit of those who scread at them. After so many decades and Elyne’s incredible work, the number of true religious believers had increased exponentially.
Few beliefs were as powerful as the religious ones. After all, the basis of religious belief was based on trust in those whom you believed in, regardless of contrary proof. It was not bad per se, but it made it much easier for individuals to fall into fanaticism.
Because of that, there were many vocal people who openly looked down on those who didn’t believe in Liu Shu as a greater being.
While Liu Shu had warned Elyne not to allow the religion to reach those levels, it was hard to control what people did in their free ti.
Ti passed, and a year after Liu Shu began her serious attempt, Liu Shu’s aura pulsed once more, and her shadow disappeared.
Everyone looked at the sunrise on the horizon, its brilliance shining through the semi-transparent gargantuan body of the World Tree.
Flor, Elyne, and the others looked up, knowing that whatever she was trying, it had reached the level of partial success.
“Is this… normal?”
Flor asked, her tone slightly worried. The feeling of Liu Shu’s presence becoming less and less tangible made her motherly nerves fire like crazy. In her mind, she knew nothing was wrong, but incessant worry flooded her heart.
After Liu Shu’s shadow existence beca illusory, she opened her eyes slowly. The green brilliance of the World Tree’s eyes flashed with a new profound feeling. Those who were weak felt as if they were looking at a higher being. Sothing far above their puny existences. anwhile, the strong powerhouses felt oppressed.
Even when Liu Shu’s strength had not increased, the sense of oppression was much more tangible compared to before.
anwhile, Liu Shu looked around with curiosity. What she looked at now was different. Her eyes could see the “Real” world, but she could also observe the spatial layers around them.
What before was nothing more than a feeling had now transford into sothing she could pick and manipulate with her senses to a certain extent.
[Congratulations! You’ve managed to beco your own .]
“...” Liu Shu waited, and not seeing any more ssages, she asked shalessly. “Nothing else? There are no rewards?”
[...]
This ti, it was the System’s turn to be speechless. What else did this World Tree want? The number of rewards she had gained would make anyone else at her current level ashad!
Knowing there were truly no rewards, Liu Shu harrumphed. “Stupid System. Stingy System.”
[Would you like to na your ?]
“No!” Liu Shu harrumphed again. “... I will na it later!”
But even if she was sulky, Liu Shu didn’t dare pass up on the opportunity.
[...]
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