Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

When Liu Shu woke up, she realized that she had been asleep for four more days. The reason she could tell was the messages coming from her energy-gathering technique. Since it activated automatically daily, she just needed to count how many times it activated to know how many days had gone by.

With this extra week of checking her surroundings and absorbing the knowledge, her experience made another small leap, increasing by 160 points and also gaining another 8 Sylvan Shards.

Liu Shu giggled, feeling happy. '1382 Experience Points! I'm really close to 1900!'

But what was more important was that Liu Shu finally learned how to create buildings! The world tree was happily humming in her mind, which spread around an aura of cheerfulness from her body.

The Rose Fairies trimming her branches and polishing her trunk smiled when they realized. One of them giggled as she carefully used her fingers to pull out crooked leaves. "Oh? You woke up, Liu Shu. How was your sleep?"

Liu Shu answered that fairy with a refreshed feeling. 'It was great~. I learned many new things! Hehehe.'

The Rose Fairy smiled. "I'm glad you slept well. It is great that you learned…. learned…." The Rose Fairy's eyes widened to the limits as the realization of what just happened hit her. "HUH!?"

Liu Shu was confused about the Rose Fairy's reaction, who suddenly showed a tremendously shocked face. 'What's wrong? Are you okay, little friend?'

The Rose Fairy snapped out of her shocked state. "F-Flor! QUEEN FLOOOOOR!"

She flew away while shouting, leaving behind a confused World Tree. 'Did something happen? Why is she so agitated?'

Out of curiosity, she extended her <World Tree Eye> to the limits, which had already reached 130 meters in radius. 'Oh? Flor is not around? Strange… Hm. Well, I can feel her Royal Pollination skill affecting me, so I guess she went do something?'

Liu Shu was quick to move on from those thoughts and began reviewing what she had learned. Those books contained a lot of information, and she had many new concepts swirling in her head.

While she was eager to start building, as she had gained enough knowledge actually to do so, there were changes she needed to check first. The first and most important one was the two extra abilities she had gained.

One was a <Talent>, and the other was a <Passive>. Liu Shu finally learned the proper distinction between the two. Talents were abilities that needed conscious thought to be used. For example, the movement of a hand was an active action taken with proper thinking.

Passive abilities, on the other hand, gathered all skills that were activated subconsciously, even if they could be activated consciously as well. A good comparison would be breathing. You can, if you think about it, breathe whenever you want. However, usually, breathing is done subconsciously.

Following these definitions, hand moving would be a <Talent>, and breathing would be a <Passive>.

Both skills she gained were F Rank, but they were prone to quickly increasing as she would utilize them often.

The first skill, her new <Talent>, was called <Land Modifying>. It was a F Rank skill that allowed her to manipulate the soil, mud, and rocks faintly. With her new understanding of how skills developed, Liu Shu knew that this skill could become something incredibly useful as long as it reached higher tiers.

While not all skills had the potential to become high-level skills, as they were limited by their original structure and the talent of their user, the possibility remained there. Moreover, as a World Tree, almost all the skills she unlocked would have enough potential to reach high levels.

The <Passive> skill, called <Mind Call>, allowed her to modify her energy pulses more efficiently and clearly. She didn't know to which extent they changed, but they did. This skill could be actively activated if she wanted to focus her thoughts on a single person. It helped her do what she had been doing until now, but better.

These were the descriptions that appeared on the system page.

<Land Modifying (F Rank Level 1)>: This skill allows the user to manipulate non-enhanced terrain. It uses Aether Mana and some Anima Energy. The range is limited, and the user must be touching that terrain.

 Liu Shu couldn't help but complain in her head. 'All skills use Aether Mana the most, my weakest stat between the ternary essences…' She was not unhappy that Physique was her strongest attribute; after all, it had helped her resist attacks from groups several times.

Still, she would like it more if these skills used Anima Energy instead since that attribute was rarely used by any of her skills. And those that used it used it as a secondary energy source, with Aether Mana as the main source.

<Mind Call (F Rank Level 1)>: It allows the user to enhance the meaning and range of their shared thoughts while gaining more emotional perception. It can be used as long as the user has learned any type of mental communication skill. When actively used, Anima Energy is used to increase the range and penetration power.

Liu Shu paused and laughed. 'Well, here is an Anima Energy skill~. Hahaha.'

Then, she pondered about this new skill. While she could see the future in the others because of her objective of expanding and becoming bigger and taller, she couldn't really find any benefit from this skill in that area. 'So… is it useless?'

She was unsure, but that didn't discourage her. 'Well, it will be very useful if I can properly communicate from now on~.'

While thinking about that, she heard Flor's voice, which made her refocus on her <World Tree Eye> vision.

"Liu Shu! I heard that you've woken up. How are you?"

Liu Shu looked at Flor and the nervous fairy flying behind her with curiosity. While Flor's tone was like usual, gentle and caring, there was a hint of curiosity and anticipation that could be distinguished by the quickness of her words.

Surprised that she could even discern that, Liu Shu took a little bit of time to answer. However, remembering the explanation shown on the system page about <Mind Call>, she understood.

With that in mind, Liu Shu sent an answer to Flor like she usually did, but focusing on her. 'Hi-hi, Flor~. I'm feeling super nice and comfy~. Hehehe.'

Meanwhile, on Flor's side, her mind was instantly shocked. At first, when the Rose Fairy came and told her that she could understand what Liu Shu was saying, there were two contradicting emotions.

First, if the ability to understand her was personal, that meant that she would be freed from her "duty" of taking care of the young World Tree. However, when she thought of that situation, the usual happiness from being able to slack filled her, but a complicated bitter sensation spread around her body.

Was it a hassle to take care of Liu Shu's needs? Flor couldn't deny it. Needing to wait for sometimes hours to get an answer was somewhat tiring. Sometimes, she almost lost the thread of what she asked for, making her feel guilty.

The difference in life spans between them was something that translated clearly during their conversations.

Therefore, when Flor asked her question, she was nervous. 'What if I can't hear her? What if it is something that only young fairies born with Liu Shu's energy can do?'

She didn't want to admit it but had become very fond of Liu Shu. If someone asked, it was clearly not romantic feelings but something a bit unknown for Rose Fairies. They were feelings akin to those of a mother toward her child.

So, getting her role stolen because she couldn't understand was like a punch to the gut for the Fairy Queen, who had become attached to the somewhat problematic but endearing World Tree.

However, after the question, Liu Shu's energy enveloped her with a cheerful feeling, and a soft-like nature and young-sounding voice echoed in her mind, making the entire world feel more alive and vibrant. 'Hi-hi, Flor~. I'm feeling super nice and comfy~. Hehehe.'

The clearly spoiled tone and the cute, innocent laugh made the heart of the Rose Fairy thump as emotions tangled in her throat. 'Ah… Such a pretty voice.'

Flor felt that Liu Shu's voice was the most adorable and tender voice she had ever heard. It just tickled the right spot, making her want to hug and protect her. Her face bloomed like a flower's, showing a gentle smile as her jewel-like red eyes glistened. "I'm glad, Liu Shu. You feeling nice and comfy is how it should be, after all." 

Liu Shu's ethereal yet adorable voice reached her again. 'Right? Hehe. Also, also. I've learned how to make the houses! I just need those materials I told you to gather! Hm! Hm! Oh, by the way, did you know that I've gained new skills, Flor? They are really nice!'

Flor, who perfectly understood the barrage of thoughts that would previously hurt her head, couldn't help but laugh as she flew over and sat on her branch. "Is that so, Liu Shu? Tell me more about it. How are they nice?'

The Rose Fairies around looked at Flor's face with wonder. It was the first time they had seen her make such a face. The way her hand patted the World Tree's trunk as she exchanged worlds with the World Tree made them feel as if a peculiar yet beautiful bond was being created between them.

Flor listened attentively, thinking to herself. 'How many of these words did I miss during the last months? Was she always speaking like this when I couldn't understand her?'

She regretted it. She deeply did. 'The first book I got should've been the one to let her communicate with us. Who knows how many words I missed as she grew into the cheerful child she is today.'

The notion of Liu Shu being a World Tree was placed in the back of her mind, making the large and powerful tree look even more childish than before. Right after, the image of Liu Shu being mauled by a horde of beasts flashed in her mind as the World Tree desperately fought with them, and her heart almost burst into uncontrollable rage.

However, she hid that anger inside her heart and did not show it outwardly. Still, in her mind, she made a promise. 'No more attempts at peaceful resolutions. If someone messes with Liu Shu, I'll slaughter them all.'

In truth, Liu Shu's mental age was around the same as that of a young 14- or 15-year-old human girl. She was young mentally but not as young as Flor made it out to be. She would mature as her intelligence and levels increased, but she was innately innocent and curious, making her look much younger than she was.

Flor also remembered Cinderielle and Verdantia, making her face become a bit black. 'I'll have to block their attempts for a little while, at least until Liu Shu matures enough. I don't mind if they want to try and court her, but they must understand that it is not time yet!'

'Floor! Flooooooor! Are you listening? Are you listeninggg?'

Flor blinked and looked at the tree with a gentle smile. "Sorry, little one. I got distracted for a second. What did you want to tell me?"