Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Ariel walked through the grove at a slow pace. 'It has been almost a month since we came here for the first time.' Looking at the forest around her, the sense of danger that she felt when she came here initially had disappeared. 'Honestly, being allies with a World Tree is quite good. The berries were much more popular than I ever imagined. And, I don't know if it is because they are from a World Tree, but even after a long time, they didn't spoil.'

Ariel looked behind her. The new caravan group that accompanied her was formed of four carriages. Two of them were full of materials Flor had asked them to gather before they left. Most of them were bought with the income generated by the berries. The third one was filled with proper merchandise, and the fourth one was a passenger carriage. It was currently empty, but it could be used for the people to rest.

The number of people in her caravan had increased, but not much. Ariel didn't want to spread the fact that there was a World Tree nearby to others. 

When they approached the grove, Ariel looked back and said. "As I told you before, I will be entering the grove alone with my three trusted allies. Wait here and defend the merchandise. Once I make a pact with the monsters, I will come back with them to exchange materials."

A woman in the group frowned and asked. "Are you sure they are trustworthy? They might've lured you here to kill you. Also, how long should we even wait?" 

Robert looked at that woman and squinted his eyes dangerously. "Hey, what's with this sudden attitude? We decided to come here together and make this deal back in the city. Are you getting scared now that we've come this far?"

The woman stuttered. "I'm just making sure. If something happened, wouldn't we wait here indefinitely?" 

Doles crossed his arms. "One week, how is that? If we don't return in one week, you can leave." Then, he added. "Oh, and those who leave before the deadline will be banned forever from our group and any associates. The only reason to leave is if a powerful beast has appeared." 

Robert approached the carriages full with materials and disconnected them from the others. He then harnessed one of the three creatures that had pulled the carts to this spot and led them into the grove.

The beast was a plant creature with several legs. Similar to a centipede, it used a complex net of legs to move through almost any surface without problems. It was long, around five meters, and its speed was incredibly fast. 

Moreover, they only ate small creatures and grass, which was completely harmless for Sylvans, Humans, and other creatures who had domesticated them and used them as transportation. Their stamina was the weak point compared to other beasts. However, since their food was easy to acquire and buy, they were an affordable option and one of the most popular. 

These creatures could also reach up to Level 9, becoming absolute monsters in terms of pulling capability. They could pull tens of carriages by themselves and cover long distances over complex terrains.

While there were a lot of options to choose from for pulling beasts, these creatures named <Centirage> were the most popular quality-price-wise. 

Their own <Centirage> was level 4, relatively weak, but it got the job done. 

When Ariel, Doles, Maley, and Robert crossed the grove and approached Liu Shu's area, their steps became slower. Not only them but even the <Centirage> became agitated.

Robert asked with a cautious tone. "What is happening ahead? Did something happen to them?"

Ariel shook her head. "Impossible. Didn't you see the strength of that World Tree? Not to mention, Flor, the Rose Fairy Queen, is an incredibly imposing existence. I haven't heard of a Level 12 appearing in the Golden Sap Forest in the last century." 

Robert commented. "Never be so sure about these things. Since there was a beast tide recently, many territories got freed, and new beasts will occupy those. There is a big shift about to occur in the general fauna and flora in the Golden Sap Forest." 

Ariel agreed with the feeling. 'I guess we'll have to approach silently first.' 

"Doles, you are the best of us at stealth. Can you explore?" 

Doles snorted. "You always leave me these dangerous jobs."

Ariel rolled her eyes. "You were the one that came to me at first bragging about it. Now that you've got the job you've asked for, don't complain."

Doles fake cried. "Ouch, Ariel doesn't love me anymore~!" 

Ariel kicked his ass, sending the man flying into the trees. "I never loved you! Now go!" 

Maley, seeing his brother make a perfect parabola and disappear in the forest, couldn't help but salute Ariel. "Perfect kicking motion, Madam!" 

Ariel almost kicked him as well, but she held back.

It didn't take longer than 10 minutes for Doles to come back with a face full of wonder. "The fairies and ants are still there, so there haven't been any changes. This aura is because of the World Tree. The atmosphere around there is… incredible."

Curious, the four followed Doles while keeping a tight leash on the <Centirage> so that it didn't go rogue and they lost the merchandise they'd taken so much trouble into carrying here. They had expectations of receiving new items to sell since the previous ones were very popular and earned them tremendous profits. 

Once they walked past the final line of trees that separated the grove from the area Liu Shu resided, they couldn't help but stop as the atmosphere, filled with ethereal blue lights, captivated them.

The aura of the World Tree spread all around the place, filling everything with mystique and intrigue. Ariel looked around for a few seconds, and when looking ahead, she saw Flor and Ignatia waiting on her while several Rose Fairies and Fire Ants stood behind them.

Ariel frowned and asked. "Is everything okay?"

Flor smiled and approached. "Well, it seems that way. Is there anyone else besides you that has come?"

Ariel shrugged. "Just us four are not enough personnel to move a caravan through cities. There are bandits and beasts that attack them, so we need a relatively large force to avoid being robbed." 

Flor nodded and asked. "So, where are those people?"

Ariel pointed in the direction of their caravan and commented. "In that direction. We told them to wait for us for one week. If you doubt my words, you can check them by walking in that direction. Other than that, these two carriages you see here are full of materials for the World Tree. Those you told us to collect if possible."

Ariel smirked. "Not only that, we even managed to secure a few books that might interest the World Tree." 

Flor blinked a few times and sighed. The sigh was a bit abrupt, and the four humans were puzzled and a bit alert. However, Flor returned to her usual smile and nodded. "Thanks a lot. Can I see the books?" 

Ariel felt the air around Flor warm up, making her relax, and smiled back. "Of course! Come, come, Queen Flor. I bet you will love them!" 

Ignatia approached as well and looked at them with her compound eyes. Doles and Maley were young men and couldn't help but lower their eyes to sneak peek at the absolute bomb that was Ignatia. 

The ant queen was able to catch their gaze thanks to her vision, and she smiled at them. "Have you seen enough?"

Ariel and Robert glared at the brothers. They coughed, and Maley smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, Miss Ignatia. I couldn't help it because you are too beautiful." 

Ignatia snorted. "I'm not interested in males."

Maley scratched his head, wanting to answer. 'I'm not interested in ant monsters as well.' But he didn't dare.

Meanwhile, Ariel picked up the books from the carriage and gave them to Flor. Flor was too small to hold them, but using Wind Aether Mana to make them float, she could slowly look at the titles and translate them.

"<City Structuring>, <How to Manage Economy>, <The Art of System Handling>, <Advanced Flora and Fauna Encyclopedia>." 

After Flor read the book titles, she was satisfied. 'These are useful. Hm… Should I give them a few of the <Delicious Berries> as a sign of trust?' 

Flor pondered for a while, and Ariel took this time to ask. "So, what's happening with the World Tree? Why is everything around here so… How to say it, fantastical?" 

The Rose Fairy Queen answered. "I'm clueless as well. Liu Shu started doing something a while ago, and now, well, everything is like this."

Ariel remembered that Flor couldn't communicate with the World Tree, making her feel a bit sympathetic. "So, that book about communication didn't work?"

Flor shook her head. "No, it worked. However, the messages are still vague. Still, I can understand her a bit better, so I'm happy." 

Ariel smiled. "Anyways, wanna check the list of materials we've carried here?" 

Flor nodded eagerly. "Sure, show me." 

Ariel jumped into the carriage and took out a wood tablet with white inscriptions. "Here it is~. Take a look. I even listed them as units taking into account what the World Tree considered a whole."

Flor raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Thank you for going that far."

Ariel grinned widely. "Well, since I'm on your side, I will do my best to help. I know that most creatures look at humans as dangerous and deceiving, so I want to at least try and make you relax."

Flor didn't deny it and looked at the list. 

Materials List (F- Rank):

Saplingwood x1000

Yellow Cotton x1000

Earthmud x1000

Pebbleheart x1000

Material List (F Rank):

Sprout Heart x150

Earthspire x150

Yellow Cotton Thread x150

Dustheart x150

Material List (F+ Rank):

Budbark x10

Gustbark x10

Mistbark x10

Blazebark x10

Flor looked at the list with widened eyes. 'How in the roots did she get so many materials!?'

She reread the list many times over and couldn't help but feel that Ariel was pulling her leg. "I-Is this correct? I only gave you around 600 berries, and you've come back with all of this?"

Ariel shrugged. "While there are a lot of them, most of them are considered useless materials. One berry could buy many of them. I just didn't know exactly which ones you liked, so I bought a bit of everything, going by tiers and such. How is it? Is this good enough?"

Flor nodded like a pecking chicken, forgetting about the usual elegance she carried when acting as the Rose Fairy Queen. "Very, very. Good enough! More than good enough!"

Ariel burst into laughter, finding the 45-centimeter creature adorable. "I'm glad, then."

Ignatia, standing at the side, pouted and placed Flor on her shoulder. "Don't become too excited, or you'll fall from mid-air." 

Flor chopped Ignatia's head. "What am I? A child that has not learned to fly or something?" Then, she looked back at the list and smiled. 'I'm sure Liu Shu will be ecstatic.'