Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Liu Shu took around four days to learn and assimilate all the contents of the books she swallowed this time. It was a short time considering the information that was printed in the encyclopedia. 

There was one thing that bothered her quite a bit. 'I should've learned the <World Tree City Planning> before creating my defensive structure.' She expanded the <World Tree Eye> skill and inspected her immediate surroundings. 

'As expected, I should've started building the wall to at least create an inner circle where I would create my first city section. As I grow, since my buildings will be linked to my body, they will naturally grow apart from me. If not, all my efforts would be wasted when I become large enough to cover tens or even hundreds of meters wide.' 

Liu Shu learned a bit about how truly large World Trees could get. It depended quite a lot on the World Tree species, but in general, reaching beyond the clouds was possible. 

Liu Shu lacked knowledge of what clouds were, but she knew that they were things thousands of meters above the ground. 'Speaking of which, what type of <World Tree> am I? My race just says "World Tree" and nothing more. System?' 

[Request Denied.]

Liu Shu asked, confused. 'Why? Can't I know what type of <World Tree> I am?'

[World Tree Races are part of a creature's power. If Tianlian Liu Shu has yet to unlock the potential of her special powers as a World Tree, she will be named just <World Tree> in the system interface.]

Liu Shu hummed in her mind, finding those words interesting rather than annoying. 'So, I do have a power, but I haven't awakened it yet.' 

This slight change in thought process would come as a surprise for others since it showed mental growth for the young World Tree. Liu Shu moved away from thoughts quickly and refocused on her surroundings. For the first time, she couldn't help but lament her lack of vision range. 'Cities are hundreds of meters or even kilometers wide, but my vision barely reached 140 meters. Even my normal vision that's not supported by <World Tree Eye> reaches just around 160 meters around me.' 

Liu Shu heard Flor's voice reach her. "Liu Shu, are you awake?" 

Her voice snapped Liu Shu out of her thoughts and she became cheerful again. 'Flor! How long was I sleeping? Although, I can guess it was four days, hehe.'

Flor smiled. "Yes, it was four days." She asked. "How was it? Anything that you are worried about?"

Flor expected the usually carefree tree to tell her that it was okay, but instead a long rambling of complaints started slamming into her brain. 'MANY! Listen, listen, Flor! You see, I placed the defensive structure, right? BUT! Why did nobody tell me that I needed to plan how I placed my things? I just thought of making them pretty and placing them around me as I liked! Thankfully, I got the book! That book tells many things about City Building, Flor! There are many interesting concepts. And, and, you know, there is also a way to calculate how large the city must be and the proportions so that when I grow, the city doesn't lose its shape, and…'

The constant rambling forced the flying Rose Fairy Queen to sit down on one branch as she closed her eyes. 'As her strength and spiritual strength grow, her energy pulses are getting stronger. Before, they were just little taps. Now, I feel like my brain is being agitated inside my skull. I think I need to teach her how to control her communication skills.'

After listening to her ramblings for around fifteen minutes, Flor commented. "So, in short; The position of your defensive structure is not to your liking."

Liu Shu giggled. 'Yes!'

Flor sighed. "Liu Shu, the structure is one with you, right? Like, it is connected with your roots."

Liu Shu exclaimed in agreement. 'That's right!' 

Flor hummed. "Then, can't you move it around as you please, although it might take time?"

Liu Shu became silent, making Flor think she said something wrong. "You can't?"

A bit embarrassed, Liu Shu answered. 'I can…' 

Flor blinked and laughed. "Did you forget that you could do that?"

Liu Shu felt even more embarrassed when Flor pointed it out. 'I did…' 

Flor patted the trunk of the World Tree gently while laughing. "Don't worry, it happens to all of us." 

Liu Shu asked, doubtful. 'It does?'

Not expecting such an answer, Flor was stumped for a second, but she recovered. "Y-Yes, everyone has these silly moments."

Liu Shu's cheerfulness was quick to return. 'Oh! Hahaha, then it doesn't matter!' 

Flor had the urge to raise her hands in surrender. 'Her optimism is invincible.' 

The Rose Fairy Queen then asked. "So, what are your plans? Which building will you build next?"

Liu Shu answered unexpectedly. "The walls!" 

Flor blinked. "The walls? Do you mean the <Basic Defensive Wall>?" 

Liu Shu's voice was determined. 'Yes! I want to create the outer layer of the town's perimeter so that I can build from the outside to the inside. While doing the opposite gives more freedom of construction, the way I do it makes it easier to assign spaces to the structures I will build. Moreover, I can create a multi-ring city so that I can place the important structures in the inner ring while I place housing in the outer ring. Then, with that, I will be able to continue to expand and create intricate yet simple roads and streets to connect everything. It can also serve to separate those I trust to be near me and those I don't.'

Flor was listening with her mouth slightly opened. 'Eating books is quite good, eh? I should focus on this. Her intelligence regarding those topics is incredible. Instead of just absorbing the information, it seems that she digested it and assimilated it, turning it into practical knowledge.' 

With several new ideas in mind, Liu Shu's gaze toward her surroundings evolved. Instead of seeing it as just nutritious land that she liked to eat, it was slowly and meticulously analyzed. Her roots that extended all around the place helped her imagine the ideal positioning for all the structures. This positioning was ever-shifting, becoming more refined as time went by. 'Hm. Doing the wall first is the clear option. When I do that, and I have limited space, I'll be able to plan better.' 

Liu Shu checked the materials for the wall and told Flor that she was going to begin building it. Before that, Flor asked. "Liu Shu, you haven't changed your mind about first leveling up?"

Liu Shu sent a negative message through her thoughts. 'Nop. I will build the entire town first… Well, the structures that the quest has asked me for. There are a few basic amenities that the quest has skipped that I might do as well. But… I need to unlock the architect skill, or anything similar before I do so. If I don't, then I will just Level Up after the quest structures.'

Flor smiled. "Well, lately, everything is calm, so take your time." 

The World Tree asked. "By the way, Flor. How far are you away from Leveling Up?"

Flor blinked and smiled. "Well, I need 7440 Experience Points to level up, and I recently did so, so you can imagine that I am quite far away, haha." 

Liu Shu exclaimed. 'So many!' 

Flor agreed. 'It gets increasingly difficult to Level Up. Thankfully, Royal Pollination speeds things up a lot. Compared to the Experience Points I gained before, my current pace is like flying!' 

Liu Shu felt happy for her. 'It's nice that you can become stronger quickly!'

"That's true," Flor added. "Speaking of becoming stronger. Have you done anything to the Rose Fairy Garden where we grow our young?"

Liu Shu commented. 'I've been covering it with my <Enchanted Growth> skill. Is there a problem?'

Flor smiled. "None at all. The new children are quite a bit stronger than they used to be, so I was curious. Go on and do your thing. I guess that a wall will take quite some time, so by the time you finish, the caravan might've arrived with the new materials." 

Releasing a cheerful aura all around her, Liu Shu giggled. 'Nice!' 

Flor didn't inform Liu Shu about Cinderielle's and Verdantia's visit. She had actually met once more with them outside of Fortuna City during Liu Shu's slumber, and they told her about their plans. 

The Rose Queen's lips arched. 'Heh. Even if you come, Liu Shu will be occupied with her things. No chance of trying to place your roots on her. Heheheh, hahahaha.' 

The Rose Fairies flying around couldn't help but turn with weird looks and look at the laughing Rose Fairy Queen. 

"Is the Queen okay?"

"I guess strength finally affected her brain."

Clavel smacked their butts very gently. "Hey, less chatter. Have you already fertilized the land around Liu Shu?"

The two Rose Fairies giggled. "Not yet~." 

One of them looked at Clavel's slightly taller stature and smirked. "How is your promotion to Level 9, Miss Clavel~?" 

Clavel smirked. "It's very nice. After the fighting and such, I've finally accumulated enough strength to Level Up! Well, I'm not the only one, but I've reached Level 9, which is the limit of most Rose Fairies." Clavel sighed. "I wonder if I will ever be able to reach Level 10…" 

Amapola approached and commented. "Don't worry, with Liu Shu's help, it will be possible." 

Clavel blinked. "Oh, you are so sure about it?"

Amapola smiled. "I'm actually about to break through into Level 10."

The three Rose Fairies exclaimed. "WOW!" 

One of them approached, her characteristic red eyes glittering. "Really!? You are about to Level Up?" 

Amapola nodded. "I've accumulated enough experience already. I'm just trying to understand how to do it." Amapola commented. "At first, it felt impossible, like an impassable barrier. But, as I ate more and more <Delicious Berries>, that barrier started to loosen, and now it is quite faint. I can already grasp some of the concepts about the Energy Cycles and how to create them."

Clavel asked. "Can you tell us?"

Amapola shook her head. "Queen Flor, Lady Ignatia, and even the humans I asked all told me not to share them. The reason seems to be that each person has their own way of doing it, and being influenced by others on purpose is not quite good." Amapola commented. "Of course, sharing sensations is not bad. I think the problem is with the details. I'm not sure, though."

Clavel looked at Amapola with an unimpressed face. "I don't like that."

Amapola shrugged. "They all told me I would understand once I Leveled Up." 

Clavel pouted, but she didn't insist. Still, she soon regained her usual smile as her eyes landed on the growing World Tree. "While there have been a few complicated situations, I feel like everything is going better since we came under Liu Shu's canopy."

Amapola nodded and said with a melancholic tone. "Some of us won't make it, but at least our race will flourish under her. It is a bit of a gamble, but I heard the humans the other day say it and feel like it is appropriate. 'No pain, no gain.'" 

The Rose Fairies felt that those words were interesting and quite truthful.