Seeing Flor so surprised tickled something inside Liu Shu. While she trusted Flor, she didn't doubt that the Rose Fairies were with her because of mutual benefits. This was not something Liu Shu minded. As a World Tree, she understood clearly by instinct that creatures that thrived without symbiotic relationships were rare.
However, Flor's genuine surprise was welcomed because, even though Flor might have her reasons, at least it wasn't greed for her treasures that kept her by her side.
Liu Shu spoke, her tone accompanied by a giggle. 'Of course, who else is going to eat it otherwise?'
Flor spoke seriously. "You can feed it to a young one so that they become accustomed to their Tier when they are young. Or, better, we can ask the caravan to get something for you in exchange. I can bet that there are powerful treasures out there that people would exchange for one of those fruits!"
Liu Shu giggled. 'Flor, I can grow one of those fruits every twelve days!' Liu Shu continued, not taking in the pure disbelief that appeared on Flor's face. 'Not to mention, I can yield a lot more fruits that are really interesting very quickly as well. I can produce the stronger <Delicious Berry> every two days as well and…'
Flor listened to how many fruits Liu Shu could currently produce, and she looked at the empty space, not knowing what to do. Briefly, the thought that Liu Shu might be lying crossed her mind. However, that thought was instantly cast aside by her. 'Liu Shu lying? Impossible; I would first believe that Liu Shu gained the ability to fly as a tree than her lying to me.'
Flor passed her hand through her hair with a sigh. 'Now, what? Can we really give the upgraded merchandise to the caravan?'
She flew around the vault and went to the stacks of berries they had from harvesting Liu Shu's fruits for nearly one year. Because the previous ones were so cheap to make and they had been using them sparingly, they had a relatively large stack of them.
'Speaking of which, how time flies… A year is soon going to pass since I got to know her.' Flor looked at her hand, and while the skin remained healthy and supple, she could clearly start to see signs of aging.
'Is it really okay for me to eat that fruit?'
Flor knew that her potential was consumed. While the title of the Rose Fairy Queen had increased her stats, lifespan, and general potential, it was not by much. Mainly because Rose Fairies, as a race, were very common and weak.
A normal Rose Fairy of the F+ rank had around 50 years of lifespan. Flor was already in her late 30s, making her quite an elderly creature. Thanks to the new Tier Up she experienced because she discovered Liu Shu's nature as a World Tree, she gained around five to ten years of lifespan.
Even then, she had, at most, 20 years to live. 'With another sub-tier increase, I might gain another year or two, and even if I manage to level up ten times, that's just another year of lifespan. I would continue to live on the edge of my life, sucking Liu Shu's most valuable resources just to stay alive instead of sharing them with young ones that could eventually grow into true powerhouses.'
Flor looked at the berry that her cute little one had given her for a long time. It was enough time for Liu Shu to become confused. 'What's wrong, Flor?'
The Rose Fairy Queen opened and closed her mouth a few times, not knowing how to explain it. As a creature of the forest, she could feel that Liu Shu would understand if she explained it. After all, as a World Tree, her sense of the cycle of nature should be deeply ingrained in her.
However, hearing how excited Liu Shu was when giving her this fruit, denying it now was hard. 'I'm probably the closest creature to Liu Shu emotionally. If I reject her goodwill toward me, will this alienate her from having interactions in the future?'
In truth, while Flor didn't mind if Liu Shu became a full-fledged World Tree, deep inside her, she wanted Liu Shu not to be so indifferent towards everything around her.
Flor understood. She really did. For a World Tree, everything that happens around them matters not as long as they are not negatively affected.
However, deep inside, she felt that Liu Shu was not as indifferent as other World Trees. For example, when fighting against the beast tide, what did Liu Shu do? Instead of killing all creatures that attacked her, she used her own body as a resource to help lighten the burden of the Rose Fairies and Fire Ants.
When Flor looked over and saw Liu Shu's branches swinging wildly around her, but aiming at the creatures attacking others instead of eliminating those gnawing at her trunk, a sense of protective feelings were aroused in her. This is why, unlike Liu Shu, Flor's first action when returning from killing her opponent was to slaughter all beings attacking Liu Shu.
'Flor?'
Snapping out of her thoughts, Flor looked around and then refocused on the berry. "Sorry, Liu Shu, I was distracted."
Liu Shu laughed and joked. 'Is age already affecting you, Flor? Hahaha.'
Flor smiled, a bit melancholic, and spoke. "Perhaps. I'm getting old, after all."
Liu Shu paused and looked at Flor. For other creatures, it might not be as noticeable as Flor's appearance was youthful. However, as a creature who could see the life signals, she could tell the difference between a young Rose Fairy and an aging one.
Flor's words somewhat made Liu Shu realize something. 'Hm. Right, Flor and the rest have short lifespans.' Liu Shu, unless she was killed, was going to live for a very long time.
In the end, Flor decided to accept the fruit. "Well, I'll take it. Thank you, Liu Shu."
Liu Shu didn't answer as her thoughts flew around. Flor was accustomed to Liu Shu getting lost in thought, so she didn't find it strange and found a clean and spacious place to start eating the fruit.
Unlike in previous times, the aura change was not that significant since she went from E- tier to E Tier.
Of course, her stats made a significant leap, becoming an average of 20% higher. Her Aether stat even reached 123 points before any buffs were applied to her.
After Flor felt the changes going on in her body, she was surprised once again. "It's just a small realm, but I'm this much stronger, huh? No wonder, Rose Fairies, as F Rank, never managed to thrive."
She then thought about how to use Liu Shu's fruits. 'We should give the young fairies it when they are babies and again at ten years old. That way, by their twenties, even if they were in the F Rank, they would be able to reach the E rank.'
'Of course, I can't give it to every Rose Fairy. As we grow, guiding everyone will be increasingly challenging, so some rotten seeds might appear between us. That's something Cinderielle and Verdantia warned me about.'
She remembered Ignatia's scoff at that time, and thinking about how the ants worked, she couldn't help but laugh. 'Well, they all follow the Queen's order, and if someone doesn't, they are cleaned up. I guess that for ants, having a good Queen is the most important thing.'
Liu Shu's enchanting voice reached her right after she tiered up, which took no longer than a few minutes. 'How are you feeling?'
Flor smiled. "Much stronger. Thank you, Liu Shu. To think that such miraculous fruits exist, haha."
Liu Shu bragged proudly. 'I'm just getting started! We'll see what I will be able to produce in a few years!'
Flor didn't doubt it and answered while flying out of the vault. "I'm sure you will be considered the most valuable in the entire forest!"
Liu Shu giggled, her melodic laugh cleansing Flor's mind of almost all negative thoughts. 'Ah… Her voice is so calming, so beautiful.'
When hearing Liu Shu's laugh, Flor experienced a soul-cleansing sensation of peace and tranquility similar to the singing of birds, the flow of water, and the rustling of leaves.
Renewed by Liu Shu's laugh, Flor smiled again and flew up to one of her branches. She didn't say anything else and just enjoyed the view.
Inside the circle created by the <Mother Of Thousand Flower Field>, there was nothing but a relatively empty place.
A part of it was filled with farmland, such as the Rose Fairy Garden, where young Rose Fairies grew, and the basic farmland was also created to grow edible vegetables.
Then, outside the ring of flowers, all the structures were neatly organized. Flor had asked in the past why she left the inner space free of any large structure, and the answer was so logical that Flor wondered why she asked at first. Liu Shu said at that time. 'If I place structures inside, how can <Mother Of Thousand Flower Field> defend me?'
The reason was simple yet powerful enough to make Flor laugh and agree.
As she enjoyed the view, she realized that one of the Sylvans was approaching while looking around, clearly trying to do so sneakily.
Because Flor was in the canopy, a place with dense leaves, she was not easily noticeable from the ground. Instead of interrupting, she decided not to intervene and observe while being hidden.
The Sylvan who approached was Cinderielle. She got close and smiled at Liu Shu. "How was the Level Up, Liu Shu? I can see that you've grown much taller."
Liu Shu answered with a proud and cheerful tone. 'I managed to grow two whole meters in one month! That's a lot, in case you didn't know!'
Cinderielle was slightly surprised at the young tone in the World Tree's voice. While the voice was not that of a child, as the tone was gentle and nature-like, it was easy to distinguish the very slightly childish tone in the ethereal voice of the World Tree. "You are really talented, Liu Shu. I am glad you could grow a lot!"
Liu Shu asked, curious. 'You've seen that other World Tree, right? How big is she?'
Cinderielle paused and smiled. "Well, they are much older, so they are bigger than you."
Liu Shu asked, puzzled. 'You don't know?'
Cinderielle blinked a few times. "Huh? Why do you think that?"
Liu Shu cleverly answered. 'Well, you've just avoided my question.'
Flor's mouth arched in a smirk. 'If you think that her being a young World Tree makes her easily deluded like young humans or Sylvans, you will learn soon that you are the naive one~.'
She could listen to the conversation because Liu Shu was speaking "aloud" by transmitting her voice to her near surroundings.
Cinderielle's orange eyes flashed, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Well, I can't tell exactly, but they are hundreds of meters high. They don't reach a thousand, though."
Liu Shu asked, stuttering. 'H-Hundreds? So, more than ten times bigger than me?'
Cinderielle nodded in agreement. "That's right. What, afraid?"
Liu Shu was sincere and nodded. 'Of course! I will be crushed like a little twig if she discovers me! In what direction is that big thing?'
Cinderielle took out a device that was similar to a compass and pointed to the west. "In that direction, a bit more than a hundred kilometers away."
Liu Shu relaxed. 'She is so far away…'
Cinderielle nodded. "She really is." Cinderielle looked at the tall tree, her eyes filled with profound and hidden emotions. 'How do I get closer to her…?'
While Liu Shu thought about Fortuna's World Tree, she heard Cinderielle ask. "Say, Tiantian, did you read the books I shared with Flor?"
Liu Shu answered with a cheerful tone. 'I ate them!'
Cinderielle's mouth twitched. 'Right, I forgot she eats books.' She smiled, not knowing how else to react. "Ah… I see. So, did it taste good?"
Puzzled, Liu Shu asked. 'How can books have a flavor? The earth and sun have taste, but not books. You didn't know this?'
The Sylvan looked at the World Tree, feeling like everything she asked about had been wrong until now.
In Liu Shu's canopy, Flor was trying her best not to burst into maniacal laughter at how badly Cinderielle was fumbling her conversation with Liu Shu. 'T-This is too funny, hahahahaha.'
Cinderielle felt that if she continued trying to make small talk, she would probably fail to advance the relationship. However, after thinking for a few moments, she actually didn't change her methods.
A smile appeared on her lips. 'Well, I will take this chance to learn about her. Go slowly, get to know her, understand how she thinks, what she likes, what she dislikes… Even if I fumble my questions, does it matter? I will eventually know and understand her.'
Cinderielle laughed. "Well, I didn't know about the Sun having a flavor! How does it taste, Tiantian?"
Liu Shu focused on her leaves, which were gently absorbing the Sun's nutrients, and answered slowly. 'The flavour is… strong. It gives me energy and makes me feel comfortable. When I don't regulate my intake, sometimes I feel sleepy as well, hahaha.'
The Fire Sylvan approached and lit up a flame on her palm, approaching with it one of the branches that dropped low enough for her to reach. With Liu Shu's willow-like shape, plenty of her branches reached low enough for her action not to feel uncomfortable. "How about my flames, Tiantian? Do they feel like the Sun?"
Liu Shu was at first surprised when seeing fire. As a tree, her first instinctive reaction was to avoid it. However, these thoughts only lasted for a moment. 'Hm? It doesn't burn?'
Cinderielle saw everything with a deep smile in her eyes. At first, seeing the branches part away in fear made her heart hurt a bit. Still, when the branches moved back slowly and approached very carefully, her eyes shone with happiness.
Like a gentle flame that grew by the second, her orange eyes looked at Liu Shu deeper the more she interacted with the fire she summoned. Seeing the branches curiously move inside her own fire gave the Sylvan a satisfaction like no other.
Liu Shu was curious, so she couldn't help but play around with a gaze filled with interest. 'Wow~, your fire doesn't burn, why? It's… warm and comfortable.'
Cinderielle laughed. "Perhaps it is because our affinity with each other is good."
Liu Shu was doubtful. 'Really? Does affinity matter with fire? I thought it always burnt!'
Cinderielle leaned on Liu Shu's trunk, slowly releasing her own flowery scent and aura. "Well…" Cinderielle smiled. "You are right. My fire is a bit special, that's it. It doesn't use organic materials as fuel, so unless I want it to, I can avoid burning any organic matter. Of course, I can also create a normally burning fire."
Liu Shu's voice sounded pouty. 'You lied to me.'
Cinderielle shook her head. "I didn't, Tiantian. Can't you really feel it? For example, right now, how do you feel with me around?"
Liu Shu remained silent. She understood a bit why Cinderielle released her scent and aura. Because of the book she read on Sylvan's behavior, she knew that these actions were done when a Sylvan was interested in another creature.
Of course, for Liu Shu, the concept of "being interested" was foreign. 'Interested in what? Forming a pair? The book said something about finding a life partner, but…' The World Tree felt confused. 'What is a life partner? Someone who will be with you forever? Someone who supports you? The book said that some Sylvan could become a World Tree's partner. But how does that work?'
As it was a book about biology and history of the Sylvan race, it didn't really delve deeply into anything further than a few biological parts and what types of companions they searched for.
Cinderielle did it on purpose. While she didn't mind teaching everything to the World Tree, at that time, she understood that Liu Shu was still relatively young. She herself was 19 years old, and Liu Shu was just Level 4 at that time.
Inside her, the desire to imprint her existence in Liu Shu's deepest parts burned strongly. Yet, there was a barrier called "love" that made her desire the best for the World Tree, which impeded her from becoming an actual predator and rushing things as fast as possible.
Verdantia's appearance made her feel rushed; that was a fact. Still, she understood that with Liu Shu's being as it was, possessing the entire World Tree was almost impossible.
Now, did she want to share Liu Shu's affection with other Sylvan's? The answer was no. She didn't want that. Not only did she not want it, but the thought of it made her uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, looking at how things were developing, her mind had started recreating many situations. Her many thoughts ended in a very undesirable situation. 'What if I am not the chosen one?'
Imagining a situation in which the beautiful World Tree she was leaning on stopped paying attention to her and separated from her life was hard enough to make her stomach churn and her legs weaken. 'Is there really no other option? Sharing or not getting it?'
Cinderielle's orange eyes darkened and became muddy. 'There is… another option…'
Her thoughts veered in a dangerous direction, but she regained light in her eyes quickly. 'But that option… It is really not possible.'
'Cinderielle, you asked how I feel around you, but I don't know how to answer.'
Cinderielle's mind refocused on the beautiful and ethereal youthful voice. 'I don't understand what partnership is… At least as you want it. Does it mean we get to be together forever? Why is it different from friendship or my relationship with Flor?'
Cinderielle looked up to the lush canopy and saw gorgeous rays of light piercing through the leaves and creating an enchanting view. "Tiantian."
'Hm?'
"Don't worry about that for now. You are young." Cinderielle smiled and gave up for now. "Grow slowly, focus on the challenges ahead of you. Develop your mind, your thoughts, your knowledge, and… when you understand it… answer us."
Cinderielle spoke. Her voice was relaxed and peaceful, accompanied by the rustling sounds of leaves when caressed by the soft forest gales. "Just know that I am yours. No one else's. Just yours until I give my last breath."
Liu Shu focused on Cinderielle's face, and she couldn't help but find her beautiful. The smile so free of worries was attractive to an extent. She felt compelled to ask from deep within, eager to solve the confusing feelings inside her core. 'Mine? Why are you mine?'
Cinderielle hummed and laughed. "Who knows? Does it even matter? I'm yours, Tiantian. Nothing more, nothing less. Just… yours."
The World Tree stayed silent, and Flor, who was lying down and looking at the sky, also didn't say anything. The Rose Fairy Queen had a calm facial expression, and her red eyes looked peaceful and somewhat glad. 'Are they obsessed? They are. But… I feel that their obsession is selfless. It's not a selfish desire of possession, but a selfless wish to be with Liu Shu and deepen their relationship.'
Flor knew that such deep loving feelings could warp. Ignatia has taught her a lot about humans, Sylvans, and the deep emotional intelligence of the so-called "Intelligent races."
Sometimes, their emotions were so strong that rationale was set aside or considered as less important. In a way, for "intelligent races," their deep and complex emotional intelligence was a blessing and a curse. A driving force that often could swallow all they built for something that, from an outside perspective, would seem insignificant.
For example, a King goes to war because their wife was murdered. Was it logical? It was not. How many wives and husbands would die in that war because of one single person?
From a rational perspective, it was nothing but madness to instigate a massacre of thousands or more because of the death of one person.
Yet, for that King, his wife was probably his world. More important on an emotional level than anything else. Important enough to throw everything they've built into the trash just to avenge her.
That tale felt foreign to Flor. When Zinnia, a relatively young Rose Fairy whom Flor considered almost like a daughter, died, the thought of ordering all the Rose Fairies to go out and slaughter all creatures, regardless of the cost, never once crossed her mind.
Was she angry? She was.
Was she sad? She was.
But, using the lives of others to avenge her was not something that would feel right to do.
The reason Flor was not against sacrifice to protect Liu Shu was a mix of caring about her and Liu Shu being something like salvation and a lifeline for the Rose Fairies' development.
In just one year of being around Liu Shu, their average tier has risen from F to F+. Their numbers were similarly increasing exponentially. And now, with the new fruits, that average would probably rise to E-, and with time, to E. Moreover, the affinity fruits would allow them to fight creatures realms above themselves at the same Level.
The strength difference between an F Rank creature and an E Rank creature was abysmal. Yet, in just a few years, Liu Shu's existence will be able to change an entire race's tier. How crazy was that?
Knowing all of this, Flor felt comfortable listening to Cinderielle's willingness to set aside her deep feelings to look over Liu Shu. It meant that while her emotional side was clearly irrationally obsessed, the rational side was strong enough to keep those emotions at bay.
'Now, the problem is…'
"Good morning. You woke up early, Miss Cinderielle."
Flor's gaze moved, and observed the new arrival. '... Will her emotional and rational balance remain untouched if another creature manages to close the gap you chose to leave open?'
Cinderielle looked over and laughed. "Morning, Verdantia. How was your sleep?"
The Life-Attributed Sylvan observed Cinderielle's posture and closeness, her eyes flashing with many thoughts. However, she answered normally while approaching Liu Shu. "It was the best sleep I've had in my life. The beds were all filled with a trace of Liu'er's scent~." Verdantia smiled at Liu Shu and said. "It's a very pleasant and refreshing smell."
Liu Shu took the compliment at face value and giggled happily. 'Thanks, Verdantia!'
Hearing her voice, Verdantia's eyes flashed with a deep obsession for a fraction of a second, something Flor and Cinderielle noticed. "No problem, Liu'er. You complimented my flowers, so we are now very close friends~."
Liu Shu was puzzled and asked. 'Are we? Just because I thought your flowers were pretty?'
Verdantia's legs faltered for a second, hearing that directly from her, but she managed not to fall as she leaned on Liu Shu's trunk. "Of course~."
Flor's gaze moved from Verdanita's hand to Cinderielle's face, and she saw her orange eyes locked on the hand touching the World Tree's trunk. 'Now the real test starts, I guess. The things you say when the competition is behind you will be different than when they are ahead of you…'
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Author Note: Hello, dears; it has been a while, so here's a little reminder about Pa tre on benefits, which, by the way, have become quite a few! First of all, up to 15 extra chapters in both my novels! Next? A GIANT gallery of 45+ Complete images with a few R-18 ones~, hehe. Plus, there are 120+ sketches of those images! Then, the right to participate in the Celestial Theater and polls I do from time to time!
Give it a look~. pa tre on.com/Mortrexo