Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 353. Entering The Golden Sap City.

After seeing the <Golden Blue Sap>, Galia and the others thought that they would not be surprised by anything else. This single material was enough for the Golden Sap Province to trade with almost anyone. A C Rank material was rare enough that even the largest powers considered it a useful material. Around the world, the standard was a few notches higher than in the Wild Continent, but not by that much.

For example, the average Tier of creatures living in the Wild continent was around E Tier. F Tier were considered untalented, and D Tiers were considered top-notch existences. C Tier creatures were exceedingly rare, and B Tier beings were unheard of. 

Meanwhile, D Tiers were the common standard in the other continents, while C Tier talents became exceedingly scarce. Still, there were enough to create large regiments and groups. F and E Tiers were commoners for the most part, doing the odd jobs and never really becoming something other than that. The Talents that were considered unique and extremely rare were B Tiers. Any B Tier would be treated as precious, regardless of their talents, and A Tiers were just legendary existences that no one believed existed. 

Hence, the Golden Blue Sap being C Rank material increased the valuable nature of this forest several times over. After all, what would the World Tree's sap be like if even the common trees had that absurd level of sap?

Galia pondered as they approached the city and suddenly spoke aloud. “You all, don’t divulge information about the <Golden Blue Sap>. I will report it myself when I see the time is right. It can be a hidden ace for a difficult situation.”

The other nine pondered and decided to nod. Galia was the leader of the delegation, even when Cestia was a direct descendant of the Celestial Lotus World Tree. 

Galia’s group traversed Liu Shu’s gorgeous forest in silence, their faces looking calm and peaceful. Eventually, they arrived at the small clearing between the Golden Sap City’s wall and the Golden Sap Forest. Once there, their faces went through a change. Awe and incredulity swept their expressions, and their feet couldn’t help but pause to take in the imposing sight. 

In front of them, an imposing wall of brown roots blocked their view. The wall looked uniform enough to be smooth, but the numerous blue energy conduits traveling inside of it made it pulse with life. It felt as if the enormous wall was alive and ready to devour anything that tried to approach the city with evil intentions. At the sides of the wall, the Guardian Trees towered far above, their massive and solid bodies pulsing with strength.

With them there, even Galia’s group felt threatened and didn’t dare act presumptuously. However, that was far from being what made them unable to walk ahead. Their heads were tilted upward, observing the massive being in front of them. Even when the walls were thousands of meters away from Liu Shu, her towering figure seemed to care about nothing as it reached toward the sky. 

Having overcome 1000 meters in height, she was a living mountain with a canopy that stretched outward for hundreds of meters, shadowing the Sun. The drooping branches were long but unable to cover the gorgeous figure of the World Tree, which was barely covered by a massive creature’s wings and serpentine body.

Cestia blushed slightly and coughed. “L-Lady Liu Shu, don’t you have a clothing skill…?”

Liu Shu asked, her tone surprised. “Huh? Is there really something like that? I’ve been using one of my summons to cover myself my entire life! Well, it’s not that I mind showing myself in my natural state, but my mom and the people that care about me don’t want to do that.”

“Mom?” Galia blinked and tilted her head.

As soon as she asked that question, she heard an elegant and pleasant voice reaching her from the walls. “That would be me, Lady Galia.”

Galia looked over and saw a gorgeous red-haired fairy floating down. Her stature was tall for a fairy, and her body had no flaws. The perfected facial features added to her charm, and ethereal transparent pink wings fluttered behind her, leaving a trace of glittering energy.

This fairy had a pink dress with a skirt that looked like the petals of a flower. The colors of the skirt were similar to the rest of the dress, with added white and yellow touches. Beyond her appearance, her aura was incredibly deep and commanding, making their guard raise. Galia’s eyes squinted lightly. ‘This fairy is strong.’

It was common knowledge that monsters and other intelligent species lived together in the Golden Sap Province. Hence, they didn’t overreact to Flor’s arrival.

Once Flor reached in front of them, Glaia bowed elegantly and spoke. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Queen of Fairies, Lady Flor.”

Flor smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t dare call me their Queen. I am just Liu Shu’s mother, trying my best to make her grow happy and worry free.”

Liu Shu’s happy laughter echoed around as a small root coiled upward around Flor’s body, acting like a spoiled little girl hugging her mom.

The delegation was surprised. Cestia was knowledgeable about many things, so she knew that Flor couldn’t be Liu Shu’s biological mother. Hence, she asked rather bluntly. “Lady Flor, but you are not her actual mother. Why do you call yourself as such?”

Flor’s eyes sharpened slightly and looked over. Her cold aura made Cestia feel scared for a second. Thankfully, when Flor saw the puzzled and honest confusion on the Sylvan’s face, her cold aura relaxed. She smiled faintly and explained. “Well, I have known Liu Shu since she was two meters tall, just a little seedling growing in the middle of the Forest. After taking care of her closely for so many years, I eventually came to love Liu Shu for who she is more than her nature as a World Tree. One day, I swore to myself to take care of her and teach her how to grow regardless of the price I had to pay.” 

The ten people of the delegation listened closely, their feelings toward Flor changing as they listened. Flor laughed softly and spoke. “The System seemed to have listened, and I earned this title.”

[<World Tree’s Mother>]

Seeing that title, everyone’s eyes widened, and their expressions changed. Galia, followed by the other nine people, quickly went to one knee and spoke in unison. “We pay respect to the World Tree’s mother!”

Flor was slightly surprised, and seeing her confusion, Galia and the others stood up and explained. “Lady Flor, this title is only given to people who wholeheartedly love the World Tree and have done enough for them that it altered their destiny. Without your presence, Lady Liu Shu’s future might’ve been very different. Therefore, we are extremely grateful that Lady Liu Shu was able to find someone like you. The ability to love a World Tree beyond the benefits that accompany them is not easy, not even for us, Sylvans.”

Flor blinked and tilted her head. “Is it?” Then, she shook her head with a smile. “It doesn’t matter. I will continue to treat Liu Shu as my child, regardless of whether I have this title or not.” With a smile, she pointed toward the wall and welcomed them. “Let’s stop the pleasantries here for now. Come, I will guide you to the inner part of the city and give you a small tour. The other leaders of the province have already gathered.”

Galia and the others approached Flor without any fear and smiled. “It will be our pleasure.”

Flor’s heart relaxed when she saw their attitudes. To be honest, when Liu Shu first informed her about the delegation, she was so nervous that she almost summoned the army, just in case. Thankfully, Ignatia was nearby and calmed her nerves. When she came out alone to welcome them, her heart was taut, and she was ready to receive condescending remarks. 

Thankfully, nothing went wrong, and she was able to connect with them by just being herself. 

Once they approached the Wall, the roots at the bottom parted faintly, leaving a hole through which they could pass. This action baffled them, and Fertalia couldn’t help but bring it up. “Lady Flor, is this Wall… alive?”

Flor answered calmly. “Naturally. Every single structure in the Golden Sap City is alive. Liu Shu has built everything you’ll see from now on by herself. We are just living in the safe space she has created for us.”

While Liu Shu was not the only World Tree that had the ability to do this, there was usually a problem. That World Tree and the city would not be as interconnected as Liu Shu was with the city. Hence, the levels of their structures would lag behind, making them often not as practical as built structures. 

Once inside, their eyes couldn’t help but widen again in awe. 

In front of them, an array of massive trees spread outward. These trees were not exaggeratedly tall, but their width made them look like giant blocks of wood and leaves instead of trees. The Tree Houses, towering 100 meters, were divided into hundreds of apartments where people lived comfortably.

Flor spoke. “These are the main structures of our Golden Sap City, <Lignified Tree Houses>. As I’ve said before, they have their own consciousness and intelligence, but they are tied down with Liu Shu. This makes them safe to live within as long as you follow the rules and don’t harass them.”

Cestia frowned. “Harass?”

Flor nodded and her eyes flashed coldly. “There are some people that think living in one of the apartments gives them the right to do as they please. In the past, there was an event when a few people forced themselves on these children.”

The faces of the ten diplomats were filled with disgust and anger. Galia spoke with a frigid tone. “I hope Lady Liu Shu dealt with them appropriately.” 

Flor smirked. “Of course. They became the fertilizer of the Trees they molested.”

Galia nodded and relaxed. “Great. Anything less than that punishment would be an offense to all flora and fauna in the world.”

Cestia cursed under her breath. “Some people are worse than monsters-Ah.” She paused, covering her mouth while looking at Flor with a guilty expression. “I am so sorry, Lady Flor. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Flor was confused for a second, and then it clicked. She laughed aloud and shook her head, looking at Cestia gently. “Don’t worry. Use expressions as they are. Being a monster doesn’t mean that I am unaware that the grand majority of monsters are just wild beasts without any intelligence.”

Cestia looked at Flor gratefully and nodded. 

Flor explained one more thing before proceeding with the tour. “The <Lignified Tree Houses> are used mainly as residential buildings. However, since the apartments can change depending on the wishes of the owners, there are many who have used the bottom floors as shops, restaurants, smithies, and many more different kinds of establishments. Liu Shu is also planning to build Tree Houses specialized in the main professions in the future, but she is still planning on how to do it.”

Galia listened attentively and had a few ideas. However, she kept them to herself for now and listened to Flor as they traveled the city. She enjoyed the tour and the peculiarities of the city. What surprised the delegation the most was, naturally, the numerous ants skittering around the city and the residents' lack of fear.