Chapter 949. Arrival of Old Friends.

Chapter 949: Chapter 949. Arrival of Old Friends.

While Liu Shu’s Avatar was busy, new arrivals came over. It was the group she had been waiting for. The group of starships passed through the portals and arrived straight at Ceperet, stopping only at essential checkpoints. This was rare among visitors, so many were curious about this particular fleet.

The fleet left Stella and arrived at Golden Sap City’s busy spaceport through private channels. There, Liu Shu had her roots twisted into an Avatar and was waiting for them. "Welcome once again."

A few different groups descended from the few starships, and among them, there were familiar faces. The plant woman at the very front smiled widely and rushed forward, hugging Liu Shu’s Avatar. "Liu Shu! I missed you, hehehe. You are as cute as I remember you."

Liu Shu giggled. "You’ve become stronger, Leafara."

The group that arrived was the Skill Merchants, or more commonly known as the <Seekers of True Essence Group>. Flamar, Leafara, and Carisa, the three with whom Liu Shu interacted the most the previous time, were all here. And Liu Shu didn’t know whether to consider it surprising or not, but they were all much stronger than before.

A quick check with her system analysis abilities made the changes clear: Flamar Level 310 → 360, Leafara Level 290 → 335, and Carisa Level 250 → 305.

Leafara chuckled and smiled. "Of course! After we returned from Ceperet and shared all the miscellaneous skills we got, our bosses paid out well! Hehe."

While they were talking, a man with a calm, intellectual vibe approached them. "Leafara."

Leafara straightened, but she didn’t loosen the hug with Liu Shu. "Right, right. Hehe. I was too happy, Lord Halturne. Let me present to you the leader of our expedition this time around. Also, headquarters..."

She looked at Halturne, stuck out her tongue, and winked at Liu Shu. "He’ll tell you these things. If he doesn’t, you can ask me later."

Liu Shu chuckled and turned toward Halturne as best she could while still in Leafara’s arms. "Welcome, we are very grateful that the <Seekers Of True Essence Group> has chosen to stay at our Golden Sap Empire again."

Halturne nodded and sighed, looking around. "The reports from Flamar said that the Golden Sap Empire could hardly be considered anything other than an interplanetary power... I am now wondering if he lied to us back then."

Flamar, the fire spiritual creature, smiled wryly. "Lord, I am as surprised as you are. Back then, Lady Liu Shu had yet to even propagate to near stars. Now..." He looked toward Stella, at the interplanetary portal standing in several corners of the spatial port, and the large number of small starships moving in orbit in an orderly manner. "...I am truly speechless. The Golden Sap Empire’s growth is astounding, almost fantastical."

Carisa, the crystal elemental woman and Leafara’s good friend, shook her head. "And we have yet to even receive the most astounding news. I heard that your blessings got quite updated compared to back then, Liu Shu."

Liu Shu smiled and looked at Leafara. "You can hug me tighter so that you don’t fall back in shock~."

Leafara laughed. "Hit me with it! I’ve already experienced it once!"

And so, Liu Shu theatrically waved her hand. "One more time... welcome to my Golden Sap Empire."

Ding...! Ding...! Ding! Ding! Ding!...

This time, even Leafara, who took things in quite a stride back then, opened her eyes wide. Halturne signaled mid-air, probably opening his System Page to check the effects in detail.

The place turned silent for a few minutes while they all checked each blessing, temple buff, and the like. Liu Shu looked at Halturne and smiled. "We also have my personal fruits, if you’d like them. They can only affect up to Level 399 individuals, though, so Lord Halturne is right at the edge to receive their full effects."

Halturne turned to look at Liu Shu with a profound expression. "Was it a guess, or..."

Liu Shu didn’t hide it. "I can see it. While I am here with this Avatar, Lord Halturne should not mistake me for a humanoid species... I am a True World Tree."

Flipping her hand, the Seekers of True Essence Group were shifted through space. Since they knew that this was not a damaging skill effect, they didn’t resist.

Their perspective changed, and a moment later, they arrived within Liu Shu’s realm. When they glanced toward where Ceperet previously was, their eyes widened.

Liu Shu was Level 293 at the moment, and her height, compared to before, had exploded and far surpassed Ceperet’s total size.

Liu Shu was now over 35,938,137 meters tall from the base of her roots to the top of her crown; rounded up, she was 36,000 kilometers tall.

(Author Note: approximately 22,300 miles. That makes Liu Shu almost three times as tall as the Earth is wide. The Earth’s diameter is around 12,700 kilometers. Ceperet’s is double that, at around 25,000km.)

With her current gargantuan figure, if she showed herself illusory like before, her canopy could now truly and honestly cover the entirety of Ceperet. It had been a long time since Liu Shu could walk around all of Ceperet with her Avatar without problems.

The group of Skill Merchants stared at her grandeur, eyes wide. Even Leafara, still hugging the petite Avatar, fell silent. She was the first one to speak. "You... How are you so large?"

Forget <Third Ascension> World Trees. As she was, Liu Shu completely and utterly crushed every <Third Ascension> World Tree with her monstrous size. To compare, you’d need a <Fourth Ascension> World Tree.

Liu Shu chuckled and sent them all back to the spaceport. For a second, they wondered if they had imagined it, but as they looked back at Ceperet, Liu Shu’s figure flashed by once, as if to tell them she wasn’t an illusion. That was her current true size.

Halturne took a deep breath and quickly put his emotions in place. He had to avoid getting carried away by Liu Shu’s overpowering presence. Even as a Level 399 powerhouse who could advance to Level 400 at any moment, he felt intimidated.

There was something within Liu Shu; something in that massive figure that felt completely out of the ordinary. Far more than any other World Tree he had even witnessed.

"I understand, Lady Heavenly Willow. We’ll be careful when dealing with you from now on."

Liu Shu smiled gently, speaking softly through her Avatar. "There is no need to be tense. The only reason I showed myself to you was so that you don’t forget what I truly am. Actually, I prefer Leafara’s treatment of me to any tedious politeness. Just be careful to remember that I am a World Tree and not a humanoid species. That’s all I ask from your group, Lord Halturne."

Leafara looked at the root Avatar between her arms and smiled widely. "As expected, you have not changed at all from back then. Lord Halturne, as we agreed upon before, I’ll be in charge of Liu Shu and her family then."

Halturne nodded without any problems. He added. "Speaking of which, Lady Heavenly Willow, my purpose here was to wonder if we should make a permanent station or not. I have forced my Level to stay at 399 for that very reason. After all, this sector of the galaxy has problems giving birth to Level 400s. So, coming here as one could cause the stability to break."

"Huh...?" Liu Shu tilted her head, looking at him with confusion. "Why is it difficult for Level 400s to appear in this zone?"

Halturne smiled. "That’s because the ternary essence of this galactic sector has yet to be processed by a Level 400 World Tree. The problem is similar to how a world without a Level 100 World Tree can’t give birth to Level 100 creatures."

Liu Shu was startled by this very important piece of information. "...Is that why the Hive has not given birth to a Level 400 yet?"

Halturne nodded and sighed. "It’s fortunate that the Hive spawned in this galactic sector. It’s not the best one, but it is also not the worst. If the Hive had spawned two galactic sectors closer to the galaxy’s center, it would’ve become a massive problem quickly. The Hive’s 100 crowns are all at Level 399 and can advance to Level 400 at any moment."

Having reached this point, he gave sincere advice. "I recommend that, even if one day Lady Heavenly Willow can break through to Level 400, you should hold back and wait until you clean up most of the strong individuals from the Hive."

Liu Shu showed a deeply pondering expression. "Wait... then the Globular Star Clusters..."

Halturne nodded at Liu Shu’s unspoken guess. Clearly, those massive empires also had experts stuck at the top level, fighting the Hive. Both sides were in a stalemate, needing something to break that balance.

Liu Shu took a deep breath. This was both good news and bad news. Against those in the same Ascension realm, Liu Shu felt no fear. Nevertheless, when she reached Level 400, this entire galactic sector would probably go through a massive upheaval, and wars would break out everywhere.

’I must stack on Level 399s that can break through before I reach Level 400 myself, then. I hope I don’t forget.’

After their conversation, she guided them toward the place she had already prepared for their arrival. Knowing they were coming back and drawing on her experience, Liu Shu knew these people would visit often. So, she left a small neighborhood within Golden Sap City relatively empty for them.

"How many of you are there this time around?"

Halturne answered lightly. "There are 1,500 skill merchants, and each of them has around 10 to 30 assistants. The average is 13 of them. So... around 20,000 people are involved in the workflow. Then, we have a guard group of 2,000 elites. If you can give us a zone for us that can house around 100,000 individuals, we will be settled for good."

"Great, the zone I left for you is enough to house 300,000 people, open shops, etc. Your merchant group is slightly special because the currency used for your services is skill shards. So, I’ll be using my personal funds to pay for all amenities, housing, etc. There will be limits, but if you just want to buy basics like computers, phones, food, furniture, a vehicle, they will all be available. What we won’t be providing is luxury items like accessories, unnecessary online purchases, and more."

That sounded great for them. Liu Shu would usually not be this welcoming to any group, regardless of how special their merchandise was. Nevertheless, no one else could trade skills like these people. So their merchandise wasn’t special; it was unique.

It didn’t take long for all the Empire to know that the Skill Merchants had arrived, and most likely, they’d stay for much longer than before, if not permanently.