Chapter 937. A Little Too Effective.

Chapter 937: Chapter 937. A Little Too Effective.

Zaros sat in his personal seat, reviewing several reports on the screen. As he read through them, his face was... peculiar. ’Were the crafters enjoying this much of a bonus all this time? No wonder our Golden Sap Empire’s technology advances like a World Tree’s root.’

It wasn’t just the new <Temple Of Mastery>. All of them had a strong effect on their combat power.

The <Temple Of Link> increased the number of free summons from three to five, among other effects.

The <Temple of Fateweaving> now had a more reliable way to see the nearby future, although it was far from perfect.

The <Temple Of Change> was an overall net positive, as much of the random damage could be redirected away from your allies. The stat variance was also a net positive.

The <Temple Of Mortality> now had a better way to transform unused energies into <Phoer>, along with many other resilience boosts.

The <Temple Of Infinite Eternity> increases stats, buff durations, and the debuffs they applied.

Not to mention, the <Temple Of Divinity>’s blessing was now stronger.

And all those effects were just the basics. Their general effects did much more than just make them stronger.

The biggest advantage of Liu Shu’s blessings wasn’t that they boosted stats by a percentage. Not even close. Their biggest advantage was that it increased talent. The strength you gained through the <Temples> stayed with you because it increased comprehension.

Even if you later lost those boosts, you wouldn’t lose the skills you learned. Developing them further would be a challenge without the <Temple> buffs, but that was a sacrifice almost everyone would be willing to make. Plus, people were not learning with the assumption that the <Temples> would disappear.

Either way, Zaros saw something he was conflicted about.

What Liu Shu ordered them to do was to create a frontline with the Nexus, maintain it, and slowly but surely wear them out. While doing this, Zaros would also need to make sure that as few people as possible died by using summons and other expendable resources.

The order wasn’t complicated for Zaros. With the tools he had and his military talent, charging straight ahead into the Nexus territory would not be that much of a challenge. Only the Level 300+ strong individuals came between them and crushing both the Nexus and Covenant, and basically any other Star System rank empire.

The problem was that...

Zaros turned his head to look out of his personal room window out of Sarluce’s body. There, a green, blue, and yellowish planet shone like a polished marble. "...Um. Lady Heavenly Willow."

Liu Shu glanced over and asked. "So... How many?"

Zaros cleared his throat. "We’ve conquered eight of the Nexus’s Solar Systems. They are outer Solar Systems, so the two Level 300s and the rest of the army didn’t fight desperately to retain them. Still... The problem is that we got all eight after your <Temple> effects got upgraded."

Liu Shu knew why Zaros called that a problem. It wasn’t a secret that Liu Shu’s <Temple> effects had all evolved to S- Rank. She was effectively giving her entire population seven S- Rank passive skills.

S- Rank was a quality divider. Many elites had one or two skills at that rank, which they used to gain the title of elite. For instance, some Level 300s in stronger powers, where gaining Levels was relatively easier, didn’t even have one S- Rank skill.

Knowing that, the weight of being able to give those <Temple> buffs, among many others, made others despair.

"So, you are worried that the Nexus will focus on us much more than it does with the Covenant?"

Zaros nodded. "We can stop a few Level 300s. However, they are dangerous. 90% of the deaths and injuries that occurred in our army happened because of their involvement. If more join, we won’t be able to press on like before. Moreover... There is a Corrupted World Tree zone ahead."

"Hm... You are right."

Liu Shu had already studied the Nexus’s territory. It had nine corrupted World Trees, all of them with strength near Deadly Petal’s before joining Liu Shu, but with the spreading power of Warlya.

Remember that Warlya’s <Ascension> sacrificed around 99% of her spreading speed in order to be able to manifest herself at almost full power anywhere within her sight. Combined with her ability to connect to Liu Shu’s root net, this let Warlya manifest almost anywhere within Liu Shu’s domain.

She wasn’t the only one. All World Trees in the <World Legion> had sacrificed some of their ability to be independent World Trees to a degree in exchange for concentrated combat power.

Corrupted World Trees were different. They didn’t willingly sacrifice spreading power. They just lost it. When a World Tree was fully corrupted, the reason for its entire existence would shift from a creature that promotes the cycle of nature and nourishes the universe with its body and being... to something that did the complete opposite.

Corrupted World Trees fed on life to strengthen themselves. The environments they conquered became lifeless husks of what they were, and the lifeforms born within those domains were the number one source of problematic species.

Even their mindset and attitudes shifted.

Anything that entered their domain and wasn’t controlled by them or their controllers became an instant target.

Liu Shu sighed and spoke. "Corrupted World Trees are impossible to convert or reason with. When met, kill them. You don’t need to ask me. Also, Corrupted World Trees are deceitful and cunning, unlike others."

Zaros asked, confused. "From what I know, you did meet a few Corrupted World Trees. Were they like that as well?"

"Hm... I can’t say for sure. Nevertheless, it’s a good rule of thumb to follow."

Zaros pushed a little bit more. "Can’t you... absorb them? Your ability to purify is strong, isn’t it?"

Liu Shu, though, was sure she couldn’t. The reason was rather simple. "Zaros, I would also love to help them. You know that I don’t give up easily on other species or World Trees. Nevertheless, this is different. As you know, I almost fell victim to corruption back when I was younger. The feelings back then were not as simple as my energy changing. Corruption affected my very soul."

Could Liu Shu cleanse them? Probably, but what would be left behind would be a husk with no thought behind it. Not even at the level of a normal tree. An eerily silent World Tree corpse, not completely dead, yet not alive either.

Zaros knew Liu Shu was telling the truth, but he still wanted to try. What if the current Liu Shu could? Saving a Corrupted World Tree was impossible. That was a fact, but so was World Trees living with each other, a fact basically accepted everywhere.

Liu Shu glanced at Zaros’ expression and sighed softly. She knew that he wanted to believe, but...

"Alright. I will give it a try, but don’t make it public, yeah?"

Zaros smiled faintly, feeling delighted. "Great. We’ll prepare to take over."

"Are you not worried about more Level 300s coming?"

"Not so much." Zaros leaned back. "I received a secret message from Lady Danlier a while ago. We made sure to share a communication method back then."

Liu Shu hummed, his tone teasing. "Oho. So you and Danlier have been exchanging messages."

The suggestive tone was so clear that Zaros rolled his eyes. "You really like it when those you know get a partner, don’t you?"

Liu Shu giggled. "Of course! Having a family and babies is the best~."

"Those crying brats?"

Liu Shu countered with a nasal scoff. "Crying brats you end up loving more than yourself! They are annoying to death, but hnnng. You just love them!"

Zaros chuckled. "Alright, alright. No need to start with me. Also, I need you to create two more positions with authority similar to mine. I have far too much authority in military matters."

Liu Shu manifested a small root and snapped at Zaros’s forehead. "Do you think I don’t know you have been complaining of overwork? I was already planning on it!"

Zaros rubbed his forehead with a wry smile. "Having my boss be able to look at me at all times sure feels like a breach of privacy."

Liu Shu giggled. "Anyway, keep fighting like usual. Don’t try too much and prioritize safety. There are already quite a few people at Level 299, and I’ve sent them all to Apothea. We’ll soon have our first Level 300s... Speaking of which, you are also at Level 299. Why don’t you go?"

Zaros shook his head. "I don’t have enough Experience Points to Level Up to Level 300 yet."

"Come back and dive into a <Dungeon> then! Our systems aren’t there as decoration. Even if you went missing for 100 years, you would be able to be brought up to date in less than a month."

"Sigh... Alright. Alright. I will go back then. Do I take Sarluce with me?"

Liu Shu shrugged. "Don’t ask me, ask my girl. Baby, what do you want to do?"

Sarluce’s mature and serious voice rang out. "Mother, I will stay on the frontline to fight and develop my skills! My main cannon did little to no damage to a <Third Ascension>. That’s something I can’t accept!"

Zaros stood up with a grunt. "Says the Starship that rammed them and almost allowed them to start a new, fresh life."

Sarluce chuckled, and Liu Shu patted her hull. "Hehe. That’s my little Sarluce."

Liu Shu glanced toward Apothea. She had made sure to delay several people’s turns this time around. Only the lakes focused on ants were not touched because Ignatia’s colony also had incredibly high-level individuals.

Within Apothea, Liu Shu’s Avatar sat together with Little Apothea’s Avatar. They were truly similar. To look like Liu Shu’s actual daughter, Apothea’s Avatar—something incredibly rare and unique for non-World-Tree species—was slightly shorter than the already petite Liu Shu. Not by much, just a forehead’s height. She was incredibly adorable, too, her body slimmer than Liu Shu’s curvy one.

Liu Shu hugged Apothea and kissed her cheek, smiling gently. "How are they doing, love?"

Apothea smiled wide enough to feel her cheeks cramping, but she didn’t care. She snuggled in Liu Shu’s arms and buried her face in her neck. "Hehe. They are doing great! Hehehehe."

Liu Shu laughed and kissed her forehead. "I am glad, love. Thank you for your hard work."

"Work? It’s not work at all! I can feel mommy’s sap flowing through me. I can see our empire’s talents growing as well... I really like it. I feel that I am an essential part of the whole."

Liu Shu hugged Apothea tightly. "All of you are essential, love."

Apothea nodded a few times and giggled. "I know~. It will take a while, though. Won’t you miss them, mommy?"

"I will. But I have my babies to keep me company in the meantime, right? What’s there to feel lonely about? Moreover..." Liu Shu couldn’t help but look up. "I will be quite busy. It’s not just the Dark Guilds trying to enter our place."

The Covenant, the Hive, and the Nexus... Even the nearby Globular Star Cluster Empires. All of them, within Liu Shu’s sight, were making small movements.