Chapter 943. My Advance Is Unstopabble.

Chapter 943: Chapter 943. My Advance Is Unstopabble.

With everything laid out, Liu Shu looked at Sarlos and began to question him. "I know that the hive has been active for a long time. I also know your powers struggle to deal with it. May I know what makes it so threatening?"

Sarlos leaned back and pondered. "That’s a broad question. Let me think."

After a few moments to sort through the information, he gave a highly summarized version. "There are several main species within the Hive. The Voswots are their main means of spreading. They’re also the most basic creatures and can later evolve depending on which host they infect... or whether they use the infected host to evolve. Only those who are exceptional can evolve, though."

He then explained the rest very simply. "The strongest lineages are <Eravos> and <Seowts>. Eravos are the male species, and their top individuals control the Hive Mind’s main information network. Their elites can also be of this species. Seowts are the same, but female. However, from what we’ve learned, their roles are very, very different."

He continued. "Finally, you have the <Owtvos> and the <Stactions>. Owtvos are their soldiers. They are the ones that fill the front lines, and 99.999% of the Voswots eventually evolve into them. Stactions are as rare as the strongest lineages and are born from assimilated <Astraelis>. You heard that the Hive only parasitized a certain range of <Astraelis> species, right?"

Liu Shu nodded. "It was quite helpful, and for now, that information seems to be truthful. We’ve been careful of all <Astraelis>, though. Just in case.

Sarlos smiled. "That’s great. As I was saying, the Hive is not stupid. If they could, they would naturally use all types of <Astraelis> to cause chaos. Thankfully, they can’t. That’s the good news. There is also bad news to this information. The Stactions are starship-like biological creatures that can carry armies from the Hive across the stars; they also function as structures..."

He paused, then glanced at Liu Shu. "...Quite like your <Lignified> species."

Liu Shu nodded, thoughtful. "So they do use biological technology to a degree. What about the worlds they conquer?"

"Eerie." Sarlos summarized it with that word. "The world in itself doesn’t change much. Individuals who failed to evolve into stronger Hive species remain and support society. The Hive does not merely consume civilizations. It appropriates them. As a Hive Mind, they absorb information as one of their traits."

Liu Shu sighed. "Information sharing. We’ve discovered that the Voswot needs to at least complete the parasitism before they can form any type of communication. How does it work?"

Sarlos smiled wryly. "I wish I could summarize it. To trigger it, several conditions must be met. But once they do communicate, it’s unstoppable. You have to get rid of them before they communicate. Just know that the only way to stop information leaking is to prevent it. You can’t block it..." He smiled at Liu Shu. "At least from what we learned. Perhaps the brains in your Empire might learn something."

Liu Shu chuckled. "We hope to help." She then looked at Danlier. "We also hope to finally get along. I won’t force or ask the Covenant to submit, but just understand that my ascension is quick. My strength increases rapidly. Now that we are talking for the first time face to face, I will make myself clear."

Danlier glanced at Liu Shu, and Liu Shu spoke without pretense. "The Golden Sap Empire will swallow the entirety of this interstellar sector. Nexus, Covenant, and every other power. Every single Solar System. Not forcefully. Not through war. Not through massacre. But by the sole driving force of my presence."

Danlier smiled faintly and asked. "Your presence? I would like to feel that presence."

Liu Shu smiled, and as she sat on her throne and waved her hand forward, she spread out most of her blessings to everyone present.

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

Liu Shu unleashed her divine presence and crossed her legs, her smile disappearing as she glanced at everyone, her face resting on her fist. "As I said. My presence as a World Tree, my existence, is the driving force of the Golden Sap Empire. Once you know about it..."

When everyone present was about to have an enlightenment thanks to Liu Shu’s blessings boosting their comprehension level to ridiculous levels, she made a pulling motion with her free hand.

"...you can’t go back."

The blessings disappeared, and that new world they’d faintly noticed and were about to touch with their fingertips... slipped beyond their reach. Some people who had held their breath quickly inhaled, as if they had just come up from being underwater.

By Level alone, Liu Shu was the lowest present. In terms of presence, just during that moment, she overwhelmed everyone. Her glowing blue gaze, the color of her Saint Bloodsap, pulsed as she spoke, her divine presence weighing down with her voice. "For now, that’s all I will say. Any further talks, or if you have questions or want to speak with me again, will be done through one of my eleven Apostles, Etheria."

It took a while, but Etheria finally caught up and became Liu Shu’s eleventh Apostle. Elyne finally gave her many responsibilities to Etheria and became much freer. Moreover, with their new family, she was happy to handle internal matters while Etheria became the face of the Eternal Church.

To say that Etheria was doing a good job was an understatement. Liu Shu’s investment in her centuries ago had matured, and Etheria’s strength and influence had become monstrous.

Few could even match her. Moreover, she was approaching Level 299, and soon she would tackle Level 300. Etheria, with an SS- Rank talent, was about to grow a pair of gigantic wings that would shadow worlds in her presence.

After she retreated from the room, those who remained were silent for a few moments. The secretaries had prepared a few questions, but once Liu Shu showed them what her blessings could do, they felt their voices clog at the back of their throats.

Sarlos’s chuckle broke the silence. "Lady Heavenly Willow really knows how to make an impression."

The four secretaries snapped out of their daze, and they all chuckled. "Indeed. It seems that we were underestimating her even after knowing about her quite in detail. What an interesting being..."

Sarlos glanced at Danlier and smiled. "Lady Danlier. I appreciate and admire your strength, your valor, your intelligence, and your rule of the Covenant. This time, I will give you one piece of advice. Times are changing."

He slowly stood up and spoke to his advisors. "Let’s gather information and experts to visit Lady Heavenly Willow’s capital world. We need to send our experts there to see their tests and also take them with us to see ours."

Danlier stood up and asked. "What about the Nexus, Lord Sarlos? They are a threat. They do have the support of the central galaxy, even if very light. However, you should know better than I what that entails. With Lady Heavenly Willow appearing, it isn’t a stretch that reinforcements will arrive."

"Even if they do..." Sarlos glanced at her and answered rather indifferently. "It’s not our problem. Lady Danlier. If the Nexus turns their fangs toward us, we will deal with them. If they don’t, at least for now, they are not our problem."

Danlier saw them leaving and sighed softly. ’It’s always like this. Everyone’s at their level and always looks up. Well, that’s a good thing. It is that way that those below can rise and catch up, isn’t it?’

Then she shook her head and prepared to gather with Liu Shu’s representatives. This meeting was only the opening of a long series of talks.

***

As Liu Shu retreated her roots, she sighed a little. ’It’s a shame that Mom and the others are still <Ascending>. Did it take this long to reach Level 300? It’s been a few years already.’

For Intelligent Species, <Ascension> took a long time, but not longer than two to five years. And yet, all her elites who were <Ascending> inside Apothea were taking their sweet time.

’Like with the <Temples>, longer might be better. Not always, but with my wives involved... I am confident the wait will pay back handsomely.’

Either way, Liu Shu’s government was overflowing with talent, so the important positions were perfectly covered by capable individuals.

Meanwhile, Liu Shu continued helping eliminate parasites. To her surprise, perhaps because she noticed quickly and deployed powerful measures, she had already cleaned up most of her Solar Systems.

The <Lignified Houses> were of surprising help. Each time someone acted strangely, the houses reported it silently. They all made sure to communicate with top enforcement individuals verified as uninfected. That way, they could keep acting as secret spies.

There was one law that the Golden Sap Empire protected closely, and that was privacy to a certain degree. Unless it was an emergency situation, Lignified Houses were prohibited from speaking about their people’s privacy.

The law was redundant, and the Lignified Houses treated everyone living within them with incredible care and gentleness. So, unless you really, really angered them, they would always try to help before informing anyone.

Their spiritual support, innate Runic Array formations, and other localized buffs helped families in more ways than one could ever imagine. There was a reason why, even when the Lignified Houses were considered "spies of the government," they were so loved by the general population.

"Alright, the ones with risk left are edge Solar Systems. Those inside are now almost fully cleansed. Still, better safe than sorry. Let’s live a little more tightly until we deal with the threat or gain methods to ensure safety."

With everything set on track, Liu Shu received a report about two months later that the secretaries wanted to talk with her. She welcomed them into the Eternal Church private room.

When the four secretaries arrived, their attitudes were much different from before. There was a hint of respect in them. While Liu Shu’s strength still wasn’t at a level that made them feel threatened, the society they’d seen was... impeccable.

It felt like everyone walked around with faint smiles, and even the unhappy seemed to feel that way because of a bad day, not because their lives were falling apart.

When they entered, Liu Shu welcomed them while sitting on a throne of her own roots. She sat with her legs crossed, wearing a gorgeous green dress with golden accents.

Behind her, the largest statue of herself, bearing the Golden Sap Empire’s symbol, presided over the entire room.

"Welcome to the Eternal Cathedral. I am sure this is your first time here. Let’s have another talk then, shall we?"