In a large amphitheater, nearly 600 world leaders gathered in a single room. There were 10 people seated on top of the platform, looking toward an empty center. These ten were Flor, Ignatia, Harmonixia, Tempestria, Verdantia, Cinderielle, Cael, Lysara, Veyra, and Elyne.
They were the people who were at the very top of the Golden Sap Empire, having taken strategic leading roles. Their identities were above all, and below one.
The other six hundred odd people below also wielded incredible authority, each ruling large sections of the Golden Sap Empire across the two worlds and one moon.
While they waited, the amphitheater's doors opened, and an additional 200 people entered. 100 of them were insectoids, while the other 100 were a mix of humans, Sylvans, and beastkin.
However, those present noticed that instead of carrying a confident but reverent attitude, most of them felt as if they were walking on thin ice. Even when they tried to hide it, all the people present were top authorities with incredibly sharp eyes and intelligence.
Among the 800 people present, there was no place for stupid people. Perhaps some were overconfident due to their talents, but their minds worked far above average.
Before speculation could even begin to form, a voice as boundless as the sky and as gentle as the sound of the ocean's waves echoed in the room.
"Perfect. Now that everyone's here, we can talk in detail."
Whose voice could this be other than the Mythical Heavenly Willow's?
A bunch of roots gathered in the center of the amphitheater's platform, coiling together and, soon, forming the figure of a woman. The woman was petite and adorable, but with mature curves and perfectly carved facial features.
While she was made of wood in her entirety, her eyes glowed blue from the sap flowing through them, while the rest of her body was featureless. Even when she lacked a dress, there were no improper details.
Her figure was a perfect replica of that of the World Tree. Hence, nobody dared lust over or even give a single hint of an improper glance to the wooden avatar that manifested.
Liu Shu glanced around and saw many familiar faces. Arven, Mariane, Taro, Delia, Valkan, Hana, Edharen, Thalgryn, Verena, Melody, and many more who had joined her in her journey at some moment gathered here formally.
The grand majority had already crossed Level 100, with very few like Taro and others being in the
"Welcome, leaders of my Golden Sap Empire." She didn't bother with pleasantries, as she instantly made sure everyone remembered that the empire was hers. "All who are present here have enough power to be feared by most, as your authority and influence spread far and wide. Each of your names can cause tremors on the land, and most of you have strengths that can only be considered as elite within my Golden Sap Empire."
Zerrek, Rhex, and Xalis were stunned. They had never imagined a World Tree would ever take such a direct approach. Their hearts beat somewhat erratically, knowing that the Heavenly Willow was quite different from others, and most of their thoughts would need to be reviewed on the fly.
Liu Shu, using her incredibly powerful senses to observe each and every single face in the place, naturally noticed the few changes in expression from some leaders. She didn't comment on it.
Instead, she smiled faintly and continued speaking, her tone soft, but her voice carrying the weight of her existence.
"I consider myself to be quite easy to get along with." Liu Shu started, the weight on everyone's shoulders suddenly increasing a notch. "I give you some rules, and if you play within them, you can do whatever you please. Isn't that simple? You follow the rules, I am happy, and you are happy."
Liu Shu smiled, her blue-glowing eyes scanning everyone in the room as she swept the large room with her gaze. "Yes, such a simple concept, and yet… Why is it so hard for some of you to follow?"
An innocently asked question. There was no reproach, no anger, no sternness, just… curiosity and incomprehension. As if she were a child who didn't understand why the sky was blue.
But it was this kind of detachment that made her words a thousand times scarier.
Liu Shu glanced to a corner of the room, and a root quickly latched around a beastkin, throwing them toward the Avatar. Before anyone could react, the roots that appeared out of nowhere placed the dog beastkin in front of Liu Shu's wooden Avatar. "What rule did you break, Amorthan?"
The dogkin paled, his face blanching as if someone painted it white. "W-What might you be…"
"Ah." Liu Shu chuckled and shook her head. "It seems that all of you think of me as an individual. A powerful individual. Let me rectify that mistaken notion, like I repeatedly need to do."
Her hands reached out, and with a swift twist, she ripped the dogkin's head off. "Baby, come and eat."
The roots of the Town Hall rushed out, grabbing different parts of the dead dogkin and ripping the limbs apart, swallowing everything into the walls. The floor twisted as well, devouring the remaining… debris.
In a single instant, an individual disappeared.
Silence reigned in the room as everyone sat stiffly. Liu Shu looked around and chuckled, her expression as pleasant as it was at the start. "If you are so afraid of me… Why do you not follow my rules?"
A root shot out to another corner, this time snatching a human woman and throwing her in front of her. The human woman's eyes widened, and she headbanged the floor, almost cracking her skull open. "L-LADY HEAVENLY WILLOW! THIS ONE IS FULL OF REGRET! MERCY! PLEASE MERCY!"
RIIIPPPP!!
The woman was once again dismembered and fed to the Town Hall. "Mercy?" Liu Shu laughed, her features calm and pleasant. "What mercy do you lot expect when I am giving you the world and easy-to-follow rules? Just don't be corrupt, don't block others from showing their value even if that means allowing them to surpass you, and do not act against the interests of my society. If you follow these three general intents, you will never need to ask for mercy. Isn't that quite simple?"
A birdkin suddenly flapped its wings, using spatial movement to escape the room. Liu Shu blinked, confused. "Escape?" After muttering that word, her lips arched in a wider grin. "Escape? From me? Hahahahaha!"
Her pearly laugh echoed in the room, mocking and full of amusement.
"How can you escape…" Liu Shu's blue eyes glowed, the light pouring out as she stretched her hand. "...When I control the very reality you live in?"
Space twisted violently in front of Liu Shu, and the man who tried to escape crashed into her, as if prostrating. "Where can you escape?" Liu Shu asked, looking around. "My roots reach out far beyond the world. I will soon control the Solar System, and then further beyond. I know most of you understand what I represent. However, did the few of you who thought to be too clever and able to deceive me think that you would EVER have a chance to escape my all-encompassing sight?"
Liu Shu's next move was simple. She opened her arms and smiled softly. "You, Children of Ceperet, Children of Nualis, don't understand something extremely simple. Then, let me explain… what I am."
The next instant, Liu Shu unleashed her presence in its entirety inside this room, making sure to protect those weaker ones from dying.
When she did so, it felt as if the sky itself was about to collapse.
BOOM!
Everyone who was seated bent forward involuntarily, their faces changing to one of terror as Liu Shu's presence descended. This time, Liu Shu spared no one, not even Cinderielle, Flor, or anyone in the room.
For those close to her, she wanted to let them know the extent of her strength.
For those who were allied to her, she wanted to show them that they had chosen the correct being to support.
For those who thought they could deceive the eyes of a World Tree… she wanted to make them despair.
"I, Tianlian Liu Shu, am a World Tree. I represent this world. I am its law, and I am its foundation."
Her smile finally disappeared as she looked down at everyone with a cold expression. "I only want one thing from my leaders. Competence. I don't mind you scheming, and I don't mind you using tricks. As long as they are within the rules, everything is allowed."
Liu Shu paused here and, while pressing everyone down, she stated coldly. "However, if you ever confuse yourself as someone irreplaceable… I have bad news for you. I can create talent as easily as I can…"
Liu Shu waved her hand, and everyone in the room lost their blessings. Instantly, the auras of everyone present made a sharp drop, their comprehension and many other base stats plummeting.
"... return you to mediocrity."
Those who had become accustomed to Liu Shu's blessings felt as if half their existence had suddenly been denied to them. They couldn't help but look at their System Page, and seeing the absurd difference between the two states, they began trembling.
After a few seconds, Liu Shu gave everyone present her blessing once again and stopped pressuring them.
GASP!
Everyone in the room took a deep breath, as if they had surfaced after being submerged in water until just before asphyxiation.
"W-What is this!?"
A shrill scream broke the silence, and Liu Shu's lips arched faintly as she turned toward the origin. The one who screamed, even rising from her seat as she scrolled through her System Page, was Xalis.
"I-Impossible! Something like this is impossible! What kind of absurd joke is this!?"
Liu Shu spoke lightly, her voice returning to the previous gentle and soft one. "Xalis Dorn, right? One of the three leaders from the new Moon citizens."
Xalis froze, remembering where she was. When her compound eyes looked up from her
Now, they were full of terror. Pure, unadulterated fear for the True World Tree that commanded the world like an absolute ruler.
"I've… heard quite a few things about your group." Liu Shu started, her voice soft, yet falling as heavy as an iron anvil on top of their heads.
"Do not be afraid." Said the World Tree, her blue gaze pinning down the Moon group. "Since this is your first transgression and you are all returning while I was sleeping, I won't punish you this time. Your schemes, intention to take over and eventually control my empire, your intent to call your leaders to overthrow me… I won't mind them this time."
Xalis, Rhex, Zerrek, and every single other insectoid lost color. 'S-She knows everything.'
"But…" Liu Shu squinted while smiling. "I hope this doesn't repeat in the future. Otherwise, I'll have to… vacate the Moon once more."
The insectoids and 100-odd mix from Ceperet all kneeled instantly. "Y-Yes, Lady Heavenly Willow! We understand!"
Liu Shu hummed, satisfied. "Great."