With Liu Shu awake, her presence once more enveloped the entire domain actively. Everyone felt a shift occur, and most of those in positions of power felt as if a pair of eyes were looking from the void.
In the amphitheater, Liu Shu just settled things with the insectoids, but she was far from being done. After all, she noticed that, while there were not many who dared to break her rules actively like those she killed, some were teetering on the edge, as if testing her patience.
Such cases, naturally, were far from deserving death. So, Liu Shu's blue-glowing eyes swept the area as she spoke. "When all of you go back, I want you to reread the rulebook I printed so long ago. I'll be watching, and you won't be able to return to your posts until you've completely memorized and internalized them."
A leader tentatively raised his hand. Liu Shu glanced over and nodded. "Speak. Don't worry, I don't punish people for asking questions, regardless of how stupid the questions may seem. I'd rather you ask me than confidently mess up."
Hearing these words made the human man feel more relaxed. "Lady Heavenly Willow… Won't the cities be in trouble without our presence? After all, we are the essential pieces Lady Heavenly Willow set to make everything function perfectly."
Liu Shu answered calmly with a smile. "If the system I've created is so fragile that your absence can cause irreparable damage, then let it collapse. I'll rebuild it later, sturdier and better." Looking around, she asked. "Any more questions?"
Rhex, gathering his courage, raised one hand, imitating the human man. Liu Shu looked over and nodded. "Go ahead, Rhex."
Rhex nodded and pondered for a second, organizing the words in his head. "Lady Heavenly Willow. What are your intentions for us? Are we just Moon residents, or do you intend any extra role for us?"
"Moon residents?" Liu Shu showed a bit of a puzzled look. "Anyone living within my domain is a Golden Sap Citizen. You can live on the Moon, Ceperet, or Nualis. Soon, Vorathen will be open for those who want to colonize a new planet."
This simple answer surprised not only Rhex but also all those who came from the Moon. Rhex asked again for confirmation. "You mean… we can participate in Ceperet politics and take positions of power?"
Liu Shu nodded calmly. "Naturally. As long as you follow the rules I've set up, very few positions are out of reach. Only very few keypoint positions are personally assigned by me. The rest works entirely on merit, ability, skill, and strength. If you can do your superior's job better than they can and prove it, you can snatch it."
Thinking that people might take her words as a threat, she smiled at the rest. "We, of course, won't ignore the one that got surpassed. After all, they were in their position initially for a reason. We move people around constantly, and we evolve in a healthy, competitive environment. That's the basis I've established and will maintain as long as I don't find anything better."
Everyone who had been working for years nodded, already understanding this logic. The grand majority of those present had reached their current posts using the method Liu Shu just mentioned.
Seeing that Rhex understood, she looked around and asked. "Any other questions?"
Xalis tentatively raised her hand. Liu Shu gave the go-ahead, and the hornet woman spoke up. "Lady Heavenly Willow. Can we contact our outside colonies about this place? Instead of following our previous plans, I want to convince them to ally and become your strength."
Xalis stealthily looked at the absurd list of buffs glowing majestically on her System Page and continued, her eyes determined. "Most of the Insectoids in the galaxy are isolated and discriminated against. If Lady Heavenly Willow provides a safe haven for the unproblematic insectoid races, your strength and influence will be able to expand quickly."
Some people saw merit, while others became skeptical.
Liu Shu, on the other side, shrugged. "Xalis… and everyone else. It seems that you are mistaken about some assumptions." Liu Shu looked around and spoke with a serious tone. "As long as the species can assimilate into our culture and abide by our rules, I don't care how you look, who you are, or what you do. As long as your past is somewhat clean and you can prove that you can adapt to my working methods and society, you can reside in the Golden Sap Empire."
Everyone glanced at the Avatar, feeling slightly surprised. Liu Shu, however, was not a saint, nor was she done with her short speech. "However, keep in mind one very important thing." Her eyes narrowed, and she warned. "If your people come with smiles and act as if they've adapted, only for you to stealthily try to change things instead of fully adopting our methods and lifestyle… I'll slaughter that species off the face of my planet."
This warning made some people feel a sinking feeling. Liu Shu looked around and stated. "I said it back then to the Star Chart Newts, and I'll repeat it once more to all of you. In this garden that I am so carefully growing, I won't allow a bunch of rotten weeds to take root and contaminate it. Any rotten weeds will be nipped at the bud, never to grow again."
With those words, she knew that staying behind was a bit of a waste of time, so she didn't let others ask anything else. "I'll soon introduce a new technology that we will develop together with the Golden Sap Empire. That's all from my part. Flor and the others will take over from now on."
Then her avatar unwound, dissolving into the ground, leaving an empty space. When she left, the pressure of Liu Shu's presence decreased considerably, making people realize how tense they had been until now.
Some people even stealthily stretched, feeling stiff and sore.
Liu Shu left behind part of her consciousness to listen, while the grand majority of her mind moved into the
"Was I too harsh…?" Liu Shu pondered to herself while thinking of her actions in the conference room. "Those I killed dared to threaten other people's families, suppress using schemes, and even cripple some geniuses just so their positions remained firm. Naturally, killing them was more than justified."
In this sense, as a World Tree, Liu Shu didn't feel anything wrong. Even when she was rather compassionate about most things, only showing ruthlessness and decisiveness in necessary moments, Liu Shu's essence had not changed that much. It had transformed, yes. However, at its core, what Liu Shu wanted was a place where people could live happily, grow, and become stronger.
"Sadly…" Liu Shu used her roots to pick materials at the side and sighed softly. "I can't really show any softness when dealing with the top leaders. The second those at the top become crooked, who represent the foundation, the entire tree will grow tilted. As long as I keep those at the very bottom straight, the rest will follow naturally."
After observing the society she had built and transformed over the course of half a century, Liu Shu deeply understood the "collective" and how easily it could be manipulated and controlled. She knew that 99.99% of people just wanted peace and quiet. They wanted a place to call home, a family, to be healthy, and to have comfort and some luxuries available to them.
If they were given these things in exchange for honest work, these people would live in silence and peace for an entire lifetime and die with a smile. It was that remaining 0.01% that Liu Shu needed to watch like a hawk.
These people, who held 99% of the power, could easily move crowds and influence millions with a single sentence. So, as long as she kept the top percentage in check, the society would keep functioning like a well-oiled machine.
"Forget it, forget it." Liu Shu shook her branches a few times and focused on the task ahead. "I need to…"
"Master?"
"...Uhhh. Huh?" Liu Shu froze, looking around, confused. "Who is speaking?"
Glancing around the world, she didn't find the origin of the voice. Confusion flashed in her gaze. 'Am I hallucinating or something? Can World Trees hallucinate?'
[Dungeon System: The voice comes from a
"A what?" Stupefied, Liu Shu's gaze pierced into the
"Wow…"
In front of her, a regal woman over 100 meters tall was seated in a similarly giant and elegant throne. The aura around her was such that even the current Liu Shu felt intimidated by it. 'So… strong.'
The woman sitting on the throne opened her eyes, revealing a pair of gorgeous amethyst eyes. The long jade-green crystalline hair behind her shone like emeralds, while the crystal staff floating by the throne's side gleamed with profound energies.
The woman raised her eyes, looking straight into Liu Shu's "gaze."
"Oh? My attempt worked this time around."
"...What?"
The Boss Monster smiled, sitting up from her languid yet royal seated position. She placed her hands on her stomach and then, with an elegant half-bow while seated, she spoke up. "Hello, my gorgeous master, I am
Liu Shu blinked repeatedly, unable to comprehend the current situation. "You…" She started, measuring her words. "Successfully communicated with me from inside the
Aionthra straightened slowly, showing a faint smile on her face that commanded respect and authority. "It was somewhat complicated. However, after manipulating the dimensional barrier and using some time tricks and a touch of eternal energy, I was able to do so, yes."
Liu Shu was stupefied. 'Branches in the sky… what kind of monster did I summon? Is she even beatable?'
"U-Um… I see." Liu Shu could only answer tentatively, unaware of the intentions of this powerful being. Using Wisdom, she checked Aionthra's stats, and her face froze for a second.
***
Name: Aionthra
Titles:
…
Level: 199
Aether Mana Stars: 26.83/26.83 (2,683,551) (268,355,089,225)
Phoer Body Stars: 18.91/18.91 (1,891,984) (189,198,386,729)
Anima Energy Stars: 26.73/26.73 (2,673,230) (267,322,906,473)
Attributes: Aether 3,454,078 / Physique 2,701,896 / Anima 3,439,710 / Willpower 348,742 / Destiny 4,975 (4,975)
Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (3,510), Physique Refinement (3,088), Anima Affinity (3,510), Mental Palace (352)
Aether Stars: 23 (SS+ Tier)
Phoer Stars: 20 (S+ Tier)
Anima Stars: 21 (SS- Tier)
Willpower Stars: 21 (SS- Tier)
Overall Stars: 21.25 (SS- Tier)
***
Liu Shu looked at those two titles, and she wanted to cry a little bit for all future challengers. 'I hope no one ever decides to make a raid of 1,000 people or something against her.'
Aionthra blinked, her eyes looking thoughtful for a second. "Did you scan me, Master?"
Liu Shu stiffened. "Y-Yes. Sorry. I was curious."
Aionthra chuckled and smiled faintly. "No worries. I can be considered your child, so a mother looking after her own child is not that rare."
"Right… eh?"
Aionthra's eyes flashed playfully. "Don't you find my features somewhat similar to yours? To create me, the
"Ehhhhhh?"