Cinderielle looked at the girl returning from the date with a surprised expression. Usually, each time she returned, Pyara would go straight to take a shower and then come down to the general dinner area.

Today, she arrived wearing a different dress than she had left with and sat down on a sofa built for them. Moreover, the silver dress she wore was revealing and seductive, fully showing her curves. Something Pyara usually avoided.

"Um…" Cinderielle looked Pyara up and down, her eyebrow raised. "How was it?"

Pyara blinked and looked at Cinderielle. She put on a thoughtful expression, and then she muttered. "It was… fun?"

Cinderielle's mouth almost dropped open. 'Oh my branches above, was Liu Shu actually right? Does this girl prefer the stronger types instead of soft ones?'

Honestly, given how dominant Sanguine Blazes were in relationships, Cinderielle always thought that her daughter would prefer small and cute girls or handsome and gentle men. However, the first time she actually chose someone near her age and with a strong personality, Pyara returned with a dazed face, as if her thoughts were sucked away.

'Whoa… I should've asked Liu Shu before! Or… Perhaps it is that girl, Lumina, who is good?'

She hesitated for a moment, but eventually, she approached and sat on Pyara's flower, hugging Pyara with a smile. "I am glad it was fun, love. If you want to contact Lumina again, do it yourself… Or you can wait. After all, I've given Lumina a way to communicate with you already."

"W-What?" Pyara, who was comfortably resting in Cinderielle's arm, jumped, startled. "What do you mean by that?"

Cinderielle laughed, mischievous. "Lumina, that girl, works under me. So she knows where you work, and can probably contact you."

"That…" Pyara showed flusteredness, her fingers twitching while her flaming hair blazed around. "I see… I'll take it into account…"

Cinderielle almost squealed in delight. 'Oh my, oh my, oh my! My baby is showing shyness? Aaaah!' Taking a deep breath, Cinderielle calmed her body down. 'Alright, don't be overly enthusiastic. What if meddling with their relationship makes it go wrong? Leave them alone, and just hope. Still…'

"Love."

Pyara blinked and looked up at her mother's face. "Yes, Mother?"

Cinderielle smiled and kissed her cheek. "Don't fear asking me for advice. Alright? Take it easy, and don't feel rushed. But… Don't let opportunities that come rarely go easily."

Pyara got thoughtful and nodded lightly. "Alright."

After standing up, Cinderielle spoke with a smile. "Go and shower. Dinner is almost ready. You asked to try a common dish today, right?"

Pyara recalled something like that. "Alright. Be right back, Mother."

After she left, Cinderielle smiled. "She is still a bit of a block of wood, but… What do you think, Little Red?"

"Little Sister Pyara was distracted. This is a first~. It's a really good signal!"

"Great, great. Just treat her as always; we only need to give her a small push when she needs it."

"Alright, Mommy!"

Liu Shu observed everything and smiled, happy that things started to look better. 'Now… The Sylphaiths are also having trouble. But their problem is not a lack of romantic interests. There is a lack of people who don't get scared by them. Without their soul-enthralling abilities, they can't really hunt properly.'

They were a very exotic Alraune species, far from usual beauty standards. So it was difficult for them to even find someone who didn't look bothered by them.

'Hm… I can't do much about this, to be honest. If anything, I would love it if they could use their skills at will. Nevertheless… People would almost certainly complain about it.'

Tempestria was not without ideas, though. Sylvia and the other Sylphaiths had friends, even if only a few of them. So, Tempestria had been keeping an eye on them and making them interact. Thankfully, there was progress.

'Even if their exterior is a bit monstrous, they are inherently a gentle and soft species. Very shy as well. So, as long as you get to know them, you can feel their charm. Unlike with Sanguine Blazes, what Sylvia and the others need is time and patience.'

With her family problems more or less attended to, Liu Shu decided to become idle once again. Her senses relaxed as she communed with nature. But, before she did that, she received the communication from Skyflower.

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"Liu Shu… I've received news from the outside. It seems that they want to talk with you."

"Huh?" Liu Shu was stumped. "Didn't you say that they wouldn't bother with a small planet like Ceperet?"

Skyflower's answer was full of apologetic feelings. "I did… But I miscalculated how much they value you defeating the Abyssal Void Nexus. While I have not shared every achievement of yours with them, what I've shared seems to be enough to make them feel curious."

Liu Shu felt troubled. "That… How long will they take to arrive?"

Skyflower answered calmly. "Not much… Around 20 years? Space travel is quite fast nowadays."

"...I see." Liu Shu hummed, her tense roots softening. 'Twenty years… I think I can take over and reach Level 100 during this time.'

Liu Shu remembered that the time she had utilized to enter the <Fourth Energy Cycle> was not longer than a few years. 'At most, I'll need 10 years to enter Level 100, right?'

As she thought, the same sense of rush started to take over her tranquil heart. 'Again… time limits.'

If she didn't want to lose her agency completely, she needed to show enough strength to discuss and negotiate with those who were coming. Otherwise, a discussion of equals couldn't be carried out if one side was overwhelmingly stronger than the other.

Taking that into account, Liu Shu's naturally flowing energy accelerated. "Sigh… Time to work again." Her lips arched slightly, showing reluctance. "I guess that having a few years of peace is a luxury."

The eyes of the World Tree opened, and her energy surged around her. Then, her profound presence pulsed and descended, spreading outward and giving energy to all her roots. Closing her eyes, Liu Shu muttered. 'At this pace, if I stop berry production, I will take over the entire world in four years.'

The problem was not the world, but the few World Trees that still stood outside of her influence. "I guess I can't postpone dealing with them anymore…" Liu Shu sighed bitterly.

Then, she approached the domains she kept a distance from. The first territory she approached was the place where she lost her calm. "Hello… Again. I've returned to ask you once more, will you come under my domain?"

A blunt question that left not a single trace of confusion as to how it should be answered.

Azure Rose heard Liu Shu's approach and was surprised. "Liu Shu? I thought you were going to take more time."

This time, Liu Shu was going to place her gentleness aside. Therefore, her tone sounded cold and curt. "I have 20 years before a delegation from the Verdant Sanctity Covenant arrives. There is not enough time."

Azure Rose instantly noticed the change in mood compared to a few years ago. 'Back then, Liu Shu felt nervous and approached carefully. Now, I can feel it; there is no more hesitation in her voice.'

She didn't care much. To begin with, Azure Rose was a World Tree with standard views. The fact that Liu Shu was even giving them a chance was something that Azure Rose marked as generous.

So, when the other side answered, Azure Rose knew that things wouldn't go the same as before.

"As I said before. Scram. If you want to lose your temper again, do it. But I won't give away my domain."

Azure Rose tensed, expecting Liu Shu's anger. However, what she received was not an angered tone but a calm answer.

"Alright, I understand."

Both Azure Rose and the World Tree glanced at Liu Shu, confused. Then, as both of them pondered what those three words meant, Liu Shu's roots moved forward and entered the World Tree's domain.

"Since that's the case. Please die and stop hindering me from securing the future of my family."

Liu Shu's roots moved, and the world rumbled.

"Y-You!" The <Third Energy Cycle> World Tree was surprised when the piercing pain of her own roots being destroyed hit her mind. "What are you doing? Stop this!"

Liu Shu's voice spread out, reaching the World Tree City. "People of this city. I am Tianlian Liu Shu. Your World Tree has refused once more to give up this terrain. So, I am here with both warning and advice. My advice is to evacuate the city within a week. I will give you all the time you need to move out with your belongings. Don't worry, I don't plan on killing innocents."

Everyone in the World Tree city was stunned, and some began shouting. "What is she speaking about!?"

"Even if she is the Heavenly Willow, does she think that she owns the world? Her strength doesn't give her the right to take over our World Tree's domain!"

Liu Shu ignored the shouts and continued speaking. "My warning is as such: Once I destroy the World Tree, I won't be able to control in which direction she collapses. If you are involved in the aftermath, you might lose your life. Therefore, please leave far enough not to be squashed when a 1,120-meter-tall World Tree falls on you."

Hearing Liu Shu, everyone was stunned, even the World Tree. Naturally, the World Tree wouldn't just accept her outcome. While World Trees didn't desperately fight for their lives, that didn't mean that they would stay still and accept death.

"Don't listen to the Heavenly Willow. If she dares to destroy me with you inside, everyone on the continent will condemn her. Unlike when she dealt with the Abyssal Void Nexus, we have done nothing wrong. You, my citizens, and I only want to survive. What is wrong with wanting to survive? Stand your ground, and the Heavenly Willow will only attack until she reaches the outskirts of the city."

Liu Shu heard the World Tree's words and sighed inwardly. She spoke to the people, answering them. "That's why I am saying that you should surrender to me. I am not intending to bury or kill anyone. However, I don't have time. In 20 years, people over Level 100 will arrive. Without a True World Tree, we are nothing but worms they can squish with their roots. I must become the True World Tree for us to survive."

"Lies!" The World Tree shouted, angered. "There is no way for a World Tree to assimilate others. At most, you will swallow my existence and make me a puppet of some sort. That's not living, that's not surviving. You are nothing but a parasitic World Tree that spreads fake harmony!"

Liu Shu had nothing else to say. Her roots dug brutally through the World Tree's root net, taking over its terrain with ruthless efficiency. Not to mention a week, Liu Shu covered the distance the World Tree governed in less than a day.

"I am at the edge of your domain." Her roots burst out from the ground, reaching for the sky. As those living within the World Tree City looked outside, they saw dozens of giant roots rising up to the sky, even taller than their own World Tree.

"These are my roots. I've raised them to mark the perimeter where you will not be affected at all by the World Tree's death. You now have six days to evacuate."

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