Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 264. Verdantia’s Honest Confession.

After barely escaping from that place, Verdantia had to sit down to rest. She spotted a rock large enough and sat down, passing her hand through her hair. “Crazy…” She remembered seeing Liu Shu’s sliced roots and quickly asked, worried. “Liu’er, are you okay? What happened?”

Liu Shu answered with a sigh. “Nothing much. They came to the exit, and after being blinded by the light, they turned around and left. I recommend closing down this place for at least four months. They will probably roam the area for a while, after all.”

Verdantia nodded with worry and asked again. “Right, right. But how are you? Didn’t your roots get cut?”

“Oh.” Liu Shu giggled and answered softly. “Don’t worry, Verdantia. That’s as significant as cutting the tip of your finger. It stung a little when they cut it, and now I feel perfectly fine.”

Verdantia sighed in relief. “I see… That’s good…” Leaning on the hard rocks behind her, she sighed. “I am sorry.”

Liu Shu saw Verdantia’s state and felt that she was actually quite shaken, with her body faintly trembling. So, with a bit of shyness, her roots emerged from the walls of the mine and gently coiled around Verdantia.

“Huh?” The Sylvan became stiff as Liu Shu hugged her, her mind going to many different colorful places. 

“There, there. It’s not your fault. Those types of Terragore are usually much deeper in the cavern.”

Verdantia’s face was instantly colored entirely red as she felt the gentle touch of Liu Shu’s roots. She spoke, her tone becoming slightly higher pitched. “L-L-Liu’er, you are q-qu-quite forward today! I-Is this a confession!?”

The World Tree felt all her shyness being blown away by Verdantia’s silly attitude, and a rush of gentle affection and laughter bubbled in her. Chuckling, she spoke softly. “Well, you went through a dangerous situation. I thought comforting you like this would be good for once.”

Verdantia nodded and carefully raised her hand, trying to touch Liu Shu’s roots. Her movements were slow as if she would startle Liu Shu away if she moved faster than that. When her hand landed on the smooth yet resilient wood, her face became even more red. 

This was essentially hand-holding between a Sylvan and any plant creature. While not exactly the same, roots had the same significance for trees as limbs did for bipedal races. Liu Shu felt Verdantia’s hand on her roots and couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort wash over her entire being.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Even though their sizes were like comparing a mountain with a human, the tiny hands of the Sylvan somehow had influence around her entire root system and beyond. It was as if Verdantia’s touch connected directly with her soul instead of her body.

Verdantia giggled and muttered. “If getting in danger will result in this, I should go into the <Terragore Nest> more often.”

The World Tree gently patted her forehead with the tip of one root. “Silly. You almost died this time around. Thankfully, you weren’t reckless enough to go too deep and also knew the way back. Otherwise, you would’ve truly died.”

Verdantia laughed softly. “Well, everything is a lesson. Now, I know that while I have gained strength, this strength is basically the bare minimum to walk around without feeling powerless. If I face the truly powerful, nothing much has changed except my ability to flee…” 

When she spoke about fleeing, she remembered the plant creatures she summoned, and her heart tightened. She grabbed onto the roots around her body tighter and muttered. “They died because of my carelessness.”

Liu Shu commented softly. “Indeed. However, I saw that they were determined to protect you. Even when they were basically dead, they clung to the monsters, giving you an extra second or two. That determination is what saved you, not me. It was their strong will to protect their gentle and caring master.”

Verdantia’s eyes teared up and spoke with sobs. “I don’t know how… Ignatia could deal… with that War.” A few tears slipped down her cheeks as she whimpered. “I feel like this… I can’t imagine how strong Ignatia’s heart must be…”

Since she woke up not long ago, those events were much more recent for Liu Shu. Therefore, she could remember that while Ignatia didn’t cry, it was because she just couldn’t. If Ignatia had tear ducts, Liu Shu was sure that she would’ve been crying back then. “Ignatia is strong, but she is not indifferent. She felt their deaths as much as you. She carries that burden and doesn’t drown in it.”

Verdantia sniffled and nodded, blinking to clear her blurry sight. “I know. I will make myself stronger so that I don’t need to do the same thing.” 

Liu Shu felt glad that Verdantia would not become too depressed about the deaths of those summons. “I am here. Don’t worry. I will be here as long as you need me.”

“As long as I need you?” Verdantia smiled, taking a handkerchief from her pouch to clean her nose. 

Liu Shu hummed, and Verdantia chuckled. “Then… Stay with me forever. As long as you do, I will continue loving you.”

Liu Shu felt a wave of emotions, and her roots tightened slightly around Verdantia. She could feel that her own feelings for the three Sylvans were advancing without breaks. It felt like an unavoidable result. However, that didn’t feel bad. 

On the contrary, as she increased her understanding of herself and the feelings became clearer in her mind, Liu Shu could see a future where these Sylvans became something as important as Flor and Ignatia, but in a different manner.

‘Do I love them?’ Liu Shu asked herself, but she couldn’t really answer. She had matured a lot during these years, and her physique was much more receptive to complex emotions. Yet, she didn’t know how to act on them.

‘If I love them… What do I do?’ Liu Shu wanted to know. Somehow, from deep inside her own existence, there was a hidden thought that told them not to ignore them. That, if she loved them, she shouldn’t take it as a guaranteed thing and delay it.

If she delayed her feelings, it felt like… “Everything will just repeat itself… Hm?” Liu Shu felt a surge of confusion. “Repeat what?”

Verdantia didn’t hear an answer from Liu Shu, and she thought that she made the World Tree feel uncomfortable, so she quickly spoke. “Ah, don’t worry about my words… They were just a figurative speech! Haha…”

Those words snapped Liu shu from her daze and made her feel a wave of uncomfortableness. “It wasn’t.” 

Verdantia blinked a few times. “Huh? It wasn’t?”

Liu Shu muttered, her voice pouty. “It wasn't a figurative speech… Right?”

Verdantia was confused about that question. Was the World Tree angry because it wasn’t, or was she angry because she stepped back after saying it? Verdantia almost slapped herself. ‘Why did I have to take a step back?? The first time I do, and I now feel like something is ripping me apart from the insides! Ahhh! LIU SHU LOVE, WHY DON’T YOU HAVE A FACE FOR ME TO READ YOUR EXPRESSION!’

‘Since I don’t know, let’s risk it! ALL OR NOTHING!’ Verdantia cleared her throat and said confidently. “I love you! Those words were not figurative speech! I do want to stay with you forever!”

Verdantia felt her chest about to burst. This time around, it felt much more intimate than other times. She could even feel the heat rushing to her face. ‘I am probably as red as a tomato! Ahhh!’

“Hm~... Good.”

‘Huh?’

“Now, go and return to the surface. See you later, Verdantia.”

Then, the roots around her retreated back into the ground, leaving behind a flabbergasted Sylvan. ‘Good!? What’s that supposed to mean!? LIU SHUUU!’

Meanwhile, Liu Shu was feeling her soul thumping rapidly as if her entire root network was going haywire. ‘Wawawawawawa. Why was she so direct!? It’s not the first time, but this time around, it felt… different… WAH! SILLY VERDANTIA, NOW I CAN’T FOCUS ON OTHER THINGS!’

“Tiantian, are you okay?”

“I AM. WHY WOULD YOU ASK, CINDERIELLE?”

The red-haired Sylvan almost saw the white light when Liu Shu shouted in her brain. Holding her forehead, she muttered. “Oh dear, you need to be a bit more careful. My head is going to explode otherwise.”

“O-Oh… sorry.” Liu Shu looked at Cinderielle’s surroundings and asked, curious. “What are you doing in the vegetable farms?”

Cinderielle smiled faintly. “Well, I am covering Verdantia’s shift. She went to explore the Terragore caves again, even though Wert had recommended many times that we should not go until we were at least level 30. Can you keep an eye on her, Tiantian?”

“Don’t worry! I already have!” 

Cinderielle’s elegant eyebrow raised, making a few women and men who were sneaking glances blush. Cinderielle’s facial features were that of a cool and aloof but wild woman. With her high stature, her entire body exuded a wild and arrogant beauty that was hard to ignore.

“You already have…? Hmhm~...” Cinderielle remembered how the World Tree’s branches began shaking and moving strangely, and her warm orange-colored eyes shone with a hint of comprehension. Cinderielle smiled and commented. “By the way, Tiantian.”

“Yes, yes? What’s wrong?”

Cinderielle asked softly. “Do you want to go on a date later? It has been a long while since we did so, right?”

“Huh?” Liu Shu asked, perplexed. “Why did you ask all of a sudden?”

“Well…” Cinderielle smiled. “I want to spend time with the girl I love. Is that wrong?”

“WAH!” Liu Shu would’ve slapped Cinderielle with her branch if her current strength wasn’t astoundingly high. Still, she shouted. “LET’S GO TOGETHER LATER THEN, SILLY CINDERIELLE!”

Her presence then disappeared, making Cinderielle burst into laughter. ‘She is adorable. I love her so much… Ha… I want to be intimate with her~.’

Cinderielle understood that being intimate with a World Tree was a bit different due to the size difference. There were two ways of doing it. The first one was, well, using the World Tree’s branches or roots. The flexible and soft nature of a few particular roots near the core were made precisely for that action and were easy for Sylvans to interact with. Their bodies had evolved slightly more resistant inner organs, especially for that action. This was also one of the reasons why human and Sylvan intercourse usually felt bland for Sylvans.

‘I wonder if Liu Shu will be part of the second type… If she is… Hehehehehe.’ Cinderielle’s lips arched evilly, thinking of how the World Tree would look if she ever gained such a place. ‘Not all World Trees have it, but… I am counting on you, my cute and adorable World Tree!’

If another Sylvan heard her, they would be staring at her with a judgmental stare. After all, Cinderielle’s wish was equivalent to a human male wishing for their female partner to be able to, well, become a cute whale, so to speak. 

Meanwhile, in Sirol City, Tempestria sneezed and looked toward the Golden Sap City. ‘Hm… I feel that I’ve missed an important development of my cutie. I should return soon.’

“Lady Tempestria, here you have the contract for buying siege weapons.”

Tempestria read the contract, and seeing that nothing changed from the time they previously talked, she nodded and said. “Please, carry them until the outskirts of the Golden Sap Forest. Our ants will take care of carrying them to the city.”

“Understood.” The human male smiled and said. “It is a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Tempestria.”

Tempestria smiled. “Miss or Lady, choose one, please.”

The man laughed. “I ask for forgiveness. I like to speak with varied vocabulary~.”

Tempestria sighed and stood up. Looking through the window, she said. “Prepare to escort the siege weapons! We’ll leave tomorrow at dawn!”

The guards looked up at the gorgeous grey-haired Sylvan with stormy eyes and shouted respectfully. “Yes, General!”

While Verdantia and Cinderielle were in charge of administrative matters, Tempestria was much more involved in the military.

From the sides, a woman holding a beautiful cord instrument looked at Tempestria with curious eyes. ‘That’s the General of the famous Golden Sap Forest?’ The woman touched a few gorgeous notes on the stringed instrument and muttered. “She is quite good for someone grown in this backward place. She looks my age as well… Perhaps this journey wasn’t that much of a waste of time.”