The defeat of the military expedition was quite a large shock for many. When they heard that a group with two Level 200 generals was going to enter the strongest instance of the
The result was complete annihilation.
Flor sat on her chair, reading the report with a confused look. "...Just how difficult is that instance?"
Worse than just their deaths, which was already very bad news, was the fact that the instance's secrets remained unknown and hidden.
Arven, Ceperet's Guild Master, was sitting in front of Flor with an equally bewildered look. He shook his head at Flor's words. "I am honestly unsure. However, as I reported, my branch has connected with the whole of the Explorer Association after Liu Shu became a True World Tree. The information I asked about arrived not long ago, and I've also connected to many new information sources."
Flor nodded and looked up. "Have you discovered something?"
Arven shook his head. "Not discovered… However, I can say for sure that the difficulty of this instance should not be attempted without a well-equipped group of S Rank talents. Also, I recall we gave them a S Rank Dungeon Escape Scroll. Yet, none of them came out. This doesn't make sense in any scenario except one."
Flor leaned back and muttered. "Either their use is prohibited, or the quality was not up to par."
Arven nodded. "So, I believe we should buy, at the very least, an SS- Rank Dungeon Escape Scroll, even if it is expensive, before we even consider sending them into that instance."
"Hm… I understand."
Such scrolls were, of course, not common in the slightest. To get them, an Explorer would need to participate in similarly ranked Dungeons. Therefore, their limited amount was such that most of them were only sold in auctions.
After conversing a bit more, Flor sighed and smiled. "Thank you for your honesty, Arven."
Arven chuckled as he stood up. "It's nothing, Lady Flor. Liu Shu has elevated me to my position, so I should do my best so that the Explorer branches in the Golden Sap Empires don't become leeches, but mutually growing powers."
Flor understood this. After knowing more about the interstellar scene, she had long given up the dream of making the local Explorer Association Branch submit to the Golden Sap Empire. From what she had heard, not even Nebula Grade powers dared to do that. Knowing that, how could they, who were not even considered the lowest Star System Empire, do it?
After Arven left, Flor glanced at the few documents on the table and the computer. Her small hands moved like a blur, writing a few things while also processing several documents. She had been working in this position for over 100 years, so by now, she could almost process things automatically.
Plus, having reached Level 200, her mental abilities and strength had naturally blossomed further.
It took only three hours before she was done. Her wings twitched, and her body floated up. "Alright, done for today." As she muttered that, the Town Hall manifested a teacup on Flor's table. "Grandmother, please drink to relax."
Flor picked it up with practiced ease and smiled, taking a sip. "Thank you, love. How are you feeling?"
"Great! Everyone is working diligently, and I am about to become a Level 200 Town Hall!"
Depending on talent and strength, each
Glancing out of the window at the busy streets and developed structures, Flor's eyes couldn't help but become somewhat dazed. For a moment, the image of the initial miniature town flashed in her eyes.
She recalled the Rose Faires working overnight to build a "Storage" hole that Liu Shu later absorbed. She recalled the many Rose Fairies that fell along the way… A melancholic sigh escaped her.
"Such a long time has passed since then."
Initially, Flor had been a short-lived species. Her lifespan was just a little over 50 years. Back then, she was considered a powerhouse because she was Level 10…
"Level 10…" Flor muttered with a laugh. "Back then, I also had quite a grudge with Ignatia, didn't I?"
Although thinking about it now, Flor felt grateful for Liu Shu's appearance. After all, as a Humanoid Ant Queen, Flor's fate was set. With no outsider intervention, her fairy group would've become the initial fuel for the ant colony's expansion.
"Well… they are now like my own daughters. After all, their queen is my wife~, haha."
After finishing the cup, a message popped up of eternal buffs being applied. Her lips arched faintly. "Oh? Today was a lucky day~."
It was never a guarantee that the tea would give buffs, much less permanent ones. Even if you tried to search across the entirety of the empire, there was no one among those drinking
"Well, it makes sense."
If just a decade or so allowed for a 1% increase in any stat from drinking alone, the tea would not be S Rank but something much higher.
A knock reached Flor's door, and she answered lightly. "Enter."
She didn't need to turn around, as those footsteps were very familiar to her. A mature and attractive voice reached her as the woman's presence approached. "Why is my little fairy looking out the window, hm~? Is there something interesting?"
Flor's body fell into softness as two very large mounds pressed against her back. Her wings tucked faintly, allowing her body to sink as she sighed in comfort. "I was just… reminiscing."
Glancing up at the beautiful face of the Ant Queen, Flor asked back. "What about you, Ignatia? Why did you visit?"
Ignatia lowered her face, planting a kiss on Flor's face. "I missed my pretty little wife."
Flor smiled, her ruby-like eyes softening. She answered with a teasing voice. "I missed you too… even when we were together this morning."
Ignatia's antennae twitched happily from side to side. "Good~." She paused and asked. "I saw Arven when coming here. Did something happen?"
Flor noticed a glint of curiosity in Ignatia's compound eyes. Even when her insectoid eyes shouldn't have been able to express anything, Flor could somewhat sense it. 'Is it the time we've spent together? I wonder why I can sense her emotions through her eyes so easily…'
"Flor?"
Seeing her pretty fairy looking at her eyes with a dazed look, Ignatia was a tad confused. "Is there something wrong with my eyes?"
"No. They are beautiful. Like obsidian pearls crafted by a master." Flor smiled. "I was just mesmerized."
Ignatia laughed softly. "Even after so many years, your tongue is sweeter than ever."
Flor smiled and flapped her wings lightly, moving up to kiss Ignatia's chin. Then, she leaned in her arms and explained what happened. "Arven received a request, the one I told you about before. The results are in and…"
Ignatia listened and was surprised. She pondered seriously. "Should we really ban entry completely? We sent a dedicated group and had such an unfortunate result."
Flor was surprised at that suggestion. "That's unlike yourself."
Ignatia tilted her head, the antennae flopping to the side. "What is?"
"Being conservative." Flor smiled. "I thought you'd ask when the next expedition is planned."
Ignatia hummed, finding her words true. As she walked toward her seat, Ignatia spoke. "It's just… I noticed something strange."
Flor blinked, asking her with her eyes to continue. Sitting down, Ignatia hugged Flor and commented. "When we talked about this expedition in the family, Liu Shu's expression was… odd."
Flor asked, puzzled. "Was it? I don't recall."
Ignatia nodded. "It was. It's as if she were worried about something."
Her words left Flor thoughtful. "Hm… Perhaps she didn't want to lose two recently ascended Level 200 generals?"
Ignatia spoke softly. "You know Liu Shu is not like that. She might care for people, but she never intervened in personal decisions. She only does when it's those connected to her. Aurek and Kaelen were there, but never really close with Liu Shu."
"Indeed…" Flor looked at her. "So, why didn't you ask her? With how much our darling loves us, she wouldn't hide it from us."
"That's the problem. She did."
Flor was startled, and Ignatia sighed. "I did ask her if she was worried about something, but she answered that she couldn't tell me."
"She said that?"
From what Flor knew, Ignatia to Liu Shu was someone whom she could entrust everything. She had never heard of Liu Shu hiding anything from Ignatia or her. "Do you think it's a problem?"
Ignaita chuckled, kissing Flor's worried face. "No. There is no problem. It's just that I am worried because Liu Shu is carrying a heavier and heavier weight on her shoulder. Perhaps she is hiding more than I initially thought."
Flor shook her head. "I believe she isn't, Ignatia. Let's call her and talk."
"...Sure."
So, Flor called her, and soon, Liu Shu's voice spread in the room. "Mom, Mommy, did you call?"
Her gentle and soothing voice made them feel relaxed, and Flor spoke frankly with Liu Shu. She had been with her since Liu Shu was nothing but a sapling, so she knew perfectly well that Liu Shu liked it when she asked things straightforwardly.
After hearing her words, Liu Shu felt complicated yet happy. She was delighted that they noticed and were worried, but she was quite sad that she couldn't tell them because of the
"It's not what you are thinking… It's just that I am not allowed to speak about it."
Flor and Ignatia frowned. "Not allowed. By whom?"
Liu Shu spoke softly. "The system."
Both of them paused. This was akin to hearing that the Universe itself prohibited her from speaking. Ignatia opened her mouth. "It's nothing dangerous, right?"
"It's beneficial." Liu Shu soothed their worries. "As long as I don't speak about it, it is incredibly beneficial to the Golden Sap Empire as a whole and me. So, don't worry. As for hiding anything else, I don't believe so. How about we have a talk about what I've been doing lately? That way, you can rest assured."
Ignatia and Flor were naturally delighted. "We can, but first, let's move near Tree. That way, all three of us can talk."
So, they did so, and Liu Shu began speaking of her latest exploits. She told them the situation with the space mercenaries, where she was stretching her roots, etc. She also spoke about other things like advancements in some theories, terraforming plans, her faith gathering, etc.
The three mothers listened silently, chiming in from time to time while listening.
After the conversation, both Flor and Ignatia set their worries aside, while Tree felt happy to speak with Liu Shu. Tree and Liu Shu often talked, since their roots were closely connected. Nevertheless, she would never get tired of hearing from Liu Shu. So, each time they spoke, Tree was just happy to listen.