Chapter 904 - Chapter 904. Stella's Breakthrough!

Spending her day relaxing was quite nice; that feeling was transmitted to her main consciousness through her Avatar, causing her body to relax. 

"Stella is still growing, but she is evolving properly." 

Her new baby has been alive for a few years already, Leveling Up at one Level per week thanks to her , the baby could've long reached Level 200. However, the , even when sped up, took time because her species was high-quality and unique. 

The situation was similar to Apothea. 

"How are you feeling, love? Do you think you can connect to the nearest Solar System?"

Stella answered with a thoughtful and still young voice. "Hm… I feel like I can if I do my best, Mommy. Is it necessary? I think I can do it better if I do it after Level 200." 

She was at Level 199, so Stella was a bit reluctant. It felt as if she would need to burn her nervous system to reach out that far with her current strength. Liu Shu knew it, but it was necessary. 

"Baby, are developed based on bloodline, strength, talent, potential, and feats. You have all of them, but you have yet to manage an appropriate feat based on what you are becoming. Therefore, even if it is hard, you must connect our Solar System with another before you decide to break through into Level 200." 

Stella listened and sighed with a whiny tone. "So hard… But okay, I'll try for Mommy!" 

Liu Shu caressed the transformed Stella with her roots. The sphere had become much sleeker in appearance, showing entrances for starships, ports, living space, and even a controlled space with a massive forest. 

Her size, which had been about 30 kilometers in diameter at Level 1, had multiplied enough to become about a tenth of the local Moon's size. She was large enough to be seen by the naked eye from Ceperet's surface! 

This resulted from choosing an that helped her manage herself as the first. This appeared because Liu Shu fed her biological computers, normal computers, one of the remaining scrapped fortresses, and a large amount of organic matter. 

Stella played, absorbed, and merged with most of those things, developing a "Life-attuned" in the massive, living space station category. 

'She is gaining size almost at a World Tree's pace.'

Stella's senses suddenly burst outward, dimensional energies at a ridiculous level pulsing out like waves in a calm lake. Liu Shu deactivated all her defenses and let her influence permeate the . While Stella had also become , Liu Shu used her larger, more developed domain to help Stella's development. 

Stella's senses stretched out rapidly at a pace that outmatched some World Trees. Even Tree herself would be somewhat overwhelmed by what Stella was currently doing. 

In an instant, Stella's senses connected with a distant point in space. This space was right between Etheria's world and its Moon. She didn't choose that place at random. 

Of all the Solar Systems that had not belonged to either the Nexus or Covenant, this one was the fastest in development. The Hero/Villain culture had been abolished after Etheria became a powerhouse and took over. This ushered in an era of chaos because Etheria was the top leader, but even that chaos was brief and inconsequential.

While the original culture somewhat existed, the Golden Sap Empire's influence was undeniable. Now, the culture was much more -centered. As for the normal people, most of them still refused to Level Up, feeling it was dangerous to do so as an E or D Rank. 

Liu Shu would not force anyone to Level Up. Instead, she gave incentives. This was replicated in all worlds with similar "civilian" cultures. 

Level 10 people would gain some government benefits; Level 25s would gain a touch more, etc. 

As for First Ascension powerhouses, the money they received from hunting inside the was enough to live—not luxuriously, but with enough ease that money was no longer an everpresent problem. 

As substituted for normal buildings, the atmosphere also changed. The innate Runic Fields of the Lignified Trees were much more useful for High Level individuals, as they increased percentage regeneration, relieved stress, gave small Experience Bonuses, and much more. 

So, there was no need to point at them and force them to Level Up. The culture itself made it so that those who didn't would fall behind and live mediocre lives. 

While Liu Shu pondered over these matters, Stella's aura had disappeared… Or at least, it looked like that. 'She has… merged with my ?' 

It was superficial, but Stella managed to sink into Liu Shu's realm and manipulate the dimension as if it were her own. 

Once more, Liu Shu had lowered all of her defenses, so Stella was not feeling any resistance. Still, Liu Shu's domain stretched for several light years in diameter. For a Level 199, non-World Tree species, the burden would've been enough to fry their minds. 

'She looks even more comfortable than before.' 

"Ah… I see it." 

It was about a month after she became completely silent that Stella's voice reverberated throughout the void around her. 

"I just have to… pierce this thin wall." 

BANG!

Forget a subtle or almost unnoticeable change. 

When Stella locked on, one of her roots, a massive one larger than a mountain, spiraled forward like a drill and struck the dimensional barrier.

The impact caused monstrous spatial waves, and Stella's aura burned brightly, becoming brighter than even the Moon in the night sky. 

"Pierce… ." 

BOOM!!

Space exploded, creating a massive rift in space. The massive shockwave caused Stella's roots to explode as well, causing Liu Shu to panic. If something happened to her baby Stella, Liu Shu would never forgive herself.

However, as if sensing that Liu Shu was about to interfere, Stella's voice spread out. "I am okay. Trust me, Mommy." 

Liu Shu froze, struggling for a moment. However, when two and three seconds passed without a large change, she decided to take a step back and continue observing. 

This time, though, she did so with all her senses focused onto her and the dimension. As her sparse conscience gathered, all her senses sharpened to an unbelievable degree. 

Liu Shu's real eyes glowed bright green as she moved the neck of her World Tree body. Her green eyes, like two massive torches, observed the dimension to a degree that surpassed even Stella's. 

What she saw left her breathless. The Runic Arrays and other tests she had done were being replicated, but with subtleties Liu Shu had never considered. In Stella's Runic Array, formed with the very root that exploded, there was no concept of distance. 

'Ah. I had been too closed in my thought process.' 

What Stella was doing was not connecting two distant points; she was merging two points. A look of understanding and enlightenment flashed in Liu Shu's green eyes as she observed her baby working. 

The species Liu Shu created, entirely made to become a connection point between all stars, showed its immeasurable talent and potential right at this instant. 

"Merge." 

Space above Etheria's world suddenly sank inward, and the wood that shattered from Stella's root gathered into a massive, wooden ring. Liu Shu stretched her root and… burst it open. 

BANG!

Her root's pieces and sap flowed, and Stella gladly absorbed the help from her Mother, fusing it into the newly created gate. The portal between two Solar Systems was, therefore, bridged for the first time in the Golden Sap Empire.

"...Whew. Done~. Hm? Ah… Sleepy…"

As she did that, it felt like something had unlocked, and next, Stella's aura surged as her consciousness was swallowed by the process of reaching Level 200. 

Showing a gentle look, Liu Shu used her roots to cradle her baby and soothe her as she slept. "Great job, baby. Now rest and evolve. I will protect you until then and forevermore."

Feeling the commotion in the sky cease, the World Trees, Life Trees, and Lignified Trees connected to the I-CARE network began barraging Liu Shu with questions. 

Liu Shu laughed. "Slow down, slow down. So many of you are speaking at the same time that even I am having trouble catching everything." 

"Little Sapling."

When this ancient, gentle voice sounded, everyone else suddenly become silent and listened. Tree's authority as Liu Shu's biological mother was incredible among all trees. So, when she spoke to everyone like this, everyone became well-behaved and listened. 

Liu Shu answered softly. "Yup. It is as you suspect. Baby Stella has managed to pierce… or better put, merge the distance between two stars."

Apothea's voice reached them. "Wow! Little sister is so talented! She did something even Mommy was struggling!" 

Skyflower spoke with a laugh. "Truly, all your unique daughters are beings beyond my comprehension." 

Warlya hummed. "Good bloodline indeed."

Celestial Lotus teased. "Hehe, you tasted that Bloodline deeply, didn't you?" 

Warlya was not ashamed and fought back. "Didn't you do so as well? Tsk, tsk. I heard some of your other lovers are somewhat bored lately because you pay too much attention to Pyralis." 

"...What can I do when she is so cute?" Celestial Lotus mumbled somewhat awkwardly. 

Tree asked a few more technical questions. As the Life Tree in charge of dimensional movement within the Ceperet Star System, she wanted to understand what Stella did. Liu Shu explained it to everyone because there were some other World Trees and Life Trees with space affinity. 

So, for the next few days, Liu Shu talked with everyone and set aside most other things. She wanted their help to consolidate this knowledge and apply it herself in some form. 

'A revolution in portal technology is about to hit the Golden Sap Empire!' 

Liu Shu giggled, and then she began writing the books and listing them in the . 

Mariane was taking a sip of tea with one of her four hands when she noticed the printer reserved for Liu Shu moving. Her black-pearly eyes gleamed as her white wings fluttered. "Oho. New knowledge? Endless, any idea what it is?" 

"Hm… Oh. Mother seems to have finally solved the interstellar portal problem. Ah. No, it wasn't Mother." 

As the Endless Library heard the conversation through the I-CARE network, she exclaimed. "Oh my. Nevermind. It seems that the one who solved it was not Mother, but Little Sister Stella."

"Stella…" Mariane hummed and recalled. "Ah, right. The massive floating structure between Ceperet and the Moon. Branches above. It is getting hard to recall with so many children. If I had to remember the second and third generations as well, I might become a Liu Shu genealogy tree expert instead of someone focused on runes." 

Little Endless laughed. "You are always so exaggerated." 

"Hehe. Am I? Either way, let's give a read to these freshly printed books!" 

With a gesture, the new books floated in front of her, and she began reading them. 

"Humu. Humu… I have no idea what she has written, like always. I can already hear the screams of dimension-focused professionals. Hehe." 

As Mariane expected, the wails of the studious filled the Endless Library once more at Stella's groundbreaking breakthrough.