Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 127. Processing The Events and Reaching Level 11.

After the fight, and while Liu Shu slept, the surroundings began healing themselves. Because the World Tree was connected with everything around her, her healing affected every structure, land, and plant life connected with her.

The places where her branches had left enormous holes were filled with new patches of dirt, mud, and vegetation.

Then, the extra houses where the low-level Void Witherwood resided stayed untouched, with their insides filled with the dead bodies that <Mind Echo> created.

Flor sat in front of the burnt tree, looking at it with rapt attention. She wanted to feel the faint echoes of life inside of it to reassure herself that she was still alive. Ignatia looked up at the creaking burnt wood and said. "She will be alright, Flor. I know it hurts, but you need to focus on your recovery. Thanks to your new title, you are slowly regrowing your arm, leg, and wings, right?"

Flor muttered. "Ignatia. How can I become stronger? When I got the upgraded title, I honestly expected to at least Tier Up once, but I didn't. I am still E Rank and Level 14."

Ignatia leaned down and picked Flor up between her arms. Her tone was gentle and soothing. "Flor. Just be by her side. Your potential has skyrocketed thanks to that skill, so I am sure you'll have chances in the future to increase your Level, Tier, and much more." The Ant Queen lovingly poked the fairy's little nose. "Moreover, you are now much more clever, right?"

Flor touched her nose and felt her face heat up slightly. Now that her wisdom and intelligence had increased, she could more or less understand Ignatia's actions, which previously were quite a mystery.

Ignatia laughed. "Be patient. You have many years to live."

Flor nodded obediently. "Mhm."

Ignatia smiled and leaned down to give a quick kiss on her forehead. "Now. Let's go and take things from the vault. We need to feed you quite a few Phoer Berries and use our reserves until Liu Shu begins producing fruits again."

Ignatia walked away while cradling a shy Flor in her arms.

Meanwhile, Liu Shu's mind was awake in her unconsciousness. She could still think, but she was cut off from the outside as she focused all her energy on healing.

Her regeneration speed was usually 3500 Phoer Body Shards per hour. Nevertheless, the wounds were too harsh and damaging for that regeneration to work perfectly. Hence, the World Tree calculated that she would need around 5 to 6 days to recover fully.

The thing she wanted to check was her experience points. After Ranking Up all her F+ Rank skills to E- Rank, she had 1,955 remaining experience.

Then, Her final kill count was as such: 189 Level 7s, 241 Level 8s, 354 Level 9s, 22 Level 10s, 28 Level 11s, 12 Level 12, 15 Level 13, 10 Level 14, 13 Level 15, 24 Level 16, 17 Level 17, 4 Level 18, 3 Level 19, and 1 Level 20.

With an average E- Tier for Level 10 and above and F+ for Level 9 and below, she earned an enormous 18,683 Experience Points.

Liu Shu looked at her Accumulated Experience points and muttered. 'I have 20,638 Accumulated Experience Points… So, I can Level Up again, right?'

The World Tree paused and thought of what happened. 'That scroll was dangerous.'

She could swear that if she hadn't exploded that enormous fireball mid-way, she might've died or entered a highly weakened state.

For a World Tree like her to die, her inner core needed to be damaged beyond repair. This core was safely kept below the ground level and inside her body.

The flames consuming her body were very insidious, so they didn't just burn her outer layer; they actually seeped inside. That's why it did so much damage. Even her roots had been affected by it.

Thankfully, her body was extremely resistant to Aether as well, with more than 50% natural resistance. Then, her sap was not flammable, so the fire couldn't really consume her to grow in strength, and it weakened over time.

All these factors combined managed to defend her against the terrifying attack safely. 'What was that? That's not a Level 20's strength. It almost burned me down!' She remembered Cinderielle's gentle flames and pouted. 'Why aren't all fires as gentle and nice as Cinderielle's?'

She mentally sighed and then focused on the rest of the notifications she had received. 'Let's ignore all the damage notifications and… Hm? There are a few Level 10 notifications! Ohhh, so many…'

She slowly read one by one, all of them informing her about her increase in stats, intelligence, and other things. 'Hmhm~, this is really nice!' If our poor World Tree wasn't half-dead, her branches would probably be moving around in joy.

'Hmm. My summoning! I forgot about it completely during the battle…' Liu Shu muttered. 'I was just so angry… How could those evil people do that to Flor? Hmph, now they will all become my fertilizer! Which…' The World Tree used her faint senses to feel the Level 20's energies, and she became excited. 'So many nutrients! With all these people, I might unlock something new! Or, or, grow a meter! Or! Or! Hmmm… I don't know, something!''

With excitement, she continued looking through the messages and found an interesting one. 'A Quest?'

[Quest Received: Improve the town from <Basic Rank> to <Low Rank>. Increase its size, defensive security, and upgrade the infrastructure, giving your people a place to do trade and create a prosperous society.

Completion Conditions: Create or assimilate 50 <Low-Rank Houses>, 1 <Low-Rank Water Reservoir>, 1 <Low-Rank Farmland>, 2 <Low-Rank Inns>, 1 <Low Rank Stable>, 1 <Low Rank Farm>, 1 <Low Rank Temple Of Summoning>, 1 <Ore Extractor>, 1 <Low-Rank Town Hall>, 1 < Low-Rank Defensive Wall>, 5 <Low-Rank Defense Buildings>.

Reward 1: Sylvanium Ores [250], Etherium Ores [250], Ascendium Ores [250], Celestium Ores [250], Cognium Ores [250].

Reward 2: 50,000 Experience Points.

Reward 3: Gain Title <World Tree Town>: All creatures that enter the town will feel a faint, soothing, and mind-cleansing aura. Crafters have an increased 5% chance at success in their projects.]

Liu Shu hummed with interest and looked at the construction materials of the Low-Rank House, Low-Rank Temple of Summoning, Ore Extractor, and Low-Rank Water Reservoir. 'Let's see what new materials I need~.'

<Low-Rank House>: 100 Vine Timber (E- Rank), 10 Leafwood (E Rank), 1 Grove Oak (E+ Rank), 25 Rock Crust (E- Rank), 10 Rock Spike (E Rank), 20 Cotton Fur (E- Rank), 10 Cotton Stripe (E Rank), 1 Cotton Sheet (E+ Rank).

<Low-Rank Water Reservoir>: 250 Vine Timber (E- Rank), 25 Leafwood (E Rank), 250 Rock Crust (E- Rank), 100 Rock Spike (E Rank), 10 Rock Core (E+ Rank).

<Low-Rank Temple Of Summoning>: 1000 Vine Timber (E- Rank), 100 Leafwood (E Rank), 10 Grove Oak (E+ Rank), 1000 Rock Crust (E- Rank), 250 Rock Spike (E Rank), 10 Rock Core (E+ Rank), 1 Fernwood (D- Rank), 1 Summonwood (D- Rank).

<Ore Extractor>: 500 Rock Crust (E- Rank), 150 Rock Spike (E Rank), 5 Rock Core (E+ Rank), 10 Smelted Iron Core (E+ Rank), 5 Grove Oak (E+ Rank).

Liu Shu observed those words and was speechless. 'D- Rank materials? Wow. How will I even get those…?'

She shook her head and placed the quest on the back of her head. 'Anything else that I need to check…? Hm. My berry production capability! It will change a bit after I Level Up again, but well…'

Liu Shu saw that her Anima Energy regenerated slower than her other attributes. 'I gain almost 2700 Anima Energy per hour. I will probably go near 3000 after I level up. Considering that I can accelerate their growth by 60 days for 10% of their cost, then…'

Her mind began to make calculations, and she now took into account which ones were needed the most. 'Strength is the most important, so I should focus on <Delicious Berries> and have enough of the rest.'

'I can simultaneously produce 450 <Delicious Berries>, 80 <Phoer Berries>, 80, <Mana Berries>, 80 <Energy Berries>, 1 <Breakthrough Berry>, 5 <Resonant Berries>, 5 <Refinement Berries>, 5 <Affinity Berries>, 5 <Palace Berries>, and that leaves me enough Anima Energy regeneration to gestate 1 <Energy Cycle Experience Berries>.'

Liu Shu was a bit doubtful. 'But, is that okay? The <Energy Cycle Experience Berry> is the most resource-consuming by far. For each of those I am growing, I could produce 8 of the Refinement Berry type, almost 2 <Breakthrough Berries>, or around 85 of the Delicious Berry types…'

Still, thinking of the effects of the <Energy Cycle Experience Berry>, she felt that she needed to create one for each person at least. Moreover, since their blooming period was ten days, after two months, she would have 6 of them, which would be enough for the Level 10 and above creatures that are in her town.

'Hm~ Good enough! I can do it for four months to have a few in reserve. Then, I can focus the resources of the Energy Cycle berries on the breakthrough berries! I want all the Rose Fairies, Fire Ants, and Myconids to have eaten them!'

Liu Shu would then realize that at Level 11, she could produce three of the Energy Cycle berries at once, and in two months, she would go and harvest 18 of them.

Liu Shu's mind relaxed, and she felt how her body was doing. 'Hm~? I am almost healed~. Let's wake up then.'

Her dormant conscience spread outward, and soon, the town was reflected in her mind. 'I wonder, how long has it been?'

She went and checked the <Basic World Energy Gathering> messages and saw 6 of them. There were also six messages of Flor's Royal Pollination skill together with a message that she had gained twelve <Sylvanium Shards>, <Cognium Shards>, and <Celestium Shards>. 'Right, my branches now give me two shards a day!'

'Six days… that's quite a bit. Did Flor and the rest have any problems?' Her <World Tree Eye> swiftly engulfed her surroundings, and the state of the town entered her eyes.

She could see Rose Fairies flying around her, using balms and other substances to cover her trunk, branches, and growing leaves. Flor was in Ignatia's arms, looking at her with a soft look that made Liu Shu feel fuzzy and happy inside. "Flor! Ignatia! I am awake~, hehe."

Like a melody from nature, Liu Shu's voice and laugh spread throughout the town, filling it with vitality.

Hearing the familiar yet somewhat changed tone, which reflected some maturity, Flor's heart tightened. Before she got too emotional, Flor controlled her emotions and gave Liu Shu her best smile. "Good morning, Liu Shu. How was your sleep? Did you rest?"

Liu Shu hummed twice. "Hum, hum~. Of course I did~. My ternary essences are at more than 80%!"

Flor chuckled. "I am glad."

Ignatia asked with a smile of her own. "Little One, you've grown quite a bit, right?"

Liu Shu giggled. "I still need to grow much, much, muuuuuuuch taller!" Then, she added. "I will also Level Up again! This time, though, it should take very little time! Moreover, thanks to my <Energy Cycle>, my defensive measures should be good enough if those bad people come back!"

Flor and Ignatia were speechless. 'Another Level Up?'

Ignatia muttered. 'Well, since it is Level 11, there shouldn't be much of a commotion." Then, she smiled. "Go ahead, Liu Shu. We will defend this place. Each of those 10 towering trees on the walls act like a powerful Level 10, while the flower field around you is like a group of ranged Level 10s. Using that and the wall, we will be alright."

Liu Shu added. "Also! Listen, listen. After I level up, I will be able to grow these many berries!"

Liu Shu recited what she would produce, leaving Ignatia and Flor speechless.

Then, Liu Shu proceeded to use her roots to swallow the small encampment the Void Witherwood had created into the ground, cleaning the entire town of things she had not built. All the corpses were similarly cleaned out, while the farmland was retouched, and the buildings were infused with plenty of energy to regenerate.

This process lasted for around three hours, after which Liu Shu used 10610 Experience points and started her Level Up to Level 11. Her Level Up was not nearly as noticeable as her jump to Level 10. The process took five more days, during which nothing eventful happened.

[Level Up!]

[Aether +7, Phoer +9, Anima +8, Willpower +10, Destiny +100]

[Accessory Level Up!]

[Aether +20, Phoer +25, Anima +20, Willpower +25, Aether Mana Shards +440, Phoer Body Shards +550, Anima Energy Shards +330.]

(Author Note: As Liu Shu Levels up, so do her branch accessories. I've compressed the stats like this instead of writing everything. If you prefer to see all the accessory stats instead, you can tell me.)

***

Level: 11 [0/12690]

Aether Mana Shards: 83,884/83,884 (+3020/Hour)

Phoer Body Shards: 120,453/120,453 (+4337/Hour)

Anima Energy Shards: 82,075/82,075 (+2955/Hour)

Attributes: Aether 563 (202+261), Physique 735 (399+336), Anima 573 (313+260), Willpower 699(410+289), Destiny 1100 (1100)

Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (34), Physique Refinement (47), Anima Affinity (29)

Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (51), Physique Resistance (57), Spiritual Resistance (51), Mental Resistance (56)

Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-56%), Summon Enhancement (+20%), Summoning Invoking Time (-56%), Summon Upkeep (-56%).

***