Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos

Chapter 196. Unfolding Bonds and Boundaries.

Although Wert tried to find Jolie with the Arboreal Winged Serpent, they were not successful. Jolie had escaped Liu Shu's detection range, so tracking her down became almost impossible.

After Delia returned to the Golden Sap Town with her silent daughter, she quickly rushed toward Liu Shu. By then, her transformation had already ended. The woman arrived near Liu Shu and asked with a heartfelt plea. "Liu Shu! Please help my daughter! I don't know what's wrong with her!"

The World Tree looked at Delia's vulnerable expression and had a hard time processing it. After all, the strong and overbearing woman had disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a worried mother. Regardless, Liu Shu was unsure how to react and how to help her. After all, the child had a very strange and unsettling aura around her.

After thinking for a moment, she spoke. "I can't."

Delia froze and then stuttered. "But you are a Worl-"

"Stop." Liu Shu's voice descended down with pressure. "I am not going to involve myself more with you. You tried to do something bad to me. I saved your daughter because it was something I could do without making more enemies. After all, that Jolie Sylvan is after me regardless of what I do."

Delia wanted to speak, but Liu Shu cut her off with a powerful sentence. "Moreover, they will just use another person's child to do what they tried to do. I didn't save anyone; I just changed the victim."

The words that Delia wanted to say got stuck in her throat. Cinderielle and the other Sylvans also realized after Liu Shu said it, and they all felt their stomach sinking. The next child that they see in their hands, they can be sure that it would be their fault in a way.

Liu Shu sighed. "Delia, just take a few of my <Phoer Fruits>, <Mana Fruits>, and <Energy Fruits> and have your pharmacists make an ointment that involves the three of them. Also... Your child is Level 4."

Delia's eyes widened, and she looked down at the unresponsive girl, confirming that she was indeed Level 4.

Leveling up before adulthood was possible. Parents didn't allow children to Level Up before those ages because there were some proven disadvantages, such as becoming completely reliant on the system for everything. If they reached adulthood without using the system since birth, their mind would be more open. Instead, having a system since birth could limit a person's ability to make decisions, expecting the system to resolve everything for them.

Wert and the flying serpent arrived at this time. The serpent went back into Liu Shu's canopy while Wert sighed and spoke. "We couldn't catch her. That woman is really fast and elusive."

The World Tree spoke softly. "Thank you for the effort, Wert."

Wert crossed his arms and grinned. "Ho ho~, will I be hearing from you more often now that you showed yourself in this manner?"

Liu Shu giggled. "Perhaps~, hahaha"

Wert and Delia looked at Liu Shu with surprise, making people around them pause. Flor asked, confused. "What's wrong?"

Wert shook his head and smiled. "No... It's the first time I hear a World Tree's honest laughter... It's beautiful. So... full of life and gentleness, while having a certain childish cuteness to it."

The World Tree snorted. "Don't call me by my species! People will know if they hear you!"

Wert coughed. "Sorry. I will continue calling you a Life Tree then."

"Good!"

Cinderielle looked at Delia and asked. "What about you?"

Delia nodded, agreeing with Wert. "I didn't even know they could laugh like this."