Chương 307: Temples! Difficult Choice.

Difficult Choice.

"All of that happened!? Waw!" Flor and the others sat in the main office and informed Liu Shu of everything that happened. She was quite surprised by Madam Thalgryn's strength and that of the other two. Level 50 was certainly a massive threshold. After all, Level 25 was already a point where, even with enough Experience Points, one could not break through if they didn't understand <Energy Cycles>. Level 50 was an even bigger filter.

Other than that, Liu Shu couldn't help but look at the new woman who was receiving strange gazes from the three Sylvans.

"Um~. Hello!"

"HU-AH-HELLO!" The woman jumped onto her feet, her tone loud and surprised, as if she didn't expect her to talk to her. Everyone looked as the woman's face slowly gained a red tint.

'W-W-What am I doinggg!? Why am I so nervous!? I've met much more important people in the past! FOCUS, HARMONIXIA!'' Liu Shu chuckled slightly, making Harmonixia's heart tremble.

'AH! SHE LAUGHED AT ME!' Harmonixia was about to cry when she heard Liu Shu's question.

"You are Harmonixia, right? I know you." The Sylvan, who was about to wish for the ground to swallow her out of pure embarrassment, blinked a few times and forgot about that.

"You…" Her tone trailed off before a strange smirk tilted her lips.

"Know me?" The rest of the room felt a chill spread in their bodies as the woman's twisted smile took shape. Flor's face was spasming.

'They are strangely similar. Only Tempestria didn't act this way… Well, at first.'

"Yes! I do know you! You are the Sylvan that always plays pretty music in Sirol City, right?" Harmonixia's face gained a touch of surprise.

"You could listen? I thought I placed an anti-spying rune field." Liu Shu answered happily.

"There was one! Thankfully, it was quite weak, and I could make a workaround to listen. Your music is really pretty and calming~." Harmonixia blinked twice and answered solemnly.

"I also want to marry you!" Those who were taking a sip of water choked and started coughing out a lung. Simultaneously, the three Sylvans who had been trying to hold back stood up and slammed their palms on the table. Verdantia started.

"You came in last and dare say those words!? Get in line!" Cinderielle added, her gaze fiery.

"Also, do you really think that Liu Shu would marry someone like you before us!?" Even the usual calm Tempestria answered.

"We've been watering this flower for far too long to give it to a random leaf the wind blew in!" Bafflement filled Liu Shu as these three blurted those words out. Meanwhile, Harmonixia's lips arched, and she looked at them with a superior gaze and raised chin.

"It says a lot that the being you've been watering for so long turns away the second I appear. My Dear and I are destined to that level!" Veins bluged on their forehead, and their auras thickened with killing intent. Thankfully, before the four of them started throwing punches… or worse, Liu Shu blurted out.

"Who is marrying who? I am not marrying anyone!" The four Sylvans froze and looked out of the expansive window toward the body of the gargantuan World Tree.

"Huh?" Even Eila felt a chill from that simple 'huh' sound. Liu Shu, seemingly thicker than her walls in terms of romantic emotional intelligence, answered, not feeling the danger.

"I am not marrying anyone! I heard that marrying is like tying yourself down, and I want to spread my roots! What would I do if I tied myself down to another person?" Thankfully, the four sylvans, while slightly crazy, were also clever women and understood Liu Shu's silly concern. Their auras calmed down, and a chuckle left their mouth. Tempestria spoke.

"Liu Shu, marrying someone is a wonderful thing. It doesn't mean that you are tying yourself to another person in a physical sense. It is more in a dutiful way. When you commit to marrying another creature, you commit to be together and create a family. Also, you give your trust to them together with your loyalty." Liu Shu somewhat understood, and Verdantia added.

"Not only that, you also support each other to reach new heights. Then, if the other party suffers or becomes stumped, spend effort to help them. In short, you become inter-reliant without losing much of your freedom. The only thing that a married couple needs to never break is their loyalty to each other and their trust."

"Ugh… Complicated." Liu Shu complained and muttered.

"If I like someone, then I will be with them, and that's that. It's not like I can run!" Flor saw that the mood had recovered and expertly intervened.

"Verena, what are your next steps?" Verena understood and followed it up. She also wanted to talk about this, so she was happy to cooperate.

"Well. I heard from you that Liu Shu has a Sylvan Quest to complete, right? I was thinking that I could help her if she needs materials." Liu Shu giggled.

"Really? That's really nice! I need…" Liu Shu blinked and realized that she had yet to choose her second Temple.

"Um. Let me check." The details of the quest spread in front of her. [Objective 1: Make three other recognized cities fall under your control. (3/3)] Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. [Objective 2: Improve the mineral mine you are standing on by at least one rank. (0/1)] [Objective 3: Deal with World Tree Fortuna. (1/1)] [Objective 4: Reach 100, 000 population in your main city. (116, 540/100, 000)] [Objective 5: Build your second <Temple>. (1/2)] During these last months, the Golden Sap City has expanded and welcomed many new residents. Even when numerous beings had died during the battle against Lorbase, many more arrived and decided to start their lives here due to the opportunity and rumors of Liu Shu's auras and benefits. Other than that, the ants have continued expanding their numbers, and the Rose Fairies have assimilated a few rogue tribes under Amapola's banner.

Between ants and regular residents, it was only natural to cross the 100, 000 population benchmark. Speaking of Rose Fairies, other types of fairies had started appearing around the town. They were few, but they were distinct. The Flower Fairy's seeds had bloomed and transformed into young fairies. These fairies were not Flower Fairies, though.

While there could be, at most, three candidates to become the Flower Fairy if each of those three held one of the three individual titles, eventually, one of those would gain the other two titles and become a unique existence. When they bloomed, Flor's seeds transformed into a subspecies of Flower Fairies. <Essence Fairies>. These fairies each inherited one of Flor's elements, so there were Earth Fairies, Life Fairies, Aether Fairies, and the rest.

These fairies could also reproduce by themselves, so after Flor created the first generation, unlike an Ant Queen, her work was basically done. So, with the population, cities, and Fortuna dealt with, Liu Shu decided that the next step would need to be the <Temple>.

'System, what <Temples> can I create?' The first time, she was basically pushed toward the Summoning Temple. However, this time, there seemed to be an option. The system sent her a message. [After analyzing your existence, you can build the following temples.] [Temple Of War] [Temple Of Life] [Temple Of Destiny] [Temple Of Death] [Temple Of Craft]'Woah! So many of them!?' Liu Shu looked at the four options and muttered.

'I will unlock many more in the future, right? So… I will probably not be able to create all of them. UGH. If I could eventually create all of them, it would be easier to choose!' Liu Shu squirmed and took a look at their blessings. <War Blessing (D- Rank)>: While under the influence, you are able to learn combat skills much quicker. There is also a chance to break your potential limits as long as you put in hard work and discipline. During a War, all allies' stats are increased by 10%.

Ternary essence efficiency increased by 10%. The Experience Points needed to upgrade combat-related skills are reduced by 10%.

'WOW.' Liu Shu was honestly flabbergasted by this one. It felt too strong! Excited, she looked at the rest. <Life Blessing (D- Rank)>: While under the influence, you are able to heal much quicker. Some crippling wounds will be able to be recovered with time or healing magic. Lifespan increased by 10%. Phoer Recovery per healing spell increased by 10%. The Experience Points needed to upgrade health-related skills are reduced by 10%.

<Destiny Blessing (D- Rank)>: While under the influence, you will be able to defy a set destiny if you have one. Destiny stat +25%. You are slightly more likely to have lucky things happen to you. Your enemies are slightly more likely to have unlucky things happen to them. Liu Shu paused when she saw this one. While it was not as oppressive stat-wise, the temple's buff was enigmatic but strangely appealing. Still, she looked at the rest of the blessings.

<Death Blessing (D- Rank)>: While under the influence, every creature that dies will be purified and returned to nature's cycle. Afflictions and curses have a 10% increased chance of working. Each time you kill a creature, you'll steal a sliver of their life essence, recovering yourself. The chances of obtaining negative titles due to killing are reduced. The World Tree was also surprised by this one. It was… ominous.

'Worthy of a Death-related temple. Did this option appear due to how many creatures I've killed?' While thinking so, she took a look at the last tone. <Crafting Blessing (D- Rank)>: Your speed to learn and comprehend craft-related skills is increased while under the influence. There is also a chance to break your potential limits as long as you put in hard work and discipline. There is a 0. 1% chance to have your items imbued with a blessing, increasing their quality one sub-tier.

Your craft-related tools have 20% increased durability. The Experience Points needed to upgrade craft-related skills are reduced by 10%. Liu Shu felt that her brain was about to tangle in a knot.

'UGH! I CAN'T CHOOSE! All of them are so good!' Increased combat power meant that she would have an easier time expanding. Her soldiers would also become much stronger, and with the ants as subordinates, Liu Shu could already imagine a future where she would trample everyone. Meanwhile, increased lifespan and healing would mean that deaths would lower, giving her more human resources. The population in her lands would explode, which was a good and bad thing.

Not to mention, old people with very refined skills would find her city appealing, giving her city much-needed mentors for the younger generations. The Destiny one was vague, but the potential of one person suddenly becoming a one-in-a-lifetime genius was well worth it. In this world, where individual strength could spiral out of control, a single Level 50 was more valuable than 100 Level 40s. Not because the Level 50 was more powerful than the 100 Level 40s; they usually weren't.

However, the threat such a person exuded to other powers was too valuable. The Death Temple was the one that Liu Shu immediately discarded. While it was powerful, there were not too many people in her city who could take advantage of it. Finally, the Crafting one would make her already production-friendly Golden Sap City take a step into a new era of crafting. The quality of the Golden Sap City items will be incredibly high in the future, and they will probably be able to compete in a worldwide market.

Becoming such a power would make others much more hesitant to attack them. After all, who would want to kill the tree that grew golden fruits? Unable to choose by herself, she presented the options to the people silently waiting in the room. Once Liu Shu finished speaking, everyone was unable to speak for the longest time. Flor eventually broke the silence, her voice sounding tired.

"I think the [Temple Of Life] sounds great. That way, the lifespan that you keep slicing off of me with your little surprises can be compensated." Everyone else, even knowing that it was a joke, couldn't help but feel that it might be the correct option. Knowing the Summoning Temple, they were expecting something powerful, but not this!