Chương 397: Sylvan Reproduction Details. Fortuna's Motherly Embrace.

Fortuna's Motherly Embrace.

Liu Shu noticed that there had been a gathering and looked over. Noticing her lovers and their families gathered around the four children, curiosity brimmed in her heart.

'Hm. I wonder what they are talking about…' The first thing she heard was Verena speaking to Branthis.

"Naturally. My husband is you, a handsome plant with beautiful vines and gorgeous leaves. Nothing more than that, and nothing less than it."

'Woah… I just ate a mouthful of corniness!' Losing interest quite quickly, she glanced at the four trees and communicated with them.

"How are you doing, children?" She naturally had not ignored these four. Since they were planted near her main body, it was very easy to nurture and take care of them. Harmonixia's child answered first, her voice melodic and beautiful.

"Mama~." Liu Shu chuckled softly.

"Yes, yes. It is your Mama~. Are you, little ones, growing healthy and happy?" The four answered happily, their branches swaying lightly.

"Happy~." They were young, so their intelligence was quite simple. Still, they could understand and answer Liu Shu's questions easily.

"That's great. Remember to grow tall and wide so that your mothers and future not-tree little siblings can live within you, okay?" The four of them answered happily.

"Yes, mama~…"

"Good babies~, you need to learn a lot from your <Lignified Tree House> sisters, so communicate with them when you can. They will be able to give you lots of advice. Also, remember to speak with Grandma Tree from time to time!"

"Okay, mamaaa~." Liu Shu laughed and then went to do other things. While communicating with the other World Trees, Fortuna suddenly asked her cautiously.

"Um, Little Liu Shu, I have a slightly personal question, if you don't mind it." Prarya chuckled.

"Oh? What could it be? I want to listen too!" Fortuna snorted.

"Not this time, Big Sister Prarya!"

"Ah! Why no—" After cutting the communication channel between Prarya and herself, Fortuna sighed at the fresh breath of peaceful air. Liu Shu commented with a slightly annoyed voice.

"Big Sister Prarya, even if you beg, I won't reopen it!"

"No, Big Sister Fortuna wants to talk with me alone, so I will respect her wishes."

"Ah, what does me being the ruler of the domain have to do with anything?"

"… Big Sister Prarya, should I spank your bottom roots?"

"Okay, okay, I won't! But stop bothering me! Big Sister Fortuna has yet to speak!" Fortuna cleared her throat in her mind and asked, cautious.

"Did Big Sister Prarya stop asking?" Liu Shu answered, feeling uncommitted.

"… You deal with her later. Anyway, tell me what you wanted to ask." Fortuna sighed, knowing that the curious World Tree would ask her later. Leaving future problems for future Fortuna, the World Tree asked her a question.

"I heard that you created a few saplings with your lovers." Liu Shu answered nonchalantly.

"That's right. What's wrong?" Slightly speechless, Fortuna coughed and asked.

"Isn't that a bit… I don't know, early for it?" Liu Shu asked, confused.

"Early? What do you mean? The children are tree-children, not Sylvan children." Fortuna asked, speechless.

"… What's the difference? Aren't they your children either way?" Liu Shu exclaimed.

"Of course, there is a difference! Children like those four I have in the thousands! All my buildings are created very similarly, but asexually! How can it be the same as Sylvan children?" That answer left Fortuna quite speechless.

'She… has a point? Wait, then… Liu Shu has been having children since she was a few years old?' Fortuna's branches began perspiring.

'Oh dear. I am speaking with a super mother!' While Fortuna has helped with the flora around her, she did it indirectly. Using her vitality and energy to nourish trees and help them reproduce and grow quickly. It was quite different from having children herself. In that regard, Fortuna was completely inexperienced! The few ones that she tried with Eila were also small and non-intelligent beings that fell into the "flower" category.

"Well… Can you teach me how? Eila has been asking me to have children, but I am nervous about messing up. What if our first child turns out strange? I don't want to make a mistake and disappoint Eila…" Liu Shu heard Fortuna's worries and fears, and after Fortuna finished, she became thoughtful.

"Do you want me to help you?"

"Help me?" Liu Shu giggled.

"Yes! To have children with Eila, you need to impregnate her, right? After all, Eila has a full female Sylvan body, unlike my lovers." Fortuna answered somewhat shyly.

"Yeah. She has a very good female body…"

"Then, you need to fertilize her seeds and eggs!" A Sylvan's uterus could support both animal and plant life. For each of the processes, the Sylvan needed to complete certain conditions. When she was impregnated via insemination, like a human male's release, the body would know to release eggs from her ovaries to try the insemination. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Then, for a human and a Sylvan to give birth to a Sylvan, the fertilized egg would need to be coated by a few of the Sylvan's internal spores and not die in the process. A delicate process with a high chance of failing. However, if a plant was going to fertilize the Sylvan, they used spores that could grow on the internal walls of the fallopian tubes. These spores were created through specialized glands, and they could mix with plant pollen and develop into seeds.

These seeds could then transform into plants or another Sylvan, depending on the amount, quality, and many other factors. It was possible to have a very complex biology thanks to being descendants of the World Trees. Sylvan's physiology still had many unknowns, and it was a subject of constant research. I digress. Hearing Liu Shu's quite direct words, Fortuna felt her roots twisting with shyness.

"T-That, I know. But she can also fertilize my seeds, right?" Liu Shu hummed.

"Well, it's not impossible. However, the process is a bit painful for the Sylvan."

"Huh? Is it?" Fortuna was not aware of this fact. Liu Shu commented.

"Yeah, after all, she will need to take your seed and place it inside her uterus. Have you seen the size of your seeds, Fortuna?" Fortuna muttered.

"They are… Around the size of a common chicken egg…" Liu Shu commented.

"Then, imagine the Sylvan trying to pop that through her closed cervix! While our seeds are smooth and have a light coating of slimy substances, dilating the cervix is a very painful thing!" Fortuna said, somewhat worried.

"T-Then, why did Eila insist on that method?" Liu Shu was surprised that Eila suggested the idea. Thinking about it, she commented.

"Well, while it is painful, it has one advantage. The fertilization rate with this method is nearly 100%. Moreover, the seed will be ready just after soaking in Eila's uterus for a month. Then, giving birth to that seed will almost always result in a plant child, meaning a tree, flower, or something similar… It is also quite painless compared to the impregnation." Fortuna was somewhat confused.

"So… Eila wants to use this method to avoid Sylvan children?"

"Hm… That seems to be the case. The other methods are not easy to control the result, after all." Fortuna was silent for a little while. Then, she spoke somewhat sadly.

"I see…" Liu Shu used one of her main roots to slap Fortuna's bottom roots. Fortuna jumped with an adorable scream.

"Hyan!? What are you doing!?" Liu Shu snorted twice.

"Where is your mind going to!? If you are doubting something, speak to Eila! You two have gone through so much together, so have a little faith in her and ask! I know we have long lives, but if you don't express your doubts, small misunderstandings can develop into relationship-ending problems!" Fortuna stuttered.

"O-Okay, don't get angry, Little Liu Shu." Liu Shu giggled.

"I am not angry. I am just scolding you because I love you! Now, go speak with Eila." Fortuna giggled shyly and happily.

"I love you, too." Eila was leaning on her comfortable vine chair. It was soft and perfectly blended with her elegant and slender silhouette. However, she was a little restless.

'That silly World Tree, why is she so hesitant? Does she not want to have children with me?' For a World Tree, the representation of nature itself, not wanting to have children with someone meant quite a lot of things. It was honestly a detail that, quite literally, hinted at the World Tree's reluctance to be in a relationship. After all, World Tree showed their love by not only being together and loving the other party but also wanting to mix their bloodline with them.

Such an honor was something extremely precious, and without it, the World Tree's seriousness could only be considered half-assed.

"Eila." The black-haired, purple-eyed Sylvan answered softly, not showing her worries on her face.

"Tell me, Fortuna." Fortuna hesitated for a second, but remembering Liu Shu's words, she asked.

"Um… Do you not want to have Sylvan children with me?" Eila froze on the spot, her eyes widening in stupefaction.

"Huh? How could that be? Where did you hear such a stupid thing?" Fortuna muttered, somewhat relieved.

"So you want to have them…" Eila sat up, her face serious as she answered.

"Fortuna, let me be clear. I don't mind having many Sylvan children with you. However, now is not the time. I am the general of one of Liu Shu's main armies, and we are preparing to attack together with Liu Shu's roots to the Nexus on the other side of the Wall Forest. Our war for the domination of the Wild Continent is about to start, so being pregnant for nine years would be quite a big setback." Because of their long lifespan, pregnancy for Sylvans also took many years.

Moreover, as the Sylvan approached the final moments, they would want to find a place to settle down and grow their roots in the ground to give the children more nourishment. This impulse was due to their plant-like nature, and there were times when the Sylvan chose to stay rooted on the ground, sometimes even becoming a tree. Of course, the chances of that happening were incredibly rare, and only Sylvans who had lived for a very long time would even start thinking about it.

After all, unlike humans, Sylvans were fertile for as long as they were alive. Fortuna was quite surprised to hear this.

"Is that why you want to use my seed instead?" Eila nodded with a gentle smile.

"Of course. I want you to give me your seed so that, even if we can't create a Sylvan together yet, we can at least have a child. I don't mind being pregnant for a few weeks, after all." Fortuna couldn't help but feel happy. Then, blushing slightly, she commented.

"O-Okay, then come to my <Core Room>." Eila blinked and arrived there a few minutes later. Once she entered, she quickly spotted Fortuna's <Avatar>. Fortuna was a white-haired beauty with incredible curves beyond human logic. Her eyes shone like two beautiful sapphires, and her face had a hint of motherly gentleness. Being slightly vulgar, she could be described as a woman with gentleness as ample as her bosom. The woman opened her mouth, an ethereally beautiful voice reaching the Lightning Sylvan.

"Welcome, Eila." The Sylvan couldn't help but be mesmerized.

'She is so beautiful…' Fortuna's fair cheeks blushed slightly as Eila's eyes roamed her body.

"Um… Eila, don't look so intently… I feel shy." Eila approached and hugged the woman, who felt like cotton candy, into her arms. The pliant feeling of hugging her was probably the most addictive feeling she had ever had. Fortuna's arms moved awkwardly and patted Eila's back.

"U-Um, are you okay, Eila?" Eila separated slightly and smiled gently.

"Of course. After seeing you, all my tiredness goes away." Fortuna blushed innocently and looked sideways.

"I-I see…" Eila kissed her cheek and asked.

"So, why did you call me?" Fortuna's blush deepened, and then her eyes shone with profound emotions.

"To make a child." Eila suddenly felt a root climb around her leg and reach her special place. Her eyes widened slightly.

"H-Huh?" Fortuna blushed and commented.

"I heard it is painful, so I'll use my root to slowly and gently expand your cervix. Don't worry, you won't even feel bad when I plant my seed inside you." Eila gasped, and hearing the implications, her eyes widened.

"W-Wait, Fortuna." Fortuna laughed shyly.

"Don't worry, I might take a few hours, but you will feel very good." Eila's face twisted with many emotions.

'Ah… Are all World Trees so innocently seductive? I think I might die from pleasure today…' And so, Eila's moans echoed inside Fortuna's Core Room until her voice became hoarse. Fortuna hugged her closely and used her ample bosom as a way to pacify Eila. That day, Eila understood that World Trees were very dangerous.

'My brain feels like mush… I almost called her Mama Fortuna, fuck...'