Chương 639: Checking on Nualis.

With Ceperet developing, her gaze moved toward Nualis.

'It has been quite a few years. I think it is time to start organizing this place.' During the last few years, Liu Shu had moved around 8 World Trees from Ceperet to Nualis. All of them were <Fourth Energy Cycles>, their strength far surpassing anything this world had seen before. Therefore, they were able to take root and expand with zero obstacles.

"It has been 10 years since my arrival. During this time, I created four more nodes for my roots to spread, and now I cover all the surface and a large part of the planet's interior." With her gaze now covering the entire planet, she could make a quick recap and summary of what had been happening here.

"Five main clans rule this world."

"First, Caeludrans. They are, like the others, an amphibian species called <Star Chart Newts>. Their living conditions were rather primitive, using hut-like structures. Even when the materials were much more advanced, the lack of complex architecture showed a slight delay in development. With fate-reading abilities, they managed to control the most land among all parties and become a neutral party few dared offend."

"Second, Pyrohoks. They are formed mainly of <Ember Salamanders>, and unlike the <Star Chart Newts>, they had large cities and signs of complex architecture and crafts. Their fire abilities are probably what pushed them to develop in a direction similar to that of humans. In turn, this increased their creativity, making them the strongest power among all. They used an Empire-like structure, with a single ruler at the top."

"Third, the Gloomhuks. The most primitive of the bunch, using brute strength to solve most conflicts. Their tall statures, reaching 3 to 4 meters on average, and strong bodies give them an advantage against their peers. Still, as <Cave Titan Frogs>, they live in gloomy environments, which makes them the group with the fewest members and land. Despite their combative nature, they are relatively soft-spoken and gentle when there are no conflicts."

"Fourth, Silt Weavers. They occupy most beaches, using their innate powers to dominate the beach battlefield. They are not extraordinary, but as <Silt Weaver Mudskippers>, they have racial advantages that give them an edge against all other powerhouses. They are a case of being born in the right environment at the right time."

"Fifth and final group, the Mistveil Fairy Clan. These little darlings are spread all around the world, living in the few swamps and forests all around the world. Moreover, their amphibious nature is strong, allowing them to live in underwater kelp forests. Among all of the groups, they are the closest to nature, and being from the <Mistveil Fairy Axolotl> family, their regeneration and water affinity are ridiculous." After summarizing everything, Liu Shu nodded to herself.

She knew that there were Sylvans as well, but the species had been so suppressed that Liu Shu failed to spot a single <Third Energy Cycle> Sylvan even after searching the entire globe. The highest-level Sylvan was an E Tier Level 45 who was the leader of one of the three World Tree cities around the world. These World Trees were weak, though. Liu Shu could glance at them with a displeased look, and they would all surrender to her.

Her influence allowed her to "convince" all World Trees below Level 75 by sheer presence without any problems.

"Big Sister Liu Shu!"

"Big Sister Liu Shu!" While she was checking the world, she heard two adorable voices calling her. Her gaze softened, and she looked over with a smile.

"Lala, Lera, how are you two doing?"

"We are doing great!" Lala, the big sister between the two, answered with a cheerful tone.

"Yeah, yeah! We are doing great! Today I healed Grandpa Drufus!" Liu Shu chuckled.

"Great, great. Keep up the good work." These two Life Trees were not exceedingly talented, but they were a pure healing species. So, for those in the same realm, they could heal almost any wound. With the <Delicious Berries> she had been feeding them, their level was already close to breaching Level 50. Their progress was slow, though.

'It doesn't matter much.' Liu Shu didn't rush these two darlings. They were neither too large nor did they bother anyone. Even if they never went over Level 50, they would serve to heal low-level people without any risk of overhealing. After speaking with them for a while, she communicated with the other World Trees, telling them of her plan. Lakeborn commented, curious.

"So, to summarize, you are going to take action now and make your presence known." Liu Shu answered softly.

"That's right. How is your progress in developing?" Lakeborn's voices spoke confidently.

"Quite good. We were already familiar with the feeling of moving. Therefore, we were quick to adapt and take over the nearby area. Moreover, with your buffs and temples, we can expand even quicker." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She asked the other World Trees, and they answered that they had no problems. After all, they were all <Fourth Energy Cycles>.

Even when the local flora wanted to fight back, their only fate was to get crushed by them. Liu Shu asked the World Trees to try to assimilate as much flora as possible without harming the local environment. The main reason was that some local flora were good sources of material and quite unique. After all, any plant life developed in a mostly oceanic world would be packed with water-related essence, something Ceperet lacked quite a bit.

"Let's check what happened lately among the local powers." Liu Shu swept the world with her senses, her powerful consciousness taking in information at a horrifying pace. She observed, absorbed, sorted, and internalized information, with World Tree Wisdom always helping. Her roots flared Ternary Essence signals, working tirelessly to mix with Liu Shu's mind network. It took around three days, after which Liu Shu summarized the most important events from the last 10 years at Nualis.

She was honestly quite intrigued by what happened in the Pyrohok Empire.

"That Spark King guy sure is unlucky." From what she caught, the king made one of his court members pregnant, and the Empress noticed. Furious, internal strife began. Even when the Emperor praised that woman for being able to put aside her interest for the empire, the Empress and other harem members showed forgiveness on the surface. Sadly, the pregnancy didn't come to term. With underhanded methods, there was a miscarriage.

The woman was not stupid, and with her intelligence, she quickly understood what had happened. Furious, she quite understandably lost her loyalty to the empire, vanishing like morning mist. After that, she went to their closest opponents and allied with them. The Spark King, somewhat devastated by the loss of the child, was accepting of the woman's woes. He never thought that the woman's surface sad and accepting facade would hide a vicious and venomous hatred.

Eight years after that moment, the Pyrohok Empire was riddled with internal unrest. Civil wars were breaking out in many locations, while weak points had fallen into the hands of rival clans, resulting in terrible losses. Were it not for the absolutely ridiculous individual strength of the Spark King, the Pyrohok Empire would've become a ruin by now. Even then, the Spark King was not invincible by any means.

With the internal conflicts and resentment from his harem and the mistress, his close aides eventually managed to poison him. This poison was not lethal, as his body was resilient. However, it was enough to permanently cripple around 30% of his total strength. As a powerhouse of the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, regular <Third Energy Cycles> were still far from being able to damage him in any way, shape, or form. His loss of strength motivated some people to try their luck.

Schemes to take down the powerhouse occurred almost constantly. A single event, not even related to the politics of the country, was the trigger for a catastrophe that killed tens of thousands and could dethrone one of the strongest individuals in the world. Liu Shu looked at the Ember Salamander sitting on the throne with a terrifyingly cold face and pondered what to do. Honestly, she personally didn't see much wrong with the man's side.

His closest harem members were practically killing each other, so his heart was understandably tired. The one time he found someone who looked like she could finally bear his child, those women banded together to reach their claws out of the Imperial Palace and cause another tragedy. The Spark King snapped. Even when he didn't kill any of the high-ranking members, the punishments that he administered to their close aides were ruthless.

Almost all the servants who were close to the harem members were slaughtered by the king's orders for any minimal mistake. It was then that the harem members finally noticed that the Spark King's patience had ran out, and he was out for blood. Were they to make an obvious mistake, they couldn't guarantee their lives. So, they banded together as well. In short, everything was a mess.

"Spark King."

"Who!?" The man, who was quite understandably on edge, jumped from his throne and took a large staff from the side. His fire surrounded his body as he looked around. Liu Shu sighed softly.

"Spark King, I am a World Tree. The World Tree that will govern Nualis in the future." The man's lips arched mockingly.

"Rubbish. How can a World Tree govern? Just a bunch of firewood with some personality. A single Aether Spell of mine can burn you to a crisp!" Liu Shu didn't feel offended at his comments. This poor man has gone through something she almost didn't wish upon her enemies. So, she answered softly, her tone ever so gentle.

"Spark King, I am not your enemy. My strength is just vastly superior to yours. So, I am speaking to you because I want to know what you want to do with your Empire." She asked him because he was the legitimate ruler. Even if there were many factions, she had read a bit of the Empire's history, and this man was a pivotal part of its current exalted status. As a ruler, he was mightily talented. The Spark King's paranoid expression didn't ease up, constantly looking around in search of the source of the sound.

Liu Shu knew that, so she entangled her roots to form a <Wooden Avatar>. The avatar was nothing but a bunch of roots gathered together, but she could use it to talk. Spark King noticed the petite woman appearing and raised his staff.

"<Ember Ignition>." Orange sparks appeared around Liu Shu's avatar, only to explode with violence right after. BOOM! The man snorted, lowering his staff.

"So much for the future… Ru…ler?" The smoke lowered, and Liu Shu's root avatar remained standing on the same spot. Even when the ground collapsed, the wooden avatar floated in the middle of the crater, with not a single piece of wood damaged. Spark King quickly checked his system and saw the damage number. [-245!]"... How is this possible? Only two hundred Phoer Shards of damage?" Liu Shu's Avatar showed a smile.

"As I said, my strength is vastly superior. Now that you understand that, can we speak?" The Spark King looked at the floating Avatar, supported by many blue-veined roots, and lowered his weapon, his expression showing exhaustion.

"As you wish."