Chương 654: Explorer Hub. New Knowledge.

New Knowledge.

In a faraway place in the middle of the void, a massive hub of floating organic and mechanical structures mixed to create a "flat world." This place, suspended in the void without any nearby natural star, was artificially created by the <Explorer Association> as a gathering of mercenaries and lawless beings. It was so large that it had a fully sustainable civilian area with an artificial, "local" sun. This star was not far, just a few kilometers above, and it was tiny.

However, the closeness gave enough heat to the living area to sustain all kinds of life. In one of the hundreds of mission hubs, a female-looking alien receptionist walked with her four legs toward the side with a physical paper. This was rare, as most things were done either electronically or using memory beads. The gathered mercenaries approached after the receptionist had perched the paper on the "failed mission" board.

"Huh? How is this possible?" Hearing the first being's incredulity, another approached. That second person showed shock, unable to speak properly.

"What happened?" Everyone's curiosity soared, and someone finally read it aloud.

"Summary: In coordinates XX, the group <Floating Starry Mercenary Group> has encountered an unknown enemy, and 95% of the crew has been annihilated. <Open Coordinate> threat level has been adjusted. Detailed Report: The <Floating Starry Mercenary Group> sent…" The hub slowly became less rowdy until the only voice heard was the woman reading and some whispers. The "Detailed Report" did not do much justice to the word "detailed," as it was more of a description of the mercenary group than what actually happened.

The scouts left behind received some reports of the battle, but Liu Shu's unknowing spatial interference helped her distort most of the messages that the ships sent during the relatively short battle. After learning that the group had been annihilated, the scouts almost immediately used their long-range communication to report back to the <Explorer Association> while also seeking compensation for the misleading information. Some groups in the hub frowned.

"Hey, didn't the <Light Mantis Space Pirate Group> go to those coordinates as well?" Another person muttered.

"Not only them. I heard that after knowing the <Floating Starry Mercenary Group> was going, groups with similar strength tried to follow to contest for the <Open Coordinates>." A person who didn't care laughed.

"If they don't have local mission update devices, they will be in quite deep trouble!" A man with plant characteristics spoke with a snort.

"From the report, it is clear that they invaded the domain of an interstellar plant creature. It's their fault for going to where they don't belong."

"Oh! Listen here, guys! There is a holier-than-thou person, hahaha!"

"Hahaha! Was that your cousin's domain, bastard?" The plant-man snorted again, not willing to argue with them. The news spread among the same-level explorers. Those at a higher level didn't usually glance down to do missions. If you had the ability to complete a ten-star mission, searching through the six-star missions would be a waste of time, after all.

"These <Open Coordinates> are a bit too spicy, aren't they?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Look at the galactic map. That area is currently in the midst of a war between two powers trying to swallow each other."

"Oh. You are right. <Verdant Sanctity Covenant> and <Abyssal Void Nexus>. They are not nobodies as well."

"Yes, they have quite a few <Second Ascension> experts. The exact numbers are a mystery, but their war has been going on for almost 8, 000 years." Someone whistled.

"That's not a short time! How come there has not been a winner yet?"

"The Abyssal Void Nexus is stronger than the Verdant Sanctity Covenant. However, the Covenant has a few True World Trees… twelve of them."

"Ugh. I feel for those Nexus bastards. Any location with a True World Tree is basically a bastion. If they have a hundred people, you need a thousand for a successful siege."

"It's really a pain in the thorn."

"Pain in the thorn? Say 'pain in the ass' like a normal person, bastard!"

"Do you want to fight? You are so mouthy that you must be feeling itchy!"

"Come out then, plant fucker!" The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"As if putting your dick in raw flesh is any better, you disgusting freak!" Those two flashed out and soon began fighting, making many burst out in laughter. While most thought that the <Open Coordinate> was not worth it because of the location, other groups who were trying to find a hiding place that their enemies would find difficult to locate thought otherwise. Ceperet Solar System's location was silently spreading, while the survivors of the <Floating Starry Mercenary Group> grieved their loss.

Revenge was on their minds, but first, they would need to survive the enemies who were seeking to take revenge on them for their past actions.

Back in Ceperet, Liu Shu asked the Arboreal Winged Serpents to carry the ships back. With the materials from the Moon-Type Spaceships and the fully built and functional Starry fleet, Liu Shu's crafters began undergoing a technological transformation. Most of Liu Shu's society was built on woodcrafting and similar schools, influenced by Liu Shu's profession-related buffs and personal direction of development. In itself, that was not a problem.

In terms of armors and structures, woodcrafting was far superior to electronics. The wood of the universe was coated with an endless amount of different elements, giving it the ability to be modified more easily than non-attributed metals. Attributed metals were very rare, considered precious gems. So, it was a matter of quantity difference. When it came to the usual way of development in space, things were different. Metal resources were extremely abundant in space. Worlds, asteroids, moons, etc.

, all contained different metallic resources, while wood needed to be grown on farms or encountered in locations where life thrived to a certain extent. So, when looking at the cosmos objectively, people would find wood, especially high-level wood, to be rarer than diamonds. In the ships that Liu Shu carried over, most information was stored in computers. This made Liu Shu frown.

"Wisdom… can I absorb information from machines?" [Wisdom: Yes.]"Huh?" Liu Shu looked at the simple and straightforward answer with a bewildered look.

"H-How? Do I absorb the circuits?" [Wisdom: No. Allow me to take control of a few of your roots for a moment.] Liu Shu nodded and saw her roots moving into the ships. To avoid damaging them, Wisdom went through the entrance and sneaked through the passageways until it found a console. There, the root stopped and climbed up, splitting into countless little tendrils that looked extremely alien. Liu Shu's face became strange for a moment.

'Didn't I use those to pleasure Cindereille and the others?' Who would've known that the things she used to "gobble" her lovers could be used in this way? The pink-minded world tree suddenly blanked out, her gaze entering a strange holographic world. This place was full of lines, billions of them, each sending different electric signals at what seemed random patterns.

[Learning <Computer Science Basics>, <Computer Science Advance>, <Computer Science Expert>, <Communication Science Basic>, <Galactic Beast Compendium>, <Matrial Science>...] Even with Liu Shu's absurd processing speed, her mind began overcharging as new information flowed into her at a ridiculous pace. Outside, Cinderielle flew up and entered the <Core Room>, expecting to have a great time with her dear World Tree.

Only, when she entered, she noticed that Liu Shu's Avatar was lying down on her back, the few children inside the <Core Room> on top of her while sleeping. This surprised her.

'Did Liu Shu fall asleep?' Since Cinderielle knew Liu Shu, there was no time when the <Avatar> went to sleep. Being part of the whole, it could get its energy reserves from the main body. Hence, while the strength was not much different from a Level 1 human, her stamina was basically endless. Cinderielle approached with endless curiosity, hoping to see the cute sleeping expression of her lover, only to discover that the Avatar was lying down with a blank expression and unblinking, wide-open eyes.

No matter how much Cinderielle loved her, she almost got scared into screaming by her emotionless, doll-like expression.

"T-Tiantian! Can't you sleep like a normal person!? You almost scared me to death!" After protesting, she noticed there was no response and instantly grew worried.

"Tiantian?" Confused, she quickly approached and unceremoniously detached the little bastards around Liu Shu and threw them to the side. No matter how much motherly love Cinderielle had, after more than 100 children, she perfectly knew the limits of how she could treat them. If anyone told her that she was being cruel, she would slap them and ask them to come back after raising one hundred of them themselves!

Either way, after picking her darling's avatar, which was, like always, on her birthday suit, Cinderielle sat her up and placed her on her lap. With their height difference, Liu Shu's body fit snuggly in her arms, as Cinderielle glanced at her with confusion.

"What happened for you to become like this?" As she pondered, Cinderielle's eyes couldn't help but lower to the two large white bunnies. The pink cherries on top were calling for her attention as well.

'No matter how many times I've seen her, the fire inside seems to never extinguish.' Dark thoughts swirled in her mind. Many things that she could do to the limp Liu Shu flashing one after another in her gorgeous orange hues. Her eyes darkened, the possessiveness and obsession that had grown endlessly during the last few decades almost engulfing Liu Shu like a dark shadow.

"My little girl, if you don't wake up soon… You might get pregnant and not know how that happened~." Her nose lowered, taking in the delightful scent of her lover's hair. Honestly, she didn't understand. Her feelings, as time passed, didn't diminish in the slightest. Since that day when she was a child, since she saw that single leaf flying in front of her, her love had grown deeper, stronger… purer. Not purity in the sense of clean, but purity in the sense of single-mindedness.

As her hands roamed Liu Shu's tender skin, leaving very faint red marks in the wake of her fingers, her face lowered, and she took Liu Shu's lips for herself. She held back from doing anything else, since the current sleep was clearly abnormal. Nevertheless, her long and hard mast was ready to plunge once the moist and tight flower bud became available. Liu Shu's sleep lasted for a few hours, and by the time she recovered enough mental strength to awaken her Avatar, she noticed heavy breathing by her side.

A chill ran down her spine, not one of fear, but one of pure excitement. After so many encounters, she could clearly distinguish whose breath this was and how excited the Sylvan was. Her body heated up, moisture building up in the places that mattered. Then, when she looked up and saw the predatory, dark, obsessive eyes of her lover, Liu Shu was pushed down.