Chương 706: Hacking At The Roots.

It was around 1 year after the merchants' arrival when things began to shift subtly. After one full year of staying and settling in, the merchant fleets became somewhat accustomed to their living conditions and began loosening how strictly they followed the rules. After all, one year was more than enough for these powerful merchants to expand their business to a point where they gained a certain level of anchoring.

Their wares and methods, superior to those of locals, gave them a quick edge in terms of foundation and stability. Not to mention, their resources in their merchant ships orbiting Ceperet were many, allowing unique products to appear from time to time and to fiercely suppress competition. Not all of them followed this trend, but the most daring started subtly upping the pieces, suppressing competition through methods other than competition, and even sending veiled threats to locals.

Verdantia entered Flor's room, one hand holding a stack of papers while the other supported her extremely large stomach. After all, the Sylvans were 8 years pregnant and were about to give birth to a new batch of Sylvan babies. Flor, noticing Verdantia, quickly flew over with a hint of distress.

"Why are you still working here, Verdantia? Don't you know how to stay at home and rest with such a big belly?" Verdantia laughed, letting go of the papers Flor flew over to get.

"I am more than healthy, mother-in-law. How could I stay at home when we are about to start the counterattack?" She clicked her tongue, her tone full of disdain.

"They really think that we are dead here. Thankfully, we've gathered enough proof on everyone who dared to ignore Liu'er's orders." Flor sighed with a helpless smile and guided Verdantia to a comfortable chair, helping her sit on it. Verdantia slowly lowered herself, making a hup sound as she sank into the couch with a sigh.

"Comfortable." Flor really wanted to chop a few times at Verdantia's head with her hand.

"Alright, I know you and the other three are quite excited. However, even if you decide to participate, you can't go to the frontlines."

"Frontlines?" Verdantia repeated, thoughtful. Flor looked at her with a gaze full of meaning.

"Do you think these arrogant merchants won't fight back when we sentence them? You know that, compared to other empires, our punishments are much harsher." She looked at a few documents and smiled coldly.

"Moreover, we already sent them a letter to stop doing what they are doing. So, the second chance is already given, yet not many decided to comply." Verdantia's eyes lit up.

"No wonder you delayed it so much while also secretly helping some of the victims. You are using Liu Shu's methods of a two-chance system so that no one, not even Liu'er, can say anything about how you handled it." Flor laughed.

"You are overthinking, love. Do you really think my baby would stop me if I wanted to deal with these people directly? I can bet with you whether or not her roots are itching for some action after staying silent for a whole year and acting so aloof." Verdantia giggled.

"No need to bet. I know my Liu'er as well as you do!" Flor clicked her tongue.

"You and the other three are always so possessive of Liu Shu. If I didn't understand that your possessiveness was not a harmful one, you would've placed me in a complicated position." Verdantia blinked innocently.

"I am just a little bit clingier. There is no need to exaggerate that much, right?" Flor ignored the woman who would probably hack anyone who dared say half a bad word to Liu Shu into minced meat. Instead, she focused on the matter at hand.

"Alright, of the 28 merchant fleets, 9 of them have acted over the line, received our warnings, and ignored them, further acting on their desires. Among these nine, there is naturally Darius's group. He is basically the leader of these nine, as they have all entered an alliance to face us." Verdantia nodded and looked at the documents she carried.

"That's a summary of their forces. In total, they are quite scary. They have 22 Star Lord-level powerhouses, with 5 at Level 190+. Then, they have over 700 <Sixth Energy Cycles>, all ranging between Level 150 and Level 170. The rest of their forces are in the thousands. Our numbers are a bit rough, with up to 20% variance. However, we can say for sure that they have around 15, 000 <Fifth Energy Cycles> in total." Flor nodded.

"If it wasn't because of these absurd numbers, would they have dared to act so rampant and unhinged? Even Cassian is hesitating on whether to act with Darius. Therefore, we must act before he decides to back them. Otherwise, the top-level powerhouses will escalate a lot." Verdantia nodded and asked, a bit worried.

"I know that our forces are not few. However, you are trying to subjugate them without the help of either Liu Shu or the Lignified Houses, right? Our forces are not few, but can we really face these numbers?"

"In a head-on battle?" Flor shook her head.

"We probably could somehow win thanks to our blessings. However, we would need to sacrifice too many people. It's not worth it, because after the battle, we might be targeted by others. At that time, if we were a place without Liu Shu or the Lignified babies, we would be done for." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Verdantia nodded, thoughtful. Then, she smiled.

"Even though you say that, you sound confident." Flor chuckled.

"Of course. We are not in a war but in a political battle. We hold the moral high ground, the high ground in regard to authority, and even enough reasons for action, with clear, previously attempted diplomatic attempts. If, after we make our move, they resist, then the other party can be crossed as straight-up invaders." Verdantia tilted her head.

"But Darius will resist, right? He won't just happily accept our punishment."

"Yes. You are right." Then, Flor flew over to the side, picked a few documents from the shelves, and gave them to Verdantia. After reading them, Verdantia's lips curved slowly.

"So we are cutting the roots instead of the trunk."

Meanwhile, Darius sat in his office, watching the profits pour in with a satisfied smile.

"How is the control over Sector 12 in Nualis?"

"We've managed to take over most of the important connections. Of course, we have yet to reach the top-level executives. Still, some of our people managed to reach a decent position." Darius pondered, curious.

"Have you discovered the reason for why we failed to bribe any top-tier influences?"

"Yes." The man beside him spoke calmly.

"All top-tier influences are extremely afraid of the Heavenly Willow. Each time we subtly hinted at bribery, they looked as if they saw a corrupted soul attempting to snatch their spirits and quickly changed the subject." Darius sighed, feeling a bit frustrated.

"Without top-tier influences, we can only try to set up some of our people and slowly climb the political ladder." He sneered.

"To think that anyone can climb as high as they want as long as they show talent. Is the Golden Sap Empire too idealistic or naive? I don't know." As he spoke, someone rushed over and quickly pushed open the doors.

"Lord Darius, bad news! We've lost contact with Sector 12 in Nualis."

"Lost contact?" Darius was startled.

"How could that be? There is a Level 180 guard over there. Who in this pitiful empire can face such an existence without causing a commotion?" As he asked, a woman rushed over as well.

"Lord Darius, this is bad! Sector 2 in Nualis has gone dark!" The first was a surprise, the second a premonition, and then…

"Lord Darius! Sector 4 has…"

"Lord Darius! Sector 6 has…" …It was a disaster. Darius's cobalt-colored eyes shook as he quickly stood up and reached out toward the communication devices. These devices were extremely advanced, able to connect extremely long distances in an instant.

"Carla, you are in Nualis's 9th Sector, right? Tell me what is happening over there!" The woman on the other end connected the call, but what answered him was not a woman but a man speaking calmly.

"Lord Darius, Sector 9 has lost control." Then the call cut out, leaving him baffled. A few moments later, he saw someone rushing over.

"Lord Darius, Sector 9 has had an accident!" A furious look appeared on his face.

"What is happening!? The sectors you all are speaking of each have a <Sixth Energy Cycle> guarding them! I even sent 3 Star Lord-level powerhouses, all Level 177!" Because Nualis was a much lower-level world than Ceperet, the forces there were not nearly as concentrated as those here.

In Nualis, Xalis stood above the half-dead Star Lord with a look of disdain.

"You lot want to cause trouble in Lady Heavenly Willow's territory? Have you asked us first? Weakling." The Level 177 on the ground spoke between bloody coughs.

"How… are you… cough… so strong?"

"Ignorant!" Xalis snorted, her hornet wings buzzing with disdain.

"I am blessed by Lady Heavenly Willow. If I can't even overwhelm someone below my Level after receiving her grace, I would offer myself as food for my newborn children!" Massively increases stats! Massively increased affinities and comprehension! Massively increased ternary essences and regeneration! Terrifying Aethermancy and Soulmancy strengthening! Absurd summoned creature enhancing and quantity boost! Impossibly profound temple blessings!

The absurd amounts of buffs that made Xalis lose control back in the conference room were not for show. When fighting someone at the same Level, Xalis and any other person with Liu Shu's buffs would be invincible! While she looked down, she received a message from Zerrek and Rhex.

"We've dealt with our sides. How are you doing over there?"

"A bunch of wingless bugs. Did you forget that you could fly to be so slow?" Xalis snorted, moving outside as hundreds of dead people littered the ground while dragging the Level 177 with her. Many lower-level hornets stood on the side with calm looks, their weapons dripping with blood. Zerrek and Rhex didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

'In the end, among all of us, Xalis seems to have become the fiercest follower of Lady Heavenly Willow.' How could she not? As a hornet, she placed a lot of importance on her progeny and combat strength. Liu Shu's buffs, which could be given to even newborns as they were extremely gentle energies, made Xalis delighted about the strength of her babies.

Having given birth to a batch of eggs not long ago, Xalis's loyalty toward Liu Shu has skyrocketed, becoming part of the central government and one of the key figures. With her Star Lord-level strength, now boosted by Liu Shu, she was without a doubt one of the strongest warriors in the entire Golden Sap Empire. As she dragged the Level 177, Xalis looked at her communication device and spoke.

"Lady Flor told us to return to Ceperet soon. I hope you didn't mess up and kill your targets." Rhex and Zerrek chuckled.

"Don't worry. We have also collected all the incriminating data as well."

"Let's return quickly then. This is just the first step." Xalis's wings buzzed with satisfaction this time. The low buzz made the Level 177 feel a hint of fear. Xalis's combat methods were truly too ruthless, and his missing arm and chewed-off stomach spoke volumes about it.