Chương 803: Dungeons and Lovers.

After sending everyone back, Liu Shu sighed in relief. From now on, the envoy matter was mostly done. Both sides had the information needed, and with her blessings applied, some, if not many of them, will slowly drift to her side. She never expected to get the Verdant Elder, but perhaps one or two of the archbishops wouldn't be too much to ask for.

'And if I can't, there is nothing to lose.'

"Alright, the next part of my path is probably the hardest one. Expansion." From now on, Liu Shu would need to reach to nearby Solar Systems and take them over without creating outrage. Due to the general atmosphere in the galaxy, actions of conquest were marked as disruptive as long as the population was not affected. It was similar to the system Liu Shu was currently implementing in her Golden Sap Empire.

She allowed some cities and smaller countries to fight each other, but the condition was to not bother civilians. The second civilians were maliciously added in the conflict, Liu Shu's ants and local forces would swarm the place and take down whoever did it. For now, there have not been previous cases because the Golden Sap Empire was relatively young.

Moreover, with all the lifespan and health benefits Liu Shu passively gave her entire population, those who were there when Liu Shu conquered Ceperet still lived as elders. Taro was a good example; he was a human over 200 years old, and while he had white hair, only the corner of his eyes were faintly wrinkled. He looked like a healthy 60-year-old. Moreover, as Liu Shu's comprehension buffs increased, Taro naturally grew daily and was able to reach the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, further increasing his lifespan.

She still recalled speaking with him and the man laughing.

"At this rate, you'll drag me to live forever, Liu Shu." He didn't feel tired or like Liu Shu was stretching his deathbed. He had never been a man with much military ambition, as he had been someone of low talent whose intelligence pushed him to the very top. So, living one extra year was a welcome change for him, who initially thought he would not live past 150 years.

"Thalgryn, Delia, Taro, and those other leaders I met in my initial years are all still there. They are now part of her government and working with gusto and luxury. Not because Liu Shu favored them, but because they earned it. Delia's daughter, the child who was kidnapped and Liu Shu saved, had now grown into a charming young Sylvan woman and was slowly taking over her mother's position. At Level 200, with her new overwhelmingly strong <Stats>, Liu Shu could sweep everything with relative ease.

'Among all my stats, my Willpower almost went up by four times.' Moreover, checking her new System Page in detail, there were many new % <Stat> boosts. Her peak and base <Stats> were now higher than before.

"It's quite… ridiculous." But what she needed to do now as a priority, other than moving her Avatar to soothe her lovers, was to create the new <Dungeon>. The many destroyed starships from the war, which had slowly frozen over during the last few years of aimlessly floating in space, had already been gathered not very far from Ceperet. The movement had been slow and methodical, but Liu Shu and Wisdom had completely cleaned up the battlefield from back then, leaving only what was needed for the new <Dungeon>.

"Also, I might need to upgrade the <Eternal Trial Domain> soon." Having swept her own empire, Liu Shu noticed that the number of Level 200s was increasing quite rapidly. During the last eight years, Apothea had begun working in helping creatures <Ascend>. These people would naturally move their gazes to the palace where the most experience was given—Aionthra's dungeon instance. Liu Shu sighed.

'Even when I know that she is meant to be defeated as a Dungeon BOSS, I really don't want her to be defeated.' She had grown incredibly attached to her baby, and just imagining her being defeated made Liu Shu's body feel unwell. Even when she knew that she would resurrect, the pain of death didn't magically disappear. For example, the Dungeon BOSS she cursed back then into the low-level <Dungeon> was not very well. The reason was that her <Dungeon> was popular, and Liu Shu completely disregarded her in every way.

Of course, you had the opposite example of the Earth Dragon Ekaruun. That one was quite delighted to fight all challengers, and when he was defeated, there was a sense of both satisfaction and will to improve. Honestly, he had become quite an infamous Dungeon BOSS due to the ridiculous difficulty.

"The other thing is the Level limit." A Level 100 couldn't enter a Level 10 <Dungeon>. The <Dungeon>'s space was not equipped with enough to bear the force of such beings. From what Liu Shu had seen, an <Ascension> was even too much to enter… unless the difficulty was very great. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. So, for Aionthra's dungeon, all beings below Level 220 could participate.

The trick was that the maximum of <Second Ascension> powerhouses participating would be one talented or two average at best.

"It's a bit confusing when you explain it like this." [Dungeon System: The gist of it is that to enter a <Dungeon>, the challenge must be at least above the minimum difficulty you set.] Liu Shu blinked as things finally clicked.

"So, if the person who enters is classified as having an <Easy> time in the dungeon, but the minimum difficulty is <Normal>, they won't be able to enter. The same is true of the maximum difficulty. If someone who enters would have a <Sylvan Crucible> level of struggle, but the maximum difficulty is <Hard> level, they can't enter." [Dungeon System: That's correct.] Liu Shu, after so long, finally understood it fully. She was a bit resentful.

"You could've explained it this way since the beginning! Instead, you always gave me level, tier, and skill differences and such! It was so confusing." [Dungeon System: … Would you like to create the new <Dungeon> through your new <Feat>?]"I do. But this time, I won't go into as much detail as I did with the <Eternal Trial Domain>." The reasoning for her choice was the potential. While her war with Rhazor was impressive, it was, at the end of the day, a Level 200 feat.

She couldn't really escalate the <Dungeon> to accommodate Level 300s. With that in mind, Liu Shu pondered what the challengers needed to do. Above all, she pondered whether to create a supermassive scale <Dungeon>.

'The highest number of participants in a <Dungeon> changes its scale. So, if I create it for a few hundred people to clear together, it can become a big source of both Experience Points and Equipment.'

Dungeon Name: - Current Status: Closed. Dungeon Level: 190~250. Difficulty Rating: Thornbound~Sylvan Crucible. (Difficulties: Sproutling, Easy, Normal, Thornbound, Hard, Sylvan Crucible, World Heart Epic, Corrupt Nightmare, and World Tree Withering). Number Of Floors: 1 Dungeon Reputation: None. Dungeon Alignments: Wrath, Pride. Dungeon Theme: Supermassive Space War. Dungeon Type: Horde Slaying and Tactical Deployment. Boss Character Sheet: - Unique Traits: - Adventurer Log (Click to Expand).

This was a good beginning for what she wanted to create. The problem was the BOSS Monster… or monsters. She was hesitating here. Her eyes lingered and moved toward her <Tickets>, but a moment later, she shook her head.

"Let's wait for a bit. There is no rush to complete it." Instead, because the scale was so large, Liu Shu would develop the storyline, missions, and side quests.

'I can even add some <Astraelis> nests where the divers can gain boosts or companions by completing difficult side-quests.' So, Liu Shu took her time, leaving the BOSS monster slots vacant for now. With her current ability to multitask, she could divide her attention to other things even while constructing the <Dungeon>. She had many buffs, but the <Ingenuity Touched> buff was one of the most helpful. It made constructing a <Dungeon> something akin to a second nature.

"Also, adding the Level 199s as participants, it might become a place for people without access to Apothea to complete their <Second Ascension>." With this on course, Liu Shu finally let go and relaxed, pouring quite a lot of her focus onto her Avatar. The Avatar, who had been in low maintenance but acting properly, suddenly became more spirited and blinked a few times. The Sylvans around her were quick to notice the difference.

"Oh, are you placing your main will here, love?" Liu Shu blinked her big, adorable eyes and then pouted.

"What do you mean, main will? Everything is me! I just can't pour my entire self into this tiny vessel, can I?" Verdantia hugged her with a laugh.

"Alright, I misspoke. I am just happy that you've become a bit more spirited." Hearing that, Liu Shu was curious.

"Is it really that big of a difference?" Cinderielle, picking a crunchy snack and biting it, answered after gulping it down.

"Not that much. To be honest, no one other than us realizes. We are just a bit more sensitive." Tempestria chuckled.

"Right, how can you explain it…?" Obsidianis spoke up.

"Her eyes look more lively?" Tempestria nodded.

"That's it. When you are focusing on other things, the Avatar acts exactly the same, but the light in your eyes is somewhat dimmer." Hearing that all of them could tell, Liu Shu felt a bit uncomfortable. She asked, cautious.

"Do you… mind?" Seraphina grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"We don't. The difference is not that big. As Obsidianis explained, it is more of that lively spark in your eyes than anything else. Do not mind it." Liu Shu glanced at her silver eyes, and seeing them honest, Liu Shu nodded and smiled.

"Then, I am glad." Harmonixia spoke up, her tone faintly teasing.

"Still, making contact so easily… Seraphina, you've truly managed to worm yourself into our Liu Shu's heart, haven't you?" Liu Shu immediately blushed, somewhat flustered and a bit shy. After that time when they talked everything out, Liu Shu was also given a tactical approval by her lovers, so the feelings of guilt disappeared for the most part. Of course, she was not so easy as to jump into their arms straight away. However, their relationships have grown quite deep over time.

Seraphina answered with a faint smile.

"What can I do? Liu Shu is just too charming to let go." Cinderielle smirked.

"Still, other than interlocking hands and hugging, you've done nothing else yet, right?" She gave Obsidianis a side-eye.

"I didn't expect much from Seraphina, since she is more steady, but I didn't expect you to be so… proper." The one eye that Obsidianis's bangs were not covering rolled gently.

"Where can I sneak intimacy? You lot are like fairies guarding their favorite flower." The Sylvans began bickering with each other in a friendly manner, and Liu Shu bit her snacks with a happy smile.

'I am glad that they are getting along…' Still, when she recalled Cinderielle's words, her eyes couldn't help but gravitate toward Seraphina's soft lips. A strange thirst appeared as she reached out to gulp down the tea on the table.