Chapter 253. Flor's Peaceful Month and Return.

Author Note: Sorry for the delay, dears. The scheduling didn't work!

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After Flor got somewhat accustomed to her new self, she flew outside and went straight toward Liu Shu. While flying toward her, she couldn't help but observe the gargantuan World Tree. 'Isn't she growing too fast? She should already be over 200 meters in height…' Flor noticed that not only was Liu Shu larger, but every single tree structure was growing with her. 

"What Level are you trying to reach, Liu Shu? You haven't decided to become Level 25 already, right?"

As she was right now, Flor could be said to have strength equal to Liu Shu's. In terms of raw stats, she was already over the World Tree's stats. So, she wanted to brag about becoming stronger than Liu Shu once more. "But if you are Leveling Up to Level 25… Tsk, tsk, all my ideas are for naught!"

She sighed and finally reached the base of the World Tree. Then, she angled her flight path and rushed upward, stopping around the middle area. "Hello!" 

The Arboreal Winged Serpent, acting as Liu Shu's bra, lazily looked over. "Hiss~."

Even her tone was one of pure comfort, making Flor feel amused. "Is it that comfortable to be like that?"

The serpent snuggled between Liu Shu's breasts, squinting in delight. Their anatomies were so well-matched that it was as if the Arboreal Winged Serpent had been designed to embrace Liu Shu. Moreover, while Liu Shu was quite solid, as she had said before, the breast area's wood was slightly elastic and soft, perfectly matching the serpent's bark-like skin.

Beyond the simple physical similarities, a World Tree's ternary essences were profound and full of life, which resonated with creatures such as Arboreal Winged Serpents or Rose Fairies. Being in close proximity to the World Tree was like being at home.

Flor approached and patted the Serpent's gigantic head. "Well, continue resting. I am going to check Liu Shu's canopy and make sure there are no parasitic bugs." 

The Serpent blinked and nodded. Then, it closed its eyes and continued enjoying the moment.

After reaching the canopy, Flor looked around and couldn't help but sigh in awe. The World Tree's canopy was dense but thin enough to allow some sun rays to pass through. A comfortable shadow and breeze hit her body, and overall, Liu Shu's energy was abundant here, making her feel as if Liu Shu was embracing her.

Beyond that, Flor's new physique allowed her to connect with the World Tree and the energy at a much deeper level. The currents of pure energy that she could actually see filled her gaze, showing incredibly complex energy manipulation Flor could only dream of having.

She flew and sat on one of the larger branches. It was so thick that she would be able to run around without problems and never fall. Once there, she sat cross-legged and took a deep breath. The soft but prevalent scent of the World Tree filled her nostrils, making her release a pleasant sigh. She couldn't help but smirk. "Tsk, tsk. She really smells nice, eh? Well… There are so many flowers in her canopy that it would be much stranger if there was no scent."

Flor extended her hand and looked at its flow. "So… This is all the Aether Mana Types that Liu Shu can manipulate… Although, there is one that's very… fuzzy? I can't perceive anything else than it's… shadow."

She looked at her own title and was a bit confused. "Why can't I detect this one? It says that I can manipulate all the energies Liu Shu can, right? Is there something special about this last one?" After pondering for a few moments, she shook her head. "Trying to think about it is useless. I am not informed enough."

With that in mind, Flor moved on to start to control these energies. While she was accustomed to her own strength, she was completely new to the energies that Liu Shu manipulated. If she battled right there and then, she would be able to use her physique at most for the fight. Trying to cast any spell would result in more problems for herself than her enemy.

For the next month, Flor stayed in Liu Shu's canopy, trying to harmonize with the World Tree and understand the essence of the Aether Mana types surrounding her.

A month was neither long nor short to grasp the basics. Still, with Flor's current ability to comprehend things, she was able to do so. Flor pointed forward and shot a thin beam of light that hit a falling leaf, burning it. She hummed and looked at her hands. "That's better than nothing. However, it is so basic that the System has not yet recognized it as a skill.

Looking at her skills, Flor was honestly a bit overwhelmed. If her titles had changed a bit due to her transformation, her skills had been utterly altered to the point of no recognition whatsoever. 

"Well, the conflict Ignatia told me about didn't seem to be something too important. If she needed me, she would come and check on me, right?" Flor blinked twice and scratched her head. "...Right?"

Thinking about how Ignatia was often trying to take most of the burden by herself, Flor hesitated on the statement she had just made. "... I should go and check, just in case."

With that in mind, Flor flew down and was stunned to see the serpent in the exact same position as one month before. As Liu Shu grew, though, the wings that previously covered the entirety of the World Tree's breasts were starting to feel a bit… tight. Her eyebrows twitched. "Hey… Are you okay? You are totally squished in between Liu Shu's… Buns."

The Serpent opened its eyes languidly and looked over with such a slow motion that Flor debated whether it was awake or not. The Serpent then nodded once before closing its eyes again. Flor could feel a drop of cold sweat slide down her temple. "As long as you are fine…"

Then, she flew down and reached the <Town Hall>. "Woah… So many people."

The streets around the <Town Hall> were full of people due to the high amount of shops and other services provided in the street. Once Flor arrived, many couldn't help but look over and be confused. 

While Flor's face hadn't changed much, the difference between her previous and current self was tremendous. First of all, her wings were different from all other Rose Fairies. Rose Faires had leafy green wings, red hair, and red eyes with pearly white skin. They were all cute, and their height was between 20 and 25 centimeters. 

Everyone knew about Flor and Amapola being the larger fairies. But size aside, they looked like a giant Rose Fairy. 

Looking at the sixty-centimeter tall Flower Fairy, many were stunned at both her youthful beauty and her gorgeous and large transparent wings. One child pointed and said to her mother. "Mommy! Look! A super pretty fairy!"

The woman smiled and agreed. "Indeed. She is probably the prettiest fairy we've seen in the town, right?"

The young child nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes! She is so pretty! Can I have one?"

The mother's face spasmed, and she quickly apologized to Flor. "I am so sorry about that!"

Flor laughed slightly, having heard their exchange, and she flew over. "Don't worry, madam. Children's curiosity is a gift of their intelligence. It is not something to be snuffed out, but something to water, nourish, and let grow." 

The child extended one of her chubby hands and patted Flor's head. "You are very cute, Miss Fairy!"

Flor smiled. "Oh? Am I? Thanks a lot, darling. You are also adorable!"

The mother was a bit tense, but seeing Flor smile and laugh with her child, she relaxed and felt a smile creeping up on her face as well. 'This place is really good for children due to the fairies' existence. Their presence is quite good as well, and I have yet to hear a single bad word about them.'

The doors of the <Town Hall> opened. When the people around saw who it was, many sighed in awe. While the creature was petite, she had the respect of everyone. The Rose Fairy Queen looked around and quickly spotted Flor playing with a child. 

Her face was tense at first because she didn't recognize Flor. However, when she saw Flor smile while playing with the child, Flor's previous face and her current one overlapped, making her sure that this was indeed Flor. After all, Amapola has been raised by Flor, so she saw that expression many times during her young life.

"Lady Flor!" 

Amapola flew over while calling her. When the mother heard the Rose Fairy Queen's way of calling the beautiful fairy that her daughter was playing with, her eyes widened to their limits. 'FLOR!? ISN'T THIS THE PREVIOUS ROSE FAIRY QUEEN!?'

The mother looked at how her child was pulling Flor's hair and almost had a heart attack. 'Branches above, thank you for making these fairies so gentle and easygoing!'

Flor saw the mother's myriad of expressions when Amapola called her and almost burst into laughter. She said a few words to relax her. "Don't worry, we fairies love to play with children. I am no exception."

"M-Many thanks, Your Majesty!"

Flor shook her head. "No need for titles; Amapola here is the real Queen."

Amapola looked up at Flor with glittering eyes. "Lady Flor, what happened!? Why do you look like this? Even I can feel a regal aura from you that makes me want to follow you."

"Let's talk inside." Flor waved to the child and left with Amapola.

When she crossed the doors, the people outside burst into discussion. 

"That was Lady Flor!? She has changed so much!"

"Right? I didn't recognize her at all!"

"Even if she has changed in appearance, she continues to be the gentle fairy she was in the past. This is not the first time I've seen her playing with children."

"Really? I am honestly confused. Why were Explorers hunting Rose Fairies in the past if they are so gentle?"

"Ah, don't be confused. The Rose Fairies here have received the blessing of Lady World Tree, increasing their intelligence. Those outside continue to be somewhat savage. Of course, even Explorers rarely interfere with them because of their tame nature."

Meanwhile, Amapola guided Flor to a conference room. Inside, Flor saw Wert, Ignatia, the three Sylvans, and other leaders of the city who were aware of many secrets. In total, there were around 15 people.

Wert looked at Flor and raised his eyebrow. "Ho? It seems that you've had a major breakthrough, Flor."

Flor smiled back. "You've also had a few. I can sense that you are much stronger than before."

Wert grinned. "Well, I reached quite a high level after the War, like most of us."

Flor nodded and looked at the three Sylvans with a smile. "You three continue to surprise me."

Verdantia smiled gently, taking a sip of a calming tea. "I throw those words straight back to you. Who was the one that was going to die soon? I can feel your body being full of vitality."

Flor scratched her head. "Can you blame me for thinking like that? I was starting to genuinely become old!" 

Cinderielle leaned on the palm of her hand and smirked. "Well, it seems that you will continue governing this place for many more years, Flor."

Flor paused, and her eyes widened. She landed on the table and stated. "I refuse! You will become my successors starting today!"

Tempestria sighed. "I would if I could, really. However, lately, I have had a bit of a backache. You know, I've been moving these stacks of papers here and there. I feel like a mule or something. How about you take over while I recover?"

Flor shouted. "Shameless! Can't you at least think of a better excuse!?"

The others burst into laughter, and Ignatia spoke. "You come right in time. We are thinking about how to attack these places that surround us to gain a bit more control."

Flor frowned. "Attack?" 

Wert nodded with a wry smile. "We don't know why, but Liu Shu has been a bit ruthless lately." 

Flor was startled, and her face became more serious. "Tell me more about it."