Chapter 135. Golden Sap Town Progress.

After Leveling Up to Level 12, Liu Shu was left with almost no Accumulated Experience Points. Therefore, her quick Level Up was stunted for a while. This was not bad because Liu Shu had grown a lot during the Level Ups, gaining a massive stat boost. 

Even when a World Tree's innate ability to control their body was superb, they still needed time to get used to their strength boosts when they were too large. 

Liu Shu has gone from Level 8 to Level 12 in a relatively short time. Therefore, she was now exploring her actual reach and limits. 

For that, the best way was to expand her roots.

'After the integration of the Golden Sap Forest, I can feel my surroundings much more clearly. It feels like I have a new <World Tree Eye>.' 

Integrating the forest was incredibly rewarding for Liu Shu. There were no stat boosts or titles yet because she had only integrated part of the entire forest, only as far as her roots reached. So, from the 4,000 hectares that the Golden Sap Forest occupied, Liu Shu was still developing a root net to swallow everything.

For now, how far her roots could spread was unclear to Liu Shu. 'Let's focus on spreading my roots. Once the entire forest beyond the grove becomes my domain, it will be much easier to control. After all, my <World Tree Eye> will be able to reach everywhere.'

For one month straight, Liu Shu focused on just that, expanding. Her roots accelerated and moved through the ground, reaching further and deeper, creating a complex and sturdy root system.

After she became Level 12, no other tree in this forest had enough strength to fight her. Moreover, thanks to Liu Shu's <Enchanted Growth> reaching all around her, the wish to resist was null for all trees. Instead, they all welcomed the creature that was taking control of the forest.

From 500 to 1000 meters in radius, and yet, she could still go on. There was no strain in her roots. The enormous mine under her was also filled with roots. She even reached Ignatia's nest and covered its walls.

Ignatia woke up and saw the World Trees roots covering everything in her main chamber. "Liu Shu, are these roots yours?"

A powerful yet gentle and soothing voice spread in Ignatia's room. "Good morning, Ignatia. And, yes, they are mine." 

Looking at the energy flowing through them, Ignatia couldn't help but mutter in awe. "So much mana…" Looking around her and taking in a deep breath, she could feel her mind feeling refreshed. 

Ignatia smiled. 'Just Level 12, and the effects are already like this. Indeed, my choice was not wrong. Moreover, I got a cute little darling to take care of~. Speaking of which… Where is she?'

Ignatia stretched and walked through the tunnels her children had built. "By the way, Liu Shu."

Knowing of the everpresent eyes of the World Tree, Ignatia just spoke to the air. As expected, a few minutes later, the World Tree's voice reached her. "What's wrong, Ignatia?" 

Ignatia asked. "My colony will probably create deeper and more complex tunnels as we grow in size. Do you mind moving out of our digging paths when that happens? You can surround our tunnels, but free and clean tunnels are quite essential for our colony to function perfectly."

Liu Shu giggled. "No problem, Ignatia! Your children walking on my roots feels ticklish and nice. Tell them to gently nibble my root when they want me to move out of the way, I'll be attentive."

Ignatia smiled. "Okay, Liu Shu. We'll do so. Thank you."

"No problem~. You and your children are protecting me, so I want you to be comfortable!" 

Ignatia felt her heart soften. "We will protect you, Liu Shu. Next time, we will be strong enough, I promise."

"Okay~!" 

Feeling the World Tree's presence become thin again, the Ant Queen laughed. "She is so adorable, really. The cutest World Tree ever? Perhaps~." 

She reached the brood chamber quickly and looked at the newly born ants. "Very nice~ there are a few D- Rank ants. Most of them are in the E Rank and…" Ignatia frowned. "There are batches of F Rank still appearing. Am I not eating enough? I think I should be eating enough, right…?"

Looking at it with a worried look, she picked an F+ Rank larva in her arms and kissed it. The plump white larva was bigger than a newborn child. "Why have you been born so weak, darling? Were your siblings greedy and stole some of your nutrients inside mommy's abdomen?"

Ignatia felt a bit distressed for her F Rank children. The weakest ones, taking her skills into account, should be E- Rank. 

A worker ant approached, communicating with Ignatia through pheromones. 'Queen Mother, don't be sad. They will work for the colony as well as the rest.'

Ignatia sighed. "I don't doubt that, but I feel a bit bad. After all, an F Rank ant has a shorter lifespan compared to the rest… Ugh, my little darling is so unfortunate."

The worker ant had very limited intelligence, so she didn't know what to do to console her Queen Mother. In an effort to cheer her up, she approached and crawled around her. She was around 1 meter long, so crawling around Ignatia was a bit complicated, but her intentions to console Ignatia were clear. 

Ignatia felt her motherly love burst, and she smiled softly, hugging the worker ant. "Oh, darling. Don't worry so much; you know how Mommy just loves all of you so much. So, I'll be a bit sad if one of you dies…" 

When she remembered the ant massacres that happened while protecting Liu Shu, her heart was a bit torn. However, Liu Shu was basically their home, and lately, Ignatia has also taken Liu Shu as another one of her children. So, she didn't regret it. Even if she went back in time, her decisions would have not changed that much. 

The worker ant, a bit frustrated, said again. 'Working for the colony and Queen Mother is our joy. We are happy.'

Ignatia laughed, rubbing her face with the hard carapace of the ant. "I know, darling. I know. And my joy is being able to see all of you become stronger and growing. Mommy will work hard to give all of you a safe place to live in this hostile world." 

Ignatia's eyes became determined as imagery of the destruction of the colonies from past Ant Queens flashed in her mind. The anguish and wrath those Ant Queens felt during that time gave origin to <Ant Queen's Legacy> in the first place, her source of knowledge. "This time, I will do it. Better than ever." 

All the ants in the nest could feel their Queen Mother's determination, which pushed them to work beyond exhaustion. Only when they couldn't move their legs would ants rest. Tireless, coordinated, single-minded, and fearless. 

The hidden power of an ant colony was bottomless. 

Flor looked at the Rose Fairy Garden with a serious face. Behind her, her wings gently buzzed as they moved, and her countenance had become much more healthy. 

Her lost arm and leg had also regrown, and her stats had regained their peak. 

Seeing their Queen completely recovered filled the Rose Fairies with joy, motivation, and strength to carry on forward and become stronger than ever. During the invasion, they lost almost 70% of their numbers, so they were focusing on creating new Rose Fairies. Even Flor had been thinking about doing what she thought she would never do. 

Amapola approached and said. "Good news, Queen. Our new Rose Fairies are all E- Rank and E Rank thanks to Liu Shu's <Enchanted Growth>. Not only us but the flora in the forest is evolving. We've seen many more E Rank materials and plants appearing." 

Flor nodded. "What about our numbers?" 

Amapola smiled. "Well, we've all been contributing, so the numbers are growing quickly. Thanks to the abundance of resources and Liu Shu's dominant presence, deaths in the wild have also become much more infrequent. Then, with the farmland that Liu Shu has developed, we can feed everyone relatively easily."

Amapola then frowned. "The problem is the new arrivals to the <Golden Sap Forest>. There are a lot of new people coming to investigate the surroundings. We've scared a few of them using strong intimidation and killing as little as possible like you ordered." 

Flor asked. "How about the fauna? Are they keeping up with the progress the plants are going through?"

Amapola commented in a conflicted manner. "While it's not comparable, they are much stronger than before. The number of wild Level 10 beasts and above is growing by the day. Those that were stuck at Level 9 seem to be having an easier time becoming Level 10." 

The Rose Fairy Queen smiled. "That's good."

Amapola blinked. "Is it?"

Flor nodded. "I heard from a few Explorers that <Golden Sap Forest> has been classified as a Level 10 to 15 area. If the beasts around wouldn't be able to keep up, then we would need to be the ones to fight them off. If we let people enter and explore at will, discovering Liu Shu's town is a matter of time. Integration or not, until we are able to face the World publicly, we are a rogue settlement." 

Amapola blinked a few times. "Queen, you've become a bit different." 

Flor tilted her head and looked at Amapola. "Have I?"

Amapola nodded and answered, struggling with words. "How to say it… You are more… 'Ohhh!' more, hum…" 

"Dignified?"

Amapola pointed at the person who said it. "That! That's the word!"

Looking over, they saw Ignatia walking over with a teasing smile, making Flor flinch. "W-What are you doing here, Ignatia?"

The Ant Queen laughed. "Well~, I am here to visit my precious Rose Fairy Queen~." 

Amapola giggled. "So that's why you are hesitating~, Queen Flor, good luck!" 

Ignatia's antennae bounced, showing confusion. "Hesitating about what?"

Flor paced around the air for a bit and then flew down, landing on Ignatia's shoulder. "Ignatia…"

The Ant Queen looked sideways, tilting her head. "Yes?"

Flor muttered. "You see, our numbers are quite low, right? So, um, I wanted to contribute a few seeds to the Rose Fairy Garden. Perhaps my seeds are stronger because of my titles…"

Ignatia realized and laughed. "That's why you've had that struggling face during the last weeks?"

Flor pouted. "Why are you laughing? Perhaps you will be upset or something."

Ignatia smiled. "Why would I be upset?"

Flor tilted her head. "I don't know. It feels like that's the correct way to think about it, somehow."

Ignatia asked. "Do you feel upset about me laying eggs?"

Flor shook her head, and Ignatia laughed. "Then, why would I feel upset about you germinating seeds?" 

Flor stood there, stupefied. Then, she rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "I don't know… Sigh. This thing is really complicated. I don't understand it."

Ignatia's expression softened, and she gave Flor a small kiss on the cheek. "Don't overthink it. There is nothing for you to change. Just be yourself and ask me when you have doubts." 

Meanwhile, Liu Shu reached a zone in the Golden Sap Forest that surprised her. 'A Lake… and… Huh? Willow Trees?'