Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 84. Houses!

Liu Shu curiously looked at the fainted Sylvan. She had been looking at them for a while, even before Flor approached. To begin with, the reason Flor got close was because she informed her of their arrival. 

Similar to what happened with Cinderielle, Liu Shu couldn't help but look closely at Verdantia. Aesthetically, she was very pleasant to the World Tree. Her nature-like aura and voluptuous frame felt attractive. 

Although Liu Shu was a tree, she also had an aesthetic sense toward humanoid creatures. In the end, the reason Sylvans looked as they did was also because World Trees, their ancestors, had female-like silhouettes as the shape of their trunks. So, a World Tree could appreciate the female figure as much as any other creature.

It wasn't limited to that because, as a World Tree, she had the ability to discern beauty in almost any race with their own aesthetic sense—an evolutionary trait created to distinguish pleasant creatures from those unpleasant. 

Still, even though Verdantia was certainly beautiful, Liu Shu felt a deeper attraction, as if something inside Verdantia was calling her to get closer and telling her that she wouldn't regret it. 

Of course, she didn't listen to those inner thoughts, finding them strange and not suitable. 'I just got to know them… Who knows if they are trustworthy or not, hmph.' Liu Shu paused and looked at Cinderielle, who instantly turned her head in her direction and smiled prettily, dazzling Liu Shu. 'Why is she smiling when I look at her? Also… She fought really hard to defend me, didn't she?' 

Cinderielle approached and spoke, interrupting Liu Shu's thoughts. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Liu Shu looked at her confusedly. 'It hasn't even been a month!' However, because of Flor's suggestion, she didn't answer with her thoughts, but instead, like before, she sent a message with a meaning close to a "no."

Cinderielle blinked a few times and laughed. "Well, that's right, a few weeks is nothing for you, isn't it?" Looking around, she commented. "Either way… Wow, this place has changed a lot, hasn't it?" 

If the wall wasn't enough, inside the walls, it was completely different from the past. On the left area, extending for quite a large patch of land, there was a farm with a few plants growing that Cinderielle didn't know about. 

Between them, the place nearest to Liu Shu was filled with several growing roses, which she guessed were the descendants of the Rose Fairies. Flor noticed her gaze and commented. "That's where the young ones grow up to become fairies. The younglings have been quite active lately, and not only that, but they are becoming stronger with each generation that goes by."

Cinderielle had learned about their biology in class since Rose Fairies were a relatively common race that you could find in almost every forest with a warm temperature. However, she asked, curious to see if they were different. "So… How long does it take for a Rose Fairy to grow?"

Flor shrugged. "I don't know."

Cinderielle blinked. "What do you mean?"

Flor smiled. "It changes depending on too many factors, but it can take between one month to one year. So, giving an estimated time frame makes little sense. We just take care of them until they bloom."

Cinderielle looked at the nearly forty flowers and asked. "Are there any that you've seeded?" 

Flor shook her head. "I won't seed any, probably. First of all, I am a bit old, so I don't know if I even can fertilize seeds. Second of all, I don't really know which plant in the surroundings would even be able to help me fertilize my seeds." 

The Fire Sylvan asked. "Does it have to be a plant?"

Flor looked at Cinderielle with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

Cinderielle looked at Flor's female form and asked. "Can you get impregnated like a human female?"

Flor tilted her head. "Impregnated? Like, a male giving me his seed?" 

Cinderielle nodded, and Flor laughed. "Well…" Without caring much, Flor stripped off her clothes, revealing her naked body. Cinderielle didn't look away or become embarrassed. After all, Flor was the size of her calf, so there were no impure thoughts that could appear for her. Moreover, while Flor looked mostly human, her ruby-like eyes, not in a figurative sense, were a reminder of Flor's monster nature.

Looking at Flor's naked body, Cinderielle was surprised to see the lack of actual genitals. For example, While Flor had breasts, there were no nipples. And on the waist part, the place where the female organs should be, instead, there was a slit that didn't appear like a vagina. 

Flor pointed at that slit and said. "We generate seeds here when we are in season, and then, we use the pollen of a plant to fertilize the seeds. Those seeds are planted in the ground, and later on, they grow into pretty roses. The roses grow the fairy in their flower head, and when the fairy matures, the rose opens and lets the fairy out." 

Cinderielle asked. "Seasons, eh? What do you do with the seeds that were not pollinated?" 

Flor commented. "We used them as fertilizer since they are rich in nutrients. We process them, but, in short, we just throw them into the rose garden and let the young ones feed on them." 

Cinderielle was fascinated. "And, yours are not better than others? You know, for being a high-level Rose Fairy." 

Flor pondered as she placed the leafy clothes on her body again. "I wonder. The ones I placed last year were a bit better than the seeds from the rest since I was Level 10. However, I have yet to create a seed after my transformation into a queen. So, I can't really say."

Cinderielle nodded. "I see. Quite interesting."

Verdantia's voice reached them from the side. "Indeed."

Cinderielle jumped in fright and turned around. "Woah! Y-You, can you not be so sneaky!? I almost took roots out of fear!" 

Verdantia snorted while patting her dress to clean the dust and dirt that got onto her after she fainted. "If that's enough to scare you, you lack training."

Cinderielle's eyebrow twitched and retorted back grumpily. "At least I didn't faint in the presence of Liu Shu."

Verdantia looked at her coldly, but the expression was completely ruined by the very clearly red cheeks. "S-Shut up."

Verdantia felt Liu Shu's gaze on her again, but this time, she tried to control herself from becoming too excited. She turned toward the being made of pure natural energies and couldn't help but gulp. 

Others could feel a deep presence, but as a Sylvan attuned to Life, Liu Shu was everywhere. The ground, the walls, the farmland, the air, and deep in the ground. The Life energy created by the World Tree spread like an all-encompassing net of energies. 

It was a marvelous sight. 

In Fortuna City, Verdantia lacked the ability to discern Fortuna's World Tree's Life aura because it was just too strong. 

Like a human looking at the ocean from the shore and trying to discern its shape. 

This naturally didn't happen with Liu Shu. She was a Level 4 being, and while strong, she was not outside of Verdantia's detection range. 

'No wonder Sylvans go crazy for World Trees.' 

Verdantia was confused because she hadn't been around World Trees often. When she was little, her mother took her to other cities with World Trees, but since she was too young, there was no impression other than "big" and "pretty." 

Unlike what she was currently thinking, the aura of a World Tree was individual. It changed as much as appearances changed on other creatures. So, in terms of World Tree beauty standards, Liu Shu could be considered top-notch.

Cinderielle remembered what she wanted to ask after being distracted by how Rose Fairies reproduced. "Right, what's all of this about? I can see a house. Tree? A house tree? Over there as well."

Verdantia looked at where Cinderielle was pointing and asked. "Aren't those the house for the Rose Fairies?" 

Cinderielle shook her head. "They weren't here last time I visited." 

Flor commented calmly. "Liu Shu is building a town. That over there is the residential area. You can see the foundation done over there for other structures as well." 

The girls couldn't help but marvel. Verdantia was confused after being surprised as she remembered something. "Wait, she is building it? Liu Shu herself?"

Flor nodded. "Yes, any problems with that?" 

Verdantia tilted her head. "Not exactly a problem, but… World Trees building anything at all is rare. Usually, the people that discover them build cities around them…"

Flor blinked and asked. "Really? Until now, Liu Shu has been the one building the city and creating the equipment." 

Verdantia remembered Cinderielle mentioning it. "Right, those medallions or something like that?"

While they were speaking, someone approached and called them. 

"Oh? Cinder!" 

Cinderielle looked at the person leaving one of the tree houses with a raised eyebrow. "Ariel?" 

Ariel, the caravan merchant, smirked. "Hey, it has been a while." 

Cinderielle nodded, and Verdantia asked with a whisper. "Is she the human merchant you spoke about?"

Cinderielle nodded faintly. During their discussions, Cinderielle eventually recounted her entire journey to Verdantia, so she was knowledgeable about what had happened. The only thing that Cinderielle failed to say to her was how Cinderielle and Flor fought. 

Inside, Cinderielle was expecting Flor to fight Verdantia like she did with her, which sadly didn't happen.

"So, what are you doing here? Also, why did you come out of that house?"

Ariel giggled. "What? Jealous? Sorry, Cinder, but I just couldn't resist testing the furniture~." 

Cinderielle frowned. "You didn't do anything strange while inside, right?"

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I don't want a certain Fairy Queen to slice me in little pieces." 

Flor made a snorting sound at the side. Ariel laughed and then said. "Anyways, I was here to deliver the materials the World Tree needed. We managed to buy everything, after all." 

Cinderielle nodded, and Ariel turned her head to look at Verdantia. She walked forward and extended her hand while looking up at the tall Sylvan. "Hello, miss. I'm Ariel, from the [Sunflower Caravan]. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Verdantia grabbed her hand and nodded. "My name is Verdantia Liferoot, Cinderielle's classmate." 

Ariel nodded and looked at Flor. "Well, that was a nice nap. Those houses are really comfy." 

Flor accepted her words with a small smile. "I'm glad you liked them. Where are the other three?" 

Ariel giggled. "Still sleeping, as I said, the beds are really comfy. They smell fresh, they are cool but not cold, and they are very soft and comfortable. It's really something." 

Verdantia asked. "How many people can they house each?"

Flor commented. "Human-sized people, around four or five? It depends on whether there are couples that don't mind sharing a bed, but it has four sleeping rooms, one living room, one kitchen, three bathrooms, two communal and one in the main bedroom, a basement, an attic, and a small garden." 

Cinderielle asked. "Where does the waste go?"

Ariel blinked a few times and realized. "Right, there aren't sewers, right?" 

Flor tilted her head. "They naturally go into the earth and are processed by nature to become fertilizer." 

Ariel frowned. "Won't that create a bad smell?" 

Flor was puzzled. "What smell could there be? Everything is digested by the earth." Flor clarified. "I mean, around 60% of the fertilizer we usually use to feed Liu Shu and our little ones is made of animal deposits. If there were no creatures around to eat the waste, I wouldn't say anything, but Liu Shu can process everything without problems at all." 

Ariel looked at the World Tree and scratched her cheek. "I see." 

Verdantia commented. "Don't be so surprised. Have you ever smelled anything bad in a World Tree's domain? They are purifying creatures above everything, so they can naturally dispose of waste easily."