Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

With Liu Shu back, Flor didn't waste time. While there were no large problems, they were basically stuck because only Liu Shu could build buildings in the area. Therefore, while many people wanted to settle down, there was literally no living space. 

"Camelia!" 

The Rose Fairy waiting outside entered the room and asked. "What are your orders, Queen Flor?"

Flor said with a severe expression. "Go and call the top-ranking people. Tell them she has awakened." 

Camelia's eyes lit up, and she nodded. "I will complete the task!" Then, she flew off.

Liu Shu asked, not remembering that particular Rose Fairy. "Who is that Rose Fairy?"

"Well, where to begin?" Flor leaned back on the chair and explained slowly what happened during the last four months. "When you started Leveling Up, the density of essence in the surroundings increased. This made it an even better place to stay than it already was."

Flor sighed. "During all this time, there were people arriving daily at the <Golden Sap Town>, wanting to purchase either land, one of the tree houses, or becoming co-owners of the inns or our shops." 

Liu Shu was surprised and felt uncomfortable. 'I hope she didn't sell anything… This is my domain, my land. No one can buy it!' 

Thinking as such, Liu Shu asked, hiding her tone. "Did you sell anything?"

Thankfully, Flor didn't disappoint her. She laughed. "Of course not. This place is yours, love. I am just taking care of it so that people don't become greedy for you. On the contrary, I will never sell anything because if I relent once, the message I am giving will change completely."

Liu Shu felt a wave of relief and affection. She giggled and hummed. "Thank you, Flor! I love you~."

Flor laughed happily. "I love you too, little one. Well…" Flor looked out of the window at the massive tree and snickered. "Big one is a better nickname now, isn't it?" 

"Hm? Oh, right! I forgot to check how tall… WOW!" 

When Liu Shu looked at herself, she felt that she was more than twenty percent taller. "I am… One hundred and… five? Meters tall! HEHE. So tall!"

Flor chucked at Liu Shu's excited laugh. "Really… where has my cute sapling whose branches were just right for me gone? Now, I can probably build a house for myself on your branches." 

"Right!" Liu Shu exclaimed. "How would the message change?"

Flor started. "Well… If I constantly refuse to sell something and suddenly accept an offer, I am not giving the air of 'I don't want to sell anything.' Instead, I am telling people that my prices are just very high, but with enough money, you can buy things from me." 

"Ohhh! I see~."

Flor smiled. "Anyway, as I was saying, the way we managed to settle people down was just to make everything more expensive. For example, the inn's monthly rent went from 1500 Lir to 2500 Lir; the houses went from 2500 to 3500; the entry fee went from 5 to 10 Lir; the citizen permit went from 5 Lir daily to 40 Lir daily. We even doubled the prices of our fruit shop!" 

Liu Shu was baffled. "Didn't people run away? A normal family in the surrounding cities can live month to month with 900 Lir or so… Just the resident permit is higher than that!"

Flor's lips arched helplessly. "We are still full, and with several people waiting for us to create more houses…" 

Liu Shu was speechless. Flor explained. "Your Level Up has filled this area with such dense essence that your existence has spread even to people beyond the <Forest Wall>. The Flora and Fauna in the <Golden Sap Forest> are also evolving at an accelerated pace. Some Level 17 and Level 18 creatures have been spotted in some places. Moreover, because the Rose Fairies are working on expanding the forest, we are giving people a larger hunting area." 

Flor remembered and commented. "Right, thanks to your aura, rare flora is becoming increasingly common. Oh, right! The <Golden Sap Trees> are leveling up a lot, too, and now, their <Golden Sap> has started gaining some exciting effects. Harvesters are going to collect them often now under rigorous control. The last thing we want is for the trees in the forest to suffer." Flor sighed. "Not to mention, resource regeneration is also very high. Adding Wert's expertise to control how much Explorers can take from the forest so as not to hurt it, you can imagine why so many people are willing to pay our current prices."

The World Tree listened while feeling a bit shocked, and she decided to check her currency tab in the System. 

Currency: Sylvanium Shards [2176], Etherium Shards [2010], Ascendium Shards [1155], Celestium Shards [2226], Cognium Shards [1106], Lir [340], Tyn [185], Bren [90], Syl [0], Arbor [0].

'Ninety <Bren>... That's around 22,500,000 Lir…' 

Flor rubbed her forehead. "Liu Shu, sorry if I sound demanding since you just Leveled Up, but can you create a few more houses?'

Liu Shu pondered and inspected the buildings. After a few moments, she commented. "Flor, I can increase the living space by 400 total in just one hour without needing to build anything. Do you think that will help?"

Flor blinked twice and spoke, confused. "Yes. But how?"

The World Tree giggled. "Have you forgotten that the entire town grows with me? The houses, inns, and town halls can have many more people inside! Let me send a command~." 

Liu Shu concentrated her energy and sent a pulse to all the tree buildings under her control. 'You can stop holding back. Sorry for telling you to do that during these last months; it must've been uncomfortable, right?'

When she created them, Liu Shu made sure that the House Trees, etc., would want to create a comfortable space inside them for their residents and feel comfy when people resided inside them. After all, the last thing she wanted was for the residents to be treated as parasites by her Tree Houses. With enough time, the only ending for that situation would be quite tragic. 

'Speaking of holding back… Did any of you get mistreated during this time?'

While she wanted her Tree Houses to accommodate people, they were something like her creations. Abuse toward them was unforgivable. 

To Liu Shu's surprise, she received signals from forty-five of her tree houses, the two inns, and even the town hall. Liu Shu's joyful mood instantly soured as her <World Tree Eye> expanded outward without holding back, manifesting her presence in the town.

Everyone's faces changed as the air around them became harder to breathe from the terrifying pressure that descended. Flor felt the powerful aura that carried a trace of anger and was startled. "Liu Shu!? What's wrong?"

Not only Flor but also the rest of the people who knew Liu Shu felt it and asked similar questions aloud out of concern. The World Tree answered coldly to all of them. "People have been abusing my Tree Houses!" 

Everyone's faces fell while rage soared in their hearts. They knew that the Tree Houses would only complain when they were genuinely hurt. They had tried in the past to check what level of damage they needed to do in a room before the <Lignified Houses> and the other buildings complained. The result was that unless you were literally punching holes in the walls or destroying everything inside the room, the Tree Houses would not mind much. 

They were tame to the point that some people even suggested lowering their threshold. Liu Shu, at that time, told them that she wouldn't do so because she trusted that they would take care of them. 

Yet, now, the patient and peaceful <Lignified Houses> and other buildings were complaining. The level of anger that surged in them was like seeing someone hurt a puppy. 

Flor's face went from confused to shocked and to seething. "HOW DARE THEY!?" 

A few moments ago, Wert's calm face tightened, and he felt threatened by the aura spreading around the town. 'The Life Tree? Who is the asshole that has angered it!?'

Wert shouted. "We are leaving to see Queen Flor! Follow me!"

Before he even finished his sentence, Flor's voice boomed around the town with a tone that Wert had never heard before. 

"EVERYONE OUT OF YOUR LIVING QUARTERS AND GATHER IN THE MAIN PLAZA! NOW!"

Wert's face tightened, and he ordered. "FAST!" Wert cursed in his mind while rushing over. 'Did these people forget that we are standing on the top of a massive ant cavern system!?' 

Below the ground, Ignatia's face was freezingly cold while looking up. Around her, several Level 15+ ants were gathering, Solaria, the Level 19 <Ant Princess>, included. 'Angering my little Darling… That's not nice. Pray to whatever you believe in, people above. Pray that my little Darling can be appeased.'

Her throat started clicking menacingly, making all the ants around her feel nervous. Their Queen's repressed anger made the surroundings suffocating. Of course, knowing their Queen was angered, the massive ant colony living below Golden Sap Town started moving and getting ready for combat. 

Meanwhile, the people walking around the city were surprised at Flor's angered voice. Flor was known to be a soft and quite compassionate Rose Fairy; her patience sometimes surprised people. Therefore, people respected Flor regardless of her "monster" status. 

Hearing her raging voice for the first time naturally came as a surprise, but people obeyed, knowing that whatever made Flor angry was a big deal.

Once there, Flor was hovering in front of hundreds of Rose Fairies, Ants, some humans and Sylvans. Her facial expression was chilling to the point that some people felt a prickly sensation from the wind blowing out from her aura. 

Then, looking at the gathering of creatures gave the residents a perspective of how many forces there truly were in the <Golden Sap City>. Usually, they were scattered, so having a sense of how many there truly were was difficult. 

Wert arrived right after and landed in front of Flor with a long jump. "Queen Flor, what is happening!?"

Flor pointed behind her and spat while looking at the gathering people with cold eyes. "She is angry. A peaceful and soft creature has been angered. Do you understand what that means, Lord Wert?"

Wert's face fell, and he looked at the population that had gathered. Then, looking at the surroundings, he saw the hole leading to the ant nest not too far from there. 'Surrounded… Oh, branches above, this can end up quite badly.'

Delia walked there, people making way naturally from her powerful aura. "What's with this mess, Queen Flor?"

Flor looked at Delia and spat, not playing around anymore. "Shut up for a moment. Your wish will be given after I am done with this problem, okay? She is already awake."

Delia's eyes flashed with complicated emotions. While she would usually not allow such disrespect, she knew that the last thing she needed to do now was piss off the Rose Fairy Queen in front of her more than she currently was. 

Flor asked. "Is this all?" 

Liu Shu mentally answered in her. 'No. Some people are still hiding in the houses.'

Flor's face fell even more, and Wert noticed. He looked out and bellowed. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE HOUSES!"

Flor's opened mouth closed while looking at Wert. The people who were hiding inside their house were startled when the <Second Energy Cycle> powerhouse joined Flor's orders, and they all stepped out hastily. 

Wert looked at Flor, and Flor nodded in appreciation. "Thanks."

Wert sighed. "I know you are angry, but can you explain why you are angry first to all of us? I swear that we will try to mediate a solution."

Flor looked at Wert and frowned for a few seconds. Then, she commented. "It will all depend on the level of offense. You will probably feel like me when I explain either way."