Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Flor gathered with the leaders of the Azure Rose City, Verdant Skyflower City, and Celestial Lotus City. These three people, all Level 99 powerhouses of the A+ Tier, had spread their influence within the Golden Sap Arborarchy laws and adapted swiftly to the change.

These three people were the following. First, there was Valkan Bluerose, the leader of the Azure Rose City. He changed his name after becoming the capital's leader and used his strength and influence to help Azure Rose with most internal troubles even before Azure Rose needed to intervene herself. He was a confident and intelligent person, valuing trust and efficiency above all else.

Second, there was Hana. She is a winged beast with blonde hair, white feathers, and average height. Rising above the vast majority of Sylvans dominating the high ranks of the Celestial Lotus Empire, her intelligence, talent, and methods were known worldwide to be matchless. As a perfectionist, she always managed everything without a single mistake, making Celestial Lotus almost a hands-free World Tree within her territory.

Lastly, but no less importantly, there was Galen. This human man was relatively young, having arrived during her childhood from the main force of the Verdant Sanctity Covenant. Even then, his work ethic primarily consisted of merits towards taking care of the World Trees and other flora. With an almost fanatical thought process, Galen adored and protected all World Trees, considering each and every single one of them as sacred beings whose divinity shouldn't be sullied.

All three people never resisted nor took a step forward during Liu Shu's invasion, leaving every single decision to their World Trees. Therefore, instead of appearing active, they shifted to a low-profile work method and cleaned up each of their powers. They made sure that something similar to the infamous <True World Resistance> would never happen.

After all, the fact that the group that had infiltrated and attacked Liu Shu's capital city during the <Flower Day Festival> was made up of <Fourth Energy Cycles> from their powers was a shame they had yet to live down.

Flor looked at the three people who sat in front of her in her office and smiled. "This is unusual. Thank you for coming from so far away. Is there any urgent news you need to tell me?"

Hana spoke first, her lips arched gently as she spoke softly. "Lady Flor, we wouldn't dare bother you if it weren't as such. The reason all three of us came together is because we've all sensed the same thing from our respective observatories and wanted to inform you."

Flor blinked and tilted her head. "Observatories? What are those?"

This time, it was Galen who spoke. His dark eyes and hair, coupled with his naturally cold facial features, made him look mysterious and gloomy. Of course, his personality was quite opposite to his looks when it came to anything related to World Trees.

"Lady Flor, Observatories were structures that didn't really matter until recently. However, now that Her Beatitude Lady Heavenly Willow is about to interact with the outside world, we've opened them to ensure no accidents happen."

Then, he explained their function. "These observatories are structures that can capture unusual energy-dense spots in the night sky. The range is not far, since it can barely cover the distance beyond the last planet of our solar system. Moreover, the ability to spot something in such a vast sky is minute. Only those who purposely leak their energy and have great strength would be spotted in the distance."

Flor heard the somewhat convoluted explanation and blinked. "So, to summarize… Is it a detection structure of outer-world threats?"

Hana and the other two nodded. This time, Valkan spoke, his deep voice pleasant to listen to. "Previously, Galen told us, Lady Flor, that a group would arrive in a minimum of 20 years."

Flor nodded. It was because of this that Liu Shu became impatient and started her conquest ahead of schedule. Now that they had explained these things, it was easy to guess why they were here.

"Are they already approaching?"

There was a trace of surprise in her voice, and Galan confirmed her doubts. "Indeed. They are thankfully not hiding themselves. So we could spot them right as they entered the Feltera World's orbit."

"Feltera…"

There were seven planets in their solar system. In order of proximity to the Sun, they were the following: Solkara, Vorathen, Ceperet, Nualis, Feltera, Tiravel, and Erynthea.

Therefore, the distance between the group and themselves was nothing more than two planetary orbits. Flor's eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, utterly lost in space matters. "How long will they take to arrive? Even though I've been studying, I am still lost in matters related to spatial distances. They feel too foreign and vague with such large distances."

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Hana chuckled. "Don't worry, it is the same for everyone. Only when you reach a level where you can travel between the stars will the strangeness disappear." Then, she commented lightly. "If we were in the stretch between the stars, their <Astraelis>, otherwise known as <Star Travelling Beast>, would arrive at Ceperet in just a few minutes."

Flor almost jumped from her seat, her eyes widening. Valkan spoke up, his tone calming. "Due to Star Winds, the <Astraelis> can't use their peak speed when approaching Ceperet from the outside. According to our calculations, they should arrive in five days."

Hearing the answer made the Flower Fairy's eyebrows twitch. "That's not too reassuring… It has been almost ten years since Liu Shu went to sleep, so we don't know when she will wake up. Their arrival now, over three years earlier compared to our lowest estimation, is an unpleasant surprise."

Flor sighed lightly after she spoke, her eyes complicated. Galen spoke with a serious tone. "Lady Flor, while this may be presumptuous, I would like you to give one chance and trust the Lord and Lady envoys. I've barely ever heard of our envoys acting forcefully with newly unshackled worlds. On the contrary, their reason for arrival is usually to protect and guard the recently opened world until the newly ascended True World Tree can protect itself."

His words were reassuring, but they didn't calm the unease in Flor's heart. After sighing, she asked them. "Do any of you know how strong they are? They should be <Fifth Energy Cycles>, right?"

Galan nodded. "Yes, the standard party sent to new open worlds is around 50 <Fifth Energy Cycles>. We can't detect anything definitive through our observatories, so we do not know if there will be a standard delegation or something more. Still, taking into account that Her Beatitude Lady Skyflower praised Her Beatitude Lady Heavenly Willow dearly, there is a chance that the delegation has slightly stronger individuals. I calculate around 75 <Fifth Energy Cycle> powerhouses."

Flor rubbed her forehead, her head aching. "If Liu Shu completed her cycle, all of us who are stuck could instantly Level Up. Moreover, the city would follow Liu Shu's Level Up, giving us a strong fortress that they would barely be able to pierce through…"

Hana heard those words and asked, curious. "... Is that true, Lady Flor?"

Flor blinked and smiled. "Yes. She has a title that makes all <Lignified> trees she builds and assimilates grow to her own level. Of course, their strength is far from Liu Shu's, but they are powerful defensive structures…" She added lightly. "They are considered Liu Shu's children, so abusing them for war is out of question. They will only step up when someone breaches our defenses."

The three leaders got thoughtful and nodded lightly. "That's powerful. The number of <Lignified> species is, after all, in the hundreds of thousands, isn't it?"

After a moment's thought, Flor nodded. "If you count all the trees Liu Shu planted in all the cities around the world, then yes. The number should be around 200,000. Around 30,000 in our city and around 15,000 in each of the other main continental cities."

These numbers were readily available to someone at their level of influence. So, hiding them or being secretive was not something she could do, nor did she want to do. These three were capable, talented, and able to help Flor and the others carry a lot of the world government's pressure.

After they got silent for a moment, thoughts swirling in their minds, Galen spoke up. "Lady Flor, if you don't mind, would you like to make a world gathering of all city leaders so that we can sort things out before they arrive? As long as you are willing, gathering within three days is more than possible."

"Is it?" Flor tilted her head, unsure as to how to gather everyone so quickly.

Valkan smiled. "Since Lady Liu Shu's <Summoning Blessing> enveloped the world, all summoners are able to summon two free creatures all the time. Many summoners have taken a liking to working in transportation. There are special aerial services among the most talented."

"Aha." Flor smiled. "Using those flying creatures, we will be able to gather everyone swiftly, right?"

The three nodded at once, amusing Flor. "Did you three speak together before? You are so in sync."

Hana chuckled gently, her white wings fluttering lightly. "Not at all, Lady Flor. Still, we have known each other for several decades already. Therefore, we more or less know what the other parties are thinking. Now that we are firm allies, it is quite pleasant to interact with these two."

Valkan smiled wryly. "I feel the same. Previously, I was always on my toes when communicating with you. The times you've managed to trick me into doing your bidding are not few."

Galen muttered softly. "It is the will of Her Beatitude Lady Heavenly Willow, so all shall come under the same canopy."

After conversing a while longer with these three peculiar individuals, Flor decided to gather some of her close people: Verena, Melody, the four Sylvans, and Ignatia, among others. While they weren't city leaders, their influence was no less than theirs. All had special positions that everyone in the world respected.

Faster than estimated, everyone gathered two days later in a large room created inside a <Town Hall> tree. Flor looked at everyone and couldn't help but feel awed inside. 'When did the leaders grow so much? Almost all people gathered from major cities are <Fourth Energy Cycles>.'

This showed the growth of Liu Shu's influence. Her titles, coupled with her <Temple> blessings, allowed many to resurface from obscurity and take arms where previously they unwillingly retreated.

"Welcome to the first <World Gathering>. Today, we will talk about the envoys from the <Verdant Sanctity Covenant>. We will create countermeasures in case they are hostile, and we will also make sure not to offend them and pre-prepare a location where they can rest."

Inside, Flor was sighing endlessly. 'Let's hope they aren't too strong.'