Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.
Chapter 443. Deep Powers. Life Tree Situation.

Galia could tell that Flor wanted to make whatever happened seem like a small inconvenience. However, she knew that it was far from that. “Flor, is Adam causing trouble? I heard that the relationship between the <Explorer Association> and you is starting to become somewhat strained.” 

Flor stopped her hand movement and looked at the jade-green liquid inside the brown teacup. “Hm…” She weighed her options. While she didn’t mind telling Galia as a friend, this woman in front of her was much more than just a friend. Galia was the main representative of the <Celestial Lotus Empire> in their domain. Moreover, she was someone who treated them with respect and friendship. 

Taking all things into account, Flor decided to tell her. While caution was usually warranted, she didn’t want to live fearful of everything. Galia had proven time and time again her loyalty and proactiveness in pushing Liu Shu to a better place within the <Celestial Lotus Empire>. 

“I wouldn’t really call it a problem, Galia.” Flor smiled faintly. “You’ve come today to tell me about the contents of the letter from the Celestial Lotus Empire, but you saw that ugly scene. I am sorry for worrying you.” 

Galia shook her head with a frown. “Flor… How much do you know about the <Explorer Association>?” 

“Not much, to be honest,” Flor answered. “Everything that Wert told me about was quite superficial. It seems that the deepest secrets about the organization were safeguarded by oaths or something similar. If Wert broke those, he would be in danger, so I never deemed them worthy of such a risk.”

Galia nodded. That was quite normal. As people became more important and climbed the ladders of the Association, they strangely became less secular to the point that they stopped caring about most things happening around them. It was as if knowing about the Association made them indifferent to things occurring in the World. There were even cases of some people disappearing, never to be seen again.

“Let me teach you a bit about them.”

Flor leaned back, taking a sip from the tea and smiling. “Go ahead. I’ll deal with the mess my pretty daughter created later.”

“Ah…” Galia paused with an awkward face. “Right. Liu Shu’s new <Tempest Of Chaos> title is quite an urgent matter to deal with.” 

“No. It’s actually quite simple.” 

“Huh?” Her answer came as a surprise to the white-haired Sylvan. “What do you mean, Flor?”

Flor chuckled. “Just ignore it. Everything will sort itself out with time. People’s adaptability is high, so they’ll know how to incorporate it into their businesses and so on. With <Sprouts Of Chaos>, I tried to control it too much, and some things backfired. There were even people who almost rioted.” Flor continued. “With <Songs Of Chaos>, I went hands-free, other than some documents I needed to change. Things went much better, but I ignored them too much this time around. Therefore, I ended up needing to do some clean-up work later which could’ve been solved with a few feather strokes.” 

Galia chuckled. “So, this time around you’ll do like the second time, but preemptively add those feather strokes you spoke of.”

The Flower Fairy laughed. “Right! That’s the idea. So, go ahead, I reacted somewhat exaggeratedly, but it’s really not that big of a deal.” Flor caressed her chest area over her heart. “Only, the messages pop up so suddenly that my thoughts go awry for a few seconds. I am still not that accustomed to being so intelligent that I can instantly think of several worst-case scenarios.”

Galia couldn’t relate to that. “Before I speak about the Association, I am curious about something.” 

Flor smiled and said in a welcoming manner. “Go ahead, I am all ears.”

“How does it feel to… become more intelligent?” Galia tilted her head. “I am somewhat confused as to what that looks like from your perspective.”

“Interesting question.” The Flower Fairy rubbed her smooth chin and smiled. “If I had to describe it in a way, it feels as if a fog that’s always been there clears out. For example, those times that you see a problem and you have a solution on the tip of your tongue. However, no matter what you do, that thought never comes out and gets stuck. Has that happened to you, Galia?” 

The white-haired Sylvan chuckled. “Yes. Many times.”

With a nod, the Flower Fairy commented. “Then, it is easy. There must’ve been times when you managed to get the answer. The feeling of gaining intelligence is like that, but in a much broader way.” She continued. “For example. You never knew why some people would plant some seeds at certain intervals. However, after that burst of intelligence, you realize that they match the seasons and avoid making the soil run out of nutrients. Many similar examples on behavior, morals, politics, reasoning, and other aspects become much easier to connect.”

Galia opened her eyes a bit. “So that’s it… That explanation is quite clear, hahaha. I could easily put myself in your place.”

Flor chuckled. “I am glad.” She leaned a bit on the table, her petite body looking like a beautiful doll. “So, what about the Explorer Association?”

Galia’s face became serious. “Right. I am telling you because they are both powerful and weak at the same time.” 

Those words were strange. Frowning, Flor asked. “Explain yourself.”

Galia spoke after nodding. “So, if you attack the Explorer Association, the ones defending themselves will be the leaders of that particular branch. Even if it gets destroyed, nothing will really happen. And yet, if you start to go and aim for many of them with the intention not to destroy one branch, but to tackle the massive tree that the Association is, the retaliation is enough to make even the major powers hesitate. That’s why, of all the powers in the world, the <Explorer Association> is one of the few that has branches spreading all around the world, including Nexus Void territory.”

Flor leaned back after hearing that, finding the strangeness Galia talked about. “That’s truly something. Still, your words gave me the confidence I needed to deal with Adam if things become too thorny.”

Galia smiled. “I am glad for that.” Pulling back the chair, Galia stood up elegantly. “Now, I need to return to make a report about <Tempest Of Chaos>. I can’t hide these domain-wide events. So, it is best to report it quickly to show them that we are agreeable to our cooperation.”

Flor smiled wryly. “I am still unsure if joining the Celestial Lotus Empire has been a net positive or negative. It makes you worry quite a lot.”

Galia knew that Flor was joking around. She had heard several times how Flor was very glad for the Empire’s involvement. Without them, the Azure and Covenant would aim at them without reservations. The Nexus would also not be as cautious and probably would’ve attacked them long ago. Just having that label as ‘Part of the <Celestial Lotus Empire>’ was enough to make many opportunistic people hesitate. 

After Galia left, Flor looked through the window at her tall daughter. Being in a <Lignified Town Hall>, her office room towered over all the trees in the entire City Forest. Lignified Tree Houses were 100 meters tall, inns were 150, and town halls were 200. The height advantage was something Flor appreciated. After all, her pretty daughter’s World Tree body was truly magnificent. A chuckle escaped her as she looked at Liu Shu’s figure. “The way she haphazardly covers herself with her long branches is really adorable. I wonder when those skill merchants will arrive so that we can buy Liu Shu one skill for her to cover herself?”

Shaking her head, she stood up and jumped out of the window, spreading her wings to fly toward the largest park in the city. 

After five minutes of flying, she arrived at the place and dove down toward a gorgeous and tall willow tree. As she approached, an ancient, feminine, and soothing voice reached her. “Welcome, Flor.”

Another one, a bit more bubbly, but carrying the same traces of nature-like calmness, reached her as well. “Flor? Why are you here?”

“Tree, Aurelise,” Flor called them before smiling. “Nothing much, to be honest. I just wanted to come and have a chat with you two. How are you doing?”

Aurelise’s surroundings have changed greatly over the years in Golden Sap City. As people asked her before, there were a few tree-like structures around her, all of them being healing areas for those with deep mental scarring. The Life Tree’s inherent abilities and aura were extremely beneficial to anyone who was suffering from mental illnesses related to war and many other kinds.  

“I am doing great! The people around me are also living peacefully. It is quite interesting to see how you intelligent beings become so mentally fragile. I’ve seen people who could easily destroy towns become so despondent that even if a Level 1 came to kill them, they wouldn’t react.” 

As a Life Tree, she didn’t have as deep of an intelligent mind compared to a World Tree. However, her emotional sympathy was rather powerful. Therefore, her calm and happy nature helped a lot when it came to cheering up her patients. 

“Oh?” Hearing Aurelise’s surprised tone, Flor landed in the middle of the lake where a large lily pad could be seen. 

“What’s happening, Aurelise?”

“Ah. Nothing, nothing. It’s just that one of my oldest patients has finally said a word! Hehehe. I am quite happy!”

Flor’s face gained a touch of softness. “Thank you, Aurelise. I am sure that people are extremely grateful to you.”

“Hehe.” Aurelise felt very happy since she came here. Everyone was super friendly, and her powers came in handy. Her wish had always been to take care of those around her while being respected by those very same people. Just a peaceful coexistence. 

“What about you, Tree? Have you caught the grasp of more skills?”

Tree answered unhurriedly. “Not much. I am taking it slow. After all, I want to develop and understand what I’ve become thoroughly before jumping ahead. A strong foundation will help me in the future more than any mediocre skill I can learn now.”

Flor didn’t deny that. Moreover, Tree, being an ancient tree, had her intelligence also developed to a certain extent. Of course, she still had her adorably klutzy moments. “Flor, I think our Little Sapling has become pregnant again.”

“Most likely, yes.” Flor smiled. “Each time those strange titles appear, a child pops up from somewhere. Moreover, I’ve heard that Tempestria wanted to go visit her. So, the mother of that child is quite evident.”

Flor and the two Life Trees continued their conversation until Flor needed to go deal with some matters.