Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos-Chapter 480. Songtree Family arrives at Golden Sap City.

Melody’s large group was welcomed to the continent with a few caravans of resources so that they could make the journey to the Golden Sap City, a few hundred kilometers away from the shore. It was not an easy journey, and usually, there would’ve been casualties during the long journey. However, that’s where Liu Shu’s domain peculiarity kicked in. Since the people travelling were clearly not trying to hunt or hurt the nature around them, the World Trees and other flora protected them from beasts. Coupled with the powerful elites of the <Songtree> family, the journey had some scares, but no deaths.

Melody and the other elites were truly surprised by the result. "One month of travel to reach the edge of the Golden Sap Forest and no deaths... Incredible."

By now, Liu Shu’s figure was extremely clear in the distance. The powerful World Tree, gradually approaching 3,000 meters in height, towered over the horizon like a beacon for all who wanted a guide.

Octavia spoke after being silent for so long. "Niece, you actually managed to score that World Tree? How did you do it? Are the rest of the World Trees in the Wild Continent easy to charm as well?"

Melody looked at Harmonixia with pride. "Of course, it is because my daughter is excellent."

Somewhat irritated at Melody’s response, Octavia snorted. "Don’t be so proud. I heard that my niece is sharing that World Tree with another three Sylvans. If the World Tree is lustful, then it isn’t something you should be prideful about!"

Melody raised her eyebrow before Harmonixia could answer. "Aren’t you scared to be flung out of the continent by the World Tree you just badmouthed? Her roots already covered half the continent, and being near Harmonixia, it is a matter of course that Lady World Tree is listening."

"..." The woman’s face twitched, but she looked around carefully and muttered. "I am sorry, Lady World Tree. I am just bantering with my older sister." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Harmonixia looked at her mother with some awe on her face. ’Wow. Mom really knows how to put Aunt Octavia in her place.’

Their group entered and crossed the Golden Sap Forest with faces full of wonder. As our World Tree developed, the forest naturally followed the World Tree’s development. The several titles influencing them allowed nature to grow powerful, healthy, and exotic.

The trees all had gorgeous outlines, and the scent of the forest was fresh and purifying. Liu Shu’s <Cerulean Bloodsap> allowed for many anti-corruption, or straight-up purifying flora to emerge within it. The beasts that the group could see were also strong and healthy, showing a carefully developed and well-taken-care-of environment.

Usually, the surrounding forest around a World Tree was a symbol of how the World Tree was doing. If the forest was damaged or doing badly, that meant that the World Tree was probably struggling.

Melody’s mother looked around with a small smile on her face. "It has been many centuries since I saw a forest as beautiful as this one. I wouldn’t mind living in the forest, with how welcoming and pleasant everything looks."

Harmonixia smiled proudly. "Of course! Lian’er is a very gentle World Tree and takes extra care of everything within her domain. She even has <Titles> that strengthen flora and fauna so that she doesn’t create an unbalanced environment." Harmonixia clarified. "The forests look safe now because we are being protected by Lian’er’s aura. However, there are hunting parties of up to Level 60 that can hunt in this forest and still find worthy prey. For anything higher than that, we have other methods."

"Right," One of the Sylvan elders of the family asked about something that had been bothering her, and she couldn’t think of a solution. "Little Harmonixia, your power is growing extremely fast. However, every group has a natural limit because of Leveling speed. How come there are so many high-level monsters, people, and such? The Experience Cycle shouldn’t have developed in this way."

For a Level 30 to level up once, they need to either kill a lot of Level 30s or slowly accumulate experience. Therefore, in a closed cycle, it is challenging to maintain a constantly increasing rate of Environmental-Level sustainability.

Harmonixia smiled at that question. "Usually, you’d think that. However, Liu Shu’s titles, if you had noticed, give all her residents a boost in Experience Earning up to her level. That boost is very precious."

"You are right." The woman nodded, but then added. "But it is not good enough to explain the change. I don’t believe that you can gather an army strong enough to fight against the army that the Nexus had been nurturing for decades on this continent."

"I can’t hide anything from you." Harmonixia joked good-naturedly. Then, she pondered whether to say this aloud. It was a quality that they would soon come to know, but she didn’t want to cause unrest with the news.

Melody naturally saw through her daughter’s hesitation and spoke. "Lady World Tree will probably inform us later. Be patient."

The woman saw that Harmonixia was about to speak, but Melody interrupted, so she could only sigh. She did not have the courage of Octavia to provoke Melody at every corner.

With that in mind, they traversed the forest peacefully, stopping to eat in the middle before arriving during the last hours of daylight. When Melody and the others crossed the forest, the sight in front of them stole their breath away.

The gargantuan Golden Sap City was surrounded by an extremely tall wall made of solid and smooth wood. The roots that made it could be seen from a distance. However, they didn’t break the imposing aesthetic. Instead, the appearance of a living wall only made it more intimidating.

However, this massive wall, a few dozen meters tall, didn’t compare to the Guardian Tree spread around its circumference. The colossal Guardian Trees towered above everything but one being, acting as gargantuan defensive structures that would strike everything that dared to approach Golden Sap City with bad intentions.

Then, beyond the walls, they could somewhat spot the sea of Tree Structure canopies. The Town Hall, massive Colosseum, and many other structures could easily be distinguished among the sea of Lignified Trees, giving the city an air of luxury and power. Moreover, Melody was sensitive to ternary essences, so she could easily locate the three sources of power deep inside. These sources were the <Temples>.

Over all of this, eclipsing anything else, a gargantuan being towered to the sky, holding her willow-like drooping canopy in a majestic show of raw natural strength. The gorgeous World Tree that dwarfed everything near it had a detailed and gorgeous female-shaped trunk, stealing the breath away of any who looked for the first few times.

The curvy body was a surprise and a great sight to the eyes. However, what stunned them the most was that, at the top of the trunk, the World Tree actually had a head! Most World Trees only had female bodies, with no heads above the trunk. Therefore, Liu Shu’s figure came as a rarity among all the beings of her species.

Seeing the peacefully closed eyes on the beautiful woman’s face as dust-mote-like birds gently flew around her gave a sense of serenity without equal. Moreover, being late hours, the setting sun poured its light from above the horizon, enveloping Liu Shu’s figure in a golden sheen of vitality and gentleness.

Melody opened her mouth with nothing but praise in her speech. "Such a gorgeous World Tree. Her figure transcends species barriers as it shows the pure, gentle, and motherly beauty of nature. To lay eyes on such a being, I have not lived in vain."

Looking at her mother with warning, Harmonixia muttered. "Mom. She is mine, so don’t get ideas."

Melody blinked twice and then laughed. Instead of reassuring her, she teased. "Well, if you don’t want Mother taking her away, you better be good to Lady Liu Shu."

While mother and daughter played with each other, Melody sensed a presence flying over from a distance. This presence was a mix of that of a monster and an intelligent race, making her frown. "Monster?"

The creature arrived in front of them with a faint smile. "More or less."

"Flor!" Harmonixia called happily. "You didn’t have to come out."

The petite red-haired fairy chuckled as she approached while slowly flapping her wings. "Well, this is our first time seeing an amicable Fourth Energy Cycle, so what less could I do but come to welcome her personally?"

Flor looked at Melody and extended her hand. "Welcome, Lady Melody. It is a pleasure that you’ve chosen to trust the Golden Sap Country’s potential."

Melody took Flor’s hand and spoke with a calm tone. "Don’t get me wrong, Lady Flor. I have not traveled all the way here for the Golden Sap Country, but because of Lady World Tree." Melody’s voice was as clear as a mountain stream. "As long as the Golden Sap Country knows where their loyalties are, our Songtree family won’t slight you."

Flor paused for a few seconds, increasing the tension around. After a few seconds of this standoff, she burst into gentle laughter. "Great. You are truly not lying to me." Flor’s smile changed from formal to a genuine and more approachable one. "I hope you fulfill these words. I’ll reintroduce myself, Lady Melody. I am Flor, Tianlian Liu Shu’s mother and leader of the Golden Sap City."

Melody was initially confused by Flor’s reaction. However, after hearing the woman’s explanation, her eyes lit up with realisation. "No wonder your aura was so strangely similar to Lady World Tree."

"Please, call her Liu Shu or with any nickname you want." Flor smiled. "She doesn’t like formalities and loves being pampered by her elders. You, as Harmonixia’s mother, are one of her elders and therefore I hope you can treat her as you would a normal daughter-in-law."

"Oh?" Melody was truly surprised this time around. Her eyes, though, gained an extra touch of gentleness. "Is Liu Shu really as such?"

Flor nodded with a smile. "Once she wakes up, you’ll naturally get to know her. In the meantime..." Flor looked behind Melody at the giant group of people. "We need to set up your people. I have the perfect location, though. That’s why I asked Harmonixia to guide you through the north of our city."

As they talked, Melody suddenly saw several thousand ants emerging from the walls of the city, leading to some people screaming and some unrest settling in.

Thankfully, Melody had heard from Harmonixia’s letters about the ants. Therefore, she quickly augmented her voice with ternary essences as she spoke loudly. "Calm down. They are not wild monsters, but protectors. You will all be given some books to study later and learn about the customs of the Golden Sap Country."