Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 232. Complications on Both Sides.

It was morning, and the sun was barely up. Even if it was somewhat early, there was a gathering in the main building inside Fortuna City that Eila had convened. Looking in front of her, the group of more than 30 <Second Energy Cycle> powerhouses sat in comfortable chairs, waiting for her to speak.

Eila spoke with a flat tone, but even then, her tone carried a weight that gave her figure an authoritative figure. "You have all seen that our enemy is not as weak as we thought. An army of 1000 people, guided by five <Second Energy Cycle> people, has transformed into Experience Points without dealing any significant damage."

Eila leaned on her hand, smiling coldly. "Are you all satisfied? We should let others weaken her and then sweep in, right? Why would we attack right away and create a force that's unstoppable?" Eila paused and said as if she just realized. "Oh, right. It is because all of you are cowards."

A human man in the group frowned and spoke aloud. "City Lord Eila, don't go too far."

"Or what?" Eila glared at him and asked. "What will you do if I continue acting as I am? Do you think that the other side will welcome deserters? Do you think that the other side will smile at you if you leave here and join them?" Eila sneered. "You, as much as the others gathered here, are stuck. You have all sent groups to fight against the Golden Sap City, Sirol City, and Mareful City people. Deaths have already occurred on both sides."

The man who spoke shut up, but his face continued being resentful. Eila ignored him and spoke. "Now, we have three options. Let's see if, this time around, you all become a bit more clever and vote accordingly. The first option is to wait and see, sending more small groups to harass them while continuing to try and manipulate the population, being confident that, with time, we will outgrow them and squash them as bugs."

Eila looked around at the group of 30 and asked. "So, who is in favor of this? Those who are agreeable, raise your arms."

Six people raised their hands. 

Eila looked at them and scoffed softly. "Of course, the groups that are the furthest away are in favor of this option. Now, the second option is to reach out to our superiors and ask for help so things can't get complicated. While the other side has influential allies, they are far below us in terms of influence. Who is in favor of this?"

Seven people raised their hands; one of them was Eila.

Eila looked around and sighed. "Sure, you are all too prideful to ask for help from superiors. The greed is dripping from your faces, to be honest. The third option is to go to war as soon as we gather troops. We will create a front and slowly advance, gaining terrain over them."

The remaining seventeen people gathered raised their arms.

Looking at them, Eila nodded. "Sure. Since this is what we chose, let's do it. Now, I want to know how much military power each of your powers will accumulate to attack them. I'll be the commander-in-chief, guiding all your troops." Eila stood up and then added. "If anyone disobeys, they'll pay."

A woman spoke. "Wait!"

Eila paused and looked over, seeing a charming Sylvan woman smiling at her. "Eila Neoflora, you are not in favor of the position the majority took. What right do you have to take the position of commander-in-chief?"

Eila raised her eyebrow. "I am the strongest and, therefore, the most qualified. How does that sound?"

The Sylvan woman shook her head. "You are certainly the person with the most combat strength between us. However, what if we have someone stronger than you?"

Eila looked at the Sylvan and squinted. "Does the <Midnight Foxglove Sect> have something that you want to say?"

The woman laughed. "Not much. As allies that are under the same <Azure Rose Confederation>, I thought that we should have a talk about how this is being… orchestrated. You are clearly not eager enough to uproot this threat. Of course, let's not mention recruiting since you are close friends with Lady Fortuna."

Eila looked at the woman and smiled coldly. "Just say what you want to say. Why speak in circles? Or are you afraid that I will get angry?"

A crackle of purple lightning flickered around her, making the other Sylvan flinch. She laughed, trying to hide her flinch. "I'll be direct, then. The <Azure Rose Confederation> has sent a message to us: The <Ruby Hellebore Sect>, <Midnight Foxglove Sect>, and <Azurebell Heather Sect>. They are somewhat aware of the conflict, and they have asked that one of our Sect Masters take over the operation. You should be aware of them, right?"

Eila looked at the woman and asked, her tone too casual for the brutal words she uttered. "You know that I'll confirm this information, right? If you have lied, I will first hunt you down, even if it is the last thing I do." 

The woman nodded and reached into her pouch, taking out a sealed letter. "Sect Master Elowen has personally given me this letter." 

Eila walked forward and took it, reading it slowly. After reading it, her face was cold while her eyes flashed with hidden anger. '... Do they think I am a tool they can use and throw away at will? All because of what happened back then!?'

She took a deep breath and returned the letter. "Whatever. Tell Folter, Lyra, and Elowen to come as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the stronger the enemy will become."

Then, Eila left without saying a single word.

Once she was outside, Fortuna's laugh sounded around her. "That was quite interesting. Are you losing your grip, Eila?"

Eila spoke coldly. "If I do, someone with a tighter grip than mine will come here, so you are not in a great situation either."

Fortuna spoke without a care in the world. "My opponent is not someone I can beat. Does it matter who comes? Moreover, after those 1000 people had gone over, I felt quite a powerful ripple of essence coming from my neighbor. I bet she leveled up at least once."

Eila sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Have you given up already? Aren't you too young to give up?"

"Over a century is not bad. To be fair, what was your plan, Eila? Calling higher level people to interfere would lead to the result you don't want faster…" Fortuna spoke with faint scorn. "If someone has given up, it is you."

Eila paused and sighed, rubbing her forehead. 

Meanwhile, in the Golden Sap City, two people were waiting for Flor to come and greet them. It didn't take long, and soon, Flor appeared in the room with a smile. "Kael, Thalia, welcome. How have you been?"

The strong man with deep black eyes and an angular face looked at Flor with confusion. "I was going to say that you look better, but… That's not entirely true. What happened? You look quite spiritless."

Thalia kicked the man's leg while sipping on tea.

"Hey. What was that for?"

Thalia placed the cup down, rolling her eyes. "Can you be a bit less rude? Perhaps she had makeup on the other day! Flor is in her late thirties. For a Rose Fairy, that's quite an advanced age."

Flor's eyebrow twitched. Still, she ignored them and answered, sitting on the couch in front of them. "I just passed down my role as the Rose Fairy Queen. I am not too accustomed yet to the lack of strength that comes without it."

Thalia asked, surprise lacing her voice. "Why did you do that? You were quite a good holder, right? Is the new generation that fierce?" 

Flor laughed. "It's not like that. I have another… opportunity for me. However, I have yet to take it and left it pending in my system interface."

Kael nodded. "That's good. While I have not known any long-lived Rose Fairies, you must not give up! Who knows if you become the first one to breach… whatever the record is!"

Flor snorted. "From what I heard, the oldest Rose Fairy ever recorded was 54 years of age. That kind of age should not be too hard to overcome."

Kael laughed. "That's the spirit!"

Smiling, the Rose Fairy asked. "So, what's the matter? It's rare that you two come here on your own volition. Usually, I need to send a letter or something."

Thalia smiled. "We are a bit busy back in our sects, trying to explain to them why we went against Fortuna and placed a bet on cute Liu Shu." 

After saying that, she became serious and spoke. "Flor, as you know, I am part of a sect under the <Celestial Lotus Empire>, while Kael's sect is part of the <Verdant Sanctity Covenant>. On the other side of this battle are quite a few powers, and between them are those under the <Azure Rose Confederation>." 

Flor nodded, and Thalia continued. "Small-scale wars like this one between our Empires are not rare. However, most of the time, it is over neutral territory. You might not know, but taking over large parts of the continents is not easy due to two main factors. The first one is that the wildlife in our world is terrifyingly strong. There are parts of our world that not even the top experts dare meddle with. The second one is that claiming territory is too difficult due to the sudden appearance of World Trees all around the world. If a place suddenly gains a World Tree and they fail to be controlled, well, let's say that it can become a huge problem."

Flor rubbed her chin and tried to digest the information. The other two waited patiently, knowing the relatively "new" intelligence of the creature. After a few moments, Flor nodded. "So, what you are trying to tell me is that this time around, we are in a place where both your powers have some misgivings facing or offending the <Azure Rose Confederation>?"

Thalia's and Kael's eyes flashed with praise. Kael smiled and nodded. "That's right. You being able to guess this gives us some maneuvering room."

Flor blinked, confused. "Eh?"

Kael laughed. "Our leaders were not too convinced that you had enough intelligence to be considered an ally. Therefore, they told us to give you a small test to check if you could guess a general situation from small and sparse information. You'd be surprised how difficult it is for many races that are considered 'Intelligent'. Even some humans and Sylvans fail to be able to do so." 

Flor scratched her head. "So… What does this mean?"

Thalia and Kael burst into laughter. Thalia spoke with a smile. "You are quite cute, Flor. Anyway, I'll go directly to the point; there is no reason to go in circles."

Thalia looked at Flor and spoke. "We want the Golden Sap City and everything under its domain to swear that in the future unless provoked, you won't invade terrain owned by both our Empires."

Flor paused and looked at both of them. Seeing their serious eyes, she frowned deeply. However, before she could speak, Liu Shu intervened. 

"That's impossible."

Thalia and Kael paused and looked toward the World Tree. 

Liu Shu's voice spread in the room once more. "While I can make some concessions, it can't interfere with my ability to expand. I can give up many things, but again, my ability to expand is something I wouldn't give up for anything, including my life."

Thalia frowned. "Why?"

Liu Shu spoke. "Two reasons: First, I am a World Tree; Second, I refuse to become a potted plant that your Empires can treat as they please." 

Both of them paused at her second reason. Her description was not too far off. After all, a World Tree that can't expand is nothing more than, as Liu Shu said, a fancy potted plant.