Chương 308: Decision And Materials!

Harmonixia was actually the one to speak after Flor's joking suggestion.

"Um. Is it okay for me to be here? It's not like we are deeply linked allies yet, right?" Flor waved her hand and dismissed her worries.

"You won't betray us or do anything to harm Liu Shu. That's enough reason for us to trust you." The Sylvan asked, baffled.

"How are you so sure? No, why is everyone here so sure of it?" Seeing the actual confusion on her face, Verena chuckled.

"Child. The people you see here in this room have not always been allies. The reason we can trust you is because the one that ties us all, Liu Shu, revealed it without telling you to go first. If the big boss doesn't tell you to leave, why should we?" Liu Shu giggled.

"Hehehe. I am the Big Boss! No one can defy me!" Soft laughter filled the room. This surprised Harmonixia.

'More than an alliance, it feels like a family. All these creatures from different origins get along because their sky was covered by a canopy that created a refreshing and peaceful shadow.' Harmonixia looked outside and smiled faintly while looking at the World Tree.

"Since that's the case, I will take the liberty of suggesting the [Temple Of Destiny]." Eila raised her eyebrow.

"Oh? I was thinking of the [Temple Of War] since we probably need to battle our way to the top. Being in a conflict at almost all times, that extra ten percent stats will affect the entire population at all times."

"Compelling arguments," Verdantia muttered.

"Still, I do believe that if we want to spread into a world power, the [Temple Of Craft] is too important. Strength is based on not only an army's individual power but also their equipment. If we have crafters creating treasures that other nations consider masterpieces, we'll have a terrifying advantage in everything from war to trade to health to economy." Verena smirked.

"I am with my daughter. However, instead of trying to choose which one we want, we should start by discarding those we don't. In my opinion, the [Temple Of Death], while powerful, is currently useless to us." Flor hummed and looked around, asking.

"Does anyone think otherwise? If so, we can discard it." No one spoke up, and therefore, the [Temple Of Death] was discarded. Wert tapped the table with his index finger rhythmically and spoke up.

"The Temple Of Life is really powerful, but it falls short compared to the rest. As a human, the extra lifespan is really tempting, but the Temple Of War's 10% stat boost should do something similar." Ignatia spoke for the first time, shutting down his argument.

"Ten percent extra boost is certainly tempting. Yet, the [Temple Of Life]'s ability to naturally heal crippling wounds will tie people down to us, especially heroes that might've lost all chance of recovery. Too many rogue powerhouses are roaming the world, some with wounds that will never heal. This temple offers us the chance to recruit those hermits and hidden powerhouses. Not to mention, our soldiers will be able to battle more fearlessly, knowing that crippling wounds are not the end of their carrier."

The Ant Queen's gaze flashed with intellect.

"Over the [Temple Of War], the [Temple Of Life] feels the most suitable for a constantly warring nation." Everyone in the room couldn't help but become silent as they digested her words. Flor hummed.

"I do think that the [Temple Of War] is something we should build at a later stage. When we build it in the future, those people who had hit a limit due to our battles will be given a chance to break those limits, igniting their wills. First, we make sure that most of our people survive. Then, we give everyone a chance to break through and get a stat boost." The people in the room couldn't help but look at the two monsters in the room and marvel.

'When monsters gain intelligence, they are really scary.' Looking at Ignatia, those in the room felt the actual reason for their predecessors to be so fearful of Ant Queens.

'A creature that has deep intellect, can build societies with relentless workers, and can spawn an entire race into existence by itself.' Harmonixia insisted at this moment.

"I am not against the [Temple Of Life]. However, I do think that [Temple Of Destiny] is too strong to ignore. If our entire population has an increased chance to have lucky encounters while others have a lessened one, we might get the benefits of all the other temples. For example, what if a person is lucky and encounters a medicine that can heal any type of wound? Or, if a lucky person finds a treasure that increases their tier and strength, making them a powerful general?

What if their geniuses suddenly start failing to break through their limits because of unfortunate matters?" Looking at Eila, Harmonixia slammed another point home.

"Moreover, unlike other powers, we have Lady Fortuna as a vassal world tree of Liu Shu. A World Tree specialized in Destiny, at that. Her presence combined with the [Temple Of Destiny] is like placing two pieces of a puzzle that was meant to be completed." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Everyone paused and looked at Harmonixia deeply. Ignatia also got thoughtful and rubbed her chin, her long antennae bobbing side to side cutely.

Cinderielle asked, curious.

"What about the [Temple Of Craft]? Liu Shu is constantly building houses and equipment, so it would be a direct upgrade to all our cities." Tempestria shook her head and presented a leaf-paper to everyone.

"It is strong, but compared to the benefits of the others, it falls short." The rest of the people looked at that paper and saw a list of the pros and cons of all the Temples based on what they had been discussing.

"After writing everything down, I think that we have two choices. [Temple Of Life] or [Temple Of Destiny]. If Liu Shu doesn't unlock other temples, choosing the one that we didn't between these two is the best course of action." Everyone pondered and agreed. It was a shame, but these two really stuck out once you analyzed all the details. Flor looked at that sheet of paper and then looked toward the World Tree.

"Liu Shu. Choose. We've reduced the options to these two. Now, it is your turn to decide in what direction you want everything to develop. Do you want to rely on destiny, or do you want to rely on a more tangible power?" The World Tree had been paying attention, but unlike them, Liu Shu didn't hesitate when choosing between these two.

"[Temple Of Destiny] it is!" Verena raised her eyebrow and smiled.

"So decisive. What's your reason?" Liu Shu asked, curious.

"Have you ever seen an item, potion, or equipment that permanently, or well, constantly influences fate in such a wide-scale area?" Everyone paused and realized that such a thing really didn't exist. Or, at least, no one of the people gathered knew about anything even remotely similar. Liu Shu giggled.

"There is nothing, right? Consequently, if we can tilt this strangely balanced scale toward us, I think that the effects will be extraordinary." Everyone didn't say anything more and let Liu Shu choose it. [You've chosen the <Temple Of Destiny>!] [Receiving blueprint and materials…] [Delivered!] <Temple Of Destiny>: Soulwood (D- Rank), Spacewood (D- Rank), Bronzewood (D- Rank), Metalheart Lignum, (D Rank), Animaheart Lignum (D Rank), Blossom Timber (D+ Rank)... Those were the main materials Liu Shu noticed.

The rest were all E Rank materials she had plenty of in her <Lignified Vault>. Some D Rank materials, like Spacestone and Soulstone, were needed as well. However, these were not a problem. Compared to <Woodcrafting> materials of the same rank, rock-related materials were easier to get. You just needed to find a location with a relatively strong concentration of one element and dig around. Liu Shu listed the materials she needed, and everyone in the room sighed. Verena spoke first.

"I can get <Soulwood>, <Spacewood>, and <Metalheart Lignum>. However, I don't have a direct source of the others. I'll ask the other allies to see if we can make a trade for them." Verena paused and smiled.

"Speaking of which!" She dug into her pouch and took out disc-like treasure.

"This is the treasure we use to communicate with each other. Communication is relatively limited, and it is able to send four words every five minutes. However, if you need help or materials like now, just write those words, and others will know who sent them." Flor saw the item and nodded with a smile.

"Thanks. We should have a meeting with all of the allies one day." Verena shot down her suggestion.

"Not yet. If we gather in one place, it will be easier for others to know who is allied with the Golden Sap Forest and who isn't. We need to maintain a certain level of anonymity until Liu Shu's roots spread throughout this entire section of the continent." Verena kissed Verdantia on the forehead and smiled.

"Work hard, baby." Then, she left. Harmonixia stood up as well and added.

"Since Lady Verena is getting those three, I will provide <Animaheart Lignum> and <Bronzewood>. These two materials are quite common for me since we use them to create parts of our instruments." Cinderielle laughed faintly.

"That reduces our need to just one material: <Blossom Timber>." However, Cinderielle saw that some people in the room looked somewhat conflicted. She asked, confused.

"What's wrong? Is it hard to get?" Wert sighed. As part of the <Explorer Association>, he knew about precious materials and their location.

"This material can only grown on a Life Tree that is closely related to nature. Most of them are, since Life Trees have much less variety compared to World trees. Still, to find a Life Tree that has <Blossom Timber>, you need at least a D Tier Life Tree." Cinderielle was stunned.

"So…" She asked, her face conflicted.

"Do we need to kill a Life Tree to get this material?" Wert shook his head.

"There is no need. We can trade for a branch… Well, how much do you need, Liu Shu?"

"I need three units!" Wert looked up, making mental calculations.

"For this material, three units are… three branches of nearly ten meters long." Tempestria hummed.

"That's less than I expected." Wert reminded her.

"Life Trees don't grow nearly as fast as a World Tree. A Level 30 Life Tree is usually between 50 and 100 meters tall."

"Oh! So small!" Said the nearly 550-meter-tall behemoth. Wert rolled his eyes.

"Big girl, you are large even between your peers. Let's not shame other species' heights, okay?" Liu Shu giggled before Wert continued.

"Ten-meter-long branches are the main branches for such a tree unless they are from a Willow Tree family like Liu Shu. Even then, while Willow Trees have length, they lack thickness in their branches. So, we would need not three but fifteen of them." Verdantia exclaimed, her face serious.

"I prefer length over thickness! I don't mind at all!" Every other person choked.