Chương 426: New Objectives!

Flor and other leaders looked inside the cage with complicated expressions. To make sure that the <Terragore King> couldn't escape, his limbs were chained, and his hands and feet were pinned with nails. The neck was similarly stuck against the ground, while a metal muzzle surrounded his mouth. The massive and powerful creature was completely trapped and unable to move an inch. Thalgryn spoke, confused.

"I wonder why the quest wants us to capture them and not kill them… Even though he is a ruthless monster, at the end of the day, it is a wild creature trying to survive. Jailing it in this way is quite cruel." Many shared these thoughts. The <Terragore King>'s intelligence was not even close to that of an intelligent creature. However, that didn't mean that he was completely brainless. Lord Stormrider at the side spoke.

"Is this place safe? I mean, I know we are directly below Liu Shu. So, even if he tries to escape, Liu Shu can quickly immobilize him with her roots. However, what if the <Terragore> follow his presence and digs underground, appearing right here?"

"Impossible," Galia commented.

"Lady Liu Shu's root net stretches several kilometers underground. They'd need to have ways to avoid a World Tree's detection range." Lord Stormrider paused and nodded.

"Fair point." He then shrugged.

"Regardless, I don't think you need to worry too much. Suppose we manage to capture him and the queen. Then, do the rest of the missions, and we become the absolute controllers of the <Terragore Empire>." Thalgryn continued his thought process.

"Even if they are Fourth Energy Cycles, we can use Runic Items, arrays, or potions to weaken them. Hence, leaving those two free in the future wouldn't be that much of a problem. Their lack of intelligence as a species can also serve as a constant source of Experience Points." Flor listened and hummed.

"So, the <Sylvan Quest> is set up as it is because the final objective is for us to take over the place and use it as a secondary Experience Point source." Liu Shu joined the conversation at this time, her voice sounding much more normal since they were close to her. It sounded soft, gentle, and with a very faint echo. Of course, the pressure it carried was impossible to hide, making some leaders feel their hearts constricting alongside her powerful aura.

"Hehe. Once you complete everything, it might spawn something quite nice!" Everyone tilted their heads at her mysterious words. Liu Shu didn't say more because of the System's warnings. [Warning. If you reveal a hint ot the existence of the <Dungeon System>, you'll be stripped of the privilege.] After accepting the <Terragore Empire> Sylvan Quest, Liu Shu received an additional hidden quest.

[Hidden Objective: If you complete all normal and optional objectives, you'll be able to absorb the nest and the tunnels with your <Dungeon System>, creating an <Open Dungeon>.] An <Open Dungeon> was a region that limited the activities of the monsters. Different from the <Closed Dungeon>, the area was hardly modifiable, and the monsters inside had predetermined traits. Still, there was an advantage in terms of group sizes compared to <Closed Dungeons>.

Moreover, the <Open Dungeon> could grow depending on the monsters inside. Additionally, the person with the <Dungeon System> could cull the monsters' strength to a certain degree in case they got out of hand. Liu Shu pondered and looked at the <Wall Forest>.

'System, can I make the <Wall Forest> an <Open Dungeon>?' [Dungeon System Hint: To make such a request, World Tree Tianlian Liu Shu needs to become stronger.]"Wah… I got slapped with the 'you are too weak' sentence. I bet it echoed throughout my domain. QAQ!" Still, she was not disillusioned. She glanced at the <Terragore Empire> quest, and she noticed that the first of the three main <Objectives> was almost completed.

'Wow, after dealing with the <Terragore King>, the progress of <Objective 1> jumped up to 98%!' [Objective 1: Suppress the <Terragore> threat. (98%)] [Objective 2: Avoid World Tree Tianlian Liu Shu's death.] [Objective 3: Control all colonies and make sure no <Terragore> groups are left unchecked. (Completed)] Liu Shu pondered the reason.

"I guess that without the <Terragore King>, the monster nest is dangerous but not a 'threat.' As long as we keep an eye on them, the <Terragore> can't really escape or multiply fast enough. Moreover, for a new King to be born, there must be a strong male <Terragore> with enough potential, luck, and many other factors. It was easier said than done, more so when the real <Terragore King> was still alive…" Liu Shu paused.

"Hm? Ah! So that's another reason why the <Sylvan Quest> wants them captured. As long as he doesn't die, it's very hard to spawn a new <Terragore King>." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. She saw the other rewards and hummed.

"This quest focuses quite a lot on monster tamers as well. Where is the Monster Tamer guild in my city?" Liu Shu began looking around, her gaze shifting through the place with curious eyes. Eventually, she found one of the <Tree Houses> in the middle of a wide green prairie near the farm-lands.

"Huh…? These people…" She pondered, confused. Why was a sole <Tree House> growing here? She had no memory of having created it. [Wisdom: It happened during your sleep. Here are the memories of that time.] Liu Shu's mind flashed with a few images. They showed Flor discussing with a gentle-looking middle-aged man. The man and Flor discussed Monster Taming and the future benefits it could carry for the Golden Sap Empire. Being a monster herself, Flor had a somewhat of a weak spot toward this type of thing.

The Monster Tamers were not there only to forcefully tame monsters. They also helped relatively intelligent monsters adapt to life in the city. They helped some Rose Fairies and Myconids in the past as well. Therefore, she eventually agreed to ask Wisdom to create one <Tree House> separated from others. Of course, the Monster Tamer guild would need to pay for the entire house from their pocket. Still, Monster Tamers were quite rich merchants.

After all, the ability to grow monsters and then sell them to others as pets, summons, mounts, etc., was very lucrative. After reviewing all the information, Liu Shu asked Wisdom.

"Hey, is there any other important memory like this one…? Ah, forget it, just give me all the things you've done when I was sleeping." [Wisdom: Packaging memories to send over…] Liu Shu sighed.

"I don't know why you didn't do this earlier." [Wsidom: Done. Please bear with the pain.] Liu Shu harrumphed in disdain.

'Hmph. What pa—Aaaahh! My head! Oh, branches above, it is going to split! My head is going to split in twooooo!!!' The pain continued for around 10 minutes before it became bearable again.

"Huff… Huff… That was… Intense." She surveyed the new memories and slowly nodded.

'Okay, there are a few cases like the Monster Tamers, but with other niche crafters. Nothing too special, though.' Liu Shu sighed, observing the city in silence.

'I've come so far…' Liu Shu dominated half of the continent, and the <Terragore> threat was almost over. The <Terragore Queen> will not be easy to capture. However, they knew that the creature would not move from the Terragore Empire. Therefore, their options were plenty.

'Now. Time to start spreading my roots beyond the <Wall forest>! Hehehe.' She did just that. All her roots, with the help of her new titles to act as a collective, helped her coordinate perfectly as her roots spread from the edge of the <Wall Forest>. She was actually quite excited.

'I wonder what new things I will encounter? Hm? Harmonixia has come?' That didn't distract her much, but she placed a bit of extra focus on her <Avatar>. The <Avatar> looked toward the sliding door with a smile.

"Welcome, Harmonixia." The gorgeous purple and blue haired Sylvan walked over with a smile on her own. Her wide and tempting hips swayed with her steps, making Liu Shu's gaze involuntarily lower to the hypnotic movements. Among her four lovers, she was the one with the plumpest hips and thighs without a shred of doubt. Her pear-shaped body was truly erotic. Dewna spoke aloud, making a sound.

"Huanisia!" The Sylvan's eyes softened as she sat by the side of the woman and baby.

"I am here~. How are you feeling, Liu Shu? Any after effects from merging with the <Wall Forest>? You really worried us back then." Liu Shu blinked her gem-like amethyst eyes.

"Nothing wrong. I feel better than ever~." Harmonixia smiled and hugged the naked woman and the child in her arms.

"Then, I am glad, love." She kissed her soft, petal-like lips once before asking.

"So… What's up with that new voice of yours?"

"Hm?" The World Tree blinked innocently.

"What new voice?" Harmonixia paused and asked, curious.

"You have not noticed?"

"Notice what?" Liu Shu asked again, her lips stretching into a pout.

"What are you talking so mysteriously about? Be more straight! I can't understand otherwise!" Harmonixia laughed and kissed her pouty lips three times. Her hand gently caressed Dewna's soft green hair as she spoke with Liu Shu.

"When you speak, it sounds like many voices are speaking at once. Before, it also happened, but the effect was like five or six people talking at once. Now, it sounds as if a chorus of a hundred creatures is speaking at once. It makes some people feel quite scared." Liu Shu paused, and after reaching a place where there was no one, she started speaking alone while using her senses to hear her own voice.

"Hello~? Woah! This is how I sound now? That's… So cool! I sound so imposing! Like, like. If you dare mess with me, I'll hunt you down to hell! Wahahaha!" Harmonixia saw Liu Shu's eyes glittering, and her lips twitched.

'... Is she enjoying herself?' Liu Shu glanced at Harmonixia with her beautiful eyes.

"I didn't know that I sound so cool!" Harmonixia's eyelids trembled.

'She is definitely enjoying it.' Coughing, she added.

"But, wasn't your objective making people friendly? This voice will scare anyone who wants to be close to you away." Liu Shu paused and leaned her forehead on Harmonixia's shoulder.

"I've… given up."

"Huh?" Harmonixia blinked.

"What do you mean?" Liu Shu raised her face, showing a somewhat sad and awkward expression.

"No one can become my friend in the true sense of the word. Only other World Trees can somewhat approach that, but even they treat me as the Domain Lord, someone above them and someone that they want to respect. Of course, that doesn't mean that they aren't friendly, but there is always that subordinate and boss kind of lingering feeling. Not to mention, other normal creatures will just be too overwhelmed to treat me casually. After all, I am approaching the 3, 000-meter height.

Who can honestly befriend a being as tall as a mountain?' Harmonixia paused and sighed. She hugged her lovable World Tree tightly and spoke softly.

"Then, love. Why don't we make people who will treat you more informally?" Liu Shu looked up, curious.

"How?" Harmonixia's lips arched in a seductive smile.

"Of course, by expanding our family~." Liu Shu's cheeks blushed, and she whispered happily and shyly.

"O-Okay… Please make Liu Shu pregnant again…"