Chương 481: Regulations and Tour.

Those who heard Melody's voice became relaxed, but a trace of tension remained on everyone's body when they saw the ants approach their supply carriages. The beasts that had been pulling them became restless when they saw the ants approaching. Everyone thought that there would be a chain reaction and cause chaos, but it all changed when they came close. The animals that were restless and the people suddenly saw as the ants in the lead released a wave of aura.

This wave spread like a gentle wind and hit every restless animal that was being approached. Instantly, all the animals calmed down and became docile, not even moving when the ants approached them and broke them free as they took over the carriages and pulled them away. This baffled everyone, even Melody and the other leaders.

"What happened? How come the beasts became calm once the monster ants approached?" One of them couldn't help but ask, even though he felt that this was a secret of the city. Flor glanced at that person once and then spoke calmly.

"Naturally, it is because all the ants carry the aura of our World Tree. They can be considered part of the family with her, and therefore, they have the ability to calm down creatures to a certain degree with their aura. For the beasts, the ants went from predators to just another type of intelligent species that wouldn't hurt them. So, even when they approached, they stayed calm." One person asked instinctively.

"Isn't this a very dangerous ability? They will be able to hunt creatures and make them comply without needing any violence. If they develop such a skill to the level that it can affect intelligent creatures, it would be a disaster." Flor answered calmly, already accustomed to people's skepticism toward her wife's babies.

"Not even a World Tree can pacify people's aggression, so what makes you think that ants can? If World Trees had such a skill, they wouldn't be hunted down by anyone. There wouldn't be tragedies related to them as well." Calmly answering was one thing. Accepting the disrespect was another. Hence, the last few words spread around with a hint of coldness and indifference.

"So, I think that instead of worrying about imaginary scenarios that have never come to fruition, you should focus more on following our orders so that we can sort everyone quickly and efficiently." Everyone heard the clearly displeased tone and glanced at Flor, surprised. Meanwhile, another elder commented.

"It seems that you have some fondness toward the ants." The tone of that sentence was clearly condemning, as if such a thing as having affection toward ants was an incredibly blasphemous matter. Instead, Flor answered with a proud tone.

"Of course. They are adorable creatures that have never harmed anyone unprovoked for more than the two decades that they've been living with others."

"But they've harmed people." That elder insisted, clearly adverse to the idea of living with ants in the same space. Even then, Flor's tone kept being nonchalant as her cold gaze zeroed in on that person.

"They have not only harmed but also killed intelligent beings. They've participated in wars, sacrificed themselves as martyrs, and made sure that violence is kept at a minimum in the Golden Sap Country. Being living creatures with enough intelligence to control their impulses and coexist with absolutely zero unwarranted violent cases, how are they any different from the wild animals in the city or towns or the beasts tamed by law officers in other countries to maintain peace in their cities?"

Seeing the other party about to continue speaking, Melody finally interrupted.

"Enough. For now, we'll see with our own eyes if Flor's words are the truth. I don't ask you to blindly believe her and trust the ants. However, I will not accept anyone who doesn't look at things with an objective mind to remain one of the leading elders in the Songtree family." Melody looked at everyone with a stern look.

"If anything happens, come to me and I'll deal with it. For any other opinions until that something happens, keep them to yourselves." Melody's words were fair and gave face to both sides. Flor looked at her with a hint of appreciation and smiled faintly.

"That's great to hear. Now, I'll ask the leaders in your groups to follow me. Guiding more than half a million people through the Golden Sap City's streets would be a mess. Therefore, I'll give you a tour and hope that you can use that to inform the rest of your clansmen." She paused for a bit before adding.

"For such large immigration batches, we have a bit of a more forgiving policy for the first few months in terms of petty crimes or breaking rules. However," she marked firmly.

"Any crime that's not attached to peculiarities of the city will be judged sternly and without any pardons. So, I hope that no one in your group tries to violate other people's rights and then claims they didn't know it was not allowed. Let's keep everything civilized. Am I understood?" Everyone nodded, and someone added.

"Speaking of which, what are the punishments for heavy crimes?"

"Death," Flor answered with a simple word, startling some of them.

"Isn't that a bit too harsh? There must be some leniency, and expect them to—""To what? To give them another chance to commit the same crime again?" Flor laughed once and looked at Melody.

"Was your Songtree family this lenient with criminals in your country? Melody, we're family, so I'm warning you with the best of intentions. Compared to how Liu Shu punishes those who commit crimes, we are lenient. Liu Shu has killed people who even dare to rob, regardless of the reason. She is extremely strict about the security of her citizens and will not tolerate others creating any kind of chaos." Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Melody nodded easily.

"Of course. Don't worry, Flor. Those who dare commit any crime will be dealt with mercilessly, following this place's laws. We have not come to create a sub-country inside yours, but to become part of Liu Shu's ecosystem." Inside, Melody had kept a mental note on all who had spoken. She was not a World Tree, so controlling all actions in her territory was naturally impossible back in their ancestral territory.

She knew that there were some underhanded deals and injustices occurring, but she couldn't be too heavy-handed without causing internal conflict. Hence, she ignored some of it.

'Now, I can finally clean house without worrying as much about making the entire Songtree clan collapse.' Once that was dealt with, and after seeing the large group of people enter through an opening in the massive wall, Melody and the others moved and passed the wall as well. When they arrived inside, their eyes widened slightly as the place in front of their eyes unfurled. The streets were bustling with people, with several businesses thriving and selling things here and there.

There was transportation through both beasts and other vehicles, with roads to keep the fast-moving things circulating without endangering people on foot. The towering Lignified Houses were imposing and full of energy, and as soon as they entered the city, their systems kept beeping with Runic Field effects that wanted to be activated. Flor commented.

"Don't be bothered with the runic fields too much. Every single building has them, so you will be entering and exiting their range often. The only Runic Fields that you need to accept and will affect you inside and in the nearby surroundings are those of the Temples and other special buildings. We'll go more into detail about that later." Walking down the streets of the city, Flor would explain when they came across any building that wasn't a residential Lignified House.

Some of them had been rented by wealthy individuals, transforming them into large shops. Of course, like in the beginning, no one could "buy" them per se. There were available deals, but nothing that would endanger the Tree Houses as individuals. Policies about harming the houses were extremely strict since, at the end of the day, they were all considered Liu Shu's children. Hearing the fantastical explanations, Melody and the others had their expectations completely blown out of the park.

They could see prosperity, order, and opportunity everywhere. Together with a relatively affordable living cost and the high currency flow in the city, everything was "too good to be true." As they walked, they heard a scream and looked toward the source. They saw an ant stomping on a person and brutally mauling them. Killing intent surged in their hearts, thinking that the ant had gone rogue. However, no one seemed to react to it, leaving them confused. So, instead of jumping the gun, they looked around.

One of the elders suddenly noticed something on the large ant's leg.

"Over there." The elders looked and saw a small Sylvan girl hugging the ant's leg with tears in her eyes, clearly scared not of the ant but of the person that the ant was beating to death. A man ran down the street, and seeing the scenery, he sighed in relief and quickly thanked the large ant.

"Many thanks, many thanks. That man almost kidnapped my baby girl." The little girl ran toward the man, opening her small arms.

"Daddy!"

"Oh, baby." The man hugged her and smiled, rubbing his face with hers.

"Are you okay, little seedling?" The Sylvan child smiled widely, showing a brave face even through her teary eyes.

"Yeah! Big Sister Ant has beaten up the bad guy already!" The elders had not said a word and couldn't help but look at the Flower Fairy. They saw Flor looking at them with an unamused smirk on her lips, her eyes cold. Her hand was raised as a very light pollen mist was surrounding them.

"The next time you direct killing intent toward them, I won't stop the ants from attacking you. So control your urges. This is my first and last warning."

"Huh?" They were confused until they looked around and saw hundreds of ants on the trees and streets, zeroing in on them. Their mandibles clacked menacingly, clearly ready to pounce on them. If they weren't enveloped in Flor's aura, one could already imagine what would've happened by now. Melody said nothing about Flor's actions, naturally accepting and supporting her methods. As they walked around the city, they arrived at the important structures, and Flor explained every single one of them.

While some of them were clearly not fit to be leaders in the city, the grand majority had behaved perfectly until now. It was thanks to their low numbers that Flor could easily see those who acted weirdly. They contrasted nicely compared to the calmer crowd.

"Endless Library?" Melody hummed and read the Runic Field's effects. <Focus Rune Field>: Creatures affected by the soothing aura of this Runic Field will find themselves being more productive and having a much easier time focusing. Once she finished reading, she took in a deep breath and looked at Flor with disbelief in her eyes.

"Does this Runic Field truly do as it says?" Flor smiled faintly.

"Yes. All scholars in the city come here when they want to prepare for important matters, while the public section is available for everyone with just a small entrance fee." The wording was vague, but Melody understood the true importance of this effect. Distractions were the biggest obstacle between a genius and a true genius. A person who is extremely good at something but takes it easy will eventually not become anything too outstanding.

However, what if someone is skilled at something, has a passion for it, and actively devotes their time to perfecting the craft? The result would be the birth of an absolute monster in whatever field that person works in. Coupled with the enhancement of the <Temple Of Craft>, Melody understood that this city was a true fertile ground for once-in-a-century geniuses. The only thing they probably lacked was good seedlings.

'Our Songtree clan naturally has many young talents. Once they use all the advantages of this city to enhance their strengths…' Melody felt exponentially optimistic the more time she spent in Golden Sap City. Harmonixia spoke once they arrived at their lodgings.

"Mom. I'll take you tomorrow to see my adorable little flower and the other siblings!" Hearing that she could finally meet her grandson, Melody's face revealed a radiant smile.