Chương 633: Cael's Explanation to a Grieving World Tree.

"Cael." Everyone stopped as the World Tree's words echoed throughout the land. There was a sense of weight and authority like never before. Looking over, they saw that the giant tree was not even looking at the half-wolf, half-plant being. She was looking down, and following their gaze, they realized. The place she looked was a location that had been razed to the ground. Almost a kilometer-wide square of land had turned to nothing but splintered wood and broken branches.

It was the result of Altherion's one attack on the city. Cael noticed as well, and his face was similarly tense.

"What is it, Liu Shu?" Liu Shu didn't bother hiding her voice from others; it still echoed around, while the World Tree's gaze didn't move from her children's corpses.

"Are you one hundred percent sure about the plan? Are you one hundred percent sure that exterminating all of them will be much more of a risk compared to letting them flee?" The people who fought were surprised; they didn't know that their World Tree had planned something like that. In truth, if one observed the entire battle closely, they would realize that Liu Shu didn't really give her all.

She didn't use her ability to stop time, she didn't abuse her <Eternity Strand> skill, nor did she use soul attacks once they were outside of the ship. If she used all of her skills, her army would've massacred everyone other than the <Sixth Energy Cycles> easily. Even those powerhouses would be in trouble, and the Moon-Type ships would've been unable to leave Ceperet before being destroyed. Cael noticed Liu Shu's emotions. He knew that the World Tree was wise, but she was young and inexperienced in many matters.

The fact that she had stuck to the plan even after losing so many children was something Cael deeply admired. From the bottom of his heart, he admitted that Tianlian Liu Shu was an incredible being, regardless of her origins or species.

"Yes. This is the best path for your expansion and survival, Liu Shu. I will explain once more, going into detail. Ask questions, and I will answer them. However, from all my accumulated understanding of the Nexus, your best option is and will be letting this batch escape." Liu Shu stayed silent for a moment before nodding very faintly. Due to her size, everyone could see her nod, though.

"Currently, they are escaping at a rather slow pace. Therefore, we have time. I calculate that they will take around 25 days to leave my current domain." Cael nodded and slowly flew up, reaching Liu Shu's eye level. Once there, the World Tree finally stopped looking at the destroyed patch of city.

"Now, I will explain slowly." Liu Shu nodded again, and Cael began his explanation.

"The Abyssal Void Nexus, like almost any other Star System Empire, is divided into countless lower powers. Altherion's main operations are based on <Eclipse World>, a Mid-Level world among the Nexus's myriad of worlds."

"Mid-Level." Liu Shu repeated, her voice trailing.

"You explained before that there are Mortal, Low-Level, Mid-Level, High-Level, and Core Worlds, right?" Cael nodded.

"A Mortal world is something like Nualis. They are the most numerous, and they are the places where most forces go to scout out hidden talents and rough gems. Altherion and many other Star Lords come from such worlds."

"Low-Level worlds have <Fifth Energy Cycle> beings, with many being led by one to five <Sixth Energy Cycles>." Liu Shu nodded, and Cael continued.

"Mid-Level worlds have a few dozen or hundreds <Sixth Energy Cycles>, with at least one Star Lord level powerhouse leading it. It also has councils that report directly to leaders in the Core Worlds."

"For a world to be classified as High-Level, they must have at least 50 Star Lord level powerhouses or one <Second Ascension> level powerhouse."

"Finally, Core Worlds have an unknown number of <Second Ascension> powerhouses. Of course, there are not many worlds at that level in a Star System Empire. You can probably count them with the fingers on both hands." Cael warned.

"But you must know that the Covenant and Nexus are far from being normal Star System Empires. Both sides are in the process of becoming Globular Star Cluster Empires." Liu Shu's face still didn't reveal much emotion. This was one of the first large-scale losses of life for Liu Shu, and her heart was grieving for that loss. Those Lignified Houses that died were children she spoke with almost daily. But now they were no more. Cael noticed and spoke.

"Once Altherion and Vaarn return, the two World-Type ships intact and with no <Sixth Energy Cycle> casualties, those in the <Eclipse World> won't take them seriously. The reason for that is that Altherion was not truthful in his reports and reasons for his so-called expedition." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Liu Shu spied on the entire army for a week straight. Naturally, during this week, many people spoke secretly of things that shouldn't be said out loud.

The false sense of safety lulled them into revealing most of the details about their mission, plan, and reasons.

"So… You are betting on the fact that <Eclipse World> will condemn them for their actions instead of searching for the cause of their defeat."

"No." Cael shook his head, his face serious.

"Liu Shu, I am not foolish enough to bet on anything. I know you are sad and that your heart is hurting. However, don't let that blind you." Liu Shu's eyes moved, glaring at Cael for a moment. The pressure around her increased, making all the Aether Mana and Anima Energy of the world stir under the gaze of the World Tree. Cael met that gaze head-on, not moving away and not changing his expression. After a few minutes, Liu Shu opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Instead, she closed her mouth and her momentum lost strength. The Sylvans and others looked at her worriedly; they very much wanted to go into her <Core Room> and pamper their big and cute girl. Still, they knew that it was not the time for that.

"... Continue." A low voice that sounded like a listless sigh escaped Liu Shu's mouth. Cael nodded.

"Eclipse World has 7 Star Lords. The competition between them is high as well. So, for those people, Altherion and Vaarn's defeat means nothing. The fact that the World-Types could escape and no <Sixth Energy Cycle> powerhouse died means that our strength is lacking to that degree. What threat can we become in a century or two? For those other Star Lords and council members who have a vendetta with Altherion, this is a chance to bring down the otherwise exceptional general." Liu Shu didn't disagree.

She had observed both Ceperet and Nualis for a long time now. The number of foolish people who ignored dangerous signals just to earn a petty benefit was so great that it sometimes awed Liu Shu that these Intelligent Races could maintain a functioning society. Disdain for other races, even in Liu Shu's relatively pruned domain, was not that uncommon. Of course, instead of aggressive disdain, it was more like people minding their own business and not mixing with those they disliked.

So, in a society like the Nexus's, where people were even more aggressive in these matters, she could perfectly see what scenario Cael was predicting.

"Even then, Altherion probably has tools to tell them what happened in detail, does he not?" Cael nodded.

"There are naturally recording artifacts. The World-Types are not that cheap to make, especially so for a mid-level world. A rich mid-level world would have, at most, 12 World-Types in its fleet. Altherion's main army has two of these, and that's something many other Star Lords are aiming for, as some have just one of them." Liu Shu admitted that the World-Types were ridiculously sturdy.

Even now, as she and her Arboreal Winged Serpents harassed them, the shield around the World-Type didn't even show signs of crumbling. The roots she attacked those ships with burst into chunks when they collided, and it looked effortless.

"So, if we had destroyed a World-Type…" Cael smiled wryly.

"Altherion would gain casus belli and gather Eclipse's army to come for us. Moreover, Altherion would ask stronger Star Lords to come nip the bud at its roots, perhaps involving a Star Emperor."

"Star Emperor… Are those <Second Ascension> powerhouses?" Cael nodded.

"A Level 100 True World Tree that evolved in a few decades, destroying a World-Type ship with 2 Star Lords protecting them is… too much. The Covenant wouldn't send people to your aid, even if you are allied. After all, they are not prepared to lose people on my level or fight a Star Emperor for a recently ascended True World Tree."

"... They wouldn't move even after I achieved a feat that provoked the Nexus to such a large extent? What about the <Explorer Association>? Wouldn't they gain interest in me?" Cael sighed and spoke with a complicated expression.

"Liu Shu, the universe is immense. Extremely so. Your current potential is excellent. However, your overall strength is pitifully weak in the grand scheme of things. Moreover, you are an A+ Tier World Tree. Your potential is large, but not limitless. Hence, you are not worth the protection of a <Second Ascension> powerhouse nor the interest of the <Explorer Association> that dwarfs our empires." Li Shu finally understood where the problem lay. She was just too young and low-level for these ancient people to care.

For those long-lived creatures, Liu Shu was nothing more than a fleeting shooting star. They would appreciate it from afar, but never go to enough lengths to keep it. Taking a deep look at Liu Shu's complicated expression, Cael sighed.

"Therefore, your current only option is to let them go. You could, if you want, eliminate all the remaining Moon-Type ships. Nevertheless, that would look too… intentional. Hence, I really recommend that you bother them, but fail to destroy more than you've already done."

"... I want to avenge my babies." Cael's heart twitched when he heard her words. The tone was so helpless. Glancing at the World Tree, looking at him for help, he finally decided.

"We will." Liu Shu blinked slowly, and Cael smiled. His always stern face softened as he glanced at the World Tree.

"I will become your Star Lord, and when you reach Eclipse, we will get our revenge. You are a World Tree, so devour everything in your endless root net and leave those you abhor without an escape route." Liu Shu looked at Cael's deep eyes, and she nodded firmly.

"Tell me… what do I do now?" Cael chuckled.

"Hunt them down." He smirked and commented.

"Make them look incompetent. Their pilots are nothing but substitutes for substitutes. How can they pilot or bring out a World-Type Ship's capabilities to the maximum? Chase them until they pass Nualis and then stop." Liu Shu nodded.

"Alright, let's do that." Then, her eyes moved toward the deserted zone of her city, and her roots began moving. She was going to create a grand burial site and make that zone a natural park.