Chương 709: Clear Boundaries And Ripple.

Now that she was going to stop acting as if she didn't exist, the first thing Liu Shu did was summon all merchants at once. Around 11 fleets decided to leave, but surprisingly, none of the remaining 4 top merchants left. With Darius's top powerhouses dismantled, the people living on the merchant ship didn't even have the authority to manage the merchant starship. Therefore, Liu Shu settled them down and spread them out throughout her domain.

This way, the chance of them grouping up to cause trouble or take revenge would be sliced by a large chunk. As for the starship… Well, since it was ownerless, Liu Shu naturally snatched it for herself.

'I will sweep the internal server data later, as it might take a while. First, let's settle down these merchants for good so that I can stop having to pay a lot of attention to them.' Her gaze moved toward the reunion location, which was the same one she used in the past when she invited the insectoids. Xalis and the others looked around with some reminiscence.

The people gathered this time included some local business owners with large merchant empires and, naturally, the remaining 16 merchant leaders and four secretaries of each leader. In total, around 2, 000 people gathered, making the amphitheater look full. Once everyone was seated, Liu Shu used her roots to manifest a wooden avatar. Everyone had thought that Liu Shu's avatar would be a tall, elegant, and sharp woman. Nevertheless, when she appeared, many people couldn't help but blink, murmuring in their hearts.

'Cute.' Her petite stature, hefty curves, and soft facial features made her look quite adorable without losing that mature edge. She was a mix of gentleness, maturity, and innocence that stirred the heart. She spoke softly to everyone.

"Welcome. Do not feel tense today. I've gathered you to speak a few words. If everything goes as planned, it won't take longer than half an hour." Everyone nodded lightly, allowing the World Tree to continue speaking.

"First of all, for all of you who remained, I am thankful for your trust in my potential." She smiled.

"I am sure that many of you are spies of different galactic civilizations wanting to keep an eye on the sprouting World Tree. Nevertheless, that's something I can't escape, at least not before I am strong enough. Hence, I ask that when you report, you do so without malice." The blatant acknowledgment that she knew they were spies and her later "green light" to spy left many baffled. Liu Shu didn't care. She came here to set down the rules, and that's what she would do.

"Among the many of you, the ones I want to warn the most are two people." Her blue, flowing gaze moved toward Cassian and Virelya. Both of them tensed slightly. Honestly, they had been considering leaving the world. However, recalling their superiors telling them to stay to collect information, they gritted their teeth and decided to trust Liu Shu would not kill them.

"I know what you two are thinking. I won't kill or punish you, so don't worry." Liu Shu spoke gently, her lips arched in a smile. Cassian and Virelya nodded, but they didn't relax. They were not people who would trust someone because they said they would or wouldn't do something. Liu Shu knew it, but she didn't bother further clarifying. Actions speak louder than words, so when they see that she wouldn't interfere, they would be naturally reassured. She continued.

"What I want to warn you two is that you are already hovering around the bottom line. Virelya got punished a while ago, and her methods have become much better and in accordance with the rules. However, you, Cassian, need to change some of your banking policies." She then spent around five minutes pointing out many of the predatory practices that were occurring under the outwardly "simple" terms. After she spoke, she chuckled.

"They are honestly quite clever, I must say." Cassian strained a smile.

"Thank you for the praise, Lady Heavenly Willow." Liu Shu chuckled.

"I am not someone that micromanages my empire. The only thing I ask of my people is simple, but… somewhat complicated for most of you newcomers." As everyone looked at her, she smiled somewhat helplessly.

"Just… follow the rules honestly. That's it." The merchants blinked, confused, and Liu Shu explained.

"You lot are used to following the laws as little as possible. For example, if it says 'do not rob others,' you might try to borrow money and then make excuses not to return it, making it look like you earned that money. However, what I want is, if I say don't rob, you just do not participate in any act that can be remotely addressed to such action." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Liu Shu sighed.

"That's why my laws look outwardly simple. For the wicked, they are quite simply exploited. While they are comprehensive, I am fully aware that many of the laws are…

'Up to interpretation.' What I am asking is that, with these laws, you be honest. That's it." After she said this, everyone present finally understood what Liu Shu was saying. While none of these shrewd people showed a reaction outwardly, many were frowning inwardly. Liu Shu, of course, knew that.

"Today, I will show you one thing." It had been a week since she dealt with Darius, so she knew that most things had calmed down to some degree. Moreover, with those 11 fleets leaving, she was sure that those who remained could be given a single vote of confidence.

"I will now share my blessings with you. Once you receive them, you will need to follow the laws. If any of you break them, the first time I will confiscate the buffs, the second time… you don't really want to find out." And before any of them asked anything, Liu Shu waved her hand in a symbolic gesture and blessed everyone present. Cassian and Virelya looked at the list of buffs that suddenly appeared, their eyes widening with each System message until, at the end, they began trembling.

With that done, Liu Shu smiled.

"This is it for today. I hope that those who rise do so because of their competence, and those who prosper do so because of their skills." With those words, she untangled her roots, and her wooden avatar sank into the ground. When she left, Flor took the stage.

"Now, let me give you an official and proper greeting." Flor smiled.

"Welcome to the Golden Sap Empire, where our Heavenly Willow leads our society, and I act as the leader below her. In our Empire, the Heavenly Willow's words are law, but not unchallengable. If anyone has honest and proper suggestions, there is a government branch dedicated to receiving them and making rule changes. It has happened in the past that Heavenly Willow tweaked a few laws because of suggestions." Ignatia continued.

"In our Golden Sap Empire, we don't despise those who ask. We don't despise regardless of how stupid a question might seem. What we despise is those who overestimate themselves and place their ego before their will to learn and rectify mistakes." The Ant Queen smiled.

"Let's build a prosperous Golden Sap Empire together." Compared to the previous greeting, this time it was clear that these two were much warmer and more approachable. The one before was extremely brief, just pointing out that they needed to read, memorize, and obey the Empire's laws. Clearly, back then, they were all in "probing" and waiting for the Heavenly Willow to intervene! Cassian slumped on his chair, his fingers caressing the tip of his horn as he sighed internally.

'Who would've thought…' As his eyes read the detailed effects of each of the blessings, he smiled wryly.

'If they revealed this straight away, there wouldn't have been anyone who dared mess around. At least not in the short term. I guess they wanted to see our true faces, eh?' Cassian sighed inwardly.

'Thankfully… Thankfully, I listened to my secretaries when they told me to use Darius as a test while staying in a wait-and-see approach. Many of our true policies had yet to be implemented. Of course, now they won't ever see the light of day.' Instead, his eyes became thoughtful.

'How can I transform my banking system to properly merge with the laws? I guess I'll need to get together with everyone and have a brainstorming session of ideas.' As he thought that, his lips arched faintly.

'Honest banking… Hahaha. I guess it has a fresh flavor.' Strangely, he was a bit excited to try being an honest merchant for once. After all, he knew that everyone in this Empire was like that. Therefore, he was at no risk of being the honest sheep swallowed by the wolf. Virelya, on the other hand, could feel her hands becoming sweaty as she trembled slightly. By her side, Darlya spoke in a whisper.

"Thank you, cousin. If you hadn't calmed me down back then, I would've made a very big mistake. Lady Heavenly Willow is someone whom you either exterminate or you need to become allied with. Of course, being an ally is dozens of times more profitable. With these buffs, won't we be able to advance by leaps and bounds compared to before?" Virelya took a deep breath to calm her emotions. As Flor and Ignatia said back then, she was lucky this time around.

'If I had any evil intent…' Virelya quickly shook her head.

'Alright, enough lingering. What I need to think about now is how to expand the business while keeping up with the rules… properly this time around.' She, like Cassian, was quite eager to return and think of ideas to expand quickly.

Meanwhile, quite a few light-years away from the Ceperet Solar System, many hidden leaders received messages that made their eyes shine with curiosity.

"She actually dared to kill? Moreover, the informant said not to underestimate the new True World tree?" Someone at the side asked, puzzled.

"I wonder what they mean by that. Shouldn't we retaliate?"

"Clearly, this new True World Tree's potential is quite terrifying. Offending her for a small branch leader… is it worth it?" Another person at the side commented.

"She is near the Nexus, right? Should we give them a tip about her? With their current progress, they will likely not take her very seriously." The Lord smiled.

"Might as well. However, we don't want to eliminate her. Clearly, they are saying that becoming allies is better than being enemies. So… just tell them the following: The new True World Tree is interesting." With those words, the people around this lord nodded. As he leaned back, the lord looked out of his window with curiosity.

"I wonder… You killed that small branch leader of my merchant fleet. Will you be able to bear the little storm I've created in retaliation? If you do… I might as well let bygones be bygones."