Chapter 787: Chapter 787. First Contact With Verdant Elder.

The Covenant fleet reached the Ceperet Solar System and moved inward cautiously. After all, while they were here as envoys, the attitude of the World Tree they were about to meet was unknown.

There was a chance that the World Tree would react with enmity. Therefore, everyone was extremely tense.

"How long until we enter the inner section of the Solar System?"

"Not long. It will take around one week at most at our current speed."

"Understood. Keep the subdimensional radars up to check if there is World Tree dimensional activity around this area."

"Huh? Captain, are you sure? We are still very far away from Ceperet."

"Yes. Do so. We can’t let our guards down. And inform Lord Verdant Elder when we encounter her."

"Got it. Activating subdimensional radar."

Their position was somewhat far away from the furthest known planet orbit of the inner Solar System. Therefore, they were not expecting anything to pop up.

And yet...

"H-Huh? R-Reporting! Subdimensional activity found! It is suspected that we are in the World Tree’s domain!"

The captain opened his calm eyes, a flash of bewilderment appearing in them. Even then, he reacted quickly. "Activate profound radar and double-check. Send a spatial pulse as well. Also, open vacuum communications quickly and inform Lord Verdant Elder!"

While the inside of the ships entered a high alert, Liu Shu observed them with curiosity. ’Ho~, so these are the equivalent ships to Moon-Types and World-Types from the Covenant.’

From what she heard from Cael, a former general from the Covenant, the combat starships were divided into four types. This distinction was the most common way to separate starship functions.

Transport Starships → Covenant = Flow Leaf Starship or <Astraelis> // Nexus = Dolphin Flow Starship

Scouting Starships → Covenant = Hidden Root Starship // Nexus = Obsidian Veil Starship

Battle Starship → Covenant = Moon Canopy Starship // Nexus = Obsidian Moon-Type Starship

Mothership Starship → Covenant = World Canopy Starship // Nexus = Obsidian World-Type Starship

These were the general-use starships issued to the army from both sides. There were naturally more specialized ones for ace generals and such. However, 99% of the built ships followed these blueprints.

While the Covenant had tried to use <Astraelis> for combat, those creatures were too hard to tame. Unless they were used just as transport, they would lose control and even attack allies. The beasts born and adapted to the cosmos were not easy to deal with!

So, the Covenant decided to just use them as transport, since their defensive abilities were exceptional.

However, Liu Shu instantly noticed the biggest difference between the Covenant and Nexus. If the Nexus used metallurgy and technology to create their Moon-Types and World-Types, the Covenant used <Woodcrafting> for theirs.

The ships moving through the void were a deep but pleasant brown color, greenish veins flowing through the entire craft and giving it a strange appeal. Even if they were created through <Woodcrafting>, it didn’t mean that the designs were bulky. The bodies of each starship were as sleek as those of the Nexus, showing a profound skill at mixing design and functionality.

As she analyzed the starships with <World Tree Wisdom>, Liu Shu was slightly confused. ’Their durability is weaker than the Nexus. Why is that?’

It didn’t make sense that the Nexus was THAT superior to the Covenant, even if the Covenant was the one being pushed back. It wasn’t until she reached the bottom of the hundreds of functions that she understood.

***

Additional Skill 39: Unless the Starship is fatally damaged, it will be able to draw in surrounding ternary essence to regenerate the hull to the initial shape.

***

’It regenerates?’

This stunned Liu Shu for a moment. A Starship that automatically regenerated its own health. When she saw that, her eyes glowed. ’If I can get one of these ships, I will be able to complete my designs for the Golden Sap Empire’s starship and space station construction!’

For a second, Liu Shu was tempted to move one of these into a separate dimension with spatial essence and kill everyone inside.

Still, she held back, knowing that it was somewhat important to have a good relationship with these envoys so that the Covenant lowered its guard.

’Once they land in Ceperet, I can analyze them secretly as much as I want. Hehe.’

Asking for permission? Liu Shu was not that eager to start an arduous discussion on benefits. This time around, it was better to sneak her roots around and steal the information~.

After observing the Moon Canopy and World Canopy starships, Liu Shu decided to speak up and make her presence known.

"Envoys of the Verdant Sanctity Covenant, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am the Heavenly Willow Tianlian Liu Shu."

Inside the ships, Liu Shu’s voice suddenly echoed with a layer of mystery, softness, and power. Her voice, vast and pleasant, startled them and made some people even go into a trance for a moment.

It wasn’t that they had never heard a World Tree speak, but Liu Shu’s voice was really pleasant-sounding even among fellow World Trees!

The Verdant Elder, who had just received the news that they were inside Liu Shu’s domain, was surprised when he heard the other side speaking first. ’...Did she listen and know that we know?’

It seemed like a coincidence, but what counts as a coincidence in one person’s eyes can be different in another’s. The Verdant Elder took a deep breath, his caution toward Liu Shu increasing a notch further. "Take me to the communication room. I will speak with her."

Liu Shu didn’t rush, knowing that the other party needed to activate some devices to speak in the void. She just observed the massive manta rays in the meantime. ’Level 170... Tsk, tsk. They could’ve given me Level 175 ones from the get-go, but they held back that little bit? Quite petty.’

Clever as she was, Liu Shu understood that the two manta rays that were carrying absolutely no one were something like a gift. ’Well, it doesn’t matter. With my <Delicious Berries> and other berries, I can make these two darlings Level Up and strengthen quickly.’

As a matter of fact, the manta ray that came with Elyne and the others was already a Level 190 creature, approaching Level 200 rather quickly. It was usually used as expensive transportation for the wealthy, since its speed and travel comfort were quite high.

As she pondered, a smooth and clear man’s voice reached her with a calm tone. "Lady Heavenly Willow, this one is a Verdant Elder from the Covenant Church. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope that my disciple, Elyne, has not caused much trouble."

Liu Shu looked toward one of the two World Canopy Motherships with a strange look. ’Isn’t this too blatant?’

Still, she answered in kind. "Elyne has been an incredible help, Lord Verdant Elder. The journey to Ceperet is still somewhat lengthy, so I want to ask for forgiveness if I communicated too soon. I just didn’t want to startle your fleet and inform you that you’ve entered my domain."

The Verdant Elder pondered. ’Her way of talking... is unique. Instead of a World Tree, it feels as if I am talking with a Leader.’

His comment was so blatant because he wanted to test Liu Shu. Usually, a World Tree would either not even remember who Elyne was or would just gloss over it, as individuals meant little for most of them.

Liu Shu instead answered politely. ’...Scary.’

The Verdant Elder honestly felt a chill with just this first interaction. He realized that the World Tree he was speaking to was not an "average" World Tree, but a being with a deeper mind than he initially expected.

So, he reviewed his mindset and spoke. "It is Lady Heavenly Willow who is thoughtful. Our radars are quite energy-consuming, so we didn’t have them active and missed that we entered Lady Heavenly Willow’s domain without a warning."

He laughed good-naturedly, even if his heart and mind were calculating. Liu Shu continued to answer politely and with almost perfect manners. "Not at all. Showing that you didn’t activate the radars means you trust that our side won’t react violently. Given all that has been happening recently, I honestly expected a much more cautious approach. This small thing is almost welcome, haha."

It wasn’t just the Verdant Elder; the many people with good political sense were in the starships, and all of them felt a slight chill in their hearts. This way of answering, the numerous traps within the words... the Verdant Elder was honestly feeling his alert senses going off crazily. ’We must not be careless!’

"Then, I am almost glad that we forgot to turn on the radars. Lady Heavenly Willow is a magnanimous World Tree."

"You praise me too much. Since we’ve become aware of each other, I won’t keep Lord Verdant Elder occupied for too long. I will be watching over your fleet, so have a pleasant and relaxed journey. There are zero threats between your current position and Ceperet."

The Verdant Elder spoke with a smile. "That’s reassuring to hear, Lady Heavenly Willow. I am eager to meet you in a week when we arrive."

"I feel the same, Lord Verdant Elder. Have a great journey."

"Thank you very much, Lady Heavenly Willow."

The communication cut off there, and the Verdant Elder became incredibly silent. Behind him, the female archbishop couldn’t help but look at him with a somewhat uneasy expression. "Lord Verdant Elder..."

"Silence." The Verdant Elder glanced back and made a hidden hand gesture. The archbishop nodded and moved away, pressing some buttons on a pad nearby. After she did, those in the control room activated a runic field.

"It is done. The Anti-Spying Runic Field has been activated, Lord Verdant Elder. Lady Heavenly Willow won’t be able to hear our words from now on."

"Good." The Verdant Elder sighed and asked, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. "What is your opinion on Lady Heavenly Willow?"

The female archbishop didn’t answer straight away, repeating the conversation in her head before reaching a conclusion. "Lady Heavenly Willow is... wise."

"Wise..." The Verdant Elder laughed with a complicated expression. "That’s such a great word choice. She is indeed... wise."

The archbishop nodded, and the Verdant Elder sighed. "I heard that Rhazor’s army had actually hired someone from the Corruption Church. An archbishop of your level named Nysera."

"Yes. At first, I thought it was not reliable news. However, now it seems possible."

The Verdant Elder agreed. He was also somewhat skeptical that such a young World Tree could fight the <Corruption Of Stars> that only a top-tier archbishop could activate. However, after talking with Liu Shu once, he somewhat understood that it might not be that unreliable news.

If they knew that Liu Shu reverse-engineered and modified <Corruption Of Stars> into <Eternity Of Stars> to help her conquer her local sun... what expression would they make?