Chapter 268. Liu Shu’s Decision On Fortuna.

Words : 1303 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Chapter 268. Liu Shu’s Decision On Fortuna. Back in Golden Sap City, things were advancing at a very good pace. Liu Shu was keeping an eye on matters related to the army roaming the surrounding areas, but other than that, there were no other pressing matters. Looking at the things she needed to do, Liu Shu decided to check on Fortuna. “Hey, Fortuna!” Since she woke up, her roots on Fortuna’s side stopped advancing, staying close enough to communicate at all times. When she called her, Fortuna was relatively quick to answer. Her tone was calm and relaxed as she asked back. “What’s wrong, Liu Shu?” “So... Um. I’ve been thinking about what to do with you during the last month and a half...” Fortuna chuckled softly. “That’s great news, what do you think? Do you believe that you can swallow another World Tree in your domain and keep it in check?” Liu Shu heard her question and answered honestly. “I don’t.” Fortuna was somewhat surprised, feeling a wave of sadness filling her body. During the one and a half month, Liu Shu had seen what she could do with her new strength. However, even when Fortuna was currently much weaker than herself, she didn’t know how she could live together with her. Would their roots just cross? Would she need to allow Fortuna to expand? Many questions came to mind that made taking Fortuna as a subordinate tree a terrible idea. Liu Shu spoke to Fortuna. “If I allow you to live, I set a precedent. Other World Trees I defeat will ask why I pardoned you and didn’t with them. Moreover, in your domain, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to see or if you’ll have the ability to hide certain places from my sight. I don’t know how my auras will influence you or if your auras will influence me...” “I see.” Fortuna answered somewhat sadly. Then, she asked. “So... Are you going to start attacking me?” Liu Shu paused a bit, and eventually, she answered. “I won’t.” That answer startled Fortuna. “You won’t? What do you mean?” Liu Shu sighed, speaking somewhat frustratedly. “I won’t attack or kill you. I’ll assimilate you.” “Huh?” Confusion filled the older World Tree. “I don’t understand. Didn’t you just say that doing so would be too risky? You even gave me a bunch of reasonable arguments...” Our World Tree laughed awkwardly. “That’s right, but killing you will have similarly bad outcomes.” Liu Shu sighed and started reasoning her decision, her tone carrying deep thoughtfulness. “You see, Fortuna. Those people living in your city and everyone who uses your city as a hub of commerce or other activities all love you. They all feel safe under your canopy... If I were to steal that. If I were to destroy you in front of their eyes... I feel that it will bring much more trouble than assimilating would ever do.” A shock ran through Fortuna’s root net. Liu Shu’s words couldn’t help but make her look around herself. The bustling city of the past was much more silent, as many people had emigrated to other places due to her imminent defeat. From then on, Fortuna somewhat closed her hearing and stopped listening to people. She just enclosed herself in her own mental space and waited for her judgment. However, it seemed that her mood had infected the entire city. When Fortuna closed herself in outwardly, her aura seemed faint. It was as if the previously lively World Tree, with seemingly endless vitality, had its soul sapped away. Fortuna sighed in her mind, but there was a hint of a smile in her exasperation. Our World Tree commented happily. “So, I will tell Flor and the others about my decision!” “Hm?” Fortuna asked, curious. “You haven’t told them about it yet?” Liu Shu commented, her tone serious and honest. “This decision is too significant. That’s why I wanted to reach a conclusion by myself. I didn’t want to be influenced by anything or anyone when reaching a final decision. That way, when I tell them, I won’t make the mistake of choosing either too hurriedly or be swayed by their opinions.” Fortuna chuckled faintly, her tone somewhat happy. “So, the decision to leave me alive is entirely yours?” “Of course!” Liu Shu humphed. “Either way, the assimilation won’t happen until my roots cover your entire domain. I won’t do anything but advance. If you do anything strange, I’ll attack you, so you better tell me about it before doing anything strange!” “Understood.” After speaking with Fortuna, she checked on the people in her domain and spotted everyone with whom she wanted to share these thoughts. Hence, she said directly to their heads. “I’ve decided not to kill Fortuna. Come to the main meeting room to hear the reasons why~.” This bomb of information exploding out of nowhere made most of them answer identically. “WHAT!?” Only Ignatia clapped her hands and laughed. “That sounds like fun~!” Wert stood up abruptly and looked at the startled people around him. He forcefully smiled and commented. “Um... Ahem. Sorry, urgent matters with Lady World Tree. Let’s postpone this meeting for a later date.” Then, he turned around and ran toward the primary office. Once there, Wert saw those who Liu Shu trusted had gathered. The three Sylvans, Flor and Ignatia, Mariane, and Amapola as the obvious ones. Then, she also called Thallus, the leader of the Myconids; Eric and Lorena, heads of the economy management; Terra and Terran, heads of the mining section; Cory, head of management; Camelia, the leader assistant Rose Fairy; and finally, a <Floriculturist> called Damian. The other <Floriculturist>, Patricia, died in combat during one of the wars, hence her absence. Many of the guard leaders as well that came at first, due to their low levels, were unfortunate and ended up perishing. Flor was the one who took the lead in the conversation. Her tone was full of confusion and doubt. “Love, Explain. What do you mean that you want to let her live? This doesn’t make any sense after all we’ve done until now.” Liu Shu understood why they were acting as such. After all, her words sounded like she had gone insane or something. She could even feel that some of them were looking in her real body’s direction worriedly. The World Tree commented. “During my Leveling Up, my roots had taken a lot of space away from Fortuna. I am barely five kilometers away from Fortuna City.” Hearing that news was quite a shock, but nothing compared to her earlier words. Knowing that she was explaining her reasoning, no one interrupted, and they listened attentively. “When I woke up, I was quite surprised. While I was surprised, I heard Fortuna’s voice. We had a conversation, and during that conversation, Fortuna told me that she wanted to become a subordinate World Tree. In short, she wants to be assimilated into my domain.” This made a few of them recoil in shock. They had yet to hear even once that this had happened in the past. This also made them realize how brutally oppressive Liu Shu’s presence was. It reached such an extent that the opposing and much older World Tree directly gave up resistance, going as far as asking to become a subordinate. After clarifying how everything started, Liu Shu explained her reasoning and told all of them what she said to Fortuna, with a few added details. By the end of her tale, everyone was thoughtful and silent, each with many thoughts swirling in their mind.

Chapter 268. Liu Shu’s Decision On Fortuna.

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