In the following years, Liu Shu continued to expand while checking on her family. Without Cinderielle and the others to handle some things, it was Liu Shu's turn to look after the younger children.
Her babies grew quickly, the youngest being over 14 years old. Thankfully, all of her children had decent talent from a young age, and with the teaching methods used for all their older siblings, there was no major problem with their upbringing. 'I guess their intelligence being somewhat limited is a bit of an advantage. I didn't have any bossy children who thought themselves better than others.'
This was nothing short of a miracle. She had seen some second and third-generation children from powerful families abusing their connections. So, she was quite fearful that her babies would develop like that when she wasn't looking.
As she was thinking, her root net tingled as she was alerted that one of her babies was distressed. Her gaze instantly moved towards the school, and she noticed that one of her babies was being bothered by another.
"...Are you listening, Lazria!? I told you to give me your money, or else I'll beat you up! Here, there are no teachers to protect you!"
Liu Shu was both speechless and angry. Still, she didn't interrupt right away. The child being bothered, Lazria, was a very young Sylphaith, one of the most timid among all of the Alraune species. So, Liu Shu could guess how things had developed to this point.
To Liu Shu's surprise, while Lazria looked timid, her overly large blue eyes didn't show any fear. Instead, the stomach in her mouth opened as she spoke timidly in a voice extremely pleasant to the ears. "D-Don't bother me. If my Mom knows, you will be in trouble."
The child, a human girl, sneered and crossed her arms. "My big sister told me that Lady Heavenly Willow does not love you! How could your sisters and brothers not be in high positions otherwise? She can order your big sisters and brothers around. So, naturally, I can order you around, too! Heh."
The World Tree's expression turned somewhat ugly. 'Who is saying that I don't love my babies!? Do they want to die!?'
There were stupid people in all societies, but seeing someone this brainless felt vexing. It made Liu Shu's mood fall because they were so stupid!
Of course, Lazria was not happy, and her timid blue eyes grew a touch angry. "Carla… you! Take that back! My Mom loves me a lot! This morning she even helped me prepare my lunch!"
Seeing a leak of Death Essence flowing out of the Sylphaith's body, Liu Shu cheered. 'Tell her, baby! Smack her a few times as well! Mommy loves you lots and lots!'
However, this girl, Carla, seemed hell-bent on digging a hole for herself. "Hmph. How could Lady Heavenly Willow do that? You probably confused one of the Lignified Houses for your mother!" Pointing at Liu Shu's gigantic body, she asked with a sneer. "Do you think that being would lower itself to make your lunch? You've been deceived!"
Lazria was angered, but when her eyes rose to look at the cloud-reaching being, her bravado somewhat weakened. Liu Shu was startled. 'Huh? Baby! Even if Mommy is big, I can take care of you perfectly fine!'
Carla, thinking that Lazria agreed, reached up and grabbed her collar to pull her down. "So, you'd better give me all the money you took out today. I saw a pretty tree doll at the side, and I am short a few
Lazria's large eyes looked a bit dim, looking as if she were about to nod. 'If Mom truly loved me… Wouldn't she be looking right now?'
Of course, Liu Shu would only look from a distance if the conflict was small. Now, her baby seems about to become depressed! How could she stay away from it?
A small and thin root popped out from the ground and coiled around Carla's hand. The girl and Lazria looked down, stunned. Liu Shu sighed and spoke softly. "I will speak with your parents and sister later."
Hearing the boundless voice that seemed to pour straight out of the fabric of space, Carla's face paled to the point of looking concerningly white. Meanwhile, Lazria's eyes widened as light shone through them. "M-Mom?"
"You child…" Liu Shu sighed softly, and she carried her away with one root. Lazria looked at her surroundings, which changed rapidly until she was sitting on a thick and comfortable tree branch. "Tell me, love. Why didn't you continue speaking back? Are you scared of Mommy?"
Lazria quickly shook her head, looking nervous and somewhat anxious. "N-No! I just… I thought that… Ugh…" She didn't want to admit that Carla's words swayed her.
While Lazria loved Liu Shu, most of her infancy passed during Liu Shu's Level Up. Therefore, her actual contact with Liu Shu was relatively minimal. Now, she felt somewhat awkward to have an active World Tree mother in her life.
"Baby, you need to understand that, while Mom wants you to grow strong like a wildflower, I won't shy away from stretching out a root when you are in danger. Tell me, love, do your sisters and brothers think like you do?"
She had not considered that a good chunk of her young children lived for over 10 years with little to no contact from her.
Hearing her words, Lazria stiffened a bit. It was true that some of Liu Shu's babies were a bit detached from their World Tree mother. However, did Lazria have the courage to speak about it? She could barely face Carla, not to mention her World Tree mother.
Still, Liu Shu was very perceptive of her child's mood. This realization made her feel stifled. 'Did my intent to leave them to be more independent come biting back?'
Lazria noticed the roots around her become a bit listless, so she quickly opened her belly mouth to speak. "M-Mom! We all love you lots! Don't worry!"
"I will prove it to you and your siblings, then."
Liu Shu's words made Lazria confused, only to hear a creaking sound that came from the sky. Looking up, she noticed her World Tree mother's eyes opening, revealing a pair of verdant green lights that flashed once before dimming into a pair of irises and pupils.
Then the World Tree spoke, caring for nothing as her voice traveled around the world. "Babies, it has been a while, but don't forget. Mommy loves you dearly. You are Mommy's dearest treasures. If you are in any trouble, you'd better tell me before I find out and have to spank you at home, alright? Just call for Mom, and I will help you instantly."
Lazria's eyes widened to the limits, looking comically large. However, other than surprise, a gush of both embarrassment and happiness flooded her heart. The feeling of her mother declaring her love for them worldwide made her insides squirm with so many emotions that she almost burst out giggling while covering her face.
Other than Lazria, most of the children were stunned for a second before they blushed and squirmed around. 'Ahh! Mom! Why do you even do a worldwide declaration about such things!? So embarrassinggggg!'
However, as happy and bashful as they felt for the children, anyone who had started getting strange thoughts felt as if a massive blade had suddenly hung above their necks. Envy and jealousy were unstoppable things, so the number of people who had secretly dissed Liu Shu's children was not small.
Of course, it wasn't a large number either.
Liu Shu observed her children's reactions and laughed lightly. She also heard most of them answering her declaration, making her happy. With a smile on her lips, the World Tree closed her eyes again and entered a peaceful state once again.
She spent the next week interacting with all of them, observing how they were doing, and also getting to know many of their lovers. Around half of her children had more than one partner, a quarter were happy with only a single partner, and the last quarter were either too young or had no interest in romance. Which, among the Alraune species, was honestly strange.
After that week, Liu Shu slowed down the interactions a bit and let them return to their everyday lives. Only this time, all the children knew that behind them, a towering World Tree stood tall and straight, her boundless canopy ready to shield them from any storm.
'Thankfully, I am always keeping an eye out. Otherwise, things could've developed quite badly.' Liu Shu felt as if some strange weight had been pushed off her shoulders.
"Hm…" As she pondered, she asked herself. "Perhaps… Is it difficult to interact with me intimately because they don't really have anything to interact with?"
Her gaze moved towards her own Avatar. 'If she could leave the Core Room, things could be easier.'
The Avatar stood up from her lying position. Then, she walked toward the closed door and gently reached out with her hands. Once she touched it, Liu Shu's eyes flashed with a system message.
[
She sighed, looking at her tender and fair fingers. "Why can't I leave?"
[
"...Huh?" Liu Shu had not expected an answer. Yet, as that message appeared in front of her eyes, she couldn't help but feel a rush of motivation. "Wow! Is this really it? That's all I needed to do?"
Her gaze moved toward the System Page and brought up the
At her current pace, Liu Shu would need around four to ten years to gain all that proficiency for this skill. She was only using the skill passively, after all. The most significant proficiency bonuses she received were during childbirth and while interacting with the Sylvans. The rest came from her constantly using her regeneration.
"Alright, let's focus on increasing the level of these skills!"
As she was thinking that, she felt a ripple of energy coming from Red, Green, Grey, and Purple at the same time. "Hm? Oh! Cinderielle and the others are completing their Level Up!"