Liu Shu walked down the street with light steps. Her direction was the Endless Library!
Speaking of this baby of hers, Liu Shu couldn't help but find it quite silent. It could speak, and Liu Shu communicated with it from time to time. However, unless she started the communication on her part, the Endless Library would keep its silence, as if the words were worth their weight in gold.
"Hehehe. A cute, aloof, little baby~."
Liu Shu stopped at a place with a signal and waited for two minutes. Then, she saw a large vehicle approach, stopping right in front of her. Everyone orderly entered, paying for the entry, and soon, the vehicle moved toward the next stop.
Liu Shu sat on the side of a window, her feet dangling cutely. The seat was comfortable, clean, and with an armrest at the side. "The library stop is a few minutes away~. I wonder what those people are discussing today."
Remembering the few slaps and hits she saw in the past, Liu Shu was a bit worried. 'They wouldn't slap me around when discussing, right? I hope they don't get too heated.'
When looking from afar, it was funny, but now that she was going in person, she suddenly felt anxious.
The scientists, not knowing that the big boss was going in person, continued their usual antics. Of course, heated arguments rarely led to some bantering. Most of the time, they would hurl insults around when hearing opinions they disagreed with. To say that the string of insults they arranged each time was artistic would not be an exaggeration!
Of course, the main focus was always exchanging ideas. Only when both sides couldn't reach an agreement would it devolve into a mostly harmless free-for-all.
Liu Shu alighted from the long vehicle, looking up at her massive baby. "Little Endless, you've really grown beautifully!"
A slightly cool voice reached her. "Mhm. Thank you for the compliments, mother."
Liu Shu smiled brightly and then walked inside. "Where do you think I should go, Little Endless?"
The Endless Library answered. "How about you go see Mariane first? She can arrange things better than me."
"Good idea!" Liu Shu smiled. Then, she asked. "Are you happy with Mariane, baby?"
"Mhm. Very happy."
Her tone even softened slightly, making our Liu Shu raise her eyebrow. She teased. "Hehehe. If you like her, don't hold back!"
Little Endless sighed. "It's nothing of that regard, mother. Don't get any strange ideas."
"Hahaha~."
When Liu Shu arrived, she saw a lot of people gathered here. The Endless Library was basically the main hub of intelligence in the entire Golden Sap Country. Disciples, students, scientists, and many more gathered here, creating connections, sharing ideas, and even forming improv teaching classes.
The atmosphere was excellent, and only in the study room was silence required. Even then, some people who prefer to chat with others while studying choose to do so at tables out in the open.
Seeing the young and the old learning with such enthusiasm filled Liu Shu's heart with emotion. 'I still remember how empty Little Endless was at the beginning. While I've printed over 80% of the books here, the rest have been written by other scientists who gathered not long ago.'
The percentage was much more skewed in the past. Only after the scientists from the merchant ships came down and joined did things start to change more from a "Liu Shu's knowledge hub" to a "universal knowledge hub."
These new scientists, coming from outside, had broader views and could easily get along with the scholars in the Golden Sap Empire. After all, with Liu Shu's very careful nurturing, the local learning culture was full of enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge.
'The new scientists took a bit to get accustomed to our way of sharing ideas instead of trying to hoard knowledge and use patents and such.'
She still remembered seeing how baffled they were when people just shared their ideas, holding back basically nothing, and only wanting to share their profound insights.
'It took years to create this precious balance, but all the effort was well worth it.'
As she walked, she felt someone approaching. It was a group of three: a young woman, a young man, and an old man.
"Hello, junior. May we ask what branch of study you specialize in?"
Liu Shu didn't shy away from them, smiling back at the older gentleman. "I am knowledgeable in a few fields, but I pride myself in rune-crafting, woodcrafting, and also computer science. What might this gentleman's specialties be?"
Hearing Liu Shu's words, their expressions became quite impressed. The young man spoke with a hint of doubt. "Miss, perhaps you are new, but bragging too much is not really good."
However, the old gentleman quickly patted his shoulder. "Junior, don't be rude. Remember that appearance is nothing but a facade; a true master is known after speaking together. She might be a Sylvan several centuries old, putting us three to shame!"
The young man quickly reacted, his face becoming serious. "I am sorry, Miss. I overstepped."
Liu Shu chuckled. "Do not worry, young man. You and that young girl should be new around here, right?"
The young woman and man nodded. Then, the older gentleman smiled. "What might be your name, Miss?"
Liu Shu answered. "You may call me Lian Shu, senior."
The older gentleman smiled. "You may call this one Dashla. Also, no need to call me senior." He then added. "I also specialize in rune-crafting. Does Miss Lian want to come with us to a meeting? We were in the way, and seeing Miss walk around, we decided to approach. Grandmaster Mariane is attending this conference as well."
Liu Shu smiled. "It will be my pleasure, Mister Dashla."
And so, Liu Shu walked with them, hearing Dashla speaking mainly, and sometimes the two juniors interfering with their views. Liu Shu listened and spoke a few words from time to time. Yet, those few times, the three of them marveled. 'A Grandmaster! She must be a Grandmaster!'
Liu Shu's insights were profound and easy to understand, making the two young people look at Liu Shu with admiration.
Here, her beautiful appearance did not really matter much other than giving a good first impression. After all, those who gathered there did so to learn and share ideas.
Once Liu Shu arrived at the meeting area, she quickly spotted Mariane sitting on one of the main chairs at the high platform.
Mariane was relaxing when her compound eyes suddenly noticed the entry of Liu Shu. She immediately choked on the tea she was sipping. 'What is Liu Shu doing here!?'
While she had not met her previously, she had been informed about her as one of Liu Shu's few true friends.
"Grandmaster Mariane, are you okay?"
Mariane grabbed a small handkerchief. "Do not worry. I am fine. Still, I do have a suggestion. I just saw someone close with extensive knowledge of runes. If you allow me, I would like to give her a seat among us."
"Oh?" The man who spoke was startled. "To be admired by Grandmaster Mariane, I wonder who this Grandmaster is?"
Mariane spoke to Liu Shu. "Liu… Little Girl, come here and meet your big sister. How about you join us in giving a small lecture?"
Liu Shu blinked, and seeing Mariane calling her over, she smiled at Dashla. "I will go up, then. It was a pleasure speaking with you, Mister Dashla, and two disciples."
The three of them felt flattered and quickly answered.
Then, Liu Shu skipped toward the platform. Seeing the Little Beauty tippy-tapping with her little feet, some people suddenly had doubts. They were, though, a minority.
Appearances mattered not, only knowledge!
Liu Shu quickly arrived, sitting by Mariane's side. "Hello, Mariane. Lian Shu is here~."
Some people looked at Liu Shu, somewhat dissatisfied due to her lack of proper etiquette toward Mariane. However, how could our mothkin care about how this grandaunt called her? Even if she called her little Mariane, our mothkin would say nothing!
'If these people knew that this adorable little girl was the Avatar of the World Tree, they would faint on the spot!'
Anyway, the meeting started, and some grandmasters spoke about their new findings, ideas, and new runic fields or rune strings they developed.
Liu Shu listened attentively, noting some mistakes and planning to share some of her new findings. Suddenly, an aged woman turned toward her and smiled. "Grandmaster, what do you think of what I just said?"
Liu Shu blinked and answered after pondering for a second. "It is not a bad direction for research. However, it's not practical. The 'Zha' and 'He' runes, using the fractal 'Gazhehe' sequence, would create the same effect with fewer complications, a stronger structure, and even less consumption."
Everyone was surprised at her words, and then, after thinking, they realized that it was completely true!
Mariane internally snorted. 'Wanting to trick Liu Shu in rune knowledge? Sorry, not even I am qualified! This girl is basically creating city-wide rune fields as if it were just a scribble on paper.'
The aged woman was surprised, but not angry or ashamed. Instead, her doubts disappeared, replaced by a hint of respect. "It is as Grandmaster spoke. This one was short-sighted."
Liu Shu smiled softly. "Not at all. Your insights are good. If you research those processes in the 'Ka', 'Ken', and 'Lari' fields, you might find something interesting."
The aged woman pondered, and a flash of inspiration flashed in her eyes. "So it is like that!" Then, she bowed to everyone. "Sorry, masters, I need to go back and internalize these findings before I forget them."
Then, as if her home had caught fire, the woman sprinted away.
Even young people marveled at the aged woman's agility.
Mariane looked around and coughed. "How about we allow Grandmaster Lian Shu to speak next?"
Absolutely no one complained! And so, Liu Shu calmly walked and stood on the podium, only to feel a bit strange. "Ugh… I can't reach."
The podium was 140 centimeters tall, and Liu Shu was only 5 centimeters taller. So, she tiptoed, reached out to get the voice amplifier, and walked in front of the podium.
Many mothers present felt maternal feelings overflowing, as they shouted 'Cute!' many times in their heads!
"Ahem!" Liu Shu cleared her throat, and then she began speaking about some advantages of extremely large-scale runic field construction. "The utilization of extremely large-scale runic fields might not be as conventional as Arrays. However, I've recently discovered that they do have some good sides. For example…"
Her profound knowledge instantly shone through. As Liu Shu spoke clearly and calmly, only those with relatively shallow knowledge couldn't follow through. However, the masters and grandmasters present all immediately became entranced.
'Branches above, listening to her is like listening to Lady Heavenly Willow! A super genius!'
Seeing Liu Shu shining on the platform, Mariane smiled from the bottom of her heart. 'Sigh… she has grown so much since the first time I encountered her…'