Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 215. A Date With Cinderielle.

After Liu Shu gave the armor to Ignatia, she decided to check on the Sylvans. First, she looked for Cinderielle. Between the three Sylvans, Cinderielle was the one who had spent the most time with her, so she was the one closest to her. 

Looking around her domain, she found Cinderielle walking down the street with a cold, elegant, and somewhat thoughtful face. Now that she was looking closely, Liu Shu noticed that the traces of youthfulness had disappeared, leaving behind a charming, tall, slender, and elegant Sylvan with sharp facial features. Her orange eyes had a gentle glow, but the shape of her eyes and face could give a sharp and cold feeling as well. 

Cinderielle suddenly heard Liu Shu's voice communicating with her. "Hello, Cinderielle!"

The Fire Sylvan froze for a second, her heartbeat accelerating, and then she smiled, continuing to walk. "Hello, Liu Shu. Do you need anything?"

Liu Shu hummed and answered. "Nothing~. I just wanted to speak with you for a bit. Are you busy?"

Cinderielle blinked a few times, and remembering Flor's words about not ignoring Liu Shu, she took courage and smiled. "I am not. Wait, let me sit at a table over there and pick some tea." 

"Okay~."

After Cinderielle approached the business, she sat down, and a feline-related waitress approached. Her smile was wide, lighting up her pretty face. "Hello, Miss. What would you like to get?"

Cinderielle looked through the menu and commented. "How about one of these honey-dipped cookies and the Ferlun tea? I heard it is quite popular." 

"Right away, Miss."

Cinderielle asked aloud. "Do you want something?"

The waitress blinked twice, looking around, confused. "Um… Are you talking to me, Miss?"

Cinderielle tilted her head. "Hm?" 

Then, Liu Shu's voice sounded softly in that area. Her control was very good, so it wasn't too loud. "I don't think I can taste it with my roots…" 

Cinderielle laughed softly. "Well, we can try. Carry two sets of my order, miss. Thank you."

The waitress's eyes were wide open, looking around her. She couldn't help it and asked. "U-Um, who are you speaking with, Miss?" 

Cinderielle smiled. "I am speaking with a friend. There is no need to be worried about something happening to you or this place."

Liu Shu giggled. "Right, right! I do not bite!"

The catkin's legs almost gave in when she heard Liu Shu a second time. Liu Shu's voice was obviously not a mystery. Almost everyone in town heard it when Liu Shu revealed herself. While nobody usually remembers a voice they've only listened to once, Liu Shu's voice was unique.

First of all, it came from everywhere, covering your hearing sense like a blanket. Second, the etherealness and innate gentleness that it carried could be easily distinguished. It was easy to feel the inhumanity in her voice, making it simple to guess that it came from something extraordinary.

In this town, other than really peculiar summons, there was one being that fulfilled those conditions, and the catkin already guessed it. After standing still for a few seconds, she coughed and smiled, much more formal than before. "I will immediately go and get your servings. Please, wait for a moment."

Cinderielle looked at the beastkin, who had practically rushed away with a sigh. Then, she asked, "Well, Liu Shu. How have you been doing recently?"

"Great~. I have finally started crafting armor again! Did you know that I can mix Woodcrafting and Rune Crafting to create equipment? I've created armor for Flor, Ignatia, Verdantia, Tempestria, and you! Then, I will create around 260 armor pieces for a small armed division." 

Cinderielle blinked a few times, surprised. She asked. "Did you create one for me as well?"

"Yes!" Liu Shu answered enthusiastically. "Also! It is a Level 20, Low-Grade Flawed armor! It is powerful!"

Cinderielle exclaimed, feeling her heart singing in joy. "That sounds awesome! I can't wait to wear my own armor! What are the stats like?" 

The catkin returned with a tray, carrying the things that Cinderielle asked for, and Liu Shu spoke. "The stats they give are around 200 <Aether> and 100 of the rest."

Bang!

The catkin tripped and fell forward, almost soaking Cinderielle with the two cups of tea. She hastily stood up, her eyes widened and terrified. "I-I am so sorry, this was an accident, believe me!"

Cinderielle raised her hands and spoke. "Slow down, slow down. I could avoid everything, so I am unharmed and clean. Just tidy up this place and carry over a new tray. I am not bothered, don't worry."

The catkin nodded many times, looking up at the beautiful and cool Sylvan with somewhat adoring eyes. "T-Thank you so much, Miss. This food will be on the house!" 

Cinderielle laughed. "As long as you don't get into trouble, I won't deny such a gesture."

"Don't worry!" The catkin said firmly. "I will explain to my boss!"

Then, she left, muttering. "Two hundred Aether? That's four times my combined stats!" 

Cinderielle chose another table in the meantime and laughed. "You really need to be careful with what you say, Tiantian."

Liu Shu hummed. "Oh~? Calling me Tiantian again? Have you relaxed a bit after that?" 

Cinderielle blinked. "Huh? How did I call you before?"

Liu Shu commented with a tease. "You spoke super formally, calling me Liu Shu as well~. It is not bad, but… I like Tiantian better if it is coming from you."

Cinderielle scratched her cheek, feeling as if little butterflies were dancing in her stomach. "I'll call you Tiantian, then."

Cinderielle couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, so she started playing with her fingers. 'I wonder how those Sylvans in the past managed to pair up with World Trees? Like, what do I even do now? I came here out of impulse because I finally found the being I thought to be my soulmate. However… I don't know what to do now that I am here!' 

"What are you thinking about so much, Cinderielle?" 

Hearing her question, Cinderielle answered with a wry smile. "I am just feeling a bit stuck in a few things. So, I don't really know how to, you know… act."

Liu Shu heard her and asked, curious. "Do you need to act? Why can't you just be yourself? You are very nice to be around, Cinderielle!"

Cinderielle paused and leaned back a bit, looking up. After a few seconds, she smiled and asked. "Am I?" 

Liu Shu strongly affirmed it. "Yes! I feel very warm and happy when you are with me! I remember back then, you would always hug me, and it was very nice."

Cinderielle smiled faintly. "It really was. Flor was still very suspicious of me back then."

"Hehehe. She was! She almost killed you once too!"

Cinderielle's arched lips twisted a bit. "Can we not talk about that? I am still incredulous that I lost that fight. Flor was clearly weaker than me at that time…"

Liu Shu chuckled. "Well, you were not fighting to kill. Flor was trying to kill you." 

"That's the truth, I guess." Cinderielle smiled as she saw the catkin approach with a new tray of items. "No shocking information this time around, Tiantian. We don't want to have another big spill."

The catkin woman laughed, embarrassed. "I am so sorry for that. Here you go." 

After lowering the tray and placing the food on the wooden table, the floor below opened and Liu Shu's roots appeared. The catkin's heart almost jumped out of her throat. 'I-It really is the World Tree! Oh branches above, I am currently witnessing Lady Liu Shu's roots!'

She was not a Sylvan, but growing up in a society that had an aesthetic standard for plant life, she was not wholly ignorant or blind to appreciate their beauty and aesthetic. The roots were smooth and beautiful, having a slippery luster and gorgeous blue veins that pulsed with power. 

Cinderielle saw the catkin looking at the roots with widened eyes and frowned. "Excuse me." Her tone became colder than even she expected. "Can you not look so blatantly?" 

The catkin felt a chill and snapped out of her daze. "I-I am so sorry! Have a nice time!"

Then, she fled. Cinderielle snorted. "That pervert."

"Pervert?" Liu Shu's roots twisted, showing confusion. 

Cinderielle blinked and smiled. "Never mind that. So, I see that you've dipped the root in the liquid. Can you taste anything?"

"Hmm… It is… strange?"

Cinderielle laughed softly, leaning on her hand and crossing her legs. "How so? Describe the taste." She herself took a sip to get an idea. 'It tastes a bit sweet with a faintly sour aftertaste. It's not bad.'

Liu Shu explained. "It feels like water that has a lot of natural minerals! Similar to the ones at the bottom of a lake!" 

Cinderielle smiled and answered. "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Hahaha."

Liu Shu humphed. "Of course you don't! You don't have roots! I also don't have a mouth!" 

The table where Cinderielle was sitting had a window by its side that gave a view toward Liu Shu's main body. She looked over and smiled. "You seem to be developing something similar to a head, no? I thought that World Trees didn't develop heads. The ones usually shown in the books have womanly bodies but are headless." 

Liu Shu looked at herself and hummed. "Well, you are right. I hope the face that appears there is not ugly… It would ruin my beauty!"

"Oho. Very humble, aren't we?"

Liu Shu asked, confused. "Humble? I am not humble! I like to brag! Bragging is the best! Being humble is… meh. You need to be wishy-washy about things, lying about things you clearly don't think are the truth. If I am strong, I AM strong! Why say otherwise!?" 

Cinderielle laughed. "Slow down there, girl. You are going to break all the narcissistic records." 

Liu Shu humphed again. "I am not narcissistic! I am confident in myself! Narcissists are people who overpraise themselves, as bad as those overly humble people! No, worse than them!"

Cinderielle smiled peacefully, feeling that this time was very precious. She commented. "So, you dislike humbleness? It is considered a very positive trait in other places and cultures."

Liu Shu answered. "Dislike? I don't dislike it. I just don't like to use it myself! I understand that it is a polite gesture that some creatures do because the other people listening are too sensitive to listen at how others are just better than them. However, I feel that sometimes people take it too far… Like imagine Lord Stormrider coming and saying…" Liu Shu lowered her tone, trying to imitate Lord Stormrider but failing extraordinarily. "'Oh, I am just another soldier of my family, not more important than each of my soldiers.'"

Cinderielle burst into laughter. "That impression was so bad! Hahaha! I thought that without vocal cords, you would be able to replicate any voice; it seems I was incorrect, hahaha!"

Liu Shu exclaimed. "Hey! Don't laugh at me! I tried my best, but no, my voice is not artificial. This is the sound of my soul; of course, I can't change it much."

Cinderielle stopped laughing, still carrying a smile on her face. She muttered. "The sound of your soul…" Cinderielle smiled brightly, putting on a gorgeous expression. "With such a pleasant-sounding voice, I bet that your soul is the most beautiful soul in the universe."

Liu Shu's core jumped, feeling an electrifying sensation when she saw that smile and heard those words. She stuttered. "U-Um, this was nice. I need to go tell the others about the armor! Have fun!"

Cinderielle blinked twice, holding the half-empty cup of tea. Then, she smirked. "Sure, go on."