The pace slowed down once they were about to reach the tree line of the Golden Sap Forest. Looking at the new trees, Greth, the human male strategist, spoke with a sure tone. "General Tharn. I think we've been in the World Tree's range for a while already."

Liu Shu, listening to them, couldn't help but be surprised. 'Huh? How did he discover me? Or is he bluffing to make me come out?'

General Tharn looked at the forest and looked around. "Oh? Are you listening to us, Lady World Tree? If so, that's quite an honor."

Liu Shu listened, not bothering to answer, and General Tharn smiled. "I guess you are going to try and create a few traps for us, right? I am telling you, Lady World Tree, we are here not to kill you but to teach you a lesson. As long as you allow us to mess this place up for a while, we will retreat without much conflict."

Liu Shu couldn't help but doubt her hearing. 'Does this person think that my roots are tangled and I can't think?'

General Tharn laughed. "You are not the first World Tree we've attacked in the past, and that World Tree was a Level 23 World Tree. We are here now, so that should tell you how that war went."

Liu Shu really wanted to answer him. However, she didn't. What was the point of speaking with people that were about to die? Instead, she just listened and waited for them to enter the forest. Once they were inside, she would be able to teach them as much as she wanted.

Hearing no answer, Tharn hummed. "Greth, are you sure about what you said?"

"Certainly," Greth answered. "The World Tree might just find it below her to speak to you."

Vaya, the human female archer, spoke while looking at the trees. "Is your reasoning for the difference in size on the tree line?"

Greth nodded. "It's clear that those trees have been planted not long ago. Of course, I can't guess how long ago they were planted since they are under the influence of a World Tree. However, I can tell that they are less than five years old due to the lack of traces in their trunks. Only new trees can look that clean collectively."

Rhen, a burly bearkin, grunted. "It doesn't matter. Let's advance, and everything that steps in our way, we will just obliterate it. Didn't the information say that there are only two Second Energy Cycle people in here? That's not enough to stop us."

Torran, the Sylvan, spoke to him with a cold tone. "Rhen, we are here to hurt, not to destroy. We enter, we cause a scene, we leave. Avoid unnecessary deaths if they don't retaliate."

Rhen laughed mockingly. "They will retaliate. They always retaliate."

Torran frowned, glaring at Rhen, and Tharn interrupted. "You both, knock it off." He then shouted. "We are now going to enter the World Tree's domain! Prepare!"

The army of 1000 started moving again, Tharn leading the charge while holding a large flag with the insignia of the merchant alliance. Their steps were orderly, and with the previous arrangements, a group of people was always watching each company of 200.

Liu Shu saw them approach the trees, and her gaze became colder. 'You really think you can walk all over me, eh? I guess that I will need to teach you a few lessons before you even meet our first ambushes.'

When the army of 1000 started crossing the trees, Liu Shu could see how tense they all were. Their hearts were speeding up, and the adrenaline was pumping through their bodies. Even the people at the front had stopped speaking and were entirely focused on their surroundings.

Liu Shu sneered. 'You are all terrified, acting like mighty beings but deadly afraid that I will move.'

Seeing that, she decided not to attack them in a physical manner. Instead, she started tormenting them mentally. Looking at a few of the attentive people, she chose one of them and whispered in his mind. 'You always hated it.'

The man jumped and looked around. "Who said that?"

A female soldier at his side looked at him strangely. She whispered. "What are you talking about? No one said anything. Focus!"

Liu Shu spoke again into his mind. 'So arrogant, isn't she?'

Her voice didn't have any enthralling qualities, so the man didn't start blaming that woman. However, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked around, his heart beat increasing.

While that man was confused, Liu Shu picked another person and whispered. 'Look at them, always looking down on you.'

That woman was startled and rapidly looked around her, making other soldiers look at her in a puzzled manner. Yet, those looks were easily misinterpreted because of Liu Shu's words. She snarled at them. "What the fuck are you looking at!?"

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The people around looked away with weirded-out gazes, which increased that woman's discomfort.

'Do they even understand how hard it was for you?'

The woman shook her head. "Who is speaking? That's not my voice!"

Liu Shu saw the effect on this woman and felt a trace of glee. 'Does it matter? It is the truth, right?'

The woman hit her head twice, creating a clanging sound with her helmet. Someone asked. "Hey, are you okay?"

The woman smiled with difficulty. "I am, don't worry."

'Silly, look at his scornful face.'

"He is not scornful!" The woman spoke aloud, startling the man and others in the unit.

Vaya looked back and squinted. "What's wrong, Soldier!? Are you having fun with your little chitty chat?"

The woman answered, scared. "N-Not at all, ma'am!"

'She doesn't understand!'

The woman shouted. "Stop speaking to me!"

Vaya's eyes widened angrily, and she moved her mount over. "What did you say to me!? Do you understand where we are right now!?"

The soldier woman was about to answer when the voice echoed. 'She can't speak to you that way. Isn't that right?'

The woman answered Liu Shu out of reflex. "Shut up!" But to others, it sounded like she was harshly answering Vaya.

General Tharn looked back and frowned. "What's wrong back there?"

Vaya squinted. "We seem to have a rebellious one."

The woman soldier spoke to Vaya with her heart on her throat. "Wait, wait. Lady Vaya, I wasn't speaking with you! I was speaking-"

"Silence!" Vaya ordered and pointed her bow and arrow at the soldier. Everyone moved away, leaving a big void.

What they didn't notice was that while they were all looking that way, Liu Shu's roots surfaced and quickly coiled around the outer-most people, dragging them away without a sound.

[Congratulations on defeating . You've gained 20 Experience Points.]

The soldier woman fell to her knees with her arms up. "Lady Vaya! There was a voice-"

[Congratulations on defeating . You've gained 27 Experience Points.]

"I said not to speak, soldier!" Vaya ordered again.

[Congratulations on defeating . You've gained 8 Experience Points.]

Greth frowned and spoke. "Wait, Vaya. Let her speak."

[Congratulations on defeating . You've gained 56 Experience Points.]

Liu Shu smiled coldly, watching things unfold. She talked to other people, causing small reactions here and there. Of course, this little trick would only work for so long, so she was squeezing as much value out of it as she could.

Vaya looked at Greth and asked. "What do you mean?"

Greth glared at Vaya, making her raise her arms. She looked at the scared female officer with scorn and snorted. "Answer him."

The female soldier was about to speak when Liu Shu whispered to her again. 'Will they believe it?'

The words that she was about to say got strangled in her throat. Greth frowned. "What's wrong? Speak up."

The woman stuttered, her body sweating and trembling. "I h-heard-"

'They will kill you.'

The woman was struck by that and muttered. "I h-had a, um, a panic. Ha…" She took a deep breath and answered, her voice cracking. "J-Just a panic attack. I am so sorry to Lady Vaya for insulting her authority."

Greth frowned, looking at the female soldier with doubt. "You said something about a voice. What voice?"

Vaya snorted. "She probably was going loony, Greth. Not everything has a deep reason for it." She looked at the female soldier and spoke coldly. "Once we return, you'll be heavily punished, so be prepared."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

The soldier woman slowly stood up, and General Tharn spoke aloud. "Let's continue to move on! We don't have time for this."

"Wait," Greth shouted.

General Tharn frowned. "Greth, we really can't stay here for long. What's wrong?"

Greth moved his mount around, looking at his own group. "Where are Soldiers Sevrik, Maelen, Rhaek, and Lirrin?"

Tharn's frowning face gained a touch of seriousness, and he looked around with squinted eyes. He shouted. "We are already under attack! Move out!"

Some of the people who heard Liu Shu's voice were doubtful, and one of them decided to speak up. "General! I've heard…" However, Liu Shu quickly lifted a small root from the ground and tripped that person. "...Woah!

Bang!

His fall was unexpected, and those behind him tripped with his fallen body, creating a small chain reaction. General Tharn gritted his fangs and shouted, "What is wrong with all of you? STAND UP! If you fall, you'll be left behind!"

The around twenty people that fell quickly stood up and tried following the rest of the army. However, as they were about to follow, several roots latched on their feet, stopping them again. Looking down, their eyes widened and one opened his mouth. "WE ARE UNDER ATTA-!"

SLASH!

A wind blade came from the forest, cutting the neck of that person and making blood burst outward. The other nineteen had their eyes widening and quickly slashed at the roots. Sadly for them, these were Liu Shu's roots.

Their swords fell, and they got stuck in the wood instead of slicing through, leaving them vulnerable.

Around 100 Rose Fairies, accompanied by Flor, Wert, Mariane, Cinderielle, Verdantia, and Tempestria, appeared and attacked them at that moment.

Torran's senses, sharpened because she was inside of the forest, caught the sound of metal clashing coming from behind and looked back, barely spotting the fight. "General Tharn! We are being ambushed!"

General Tharn looked back and clicked his tongue. "Leave them! We can't play to their whims."

Greth quickly analyzed the situation. "We've already lost around forty people, and we have yet to see the town. At this pace, our numbers will be halved by the time we reach the town!"

Liu Shu used her roots again, tripping five people at the same time to create another small chain of falls. General Tharn saw it and ordered. "STOP! Those who fall, quickly get up and continue the march!"

One of the people that were latched on shouted. "General Tharn! The attacks are from roots! Sturdy and strong!"

General Tharn squinted with a cold smirk. "It seems that Lady World Tree is already working. Keep moving in tight groups! If we don't separate, attacks and ambushes will be useless!"

As soon as he said that, a root quickly appeared from the ground, latching around a soldier's leg, and then flung him far away. "Ah!"

General Tharn couldn't even give an order before a bunch of wind blades rushed from the depths of the forest and slaughtered the soldier. The bearkin gritted his teeth while smiling. "Having fun mocking me, Lady World Tree?"

Liu Shu actually answered. "Yes~. Try to come to me, little bear~."

The army people were stunned when they listened to her voice. General Tharn shouted. "Move out!"