Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With his plan of action decided upon, Vahn released his impromptu council to go about their business while heading towards the clearing with Haruhime, Emiru, and Maemi in tow. Most of the girls had fallen into their own schedule, which typically involved helping clear debris and scouting the 200km wide Floor. It was generally only in the afternoons and evenings that Vahn got to spend time with everyone though, if he wanted to spend time with them, none of the girls would really be against it. Still, with the amount of time he had spent helping Artemis, Vahn knew he needed to show his proactivity or people might start to spread rumors that he was lazy and unreliable...Once they had reached the center of the clearing, which actually looked a little strange within the ashen-stone of the Dungeon, Vahn sent the signal to Terra before moving her to his location with Unit Management. He would be looking after Alexa on the surface while she was down inside of the Dungeon, though she had been relatively well behaved even without supervision.Terra immediately appeared at his side, the same smile as usual on her face as she bowed politely and said, "Good morning, Master~." Though they had already met each other this morning, as Vahn had slept with Terra the previous night and explained what she would be doing today, Vahn still nodded his head and said, "Good morning, Terra. Thanks for coming down into the Dungeon for me; I couldn't really do this without you..." In response to this, Terra just giggled before adding, "Master, there is a limit to humility, you know~? I believe everyone understands that, if you really needed to perform this ritual without me, you would undoubtedly find a way...ufufufufu~."Vahn didn't really have a way to refute this as, though it would take much longer, it wasn't impossible for him to create the ward himself. He already knew the structure and had all the materials necessary to complete the project. Terra would simply be able to do it much faster than him, saving potentially weeks worth of time which he could be used to confront Enyo. Thus, instead of refuting her words, Vahn simply smiled in response while Maemi, Emiru, and Haruhime all giggled behind him. Terra also rustled her wings, clearly amused by the developments as she stepped off to the side, gesturing towards the center as she said, "Master, I am ready when you are. Please, plant the seed~."Though part of him expected something to happen, Vahn still pulled out the beautiful walnut-like seed with a green spiral pattern. He knew a Tree of Life was perfectly adapted to any environment, purportedly even plantable on the surface of a star. It would gain the properties of its surroundings while purifying them at an incredible rate. Its energy would intermingle with the Dungeon but, by being bound to him, whatever forces could control the Dungeon wouldn't have any influence over the Tree of Life. Even collapsing the ceiling would ultimately be futile, unless someone tried to accomplish it with pure physical force. Still, even if that were to happen, Vahn wasn't even sure if the Tree of Life was something that could be damaged so easily from the outset...Without dallying too long, Vahn moved to the very center of the region and placed the [Seed of the Tree of Life] on the ground. Then, following Sis' instructions, Vahn made an incision across his palm and dripped his blood directly onto it. The moment the first drop of blood contacted the seed, it spun until it was standing straight up and then started sinking into the ground. It didn't actually push any of the stone out of the way as it did so, almost as if the seed had become intangible. Vahn then backed away a fair distance while everyone followed along, silently waiting for the Tree of Life to sprout. During this time, most of the girls ended up arriving to witness this historical event for themselves, forming a small gathering with Lefiya and Ryuu hardly able to restrain themselves.During this period of silence, Terra's eyes were focused on the Floor of the Dungeon, much like Vahn's. Her brows perked up slightly upon witnessing the massive amount of energy that had started to expand outward like a deeply entrenched root system. It was significantly more energy than even her own Dominion was able to produce, causing Terra's interest in the Tree of Life to increase a great deal. Vahn also marveled at this phenomenon and was able to discern a great deal more than even Terra herself. He could even sense 'intent' contained within the roots and, as if to directly respond to his intrigue, a small voice sounded in his mind, ("Are you my Father...?")Vahn's eyes widened upon hearing this childish voice in his mind but he quickly responded, saying, ("In a way, I suppose that is true...as for these girls, they will be your family from this point onward, though, if we're getting into the specifics, the very excited blond Elf is your Mother...if not for the love we shared, it would not have been possible for me to plant you in this place...") As he said this, Ryuu startled slightly before looking back, saying, "There is a voice in my head that just called me Mother...?" This time, Vahn laughed a little while nodding his head to Ryuu, saying, "Indeed. Since the Tree of Life is the product of our love, it isn't incorrect to say they are our child. It looks like Alise will have a little sister in the future...?"Ryuu flushed slightly upon hearing this while Lefiya, who had been standing to her left, clapped her hands together, saying, "Congratulations, Ryuu~! I don't think there has been a Sacred Tree with sentience since the Ancient Times...I think this makes you Royalty?" Following Lefiya's remark, the other girls began to congratulate the progressively more flustered Ryuu. She didn't know what to say at the moment, only that it would be very cruel to tell the voice in her head that they weren't actually related to each other. In truth, she was very happy, even if the news was very sudden and somewhat difficult to accept outright...While Ryuu was flustering about with the other girls, Vahn listened to the voice in his mind ask, ("Father...what is my name? Where is this place...?") To these questions, Vahn came up with both answers relatively quickly, smiling as he 'said',("Your name will be Yggdrasil, though I think I will call you Yggy for short...as for this place, it is the Dungeon, Tartarus, located on the Continent of Eden. I planted you hear in the place called Haven, praying you might become a beacon of hope that protects this City against the darkness contained deeper within...") This time, the voice within his head sounded very chipper and excited as it said, ("That is a wonderful name, Father~! Thank you, I love it a lot!")Almost as soon as these words sounded within Vahn's mind, the massive amount of energy contained in the Floor began to converge towards the center of the empty region. Then, as if watching the event sped up several times, a small sapling emerged from the center without breaking through the stone. Vahn noticed that Yggdrasil's energy seemed to 'overlap' with other forms of energy, instead of overwriting and breaking through it like normal matter. His [Eyes of Truth] were active the entire time, watching as the Tree of Life grew and expanded very quickly, stopping once it had reached precisely ten meters. At the same time, the trunk of the tree was a very stout 5m while the canopy overhead spread out to, once again, 10m. The most startling aspects of this tree were that the bark had a very dark green coloration with emerald green swirls creating a beautiful pattern on the surface. As for the leaves, they looked like gemstones that possessed a variety of different colors and patterns, while still retaining the flexible and natural quality of actual leaves...As everyone was marveling at the awe-inspiringly beautiful tree, a figure began to emerge from the bark, drawing the attention of everyone present. Then, what appeared to be a very young version of Ryuu, stepped out from the tree trunk. She had the appearance of a very young girl around 4-5 years old and, somewhat surprisingly, at least compared to past experiences, she was clothed in very cute clothing that was comprised of leaves and vines. The main difference between her and Ryuu, other than the drastically different age, was that her skin had a light brown color while her blond hair frayed outward a little with green tips. Like Terra, she also had strange runes on her bare arms and legs but, though her power was much lower, the amount of energy contained in the figure before them was phenomenal...it actually felt borderline 'infinite', as Vahn was simply unable to grasp the magnitude of Yggdrasil's energy...Without saying anything, Yggy smiled radiantly and leaped towards the surprised Ryuu, hugging her tightly as she said, "Thank you for making me! I love you, Mother~!" Since Vahn had told her that she wouldn't have existed without Ryuu, Yggy was very fond of her Mother. She didn't know exactly what an Elf was supposed to be but, based on the pure energy contained within Ryuu, Yggy knew she had to be a good person. Even so, she didn't hold onto Ryuu for that long and immediately set her sky blue eyes on her Father, Vahn. Her smile became even more radiant as, from her perspective, Vahn actually was 'more infinite' and pure than she was. The purity and composition of energy coming off of him made her own feel minuscule in comparison, causing Yggy to feel truly blessed to have such amazing parents...As the super small Yggy ran towards him, Vahn naturally scooped her up into his arms, pinching her button-like nose and causing her to giggle happily. Calling him 'Father' had immediately elevated Yggy's status in his heart so Vahn's impression of her was already rather extreme. He actually started to feel a little guilty, knowing that she would be down here watching over Haven while he was away at times. Though he had already planned to spend a fair amount of time on the 50th Floor in the future, Vahn made a mental note to spend time with Yggy herself whenever possible. Fortunately, once the teleportation ward was established, it wouldn't be that difficult for him to stop by, even if the costs were a bit expensive...Though she had a 'physical' body, the Elven version of Yggy was just the form she had decided upon for her 'avatar'. Her actual body was the Tree of Life itself, and she had just wanted to create a form to interact with everyone that had gathered around. From Vahn's perspective, she was essentially an entity of pure energy and, even if her 'body' was destroyed, Yggdrasil would be perfectly fine, so long as her 'real' body remained. Since the Tree of Life was borderline indestructible, and actually produced its own energy, the chances of this happening were slim at best. The only way Yggy could die was if someone managed to gain access to her 'heart', which was the very same seed he had planted previously. Since the only person that could even remotely gain access to it was Vahn himself, she immediately became the best protector for Haven they could have asked for...From the moment Yggy had sprouted, a very clear and refreshing aura had expanded to cover a 400m radius around her canopy. It was so vibrant and pristine that, from the perspective of his [Eyes of Truth], there was now a green sphere surrounding Yggy, purifying everything within. Even the surrounding ashen stones in the surrounding area has slowly changed into an entirely different state of matter, becoming rich and fertile soil that was already covered in a layer of emerald green grass. There was so much energy in close proximity to Yggy's trunk that Lefiya and Ryuu actually had to move to the outskirts since their faces had become extremely flushed from the excess energy entering into their bodies.The most amazing thing about this was the fact that this was Yggy's 'passive' state. If she wanted to, though the energy would become thinner, the region under her influence could be increased greatly. Her base ratio, for 100% purity, allowed her to influence an area that was precisely 40x larger than the height of her main body. Since she was 10m tall, this meant Yggy's influence extended omnidirectional, including into the ground, 400m. If she wanted to, it was possible to reduce the purity of her aura to around 10%, allowing her to influence a region with a radius of 800m. Since this was actually more than enough to bolster plant life, Vahn asked if she could expand her aura to its maximum, assuming there wasn't an emergency.Since her aura had a natural purification effect, that even worked on the negative energy in people's hearts and minds, Vahn felt it would be helpful to keep order. At the same time, her aura also warded off 'evil' creatures, such as monsters, causing them to take persistent damage so long as they were within her range. If they approached near her trunk, almost any monster that wasn't 'allowed' to be there would end up disintegrating entirely. The only 'downside' to Yggy's aura was that it would make all poisons, toxins, and miasma almost completely inert. Even this wasn't a true downside, however, as the medicinal herbs that would have been most affected by her aura would actually become purified versions of themselves, or outright 'evolve' into a new type of plant. Making a poison was next to impossible, but it was exceptionally easy to make powerful healing and mana potions just by allowing herbs to soak in Yggy's aura for a few days...Though Vahn had always expected the Tree of Life to be amazing, it was far more incredible than he had expected it to be. Not only did he get a cute little daughter, but her existence itself was already infinitely close to Tier 4 from 'birth'. He was able to discover this very quickly as, after handing over the two [Yggdrasil's Branch]s in his possession, and explaining his intentions, Yggy very happily became his subordinate. Though her Status listed her as [Nameless], meaning he would be able to use his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] in a few days, he was still able to confirm she was a verified Tier 3 existence with a whopping four Innates...----------------------------------------------------------------------[Nameless]Age: 0Race: Spirit of the Tree of LifeLevel: (-)Loyalty: 1,019Soul Strength: Tier 3 (Great Spirit)Karma: -State: [Active]Skills: [Spirit of the Tree of Life: Innate: SS], [Yggdrasil's Blessing: Innate: SS], [Fountain of Youth: Innate: S], [Sanctuary: Innate: A], [Purifying Light: SS], [Rampant Growth: S], [Terraforming: S], [Endless Vigor: A], [Healing Rain: A][Spirit of the Tree of Life]Rank: Innate(SS) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*Passive: Allows the user to adapt to any and all environments, purifying them and strengthening the life essence contained within. So long as the 'Sacred Heart of Life' remains, those possessing this skill will live eternally.[Yggdrasil's Blessing]Rank: Innate(SS) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*Passive: Grants the user limitless vital energy and allows them to infuse it into other sources.Active: Bestow [Yggrasil's Favor] unto a target via a kiss. Warning: Weakens the passive strength of [Yggdrasil's Blessing] for a year after bestowal.[Fountain of Youth]Rank: Innate(S) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*Passive: Produce one ounce of pristine water every month. Those that consume this water will have their vitality replenished, enabling them to reverse the effects of aging by a single year.[Sanctuary]Rank: Innate(A) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*Passive: Create a domain of purification that increases the growth rate, natural recovery, and spiritual development of everything within. Has the effect of negating negative energy, purifying poisons, preventing the spread of miasma, and damaging entities recognized as a threat by the user.[Purifying Light]Rank: SSUse: Causes a radiant light to emanate, dealing persistent damage to enemies based on the purity of their soul. Against familiars and mana constructs, this ability can completely destroy any entities beneath the Level of the user.[Rampant Growth]Rank: SUse: Convert vital energy into the natural energy to stimulate explosive plant growth.[Terraforming]Rank: SUse: The user is able to passively change the environment to be more hospitable for recognized lifeforms. Able to create 'ecospheres' with isolated habitats that can last indefinitely, so long as the user is still alive.[Endless Vigor]Rank: AUse: Massively increases the replenishment of stamina, mental energy, and spiritual energy.[Healing Rain]Rank: AUse: Convert vital energy into clouds that will rain down indiscriminately, healing all within this abilities range.----------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Securing the future by planting a seed...','Spontaneous Tree-Daughter-no-Jutsu~! RIP Ryuu...','Man, Vahn needs to start using his Unique items more proactively...Yggy is OP as all heck~')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With Yggy being much stronger than he expected, especially after 'consuming' the two [Yggdrasil's Branch]s, Vahn's confidence in his future actions increased greatly. He wasn't actually that concerned with what Enyo might have prepared for them and had been considerably more worried about protecting Haven. Now, though it would still take a few years, Yggy would be able to completely take over the 50th Floor while protecting the residents of Haven. There was no danger of her actually being hurt, assuming the enemy didn't have some Innate that could circumvent her defenses. Even then, Yggy could regenerate very quickly, a fact she had made apparent by 'burying' Vahn in a pile of crystalline leaves after he asked for a few. She could apparently regrow them completely anew once a month, leaving Vahn with 227,019 multi-colored leaves that would make most Alchemists fight tooth and nail just to obtain one...Yggdrasil's branches were slightly different than her leaves, as they possessed an inherent 'indestructible' quality to them. Unless Yggrasil herself gave them up, it was impossible to harvest them through normal means and, though her 'regeneration' was quick, such as if she somehow suffered slicing wounds, it took time to regrow limbs. Since it would stunt her growth, and Vahn could just obtain branches from the system shop on his own, he refused her offer of a branch until she had already grown to an adequate size.Since these branches would become even more powerful with time, there was no rush in trying to procure resources from her. After all, much like how he felt towards his other 'subordinates', Vahn felt very awkward when they willingly tried to give up their 'resources' for his use. This was something that bothered him about the Xenos as well since even Marie had happily offered her blood while Lyd even cut off one of his horns. Vahn adamantly refused the former but, as Lyd had already cut off the horn and presented it, Vahn infused it into a scimitar that the proud Xenos loved so much that he even slept with it...Remembering the uniqueness of the Xenos, Vahn felt like he should spend some time at Spero village when he finished up with all these troublesome matters. For the time being, however, he was helping establish several layers of defenses, not necessarily to protect Yggy, but to keep people from discovering the teleportation ward that was going to be placed in the center of the region. Though he wasn't sure of the reason, all Trees of Life seemed to be hollow on the inside and there was even a small 'stump' located in the center that contained a rather deep well.The well was only 1m in diameter but was nearly 3m deep, containing a very thin layer of luminescent water contained within. Vahn understood this was water created by Yggy's [Fountain of Youth]. Since it was produced from an Innate, Vahn suspected it was a 'Unique' grade item but decided to leave it be for the time being. If Yggy hadn't possessed sentience, he might have tried to harvest some of its resources but that was no longer an option, at least from his perspective. Yggy, upon seeing him inspecting the well, beamed with a face full of innocence as she said, "If you want, I can give you all of my fountain water, Father~! Please, just tell me if there is anything I can do to help!"Hearing this, Vahn turned to this 'daughter' of his and performed his almost instinctual head-patting technique on her. She squinted her eyes happily as a result while Vahn returned a smile of his own, saying, "I am truly grateful for how eager and giving you are, Yggy, but please don't strain yourself. If you truly consider yourself my daughter, then allow me to take care of you for a bit...so long as you protect this place, I'd rather you focus on being happy, not trying to make me happy..." In response to this, Yggy smiled wide enough that Vahn could see both rows of teeth, a smile full of the same vitality that the young Spirit herself represented...After having Ryuu hold 'their' daughter, Vahn began inscribing the teleportation formation in the location where the fountain had been located. Just as she had been able to make an opening for him and Ryuu to enter into her trunk, Yggy had easily relocated her fountain to the back so that Vahn had enough space to make the formation's core. The actual teleportation ward would be much bigger than the location where people would transfer from, but that was intentional.Having a larger transference area would exponentially increase the number of resources required for teleporting and, though Yggy offered to supplement some of the energy with her own, Vahn didn't want to use her as a 'battery' for their convenience. She could produce a seemingly infinite amount of energy, but that didn't mean she was producing an infinite amount at every moment. There was a limit to what she could do at any one moment and, in order to supply the energy for single teleportation, it would almost completely use up her reserves.Vahn was at a point where the amount of OP he was gaining actually exceeded his somewhat ridiculous expenditure by a great deal. He knew he hadn't exactly been frugal with his OP but, even with that being the case, his reserves were currently sitting at 238,443,417. With the [Leaves of the Tree of Life] being worth between 700-1000 OP, if he chose to sell them to the shop, Vahn was at a point where his passive earnings could reach more than 200,000,000OP per month. Things like this caused him to question why his Emperor self hadn't been able to afford the [Dimensional Anchor: Statis] but, almost immediately upon thinking this, Vahn realized he must have made the decision 'not' to freeze the world. Vahn didn't know what 'he' would have done with Eva in the Divination but it was very apparent that the path he was currently walking had diverged greatly from the course he had taken to become that lonely Emperor...With Yggy's help, Vahn knew it was only a matter of time before he accumulated enough OP to be able to purchase the anchor and complete his Quests. If necessary, he even had a 'trump' card, as it was possible to exchange the [Skill Advancement Scroll: SSS] for 10,000,000,000OP, meaning he could complete two of his important Quests in almost an instant, assuming he was willing to take a loss of 90 Billion OP as a result. For a moment, just after he had obtained the scroll, Vahn humored the thought of using it on his [Grooming] to see just how far the skill would develop. Sis immediately discouraged this course of action, not because it was a bad idea, but because it would very nearly push him into Tier 4 as a result.The [Skill Advancement Scroll: SSS] wasn't restricted to simply giving you SSS-Rank in the current skill, it immediately advanced it to the highest evolution within the record. This meant, if Vahn used his scroll just after obtaining [Blacksmith], he would have been able to immediately reach [Godsmith: SSS]. Though he wouldn't be able to forge Tier 4 items within the mortal world, the comprehension he would obtain in relation to forging could actually push him towards awaking his own Divinity the moment his soul was strong enough to sustain the transition. This meant, if Vahn had truly used the scroll on his [Grooming], it would have reached the 'pinnacle' of Tier 4, making it very possible he would one day obtain an actual Divinity related to Petting...As a result of this conversation with Sis, Vahn decided to hold onto the scroll until he moved on to a higher Tier record. This was because, according to Sis, the 'price' of the scroll actually increased based on the record he was in. Since it always elevated a skill to the 'peak' of the record, this meant the scroll was infinitely more useful in a Tier 5-6 world than it was in Danmachi. He already knew that most of the parameters and skills he possessed related to the record would completely vanish when he entered a new record, losing all of his parameters in the process, so having a [SAS: SSS] to rely on could very well save his life. So long as he learned a single useful skill or ability within the record, he could immediately increase it's rank to the 'peak' of that record. Though he would certainly have to adapt, just as when he had upgraded his [Blacksmith] faster than his comprehension, it would undoubtedly prove useful...---Around the same time he was working on the teleportation ward with Terra, Vahn was also back at the Manor watching over his newly appointed 'Battle Maid Division'. They had been given access to the Sub-Space orb and were currently receiving a basic education on how to use enhancement magic from Alexa. She was surprisingly motivated to be teaching so many people, even though a somewhat 'haughty' look would appear on her face when she did demonstrations. Vahn was watching over them and serving as a 'demonstration dummy', enjoying the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the large assortment of women sitting at desks very studiously. Though they would struggle to ever outpace any of the main combatants within the Manor, this 'Battle Maid Division' would truly become a very powerful 'arrow' for the Alliance in the future...Alexa's lesson had come to an end after the clocktower in the center of the Sub-Space orb began ringing that it had just turned 10 AM. Since the Maids had other training and duties to attend to, Alexa dismissed them before she and Vahn enjoyed a half-hour tea time with Risna. The two had become surprisingly close friends since Alexa genuinely enjoyed reading all kinds of books and it was very interesting for her to know someone that wrote them. She had even started writing a few short stories of her own, though Vahn had sweat a little when she snatched away a 'blank' template novel that she had been working on. Since he knew about Risna's own collection, he decided not to inquire about the contents of the novel and had never mentioned it since then...As enjoyable as spending time with the two adorable authors was, Vahn bid them farewell after their tea time had come to an end. He wanted to give Freya the [Brísingamen] sooner, rather than later, as the effects offered by her Blessing were still very useful. Though it would certainly cause him a few complications, it wasn't anything new that he couldn't deal with. The fact that it enhanced the growth rate of all combat skills was simply too useful and, though he never intended to use it, having the chance to charm almost anyone was still an extra weapon in his arsenal. Since it worked on 'anything' of the opposite sex, Vahn knew it would actually be quite useful if he ever came across any difficult to handle female monsters. There was even a chance it would momentarily effect Enyo, creating an exploitable gap that could result in a much easier victory for their party. Besides, no matter how he tried to spin it, Vahn was 'good' at using such techniques and there were no limits to being 'better' at something...After explaining to the girls where he was going, Vahn stopped by the training area his hardworking little daughter, Lenneth, was tirelessly swinging her sword. She was growing up quickly, already 115cm tall and able to swing around a weighted iron sword with relative ease. At the side, her Guardian, the True Silver Dragon she had affectionately named 'Vaan' was patiently watching each of her movements. It responded to his presence much earlier than Lenneth did but Vahn held up his finger in a shushing gesture as he watched his daughter complete her current training set. Though she only had the physique of a six-year-old, Lenneth was as adorable as a doll, even with her face showing an uncharacteristically serious look as she struck forward for what must have been the three-thousandth time today.Once she had finished her set, Lenneth didn't immediately rest and instead planted the tip of her sword into the ground and focused on her breathing. She struck a 'horse stance', with her tiny fists balled up near her waist, and took in several slow and steady breaths through her nose while exhaling somewhat loudly through her mouth. Since she was only wearing what amounted to an Aegis-grade sports bra, spats, a skirt, and weighted forearm and leg protectors, it was easy to see that she was sweating a great deal. Vahn didn't really know what to say to get his daughters to try and wear more 'appropriate' clothing, as he had never really been bothered by it when the other girls wore similar attire. He didn't want to sound like a hypocrite and cause any kind of strange misunderstandings so Vahn just tolerated it...so long as no men from the outside world began harboring 'intentions' towards them...After three minutes of focused breathing, Lenneth moved to pick up her sword for a new set but was interrupted by a hand patting the top of her head. Since only one person was really able to sneak up on her so easily, while patting her head, Lenneth immediately giggled before asking, "Papa, how long have you been watching me...?" As she spoke, Lenneth looked up to confirm it was indeed her Papa before happily enjoying the comforting energy flowing into her head. Vahn smiled in response before saying, "Well, I've been watching since you were about halfway through the last set. You must remember to always pay attention to your surroundings, Lenneth, even if your senses don't inform you something is amiss..."Lenneth puffed up her cheeks in response to this, saying in a tone full of childish exasperation, "Papa, that might be the case in a battle, but this is our backyard. Vaan would have told me if there were any real threats...!" With True Silver Dragons having some of the highest perception amongst all True Dragons, it was even able to track Vahn while the latter was using stealth, not to mention almost any other people. Even so, Vahn poked his daughter's puffed-out cheeks and said, "Though it isn't wrong to rely on your allies, the mark of a truly great warrior is how reliable their own skills are. Isn't it your dream to become an unstoppable General in the future~? What will you do if the enemy tries to send assassins against you when your guard is down?"Vahn never truly treated his children as if they were 'incompetent' and he had often discussed what each of the Vanir wanted to do in the future to obtain achievements for their [Heroic Tale]s. Erika had wanted to be a Scholar and a Diplomat and intended to become a Professor within the Academy one day, if not the Governor of Orario itself. Ina, inspired by the tale of a castle floating in the sky, had actually drafted a basic blueprint similar to his [Heavenly Palace] in the Divination. As for Vana, her desire was to become a powerful Hero that traveled around the world and saved people that were in trouble. Lenneth, somewhat inspired by Vana, actually took things a little further and said that, if the Alliance one day had a standing military, which was very likely, she would become it's General and uphold order. Aisha, having become somewhat of a follower to Lenneth, was studying hard to become her Advisor while Autumn, being rather peculiar amongst the Vanir, simply wanted to bake bread to make people smile...In response to her Papa's question, Lenneth frowned slightly and seemed to fall into deep thought before realization dawned upon her. With a radiant smile that felt like it could purify the darkness in one's soul, Lenneth confidently stated, "Papa will protect me~! Even if I become the most powerful General, Papa will always be the absolute strongest. If people try to hurt me, I know Papa will always be there to protect me, ehehehe~." Though he wanted to 'correct' her, Vahn didn't have the words to say she was wrong and, instead, patted her head a little more affectionately as he asked, "I was going to go visit your Mother; will you come with me, Lenneth...?" This caused the intensity of Lenneth's smile to go up a few notches, rivaling the sun in the sky as she happily shouted, "Yes, let's go visit Mom~!"---(A/N: Though I've explained this several times, I will reiterate for those who have forgotten or were confused about the way things work. When Vahn enters a record, his body essentially has to be 'created' and 'tuned' to match the Laws and system within the record. A skill like [Master Smith] may not even exist in a record without skills and development abilities, meaning Vahn would lose it. However, that doesn't mean he loses his knowledge and skill as a blacksmith. You have to remember, in a record like Danmachi, skills/magic/abilities have modifiers and correctional attributes. In other words, they can increase damage, manipulate laws, and increase the chance of success for certain outcomes. Vahn would still be able to forge high-quality equipment, even without the [Master Smith] Development Ability, he just wouldn't have any of the extra benefits associated with it. I hope that made sense o3o~!)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Just imagine all the leaves of a tree falling off at once...','Battle Meidos, fighto~!','The True Guardian of the Vanir, Vahn Mason')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Though he wasn't sure if now was the best time, Vahn decided to simply proceed with his plans since it was a necessary step to take in order to make headway against Enyo. Construction of Haven had been steadily progressing and, though it would like take several months for the outer wall to be constructed through normal means, Vahn knew Terra would be able to create a makeshift wall in less than a day. He also had the opportunity of buying large stone slabs to serve as natural barriers so, in preparation for potential attacks, the main priority of the laborers was simply clearing trees and leveling the ground. Once he had decided this, Vahn called a meeting of all the Unit Commanders, the representatives of each Familia, and the few influential merchants who had faced their fears to descend into the Dungeon for profit.Now, Vahn sat at the 'head' of a ring-shaped table with twenty-three individuals, each waiting for the decision he would make as the Supreme Commander of the Alliance. He had Maemi and Emiru standing slightly behind, completely decked out in their [Pactio] raiments and holding their [Saint's Halberd]s to create a rather imposing figure. Haruhime was sitting on his left, tails flickering behind her in an almost hypnotic fashion, while Finn stat to his right, elbows on the table and an amiable smile on his face. He seemed in much higher spirits than before the expedition had started, honestly admitting in private that he was 'relieved' to be away from his women and children for a short while...Once everyone was properly seated, Vahn waved his hand, causing hot tea and pastries to occupy the empty area in front of everyone. He made sure there weren't any hard foods that would make chewing noises and, to ease everyone's tension, picked up a small cherry danish and ate it with a smile on his face. Though he didn't go out of his way to intimidate people, Vahn had noticed that the way people acted around him had changed drastically ever since he began operating in the Elven Kingdom. When he turned his sights on the Nobles within Orario, everyone suddenly became very fearful of offending him, even though he generally tried to be polite and easygoing towards all but his enemies.With tensions easing a bit, Vahn's on expression softened slightly as he said, "I know that my calling this meeting hasn't come as a surprise to anyone. As you'd expect, we need to come up with plans to deal with the impending danger of Enyo's forces. Our actions of focusing on the establishment of 'Haven' gave her a bit of breathing room and, now that she is starting to get restless, we need to prepare for an attack. I have gathered everyone here to ask for their opinion but, at the same time, I wanted to assuage your concerns so you can assure everyone else that things are going well. Please, wait for me to finish laying out my plan before you begin making suggestions."Not surprisingly, nobody spoke out to try and guide the conversation themselves, knowing full well that the final decision rested on Vahn from the outset. Though there were certainly those among them that had their own plans for Haven, Vahn already knew of their intentions and wasn't against them trying to find success on the 50th Floor. So long as they didn't try to outright exploit people in the future, he didn't mind if they sought a few benefits for themselves. Thus, without any objections, Vahn smiled and began explaining, "Because of the planned size of Haven, construction on the outer wall will not be completed by the time we're expecting an attack. For the time being, the main focus should be on clearing the surrounding terrain while maintaining the defensive line near the inner wall..."As he spoke, Vahn raised his finger and used Earth Elemental manipulation to make a diagram of Haven within the center of the ring-shaped table. There was a large empty space that he had reserved for this purpose and, with the reactions of surprise from those gathered, he was happy to have come up with the idea. Besides, it was much easier for people to understand what he had in mind through demonstration instead of simply talking it over. Though they had all seen the blueprints, the fact there would be a Tree of Life within the center was something that had yet to be revealed.Continuing where he left off, Vahn explained, "Though we will have patrols watching over the workers, the largest force will be concentrated near the five fortresses. We have five [Paling] barriers that will prevent most external attacks but they don't have the ability to block monsters from moving into the protective area. Since larger barrier magic won't work under a [Paling], we have several defensive wards in place that can be activated with magic cores. As you can see, our main focus will be solely on a defensive fight and we have it set up so that only a tenth of our personnel would be required to maintain the active defense..."Since there were genuine concerns about people overdrafting themselves, especially during a siege, a lot of the defensive weaponry was mechanical in nature and could be operated by almost anyone. Though the damage would be much lower without any skills to enhance their efficacy, cannons and arbalests were still very useful weapons against even large monsters. Their bolts were three-meter long projectiles that were affixed with carved Dragon Fangs on the tips. Since they had a base property of being able to penetrate almost anything, they were exceptionally useful against large monsters. As for smaller monsters, they would be dealt with by a combination of Asfi's [Burst Oil] and explosive ordinance that was designed to penetrate into a monster before exploding. Though this wouldn't deal much damage to stronger monsters, just weakening them slightly was very helpful in a defensive engagement...After detailing some of the defensive measures they would be employing, Vahn got to the heart of the discussion, saying, "Also, I'm sure many of you have been wondering why we left such a massive space within the center of Haven..." Since many of them had actually asked the question directly in the past, Vahn wasn't surprised when almost everyone nodded in response. Seeing this, his smile broadened slightly as he raised his hand, causing a tree to begin sprouting in the middle of the diagram. As this was happening, Vahn explained, "In order to make sure Haven truly becomes a territory of the surface world, I will be planting a Tree of Life within the center of the City. The true purpose of our strong defenses is solely for protecting this tree and ensuring that it is able to grow without issue..."Since one of the participants of the meeting happened to be an Elven Mage, her eyes widened greatly upon hearing this, exclaiming, "Did you discuss this with the King and the High Priestess!?" Even as she spoke, Vahn noticed her Affection had jumped up from 80 to 88 in an instant, a look of reverence in her pale blue eyes. Vahn, however, shook his head lightly and said, "There are things going on behind the scenes that I am not able to disclose, even to those gathered here. Just know that this Tree of Life is different than the Sacred Trees back at the Elven Forest, though their function if fundamentally the same. Also, please be patient and allow me to complete my explanation before interjecting...if you have any questions that don't directly relate to the subject at hand, please confer with me in private later."Though there was no greater meaning behind his words, Vahn saw the system notification show that her Affection had jumped to 92 as a light blush appeared upon her cheeks. This caused his brows to raise almost imperceptively as he quickly got back to the discussion, saying, "In order to ensure the Tree of Life is properly protecting, I will be moving one of the Trump cards of the Alliance down to the 50th Floor to assist in the defense. Many of you know her as the True Dragon, Terra, one of my trusted companions...she is very likely the most powerful Mage in the entire world and it is her work that allows me to use the giant emerald barrier many of you have seen. Even if Enyo's forces tried to collapse the entire Floor, they would be unable to do so while Terra is present..."As she was 'very' famous these days, nobody doubted Vahn's words when he said Terra would be able to greatly increase their defensive strength. They had seen the barrier artifact that Vahn uses withstand the assault of tens of thousands of monsters for several hours, completely impervious to almost any attack so long as there was enough energy. With Vahn generally acting as the 'battery', seemingly without having to strain himself, they knew the defensive strength of Haven was almost guaranteed. That left the question, however, as to what they would be doing to deal with the issue, something everyone was very curious about...Understanding what everyone must be thinking, Vahn tapped his finger a few times before saying, "Once we have secured the perimeter around the Tree of Life, I will create a detached force to begin breaching into the Deep Floors. Just as we have always done in the past, we'll use a small group of elites to scout ahead and deal with any looming threats. For the preliminary scouting, it will just be Ais, Tiona, Haruhime, Lefiya, Fenrir, Lili, and myself. I don't want to leave Haven without any means of dealing with the strange plant-monsters that might show up in response to our probe into the Deep Floors. While I'm away, Finn will be the acting Supreme Commander...keep in mind, Finn, that Terra only really listens to my orders. When she is here, trust that she will do her duty and try not to make her angry..."Knowing that Vahn wouldn't give him such a warning without reason, Finn nodded his head with a serious expression on his face, saying, "Understood, Vahn. You can leave it to me when the time comes. Don't worry, I will make sure Haven is safe while you are away." Hearing this, Vahn gave a small nod to Finn before turning his attention back to the rest of the group and saying, "Also, though this is a provisional thing, expect there to be an influx of Elves and Xenos into Haven in the future. Though they may not be easily accepted on the surface world just yet, the Alliance is the official protectorate of the Xenos people. They will be helping to maintain the supply route using paths that normal Adventurers don't have access to. Though their services may not be cheap, I'm sure many of the merchants here would appreciate being able to move supplies to the surface safely...when the time comes, I won't accept a single instance of persecution towards the Xenos. Please start taking steps to ensure there won't be any problems when they do start showing up, understood...?"This time, Vahn let a bit of pressure leak out and influence those within the room, causing several people to turn pale as they all nodded in understanding. Vahn noticed that not everyone was in agreement with his words but, after he sent them a glance, they fell in line rather quickly. He didn't expect things to go entirely without issue but if he ever found out about an incident where a Xenos was murdered unjustly, Vahn knew he would have to make a harsh example out of the perpetrator. In a way, the Dungeon was the territory and home of the Xenos and, for nearly a thousand years, the people of the surface had been impeding into their domain, harvesting materials, and even killing the Xenos people. Though he wouldn't let anyone simply claim ownership of the Dungeon in such a way, the Xenos still had every right as any other surface dweller to roam safely within the settlements that had been established...For the better part of three hours, Vahn continued to discuss the defensive measures and any developmental plans that the leaders present had in mind. The merchants wanted to speed up construction of the Industrial and Business Districts of Haven, claiming that it would jumpstart the economic growth of the budding City and allow for future expansions to proceed more quickly. Vahn agreed with their opinion of establishing the Industrial District, as that was where the Alliance's 'Laborer's Guild' would be located, but he denied their claims that the Business District should be a primary focus. The reason for this was relatively simple, as most of the 'specialized' goods would be flowing out of the Alliance's fortresses early on.As almost every merchant would be buying specialty goods from the Alliance directly, it was essentially pointless for businesses to be the main focus early on. Though some argued against this, Vahn said he would discuss it with Fortuna and Minerva to get their take on things, effectively silencing the group of Merchants who knew benefits wouldn't be that easy to obtain. Even so, Vahn promised that, so long as they didn't partake in any shady practices that drew the attention of the Alliance, he would ensure they were able to draw a profit. To assuage their concerns, he gave them a catalog of some of the items they would be able to procure in the future and nearly laughed out loud when one of the larger merchants nearly fell down upon witnessing some of the items listed.With the Merchants pacified, for the moment, Vahn argued that the secondary focus should be on the establishment of the Residential District. This would leave a gap in their defenses, as the Entertainment District would be located between the Residential and Industrial Districts, but Vahn wanted to have the infrastructure for accepting Adventurers and migrants as soon as possible. They couldn't simply allow everyone that showed up to stay within the fortresses that protected the Tree of Life, as that would unnecessarily increase the chances of someone trying to interfere with his future plans. Though the chances of anyone breaking through the defensive measures around the tree would be small, there was no way of knowing what kind of Innates people had. All it took was one person with a stealth-based Innate that allowed them to move through barriers and they would be able to discover the teleportation ward and potentially damage the Tree of Life...There was also the simple fact that, but creating places where people could begin living, people would 'naturally' begin to reside within Haven. If there were only things like Inns and temporary housing, then Haven would never feel like a real City. Thus, to encourage migration, Vahn emphasized building residences and, though they would be very expensive, he knew people would pay hefty sums to obtain such property. In the future, owning a residence within Haven would become a status symbol that showed off your wealth, strength, wisdom, or prestige in general. The materials used to construct each residence, the security that would be provided, and the general living conditions of almost everyone that would reside here in the future...Vahn wanted to elevate it all to an extreme. One day, he believed that Haven would become a true beacon of hope for everyone on the surface world...a fantastical place that everyone aspired to at least visit once...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn wonders why people fear him...then casually intimidates them xD...','Terra is very scary (o,...,o)~!','Vahn is essentially trying to create a Utopia...delusions are dangerous~.')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 864: Tree of Life