This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 194

Chapter 194: The Giant's Body and the Way of Nature

Unexpectedly for Matthew.

When his "body" touched the chest of the hawk-faced man, the latter seemed to vanish, effortlessly allowing him to pass through!

"Stop!"

The hawk-faced man roared in anger.

His unusually large palms reached out to grab Matthew.

With a thought, Matthew suddenly flew at an incredible speed!

Before, he had attempted to fly within the realm, but his speed was only about a third of what it was now.

But now.

With just a thought, Matthew's entire perspective flew far, far away!

Finally, he could see the scenery above the waterfall.

It was an endless river, serene and expansive, surrounded by dense pine or cypress trees, with tall wild grass flourishing on both sides.

From his viewpoint, all he could see was lush greenery.

The hawk-faced man flew towards him in frustration.

Matthew cleverly ascended against the river's flow.

He wanted to see his reflection in the water but found it blurred.

As he strained to see clearly, the river suddenly turned into a viscous milky white.

Matthew couldn't look closely.

The hawk-faced man was fast, but he couldn't catch Matthew because Matthew's form was almost non-existent.

Several times, he came close, almost intercepting Matthew.

During this process, Matthew realized that by concentrating, his flight speed increased.

He speculated that he was currently traversing the realm with just a thought.

Capturing him was challenging for the hawk-faced man, and hurting him was equally difficult for Matthew.

Realizing this, Matthew felt dull.

So, he exerted all his strength and flew madly upstream.

With Matthew's full acceleration.

He left the hawk-faced man far behind.

Before long.

Matthew suddenly noticed something peculiar—

Despite flying against the river's flow towards the upstream direction, the river's direction below began to align with his flight path?

Initially, he thought he'd lost his way and circled back.

But seeing the hawk-faced man relentlessly pursuing him, he knew he hadn't made a mistake.

Further ahead.

A massive rupture appeared in the river.

Matthew focused and saw—a downward waterfall!

He curiously approached the waterfall, and as he flew out from the cliff, the hawk-faced man's angry voice sounded behind him:

"That's not a place for you to enter..."

The voice abruptly stopped.

Matthew felt a jelly-like sensation in his ears, his vision blurred, and his body felt like it hit a membrane!

Thunk!

A barely audible crisp sound.

As if breaking through an invisible barrier, Matthew arrived in an entirely new world!

Before him lay a scene of desolation:

Towering yet withered giant trees;

Thick vines hanging from above, pervading everywhere;

Spiderwebs between the vines;

A shattered stone statue lying on the ground, enveloped by weeds, with only the head exposed, sporting an eerie, almost mocking expression.

The sound of flowing water disappeared instantly.

Matthew turned back.

Behind him lay a similarly dilapidated forest; the waterfall, the river, and the trees on both sides had vanished completely.

"Is this another layer of the Oak Tree domain?"

Matthew cautiously surveyed the surroundings.

The next moment.

A light laughter echoed by his ear:

"Matthew, you're so adorable!"

Matthew turned in surprise—

A fairy with an exquisitely beautiful face, emitting a soft green light, was smiling lightly beside him.

It was Lulu?

"How did you get here?"

Matthew asked.

Lulu exclaimed, "Didn't you summon me?"

"I sensed your domain's call and came to your side."

"Come to think of it, shouldn't I be asking you?"

"When did you master the fairy transformation technique?"

"And how did you find a way into the 'Fairy Garden'?"

Lulu's rapid string of questions baffled Matthew.

He glanced at the data panel.

"Hints: You've broken free from the 'Oak Tree Domain's' shackles, arriving at the 'Natural Domain's' extension 'Fairy Garden' through the 'Bidirectional Long River' and the 'Ascending Ring Waterfall'.

With the help of the Natural Domain, you possess your own 'Natural Form.'

Current Natural Form: Oak Tree Fairy (Fairy Princess/Princess Set auto-equipped).

You've entered the Fairy domain, automatically summoning your fairy companion 'Princess Lulu.'

You've arrived at the 'Rear Courtyard'!"

Matthew finally noticed.

Unknowingly, he had transformed into the appearance of a Fairy Princess within the Natural Domain, holding a cute miniature fairy wand and wearing a crown symbolizing arcane power.

"So that's it."

"The Fairy Garden is an extension of the Natural Domain. By exploring the Oak Tree domain, I unintentionally traveled upstream along the river and crossed the waterfall. Although not formally entering the Natural Domain, I unintentionally accessed an extension of it."

Understanding the cause and effect, Matthew sighed deeply.

But as he realized their location, his nerves tensed again.

"Didn't you mention earlier that the Rear Courtyard is the most dangerous place in the entire Fairy Garden?"

Matthew asked.

Lulu, somewhat frightened, nodded:

"Yes, I just discovered this is the Rear Courtyard."

"It's said to be filled with aggressive fairies, and it's where the entire garden faces frequent harassments from hunters. Even when the Ice Queen was around, this area was partially affected."

"Why did you come here? Shouldn't we go back..."

As Lulu's voice trailed off.

A rough friction sound came from behind them. Matthew turned, seeing the hawk-faced man emerging from a void.

Struggling, he tried to claw at the air, eyes filled with resentment:

"I told you, no entry is allowed here!"

"Why don't you follow the rules?"

"Those who don't follow the rules must die!"

Crackling sounds erupted.

The hawk-faced man charged forward, almost breaking through the barrier between realms to reach them.

Lulu, scared, hid away.

But Matthew wasn't afraid. Earlier, he hadn't confronted the hawk-faced man head-on because of his lack of form within the realm. Now, even as a cute Fairy Princess, he had room to maneuver!

At that moment.

He raised his wand and unleashed a 'Mind Pierce' at the hawk-faced man!

Mind Pierce belonged to the innate spellcasting ability and benefited from the 'Princess Scepter's' powerful attributes.

Caught off guard, the hawk-faced man suffered.

He screamed in agony, clutching his head.

Matthew sensed his opponent suffering a splitting headache and intended to press on. Seeing Matthew gaining an upper hand, Lulu, who had previously stayed away, began casting her spells.

As a true Fairy Princess, Lulu had many more spells at her disposal than Matthew.

"Stone Fist!"

She shouted.

Instantly, a giant stone fist descended from above, slamming fiercely onto the hawk-faced man's head.

This blow was more than just a headache.

His head swelled instantly!

The hawk-faced man struggled, seeming to have second thoughts, intending

to retreat.

But it was too late.

The next moment, his head exploded!

Blood splattered everywhere, splashing on the withered giant trees and the dilapidated stone statue.

The hawk-faced man collapsed, dead.

A tremor ran through the forest.

Matthew and Lulu gasped for breath, looking at each other in shock.

"I didn't expect him to die so violently."

Lulu's voice quivered.

"He was an envoy from the Thunderbird clan. His death won't go unnoticed. They will come for us!"

Matthew's expression was solemn.

"Let's leave quickly!"

He held Lulu's hand and ran.

The scenery around them changed.

The dilapidated forest gradually disappeared, replaced by the river, the trees on both sides, and the waterfall.

But.

Something was different.

The river was turbid, no longer the serene, flowing stream from before.

The waterfall's noise was louder, much more ominous.

The hawk-faced man's last words echoed in the air:

"Those who don't follow the rules must die!"

Matthew and Lulu hurriedly flew away, returning to the Oak Tree domain.

He angrily threw a punch at Matthew, his eyes red! Matthew was taken aback. Thankfully, he reacted swiftly, dodging the blow with agility. That's when he noticed the fairy's muscles were swollen and engorged, completely out of control.

"Come on, let's fight!" the fairy urgently charged at Matthew.

Remaining calm, Matthew launched a Psychic Thrust, causing the fairy to grimace in pain. Just then, Lulu's Fist of Stone came crashing down.

The fairy, not as resilient as a sturdy hill person, succumbed instantly to the punch, unconscious.

"He's under a strange power. I'll try to purify it," Lulu said, waving her staff and reciting a lengthy prayer. Under the blue-white radiance, the red glow on the fairy gradually faded.

About five minutes passed before he groggily awoke from unconsciousness.

"Where am I?" he mumbled. "Wasn't I supposed to hunt down hunters? Ah... it hurts!"

Clutching his head and wincing, the fairy seemed distressed.

Matthew exchanged a glance with Lulu before asking, "What's your name? Do you remember what happened?"

"I'm Borg, a warrior summoned by the priestess. I remember witch Parsons made us drink the Elixir of Youth, then we, along with other fairies, went to hunt down hunters. Yes! We defeated several hunters, then I got separated from my companions..."

"Damn, why does my head hurt so much? And my butt too?"

Borg seemed uncomfortable, rubbing his head and then his posterior.

In the midst of this, a realization struck Matthew. He suspected the Elixir was more of a combat-enhancing drug, causing aggression and loss of control. It likely had a connection to the Berserk Needle, which also explained the erratic speech of the witch and priestess when naming the potion.

The Elixir of Youth might not actually confer eternal youth as its literal name suggests but rather heightens fairy combat abilities.

"Understanding this logic makes sense," Matthew thought. "Residents of the Flower Garden are probably affected by the Berserk Needle. Their behaviors seem odd but mostly non-threatening."

Deep in thought, Matthew conversed extensively with Borg, piecing together the location of the battle. As they entered the Flower Garden this time, via the natural domain, both Matthew and the summoned Lulu could exit the domain at will, enabling them to explore more boldly.

After a while, bidding farewell to Borg, they flew towards the battleground of the siege. Matthew expected to encounter other fairies soon. Yet, despite flying for a while, they didn't sense any fairy presence.

Instead, in a plaza adorned with many statues, they spotted a faceless hunter cautiously advancing!

Matthew sensed the danger this hunter posed. Luckily, being significantly larger than the fairies, they discreetly followed behind the faceless figure using cover.

As the faceless one moved cautiously, constantly glancing back, Matthew and Lulu remained vigilant. It wasn't until the hunter reached its destination, a camp within the statue plaza, that they understood the gravity of the situation.

Three of the tents appeared swollen, yet there were no humanoid bodies or limbs visible. What horrified Matthew was a thick rope hanging above these tents, each suspending a faceless person's skin!

Observing from behind a statue, they witnessed the faceless hunter's actions. Shortly after approaching the tent, the hunter stumbled, its neck colliding with the rope. It hung suspended!

A miraculous scene followed—the faceless hunter's body deflated like a released balloon, emitting squeaky sounds. Simultaneously, its flesh rapidly shriveled, and a new faceless skin appeared on the rope. A faint grayish light flew out from the hunter's body, landing in the last tent, expanding to match the others.

Suddenly, a cold hand gripped Matthew's shoulder! Turning, he found it was Lulu, visibly scared.

"Matthew, I'm afraid," she whispered.

He gestured for her to wait and moved forward boldly. Approaching the camp's edge, Matthew was drawn to a mark on one of the faceless hunter's tents—a symbol of Stulock Industries?

This marked the realization for Matthew: were these faceless beings projections of Stulock Industries' astral undead in the natural domain?

This revelation shed light on many things. The priestess sought power from the Berserk Needle to resist these astral undead. The disappearance of the Ice Queen might also be tied to Stulock Industries.

"The infiltration of Stulock Industries into outer planes is pervasive!" Matthew exclaimed.

He rushed to a weapon rack and laid his hand on a double-barreled rifle. But as he glanced towards Lulu, he noticed a statue's head behind her was ominously opening its eyes, gazing coldly at her!

Distracted, Matthew observed the tents and realized they had shrunk. A surge of terror swept over him. Immediately, he grasped the rifle, triggering his Spatial Shift—a sharp friction sound echoed.

In a split second, he saw an elongated, grotesque skeletal face!

The next moment, his consciousness returned to his body. Lulu, equally shaken, remained huddled on his shoulder. A rough, cold hand grasped Matthew's hand. Looking down, he chuckled, "Thankfully, I managed to sneak the rifle! But it's loaded with question marks."

Attempting to identify it only yielded more question marks. This advanced product of Stulock Industries wasn't easy to decipher.

Unperturbed, he calmed Lulu and assessed his gains from this venture into the Oak Domain.

...

"Notification: You've successfully explored the extended region of the Oak Domain through the Domain Staircase.

You've explored the Oak Domain four times, achieving the status of 'Veteran' within it.

In any judgment within the Oak Domain, you'll receive higher priority!

Your Intelligence +1 (permanent);

Your Domain Token +1 (Nature);

You've acquired the abilities 'Giant's Physique' and 'Communion with Nature.'

Giant's Physique: You can enlarge your body threefold, increasing mass by twenty-seven times.

In this state, you'll benefit from proportional attribute buffs and reductions.

Duration: Twenty minutes.

Cooldown: Seven days.

Communion with Nature: Briefly become part of nature, gaining information about surrounding terrain.

In the wilderness, this spell provides insights into a 3-mile radius.

In caves or natural underground areas, it shrinks to a 200-meter radius.

In environments covered by structures (e.g., underground cities or towns), the spell doesn't function.

Specifically, you can obtain information about several aspects:

- Terrain and river directions;

- Distribution of flora, minerals, animals, or people;

- Celestial beings, fey creatures, fiends, elementals, or undead;

- Adjacent areas to other planes, such as entrances to the Shadow Realm;

- History of significant buildings;

- And more.

Note: The effectiveness of Communion with Nature correlates strongly with the user's 'Affinity to Nature.'

Furthermore, frequent use might upset nature's harmony towards the user."

...

"The rewards for becoming a Veteran are truly remarkable! Intelligence is invaluable to me. Giant's Physique and Communion with Nature have their own merits. Enlarging myself not only aids in battles but also specific tasks.

Communion with Nature is an enhancement for my high affinity with nature, granting substantial information in any wilderness, particularly beneficial

in uncovering the mysteries of the Flower Garden and its surroundings.

Yet, there's a catch—the risk of upsetting nature by frequently using Communion with Nature. I must wield this power judiciously."

Matthew pondered as he reviewed his newfound abilities.

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