This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Heard You Made a Fortune?

Facing Eckmonde's curious gaze, Matthew had to fabricate: "There was a problem, a tree mutated."

He couldn't just say he had strengthened an ordinary oak tree into a descendant of the World Tree.

That's not magic.

Eckmonde's expression remained calm. "Understandable. Plant mutations are common in nature. I've researched this subject; most plants encounter magic and more or less undergo mutations. But to grow as large as yours, that's much rarer."

He then whispered to Matthew, "Don't let Teacher Isabelle know. She once wanted a World Tree seed, but the World Tree Sea rejected her. Since then, she hasn't been friendly to the Druidic Order."

Matthew knew his bluff wouldn't fool Eckmonde, so he awkwardly flashed a smile.

The mages on the magic carpet couldn't hear their conversation. All they saw were Eckmonde and Matthew, acting intimately, heads close together, garnering even more admiration toward Matthew.

Eckmonde was understanding. He didn't press further but handed two bulging bags to Matthew.

"The Moon Mist Forest project ends here. We've meticulously explored the outer space you discovered. Indeed, we've acquired some materials and data, all in the second bag for you to check. Additionally, I'll submit a copy of the data to the Alliance's records. Truthfully, these items hold little value. The Antu Empire's study of spiritual energy lags far behind the Giza people. There are some spiritual energy gadgets in the lab, the most valuable being a spiritual energy generator. Take a look when you have time.

However, my advice is not to invest too much energy in spiritual energy. That's not an area a mage should be consumed by."

Matthew nodded repeatedly.

Lately, he'd felt stretched thin, partly due to his greedy desire to learn everything he saw.

At this rate, he'd soon face the awkwardness of knowing too much and not mastering anything.

It was time to ease his burden.

Spiritual energy was just for fun.

If it came to a fight, he'd rely on the undead under his control.

Seeing Matthew's earnest attitude, Eckmonde smiled and said, "As for the first bag, it contains a list of nineteen people and thirty-eight thousand gold coins. This should be a significant amount for you. There are various spending channels in the Alliance; be careful of pitfalls, especially Rodrick's counterfeit factory. Not every powerful magical item is a must-buy; select what suits you."

Matthew hurriedly replied, "I won't spend recklessly."

Eckmonde chuckled, "Don't be nervous. I'm not stopping you from spending. In fact, learning how to spend money correctly is one of a mage's required courses. How about a bet? I believe you'll spend this money within three days. Do you think you can hold out longer?"

Matthew was astonished. "That's impossible. I've never been extravagant."

Confidently, Eckmonde said, "Let's symbolically bet one gold coin, shall we?"

Matthew immediately agreed, "Of course."

"Then, I'll take my leave."

Eckmonde waved to Matthew. "Early wishes for a happy spending!"

With that, he and the mages with varied expressions returned to the magic carpet and flew eastward.

Matthew watched them leave.

Moments later, a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. "Why didn't they use the Cauldron Hut? Isn't teleportation faster?"

But soon, his attention was captured by the huge sum of thirty-eight thousand gold coins in the first bag.

Matthew tightly held the bag, his heart pounding. With this money and the over one hundred thousand profits from this adventure, his personal fortune was heading towards five hundred thousand gold coins! For someone who had long struggled above the poverty line, this was an overwhelming display.

Matthew was almost faint with happiness.

"Five hundred thousand gold coins! How many trees could I plant if I used all of it for oak tree seeds!"

He stretched his imagination but couldn't envision the entire forest.

"This money mustn't be spent entirely. I must save a portion, at least for a few years. Even counting coins during free time would make Peggy and me happy."

After daydreaming for a while, Matthew securely stored away his things.

As for the bet with Eckmonde, he didn't pay attention at all.

He had always been moderate. Spend thirty-eight thousand gold coins within three days? Impossible.

...

"Hints: The descendant of the World Tree, suddenly appearing on the eastern side of Rolling Stone Town, was witnessed by mages from the Seven Saints Alliance.

After daybreak, the surrounding residents will be attracted by Berghad's natural wonder.

Berghad's legend will soon spread as rumors or in written reports.

Your influence's legendary degree +1 (Seven Saints Alliance).

Berghad's regional legend degree +1 (Southern Land)."

...

Coming back to his senses, Matthew knew that Berghad's sudden appearance couldn't be concealed.

Tomorrow morning, he'd have to discuss with Rhaegar and the others how to inform Rolling Stone Town's residents about Berghad's origins to prevent potential panic.

After receiving the gold...

Matthew naturally couldn't stop.

Restricted by the oak tree's ten-times-a-year enhancement limit, Matthew consecutively strengthened Berghad nine times!

...

"Hints: As a descendant of the World Tree, Berghad needs more strengthening power to obtain keywords.

Successful enhancement; your oak tree Berghad has gained the following three keywords.

Sunlight Sharing (Blue): When sunlight shines on Berghad's canopy, only a small portion remains within Berghad's body. The remaining sunlight directly penetrates the green leaves, reaching the space beneath the canopy. Berghad can freely control the sunlight distribution ratio. When meeting its own needs, it can even let one hundred percent of the sunlight fall under its original shade. He is willing to share the sun's blessing with other trees.

Sea of Trees' Power (Purple): Berghad further communicates with the World Tree Sea, directly drawing elements and nutrients from the Sea, greatly reducing the pressure on this land to sustain Berghad. Simultaneously, the tree's power emitted by Berghad will promote the growth of other plants. Your forest will have a higher chance of receiving blessings from the Sea of Trees.

Son of Nature (Gray): Berghad symbolizes the World Tree in the south. With his increasing fame, he might attract some nature enthusiasts for pilgrimage, but the possibility of attacks from evil creatures such as withering sorcerers, offspring of dark spirits, abyssal creatures, outer evil spirits, dusk fabrications, etc., will also significantly increase."

...

The "Son of Nature" being gray was surprising.

It showed that a hollow reputation was useless and often a burden.

However, Matthew wasn't too concerned. He often dealt with withering sorcerers and the like. Having a few more wasn't a big deal, especially considering occasional shortages for necromancers.

"Sunlight Sharing" and "Sea of Trees' Power" were quite practical.

Matthew had worried if Berghad's appearance might encroach on other oak trees' growth space. Now, this problem was perfectly solved.

Except for

Berghad, due to his massive trunk, the others wouldn't be affected.

Overall, from a long-term perspective, Berghad's appearance was undoubtedly a good thing.

Aside from that, he had confidence in dealing with potential short-term challenges.

"I need to come up with a reasonable story, dispelling residents' doubts about Berghad while ensuring few curious visitors come by."

Matthew scratched his head.

He hadn't forgotten; right below Berghad was his graveyard.

Above ground was a thriving natural world.

Below ground was the well-organized negative energy plane.

His preliminary vision had become reality.

This made Matthew both satisfied and worried.

He was worried—

Since Berghad's appearance, he sensed changes in the energy field.

The previous balance of elements in the earth was disrupted.

The descendant of the World Tree and the cemetery ritual ground showed faint signs of conflict.

It wasn't apparent yet.

But as time passed, the two major domains would undoubtedly spark conflict.

That would be the real test!

"I need to find a way to reconcile the two domains. Unfortunately, I couldn't self-study the 'Balance' domain. Do I have to rely on 'Mediation' as the main element?"

Looking at the thriving World Tree descendant and feeling the cheerful negative energy in the graveyard, Matthew felt the weight on his shoulders increase.

He had a lot more work to do.

The most crucial among them:

He must quickly enter the 'Balance' domain!

As Matthew was planning for the future...

A tall, shadowy figure with a mischievous demeanor suddenly appeared beside him.

Matthew asked in surprise, "Peggy? What are you doing?"

The minotaur skeleton nervously replied, "I need to talk to you, Matthew."

"Let's talk in the graveyard; I'm afraid there might be ears behind these trees."

Matthew followed her into the graveyard.

As the owner of the cemetery, he sealed off the ritual grounds. Then, somewhat amused, he asked Peggy, "Speak up. What's the matter?"

Peggy solemnly said, "The white-robed mage who just spoke with you, he's very suspicious!"

Matthew paused. "You mean Eckmonde?"

Peggy nodded. "The night before last, while I was studying the town's customs, I happened to see that white-robed mage sneak out of Ronan's house!"

"Ronan's house has been empty. You know that, right?"

"He must have gone to steal something!"

"Don't be fooled by his smiling face towards you; I think he's not a good person!"

Matthew furrowed his brow.

Indeed, Ronan's house had been uninhabited for a long time. Ever since he was imprisoned in the star realm, the entire mage district had only Matthew as a resident.

In theory, Eckmonde couldn't have visited Ronan's house for a visit.

If what Peggy saw was true...

Things were getting complicated.

In an instant, Matthew's expression changed several times. Then, he quickly returned to normal and smiled at Peggy, saying, "If that white-robed mage came to give us money, is he a good person or a bad person?"

Peggy crossed her arms, showing a refusal to be bribed. "It depends on how much money he's offering."

Matthew chuckled and said, "He gave me ten thousand gold coins."

"You said you wanted to know what ten thousand gold coins were worth last time? I can satisfy your curiosity now."

"Forget about what you just said."

With that, He took out ten thousand gold coins from that small bag and scattered them on the ground.

Seeing this scene, Peggy's spirit almost flew out of the skull!

She went crazy, throwing herself on the ground, counting the money, and happily shouting, "I take back what I said earlier, that white-robed mage is actually a good person!"

"Matthew, you must thank him!"

"Is he your superior in the Alliance? You should work with him well! Um, the smell of gold, so delicious..."

Seeing Peggy rolling around in the pile of coins in uncontrollable joy, Matthew's face also showed a hint of relief and a smile.

But soon, that smile disappeared.

Although Matthew hoped Peggy would forget about Eckmonde's matters, he couldn't forget them himself.

Upon careful consideration, he found a series of Eckmonde's actions indeed had suspicious points:

Firstly, when they first met, he wanted to give him a silver bell, claiming it was to monitor Isabelle's situation. From Matthew's perspective, this bell was entirely unnecessary, something Eckmonde's intelligence wouldn't overlook.

Secondly, as the Archmage, Eckmonde should have many other important matters. Yet this time, he surprisingly prioritized coming to Rolling Stone Town to support Matthew. This, in itself, was a bewildering matter. Under normal circumstances, whether it's the traces of the deceased or projects from outer planes, Eckmonde wouldn't be this concerned.

It couldn't be because of Isabelle either. Other individuals might see Matthew's A1 rank and his relationship with Isabelle as having great prospects, but who exactly is Eckmonde? He's the eighth person in the Alliance! While it's reasonable for him to show some goodwill towards Matthew, releasing it to this extent seemed somewhat mismatched with his status.

Thirdly, Matthew's direct conflict with the Red Dragon Kusules seemed to be guided by Eckmonde. Although Eckmonde could explain what happened there, Matthew always felt something was off.

"If his purpose in coming to Rolling Stone Town was to secretly enter Ronan's house, then it would make sense."

"Coming to support me was just a cover."

Matthew's head started to ache.

He couldn't forget.

There was still someone in the Alliance who seemed to be working for Blorken.

If that person was Eckmonde...

Matthew hesitated to think further.

As he delved deeper into understanding the Alliance, he increasingly felt that the Seven Saints weren't as clean as they seemed. Eckmonde couldn't be an exception.

Legendary mages were busy, and behind each of their actions, there must be deeper logic.

"Perhaps Eckmonde's curiosity about gossip is just an image he deliberately created."

"His true purpose might be to gather information to achieve certain undisclosed goals."

Once accepting the notion that Eckmonde was the mastermind, many things made sense to Matthew.

This assumption made him nervous.

But soon after, Matthew let out a long sigh:

"Even if Blorken is Eckmonde's pawn, even if Eckmonde came here to steal something from Ronan, there's no inherent conflict between him and me."

"He has given me a lot of positive advice and guidance. Most likely, not all of his goodwill is fake."

"This indicates that I still hold some value to him."

Having value meant surviving.

It meant gaining space for growth.

Moreover, Blorken was still alive, and he was currently favored by Isabelle. Even if Eckmonde wanted to eliminate anyone who knew his secrets, it wasn't Matthew's turn yet.

"There's no way around it. He's a top-tier legendary mage..."

Matthew smiled bitterly, massaging his sore temples.

Not far away.

The zombies were queuing up orderly to drink from the spring.

The skeletons, led by Aebing, were marching, but their hip movements were excessively twisted.

Peggy was still rolling in the gold coins.

The cemetery was peaceful and serene.

Yet Matthew had never missed the days when Grand Mage Ronan was around.

...

North of the Oak Forest.

Centaur Obeest looked at the towering tree with complex eyes.

He couldn't understand why such a natural wonder appeared in the Oak Forest right after he left.

That was the descendant of the World Tree.

He felt regretful.

He had intended to leave this place and head north to find a more suitable forest to settle in.

But now.

His four hooves felt somewhat hesitant.

"But I can't go back anymore."

"How can I face him after saying those words?"

Obeest turned his head.

His centaur pride wouldn't allow him to bow to that necromancer.

He exerted all his strength to gallop towards the north, running for several minutes and only covering a dozen meters.

Moments later.

Unable to resist, Obeest glanced back at the towering tree.

At this moment.

A green temporal rift appeared in front of him.

Obeest was not unfamiliar with this.

It was a portal from the Tree Sea.

Soon after, a light fairy larger than its kin jumped out from it.

"Good evening, Obeest!"

"Little Pineapple is here to greet you on behalf of everyone!"

"As per our agreement before, I came to check on your situation. After that internal strife, we lost the Tree Sea's approval. We can hardly move there and must find a new home to thrive. None of the other pioneers brought back good news. Looks like this mission falls on me, Little Pineapple!"

"I believe in you, Obeest."

"You've always been the best among the centaurs."

"I believe you'll lead us to find a new home."

Little Pineapple chattered away.

Suddenly.

It noticed the towering World Tree.

"Obeest, heavens, you found the descendant of the World Tree!"

Obeest wanted to say it wasn't ours; I've been driven away by the owner of that forest. However, sensing Little Pineapple's ecstatic mood, he couldn't bear to tell it the cruel truth.

"You're our hero. Will this be our new home?"

Little Pineapple asked hopefully.

Obeest opened his mouth but could only force himself to reply, "It should be... I'm still working on it."

Excited, Little Pineapple exclaimed, "I knew it! I'm the lucky Little Pineapple! I can't wait to tell everyone about this news."

"Keep it up, Obeest. Once you've settled, everyone will come to join you!"

Saying this, it joyfully disappeared into the rift, leaving Obeest standing alone, dumbfounded, staring at the towering tree.

His gaze became determined.

...

The next day, Cauldron House, Magic Classroom.

After the last theoretical class.

Matthew and Margaret were chatting.

"Blorken and Eckmonde's relationship?"

"Why suddenly ask about that?" Margaret asked in surprise.

Matthew showed a gossipy smile, "I heard some interesting rumors and wanted to verify if they're true."

Margaret huffed, "It's true. For a while, they were inseparable. Eckmonde treated Blorken as his favorite, occasionally summoning him, making it hard for me to see my boyfriend. So, I turned him into an ex-boyfriend."

"But just before Blorken defected, their relationship seemed to deteriorate rapidly. Someone heard that, the usually calm Eckmon

de cursed Blorken as a bastard in the lab. But afterward, it seemed like nothing happened between them. Shortly after, Blorken left."

Eckmonde, who never cursed, suddenly loudly swearing?

Matthew understood and didn't ask further.

He wanted to change the subject.

However, the next moment, Margaret asked eagerly, "Heard you made a fortune recently?"

"Someone wants to meet you."

Matthew immediately said warily, "No investments, no sponsorship, no lending."

Margaret sneered, "I know you're a miser, but don't worry, the person looking for you isn't me, it's my mentor—Lady Suirel, one of the Alliance's three grand mages."

"She specifically instructed me that after today's class, if you're free, she'd like to meet you."

"What do you think?"

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