This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Descendants of the World Tree

Matthew didn't hesitate and chose three without a second thought.

"Is there a necromancer who doesn't choose archaeology?"

In an instant, a wealth of tomb knowledge flooded his mind. After a slight sting, came the refreshing sensation of complete comprehension.

This feeling was peculiar.

These bits of knowledge seemed to merge into his veins, extracting them became an instinct for Matthew.

As long as he wanted.

He could immediately become an expert in burial studies! Besides the knowledge, Matthew also gained three coordinates.

The first was deep within the Helen Mountains in the northern part of the Aendu continent, precisely where the two-headed ogres had been active before;

The second coordinate was in the south, a quick comparison revealed it lay within the rainforest, seemingly the resting place of King Mingtan. According to Lian's account, there was a dragon's tomb below;

The final coordinate resided in an outer plane.

Matthew pulled out a book on coordinates and deciphered it, discovering it was a tomb nestled in the Arcane Wasteland.

Of the three tombs, Matthew ruled out King Mingtan's tomb first. Blorken was still lurking in there, not to mention the involvement of a dragon's resting place; who knows how perilous that might be.

The outer plane's tomb was also set aside; Matthew lacked the capability.

The only viable option for immediate archaeology was the one in the Helen Mountains.

That place was roughly two or three thousand miles away.

A map instantly formed in Matthew's mind: starting from Rolling Stone Town, heading north, passing Torrent City, journeying through the current elven king's city of Emerald Court and the former Leaf Fall Court, crossing the Decay Highlands and the Lake of the Departed, traversing an 800-mile-long corridor, and finally reaching the famous Cold Mountain Pass, connecting the north and south of the continent.

Passing Cold Mountain Pass would reveal the Helen Mountains, one of the central mountain ranges.

"It's quite a distance for a regular journey, but there's a legendary mage tower near Cold Mountain Pass. So, it should be possible to teleport there—provided I get that legendary mage's permission."

Rubbing his temples, Matthew felt a slight regret.

The tombs were too far away; it seemed unlikely for immediate archaeology.

If only it were in the south.

However, upon careful consideration, he was well aware of the situation in the south. There had never been a powerful city-state or authority historically, making the chance of a grand tomb appearing very slim.

The situation in the north, on the other hand, was different.

Although there hadn't been a truly established human kingdom in the north either, due to constant harassment by barbarians, the cities in the north faced more significant wartime pressures.

In this scenario.

Several city-states resembling countries were said to have existed in the north's history.

They had the basic form of a nation; the only thing lacking was a formal declaration.

A centralized authority like these pseudo-nations was a prerequisite for the appearance of a grand tomb.

Therefore, it was indeed more reasonable for a grand tomb to appear in the north than in the south.

"Prompt (Tomb Domain): You've acquired a permanent state 'Fellow Smell.'

Fellow Smell: You possess an unusual sensitivity to the scents of your peers. When necromancers, archaeologists, or tomb raiders appear within ten kilometers of you, you will automatically sense their locations, refreshing their coordinates every six hours."

This state was useful.

Even though it pointed to specific groups, a 24-hour free automatic radar was quite handy.

The only thing that bothered Matthew was.

"Why are tomb raiders considered my peers?"

"I haven't even had the chance to do that kind of thing yet."

It seemed the classification in the Tomb Domain was somewhat unintelligent.

Regaining focus, Matthew tidied up the tombstones in the stone area.

Tombstones were great.

Currently, there was no saturation of tombstones in the cemetery. Once the undead in the cemetery didn't lack tombstones anymore, he planned to stockpile a large batch in the warehouse.

The demand for tombstones among zombies was high; each one might not be enough, especially the mutated tombstone zombies. Matthew had noticed one of them carrying two tombstones on his back—Matthew gave him one, and he naturally snatched the other.

Skeletons required fewer, but usually, three to five skeletons sharing one tombstone was the limit.

Matthew provided tombstones for both types of undead free of charge for the time being.

Specters were different.

They also needed tombstones, but they had to earn them through their own labor. They weren't direct descendants.

Matthew also needed some time to observe whether they were truly loyal.

Setting that aside.

The elite specter named Ali, while introducing the 'Zandal Ghost Family,' was brimming with pride, evidently quite fond of that concept.

That wasn't good news for Matthew.

He needed a group of completely obedient undead subordinates.

Not intelligent undead reminiscing about their past ghost families.

Originally, Matthew had intended for Afei to take Ali's position as the leader in the Ghost District.

However, Afei was naturally shy and refused to leave Matthew's luggage. In the end, Matthew could only let the young wolves guard day and night.

Leaving the stone area, Matthew felt sore all over.

After oiling for a while and making tombstones for a while, even with potions to replenish stamina, he was starting to feel exhausted.

Despite this, he still strolled through the cemetery as was his habit.

"The cemetery is vast, but still somewhat vacant. Many structures actually have the groundwork for construction, but lack manpower."

Matthew sighed in frustration.

None of the undead were suitable for finer construction work. He once again daydreamed about how wonderful it would be to have a team of dwarven builders.

Besides a construction team.

For the first time, Matthew began considering—

Did he need an assistant?

Successful mages never lacked assistants or apprentices.

The latter could handle repetitive, mechanical tasks for the mage.

This would greatly free up his time for more meaningful endeavors.

Necromancer Henry was actually a decent choice.

However, having defected from the Red Earth Mountain, Matthew couldn't gauge his loyalty. For safety reasons, the trio from Rolling Stone Town arranged for him at the Southern Trading Post, ostensibly to monitor the situation at Red Earth Mountain but actually to have others monitor Henry.

Henry probably realized this as well.

He'd been very proactive lately.

But more time was needed for assessment.

"Perhaps recruiting two apprentices from the Alliance could work. I may not offer much in coin, but I have knowledge points to spare."

What kind of apprentices would meet all his needs?

Matthew delved into thought.

---

Nightfall.

Matthew's figure appeared in the Oak Forest.

The moonlight tonight was bright.

From afar, he spotted the centaur, Obeest, patrolling the south. Obeest was very meticulous, inspecting every oak tree personally to ensure they were safe from insect infestations.

This guy was quite proud.

Matthew hardly ever saw him; considering Obeest spent most of his time patrolling the forest, Matthew sometimes suspected Obeest was avoiding him.

Obeest stayed for Lulu; Matthew was well aware of this. But his conduct was a bit excessive.

"Ah well, a little pride isn't a big deal.

Eli was also quite proud at first."

Glancing at each other, the centaur swiftly disappeared into the forest.

Not wanting to dwell on that, Matthew approached the Oak Guardians.

There were two modes for the Oak Guardians: as oaks and as guardians.

The former was the regular oak tree form. During this time, the Oak Guardians would gather energy;

The latter was close to a tree-man form, sustaining the tree-man form required a significant energy expenditure, especially for stronger Oak Guardians. Hence, they usually appeared as oak trees in the forest.

After defeating the Withering Cult, Matthew held 440 enhancement points, enough to strengthen a single oak tree or Oak Guardian 22 times.

Following his past decisions, he intended to concentrate on one Oak Guardian for investment.

The man-eating tree was immediately ruled out.

Matthew already had many powerful undead. For the Oak Guardians, his priority was defense and stability above all else.

Enhancing the man-eating tree would introduce too much uncertainty and didn't align with Matthew's current needs.

At the moment, he called Renaismae and asked her to choose one from the remaining three Oak Guardians.

Renaismae seemed to have trouble understanding what Matthew was saying.

So, he just let her wander randomly.

Renaismae giggled, drooling a bit, walking while looking at Matthew. Suddenly, she bumped into a tree with a thud.

She regretfully patted the tree.

Matthew couldn't help but feel helpless.

Because it was just a very ordinary oak tree, not an Oak Guardian.

How could he waste valuable experience enhancing an ordinary oak tree?

"Pick another one, Renaismae."

Matthew commanded.

Renaismae circled around the tree once, then reluctantly walked away.

Moments later, she approached an Oak Guardian and started vigorously chewing its bark.

Something clicked in Matthew's mind.

Just as he was about to enhance it ten times—

A reproachful voice interrupted:

"How can you condone desecration of the sacred Oak Guardians by the undead?"

The elusive centaur suddenly appeared beside Renaismae.

He forcefully pushed her away, quite rashly.

Renaismae instinctively bared her fangs, and the centaur immediately raised his spear in warning:

"Stay away from my oak!"

Upon hearing this.

Matthew, who had been about to explain, instantly darkened in expression.

He glared sharply at the centaur:

"Do you forget, this is my Oak Forest."

Obeest frowned:

"You know I don't mean that."

Matthew asked, "What do you mean?"

"I'm working in my own woods, do I still need your interference?" Obeest said coldly.

"I don't think I've done anything wrong," he continued, his tone patronizing.

Matthew's furrowed brow eased. The centaur's initial impression hadn't been great, but considering his expertise, he decided to let it slide.

Unexpectedly, within a few days, there was a takeover vibe.

"Mr. Obeest, you can leave my forest," Matthew said politely.

Obeest, still rambling on, hadn't caught on. "If it weren't for Princess Lulu, I wouldn't stay here. This forest has potential, and they need me—wait, what are you saying?"

The centaur looked at Matthew incredulously.

"I'm letting you go. You have twenty-four hours. If you're still in my oak forest after that, I'll consider it a challenge," Matthew said calmly.

"You want to banish me?" Obeest asked in disbelief.

"You've already been banished," Matthew replied firmly.

Obeest, not angry but smiling, said, "I was just about to tell you about a huge problem in this forest, but you've chosen to banish me. Fine. You're the owner of the forest. I'll leave immediately. I can only say Princess Lulu made a big mistake. Both you and her will regret this!"

With that said, he turned his head and swaggered off towards the northern part of the forest.

Once the centaur confirmed to have left, Matthew approached the oak tree guardian selected by Renaismae.

His mood remained unaffected.

With a raise of his hand, he enhanced it tenfold!

...

"Notification: Your oak tree guardian, Dom, has leveled up to LV16!

Dom has acquired 2 purple, 1 blue, 3 white, and 2 grey keywords.

-

Advanced Recovery (purple): In tree form, Dom can use Advanced Recovery on a single target, healing most severe injuries, except near-death situations. Usable once per day.

-

Symbiotic Partner (purple): Dom can form a symbiotic pact with a companion, sharing his lifespan evenly with them. An oak tree guardian has a lifespan of at least 800 years.

-

Rainfall Spell (blue): In oak or tree form, Dom can cast Rainfall, providing moderate rain over an area of up to 800 acres for a maximum of six hours. Usable once per day.

-

Construction Experience (white): Dom awakens his experience as a former light fairy, excelling in sustainable logging, building homes, and maintaining natural wonders.

-

Eloquent Speaker (white): Dom is an eloquent oak tree guardian, fluent in common human language, fairy language, elvish, high elvish, and forest language, accurately expressing intentions.

-

Bedtime Stories (white): Dom, in tree form, listens to whimsical thoughts from the forest, crafting interesting bedtime stories suitable for children. Note: Dom possesses strong hypnotic abilities while narrating bedtime stories.

-

Ghostly Howling (grey): Dom loves to sing but lacks musical talent. Unfortunately, his singing is a terrible noise for most races' ears, creating a form of noise pollution.

-

Love for Mathematics (grey): Dom adores mathematics, considering it the most beautiful subject. He is eager to befriend anyone who shares his passion but struggles with basic math problems. If discussing math with Dom, you might find yourself in a three-day-long ordeal.

However, comprehending his thought process isn't easy."

...

"Quite average," Matthew mused, rubbing his chin. Apart from the solid level boost and the impactful purple keywords, the rest seemed ordinary.

As for the grey ones, he didn't bother.

Oak tree guardians generally had limited intelligence; loving math was a torment.

Regarding nighttime singing, that could be resolved by placing a silence barrier around him.

"Are you sure it's him?" Matthew asked Renaismae.

The zombie lady innocently stared back.

So, Matthew prepared to continue enhancing.

But the next moment...

...

"Notification: Enhancement limit reached. Each oak tree guardian can only be enhanced up to ten times per year."

Limitations again!

Matthew was ready to complain. However, he remembered that when enhancing the undead, there had been no limits mentioned, unlike with plants.

Plants were more stable in nature; having enhancement limits was somewhat acceptable.

It forced Matthew to diversify his investments.

Deciding to allocate the remaining ten enhancements to another oak tree guardian, he pondered over the two extra enhancements.

Whom to assign them to?

Matthew's gaze wandered aimlessly through the forest.

Suddenly, he noticed the oak tree Renaismae had first collided with.

"Shall we try enhancing the tree?" It was surplus anyway, and Matthew didn't feel any guilt.

He aimed and enhanced the tree.

...

"Notification: Successful enhancement. Your oak tree gains the gold keyword 'Descendant of the World Tree'.

Descendant of the World Tree: Your oak tree gains the Lord template, acquiring abilities like 'Giant Tree Species', 'Infinite Growth', 'Elven Homestead', 'Link to Forest', and receives the forest's name 'Borgad'!

-

Giant Tree Species: Your oak tree Borgad will soon reach over three hundred meters.

-

Infinite Growth: Borgad theoretically has the ability of infinite growth.

-

Elven Homestead: Above Borgad lies the abode of light fairies, along with the 'Emerald Eye,' which has a low chance of becoming the birthplace of wood elves. Predicted within the next hundred years, Borgad will birth a new batch of wood elves.

-

Link to Forest: Borgad possesses immense life force and influence, enveloping every corner of the oak forest invisibly. Half of the damage sustained by oak trees will be borne by Borgad."

...

In an instant, the tree violently shot up from the ground.

In the darkness, it grew taller and taller, seemingly never-ending!

The enormous canopy spread in all directions.

It happened so suddenly that even Matthew was stunned in place.

"Good thing it's night; if this happened during the day, it would've terrified the residents."

"Fortunately, no one saw it," Matthew thought.

At that moment, a crack appeared in the moonlight.

A robed mage emerged with a large magic carpet.

Eckmonde hesitated upon seeing the colossal tree but turned, assuming he'd made a mistake.

Until the next moment, he noticed Matthew and walked over, somewhat surprised. "Looks like I've stumbled upon something remarkable."

Behind him, the dozen or so mages on the carpet looked up, each with a different expression, all gazing at the growing giant tree in wonder.

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