This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 113

After bidding farewell to the assessment duo, Matthew continued planting trees.

Unbeknownst to him, three more days had passed.

At the end of the new week, Matthew's accumulated number of enhancements had reached a respectable 13 times.

As evening approached, he summoned Lysanna to strengthen her.

After a splendid burst of enhancement radiance, the Zombie Miss's level skyrocketed from LV9 to LV12 in one go, putting her at the pinnacle of the third tier, on par with Matthew.

In terms of keywords, this enhancement was fairly average, consisting of two purple, three blue, three white, and two gray.

Looking at these keywords of various colors, Matthew felt like he had accumulated a balance of elements.

This time, he decided to first check the purple and gray keywords.

...

"Concentration Covenant (Purple): When aiming at enemies, Lysanna will receive additional concentration bonuses (currently +1). In particular, she will share this concentration bonus with the nearest companion."

"Clingy Spirit (Gray): Lysanna lacks a sense of security and craves companionship. She needs to see her master (you) for at least two hours every day. If she cannot meet this requirement, a 'confusion' layer will develop in her soul flame. If the 'confusion' layers exceed a certain limit, her loyalty to you may decrease."

Concentration Covenant was a valuable keyword. Mages always appreciated more concentration, as it greatly affected spellcasting. In many situations, Matthew found himself distracted by other thoughts, requiring some time to gather the emotional energy necessary for higher-tier spells. This was the downside of insufficient concentration, and he knew he didn't have a significant advantage in this regard. With just this keyword, Matthew decided to keep Lysanna by his side long-term, even if she served as a concentration charger, besides being an excellent archer.

As for "Clingy Spirit," Matthew thought it was manageable, and he didn't have to pay her an extra salary. Undead beings naturally stuck around necromancers, especially now that Matthew was already at the third tier. Among the spells he intended to learn was "Mirror Image," which he could use to create a mirror image for her when he had to go on a journey and couldn't bring Zombie Miss along. Compared to real people, undead beings were easier to fool.

In his thoughts, Matthew turned his attention to the second set of purple and gray keywords.

...

"Magic Enlightenment (Purple): Lysanna awakens memories from her past life, gaining some memory of Storm Archery-related spells. In future battles, she may gradually recall more of her own spells. Particularly, if she battles enemies on a ship when a storm approaches, Lysanna may awaken more ancient spells. Currently recalled spells: 'Turning Water into Wine' and 'Magic Trap.'"

"Bar Brawler (Gray): Lysanna loves arm wrestling and is willing to make bets. If she loses, she lets the opponent slap her three times. If she wins, she slaps the opponent three times. She enjoyed this in life and continues to do so even in death."

"Not bad," Matthew mused.

The undead Miss Zombie wasn't given to keywords that would give him a heart attack. Her love for arm wrestling and playful bets seemed insignificant to him, especially considering how many undead creatures he already had. They could indulge her in arm wrestling to their heart's content.

As for "Magic Enlightenment," it appeared promising. It represented an awakening of a category of abilities rather than a specific skill. "It seems that Storm Archers are not purely long-range physical class. They also need to learn some spells to aid their marksmanship," Matthew realized. Storm Archers were evolving towards a non-traditional path in the maritime world.

Moving on to the blue and white keywords...

...

"Continuous Backward Leap (Blue): When someone gets close to Lysanna, she will use a series of continuous backward leaps to quickly distance herself from the enemy and use her bow to fend off the enemy as much as possible."

"Feigned Surrender (Blue): If an enemy gets close, and she cannot escape in the short term, Lysanna will pretend to surrender, and then, when the enemy lets their guard down, she will either flee or use 'Continuous Backward Leap' to create distance and counter-attack."

"Intermediate Intelligence (Blue): Lysanna possesses the intellectual level of an eight or nine-year-old human child. She can understand almost everything you say, but due to her undead physiology, she often speaks only simple words. In particular, Lysanna is very eager to learn languages and communicate with her master (you) or others."

Matthew couldn't help but comment, "With 'Feigned Surrender' and 'Continuous Backward Leap,' we could start a sneaky duo of two cunning individuals out at sea."

"Intermediate Intelligence" was quite useful. Prior to this enhancement, Lysanna only had "Basic Intelligence." After another enhancement, her intellectual level now matched Zombie Miss. Matthew thought, "Ah, ah, ah..." as he looked at her, then gently wiped away her drool, understanding her strong desire to communicate. However, it wasn't as simple as having a zombie speak a common human language.

So he tried to communicate with Lysanna: "Don't rush. Let's take it one word at a time. For example, 'I'." He pointed to himself. "I am your 'master.'"

"Yes, master."

"Call me 'master.'"

Lysanna opened her mouth, "Ah, ah, ah..."

Matthew tried for a few minutes, but she could only manage "ah, ah, ah." This made him lose interest in teaching her.

As night fell, an owl flapped its wings under the moonlight and landed on his shoulder. "Matthew, I've kept my promise and come to assist with your breeding ceremony!" Lolan announced.

Matthew warmly welcomed Lolan's arrival. The owl Miss perched on his shoulder, curiously eyeing Lysanna, who could only say "Ah, ah, ah."

"Matthew, what are you two doing?" Lolan inquired.

"I'm teaching her to speak the common human language," Matthew explained. He turned to Lysanna and said, "Call me 'master.'"

Lysanna "Ah, ah, ah"-ed for a few moments before suddenly exclaiming, "Mommy!"

Lolan's expression instantly turned to one of shock, and Matthew was equally surprised. He was about to explain that he hadn't taught her that word, but before he could speak, Lolan asked Lysanna, "Then, what should you call me?"

Lysanna looked at her in puzzlement.

Lolan eagerly inquired, "What do you call the person you're with?"

Lysanna drooled and then mumbled, "Uncle."

Lolan was filled with question marks.

...

That night, Matthew and Lolan worked tirelessly in the greenhouse, ultimately exhausting Lolan as they nurtured the oak tree seeds. The seeds quickly sprouted and would soon grow into saplings suitable for planting.

With Lolan's help, Matthew had finally resolved the sapling crisis in the Oakwood.

He also managed to obtain a few oak tree seeds through the official channels of Rolling Stone Town. Although their quality was mediocre, they would suffice for now. With the calming influence of his Moderation domain, Matthew easily overcame the saplings' wilting problem.

However, the other oaks were still not growing, and this issue troubled Matthew. As he spent the night in contemplation, Lolan woke up and excitedly announced, "Matthew, I've thought of a solution! Have you ever heard of the Hidden Moon Archery Arts?"

...

After reading the letter, Matthew quickly entered his office.

With pen in hand, he replied:

...

"Thank you for the information about Deep Blue Harbor. I appreciate your sentiments, but I cannot share your emotions.

If I were to describe the emotions you've expressed in the latter half of your letter, I can only respond with a single word – melodramatic.

Best regards,

Matthew"

...

Of course, Matthew couldn't truly empathize with Lolan. While he was well-received by the opposite sex, his admirers were mostly not entirely human. Moreover, he had no intention of diverting his attention to romance in the near future.

After finishing his response, Matthew handed the letter to a seagull perched by the window, saying, "Give my regards to Lolan."

To his surprise, the seagull spoke, "I forgot to return the ceramic bottle from last time. Lolan specifically reminded me about it. Do you have it?"

Matthew was astonished. "You can talk?"

The seagull nodded. "Of course, but you didn't talk to me last time, so I didn't want to speak first. After all, I'm just a seagull, and I can't act too unusually in human society. So, about the bottle?"

In a bit of a dilemma, Matthew reached for the ceramic bottle used for the Plague domain and handed it to the seagull.

The seagull took the bottle without hesitation and took off.

Matthew sighed, somewhat surprised by this unexpected development.

After a while, Reiga, wearing pajamas, entered the room with an air of excitement. He had a thick Union Weekly in his hand.

"Matthew, you won't believe what I just read!" he exclaimed.

He looked at Matthew's desk where he was working. "Good morning, Lord Matthew! What's got you so excited?"

Reiga said, "Do you know about Deep Blue Harbor? It's a beautiful and prosperous city on the eastern coast. I saw in the news that the city lord is openly seeking a suitor for his daughters. Do you know how many daughters he has?"

Matthew replied, "Seven?"

Reiga was astonished. "How did you know?"

Matthew replied with a smile, "Anything else in the news?"

Reiga was skeptical, and he looked at Matthew's papers and the newspaper once more. "Due to the battle between the Sea Dragon and the Eastern Guardians in the sea, there's been a tsunami in some regions of the eastern coast. People claim to have seen a city in the sky above the Endless Ocean. Many speculate that it's the Eastern Celestial Kingdom, the Nagar Floating City, or the Sky Ruins. The last part..."

Before Reiga could finish his sentence, Matthew added, "People speculate that the city could be the Eastern Celestial Kingdom, Nagar Floating City, or the Sky Ruins."

Reiga was astounded. "Did you read my newspaper? But it just arrived!"

Matthew smiled and said, "You should be delighted that your Spell Advisor has his own sources of information, Lord Reiga."

At the same time, he wondered if Lolan had found a legitimate job at Union Weekly.

Reiga thought for a moment and decided to inquire further. "So, do you think any eligible young man from our territory has a chance with the daughters of Deep Blue Harbor's lord?"

Matthew said with a raised eyebrow, "Rolling Stone Town is separated by over a thousand miles from Deep Blue Harbor. Why are you even considering this? It's like you're speaking as if our people have a chance of meeting the princesses of Deep Blue Harbor."

Reiga was about to reply when Zeller, covered in dust, entered the room.

"Have you resolved the ghost issue?" Reiga asked as he received a cup of coffee from Mrs. Wesley and took a sip.

Zeller nodded. "I found out that the source of the haunting was a group of high-level spirits, but they didn't seem very aggressive. I played hide-and-seek with them for a few days, and we eventually struck a deal. They've now left South Trade Post and are likely hiding in the underground city. I don't think they'll bother us in the short term."

Reiga wondered, "Could it be that things in the underground city are so dreadful that even ghosts can't stand it anymore?"

Zeller shrugged.

Matthew took the opportunity to present his plan for the Death domain.

After carefully reading the plan, Reiga's eyes lit up, "I think this plan is viable, but its actual effects will depend on the results of the test field. What do you think, Lord Reiga?"

Reiga pondered for a moment. "I've asked a few old folks these days, and while they don't seem very optimistic, they believe it's worth a try. Since you've also given it the green light, let's go ahead."

He added, "But, Matthew, remember to be cautious. This is Rolling Stone Town, and I don't want anything affecting my people's livelihood and happiness. Do you understand?"

Matthew nodded earnestly.

The three of them continued chatting for a while. Zeller asked about Matthew's progress in shapeshifting.

Matthew couldn't hide his frustration. "It's not going well. I seem to lack talent in shapeshifting. It's strange because, through my efforts over these days, I can clearly perceive what a goat is, yet I can't transform an organism into a complete goat."

Skeptical, Reiga looked at him and asked, "Could it be that when you cast the spell, you don't harbor even a hint of malice towards the target?"

Matthew, confused, responded, "Malice? Do I need malice?"

Zeller chimed in, "Of course! Think about the spell's name – Malicious Transformation Spell."

Matthew had an epiphany. "So, you're saying I have to feel malice toward the target?"

Reiga encouraged, "Channel your anger, Matthew."

Prompted by their words, Matthew felt a surge of primal rage. He instinctively raised his hand.

A bright flash filled the room, and when the light dimmed, a goat stood behind Matthew, bleating softly.

Zeller exclaimed, "You did it, Matthew!"

Reiga, grinning, chimed in, "Impressive, Matthew!"

Matthew, with a pleased expression, looked at the goat he had created. He was about to say something when an unexpected guest entered.

She was a young and attractive woman who exchanged greetings with both men. Then, she looked around for a moment and curiously asked, "Where's my dad?"

A "baa" from behind Matthew instantly captured Sophia's attention.

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