This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 59

In the downstairs hall, there were only a few scattered individuals at a few tables.

When Matthew entered, the innkeeper, Trugg, immediately greeted him warmly, saying, "How are you? This morning, when I passed by your door, I smelled a gruesome scent. Do you need me to get some holy water for you?"

Matthew smiled and shook his head, replying, "No need, Mr. Trugg. I'm perfectly fine now."

Trugg looked surprised and pointed to a corner of the hall, saying, "Your guide is already found. That's Old Gito, the best guide in Watersedge City, without a doubt. He's crossed the rainforest 78 times without a scratch. When Li Weiqi went to Aru Inland Sea, he was the one leading the way."

Matthew followed Trugg's gaze and saw an elderly man with dark, weathered skin, who sat quietly at a table, puffing on a pipe. He looked to be in his fifties, if not early sixties, with a light beard and sharp, observant eyes. When their eyes met, he nodded in acknowledgment.

"Matthew, be careful. This man has taken several lives!" Ella suddenly emerged from Matthew's pocket, offering a word of caution.

Matthew nodded in acknowledgment, though he didn't seem overly concerned. Someone who had survived multiple journeys through the rainforest was unlikely to be a pushover. Plus, he had taken his fair share of lives as well.

With confidence, Matthew walked over to Old Gito, extending his right hand and saying, "Hello, Mr. Guide."

Old Gito gave him a quick glance, moved his pipe away, exhaled a puff of smoke, and then shook his head, saying, "Just call me Old Gito. And young man, here's a piece of advice: in Watersedge City, don't go shaking hands with people casually. Normal folks won't shake hands with you. Those who do will usually infect you with disease."

Matthew showed a grateful expression, saying, "I understand. Thank you, Old Gito."

"Trugg told me you're heading to Aru Inland Sea," Old Gito inquired. "What's your purpose there, if you don't mind sharing?"

Matthew thought for a moment and replied, "Just sightseeing, taking in the ocean views."

Old Gito chuckled and remarked, "You might as well say you're there to experience the 'spicy' jungle women. At least one previous guest told me that's what he came for, and I believed him."

Then, his expression turned serious, and he continued, "I can take you there, but on the way, you must follow my lead completely. Remember, don't provoke the Jango people, don't put everything you see into your mouth, and don't jump at any woman who throws herself at you."

Matthew asked with interest, "Are there any particular reasons for these three prohibitions?"

Old Gito lightly tapped his pipe on the tabletop and replied, "There's not much to say, except that breaking any of these rules will cost you your life. The guest who provoked the Jango people had his head chopped off, and to this day, you can see an art piece made from his skull in a hunter's tribe on the east side of the rainforest. The one who ate wild berries without discretion has been rotting in the swamp for seven or eight years. As for the last guest, he spent several nights in the arms of a Jango native woman, but when he decided to leave, the woman abandoned him, leaving him to be devoured by parasites, losing half his face and his 'little soldier' in the process."

Matthew's face turned pale at the gruesome tales.

Old Gito changed the subject, saying, "But as long as you listen to me and avoid causing trouble, the road I'll guide you on will be safe. Unfortunately, in my many years of guiding, keeping employers out of trouble is really quite challenging. Some people just can't help but stir up trouble."

As he spoke, he kept assessing Matthew, adding, "I hope you're not one of those people."

Matthew pondered for a moment and replied, "In the rainforest, I will follow your advice to the fullest extent and won't cause trouble unless absolutely necessary."

Old Gito put away his pipe and said, "That's good. Here's a list of essential items for crossing the rainforest. You can buy them at the market yourself, and we'll set off tomorrow morning. By the way, this time, I won't be the only guide; we have another fellow joining us, the one who claimed to want to experience the 'spicy' jungle women. He'll be traveling with us for a stretch."

Matthew was curious and asked, "What kind of person is he?"

Old Gito's face displayed a complex expression for the first time, and he replied, "Hard to describe, he's a poet."

Just then, a barefoot, chest-baring young man entered the inn. He immediately approached Matthew with a smile and said, "Oh, dear Old Gito, is this the companion who will be journeying through the rainforest with us?"

Without waiting for Old Gito's confirmation, he tried to give Matthew a big hug, saying, "Old Gito scolded me yesterday, telling me not to shake hands with people casually in Watersedge City, so I suppose a hug is the only way I can express my uncontrollable excitement. Haha! The genius poet, Lorin, is about to embark on a journey through the terrifying rainforest with his anonymous partner. How exciting!"

Matthew quickly sidestepped the overly enthusiastic embrace and greeted him with a simple, "Hello, Matthew."

"Nice name, Matthew. You're going to be the protagonist in my next work!" Lorin said, seemingly unperturbed by Matthew's evasion.

Lorin leaned casually against a pillar, wearing a sunny and confident smile, and continued, "You don't look too well. Is it a heatstroke? Do you need holy water? I bought plenty."

Matthew was about to decline, but Lorin seemingly performed a magic trick, producing a set of light blue vials and forcefully handing them to Matthew. He said, "Take it, even if you're not sick. Keep it as a backup. There are plenty of bugs and snakes in the rainforest; you'll find these useful. And don't worry about me harming you. Look at the packaging of the holy water; I just bought it from the 'Feathered Serpent Temple' and haven't even opened it."

"Don't refuse it. Old Gito accepted my holy water too. If you don't believe me, ask him. Consider it a gift for our first meeting," Lorin added.

Matthew looked at Old Gito with a puzzled expression. The older guide shrugged, signaling him to accept the gift.

After a moment of hesitation, Matthew accepted the unopened holy water set. The packaging read, "20 gold coins for 6 vials."

Lorin's enthusiasm made Matthew uncomfortable. He tried to decline a few more times, but Lorin's expression made it clear that he wouldn't take no for an answer. In the end, Matthew accepted the gift as a token of their first meeting.

"That's the spirit!" Lorin cheered, slapping Matthew's shoulder. "Accept the gift, and you're officially my friend, Matthew!"

"I spent some time in 'Cloud City,' you know, where the cloud spirits reside. They are known for their arrogance and rarely interact with humans. But they got along quite well with me. Eventually, someone couldn't help but ask me, 'Lorin, what makes you so special that even the proud cloud spirits became your friends?' And my answer was simple: I'm super rich!"

This statement drew the attention of several people in the hall, and a few unfriendly glares were directed toward Lorin.

However, Lorin was undeterred. He grinned, opened his robe, revealing scrolls and charms hanging from his belt, and said to the others, "Don't think that just because I'm rich, you can take a shot at me. See this? 'Forbidden Scrolls' and 'Legendary Charms.' Don't risk your lives for a little money; it's not worth it. You know, true wealthy individuals have plenty of things to keep them alive. Don't gamble your life trying to test my wallet."

In the hall, Old Gito silently smoked his pipe, offering no comments. The others slowly retracted their greedy gazes.

Matthew watched Lorin with curiosity. Were all the wealthy people in this world so extravagant?

Lorin seemed to take an interest in Matthew too. He pulled Matthew to sit down and instructed Trugg to bring some local specialties. Then, he started chatting nonstop.

Most of the conversation was dominated by Lorin, who said, "Why did I become a wandering poet? Because I lacked talent in everything else! I was born into a super-wealthy family. My grandfather was a great mage, and my father was skilled with weapons, but I failed miserably in both magic and combat. I'm the only son of this generation, and I didn't excel in either discipline. My mother was worried; she feared I wouldn't be able to carry on the family legacy. So, she sought out her first love—a dashing legendary poet. She asked him how to mold her son into a powerful wandering poet. He replied: Give your son a lot of money, let him roam in the big cities, let him come and go among women. The more experiences he accumulates, the more he'll naturally become a poet. My mother had unwavering faith in her first love, so when I was seventeen, I went off to the extravagant 'Deep Blue Port' with a fortune."

"As it turned out, the man's words were spot on. After more than a decade of wandering, I achieved nothing, and eventually, I became a poet."

"Before coming to Watersedge City, I spent some time in 'Smandi,' known for its perfumes, spices, and beautiful women. It's often referred to as the 'City of a Hundred Flowers.' I did quite well in Smandi and made many friends."

"To be honest, I didn't want to leave. Smandi had fascinating women—the fragrance of noble ladies kept me coming back, and the sweet scent of young girls equally enthralled me. But the distant horizon called to me. In Smandi, I received divine inspiration—"

Matthew interrupted, "Divine inspiration?"

Lorin replied nonchalantly, "It was during an affair with a noblewoman and her daughter when the husband caught us red-handed. The entire family went crazy."

Matthew took in a sharp breath. "That must have been embarrassing," he said.

Lorin sighed and said, "Indeed. Especially when the husband asked me in front of his wife and daughter, 'What does that make me?' I instantly realized it was divine inspiration given to me by the heavens. It was time to leave the City of a Hundred Flowers."

Not only Matthew but even Ella, who had been avidly listening from Matthew's chest, were left stunned.

"Just kidding!" Lorin suddenly burst into laughter. "You didn't really believe I had an affair with the whole family, did you? Even the worst poet knows how to plant a hook at the end of a story; it's a necessary move to captivate the audience."

"As for the real reason I left the City of a Hundred Flowers, I'll tell you the next time we talk. It's getting late. We should go to the market and get the items on the list. Oh, where's Old Gito?"

Chapter 60 >>

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