This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 50

The group exchanged glances for a moment.

Rega was initially ready to draw his sword, but halfway through, he decided to sheath it again. He turned to Matthew and said, "How to handle this is up to you. Everything on this battlefield is your spoils, including the prisoners. You have the authority to deal with them."

This statement essentially marked the official allocation of tonight's victory.

Matthew wasn't surprised.

Setting aside his dislike for necromancers and daughter-slavers, Rega was indeed a lord who acted justly and honestly.

But Matthew hadn't quite figured out how to deal with the hefty ogre before him.

He circled around Sinvak three times. The ogre snored loudly, completely oblivious to any danger.

"I can take care of him for you," Rega suggested upon seeing Matthew's hesitation.

Matthew shook his head, saying, "I believe a living ogre might have more value. I'd like to try and train him."

Rega shrugged, "Just be prepared to kill him if necessary. He's sleeping soundly now, but when he wakes, especially when he's hungry, he'll be a formidable threat."

Matthew agreed with Rega's assessment.

Ogres were indeed dangerous and evil creatures. Perhaps turning him into an undead would make him easier to control, but Matthew couldn't help but feel that this ogre in front of him wasn't all that bad.

He was just a bit too fat.

"Can you help me with something?" Matthew asked Zeller with a questioning look. "I intend to create a prison specifically for the ogre, but before that, I need to keep him in a manageable state."

Zeller nodded and replied, "That's not a problem."

With that, he took a wand from his waist and aimed it at the sleeping ogre.

"Zap, zap!"

After a brief incantation, a bolt of lightning shot from the tip of the wand, hitting the ogre square in the forehead. However, the ogre didn't react at all.

Undeterred, Zeller repeated the incantation three more times. When the fourth bolt of lightning hit Sinvak, the ogre suddenly woke up and yelled, "Who's touching Sinvak's butt?!"

As he spoke, his enormous body rapidly shrank, quickly transforming into a hopping, lively frog.

"Here you go," Zeller expertly caught the frog, sealed it inside a glass bottle, and handed it to Matthew. "My Malevolent Transmutation can last for 24 days, but during that time, this glass bottle can't break, and he can't come into contact with any living creatures."

Matthew nodded cautiously as he accepted the bottle. "What do you plan to do with him?" Zeller asked, curious.

Matthew thought for a moment and said, "I haven't decided yet. Maybe..."

"Could you use him to help with the cemetery repairs?"

...

After dealing with the ogre threat, there was only the task of cleaning up the battlefield in the northern part of the Oakwood Forest.

Rega had set up a monitoring station near the mine and planned to explore the underground space of the Goldseeker Basin over the next few days to prevent subterranean creatures from infiltrating the territory of Rollingstone Town through other entrances.

These tasks had nothing to do with Matthew.

At this moment, he was busy directing skeletons, zombies, and living people to move the bodies and inventory the spoils.

After a rough tally, the cash income alone exceeded 1,500 gold coins! This was in the context of most of the kobolds and gnolls being impoverished.

The Scourge Cultists weren't exactly wealthy either.

The main reason was that Matthew had killed an astounding number of them this time.

Next came the equipment and weapons.

Matthew had stripped a lot of good things from the three level-four brutes...

"The Rooster Banner": This thing can boost group morale and enhance the vision and strength of the standard bearer, while also activating a small-area healing aura.

"The Roarer": It's that giant double-handed axe, possessing effects like "Cutting Through Bamboo," "Rending Wounds," and "Spirit Bane." It's a top-notch melee weapon and can fetch a good price in the Emerald Grove or White Rock City.

There's also a small piece of mithril on the axe, and it's worth taking off because both mithril and mythril are rare metals highly sought after by spellcasters.

"Rhino Hide Shorts": Also taken from the wild boar people, these shorts are lightweight and durable, providing far more armor value than ordinary leather armor. The only drawback is that they're a bit oversized, and one pair of shorts could fit two Matthews.

"Magic Sword Skalorna" and "Insights of the Spellblade": A high-quality magic sword and a small booklet found on the half-dragon spellblade. The latter also records the legacy of the spellblade, but it requires a visit to the Shadowed Territories to complete the inheritance task.

It seems that only people with the ability to communicate with spirits can use the magic sword.

"Desire Ring": Taken from the half-dragon, it's called Desire, but it actually has the effect of abstinence. The wearer will gradually lose their reproductive desire. It also provides 10 points of dark vision, which Matthew tried, and the effect was pretty good. It's like not needing illumination even in complete darkness.

"Cursed Mace": The main weapon of the gnoll shaman Edson, it has good quality, and the negative effect is that the holder deducts 2 points of agility, in return for a 4-point strength boost. For some melee professions, it's also a great item.

"Scroll of the Void": A sealed magic book that only the members of the Scourge Cult can open with a unique incantation.

"Counterspell Stone (Magic Pact)": Provides a once-daily instant "Counterspell." This seemingly ordinary stone is actually a magic pact between a sorcerer and their patron, symbolizing the tangible proof of their cooperation.

Matthew had to summon up some courage to take this stone. He had already antagonized both the Great Demon Terell and the Midnight God, so it didn't matter who he offended further. The only concern was whether the other party could locate him through this stone.

But then he thought, the location of the Oakwood Forest had long been exposed, and he would be staying here for the short term. So, pinpointing his location didn't matter anymore. If the Scourge Cultists were still not giving up, then let them come!

...

Finally, and most importantly for Matthew, there were over 300 corpses of gnolls and kobolds and three level-four brutes. Even with 300 cannon fodder corpses, it would be enough to create a "Pool of the Afterlife" with negative energy in the cemetery, fundamentally altering the cemetery's ecology. Matthew decided that after maxing out the number of skeletons, the remaining corpses would be used to fill the Pool of the Afterlife.

The higher-level corpses had even greater potential uses. They could be buried to obtain the "Gift of Nature" or used to create Black Knights or Death Knights.

"It's a shame the Black Knights require a level-four to make. I've already grasped the domain of the Undying, and I should be able to attempt it at level three." Matthew knew that advancing was becoming urgent. Fortunately, the time for "Double Harvest" was about to end, and he could finally focus on advancing.

As for which of the three corpses to use for the Gift or the Black Knight, Matthew had no clear decision in mind. He planned to store them properly for now and make the choice when the time was right.

However, while Matthew was handling the bodies, he was surprised to find that the head of the shaman Edson had disappeared, and he couldn't tell when it had gone. He squatted down and carefully examined the wound on the corpse; it was smooth and skillfully done. The image of the missing elven warrior from earlier, the one with her head gone, immediately jumped into Matthew's mind. "Did she steal Edson's head? Could he possibly resurrect?" Matthew frowned. He wasn't afraid of Edson making a comeback, but he was wary of the elven warrior's elusive abilities. Edson's corpse had been surrounded by the guard and several circles of zombies. If someone could stealthily steal Edson's head, it meant they could launch a similar sneak attack. Matthew immediately ordered the Bone Dragon to initiate blind-sense reconnaissance. Unfortunately, it searched in vain for a whole circle but found nothing. "It seems that while I was clearing up, she took Edson's head and fled." Matthew felt a bit regretful. Edson's corpse would have been perfect material for making a Black Knight. As for the Headless Horseman, he'd still need to find a steed for him. "Oh well, too much trouble, let's just bury him!" Matthew deftly picked up a shovel and directly buried the gnoll bodies under an oak tree. What will Mother Nature bestow when a gnoll is buried in the spring? Matthew was looking forward to it. ...

After dealing with a variety of spoils, Matthew finally had time to turn his attention to the data panel.

...

"Hint: You have successfully completed a small-scale battle and returned victorious. You have gained elements in the 'Battlefield' category: Strategy, Melee Combat, Reconnaissance, Counters, Accumulate more elements, and you will have the opportunity to enter the 'Battlefield' for the first time.

...

After tonight, the 'Dreadful Pale Hand' will spread as a rumor.

Your regional legend rating (Rollingstone Town/Shadowed Territories) +1

Your faction legend rating (Withered Cult/Scourge Cult) +1"

...

The accumulation of elements and legend ratings meant that Matthew took another steady step on the path to becoming a legend. But his gains for the night didn't stop there.

...

"Maintenance is also important (Follow-up Mission 2): Tonight, you successfully prevented the Scourge Cult and the Underground Allied Forces from invading the Oakwood Forest, and you have received the reward 'Wild Transformation II'!

Wild Transformation II: You can choose a new animal as your wild form—

1. Nightblade Lynx;
2. Albatross;
3. Brown Bear (Moonlight Enhancement)"

Chapter 51 >>

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