This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 31

The next morning.

At three fifty in the morning, Matthew opened his eyes promptly, hastily freshened up, grabbed a piece of bread from the kitchen, and left his home amidst the dawn chorus of birds.

He didn't leave the mage district as he usually did.

Instead, he headed towards the rarely-visited center of the mage district.

The early spring dawn was still chilly.

Matthew walked past a well-groomed thicket of shrubs, and dewdrops rolled down the leaves, some even splashing onto his shoes.

A few minutes later, he had devoured the bread in a rush and stood in front of a two-story building in the center of the mage district.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The house suddenly chimed with such a sound.

It meant the time had reached exactly four o'clock.

Matthew walked up briskly.

He lightly tapped the door with his right hand until an extravagant, strange face appeared on the door. Then, he spoke the passphrase: "The plan for the day is determined by the morning."

The strange face quickly split open, revealing a dark, round arch entrance.

"Good morning, Matthew. Welcome to the 'Cauldron House'," a mechanical voice came from inside. "I'm waiting for you on the top floor. Remember to press the elevator's acceleration button a few times; you'll experience an extraordinary pleasure."

Matthew lowered his head and walked in.

Before him lay an enormous space.

The floor was made of a strange material resembling mercury, the arching ceiling displayed the tracks of stars, and six large marble columns soared to the sky. On both sides, statuesque constructs stood ready.

This was the Cauldron House, a part of a mage tower publicly opened by Grand Mage Ronan. Here, you could buy magical items and materials, borrow magical books, rent spell laboratories, craft magical equipment, and post team requests, among other services.

It was somewhat like an adventurers' guild in many online games, but Cauldron House's services were exclusively for mages. Furthermore, the entrance hours were very strict, allowing access only from four o'clock to four-fifteen in the morning. If you missed it, you had to come back the next day.

There were at least four entrances to Cauldron House south of the Everglow Forest. However, Matthew never bumped into anyone when he came here. He speculated that it was partly because there were still too few spellcasters in this world, and partly because Cauldron House charged an entrance fee—30 gold coins each time. It wasn't too expensive, but it added up.

For someone like Matthew, if he didn't have a need to borrow books, he wouldn't willingly visit Cauldron House. The items and services here, well, they were top-notch but quite costly. Grand Mage Ronan's materials and tools were better than those outside, but if Matthew had the choice, he would prefer to travel a few hundred kilometers to White Rock City and buy from familiar merchants. But he didn't have a choice. This was the kind of place where you involuntarily bent over with your not-so-wealthy budget.

...

Matthew headed towards the marble pillar closest to him – this was actually a magic elevator hidden inside the pillar. You could choose the desired floor according to your needs, with different constructs serving you on different floors. Of course, you could also choose manual reception, but it would cost extra.

As he approached, he unexpectedly found a female mage wearing black-framed glasses and a traditional robe that had seen better days, looking anxious.

"Ding!"

The pillar spun to the sides, and the magic elevator's carriage appeared in front of both of them.

"Uh, maybe you should go first!" the female mage said somewhat awkwardly.

She seemed particularly uneasy.

Matthew looked her over, shook his head, and said, "No, you can go first. I'll take the next one."

The female mage was surprised, but seeing Matthew's firm expression, she quickly nodded and mumbled a thank you. Then she rushed into the carriage.

"By the way, if you hear a voice asking you to press the acceleration button, make sure to firmly refuse it!" Matthew advised just before the elevator doors were about to close.

Through the crack, the female mage tilted her head, looking somewhat puzzled.

The elevator doors closed.

Matthew patiently waited for a few minutes. A brand-new carriage unfolded in front of him.

He walked in calmly.

As someone who had shared many a laugh with Grand Mage Ronan, Matthew enjoyed the privilege of individual service from Tower Spirit 177. This greatly facilitated his search in the vast ocean of knowledge, and he didn't have to pay a service fee. Matthew was genuinely grateful for that.

The elevator doors closed slowly.

He could feel himself ascending at a slow and comfortable pace.

After a few seconds, a robotic voice sounded in his ear, "Sir, at the current speed, you will need another 29 hours and 7 minutes to reach your desired floor. Would you like to activate the acceleration service? I am your devoted companion, Tower Spirit 247."

Matthew immediately declined, saying, "No, I don't need it. Stop playing tricks, 177; it's not amusing."

A few seconds later, the voice continued, "Tower Spirit 177 has been replaced and eliminated by me. Cauldron House is now under my rule, young man. If you don't want to plummet halfway, you'd better behave and press the acceleration button. It will bring you immense joy."

Matthew laughed and said, "It does bring joy, but I've already experienced it once, and I swear never to fall for your tricks again."

The voice sneered, "Stubborn, aren't you? Matthew, do you really think we need you to personally order the acceleration of the magic elevator? I am the greatest Tower Spirit in history, and who am I? The king of Cauldron House! If you still don't know what's good for you, I'll accelerate it myself!"

Matthew grabbed the elevator handrail. "I'm ready."

The Tower Spirit's voice suddenly turned sinister and eerie. "Are you really ready?"

Matthew suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Top floor, now."

The doors opened.

Matthew stepped inside.

The top floor of Cauldron House was a vast open space with an endless starry sky overhead.

On the open space, a construct over 3 meters tall, entirely made of clay and dressed in an oversized suit, walked towards Matthew.

It didn't seem to be resentful about the prank's failure but rather greeted Matthew politely, "Good morning, Matthew. Welcome to Cauldron House. I am your most humble servant, Tower Spirit 177."

However, Matthew didn't dare to put on airs in front of him. After all, this construct, with its unpleasant personality, longing for a partner, and a strong sense of loneliness, had 23 career levels. It was said to be the only legendary construct within the boundaries of the human kingdom. It could defeat Matthew's most powerful Bone Dragon with a single punch.

"Respected Mr. 177," Matthew went straight to the point. "I want to find and borrow books on two subjects."

"Keywords," the now-focused 177 replied.

"The first keyword is 'Psionics.' I want to find books and materials related to 'charging items with psionic energy.'"

Matthew spoke rapidly. "The second keyword is 'Sovereign Nation.' Secondary keywords might include 'Emperor,' 'Great Wall,' 'Jade Phoenix,' and the like."

After listening, 177 took a moment to 'ponder' for three seconds.

And then he responded, saying:

"Books purely dedicated to psionic research are quite rare, but there are some related to charging items with psionic energy. I'm not an expert, but I have some knowledge in the psionic field. If you could be more specific with your question, I might be able to provide an answer without you needing to borrow the books, saving you the borrowing fee."

Matthew looked at him with suspicion and asked, "Won't that just result in a consultation fee?"

It was no secret that borrowing books in Cauldron House was much cheaper than consulting.

"You're overthinking it, Matthew," 177 replied calmly. "There would have been a consultation fee, but it's already offset by the second keyword you provided."

"Unfortunately, information related to the 'Sovereign Nation' is classified at Level 11. Only the Four Guardians and three other Archmages of the Seventh Sanctum are qualified to access it. If you genuinely wish to acquire this information, I suggest you eliminate that old codger Ronan and take his place as the Southern Guardian. That way, you can do as you please."

Matthew wasn't particularly surprised by this revelation. The secrecy surrounding the Sovereign Nation on this continent had to be for a reason. The Seventh Sanctum's deliberate information blockade surely had its reasons too. With his current power, he didn't need to rush to gather this information.

So he sighed and asked, "So you canceled my consultation fee out of sympathy?"

177 responded seriously, "No, it's out of indignation. Who am I? I'm the most magnificent Tower Spirit in history, the King of Cauldron House! I've toiled tirelessly for Ronan, but when I tried to access information about the 'Sovereign Nation,' those old men from the Seventh Sanctum dared to deny me access. They refused access to Cauldron House's Emperor—well, the secondary keyword you mentioned was good. Now it's mine. They dared to reject the Emperor of Cauldron House! I must retaliate. Not only is the consultation fee waived, but you can take anything you like later when we descend, and don't worry; I've got your back. The best result would be Ronan dying in the astral realm, and I, Tower Spirit 177, becoming the Southern Guardian, enjoying all the beauty in the world!"

Matthew listened to 177's grandiose speech and remained silent. "How did Grand Mage Ronan manage to train the Tower Spirit like this? 177 is such a rebel..."

He muttered to himself and quickly changed the subject, explaining the origin of the Coughing Staff.

177 promptly replied, "That's simple. The grade of such psionic items isn't very high, and the charging methods are quite similar. The first method involves finding a living entity with psionic energy to serve as your living energy source. A trip to the Abyss might provide what you need; some demons possess a similar form of energy, even if they don't use psionics. But they should have enough energy for charging. I recommend succubi; at least one-third of them carry a source of psionic energy within their bodies. They don't use it much because they are constantly in heat, but considering their robust and durable bodies, they're highly manageable and cost-effective."

Matthew massaged his temples and asked, "What's the second method?"

177 answered, "Hold the staff and imagine you're coughing."

Matthew looked surprised and said, "That's it?"

177 nodded, "Certainly, it's simple. This method has low efficiency, so you need to be prepared for that."

Matthew silently noted down the two methods and thanked the Tower Spirit with a bow before taking his leave.

"So, you're leaving already?" 177's tone was more animated now. "You know, Matthew, I'm quite lonely."

This statement sent shivers down Matthew's spine.

"Isn't there a multitude of constructs in Cauldron House? Can't you find one among them that suits your fancy?" he asked politely.

"Don't mention those common constructs. After some time, even Ronan couldn't understand advanced constructs. The ones he created were just trash. I genuinely doubt how he managed to create me. Maybe he lied; perhaps I'm not even his own creation!"

177 grumbled, "I have expressed my desires to him multiple times, but what did he do? Once, I asked for a spouse with a sufficiently large build, and he brought back a damn Tyrannosaurus!"

Matthew was taken aback, "Tyrannosaurus? Is that some term for an unattractive appearance?"

177 glanced at him and shook his head, "No, it's quite literal. It was an actual Tyrannosaurus rex. Who knows how many unethical things he did for his 'Ancient Mythical Creature Revival' project!"

Matthew fell silent.

"But that Tyrannosaurus was quite strong."

The Tower Spirit added as an afterthought.

Matthew inquired, "What happened next?"

He listened to 177's story reluctantly.

"Next? It was only after I couldn't find an entrance for three days and nights that I realized the damn Ronan had carelessly made a mistake. He got the gender of the Tyrannosaurus wrong!"

Matthew was left in stunned silence.

...

Leaving Cauldron House, the day was already in full swing. Matthew returned to the Oakwood Forest and took a short rest in his cottage before commencing his daily work routine.

But as he carried his spade towards the northern part of the forest, he realized that something was off. The ground ahead had been clearly wiped clean of tracks. It was only thanks to the Oakwood's enchantment that he even noticed these traces.

"Ah Bing."

He silently activated the Blade Dancer, who had been on standby in his cottage. As Matthew was about to communicate with the forest through his domain, several Oakwood Fairies flew towards him.

They began to speak quickly, sharing their observations:

"Did a huge, ugly, and fierce fellow show up in the forest last night?"

"Did he save you from an attack by an evil Withered One?"

"Did you realize that he didn't leave, just hid?"

Matthew's expression shifted with each piece of information. Ultimately, it became somewhat grim. He had a fair idea of who this 'huge, ugly, fierce fellow' was.

But what concerned him more was the presence of a Withered One. These were Druids who had fallen from grace, wielding powers of forest destruction. When a Withered One set their sights on a forest, it often ended up as a desolate wasteland.

"Don't worry. Before dealing with the Withered One, I won't go anywhere," he assured the fairies.

...

Night fell.

The moonlight was bright. When the first beam of moonlight touched the mortal realm, Matthew's follower emblem on his chest lit up.

"Due to your actions in slaying three frenzied protectors of the Whispering Blades, you are now an official member of the Moonlight Society!"

Chapter 32 >>

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