This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 34 (Patreon)

As far as Matthew knew, Zeler held the positions of Chief of Intelligence and Head of Adventurer Affairs at the Lord's Manor. He enjoyed a deep trust from Lord Rega, evident in how he entrusted Zeler to handle the matter of rooting out spies.

Zeler lived up to Lord Rega's trust. He rarely appeared in non-working situations, yet managed to be in close proximity to Lord Rega at all times. Wherever the Lord appeared, Zeler was often within ten paces.

Over time, a rather absurd rumor began to circulate in certain circles in Stonegate Town. Some claimed that Zeler was Lord Rega's new lover, chosen in a fit of rage after being betrayed by his wife. Matthew thought this was pure nonsense. He had never observed even the slightest hint of a romantic relationship between the two. Moreover, from what he heard from Zeler himself through the grapevine, Zeler had been following Lord Rega long before the Lord married and had children. Their friendship had grown pure and deep through years of fighting side by side.

The people who fabricated such rumors were likely motivated by jealousy of Zeler's esteemed position at the Lord's Manor and his dangerously handsome looks.

...

"Thank you for the warning," Matthew said, his hands folded in prayer. "So, is your visit tonight at the Lord's behest?"

Zeler smiled gently. "No, it's my own decision. Lord Rega is not particularly keen on involving a necromancer in the town's intelligence work, but I managed to persuade him."

Matthew clenched his fingers lightly. "What do you want me to do?"

He sensed that Zeler had something more to say.

Zeler reached into the sleeve of his left hand with his right hand, and a well-crafted envelope appeared between his index and middle fingers. He placed the envelope in front of Matthew and said, "This envelope contains all the intelligence. You read it while I explain."

Matthew didn't hesitate. The envelope had no seal; opening the red cord on it revealed several thin sheets of paper.

Matthew quickly scanned through the contents, his brows furrowing slightly. "This is quite tricky, isn't it?"

Zeler took a sip of ginger water. "If it were just the Cult of Cataclysm, I would have thought it's normal. But I never expected that Stonegate Town would become the target of three notorious evil organizations at the same time. The timing is too coincidental. It's hard to believe they're operating independently without any coordination."

Matthew looked at the three organizations mentioned in the intelligence:

1. The Cult of Cataclysm.
2. The Silverfrost Brotherhood.
3. The Withering Cult.

"What's even more ironic," Zeler continued, "is that these three organizations each sent us a threatening letter or a challenge in their own names. They even specified the time and place for their attacks. Can you believe it? It's as if the leaders of these criminal organizations have come up with an entirely new way of thinking."

Zeler's speech was calm and steady, but when he mentioned the last sentence, Matthew sensed an impending burst of anger.

"It seems like he indeed thinks of himself as a member of the Bloodflag family," Matthew thought.

His eyes rapidly scanned all the text. After a short while, Matthew understood the whole situation.

"As you can see," Zeler said, "the leader of the Cult of Cataclysm from the south demands that we hand over the killer of their members and pay 50% of our annual revenue as tribute. Otherwise, they threaten to raze Stonegate Town to the ground. The Silverfrost Brotherhood's leader, on the other hand, wants us to deliver the two arsonists currently in our town's prison, along with an annual tribute of 60%. They also demand we provide a base for training their reserve members, and they even want us to provide 50 women each year to solve their members' marriage issues. As for the Withering Cult, they are more reasonable. They only ask for 30% of our annual revenue and are content to destroy the woods surrounding our town."

Zeler still wore a gentle smile. "These bandits might be even better at extortion than the demons in the Inferno."

Matthew's expression became serious. "Can Stonegate Town defend against invasions from three evil organizations at once?"

Zeler answered quickly, "We can resist the invasion, but we can't control the harassment."

Matthew understood. The most troublesome aspect of a territory facing evil organizations was that they didn't play by the rules of conventional warfare. If they were determined to harass you relentlessly, it could be a relentless game of whack-a-mole. The town's security situation would quickly deteriorate, even in Stonegate Town. Even mid-sized cities like Streamflow City wouldn't dare to guarantee they could repel such threats. Nearby cities with the capability to do so were limited to White Rock City and Emerald Jade Court.

"Two of these organizations are specifically targeting me, and the third has some connection with me," Matthew remarked, his lips slightly pursed. "On the surface, it seems that way, but in reality, whether you exist or not, they would still launch malicious attacks on Stonegate Town."

Zeler nodded, "In theory, there's that possibility. Maybe it was him who led the Cult of Cataclysm to us from the beginning, or maybe he was just the most suitable entry point they found in Stonegate Town. However, it doesn't matter anymore. What's important is how we should respond. Before I share my plan, I need to hear your opinion."

Matthew thought for a few minutes before responding. "Since these three organizations have sent challenges separately, it means they are not entirely united. The best strategy is to divide and conquer.

The Withering Cult's target is the most focused, centered around the Oakwood Forest, so we should focus on luring them in.

The Silverfrost Brotherhood still has two arsonists in our prison, right? We should find the right time to help them escape. Once they're out, there's a good chance they'll seek out their organization, and we can trace them from there.

As for the Cult of Cataclysm, I have no ideas at the moment. They dared to come after me even after Fein's death, which shows they have the power to confront a Bone Dragon. Their dark magic is sinister, and they are difficult to defend against, but there's one thing worth noting: they care a lot about the Bloodflag family's bloodline. So, Westy and Lord Rega are the main targets, but we can also use them as bait to lure them out. However, there are risks involved."

Zeler listened with an approving look on his face:

"Your reaction and thinking are first-rate. Most of your ideas align with my 'Phase Two' plan."

Matthew was somewhat surprised:

"Phase Two?"

"Yes, the things you mentioned, we will do them, but not right now," Zeler explained. "Currently, agents from the three major organizations are likely infiltrating in batches, and they must be extremely cautious, not easy to catch."

Evil forces were gathering towards Rolling Stone Town.

But at the same time.

Our reinforcements are on their way—

...

Of the nine knights who once fought in the Inferno, only three remained in Rolling Stone Town. One had died, one had retired, and only one remained fit for battle; the rest had gone out to seek their fortune.

We've sent letters to them, and as soon as they receive them, they'll come back.

He also sent people to the East to find an old acquaintance of his, a martial artist close to legendary strength. With him around, the safety of Rolling Stone Town would be greatly assured.

In addition, I've used my connections to call in a few old friends to help out, even Mr. Richard couldn't resist sending a letter to the Northern Territories when he heard.

See, our network is actually not weak, all it needs is time."

Matthew responded quickly:

"So, the main content of your 'Phase One' plan is to buy time?"

Zeler was straightforward:

"I want you to impersonate Archmage Ronan!"

Matthew was taken aback.

Then he nodded:

"Well, it's not impossible."

At this moment, Peggy, who had been eavesdropping for who knows how long, finally poked her head out from under the window:

"Will Ronan be unhappy about this?"

Both Zeler and Matthew answered almost simultaneously:

"No!"

"Maybe he'll find it interesting," Zeler added.

The two men exchanged a smile.

They continued to talk for over an hour.

When the night was deep.

Matthew left Zeler.

They walked on the gravel path in the garden.

Zeler, who was in front, suddenly turned back with a smile:

"Mr. Matthew, forgive me for playing a little trick on you at the beginning of our conversation to gain your trust—the story about the awakening of the warlock is not my own, I heard it from another wizard friend.

I deliberately portrayed my own story as more miserable to elicit your sympathy and to lay the groundwork for convincing you, but now it seems unnecessary, you are the kind of person I like."

Matthew was first stunned at the revelation, then immediately relaxed:

"It's better this way; at least you haven't actually experienced such a painful event. That's a good thing."

There was a strange gleam in Zeler's eyes:

"You're a strange necromancer, your kindness warms the heart.

I'm sorry again for deceiving you earlier, but when it comes to misery, my awakening experience is even more tragic than my friend's."

With that, he reached the gate and gracefully closed it:

"Only my story, I will never tell it to my death."

"Goodnight, Matthew."

...

After seeing Zeler off.

Matthew sat in the living room and organized the information he had gathered tonight.

Then he hurried back to the Oakwood Forest without stopping.

He needed to have a serious talk with Eli about the "Withering Cult."

The withered ones were the arch-enemies of the druids.

Eli definitely knew more about this organization than he did.

But before that.

Matthew went to the small hut and summoned Abing.

After a week of effort.

He had accumulated enough for another "Ten-Consecutive Summon."

Now that the crisis was approaching.

It was time for some immediate combat power.

So Matthew threw all of his enhancement chances onto Abing.

...

"Tip: You have consumed 10 enhancement chances; your summon 'Abing' has leveled up to LV12, and its overall attributes have been improved!

...

Your summon 'Abing' has acquired 7 keywords: 2 'white,' 1 'blue,' 2 'purple,' and 2 'gray!'"

...

"Luck isn't that great," Matthew sighed lightly.

Two gray ones were giving him a headache.

He glanced through the list, as usual, he started with the blue and white ones.

...

"Backstab (White): When your skeleton attacks an enemy from behind, the damage it deals and the weapon's stiffness are greatly increased."

...

"Swift Walk (White): Your skeleton's movement speed in combat is greatly increased."

...

"Stormy Combo (Blue): When your skeleton uses a dagger as a weapon and successfully hits an enemy's vital points, it can make a second and third attack in a very short time as a combo, generating a large amount of damage."

...

The quality of the blue and white ones was surprisingly good.

Not exceptionally powerful, but practical.

"At least it's not farming skills and cub rearing this time."

Matthew looked at the purple ones.

...

"Multicolored Dance (Purple): When your skeleton uses this dance, it can leave a shadow wherever it goes. During the dance, regardless of its current position and status, it can instantly return to the location of the shadow."

"The current maximum number of shadows that can be left is 4."

...

"Feigned Death (Purple): Your skeleton has learned exquisite feigned death skills, enough to deceive most situations. When your skeleton cancels the feigned death status, its next three normal attacks will deal additional, significant damage."

...

"The art style is finally getting back to normal!"

Matthew was relieved.

These two purples provided high mobility and a cunning kill move.

Although he didn't understand how the skeleton could feign death, he figured Abing would know how to do it.

Seeing this, Matthew thought that as long as the next two gray keywords weren't too awful, he could accept them.

...

"Same Hand Same Foot (Gray): In a non-combat state, your summon Abing has unconsciously developed a bad habit of mirroring your movements."

...

"This one's alright."

Matthew sighed with relief.

But the next moment, his face changed slightly.

...

"Work Ethic (Gray): Your skeleton has developed an awareness of creating value for you, although this awareness is not strong, it is even a bit humble. Every three months, you need to pay a Soul Crystal as an incentive, which will give it a great motivation."

...

"This... is kind of unacceptable!" Matthew instinctively clutched his head with both hands.

Abing, who was beside him, watched him in amazement.

After a while, Abing also imitated him, using its bony hands to hold its head.

The scene was both comical and bizarre.

Eli appeared from behind the house, staring seriously at Matthew:

"What kind of posture is this? Are you trying to summon some evil creature in front of me again?"

Chapter 35 >>

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