This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 103 (Patreon)

Entering the domain for the second time without gaining any abilities left Matthew a bit frustrated. He wanted to grab that hawk-faced guy and give him a beating.

But the return of the limited-time state lifted his spirits.

He had already verified the power of strengthening on Abeeng.

Now, Matthew was ready to give it another shot.

He was confident that he could cultivate an even more powerful zombie this time!

"That seems a bit strange. Working in the Natural Domain, but it's the Undead who benefit greatly?"

"When I start planting trees on a large scale, will the Minotaur's domain quickly grow again?"

Matthew pondered for a moment.

He began to plan a new round of tree planting.

With the experience from last time, Matthew's approach was much clearer now. He had a massive zombie army as labor, so digging and filling holes were no longer a problem.

What currently limited his tree planting project were seeds, seedlings, and their growth.

For seeds, Matthew planned to take a dual approach—on one hand, he intended to ask Samantha if there was a purchasing channel. On the other hand, he planned to use the official channel of Rolling Stone Town to acquire oak tree seeds.

After all, he had an official position in the Lord's Mansion. Using public channels to purchase items shouldn't be too excessive, right?

As for seedlings, he could still rely on Aela. With her powerful sprouting ability, as long as there were enough seeds, seedlings would not be a problem.

Matthew and Aela already had a long-term cooperation agreement. However, he hadn't seen her much recently. She seemed to be busy in Moonshadow Grove.

As for the most crucial oak tree growth, Matthew planned to visit "Cauldron House" tomorrow. Any magical items produced on the east coast and in the inland areas could be found in Cauldron House.

The only drawback was the high prices there.

But Matthew's wealth had grown considerably, and as long as the prices weren't exorbitant, he was willing to pay.

"Speaking of which, can I improve efficiency by increasing the level of the 'Rapid Growth' spell?"

Matthew stood under a tree, and this idea immediately brightened his mind.

He currently couldn't enhance Druid spells through conventional means, but he had "Spell Harmonization"!

"I can try to make 'Rapid Growth' the core and harmonize it with other spells to see if I can break the limitation on the number of times it can be used!"

Thinking about it, Matthew began to practice right away.

...

"Prompt: You used spell harmonization, harmonizing 'Rapid Growth' and 'Garcia's Armor'; after harmonization, 'Rapid Growth' is enhanced to 'Rapid Growth (Green Armor)'.

The enhancement effects of this spell are as follows:

The daily usage limit is increased to 11 times.

This spell can now not only make plants grow rapidly but also provide them with green armor (armor +3/lasting 30 minutes).

When multiple plants in the same area have green armor, a verdant tree wall will appear between them, enough to withstand attacks from external enemies."

...

"Green-armored plants? Verdant tree wall?"

Although they didn't seem to have much practical use, Matthew still carefully recorded the results of the spell harmonization.

"If I can enhance green armor for several dozen plants simultaneously, it might have some strategic significance."

Matthew contemplated for a moment and continued to harmonize the second spell.

...

"Prompt: You used spell harmonization, harmonizing 'Rapid Growth' and 'Vampire's Touch'; after harmonization, 'Rapid Growth' is enhanced to 'Bloodthirsty Growth'.

The enhancement effects of this spell are as follows:

• The daily usage limit is increased to 15 times.
• Each usage will deduct 3 points of the caster's own health.
• This spell has double the growth speed of the original spell. However, the plants grown using Bloodthirsty Growth have a certain probability of turning into man-eating plants and a very low probability of obtaining elite/lord templates."

"This one isn't bad."

Matthew recorded the results of the spell harmonization. He could only use spell harmonization twice a day, and with hundreds of spells in his repertoire, it was essential to keep records of various harmonizations for critical moments.

Compared to the Green Armor, Bloodthirsty Growth's enhancement was more apparent. Although the constant self-inflicted injuries were troublesome, it was a viable option to cultivate man-eating plants in the forest to guard against intruders.

This journey to the rainforest made Matthew realize that nature wasn't always peaceful. Ecosystems like the rainforest, where the law of the jungle reigned, could be excessively brutal.

But the atmosphere in the Oak Domain, which aimed for peace and tranquility, was a bit too monotonous for him.

He believed that the oak trees needed a little stimulation.

Of course, all these were just Matthew's musings. His current goal was to find the best way to harmonize "Rapid Growth" as soon as possible.

Currently, Green Armor was preferable due to its stability and controllability. Using it once a day would earn him extra enhancement experience, which would accumulate to at least two more enhancements in a month.

With this in mind, Matthew canceled the results of the spell harmonization. Until he discovered a better way to harmonize, he would save his second daily opportunity for Green Armor.

After finishing the harmonization, Matthew strolled once more through the oak tree forest.

Walking through the forest he had planted himself was a wonderful feeling that brought him peace. The light breeze in the forest brushed across his face, instantly dispelling his fatigue, and the frustration he had accumulated from his recent travels had dissipated.

Matthew felt deeply relaxed, both physically and mentally.

Suddenly, he realized that his forest had grown much larger than he had initially estimated. It had expanded from the east of the town to the northern private territory that had once belonged to Reggie.

Farther north, numerous neatly arranged pits had appeared. They were the results of diligent zombie labor working through the night.

Matthew was pleased with the progress.

However, he didn't plan to follow these pits strictly because he had only roughly estimated the land's carrying capacity before.

After returning from the south, Matthew had gained the ability to intuitively feel the pulsations of the earth.

"Equilibrium Sensing!"

In an instant, the world changed before Matthew's eyes.

Elemental fields.

Ether fields.

Element fields.

Material worlds.

The structure of the planes seemed to unfold before him, and he could clearly see the flow of energy in every abnormality.

"Wait, in the past three and a half days, I've planted 100 trees, and I've almost exhausted the 'Essence of Life' in the forest? No, it's not just that. The expansion of the oak forest is happening too quickly; it's almost draining the land."

Matthew's expression turned serious.

Matthew had always had a vague understanding that planting trees too quickly could permanently damage the earth. However, this was the first time he had such an intuitive insight into the flow of elements within the land.

Beneath the oak forest, he observed the elemental field of the earth, and it became evident that the elements of life were running low. The predominant elements were "earth," "rocks," and "gravel," derived from the earth element layer.

The greedy oak forest was depleting the vital life elements from the earth, showing signs of exhaustion. While the oak forest would eventually replenish the land, its expansion was too rapid, causing an imbalance in the elements.

"Fortunately, there's a chance to remedy this."

"I should be able to replenish the life elements by fertilizing the land," Matthew thought, feeling a little relieved.

At the same time, he noticed that near the graveyard beneath the earth, the presence of undead activity had caused some of the death elements to merge into the soil.

Death elements were replacing life elements in the land.

"If this continues, in a few years, the oak forest might be sapping the purest negative energy from the earth! What will the forest become then?" Matthew couldn't help but wonder.

"Well, I have the Balance Sense, so there's still time. I can plant more trees in the northern regions first. Fortunately, Reiga's given me a vast tract of land. Besides fertilizing, I remember the Druids of the Earth Society have a 'Sanctuary of Life' ritual that can sustain the vitality of the earth. I'll ask Eli when he returns."

With these thoughts in mind, Matthew cast a glance to the northeast.

To his surprise, the energy field to the northeast displayed a massive rift. The image resembled a ruthless cleaver slicing into a vast piece of cheese! The mark left by the cleaver wouldn't heal for a long time and was even expanding.

In the midst of it all, Matthew saw a peculiar and grotesque creature within the rift. The creature had three human faces, a zombie-like body, and was constantly shedding ash and sparks. Its most striking feature was a towering scythe it held in one of its many hands.

When the creature's side face briefly glanced at Matthew, he felt a sudden pain in his temple and quickly withdrew from the Balance Sense.

"Ugh!" Matthew groaned, supporting himself against an oak tree and gently massaging his throbbing temple to ease the pain.

"Warning: You have discovered the secret of the 'Ashen Lord,' an entity active in the elemental plane. The Ashen Lord has detected your presence and is preparing to send his generals and troops to eliminate you! The arrival of the first wave of troops is estimated to be 720 hours from now."

The Ashen Lord, active in the elemental plane—was this the source of the expansion of the Ashen Mark?

Matthew furrowed his brow. He knew that he couldn't avoid dealing with the Ashen Mark this time. He had returned with the intention of addressing the western expansion of the Ashen Mark. However, he hadn't expected the Ashen Lord to make the first move. And all of it was because he had gazed at the creature for too long.

Despite this, Matthew wasn't too concerned. He had come across similar cases in the Seven Sanctuaries' records. In theory, the Ashen Mark's influence on the material world was limited to the consumption of land and the eradication of life near the Mark.

As long as he kept a reasonable distance, the Ashen Lord's influence should be significantly weaker. However, he knew it was prudent to return to the town immediately.

Once back at his familiar home, Matthew sat at his desk. He began by writing a letter to Lolan, expressing his disappointment at being deceived. Still, he was willing to maintain their friendship if there were no more deliberate acts of deception.

After finishing the letter, he handed it to a Seagull who had been guarding the garden for days. The bird snatched the letter without looking back, leaving Matthew without a chance to give it the vial he had been holding.

"Guess I'll have to wait for another time," he thought with a sense of resignation.

Matthew then returned to his underground study, where he retrieved the thick bag of research materials. The Seven Sanctuaries had provided extensive research on the Ashen Mark, which was evident from the weight of the bag.

The materials could be divided into three main sections:

1. The historical background and causes of the Ashen Mark.
2. The various failed efforts of the Seven Sanctuaries to stop the spread of the Ashen Mark.
3. Feasibility predictions of strategies presented by the Seven Sanctuaries' high-ranking officials.

Matthew began with the first section, but it quickly became apparent that the documents were disorganized and often contradictory. The information was chaotic, and the discrepancy between one section and the next was perplexing.

"Is this the official documentation of the Seven Sanctuaries?" Matthew wondered. He had a strong suspicion that someone had tampered with the materials. It seemed that all records obtained by individuals or organizations from the Seven Sanctuaries had been tampered with to blur the origins of the Ashen Mark.

However, Matthew decided to continue reading, his curiosity outweighing his distrust. After several hours of deciphering the disorganized information, he began to piece together a somewhat cohesive story.

It appeared that the origin of the Ashen Mark was in the Jade Green Courtyard, and the surrounding areas were only affected later. Since the rise of the Heavenly Palace, the worshipped Elven deity Tyrastina had been exiled due to the actions of a cataclysmic mage.

Following this, the entire Wood Elf community was thrown into disarray, as it seemed that faith was a crucial element for the Wood Elves. They naturally sought a powerful being to serve as their spiritual guide.

In one particular year, a legendary sorcerer named Lanz took advantage of this situation. Through careful disguises and plots, he successfully convinced the Wood Elves that Tyrastina had prepared an earthly vessel as the Savior of their faith.

Lanz proclaimed himself as the incarnation of Tyrastina in the mortal world, and unbelievably, the Wood Elves believed him entirely.

From that point on, Lanz took control of the Jade Green Courtyard. He even formed a partnership with the reigning Wood Elf Queen, and they had two children.

However, the Queen was the first to notice that something was amiss. The children she had given birth to didn't resemble Wood Elves or humans in any way; instead, they had octopus-like faces. Realizing the grave mistake she had made, she intended to confront Lanz, but he had vanished immediately after her successful childbirth.

The next night became the darkest in the history of the Jade Green Courtyard. No one knew exactly what happened inside the Elven Royal Palace, but witnesses outside saw two tentacles emerge from the palace. One pierced through the World Tree Maya's canopy, while the other indiscriminately attacked nearby creatures.

This horrific event left fragmented accounts in the history books. Matthew could only find brief descriptions of the terrible catastrophe.

What he could confirm, though, was that after that night, the Ashen Mark began its expansion. It seemed that Lanz's actions had triggered the catastrophe.

"So, the origin of the Ashen Mark is in the Jade Green Courtyard. The surrounding areas were only affected as a result," Matthew mused, reconstructing the historical account.

The once-vibrant Wood Elf Queen had fallen, and many innocent Wood Elf civilians had been sacrificed in a mysterious and evil ritual even before the queen gave birth to her offspring. In the subsequent disasters, more Wood Elves lost their lives. As for the queen's male and female children, they transformed into two tentacles. One of the tentacles had been used by the queen to suppress and was slain by the artifact of the World Tree. The other tentacle received a lethal blow from the queen but did not perish entirely. It fell to the ground, merged with the earth's veins, and formed a shallow mark eighty kilometers south of the Jade Green Courtyard.

At that time, the Wood Elves were immersed in grief and did not notice the anomaly of the mark. However, as this mark grew over time, the Wood Elves were astonished to find that they could no longer contain its expansion. The Ashen Mark was born.

After the tragic events of that night, the once-prosperous Wood Elf population dwindled. They lost their ability to have the forest exclusively for themselves. In the end, they had to relocate their city and seek external help to maintain their control in the region.

Prior to these events, Matthew had shared similar views of his human neighbors, the Wood Elves and the Night Elves. He found the Night Elves too arrogant and aloof, not even allowing ordinary humans to enter their Evernight Forest, let alone their capital city. In contrast, the Wood Elves appeared more reasonable. Anyone could enter the Jade Green Courtyard, including their capital city, making them seem much more approachable.

Now it all made sense. The Wood Elves had been forced to incorporate human power into their ranks after their downfall to balance against their restless kin.

"In this world, there are no exceptions without reason. No wonder even small-town merchant daughters like Lolan have the chance to study dance in the Jade Green Courtyard. The Wood Elves must have fallen on hard times," Matthew thought as he stretched.

He took a moment to summarize his findings:

"Later, the Seven Sanctuaries found out that the severed tentacle belonged to a virtually unheard-of void creature, named Eukros, the same Void Master revered by the Cataclysmic Cultists. We have reason to believe that this legendary dark sorcerer was also a member of the Cataclysmic Cult."

With these notes, Matthew paused. It had been exhausting to extract accurate information from the jumble of data. He needed to rest and not deplete his mental energy tonight. He had a date with Suya for their history lesson, after all. He couldn't stand her up any longer after a month of rescheduling. Matthew felt a bit embarrassed about that.

His next plan was to spend the next few days planting trees, organizing data, and squeezing in some time for magic practice. It seemed that his office at the Lord's Mansion would have to wait. "I'll work hard for a couple of days, then find an opportunity to request leave from Reiga," he thought.

With this plan in mind, Matthew eagerly reached for his history lesson materials and began reviewing.

The evening descended, and Matthew's living room echoed with the lively lesson. He put extra effort into his teaching tonight, but he soon noticed that Suya appeared distracted. She was initially delighted to see him, but as the lesson went on, her mind seemed elsewhere. This was unusual for Suya, who was usually attentive.

Matthew paused his lecture and asked with concern, "Is something wrong, Suya? Did something happen?"

Suya hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly smiled and said, "No, nothing."

Matthew replied, "Remember, you can't lie to your teacher in class."

Suya blushed and sighed, "This afternoon, I overheard my father saying that he had joined your adventure to the south. When I found out about it, I felt uneasy."

Matthew was taken aback and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have involved your father in such a dangerous undertaking."

Even though he hadn't anticipated Reiga to be the one who would accompany him, he kept that thought to himself. Revealing it might sound like an excuse.

However, Suya shook her head and said, "It's not about that. What bothered me was when he said you were now the Lord Mansion's Magic Advisor."

Matthew inquired, "Is there something wrong with that?"

Suya gazed earnestly at him and said, "So, now you're spending more time with my father than with me?"

Matthew was puzzled by this unusual comparison and thought, "Is she feeling jealous even of my dad now?" Nevertheless, he assured her, "Don't worry, Suya. My relationship with Reiga isn't as close as you think. Aside from official business, we barely talk privately."

Suya skeptically watched him and asked, "Really?"

Matthew laughed and said, "I promise."

Suya breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. It's great if you and my father have a good relationship. But I was worried about you two getting too close... Oh well, let's not dwell on this. Can we continue with the lesson?"

Matthew nodded, picked up his teaching materials, and was about to continue when a loud and excited voice echoed from outside the front door. "Open up, Matthew! I've come up with a brilliant idea. We can sell my sword oil in the south and make a fortune!"

Matthew's face froze in an instant, and he muttered, "Bobo..."

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