This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 118 (Patreon)

The clash between the Undead Legion and the Ashen Legion didn't erupt into earth-shattering combat.

Before the assembled crowd,

It was a one-sided slaughter!

"Roar!"

Philorius charged forward with the spirit of a leader among leaders. His massive bone claw ruthlessly stomped down on the Ashen Warlord's head. However, the latter possessed tremendous strength too. Faced with the colossal bone dragon, the Ashen Warlord simply tilted his head, his ear resting on the side of his neck.

Boom!

He swung a mighty blow with his wolf-tooth club, viciously striking Little Fei's waist and abdomen!

Splat.

A crisp sound.

The negative energy shield surrounding Little Fei's body was ruthlessly shattered.

The long and thick wolf-tooth club brutally struck Little Fei's ribs and sternum, producing an ear-piercing scraping sound and the cracking of bones!

At that moment,

Bones from Little Fei's body collapsed like an avalanche.

In just a few seconds, a large section of his chest and abdomen caved in.

The Ashen Warlord was covered in bone fragments.

He excitedly pressed his advantage.

However, Little Fei remained unfazed, letting the opponent's wolf-tooth club move in and out of his chest cavity.

He raised his neck high, emitting short, bursting syllables.

"Dragon Language Magic: Multiplier of Gravity!"

Boom!

At the moment of the burst of syllables,

Black rings of dark energy suddenly emanated from Little Fei's body.

Under the effect of increased gravity,

The strong and mountainous Ashen Warlord was caught off guard and knelt down.

Instinctively, he tried to use the wolf-tooth club to support himself as he fell. However, the two bone dragons that had been lurking nearby suddenly rushed forward.

One attacked the lower part of the Ashen Warlord's body, and the other even snatched away the weakened wolf-tooth club!

"No!"

The Ashen Warlord's mouth erupted in an unwilling groan.

Shortly after,

His massive body was completely pinned to the ground!

What happened next was quite explicit—

Led by Little Fei, three bone dragons engaged in a frenzied "trampling" of the fallen Ashen Warlord!

The three bone dragons took turns exerting force, rolling over the monster's body, and rolling back.

Anyone in that situation would not endure it.

Soon,

The Ashen Warlord turned into a cloud of dust amid his miserable cries, just like the other Ashen life forms.

Once the leader was gone,

The remaining Ashen life forms had no chance.

Even though Little Fei had lost a significant number of bones in the process, he continued to fight valiantly.

Watching him move in and out of the enemy lines, he cleared out the remaining Ashen warriors.

As for the Ashen grunts,

They had already been devoured by the Undead as the bone dragons and the Ashen Warlord were locked in combat.

The massacre quickly came to an end.

The Mark of the Undead began to emit a rain of ash, drifting through the air.

Under Matthew's command,

A large number of Undead creatures swiftly exited the Mark of the Undead.

During this process, Matthew also realized that Undead creatures were not exempt from the Mark of the Undead's harm. Many skeletons and zombies showed signs of limb fractures, turning into ashes.

The succubus, mummy, and the other two bone dragons fared better, but they were not completely unharmed.

Only Little Fei himself,

Apart from the hole in his chest caused by the Ashen Warlord's wolf-tooth club and the loss of numerous bones, seemed untouched by the Mark of the Undead's power.

Matthew glanced at the data panel.

"Perception: Your summoned entity Philorius has preliminarily mastered the Lord template's characteristic 'King's Aura,' which is sufficient to seal all elements on his body, ensuring no leakage under external force."

"This guy indeed has the 'King's Aura.'"

Looking at the hole in Little Fei's chest,

Matthew inwardly chuckled.

He had noticed it early on; Little Fei had stuck a bunch of useless bones to the outside to create an artificial "bone armor."

This thing was extremely fragile and would break upon impact, easily misleading enemies in battle.

For example, the Ashen Warlord just now.

He actually had a chance to withdraw from the fight temporarily, but after landing a hit, he believed he had seriously injured Little Fei and went all out.

In reality, only Matthew knew that Little Fei's core skeleton was inside!

As long as the core remained intact,

The outer bones were nothing but smokescreens!

"No wonder he gained so much weight since we last met; turns out, he fattened up a bit after becoming the leader."

"I wonder how many 'bone taxes' he collected from his subordinates to gather so many bones."

Matthew even suspected that this bone armor had a role in acting pitiful!

At this point,

The Undead army began to leave the Mark of the Undead one after another.

Only Little Fei remained inside.

Matthew saw him take a few steps further into the Mark when suddenly, he spread his bone wings and flapped vigorously.

With the help of Dragon Language Magic,

A small gust of wind blew.

This gust of wind lifted the ash on the Mark of the Undead's surface, carrying it toward the direction of the oak forest!

Matthew was initially puzzled.

But soon, he realized Little Fei's true intention!

The ash from the Mark of the Undead flew like snowflakes into the forest. Once absorbed into the earth, the entire oak forest seemed to come alive!

The oak trees collectively expressed their gratitude towards the source of the ashen wind, even though they quickly realized it was a bone dragon. The words of thanks continued to echo in the forest.

Matthew had only seen such a scene when he activated the Natural Domain, but now it happened outside the Domain. Not only he but others as well could hear the voices of the oak trees!

He couldn't help but activate Equilibrium Perception.

"Equilibrium Perception: You have realized that the ashes left behind after the death of Ashen creatures contain a significant amount of life elements! The ashen wind has injected a powerful life force into the oak forest and its soil (effect is approximately equivalent to 'Nature Rite: Sanctum of Life'). Your and your summoned entity Philorius's domain legend points +1 (Oak)."

So that's it.

At this moment, Matthew finally understood that it wasn't every part of the Ashen creatures that was harmful to the outside world!

Ashen warriors dropped soul crystals, and ordinary Ashen creatures released life energy.

Only the sparks generated when active Ashen creatures moved were carriers of the power of decay.

This discovery thrilled Matthew.

In his eyes,

The Mark of the Undead was becoming more and more valuable!

Matthew wanted to ask Little Fei how he knew about this particular trait, but considering the latter's poor communication skills, he decided to hold off for now.

After diligently completing the work of a humanoid air pump,

Little Fei strode confidently towards Matthew.

The Undead army followed suit.

They all lined up neatly behind Philorius, like a disciplined army.

This scene made the people around them nervous.

So, Matthew took the initiative and walked up to him.

After they met, Little Fei obediently prostrated himself on the ground, bowing his head as he had done when they first met.

Matthew reached out and patted his neck.

"Master, please don't leave me suddenly..."

A tentative voice came through the contract.

"That was a misunderstanding, and it shouldn't happen again in the future."

Matthew didn't elaborate further.

"That's good then!"

As this thought came through, Little Fei, who had been bowing his head to the ground, suddenly let out a sharp screech!

The two bone dragons immediately followed suit and prostrated themselves on the ground.

All the other units of the Undead Legion also knelt down.

Skeletons kneeled, zombies sat down, and succubus sat cross-legged.

Only the mummy had no choice but to lie flat on the ground with his head and chest against the ground.

All the Undead creatures knelt before Matthew.

The scene was genuinely breathtaking to the onlookers.

"Lord Reiga, is he the death mage with the Bone Dragon you mentioned?"

Asmar couldn't help but ask quietly.

Reiga, who had seen many grand scenes, looked nonchalant and replied:

"Yes, I said he had one; I didn't say he had only one!"

Asmar was speechless:

"That's not the point; the key is that he is a Bone Dragon King!"

"Do you understand what an Undead King means for the material world?"

Reiga gave him a glance:

"Forgot."

Asmar was about to retort.

The next second, a complete transformation occurred.

The group observed as the Bone Dragon suddenly opened its mouth—

Crash! More than thirty high-purity soul crystals slipped out.

"These are the spoils from earlier, master, please accept them!"

This time, Philorius actually spoke in the common language! Everyone present could understand him clearly.

Matthew stared at the pile of soul crystals in surprise. He had noticed them among the slain Ashen warriors but didn't want to ask Philorius for them. Yet, Philorius had volunteered to turn them in!

After a moment of thought, Matthew said, "How about you take half of them?"

Philorius adamantly refused, "I am your most humble servant, and even I belong to you. There's no reason for a servant to take their master's spoils. Please accept them."

Matthew was amazed at how Philorius was becoming increasingly fluent in the common language and deeply touched by his unwavering loyalty.

After those words, Matthew could feel the added reverence in the gazes of those around him.

The next moment, Philorius politely bid farewell to Matthew, leading his vast undead army to leave through the negative energy portal.

As the last undead disappeared into the vortex of negative energy, a new notification appeared before Matthew.

"Notification: Philorius has activated the ability 'Flattery.'"

"You've gained 34 soul crystals!"

"Undead Contract: Your summoned entity, Philorius, voluntarily led his undead army into battle, showing remarkable courage. They made an indelible contribution to annihilating the Ashen Legion. In the process of this battle, his undead army incurred some losses, and he himself sustained heavy injuries."

This news was far from ideal for Matthew, who would soon face challenges from several neighboring undead lords upon returning to the negative energy plane.

Because of this, Philorius sincerely implored for rewards on behalf of his undead underlings.

"Fifteen soul crystals, will you pay?"

"Notification: Philorius has activated the ability 'Pitiful Appeal.'"

Matthew mused, "So, he's been waiting for this!"

"He first flatters me in front of others, then turns around to ask for payment on behalf of his subordinates, aiming for exactly half of what I mentioned earlier. He's become quite skilled at social interactions, thanks to his extended time in the negative energy plane!"

Matthew was relieved that Philorius was asking for rewards after the fact.

Once he had paid the requested amount, Matthew hurried to check the condition of the experimental field. Luckily, the Death Wasteland had not suffered any damage, but the Nexus Stone, which served as the connection to the negative energy plane, had been severely drained and would likely only last a few more days.

This situation was normal since maintaining a plane connection was never simple. A single Nexus Stone cost over 300 gold coins, and Matthew had received 19 soul crystals, making it a profitable venture.

While the ritual was still operational, Matthew meticulously documented important details and key points to present to the Alliance when applying for research projects.

All in all, the ritual was a resounding success. Matthew had made substantial progress in validating the feasibility of using the Death Wasteland to suppress the Death Mark's expansion. He had also uncovered the secrets of the "Ashen" and "Sparks" from Philorius.

He spent another night preparing these findings and arranging them into a well-structured research proposal, using templates.

The next day, he officially submitted an application to the Alliance through A1 for the Delay of the Death Mark Expansion project. He also handed over the crystal ball from the ritual to the Black Room, for Isabelle's reference.

After another day, he received the news that the application had been approved, and the project was a go! He headed to the Crucible, collecting the first installment of project funding from David.

Though it was just the initial disbursement, it amounted to a substantial 3,000 gold coins. According to David, the total budget for the project would hover around 30,000 gold coins. Matthew could apply for additional funding as needed.

His only duty during the project was to recruit as many apprentices as possible and ensure their safety during the ritual. David had given him guidance:

"Not every apprentice will become a valuable mage for the Alliance, but the Alliance needs to nurture more talents through a large population. Recruiting apprentices doesn't harm you. Your primary responsibility is to ensure their basic safety during the ritual. The rest, treat them like undead if you need to."

"If you recruit a sufficient number of apprentices, you might even receive additional knowledge points at the project's end. Of course, I don't advise recruiting indiscriminately; after all, too many could cause trouble. Few necromancers are available within the Alliance, and apprentices even scarcer. If you specify the criteria for recruitment, it can help filter candidates more efficiently."

"Should you allow me, I can handle most of the preliminary work, such as material procurement and the initial list of apprentices. You will have the final say during the interviews."

Matthew had grown used to David's attentiveness. He couldn't help but acknowledge the scarcity of A1 within the Alliance. With less than ten of them in the southern region, his promotion to A1 was a notable achievement. The motives behind Eckmonde's exaggerated promotion of him remained unclear, but until Ronan's return, Matthew had to focus on the work at hand.

In the end, Matthew handed most of the initial preparations over to David. He only passed a small note to David, instructing him to add the name on the note to the initial list of apprentices.

Matthew had no intention of using that name to exploit Leslie, but her boldness and courage had impressed him. Since he needed to recruit apprentices to complete the ritual, he decided to give her a chance.

He was curious about her proficiency in necromancy, though.

Over the following days, Matthew spent the majority of his time in the Oak Forest. Occasionally, he checked on the project's preparations at the Crucible. In addition to cultivating his saplings, he also devoted time to learning new spells.

The two third-level spells, "Dissociation" and "Eisadro's Claw," were of particular interest.

Perhaps due to the connection to the Transformation domain, Matthew found learning Dissociation to be challenging. He admitted his lack of talent in this field. Without Reiga's divine help, he would likely be tormented by malicious transformation spells.

Dissociation was a controversial spell. Both Enchantment and Transformation mages claimed ownership of it. The former believed that Dissociation operated by manipulating energy transformations in a spell-like fashion, causing non-living objects to disintegrate into dust.

This perspective leaned toward enchantment.

On the other hand, Transformation mages believed that the real principle behind Dissociation was to transform non-living objects into dust by touching them with magical energy.

This approach favored transformation.

What was clever was that no matter the approach—starting from the enchantment theory or the transformation theory—mages had the capability to learn Dissociation. As a result, it had become a sought-after magical skill for intermediate and junior mages.

Since mages believed that true combat lay not only in magical power but in the endless variety of items and equipment, Dissociation, a spell that disintegrated equipment and damaged items, served to even the playing field between mages.

Matthew had chosen to learn Dissociation due to its inclusion in the combat magic curriculum he had signed up for. He had decided to get a head start.

However, he was not naturally gifted in this area, and he still struggled to reach the first step—turning a magnet into a pile of dust. On some occasions, he accidentally turned magnets into goats, which nearly got him into trouble.

After narrowly escaping from some hair-raising situations, Matthew increased his nighttime coffee consumption.

Eisadro's Claw, on the other hand, was a necromantic spell that Matthew learned with ease. In just two days, he had mastered it. The spell allowed him to control a four-clawed tentacle infused with negative energy. Whenever it came into proximity with a living creature, it inflicted various adverse effects due to the negative energy. Simultaneously, it could perform physical attacks, including grabbing, body-slamming, or throwing targets.

In essence, Eisadro's Claw was the magical version of the Pale Hand. The main advantage it had over the Pale Hand was its extended reach of up to 32 meters, while most spellcasting ranges fell between 20 to 28 meters.

Matthew's attraction to Eisadro's Claw lay in its extended reach. Additionally, it offered more reliable effects compared to the Pale Hand, although it lacked the instant-death aspect. Instead, it burdened the target with negative effects, compensating for the missing fatality aspect.

The downside was that spells or abilities from the same domain could not be combined. Otherwise, Matthew would have been curious to see what kind of powerful abilities Eisadro's Claw and the Pale Hand could create together.

Time passed quickly, with Matthew dividing most of his time between tending to the saplings in the Oak Forest and studying new spells.

On this particular night, he led Renaismae into the small cabin, ready for their weekly strengthening ritual. Though he had planted fewer trees this week, only eleven, he believed they still had a chance to yield purple or golden saplings.

Matthew sat at the edge of the bed, prepared to commence the ritual with Renaismae. Just as he was about to raise his hand to begin, he noticed a lone figure outside the window.

Curious, he focused his gaze on the figure, only to find that it was Adele, perched at the window, silently observing him and Renaismae.

There was a hint of melancholy in her soul flames.

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