This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 121 (Patreon)

"Leslie, eavesdropping isn't a good habit!" Matthew furrowed his brow.

"Sorry, Lord Matthew, I just wanted to find Paraya," Leslie responded quickly, sticking out her tongue with a pitiful expression.

Fortunately, Matthew didn't dwell on it, simply striding away.

Moments later, Leslie entered the cottage to find Paraya sitting well-dressed on the bed, playing with some pricey cosmetics.

Seeing Leslie, Paraya complained, "Lord Matthew is coming, and you didn't even give me a heads-up! I haven't had time to do my makeup properly."

Leslie grinned mischievously, playfully roughhousing with her friend before asking, "Did he do anything to you?"

Perplexed, Paraya replied, "He just asked me to make the bread a bit more unpalatable."

Leslie nodded thoughtfully. "Any thoughts?"

"Do tell me!" Paraya nudged, knowing her friend’s mind was sharper.

"Unless you let me have a blast," Leslie teased.

"Was there a day I didn't let you?" Paraya said in mock annoyance before bursting into laughter, both girls playfully wrestling on the bed.

The following evening, after a day's work, the apprentices returned from the wasteland, each using 'Dustless Cleanse.'

With a flash of bright light, they transformed from disheveled to spick and span, radiant with energy. Some apprentices even downed energy elixirs to replenish their spent stamina.

Silently observing, Leslie watched one apprentice complain to Paraya, "The bread you made today was terrible!"

Before Paraya could respond, Leslie intervened, declaring, "Like it or leave it!"

Baffled, Paraya couldn't grasp her friend's assertiveness, but she knew, more often than not, following Leslie was a safe bet.

So she echoed firmly, "Like it or leave it!"

The apprentice, seemingly wary of Leslie's assistant role, merely grunted, "Whatever, we've got the food cart at Rolling Stone Town!"

As they spoke, a bustling figure appeared from the oak forest.

The food cart had arrived.

Leading the charge was none other than Leslie, followed closely by Paraya.

As the cart settled, everyone lined up. Naturally, Leslie was first in line, inquiring, "Give me one. How much?"

The bovine skeleton manning the cart genially replied, "Three gold coins."

Shaking her head, Leslie countered, "Too cheap. I'll give you five gold coins. If you bring me some fruit tomorrow, any fruit, I'll throw in an extra three gold coins."

With that, she grabbed a portion of food, dropped five coins, and swiftly departed.

Paraya watched this scene in bewilderment, unable to fathom Leslie's intentions. But having survived in the Mage Academy, she had her own survival smarts.

"I'll give you five gold coins, bring me fruit tomorrow, and I'll give you three more," Paraya boldly declared to Peggy, then walked off with her share of food.

The onlookers were taken aback. Who bargains and hikes prices with the seller? Yet, in no time, they figured it out.

These were mage apprentices, sharp-minded and versed in social dynamics. After the third in line, Lolan, caught on, he promptly followed suit: "I'll also give five gold coins, for fruit just like those two ladies!"

The rest became more extravagant.

"I'll offer six gold. I don't necessarily need fruit, milk is fine."

"I'll give ten gold, no need for fruit. Here's an extra five as your trouble fee, kindly convey my gratitude to Lord Matthew."

"Do you have more? I'll buy everything!"

"Do you sell the ornaments by the cart? What about the horn on your head? I thought it was an ornament too. Is your necklace for sale? I'm willing to pay a high price."

Within fifteen minutes, the cart was emptied.

Leaving Peggy and the bare cart.

At that moment, an apprentice in dire need rushed over, dismayed at the sight. "Excuse me, is the cart for sale?"

...

Later that night, Peggy shared the incident with Matthew, displaying the day's earnings.

"Matthew, you've finally found a proper job!"

"Do you know how rich those apprentices are? Damn it, were you so broke during your apprenticeship?"

"Are you pretending to be poor? Do you have a secret stash outside?"

Peggy hollered while clutching the pile of gold coins.

Matthew, somewhat exasperated, explained, "They are proper mage-born. My type of wild mage can't compete with them."

He also appeared surprised. "These folks are wealthier than I imagined. True mage lords!"

Upon reflection, it made sense. Even Sophia had 1500 gold pocket money, not being a mage herself, and Rolling Stone Town not the wealthiest territory.

Those admitted to the Mage Academy were either well-off or noble. They might seem ordinary among apprentices, but outside, they could be a lord’s child or a wealthy tycoon’s offspring.

Their magical talent might not be supreme, but they were astute individuals, capable of earning favor with just a few coins. "I'll refund the surplus tomorrow."

Matthew grimaced, "Once the standards are set, I can't overcharge. My mistake; my vision was too narrow, poverty confined my perspective."

Slightly opposed, Peggy exclaimed, "Finally, stable income! How can you give it back?"

Matthew shook his head. "It's a matter of principle. Rest assured, next time, I’ll set the prices higher and knock these mage lords hard!"

Reluctantly, Peggy separated the extra coins.

In the following days, life for the apprentices at the Mushroom Camp settled into a routine.

Dig during the day, read at night, occasionally watch Matthew plant trees; life was remarkably peaceful.

Only four necromancy apprentices were directly involved in the ‘Death’s Scour’ ritual.

The trace of the deceased extended over 80 kilometers within Rolling Stone Town.

Covering it entirely with the ritual was impractical.

Matthew’s plan involved creating a flexible protective zone in the northeast wasteland. The advantage of this design lay in its adaptability to potential changes in the deceased’s traces.

This deathly earth-based protective umbrella spanned about 20 kilometers and had a width of 10 meters.

About ten formal ‘Death’s Scour’ rituals were needed to cover this vast area, an achievable task for Matthew.

However, beyond the verification of feasibility, the key lay in cost control and efficient implementation.

The primary expense was the 'Heart of the Boundary Stone', used to communicate with the negative energy plane, averaging around 350 gold coins each. Ten of them summed to 3500 gold coins.

Including various other expenses, the total wouldn't exceed 5000 gold coins.

This single effort earned Matthew 25,000 gold coins. To the former Matthew, this sum would have been satisfying, but having observed the corruption within the Alliance and the luxurious conditions of the apprentices, he questioned if his project was the least profitable.

Despite the substantial sum, the road of a mage was an endless pit; the Cauldron House held countless valuable equipment that could bankrupt him in an instant.

"It seems I must engage with other senior mages and learn from them."

Thus, Matthew planned inwardly.

In terms of efficiency, he trained four apprentices, who, having completed the initial explanations and demonstrations, progressed rapidly.

Within ten days, they had prepared ten ‘Death’s Scour’ rituals.

On the eleventh night, Matthew summoned Raga and others as backup, igniting the deathly earth across 20 kilometers.

A vast amount of negative energy rapidly expanded, creating an unsettling rhythm in the environment. Yet it swiftly dissipated.

The whole process went smoothly.

At midnight, the protective umbrella was fully formed. Matthew, having surveyed from the sky as a raven, ensured that the path of the deceased's trace heading southwest was blocked. Only then did he land, content.

The ritual was complete.

Now, it was time to await the test of time. Considering that the remnants of the Gray Lord could still retaliate, Matthew remained vigilant.

He stayed near the deceased's trace day and night, departing only when planting trees. But even then, zombies and skeletons kept an eye out for him.

As for the mage apprentices, though the project was completed, Matthew extended their stay for an additional five days to meet the A1 project’s mandatory 15-day minimum duration. To prevent trouble due to inactivity, he assigned them miscellaneous tasks like enchanting daily items and copying books.

Mages had inexhaustible energy, and if not engaged, these 15 days could be grueling.

The days flowed by, and soon Renaismae reached her 'graduation ceremony,' which was her final empowerment.

Thanks to the apprentices' assistance in digging, Matthew's efficiency improved significantly. They dug much better holes than the zombies.

Matthew could hardly imagine the crazy ideas. There was an apprentice named Lamberd who dug each hole in the shape of a heart.

For this, Matthew gave Leslie a severe reprimand.

Leslie spent the night in Lamberd’s mushroom cottage.

Afterward, no one dared to be clever with hole shapes.

In the end, during this period, Matthew planted a total of 759 trees, earning 15 enhancement opportunities. The size of the North-South Oak Forest also reached 2203 trees, approaching the 3000 needed for the side quest.

After the 15 enhancements, Renaismae's level surged to LV17, becoming Matthew's first tier-five undead!

Next were twelve keywords.

Unfortunately, most of these keywords were unremarkable, but they were practical.

...

As the protagonist gazed at the blue and white keywords, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. The skills, such as "Enhanced Marksmanship," "Quick Draw Bow," and "Large Vessel Maneuvering," were perfect for life on the high seas. The remaining two purple and two gray keywords also had their unique quirks.

"Scatter Shot (Purple): Consuming a portion of virtual stamina, Renaismae fires a rain of arrows at the target area, temporarily creating long-range firepower coverage. Note: Better results when used in conjunction with special arrows like 'Rockets' or 'Ice Arrows.'"

"Invisibility (Purple): Renaismae can forcefully immerse herself into water elements, including springs, lakes, rivers, seas, or even a deep enough puddle, with the possibility of concealing herself, although her body's outline might be visible. Duration: 60~180 seconds, depending on the water body. Usable twice per day."

"Booger Lover (Gray): Renaismae loves picking her nose and occasionally tasting it."

"Gray Fingernail (Gray): Renaismae wasn't big on hygiene in her previous life, and her fingernails had been infected with some fungus, giving them an overall grayish-black appearance. After becoming an undead, the negative energy effectively concealed the condition, but this fungus could still potentially infect humans."

With skills like Scatter Shot and Invisibility, one for offense and the other for defense, Renaismae could maximize her potential as a Tier-5 archer. However, the last two keywords, Booger Lover and Gray Fingernail, seemed more like quirks than practical skills.

As Matthew looked at Renaismae, who had a fondness for picking her nose and peculiar fungal fingernails, he couldn't help but think back to the time when she was still among the living. She was adorably odd in her own way.

These five days passed quickly without any incidents. Matthew instructed Leslie to inform the apprentices that the project was completed. On the next morning, Matthew led the apprentices out of the Mushroom Camp towards the Crucible House. The apprentices already had their project completion certificates and personal recommendation letters, written by Matthew himself.

Additionally, for their efforts, Leslie, Peggy, and the Mushroom House builder each received 1.5 knowledge points, while the rest of the apprentices received one knowledge point.

One bold apprentice approached Matthew and asked, "Master Matthew, can I visit you in Rolling Stone Town in the future?"

Matthew chuckled and replied, "Of course, you're welcome to visit. However, I don't have any new projects for the short term. Unless you're willing to help me dig holes and plant trees."

The apprentice promised, "After I graduate and find a suitable Mage Tower, I'll definitely come back to visit you."

Matthew smiled, not taking the pledge too seriously.

Meanwhile, at the 14th-floor hall of the Crucible House, several senior mages from the Southern Academy were eagerly awaiting. David, the gnomish mechanic, served them tea and reassured them, "Don't worry, Master Dael, your students are on their way."

Dael, the former head of the Southern Academy, smiled and said, "I'm just doing my duty after all these years."

He then turned to the medical team and asked, "Are you prepared?"

One of the younger mages in the medical team coughed and said, "We're mostly prepared, but due to recent arrivals from Mr. Marcus's project, our supply of regrowth potions is low. If more than three students have serious injuries, we might have to buy more locally. However, prices at the Crucible House are rather steep. I recommend bringing the students back to the academy and waiting for our herbalists to brew a new batch."

Dael scolded, "Regrowth potions are such a commonly used item. Why don't we have an ample supply? What about the mental assessment spells? Are they ready? Last time, we had several students returning from Cannibal Island who appeared fine but were on the verge of a mental breakdown. If not for my timely intervention, the Southern Academy would have lost several key sponsors."

The younger mage nodded, "We're prepared for that, and we even have an abundance of sleeping draughts."

Dael frowned and warned, "Sleeping draughts for treating mental disorders? Are you serious about this? Have you forgotten the importance of your medical duties?"

The younger mage shrugged and said, "Young people are resilient. A few extra nights of sleep might cure them, right?"

Suddenly, the teleportation light flared, and more than twenty figures appeared in the hall. The cheerful expressions on the mages' faces turned into astonishment.

Dael's demeanor quickly shifted from shock to a warm smile as he realized who had just arrived. The rest of the academy staff and mages joined in showing their admiration.

Matthew couldn't help but ask, "Is it common for students to get injured when participating in advanced mage-led projects?"

Dael sighed and replied, "It's not common, it's practically guaranteed. Just yesterday, our academy received a group of students who had just returned from Mr. Marcus's project. Among them, several were missing limbs, and one unfortunate student had lost an entire... well, let's just say he had suffered a permanent loss. It seems that Mr. Marcus experimented with a new spell called the 'Circumcision Spell,' and the results were... unfortunate. The poor student had second thoughts, but Mr. Marcus insisted that he had already agreed to participate."

Matthew listened in shock. He'd never heard of such strange experiments before.

Dael continued, "The experiment ended in failure, but Mr. Marcus successfully played a cruel prank on the student, who lost more than just a bet. After strong protests from the academy, Mr. Marcus reluctantly agreed to award the student one knowledge point as compensation."

Matthew was left speechless.

Dael suddenly bowed deeply and said, "Mr. Matthew, I've been a headmaster for many years, but this is the first time I've seen a student return unharmed from an A1 project. You are a truly admirable mage!"

Other teachers followed suit, and the students, too, joined in.

Finally, they headed away to a more private location. Meanwhile, the academy staff gathered around Matthew and his apprentices for a quick medical check.

As Matthew watched his apprentices undergo various spells and examinations, he realized that he was the only one without any injuries.

The tip in his mind provided an update: "Miraculously returning unharmed with 22 apprentices after completing an A1 project, your reputation is spreading throughout the Southern Academy. Your regional legend score has increased by +1 (Southern Academy). With your increasing reputation, you'll earn the title known only among apprentice mages: 'Benevolent Matthew.'"

It was time for Matthew to reflect on his accomplishment.

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