Chapter 1: Outstanding Citizen Matthew and the Bloody Necromancer
..
Gold Digger Basin.
Rolling Stone Town.
Spring.
A Robin with blue-feathered back and yellow-feathered chest flapped its wings and flew up from the lawn in front of the City Hall.
Over a few chimneys and red brick roofs.
It landed deftly on an oak tree surrounded by many red and yellow walls.
There were insects crawling on the branches directly below.
The Robin was about to pounce.
But suddenly.A roar came from the translucent glass window behind it.
Bugs quickly shook off the branches.
The birds also flew away in a panic.
All that remained were the five well-dressed humans behind the glass window on the second floor who were still arguing.
..
"I disagree!"
The plump middle-aged woman, Liz, slapped away the wooden board in front of her that had the words " Outstanding Citizen Selection " engraved on it. Then, she turned to the bald man on the left.
"Howard is a complete hooligan and scum!
"Not only does he like to hook up with married women.
"He even likes to seduce married men!
"He always took advantage of the time when women went shopping to look for their men.
"I've seen it with my own eyes dozens of times!
"Dozens of times!"
The more Liz spoke, the more excited she became. Her saliva sprayed onto half the table.
The four men couldn't help but shrink back.
"Calm down, Liz..."
The bald man comforted her, "This is just a nomination."
Liz's attitude was unusually firm. "He can't even get nominated! Howard is terrible!"
As she spoke, her slender eyes looked around and suddenly seemed to have discovered something.
"Could it be that one of you has been hooked up with him?"
The four men trembled and denied in unison, "No!"
The bald man tore the recommendation letter in his hand into pieces.
"The committee unanimously rejected Howard Roze's nomination!"
Anyone who had worked in City Hall for more than a week knew how scary Liz's mouth was.
She was the walking gossip board.
If one were unlucky enough to make it into her gossip knowledge, then the whole town would know about this rumor tomorrow morning.
Everyone present was a respectable person. They could not afford to be slandered.
..
"Then, the last candidate to be nominated is Mr. Matthew from the mage district.
"He had just lived in Rolling Stone Town for two and a half years, and he met the criteria for an outstanding citizen.
"His day job was as a history teacher at Seaver Public School, and the students all liked him.
"He also had a part-time job at the Public Security Bureau, and Captain Blake had a high opinion of him.
"According to the person who recommended him, Mr. Matthew is kind, warm, and generous. He doesn't have many friends in Rolling Stone Town and is always alone. The reason for this is that he's too busy to make friends…"
The bald man didn't finish his sentence.
A gentleman on Liz's left raised an objection. " Mr. Chairman, a recluse does not meet the criteria for an outstanding citizen."
The bald man nodded slightly.
"Don't worry, Richard.
According to the reference, Mr. Matthew had planted nearly 1000 oak trees in Rolling Stone Town in two and a half years, which had greatly greened the town's environment. The oak tree outside the window and the three trees in front of the City Hall were all thanks to Mr. Matthew.
"In addition, Captain Blake of the Public Security Bureau had given a statement.
"The person of reference felt that Mr. Matthew had made an indelible contribution to the public security and environment of Rolling Stone Town and deserved to receive this year's outstanding citizen award."
Everyone listened.
They couldn't help but glance outside the glass window.
"Was this tree planted two years ago? Why do I feel that it has always been there…"
Richard, who was dressed like a gentleman, muttered.
"It seems to be. I have an impression of it…Matthew was a tall, thin, handsome, and shy young man."
Liz looked nostalgic.
"This is indeed an outstanding contribution."
Another man reminded them, "But the most important criteria for the selection is whether they can get along with other citizens."
The bald man nodded.
" It's usually so, but the owner of this recommendation letter doesn't seem to write anonymous letters often. She accidentally added her own name at the end..."
Richard clapped his hands hard.
"The recommendation violated the rules! We will directly reject this! Alright, Rolling Stone Town still didn't have any outstanding citizens who could be nominated this year, just like the past three years!"
The rest of the people either shrugged or spread their hands, tacitly agreeing to this outcome.
But at this moment, the bald man said, "It was signed by Sif Suki.
Suki.
It was the surname of the Lord of Rolling Stone Town.
Sif Suki was the only daughter of the Lord of Rolling Stone Town.
The room was silent for two to three seconds.
Even the most picky Liz raised her hands.
"Let's skip the nomination round. I support Matthew to become an outstanding citizen."
The others all agreed.
However, before the bald man could finish his sentence.
He slowly pulled out an old paper from the bottom of the pile of documents.
" There's one last question. This is the registration form that Matthew handed to the municipal government two years ago. It clearly states his origin and profession as an adventurer…
"I wonder if he wrote it wrong.
"According to my observations.
"What he had done in Rolling Stone Town over the years had nothing to do with his profession and even contradicted it.
"However, if what was registered on this piece of paper was true.
"I'm afraid he'll miss out on our generous reward for being an outstanding citizen."
"What profession? Isn't he just an ordinary mage?"
Everyone curiously went over to take a look.
The first thing they saw was a sketch of a smiling face.