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Chapter 4: A Gift from Nature
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[You have used your ability, Insight.]
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Judging from its size and design, it originally belonged to a woman or a short man.
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The bloodstains on the clothes had dried up a long time ago.
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Nearby, a string of messy footprints leads to a cave. The footprints are deep and big, definitely not a kobold or a gnoll. A footprint left by a human, a bear gnome, or a half-orc...]
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He noted down this information.
Matthew meticulously put on his gloves and took away the bloody clothes.
Then, he prepared to leave.
The terrain of the underground cave was extremely complicated, and it was not something that a small necromancer like him could explore alone.
Although the bone dragon was fierce.
However, its size was not suitable for the cave.
The passage in front of Matthew could barely accommodate two people.
Phily definitely wouldn't be able to get through.
Furthermore, it was obvious that this had happened a few days ago.
Matthew thought that handing Blood Robes over to the security office was the best choice. The Suki Family was one of the few nobles who placed great importance on the security of their territory. This was a well-known fact among the human kingdoms.
If someone had really gone missing recently, the Public Security Bureau would not sit idly by.
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They left the cave.
Matthew quickly returned to the city.
Along the way.
He realized that the main mission had changed.
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[Main Mission: Plant Trees]
[Progress: Beginner goal achieved]
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[Follow-up Mission 1: Keep up the good work!]
[Description: Please continue to expand the oak forest in Rolling Stone Town. Target 3000 trees!]
[Reward: 10XP per 1 surviving oak tree]
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[Follow-up Mission 2: Maintenance is Important Too!]
[Description: A new forest is easily destroyed by an accident. Please protect your forest well.]
[Reward: Different rewards for each successful protection event]
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10 experience points for every oak tree?
Matthew's eyes lit up.
Wasn't this more exciting than fighting and killing?
There was no risk in planting trees!
As for protection…
Matthew didn't care too much.
Ever since the kobolds disappeared, the security of Rolling Stone Town had been very good.
The bloody clothes in the karst cave should be an accident, probably related to those restless adventurers.
"My oak forest is planted on private land. No one would dare to secretly cut down trees, right?"
Matthew thought.
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Other than the two follow-up missions.
Matthew didn't know when, but a symbol similar to Taiji had appeared at the bottom of the mission bar.
The symbol was divided into left and right, and the shape of both sides was exactly the same. They were both similar to transparent three-dimensional commas.
The difference was the color of the light spots surging inside.
The left side was gray, and there was only a trace of it at the bottom.
On the right side was green, and a large number of light spots were rolling inside. They had already accumulated to about half.
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What was this?
Matthew stared at it for a while.
He found that the green light spots were slowly increasing. Especially when he passed by the oak forest, the speed of the light spots increasing seemed to be faster!
The gray dot on the left was not moving at all.
There was no note on the mission panel.
However, he guessed that it might be related to the Necromancer and Druid classes.
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"What happens when the light spots are full?"
"Are there so many green spots because I planted so many trees?"
"If I summon a few more undead or use negative energy spells, will I be able to increase the number of gray spots?"
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Along the way.
Matthew studied it with great interest.
However, when he was about to reach the town.
The appearance of an uninvited guest interrupted his thoughts.
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"Hehe!"
The laughter of a human girl sounded.
Matthew's eyes lit up with a faint white light.
He steadied himself.
A thumb-sized elf with wings on her back flew out of the white light.
She enthusiastically flew around Matthew three times, then shook the mini flower basket in her hand.
A large handful of fresh fruits fell into Matthew's arms.
Then, a white light flashed.
The other party disappeared without a trace.
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[Your ability 'Gift of Nature' is in effect.]
You have obtained a large bunch of raspberries!
[Raspberry: A sweet, crispy, and nutritious fruit with the blessing of fairies. After consumption, it can increase a little energy and has a slight purifying effect.]
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"My luck today is pretty good."
When he saw the object in his arms, Matthew's slightly nervous expression temporarily relaxed.
That was an oak tree fairy.
They were the companions of the oak forest.
The fairies appeared when the oak forest reached five hundred trees.
In order to express their gratitude and love for Matthew, they would send things over every few days.
Most of the fruits gifted by the oak fairies were of extraordinary quality, but the problem was that these little fairies were mischievous by nature, and pranks were almost engraved in their blood.
The last time she sent something to Matthew, he was still in class.
In the end, in front of more than ten children.
A naughty oak fairy threw him a few pieces of women's underwear!!
Matthew almost couldn't explain himself.
He couldn't possibly tell his students that this was a 'gift from nature', right?
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Fortunately, most of the time, the fairies still abided by their duties.
Matthew did not argue with them.
Chewing on the sweet raspberries, he quickened his pace.
At the intersection two blocks away from the security office.
He bumped into an anxious Blake.
It was a burly, bearded young man.
"Matthew, I was just about to look for you!"
Blake was delighted to see Matthew.
Matthew's heart skipped a beat.
"Did something happen?"
Blake nodded quickly.
"The farmers in the east found a merchant who was intercepted and killed on the road. His body has just been sent to the town. I need your help."
Matthew said without hesitation, "Let's go."
The two of them rushed in the direction of the security office.
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Blake was the garrison captain of the Public Security Bureau.
He was also one of the few people in Rolling Stone Town who knew Matthew's profession.
In order to save money for the planting business, Matthew not only applied for a job as a history teacher at Seaver Public School but also part-time as a corpse consultant at the Public Security Bureau.
As everyone knew, the Call of the Dead was the most basic necromancy spell. It could capture the souls of the recently deceased for interrogation.
With Matthew's support, the security bureau's case-solving rate skyrocketed.
Time passed.
The residents of the territory knew that Blake from the security office was a god when it came to solving cases, so they rarely caused trouble.
It could be seen that Matthew had played a big role in the public security of Rolling Stone Town.
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A moment later.
In the morgue of the Public Security Bureau.
In front of Matthew stood a ghost with a reserved and blank expression.
"Who killed you?"
Blake asked skillfully.
The ghost pondered.
"It's a man with disheveled hair. He's very, very tall…"
Blake frowned.
"Why did he want to kill you?"
The ghost shook his head.
"I don't know either. That day I came back from Jiliu city to buy goods. Because I drank some wine, I went the wrong way. When I woke up, I was already near the ghost castle. I saw a group of people singing and dancing there. There were also many ghosts flying above their heads.
"It was a terrible scene, those ghosts!"
As he spoke, his entire body began to tremble.
He could not even maintain his spirit body form.
Matthew hurriedly interrupted and reminded, "Don't be afraid. You're also a ghost now."
The ghost said woodenly, "Oh..."
"Do you remember anything else? Is there any information that you can provide us?" Blake seized the opportunity to ask.
The ghost shook his head.
" I don't know either. That day, I came back from Jiliu City with some goods… It was a terrible scene, those ghosts!"
Blake and Matthew looked at each other helplessly.
Ghosts were like this. Most of them only had a small amount of memories from when they were alive, and most of them were memories with strong emotions.
Other than these.
No matter what question you asked him, he would only repeat some memory fragments. This was also the limitation of the Call of the Dead.
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Blake tried to ask another question.
After confirming that there was no way to pry more useful information from the ghost's mouth, he sighed.
He signaled Matthew to remove the spell with his eyes.
Before Matthew could do anything, the ghost actually looked over.
"Wait, am I really dead?"
Blake said sympathetically, "I'm very sorry."
The ghost sighed and said, "What a pity…After I die, my wife will definitely take the family property and take the child to find another merchant to marry. I'm afraid she won't carefully choose a suitable burial place for me."
Blake did not know how to answer for a moment.
"Can you bury my body in the oak forest north of town? There was no need for a coffin. You could just bury me. I quite like oak trees. The last time I passed by, I seemed to have heard little girls chattering and quarreling. According to my grandmother, I believes I bumped into a flower fairy…
"This is my only wish."
As he spoke.
His spirit body gradually faded away.
Before Blake could speak, Matthew agreed.
"Sure."
"Thank you!"
The ghost disappeared.
Blake looked at Matthew hesitantly.
Matthew spread his hands and thought, 'Master Ronan won't mind.'
Blake touched his head.
"Alright, alright, do as you please. It's your forest anyway. However, this corpse will only be handed over to you tomorrow. There are still some necessary inspections and procedures tonight."
Matthew nodded.
He took the opportunity to tell Blake about his discovery in the underground cave.
Blake's expression was abnormally serious after hearing this.
"I understand. I'll arrange for someone to ask around. You have to be careful too, Matthew. Don't wander outside the town alone in the future. I've been feeling a little uneasy recently.
"Oh right, remember to collect this month's allowance. I've applied for double for you."
Matthew narrowed his eyes. "That's what I like to hear."
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Tonight's main dish was matsutake pilaf.
The side dishes were cabbage egg soup and a few slices of bacon.
The taste was amazing.
Matthew licked the bottom of the bowl clean.
Finally.
He could not help but praise, "Peggy, your cooking is amazing! Even among the living, you are second to none! As the saying goes in my hometown, the person who marries you is blessed."
The Tauren Skeleton was a little embarrassed by the praise.
"No. I do this everything.
"Besides, I'm already dead, so I can't get married."
After a while.
She saw that Matthew was still immersed in the delicious food.
Therefore, she gathered her courage and asked, "Matthew, look at how well I've done. Are you going to give me a raise?"
Matthew skillfully wiped his mouth and stood up.
"Next time."
His figure quickly disappeared into the basement passage.
"Damn necromancers!"
The Minotaur skeleton roared.
Matthew pretended not to hear it.
He went to the basement and did not start his daily meditation. Instead, he took out a crystal ball that was about to turn gray from the cupboard in the room next to him.
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Blood Robes in the karst cave.
The merchant was intercepted and killed.
According to the ghost's description, there was an abnormal group of people wandering around the ghost castle.
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Just like Blake.
Matthew also felt a little uneasy.
So tonight.
He planned to perform divination!
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