Chapter 1134: The Children and the Plant
Asad’s deathly aura filled the room at first, and the three children shrank back into the corner of the cage.
Though he wasn’t ugly, his presence carried the sense of death itself, and to them it was terrifying.
"Ahhh... Sorry about that..."
He realized this immediately. With a deep breath, he suppressed the aura, letting the oppressive energy fade away.
Soon, he appeared normal again.
"Easy," he said softly as he waved his hands to the three... "I’m not here to hurt you. I’m Asad, and I’m a righteous Necromancer. Don’t be afraid."
Of course, the three didn’t believe that just because he said it.
In any case, Asad noticed that the lock was crude, nothing more than iron bars and a chain.
There was no special item or magic attached to it since they were just children...
So with a flick of his hand, Asad shattered it.
The cage door creaked open, and he gestured for them to escape...
However, the children didn’t move. They actually still looked scared, and their bodies were trembling.
"Ooops... Wait."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out blankets.
"Here," he said, draping them gently over the three small figures. They were actually naked, and they’re definitely cold since their skin was pale after not being taken care of.
After that, he searched his Inventory once again, and this time, he gave each of them a chocolate bar and a bottle of water. "Eat... drink... You’re safe now."
The children hesitated only for a moment. After sensing that Asad’s behavior was different from the others, they then tore into the food with desperation. Tears streamed down their faces as they whispered thanks.
Two boys and one girl... All of them were far too young to be caught in this nightmare.
After a few moments, Asad knew that it was time to gather some information.
Asad crouched down, meeting their eyes. "Where are you from?"
The eldest boy sniffled. "We... we were from Blue Bubble Shelter."
Asad’s brows furrowed. Blue Bubble Shelter was supposed to be a safe haven. He was just there, and he didn’t hear anything about children being kidnapped.
There were no missions as well asking to search for them...
He couldn’t help but feel curious about this.
"Were you captured? What happened?"
The girl shook her head. This time, she knew that Asad was indeed not one of them.
Her voice was trembling as she replied. "No... we were sold. Our parents... they sold us to these bad people."
"W-what?"
The words hit him like a hammer. He had planned to return them home, but now he clenched his fist.
There was no way he’d be able to send them back. They’ll just be sold once again and suffer the same fate.
"Sold... by your own parents." He muttered softly.
He couldn’t imagine that a parent would do something like that. "Haa~ Then there’s no going back."
The children cried harder, but Asad’s tone softened.
"Listen. You’re not going back there. Not ever. If you want, you can come with me."
The three didn’t hesitate. "
Yes," they said together. They were given a blanket for warmth, even food and water... There was no way they’d not follow this guy.
Asad nodded. "Then I’ll do my best to protect you. But don’t be scared of my summoned creatures, okay?"
"O-okay!"
"Those skeletons and ghosts? They’re your summons?"
"Whoa... Are you the Master of Death?"
Asad chuckled after hearing that title and nodded.
Soon, his eyes swept the ruined fortress.
Through his telepathic link, he gave orders to his Skeleton Kings and Wraith Queen.
’Collect everything of value. Weapons, stones, herbs, food, anything useful. Leave nothing behind.’
The undead moved like shadows, scouring the shelter.
Chests were pried open, storerooms emptied, laboratories stripped bare. Asad himself searched deeper, finding evidence of Phoenix Phalanx’s atrocities....
In one chamber, he discovered rows of cages like the one the children had been locked in... all empty now. However, the stench of rot lingered. He realized the others had already been used.
"What the hell happened here?" Asad muttered as he saw everything happening through his shared vision with the wraiths and skeletons.
The girl heard him and whispered, "Our friends... they became fertilizer."
Asad froze. "Fertilizer?"
The boy nodded... "They buried them under the fields. The plants... they grew through them."
Asad’s fist clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. He saw that filled and he didn’t expect that those corpses were just called fertilizer...
"Phoenix Phalanx..." He muttered. "You’ve crossed a line. From now on, you’re kill‑on‑sight."
Soon, with the investigation of the Wraith Queen, he also learned more about the plants. She actually recognized them...
After that, Asad sent a private message to Jillian through the System’s chat.
[ Asad: Jillian, are you in the Eclipse Domain? Ask Anna if she needs Corpse Flowers. I’m not sure if I should destroy them or not. ]
According to the Wraith Queen, they weren’t ordinary crops. Most of these Corpse Flower plants are still in their early stages, but their roots were fused with corpses, feeding on death. Perhaps within 10 days or so, he’d be able to see the flowers, and those flowers were incredibly useful for Dark Alchemist, according to the Wraith Queen.
Still, there were a few dozen of them that could also be harvested... As a matter of fact, the Skeletons found a few that were already stored carefully in boxes.
Jillian, on the other hand, immediately went to visit the Laboratory and asked Anna.
Soon, she sent a reply.
[ Jillian: Yes. Anna says she could use them. ]
Asad exhaled. "Alright... Then at least this horror will serve a purpose."
He ordered his undead to harvest the blooming flowers carefully, storing them in his inventory. As for the rest, he’d probably take them later once their flower bloomed.
In any case, the Corpse Flowers would be delivered to Anna later, but for now, his focus was on the children...
He had to take care of them until he could bring them safely to Eclipse Domain, or perhaps Springriver Manor, since he had heard that many children had recently gathered there.