All the Necromancer Wants is to Plant Trees

......

Nagas, a strange and evil humanoid species, dwell deep in the ocean. They possess the ability to walk on waves and have a strong territorial concept, often ruthlessly driving away or destroying passing human ships.

Matthew had heard about this species during a casual conversation with Archmage Ronan.

It was said that the appearance of the Nagas was related to a 'Twilight Creation' that was sealed by the Gods at the beginning of the Enlightenment Era.

This Twilight Creation harbored immense hatred for the Gods, and thus sought to undermine them.

He lured some humans to the sea and taught them a wicked cannibalistic ritual.

During the ritual, the humans who worshipped the Twilight Creation mixed themselves with a large number of snakes. The power of the ritual made the flesh and blood of humans and snakes indistinguishable. Amidst the painful excitement and incomprehensible murmurs, the first Nagas were born.

They were called 'Proto-Nagas'.

The Proto-Nagas received high praise from the Twilight Creation and inherited the most evil power from him.

Each Proto-Naga possessed the power of a lord.

Subsequently, under the command of the Twilight Creation, they went to different sea areas and established large snake tribes at the bottom of the sea.

However, the Nagas born later did not have the opportunity to receive the blessing of the Twilight Creation. Although they also possessed power and qualities far superior to humans, they were far inferior to the Proto-Nagas.

The Nagas born later were called 'Derived Nagas'.

Now, the Nagas that dominate many sea areas in Ainduo are mostly Derived Nagas.

Because the original intention of the Twilight Creation was to transform more humans into Nagas, the Nagas often leave their underwater tribes to plunder the population.

And because the Nagas are a matriarchal clan, over time, the saying "The Naga tribe likes to snatch men" has spread in the sea.

Of course, this is not a rumor.

Influenced by the Twilight Creation, the female ratio of the Naga tribe is unusually high.

After losing the inheritance of the cannibalistic ritual, the Naga tribe must ensure that a fixed number of foreign males are integrated into it every year, otherwise the tribe is at risk of extinction.

In addition to this.

Nagas are generally strong and good at using weapons, and they also have several innate spell-casting abilities.

On the sea, if you encounter a group of Nagas, running away is the best choice.

At this moment, the number of Nagas surrounding Xuan Kunzi in front of Matthew has exceeded 30!

They have seaweed-like, waist-length green hair. Regardless of gender, the upper body of the Nagas is always naked, only the waist where the human and snake intersect is covered with a large string of colorful shells.

Below the shells is the lower body of the Nagas like a giant snake, but at this moment they are all blocked by the white waves below, making it difficult to see clearly.

"I am a traveler from the Gold Coast, and I want to visit Junliu Island."

Matthew said peacefully:

"They are just sending me there."

The Naga leader squinted his long eyes and said:

"This is the territory of the Naga Kingdom, outsider. Your presence here means that you have offended the Naga Queen. I'm afraid the endless sea prison is your only destination!"

At this time, a female Naga behind him reminded:

"The endless sea prison is already full, there are only a few vacancies next to 'Big Mouth Ogut'."

"Isn't that more interesting? Take them to see Ogut!"

The male Naga showed a cruel smile on his face.

Matthew noticed that the little stone next to him turned pale when he heard the name Ogut. He asked a few questions in a low voice and learned that Ogut was a sea beast that had caused trouble in the Aru Inland Sea, known for its greed and gluttony.

It was once the nightmare of the nearby sea people, but it has been subdued by the Naga tribe.

"Throw all your weapons over!"

The Naga leader ordered.

"There's no need for this, we can talk."

Matthew's face was full of smiles:

"I am a traveler from afar, and I have collected many interesting items along the way. Don't you want to hear about the interesting things on my journey? I am willing to share with you."

The Naga leader sneered, about to say something, but suddenly his eyes turned and he said to Matthew:

"Then you come over, let's talk over there, I hope your story is interesting."

The two came to the tail of Xuan Kunzi, and the other Nagas dispersed wisely.

Matthew rummaged in his bag for a moment, and immediately presented a medium-sized bag with a smile.

The bag contained several mirrors, some berries.

In addition to that, it was full of gold coins.

"You're very sensible, little mage."

The Naga leader snatched the bag from Matthew's hand and said with satisfaction:

"I can let you go, but you must remember, the great Naga Queen is about to unify the Aru Inland Sea, our Naga Kingdom is forming, this momentum is unstoppable! If you want to travel freely on the sea, a little interesting story is not enough, you have to meet the queen, bow to her, beg her for a special permit, so that you can travel on this sea area for a long time."

Matthew immediately put on a grateful look:

"Thank you, thank you very much, if I have the opportunity, I will definitely visit the queen in person."

The leader was even more satisfied, he couldn't help but say a few more words:

"Travelers like you, must control your curiosity, don't wander around.

In the process of unifying the Naga Kingdom, there will inevitably be bloodshed, and it is not safe to leave this sea area.

As far as I know, the south is not peaceful either, the Golden Saint wants to unify the southern cities, and a group of people who call themselves the Cataclysm Cult want to do some evil ritual.

Travelers like you who are weak are easy targets."

Matthew nodded again and again, flattering the Naga leader until he was floating.

But he was puzzled in his heart, the Naga Queen wanted to unify the Aru Inland Sea, the Golden Saint wanted to control the southern cities, these were unprecedented signs in history!"Could the Enigma Lock of civilization be failing? Is this part of the odd-day changes, or are the Gods secretly meddling?"

Matthew was filled with doubts.

As for the disaster cult mentioned by the small leader, it also gave him a sense of "why are you guys everywhere?"

Taking this opportunity, Matthew chatted with the small leader for a while, learning about some recent events in the Aru Sea from him.

Suddenly, the small leader stared at Sodie behind Matthew:

"Why does your skeleton look a bit dim-witted? He's been staring at me, and I don't like it."

Matthew was taken aback.

Immediately, he realized something and quickly ordered Sodie to restrain his abnormality.

In the Undead Contract.

A faint sense of grievance and anger was conveyed.

Matthew glanced at the data bar.

……

「Prompt: You have successfully avoided a prison disaster by bribing the Naga leader. You have obtained the elements of the "Bluff" domain: bribery, flattery. Accumulate more elements, and you will have the opportunity to enter this domain.

Warning: Your summoned creature, Sodie, is extremely eager to kill the Naga in front of him.

He has awakened some memories of his previous life due to this encounter.

Sodie is dissatisfied with your command, but he understands your concerns, so he is just a little aggrieved.」

……

Did Sodie have a grudge against the Naga in his previous life?

Matthew reassured him through the contract:

"Now is not the right time to act. We still need to stay in the Aru Sea for a while. Once things are done, I won't stop you."

Sodie nodded blankly.

Then.

Matthew watched as the small leader, full of pride, led the other Naga away.

Soon, a faint sense of direction appeared in his perception.

He knew that the Spell marks he had left on the gold coins and the pouch were taking effect.

……

On Evenflow Island.

On the beach, Xuan Kun lazily stretched his limbs.

Beside him, Old Ali handed a firecracker-like object to Matthew.

"This is a 'Sky Lark', a little thing we Su people make ourselves. After lighting it with fire and launching it into the sky, it can be seen from far away on the sea surface.

If you want to leave, just launch it. Even if we don't see it, other boatmen will come to pick you up.

But be careful, the situation in this sea area seems to be getting tense. I'm not sure if this will attract the Naga again—

Actually, they shouldn't be here. They were mainly active in the deep sea before."

Saying this, the old man sighed deeply.

Matthew took the Sky Lark, and after watching the old and young leave on Xuan Kun, he turned his gaze to the slightly dilapidated island in front of him.

The next moment.

He transformed into a raven, overlooking Evenflow Island from the sky.

What caught his eye was a spindle-shaped island, long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The eastern tip of the island just hit a current. The cliff there split the current from the east into two, one heading northwest and the other southwest. Perhaps the name Evenflow Island originated from this.

The island was mountainous and lush with trees. Many seabirds lived on the cliffs in the east, and there were not a few wild animals in the forests on the mountain.

The beaches on the southwest side were relatively gentle, and there was a small bay in one place. Matthew saw a dock there, with several old fishing boats docked.

"The natural conditions of this island are not good, it's not very suitable for human pioneering and survival."

Matthew found that the human buildings on Evenflow Island were mainly concentrated on two large flat areas on the southeast and southwest sides. There were a few in other places, but probably because the mountains were too steep and difficult to reclaim, the Su people here gave up after a short attempt.

He had seen many islands along the way, all of which had better geological conditions than Evenflow Island, but they were uninhabited.

This shows that the original Su people discovered other mysteries on this small island when choosing their habitat.

Matthew flew around the island.

He sensed that the domain field here was stronger than other places.

Living here, even if he couldn't successfully advance to the Balance Messenger, he would have the opportunity to continuously accumulate elements of the Balance domain.

"The power of the domain field is truly amazing."

Matthew transformed back into human form, stopping near a ruin-like stone house.

This should be the 'Return Village' that Li Witchy mentioned.

Despite being mentally prepared, Matthew was still depressed by the desolate and dilapidated scene in front of him.

The stone houses here were built one after another, but as he walked along, he found that at least one-third of the houses had collapsed.

When one house collapsed, the neighboring house would be affected.

So around the collapsed stone houses, no one lived.

Return Village was sparsely populated.

Matthew walked a short distance and only saw an old man squatting at the door of a stone house, smoking silently. He had a wrinkled face and a numb look.

Matthew tried to greet him, but got no response from the old man, not even a glance.

He had to move on.

Finally, as he passed an intersection, Matthew heard a painful groan from a larger stone house.

"Excuse me, do you need my help?"

Matthew asked at the door.

The door of this stone house was open, allowing him to see the scene inside at a glance. As soon as he finished asking, Matthew decisively walked in.

Because he saw an elderly woman had fallen to the ground.

She was currently supporting herself with her arms, rolling weakly.

"Are you okay?"

Matthew went over and slowly helped her up, then sat her on the edge of the bed. Realizing that the old woman's body couldn't stand sitting for long, he immediately got some padding from the side, allowing her to lie down halfway.

"I just wanted to get up and have a drink of water."

The old woman gratefully said:

"My husband went out to tidy up the fishing gear, he will be back soon. Thank you, child."Matthew handed her a glass of water, carefully helping her to drink it, before shaking his head and saying:

"It was nothing, you don't need to thank me."

Immediately after, Matthew asked with concern:

"Isn't there anyone else who can take care of you? Like your children, perhaps?"

"Children?" The old woman snorted:

"They've all gone ashore, some to Torch City in the south, others to Ash City in the north. None of them wanted to stay on the island.

But they didn't do anything wrong, because the other young people on the island did the same.

After all, this isn't our homeland, so why stay on the island?"

Seeing that she was in good spirits, Matthew chatted with her for a while.

Before long, the old woman's husband returned. To Matthew's surprise, he was not a Su tribesman, but rather appeared to be a mix of Jango and coastal people.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".

His name was Oleg.

Oleg looked about a decade younger than his wife, Pearl.

Upon learning of his wife's fall, Oleg was very grateful to Matthew and insisted on inviting him to stay for a meal.

During lunch.

Oleg talked about his past. He was originally from a city on the southern coast and had formed a deep bond with Pearl, who had recently become a widow, during a trade.

After years of relentless pursuit, he moved to Balance Island and married Pearl.

They had five children, two boys and three girls.

All of these children left Balance Island after they grew up.

At first, they would come back once a year to visit.

As time went on, the five children decided to take turns visiting their parents, with one representative coming each year.

A few years later, Oleg mentioned that the last time one of their children came to visit was three years ago.

"I don't blame them. They're grown up now, they have their own families and their own children. They can't waste their time with an old woman like me on the island.

Do you remember, Oleg, when our children wanted to raise money to send me to Big Stone City for my retirement, to live a good life?

It was just that I was too stubborn to leave."

Pearl couldn't help but interject as Oleg recounted this experience.

Oleg laughed at her words: "Yes, yes, our children are very filial."

"Enough about that, child, why did you come to the island?"

Matthew then honestly explained his purpose for coming and placed the letter of introduction written by Li Witchy on the table.

Oleg opened the envelope, but instead of reading it himself, he handed it to Pearl.

After reading it, Pearl sighed:

"You're too late. The village chief returned to the embrace of the sea last year, and no one on Balance Island knows the way of balance anymore."

Matthew had anticipated this, and although he was disappointed to hear the news, he wasn't too upset.

"It's okay, I just came to try my luck."

He tried to make his smile look more relaxed.

Pearl returned the letter to him:

"If you're not in a hurry, why don't you stay on the island for a few more days? There are many empty houses here. I'll have Oleg clean one up for you. You can leave after the Lantern Festival, child."

Matthew had seen this festival in the information collected by Samantha.

But she didn't provide a detailed explanation, only noting that it was a very important festival for the Su people.

Matthew thought for a moment, and since he had no other leads, it wouldn't be bad to stay on the island for a while.

Experience the island life, continue to sense the domain field, and even have time to review his spells.

So he agreed to stay.

In the following days.

Matthew found a stone house not far from Pearl and Oleg's home to live in.

It must be said, the climate of Balance Island was really pleasant. According to Oleg, even in winter, it was as warm as spring here.

This made Matthew think of Peggy while enjoying the climate here.

Previously in Rolling Stone Town, every winter, Peggy would complain about being freezing cold and ask Matthew to keep her warm.

Matthew had touched her bones, which were indeed very cold. Neither adding clothes nor burning the fireplace helped. Of course, what puzzled him more was why a skeleton could feel cold?

That was the first time he realized something was off about Peggy.

Thinking of Peggy, Matthew couldn't help but feel a pang of hunger.

He had been eating poorly on this journey, surviving on dry food or exotic food that he couldn't stomach.

Only after arriving on Balance Island did his meals improve.

Oleg was a good cook, but Matthew couldn't shamelessly eat the old couple's food every day, could he?

Days passed.

The Lantern Festival was getting closer.

One evening.

Matthew strolled alone on the beach to the south.

The sea breeze was slightly cool, and the setting sun was golden.

The waves lapped against the beach and the rocks, composing a harmonious symphony with the seagulls flying in the sky.

As he walked, Matthew suddenly noticed a dark object on the beach ahead.

Its shape was quite different from the shells that were commonly seen here.

He walked over, bent down, and picked it up.

……

「Prompt: You have found a Tombstone (King Mingtan)」

……

(End of the chapter)