"You've used the ability 'Insight'—"
...
From the size and style, it originally belonged to either a female or a petite male;
...
The bloodstains on the clothes had long since dried, at least a few days old;
...
There was a trail of messy footprints leading deeper into the cave, with a large size, definitely not left by goblins or jackals. The owner of these footprints was more likely a human, bearfolk, or half-orc..."
...
Remember these pieces of information.
Matthew meticulously put on his gloves and took the blood-stained clothes.
Then he prepared to leave this place.
The underground cave was extremely complex, not something a small necromancer like him could explore alone.
The Bone Dragon was powerful, but its size didn't fit.
The passage in front of Matthew could barely accommodate two people passing through.
Little Fei wouldn't fit.
Plus, it was clear that this had happened several days ago.
Matthew thought that handing over the blood-stained clothes to the local authorities was the best choice. The Bloodflag Family was one of the rare nobles who took the security of their territory very seriously, a fact well-known among the major human kingdoms. If someone had gone missing recently, the local authorities wouldn't ignore it.
...
Leaving the cave, Matthew hurried back to town.
Along the way, he noticed a change in the main quest.
...
"Main Quest: Plant Trees
Progress: Achieved Primary Goal
...
Subquest 1: Keep Going!
Description: Please continue expanding the oak forest in Rolling Stone Town, with a target of 3000 trees!
Reward: 10 XP for every oak tree that survives
...
Subquest 2: Maintenance is Important Too!
Description: A newly planted forest is susceptible to accidents; please make sure to protect your forest.
Reward: Various rewards for each successful protection."
...
Every oak tree gave 10 experience points? Matthew's eyes lit up. Wasn't this much better than fighting and killing? Planting trees had no risks, after all!
As for maintenance, Matthew didn't pay much attention. Since the disappearance of the goblins, the security in Rolling Stone Town had been excellent.
"Since I'm planting the oaks on private land, no one should dare to secretly cut them down, right?" Matthew thought.
...
Besides the two subsequent tasks, Matthew noticed that, at some point, there was a symbol at the bottom of his quest log that looked like a yin and yang symbol.
The symbol was divided into left and right sides, with both sides having a transparent, three-dimensional comma shape that resembled capital letters.
The difference was in the color of the dots inside. The left side was gray, with only a few dots at the bottom, while the right side was green, with a multitude of dots swirling inside, making up about half of the shape.
...
"What is this?" Matthew stared at it for a while, realizing that the green dots were slowly increasing, especially when he passed by his oak forest. The rate of increase seemed to have accelerated! The gray dots, on the other hand, hardly moved at all.
Although the quest log didn't specify, Matthew guessed that it might be related to the necromancer and druid classes.
...
"What happens when the dots are full?"
"Is the green dots because of the trees I planted?"
"If I summon more undead or use dark energy spells, can I increase the gray dots?"
...
On his way, Matthew was engrossed in his thoughts.
But as he neared the town, an unexpected visitor interrupted his contemplation.
...
"Hehe!"
The sound of a laughter resembling that of a young human girl filled the air. Matthew's vision was bathed in a soft white light.
He steadied himself, and from the light flew out a tiny, thumb-sized, winged elven girl with a youthful appearance. She circled around Matthew passionately, then shook her mini-basket.
A big bunch of fresh fruits landed in Matthew's arms.
Then, with a flash of white light, she vanished without a trace.
...
"Your ability 'Nature's Gift' is active—"
"You have received a big bunch of raspberries!"
"Raspberries: A delicious and nutritious fruit with a fairy's blessing. Consuming it will slightly boost your energy and have a mild purifying effect."
...
"Today's luck is quite good," Matthew thought as he relaxed upon recognizing the items in his hands.
This was an Oak Tree Fairy. They were companions to the oak forest. Ever since the oak forest had reached five hundred trees, the fairies had started appearing. To express their gratitude and admiration for Matthew, they would occasionally bring him gifts.
Most of the fruits the Oak Tree Fairies brought were of exceptional quality. However, the issue was that these mischievous creatures were born pranksters, and mischief seemed to be in their blood.
The last time they brought gifts to Matthew, he was in the middle of a class. In front of a dozen students, one cheeky Oak Tree Fairy threw a few women's undergarments at him!
It had left Matthew in a very awkward position, and he couldn't exactly explain to his students that it was a "gift from nature," could he?
...
However, most of the time, the fairies were well-behaved, and Matthew didn't make a fuss about it. Chewing on the sweet raspberries, he quickened his pace.
At a crossroads, two blocks away from the local authorities, he bumped into Bradley, who had a worried look on his face.
Bradley was a burly young man with a stubble beard.
"Matthew, I was just about to find you!" Bradley said, his face filled with relief upon seeing Matthew.
Matthew's heart skipped a beat. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Bradley nodded earnestly. "A merchant was found murdered by someone on the eastern road. His body has just been brought into town. I need your help."
Matthew didn't hesitate. "Let's go."
The two of them rushed towards the local authorities...
...
Bradley was the captain of the local authorities' guard, one of the few people in Rolling Stone Town who knew about Matthew's profession. In order to save money for his tree-planting venture, Matthew not only worked as a history teacher at the Sivrel Academy but also took on a part-time role as the local authorities' necromantic consultant.
It was well-known that the basic necromantic spell, "Summoning the Dead," was used to question the spirits of the recently deceased for investigative purposes. With Matthew's support, the local authorities' case-solving rate had skyrocketed.
Over time, the residents of the territory came to know Bradley as a miraculous crime solver, and incidents in the town became increasingly rare. It was clear that Matthew had played a significant role in creating the safe environment Rolling Stone Town enjoyed.
...
A short while later, in the local authorities' morgue, a ghost with an anxious and bewildered expression stood before Matthew.
"Who killed you?" Bradley asked skillfully.
The ghost pondered for a moment. "It was a man with wild hair, very tall..."
Bradley furrowed his brow. "Why did he kill you?"
The ghost shook its head. "I don't know. That day, I came back from Swiftstream City with my goods. I got lost because I had a bit too much to drink. When I sobered up, I found myself near Witch's Keep, and I saw a group of people singing and dancing there, with many spirits hovering over their heads."
"That scene was really terrifying, especially the spirits!"
As he spoke, he began trembling all over, and even his ethereal form started to waver.
Matthew quickly interjected, trying to comfort him. "Don't be afraid. You're a spirit now."
The ghost responded woodenly, "Oh..."
"Do you remember anything else? Any suspicious information?" Bradley continued to ask.
The ghost shook its head. "I don't know. That day, I came back from Swiftstream City..."
"That scene was really terrifying, especially the spirits!" he repeated.
Bradley and Matthew exchanged a glance, somewhat frustrated. Ghosts were like this; most of them could only retain a small amount of memories from their past lives, usually memories with strong emotional content. Besides these, no matter what questions you asked, they would only give repetitive responses based on fragments of their memories. This was a limitation of the "Summoning the Dead" spell.
...
Bradley tried a few more questions, but after confirming that there was no more useful information to be extracted from the ghost, he gestured to Matthew to dispel the spell. Before Matthew could act, the ghost unexpectedly looked at them and asked, "Wait, am I really dead?"
Bradley said sympathetically, "I'm very sorry."
The ghost sighed, "What a shame... I hadn't even bought a burial plot for myself. After I die, my wife will probably take away our property, take the children, and find another merchant to marry. I doubt she'll bother picking a suitable resting place for me."
Bradley was momentarily lost for words. "Can I bury my body in the oak forest to the north of town? No need for a coffin, just bury me there. I really liked oaks. The last time I passed by, I thought I heard the chatter of flower fairies, according to my grandma's tales. I probably encountered a flower fairy..."
"That's my only wish."
With that, the spirit gradually faded away.
Before Bradley could speak, Matthew promptly agreed, "Certainly."
"Thank you!" the ghost said as it vanished.
Bradley looked at Matthew, a bit unsure of what to say.
Matthew shrugged. "Ronan the Archmage won't mind."
Bradley scratched his head. "Alright, it's up to you; after all, it's your forest. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow to receive the body. There are still some necessary checks and procedures to be done tonight."
Matthew nodded.
Taking the opportunity, he informed Bradley about his discovery in the underground cave. Bradley's expression turned unusually serious.
"I understand; we'll look into it. Be careful, Matthew, and don't wander outside the town alone from now on. Lately, I've had a feeling of unease."
"Oh, and don't forget to collect your allowance for this month. I've applied for double the usual amount for you."
Matthew's eyes narrowed at the mention of extra money. "I love hearing that."
...
...
For dinner that night, they had matsutake mushroom rice with a side of cabbage and bacon soup. The flavors were exquisite, and Matthew licked the bottom of the bowl clean.
In the end, he couldn't help but praise, "Peggy, your cooking is fantastic! It's top-notch even among the living! In my hometown's words, anyone who marries you will be blessed."
The Minotaur skeleton blushed slightly. "Oh, stop it. I just cook casually."
"And besides, I'm already dead, so I can't get married," she said.
After a while, she saw that Matthew was still immersed in the delicious food, so she mustered the courage to ask, "Matthew, since my cooking is so great, are you going to give me a raise?"
Matthew smoothly wiped his mouth and stood up. "Next time, for sure."
With that, his figure disappeared quickly into the basement passage.
"Damned necromancer!" the Minotaur skeleton cursed aloud.
But Matthew pretended not to hear.
In the basement, he retrieved a dusty crystal ball from a cabinet in the adjacent room.
...
The bloodstained clothes in the cave, the murdered merchant, the ghost's descriptions of the unusual gathering near Witch's Keep...
...
Just like Bradley, Matthew felt a sense of unease. That's why tonight, he intended to perform a divination!
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