Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton

“It’s normal not to send spies. The Undead are likely to soul-search. But as long as you don’t kill them, it’s fine. Living people eat, drink, defecate, and urinate, leaving traces behind. Even if you ignore these people, they will occupy a large area, thereby encroaching on your space. It’s a no-win situation.”

“Yeah, it took me many years to understand this. Do you know who were the first few batches of people who fled here?” Rogge said with a bitter smile.

“When we were active in human territories, didn’t we adopt some native Undead? They all have families. The first few batches of living people who were driven here were their relatives. We didn’t just refrain from killing them; our Witch companions who looked like they were in their forties had to take care of the grandchildren of their eighty-year-old children. If their sons died and their grandchildren grew up, they even had to find wives for their grandchildren and figure out how to provide for the newborns…”

“In the end, those living people had familial ties or relationships with our Witches. Many Witches had grandchildren going back several generations. Some of them have been saddled with grandchildren for centuries and now feel soul-weary each time they see them.”

“Pfft!” Negris burst out laughing.

“I took away all the Undead this time because I wanted to get rid of this burden once and for all. If I could lure away the Silver Knights, that would be even better. Dark City has plenty of space. Without the Silver Knights, everyone could live quite well.” Rogge sighed.

Negris shook his head, “You’re overthinking it. The Silver Knights need an enemy, not to exterminate enemies. If you guys leave, the living people in Dark City will become their enemies.”

Rogge’s figure stiffened again, falling completely silent.

When the conversation stopped, Negris’s attention returned to their surroundings. He quickly noticed that all the paths Rogge took were places where sunlight could either enter directly or be reflected in.

If there were two caves, one dark and the other with faint light, Rogge would definitely choose the one with light. It seemed strange because as an Undead, he didn’t need sunlight to see clearly.

“Ah, I see. It’s like this: the places where sunlight can penetrate, we call them ‘Surface’. One characteristic is that it’s impossible to get lost here. Worst-case scenario, you climb upwards and you’ll reach the ground. This is our main activity area. The places where sunlight can’t penetrate, we call them ‘Deep’. The passages inside are intricate and complex. If we haven’t explored it beforehand, I wouldn’t dare to lead you guys down there. Once lost, it’s hard to find the way out.” Rogge explained.

“Ah, I think I heard you mention the ‘Deep’ and ‘Deeper’ earlier. Is there a ‘Deeper’?” Negris asked.

“Yes, ‘Deeper’ refers to those nearly vertical passages that reach several kilometers into the earth. It’s almost an entirely independent cave system. I’ve discovered unique ecosystems and species there. But because it was too complex, I didn’t dare to explore too much.”

“You know, I’m a Black Warrior. After phasing, I can pass through a certain distance of rock. If I get lost in the ‘Deep’, I can just phase through the layer of rock above to get out. But the ‘Deeper’ is too deep. Even if I get lost in there, I might get trapped forever. If that Hermorthos truly is hiding in Dark City, he’s most likely hiding in a separate cave in the ‘Deeper’.” Rogge declared.

Hearing this, Negris wanted to beat a retreat. Getting lost in such a complex underground cave system was no joke. Even if Ange was an Undead God, he would still have to stay in there forever.

Wanting to persuade Ange to give up and turn back, he turned to look at him, only there was no sign of Ange.

“Kvada! Where are you?” Negris was dumbstruck. He hadn’t gotten lost here had he? If you got lost here, even soul contact might not be able to find him.

Luckily, Ange wasn’t too far behind. He followed the path back for several tens of meters and saw Little Zombie, Little Angel, and Lightning squatting on a ridge. Below was a fairly flat land. A faint trace of ridges and furrows could still be seen.”

Negris facepalmed. Okay, he realized why Ange wasn’t moving.

He wanted to persuade Ange to give up on finding Hermorthos. Suddenly, he found an excuse, “Oh, this appears to be an abandoned farmland.”

Ange nodded.

“The terrain is flat and has good sunlight. It’s a great place for planting.”

Ange nodded vigorously.

“There’s water nearby as well. Digging some ditches would help direct the water here, making farming easier and more efficient.”

Ange nodded with vigour.

“Then we plant, without seeking Hermorthos,” Negris change the topic.

Ange shook his head.

Negris couldn’t help asking, disappointed to have failed to persuade Ange:

“Why do you insist on killing him? We could tell Anthony and have him release false information while concealing ours. After all these years, the alliance of humans, elves, and dwarves has exterminated Hermorthos countless times. Is there still a concern about him running rampant?”

“Insect plague, locusts, they eat crops, and prevent growth,” Ange said.

“You regard him as a locust plague? That’s not right. Even if it’s a locust plague, you’ve never been so proactive in matters unrelated to planting. There must be another reason, tell me!” Negris saw right through Ange’s evasion.

This skeleton used to be rather straightforward. But ever since Negris opposed his habit of planting at will, Ange started to dodge questions, and although he hadn’t learned how to lie, he got the hang of talking about less important matters. If not pressed, he might not reveal the most important information.

Furthermore, Ange had learned how to form sentences with more than five words. If he’s still popping out one or two words, something’s amiss.

“Ashes from burning insects can help plant the World Tree,” Ange said.

“But we can plant the World Tree without insect ashes.” Negris said uncomprehending. He just finished speaking when a possibility struck him. He quickly retracted his consciousness back into the Resting Palace and controlled his body to rush over to the farm.

In a corner of the farm, a branch of the World Tree was stuck in the ground. The soil had been mixed with dark Dragon Soil and insect ashes. On the bare branch, some small buds began to sprout. The gray spots on its surface indicated that these branches were diseased once before.

Indeed, diseased branches of the World Tree, which could be obtained for free from the teleportation array once declared, were distributed by the elves, who were seeking a cure for the World Tree.

After the agreement with the World Tree, Negris also requested several thick branches from the elves for the purpose of cultivating more seeds. But they were discarded due to the excessive varieties of the World Tree.

Now, one of the thickest diseased branches of the World Tree was grafted into the ground by Ange and new buds were stimulated to sprout. The grayish spots on it have lightened a lot, revealing fresh fibrous tissue under a slight scrape.

“This… this diseased branch has been revived by your planting? The elves will go crazy,” Negris mumbled in disbelief.

Why are the elves in such a rush? Because the World Tree is sick. In theory, the World Tree has a lifespan of nine thousand years, but it’s ill now.

The Elves spent a great deal to buy twenty World Tree seeds from Ange, sustaining their last hope with quantity, hoping they could grow a wise and real World Tree.

If they knew Ange had managed to rejuvenate a diseased branch of the World Tree, that the World Tree could potentially be cured and live its natural lifespan, the elves might really go berserk.

After all, many species don’t even have a history of nine thousand years.

“Are insect ashes so effective? Shall we hoard more of them?” Negris felt a change in his mindset. At first, he didn’t want to go there due to the risks, but now he wanted to go hoard more.

Just as he thought of it, suddenly, screams and the sound of running emerged from nowhere, getting closer and closer. From the cave ahead, a dozen human beings of all ages were seen running out.

They ran into Ange’s team, paused for a second, and then one of the men cried out in surprise, “Lord Rogge?! Save us! Ah!”

A dark insect lunged at the man’s neck, biting off a piece of flesh, causing him to scream in pain.

A figure covered in a cloak, with a swarm of beetles surrounding him, came into the cave, “Hee hee, where can you run to now? Lead me to where you live. My children are so hungry.”