……

"Forbidden rituals?"

Alice's voice was slightly colder.

Matthew didn't hear it for a while, and smiled embarrassedly:

"In fact, I'm also going to apply for a grant from the Alliance for the research and application of this ritual, I remember that the members of the Alliance have similar rights, right?"

Alice's eyes widened in disbelief when she heard this.

Her right hand quickly pulled back, and she was about to pull something out of the wide robe, but she was suddenly stopped by Vandal.

"Alice, calm down, you are no longer a field agent in Hesuo Mountain, and you have no law enforcement authority now."

As he spoke, Vandal shoved the hard stuff back.

Then he dragged Alice to another corner of the living room, and the two of them pushed and shoved for a while, and Alice's robe lifted a corner.

Matthew glanced at it, vaguely seeing the outline of a pair of magic handcuffs.

By this time the two had already arrived in the garden.

Alice yelled at Vandal:

"You heard what he was talking about, right? He's going to perform a death scorched earth ceremony, and he's going to have to apply for funding from the Alliance! Even if it's off...... Even if it's recommended by Lord Ronan, you can't do whatever you want, right? ”

Vandal said helplessly:

"When will the temper of this field worker be changed? Maybe Mr. Matthew has something else in mind? And even if he really has a problem, we just need to record the problem truthfully, and then there will naturally be field personnel to find him. ”

Alice scoffed:

"Records? How do you record it, using the one you taught me? Didn't you see those ridiculous things I just wrote on paper, wasn't that enough? ”

Vandal sighed and stopped talking.

Alice calmed down for a moment, and a little guilt appeared on her face:

"I'm sorry, I'm too impulsive, I know that what you taught me is for my good, I'm still a little incompetent for civilian work, maybe the field is more suitable for me, and I'll apply for a transfer after I go back this time."

"But I must take care of this Matthew matter, even if it is Ronan, there is no reason to let a necromancer carry out the spread of forbidden rituals."

Vandal sighed and said:

"That's what the investigation team should do, we are only responsible for the induction assessment of new personnel, and how are you going to investigate?"

His voice had just fallen.

A curious voice sounded:

"Are you here to investigate Matthew?"

"I have a question to reflect."

The two looked in amazement at the minotaur skeleton that suddenly appeared beside them.

Alice's eyes lit up:

"You're going to accuse your master?"

The minotaur skeleton nodded vigorously:

"I've been dissatisfied with him for a long time."

Alice asked expectantly:

"Did he do anything heinous to you?"

"Oh, of course."

The Minotaur Skeleton complained:

"He hasn't given me a raise in years! Can you reflect the problem and punish him harshly - but not too badly, just to the point where he can wake up in time and give me a raise. ”

Alice was stunned for a moment.

Before the two of them could react.

Matthew had strode in the direction of the living room.

"Hey, Matthew, are you going to kill someone?"

Peggy asked.

The two of them were immediately nervous.

Matthew scolded:

"Don't joke around on this occasion, Peggy!"

Then he resolutely said:

"I just forgot to add, the reason why I researched and prepared to perform the Death Scorched Earth Ritual is to fight against the Traces of the Dead, it is in the northeast of Rolling Stone, if you have done your homework before coming, you should know about this thing."

Saying, in order to prevent the misunderstanding of dog blood.

He quickly explained what had happened.

Vandal was immediately relieved when he heard this, and he said with a smile:

"I knew it was a misunderstanding, how could Mr. Ronan recommend an outlaw!"

Alice still looked a little suspicious.

Matthew said generously:

"I can take you to the place where I prepared the ceremony, it's not far from here."

Vandal smiled and waved his hand:

"No need, we trust you."

Alice, however, insisted:

"Please take me over to see, I'm not targeting you, it's just that Your Excellency's statement is really a bit of a fantasy, and I have to witness it with my own eyes."

Vandall's face turned blue, and he continued to persuade Alice.

Matthew waved his hand:

"Let's go."

So saying, he grabbed a large handful of hay, took the three sheep by the hand, and walked gracefully into the oak forest.

Along.

Alice walked alone with a stiff expression.

Matthew is still discussing the funding application with Van Dahl.

In the face of Matthew's doubts, Van Dahl enthusiastically explained:

"Although the alliance has suspended the public subject of Traces of the Dead, in fact, if you want to study it and can come up with a feasible plan, there is a high probability that the funds will still be allocated, and it is very likely that additional project subsidies will be provided according to the S rating.

With your level of excellence, Mr. Matthew, as long as you apply, the project will be approved with a high probability, and then there will be a project fund.

If you can pass the feasibility verification, the follow-up funding will be available quickly, of course, this stage is not easy.

But once you succeed, you will reap a lot of money, and in addition to the abundant funds, you can also recruit some mage apprentices through this project, and they will work for you for free.

If your project is popular enough, they will even offer to pay to join the program.

After all, this kind of resume is very important for the rank rating within the league. ”

Vandal said this to Matthew as he scribbled on the paper with a magic brush:

"Mr. Matthew's willingness to study the forbidden ritual at the risk of his life in order to fight against the scars of the dead shows that he has a selfless spirit of sacrifice."

Alice glanced at the floating paper and subconsciously clenched her evaluation.

It took a long time before slowly releasing it.

……

The group passed by the oak forest.

Van Dahl couldn't help but praise:

"There's a fragrant smell in the air here, and I've just seen a sign outside – is this forest farm your private property?"

Matthew nodded.

Van Dahl exclaimed:

"You really have the vision to buy such a delightful wood."

Even Alice couldn't help but speak:

"These oaks are incredibly full of life, and they are indeed a very nice forest."

Matthew said in his heart: These oak trees are about to drain the earth, can they not have enough vitality?

He didn't explain much at the moment, just smiled, and led the two of them all the way through the woods, to the northeast near the Traces of the Dead.

One left the oak forest.

Alice and Vandal were taken aback by the number of undead in front of them.

But soon.

Their attention was drawn to the scars of the dead.

Matthew led them through the zombie horde to a small hill only about thirty meters away from the mark of the dead.

He pointed to the long strip of land marked with branches in front of him and said:

"There, that's the testing ground where I'm going to perform the Deathscorched Earth Ritual."

"It's about 10 meters long and 2 meters wide, and it's at the forefront of the expansion of the Scars of the Dead."

"You should know that the Scar of the Dead has been expanding, but it has become more active than it has been in the last few years, and at the current pace, it will soon threaten Rolling Stone, and if left unchecked, the inhabitants of this place may have to be uprooted, which will be a disaster."

Alice looked at it earnestly for a moment.

She found a number of pre-made symbols related to necromancy in the land.

"What's going on with that blank spot?"

She suddenly pointed to a gap in the test field and asked.

Matthew took a look:

"That's for placing the Boundary Stone, and the ritual still needs to be approved by the local lord, so I won't act rashly until then."

Alice's tone softened:

"You have a good relationship with the local lord?"

Matthew thought for a moment:

"It's okay, but I've heard that he has withheld the honor of being a good citizen that should have belonged to me."

A small doubt appeared in Alice's eyes again.

Right now.

Suddenly there was movement in the traces of the dead—

An ash pawn suddenly crawled out of the scorched earth and rushed towards Matthew and the others!

"Get out of the way!"

Vandal nervously pulled out his staff.

However, there are people who are much faster than him.

Sou!

An arrow pierced the pawn's chest, and the latter let out a wail, turning into a puff of black dust and sporadic sparks.

Just as Vandal and Alice breathed a sigh of relief.

Matthew scolded dissatisfiedly:

"Renysme!"

"How many times have you said, don't shoot pawns with white feather arrows, just let them be dealt with by the soldiers!"

"The arrows ask for money!"

Renysme put down the elven longbow and looked at Matthew innocently, a burst of saliva unconsciously dripping from the corners of her mouth.

Matthew frowned, took out the hand towel, and quickly stepped forward to wipe the corners of her mouth clean.

"Bing!"

He shouted:

"Go pick up the arrows for her!"

Ah Bing, who was originally touching the fish, heard this, and then disappeared into the air helplessly.

A few seconds later.

The white-feathered arrow, which had been slightly dulled, reappeared in the quiver that Matthew had given to Renysme.

"Don't forget your skill in maintaining your arrows!"

Matthew said a few words before returning to the assessment duo.

"I'm sorry."

Matthew apologized.

Alice shook her head, and she looked at Matthew curiously:

"Mr. Matthew's way of getting along with the undead seems to be something special?"

She couldn't help but recall the minotaur skeleton she had seen at Matthew's house.

Matthew was surprised:

"Is there one? I don't know, I haven't dealt much with other necromancers. ”

"Speaking of which, are there many necromancers in the Alliance?"

Vandal shook his head and said:

"Rarely, it's mostly related to the history of White Rock.

The original city lord of White Rock City was originally a high-level member of the alliance, but he had a conflict with the seven great mages at the time and finally chose to leave.

After that, he founded White Rock City, gathered a large number of necromancers, and relied on the artifact "Human Desire Chain" to create his own level of necromancer, and also promulgated the famous city lord code.

You should know these Matthews better than we do.

And for some unknown reasons, the historical alliance was once hostile to White Rock City.

Although the later reconciliation was made, and each generation of White Rock City City City Lords would also have a false position within the alliance, other necromancers would hardly join the alliance, and the alliance would not take the initiative to absorb necromancers.

This is probably a tacit agreement reached between the high-rise and White Rock City.

You're obviously an exception. ”

After Vandal finished speaking.

Alice suddenly bowed deeply to Matthew:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Matthew, I was too impulsive before, I misunderstood you, I thought you were the same as the necromancer in White Rock City, always doing evil things under the guise of righteousness......"

"If you're holding Death Scorched Earth to protect the residents of Rolling Stone, and to curb the Traces of the Dead's southward movement, not only will it not affect your entry assessment, but it may also be a plus."

"Anyway, I apologize for the impulsiveness I just had."

Matthew waved his hand disappreciatively:

"It's okay if you misunderstand."

Alice said seriously:

"According to your attainments in necromancy, I'm afraid our previous evaluations are a bit of a drawback, I have never heard of a third-order mage who can control such a number of undead, and your summons are different from those lifeless guys, I can feel that they seem to have the same spirituality as the living."

"Well, if you don't mind, I still need to verify the situation with the local lord later, if it is true, I will apologize to you again, and then your entry assessment will be no problem with me."

Vandal didn't bother to talk about her anymore.

Matthew didn't even care:

"There is no need to apologize, if you can truthfully report my situation here, it would be great if you could win the assistance of the alliance for me."

Alice is embarrassed:

"I'm afraid this won't work, as entry assessors, we still have to avoid suspicion on the surface."

"However, I can give you a few templates, you can draft two applications according to these templates, and submit them through your referral channel, one of which is to apply for permission to use the 'Forbidden Ritual', if you act without permission, if you run into the enforcers of other factions in the alliance, it may be problematic; The other is a project application for "Traces of the Dead". ”

"With your channels, these two applications should be approved quickly, and there should be no problem after that."

Vandal twisted his head when he heard this.

He doesn't seem to want to give an opinion on the topic.

"By the way, after you officially become a member of the alliance, you will be assigned a "supervising mentor", who will be responsible for the assessment and evaluation of your rookie period in the next three years.

Alice added.

Matthew thanked Alice sincerely.

The two then took their leave.

Matthew watched them leave on a thick blue magic carpet.

Then.

He subconsciously looked into the clearing in the north, where several zombies were digging holes.

Look at the big and small potholes.

Matthew's hands itched.

"It's all here, let's plant a few more!"

A few minutes later.

Above the clouds, the magic carpet goes and returns.

"Alice, I've said it many times, don't make a fuss!"

Van Dahl's voice was visibly displeased:

"Can't you just say good things nonsense and report Matthew?"

"You promised me before!"

Alice said with some guilt:

"I'm sorry, I was going to do what you said, but I couldn't go against my conscience when I encountered such a sensitive matter."

"You know, I used to be in Hesuo Mountain to arrest those mages who were traitors, at least half of them were necromancers, and I really couldn't convince myself to turn a blind eye."

"I have to see what he's like when we're not there."

Vandal looked at her dissatisfied.

The latter bowed his head and kept apologizing, but remained stubborn.

Vandal reluctantly lowered the height of the magic carpet:

"Silence, I'm not sure if the stealth effect of this thing can hide from Ronan's disciples."

Alice nodded vigorously.

The two secretly descended.

Soon.

They saw Matthew.

But he was seen carrying a bag of small saplings, happily walking through the zombie horde, and then carefully transplanted one of the saplings into the pit.

Immediately, a zombie boy waved a shovel next to him and filled it with a thin layer of cooked soil.

Matthew was skillful, and after pouring a little quick-growing potion mixed with water, the little sapling grew into an oak tree three or four people tall in a matter of minutes!

"What is this necromancer doing?"

Both of them were shocked by the scene before them.

"Planting trees?"

Vandal replied uncertainly.

"I know, I mean, what did he plant trees for?"

Alice asked, confused.

"I don't know, maybe it's a hobby?"

Van Dahl tried to speculate:

"Could it be that he usually has been in contact with the undead for too long, and he is under a lot of pressure and needs a way to vent?"

As he spoke, he himself was almost full of disbelief.

"Wait!"

Alice suddenly thought of something:

"The oak forest we just saw couldn't have been planted by him alone, right?"

The two looked at each other.

After a long time, Vandal hesitated:

"Probably not...... Right? ”

……

Far North Floating City.

In a palatial library.

With the appearance of a man dressed in a pure white robe, the bookcases on both sides fell backwards like gears.

The man stepped out, and the soles of his feet were endless starry skies.

Every step he took seemed to have crossed an entire era.

The man came to the end of the library.

There was a long, old table with thick books, one of which was a dragon with a languid look and a blue head and skin.

Behind the table sat a woman who looked to be in her twenties.

Her skin was white and translucent, her lips were almost bloodless, and her hair was pure white, which spread out like a waterfall on the starry floor.

"Here's a list of newcomers who have recently joined the league."

The man respectfully handed over a piece of paper.

If there were people next to him at this time, they would definitely be surprised by the man's attitude, and at the same time, they would also be extremely curious about the identity of the white-haired woman - after all, the existence that could make the first person under the seven alliances, as the chief mage of the Extreme North Floating City, show such a respectful attitude, and it was rare in the entire Aindor Continent.

The white-haired woman looked at the names on the list and said:

"You don't have to, Ekmond, I'm a sinner banished by the Alliance."

Ekmond bent his waist lower:

"You will always be my teacher."

"In fact, as long as you stop openly preaching that desperate theory, you will always be the first mage of the Alliance, and I'm sure no one else will have an opinion."

The woman snorted:

"You want to gag me too?"

Ekmond busily said:

"I didn't mean that, teacher."

The woman crumpled the paper into a ball:

"Boring, doesn't the league have an interesting newcomer? Even if it can't be like Ronan back then, at least it has to be at Blinken's level, right? By the way, where did Blinken go? ”

Ekmond said awkwardly:

"Lord Isabel, Blinken has been a mutinous for many years."

The white-haired woman's eyes froze, and at that moment, the story of several eras seemed to float through her eyes.

"Really? My mental condition seems to have gotten worse. ”

Isabel said casually:

"Blinken has defected, and you will take him back as you did against me."

Sweating profusely, Ekmond said:

"Teacher, I ...... at the beginning"

Isabel stopped him with a look of annoyance:

"I hate explanations, I hate, and the only thing that can prove your loyalty to me is action."

"If you hadn't been on my side and killed the other two fools with me, don't act like you're loyal to me."

Ekmund was silent.

Just then, the skylight at the top of the library was pushed open, and a snowy owl dropped a brand new letter.

The snowy owl has a dark red magic mark painted on its forehead.

Ekmond took the letter, his expression suddenly becoming a little strange, and after a moment, he hesitated to hand it over:

"The alliance has just recruited a newcomer, he was recommended by Ronan, and his resume is also very interesting, do you want to take a look?"

Isabel took the information casually.

Just one eye.

She patted the table gently:

"In a minute, I want all of his information."

"By the way, has his supervising mentor decided, it doesn't matter if it's settled, let him go."

"I'm here to be the mentor to this newcomer."

……

(End of chapter)