章節 5: The Art of the Turtling Mage

... Divination failed. Matthew stuffed the crystal ball into the cabinet, his expression unchanged. It was quite normal. He was a necromancer, with no talent for divination. Despite his passion, he had always tinkered with it over the years. But the results were obviously not satisfactory. He briefly calmed his emotions. Eventually, Matthew made his way to the westernmost room in the basement. There stood two large bookcases filled with magic books. He intended to study some spells suitable for his current level— ... Matthew was now a Level 8 necromancer. But the list of spells he studied remained at the level he had mastered at Level 5. It was time for an update. In Rolling Stone Town. It was not easy to buy a magic book that detailed the principles of spells. Not to mention one related to the Path of the Undead. Luckily, Matthew was prepared. He had asked a friend from Baiyan City to help him buy them in advance. Plus the part given to him by Master Ronan. The spellbooks in this room were enough to sustain Matthew until Level 10. His gaze swept back and forth between the shelves. After a moment, Matthew had compiled a list of spells for himself. These were the spells he planned to study next. ... "Pseudocide (Level 7 spell, enables escape by feigning death); ... The Last Dance (Level 8 spell, allows the detonation of non-contractual summoned creatures); ... Vampiric Touch (Level 6 spell, allows life to be drawn through touch to heal oneself); ... Garcia's Armor II (Level 6 spell, an advancement of the Level 2 spell 'Garcia's Armor I', physical defense); ... The Thunderblast Sword (Level 7 spell, enchants a longsword with lightning effects); ... Strengthened Summoning (Level 8 spell, enhances the effect of Undead Summoning) ..." ... Learning spells was no easy task for most people. Most spellcasters had to spend almost half their time studying and mastering spells. The aforementioned six spells would take at least ten months for other necromancers of the same level to learn. And that was if they committed fully. But Matthew was different. His pace of learning spells was inversely proportional to his divination talent. He was confident that he could finish in three months. ... "Next, I need to focus entirely on learning spells, I'll need to take a leave from school..." Matthew, carrying a stack of books, headed to the meditation room. Approaching midnight. He felt a bit drowsy. "Peggy, a cup of coffee!" No one responded. So Matthew had to brew himself a cup of bitter, rich black coffee. Immediately, he felt a jolt of alertness. "I'm awake..." Matthew pursed his lips. He casually opened a thick book. On the title page. Playful magic words jumped out. They danced gracefully in front of Matthew's nose. ... "Garcia's Armor II: On the Art of Turtle Shell Mages ... Note: Garcia's self-mockery is as masterful as his skills, I recommend every spellcaster learn a spell from the Garcia series— Ronan" ... "Master Ronan... I hope his journey to the astral world goes smoothly." Matthew smiled. Master Ronan was the greatest benefactor he had met since his transmigration. When Matthew first transmigrated, he was completely clueless about this world, with no leads apart from a tree-planting task. But even tree planting required money, land, and other resources. Matthew had wandered around Rolling Stone Town for a while, nearly destitute to the point of not affording meals. At the crucial moment, It was Ronan, who had happened to pass by, who pulled him out of his plight. He invited Matthew to his home for a meal and questioned why a spellcaster who studied the Path of Undying didn't develop in Baiyan City, instead of aimlessly wandering a place like Rolling Stone Town with no future prospects. Matthew, feeling his innate talent for the Path of the Undying was mediocre and not content to stop there, then whimsically thought— "The Path of Undying studies death and life, but most necromancers seem to care only about death, not life, so I wanted to try a different approach..." "I plan to plant some trees near Rolling Stone Town, hopefully enough to form a forest. Through this act, I want to feel the power of life, which might help my breakthrough in the Path of Undying." This was a lie Matthew fabricated to mooch a few more meals. Unexpectedly, his words greatly intrigued Ronan. At that moment, he expressed his admiration for Matthew's whimsical idea. Ronan told Matthew. He could plant trees on his land. Moreover, for the costs of buying seeds and green liquid. Ronan planned to sponsor half. Matthew was pleasantly surprised, But declined Ronan's generosity. He planned to buy seeds with his own strength. Ronan didn't mind. He immediately wrote a recommendation letter that allowed Matthew to go to Seaver Public School to teach the town's noble children, with Matthew deciding the subject himself. Afterward, Ronan also helped Matthew in various aspects like living, working, and tree planting. Even the house Matthew now lived in was provided by Ronan. It was only later that Matthew found out. Half of the houses in the mage district were owned by Ronan. The other half belonged to his wife. Rolling Stone Town was Ronan's hometown. Though he lived in Jewel Bay most of the time, The town had never seen any significant disaster or misfortune over the years deeply connected to him. ... For Master Ronan, Matthew always remained grateful. But he also clearly understood the reasons behind the help he received. Merely clinging to influential figures was not an option. He still needed to rely on his own strength to truly grow. With this thought, Matthew refocused his attention. He began to study the spells intently. ... The next day. Matthew walked out of the Public Security Bureau with two town guards following him, carrying the body of a merchant to the oak forest. Matthew skillfully dug a hole and buried him, fulfilling the ghost's wishes. Of course, Since he was already there, Matthew didn't forget to plant three oak trees. 30 XP credited. Matthew was satisfied. ... Afternoon. Blake was quick to act. He informed Matthew. The karst cave below had been investigated. No additional clues were found. That cave connected to seven or eight deep corridors, almost reaching anywhere within Gold Digger Basin, which could perplex even the most skilled trackers. This aligned with Matthew's assessment. And it proved that his decision not to recklessly pursue was correct. Concerning the "ghost castle" mentioned by the ghost. Since the area was long-declined and located deep in the mountains, posing high danger, Blake was still gathering people. He promised Matthew that he would notify him as soon as any new discoveries were made. ... One week later, in the evening. In the basement. "Vs'Boo..." A brief incantation sounded. Suddenly, a thick, semi-transparent armor appeared on Matthew! ... "Your spell 'Garcia's Armor II' was successfully cast! Your armor +8 Duration: 180 seconds" ... It was a success! Feeling the soft, elastic, omnipresent wrap. Matthew was utterly intoxicated. It felt like being enveloped by a giant jelly. Not heavy. But highly protective. "According to 'Turtling Mages,' the greatest feature of Garcia's Armor is that it can stack on each other, I and II can separately provide 3 and 8 points of armor, combined they are higher than standard heavy armor!" "No wonder they are called Turtling Mages, I like it!" Matthew had just prepared to continue exploring the technique of stacking two spells. Suddenly. A vision appeared before his eyes. In that moment. He seemed to see a corner of the oak forest! The vision was fleeting. Immediately, a surge of warmth flooded Matthew's heart. And suddenly, new knowledge filled his mind! ... "Your ability 'Gift of Nature' is in effect... You have gained new abilities 'Appraisal' and 'Accountant' Appraisal: You can accurately estimate the value and price of most goods circulating in Jiliu City. Accountant: You possess enough financial knowledge to handle basic accounting positions." ... Appraisal? Accountant? Matthew looked confused. "Is this also a gift from nature?" He muttered. At that moment. Matthew suddenly remembered. The corner of the oak forest he had glimpsed was exactly where he had buried the merchant's body! "I buried the body and nature gave me some of his abilities?" This assumption was somewhat absurd and even a bit terrifying. But Matthew felt it could very well be the truth! "Do I just need to bury bodies, or do I need to fulfill the deceased's last wishes?" "How many bodies can a forest hold? Does this gift have a limit? Could I gain negative abilities?" Matthew stopped further thought. Everything still had to be tested in practice. He noticed. In the taskbar icon. The right green energy bar had risen a good deal, almost reaching two-thirds. That must also be related to the 'Gift' he just received. "No rush, let's just wait and see, even if there is a shortcut to receiving gifts, I need to be careful. I can't turn Lord Ronan's land into a mass grave…" Matthew's eyes flickered slightly. "At this moment, you look like an evil necromancer." At the basement entrance. Peggy, in a flirtatious posture, leaned against the wall and spoke. Matthew ignored her flirtations: "Is dinner ready so early?" Peggy shook her head: "It's Big Beard, he seems anxious to see you." ... At the gate. "What? Sif has been kidnapped?" Matthew was shocked. Blake nodded hastily: ... "Don't make a noise, I also just got the news. The kidnapper has demanded a ransom, but His Lordship judges that they are merely buying time, delaying the rescue." "Currently, the Blood Robes are secretly assembling people, I was about to lead a team to ghost castle but had to double back after receiving the urgent news… of course, it's necessary, nothing is more important than Miss Sif's safety." Blake concluded: "I specifically came to remind you to stay safe, more unusual events might happen next, you don't need to worry about Miss Sif, everyone will do their utmost." ... After saying this, he left in a hurry. Matthew frowned slightly. Sif was the only daughter of her generation in the Blood Robes. She was also his student. Like Beanna. The girls at Seaver Public School all liked Matthew. Matthew remembered the last time he saw Sif. The maid had confidently told Matthew that she wrote an anonymous letter to the City Hall recommending him for the Outstanding Citizen award; later, someone from City Hall had actually visited to verify. In a blink of an eye. Sif had been kidnapped! Kidnapping the only daughter of the Blood Robes in Rolling Stone Town? That was outrageous. The kidnapper was either well-prepared. Or simply a madman! A madman not even intimidated by the name of Grand Mage Ronan. How crazy could they be? Matthew felt deeply anxious for Sif. Unfortunately, he didn't have any clues about the kidnapper. Divination wasn't his strong suit. He feared he couldn't be of much help. ... Locking the door. Matthew sighed softly. From the kitchen the voice of a Tauren skeleton announced: "Dinner's ready!" Matthew was about to go over. Suddenly. A flash of white light appeared before him. An oak tree fairy flew towards him in a panic! "What's wrong?" Matthew listened to the fairy's rapid chirping. His expression grew more serious. "People are setting a fire?!" "It's close to the oak forest?" ...