“What?!”
Alicia let out a cry of surprise. For the first time, this Third Imperial Princess of the empire lost her composure in front of Shane.
But she couldn't be blamed. Shane's words just now were simply too shocking.
This necromancer, this desert tree planter, had actually made a request right after Elon finished explaining the Living Soil Pouch.
He wanted to learn druid knowledge!
What kind of fantasy was this?
Historical records and biographies of the empire flashed through Alicia's mind. Without exception, the accounts of necromancers were filled with blood and slaughter.
Never had a necromancer shown curiosity toward the knowledge of another class, let alone a druid.
Alicia's gaze fell on her mentor, Elon. This experienced druid had also fallen into a long silence.
He glanced at Shane, unable to fathom what the other man was thinking. In his heart, wariness and confusion surged alternately, but they eventually dissolved into curiosity.
A necromancer wanting to learn druid knowledge?
Setting aside the hostile relationship between their factions, the power systems themselves had a fundamental conflict.
Their powers were incompatible. Forcing a fusion would only lead to a loss of control and self-destruction.
Since the other party was a powerful necromancer, he couldn't possibly be ignorant of this. So, why?
Elon stared at Shane, his sharp gaze locking onto the pale, thin man's face, trying to find any sign of deceit.
But Shane's expression was calm, his eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
After a long silence, Elon asked with a serious expression, “Do you know what you are saying?”
Shane nodded, his reply concise and clear. “Of course.”
“It is common knowledge that the power systems of a necromancer and a druid are incompatible.”
“I am well aware of this. Therefore, my goal is not to learn your spells.”
Hearing Shane's words, Elon felt a sudden realization, as if he understood Shane's intention. Sure enough, Shane's gaze fell on the pouch in Elon's hand as he continued, “What I want are druid techniques.”
“Techniques to help me communicate with plants, judge their condition, and...”
Shane raised his hand, pointing to a patch of plants in the distance. “...how to solve my problem.”
Following Shane's guidance, Elon looked over and saw a patch of plants. Unlike the lush, thriving seabuckthorn shrubs nearby, these, though alive, had yellowing leaves and stiff, stunted branches.
Compared to their vibrant neighbors, they were clearly a grade below.
“What's wrong with them?”
Elon's expression softened slightly, his tone carrying an instinctive curiosity. Shane shook his head, showing a rare trace of helplessness. “The problem lies with me.”
“You have probably seen how I make them grow. I use death magic to stimulate their survival instinct, forcing them to grow rapidly. While this works well for some plants, for others, it results in what you see here.”
Shane's gaze fell on the poorly growing plants again as he said slowly, “They grow rapidly in the early stages, but then they age at an accelerated rate.”
“I suspect that this accelerated growth consumes a massive amount of their life force. The method to replenish life force does not exist in the knowledge system of a necromancer, so I cannot solve it.”
At this, Shane looked at Elon, his meaning already clear.
In this world, when it came to understanding natural life, aside from those long-eared folk who understood it instinctively, only druids possessed such knowledge.
Therefore, learning from a druid was undoubtedly the fastest way to solve this problem.
It sounded reasonable. Elon remained silent, his eyes fixed on Shane.
But as always, there was no emotional fluctuation, not even a hint of evasion. The two of them just stared at each other in silence.
Standing to the side, Alicia's eyes darted back and forth between Shane and Elon.
But she did not make a sound, knowing that this decision could only be made by her mentor.
Finally, Elon took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. Everything he had witnessed from yesterday until today flashed through his mind.
What this necromancer had shown him was something he had never seen in decades.
Though his actions might not align with druid teachings, they provided a different perspective.
A brand-new, unprecedented perspective.
This might bring about change, or it might bring about disaster.
But regardless of the outcome, only time would tell.
And now, perhaps this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to observe this necromancer right under his nose in this barren Golden Sea.
After all, a necromancer who planted trees in the desert was extremely rare in itself.
No, it was unheard of!
With this thought, Elon opened his eyes. “Shane Leynas, I can teach you.”
Hearing this, Shane's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to speak, Elon raised his hand to stop him and continued, “But there is a condition.”
As Elon spoke, he untied another pouch from his waist. This pouch was completely different from the previous two.
It was only palm-sized, woven entirely from gold thread, with a green ribbon tied around its opening.
Elon untied the ribbon and carefully took out a seed the size of a fingernail from inside.
“This is an Elven Seed of Contract.”
Elon placed the seed in his palm and held it out to Shane. “Its function is to establish an unbreakable contract.”
“If you promise that you will only use the druid knowledge you learn from me to plant trees, then place your hand on it.”
Elon stared intently at Shane, refusing to miss even the slightest change in his expression.
“But if you violate the contract, it will punish you.”
“Trust me, even if you become a lich, you will not escape its punishment.”
To Elon's surprise, Shane did not hesitate at all. The moment Elon finished saying the word “punishment,” Shane's thin hand had already covered the seed.
“I promise.”
As his voice fell, a vibrant green light burst from beneath Shane's palm.
Vines shimmering with the glow of life grew wildly from beneath his hand, wrapping around Shane's and Elon's wrists in a matter of moments.
Then the light faded, leaving a clearly visible, deep green ring-like mark imprinted on their wrists.
The contract was established.
Alicia stood frozen to the side, her eyes wide with shock.
Elon was also stunned. He looked at the mark on his hand somewhat stiffly, then looked up at Shane, his voice slightly dry. “You... didn't you even suspect me?”
“Weren't you afraid I was tricking you?”
Hearing this, the corner of Shane's mouth twitched slightly, as if he were smiling. He looked at Elon with an open, honest gaze. “If it is for planting trees...”
“...then there is nothing to hesitate about.”
Elon was momentarily speechless, at a complete loss for words.
In the end, his overwhelming emotions made him shake his head gently, a complex smile appearing on his face. “You madmen.”
As he said this, Alicia, standing not far away, could feel that the aura radiating from her mentor had softened significantly.
That instinctive rejection and wariness toward a necromancer had dissipated, replaced by a touch of understanding and respect.
But none of this was what drew Alicia's attention the most.
Her gaze was fixed on Shane, a strange, stifling emotion welling up in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
An unbreakable contract, signed without a single moment of hesitation, all just to plant trees. This sheer dedication was enough to move anyone.
She did not know if the emotion surging within her was admiration, confusion, or a sense of unrealistic absurdity. She only knew that she would remember this scene for a very long time.
“Protect Her Highness!”
The sudden shout of a guard broke the princess out of her thoughts. Before she could even look toward the source of the shout, a crisp clashing of metal rang out over the oasis.
Then, she saw a pale figure standing on the sand, flickering with ghostly blue flames.
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