The horizon was already turning the color of a fish's belly. On a sand dune outside the camp, Shane directed his skeletons to carry the corpse over.
Elon followed beside him, looking at the restored face of “Cole” with a complicated expression.
While Shane was still considering whether to move it further away, the druid couldn't help but speak up. “Let's cremate him here.”
Shane wasn't too surprised by the choice of cremation. He looked up at Elon, intending to ask whether the druid wanted to do it or if he should do it himself.
Instead, he found that Elon's gaze had never left the corpse. The druid's lips twitched as if hesitating, but he ultimately spoke his mind. “I know that to you, this corpse might be a good spellcasting medium.”
“But... as a believer of the Church of Life, I cannot accept him being used after his death, even if he was once an enemy.”
Seeing Shane's odd expression, Elon added, as if afraid of offending him, “Of course, this is just my request. You are completely free to refuse.”
“After all, you know the situation in the Golden Sea best. Having one more summonable medium is also an extra layer of protection for you.”
Hearing this, Shane couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Even though this druid mentor had the princess backing him, he still spoke in such a collaborative tone, as if deeply afraid of hurting Shane's professional pride.
However, this didn't matter to Shane.
He waved his hand dismissively. “No need. I don't like using corpses as mediums unless absolutely necessary. Besides, there is an abundance of reserves buried under this sand. I don't need this one.”
Shane was telling the truth. From his very first day in the Golden Sea, he had sensed countless ancient remains buried beneath this desert.
It was precisely because of their existence that he could still summon so many undead to help with the chores despite the suppression of the Ring of the Exiled.
Unlike Shane's indifferent attitude, Elon clearly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. The furrow between his brows smoothed out, and he offered Shane a heartfelt smile. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
After his brief reply, Shane began directing the skeletons to lay dried seabuckthorn branches on the ground, then had them place the corpse on top.
He then looked at Elon and gave a slight nod toward the corpse, gesturing: Do you want to light the fire, or should I?
“I'll do it.”
Taking a deep breath, the druid stepped up to the corpse, closed his eyes, and muttered a few quiet words. Then, he raised his hand and summoned a fist-sized fireball, casting it onto the body.
Instantly, crimson flames enveloped the corpse, and thick smoke billowed upward, carrying a scorched smell.
Elon did not leave the pyre. He stood there with his hands clasped over his chest, his lips moving silently as if reciting some sort of prayer.
Shane did not disturb him. He just stood quietly to the side, watching the flames slowly consume the corpse.
After a moment, Elon finished his prayer and turned to Shane. His expression was much more relaxed than before, and his tone had lightened. “By the way, Her Highness asked me to tell you that you can keep all the items recovered from him. There's no need to hand them over.”
Shane raised an eyebrow and instinctively touched his waist.
To be honest, this was somewhat unexpected.
According to the common sense of this world, the items on “Cole” should belong to the princess.
After all, the land beneath their feet belonged to the princess, and the intruder had come for her. As spoils of war, it was only natural for her to dispose of them.
Yet, the princess had very decisively given them all to Shane.
He had to admit that this gesture definitely earned her some major points in his book.
His fingers felt the small leather pouch at his waist. Inside were several items retrieved from the corpse: the bone needle, the damaged disguise necklace, some potions, magic stones, and other tools.
To an ordinary person, these would be considered dangerous items, but to Shane, a necromancer, they were just common tools of the trade.
Naturally, Shane was well aware of the princess's intentions; she was treating him as one of her own.
However, if Shane were just an ordinary exile, he might have been deeply grateful for the princess's recognition and generosity.
Unfortunately, he was not. Thus, he simply gave a faint nod. “Thank Her Highness for me.”
“I will pass along the message.”
Shane's lukewarm reaction disappointed Elon slightly, but he didn't dwell on it for long and moved on to the next topic. “But seriously, you can plant trees in the Golden Sea and pinpoint problems within our team so accurately. Her Highness thinks very highly of you.”
The implication was already crystal clear. If Shane failed to pick up on it, he would just be acting deliberately obtuse.
Instead of answering directly, he looked first at the busy attendants in the center of the camp, then at the pool, before speaking slowly. “I checked the hydrology of the pool today. With our consumption over the past few days combined with the desert environment, the water level is dropping quite fast.”
He turned to face the rolling sand dunes in the distance, his voice carrying plans for the future. “If you plan to stay here long-term, relying on a single pool definitely won't be enough.”
“More people means more water consumption, which leaves no water for the trees.”
At first, Elon thought Shane was rejecting them as usual, but as these words were spoken, he sensed something different.
“I've already sent out several skeletal hounds to search for other water sources. If we're lucky, we might find a groundwater seepage point nearby.”
“In addition, I want to establish contact with merchants from the outside. Desert reclamation is a long-term project. I need more tools, seeds, and materials.”
Shane turned to look at Elon, his gaze lacking emotion but incredibly firm. “If it's for the sake of planting trees, I will consider a lot and do a lot. Beyond that, I won't think about anything else.”
This was Shane's answer to Elon, and the meaning was self-evident.
Elon stared at him, falling into deep thought.
When he traveled the continent in his youth, he had met all kinds of people and believed he had a good grasp of human nature. Yet, he could never see through this seemingly young necromancer before him.
In Shane, there was not only the paranoia and fanaticism of a necromancer, but also the steadiness and erudition of a druid, along with a tiny hint of human cunning.
He was clearly a strange person.
But for now, he could be considered a good person.
Elon made this evaluation in his mind, then broke the silence himself. “Everyone will pitch in regarding the water source. As for the merchant channels, I'm sure Her Highness will take that into consideration. Developing a stronghold requires supplies from merchants.”
“And as for me, I will teach you the knowledge of the druids, as long as you want to learn.”
“When the day comes that the Golden Sea turns into a forest...”
Elon's gaze drifted over Shane's shoulder, landing on the rows of shrubs in the distance that were already spreading their leaves in the morning light. “I will watch it with you.”
Shane raised an eyebrow. Why did that sound a bit strange?
But considering a druid's lifespan and beliefs, it didn't seem to be an issue.
Thus, he twitched his stiff lips, barely squeezing out a smile. “Then it's a deal.”
“You...”
Looking at Shane's smile, Elon shook his head. “You really shouldn't make that face. It's quite terrifying.”
Shane suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and became expressionless.
Fine, he now suspected this druid was doing it on purpose.
Just as Shane was thinking of a retort, he suddenly turned his head to look deep into the desert—the direction where he had sent the skeletal hounds to search for water.
An exceptionally clear warning signal was transmitting from that direction.
Rate on N.U.
