Chapter 75: A Unique Burial
“Gone?” Leona gasped. “Did you cremate her?”
“Please tell me more,” Abyss frowned slightly. While draining the magic around the Sacred Tree, he had seen Agnes in a vision, leading him to believe she was buried nearby. Arcaiste’s revelation that her body was gone was unexpected.
“I can see you’re a Necromancer who respects the Four Tenets, and since Miss Agnes might have had some connection to Necromancy, I’m willing to share what I know. I’m not hiding anything, and I hope you don’t suspect me of doing so,” Arcaiste said, seeming more proactive than usual.
Abyss raised an eyebrow, surprised that in a time when even Necromancers disregarded the Four Tenets, a Druid remembered and recognized Abyss’s adherence to them. This earned Arcaiste some respect in Abyss’s eyes.
“Please tell me. Since you understand my purpose and sympathize with it, we can be completely open with each other,” Abyss smiled.
“After Miss Agnes’s death, some animals did indeed handle her burial, and I suspect she also informed some Necromancers of her burial place within the sacred grounds,” Arcaiste said. “Because after her death, many Necromancers appeared near our gathering. They wouldn’t have come here without reason.”
“Necromancers came here?” Abyss asked curiously. “What did they do?”
“They didn’t do anything, but they fought amongst themselves, especially in the decade following Agnes’s death. Such individuals kept appearing,” Arcaiste frowned. “Master Belator, were you unaware of this?”
“I never knew about this,” Abyss shrugged. “And I’m not from that era; I’m not even seventeen yet.”
“In any case, Necromancers kept appearing, but they gained nothing from us,” Arcaiste continued. “After Agnes’s death, I succeeded her as Grand Sage. I asked those Necromancers why they came to the Druid gathering. A few told me they were treasure hunting.”
“Didn’t you drive them away?” Leona asked curiously. “I thought Druids and Necromancers hated each other.”
“We initially tried to expel them, but we realized they would fight amongst themselves and accomplish nothing, so we simply maintained our defenses and didn’t intervene,” Arcaiste explained. “This puzzled us. I still don’t know what treasure Agnes told the Necromancers to seek. I suspect they wanted to resurrect her?”
“That doesn’t seem logical,” Rebecca raised a question. “Agnes was such a powerful Druid. Why would she allow Necromancers to resurrect her? Necromancers can command their undead; that’s disgusting… Of course, I’m not referring to Abyss.”
“I don’t understand it either, but I can tell you for certain that Miss Agnes’s body has become nourishment for the Sacred Tree,” Arcaiste sighed. “No one knew where the animals buried her, except me. She had told me that if she didn’t survive the tsunami, she would use magic to transform herself into nourishment for the Sacred Tree. She’s within the Sacred Tree, not as a corpse, but as sustenance, completely merged with the tree that protects us.”
Abyss looked up in surprise at the blooming branches of the Sacred Tree. He hadn’t expected such a unique burial method.
In this case, resurrecting her would require retrieving her soul and finding a suitable body as a vessel. This method was rare, not just due to its complexity, but because high-ranking undead resurrected this way would be significantly weaker and prone to madness due to soul-body incompatibility.
Even so, the Necromancers still wanted to resurrect her? What secret had she passed on to them after death? What treasure were they fighting over?
“So, we can’t retrieve Miss Agnes’s power?” Flora asked Abyss worriedly.
“It will be difficult, for now…” Abyss nodded grimly.
Arcaiste, seemingly relieved after revealing his secret, exhaled. “I’ve told you everything I know, Master Belator, because your character and strength are worthy of my trust. But I can’t offer any further assistance.”
“Hmm… I understand… We’ve reached a dead end,” Abyss said with a sigh.
“What now? Give up on Agnes and search for Sophia?” Rebecca asked. Sophia, the descendant of the fifth transmigrator, a talented Dark Elf assassin, was also from the Elven Kingdoms and might be buried nearby.
“I think we need to investigate further,” Abyss shook his head. “Giving up so easily isn’t my style. There are too many mysteries surrounding Agnes; I won’t just forget about her.”
“Until then, will you continue cooperating with us to resolve the current crisis?” Arcaiste asked worriedly. “Although I know you have no reason to now, I still implore you…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll see this through,” Abyss said. “I’m always happy to oppose Outer Gods and protect our world.”
“That’s wonderful,” Arcaiste nodded repeatedly, the sadness on his face lessening slightly. “We’ll be holding many meetings in the coming days to discuss strategies for dealing with the mutated animals.”
…
Abyss and his companions bid farewell to Arcaiste and finally returned to their treehouse to rest.
They headed straight for the guest quarters, exchanging pleasantries with the Druids who now held Abyss in high regard, then climbed up to their treehouse.
Upon entering, they saw a small figure lying inside – Maggie was asleep for some reason.
To their surprise, a long, fresh, red gash ran across her face, seemingly recently stopped bleeding.
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