Chapter 15

In front of a flat piece of land, Sigma squatted down, holding a seed in his hand. A deep blue death force rose from his hand, carefully probing the seed.

Standing beside him was a robust old man with white hair. His snow-white beard and long, disheveled hair almost merged into one, and he wore a simple cloth robe, holding an unremarkable oak staff. He looked at the cautious Sigma and smiled, saying, "The life force of a druid has many uses. One of them is to quickly cultivate plants for attack, defense, and binding. Infusing life force into a seed can accelerate its growth, and stimulating the seed with life force can induce mutations in plants. Depending on the amount, method of stimulation, and environment, the direction of mutation can vary. Some may make them more resilient or resistant to various elements, but most mutations will lead to worse results... We know that the secrets of life are hidden within, but we cannot fully decipher them. We can only experiment step by step, allowing us to use it without fully understanding the principles..."

Sigma thought of the knowledge from his previous life. While carefully channeling the death force, he casually replied, "I believe that all living beings in this world, whether animals or plants, start from 'one' when they are conceived and grow in the womb. Whether we walk upright or on all fours, fly in the air or swim in the water, and whether we are strong or weak, smart or foolish, geniuses or ordinary people, all these are determined by the genetic information we inherit from our parents and ancestors. They are stable yet unstable, and can undergo minor mutations due to various reasons. I think the principle of the druid's magic plant manipulation is probably similar, involving artificial stimulation for directed mutation."

The old man was slightly taken aback, then laughed, "Prince Sigma, you are indeed an excellent young man. Your thoughts are very close to our basic conjectures about life. Atlas has a genius that others envy, and I'm sure Mr. Sargeras is very pleased."

Sigma pursed his lips, about to reply, but then felt a sudden vibration from the seed in his hand. His expression changed, and he threw the seed into a shallow pit he had already dug, covering it with soil. A few seconds later, a miracle happened. A green sprout broke through the soil and grew at a visible speed. However, it looked quite strange, with a straight and sturdy green stem topped by a yellow, fan-like head, resembling a hairdryer from his previous life, which was quite bizarre.

...Damn, I've seen something like this before in my previous life!

"Luck is on your side; occasional attempts sometimes yield surprising results." The old man chuckled, seeing the astonished Sigma, "Do you find it amazing? Every necromancer who has tried this little trick finds it amazing... Prince, use your mental power to sense it, and try giving it a command."

Hearing this, Sigma followed the old man's instructions and issued a command. The strange hairdryer-like plant vibrated and then spat out a green ball from its black nozzle, which shot forward with a loud bang, causing dust to fly up from the ground.

...Even its ability is the same!

"Short-range shooting type, initial power equivalent to a second-level fireball within thirty meters. When used in groups, it can form dense firepower." The old man stroked his beard, "This is a new mutation direction. If you are interested, Prince, you can continue to develop its abilities. Just treat it like a flower or a plant. How about giving it a new name?"

Sigma's eyes twitched, "…Bean Shooter."

"Uh…" The old man coughed awkwardly, changing the subject, "Do you find it strange?"

Sigma nodded, "A bit. It's not strange that a druid's life force can do this, but necromancers wield the power of death..."

"That's because life and death are part of the great cycle, complementing each other. Necromancers and druids are both balancers and guardians of the cycle. The only difference is that we love life, and you embrace death. There is no superiority or inferiority, no good or evil. Look at the lush forest; leaves fall and life disappears every moment. The remains of the deceased fall into the soil, transforming into new life-giving forces. Rotten organic matter and corpses are also part of the forest." The druid master pointed at the Bean Shooter, "So, you can also give it new life."

The Bean Shooter slowly withered and turned yellow, finally turning into a pile of white ash. The wind blew away the ash, revealing a new seed.

"Plants forcibly catalyzed can be classified as alchemical products, with a greatly shortened life cycle. To make it live longer, you need to continue infusing it with death force or plant it in soil rich in negative energy, watering it with water filled with negative energy." The druid master watched as Sigma picked up the seed and said calmly, "Prince, you can explore the mysteries on your own, but please remember that plants that have not undergone the awakening ceremony, autumn withering, and spring revival have life but no spirit. They can be used as tools for transformation and use, but animals and even humans have emotions, can be grateful, and can choose to believe. They are spiritual beings, and you must not use this method to desecrate them, or you will surely be punished and despised by the world..."

Sigma was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "I don't even like to manipulate corpses, let alone do such things."

"Prince, you have a kind heart, and I am willing to believe that. But it's better to be cautious. I'll play the bad guy for once." The old man seemed to sense Sigma's sincerity and was in a good mood, chuckling, "If you have any more questions, feel free to ask."

"I have three questions. First, you said you taught this spell to many necromancers. Why haven't I heard of similar courses at Atlas Academy?"

"Simple. Don't you think the magic power consumed to catalyze a seed is a bit much? Necromancers are efficiency-oriented. Unoptimized magic plants are far less useful in actual combat than various necromancy summoning spells, so this spell is just a way to broaden horizons and entertain, not worth including in the curriculum." The druid smiled, seemingly not angry at all, "And every time druids visit Atlas, they learn small tricks like cultivating plants on fresh and semi-rotten corpses to collect seeds. Similarly, few druids are willing to study this spell."

"…At least I find it very interesting." Sigma sighed and then asked, "Since there is a method for rapid cultivation, why isn't it used in agriculture?"

"There are several reasons. Each druid's magic power is limited. Even using the secret method of rapid catalysis to produce food, the daily output is extremely limited, just a drop in the bucket compared to our total agricultural output. There's no need to do this. The grain we sell each year is already enough to make a profit. Also, this method only drastically increases the growth rate, but the consumption of soil nutrients is the same. Overplanting will only kill the land." The old man looked into the distance and said gently, "Moreover, we don't know if the rapid stimulation of genetic material will cause new changes in the food, or if these potential new changes will harm those who eat it. Even if there are no immediate negative effects, we cannot be sure that they won't pose a hidden long-term threat to the consumers. Therefore, we will not use this secret method in production until we have a thorough and comprehensive evaluation."

"Druids are very responsible, much more so than some people who talk nonsense after receiving money. Really." Sigma said sincerely, "The last question, High Priest, you see, I have a good understanding of life force and the way of nature. I wonder if you would be willing to accept me as a transfer student?"

"…Ha ha, the sun is really nice today. The old man needs to take a nap. Prince, why don't you take a walk around? In the third training ground, Lord Dimas is teaching druid-specific scythe combat skills. In the second teaching building, room 408, there is a lecture on frost power. If you are interested, you can go and listen. I, this old man, came to see you, a renowned excellent young man, today. That little trick was just a humble gift. If you have any questions in the coming days, feel free to come to me." The nominal leader of the Druid Academy chatted with Sigma for a while, then turned and walked away, muttering to himself, "Transfer student? Ha! If I accept you, Sargeras will come knocking the next day..."

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