097 Dark Plant Growth Aura

The Gluttonous Little Ghost (Alice)

Type: Ghost

Power: Third-tier ordinary

Intelligence: High

Skills:
Devour Enhancement lv3 (Able to strengthen herself by consuming, with a chance to gain new abilities when eating special items.)
Ghostly Form lv5 (Able to freely shift between corporeal and incorporeal states; when incorporeal, immune to all physical attacks and detection methods below the fourth tier.)
Dark Plant Growth Aura lv3 (Active skill, increases the growth rate of dark attribute plants within a thousand square meters by thirty percent, duration ten days, cooldown one day.)

Innate Talent: Undead Affinity (Born with exceptionally high affinity for the undead.)

Effect: Unknown

...

These were Alice’s attributes at the third tier. Compared to her second tier, nearly all her abilities had undergone significant changes and improvements.

The most astonishing to Karen was the third skill. Perhaps because Alice had often wreaked havoc on the “Whispers of the Dead,” frequently snatching and gnawing at them, this skill had evolved into something truly formidable.

After reaching the third tier, what was once a passive skill became an active one, with effects that had utterly transformed. Thirty percent increased growth speed, a thousand square meters, ten days of duration, one day of cooldown.

What did this mean? It meant that if Alice operated at full capacity, she could perpetually keep ten thousand square meters—fifteen acres—of flower fields in an accelerated growth state.

And on one square meter, Karen could plant at least ten “Whispers of the Dead.” Theoretically, Alice could speed up the growth of one hundred thousand “Whispers of the Dead” by thirty percent, and maintain that state indefinitely.

Seeing Alice’s skill, Karen was so excited he nearly flew off, wanting nothing more than to hug and kiss this adorable little creature.

Fortunately, just as Karen was about to commit this outrage against morality and gods, Old Jack finally entered Karen’s territory, drawing Karen’s attention and preventing such a scene.

On Old Jack’s side, although he had learned much about Karen’s situation from various sources, actually entering Karen’s domain left him utterly astounded.

From the moment he stepped into the Goblin Forest, his eyes were met with a battlefield in ruins: toppled, charred trees, dried bloodstains, and the corpses—yet to be moved—at the edge of Karen’s land, all in grotesque shapes.

The journey was like traversing hell itself, and just from this battlefield, Old Jack could sense the ferocity of the fight that had taken place.

But as Old Jack advanced further, truly entering Karen’s domain, he was greeted by a completely different scene.

Hundreds of undead were methodically clearing corpses and bloodstains from the territory. A hundred undead wielded hoes, cultivating flower fields. The whole territory radiated prosperity and vitality.

What shocked Old Jack most was that every one of these undead was at least second-tier, numbering at least five hundred by conservative estimate, and many third-tier undead were among them.

Witnessing it firsthand, Old Jack finally grasped the terrifying extent of Karen’s strength.

The foundation before him was already comparable to Moon Worship City.

He recalled Karen telling him he intended to control the Goblin Forest. Back then, Old Jack had laughed, thinking Karen was dreaming an impossible dream. Now he realized it was not Karen who was dreaming, but his own ignorance of Karen’s true power.

“You’ve arrived?”

As Old Jack reeled in amazement, Karen had already come forward to greet him.

Seeing Karen’s warm welcome, Old Jack’s feelings were complicated. So much had happened in just a few days, and Karen’s status had transformed dramatically.

What comforted Old Jack, though, was that Karen still showed him great respect.

After all, Karen’s rise owed much to Old Jack’s help. Whether it was the early days, when Old Jack turned a blind eye to Karen’s identity as a ‘necromancer,’ or later, his support regarding the “Whispers of the Dead,” Karen always remembered.

To be honest, Karen’s enthusiasm toward Old Jack had another layer of meaning.

Judging from Cliff’s intelligence and Old Jack’s actions, Old Jack and Lane were not allies—in fact, they seemed to side with Karen.

Thus, both Cliff and Karen considered Old Jack someone worth drawing in.

If Karen could win Old Jack over, bringing him and his “Forest Guardians” into Karen’s frontier trade plan, then Karen would have solved his issues with the Bourbon Kingdom once and for all. He might even gain access to the Silver Hand through Old Jack.

So, upon Old Jack’s arrival, Karen was exceedingly hospitable, taking him on a tour of the territory.

As they strolled, Karen engaged Old Jack in conversation, probing subtly.

Unexpectedly, as Karen was just beginning to hint at his intentions, Old Jack suddenly stopped, turned, and gazed steadily at Karen. “You’ve changed!”

“Changed?”

Old Jack’s abrupt words caught Karen off guard.

“You’re sunnier than you were in Dolay Village. Before, you gave off a cold, oppressive aura. Now, you seem much more relaxed. It looks like conquering the Goblin Forest has eased your mind.”

At Old Jack’s words, Karen realized that his smile had grown more frequent in recent days, and his mood had improved.

It was only natural. When Karen had first crossed over, his mind was consumed with survival in this world.

Though his power was growing, he dared not expose his undead territory, unsure of his future, and remained oppressed.

But after conquering the Goblin Forest—and especially after Cliff pointed out his path forward—Karen’s mindset had changed, and he naturally became sunnier.

While Karen was lost in the question of whether he had truly changed, Old Jack quickly added, “But you’re much more roundabout in your speech now. If you have something to say, just say it directly, like you used to!”

Surprised by Old Jack’s banter, Karen regained his composure and laughed, rubbing his nose. “Alright, since you say so, I’ll be direct.

You see, since I’ve taken the Goblin Forest, I plan to replace the goblins and have my undead work as miners in cooperation with the Silver Hand.

At the same time, I intend to take over the specter’s frontier trade plan, turning the Goblin Forest into a trade town between the two nations!

My preparations are nearly complete, but I hope to have your help in a few matters.”

Karen finished speaking, his eyes fixed on Old Jack, eagerly awaiting his response.

But Old Jack replied, “I think you may have misunderstood something.”

With these words, the atmosphere suddenly became rather delicate...