The girls followed and asked questions on the way, but the Necromancer kept evading the answer while giving a full recount of his encounter with Nafain.

Leaving the small town behind, the trio moved northeast on the road leading to the Daudur Peats, with Helen clearing the way for them.

Seeing the Level 80 Worgen attack the group relentlessly made Michael a bit weak in the knees, especially after he tried using Decrepify on one of the groups and attracted their ire.

Fortunately, his Corpse Tendrils still worked, even if the stun duration was considerably decreased at about 0.5 seconds, and the Vulnerable debuff wasn't even applied.

It was only now that he also understood just how strong Mina's Class was, as she kept stacking up debuffs and something fairly close to curses on all mobs jumping Helen.

Then, the tigress would shred them to pieces using her Sword Aura.

When they reached the cliff he had previously used to reach the spot where he first met the adorable white wolf, Helen jumped above the almost four-meter-tall wall without missing a beat, prompting a slackened jaw from the Necromancer.

Stuck between wanting to try it and being afraid to since he might end up embarrassing himself in front of the girls, Michael chose the easy way out and climbed while also gently helping Mina up.

Obviously, this drew a pout from the tigress, as she immediately pointed out the Priestess could do the same thing she did easily, making the Necromancer almost faint in shame while Mina blushed furiously.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, he decisively removed this scene from his short-term memory and showed the girls around.

[Is this the stone circle you were talking about? It is indeed quite interesting. Hmm... definitely Druid symbols on all the pillars and even the stones on the ground.](Helen)

[Look at the cliff wall! Even if they are eroded, there are traces of Druidic charms being sculpted, and I see some actual statues as well. What a pity... they are so heavily eroded. Aylin and Hella would've loved to come check this place out if it was in better condition.](Mina)

Allowing the girls enough time to inspect every corner of the area identified by the Sanctuary as Boglann Stone Circle, Michael patiently explained the type of Quest he was doing in this area previously while connecting it to Donan and the Charred Duke.

About ten minutes later, the trio reached the Blood Vale.

"*Sniff* Mhm! The smell of the forest is almost back to normal."

[It's here! *Sniff* *Sniff* The demonic corruption I was able to sense in Tirmair... it was coming from here.](Mina)

[Look at the ground.](Helen)

With Helen pointing it out, the Priestess immediately noticed the slightly red soil, prompting the Necromancer to begin explaining what Lilith had done to Nafain and how she used his blood to curse the forest and the entire flora and fauna nearby.

Even the animals in the forest had recovered slightly, as they were no longer attacking everything they encountered.

They were still incredibly irritable, but with enough time passing, this place would soon return to normal.

[Eh!? A Treasure Goblin!](Helen)

"Huh!?"

Michael looked in the direction Helen was pointing and noticed a scrawny green creature carrying a sack on his back.

Probably surprised at being noticed, the little bastard let out a strange scream and began running, prompting the tigress to push the Necromancer forward.

[Go get it! Quick!](Helen)

"What!? But if it's Level 80..."

[They are not! Treasure Goblins are permanently restricted to the level of those hunting it. Hurry!!](Helen)

Without hesitating any longer, Michael ran forward at his highest speed and, once in the range, used Decrepify to slow down the little green shit.

Then, using 50 Essence points, he summoned his Golem and immediately had it use taunt, which granted the Necromancer sufficient time to get in melee range.

Following that, he used Reap, Corpse Tendrils, and Corpse Explosion in quick succession, after which he passed through his enemy's body using Evade's bat cloud, inflicting more damage and increasing the Vulnerable debuff on the small creature.

Not wanting to give it any breathing space, Michael ordered Quarterback to hold it down, prompting the Golem to use his body mass to press on the Treasure Goblin.

Unable to extricate himself from under the ridiculous mass of bones and flesh sitting on him, the Goblin grabbed a knife from his waist and began stabbing the Golem repeatedly.

Unfortunately for it, every time the Life Points of Quarterback decreased by 25%, it would generate a Corpse, which Michael used Corpse Explosion on, eventually killing the Treasure Goblin before it could stab the Golem to death.

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[Wow! That was pretty impressive. I keep forgetting you have a ton of crowd-control skills. You even used your minion's weight to keep the sneaky Goblin in place.](Helen)

"Eh? I mean... it wasn't anything special, honestly speaking. I was expecting it to put up a decent fight."

[Well, truth to be told, Treasure Goblins aren't great fighters. They prefer to run when noticed or cornered. That's why it's impressive you were able to hold it in place like you did, since they are incredibly slippery. Let's see... A good haul!](Mina)

[Indeed. Two Legendary item boxes and a Rare one. Open them, open them!](Helen)

Smiling and thanking his cautious nature for equipping his items before leaving Tirmair, the Necromancer showed the two Legendary weapons that dropped.

One was a wand, and the other was a one-handed sword. Both the Affixes and the Legendary Aspects on them were subpar compared to his sickle, which prompted another wave of curiosity to wash over the group.

The next fifteen minutes were spent walking while holding hands with the two beauties, sharing the details of his items one by one.

[Mhm! I think that Chest Armor should be good. Especially if you add a good Affix to it.](Helen)

"Which one?"

[The one with the Barrier Aspect.](Helen)

[I agree. Not only does it have an extra 660 Armor, but it also increases your Intelligence attribute by 50. Judging by its quality, you should also be able to add another socket, meaning you'll have at least two gems you can equip it with.](Mina)

[And you can swap the Aspect on it for something better. Weren't you saying you had a new Aspect that increased the number of minions you had?](Helen)

"Mhm. But I'll hold off on that. I already asked Natalia, and she said it would be best to do that after the ritual to improve my current minions is done. Otherwise, I'll need even more materials for it after I create a link with the summons."

The trio quickly reached the other side of the forest and stood in front of another cliff, which was even taller than the previous one.

This time around, even the tigress decided to play coy and have the much weaker Michael help her climb, prompting a wave of laughter from him.

Being much closer to the spot where Nafain was pretty much executed by Lilith, the group steadily advanced through the Heart of the Moors while taking note of the blood-soaked soil.

[*Sigh* The corruption is much more obvious here. I can use Purify, but it wouldn't have too much of an effect. At best, it could remove the stench of blood a bit.](Mina)

"That would be excellent! I'm sure Fiorban would love that."

[[Who?]]

Pointing ahead without offering an answer, the girls saw a large white-furred wolf standing under the shade of a giant tree.

Both girls noticed a huge patch of blood on the tree's bark that reeked of demonic corruption but were quickly distracted by the beautiful creature.

Seeing its beautiful fur covered in dirt, small branches, and blood, Michael smiled and approached him.

"I'm back, Fiorban. Sorry it took so long, but I was caught up dealing with various problems."

After taking out a platter and a large cow leg he had prepared two days ago, he sneakily took out two brushes and pointed them at the wolf and then at the two girls behind him.

Understanding his intention, Fiorban showed an almost human-like sneer but didn't disagree as he pushed his snot into Michael's hand for a brief moment, after which he proceeded to enjoy its offerings.

Getting back up to his feet, he handed the two brushes to Mina and Helen and let the two star-struck girls comb through the beautiful fur of the wolf as he approached Nafain's grave.

'I didn't get the chance to ask for more details about the burial rites of the Druids, but I'll return in the future and plant some flowers or something if it's not an issue. For now, I'll just remove the weeds.'

While Fiorban was enjoying the premium quality beef and the grooming of two beauties, the Necromancer understood from the blood splotches on its fur that he wasn't lacking in food.

The only issue might be his lack of companionship.

Pondering for a while, he sat on the ground next to the eating wolf - but gave it sufficient space for it not to feel smothered - and contacted Celeste.

After a short conversation, the Tier 4 Sniper agreed that it would be a good idea to reintroduce a larger pack of wolves into the forest since most of them had been transformed into Worgen by Lilith's demonic corruption.

Since the local Wanderer Representative agreed, Michael asked her to hold on for a moment and actually asked Fiorban for its opinion.

Seeing its wagging tail, the Necromancer took it as a 'yes' and asked Celeste to proceed with the 'wolf repopulation' plan.

[What did Celeste say?](Helen)

"..."

Seeing the tigress continue to comb the wolf's fur while not even raising her head to look at him when she asked the question, Michael rolled his eyes at the beauty.

Mina was in a similar situation, probably ignoring even the conversation they were having.

"She would ask the Druids of Túr Dúlrafor help. Most of them have wolf and bear companions, and they would soon come to inspect this forest and help purify it. Fiorban, make sure you don't chase them out. Hopefully, they can eliminate the smell of blood for you."

*GROWL*

"They won't take over your master's domain, don't worry. However, the forest needs to be brought back to life. Otherwise, the balance of nature in this entire area would suffer."

Seeing the strange looks he was getting from three beautiful creatures, the Necromancer rolled his eyes and admitted it was something Celeste told him just moments ago.

About two hours later, even if the two girls hadn't had enough fun grooming Fiorban, the wolf did.

He stood up and approached Michael, rubbing his head into his hands.

Understanding the wolf wasn't seeking attention but rather Cleaning Marbles, the Necromancer took out twenty of them, placed them near the tree where Fiorban could easily 'access' them, and then used another one to give the beautiful creature a thorough wash.

Not wanting to annoy the wolf to the point where they would get chased away, Michael took away the two love-struck women and left the area after promising to return soon.

Obviously, after showing Fiorban to the girls, there was no doubt on the Necromancer's mind that the others would also want to come visit, so he planned at least a weekly trip to this place.

That way, they could keep an eye on the forest's recovery as well.

By the time the trio returned to Kyovashad, all the girls were talking about was the wolf and how they would love to 'relocate' it to the Pink Palace.

Almost choking on his saliva, Michael had to fight an uphill battle and explain how that would inconvenience Fiorban, who probably preferred roaming freely around his territory.

Fortunately, the duo gave up after almost five minutes of convincing, just in time for them to reach Zivek's forge.

Checking the time, it was 2:51 p.m., and they scheduled an 'appointment' with the blacksmith for 3 p.m.

Michael did that two days ago, under Helen's suggestion. Poor Zivek was being 'assaulted' by Wanderers in Fractured Peaks to the point where he was working overtime.

[You're here. Come. *Sigh*](Zivek)

"Hello, Zivek! You sound tired."

[Mentally, more than anything. The whole process of salvaging, Tempering, and Masterworking has been taken care of by the Sanctuary. Now, I'm pretty much a secretary in my own forge!](Zivek)

Hearing the man's indignant tone, Michael held back the chuckle threatening to ruin his appointment.

He was here to upgrade his items and prepare for the inevitable reskill!

First, using the Stash near the forge, he placed the Unique boots inside after showing them off to the girls, who were very happy for him.

It was, after all, his first Unique-level drop.

Then, he opened the Murmuring Cache he had saved previously, gaining an extra 50 Obols and a Rare item.

Seeing his stash of Obols reaching 472/515, Michael scratched his head and decided he might as well gamble for some additional items after Zivek worked his magic on the current items he had.

First, he salvaged the useless Legendary items, as well as the Rare ones gathered in this quick trip.