Zhao Hai arrived at the study on the upper floor. This study had also been prepared by Green. It contained some books, though not many, along with some ledgers and similar items, but there was no shortage of paper and pens.
To Zhao Hai’s surprise, the pens here came in several varieties: some made from bird feathers, some from animal bones, some metal ones resembling fountain pens, as well as traditional brushes and charcoal-based pencil-like objects. It was a blend of East and West, ancient and modern, which truly opened Zhao Hai’s eyes.
However, Zhao Hai could not say much for the paper. It wasn't the white paper he had imagined, but a yellow, coarse material similar to the kraft paper he had seen in his childhood. It was very stiff and much rougher than kraft paper.
Seeing all this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but be speechless. In Adam’s memories, there were plenty of recollections of romantic escapades and hedonistic pleasures, but there wasn't a single memory regarding things like pens or paper, which showed what kind of person he had been.
Zhao Hai picked up the charcoal pencil, drew a simple shape of a stone mill and a grinding stone on the paper, and handed it to Ann.
Ann glanced at the drawing and immediately said, "Young Master, I can make this. We’ve used similar things for milling rice before. Although it’s not exactly the same, it’s close enough."
Zhao Hai nodded with relief and said, "Good, as long as you can make it. Meg, arrange for forty men to learn how to make these two items from Ann. Make several of them; these are for milling rice and flour. We have many people here, and I’m afraid a few won't be enough."
Meg acknowledged the order, and Zhao Hai continued, "The remaining ten men should go to the mountain to cut grass. Cut down all that dry grass, and have the women follow Ju to learn how to weave grass mats. In the shortest time possible, I want grass mats hung in every room. By the way, if anyone else has any skills, tell them to come to me. Also, tell the slaves that if they find sleeping on the ground too cold, they can spread corn stalks on the floor. We have too few supplies right now to provide them with beds, but sleeping on the ground all the time will make them sick. Spreading several layers of corn stalks can serve the same purpose as a bed."
Meg acknowledged the order. She also knew that the slaves really had nothing to do right now; Zhao Hai’s land had not yet been improved, and the mine had been mostly cleared out. There was truly no work to be done at the moment.
After giving his instructions, Zhao Hai and the others left the study. Just as they reached the living room, they ran into Merine. Breakfast was ready, and she had come to call them to eat.
At the dining table, Zhao Hai told Merine about the arrangements he had made. Merine did not object; they really did need tools for milling rice and flour, so Zhao Hai’s plan was for the best.
After the meal, Meg immediately followed Zhao Hai’s arrangements and assigned the manpower. She had Stone lead Ann and the others to find suitable stones for the millstones and grinding stones, while the women were placed under her direct supervision to weave grass mats.
The entire castle suddenly became busy. However, Zhao Hai and Meg were not in the castle; the two of them went from the mountain lake to the canyon again. This time, it was just the two of them. Since there was no danger, it was actually easier for Merine to bring one less person.
The two walked across the water and soon arrived at the canyon. Zhao Hai went to check the land he had improved yesterday. There were no changes, so he proceeded to improve another plot of land next to it, again ten mu.
Seeing that Zhao Hai had finished improving the land, Merine turned to him and said, "Young Master, why don't we have the slaves come and till the soil here tomorrow? We should get these fields planted first."
Zhao Hai shook his head. He wanted to use this plot for an experiment. He hadn't forgotten the prompt he received the first time he touched the small shovel—that the small shovel could be used outside the space, and he could till ten mu of land every day. Similarly, he wanted to know if the seeds and water from the space would still be under his control once brought outside. If they were, he could plant ten mu of land himself every day.
Seeing Zhao Hai shake his head, Merine knew he must have other things to do, so she didn't say anything more, just watched him, wondering what he was up to.
With a thought from Zhao Hai, the small shovel flew out from the space and began tilling the soil incessantly. Zhao Hai then focused on the idea of sowing seeds. Sure enough, corn seeds immediately flew out from the space and landed on the freshly tilled soil. Zhao Hai went over to check, feeling uneasy, and found that the seeds had indeed been buried. Only then was he relieved.
However, Zhao Hai also discovered a problem: the shovel, the seeds, and everything from the space could not leave the ten-mu range; they could only operate within this area. Furthermore, they couldn't perform complex tasks. The shovel could only till the soil and nothing else, and the seeds could only be planted in the ground. Zhao Hai wanted to test the space water, but there was no way; the space water had already been used to improve the land, and he couldn't use any more of it outside today.
Zhao Hai was actually a bit unsatisfied. If the water from the space could truly change according to his will, it might have become an offensive weapon. But unfortunately, once the water left the space, it could at most be used to water the soil and nothing else.
Compared to Zhao Hai’s dissatisfaction, Merine was completely shocked. She never imagined that Zhao Hai could plant crops using such a method; it was simply divine.
More than two hours later, the ten mu of land were planted, and the small shovel automatically flew back into the space. The seeds naturally stopped appearing. Although it was only ten mu, Zhao Hai was very satisfied. He could only improve ten mu a day, so planting ten mu was just right.
Seeing that the planting was done, Zhao Hai turned to Merine and said, "Grandma Merine, could you use water magic to water this land?"
Merine snapped out of her daze, nodded, and walked to the side of the pool. She whispered an incantation. This time, she chanted for quite a while. Soon, a mass of water vapor rose from the pool, and as it gathered in the air, it slowly turned into a light rain that fell upon the field.
Zhao Hai once again felt the magic of sorcery; this was essentially artificial rainfall. It was truly impressive.
In fact, Zhao Hai didn't know that not all mages could do this. Only high-level mages like Merine could, and this was merely an auxiliary spell, not an offensive one, making it much simpler than combat magic.
Merine’s control over magic was impeccable. Before long, the soil in the field became very moist, and she immediately stopped her spell.
Zhao Hai looked at the ten mu of land, filled with a sense of accomplishment. He turned to Merine and said, "Grandma Merine, although this place cannot make plants mature as quickly as the space can, for us, this is the foundation of our survival. I fear that one day the space might disappear, which is why I am in such a hurry to improve the land."
Hearing this, Merine’s expression changed, and she quickly said, "May the gods protect us; I hope the Young Master’s space never disappears."
Zhao Hai smiled slightly and turned around. "Alright, Grandma Merine, I can only improve these ten mu of land a day. Let’s go back." Merine nodded and followed Zhao Hai back toward the mountain cave.
Walking across the water was exhilarating, but Zhao Hai still hoped he could board a boat as soon as possible. However, they lacked both the materials to build a boat and anyone who knew how to make one, so for now, he could only dream.
As the two emerged from the mountain cave, they heard the sound of rhythmic chanting coming from a small cave nearby. Zhao Hai and Merine looked in the direction of the sound and saw Stone leading Ann and the others as they carried a piece of quarried stone out of the cave.
Zhao Hai hurried over. He first took a look at the stone. Of course, he couldn't tell the quality of the stone, but he just wanted to see if it was large enough.
It was quite good. The stone was irregularly shaped, about 1.5 meters high, with a minimum diameter of about 3 meters and a maximum of about 5 meters. One look told him it was quite heavy. Stone and the others had used plenty of ropes to bind the stone securely and were carrying it out of the cave bit by bit.
Zhao Hai quickly said, "Alright, put the stone down. I’ll take it back. You all go back to your other tasks."
Ann and the others looked at Zhao Hai in confusion, but Stone knew what was going on—Zhao Hai intended to store the stone in the space to take it back. He didn't explain it to Ann and the others, but immediately said, "Alright, everyone, put the stone down and go back to the cave to continue quarrying. We don't need to worry about this anymore."
Although Ann and the others were puzzled, they dared not disobey Zhao Hai’s orders. They immediately set the stone on the ground, and Stone had them untie the ropes.
Seeing that the ropes were off, Zhao Hai waved his hand and stored the stone into the space’s warehouse. Ann and the others were left dumbfounded. They had never seen such a magical ability. Although there were spatial storage items on this continent, they were usually only possessed by high-ranking nobles; minor nobles couldn't afford them, and slaves like Ann and the others hadn't even heard of them, let alone seen them used.
However, Ann and the others also knew the wonders of magic, so they assumed Zhao Hai was using magic. Each of them was incredibly excited, thinking to themselves, "So, our Master is a powerful mage!"
Zhao Hai paid them no mind and immediately walked toward the castle with Merine. On the way, he saw several male slaves cutting the dry grass on the mountain.
This time, Zhao Hai didn't help them transport the grass back. Grass was very light, so he let the slaves carry it back themselves.
When the two returned to the castle, they found many women sitting in the castle square. Led by Meg and Ju, they were weaving grass mats. Other women were carrying corn stalks from outside the castle toward the rooms where the slaves lived.