Chapter 7: It's Not My Rule

The sky slowly darkened. Throughout the entire castle, torches were used for lighting everywhere except for Zhao Hai’s bedroom, which was equipped with a magic lamp.

These magic lamps were made using a type of magic crystal found on the Ark Continent. There were only two ways to obtain these magic crystal blocks: the first was from underground magic crystal mines. These crystals varied in quality based on the amount of energy they contained. Those with high energy could be used to power magical tools, while those with low energy were only suitable for lighting. Furthermore, these underground crystals were one-time use; once the energy was depleted, the crystal became useless.

The second type of magic crystal came from magical beasts. These were extremely rare; one might not even find a single crystal in ten magical beasts. Although the energy in these crystals was not particularly high, it was very stable. They served as auxiliary tools for mages when casting spells. Most importantly, these crystals were reusable. After their energy was exhausted, they would, over time, naturally absorb magic energy of the same attribute from the environment to replenish themselves, allowing them to be used again.

Regardless of the type, all magic crystals were incredibly expensive. Those from mines were cheaper than those from magical beasts, but the price was still far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.

The Buda family was in a critical period. Although Green had purchased a few magic crystals, each one was precious and could not be used recklessly. Therefore, at night, every place except for Zhao Hai’s room was lit by torches.

By this time, the slaves had already finished their meal and gone to sleep, while Merine had just finished preparing dinner and was sending Meg to call Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai had been sleeping very soundly. Although he had arrived in another world, he now possessed a spatial farm, which meant he at least didn't have to worry about his livelihood. Moreover, because he had been unconscious for these past few days, Merine had been using healing magic on him. A large amount of water element remained in his body, and since water elements naturally had a calming effect—combined with the fact that his mind was now at ease—he slept exceptionally well.

When Meg arrived outside Zhao Hai’s room, she first listened for any sound. The room was completely silent. Merine immediately knocked on the door and said, "Young Master, wake up. It’s time for dinner."

There was still no sound from the room. Meg called out two more times, but the room remained silent. With no other choice, Meg had to push the door open and enter.

As soon as she entered, Meg heard the sound of steady breathing. She walked on tiptoe to the side of the bed and saw that Zhao Hai was sleeping soundly, having not heard their calls at all.

Meg sighed, not knowing whether to call Zhao Hai big-hearted or foolish for being able to sleep so soundly under such circumstances.

Meg stood by the bed and gently nudged Zhao Hai. "Young Master, it’s time to wake up. Dinner is ready."

Zhao Hai woke up in a daze and mumbled, "What time is it?"

Meg quickly replied, "Young Master, it is already seven o'clock in the evening. It’s time for dinner."

Only then did Zhao Hai open his eyes. He turned his head to look at Meg standing by the bed, then looked toward the window and realized it was already dark outside. He slowly sat up and shook his head, which felt a bit groggy, to clear his mind. He turned to Meg and asked, "Meg, what is today's date?"

Meg lowered her head and said, "Young Master, today is April 6th."

Zhao Hai nodded and calculated in his mind. He had fallen unconscious on February 17th of the New Era year 1637, and now it was April 6th. This meant he had been unconscious for over a month. To be able to get out of bed and move around so freely after being unconscious for so long—if this were on Earth, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

However, Zhao Hai did not ask Meg about it, because he knew from Adam’s memories that the healing magic of mages on this continent was truly miraculous. Never mind a month; even if you were unconscious for a year, they could ensure that when you woke up, you would feel as if you had just taken a nap, able to walk naturally without any signs of muscle atrophy.

As soon as Zhao Hai sat on the edge of the bed, Meg immediately grabbed his boots to put them on for him. Zhao Hai quickly said, "Meg, put them down. I can do it myself."

Meg was stunned, but she still insisted, "Young Master, let me do it. It is what I am supposed to do."

Zhao Hai was not used to this. He quickly stopped her and said, "Forget it, I can handle these small things myself from now on." With that, he snatched the boots from Meg’s hands and put them on himself.

Meg stood to the side, staring blankly at Zhao Hai. She felt that the Zhao Hai of today was very strange. The old Zhao Hai wouldn't have lifted a finger to put on his boots, let alone take them off. Today, he had actually put them on himself.

After putting on his boots, Zhao Hai stood up and turned to Meg. "Let’s go. Let’s eat first; I have some things to discuss with Grandpa Green."

Although Meg felt that Zhao Hai was very strange today, she still acknowledged him and led him toward the dining room. She knew that since arriving, Zhao Hai had not left his room, so he wouldn't know his way around the castle; if he had to walk by himself, he would never find the dining room.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, Zhao Hai paused, then looked around with curiosity. This castle was clearly an ancient structure that had been built many years ago. It looked quite sturdy, but the style was very old, and the interior design was not as good as Adam’s original home, giving off a somewhat gloomy feeling.

However, Zhao Hai didn't mind. He actually preferred the castle this way. In his impression, this was how a castle should look—it had the style of an ancient fortress. Who knew, he might even discover a secret room in this castle someday.

Soon, Zhao Hai noticed the torches on the walls. Linking these torches to the price of magic crystals, he immediately understood why they were used here.

Although Adam hadn't known the cost of living, he knew the price of things like magic crystals. Because these were high-end consumer goods that only people of Adam’s social class could afford, he was aware of their value.

At the same time, Zhao Hai thought of the magic lamp in his room. It seemed that was the only magic lamp in the entire castle. Thinking of this, a warmth spread through Zhao Hai’s heart.

The dining room was not far from his bedroom. Soon, the two arrived. Green, Merine, Block, and Rock were standing in the dining room waiting for him. Seeing Zhao Hai enter, they all bowed and said, "Good evening, Young Master. Please, enjoy your meal."

Zhao Hai nodded and glanced at the wooden table in the dining room, noticing that only one set of tableware was laid out. Through Adam’s memories, Zhao Hai knew that when nobles ate, servants were not allowed to sit at the same table; they had to stand to the side and serve.

Zhao Hai sat down and looked around the dining room. It wasn't large, only about twenty square meters. In the center stood a long wooden table covered with a snow-white tablecloth, upon which sat two candelabras, each holding three candles.

There were eight chairs around the table, all finely crafted and clearly high-quality items. A torch burned in each corner of the room, illuminating it brightly, but other than that, there was nothing else in the room.

After surveying the room, Zhao Hai turned to Green and the others. "Grandpa Green, you all should sit down and eat too. I have things to ask you after we finish."

Green immediately bowed to Zhao Hai. "Young Master, that is not possible. We cannot sit at the same table as you while you are eating. It is the regulation of the Empire."

Zhao Hai snorted. "The Empire’s regulations are not my regulations. Since the Empire has abandoned us, why should we still follow their rules? Say no more. Go get your tableware and sit down to eat. I’ll talk about some things while we eat. If you don't come over, then I won't eat either."

Seeing Zhao Hai’s attitude, Green had no choice but to look at Merine. Merine glared at him and said, "Why are you looking at me? The Young Master hasn't had a proper meal in over a month. Do you want the Young Master to go hungry?"

Sure enough, for Green, Zhao Hai’s health was more important than anything. Hearing Merine say this, he immediately turned and said, "Then you and Meg go to the kitchen and get them. I will stay here and serve the Young Master."

Merine didn't argue this time and led Meg away. Only then did Green sit down with Block and Rock. Block and Rock were clearly uncomfortable, sitting as if they had needles in their seats. It was also evident that the two were a bit slow and not very good with words; since seeing Zhao Hai, they had only said "Good evening, Young Master. Please, enjoy your meal" along with the others, and had remained silent ever since.

Zhao Hai knew from Adam’s memories that Block and Rock were children his father had adopted. They weren't smart—one could even say they were quite dull—but both were gifted with extraordinary natural strength. Having learned the Mad Dragon Battle Qi, they both possessed the strength of roughly a level-six warrior, and they were fiercely loyal to the Buda family, never to betray them.

While Merine went to fetch the food, Zhao Hai turned to Green. "Grandpa Green, how many gold coins do we have on hand right now?"

Green was stunned. He didn't know why Zhao Hai was asking, but he stood up immediately and replied, "Young Master, we currently have one hundred and eighty gold coins. However, we are not lacking in any supplies, so these coins are all available for use."

Zhao Hai quickly gestured for Green to sit down and continued, "When we came from the Imperial Capital, did we bring our things by carriage? What about the horses that pulled the carriages?"

Green said, "Young Master, our place here is small and doesn't produce much. To save on grain, we only have five horses. The carriages we used to come here were all rented."

Zhao Hai paused, but immediately understood Green’s meaning. Green was saving as much as possible. One had to realize that a good horse couldn't just be fed grass; it had to be fed some grain. Since they couldn't produce much grain here, they had to save where they could, making it impossible to keep horses.