Chapter 21: The Problem with the Lake Water

At dusk, Zhao Hai woke up. The sky had already grown dark, and Merlin and the others had returned. To conserve supplies, Merlin and his group generally did not engage in activities at night; even if they didn't use magic stones for lighting, using torches or oil lamps required oil, and they had to save every bit of resources they could.

When Zhao Hai woke, the sky was dim. The slaves had already eaten. For the remaining time until bedtime, they were allowed to move freely within the castle. Since there was no fear of them escaping, it was good to let them relax.

Currently, the slaves were sitting in the castle courtyard chatting. Compared to other places, their lives here were like paradise; they could eat their fill every day, they didn't have to perform heavy labor, and they had sufficient rest. They loved this life dearly.

Initially, they had arrived here feeling somewhat hopeless. They had heard rumors about the Black Soil Wasteland; even though they were slaves, they knew that nothing grew here, that it was nothing but a barren mountain adjacent to the Corpse Rot Swamp. Such a place was a death trap, and they had assumed that arriving here meant they would surely starve to death.

However, they hadn't expected that even though they had only been there for two days, they could clearly see that their master was incredibly capable. He could actually use miraculous magic to turn the barren black soil, where nothing could grow, into fertile farmland. They no longer had to worry about starving.

These people were merely slaves; they had never seen people use magic before. In their impression, magicians were omnipotent, and magic was utterly miraculous.

Better living conditions, treatment akin to commoners, the temptation of escaping their slave status, and the addition of miraculous magic—all these factors combined were enough to make these slaves fiercely loyal to Zhao Hai. Invisibly, a great sense of cohesion had formed. Now, these slaves were no longer working passively; they were eager to work hard in hopes of shedding their slave status as soon as possible.

Zhao Hai stood quietly by the castle, watching the slaves outside. He wanted to go up and chat with them, but he knew now was not the time. These slaves had been oppressed for so long that they would be extremely nervous upon seeing a noble. Forget chatting—they would likely fall to their knees and not even dare to lift their heads.

Changing a person's status is easy, but changing their mindset is difficult. It is a long-term process to allow their thoughts to shift bit by bit. Therefore, Zhao Hai did not contact the slaves yet; the timing wasn't right.

Everything must follow a gradual process. Being too aggressive could ruin things; even if successful, it might result in an unstable foundation.

Undoubtedly, the completion of the land improvement and the hope of gaining freedom had filled the slaves' lives with hope. They were no longer as lifeless as they had been when they first arrived.

Zhao Hai liked seeing this performance from the slaves. Only those filled with hope possess creativity and can maximize their potential.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Zhao Hai snapped out of his thoughts and said deeply, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Meg stood there, looking at Zhao Hai. "Young Master, dinner is ready. It is time to eat." Wood and Stone were still standing outside, guarding the door for him.

Zhao Hai nodded. He knew it was about time to eat, but he felt somewhat guilty. Over the past two days, not only had Merlin and the others been busy managing the slaves, but they also had to cook for him. It was truly exhausting.

Although Zhao Hai knew how to cook, he didn't dare do it. He had to remember his identity; he was currently a pampered playboy who expected to be served. How could he know how to cook? He could justify it with his spatial ability—after all, this was a continent where magic and battle qi coexisted, and all sorts of extraordinary people existed. His skill wouldn't be particularly conspicuous, but if he suddenly knew how to cook, it would arouse the suspicion of Merlin and Meg.

As they entered the dining room, they found that Merlin and the others had already laid out the meal: bread, some vegetables, a piece of meat, and a soup.

To be honest, as a native Chinese, he really wasn't used to this food. But there was no choice; even if Zhao Hai wanted Chinese food, no one here knew how to make it. Only he knew how, yet he didn't dare make it. It was frustrating.

After a few bites, Zhao Hai spoke up, "Grandma Merlin, I feel that what we did today was too reckless. It would be better if we didn't improve the land here tomorrow."

Merlin froze, looking at Zhao Hai in confusion. "What is it, Young Master? Why do you say that? Is it that we cannot improve the land anymore? If we can't, what will we do?"

Zhao Hai understood her meaning and immediately replied, "Grandma Merlin, I think you misunderstood. I'm not saying we can't improve the land, but we shouldn't do it near the castle. Think about it—our current strength is still too weak. If those people discover that we can turn this place into arable land, will they let us go? We would be finished."

Merlin had seen much of the world; she had simply been swept up in the joy of the land improvement today and hadn't considered this. Once reminded by Zhao Hai, she immediately understood. He was right. If the old-guard nobles of the Empire discovered they could improve the land here, they would certainly come to deal with them, and then they would be doomed.

Although the Buda family had signed an agreement with the Empire, that was predicated on the Buda family having an heir. If a noble family lost its heir, the noble title would be reclaimed by the King, and the fiefdom would naturally be reclaimed as well.

A man is not guilty, but possessing a precious jade makes him a target. That was the logic.

Merlin put down her cutlery and nodded. "You are right, Young Master. We were inconsiderate, focusing only on improving our lives and forgetting that those old nobles might not let us go. So, what is your intention?"

Merlin was placing more and more importance on Zhao Hai's opinions. Over the past few days, Zhao Hai had indeed accomplished many things, and he did everything with precision and order. Combined with his peculiar abilities, Merlin and the others had unconsciously begun to treat Zhao Hai as their mainstay.

Zhao Hai also put down his utensils, wiped his mouth gently with a napkin, and said, "The land improvement must continue, but not around the castle. It's too conspicuous; anyone coming in would notice immediately. I want to look for somewhere nearby that is very well-hidden but can still be improved. It doesn't need to be a huge area; about a thousand acres should be enough to meet our needs, and it won't be easily discovered."

Merlin nodded. "You are right. I will have people look for suitable places around here tomorrow. And Young Master, shall we continue raising the Blue-Eyed Rabbits and the Scaleless Fish?"

Zhao Hai said solemnly, "Yes, we must. The Scaleless Fish are very easy to raise, and those people won't notice anything. As for the Blue-Eyed Rabbits, we must raise them even more; they will just think we are making a desperate, dying struggle and won't pay much attention."

Merlin nodded. "Alright. But there is a problem with the water. I've noticed there seem to be no fish in our moat, and even in the lake in the mountains, there are no fish. This seems very strange."

Zhao Hai was stunned. This was the first time he had thought of this problem. He had previously been an otaku, not a professional fisherman, so he hadn't noticed it initially. On the contrary, it was Merlin, a water-element mage, who had noticed.

Zhao Hai was puzzled. Logically, there should be many fish in the moat and the mountain lake. The water quality wasn't an issue; he had already analyzed it within his space. Why were there no fish?

Zhao Hai asked Merlin in confusion, "Grandma Merlin, do you know why? The water is fine; I've analyzed it, and it's a very high-quality water source, perfectly suitable for fish to survive. But seeing no fish... it doesn't make sense."

Merlin frowned and spoke after a long pause, "Generally, if there are no fish in the water, there are only two possibilities: either the water is toxic and unsuitable for fish, or there is a fierce water-type magical beast in the water that has eaten all the fish. If it is as you say, Young Master, and the water isn't toxic, then there is only the second possibility: a fierce water-type magical beast."

Zhao Hai thought carefully and felt Merlin's words made sense. He remembered seeing a news report back on Earth about a fisherman whose pond was invaded by two very powerful predatory fish that ate all his fish. There might be such a beast here. If that were the case, it would be quite a troublesome matter.

Seeing Zhao Hai frowning, Merlin knew what he was thinking. She comforted him, "Young Master, it's actually not hard to solve. If the water were toxic, it would be difficult, but if a magical beast is causing trouble, we just need to find it and kill it."

Zhao Hai gave a bitter smile. His thought was the exact opposite of Merlin's. If the water were toxic, he could easily neutralize it using his spatial water, but if there were a magical beast in the water, that would indeed be very troublesome.

Seeing that Zhao Hai was still troubled, Merlin couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, Young Master. If there really is a magical beast in the water, I will definitely find it and kill it. It won't affect your grand plan for fish farming."

Zhao Hai was momentarily stunned by her words, then he suddenly understood. This wasn't Earth. On Earth, it wouldn't be easy to go into the ocean to kill a deep-sea giant beast, but this was the Ark Continent. There was powerful magic here, and Merlin happened to be a powerful water mage. Perhaps she really did have a way to eliminate a magical beast in the water.

(End of Chapter)