Chapter 26: New Crisis

Zhao Hai and Mu Tou stood by the lake, with Mei Lin standing beside them, muttering incantations. Soon, a transparent, water-blue protective shield appeared around them. Then, a wave rose from the lake. Just as Zhao Hai was taken aback, the wave swept the three of them into the lake.

However, Zhao Hai found that they were now standing inside a transparent, water-blue sphere. The lake water kept supporting their transparent sphere like a fountain, moving forward continuously.

This was the second time Zhao Hai had witnessed the magic. The first time, Mei Lin had only used a simple lighting spell and a simple water ball spell, but even then, it had amazed Zhao Hai, who had never seen magic before. This time, it was even more magical. They were actually walking on the waves, and one person was carrying two others, which was even more impressive than the "Water Walking" and "Crossing the River on a Reed" techniques in Chinese martial arts.

Compared to Zhao Hai, who was half a foreigner, Mu Tou was much calmer. He had long known about the magic, especially since Mei Lin was an eighth-level water mage. Fighting in the water with such a mage was a nightmare for everyone, as it was their home turf.

Mei Lin also looked relaxed, having great confidence in her abilities. On the water, she believed she was invincible. So when she mentioned that there might be water elementals in the lake, she showed no worry, as she was confident that even if there were, she could easily defeat them.

Using magic to move on the water was very fast. It had taken them over three hours to come, but on the way back, it only took about half an hour to see the entrance of a cave ahead. Fortunately, this cave was the one behind the castle, proving that the lake could indeed be used as a natural waterway to secretly transport people to the canyon.

When Mei Lin removed the magic and Zhao Hai finally felt solid ground under his feet, he couldn't help but jump a little. The feeling of being on solid ground was really good.

Walking on the water looked very graceful, but Zhao Hai always felt like he was about to fall, which made him very uncomfortable.

When the three emerged from the cave, they saw the slaves working outside. It was not yet noon, so they had not yet taken a break. There was a lot of cleaning to be done in the cave, and many slaves were doing carpentry work inside.

The cave needed to be converted into a place to raise blue-eyed rabbits, which required many fences. These had to be made of wood, as Zhao Hai and his group did not have enough iron tools.

Considering the situation at the castle, Green and the others had bought some wood, but not much. Most of what they bought were finished products, as Green knew that even if some of the slaves knew carpentry, they could not make very complex things. Good craftsmen slaves were much more expensive than ordinary slaves.

The appearance of the three surprised the slaves, who immediately bowed to them. The three only nodded and left the cave.

Outside the cave, Meg and Stone were standing there. When they saw the three come out, they were also surprised. Meg hurriedly greeted them, saying, "Young Master, Grandma, why did you come out of the cave?"

Mei Lin smiled and said, "We walked through the lake inside the cave and reached a canyon. That's the place we chose as the most suitable for farming. Young Master has already improved ten acres of land there, so we came back."

Meg's eyes lit up and he said, "Really? That's great! I didn't expect things to go so smoothly. Grandma, Young Master, go back to the castle and rest. I'll take care of things here."

Mei Lin turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Young Master, go back to the castle and rest. I have something to tell you."

Zhao Hai was taken aback, not knowing what Mei Lin had to say, but seeing her serious expression, he did not dare to be negligent. He immediately nodded and said, "Okay, let's go back to the castle. Mu Tou, stay and help Meg and Stone." Mu Tou responded and stayed behind, while Zhao Hai and Mei Lin headed to the castle.

When they reached the living room of the castle, Zhao Hai looked at Mei Lin in confusion and said, "Grandma Mei Lin, is there something you can't say outside?"

Mei Lin nodded and said, "Young Master, on the way back, I probed the lake. I didn't find any powerful water magic. There are only two possible explanations. One, the water elemental is very powerful and very good at hiding, so I couldn't detect it. But this is almost impossible, as I am an eighth-level water mage and am confident that nothing in the water can escape my detection. The second explanation is that there are no powerful elementals in the water, and the reason there are no fish is something else."

Zhao Hai was taken aback, but he quickly realized the severity of the issue. The lake in the mountains was an important part of his future fief's development. If it couldn't be used to raise fish, he would lose an important source of income, and it would be a waste to leave such a large body of water unused.

Zhao Hai said with a serious face, "Can we find out the specific reason?"

Mei Lin also looked serious and said, "I have heard a rumor, but I don't know if it's related to the lake. It's said that because the Black Earth Wasteland is close to the Corpse Swamp, dead spirits and poisonous elementals often invade the Black Earth Wasteland. They kill all living things in the Black Earth Wasteland, which is why it has become a dead land. However, since no one used to come to the Black Earth Wasteland, this information has never been verified. If it's true, it might explain why there are no fish in the lake."

Zhao Hai's face changed. If what Mei Lin said was true, the situation would be very serious. Among their group, only Mei Lin, Green, Mu Tou, and Stone had some combat ability. If the dead spirits and poisonous elementals from the Corpse Swamp really attacked, they would be doomed.

Zhao Hai lowered his head and kept rubbing his forehead, a habit from his previous life when he was thinking.

Mei Lin, seeing Zhao Hai's expression, was also very worried. If that situation really happened, all their farming would have to stop, and it would be uncertain whether they could survive.

Zhao Hai couldn't think of a good solution and said, "If this is true, we have a big problem. Grandma Mei Lin, let's wait for Grandpa Green to come back and discuss this. Starting tomorrow, we won't clean the mine. We should gather all our resources and make some simple weapons. We should also train the slaves and repair the castle. If the situation really happens, we can at least rely on the castle for defense. If it's really bad, I can only put everyone in my space to hide until the dead spirits and elementals leave, and then we can come out."

Mei Lin frowned and thought for a moment, but couldn't think of a better solution. She nodded and said, "It seems we have no choice. We've been in the Black Earth Wasteland for a long time, and there hasn't been any unusual activity from the Corpse Swamp. I hope my worries are unfounded."

Zhao Hai shook his head and said, "Whether or not it's unfounded, we have to take precautions. Our family's last resources are here. If we lose everything, the Bu Da family will have no hope of recovery."

Mei Lin nodded and said, "Okay, I'll start organizing it. But we didn't bring many weapons, and most of our resources are for daily life, not for making weapons. What should we do?"

Zhao Hai had no good solution. If his farm level was high enough, he could grow trees to use as weapons, but his level was too low to grow trees. He couldn't ask people to fight with corn stalks.

Zhao Hai rubbed his forehead hard, and it was already red, but he still couldn't think of a good solution. Suddenly, he noticed the stone floor, and a bold idea came to mind. He looked up at Mei Lin and said, "Grandma Mei Lin, how about this: tomorrow, we organize people to collect some stones. We can make some stone weapons. Although their killing power is not great, we only need them for defending the castle. What do you think?"

Mei Lin thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, we don't have many resources. When we left the capital, they didn't let us bring weapons. This is the best we can do. When Green comes back, we'll have him buy more weapons as soon as possible."

Zhao Hai nodded helplessly. He never thought he would have to return to a stone age lifestyle, and they had no choice but to face it.

Zhao Hai now understood. It seemed that the lords in the capital really didn't want to give them any chance of survival. Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to the Black Earth Wasteland without weapons. He didn't believe that the lords in the capital hadn't heard the rumors about the Black Earth Wasteland.

Now, they not only faced the threat of starvation but also the possibility of being killed by dead spirits and poisonous elementals.