Chapter 3

### Chapter 3: Awakening

Zhao Hai slowly opened his eyes. He now knew what had happened. Adam's memories had completely merged with his own, making Zhao Hai truly realize that he had indeed been transported to another world. Moreover, it was the most common type of soul transmigration, where he had taken over another body.

As a shut-in, if Zhao Hai didn't know what transmigration was, he wouldn't be a complete shut-in. However, he never expected that he would actually experience it, and even more so, that he would transmigrate into such an unlucky person.

From Adam's memories, Zhao Hai already understood the situation. However, when Adam had fallen into a coma, he hadn't yet left the capital. Zhao Hai didn't know where he was now, but he was certain that he was no longer in the capital of the Aksum Empire. When he had briefly regained consciousness before, he had glanced around and realized that this was not the familiar home of Adam.

The moment Zhao Hai opened his eyes, he sensed someone beside him. Turning his head, he saw the old man he had met when he first woke up standing next to him. Although the old man had a stern face, his eyes were full of concern.

Unlike the first time he woke up, this time Zhao Hai recognized the old man. He was the old butler of the Buda family, Green Buda. Green originally didn't have the Buda surname, but he was later granted it by Zhao Hai's great-grandfather. He had always been loyal to the Buda family and was the most trusted person in the household.

However, the previous Adam and Green didn't get along well. Adam was a spoiled brat, while Green was a serious person who always kept an eye on him, telling him what he couldn't do and what he shouldn't do. As a result, Adam hated Green. But because Green had been with the family for so long, even Adam's father didn't dare to be disrespectful to him, so Adam had to endure it.

The reborn Zhao Hai, of course, wouldn't be as foolish as the previous Adam. Having read countless transmigration novels and possessing the mindset of an adult who had faced many hardships, Zhao Hai was much more mature than the pampered Adam. He understood the importance of Green, and with such a reliable butler, he could entrust everything to him.

Moreover, from Adam's memories, Zhao Hai knew that this old butler had even greater strength than Adam's father. In this world, strength meant the hope of survival.

The long-term life of a shut-in, coupled with Adam's memories, made Zhao Hai not particularly resistant to transmigration. Similarly, he didn't have too many expectations. It was just a change in living environment. The only things that bothered him were two: first, there was no computer here, and he couldn't go online, which was more painful than death for a shut-in. Second, he had been forced to drink the Void Water, which meant he could no longer learn martial arts or magic, shattering his dream of dominating the world.

Zhao Hai didn't realize that he had already been assimilated by Adam's memories. The reason he wasn't panicked was that he was familiar with everything in the Ark Continent. The two things that bothered him were clear: the first was about the Zhao Hai from Earth, and the second was related to the Ark Continent.

However, Zhao Hai had thought it through. Although he was unhappy, he had no choice but to accept it. Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. From now on, he would be Adam Buda.

Thinking this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but sigh, feeling a sense of relief. It wasn't surprising that he could so easily accept Adam's identity. In his previous life, he had no family and no friends due to his shut-in lifestyle. On Earth, he had no ties, so coming here was just a change in environment. There was nothing to fear, and he even had a few people who cared about him, which was a good thing.

At this moment, Green noticed that Zhao Hai had woken up and quickly walked to the bedside. "Young Master, how are you feeling? Is there any discomfort? Does your head still hurt?"

Zhao Hai hadn't heard such caring words in a long time. Hearing them now, he felt a warmth in his heart. He felt that his body was fine and quickly sat up, shaking his head at Green. "I'm fine, Grandpa Green. Where are we?"

Green was clearly taken aback. The previous Adam had never been so polite. This sudden change made him very uncomfortable, but he quickly replied, "Young Master, we have arrived at the fief."

Zhao Hai was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. He nodded. "Is it the Black Earth Wasteland?"

Green was surprised by Zhao Hai's calmness but still nodded. "Yes, this is the Black Earth Wasteland."

Zhao Hai nodded. "Where are we now? What's the situation here? How many people are there? How much land do we have?"

In Adam's memories, there was only a little information about the Black Earth Wasteland. It was said to be next to the Corpse Swamp, and the land was unsuitable for farming. Zhao Hai asked these questions because he was now Adam and would have to live here. He needed to know the situation.

Green looked at Adam in shock. If Adam hadn't been under his watch all along, he would have thought Adam had been replaced. The person in front of him was definitely not the Adam he knew.

"Could it be that adversity makes one grow?" Although Green was puzzled, he didn't doubt Adam's identity. He could only see this as a sign of Adam's maturity.

However, Zhao Hai's behavior made Green very happy. He quickly said, "Young Master, we are in the Lord's Manor of the fief. The manor is located on Iron Mountain in the Black Earth Wasteland. This mountain is abandoned by the dwarves, and there is some land that can be cultivated. Please forgive me, but I took the liberty of selling everything we had and bought a large amount of supplies and a hundred slaves. We now have only a little over a hundred gold coins left. The people here are me, my wife, my granddaughter, and Wood and Stone. The rest are the hundred slaves. The others have all left."

Zhao Hai nodded, analyzing the current situation in his mind. They were in a dead end, but they had a manor to live in, a mountain that could produce some crops, a hundred slaves, and five people he could completely trust and who were the closest to him.

Zhao Hai nodded. "Grandpa Green did the right thing. In a place like this, gold coins are useless. Only supplies can help us survive longer. Alright, I'm fine. Grandpa Green, please go and arrange things. Check how much land on Iron Mountain can be cultivated and what we should plant. After all, we need to eat."

Green nodded. "Alright, Young Master, please rest for now. I'll have Meg attend to you later."

Mentioning Meg, Zhao Hai immediately thought of the gentle-looking girl with black hair and a petite figure, who was Green's granddaughter.

However, Zhao Hai then smiled bitterly. The previous Adam had once tried to molest Meg, but she was a sixth-level mage with a gentle exterior and a strong will. Although she didn't dare to do anything to Adam, she would threaten to commit suicide if Adam tried anything. This made Adam hesitant to do anything to her.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but curse. The problems caused by the previous Adam would now be his to bear. In such a situation, meeting Meg would be very awkward, so he quickly said, "No need, Grandpa Green. I want to rest a bit more. Don't let anyone disturb me. Just wake me up for dinner."

Green bowed. "Yes, I'll take my leave." He then backed out of Zhao Hai's room.

Zhao Hai sighed and slowly got out of bed. Although he remembered lying in bed for a long time, he felt no discomfort. Instead, he felt as if he had boundless energy. He stretched and walked to the window, gently pushing it open to look outside.

What he saw was a small castle-like structure. His room was on the top floor, giving him a clear view of everything outside. It was a Western-style small castle, with a small square and a wall in front. Beyond the castle, there was a vast expanse of black land, which looked as if it had been soaked in oil, giving a sense of desolation.

On the castle's square, there was a pile of things. Zhao Hai looked closely and saw that they were mostly daily necessities. A large group of people were busy there.

These people, both men and women, were dressed in rough cloth. The men had a mark on their foreheads, which Zhao Hai knew was the Buda family's mark, indicating that they were the Buda family's slaves.

Looking to the sides, he saw a desolate mountain with twisted trees. The trees were not in good condition, looking as if they were diseased and lifeless. Apart from the trees, there was only withered grass, which was also malnourished.

Zhao Hai sighed, looking at the castle that now belonged to him. The castle was not small, capable of housing thousands of people. However, it seemed to have been unoccupied for a long time, with moss growing on the walls and grass sprouting from the cracks. The window paper was clearly new, while the other rooms still had no window paper.

Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile bitterly. Adam's memories clearly remembered that the Buda family's residence in the empire used glass, but here, they were using primitive window paper. The difference was stark.

However, Zhao Hai felt a surge of determination. No matter what others said, the land he could see was his. He didn't believe that the fertile black land couldn't grow crops. He was determined to make a life for himself and show those who had wronged him. This could be considered a form of compensation for taking over Adam's body.

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind...