Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four: Studying Literature

Meilin almost couldn't believe her eyes. She knew Adam all too well; he had never liked reading books. As a child, he would cry and fuss whenever he saw a book, and it was only under his father's compulsion that he managed to recognize all the characters. But that was as far as it went; the idea of him reading a book was out of the question.

Although Zhao Hai had been performing well these past few days, he had never mentioned reading books. Meilin thought that while Zhao Hai had become more sensible, his aversion to reading had not changed.

However, she didn't realize that Zhao Hai was a bookworm on Earth, and for him, being separated from books was almost like being deprived of life. The reason he hadn't read any books in the past few days was that he had just arrived and was facing a dangerous situation, so he naturally had no mood or thought to read.

Zhao Hai hadn't even noticed Meilin's actions. His entire attention was focused on the book. Although it was a miscellaneous notebook, it contained a lot of information, mostly about local customs and traditions, which was very useful for Zhao Hai.

Adam had been a spoiled brat in the past and knew little about the customs and traditions of the continent. The continent was currently at peace, with five major empires leading a total of thirty-two countries of various sizes, along with some settlements of other races, making it vast and expansive.

Zhao Hai was in the Aksum Empire, one of the five major empires. The other four empires were the Rosen Empire, the Lyon Empire, the Futu Empire, and the Bi Bo Dynasty.

Zhao Hai's current fief, the Black Earth Wasteland, was a place that everyone on the continent had long forgotten. However, the Corpse Swamp behind Iron Mountain was one of the five forbidden zones that everyone on the continent feared.

The other four forbidden zones were the Akalaya Mountains, where monsters roamed, and few of any other race could survive. The Extreme North Ice Plain, a world of ice with extremely low temperatures, where only a few ice-type monsters could live. The Flame Island, a small island in the sea, located 5,600 nautical miles south of the Bi Bo Dynasty, with frequent volcanic eruptions and underground fires, making it a lifeless zone. The last one was the Abyss, rumored to be connected to the demon world, though this was unverified, but it was true that some monsters unseen on the continent would occasionally appear there.

The Corpse Swamp was notorious for its toxins. Whether it was the monsters or the undead creatures there, they were all known for their toxicity. Everything there was poisonous, which is why the Corpse Swamp became a forbidden zone.

These things were only vaguely remembered by Adam, but the miscellaneous notebook had some records, though not in great detail. However, it was enough for Zhao Hai to understand more about this world.

On Earth, Zhao Hai was a bookworm, and a bookworm who didn't know about穿越小说 (穿越小说 means "穿越小说" in Chinese, which refers to "穿越" (chuanchuo) novels, a genre of Chinese literature where the protagonist is transported to a different time or world) would not be a complete bookworm. After reading the miscellaneous notebook, Zhao Hai realized that he had come to a world similar to those in穿越 novels. There was magic, martial arts, monsters, elves, dragons, dwarves, and everything else found in穿越 novels.

Because of this, Zhao Hai was even more determined to be low-key. He didn't know how powerful the top experts in this world were, but from seeing Meilin use water magic to water the fields, he had a rough idea of their strength. That was ten acres of land, and one spell did the job. Someone like Meilin would find it too easy to deal with him.

Zhao Hai slowly put down the book. His habit of reading quickly, developed over many years, allowed him to read faster than most people. While much of the content in the book wasn't very useful, it still gave Zhao Hai a better understanding of this world.

This world had experts, and they were no less impressive than those in the novels Zhao Hai had read. In the past, the novels he read said that mages were weak in close combat and warriors lacked ranged attacks, but this world was different.

Mages' bodies were indeed weaker than warriors, but they could cast simple spells without long incantations. A high-level mage like Meilin could almost instantly cast spells of level three or below. No one would dare underestimate such a mage, and no warrior would dare engage them in close combat.

While warriors had martial arts, they couldn't unleash their power at will. To reach their peak in battle, they needed time. Most warriors were also skilled with bows and arrows, or they used javelins or throwing axes for ranged attacks, making them formidable opponents.

Zhao Hai slowly stood up and took a deep breath. Seeing the content in the miscellaneous notebook, he felt even more confident that his decision to be low-key was correct. There were too many powerful people in this world, far beyond his imagination and beyond his ability to provoke.

Zhao Hai slowly walked to the window in the study. The window was covered with paper, a material used by commoners on the continent. The nobility used glass-like materials, but they were expensive and not widely available, so Green had not bought them.

Zhao Hai gently opened the window and looked outside. The study was on the third floor, with good lighting, allowing him to see the inner and outer courtyards clearly. He could also see Meg and the others working.

However, in the front courtyard, many women were still weaving mats, but Zhao Hai didn't see Meg. It seemed she had gone to prepare materials for the grass boats.

Looking at the busy people, Zhao Hai couldn't help but feel a bitter smile. These people were so easily satisfied, and they didn't realize the great danger their lives were in.

At this moment, Zhao Hai really hated himself. He lacked the strength to protect these people. At most, he could only hide them in his space to help them escape, but that was not a long-term solution. The Corpse Swamp was always a source of worry for him.

Just then, a knock came at the door, and Meilin called from outside, "Young Master, come out for lunch. It's time to eat." Zhao Hai was surprised; he hadn't realized how quickly time had passed. He looked outside and saw that the people weaving mats had already returned to their rooms for lunch.

Zhao Hai responded and opened the door, only to see Meilin standing there with a joyful expression, looking at him with a smile. Zhao Hai was taken aback and asked, "Grandma Meilin, what's so happy?"

Meilin didn't say much, just replied, "Nothing, just happy. Young Master, come down for lunch."

Zhao Hai nodded and followed Meilin downstairs. Meg and the others had also returned and were waiting for him. They entered the dining room and found that Meilin had already prepared lunch.

After they sat down, Zhao Hai turned to Mu Tou and said, "Mu Tou, I've been having Meilin make grass boats. You need to lead the people to gather more grass and find some men to help. Meg and the others are not strong enough, so you need to help them more."

Mu Tou responded, and Zhao Hai then turned to Shi Tou and said, "Shi Tou, help An to quickly gather the stones he needs. Once you have enough, I'll help you transport them back, which will save a lot of trouble."

Shi Tou also responded and then turned to An and said, "An, be careful when gathering stones. It's better to be safe than to gather a few more stones."

An also responded, and Zhao Hai turned to Ju and said, "Ju, for now, organize everyone to weave mats. Once they learn, you need to help Meilin figure out how to make the grass boats. The boats don't need to be too large; one that can hold a dozen people should be fine. Don't worry about waste; there's plenty of grass on the mountain."

Ju also responded, and Zhao Hai then turned to Meilin and said, "Grandma Meilin, don't you think we should build a lookout on the mountain to watch the Corpse Swamp and the surroundings of the castle? If monsters or undead creatures come out of the swamp, we can prepare in advance."

Meilin thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Young Master is right. We should build a lookout. After lunch, I'll arrange it. You don't need to worry about it, Young Master. You should spend more time reading."

Zhao Hai was taken aback by Meilin's words. He hadn't expected her to encourage him to read more. However, he nodded and said, "Don't worry, Grandma Meilin. I will read more, but we have a lot to do in the castle right now. Once everything is stable, I'll focus on reading."

Meilin nodded, but Meg and the others were stunned. Meilin, Shi Tou, and Mu Tou had grown up with Adam and knew his habits well. Hearing Zhao Hai say he would read seriously, they found it hard to believe.

After discussing the matters, they began to eat. Zhao Hai ate quickly and finished soon. After the meal, he immediately went to the study. He really wanted to learn more about this world.

Seeing Zhao Hai go to the study again, Meilin was delighted. Although this world valued martial arts, a learned person was still highly respected. Even in the Aksum Empire, many important positions were held by renowned scholars, as the kings realized that a country could not function without literate people.

This was one of the reasons Meilin was happy. Zhao Hai, having drunk the Void Water, could not learn magic or martial arts. With his space, he had a place to hide, but that was not enough. He needed the respect of others. In a world where he could not learn magic or martial arts, the only way to gain respect was through literature.