Chapter 7: Not My Rule

The sky gradually darkened, and throughout the castle, except for Zhao Hai's bedroom which used a magic lamp, the rest of the places were lit by torches.

These magic lamps were made from a type of magic crystal stone found on the Ark Continent. Magic crystals could be obtained through two means: one was from underground magic crystal mines, where the quality of the crystals varied. Those with more energy could be used as power sources for magical tools, while those with less energy were only suitable for lighting. These underground crystals were one-time use items and would become useless once their energy was depleted.

The other type of magic crystal came from magical beasts. These crystals were extremely rare, and not every magical beast would produce one. Although the energy in these crystals was not very high, it was very stable and served as an auxiliary tool for mages when casting spells. Most importantly, these crystals could be reused. After their energy was depleted, they could absorb the same type of magical energy from nature over time, gradually refilling and becoming usable again.

Regardless of the type, magic crystals were very expensive. Those from mines were slightly cheaper than those from magical beasts, but the price was still beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The Buda family was in a critical period. Although Green had bought a few magic crystals, each one was precious and could not be used carelessly. Therefore, at night, except for Zhao Hai's room, the rest of the places were lit by torches.

At this time, the slaves had already finished their meals and gone to sleep, while Merlin had just finished cooking and was sending Meg to call Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai had a very good sleep. Although he was in a different world, he now had a spatial farm, so he didn't have to worry about his livelihood. Moreover, because he had been unconscious for several days, Merlin had been using magic to treat him, and his body still contained a large amount of water elements, which had a calming effect. Combined with the fact that he had put his worries aside, he slept very soundly.

Meg arrived at Zhao Hai's room and listened for any sounds inside. The room was very quiet, with no sound at all. Merlin immediately knocked on the door and said, "Young Master, it's time to get up, dinner is ready."

There was still no response from inside the room. Meg called out two more times, but there was still no sound. Reluctantly, Meg pushed the door open and entered Zhao Hai's room.

As soon as she entered, Meg heard a steady breathing sound. She tiptoed to Zhao Hai's bedside and saw that he was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of their calls.

Meg sighed, unsure whether Zhao Hai was carefree or just foolish. In such a situation, he could still sleep so soundly.

Standing by Zhao Hai's bed, Meg gently pushed him and said, "Young Master, it's time to get up, dinner is ready."

Zhao Hai woke up groggily and mumbled, "What time is it?"

Meg quickly replied, "Young Master, it's already seven in the evening, time for dinner."

Zhao Hai opened his eyes, turned to look at Meg standing by the bed, and then looked out the window, noticing that it was already dark. He slowly sat up, shook his head to clear the drowsiness, and then asked Meg, "Meg, what's the date today?"

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

Zhao Hai nodded and calculated in his mind. He had fallen into a coma on February 17th, 1637, and it was now April 6th, meaning he had been unconscious for over a month. The fact that he could move around freely after such a long coma would be a miracle on Earth.

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 very powerful. Even if someone had been unconscious for a year, they could be awakened and walk around naturally without muscle atrophy.

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

Meg was taken aback but still said, "Young Master, let me do it. It's my duty."

Zhao Hai was not used to this and quickly stopped Meg, saying, "Forget it, I'll do it myself from now on." He then snatched the boots from Meg's hands and put them on.

Meg stood there, stunned, feeling that today's Zhao Hai was very different. In the past, Zhao Hai would never have put on or taken off his boots himself, but today he did it himself.

After putting on his boots, Zhao Hai stood up and turned to Meg, saying, "Let's go, I need to eat and then talk to Grandpa Green."

Although Meg found today's Zhao Hai strange, she still responded and led him to the dining room. She knew that since Zhao Hai had not left his room since arriving, he wouldn't be able to find the dining room on his own.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, Zhao Hai was surprised and looked around curiously. The castle was clearly an ancient one, built many years ago, but it looked very sturdy. However, the style was old, and the interior design was not as good as Adam's original home, giving it a somewhat eerie feel.

However, Zhao Hai did not mind these details. He preferred the castle's style, which matched his impression of what a castle should look like. He might even find a secret room in it someday.

He soon noticed the torches on the walls. Thinking about the price of magic crystals, Zhao Hai immediately understood why they were using torches.

Although Adam did not know the exact prices, he knew that magic crystals were expensive, as they were high-end consumer goods that only people of his class could afford.

Zhao Hai also thought about the magic lamp in his room, realizing it was probably the only one in the entire castle. This thought warmed his heart.

The dining room was not far from Zhao Hai's bedroom, and they soon entered. Green, Merlin, Stone, and Wood were waiting inside. When they saw Zhao Hai, they all bowed and said, "Good evening, Young Master, please have your meal."

Zhao Hai nodded and glanced at the wooden table, noticing that only his place was set. From Adam's memories, Zhao Hai knew that nobles did not eat with their servants, who could only stand by and serve.

Zhao Hai sat down and looked around the dining room. It was not very large, only about twenty square meters, with a long table in the center covered by a white tablecloth. Two candlesticks were placed on the table, each with three candles.

Eight chairs were arranged around the table, all finely crafted and clearly high-quality. A torch was lit in each corner of the room, illuminating it brightly, but there was nothing else in the room.

After looking around, Zhao Hai turned to Green and said, "Grandpa Green, sit down and eat with us. After dinner, I have some questions for you."

Green immediately bowed and said, "Young Master, that's not possible. We cannot sit with you while you eat; it's the empire's rule."

Zhao Hai huffed and said, "The empire's rule is not my rule. Since the empire has abandoned us, why should we follow its rules? No more talk, go get your utensils and sit down to eat. If you don't, I won't eat either."

Seeing Zhao Hai's determination, Green had no choice but to look at Merlin. Merlin glared at him and said, "What are you looking at? Young Master hasn't had a proper meal for over a month. Do you want him to go hungry?"

Indeed, for Green, Zhao Hai's health was more important than anything. Hearing Merlin's words, he immediately turned and said, "You and Meg go to the kitchen and get the utensils. I'll stay here to serve Young Master."

This time, Merlin did not argue and led Meg away. Green then sat down with Wood and Stone. Wood and Stone were clearly uncomfortable, sitting as if they had thorns on their bottoms. They were also quite dumb and did not know how to speak, only repeating, "Good evening, Young Master, please have your meal," when they first saw Zhao Hai and then remaining silent.

From Adam's memories, Zhao Hai knew that Wood and Stone were children his father had adopted. They were not very smart, but they had extraordinary talents and were naturally strong. After learning the Mad Dragon Aura, they had both reached the level of a sixth-grade warrior and were loyal to the Buda family, never betraying them.

While Merlin was fetching the food, Zhao Hai turned to Green and said, "Grandpa Green, how many gold coins do we have left?"

Green was taken aback, unsure why Zhao Hai was asking, but he immediately stood up and answered, "Young Master, we have 180 gold coins left. However, we don't lack any supplies, so these coins are available for use."

Zhao Hai quickly asked Green to sit down and continued, "When we came from the capital, did we use a carriage to transport our things? What about the horses that pulled the carriage?"

Green replied, "Young Master, this place is small and doesn't produce much, so to save food, we only have five horses. The carriages we used to come here were hired."

Zhao Hai was surprised but quickly understood Green's reasoning. Green was trying to save as much as possible. A good horse required more than just grass; it needed grain, which they could not produce much of here. Therefore, they saved wherever they could and did not keep horses.