Chapter 7

The sky gradually darkened, and throughout the entire castle, apart from Zhao Hai's bedroom, which used a magic lamp, the rest of the places used torches.

This magic lamp was made from a type of magic crystal stone found on the Ark Continent. There were two sources for these magic crystals: one was from underground magic crystal mines. These crystals varied in quality, determined by the amount of energy they contained. Those with more energy could be used as power sources for magical tools, while those with less energy were only suitable for lighting. Underground magic crystals were one-time use items and would be 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 stable and 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 their prices were still beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The Budan family was in a critical period. Although Green had bought a few magic crystals, each one was very precious and could not be used carelessly. Therefore, at night, only Zhao Hai's room used a magic lamp, while the rest of the places used torches.

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

Zhao Hai had a very sound sleep. Although he was in a different world, he now had a spatial farm, so he no longer had to worry about his livelihood. Moreover, during his coma, 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, it's time for dinner."

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

As soon as she entered Zhao Hai's room, Meg heard a steady breathing sound. She tiptoed to Zhao Hai's bedside and saw that he was sleeping soundly and hadn't heard her calls.

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

Meg stood by Zhao Hai's bed and gently pushed him, saying, "Young Master, it's time to get up, it's time for dinner."

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

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

Zhao Hai then opened his eyes, turned to look at Meg standing by the bed, and then looked out the window. He saw that it was already dark outside. He slowly sat up, shook his head to clear the drowsiness, and then turned to Meg, saying, "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 of the New Era, and it was now April 6th, meaning he had been unconscious for over a month. The fact that he could move around freely after being unconscious for so long would have been a miracle on Earth.

However, Zhao Hai did not ask Meg about this because he knew from Adam's memories that the healing magic of the mages on this continent was very powerful. Even if someone had been unconscious for a year, they could wake up feeling as if they had just slept, able to walk 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, however, 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 himself.

Meg stood there, stunned, feeling that today's Zhao Hai was very unfamiliar. In the past, Zhao Hai wouldn't even take off his boots himself, let alone put them on. Today, he had done it himself.

After putting on his boots, Zhao Hai stood up and turned to Meg, saying, "Let's go, let's have dinner first. I have some things to discuss with Grandpa Green."

Although Meg found today's Zhao Hai strange, she still responded and led Zhao Hai towards the dining room. She knew that since Zhao Hai had not left his room since arriving, he wouldn't know where the dining room was, so she had to guide him.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, Zhao Hai was taken aback and curiously looked around. The castle was clearly an ancient one, built many years ago, but it looked quite 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. In his mind, a castle should look like this, with a medieval atmosphere. He might even find a secret room in the castle someday.

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

Although Adam did not know the exact prices of things, he knew the price of magic crystals because they were high-end consumer goods, affordable only by people of his class.

Zhao Hai also thought about the magic lamp in his room. It seemed to be the only one in the entire castle, which made him feel warm inside.

The dining room was not far from Zhao Hai's bedroom, and they soon entered. Green, Merlin, Stone, and Wood were already waiting inside. When they saw Zhao Hai enter, 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 own set of utensils was laid out. 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. The table was covered with a white tablecloth, and two candlesticks were placed on it, 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 the entire dining room. Apart from these, there was nothing else in the room.

After looking around, Zhao Hai turned to Green and the others and said, "Grandpa Green, you should sit down and eat too. 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 a rule of the empire."

Zhao Hai huffed and said, "The empire's rules are not my rules. Since the empire has abandoned us, why should we follow its rules? No more talk, go get your utensils and sit down to eat. I'll talk while we eat, and if you don't come, 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 in over a month. Do you want him to go hungry?"

Indeed, for Green, Zhao Hai's health was more important than anything else. Hearing Merlin's words, he immediately turned and said, "Then you and Meg go to the kitchen to 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 somewhat foolish and did not know how to speak. Since meeting Zhao Hai, they had only said, "Good evening, Young Master, please have your meal," and then remained silent.

From Adam's memories, Zhao Hai knew that Wood and Stone were children his father had adopted. They were not very intelligent, even somewhat stupid, but they had extraordinary talents and were naturally strong. After learning the Mad Dragon Aura, they had both reached the level of a 6th-grade warrior and were loyal to the Budan 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, not understanding why Zhao Hai was asking this, but he immediately stood up and answered, "Young Master, we have 180 gold coins left. However, we are not lacking in any supplies, so these gold 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 does not produce much. To save food, we only have five horses. The carriages we used to come here were hired."

Zhao Hai was taken aback but quickly understood Green's meaning. 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.