Lunatic

Chapter 17: Lunatic

On Ark Continent, more than a thousand years ago, there were renowned Wood element Advanced level Magicians and several Water element Magicians who were also skilled Alchemists. They were accompanied by several knowledgeable Elves, conducting research on Black Wasteland with the goal of transforming its soil quality and turning it into the largest granary on the entire continent.

However, after twenty years of research, they were unable to make even a blade of grass grow on Black Wasteland. They eventually had to give up, feeling disheartened. Since then, no one else attempted to study Black Wasteland, believing it held no value and was a waste of time.

This situation was closely related to the basic situation on Ark Continent. Although the population was large, the land area was vast, and there was an abundance of arable land. Therefore, there was no immediate concern about food production, and agriculture was not given much importance.

In recent years, the continent had been relatively peaceful, with no major wars, resulting in rapid population growth. Some small countries were now facing grain shortages due to the increased population. However, since the five major Empires on the continent had favorable agricultural conditions, they hadn't faced such a situation and therefore had not taken a keen interest.

Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that there were slaves on Ark Continent. When grain prices rose, it was not a big concern as long as the slaves' rations were reduced. After all, the undead slaves would not complain about hunger.

The slave owners would never openly admit to reducing their slaves' food, nor would they discuss such matters. Instead, they would discuss women or other topics, but never the slaves. As a result, the general population on the continent had not noticed the impending food crisis, which was becoming increasingly severe.

Currently, the continent was peaceful, and the economies of various countries were flourishing. As a result, prices were rising. However, those in power failed to realize that while the country's economy was growing, the living conditions of the common people were not improving. On the contrary, they were deteriorating, not to mention the conditions of the slaves.

As the country's economy grew, prices naturally increased. However, while prices rose, the incomes of the common people did not increase. This resulted in many commoners being unable to support themselves or afford meals. Consequently, more people were forced into slavery, exacerbating the social contradictions.

Merine was unaware of these issues. She only knew that grain prices on the continent were very high. If Zhao Hai could truly transform Black Wasteland and turn it into fertile land, then it would be impossible for the Buda Family not to prosper.

Zhao Hai smiled at Merine's excited expression and said, "Merine Grandma, this is an ability I have acquired. However, I can only transform ten mu of land each day. So, in the afternoon, please organize them to measure as much land as possible. Let's start with 1000 mu as the target. We will be quite busy with that amount, so we'll stop at 1000 mu."

Merine nodded excitedly and said, "Very well, Young Master. I will arrange it immediately." She turned to leave, but Zhao Hai stopped her, saying, "Merine Grandma, don't worry. There is still enough time after we finish eating. Also, we shouldn't be too extravagant with our energy usage. We shouldn't venture too far from the castle or let others discover my abilities. Otherwise, even with our current strength, we won't be able to withstand their attacks."

Being a person with a broad perspective, Merine immediately calmed down upon hearing Zhao Hai's words. She nodded and said, "Alright, I understand, Young Master. I'll take care of it."

Unbeknownst to Zhao Hai and Merine, Meg was standing behind Merine, looking at Zhao Hai with infatuation in her eyes. In the past, Meg would lower her head whenever Zhao Hai appeared. But now, she was raising her head and observing Zhao Hai attentively, as if the withered appearance she had seen before was no longer there.

Since childhood, Meg had grown up alongside Adam. Adam was two years older than her, and they had always played together. Meg had been Adam's constant companion, following him wherever he went. If Meg was ever mistreated by other children, Adam would come to her defense. As a result, Meg had developed strong feelings for her Young Master Elder Brother.

As they grew older, they became more aware of social norms. Meg realized that she couldn't continue calling Adam her Elder Brother because she was a girl, and Adam no longer wanted to play with her. This made her very sad.

As time went on, Adam made friends with many Noble Young Masters. From then on, he started neglecting his studies, seemingly forgetting about his childhood playmate. As they grew older, Adam became more and more unreasonable, while Meg became more attractive and sensible. She displayed a natural talent for magic, taking a completely different path from Adam. However, Meg was unhappy. She witnessed Adam's daily mischief and desperately wanted to stop him, but her words fell on deaf ears. She wished she could turn back time to their childhood, when they played together every day and Adam fought for her.

People say that a young girl's heart is like a poem. Merine was no exception. She hoped that one day, Adam would return to his former self. However, reality shattered her dreams when Adam tried to violate her.

When Adam smiled obscenely and approached her, she felt her world crumble. The good memories they had shared seemed to fade away, and although she managed to escape, she felt as though she had lost her soul. Her world lost its color, and she existed in a daze every day.

Then disaster struck, and Buda Family faced a life-or-death situation. She watched as those who had grown up with her, her family, left Buda Family one by one. She watched as the place she had called home was taken away by the King, and she watched as Adam fell unconscious after being fed the Water of Nothingness. She witnessed her family vanish in a short period of time.

Then they arrived at Black Wasteland, a deadly place. But Adam remained unconscious. She saw her grandparents working tirelessly, doing everything they could to save the family, as if they were struggling for their lives, like someone drowning in the sea making their final struggle.

Meg was just an innocent girl who had experienced little in life. Suddenly, a series of calamities befell her, and she almost couldn't bear it. If it hadn't been for her grandparents' company, she might have considered taking her own life.

But not long after they arrived at the desolate Black Soil, Zhao Hai came into their lives. Although Merine had noticed the change in her Young Master, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He was no longer the troublemaker she knew, but had become mature and dedicated to the family.

First, there were the Magic Radishes, then the Blue Eye Rabbits, and now the improvement of Black Soil. Merine suddenly realized that her Young Master had become a completely different person, gradually erasing the perfect image she had of him.

Meg also noticed the changes in Zhao Hai. She couldn't help but raise her head and blush as she observed Zhao Hai with a newfound infatuation. She had liked seeing Adam's confident side, and she also liked his gentle smile when he saw her, which seemed somewhat unnatural. Imperceptibly, the young girl's heart began to lean towards Adam.

However, Merine didn't notice the changes in Meg. After Zhao Hai finished speaking, she hurriedly headed towards the kitchen, and Meg followed her, blushing, and bowing her head. They went to the kitchen to prepare food.

The group quickly finished their meal, and Merine and Meg immediately headed outside. It seemed they were organizing the slaves to measure the land.

Zhao Hai watched Merine's excited expression and couldn't help but smile. He understood Merine's mood. To her, Black Wasteland was a deadly place, and now someone was telling her that he could turn it into a paradise. It was like telling a terminally ill patient that their illness could be cured. How could she not be excited?

After finishing his lunch, Zhao Hai leisurely walked out of the castle with Blockhead and Stonehead. Outside, he saw that Merine had already gathered the slaves to measure the land.

Although these slaves had no skills, they had experience working the land. They might not be suitable for other tasks, but they were definitely capable of measuring and preparing the land.

Ten acres of land were quickly measured, but Merine and the others were not satisfied with just that. They looked at Zhao Hai, waiting to see if he could truly improve the land.

Zhao Hai looked at the ten-acre plot and realized that it was much larger in reality than what he had seen in the Space. He had forgotten that in the Space, he didn't need to take care of anything. He wondered how he could improve this ten-acre plot. Could he sprinkle Space soil and Spatial Water on the ground?

While Zhao Hai anxiously pondered his options, he suddenly heard a prompt from the Space: "Can you improve the land in front of you? Yes/No." Along with the prompt, a projection appeared in front of him, displaying two buttons labeled 'Yes' and 'No.'

Zhao Hai was overjoyed and immediately reached out to select the 'Yes' button. However, his hand passed through the screen as if it were an illusion, without touching anything. The screen and buttons remained in place, but Zhao Hai turned into a dancing lunatic in excitement.