Level Up

Chapter 44: Level Up

"Discovered vegetable seeds, appraised level, level decreased by one, no beneficial attributes, unable to extract."

"Discovered vegetable seeds, appraised level, level decreased by one, no beneficial attributes, unable to extract."

"Discovered forage grass seeds, appraised level, zero level, equivalent to Space forage grass level. Can be extracted, but seeds cannot be retained."

"Discovered a new type of fruit tree seed, appraised level, 4th level. Extracted the seed, seed extraction is completed. The seed has been digitized and can be purchased in the Spatial Shop. However, due to the insufficient Host level, the Oil Fruit tree can only be provisionally established as a nine-season crop."

Zhao Hai took these seeds, and a loud prompt sound echoed. Then, except for the seeds of the Oil Fruit tree and alfalfa, all the other seeds in Zhao Hai's possession vanished.

Zhao Hai tapped his head and muttered, "This Space is truly overpowering. Even with insufficient level, it directly removes them without leaving a trace. Fortunately, I still have enough remaining."

But due to the series of prompt sounds, not only Zhao Hai, but Merine and the others also felt dizzy. They couldn't comprehend the level, appraisal, or extraction process. All they knew was that in front of them, a significant portion of the seeds had disappeared.

Just as Zhao Hai was about to speak, the Space transmitted a prompt: "Space has reached the Level Up condition and has advanced to the 5th level. As a reward, you have received a bag of eggplant seeds, suitable for planting in a two-mu area."

"Host level has reached the 5th level. You have a total of 1,100 gold coins. The requirements for land reclamation have been met. Would you like to reclaim and cultivate two mu of land immediately?"

Upon hearing this prompt, Zhao Hai couldn't help but relax. This finally confirmed his idea that the best way to level up the Space was to bring in items. Relying solely on Space to level up would be too slow. He immediately replied, "Reclaim the land."

As soon as he finished speaking, a white light flashed across the cornfield, and before long, two mu of cultivated land had been reclaimed.

Zhao Hai also realized that in this Space, apart from the designated crop areas, the rest of the surroundings resembled a game background and couldn't be used for planting. It would have been great if he could plant crops everywhere in the Space.

Suddenly, a prompt from the Space sounded, "Host's level is insufficient. To utilize the background land, you need to reach Level 10 at least."

Zhao Hai was taken aback. He hadn't considered that the background land could be used, as long as he reached the required level. It was quite fantastic.

At that moment, Merine approached Zhao Hai and asked, "Young Master, what do you plan to plant on the newly reclaimed land?"

Zhao Hai looked at the two mu area and the ten mu of radishes he had just received. He turned to Merine and said, "Merine, I plan to plant Oil Fruit trees on the ten mu area. As for the two mu area, we can wait until the corn is harvested and then plant corn there as well. What do you think?"

Merine was taken aback. She looked at the ten mu of radish field and couldn't help but hesitate. She knew that the radishes Zhao Hai mentioned were Magic Radishes. Initially, he wanted to let Zhao Hai plant radishes, but she felt that it wasn't the right time to plant them. Otherwise, they would have an excessive amount of radishes on hand. Therefore, she was momentarily indecisive.

Zhao Hai glanced at Merine and smiled, saying, "Currently, we have saved three seasons' worth of radishes. We have twenty-four thousand jin (0.5 kg) of radishes. Even if we were to sell them, it would be more than enough. Moreover, due to the abundance of radishes in the market, I believe the price will drop. However, Oil Fruit is different. Oil Fruit can be used to extract fruit oil, which is in high demand on the continent. Everyone needs it, with quantities ranging from several hundred thousand jin (0.5 kg) to over a million jin (0.5 kg). It won't have a significant impact on the market. What's more, we already have ready-made Oil Fruit tree seeds."

Upon hearing Zhao Hai's words, Merine quickly said, "Good, I will follow Young Master's instructions. Let's plant the Oil Fruit trees."

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Oil Fruit trees it is, for ten mu." As soon as he finished speaking, the tools such as the small iron spade and bucket, along with the seeds, were immediately put to use by everyone.

This Oil Fruit tree is indeed a type of tree with a long lifespan. The area for the first batch of Fruit trees is quite large, covering ten mu of land. Zhao Hai estimates that he has planted about 300 Oil Fruit trees, which is actually not a large quantity.

After finishing planting the Oil Fruit trees, Zhao Hai returns the remaining seeds to the Space Warehouse. He hasn't planted the newly reclaimed two mu of land yet. The corn is almost ripe, so he plans to wait for the corn to mature and then plant the crops together. This way, he can harvest them all at once without wasting any time.

Everyone stands there dumbfounded, watching Zhao Hai's actions. The vastness of the Space and the size of the land are truly astonishing. With just a few words from Zhao Hai, everything can be taken care of. To Merine and the others, it seems like a complete miracle.

Once Zhao Hai finishes everything, he relaxes and then turns to Merine and the others, saying, "Alright, everyone can carry on with their tasks. You don't need to worry about me."

The onlookers, including Merine, gaze at Zhao Hai with a sense of admiration. The occurrences within the Space are too mysterious for them to comprehend. Even Merine, who has experienced many things, has never heard of such a thing existing in the world.

Observing the people's expressions, Zhao Hai feels somewhat embarrassed. Despite recently taking on the responsibilities of managing the Buda Family, deep down he remains a nerd and tends to be a bit shy. Being scrutinized like this leaves him feeling somewhat lost.

Zhao Hai says, "Merine Grandma, I'm going to go back to the room and check on the situation outside." He turns around and enters the thatched-roofed hut, closing the door behind him.

Merine and Meg exchange glances and can't help but smile. They have come to understand Zhao Hai to a certain extent. They already knew Adam well, and Adam would never be shy. He simply doesn't know the meaning of shyness. However, Zhao Hai is completely different from Adam. Due to their previous interactions, they've realized that Zhao Hai can easily become shy. This change brings a smile to the faces of Merine and Meg, as they find it endearing.

Zhao Hai returned to the thatched-roofed hut and took a deep breath to calm his mood. He scolded himself a few words and then walked over to the screen. He turned it on and observed the situation in the castle, where he could see the presence of Magic Beasts. Zhao Hai didn't want to know what kind of Magic Beasts were there, so he quickly switched to another screen and lay down on the bed.

Operating in Space was truly simple. Most of the time, Zhao Hai didn't know what to do, but whenever he had a thought, Space would assist him in completing the task. While this convenience was appreciated, it also left him feeling bored.

As he looked out the window, he could hear Merine's voice teaching the slaves how to read and write. The sound calmed Zhao Hai, and he felt as though he was in a humble room, just like the characters in the books he used to read. Zhao Hai couldn't help but take out a miscellaneous book from the Warehouse and read it attentively.

After about two hours had passed, the corn had ripened. Zhao Hai stored the corn in the Warehouse and planted corn in the four mu area. He then returned to the thatched-roofed hut and continued reading.

Zhao Hai knows that the Oil Fruit tree cannot mature as quickly as the radishes do. After all, it takes two years for them to mature outside. However, since the seeds in Space have been digitized, he estimates that they will mature in less than two months. He hasn't heard from Space that any seed takes about two months to mature. The slowest ones usually take three or four days.

Zhao Hai is prepared for this. Space currently has an abundant supply of food and drink, and they have enough radishes to last three seasons. It would be better to plant other crops. However, the options for other crops in Space are limited, as they cannot be bought. The economic value of alfalfa is also too low, so Zhao Hai decides to plant the Oil Fruit tree instead.

Although the corn will also be ripe in the next two days, completing the three-season cycle, the Oil Fruit tree has grown but has yet to bear fruit.

In the following two days, Zhao Hai continues to pay attention to the situation in the castle. Although no Magic Beasts or Undead Creatures are seen the next day, he doesn't ask Merine to investigate. He's concerned that there might still be Magic Beasts present, and if Merine and the others were to discover them, there could be potential danger. Additionally, these Magic Beasts might not leave easily, which would prolong their stay in Space.

It's not that Zhao Hai doesn't want Merine and the others to stay in Space. Regardless of the situation, the castle is their roots, their home, and they will eventually have to go back there.

Furthermore, during these two days, Zhao Hai notices that the slaves are not entirely happy. While they can learn to read and write in Space, they don't have much work to do apart from that. They feel unfamiliar with this idle lifestyle and believe it's unfair to Zhao Hai.

Currently, they enjoy delicious cooked rice and flavorful soup every day. To these slaves, it's like living in heaven. They are grateful to Zhao Hai but also feel that they are not contributing enough in return.

Zhao Hai, engrossed in his reading, hasn't noticed this point. He's currently focused on teaching matters that he can discuss with Merine. Instead, it was Merine who discovered that some of the slaves seemed distracted during their studies over the past two days. They appeared to be sad.

Merine wasn't sure of the reason, so she asked the slaves directly, but they didn't reveal anything. Eventually, Merine had no choice but to ask Chrysanthemum to find out what was going on. During dinner, Chrysanthemum provided an update to Merine and the others. Zhao Hai, who was initially unaware of the situation, couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and concern upon hearing about it.

Merine had lost her appetite. To be honest, she wanted to go back to the castle more than Zhao Hai did. The Space was mysterious, but it didn't give her the feeling of being at home. Merine longed to return to the castle, which she considered the true family home of the Buda Family. After all, it was their permanent fief.