Chapter 35: Invasion
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Although Merlyn was dissatisfied with the Aksu Empire, she still hoped that one day, Zhao Hai could return to the imperial capital and become a powerful noble in the imperial capital. That would mean that the Buda family had obtained the recognition of those old nobles and was truly powerful.
Merlyn did not know that Zhao Hai had no intention of returning to the capital, nor did he want to obtain the recognition of the old nobles. In Zhao Hai’s opinion, the recognition of those old nobles had nothing to do with him. He would still live like this whether they acknowledged him or not. As long as he had the strength, it did not matter if they acknowledged him or not.
It was no wonder that their views were so different. Merlyn had lived in the Ark Continent since she was young. This was a world where nobles were supreme. To be recognized by those old nobles was the goal of the new nobles. If they were recognized, it meant that they were true nobles. Otherwise, they would be called nouveau riche.
On the other hand, there was no such thing as a noble on Earth. You are from a noble family? As long as I have money, I am a noble. As long as I have the strength, you have to acknowledge me. Therefore, Zhao Hai did not care at all.
However, he would still study seriously and understand this world better. Only in this way could he let the Buda family develop as soon as possible and have stronger strength.
After returning to the study, Zhao Hai was not in a hurry to read those miscellaneous notes. He looked carefully in the study and realized that there were no books on enlightenment. The simplest were probably the basics of battle aura and magic. Zhao Hai picked up those things and took a look. He realized that they were all very mysterious. If he did not have anyone to guide him and only relied on reading books to learn, he might not be able to learn anything. Moreover, he had drunk the Void Water and could not learn magic and battle aura, so he did not pay attention to them. He put them aside after a few glances.
In the end, Zhao Hai focused on the miscellaneous books. However, when he flipped through the miscellaneous books, he found a good book. It was a book about calligraphy.
This book about calligraphy introduced the uses of the several kinds of pens on the desk in detail. Zhao Hai finally understood that the pens on the desk were not for show, and they had their own uses.
The brush was used to write and draw. It was usually used by people who liked calligraphy. Some mages would use the brush when making large magic scrolls because the magic array drawn on the scrolls was larger.
The quill was the main pen used to make magic scrolls. Because the brush was thin, it could be used to make some small and medium-sized scrolls.
The pen that looked like a fountain pen was used to write and record because the ink cartridge inside could store ink, so it could be used for a longer period. It was very convenient, but this kind of pen could not be used to make magic scrolls. Because the magic conductivity of metal was very low, ordinary mages would not have anything like metal on them to prevent their spells being affected. Of course, there were some special metals that had good magic conductivity, but those metals were very expensive. No one would be willing to use them to make pens.
As for charcoal pens, they were used for alchemy. They usually used these pens to draw some blueprints or to draw some sketches.
In the miscellaneous notes, Zhao Hai also saw that ordinary nobles on the continent used brushes to sign some especially important words. That was the symbol of status.
This surprised Zhao Hai. When he was on Earth, he had always wanted to learn calligraphy. Unfortunately, he had no money to find a teacher at that time. In the end, this wish could only be abandoned. He did not expect there to be calligraphy in this world. It seemed like his wish could be fulfilled.
However, Zhao Hai only remembered the usage of these pens. It was clearly not realistic for him to learn calligraphy now. There were too many things left to do and there was no time to learn calligraphy.
Zhao Hai spent a few hours in the study. At around two in the afternoon, there was a sudden knock on the door. Zhao Hai was stunned. “Who is it?”
Rock’s voice came from outside. “Young Master, we have already picked several stones. Please help us transport them back.”
Zhao Hai put down the book and walked to the door to open it. “Let’s go.” With that, he walked out first, and Rock followed.
As he walked out, Zhao Hai said, “Are you guys still mining in that cave?”
Rock nodded and said, “Yes, Young Master. An looked at a few caves and said that the stones in that cave are the easiest to mine. Moreover, the stones produced in that cave are not iron ores. They are the best for making the millstone. Perhaps because that place does not produce iron ores, those dwarves did not mine there.”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “You have to be careful. Our Buda family only has so few people left. We can’t lose anyone. Every time we lose a person, our strength will decrease. I asked you to follow them because I’m worried they will be too rash.”
Rock nodded. He understood what Zhao Hai meant. Under Zhao Hai’s promise to remove the slave status, the slaves were very enthusiastic about working. However, they were a little too hurried, so they should be supervised.
The two of them walked to the outer fort. The women were still weaving straw mats, but there was no sign of Ju or Meg.
Zhao Hai followed Rock out of the fort. As the two of them walked up the mountain, Zhao Hai noticed that there seemed to be a straw shed at the top of the mountain. Zhao Hai pointed at the shed and said to Rock, “Is that shed the sentry post I mentioned?”
Rock nodded and said, “Yes, Grandma Merlyn asked us to build a small shed. There are two people in the shed watching. Every two hours or so, they will be changed.”
Zhao Hai nodded. Merlyn was indeed from the Buda family. The Buda family had started with military merits. When Merlyn was young, she had followed the army many times. She was naturally familiar with arranging sentries.
At this moment, a figure suddenly ran over from the mountain. He shouted loudly. Although Zhao Hai did not hear his shout, his heart sank. He immediately turned to Rock and said, “Rock, go to the cave and get everyone to return to the castle. Then, go find Wood and the others and ask them to return to the castle immediately. I’ll go find Meg and the others now.”
With that, he was about to leave when Rock grabbed Zhao Hai and said, “Young Master, I’ll go look for them. Go back to the castle immediately. The Buda family can’t do without you. If anything happens, enter the Space Farm immediately.”
Zhao Hai was stunned. Then, his face darkened. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m the head of the Buda family. How can I retreat at such a time? Go quickly.” With that, he walked forward.
Rock quickly ran in front of him and knelt on the ground. He hugged Zhao Hai’s leg and said, “Young Master, quickly return to the castle. The Buda family can’t do without you. Without you, all of us will be finished, Young Master.”
Looking at Rock, Zhao Hai knew that if he did not agree, Rock would not move. He knew how stubborn Rock was. He still remembered the last time these two brothers held a sword to their necks.
Zhao Hai could only nod and say, “Alright, go immediately. Tell everyone to go to the castle.” Rock nodded and stood up.
At this moment, the figure ran to Zhao Hai and knelt down. “Master, there are many magical beasts and undead creatures climbing up the mountain.”
Zhao Hai immediately said, “Is there anyone else in that shed?”
“Yes, he is still there.” Zhao Hai said angrily, “Idiot, why isn’t he coming down? Rock, go to the mountain and tell that guy to leave.” Rock immediately turned to run.
Zhao Hai turned to look at the kneeling slave and said, “What’s your name?”
The man immediately said, “Master, my name is Lin.”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “Go back to the castle immediately and look for Grandma Merlyn. If she’s not in the castle, tell those people who are weaving the grass to retreat to the inner fort. This is my order. Go quickly.”
Lin nodded and ran toward the castle. Zhao Hai knew his body. It was impossible for him to run faster than Lin, so he asked Lin to send the message.
Zhao Hai ran into the castle, but his body was really weak. He was already panting from exhaustion after running for a short while.
When Zhao Hai returned to the castle, he realized that the weavers had already entered the inner fort. When he arrived, he saw Merlyn standing there. Everyone looked at Zhao Hai uneasily.
Seeing that Zhao Hai was back, Merlyn immediately walked to his side and said, “Young Master, what should we do now?”
Zhao Hai took a few breaths and said, “Grandma Merlyn, count the number of people immediately and see how many are in the courtyard. I will go to the gate. After everyone returns, I’ll immediately get them to close it.”
Merlyn quickly said, “Young Master, you should stay here and count the number of people. I’ll go to the gate.” With that, she quickly walked out, not giving Zhao Hai a chance to object.
Zhao Hai looked at Merlyn’s back impatiently. Merlyn and the others had really taken care of him too much. They had always placed him in the safest place. However, Zhao Hai knew that he had no way to protect himself now, so he could only follow their arrangement.
He turned to look at the people standing in the inner fort. Other than Lin, there were more than thirty women standing here. Zhao Hai immediately said, “Everyone, line up.”
Hearing Zhao Hai’s words, these slaves immediately stood in line. Their speed was greatly unexpected.