Published: March 11, 2025
CHAPTER 17: The Madman
On the Ark Continent, there were not no studies conducted on the Black Earth Wilderness in the past. About a thousand years ago, a well-known high-level wood mage, along with several water mages and alchemists, as well as several elves with extensive knowledge of plants, came together to research the Black Earth Wilderness. Their goal was to alter the soil quality and transform it into the largest granary on the continent.
However, after twenty years of research, they still could not grow even a single blade of grass in the Black Earth Wilderness and ultimately had to abandon their efforts in despair.
Since then, no one had studied the Black Earth Wilderness again. People believed that there was no value in researching that area anymore, thinking it was just a waste of time.
In fact, this was closely related to the basic situation on the Ark Continent. Although the population was considerable, the land area was much larger, and there were plenty of arable lands, so there was no concern for food shortages. Consequently, agriculture had never drawn the attention of the continent's inhabitants.
However, in recent years, due to the relative peace on the continent and a rapid population growth, some small nations began to experience food problems. Yet, since the five major empires on the continent were thriving, this issue had not attracted widespread attention.
Moreover, let's not forget that there are slaves on the Ark Continent. If food prices rise, it’s not a big deal; they can simply reduce the rations for the slaves. As long as they don't starve to death, it’s manageable.
The slave owners certainly wouldn't go around saying their slaves' rations were reduced. In fact, they wouldn't even discuss the slaves among themselves; they would rather talk about women or the moon, anything but slaves. Thus, the people on the continent remained oblivious to the impending food crisis.
Currently, the continent was at peace, and the economies of various nations were developing well, leading to rising prices. However, those in power did not realize that while the economy was growing, the living standards of most commoners had not improved. On the contrary, they had decreased significantly, not to mention the slaves.
As the economy of the nation developed, prices naturally rose. Yet, with stagnant incomes for the commoners, many found themselves unable to feed themselves, leading to more people becoming slaves, and social conflicts intensified.
Of course, Merlin was unaware of these issues. She only knew that food was very expensive on the continent. If Zhao Hai could truly transform the barren land of the Black Earth Wilderness into fertile soil, then it would be impossible for the Budah family to develop.
Seeing Merlin's excited expression, Zhao Hai smiled slightly and said, “Yes, Grandma Merlin, this is a ability I have obtained, but I can only transform ten acres a day. So, this afternoon, you need to organize them to measure as much land as possible. We’ll start with a thousand acres; we can’t handle more than that, so let’s stop after measuring a thousand acres.”
Merlin nodded excitedly, “Okay, young master, I’ll arrange it right away.” With that, she turned to leave.
Zhao Hai quickly stopped her, saying, “Alright, Grandma Merlin, don’t be in such a hurry. It’s fine to wait until after lunch to go. By the way, we must not measure too much land, and we shouldn't go too far from the castle. We can’t let outsiders discover my ability; otherwise, with the current strength of the Budah family, we wouldn’t be able to stop those people.”
Merlin had seen a lot in her life, and upon hearing Zhao Hai’s words, she calmed down. She nodded and said, “Alright, I understand, young master. I will handle this matter.”
Neither Zhao Hai nor Merlin noticed that Meg, who was standing behind Merlin, was now gazing at Zhao Hai with a look of infatuation.
Previously, whenever Zhao Hai appeared, Meg would lower her head, but now she had raised her head, carefully observing Zhao Hai, no longer the shy girl she used to be.