Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 172: Entering the Swamp
In recent days, Zhao Hai's trade with Laura had been ongoing. Now, the land in the space had increased by another ten acres, but Zhao Hai had used all of it to plant magical vegetables, so it didn't appear to be idle.
The magical vegetables were all around level fifteen, so their maturation time was a bit longer. The first batch took about a day to mature, and they were all three-season crops, which meant Zhao Hai and the others didn't have to worry too much about their care.
Although these five crops were magical plants, Zhao Hai noted that they looked quite similar to vegetables on Earth. The tubers resembled potatoes, the sweet peppers looked like bell peppers, the red radishes were like carrots, the green fruits resembled tomatoes, and the green lettuce looked like regular lettuce.
Despite their similar appearance, their taste was significantly better than the vegetables Zhao Hai had eaten on Earth. As for the magical elements, Zhao Hai didn't sense any.
On the ranch, Zhao Hai was also busy. He filled the newly available one hundred slots with phantom beasts, flying eagles. These creatures were now almost on par with an air force, and Zhao Hai believed they would further upgrade. When that time came, they might even be able to carry people and form their own air force.
Five days after defeating Buffy, Buffy finally completed the map. Although it was just a simple map, it was very useful for Zhao Hai and his team.
Buffy had traveled to many places, but he didn't fly in a straight line to Flower City. Instead, he circled around in the Corpse Swamp for a long time before arriving at Flower City.
Zhao Hai asked Buffy if he had done this on purpose, but Buffy's answer surprised Zhao Hai. He hadn't done it intentionally; he simply wanted to pass through the Corpse Swamp to see what was on the other side. However, once he entered the swamp, he found himself surrounded by colorful mist and couldn't distinguish the direction. Although he felt he was flying straight, he ended up going in circles.
Even when Buffy exited, it wasn't smooth sailing. He had taken quite a detour before finally getting out.
Thinking of this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but think of Zhao Zui and the others. Though they hadn't ventured too far into the Corpse Swamp, they likely weren't traveling in a straight line either. It seemed that the Corpse Swamp was indeed not a simple place.
After obtaining the map drawn by Buffy, Zhao Hai didn't head out immediately. Instead, he sent Galen to Casa City to buy a piece of high-quality magical beast leather. This leather had been processed and resembled cowhide, measuring two meters long and over a meter wide. After a simple clean-up, they carefully copied Buffy's map onto the cowhide, enlarging it a bit.
According to the agreement between the Aksu Empire and the Budah family, the Corpse Swamp was also the territory of the Budah family. If the Corpse Swamp was included, the Budah family's territory would have completely surpassed that of the Aksu Empire.
However, everyone on the continent knew that no matter how large the Budah family's territory was, it was of little use. The Corpse Swamp was as good as empty; who would dare to enter? It would be more practical to give the Budah family a piece of desert instead.
But Zhao Hai thought differently. If they could solve the problem of the Corpse Swamp, not only would they have no worries, but he could also confidently transform the Black Earth Wilderness.
By resolving the issues in the Corpse Swamp, there would be no magical beasts or undead beings causing chaos in the Black Earth Wilderness. Moreover, Zhao Hai could use a large number of magical beasts and undead beings to seal off the outskirts of the Black Earth Wilderness. Thus, ordinary people wouldn't dare to enter, and even if chaos erupted inside, nobody would know.
This was precisely the outcome Zhao Hai desired. He wanted to turn the Black Earth Wilderness and the Corpse Swamp into an independent kingdom. One day, when they had enough strength, even if people learned about their situation, they wouldn't dare to act against them.