Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 181: Jealousy
However, Zhao Hai still did not plan to personally handle this matter. He turned to Galen and Merlin and said, "Grandpa Galen, Grandma Merlin, even if we really want to cooperate with the orcs in the grain business, I think it's better for Miss Laura and the others to represent us. If we step in, we will expose ourselves sooner or later, and to be honest, we are not as skilled in business matters as Laura."
Galen and Merlin exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of amusement in each other's eyes. Merlin then said, "I agree with the young master's view. It's better for Miss Laura to take the lead in such matters, but young master, this means we might have to give up a portion of the profits to Miss Laura."
Zhao Hai did not notice the subtle expressions on Galen and Merlin's faces; he continued, "There’s no helping it. We don't have those connections right now, but Laura does. She has been developing in the Versailles Principality for years. If we say she has no business in the Orc Empire, I’m afraid no one will believe it."
"It seems the young master thinks Miss Laura is pretty and wants to marry her as the young mistress," Meg said, glaring at Zhao Hai. Upon hearing Zhao Hai mention Laura, Meg felt a pang of discomfort.
Zhao Hai was taken aback by Meg's words and turned to look at her, noticing her displeased expression. Suddenly, two words popped into his mind: jealousy.
Meg looked like a girl in love, noticing her boyfriend talking about how beautiful and capable another woman was.
Zhao Hai stared at Meg, making her feel embarrassed. Her little face flushed as she lowered her head. Galen and Merlin saw Zhao Hai's expression and couldn't help but smile slightly.
Both of them were seasoned individuals and could easily see Meg's feelings. They were pleased with this development. In the past, they wouldn't have agreed, but now that Zhao Hai had become so capable, they naturally hoped he would take Meg as a wife.
In this world, there were no regulations on monogamy. It was entirely normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines. Even if a woman was powerful, having several lovers wouldn't raise any eyebrows; everything revolved around strength.
Currently, the budah family situation was improving. Once Zhao Hai's space reached level thirty and he cured himself of the Void Water poison, everything would be settled. Zhao Hai could marry and have children. Galen believed that by then, Zhao Hai should not only marry and have children but also take more wives and have more offspring to expand the budah family.
Seeing Meg's shy demeanor, Zhao Hai felt a warmth in his heart but quickly turned back. He had too many matters at hand and it was not the time for romance.
Zhao Hai turned to Galen and Merlin and said, "Once we solve the problems here in the Corpse Swamp, we should head over to the orcs. We are still too short on manpower here."
Galen nodded, looking at the screen, which still displayed the swirling, colorful toxic mist, as if they had stepped into another dimension instead of the Ark Continent.
At this time, Zhao Hai zoomed in on the map in the corner of the screen and compared it to the one drawn by Buffy. He discovered that so far, they hadn't encountered any terrain resembling what was drawn on the map, which eased his mind.
However, they felt even more alarmed. Initially, they had been following Buffy's map, but somehow, the flying eagles had strayed off course. They thought that even if they deviated slightly from their original route, it wouldn't be too far off. Now it seemed otherwise; they had been flying for half a day and still hadn't seen any terrain similar to what was depicted on the map. This indicated they had veered far off course. If they continued on their original route, they wondered how long it would take to reach Flower City.
Zhao Hai smiled wryly and said, "I never expected the Corpse Swamp to be so vast that we would stray this far."
Galen frowned, looking grim, and said, "It seems there really are ancient powerful mages left in the Corpse Swamp. I've heard that ancient magic circles are incredibly mystical, and some can make people endlessly cycle within them—it’s called a maze formation. I believe there’s such a maze formation here in the Corpse Swamp. Last time, Buffy was really lucky to find the way to Flower City. It seems that place is the center of the maze and the area to be guarded."