Published: March 12, 2025
CHAPTER 188: Aberrant Mage
Laura never expected Galen to make such a request. She was momentarily stunned, and then her face flushed red. This condition was truly unexpected and caught her off guard.
Although in the Ark Continent, women were not bound by the same ancient Chinese customs that emphasized obedience and propriety, and where men and women were almost equal, in large families, not only did men have inheritance rights, but women did too.
Marriage here was relatively free. For example, Ryan Versailles did not like Zhao Hai and could simply raise this issue with his family, who would find a way to annul the engagement. This was considered normal.
However, bringing up marriage so suddenly was still too much for a girl. At that moment, Laura could only feel shy, completely forgetting everything else.
Galen, seeing Laura's reaction, chuckled, "Miss Laura, please rest assured. Our young master is not yet twenty and is of a similar age to you. Besides, he is also a noble. This is certainly not a disgrace to you."
Zhao Hai forced a smile and said, "Grandpa Galen, please don't say that. Miss Laura, don't take it to heart. If my identity were revealed, it would cause you great trouble. Even an alliance with the Versailles Family might not protect me, so please don’t ask any further."
Laura suddenly froze. She truly did not expect Zhao Hai to say this. Was his identity really that troublesome? Suddenly, she recalled how Zhao Hai referred to Galen.
When Laura had visited previously, Zhao Hai had called Galen "Linge," which was a very common name on the continent, so she hadn't paid much attention to it.
But just now, in a moment of urgency, Zhao Hai called Galen by his name. Although the name "Galen" was also not particularly unique, thinking of Zhao Hai's identity and then of Galen's strength, Laura suddenly thought of a family.
Laura stared at Zhao Hai and asked, "Sir, are you by any chance from the Budah family? Is this Mr. Galen the Spirit Wind Warlord? But wait, didn’t you drink the Void Water? How can you still use magic?"
Both Zhao Hai and Galen were taken aback. They had not expected Laura to be so perceptive as to guess their identities from a single title.
Zhao Hai and Galen exchanged glances and both smiled wryly. Galen removed the helmet that had obscured his face and casually tossed it aside. He looked at Laura and said with a smile, "Miss Laura truly deserves her title as the pride of heaven. You’re impressive to have figured out our identities from the young master’s words."
Zhao Hai also took off the hood of his magic robe and smiled wryly, "I really didn't expect to expose myself in the end. Miss Laura, let me reintroduce myself. I am Zhao Hai Budah, formerly known as Adam Budah, but I have changed my name. This is my grand chief, Galen Budah, and this is my maid and also Grandpa Galen's granddaughter, Meg Budah. The one who cooked for you during your previous visits is Meg's grandmother, Merlin Budah."
As Zhao Hai spoke, he stood up to introduce Laura. Galen and the others also bowed to Laura, but she was left in a daze.
She truly did not expect to guess correctly; they were indeed members of the Budah family living here. Who would have thought that members of the Budah family, who had been driven to the Black Earth Wilderness, would suddenly appear here and live so carefree?
Looking at Zhao Hai, even though he was still in a magic robe, now that the hood was off, the mystery had faded. Instead, Laura found Zhao Hai even more attractive.
Mystery can attract women, but a man who is too mysterious will not be liked because there is no sense of security. Laura had been drawn to Zhao Hai's mystery, but the reason she had somewhat liked him before was due to his character.
Laura had come to understand Zhao Hai's character through their interactions, but his mystery had made her hesitant to seek a deeper connection.
Now that she could finally see Zhao Hai's appearance clearly, she noticed that he was not very tall. When standing next to Laura, he was noticeably shorter. His face was pale and quiet, giving him a somewhat frail appearance. Coupled with his traits from his previous life as a reclusive bookworm, he looked somewhat refined with a calm demeanor. However, Laura could sense a strong, optimistic determination in him, which was what she admired most about Zhao Hai.