Chapter 30 - Broke
In the evening, Zhao deliberately let Daisy eat dinner with the Buda clan.
He wanted Daisy to set an example to the slaves, so they could shine with new vitality. If the slaves wanted to change their current living conditions, then the best way was to be more creative and think of something.
Daisy Buda was very nervous. Although she now had a commoner status, she also knew that commoners were not qualified to dine together with nobility.
But when Meirin served dinner to everyone, Daisy was shocked. When she was a commoner, although she had not seen it, she had heard about the meals that the nobility would eat. How much they ate, what they ate, everything from the first meal was incredible. She had even heard that some of the bowls and plates were made of gold or silver. So when Zhao called her to eat with them, she thought it would be more like that sort of situation.
Seeing what Meirin was serving, she could not believe that Zhao's dinner was ordinary bread, some soup, vegetables, and meat. Zhao was the only one that had meat, while the others did not. Even so, their dinner wasn't that much better than the slaves'.
Zhao had noticed how Daisy was acting. Ever since she came into the dining room, she was so nervous that she was just standing there, not daring to sit. Looking at her, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Daisy, come and sit down. I have given you my surname, so according to the rules, you can be considered part of the Buda clan. Don't be so uptight and sit." Zhao spoke while winking to Meg.
Meg understood his meaning, so she walked around to Daisy and smiled. "Sister Daisy, sit down. Master is very easy going. Everyday we would eat a meal with the young master, so don't worry."
Daisy knew of Meg's status. She was a servant of the Buda clan. In other places, such a person would have a high status, at least much higher than commoners. But over the past few days, she had been in contact with her, so she knew that Meg was a good person. Even though she was the one watching over the slaves, she didn't abuse them, only making sure that they were working. So Daisy's tension slowly eased away.
After Meirin placed down all of their meals, she looked at Daisy who was still a little nervous. "You do not need to be so tensed. Rest assured, Master is very nice. Tell me, you used to be a commoner, right? So how did you become a slave?"
With Meirin's kind look, the last trace of Daisy's nervousness vanished. She whispered her story of how she came to be a slave.
Zhao didn't say anything, only quietly listening until Daisy finished, then he sighed. "With how the nobles act, it's a miracle that this world didn't fall into chaos. Daisy, if you want to be a servant of the Buda clan, with your commoner status, you will receive a monthly wage. Tomorrow, follow Meg around and learn from her."
Although Zhao was excited about Daisy's woven weeds, he also knew that her crafting skill wouldn't be much help. Today, the reason Zhao rewarded Daisy so much wasn't because of her skill, it was because of her courage. She dared to stand out, so Zhao rewarded her for it. Hopefully, Daisy would become an example to the slaves and get them to work harder.
After dinner, they went to the living room.
When Zhao sat down, he said to Daisy, "Daisy, Blockhead and Rockhead will send you a bed, along with some bedding. Take care of your brother today. Tomorrow morning, go along with Meg and do what she tells you to. And when there's nothing else to do, weave some weeds and send them to the slaves outside the castle. The weather has been getting a little chilly lately. The woven mats could be used to hang over the windows to block out the cold wind."
Daisy immediately said, "Yes, Master."
Zhao slightly chuckled. "Daisy, you're now a servant of the Buda clan. Not a slave. You don't have to call me Master like I'm your slave owner. Call me as you would a young master, like how Meg and the rest does it." He then turned to the two men. "Blockhead and Rockhead, you go bring some bedding for Daisy's and Ann's room. Daisy, you go back to take care of your brother."
The three turned away and left. Meg and Meirin had been standing next to Zhao, and heard him sigh. "I really hope that Daisy can stimulate the slaves, and then maybe the slaves could make something that could help the Buda clan."
Meirin nodded. She knew how difficult the situation the Buda clan was in. Although they brought a lot of supplies to the Black Waste, most of the supplies were food and clothing, and a few tools. There were too many things that they didn't buy, otherwise they would have given each of the slaves a bed.
Although there was now no pressure for food, they always had to worry about the carrion swamp.
Meirin and Meg were confident in their skills. She believed that even if there were a few spirit beasts, they could deal with them. Do not forget that she was an eighth level water mage, while Meg was a sixth level mage. And Blockhead and Rockhead were sixth level warriors. So they had enough skill to deal with certain situations.
The reason that Meirin didn't dare be at ease was because she wasn't sure of herself when it came to the carrion swamp. That was one of the five forbidden areas in the Continent. Even if a ninth level mage went in, they might not necessarily be able to come out, never mind an eighth level mage like her.
Even if they didn't go to the carrion swamp, and were instead attacked by too many spirit beasts, she couldn't say for sure that she could repel them. So she did not dare be at ease.
Just then, Zhao suddenly stood up, and turned to Meirin. "Grandma Meirin, I'm going into the space. The magic radishes have matured and I have to harvest them. Do you want to come?"
Meirin shook her head. "No, not this time, Master. I'm going to go clean the kitchen. Let Meg accompany you."
Zhao nodded and turned to Meg. "Meg, do you want to come with me to a certain place? This place is the biggest secret of the Buda clan. Only me, Grandma Meirin, Blockhead, and Rockhead know of it. Even Grandpa Green doesn't know about it yet, so don't mention it to others."
Meg saw how solemn Zhao was. She couldn't help but turn around to look at Meirin, who said, "Meg, listen to the young master."
Meg immediately nodded her head. "Yes, Master. You may rest assured, I certainly won't tell anyone."
With a single thought, they went into the spatial farm. Meg's reaction was almost like Meirin's, swerving her head back and forth as she looked at the radishes and corn seedlings that were starting to grow.
Looking around this magical space, she understood why this was the Buda clan's biggest secret. This was the hope of the their revival, so it had to be taken very seriously.
Zhao explained everything about this space while he separately harvested the radishes and radish leaves.
After harvesting the radishes, he accessed his shop and bought another bag of radish seeds. Now he only had fifty gold coins left. Of course, he could have just planted his other bags of seeds, but now was not the time to plant different crops.
When he was finished, Zhao turned to Meg and said, "Meg, this space is the hope of our Buda clan, so don't say anything about it to others."
Meg was stern. "Master, don't worry, I understand the severity. I won't speak about it."
Hearing that, Zhao nodded. "Let's go out."
With a thought, the two appeared in the living room. Blockhead and Rockhead had come back, but the two weren't surprised at the sudden appearance of Zhao and Meg. They had already been to the space, so they knew how it was.
"Well, we should all go rest," Zhao said to everyone there. "Tomorrow, we'll have plenty of things to keep us busy. Meg, remember to teach Daisy a lot." Having uttered that, Zhao slowly walked towards his room.
Lying in bed, Zhao got a chance to think about what to do next. Now he was broke with only fifty gold coins left. If he needed to sell anything in the space, he preferred to sell radishes. Before Green comes back, the radishes don't have many uses, except for the radish leaves. Even if he decided to sell the radishes, he still wouldn't have to worry about what to feed the blue-eyed rabbits.
Not only that, he still had corn, which would be useful as food. So Zhao didn't intend to sell the corn at all.
Translator Notes: This chapter was edited from an MTL. Please leave a comment if you've spotted anything that looks wrong.