Chapter 25 - Smarter
From out of the cave, Zhao and Meirin stared blankly at the valley.
The valley was not large, only about a thousand acres, with the same black soil as the Black Waste. In the middle of the valley was a pool of clear water, about ten meters in diameter, and on the opposite side, Zhao spotted a smaller cave on the side of a cliff.
He couldn't help but admire the dwarves. They really hollowed out the mountain and established everything they needed. It was hard to imagine how they did it.
After looking around, Zhao nodded. "Good. Really good. Blockhead, ah, how did you even find this cave anyway?"
Blockhead laughed. "Master, when I saw the valley, I just jumped down from the cliff. Then I found these two caves. The other cave is filled with water. But from this one, I was able to walk out."
Zhao nodded in understanding. It was no wonder that Blockhead found this cave. He moved in the opposite direction that they did.
Meirin looked at this piece of black land. It was as Blockhead said, this land was really appropriate for what they need. Although it will take some time to improve it, finding a better place than this would be difficult. Zhao was also satisfied with this place. When it comes to farming, with the pool of water here, irrigation would be easy. And even if there wasn't enough water, you could find a source of it from both caves.
Seeing Zhao nodding, Blockhead quickly said, "Master, did you find out why this place is different?"
Zhao was momentarily surprised. Looking around, he couldn't discover anything that made this place different from anywhere else. "I don't see anything."
Blockhead smiled. "Master, can't you feel that it's warmer in this valley than the rest of the mountain? And didn't you see the weeds on the hill were longer than anywhere else. Even though it's spring, the weeds shouldn't be able to grow that high, making it difficult for us to walk through. This shows that the cold has never invaded this valley. It's always the same temperature. If that's so, then this is a good place that could be cultivated through all four seasons of the year."
From the direction Blockhead was pointing to, where they found the weeds on that hillside, Zhao couldn't help but think that it was strange that the weeds near this valley grew longer than any other place on the mountain.
"I really did not expect that Blockhead would actually be able to notice such things," Meirin said. "Kid, when did you become so smart?"
After hearing what Meirin said, both Zhao and Blockhead were shocked. Zhao also thought it was strange. From his memories, Blockhead was never that clever, yet how could he carefully make such a clear and logical observation?
Blockhead was also somewhat puzzled. He didn't understand it himself. Ever since he went into Zhao's strange space, it was like his eyes have been opened. He began to observe things more carefully and think of things more comprehensively.
Meirin took it in stride. Seeing as the two wasn't saying anything, she added, "Master, it's just like Blockhead said, with a maintained temperature, we could grow a farm here all year round. And the water element here is very active. As long as we cultivate the land and make it fertile, this place will be suitable for our needs."
"Grandma Meirin is right," Zhao said. "This is a really good place. But there's still a problem. This thousand acres of land is so far away from the castle. Even though the slaves could get here, it would still take a lot of time. Things would be more difficult with such a delay."
Meirin smiled. "How can Master forget that this mountain has an underground lake? If it really is the same one near our castle, then we could just come here by boat. Not only would this save time, it could also better protect our secret."
Zhao thought for a moment. If they really could use the lake to get here, it would be faster than walking, and a lot more covert. He nodded. "Okay, this is good. Then let's start improving the land today." Having decided that, with just a few thoughts, a hole in space appeared in front of Zhao, transforming this place into farm land, the sooner the better.
Blockhead and Meirin, although they have seen Zhao's land improvement before, was still excited after seeing it again. In the Continent, Zhao's ability was absolutely unique. Even if it couldn't be used to kill, it could still suit most needs.
Seeing the change to good farm land, Zhao turned to Meirin. "Let's go back, Grandma Meirin. Unfortunately, we don't have a boat. No boat means we can't directly go to the castle by lake."
"Did young master forget that I am a Water Mage?" Meirin laughed. "I can easily bring two or three people with me over the water. Don't worry about it, we won't need a boat."
Zhao was stunned for a moment. To be honest, although he's been in the Ark Continent for a few days, he was still not used to the fact that there was magic. He always confused this world with Earth where there were people who couldn't just use water magic when they needed to.
Zhao nodded. He smiled at Meirin. "Then let's return home, Grandma Meirin. I'm afraid of what would happen if we leave Rockhead alone for too long."
Meirin, while looking at the land and finding nothing of note, said, "Well, let's go back."
Having said that, the three of them turned around and walked into the cave.
Inside the cave, Meirin walked in front and used her lighting magic. This time, the three went into the tunnel on the right that directly led to the sound of water.
After walking for fifteen minutes, thanks to Meirin, they saw the underground lake. The lake was a really great way to pass from one side of the mountain to the other, in addition to the fact that it couldn't be seen from outside.
In their current position, they were three meters above the lake, but there was a gentle slope that they could use to get down. It appeared that the dwarves used it to transport ore. The ground was paved with stones, but because of the water, it was covered in moss, making it a little slippery.
Zhao looked at the lake and sighed. "Who would have thought that in the Black Waste was such a hidden place that we could use to raise fish."
Meirin nodded. "Yes, we could raise a large number of fish in this lake. This could even become a major source of income for the Buda clan."
Zhao agreed, then turned to Meirin. "Grandma Meirin, as we make our way back, if there is a spirit beast in the water, are you sure that we can get past it?"
Meirin smiled with a look of confidence. "Master can rest assured that nothing will happen."
She led everyone down towards the lake. Although the ground was slippery, Zhao and Blockhead carefully followed behind her.