Chapter 37 - Into the Space
Fortunately, the castle wasn't far, and Rockhead was very fast. In just a few short breaths of time, Zhao had reached the main room of the castle.
The room didn't seem that big with all the people crowded inside. But there wasn't any confused ruckus going on. The slaves were very clear that if they didn't listen, it may result in their deaths. So they stood in order after Blockhead had entered the room.
"Grandma Meirin, you go into the space first," Zhao said the moment he came into the room. "When a slave enters the space, you will settle them down and make sure that they don't run around. Blockhead and Rockhead, you guard the doors. Meg, Daisy, and Ann, you organize the slaves to go into the space."
Daisy and Ann had never been inside the space, so Zhao made them work with Meg. Once they assist those to go into the space, Meirin would settle them after they entered, while Rockhead and Blockhead would be on alert for any spirit beasts that suddenly barged in.
A hole appered next to Zhao.
The hole was no stranger to the slaves. They had seen it before during Zhao's land improvement. When there was little reaction from the slaves, Zhao couldn't help but be surprised.
However, when Meirin went into the space first, there was an immediate reaction. After Meirin appeared inside, it was time to make the slaves go.
Those slaves were a little scared. They didn't know where Zhao was taking them. But when they saw Meirin enter, they knew that Zhao wouldn't harm them. Immediately, under Meg's supervision, each of the slaves slowly entered the hole.
By now, from outside the castle, they could hear the roars of the spirit beasts, as well as the pounding on the castle gate. They had to move faster. Fortunately, Zhao was able to make the hole big enough to allow four slaves to go in at the same time.
Soon all the slaves had entered the space, as well as Daisy, Ann, and Meg. With a thought, Zhao with Blockhead and Rockhead appeared inside the space together.
The slaves were looking around, dumbfounded.
While Zhao, the moment he entered the space, discovered that the radishes have matured, but he didn't have time to harvest them. He stood up and shouted at the slaves. "All of you listen. This is my spatial farm. Do not just walk around. Look for a place to sit down. And be careful of where you step."
Fortunately, in addition to the farm land, the spatial farm also had some open spaces. At one time, Zhao had tried telling the spatial farm to shovel the open spaces, but it just had the same result as the game, no response.
Although the slaves didn't understand what was going on, they still obediently sat down. Zhao then turned to Meirin after looking at the slaves. "Grandma Meirin, I've brought a lot of empty cups with me. If anyone wants to drink, let them go to the spring to drink some spatial water. I'll come up with some blankets that they could sleep on." Having said that, he walked in front of the barn, and with a thought, a lot of cups came out. They were wooden cups, cheap ones that Green had bought for the slaves.
Meirin and Meg soon passed around the cups. Zhao also brought a lot of blankets for the slaves to sleep on the ground with. And after that, Zhao came up with a few cushions.
These cushions weren't for sitting, they were used to build dividing walls. With more than a hundred people here, they will need a bathroom, especially now that there were both men and women inside the space. Although they were small, the cushions that Green had bought should be sufficient enough to build something that would separate the two sides.
Blockhead and Rockhead led several male slaves to one side of the barn and blocked off that piece of land with the cushions. The female slaves had the other side.
After everyone started working, it relieved Zhao with enough time to harvest the radishes and plant another batch.
In order to help the slaves calm down, Zhao gave each of them one magic radish to eat. The white radish tasted sweet and a little spicy. Seeing more than a hundred people eating radishes together, it was a spectacular sight.
The slaves were eating very happily. This was the first time they had eaten a radish with such a peerless taste.
After seeing that the slaves had calmed down, Zhao went into the thatched hut.
The inside of the hut wasn't very large, but there was enough room for a bed, and of course a table where a few people could sit. It was very comfortable. Although Zhao wished for a good night's sleep, he knew that this wasn't the time. He had entered the hut after telling Meirin to call a few people in, leaving only Daisy and Ann to watch over the slaves.
Everyone looked around curiously inside the hut, and then sat down on a stool.
"We don't know what's the situation outside with the spirit beasts. Although we can hope that they would return to the swamp early, we have to prepare for the possibility that we would have to stay here for the long term," Zhao said. "In a few hours, the corn will mature. Plus, we have the food that I brought in from outside. Food and firewood won't be a problem. But if we leave the slaves with nothing to do, they would just wait around in fear. Grandma Meirin, do you have any suggestions?"
Meirin thought about it, but then shook her head. "Although this space is really big, there is no land for them to cultivate. I can't think of anything. Master, what do you plan for the slaves to do?"
Zhao paced inside the hut. "I had brought some books from the study before I came in. Grandma Meirin, teach the slaves how to read. If we want to develop the Buda clan, relying on just the few of us isn't enough. I don't think that the slaves would betray us, so teaching them some words will be useful in the future."
"That's a good idea, Master. With nothing to do in the space, we could teach them to recognize some words. In the future, this will have far reaching effects."
Since she agreed, Zhao waved his hand. The books from the study appeared in front of him, along with some pen and paper. "Grandma Meirin, take a look yourself, and then teach them with that book."
Meirin carefully looked at the books, then took out the one in the middle. "Master, is this it?"
Zhao saw Meirin take out the miscellaneous book, which was simply titled "Traveling through the Aksu Empire". He nodded, then said. "We're not going to teach them right this moment. They had just come into this space, and some of them might still be in shock. Let them have a break first."
Meirin nodded, while looking at Zhao's tired face. "Master, you should have a good rest too. We'll go out."
Zhao knew that the hut was too small to be suitable enough for everyone to rest inside, so he could only say, "I took out several blankets from the barn, Grandma Meirin. Remember to use them when you sleep outside."
Meirin told him that she will. Along with Meg, she left the hut, while Blockhead and Rockhead stood at either side of the door, like guards.
Meirin then stood in front of the slaves and shouted, "This place is Master's magical space, where everything listens to the young master. Outside, there are undead spirit beasts, and we fear that they have already stormed the castle. This is the only safe place. So you must be obedient, otherwise Adam will kick you out of this space. Do you understand?"
The slaves immediately stood up in unison. "Understood," they shouted. They had been trained by slave traders. After obtaining some slaves, it was common sense to give them some simple training, like bowing and such. So these slaves had formed a condition reflex.
Meirin nodded. "A lot has happened today, and I know you're very frightened, but Master said that if you are tired, you can have a good rest. So go rest. But remember, do not run around, do not go near the young master's room, and do not fumble with the stuff inside the space. Understand?"
The slaves understood.
Translator Notes: Yeah, that bathroom thing came out of nowhere.
Translator Notes #2: This chapter was edited from an MTL. Please leave a comment if you've spotted anything that looks wrong.