Chapter 56 - Not saying Hello
They quickly went into Forgotten Valley. Zhao didn't put away his undead yet, so as to keep up his identity as a black mage; because if they headed to the fortress, no one would bother them when they see a black mage with a summoned undead.
The sides of the valley weren't steep cliffs, but two gentle slopes, which contained shrubs and weeds, and also trees that were much stronger and more vibrant than the ones near his castle.
They didn't see anyone in Forgotten Valley, but occasionally they could hear the sound of insects, giving everything a harmonious nature.
After looking at the hills on both sides, Green turned to Zhao. "Master, once we find a good place to settle on the mountain, you will immediately go into the space, while I go into Montenegro to buy clothes and stuff."
Zhao nodded, and commanded the undead to climb the hill. Although it was just a skeleton, it still had sharp claws, so climbing a mountain wasn't strenuous. Once he was closer to the trees, he could see that they were similar to the ones on Earth. He didn't know much about trees, except for common species like poplar, willow, elm, and pine. He didn't recognize the other trees.
Green, while sitting next to Zhao, was also watching the trees. "Master, the woods are very dangerous. Not only because of spirit beasts, but there are plants that are highly toxic. So be careful."
Zhao nodded. Although he had never been in a forest before, he had read about dangerous scenarios that people had written online. Even in fiction, the forest would be depicted as a dangerous place. And since there were spirit beasts here, he had to be even more careful.
There was a lot of vegetation on the mountain. You could see a variety of trees everywhere, to the point where the light would get dim when you walked through the woods. It took them awhile, but they were finally able to find a secluded place.
They jumped off of Alien, and then Zhao and Green followed it into the space.
Inside the space, the corn were growing strong, the oil fruit trees were healthy, and Meirin was teaching the slaves to read and write.
But besides just reading and writing like last time, Zhao had brought the mined stones with him so Ann and some slaves could try to make a mill stone. Also, he had brought a lot of weeds into the space as well, to give the other slaves something to do. Moreover, the effect was surprisingly good. There were simply no problems for the slaves since they could now work, as well as rest.
Meirin saw the two come in, so she quickly greeted them and said, "Master, Green, how come you're here? Did anything happen?"
"Nothing happened," Green said. "We just finally made it to Forgotten Valley. Let the young master stay in the space for a few days, while I go out there to get some clothes from Montenegro."
Meirin understood what Green was doing. "Well, make haste. We'll be here waiting for you to return. And remember our position so you can find your way back."
Meirin was in a good mood these days. The Buda clan was about to receive an income for the first time since they were exiled. Although they haven't received the money yet, it still represented hope.
Zhao turned to Green. "Be careful, Grandpa Green. Our identity cannot be exposed, otherwise we will suffer. Remember that selling the radishes now doesn't matter; we can just wait for some other time if you run into trouble. Your safety is the most important."
A hint of a warm smile appeared on Green's face. He patted Zhao's shoulder. "Master doesn't need to worry. My bones may be old, but I can't bear to die before seeing the revival of the Buda clan." He finished his words with a laugh.
Before, Green would have never acted so friendly with Zhao, because he wasn't close to Adam. Green thought that Adam was very annoying, so how could he be so friendly towards him.
But now Adam's body was filled with Zhao's soul. Zhao was an otaku, an orphan, and he was born in China, which respected the elderly. Although Green and Meirin were his servants, ever since he woke up, they have been taking care of him, which resulted in a strong bond with his beloved elders.
This change in Zhao was felt by Meirin and Green. It was because of this change that Green could be so friendly with Zhao, otherwise it would have been impossible to get along with him.
Zhao let Green pat his shoulder, just feeling the elder's love, but he didn't say anything because he was very subtle and didn't like to put on an excessive show of feelings. He simply nodded and said, "Grandpa Green, I'll send you out." With a thought, Green left the space.
Green memorized his surroundings and left a mark, then he rushed towards Montenegro.
Green looked like an old traveler, so he didn't face any scruples when he encountered some adventurers. Those ordinary adventurers didn't pay attention to the Buda clan. After all, the great nobles didn't seem to see the Buda clan as a threat, so they didn't hire out any of these risk takers to deal with such a declining clan. Plus, they also didn't want to anger Green and Meirin, who were strong characters.
The real threat to the Buda clan was none other than the Purcell clan. The previous relationship with the two clans was good, even preparing their children for marriage, but since the fall of the Buda clan, the Purcell clan never mentioned the marriage again.
Aristocratic marriages weren't about love. The Purcell clan was only interested in the marriage with the Buda clan to gain some benefits.
But now that the Buda clan was down, the Purcell clan deemed that there was no value in honoring the marriage agreement. However, they still needed to save face.
Even though the Buda clan was now weak, if the Purcell clan dissolved the marriage that was their idea in the first place, then their clan would damage their reputation among the aristocratic circles. The Purcell clan wouldn't do such an idiotic thing.
There were only two ways to get rid of the marriage agreement.
The first way was for the Buda clan to initiate the dissolution of the marriage. Everyone knows that the Purcell clan was the one to offer the marriage, but if the Buda clan was the one to give it up, then the Purcell clan could possibly save face.
The other way was even simpler. Kill Adam Buda, and let the Buda clan die. Obviously, there wouldn't be a marriage after that.
In fact, Green had thought of releasing the marriage from the Purcell clan, but at the time, Zhao hadn't woken up yet. But when the Buda clan needed help the most, the Purcell clan chose not to aid them, even though they had the power to do so. It was precisely because of this that Green felt some resentment towards the Purcell clan, so he decided not to dissolve Zhao's marriage, just because the Purcell clan didn't help them, and let them fall to this point without even greeting them with a hello.
Green understood a noble's problems with saving face, so he will not take the initiative to dissolve the marriage with the Purcell clan, even if they were to pressure his Buda clan.
Still, Green had to be very careful, because the only way out of the Black Waste was the entrance to the Purcell Duchy. Since they were a thorn to the Purcell clan, the Purcell clan would obviously pay attention to their movements, so he had to be careful.
Translator Notes: How many of you are excited about the new season of Daredevil?
Translator Notes #2: This chapter was MTLed by Trung and edited by Kinokey. Please leave a comment if you've spotted anything that looks wrong.