Chapter 493 – Golden Island Finally Belongs To Someone
The scale of the Aksu Empire fleet was well known to all the people because all of them were looking into this event. What the Aksu Empire sent this time weren't only ship crews and some combatants, they also sent in artisans to help make the naval base.
The people on the more than 500 battleships, along with some artisans and coolies, all add up to hundreds of thousands of people, how many people was that? Moreover, those hundreds of thousands were turned into undead by Zhao Hai. If he wasn't a devil, then what was he?
Although there were other people who killed more than a hundred thousand people before, most of them were still relatively lenient. On the other hand, Zhao Hai didn't even bat an eye when killing those more than a hundred thousand people and then turning them into undead.
This announcement by Zhao Hai made every single person in the continent shocked, they were even more shocked by Zhao Hai's strength. What kind of person can make more than a hundred thousand undead? How strong was Zhao Hai really? All of these questions placed Zhao Hai behind a mysterious veil.
The major influences in the continent wanted to lift this veil not only because of curiosity, but also for their interests. Zhao Hai's strength and methods were really scary.
When people went to investigate Zhao Hai, they suddenly discovered that he quite had a terrible youth. For the first eighteen years of his life, he was a standard playboy; overbearing, prideful, and didn't learn any talent nor skill. He was a low class playboy.
When he drank the Water of Nothingness and banished to the Black Wastelands, he suddenly made his transformation. Several months later, a person named Zhao Hai appeared on the continent.
As soon as he came out, he immediately took care of an group of undead mercenaries before he established his own business. Then, he became an enemy of both the Radiant Church as well as the Markey Family. After killing their people, Zhao Hai then ran away to the Prairie.
After coming out of the prairie, he turned into another appearance as he arrived at Rosen Empire. There, he managed to bring down Grand Duke Lionheart, having Lionheart's entire clan slaughtered. Then, he was acted upon by the Calci Family, where in the end, the family admitted defeat. Zhao Hai also rescued the Purcell Duchy from their demise, obtaining about 100 thousand undead in the process. He also revealed that he had at least 10 thousand undead Beastman cavalry. When he extinguished the Robert Family, people found out about his method, he killed every single person of the Robert Family, not even a living witness remained. Moreover, he also turned all of the Robert Family into undead. Then, their investigations arrived to the Aksu Empire's fleet.
Now, from the people's calculation, Zhao Hai should already have about 1 million undead in his hand! About 1 million Advanced level undead? What did this represent? Not to say any ordinary noble clan, even millenium-old clans and the giant Rosen Empire might not even dare to offend him easily.
One could say that people cannot connect the previous Zhao Hai to his present form. In the past, the Buda Clan doesn't even have a 9th rank expert, and was also dumped into the Black Wasteland. However, this was not the case this time, people have heard that Zhao Hai has 9th rank experts among his people. And adding on his status as the son-in-law of the Calci Family as well as the Eternal Ally of the Crook Family, those who would dare offend him would probably might as well have their heads bashed in by a closing gate.
The moment Zhao Hai stepped foot on Golden Island, the whole continent turned silent, even the Aksu Empire didn't make a sound.
Then, Zhao Hai immediately stated that Golden Island would be turned into the continent's first free harbor. Anyone can come here for business, regardless of status and background. As long as they pay taxes and don't stir up any trouble, they can do business on the island. At the same time, Zhao Hai also stated that on a 1000 li radius around the island, his policy of non-violence must also be followed. Those who dared violate his rules would be killed immediately!
If it was the past Zhao Hai who issued this killing order, people wouldn't have believed it. But now, Zhao Hai's voice wasn't something that the major influences wouldn't dare to not listen to.
Strength decides everything, and Zhao Hai did have the strength. Therefore, this killing order was immediately followed. This was because people were very aware of the current strength of the Buda Clan.
The more than 500 undead-filled battleships of the Buda Clan can certainly enforce the rule on a 1000 li radius.
After Zhao Hai released his statement, the Aksu Empire released another announcement that was very thought provoking: Count Zhao Hai Buda of the Aksu Empire has been awarded the title of Third-Class Marquis. The Buda Clan is also awarded the fief of Golden Island as their perpetual domain.
This statement was really interesting. The relationship between Zhao Hai and the Aksu Empire was very well known. It can be said that this statement was the Aksu Empire's way of admitting defeat.
This made the people on the continent very puzzled. They couldn't understand why the Aksu Empire suddenly admitted defeat. They should at least send 9th rank experts to deal with Zhao Hai.
Then, a piece of information immediately circulated. The Aksu Empire did indeed send out 9th rank experts to deal with Zhao Hai. But the five 9th ranks that they sent out to Golden Island wasn't able to return. This made the Aksu Empire accept their defeat.
Although not confirmed, the people of the continent believed that this information was real. This was because they knew that if the Aksu Empire didn't send 9th ranks to the island, they wouldn't admit their defeat this easily.
No matter what reason, the Aksu Empire's statement settled the matter of Golden Island's ownership once and for all. From now on, the Buda Clan would own the entirety of the island.
When this matter was settled, the people turned their attention to what Zhao Hai said before, turning the island into a free harbor.
'Free Harbor', this was the first time that such a word appeared on the Continent. But even with this, the nobles immediately knew what this free harbor would do.
This free harbor would give the pirates a place to publicly sell their loot. This was very attractive, however, nobody still went to Golden Island because they were scared. After all, this was a place where hundreds of thousands of people have died, it was not a mystery that they would be afraid.
With the people's response, Zhao Hai didn't worry. At this moment, he was inspecting Golden Island.
Although Zhao Hai had already seen the island on the monitor, being here today felt very different. Zhao Hai now knew why pirates occupied the place, it was because the destruction brought by gold mining was extremely serious.
The entire island looked like a worm eaten apple, full of holes. The way the people mined this place was much different from how Dwarves mined Iron Mountain.
Dwarf mining didn't leave behind a lot of tunnels, if there wasn't a lake in the middle, Zhao Hai would have been certain that the Dwarves made a city inside Iron Mountain. On the other hand, Golden Island was very different. There were a lot of tunnels here, so many that Zhao Hai wasn't able to count all of them. So he let Cai'er do the counting and in the end, the large and small tunnels numbered up to more than 20 thousand.
These twenty thousand tunnels made the originally small Golden Island look like face full of sores, horrifying to look at. Also, even if the vegetation slowly came back to the island after a thousand years, with the prior destruction of the island, there were no tall trees that grew here, only weeds were present.
There were two mountains in Golden Island, making a T-shaped structure in the island. But these two mountains were riddled with tunnels as well, they had suffered very serious destruction.
But fortunately, the original miners on the island still had a bit of brain left. Although the tunnels weren't connected, there were roads made on the mountainside since transporting ores was difficult. Although many years has passed since then, the roads can still be used.
Zhao Hai looked at the tunnels in the island and can see traces of people living on some of them. What Zhao Hai was puzzled about was the fact that there were no Magic Beasts that can be seen on the island.
Although it was strange, Zhao Hai didn't think too much about it. Aksu Empire's naval base was constructed on the tunnels of the island. From what Zhao Hai saw, the naval based used nearly a thousand tunnels and caves for places of rest. It also had one of the largest piers of the island, which was also constructed in between stone walls. Looking at the naval base, it wouldn't be a problem for it to be home to tens of thousands of people.
The base was built underneath a part of the T-shaped mountain formation. Because of the joint effort from Mages, workers, and warriors, the base was built to a very high standard. This base was completely ready for Zhao Hai to use. The undead who weren't on board the ships were made to stay in the naval base.
For the Golden Island to successfully become a free harbor, it needed ironclad rules that should be enforced. These undead would be the on the island to keep the place in order.
Besides the undead, Zhao Hai had also released large quantities of marine Magic Beasts to protect the waters around the island as well as to monitor the surrounding activities.
In reality, Zhao Hai wasn't really very invested in Golden Island. For him, this was only a place to make money. When speaking about environment, he much prefers Ape Island, where the atmosphere was better than Golden Island.
Zhao Hai decided to stay at the base after arriving at the island. Then, he transferred some managers from Iron Mountain fort to manage the administrative matters of the island. The other matters were handed over to the undead.
What Zhao Hai needed to do right now was to repair the island's roads, only then can he be comfortable opening the island for business.
Zhao Hai already thought about the situation. Nobody came to the island because nobody took the first step. But he wasn't afraid of this not happening, he had the Calci Family, the Crook Family, the Shelley Family, and Charlie. All of them wanted to do business in the island and open their own stores. Also, Zhao Hai didn't believe that these people would be so clean to not have one or two privateer groups under their control. As long as those pirates enter the island and take the first step, others would follow.
Chapter 494 – Plate Silk Grass
Although there was nothing in the island right now, as soon as its function as a free port goes full throttle, everything will fall into place. Do you want to do business in the island? Then you will only be provided a piece of land, the other matters are for you to deal with. If you want to use a tunnel for yourself, then go and make your own structures, the island would give you preferential treatment.
If you don't want to make your own structure, then that wouldn't be a problem. The island would help you construct it, however, you need to remember to pay the fees.
Zhao Hai already thought about how Iron Mountain fort had nothing right now. So what did he do about the artisans that the Aksu Empire brought here? If he didn't use them, then it would be a pity. Because of this, Zhao Hai has thought about making a construction team and having them build some structures for him. After all, even if they are undead, their capabilities aren't much less than those who were alive.
A group of 8th rank undead builders constructing a house, what scene would that be? Thinking about this made Zhao Hai smile. He believed that if this construction force were to be brought back to earth, their bosses would certainly make sure that they get their wages on time.
Zhao Hai used this construction group to build a small building outside the naval base first. This building would be used by the managers that he had brought from Iron Mountain Fort.
These staff that were from Iron Mountain fort was naturally Laura's subordinates. All of Laura's people were capable of handling an important task by themselves. Placing them in Iron Mountain to teach as well as to command undead was too much of a waste.
Zhao Hai didn't really want to kill those coolies and artisans. However, he didn't have any choice since the artisans themselves took up their own weapons and fought against him. Because of this, Zhao Hai had no choice but to end them.
A thing that made Zhao Hai happy was the number of Mages present this time. Majority of these Mages were Earth Mages and Water Mages. This was because they had the most use in constructing a naval base.
Aksu Empire got together and sent forth about a thousand Mages. Moreover, the levels of these Mages aren't low since they needed to create a naval base at the shortest time possible. This was to ensure that the Aksu Empire held the advantage in the future sea battles around the island.
However, it was a pity that this naval base was handed to Zhao Hai. Originally, Zhao Hai wanted to wait until the fleet stepped foot on the island before he made his move and extinguish them. Who would've known that as soon as the fleet arrived, they would immediately construct a naval base. This gave Zhao Hai an idea, they want to construct a base? Fantastic! Then he would just have to wait until they are done before he stepped in and clean them up.
It would be impossible for all of these builders to participate in making the small building. Zhao Hai was planning to make a five story building, the first floor would be used for working, while the remaining ones are going to be used for living quarters. The remaining coolies and artisans were sent out to repair the roads of the island.
Zhao Hai remembers a very famous slogan in China. If you want to be rich, then build proper roads first. If Zhao Hai wants to attract merchants to Golden Island, then he would naturally have to provide them with a good environment. So Zhao Hai was also preparing to improve the overall facade of the island.
What was something that was abundant in the island? The answer was tunnels. There were a lot of tunnels and caves in the island. Some of them were interconnected with each other, while some were just dead ends.
Inside those tunnels and caves were weeds that needed to be dealt with. But when Zhao Hai saw these weeds, he found out that they were weeds that he hadn't seen before. He became curious about them so he placed some of them into the Space, "Thousand-year old grass detected. Has strong medicinal functions. They might look like individual blades of grass, but all of them are interconnected with each other, making the grass have a strong vitality. It is recommended that the host transfers all of the grass into the Space. The Space would use its property to improve its grass as well as the growth of the plants inside."
The Space didn't hint that the grass can make it level up, nor did it provide the rank of the grass. However, the function of the grass made Zhao Hai glad. With these properties, he didn't wait for a moment before he started to collect them.
As long as he can upgrade the Space, Zhao Hai wouldn't hesitate even if he needed to uproot all of the weeds inside Golden Island.
Presently, the way that Zhao Hai can receive items have become much easier. In the past, he would open a spatial rift before he can store the items. Now, after the Space has gone through its upgrades, as long as the item was within a kilometer from Zhao Hai, he can immediately get them. Even if it was underground, it didn't matter, it can still be absorbed into the Space.
Zhao Hai immediately moved, it took him five days before he swept the island clean of weeds. Every weed and shrub was received into the Space.
Zhao Hai was very surprised when he was taking the weeds. When he gets them, he also made sure to get the soil a meter around them as well. He was afraid that he might damage the roots of those weeds.
However, Zhao Hai didn't expect that the roots of these weeds could actually reach more than 2 meters into the ground, some of them were even rooted into the bedrock.
After Zhao Hai took every plant in Golden Island, the Space gave a prompt, "Massive amounts of wood energy received. Space's level has reached 49. Plants can be improved, making them interdependent. The Wood energy has been added to the Metal energy, upgrading the host’s body. Host has now acquired Plant Manipulation."
When Zhao Hai heard this announcement, his mind went blank. At its current state, it was really very hard for the Space to level up. With the amount that he took in, he only managed to upgrade the Space by one level.
But Zhao Hai having Plant Manipulation was a very extraordinary matter. He can already control metal, now he can control plants as well.
He also knew that with all of his efforts, he can only control 100 jin of metal at most. With this, he also knew that he would need to practice Plant manipulation in order to be good in it.
But all in all, Zhao Hai was very happy. At this point, the only thing that bothered Zhao Hai was the fact that there was no longer any vegetation present on the island, it was now a barren island.
Zhao Hai clearly knew that it would be troublesome if there weren't any vegetation on the island. When a storm comes, landslides and mudslides could become common. When that happens, the island wouldn't be suitable for humans anymore.
While Zhao Hai was bothered, he suddenly heard fluttering of wings. Zhao Hai was surprised, did the Space release a flying Magic Beast on its own? At this time, the sound of the wings vanished, then while Zhao Hai was confused, a voice came, "Young Master, I levelled up!"
Zhao Hai stared, then when he followed the sound, he saw Cai'er. Cai'er wasn't finger sized any more, she was now almost as tall as his arm, but her outfit wasn't changed. However, it wasn't undeniable that Cai'er had indeed leveled up.
Cai'er flew towards Zhao Hai's side before she said, "Young Master, this is fantastic! With my level up, even a dozen 9th ranks wouldn't be able to damage me. I can also make more branches. I can control the plants in the Space as well as improving them. I can even fuse two seeds together in order to make a new seed.
Zhao Hai was surprised, he s looked at Cai'er and said, "Cai'er, are saying the truth? Did you really level up?" Cai'er nodded and said, "Young Master, I really leveled up."
Zhao Hai couldn't help but laugh happily and said, "Fantastic! Cai'er, that's fantastic. Right, I have a problem, you can see that all of Golden Island's vegetation has been uprooted by me. I want to plant new ones here, what do you think I should plant?"
Cai'er looked at Golden Island and made some calculations before she turned to Zhao Hai and said," Young Master, there is a plant that is very suitable for Golden Island. It's a plant in the Space's shop called Plate Silk Grass. According to the Space, it is a recreational plant. If it is planted in an incompatible land, then it would take a few years before it fully grows. Since it's very compatible to Golden Island, it would grow on its own when planted. It also has some medicinal effects according to the Space. After improving its seeds, it would become more suitable for the island. Young Master can plant some seeds and spread them all over the island. If you sprinkle them with the Space's water, they would be able to grow quickly. And when they reach their full growth, Young Master can then leave them alone. Every year, young master can also harvest some plate silk grass three times. Plate Silk Grass can be made into medicine. It can also be woven, items made from woven Plate Silk Grass can bring benefits to both Mage and Warrior cultivation. The effect can continue for two years."
Zhao Hai stared, then he looked at the shop. Not only did this plant exist, it actually appeared in the Journey to the west. This thing was truly a recreational plant. In the past, Zhao Hai didn't see this plant in the store, it seems like after the Space leveled up, it suddenly appeared.
Zhao Hai looked at its price, 1000 gold coins for single bag that can cover a hundred mu of land. But Golden Island's area seemed to be about a hundred thousand mu. If Zhao Hai wishes to plant Plate Silk Grass all over the island, he would need to fork out 1 million gold coins.
Without hesitation, Zhao Hai immediately bought more than 1 million gold's worth of Plate Silk Grass seeds before he spread it around the island and watered it with Spatial Water. There wasn't a limit on Spatial Water now, so Zhao Hai can feel relieved in using it this way.
After being watered with Spatial Water, the Plate Silk Grass immediately started to grow. Zhao Hai didn't think that it would only take ten hours before the whole island would be covered by Plate Silk Grass.