Chapter 507 – Joyful Reunion
After the introductions, Wales looked at Laura and the others and smiled, "Good, brother has finally married. I also think that it's time for you to marry. I didn't expect that you would be this quick."
Zhao Hai laughed and said, "I won't dare to be slow. Otherwise, they'll be taken by someone else. Hahaha."
Wales also laughed and said, "If someone dared rob my brother, then I'd form an army to deal with that person. Hahaha. Right, brother, why did you come this time? Did something happen?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Everything's fine. I just spent God's Grace Day with everyone. Then after that your brother has managed to get promoted and had himself a new fief in the Human lands. It's quite a good place. Also, Lizzy is a Princess of the Rosen Empire while Megan is a treasured lady of the Calci Family. After having them, I went to tie the knot by wedding. Then Laura's family came to take her back, resulting in me eliminating their clan and having Laura take the place as the head."
Wales gawked, and then he laughed and said, "So the status of my Sisters-in-law aren't simple. Fantastic! With brother's promotion and wealth as well as your marriage with sisters-in-law, you now have everything accounted for. Hahaha."
Zhao Hai laughs and said, "Right, Hahaha."
This way of talking was what Beastmen prefer, say what you think, don't be a hypocrite. Because of this, they didn't dislike Zhao Hai's way of talking.
After chatting jokingly for a while, Zhao Hai turned to Wales and said, "Brother, how is the tribe doing now? You can tell me if you need anything, your brother will help you."
Wales nodded and said, "I hope brother can get me some ironware, preferably weapons. You should know that the event where we had dealt with the Fighting Bulls was only known to few people because of the winter. But from now on, people would look for trouble with our Herculean Bull tribe. If we have enough iron weapons, then we can manage to deal with them."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "This is not a problem. How about this, I'll send you two hundred thousand great axes, I'll have them delivered later. Right, those slaves that you'll send me, let them stay here in the meantime, have them help. When your fighting ends, you can send them backto me. Also, go help me get some corpses to turn into undead."
Wales laughed, "Then I'll be impolite. I'll wait until everything gets settled down before bringing you those slaves. Right, we also need grains. I really don't know what is going on, but there seems to be a shortage of food in the Prairie. Our Cow-headed race is rapidly running out of food right now."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Alright, that's not an issue. I have a lot of bamboo rice, and also some Bread Fruits. You can have as many as you want"
Wales smiled and said, "I know that I've been asking a lot from brother. But brother can be rest assured that I will not let you suffer. In the past few days we have gathered a lot of Magic Beasts. I promise to trade them to you at a suitable price."
Zhao Hai smiled, "It really doesn't matter. I can afford this, you don't need to worry. You can also ask the other beastmen to see if they also lack food. If the entire Beastman race gets a shortage of food, then it might lead to a massive war."
Wales stared, he hadn't thought of this possibility. He immediately nodded and said, "Right, right, it seems like I really have to check on this matter. Our current Herculean Bull Tribe is still weak, we need a few years before we can recover, we aren't ready for war. But brother, if the entire Prairie did have a food shortage, what do we do?"
Zhao Hai thought for a moment and then said, "Don't worry. If the entire Prairie did lack grain, then I will find a way to provide it. I might not have enough of other things, but when it comes to Bamboo rice, I'm confident."
Wales was now very trusting of Zhao Hai, when he heard Zhao Hai's words, he immediately nodded and said, "Alright, then brother don't need to worry about the other matters, I'll take care of it. If you have the grain, then they would definitely buy it at a high price."
Zhao Hai nodded, "I really don't care about the price, so long as war doesn't happen. But Brother, if you have a war with the Aksu Empire, then I won't oppose. I'll let you know that the Aksu Empire has been giving me trouble these days. They made me feel very uncomfortable."
When Zhao Hai told Wales about the situation with the Aksu Empire, Wales became angry. Then he immediately declared loudly, "Good, Aksu Empire, they actually dare act against you? I definitely won't let this matter go. Brother can be rest assured, if I find an opportunity then I will definitely avenge your grievance."
Zhao Hao smiled, "But I also think that this isn't a good idea. I can also avenge myself, but I don't want to do so right now. I have a good relationship with the Purcell Family, if you attack the Aksu Empire, the Purcell Family would surely be the first to suffer bad luck. And I don't want to see that."
Wales nodded, "Brother, feel relieved, I won't act unreasonably. Right, let's not talk about these things anymore. The things outside have already been roasted, let's go eat and drink!"
Zhao Hai nodded, then he followed Wales. Outside, Argali and Bulls have already been roasted. There were also some delicacies of the Prairie that were prepared. The seafood that Zhao Hai had brought were also prepared, all of it can now be eaten immediately.
Faced with the scene of the Herculean Bulls passing around the food made Megan and Lizzy feel like they didn't have enough eyes to look at everything.
While looking at the hustle and bustle of the people, Wales' raised his hand. Upon doing so, the Beastmen immediately became quite. This scene made Lizzy very surprised, even the Emperor of the Rosen Empire didn't have this much control.
Seeing that the crowd had gone peaceful, Wales said loudly, "Today, our Herculean Bull's brother Zhao Hai has returned to the Prairie. Let today be a special day for our tribe, we must celebrate well. But don't cause too much ruckus. We've already prepared delicious dishes for you. Come join me in welcoming our good brother Zhao Hai." The crowd cheered loudly.
Looking at this scene, Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile faintly and didn't say anything. He knew that these Beastmen didn't need his speech. If one needed to say empty words, then he might as well not say anything at all.
Before long, a small table was placed in front of them. Placed on top were the delicacies as well as some milk products. Making these things were a Beastman's forte, humans just can't simply compete with them.
After Zhao Hai and the others sat down, all of the Beastmen went to sit down as well. They also had their own tables in front of them, and on top of those were the seafood that Zhao Hai had brought. These things were something that these Beastmen wouldn't have been able to eat in their entire lifetime.
Wales didn't become polite, he raised his wine glass and said, "Today, we shall welcome Brother Zhao Hai. Brother, come, have this cup. Cheers!" Then the crowd shouted as well, "Cheers!"
Zhao Hao also lifted his glass, then he drank the liquor. The rice wine that Zhao Hai brought was very delicious but strong. Wales liked it very much.
After downing this glass, the atmosphere immediately turned warm. As various delicacies were brought to their table by young Herculean Bull women, Zhao Hai and the others continued to enjoy themselves in eating and drinking.
Megan and Lizzy didn't know how to let loose. Since childhood, the two of them had always been taught about how to act appropriately. They must follow set movements in whatever they do, so they found it hard to eat this freely.
The Beastman way of eating was something that they couldn’t' easily adapt. But when they looked over at Zhao Hai and the others, they seemed to be doing it comfortably. The two couldn't help but feel curious.
Looking at the two, Laura knew that they needed an explanation, she looked at the two and said, "Here in the Prairie, it's really not very good to act very politely. If you become too polite, then they would feel angry. Because of this, one should just throw their etiquette out the window when eating and drinking here. The more you eat the more happy people get."
Megan and Lizzy then looked at Ni'er who had stuffed her mouth full of meat. The two of them couldn't help but want to try it. They opened their mouths and took a huge bite out of the meat. The two of them couldn't deny that eating a huge chunk of the meat really does reveal a unique taste.
A banquet as warm as this was something that Megan and Lizzy hadn't attended much before. The warmest event that they had recently attended was their own wedding, and that was considering all of the other banquets that they had attended before. But they had to admit, the atmosphere then wasn't as warm as this one.
Before long, young Beastmen women started to dance. Some Herculean Bulls soldiers were also wrestling. The atmosphere immediately turned bustling.
Zhao Hai was already quite used to this atmosphere. This atmosphere made one drink more wine than they usually did. Sure enough, Zhao Hai drank more wine than usual, all of them were now drunk.
At midnight, Zhao Hai woke up. He felt much better right now. After all, rice wine wasn't the strongest wine that he had drank. Also, Laura had Cai'er fetch him some water from the Space. So his state was now back to normal.
Zhao Hai sat up from the bed and felt that he had a good night's sleep. He felt that his body become light and cool. He stood up and then went to the living room. This night, it was Shun's duty to look at the monitor. Reflected on it was the tent that Wales had prepared for Zhao Hai.
Seeing Zhao Hai arrive, Shun immediately said, "Young Master, you've come. The madames have already rested."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "I've drank so much this time, now I can't fall back to sleep. I'll just sit here with you."
Shun smiled and said, "Go sit down Young Master, I'll go get you a cup of tea." Zhao Hai nodded and then sat down.
Before long, Zhao Hai smiled to Shun and said, "I've always had a relaxed feeling everytime I'm in the Prairie. It may be because it didn't need too much thinking when getting along with the Beastmen."
Shun smiled and said, "Beastmen are truly adorable. I can see from their appearances that they really don't want to attack the Humans. But they were only compelled to do so because of the suppression done to them."
Zhao Hai forced a smile and said, "In this war between races, nobody is right or wrong. From the viewpoint of humans, what they did was correct. They control the prices towards the Beastmen because they don't want the Beastmen to be strong. The Beastmen think that the Humans are bullying them. They think that as long as they are able to survive, they won't be attacking the Humans. After all, they also don't want to have deaths among them. But if the humans would go too far, then the Beastmen wouldn't be polite anymore."
Shun nodded, "So Young Master, what are you going to do? Will you help the Beastmen? If we do supply the whole race, then we can certainly guarantee the supply. We can just let Cai'er cultivate some Bread Trees, with those, we can get a lot of Bread Fruits that can supply the Beastmen."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "I also know about this, but I want to see how the situation goes. If the whole Prairie is really lacking in food, just as Brother Wales said, then there is a problem. Somebody must have been in control behind this. I don't want to act before those people make their move."
Shun nodded, he also agreed to Zhao Hai's method. Zhao Hai wasn't a saint, and he doesn't need to wipe the ass of the Beastmen. What was currently happening to the Prairie needed to be checked. If they don't, then it would be the Buda Clan's miscalculation, and Zhao Hai didn't want that.
After chatting with Shun for a while, Zhao Hai returned to his room and rested. The next morning, after the group washed themselves, they went out of the Space and out of the tent. At this time, the Beastmen were already going busy outside. Seeing the busy Beastmen, Megan and Lizzy couldn't help but take a liking to them.
Yesterday, other than meeting the higher ranking people of the tribe, they also met with the commoners. In their opinion, whether they be high ranking beastmen or commoners, both were very adorable. All of them were diligent, much more than the most diligent nobles. Now the two of them can understand why Zhao Hai and the others were able to get along with these people. If you don't get along with these kinds of people, then there's something wrong with your nature.
When the Beastmen saw them, they all gave their enthusiastic greetings. Megan and Lizzy now saw how different the Beastmen and the Humans were.
At this time, Wales sent for Zhao Hai to invite them for breakfast. Zhao Hai didn't decline as he led Laura and the others to have breakfast with Wales. After the meal, Wales kept Zhao Hai inside his tent as they were offered milk tea. Wales took a sip of the tea and looked at Zhao Hai, "Little Hai, I think we should go to the Mastiff Race and have a look there first. If the Dog race lacked grain, then we should ask them for help. After all, they have helped us a lot in the past."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "We should, we should. When our Herculan Bull Tribe were having difficulties in the past, the Mastiff Race gave us a helping hand. Because of that we managed to wade through the difficulty and managed to stand up again. Right, brother, if you have any other friends that needs help, then we should also help them."
Chapter 508 – God Exists
Wales thought for a moment and then sighed, "These years, the only people that we have a good relationship with is the Mastiff Tribe. We also have a casual relationship with the Horse Race as well as the Pig Race, however that relationship isn't that deep. We really don't have a lot of connections."
Zhao Hai frowned, then he said, "This is somewhat troublesome. Brother, we might as well go to the Matiffs and ask them if they have any other tribes that they have good relationships with. After all, a friend of a friend can still be a friend. We are allies with the Mastiffs and they also have other allies, this way we can have several allies."
Wales stared, then nodded, "You're right, what you said would be the best thing to do. Also, you have a lot of grain in your hands. I'm sure the Beastmen would have some of those. If you keep providing food, then having no allies will be taken care of soon."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "That's also good. But let's see how the situation goes first. Brother, the Prairie always lacked grain, but if the deficit is too much this time, then I'm afraid that someone might have been pulling the string in the shadows. We must take this matter into consideration. If people were indeed causing mischief, then we have to investigate it through, eliminate the problem at its roots."
Wales knit his brows and said, "That is indeed a possibility. Although the Prairie always lacked grain, the supply would still be enough to go by. But this time seems to be very different, the amount of grain circulating is pitifully low."
Zhao Hai nodded, "Then it seems like people are really causing this deliberately. I think we must consider the Radiant Church in this manner. Even if they got defeated last time, it doesn't mean that they have already given up. It's highly probable that they are the cause of this time's crisis. If they really are, then I'm afraid that war is the only solution."
Wales frowned, "But the issue with this is that the Cow-headed race's losses would not be small if we really would go to war. For our Cow-headed race, wouldn't that scenario be harmful?"
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Big Brother, you should look at it another way. The Herculean Bulls now have enough grains, you now don't have to fight for food. In the past, when you are battling against the humans, you were always at the vanguard, becoming the first to come in contact with the human army so that you can get more food. But now, that is no longer necessary. You can just state the reason that the Herculean Bulls had lost a lot during the fight with the Fighting Bulls. You can just hand the position of Vanguard over to other people. You can just stay at the back lines and relax."
Wales stared for a moment before he laughed, "Right, Right. Brother you really are full of good ideas. Alright, we'll do just that."
Then Zhao Hai shook his head and said, "But Brother shouldn't be celebrating early. This matter is only our guesses. We still don't know if the Radiant Church is indeed behind this crisis. If they aren't, then things would be more troublesome. But no matter what, Brother should opt to stay at the back lines. Even if you followed, you don't have to take part in the battles. The Herculean Bulls cannot afford any more losses."
Wales nodded, "Right, we should determine the cause of this matter first. In a few days we'll go to the Mastiffs. They should be better off compared to other tribes since we had been sending them grains all throughout the winter."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Good, then Brother can get news about the Prairie from there. Brother, I'll exit first. If you need me, just send someone and I'll go out."
Wales nodded and watched Zhao Hai leave. When Zhao Hai returned to his tent, he looked at Laura and the others and sighed, "Am I being excessive? Helping the Beastman deal with the Humans?"
Laura smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing. If this matter is really related to the Radiant Church, then it would also be good for the humans if war were to happen. Except for the Rosen Empire, the Radiant Church had already spread their influence around the entire continent. More and more people have become believers of the Church. Some of them even donated all of their own belongings to the organization. The existence of the Radiant Church isn't a good thing for the people. Even if they aren't eliminated, it would be best to have them controlled. Because of this, I completely agree with you dealing with the Church's actions."
Megan also nodded and said, "Big brother Hai, the Radiant Church had already caused too much death to my family. It is right that we should deal with them."
Lizzy looked at Zhao Hai and smiled, "Elder Brother Hai, are you feeling uneasy? You don't have to, think about it, war is very good for our clan. What does the Black Wasteland really need right now? It is more people. If the Beastmen and the Humans go head to head with each other, the first target would be the Aksu Empire. When war happens, a lot of people from the empire would surely be displaced. At that time, we can have people take them and bring them into the Black Wasteland and then give them land to work on. They would then become people of our Buda Clan. Our Clan has two main enemies right now, first is the Aksu Empire, the other is the Radiant Church. If the crisis of the Prairie was indeed because of the Radiant Church, then when the Beastmen sends their troops, the Radiant Church would be heavily affected. And with the Aksu Empire being the first to be hit by the attack, their losses would be even greater. At that time, Brother Hai would have dealt with two major problems. So why worry?"
After learning about how Zhao Hai does his things, Lizzy also decided to demonstrate her talent. She had always been a genius military strategist, her methods might be ruthless, but they were all very effective.
Zhao Hai sighed and said, "But the one who suffers the most in this situation would be the commoners. Especially those from the Purcell Duchy, because of our connection with them, I've been having second thoughts about this matter."
Zhao Hai would get soft-hearted sometimes. He was only ruthless when it came to his enemies. Commoners weren't his foes, he doesn't have the heart to cause them suffering.[1]
Laura comforted him, "Brother Hai, this matter is set in stone. Think about it, if not for your presence, the Herculean Bulls would have already been extinguished. When that happens, the Beastmen would be placed in an awkward position, and a war would still happen. And that war would even be more chaotic than this one."
Zhao Hai sighed again, "The Radiant Church is truly a calamity. Unfortunately for us, they have already infested the entire continent. It would be very hard to remove them."
Lizzy frowned and said, "Elder Brother Hai, the rising of the Radiant Church is really very strange. Several hundred years ago, the Radiant Church was just a small church that Light Mages believed in. There were even some Light Mages that chose to believe in the Life God other than the Radiant God. However, after some time, the Church had suddenly become more and more powerful. From what I read in the Imperial Records, the Radiant God had descended, causing the Church to become more formidable until it reached its present scale. In just a short hundred years, the Church had become much more powerful than those Great Clans that had been around for a thousand years. There should be some secret going on behind the scenes."
Zhao Hai stared, his face couldn't help but change as he said, "Descent of the Radiant God? Is there really such a thing?"
Lizzy shook her head and said, "There aren't a lot of things written on the records. But I think that it may be impossible. How can the Radiant God just descend?"
Zhao Hai forced a smile and said, "Why would it be impossible? What if there really are gods in the continent? What if those gods needed the faith of people in order to get stronger? If that is so, then it would make sense that the Radiant God would descend and get more followers. That way, he would get much stronger while at the same time suppressing the other gods."
Lizzy and the others stared, they didn't think that Zhao Hai would say this. Meg was confused and said, "Young Master, I don't understand. Aren't they gods? Do they also need to compete for power just like humans?"
Zhao Hai forced a smile and said, "Don’t' think of gods as something special. They are just people who are more powerful. Since they are just people, then it would make sense for them to strive for power. If the continent did really experience a descent of the Radiant God, then the backing of this Radiant Church isn't simple."
Lizzy and the others felt that they were listening to words from the Book of Heaven. They had never heard of this description of the gods before. To them, what Zhao Hai said was too mysterious.
Zhao Hai cannot confirm that what he said was the truth. In any case, all of the novels wrote gods as this way. Even if the Ark Continent is different from those novels, it had Magic as well as Battle Qi. The possibility of this description being true is much higher compared to earth. Because of this, Zhao Hai believed that the gods of this world were just the same as those in the novels.
Zhao Hai let out a sigh and said, "It looks like we cannot completely eliminate the Radiant Church, since we might cause the Radiant God to be dissatisfied. For a god to descend on the continent, he certainly has his reason. If we go and eliminate his forces in the continent, they might get impolite. Even if our current forces can deal with 9th rank experts, we still cannot face a god. Our strength still falls short."
Laura frowned, "Is this really the case? Brother Hai, are you sure that you're not just thinking too much into it?"
Zhao Hai forced a smile and said, "I also hope that I'm just overthinking. But no matter what, we should avoid that scenario from happening. We cannot have huge troubles coming our way."
Lizzy looked at Zhao Hai, then she faintly smiled and said, "If there really is a god, then I don't think that we really need to be afraid of him. I believe that even gods doesn't have a mysterious existence such as the Space. Brother Hai doesn't need to worry too much."
Zhao Hai smiled and answered, "I also believe that gods cannot have a thing such as the Space. Otherwise, they wouldn't need to descend and get some followers. They can just snatch some of them and lecture them inside their Space."
??? you literally killed innocent shopkeepers before??