Laura wouldnât have thought that Green would actually make such a proposal. She was surprised, her face becoming pure red. This condition was just too sudden and beyond her expectations.
Although the culture here on the Ark Continent wasnât like that of Ancient China where women paid attention to the three obediences and four virtues[2], they still had their own set of rules. There was some equality between men and women. For example, in a large clan, it wasnât only the men that could obtain the inheritance, but the women as well.
The context of marriage was also relatively free. Just take a look at Ryan[3] Purcell who didnât like Zhao Hai. He could propose an engagement, then she would let her clan find a way to break off the engagement. This kind of setting was normal[4].
However, the present situation, where someone is suddenly offering a condition of marriage to a girl such a Laura, could easily make the girl extremely shy. Others might have forgotten this.
Green watched Lauraâs reaction, smiled, and said, âMiss Laura, please donât worry. The Young Master of our clan is less than 20 years old and is at a comparable age with Miss Laura. Furthermore, he is an aristocrat, so he is absolutely not unworthy of Miss Laura.â
Zhao Hai forced a smile while saying, âGrandpa Green, donât say such things. Miss Laura, please donât be offended, but my identity will bring you too much trouble. Even our alliance with the Purcell clan wouldnât be enough to save me. I will kindly ask Miss to not delve further.â
Laura was actually shocked as she wouldnât have thought that Zhao Hai would say such things. His identity would bring her too much trouble? Suddenly, she thought of when Zhao Hai spoke Greenâs title.
In the previous visits Laura had, Zhao Hai had always called Green by the name of Ringer[5]. On the continent, Ringer was a common name, so it was nothing special. As such, Laura hasnât cared about it before.
Zhao Hai, however, had been anxious and had addressed him by the name of Green. Although it wasnât anything special, after thinking of Zhao Haiâs status and Greenâs strength, Laura suddenly thought of a clan.
Laura stared at Zhao Hai and said, âIs it possible that Misterâs surname is Buda? And the Sir beside you is the Spiritwind Battle General Green? This isnât right, didnât Mister drink the Water of Nothingness? How can you use magic?â
Zhao Hai and Green were both startled. They hadnât thought that Laura was so unexpectedly smart that she had guessed their identity with just a name as her clue.
The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Green removed his helmet that hid his face and tossed it aside. Looking at Laura, he smiled and said, âMiss Laura really deserves to be called Heavenâs Lovely Daughter[6]. You are really smart. With just a word from the Young Master, you had actually correctly guessed our identity. Ah, this is great.â
Zhao Hai had also removed the cap of his magic robe. With a forced smile, he said, âI never would have thought that I would be the one revealing flaws. Miss Laura, Iâll re-introduce myself. I am called Zhao Hai Buda, formerly Adam Buda. This is my Head Steward, Green Buda. My maidservant here, who is the granddaughter of Grandpa Green, is Meg Buda. And the person who had prepared food for you back when you visited several times is Megâs grandmother, Meirin Buda.â
Zhao Hai stood up while introducing everyone to Laura. Green also gave his greetings to Laura. Laura was shocked as she watched them.
She hadnât really thought that she had guessed it correctly. This place was actually of the Buda clan. Who would have thought that the Buda clan, exiled to the Black Waste, would suddenly re-appear here. Looking at them, they appeared to be so free.
Laura looked at Zhao Hai who still wore his magic robe. After removing his hat, Zhao Hai had lost his mysterious presence. Yet, Laura felt that Zhao Hai was more appealing this way.
Being mysterious could attract a woman, but being such an extremely mystical man wouldnât be to the liking of women because they wouldnât have a sense of security. While Laura was attracted to the mystery of Zhao Hai, she actually liked Zhao Haiâs disposition more than that mysteriousness.
Zhao Haiâs character. After their several meetings, Laura had some understanding of it. Zhao Hai was just too mysterious though, thus, Laura didnât want to delve deeper into a relationship.
Now she finally saw Zhao Haiâs appearance. Zhao Hai wasnât that tall. If he stood beside Laura, he would be seen as obviously smaller than her[7]. His face looked quiet, even somewhat weak and thin looking. Adding on his disposition as an otaku bookworm, and he had a refined and somewhat gentle appearance. However, Laura could also feel an optimistic perseverance from Zhao Haiâs presence. This was what Laura appreciated the most.
After Laura returned a greeting to Zhao Hai, they sat back down. Zhao Hai looked at Laura, smiled, and said, âNow you know, Miss Laura, why I donât wish to meet with the Purcell clan, right? Moreover, if my identity were to be known by outsiders, then I wonât only be able to defend myself. Even Miss Laura would be involved. Therefore, we can only hide here.â
Laura sternly replied, âMister has thought all of this thoroughly. However, Mister saved my life, thus, I am not afraid of involvement. If there is no Mister, then there would be no Laura today. Iâm asking Mister to not say no to this.â
Zhao Hai shook his head. âMiss might be wondering how I can use black magic when it is a fact that I drank the Water of Nothingness. To tell you the truth, although I have drunk the Water of Nothingness, I had another ability. I am a Divergent Warlock.â
Divergent Warlocks were a group of mysterious people who, on the continent, were known as the occupation with the least combatants. No one knows the origin of these Divergent Warlocks, nor how they cultivated. There was no way to learn Divergent techniques, and its qualifications werenât affected by bloodline. Since there was no known cultivation method necessary for it, then along with an incomplete system, it made people fear that slaves might also become Divergent Warlocks.
There were all sorts of strange and unusual abilities that Divergent Warlocks were said to possess. Some cannot be used in battle, while some enhanced their battle capabilities. If black magicians were known as people the continent didnât want to provoke, then Divergent Warlocks were people that even black magicians didnât want to provoke.
At the beginning, Zhao Hai didnât know about the existence of Divergent Warlocks. It was only after some time that he finally found out about those Divergent Warlocks. To put it bluntly, they were like the mutants in the X-Men movie heâd watched back on Earth. Some people had different abilities and were called mutants.
On Earth, mutants and abilities existed only in legends. These legends, however, were real here on the Ark Continent. They really existed and were considered occupations that had its own identity and status.
Divergent Warlocks were different from black magicians because while the common aristocrats didnât like to invite black magicians, Divergent Warlocks were actually people the aristocrats liked to invite.
Strictly speaking, the Space capability of Zhao Hai was a Divergent technique, but this Divergent technique was really a bit too strange. Zhao Hai didnât know where the Space came from, except that he knew that the Space was related to the farm games of his past. His understanding of the Space made it different than that of other Divergent techniques of the Divergent Warlocks.
Laura felt relieved after hearing Zhao Haiâs explanation. The occupation known as Divergent Warlock wasnât subject to any medicinal restrictions. Thus, the Water of Nothingness wouldnât have any effect on Divergent techniques.
Laura hadnât seen a Divergent Warlock before since they were few in number. Therefore, she looked at Zhao Hai curiously. âDoes Misterâs Divergent technique work the same as black magic?â
Zhao Hai smiled and said, âMy Divergent technique is somewhat strange, therefore, explaining it in such a short time wouldnât be enough. I wonât be able to elaborate it to you. Also, Miss Laura doesnât need to call me Mister. Instead, call me Zhao Hai from now on.â
Laura smile and replied, âI will call you Mister since I have been accustomed to do so anyway. Oh, right. Mister, if you had an ancient magic tool, then why didnât you use it when your clan was being exterminated? The last time Sir Green went to the Purcell clan, hadnât you used one? Do you still have that ancient magic tool?â
Zhao Hai smiled and said, âI didnât have any ancient magic tool. If I did have such a thing, then I wouldnât be in this situation. What youâre talking about is just part of my Divergent technique.â
Laura held her breath. Although she hadnât seen a Divergent Warlock before, she knew that there were many different types. Some of them had a very high potential, even reaching a Rank Nine expertâs strength. Some of these Divergent Warlocks, however, didnât have much use, such as the ability to study skin or the ability to read when their eyes closed. Those things were absolutely useless and didnât have any battle efficiency[8].
Zhao Hai wouldnât speak of how many abilities his divergent technique had since even having just this ability was already sufficient to cause envy. It was equal to owning an ancient magic tool.
But Laura still wanted to confirm things. Therefore, she continued to question Zhao Hai. âMister, do you mean to say that your ability is like an ancient magic tool that can transfer a human. Such as, you can transfer them here to Stony Mountain?â
Zhao Hai smiled again and replied, âThe ability isnât as easy as you say and, in fact, has a great limitation. First, the person to be transferred should be trusted by me. Second, he needs a medium so that I can transfer him[9]. If it were really easy, then I wouldnât need to be here?â
Laura smiled while nodding, then blushed. After she listened to Zhao Hai tell her that the person must be someone he trusted, she thought that the person couldnât be anyone but people close to him. She couldnât help but think about Greenâs words.
Green, who cut a wise and fine figure[10], looked at Lauraâs reaction and knew what she was thinking. He couldnât help but smile as he told Laura, âMiss Laura, our identity is extremely sensitive. I do hope that Miss can give the Young Master some assurance that youâll keep it a secret.â
Laura smiled after hearing what Green said. She looked at Greenâs expression and couldnât help but blush. Laura soon calmed down. She was different from common girls and said, âSir Green, rest assured, I know what I should do.â
âMiss Laura is too polite. Please donât call me Sir Green, but just call me Green. Or maybe, it would be even better if you call me Grandpa Green as that is what the Young Master calls me,â Green replied with a smile.
Lauraâs face became even more red. Quietly, she replied, âThis Laura is impolite. From now on, Iâll call you Grandpa Green.â Though she said this, her voice was very low.
Notes:
-This chapter was MTLâed. Please leave a comment for constructive criticisms and advice. Thanks.
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-Please check out the Editorâs footnotes, thanks.