Pledge

Chapter 41: Pledge

These slaves were not ignorant people; in fact, most of them had experience in preparing food. In their previous slave owners' hands, during mealtime, the supervisors would randomly select two people from each team to prepare the food. Therefore, the act of food preparation was not unfamiliar to these slaves.

Cooking rice was a simple task, so these slaves quickly set up seven pots. Zhao Hai brought out several large brass basins for them to use as pot covers, improvising with what was available.

These portable stoves didn't come with special pot covers, and they didn't need them. It was common knowledge that these portable stoves were rarely used by armies and primarily meant for slaves. For the slaves, any improvement was a welcome one, no matter how insignificant. As long as the food tasted good, they didn't mind.

However, the slaves were unsure about making soup. They didn't know the proper way to do it. In the households of other slave owners, the food they ate couldn't compare to the quality they had in the Buda Family. Sometimes they were given only rice bran or even spoiled rice. Because of this, slave deaths were a common occurrence on the continent. But for slave owners, the death of a slave was of little consequence; they could always buy more.

Zhao Hai, preoccupied with his own matters, had not fully grasped the slaves' living conditions during his time in the Black Wasteland. Regarding the current situation, he saw nothing wrong with what the chrysanthemum was doing. He believed that slaves everywhere on the continent lived like this, and it was only natural that their conditions were meager. They didn't have many resources to provide for the slaves, after all.

Observing the chrysanthemum making the simple soup, Zhao Hai couldn't help but sigh. Meg noticed his expression and asked, "Young Master, what's the matter? Do they use too much salt? Should we reduce the amount?"

Puzzled, Zhao Hai looked at Meg and said, "Too much salt? How could that be? They use only a small amount in that large pot. I'm thinking that our Buda Family is too weak right now, so we can only provide them with such simple food. But once we have the means, I promise they will have the opportunity to eat high-quality meat."

As soon as Zhao Hai finished speaking, he noticed that everyone was looking at him with strange expressions. The slaves regarded him with eyes full of gratitude, leaving Zhao Hai bewildered. He whispered to Meg, "Meg, did I say something wrong?"

Understanding his confusion, Meg sighed inwardly. She knew that while the Buda Family had slaves before, Zhao Hai had never left the imperial capital or interacted with them. So it was only natural for him to be unaware of their living conditions. Meg decided to explain the slaves' situation to Zhao Hai in a low voice.

Zhao Hai listened intently. Growing up in a modern society, he had lived under a different flag, born during the reform and opening up period. The lives Meg described were distant and unfamiliar to him. It was like a story from the past, something he could only read about in books but could never personally experience.

After Meg explained the slaves' living conditions, Zhao Hai turned to look at them with sympathy in his eyes. He sighed and said, "Don't worry, everyone. I will fulfill my words sooner or later. I promise you all that one day, you will have the opportunity to eat high-quality meat until you are tired of it. I make this pledge in the name of the Buda Family."

The slaves, deeply moved by Zhao Hai's heartfelt promise, knelt down and expressed their gratitude. Even though they hadn't received anything yet, Zhao Hai's words were enough. On the continent, Nobles had a peculiar tradition—they seldom made pledges easily. Even when they did, they would not easily violate them, especially if the pledge was made in the name of their Clan.

The slaves believed in Zhao Hai's words, trusting that his pledge made in the name of the Buda Family would be fulfilled someday.

Meg didn't say anything in response. She had been managing the slaves for the past few days and also felt sympathetic toward them. Therefore, she didn't object to Zhao Hai's words.

At that moment, Merine's voice came from outside the room, saying, "Young Master, it's time to eat."

Zhao Hai nodded and looked at everyone. He said to Meg and the chrysanthemum, "Meg, chrysanthemum, secure, let's go eat."

The chrysanthemum and secure had planned to eat there, but seeing Zhao Hai's expression, they understood and didn't insist. They entered the room with Zhao Hai, followed by Blockhead and Stonehead.

Upon entering the room, the slaves relaxed. Although Zhao Hai had always been kind to them, he was still their Master. As long as Zhao Hai was present, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Zhao Hai and the others sat down, and Merine served the cake and soup she had prepared. Although Zhao Hai wanted to eat rice, he could tell from Merine's expression that there was no chance of that happening today.

The room had only four chairs around a square table, but Zhao Hai took three more chairs from the Warehouse, allowing all seven of them to sit. The table wasn't as large as the ones in the castle's restaurant, but it was enough for seven people to eat comfortably.

After instructing everyone to sit down, Zhao Hai used a knife and fork to eat the cake that Merine had made. He didn't really want to use utensils, but he didn't have a choice. Merine wouldn't allow him to do otherwise. The cake was surprisingly delicious, and Zhao Hai and the others enjoyed their meal slowly. After Merine finished cleaning up, they stepped outside.

By that time, the slaves had finished their meal. The portable stoves were left behind, but it was clear that they had been cleaned thoroughly. Apparently, the slaves were quite full, as they sat there without much spirit.

Zhao Hai understood that people tended to feel sleepy after eating. It seemed that these slaves were no exception. He didn't ask them to get up but looked at the trash on the ground, furrowing his brows.

This was his Space, and although Zhao Hai didn't suffer from cleanliness issues, he didn't want his Space to become dirty. But for now, there was no other option but to store these things in the Space.

Noticing the trash, Zhao Hai glanced at the sky within the Space, where a thick fog still enveloped everything. He couldn't see clearly, but he didn't notice any significant changes. Slightly concerned, Zhao Hai said to Merine, "Grandma Merine, I think you should rest in the room. We've just finished eating, and they seem tired. Let them rest."

Merine looked at the slaves and noticed their exhausted expressions. She nodded and said, "Alright, let's rest for now. But we don't need to go inside the room; we can rest outside."

Zhao Hai quickly said, "Merine, Meg, Blockhead, Stonehead, come with me. I have something to discuss." He opened the door to the thatched hut and entered, followed by the others.

Merine and the rest didn't know what Zhao Hai wanted to talk about, but they followed obediently. They understood that when it came to this Space, they were far from understanding it as well as Zhao Hai did. In this Space, they would follow Zhao Hai's lead.