Casa City

Chapter 76: Casa City

There are many things in abundance, but only a few can be immediately converted into money. Corn and Oil Fruit have the highest output, but these two cannot be readily turned into money. No one wants corn, but some people want Oil Fruit to extract oil from it, although not many people are interested in such a large quantity.

Eggplants and cabbages are the vegetables Zhao Hai has been cultivating from the beginning, but he realizes that these two distinct crops might not sell well in the current state of the continent. They cannot be easily converted into money.

Not to mention wheat, although it has a decent yield, it needs to go through intensive processing to be turned into noodles consumed on the continent. If he were to sell the wheat as is, he might not get much money for it.

For now, Zhao Hai can only rely on selling radishes. He hopes that radishes can fetch a good price. With only 600 gold coins left in his possession, Zhao Hai cannot afford to plant radishes, as he might need the coins for other expenses.

After Zhao Hai finishes harvesting the corn for the season, he plans to plant cauliflower. He only has enough cauliflower seeds to cultivate two acres, but he must plant them. In the remaining two acres, he will plant wheat. He also has 3000 jin (0.5 kg) of wheat in his warehouse, which he can use as seed.

Zhao Hai doesn't want to use the wheat from his space. Wheat can only be used to make flour for bread, and the price of bread flour on the continent is not very high. It would be more cost-effective for Zhao Hai to plant other crops in the space and buy bread flour to eat.

However, Zhao Hai has a habit of planting corn. He insists on planting four acres of corn, so after planting two acres of cauliflower, he will plant wheat instead of corn in the remaining two acres.

As for collecting other crop seeds, Zhao Hai realizes it won't be easy. People have been watching him closely on the road, so he hasn't been able to collect any additional seeds. He understands that simply relying on collecting seeds won't be enough. How many seeds can he collect on his own? It's unlikely to be a significant amount. After he receives payment, he plans to buy some seeds and issue tasks at the tavern to hire mercenaries and adventurers to collect seeds for him.

In this world, as long as you have money, you can hire mercenaries and adventurers to do anything you want. You can issue tasks and hire people, even if it means issuing an assassination mission against a king in the Aksu Empire. As long as you can pay, there will be people willing to take on the task, although such tasks may require additional negotiations.

Zhao Hai sits in the Hot Spring pond, continuously pondering over these matters in his mind. He realizes that he is currently not weak in terms of power, but he lacks sufficient funds. Moreover, his enemies are also formidable. Therefore, Zhao Hai decides to maintain a low-key lifestyle.

Suddenly, he feels a slight dizziness. Zhao Hai shakes his head and stands up. He is dissatisfied with his current physical condition. He soaked in the hot spring but ended up feeling dizzy. His body is truly annoying.

Standing up, he takes a nearby towel to dry himself, puts on his sleeping attire, and goes to the bedside. He takes out a teapot from the bedside table and pours himself a cup of inferior tea. Sitting on the bed, he quietly sips the tea.

Zhao Hai feels that his body has become somewhat tender. He knows it's because he soaked in the hot spring for too long. However, at the moment, he doesn't really

mind. These past few days, he has been under immense pressure, and the weight of that pressure seems to weigh heavily on his heart.

Now, soaking in the hot spring, he suddenly feels a sense of desolation. He doesn't want to think about anything or imagine anything. He simply wants to lie there in stillness.

Normally, in such a state, he would fall asleep quickly. However, today is different. Although he lies there in stillness, his mind remains awake. He doesn't feel sleepy at all.

Maintaining this state for an unknown amount of time, Zhao Hai suddenly wakes up. Although he didn't fall asleep, he truly feels awake now.

Zhao Hai shakes his head gently, pushing away the gloomy and low thoughts in his mind. He knows he doesn't have time to be melancholic. He has too many things to deal with.

Calming his mood, Zhao Hai decides to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, they will be going to Casa City. He really wants to see what this city, known as the "Northern Pearl" of the Aksu Empire, is like.

After waking up for the first time, Zhao Hai is about to visit a major city. He is genuinely excited. Although Adam had lived in the imperial capital of the Aksu Empire, which is the largest and liveliest city, Zhao Hai only gained access to Adam's memories after completely taking over his identity. These memories feel more like watching a movie, lacking the sense of reality. This time, going to Casa City, Zhao Hai is genuinely looking forward to it.

The night passes without any significant events. The slaves feel that their rest was peaceful. Despite the fortunate conditions in Space compared to the outside world, where there is no wind and the temperature is comfortable, they still feel a sense of unease that prevents them from resting fully.

The next morning, everyone is full of energy. They have all experienced the hot spring in their rooms, so they are refreshed and well-rested.

After breakfast, the slaves enter the Space to study, while Zhao Hai calls for his Alien and they head towards Casa City.

From Stony Mountain to Casa City, it would take two days by horse carriage, but Zhao Hai and his group are not using a carriage. Instead, they ride on Alien. Alien's speed is comparable to that of a galloping horse. After leveling up, Alien has become even faster.

While horses can tire from running, Alien's method of propulsion allows for continuous speed. As a result, they can cover the distance in less than half a day. Thus, Zhao Hai and the others arrive outside Casa City.

Observing Casa City for the first time, Zhao Hai is amazed. The city is surrounded by several huge mountains, which complement its overall appearance. Unlike traditional square-shaped city walls, Casa City has circular walls.

There are a total of six grand districts and 18 city gates. The city walls are about 30 meters high and have a depth of about six meters. On the city walls, Purcell Family's cavalry is stationed. Groups of soldiers frequently pass through the city walls. Their tall figures cannot be hindered by the half-person-high wall, and the gleaming silver-white armor and weapons demonstrate their extraordinary aura.

Zhao Hai stands beneath the city wall, gazing up at the imposing soldiers and the majestic city wall. He can't help but be astonished. Although Earth has many ancient city walls, Zhao Hai never had the opportunity to visit them. The city he came from, the Oil City, was completely modern and had no city walls. As a result, he never experienced this kind of awe-inspiring feeling.

Zhao Hai recalls Alien and walks towards the city gate with Green and Meg. Merine doesn't

join them because Zhao Hai doesn't want others to know about his true strength.

As they approach the city gate, Zhao Hai notices two large boxes labeled "tax." It seems that these boxes are specifically used for tax collection. Anyone passing through the city gate must deposit money into the boxes, or else they will be denied entry.

However, Zhao Hai doesn't need to pay because he remembers what Green and Meg told him: as a magician, he is exempt from taxes according to the country's regulations.

Of course, this exemption doesn't mean that simply wearing a magic robe will make one exempt from taxes. The magician must first register at the Magician Guild and obtain a Magician Badge to enjoy the tax exemption. However, Zhao Hai is an exception. Although he doesn't have a Magician Badge, riding Alien signifies his status as a magician. Under these circumstances, the guards wouldn't dare to stop him. Dark Magicians are quite common on the continent, and they don't register at the Magician Guild. Apart from the Black Mountain Stronghold, no one would dare to impersonate them. Therefore, in general cities, as long as one wears a black magic robe, they won't be stopped, even if they don't have a Magician Badge.

Green reminds Zhao Hai of this because he's worried that Zhao Hai might not know about Dark Magicians. If Zhao Hai acts excessively cautious, it might actually raise suspicion.