Chapter 1113 – Giving A Gift

When Desbarres heard Zhao Hai, he couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Kid, you’re really careful huh. You actually looked them up on the internet. However, you can rest a.s.sured. After you become a member of the Bone Symbol Camp, you will know that this isn’t a problem. Even if you cannot look up those herbs online, this doesn’t mean that the Bone Symbol Camp had no way of procuring them. If you give this method to us, you can skip the academy and directly join the camp. Moreover, I will give you the best allowance as well as ten million machine coins, a good house, car, and everything you will need to live your life here. If you don’t want robots to serve you, I can also give you two maids. What do you think?”

When Margaret heard Desbarres, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. She was afraid that Zhao Hai would really want female maids. She didn’t know why, but she felt uncomfortable hearing that Desbarres would provide Zhao Hai maids.

Upon hearing Desbarres, Zhao Hai was shocked. Then realization dawned on him. The sheepskin scroll did indeed record plants in the Underworld. However, he was in the World of Cultivation where treasures are abundant. It wouldn’t be impossible to collect the herbs written on the scroll.

However, Zhao Hai didn’t regret his decision. Firstly, the method on the scroll was already proven to work. And second, this method was completely useless to him. Using this method in order to gain benefits was a very good decision.

With this thought in mind, Zhao Hai immediately replied, “Since the Camp Lord says so, then I will accept your offer. However, I don’t want the maids. Having the robots serving me is already enough.”

Desbarres didn’t expect Zhao Hai to accept the offer immediately. Moreover, he didn’t hesitate to accept the reward. This caused Zhao Hai’s image to be elevated in Desbarres’ mind. The fat manager laughed happily and said, “Alright kid, since this is the case, there’s no need for you to return to the academy. You can go to the Bone Symbol Camp immediately and receive your payment. Remember this, kid, you’re now a member of the Bone Symbol Camp.”

Zhao Hai nodded. Desbarres proceeded to stand up and leave. Margaret also stood up. She gave Zhao Hai a look before following Desbarres.

Zhao Hai suddenly opened his mouth and said, “Instructor, wait a moment.”

Margaret stared. Desbarres stopped as well. Zhao Hai looked at Margaret and said, “Instructor, will you be going back to the academy? If you will, can you please take the magic staff I bought for Dins and the others with you?”

When Margaret heard that it was about this matter, she immediately nodded and said, “Alright, since I will be returning to the academy, I’ll hand them over to Dins and the others.”

Zhao Hai nodded and then waved his hand, taking the magic staffs out and handing them over to Margaret. Seeing Zhao Hai take out staff after staff, Desbarres couldn’t help but feel amazed as he said, “Kid, are you a wealthy lord or something? What other things did you take with you from the lower realm? Come on, let me see them.”

Zhao Hai wasn’t offended by Desbarres’ words. Instead, he couldn’t help but smile. Although Desbarres was quite rude, this also meant that he already had a certain trust towards Zhao Hai. Also, even if Desbarres wanted to make a move on Zhao Hai, he couldn’t since Margaret was here.

When she heard Desbarres, Margaret couldn’t help but frown and said, “Uncle, how can you be like this?”

Desbarres laughed out loud. After some time Zhao Hai laughed as well and said, “Camp Lord, now that you say it, I have some things I want to give you. I hope you won’t dislike them.”

Desbarres was just joking around. He was a famed character in the Machine Field, he had seen too many good things. So how could he covet things from a young ascender? He was merely teasing Zhao Hai. But after hearing the young man, Desbarres gawked. He couldn’t help but turn his head to Zhao Hai and saying, “Really? Good, good. Take them out and let me see.”

Zhao Hai smiled faintly, then he waved his hand and took out two bottles of liquor. Then he handed them over to Desbarres, saying, “Camp Lord, these are liquor I brought from the lower realms. I saved them for a good occasion, so please have a taste.”

Desbarres expected Zhao Hai to give him money or treasures. He didn’t think Zhao Hai would give him two bottles of liquor. This caused him to look at Zhao Hai in a more favorable light. If Zhao Hai had given him money or some precious treasure, then that would make him too vulgar. With these two bottles of liquor, Desbarres’ appraisal of Zhao Hai became higher.

Desbarres laughed and said, “Alright, then I’ll accept them. Right, join me for a meal. Let’s drink this wine together.”

Zhao Hai smiled and said, “I wouldn’t dare disobey your order!” Desbarres laughed as he patted Zhao Hai’s shoulder. After that, he turned around and left. Margaret also gave Zhao Hai a nod before leaving.

When Zhao Hai saw the two leaving, he couldn’t help but smile. His experience in gaining favor was quite lacking. However, he had help. He asked Laura to help him out. Laura was a skilled businesswoman, a profession where gaining favor was essential. What to send and who to send to needed to be carefully considered. Laura was also very skilled in this aspect.

Zhao Hai went according to what Laura said and gave Desbarres two bottles of liquor. Seeing Desbarres laugh, Zhao Hai was very glad. Having Laura and the others was truly a blessing to him.

Zhao Hai didn’t go to the s.p.a.ce and just stayed in his own room, condensing magic formations. He was taking less and less time to explore lately. He looked like a cultivating madman. However, such actions only made Desbarres and the others relieved.

This isn’t to say that Zhao Hai was doing this for the Ashley Family. This was Zhao Hai’s nature. He didn’t like to attract too much attention, especially when his strength was still lacking. Otherwise, he would only attract unwanted trouble.

There were just too many magic formations in the Machine Field. Moreover, these magic formations weren’t just limited to ones in the Machine Field. The Cultivation Realm also shared some similar formations with Magic Theory. Because of this, even if Zhao Hai was condensing formations every day, he still didn’t know when he would be done.

However, his current accomplishments still made Zhao Hai happy. The magic formation sets in his mind were increasing. At this point, 100-layer formation sets that Zhao Hai could use had numbered over a thousand. The other formation sets were even more numerous. If one was a normal Mage, then even if they had these formation sets, they still wouldn’t be able to use them. It was impossible for any other Mage to learn all-element formation sets. They could only use formations that belonged to the elements that they were proficient in. It was just like how a warrior couldn’t master all of the techniques in the world. He could only learn those techniques that were compatible with him.

In the Machine Field, the level of a Mage didn’t rely on how many formations they mastered. Instead, levels were determined by how many layers a Mage could support. Even if you condensed a 5 or 10-layered formation, you would still be a level 2 Mage. And even if you grasped a 50 layer formation, you were still a level 3 Mage.

However, Zhao Hai’s situation was different. He can use the s.p.a.ce to cast these formations. And this wasn’t his only advantage. His advantage in fighting against an enemy was also very huge. He could use the most appropriate formation set during a fight. This would allow him to always gain momentum in every encounter.

Although Mage fights looked different than Warrior fights, they were essentially the same. The only thing that differed between the two were their styles. An example of this would be a straight palm attack. One could choose to defend against it or just counter-attack. Mages were also the same. If the enemy used an ice cone to attack, one could choose to use a s.h.i.+eld to block or instead send a spell to counter-attack. All of these decisions relied on a person’s mindset. It was also impossible for a person to be fully calm during these encounters. In this case, experience would play a huge part.

But things were different for Zhao Hai. The s.p.a.ce could calculate the most advantageous way to fight. This would allow him to use the most appropriate method to attack. This would also allow Zhao Hai to be in the upper hand in most fights he would be in.

This didn’t mean that Zhao Hai was under the s.p.a.ce’s control. The s.p.a.ce was just used as a tool. The s.p.a.ce just provided Zhao Hai with these techniques. To Zhao Hai, the s.p.a.ce was a tool, the most convenient tool there was.

Zhao Hai practiced up until mealtime. He didn’t go out of his room at all. At this moment, someone knocked on his door. Zhao Hai opened the door and saw a robot on the other side. This robot looks like a Daoist. It’s body was covered with biochemical skin. However, it was bald. It also had a serial number on its forehead, informing people that it was a robot.

The robot bowed to Zhao Hai and said, “Mister Zhao Hai, the Camp Lord asks for your presence in the restaurant.” Zhao Hai nodded and followed the robot to the restaurant.

The Dry Bone was a medium-sized s.h.i.+p. There were more than 100 people on board. With the addition of Mages, there were only about 200 people inside. Besides the compartments meant for cabins, weapons and ammunition, there was still ample s.p.a.ce inside the s.h.i.+p. Because of this, there were things like restaurants, bars, entertainment areas, and other recreational areas inside the s.h.i.+p.

One must know that s.h.i.+ps were usually travelling for very long distances. Travelling in s.p.a.ce for several months was a very common occurrence. Therefore, the crew needed places for entertainment. Otherwise, people would burn out from the stress.

The s.h.i.+p’s restaurant wasn’t well-decorated. It was only a white room without any side halls. It can be described as a huge cafeteria.

Although it was already time for eating, there were only a few people inside. Most of the crew were still working, they didn’t have the time to spend at the restaurant.

When Zhao Hai entered the restaurant with the robot, Desbarres immediately saw him. He waved to Zhao Hai and said, “Little Hai, here!’ Zhao Hai proceeded to go over along with the robot.

The table was quite huge, enough for ten people to sit beside it. At this time, nine of them were occupied. The only free spot was beside Desbarres.

Also sitting on Desbarres side was Margaret. She was left of Desbarres while Zhao Hai was supposed to be on the right.

Zhao Hai didn’t become too polite as he quickly approached and gave a salute, “I have seen the Camp Lord.”

Desbarres laughed and said, “Alright, don’t be overly polite. Take a seat. These people are from my Bone Symbol Camp. Later on, all of you will be working together.”

Zhao Hai bowed towards the others and said, “Zhao Hai has seen everybody. Please look after me in the future.”

As he gave his bow, Zhao Hai saw that four of the people here were Mages while the other four were Warriors. Although they didn’t carry any weapons, they were full of vigor. One could see that they weren’t weak.

Zhao Hai also saw that the people in front of him were level 5. Whether they be Mages or Warriors, level 5 strength was already considered as an expert in the World of Cultivation.

When they saw Zhao Hai giving them a salute, the others immediately returned the gesture. They knew that Desbarres had a high evaluation of this young man judging by his sitting position. Moreover, they also knew that Zhao Hai was a genius. He was the hope of the Bone Symbol Camp. Therefore, they were being polite to him.

After exchanging greetings, Zhao Hai sat down. Seeing Zhao Hai salute the others, Desbarres was very satisfied. He heard that even if Zhao Hai was a genius, he wasn’t arrogant at all. But it was better to see it firsthand.

Once Zhao Hai had settled down, Desbarres smiled and said, “Our main duty is fetching the Young Miss. We’ve already accomplished our duty. Additionally, Zhao Hai has officially entered the Bone Symbol Camp. This is a cause for celebration. And it just so happens that Little Hai had saved some liquor from the lower realms for me. It seems like we’ll be tasting something new today.” After he said that. Desbarres laughed.

As soon as the others heard him, they couldn’t help but laugh as well. Zhao Hai looked at Desbarres and said, “Camp Lord, actually, I can bring more than those two bottles of wine. Those two bottles aren’t enough for all of us to drink. I’ll take out some more for us. These aren’t as good, but please do have a taste.” After he said that, he took out more bottles of wine. Just by looking at the bottles, one could see that they weren’t as good as the ones given to Desbarres.

Zhao Hai gave Desbarres liquor bottles made with crystal. They looked beautiful. However, the bottles he took out were made out of simple gla.s.s.

Chapter 1114 – Tell Me The Truth

Desbarres didn’t say anything. Instead, he just enjoyed the event. Moreover, leaders were supposed to receive better gifts compared to others. Even if it was the same gift, it needs to be shown that it was still unique.

Naturally, Desbarres wasn’t excused from this rule. Seeing that the wines Zhao Hai took out were different from what were given to him, Desbarres felt refreshed. He laughed happily and said, “Kid, you seem to have a lot of wine. It seems like you’re quite the drinker in the lower realm. Quick, pour us a cup.”

Zhao Hai complied. He opened the bottle and then poured everyone a gla.s.s. Naturally, this wine was made inside the s.p.a.ce. He was able to find out that people in the Machine Field didn’t have much liquor to choose from. What they drank was a version of fruit wine. Although the taste was good, it wasn’t easy to get drunk off of it.

After Zhao Hai poured everyone a gla.s.s of wine, he didn’t make an address or something. Instead, he turned to look at Desbarres. Seeing Zhao Hai’s action, Desbarres’ smile turned wider. He secretly commented about Zhao Hai’s tactfulness. Generally, the first person who would propose a toast at the table would be the head of the family, the person with the highest status. And in this situation, even if this wasn’t a family, Desbarres was still the person who needs to raise the gla.s.s first.

Although Margaret technically had a higher status than Desbarres, she was a woman. In this case, the one who should propose a toast should be Desbarres.

Desbarres expected Zhao Hai to give the toast. However, Zhao Hai actually turned to look at him. Naturally, this meant that Zhao Hai was waiting for him to make the toast. This made Desbarres appreciate Zhao Hai even more.

Desbarres took his wine gla.s.s, looked at everyone and said, “Our operation this time is mainly to retrieve the Young Miss. However, we’re also here to show those people that our Bone Symbol Camp couldn’t be underestimated. We’re showing them that we aren’t afraid of war. Anyone who dares to step on the Bone Symbol Camp’s dignity will be put to death! I know that everyone has been feeling suffocated in the past few years. However, this isn’t the time for the Bone Symbol Camp to fall. As long as the conditions are ripe, the Bone Symbol Camp shall rise again! The whole realm will know and fear the banner of the Bone Symbol Camp!”

Desbarres knew that the overall strength of the Bone Symbol Camp was very good. However, what it lacked the most was a powerful expert. Most camps would have level 6 or level 7 Experts as deterrent forces. They were far stronger than a thousand ordinary experts. They were like nuclear bombs, but much more feared.

However, the current strongest expert in the camp was Desbarres. His strength was quite powerful, achieving level 6. He also reached the peak of his level by being able to use a thousand-layer formation. However, if he wanted to use his formations, he would need a long time to prepare. He gained his t.i.tle “Killer Fatty” not because of his strength but because he killed his enemies using calculations and plots.

After Desbarres found out about Zhao Hai’s talent, he immediately regarded him as the camp’s hope. He needed to concentrate the camp’s efforts into cultivating Zhao Hai. This would enable the Bone Symbol Camp to rampage through the Machine Field once more.

Because of this, Desbarres had the confidence to declare the future rise of the Bone Symbol Camp. The people sitting by the table were also old members of the camp. Naturally, they understood what Desbarres meant. Everyone raised their gla.s.ses and cheered, “The Bone Banner approaches, the Bone Banner will be seen everywhere!” Desbarres laughed out loud and said, “Good, let’s drink!” Then he consumed the entire gla.s.s of wine.

“Drink!” Everyone simultaneously held their gla.s.ses and drank the wine in one go. But since they haven’t drank this kind of wine, they weren’t aware of how strong it was. The moment they drank the entire gla.s.s, they immediately felt the path from their throat to their stomach burn as though it was on fire.

There were some who couldn’t bear the smell of alcohol, there were also some who immediately coughed repeatedly. Some were even choked to tears. At this time, Desbarres let out a long breath smelling of alcohol and said, “Hah! This is good wine. It’s strong enough for me.”

The Warriors among the group had the same reaction as Desbarres. Upon drinking the wine, they couldn’t help but applaud its strength and fragrance.

They didn’t need Zhao Hai to pour them another gla.s.s and just poured a gla.s.s on their own. After a while, the atmosphere of the table turned warmer.

But Margaret, who was on the left side, couldn’t help but hold her stomach upon drinking her first gla.s.s of wine. Then she stood up and ran away.

The proceeding meal went greatly. Desbarres and others’ capacity for alcohol was evidently better than Kirk and the others. Everyone drank a lot.

However, Zhao Hai didn’t drink a lot. He drank a few cups of spatial water beforehand. And even if he drank some wine, he didn’t consume too much. This way, the outcome with drinking with Desbarres and the others wouldn’t be the same as drinking with Kirk’s group.

Kirk and the others were just ordinary people. So if he drank with them and pa.s.s out, they would just treat it as normal.

On the other hand, if he drank too much and pa.s.sed out while being with Desbarres and the others, then they might think that he was weak. They wouldn’t feel secure with a person who couldn’t handle liquor.

Finally, Desbarres and the others pa.s.sed out on top of the table. Zhao Hai helped them return to their rooms before he went to his own room. Then he continued to practice.

The next day, when Zhao Hai appeared in the restaurant, everyone he knew and even those who he didn’t know gave him a smile. And as he sat down to eat, Desbarres entered.

One has to recognize that the wine made by the s.p.a.ce was very high quality. Therefore, even if Desbarres and the others pa.s.sed out from drinking too much, they didn’t suffer from a hangover. Moreover, spatial water was used as the wine was created. Because of this, not only would the drinker not feel a hangover, they would instead feel more refreshed the next day.

Seeing Desbarres enter the restaurant clearly full of energy, everyone inside couldn’t help but gawk. Desbarres noticed that Zhao Hai was about to eat a meal and his two eyes couldn’t help but s.h.i.+ne. He laughed and said, “Little Hai, you young people really know how to drink. You actually drank with us until we pa.s.sed out. Hahaha”

Zhao Hai smiled and gave Desbarres a salute. Desbarres, laughed once more and said, “Come eat with me. That was the greatest drinking session I’ve been in. Your wine is very satisfying.”

Zhao Hai smiled and said, “Camp Lord, if you want, I can hand over the formula so that you can make it yourself. Then we could share it with our brothers. We can also sell it to increase the Bone Symbol Camp’s income.”

As soon as he heard Zhao Hai, Desbarres couldn’t help but pat his shoulder and said, “Good. Little Hai, now that you’re a member of the Bone Symbol camp, you can rest a.s.sured. When we start selling this wine, I’ll make sure that you’ll have one-fifth of its profits.”

When he heard Desbarres, Zhao Hai couldn’t help but stare. Then he embarra.s.singly replied, “Camp Lord, that wouldn’t be good. I only handed over the formula…”

Desbarres waved his hand and said, “Stop right there, you don’t know how much your formula is worth. Rest a.s.sured, the Bone Symbol Camp would never treat our members unjustly. You don’t know, but the robots made by that kid Qi Yi have been ma.s.s produced by the camp’s factories and sold outside. He also gets one-fifth of the profits. This is the rule of our Bone Symbol Camp.”

Hearing Desbarres, Zhao Hai had no way to decline. So he nodded and said, “Alright, I will accept it. But if our brothers need me to do anything, please tell me so that I can offer some help.”

Desbarres patted Zhao Hai’s shoulder. At this time, a robot came with Desbarres’ meal in hand. Then the two proceeded to silently enjoy their meal.

After having eaten his meal, Zhao Hai was about to return to his room before Desbarres stopped him. Then after going to Zhao Hai’s room, Desbarres looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Zhao Hai, tell me the truth. Can you deal with people with higher levels?”

Zhao Hai thought for a moment and said, “Camp Lord, I think I’ll have no problem dealing with level 4 Experts. This is because in addition to being a level 4 Mage, I’m also a Warrior. I can wield a sword and attack like a Warrior. With my Undead and sword, I should be able to exterminate level 4 Experts.”

Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Desbarres actually stared for a moment. Then he looked at Zhao Hai and said, “You’re a warrior as well? You study battle qi in the lower realms?”

Zhao Hai nodded, “I did. I just chose to ascend in a Mage Continent because I thought that Mages would be more valuable after I ascend. Therefore, I chose to ascend as a Mage.”

When he heard Zhao Hai’s reply, Desbarres laughed and said, “That’s good, fantastic. I can understand your decision. Rest a.s.sured, the Bone Symbol Camp will make sure to properly cultivate you. Have you been using formations you found online? The Bone Symbol Camp has secret formations and formation sets that haven’t been released to the public. You will have access to all of those. Moreover, I will make you a weapon suitable for you. We’ll also provide you with everything you need so that you can grow into an expert as soon as possible. This way, the Bone Symbol Camp would rise sooner!”

If someone else said that, Zhao Hai might feel something off. However, since it was Desbarres, Zhao Hai wasn’t offended. This was because Desbarres wasn’t doing it for himself, he was doing it for the Bone Symbol Camp and the Ashley Family.

To be honest, Zhao Hai didn’t have any sense of belonging to the Ashley Family. However, he actually had a favorable impression regarding the Bone Symbol Camp. The one who approached him from the very beginning was Margaret. And up to the present, the Bone Symbol Camp had always gained Zhao Hai’s favor. Zhao Hai liked the Bone Symbol Camp’s people since they weren’t plotting against each other in order to gain benefits. Everyone had the same goal, and that was to make the Bone Symbol Camp rise. Everyone made sacrifices in order to meet this goal. This was what moved Zhao Hai the most.