Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 2

The instant Zhao Hai lost consciousness, a flood of foreign memories surged into his mind. This sudden influx of data was so overwhelming it nearly caused his brain to collapse. While his mind didn't completely break, it stalled, forced to process and digest the massive wave of information piece by piece.

Zhao Hai eventually regained consciousness after an indeterminate amount of time. He could feel a life story that wasn't his own firmly rooted in his thoughts.

According to these memories, he was now Adam Buda. He had been born into a lineage of warriors within the Aksu Empire on the Ark Continent. His ancestors had served the empire for three generations, earning the prestigious rank of marquis. However, the family’s fortunes plummeted with Adam. He was a quintessential hedonistic Young Master; with his mother passing away early and his father constantly away leading armies, Adam grew up lawless and arrogant. He tormented anyone he disliked and committed various misdeeds. Because his father was fiercely protective and commanded the military, no one dared to challenge Adam’s behavior.

However, his father committed a fatal political error. During the struggle for the throne of the Aksu Empire, he backed the wrong candidate.

The 47th Emperor of the Aksu Empire had fifteen sons, but only five were considered viable heirs: the first, third, fourth, seventh, and thirteenth princes.

Imperial law dictated that only children of the Empress or official Imperial Concubines possessed the right of succession. Furthermore, eligibility required holding the title of Grand Duke. While imperial children were born as Earls, they remained landless unless they rendered significant service to the state. Only through merit could they rise through the peerage to become an Imperial Prince.

Naturally, the children of the Empress and Concubines were fast-tracked, usually starting as Dukes. With minor achievements or convenient excuses, they were promoted to Grand Duke and then Imperial Prince, allowing them to enter the race for the throne.

The five contenders were all Imperial Princes. The first and fourth princes were the Empress’s sons. The third and seventh were born to Imperial Concubine Carlin, while the thirteenth prince, born to Imperial Concubine Avril, was the youngest and least influential. Most assumed the first prince, as the eldest son of the Empress, was the rightful successor. Since the third prince supported the first, many nobles threw their weight behind that faction. Meanwhile, the fourth and seventh princes were allies, with the seventh prince enjoying the backing of the powerful Carlin family and great popularity within the palace. The thirteenth prince remained low-key and overlooked by everyone.

It was a logical move for Adam’s father to join the first prince’s camp, as he was the frontrunner. The Buda family were not "old money" nobles; they had risen to the rank of marquis only three generations prior through military valor. Seeking to bridge the gap between themselves and the ancient noble houses, they bet on the first prince. They believed that once he took the throne, the Buda family would finally enter the empire's inner circle of true aristocracy.

On this continent, a sharp divide existed between "old nobles" and "new nobles." The established elite viewed the newcomers as mere nouveau riche, often barring them from the true centers of power.

Over centuries, these ancient families had become pillars of the state, sometimes wielding enough influence to decide the fate of the kingdom. These dynasties, spanning dozens of generations, were a force that even the throne viewed with caution. Every new noble family dreamed of gaining their acceptance.

Acceptance required immense strength. The Buda family’s rapid ascent was actually a strategy used by previous Emperors to check the power of the old nobility. However, following the death of the 46th Emperor, the Buda family found themselves caught in a vice: the new sovereign wanted to use them, while the old nobles sought to crush them. To survive, the Buda family had to constantly prove their loyalty to the crown.

Unfortunately, Adam’s father’s gamble failed. The popular first prince lost, and the unassuming thirteenth prince, Abajo Aksu, seized the throne. The first prince was executed, and his supporters faced ruin. Adam’s father was imprisoned on trumped-up charges and died mysteriously behind bars. Adam’s past crimes were brought to light, but he escaped execution thanks to Grimm and other retainers. The empire was reluctant to antagonize level eight experts without a very good reason, and the new Emperor wished to appear merciful. Consequently, Adam’s inheritance was stripped down to the rank of Viscount, and his family’s rich lands were replaced with the desolate Black Soil Wilderness. To ensure he was never a threat, Adam was forced to drink the Void Water, turning him into a total cripple.

Typically, nobles with a fief would leave the management to a butler and remain in the capital to navigate imperial politics.

Adam was denied this privilege. After the Emperor seized their lands, they were banished from the capital within three days and forbidden from leaving their new territory for three years—a punishment of unprecedented severity.

Emperor Abajo Aksu took these harsh measures against the Buda family both as revenge for their support of his rival and to appease the old noble families. As a new ruler, he needed to dismantle the factions of the first and seventh princes while avoiding direct conflict with the ancient nobility. Since the old nobles despised the Buda family, Abajo used them as a sacrificial lamb to solidify his position.

The decision to administer the Void Water was driven by fear of the Buda family’s ancestral Cultivation technique: the Berserk Dragon Battle Aura. This legendary method, discovered by Adam’s great-grandfather, allowed for a Cultivation speed three times faster than normal and possessed devastating power. It was a prize coveted by every major house. If Adam ever mastered it and sought vengeance, he would be a nightmare for the nobility and the crown. Thus, Abajo ensured Adam could never practice it.

Adam only kept his life because Grimm had secretly surrendered the secret manuals of their Battle Aura to Abajo. Furthermore, Grimm swore a binding oath that no member of the Buda family would ever practice the Berserk Dragon Battle Aura again.

Grimm had delivered the technique during a clandestine night visit to the palace. His goal was twofold: to beg for Adam’s life and to demonstrate his own formidable strength, making the Emperor realize that killing Adam would come at a high price.

Wary of an expert like Grimm who could infiltrate his chambers undetected, Abajo conceded. He spared Adam's life, opting instead to demote him and exile him to the wasteland.

Grimm accepted these terms. He knew that despite his own power, he could not defeat the entire imperial apparatus. His successful infiltration had relied on his familiarity with the palace and the chaos of the recent transition of power. He knew he couldn't protect Adam forever if the Emperor was determined to kill him.

Grimm hadn't attempted to rescue Adam’s father earlier because he believed the man was too valuable as a political pawn against the old nobles for the Emperor to kill. He never expected Abajo to sacrifice such a pawn just to gain the favor of the established aristocracy. By the time the news reached him, it was too late. All he could do was save the last of the Buda bloodline.

The surrender of the Berserk Dragon Battle Aura was also motivated by the nature of the Void Water. This "treasure" was dreaded across the continent not just because it destroyed one's ability to use magic or Battle Aura, but because the effect was hereditary.

Once consumed, the victim's descendants would be unable to cultivate for ten generations. It was a curse that lasted centuries.

In a world where power was everything, a family unable to cultivate for ten generations was unlikely to survive. This was the true horror of the Void Water. Knowing that the next ten generations of Budas were barred from reaching the heights of power anyway, Grimm saw no point in hoarding the secret technique. He traded a useless manual for Adam’s survival.

It was the only move that could have worked. Without that trade, Adam would never have made it out of the capital.

Whether it was a reaction to the Void Water or some unknown sabotage, Adam had collapsed after drinking it and remained in a coma throughout the journey to the fief. It was only upon reaching the Black Soil Wilderness that he finally woke up—no longer the spoiled Adam Buda, but Zhao Hai, an otaku from Earth.