"My lord, please!"
A luxurious estate, perhaps even the word "luxurious" fails to capture the essence of this estate before us.
It resembles a royal palace more than anything.
Pavilions and towers, with the gentle flow of water.
Even the most inconspicuous pebble here exuded the scent of money.
"Truly extravagant."
Chen Yu sighed softly, while Liam smiled indifferently.
He gestured for the surrounding maids to leave.
Liam approached the stone table in the pavilion, carefully tidying the cluttered surface. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a pristine tablecloth.
Various fruits were arranged abundantly on the stone table.
"My lord, I apologize for the hasty arrangements. I hope you don't mind," Liam said, smiling and rubbing his hands together, his eyes betraying a fitting hint of apprehension.
Chen Yu watched this scene silently.
Although many things were unspoken understandings, maintaining such a balance was beneficial. Bringing them to light might make neither of them entirely comfortable.
Smiling, Chen Yu nodded and sat down.
Liam busied himself by pouring Chen Yu a cup of water before straightening his collar and saying earnestly.
"My lord!"
"Please allow me to report on my recent work."
Liam cleared his throat twice, appearing quite businesslike.
A golden land deed then appeared on the table.
"During this period, I have been focused on selling the assets of the Elton family. Looking at the progress, the results... are not as good as I had imagined."
"Oh?"
Chen Yu raised an eyebrow, and Liam spoke with gravity.
"The Elton family's industries are known to almost every prominent family. Asking them to take over, even with my status as the Chief Financial Officer's son, they would not readily agree. As for the smaller individual buyers, their appetites are also limited; a single plaza would require over a dozen small buyers to purchase it."
"Furthermore, the Kingdom of Tatu is embroiled in civil unrest."
"The Batu Free Federation outside is also casting a covetous eye. The Kingdom of Tatu is no longer a favorable investment destination."
"Those merchants are not fools, it's quite tricky."
Listening to Liam's description, Chen Yu was not particularly surprised.
When he had negotiated with the Elton family at the time...
He had not dared to hope for selling all their resources to convert them into initial capital.
Given Liam's position as the Chief Financial Officer's son,
Merchants would show him some respect. Even so, the fact that the land deeds were not selling indicated the dire state of the Kingdom of Tatu.
"Do your best,"
Chen Yu murmured softly, and Liam nodded in agreement.
"Rest assured, my lord, I will handle everything you entrust to me beautifully."
"I trust your work."
His loyalty remained at 200. Chen Yu was genuinely astonished by Liam's mindset.
Just pure loyalty!
Even the people in his camp showed fluctuations, but Liam remained remarkably stable, always at the figure of 200.
With such loyalty, Chen Yu had no fear of him causing trouble.
Furthermore, being the Chief Financial Officer's son, entrusting many matters to him was indeed most appropriate.
Chen Yu raised his eyebrows slightly at Liam and changed the subject.
"Liam, do you have any connections for city certification?"
"City certification?"
Liam looked bewildered, a frown creasing his brow.
"My lord, do you mean the kind of unowned cities that receive royal certification, thereby becoming cities under the kingdom's jurisdiction, and the certifier is recognized as the city lord?"
"Yes!" Chen Yu nodded slightly.
"That's truly not very easy to manage," Liam said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "If my lord had come two months earlier, it would have been possible. However, the Kingdom of Tatu is no longer accepting city allegiances. You should understand, the war between the Batu Federation and the Kingdom of Tatu is imminent, and the Kingdom of Tatu fears infiltrators entering the kingdom."
Hiss!
What an unfortunate coincidence.
Chen Yu frowned, listening to Liam's low murmurings without speaking for a long time.
Cities were no longer accepting certification.
Then...
Had he come here in vain?
"Is there really no possibility?" Chen Yu asked, feeling a hint of unwillingness. "Even with some gold to grease the wheels, is there no chance?"
"It's difficult!"
Liam was not very optimistic about this.
"The King himself issued an order not to accept city-states' allegiances; no one dares to act against it. Even if my lord is willing to offer tens of millions for bribes, I believe the possibility is still very slim. It's just such unfortunate timing..."
"How so?"
"If someone else were managing the certification matters, I could help my lord navigate the situation. But, the one currently in charge is the First Prince. As you know, I just severely embarrassed his lackey. Now, if I were to seek his help, wouldn't he become even more arrogant?" Liam spread his hands helplessly.
Tsk, this was indeed troublesome.
If Liam's connections yielded no results, then Chen Yu saw no need to linger any longer.
He had spent nearly a month in the capital of the Kingdom of Tatu.
He had given the royal family ample time, yet they had only dispatched Tar to him.
This perplexed Chen Yu greatly.
What exactly was the Kingdom of Tatu planning?
After waiting for so long, with the Tatu royal family still making no move, Chen Yu was too lazy to waste more time with them. His Fengqi City awaited his management.
The Pure Fire Secret Realm and the Seven-Colored Tree.
All awaited his exploration.
Lingering here any longer would be too much of a time commitment.
"Perhaps, I could try for my lord?"
After a long silence, Liam tentatively whispered.
"If my lord truly needs the certification, I will put aside my pride and make the trip for you. That First Prince should not dare to treat me too rudely. After all, I am the Chief Financial Officer's only son."
"Would that work?" Chen Yu mused.
"Let's give it a try," Liam smiled carelessly, with a hearty demeanor.
Before his words had even fallen, a maid hurried in from outside, her expression carrying a hint of solemnity.
"Young Master."
"The First Prince wishes to meet with you."
"He is already at the door."
The previous moment they were discussing the First Prince, and the next moment he had arrived in person.
Liam turned his head in surprise,
And flashed a brilliant smile at Chen Yu.
"My lord, it seems I don't need to go find him myself. We can just mention it directly to him then. This is my territory, and he dares to come here, isn't that like a sheep entering a tiger's den? If I don't extort him severely, I'll feel like I've lost out."
"Are you sure he isn't here to interrogate you?"
"Him?"
Liam's eyes betrayed utter disdain, his expression of contempt utterly unmasked.
"Interrogate me?"
"Based on his status as the First Prince, he would come to my estate to interrogate me."
"He's too full of himself."
Chen Yu watched as Liam lazily stretched, twisting his neck.
"Prepare tea in the side hall!"