"Attack the city?"
Mi Mu excitedly rubbed her small hands, her eyes shining like stars.
"Since the words are out, if I don't go see him, where will my reputation be?" Gently adjusting her veil, Mi Ye slowly rose, her delicate toes stepping onto the wooden platform to sit before the map. "Our city's management team is all prepared. If we don't capture a few more cities, people will be idle."
"That's true."
Mi Mu, who had walked to the front of the map to examine the attack routes, nodded slightly.
Although the development of Mi Lu City was swift, it took less than two years to capture the main city and then all the surrounding towns, city-states, and resource cities.
For every city she captured, Mi Ye would replace the administration with her own team.
Even so, she still had many talented individuals under her who were eager to prove themselves and longed for a stage to showcase their abilities.
Just a few days ago, while strolling through the city, she was asked by someone when the City Lord would be establishing new cities.
"Many in our city are more anxious than you, sister," Mi Mu muttered, staring at the route on the map. "They all think your title as Earl is too low. If you could become a Duke, they could also be enfeoffed higher. Oh, looking at the main road on this map, if we want to go to Hailuos, we have to pass through Luoka. Will Luoka let us?"
"He won't."
Mi Ye smiled, gazing at the map, her gentle eyes filled with wisdom.
"Luoka is the most jealous person. He must have been quite unhappy when I was enfeoffed as an Earl. He was the only one among the former council members who was an Earl, and he was very proud of it. Now that I am also an Earl, it has shaken his position. If I were to attack Hailuos, the impact on him would be even greater."
"You see, Hailuos is located in a border region."
"His territory borders Luoka's territory. If I take over Hailuos's land, it will directly affect the safety of Luoka's territory."
"So how could he possibly tolerate that?"
"Not to mention that Hailuos's territory was originally within Luoka's grasp. He simply hasn't found the right time to take Hailuos's city into his own hands. If we attack, Hailuos's few cities are bound to fall. Aren't we snatching food from his mouth?"
"Look here."
Saying this, Mi Ye pointed her finger towards a winding mountain path covered in dense jungle. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
"If Luoka doesn't let us use the main road, we can only go through this mountain path to get to Hailuos. It's rugged, and the distance is several times that of the main road. Although our city has no shortage of provisions and doesn't fear wasting time, such a rugged mountain path is too dangerous. A slight mistake could lead to an accident. If we are ambushed beforehand, our situation will become even more passive."
Staring at the map, Mi Mu couldn't help but nod.
Although her mind wasn't the sharpest, when it came to commanding troops and fighting battles, she was definitely a skilled hand. Even without Mi Ye saying it, she could understand.
"Looking at it this way, we must break through his blockade."
Mi Mu narrowed her eyes, gazing at the main road on the map.
"No need," Mi Ye shook her head slightly, smiling softly. "What I said just now is the normal progression of things. It's just that there have been some minor changes."
"What changes?"
"Isn't Luoka's only precious darling now in the hands of Fengqi City?"
"Ah?!"
Mi Mu, tilting her head, was momentarily bewildered.
What was going on?
Was there a direct connection between these two things?
"You don't need to understand," seeing Mi Mu's confused gaze, Mi Ye gently rubbed her little head. "Knowing these things is of no use to you."
"Sister, don't underestimate me."
Mi Mu suddenly frowned, placing one hand on her hip and waving her right hand as if commanding armies.
"It's just that Luoka's son has been captured, so he will become hesitant, right? We've used this tactic before when attacking cities. It's just that I don't quite understand. Before, we always held this leverage ourselves to negotiate. This time, it's in the hands of Fengqi City. Shouldn't we keep it ourselves?"
"You also said 'before, we attacked cities'," Mi Ye murmured.
Attacking a city and borrowing a road are two completely different matters. The former aims to seize the opponent's foundation, while the latter is merely passing through your road, which does not affect the city at all. As for subsequent threats, those are matters for later. For now, it is safe.
Although holding Luoka's offspring would indeed have some deterrent effect on Luoka.
A feud would also be forged.
Despite Luoka's heavy jealousy, he could definitely be considered a ruthless individual. If he were truly cornered with no way out, it was not impossible for him to abandon his son and engage Mi Ye in a decisive battle to boost his side's morale.
Mi Ye intended to deal with him, but the time was not yet right.
If it were in Fengqi City's hands, the outcome would be different. He had a flawed mind to send his son to engage in a black-eat-black scheme.
When it failed, being captured by Fengqi City was understandable.
If it were in Mi Ye's hands, the issue would evolve into an alliance between Mi Lu City and Fengqi City, which would then attract the suspicion of the Grand Tutor and the Seventh Prince.
No matter how one looked at it, it would be disadvantageous to her.
"Sister, I have another small question," Mi Mu frowned, her lips slightly pursed. "Hailuos seems to be from the Grand Tutor's faction, and we are from His Highness the Seventh Prince's faction. If we attack the city of someone from the Grand Tutor's faction, will the Seventh Prince, who relies on the Grand Tutor's power, allow it?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
Mi Ye smiled slightly, slowly rolling up the map.
"The territory of the Grand Tutor's faction, in the end, still belongs to the Grand Tutor's faction. It does not belong to the Seventh Prince. If I conquer Hailuos's city, the territory will become his. In this situation, why would he be unwilling?"
"But aren't the Grand Tutor and the Seventh Prince allies?"
"I used to be part of Mi Kun's family too!" Mi Ye snorted. "Do his cities belong to me?"
"So many complicated questions. My head feels like it's not enough."
After racking her brain and failing to understand, Mi Mu slumped onto the table, her face exhausted, muttering.
"I'm not thinking about these anymore. Sister, you give the plan, and I'll lead the troops to attack. The world of adults is so complicated. It's more fun talking to that big-headed soldier."
Stretching lazily, Mi Mu rubbed her eyes and mumbled.
"Sister, I'm going back to sleep. I'm so sleepy."
"Go back and rest. You've worked hard these past few days," Mi Ye smiled gently, watching Mi Mu's retreating back as she left her villa.
Only after the sounds of the spirited girl's footsteps disappeared did Mi Ye look at the wind chimes under the eaves again.
"We can understand each other, can't we?"
Drip—
Drip—
In the damp dungeon, the sound of water droplets falling into a pool echoed intermittently. The entire dungeon was filled with a heavy, damp smell. The mixture of mud and the stench of air that hadn't been exchanged for a long time was enough to make one nauseous.
The ground was muddy and uneven. Chen Yu's brows remained furrowed as he walked along the path.
"Damn, this is too filthy."
Chen Yu, covering his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, couldn't help but complain.
The path in this dungeon was even worse than a country dirt road. As soon as he stepped into the thick mud, it felt like rotten slime.
Lauren's expression remained unchanged as he softly explained.
"In the past, this dungeon was used to detain death row inmates and stubborn criminals. The environment was indeed much worse than the dry dungeon before. Although the environment was harsh, it also had a peculiar effect. The prisoners detained here would confess everything they were supposed to reveal within a short period. Of course, this is what I've heard. In the past, this dungeon was under the control of the city guards, which was within Yao Bo and their jurisdiction."
Chen Yu did not doubt the truth of this.
Could he not doubt it?
Being in such an environment for even a second was torture. With every breath, one didn't know how many microorganisms were being inhaled. Anyone with a normal mind couldn't withstand the torment of such an environment.
Most importantly, this place was also very damp.
After staying here for a while, one's entire body would become soaked. Although not immersed in water, it was akin to being soaked in water.
The pain of such a sensation was something only those who experienced it would know.
It had to be said that the person who created this dungeon was indeed a talent, and definitely good for torture.
Chen Yu endured the smell of the place, his body enveloped by fire element. If he didn't have elemental power to protect himself, Chen Yu estimated he would have become a "water person" by now.
"Where are the people we captured?"
Chen Yu whispered. Lauren gestured forward with his chin.
"It's just around the corner."
Walking quickly towards the corner, the people captured the previous night appeared before Chen Yu's eyes.
This place should be considered a torture chamber.
A dazzling array of torture instruments were piled up or fixed to the walls of the cells, and the positions where the instruments were fixed were precisely arranged.
The restrained people could neither squat nor stand properly.
Seeing this, Chen Yu even suspected that the person who designed this torture chamber might not be from outside the dungeon.
It was too classic.
Without using any cruel torture, simply restraining your wrists and making you squat awkwardly here to endure. Normal people would be considered experts if they could last for half an hour in this squatting position. Even though the dungeon world was one of sword and magic, the common people had some resilience.
Could they endure for ten hours?
If ten hours wasn't enough, they would just let him squat there for seven days or half a month.
"Who designed this torture chamber?" Chen Yu, deeply shocked, couldn't help but ask sideways. Lauren frowned, "I don't know. This torture chamber seems to have been here since Fengqi City existed."
"Those torture instruments..."
"The torture instruments all have sealing effects. Once worn, they will seal the prisoner's cultivation realm, and even Color Realm experts will be affected."
Advanced torture instruments!
Chen Yu's eyes couldn't help but light up.
Torture instruments that could seal cultivation realms, and were effective even on Color Realm experts, were far better than the trivial torture instruments he had obtained before.
These sealing torture instruments were likely very valuable.
As expected of the former Hurricane City!
The saying "a starved camel is still bigger than a horse" was indeed not baseless. Even though the city above the dungeon was dilapidated, it still possessed the heritage of thousands of years.
Just these advanced torture instruments, at least his Free Town did not have them.
"Good stuff."
He scanned the torture instrument with his wristband.
[Demon Sealing Handcuffs (Color Grade)]
See, even these torture instruments were Color Grade, no wonder they could seal Color Realm experts. There was just one thing that concerned Chen Yu: why were they called handcuffs?
If people from outside the dungeon saw this, it was hard not to associate it with certain things.
"How much longer are you going to keep us waiting?"
Suddenly, a weak voice reached Chen Yu's ears.
Following the sound, Chen Yu saw a disheveled person, soaked all over, squatting by the corner with his left hand cuffed.
Chen Yu slowly approached and took out a stick to lift the person's wet hair.
"It's you, didn't you escape?"
"Release me quickly, release me!" Loma's face was as pale as paper, and he shouted hysterically, but his shouting had no deterrent force, or rather, it was so faint that Chen Yu had to listen carefully to hear it.
"You burned the granary, how could I release you?"
"Granary?"
Loma gasped for air.
"It's not about the granary anymore. I... I am the son of Earl Luoka. Release me quickly, or my father will know that you've imprisoned me, and he won't... Ah..."
As Loma was speaking, Chen Yu gently poked his thigh with the stick.
The intense soreness immediately caused Loma to cry out in pain.
Following that, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably. His legs could no longer support him, and his cuffed wrists dangled his arms, his wrist skin rubbing until blood flowed.
Chen Yu watched this scene silently, holding the stick in his hand.
"You're already a prisoner, and you're still being so arrogant. Your head is a bit unclear."