Want to pull a double-cross?!
Chen Yu loved this kind of thing the most.
When situations like this arose, it meant a leap in wealth. Chen Yu couldn't be bothered to care who was behind those merchants; they were definitely no match for him.
With him accompanying them to the transaction, it was as stable as could be.
Unexpectedly, Kle stared at Chen Yu with wide eyes, unable to speak for a long time.
"City Lord, you're going?"
"What's wrong with me going, I..."
Before Chen Yu could finish speaking, he suddenly remembered something in his heart.
Beneath the Painted Realm, his memories had been wiped.
At this moment, the only ones in the entire city who knew his strength should be Yabo and the little devil. In the eyes of everyone else, Chen Yu was just a City Lord with money in his pocket and a good conscience.
"With me here, our city's people will fight even harder."
"City Lord, perhaps it's better not to. It's too dangerous," Kle whispered, his brow furrowed. "I will go personally. You just stay and command..."
"Shush!"
Before Kle could finish, Chen Yu interrupted him directly.
"I'll go!"
Several hours later—
The grain merchants who came to Wind Rises City to trade grain, along with Kle and his group, departed the city. To ensure the transaction proceeded smoothly, and to give the people behind the grain merchants ample opportunity, Kle brought only a few people with him, with Lauren, the deputy commander of the cavalry corps, and other members accompanying them.
"Where exactly is the location you spoke of?"
"If we keep going like this, we'll be crossing the border of the Tatu Kingdom. The relationship between the Batu Federation and our Tatu Kingdom hasn't been very harmonious lately."
Kle furrowed his brow slightly and questioned the grain merchants beside him.
He was well aware of the dangers involved in this grain transaction. Ever since they left the city, his heart had been pounding. More importantly, he was not the only one on this journey.
As they traveled, Kle kept glancing at the members of the corps who were wearing helmets and trailing behind.
"City Lord Kle, you don't seem to trust us very much," said the stout merchant among them, a smile spreading across his face. "We've cooperated so many times. We've acquired so many resources for you from outside, with transaction volumes reaching tens of millions. Trust shouldn't be difficult between us, right?"
"If we should trust each other, why can't you trade within our city?"
Hearing the hypocritical words, Kle sneered unceremoniously.
"You've done business in my city so many times, and my city hasn't done anything to you. Now, for a few million tons of grain, you want to take us out of the city. You're not planning a double-cross, are you?"
The faces of the merchants changed uncontrollably, their mouths twitching. For a moment, they dared not reply.
Kle saw all of this.
It further confirmed the despicable thoughts in the merchants' hearts, and his worries intensified. He found himself looking at the corps members at the rear more and more frequently.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Chen Yu, hidden among the group wearing a helmet, muttered inwardly, his brow furrowed.
He had to come along. If he hadn't, perhaps these merchants would have really gone through with their double-cross. Although Lauren was quite skilled, there might be experts in other cities.
Chen Yu's accompanying them was inevitable.
It was just that Kle had been looking in his direction ever since they left the city. If this continued, it would surely arouse the merchants' suspicion.
As expected, Kle's frequent glances caught the attention of the merchants.
"What is City Lord Kle looking at?" the merchant whispered intently. Kle, hearing this, showed no change in his expression and chuckled slightly, "Just checking if there are any ambushes in the woods. I mean, where is the location? We've been walking for hours, we should be there by now. Are we really going to negotiate this deal in the Batu Federation?"
"What are you saying, City Lord? How could that be?"
"I'm a bit tired. I want to go back."
Hearing this, the merchants' expressions changed. They quickly approached Kle and tried to persuade him kindly.
"City Lord, we're already here. The place where we store our grain is just ahead. You've been walking for hours, so another half hour shouldn't matter, right?" the merchant said with a fawning smile. "Just hold on a little longer, we'll be there soon. Don't worry, we're just small merchants. We would never do something like stealing resources. Besides, no matter how bold we are, we wouldn't dare to touch you, the City Lord."
"My feet are tired."
Kle furrowed his brow slightly and looked down at his feet.
"In that case, I'll carry you!" one of the merchants said, patting his chest. "City Lord, you are a person of noble status, unlike us traveling merchants who are always on the move. We didn't prepare a carriage for you. This is indeed our oversight. It's fine if your feet are tired, we'll carry you there."
"This... it's too much trouble, isn't it?"
"Not at all!"
The merchant directly crouched down and carried Kle.
After wasting several days in the city, they had finally brought him out. No matter what, they couldn't let Kle return like this, or their lives would be over.
Little did they know, this scene left Chen Yu dumbfounded.
???
What a guy, quite enjoys being pampered.
He was trudging along in heavy armor, following behind, while this guy had found himself a ride.
"City Lord Kle, how do you feel now?"
The merchant carrying Kle smiled obsequiously. Kle nodded slightly.
"It's quite good. You're walking quite smoothly. I also have something I want to ask you. Where did you merchants get this grain? Are you actually grain merchants?"
"Oh, oh, oh, you can't say such things." The merchant was so scared that sweat beaded on his forehead.
The two mysterious organizations, the Equipment Merchants and the Grain Merchants, held very high statuses in the underground world. However, no one in the entire underground world dared to impersonate these two types of merchants.
The reason was simple: it was fatal!
No one knew the depth of these two mysterious organizations, nor did they know how terrifying their influence was. But anyone who dared to impersonate someone from their organization would not end well.
These merchants really wanted to pretend, but their heads were probably not enough to be chopped off.
"How could we be grain merchants? If we were really grain merchants, why would we have to run back and forth, earning such meager profits?" The merchant's eyes were filled with a bitter smile. "To be honest, we are not the ones cooperating with you this time. A certain lord is releasing grain."
"Oh?"
Kle, lying on the merchant's back, feigned surprise and raised an eyebrow.
"Being able to release millions of tons of grain, it's unlikely to be someone from our Tatu Kingdom, is it? Our kingdom is severely lacking in grain. Any surplus would have already been requisitioned by the kingdom. Even having tens of thousands of tons would make one a great noble."
"We cannot say that."
The merchant's eyes were filled with a bitter smile. It was evident that his physical condition was not very good. Carrying Kle all this way, his face was already covered in sweat.
Despite this, he gritted his teeth and held on tightly.
"Please understand us, we are just small merchants. We cannot afford to provoke these important figures. It is our fortune that that lord gave us this task and allowed us to earn some extra money. As for anything else, it's not for insignificant people like us to discuss."
"I understand. It's someone from our Tatu Kingdom."
Kle immediately pursed his lips and chuckled. "To dare to hoard millions of tons of grain privately, that's quite a bold move. But you don't need to worry too much. Our Wind Rises City just wants to buy grain. As for the origin of the grain, or who it belongs to, we have no interest in knowing. As long as the grain satisfies me, that's enough."
"City Lord, rest assured, the grain will satisfy you."
Almost the moment the merchant finished speaking, a camp suddenly appeared in their line of sight, with a few guards holding long spears patrolling outside.
"City Lord, we've arrived!"
The merchant gasped for breath, pointing at the camp ahead with a look of joy.
"That's where we store our grain."
Kle, having been carried for so long, no longer let the merchant carry him. He leaped from the merchant's back and followed the grain merchants into the camp.
"City Lord, this camp is newly established."
Lauren, walking behind, whispered to Chen Yu in a low voice.
"The materials look very new. If I'm not mistaken, it should have been completed last night. The materials used are quite good, all high-grade lumber."
High-grade lumber refers to lumber obtained from trees over a hundred years old.
When Chen Yu first entered the underground world, he encountered a rainforest where many trees could not be cut. Most of those trees were over a hundred years old. Compared to low-grade lumber, high-grade lumber has higher hardness, a longer burning time, and provides slightly higher flame temperatures.
"Has this camp been built within our territory with the permission of the City Lord's Mansion?"
Chen Yu, wearing a helmet, whispered, "These camps are considered black camps. When we return to the city, you will investigate how many such camps exist within our territory... within the vicinity of Wind Rises City, and record them all. Then, we will dismantle all these camps."
"Dismantle them all?"
"Why wouldn't we dismantle black camps? Without the City Lord's Mansion's permission, and not paying taxes to our city, yet building privately within our city's territory, why wouldn't we dismantle them?"
"As for camps, for a long time now..."
"Now that I am the City Lord, things have changed!" Chen Yu said in a low voice. "In the territory I govern, there can be no such black camps. Is there a problem with that?"
"No problem!"
"What are you guys whispering about?!" Suddenly, Kle, walking in front, frowned and shouted, "Can't you have some organization and discipline? Whispering like this makes outsiders laugh!"
Instantly, Lauren closed his mouth and grasped the sword at his waist. Chen Yu looked at him silently for a moment.
He also slowly lowered his head and grasped his sword without a word.
"I sincerely apologize for making you all laugh," Kle said after shouting, then cupped his hands apologetically towards the merchants. "Where is our granary?"
"There is no granary."
"Huh?"
"Lord City Lord, who would dare to put millions of tons of grain in a granary? Even if we did, how big would the granary have to be to hold all this grain?" the merchant said with a fawning smile. "Look at our small camp, with such a small area, it doesn't look like it has a granary, does it?"
"Then how do you plan to trade the grain?"
"Of course, it's cash on delivery!"
At that moment, several men with smiling faces walked out of a wooden house in the camp. Even more surprisingly, the leader was none other than Loma, who had escaped from Wind Rises City.
Seeing him appear, both Kle and the members of the cavalry corps were greatly surprised.
Even Chen Yu was momentarily stunned.
What was he doing here?
Chen Yu was now quite curious about who was behind this trade with him. This was pure foolishness, wasn't it? Loma's appearance had completely exposed them.
Didn't they understand this principle?
"Loma!"
Lauren's hand instantly gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes burning with anger. He looked as if he wanted to make a move right there, but Kle stopped him in time.
"Retreat."
Kle, pressing on Lauren's arm, kept signaling to him. Only then did Lauren reluctantly sheath his sword, but his eyes were fixed on Loma.
For knights, betrayal was the most shameful act.
Seeing Lauren sheathe his sword, Kle was relieved. Then, his face was filled with a smile.
"I didn't expect to be trading with an acquaintance from Wind Rises City this time. Why didn't you say so earlier?" Kle frowned, looking at the merchants with a hint of reproach. "If you had told me that Loma was selling us grain, why would I have been so worried all the way here? You are too wicked."
After complaining about the merchants, Kle spoke with a smile.
"Loma, we are old acquaintances. I understand the rules. I won't ask any unnecessary questions. Regarding the grain..."
"Who the hell is your old acquaintance?"
Unexpectedly, Loma, standing in front with his lips licked, cursed with cold eyes. Kle's smile slowly faded with this curse.
"You've become quite short-tempered after a few days, haven't you?"