Kailin looked somewhat dejected on the projection.
She had contacted Chen Yu to report the situation in the city, but her true intention was to find a suitable excuse to see Chen Yu and speak with him.
Hearing what Chen Yu had just said, she knew it would be difficult to contact him again in the future.
Despite this, when Chen Yu asked about Su Ni, she still maintained a bright smile, masking her own emotions.
"We do. We meet almost every day."
"Then haven't you noticed if she's had anything on her mind lately?" Chen Yu murmured, recalling Beibei's hesitant expression when they spoke.
Initially, Kailin had intended to say that the Black Donkey's generals had arrived.
But she swallowed the words back.
"Mind on her mind... well, I do have that feeling," Kailin mused for a moment before whispering, "But if she doesn't say anything, it's not easy for me to ask. Commander, are you afraid of..."
"It's not that I'm afraid of anything. Beibei spoke to Su Ni a few words when she came to me last time."
"Shall I ask?"
Kailin tentatively whispered.
Chen Yu, arms crossed and leaning back in his rattan chair, considered for a while before finally shaking his head. It felt intrusive to specifically ask, as if prying into Su Ni's privacy. If she wasn't willing to speak openly, it was better not to inquire.
"How about this, don't ask Su Ni either."
"If you have time, send someone to watch her discreetly for a while and see if she's encountered any difficulties. If she has, we'll help her solve it. If it's her personal matter, we won't interfere."
What Chen Yu cared about was whether Su Ni was in trouble.
She had always had a gentle disposition and a soft nature. Before liberating Black City, when she met Chen Yu, she had asked him to help redeem her sister.
Even though there were no such issues in Liberty Town now.
With the city growing larger, it was inevitable that some pests would appear. If Su Ni encountered any malicious harassment or threats and didn't want to trouble Kailin and Chen Yu, she would endure it herself. In such a situation, Chen Yu would definitely offer his assistance.
"No problem, I'll pay attention."
Kailin readily agreed. Su Ni was her sister, so she should be diligent.
"Would withdrawing the Black Donkey from our Liberty Town affect our town's security?" Chen Yu pressed again, his voice serious.
"It won't have much of an impact."
Kailin smiled and shook her head.
"There's nothing in this area that can threaten our town anymore. Although the Black Donkey has been transferred, Kuka and the others are still stationed outside, and the town remains very safe."
"Are those marshals stationed outside all well-behaved?"
"Are you referring to..."
"Just asking casually."
As Chen Yu and Little Demon had always said, the only one he truly trusted was the Black Donkey, which was the reason for his transfer.
He harbored slight concerns about the other marshals.
"I think they've been relatively well-behaved," Kailin murmured after a moment's thought. "Kuka, Jack, and Rose, for instance, they all pay their income to the town on time according to the proportion. The expenditure of resources and finances is also within a reasonable range. I haven't noticed anything unusual. As for what they do in private, our town hasn't placed any spies there, so I'm unaware."
"Paying on time," Chen Yu softly repeated.
"This was my decision, to pay income quarterly. It's also to save trouble. If resources were to be paid too frequently, I would be too overwhelmed with my own work to manage, and the several military commanders also found it troublesome."
"Have they been expanding their troops recently?"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, Kailin began searching through documents on her desk. After about half a minute, she found a rather thick file.
"In these past few months, Kuka's troop strength has expanded by 200,000. He commands a total of 320,000 troops in his subordinate cities, of which 40,000 are mages and the rest are infantry. Jack's troop strength has expanded by 270,000, commanding a total of 410,000 troops in his subordinate cities, including 60,000 mages and 20,000 earth cavalry, with the rest being infantry. Rose's troop strength has expanded by 190,000, commanding 300,000 troops in her subordinate cities, all of whom are infantry."
As she spoke, Kailin looked up at Chen Yu and added.
"The Black Donkey, who went to your location, also expanded his troop strength by 200,000, commanding 350,000 troops, all infantry."
From Kailin's report, nothing particularly stood out.
The marshals had expanded their troop numbers by roughly similar amounts, and the number of troops they commanded was also roughly equivalent. Only Jack had a larger expansion, and he also had twenty thousand earth cavalry.
"What kind of cavalry are Jack's earth cavalry?"
"Earth Dragon Cavalry," Kailin said solemnly. "Last month, Marshal Jack wiped out an Earth Dragon territory, captured all the Earth Dragons in the area, and tamed them as mounts. Our city also provided five million gold coins to help him purchase the corresponding facilities."
"What is he doing with so many troops?"
"I don't know."
Kailin shook her head, her expression a little flustered.
"Commander, these military commanders are independent of the city. Many of our city's information channels are unaware of their activities. It seems Marshal Jack is very fond of campaigning. He's almost never in his subordinate city; he leads his men on campaigns day after day. I haven't seen him in months. Now, his city is managed by his wife."
"Wife?"
Weren't Jack and Rose always a couple? They had broken up?
"Yes, Marshal Jack got married," Kailin nodded solemnly. "He didn't notify anyone about this. I only heard about it later, and his wife is a great beauty. She's a rich young lady from one of the city-states around our town. She's very skilled at calculations, and the accounts she submitted are the easiest for me to review."
"Send someone to deliver a congratulatory gift for him, and at the same time, take a look at his subordinate city's situation." Chen Yu licked his lips and exhaled.
"Commander, do you suspect Marshal Jack..." Kailin hesitated. Chen Yu's eyes revealed a smile. "Don't overthink it. It's just to check on the situation of his city. I haven't contacted him in so long, and I, as the commander, wasn't even present for his wedding. Even if I couldn't attend, a gift must be sent. Also, I want to see the development of his city to put my mind at ease."
"Yes!"
After a brief exchange about the city's recent affairs, Chen Yu ended the call with Kailin. Leaning back in his rattan chair, Chen Yu's gaze was profound.
410,000 troops, 60,000 mages, 20,000 earth cavalry.
They were really developing aggressively.
Taking advantage of Chen Yu's absence from the city, knowing that Kailin couldn't control them, these divine generals were truly sparing no effort to strengthen their own power.
The names of the several divine generals had already disappeared from the camp.
What were their intentions?
Chen Yu truly couldn't fathom it!
One thing was certain: they had better remain obedient and fulfill their roles as military commanders, and not think about doing anything that would jeopardize their future.