Upon learning that Hurricane City had changed hands, Leah felt little surprise.
As soon as he knew Chen Yu was the new lord of the city, compliments poured out of Leah’s mouth like popping beans.
“That’s enough.”
Seeing Leah’s flattery becoming more and more enthusiastic, Chen Yu quickly told him to stop.
“Have the Tatu royal family made any moves?”
“What moves could they make? They’re the same as usual, scheming internally, vying for the throne.” Leah instantly adopted a nonchalant demeanor and shrugged. “It’s quite laughable, really. Intel from the border indicates the Batu Federation has begun massing troops there, while the capital is still embroiled in a power struggle for the throne. This Tatu Kingdom… it’s truly at its end.”
Leah stretched lazily, his eyes filled with a sigh.
“The Tatu Kingdom once prospered, but to think it will end in ruin. Though I didn’t participate in its founding glory, I have seen its decline and fall. It’s not as though this journey was for naught.”
“Listening to you, you don’t seem to care at all about the Tatu Kingdom’s demise,” Chen Yu raised an eyebrow.
“Why should I care about such things?”
Leah also smiled faintly, gazing out at the void beyond the mansion.
“The rise and fall of dynasties have always been a cycle, from time immemorial. Even the two great empires have seen their turns. How could the Tatu Kingdom possibly last forever? If we calculate the time, the Tatu Kingdom has been established for over a thousand years, which is not a short duration. Moreover, with the internal corruption so severe, its demise is only natural.”
A dandy, indeed, it was all an act.
Judging by Leah’s clear understanding of the kingdom’s rise and fall, it was evident that he was no mere dandy on the surface, but was hiding his true abilities.
“Besides, don’t I have you to rely on?”
Leah, holding his water cup, suddenly grinned at Chen Yu.
“You want me to rely on you?” Chen Yu’s eyes held a hint of amusement. Leah immediately put down his cup, sidled closer to Chen Yu, bumped his shoulder, and looked up, blinking his starry eyes in a faux-cute manner. “Are you really not going to look after me anymore, Your Excellency? I’ve been working for you so diligently, you wouldn’t abandon me, would you?”
In an instant, Chen Yu’s face turned cold.
“Can you scram?”
Chen Yu was genuinely disgusted. A grown man, nearly six feet three, acting cute and coy in front of you, who could stand that?
“Your Excellency, you are so heartless.”
Leah raised his fist and lightly punched Chen Yu’s shoulder, his fingers gently brushing his teary eye.
“I’m already yours.”
“Little demon, Little demon, chop him down!” Chen Yu, feeling a shiver down his spine, shouted sideways. Leah instantly regained his composure and stepped back several paces. “Is it really that serious? It was just a small joke with Your Excellency, you’re going to chop me? But seriously, if the Tatu Kingdom is truly destroyed, I really intend to defect to you, Your Excellency.”
“We’ll talk about it then.”
Chen Yu did not immediately agree. Although he did have a desire to recruit Leah, he also knew that Leah was not someone who would easily submit to others.
Even though he now called him ‘Your Excellency’ with such apparent sincerity, his ambitions were far greater.
Should they join forces in the future, it would likely be as allies, not as a superior-subordinate relationship like he had with Klein.
If they were to cooperate, many more factors would need to be considered.
So far, Chen Yu hadn’t seen any abilities from Leah other than being the son of the Chief Financial Officer. He wasn’t familiar with his family’s background, their financial resources, or their military strength.
He was not a person who made promises lightly.
“Alright, it’s indeed not the time for that yet,” Leah nodded with a smile, “But there’s something I think I should tell you.”
“What is it?”
“The person who handled your town’s certification is dead.”
“I know about that.”
Chen Yu nodded slightly. The man’s death was actually orchestrated by Chen Yu, to ensure his absolute silence and to reclaim the invested resources.
“Old Seven is investigating the matter,” Leah said.
“Any leads?” Chen Yu leaned back in his chair. Leah frowned and shook his head. “I’m not entirely clear on the specifics. Old Seven is the most cautious person; even my father can’t plant anyone on him. I’m just mentioning it to you. If you already know about it, then forget I said anything.”
After staying at the lord’s mansion for a while, Leah left the city with his retainers.
Chen Yu leaned back in his seat, contemplating what Leah had told him.
“Afraid he’ll find out about the Free Town?” the Little demon whispered. Chen Yu shook his head. “I don’t care about that. Whether he finds out about the Free Town or not is meaningless. Can he really march his troops on the Free Town? The Free Town is located at the outermost edge of the Tatu Kingdom, and the royal family is so competitive internally. Even if he is the Seventh Prince, he likely has no authority to mobilize troops. Once the certification stamp is obtained, it’s a success. Even if they expel me from the kingdom afterward, I wouldn’t care.”
From beginning to end, all Chen Yu needed was the stamp.
With the kingdom-certified stamp, the common people would be more confident in investing in the Free Town. As for being expelled from the kingdom, the common people would never know.
“What I’m pondering is the death of the old king that Leah mentioned.”
Chen Yu glanced at the Little demon for a long time, making the Little demon feel inexplicably uncomfortable under his gaze.
“What?”
“Sister Ba, tell me the truth, does this underground world truly have transcendence?” Chen Yu looked intently into the Little demon’s eyes. The Little demon frowned in confusion upon hearing this. “Why do you ask that?”
“Leah told me that the old king is not dead.”
Chen Yu gazed quietly into the Little demon’s eyes. “He told me that the news of the old king’s death from illness was a complete fabrication. The old king had touched upon the realm of transcendence, stepping into a higher domain. According to his account, people in the underground can leave this world.”
The Little demon floating in mid-air remained silent for a long time, then slowly exhaled.
“Yes.”
“It is indeed true that one can transcend the world and step into a higher domain by cultivating to a certain level in the underground.”
Chen Yu listened silently to the Little demon’s answer, his eyes revealing an irrepressible joy.
“So you’re saying…”
“Impossible.” To Chen Yu’s surprise, before he could finish his sentence, the Little demon, as if having fathomed his thoughts, ruthlessly interrupted him. “Don’t harbor any more illusions, it’s impossible.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
Chen Yu’s eyes still held a glimmer of hope.
“I know exactly what you’re going to say,” the Little demon’s expression remained resolute. “Chen Yu, don’t cling to false hopes anymore, you can’t go back.”