Fengqi City, central plaza.
Once the most prosperous area of Hurricane City, the center of trade, capable of generating millions of gold coins for Hurricane City in a single day, it had now become the most dilapidated part of the entire city.
The death of the Hurricane City lord and the ascension of the new lord, Clay.
Without the deterrence of the old lord, the nobles scoffed at Clay, who came from nowhere and had no foundation. The unrestrained nobles began to amass wealth within the city, and the merchants, unable to bear the burden, abandoned the city. The nobles, having lost their targets for exploitation, also left the city.
However, this was not the decisive factor in Hurricane City's decline.
What truly caused Hurricane City to lose its vitality and its people, its very means of survival, was the signal released by the Batu Federation of their impending declaration of war on the Tatu Kingdom.
The Tatu Kingdom and the Batu Federation shared a vast border.
Hurricane City, stretching seven thousand li horizontally and vertically, happened to be the first barrier for the Batu Free Federation's offensive into the Tatu Kingdom.
The nobles, who held powerful armies, left the city, leaving the people without hope. Unwilling to be buried in the soil for no reason in times of war, they could only abandon the homeland on which they depended for survival.
The people were in a panic, driven from their homes.
Those with a little more courage no longer concealed their inner ugliness, doing their best to plunder resources within the city. The rich commercial district in the central plaza also became their primary target for contention. Under the looting, this commercial district lost its former glory.
"It truly makes one sigh."
Sitting on the roof of a dilapidated shop, gazing at this chaotic and ruined land, Ya Bo's eyes held an indescribable sense of emotion and lament.
He was someone who had witnessed the glory of this place.
Seeing this scene of dilapidation before his eyes, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
"Brother, why are we here?" The fox-person frowned, staring at the crowded central plaza. "These are refugees who have fled to our city. You know Lord Clay's attitude towards us. The food he distributed doesn't include us, and we don't lack grain. Why should we mingle with these refugees?"
"Let's observe."
Ya Bo, with his hands propped on the eaves, had a hint of a nonchalant smile in his eyes.
"I heard there will be a major announcement in the central plaza today."
"What does his announcement have to do with us?" The fox-person, who had been impatient since their arrival, became even more agitated upon hearing Ya Bo's words. "Brother, I truly don't understand you. We brothers left the city overnight. With our skills, we could have achieved wealth anywhere. You insist on staying in this city at great risk. It's true, this city is our home, but the problem is, none of us have clean records."
"That's enough, Fourth. Big Brother definitely has his reasons for doing things."
The man with a mole on his face couldn't stand it any longer and interrupted the fox-person. "You're always so hasty. What's wrong with just observing?"
"You guys really..."
"Arguing?"
Just as the fox-person was muttering with a frown, a light, low voice entered the ears of Ya Bo and his brothers.
"None of your business?!"
The fox-person, still angry, instinctively glared and shouted. When he turned around and saw the black-robed youth smiling before him, he was so frightened that he froze, his lips trembling, unable to utter another word.
"Lord... Lord City Lord."
The throat of the man with the mole convulsed violently, and the others also stood frozen, afraid to speak.
That day, when they had hijacked the grain transport team, they had all participated. Naturally, they had all witnessed the scene of over a dozen leaders having their souls extracted and lying like rotten meat before them.
No one dared to show any disrespect to Chen Yu.
"Hello."
Chen Yu waved with a smile, his face full of cordiality. When he looked at Ya Bo, Ya Bo on the eaves was also looking at him.
"Looking at me like that, do you have something against me?"
Chen Yu smiled slightly, walked directly past the man with the mole and the fox-person, sat down beside Ya Bo, and took a sip of juice from Ilya's bracelet.
"Aren't you afraid of any accidents coming here alone?"
Ya Bo glanced around. "If my senses are correct, that necromancer is not around you. If I were to attack you now, she probably wouldn't have time to save you."
Chen Yu, sipping his juice, smiled without responding to Ya Bo's words, holding up the juice.
"Want to try?"
"No interest."
Ya Bo's face was icy, appearing very unsociable.
Little did he know, his brothers watching this scene had their hearts in their throats. Even the man with the mole had a dry mouth, shocked by Ya Bo's attitude towards Chen Yu.
How dare he speak like that?
Was he truly not afraid that Chen Yu would call that necromancer over?
"I like people with personality," Chen Yu said with a smile after being rejected. From his expression, outsiders could not discern any emotion. "However, I don't particularly like people who are *too* individualistic."
"What do you mean?"
"I've actually given you enough face. We both know what you've done. It just so happens that your luck is good, and Fengqi City is in need of talented individuals. You also possess some skills, which has made me have a heart for talent." Chen Yu, sipping his juice, looked sideways at Ya Bo and said, "Unfortunately, in my eyes, your peak Black Obsidian strength is not enough to be arrogant with me. Forget about you, even those in the Colored Realm or Saints need to maintain the right measure. I can tolerate some of your minor quirks, but I absolutely do not need someone disobedient, do you understand?"
"Of course, I understand that."
Surprisingly, Ya Bo did not continue to stubbornly agree with Chen Yu's words at this moment.
"It seems you are still pragmatic." Chen Yu smiled slightly and put the juice back into the bracelet. Ya Bo remained noncommittal. "But I still say the same thing, for me to pledge loyalty, I must at least see hope. If what you do is unacceptable to me, even if your necromancer extracts my soul and imprisons me for life, I will not bow to you."
"Conversely..."
Chen Yu raised his eyebrows, and Ya Bo exhaled deeply.
"If what you do is truly excellent, what's wrong with selling this life to you?"
"The contract is made." Chen Yu smiled and patted Ya Bo's shoulder. "I believe our future collaboration will be very pleasant. I am not interested in your life. Keep it well and burn it in service to this Fengqi City."
"Are you that confident?"
Looking at the smile in Chen Yu's eyes, Ya Bo's brow furrowed slightly.
"If I didn't have this confidence, I wouldn't have taken over this city." Chen Yu smiled and looked at Ya Bo, saying, "Be mentally prepared. I fear you may not be able to withstand the shock later. Perhaps... your worldview might be overturned."
With that, Chen Yu stood up, patted Ya Bo's shoulder again, and said softly.
"Congratulations, you've made a wise decision by not attacking me."
"You are not my match."