An alliance formed in haste is destined not to last.
From the moment the mermaid kingdom's envoy sided with Chen Yu, he knew this game was destined for him to be the ultimate victor.
No one, absolutely no one, could shake him in the slightest.
Let them go?
Dream on!
Incorporate some, enslave others.
This was the plan Chen Yu had decided on after negotiating with the mermaid envoy.
The city-state needed new blood.
The birth of families was the most fundamental condition for a city-state to rise.
So far, those who had joined Chen Yu's city-state were commoners. If given enough time, he believed that outstanding individuals would emerge from them, giving birth to families.
The premise was sufficient time.
Unfortunately, time was precisely what Chen Yu lacked most.
Thus, Chen Yu could only offer benefits to these camp leaders, reducing their funds while also enabling them to assist the city-state in its common development.
This would also make management within the city-state more convenient.
With tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps in the future, millions of people in the city-state, all governed by the Lord's Mansion, how many people would the Lord's Mansion need to manage them all?
The surge in population necessitated a tiered management system within the city-state.
The Lord's Mansion would govern the major families within the city-state, and these families would, in turn, govern the people beneath them. Only then could they avoid exhaustion in mid to late-stage management.
In fact, the inclusion of these camp leaders was also a spur-of-the-moment decision by Chen Yu.
His initial thought was to attract prestigious families like the Aelton family to supplement the city-state's secondary management personnel.
However, the appearance of the camp leaders changed Chen Yu's mind.
The prestigious families of the underground world possessed deep foundations, making them extremely difficult to control. However, with these camp leaders, as long as they saw sufficient benefits, they would automatically bind themselves to Chen Yu's city-state. Moreover, they could help Chen Yu suppress other camp leaders.
The various camps harbored mutual conflicts and grievances. If any one party was in trouble, the other camp leaders would absolutely kick them down, sending them into an abyss.
This would save Chen Yu a lot of effort.
Speaking of which, these camp leaders, who stubbornly refused to surrender and hoped for a desperate comeback, were quite pitiful.
Chen Yu did not pity them for being incited by Kimura and walking into this quagmire. Their true misfortune was their terrible luck.
They ran into Chen Yu!
He believed that throughout the entire underground world, there were certainly many similar camp leaders. It was just that those camp leaders' regions did not encounter an outsider like Chen Yu.
They could have been local overlords in the outer regions.
"Chen Bantian, what exactly do you mean!!!" The captured camp leaders were flustered, their eyes bulging as if they would split. "You deliberately played us, you played us!!!"
"Huh?!" Chen Yu scratched his head in confusion. "What does this have to do with me?"
Svel, who was gagging from the stench of the orcs, listened to the enraged roars in his ears and looked at the sneering legionary beast soldiers before him, his expression undergoing a drastic change.
"Chen Bantian, you're not trying to exploit a loophole in the soul oath, are you!"
Svel stared intently at Chen Yu and said solemnly, "A soul oath is not as simple as you think. These legions are indeed under your command. What you are doing now is violating the oath."
"Really? I don't believe you."
Chen Yu's eyes were filled with a smile; he showed no concern for the contract at all.
This was truly interesting.
What did Chen Bantian's soul oath have to do with him, Chen Yu?
He was now intent on capturing slaves.
During this period, the exploration teams he dispatched had thoroughly investigated the surrounding areas and discovered that many camps possessed mineral resources.
This kind of mining work was best suited for slaves.
The city-state needed free citizens, and it also needed to capture those who were disobedient for labor reform. Otherwise, the people of the underground world would think that Chen Yu was a truly good-natured person whom anyone could bully.
Coincidentally, the leaders of these camps were all relatively strong.
Chen Yu decided to "strike the mountain to shake the tiger."
Seeing Chen Yu's mocking smile, Svel knew that Chen Yu was determined to deal with them. His thoughts of returning to the city to muster troops and attack were about to be dashed.
He absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.
"Envoy!!!" In despair, Svel looked expectantly at the envoy. "This outsider is breaking his word. You all witnessed it."
The mermaid envoy remained silent. This silence made Svel's heart sink even further into despair.
"Envoy!"
"We have not found any irregularities with Mr. Chen's actions. This matter began with you maliciously causing trouble for this gentleman, disturbing the peaceful lives of this city-state. You offered compensation, and after accepting it, this gentleman indeed did not obstruct you further." The mermaid envoy spoke.
"Nonsense, utter nonsense!"
Svel roared with red eyes, then laughed with a ferocious expression.
"I understand, you've taken his bribe, haven't you? I never thought the Mermaid Kingdom would accept bribes!! How much did he give you? I'll give you double!"
"Please speak and act with caution," the mermaid envoy said, his expression unchanged.
"Speak and act with caution, hahaha, the Mermaid Kingdom has truly broadened my horizons." Svel laughed wantonly, then his smile suddenly retracted as he looked at Chen Yu. "Chen Bantian, no wonder you're so confident. It turns out you have some unspeakable dealings with the Mermaid Kingdom, but you can't kill us."
"Oh?"
Chen Yu raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"There are laws within the kingdom. I am a personnel of the City Lord's Mansion, serving a city under the kingdom's jurisdiction. Killing me is equivalent to treason. These camp leaders are also citizens of the kingdom, and their camps are protected by the kingdom. The kingdom allows healthy competition in the outer regions, but it absolutely prohibits large-scale slaughter and imprisonment!"
Svel glared at Chen Yu with a ferocious expression, laughing wildly.
"So, do you dare to touch me? If you dare to touch me, it's treason. Imprisoning and killing them is also a serious crime. If you're sensible, you'll release all of us immediately, or else..."
"Or else what?"
Chen Yu's eyes were filled with a smile, his expression unchanged.
"You've said all that, what are you trying to express? Killing me is treason, imprisoning them is a serious crime, but I haven't joined your kingdom yet."
Svel's face, mid-laugh, twitched. Chen Yu spread his hands with a look of confusion.
"I am not a citizen of the kingdom, my city is not a city of the kingdom, I... am bound by no restrictions."
"Won't you join the kingdom in the future? This will become a stain on you!" Svel yelled, but Chen Yu remained indifferent. "I don't know what a stain is. I only know that when I throw ten million gold coins in front of them, I... will be a law-abiding citizen of the kingdom."
"You're trying to threaten me with this? Wake up."
Chen Yu chuckled, watching Svel's eyes gradually turn a despairing gray.
"All of you will become my prisoners. I will not only capture you but also your camps. My city-state's legions will also be informed. Don't worry, you'll be reunited soon."
Chen Yu smiled and lightly tapped his head, then looked at Jack and the others.
"Those who surrender will be spared. Those who resist will be killed."