The black bean, with his eyes narrowed, spoke with conviction.
He had been watching Kuka for some time. After the fusion of the divine generals, he had been secretly observing the movements of several of them, investigating them covertly.
The fusion of the divine generals had caused subtle changes in the habits of several individuals.
However, these changes were within acceptable limits.
Only Kuka made Black Bean feel deeply wary.
"How did you figure that out?"
Chen Yu's eyes twinkled with a smile as he returned to his rattan chair and took a sip of juice.
"This kid disappears at night. I don't know what he's up to. He's always lurking around with a sinister look on his face." Black Bean narrowed his eyes and whispered.
Chen Yu, in the rattan chair, burst into laughter and tossed him a piece of cheese.
"Eat your cheese."
"Boss, don't you believe me?" Black Bean's eyes were filled with grievance. He suddenly pointed at the cheese. "Just look at this cheese. Last time I tried to tease him with it, he didn't even glance at it."
"You..."
Chen Yu sighed with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"These past few nights, have you been resting in your room, or have you been keeping an eye on Kuka and the others' movements? Bean, your most important task now is to learn from Sona. As for other things..."
Before Chen Yu could finish speaking, he felt an unfriendly gaze cast upon him from the side.
"Oh, and Barbara. Learn well from them. Other matters concerning the camp and the city-state are not for you to worry about right now."
"Is that so."
With a dejected little face, Black Bean quietly lowered his head.
"You..." Chen Yu chuckled, ruffling his head, and pondered for a moment. "I've noted everything you've said. I'll be more vigilant. You've worked hard these past few days."
"No trouble. I am, after all, the second master of the city-state. It's only right."
Black Bean grinned, placed his hands on his hips, "If boss thinks I've done a good job, it would be even better if you could give me some operational funds."
The simple-minded Black Bean continuously rubbed his hands, his eyes full of anticipation.
"I knew you were definitely up to something when you were being so attentive." Chen Yu took out a large bag of gold coins from his prayer beads. "Your contribution to the collection of resources this time is significant. Here's 500,000 gold coins."
Black Bean's eyes lit up, and he reached out to take it.
"Hold on." Chen Yu, with his hand extended, suddenly retracted the bag, leaving Black Bean grasping at air. "While you have free rein with this money, don't get too cocky. Don't think I don't know what you want to do with it. Be discreet when you're outside our city-state."
"Boss, you know..." Black Bean stuck out his tongue.
Chen Yu merely smiled and said nothing, tossing the money bag towards Black Bean.
In this city-state, there was nothing he didn't know.
He was aware of even the trivial matters of the citizens, let alone the actions of core members like Black Bean.
"Go on."
With a smile and a wave of his hand, Black Bean, clutching the bag, hopped away from the camp.
"Hmph hmph hmph~"
Humming an unknown melody, Black Bean's eyes were filled with joy.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past him.
"Huh?"
Seeing the shadow, Black Bean froze, furrowed his brow, put away the money bag, and chased after it.
"Hey, you guys, did you see anyone suspicious lurking around our camp just now?" Black Bean, having failed to catch up to the suspicious figure, questioned a few patrolling dog-headed warriors.
The dog-headed warriors all shook their heads.
"Second Master, no one dares to come to our camp. Besides, we have sentries every ten meters, and it's so well-lit around here. If anyone dared to come, they would definitely be discovered."
Black Bean frowned and looked around.
It was brightly lit!
"Then it seems I was just being overly cautious," Black Bean muttered to himself, watching as the dog-headed warriors took two gold coins from the bag. "You've worked hard on guard duty. I know you might be tired, but you must stay alert and not let any suspicious individuals enter our camp. These few gold coins are for you to have a drink or two after your shift."
"Thank you, Second Master!"
The dog-headed warriors grinned, and Black Bean looked around again, a smile on his face.
"Perhaps I was truly being overly cautious."
Humming a little tune, Black Bean, carrying the money bag, hopped away again.
Meanwhile, within the camp—
Dark shadows flitted about, like phantoms in the night, stopping only near Chen Yu's side courtyard, disappearing into the darkness.
"If you indulge him so much, how will he become your right-hand man?"
The little demon, with her arms crossed, gazed at Black Bean's departing back. "Shouldn't you be a bit stricter?"
"It also depends on personality," Chen Yu whispered softly. "Black Bean is the type who doesn't like to be constrained. It's already good that he's willing to settle down and learn from you all for me. I don't want to push him too hard. Although the current situation is indeed quite dire, he's still young, after all."
Looking at the entire camp, Black Bean was probably the youngest, besides Beibei.
If possible, Chen Yu didn't want to burden him too much.
Furthermore, Black Bean was not without his merits. He possessed the talent of a spirit beast of resources. With this alone, he could be a distinguished guest in any country.
Now that he was actively trying to learn more knowledge.
It was all for Chen Yu.
Otherwise, would he need to make any effort?
Not at all!
"Just let him do what he wants to do," Chen Yu sighed softly. "My only worry is that his temperament is fine in our own city-state, but he might cause trouble in other city-states."
"Then you'll clean up his mess."
The little demon, with her arms crossed, shrugged and gave a playful smile.
"You never miss an opportunity to mock me." Chen Yu sighed softly. Sona, with her arms crossed, her snow-white eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "From the recent probes, we can see that our suspicions are correct. Among the divine generals, Rou Si and Kuka are the most suspicious. What do you plan to do?"
Leaning against the rattan chair, Chen Yu remained silent for a long time.
It was just a test!
Before the fusion, Chen Yu would have undoubtedly trusted Kuka and the others completely. However, with the fusion of ancient divine generals' personalities, he was not entirely sure.
What he had just done was to reconfirm the loyalty of these individuals.
The result was slightly disappointing.
"In the short term, they shouldn't do anything too out of line. Our city-state also needs their strength now, so we can afford to wait a bit," Chen Yu said with narrowed eyes. "Besides, I don't think Kuka has much of a problem. In fact, he makes me feel the most at ease among them."
"Partner, have you lost your mind?"
The little demon reached out and placed her hand on Chen Yu's forehead, her face filled with disbelief.
"No matter how you look at it, Kuka is the most suspicious among them. He's so sinister; I find him creepy. Yet, you say he makes you feel at ease."
"Want to bet again?" Chen Yu suddenly smiled, his lips pursed.
"Pfft!"
The little demon furrowed her little face and spat fiercely.
The word 'bet' now gave her a headache. The days she was made to serve as a maid by Chen Yu were still vivid in her memory. She wouldn't be fooled again.
"He's your subordinate. If there's a problem, it's your headache. Why would I bet with you?"
"You're getting smarter." Chen Yu's eyes were filled with amusement. He stood up and stretched lazily. "We should probably prepare to head to the Royal City for certification."
Given the current situation, city-state certification was best done as early as possible to avoid unforeseen complications.
With the resources provided by the Elton family, the city-state could proceed with construction in an orderly manner. With Kailin and Er Gou, who had the sick soldiers, guarding the city, along with so many defensive weapons, the city-state should not encounter major problems.
"If I could, I really wouldn't want to go to that wretched place."
Chen Yu couldn't help but sigh.
After all, the Royal City was not his territory, and it was the core area of the Tatu Kingdom. Any misstep in the Royal City could put him in extreme danger.
Yet, he had to go.
"I suggest bringing Roni Elton along," the little demon suddenly said, her lips pursed. "She grew up in the Royal City and knows more about the complex power structures there than Sona and I. All we can offer you is some understanding, but the Tatu Kingdom is a newly established kingdom. In our time, there was no Tatu Kingdom in the catacombs."
"I agree."
Rarely, Sona echoed the little demon's suggestion.
"Let's see. I don't think Fu Hua Elton would be willing to let Roni return with me. Moreover, we still need to make some subsequent arrangements. I'll discuss it with Fu Hua Elton," Chen Yu murmured.
Suddenly, rustling sounds came from outside the camp.
Chen Yu's expression instantly tensed, and the little demon's palm condensed with dark purple flames.
"Who!"