The Dungeon, a world steeped in mystery.
Chen Yu and the invited explorers had no prior knowledge of this world, their only certainty being the desperate need to survive.
Yet, as time wore on, someone would inevitably begin to delve deeper into the Dungeon, to lift its veil of mystery.
Chen Yu was one such person.
From the mouths of the little demon and Sona, Chen Yu gained a broad understanding of the Dungeon's general landscape.
The world of the Dungeon was immense, its area likely tens of times larger than the world Chen Yu and his companions came from. This vast planar expanse was bound to result in a complex web of factions.
The entire Dungeon could be divided into four major factions.
The Human Empire, the Orc Empire, the Merman Empire, and the Demon King's Domain.
Among them, the Demon King's Domain held the greatest strength. The Dungeon was bisected by the sea controlled by the North Sea Merman Kingdom, and the Demon King's Domain possessed nearly half of the Dungeon's territory.
Demon King Barbara, who commanded over a dozen large cities, was only considered mid-to-upper tier within the Demon King's Domain.
The remaining half of the territory was controlled by humans and orcs.
Humans and orcs divided their territories with the North Sea Merman Kingdom as the dividing line. Both sides were ruled by their respective great empires, with numerous smaller kingdoms under their dominion.
The specific arrangement was roughly as follows:
Demon, Demon, Fish, Beast, Empire
Demon, Demon, Chaos, North, North
Demon, Demon, Fish, Human, Empire
The two seas separating the demon race from the human and orc empires were the other two of the three great empires of the Merman Kingdom. The 'Chaos' in the middle was the convergence point of these four powers.
In the past, this region was ruled by a powerful undead being.
After this undead powerhouse perished, all four factions began vying for control of the area, with their forces extending towards it.
The region Chen Yu currently occupied was this land of chaos.
The outer fringe where the four factions converged.
Specifically, it belonged to the Tatu Kingdom, a subordinate of the human's Bright Moon Empire.
Among the many kingdoms that existed by virtue of their vassalage to empires, the Tatu Kingdom's strength was considered downstream. Otherwise, the kingdom wouldn't have extended into this chaotic zone to expand its territory. Truly powerful kingdoms were located in the core regions of the empires, free from external warfare and only dealing with internal strife, allowing for much better development than those on the periphery.
Such kingdoms placed immense importance on their economies.
The Elton family was the largest commercial dynasty in the Tatu Kingdom, playing a significant role in the kingdom's economic development. If the Tatu Kingdom were to continue developing in a healthy manner, even if the Elton family's operations encountered problems, the kingdom would absolutely not abandon them but would intervene and support them.
Who would have thought that the kingdom would completely disregard the Elton family's affairs?
When the little demon and Sona spoke of these matters to Chen Yu, he found it utterly baffling. He never imagined that the answer he would receive during his late-night talk with Fu Hua Elton would be—
"Recommendation of Filial Piety and Honesty."
"What does your family have to do with the Recommendation of Filial Piety and Honesty?"
Chen Yu frowned, looking at the business magnate opposite him with a touch of disbelief.
"Do you recognize this?"
Suddenly, Fu Hua Elton took out a token forged from colorful stones. The token shimmered with iridescent light, bearing the characters '孝廉' (Xiào Lián) embossed on its front.
"The Filial Piety and Honesty Token," Chen Yu raised an eyebrow.
"You actually recognize it." Fu Hua Elton took the token back and toyed with it. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure what this token does. It's just that after this token appeared in my family, our lineage began to decline. It wasn't until a divine prophecy appeared that I learned this was the Filial Piety and Honesty Token, a recognition from the God King towards our lineage."
"You're saying you possessed this token before the divine prophecy occurred."
"Yes."
"Then, have you ever considered a question?" Chen Yu's gaze suddenly became solemn. "Your family's decline might also be significantly related to the Tatu Kingdom."
Fu Hua Elton frowned, remaining silent. Chen Yu continued.
"If it were simply because your family threatened someone's interests, even if the kingdom ignored it, your family's foundation should not have declined so irretrievably. Have you ever considered that perhaps the kingdom itself was the puppeteer behind this?"
"Haha, hahahaha…"
Suddenly, Fu Hua Elton, clutching the Filial Piety and Honesty Token, burst into laughter.
"How could I not have thought of these things? But do you know, I dared not even think about them." Fu Hua Elton gazed intently at Chen Yu and whispered, "The entire Elton family developed by relying on the Tatu Kingdom. If the kingdom truly intended to destroy our lineage, then we would have no ability to resist."
Chen Yu remained silent.
He could imagine the depth of despair in Fu Hua Elton's heart. A commercial family built upon dependence on the kingdom might not necessarily face annihilation if it lost the kingdom's support, but if the kingdom wished to crush him, he absolutely would not survive.
Fu Hua Elton indeed dared not think about it, nor could he.
Even if he knew the kingdom wanted to crush him, he had to cling to a sliver of hope that all this was merely his own unfounded worry.
Otherwise, what else could he do?
Move the family's foundation out of the kingdom to develop in another country?
Even if he were willing to make a drastic sacrifice, how could the kingdom possibly grant him the opportunity to leave? He couldn't escape even if he wanted to.
"I am very grateful for your honesty."
Chen Yu whispered softly, nodding slightly towards Fu Hua Elton.
"If you can no longer find any other way out, then it seems cooperating with me is the best and only option."
"But your situation isn't necessarily any better than mine," Fu Hua Elton said.
"That's true."
Chen Yu did not refute this and readily agreed.
"My situation is also quite dire. We are both intelligent people, and there's no need to spell out every word. But even in my terrible state, I am still much better off than the Elton family. I am an outsider, entirely alone in the Dungeon. At worst, I can abandon this city-state and, using this camp you're currently in, I can still live quite well in the Dungeon."
"What do you want from me?" Fu Hua Elton frowned.
Having navigated the world of commerce for so many years, he understood clearly that there was no such thing as goodwill without a price. To gain something, one must pay, especially for a family on the brink of despair like his, the price for salvation would be immense.
The reason he was being so candid with Chen Yu was that he couldn't fathom this young man before him.
Rather than leaving a bad impression with lies, it was better to discuss everything openly, perhaps even gaining more advantages.
"Well…"
Chen Yu pondered for a moment, then smiled and spread his hands.
"Since the Tatu Kingdom has not openly suppressed your family but has been manipulating things behind the scenes, it indicates they are wary of your family's prestige within the Tatu Kingdom."
"We are both people about to drown."
"No one can save us; we can only save ourselves."
"How about this, I'll propose something, and let's see if Patriarch Fu Hua can accept it."
"Go on," Fu Hua Elton said with a solemn expression. Chen Yu gently stroked his teacup, a smile appearing in his eyes. "I wish for the Elton family to belong to me. What are your thoughts, Patriarch Fu Hua?"