"Dare I ask which Bodhisattva has come to deliver good news?
Good things in succession?
Not long ago, Barbara had just given him two sets of blueprints, allowing him to soar to unprecedented heights. Now, Jiang Yaqing had brought him barbecue blueprints, completely freeing his hands.
"Wow~"
"Yaqing, you are my angel."
Chen Yu, holding the barbecue blueprints in both hands, stared intently into Jiang Yaqing's eyes on the projection.
A female Bodhisattva!
He truly possessed discerning eyes. From the moment they first met, he had labeled Jiang Yaqing as a female Bodhisattva.
As expected—
Wasn't she just a little angel on earth?
From Jiang Yaqing's perspective, Chen Yu currently appeared like a pervert. It was fortunate that they were video conferencing through projections; if they were face-to-face, she would have felt quite uneasy.
Even so, she instinctively shrank her neck and took two steps back.
The thermos in her hand almost fell into the snow.
"Can you be a little more normal?" Jiang Yaqing's eyes held a hint of fear. "You're probably a criminal when you're out, aren't you."
"What are you saying, you're the criminal."
Chen Yu pouted. "I'm purely grateful for the blueprints you brought. I won't take these blueprints from you for free; consider it payment for two sets of adventure gear."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Jiang Yaqing's expression brightened.
"There's such a good thing?"
Immediately, Jiang Yaqing in the projection feigned shyness.
"Then, I already said I was gifting you the barbecue blueprints. It would be too embarrassing for me to accept two sets of equipment from you. How could I, Jiang Yaqing, accept gifts for what I give away? Although I really do want those two sets of equipment, but..."
"Do you want them or not? If not, I won't give them," Chen Yu said with a displeased pout.
"I do!"
Almost instantly, Jiang Yaqing's expression turned serious, and her answer was resolute.
"Tch~"
Chen Yu lightly pouted.
They were both clear-headed people, so why the pretense of shyness.
"Hey, since I'm here, I also wanted to discuss something with you," Chen Yu murmured, leaning back in his seat. "Can you leave a few of your Silver-tier individuals for me?"
"Does your city-state need more muscle?" Jiang Yaqing asked, puzzled.
Although she hadn't personally visited Chen Yu's city-state, those Silver-tier humans were her people, and it was easy for her to know about Chen Yu's city-state.
According to her subordinates, Chen Yu's city-state had about a thousand or so Orc warriors.
Their combat strength was also not bad.
Most of them had already advanced beyond the Rotting Wood stage and reached Black Iron.
There were also quite a number of Bronze-tier individuals.
Furthermore—
Jiang Yaqing also knew that Chen Yu possessed Meteorite Guards. Although she didn't know what those guards were exactly, she knew that a Meteorite Guard had once punched through a Black Obsidian-tier opponent.
Logically, Chen Yu shouldn't need her people.
"Look at that vulgar term, 'muscle.' It should be 'instructors'!" Chen Yu said seriously. "You probably know that I have a batch of Orc warriors from the underground natives. However, their training methods are too monotonous. I see your people as somewhat like retired soldiers, or perhaps they have received systematic combat training. Leave a few for me to train my Orc soldiers."
"Oh~"
Immediately, a mischievous smile appeared in Jiang Yaqing's eyes.
"So you're asking me for a favor, aren't you? Oh my, you need instructors. To be honest, quite a few of the people I lent you are indeed retired soldiers. Training some Orcs is no problem. But you're in such a hurry, and if I don't take advantage of your situation, wouldn't that be letting myself down?"
Chen Yu: (￣w￣;)
Damn, she was really direct.
Taking advantage of the situation.
She could actually say that out loud?
"Are you ashamed of yourself?" Chen Yu frowned. "Given our relationship, although we can't say we're sworn enemies, we've gone through thick and thin together, haven't we? And you want to rip me off?"
"One matter at a time, even brothers settle accounts clearly."
Jiang Yaqing laughed triumphantly.
During the early exploration stages, she had made Chen Yu incredibly frustrated. Although their relationship had improved and they had become allies, women are known to hold grudges!
Countless times in the past, she had stomped on Chen Yu's portrait to vent her anger.
Now—
She finally had a chance to get back at him for the past.
"Oh, then I don't need it."
Just as Jiang Yaqing was pondering how to ask for an exorbitant price, Chen Yu suddenly changed the subject.
"Huh?" Jiang Yaqing, completely bewildered, blinked at Chen Yu. Chen Yu shrugged and smiled, "I won't hire your people anymore. Anyway, my family will come looking for me soon. Also, I considered you a brother, but you wanted to exploit me. I won't sell you equipment anymore in the future either."
"Huh?!!!"
Jiang Yaqing was stunned.
She stared blankly at Chen Yu on the projection, her brows furrowed.
"If you act like this, I won't give you the cannons anymore."
"They're yours," Chen Yu shrugged nonchalantly. "A few cannons, while important to me, are nothing compared to your words. Since you've said all that, what else can I say."
As he spoke, a mournful smile appeared in Chen Yu's eyes.
It was as if he were lamenting the shattered friendship between him and Jiang Yaqing.
"Don't, don't do that~"
Jiang Yaqing in the projection showed a look of solicitousness.
"Oh dear, Chen Yu, what are you saying? I was just joking with you, why take it so seriously? I'll lend them to you, alright? Tell me how many you want, and we can discuss the rental fee."
Counterattack failed!
Although Jiang Yaqing was very reluctant to admit it, she had indeed failed to counterattack, and failed quite miserably.
There was no helping it.
Chen Yu held her weak spot.
If nothing else, the fact that he would no longer provide equipment in the future was a fatal blow to Jiang Yaqing. So far, she had received news from her clan's intelligence department, and no one she knew could stably sell equipment in large quantities to the outside world.
Having equipment bonuses was crucial for early exploration or establishing territories.
Even though she knew Chen Yu was deliberately bluffing,
She didn't dare to argue.
The initiative was in Chen Yu's hands. If it were a contract, she would be the乙方 (Party B), and in front of the甲方爸爸 (Party A, the father), how could she dare to act out of line.
"I want twenty people."
Chen Yu held up two fingers.
This was after careful consideration.
His camp currently had about a thousand Orc warriors, and he planned to expand further in the coming period.
Leaving twenty people to train his Orc soldiers.
It should be sufficient.
"You're really ruthless~" Jiang Yaqing gritted her teeth. "You're asking for a full tenth of my people, and their importance is far more than just one-tenth."
After a moment of silence, Jiang Yaqing still gritted her teeth.
"Fine, I'll lend them!"
Rather than lending, Jiang Yaqing knew in her heart that these twenty people were essentially being given to Chen Yu. Even if he paid a commission, these ten people might not be returned to Chen Yu in the future.
But—
Considering the long-term cooperation and their relationship, Jiang Yaqing accepted it.
"Regarding the commission, per month..." Seeing Jiang Yaqing's resentful expression, Chen Yu smiled slightly. Just as he was about to state the commission he was offering, Jiang Yaqing's expression suddenly changed. "Don't be too excessive with the commission, Chen Yu. If you give me a satisfactory commission, I can offer you some information."
"Information?"
"Yes, and it should be extremely important to you."