Who would have believed it.
This was actually something Illya would say.
The princess, who was once caught by Chen Yu with a fishing rod and seemed a bit naive, had now analyzed Chen Yu's situation with perfect accuracy.
While shocked, Chen Yu's gaze also shifted slightly.
The state Illya was in during her analysis was vastly different from her usual self. Moreover, he seemed to have noticed Illya's strangeness before.
Could it be that Illya's naivety was fake?
"Heh, that's great."
"It seems I haven't forgotten what my sister taught me, I must have become much smarter than before."
Just as Chen Yu was feeling suspicious, Illya, who had been analyzing things meticulously, clapped her little hands with glee, her face filled with innocent and brilliant smiles.
That healing pureness reappeared on her face.
What in the world?!
Chen Yu was inexplicably confused.
Judging by Illya's demeanor at the moment, it didn't seem like she was faking it at all. Could it be that she just got lucky and analyzed it because her sister taught her?
Inevitably, Chen Yu exchanged glances with Hei Dou.
Their eyes were filled with bewilderment.
"Brother Chen Yu?" a gentle, low voice drifted over. Snapping back to attention, Chen Yu saw Illya tilting her little head slightly, her large, bright eyes blinking with long lashes as she looked at him. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"Heh, Brother Chen Yu, I'm going to play now~"
"Go ahead, go ahead." Chen Yu smiled gently and waved his hand, then his gaze fixed on her as he cautioned, "Be careful, don't run around. Our city-state is under construction everywhere, so pay attention."
"Got it~"
Watching Illya wave her small hand as she walked away, Chen Yu let out a deep sigh. Hei Dou, perched on his shoulder, also gazed in the direction she left with its pitch-black eyes.
Those eyes were filled with an unspeakable gravity, his gaze completely fixed on her retreating figure.
Hoo.
It seemed Hei Dou felt it too.
"Alright, stop looking." Chen Yu shivered his shoulder slightly, but he didn't expect Hei Dou's serious eyes to suddenly fill with hearts.
A blush even appeared on the small face beneath its dark fur.
"Illya is really so cute~"
Chen Yu: (⊙_⊙)?
Listening to Hei Dou's mumbling, Chen Yu glanced at Hei Dou again and found that its mouth was already dripping with clear saliva.
Absolutely amazing!
He had thought Hei Dou also found Illya's personality suspicious.
Well, well.
In the end, instinct had won over reason.
For a moment, Chen Yu gritted his teeth in disappointment.
"Stop looking!"
He yelled into Hei Dou's ear.
Hei Dou, who was drooling with a dazed expression, was startled and shivered. Glancing at Chen Yu's fierce gaze, it quickly raised a paw to wipe its mouth.
"Boss~"
"What on earth is in your head? Are you in heat?" Chen Yu chided with a frown. "Hei Dou, if you continue like this, when foreign enemies try to infiltrate our core, you'll be the breakthrough point, do you understand?"
"Huh?!"
Upon hearing this, Hei Dou's expression sharpened.
"Boss, are you saying Illya is a spy?" Hei Dou asked, full of surprise, then waved its paw again. "Impossible. Illya is so cute and beautiful, how could she be a spy? You're overthinking it, I definitely don't believe it."
Creak.
The clear sound of clenching fists reached Hei Dou's ears. Hei Dou, perched on Chen Yu's shoulder, discreetly glanced down and saw Chen Yu's clenched fists.
"Boss~"
"You, you'll definitely fall for women sooner or later!" Chen Yu finally suppressed his anger and pointed a finger at Hei Dou's nose.
Looks are justice, that's a dangerous way of thinking!
"Did I say something wrong?" Hei Dou, having been poked in the nose several times, licked its tongue, looking wronged. "Don't you think Illya is beautiful?"
"..."
This, it seemed, was undeniable.
Illya.
Whether it was her appearance or her figure, she was absolutely top-tier.
If she lived outside the underground world, calling her a beauty encountered once in fifty million years wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.
"Heh, boss, I understand." Seeing Chen Yu speechless for a long time, Hei Dou patted his shoulder. "Your second brother is very smart, no one can fool me. You're just worried I'll be swayed by lust and mess things up. Don't worry, I'm the type who passes through a hundred flowers without a single petal touching me."
"It's a miracle you can say that so shamelessly."
"Heh~"
Hei Dou grinned again, then put away its playful expression and became serious.
"Boss, you said earlier that Illya's analysis was completely correct, meaning there are indeed small factions in the underground world preparing to deal with you?"
"It's not exactly 'dealing with me'."
Chen Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing into the distant void.
"My current development is absolutely beyond their reach. Even if they join forces now, they might not be able to move us."
"Then you—"
Hei Dou's eyes were filled with confusion.
Since there was no threat, why did Chen Yu take it so seriously? Hei Dou could clearly feel that when Chen Yu gave orders to Kailin and the others, he was very urgent.
"They can't threaten me, but they want to mess with my livelihood."
A cold glint flashed in Chen Yu's eyes.
"Livelihood?" Hei Dou furrowed its brow slightly. Given the current situation in the region, Chen Yu could be considered the undisputed leader; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a monopoly.
Who could steal his livelihood?
In an instant, Hei Dou understood.
"These people want to compete with you for resources, Boss?"
"That's right." Chen Yu nodded slightly. "These people want to seize the regional resources while I'm recruiting survivors to the city-state. Heh, I must say, they have good ideas and quite a bit of courage."
When Chen Yu recruited survivors, a situation would arise.
The underground would become empty.
In the region where they were located, everyone was assigned to different areas. If everyone was exploring, then the per capita exploration area would decrease.
Conversely, if Chen Yu recruited survivors to the city-state.
The number of explorers would decrease.
Then, the survivors exploring outside would have a larger area to explore, and the resources obtained would increase.
In fact, Chen Yu had also considered this.
He also had exploration plans.
But he didn't expect someone to act faster than him.
The region was only so large.
The resources were only so many.
If the resources were explored by others, how would Chen Yu survive? This was no different from stealing his livelihood.
"They're really looking for death, daring to compete with you for resources, Boss." Hei Dou also gritted its teeth, but then heard Chen Yu smile slightly. "That can't be said. Everyone has the right to explore resources, and the resources in this region aren't marked as belonging to me. If they want to explore, of course, that's fine."
"If they want to compete on efficiency, then let's compete."
"Let's see—"
"Who's faster!"