The Demon King's Treasury!
As one of the greatest Demon Kings of the Underground World, Barbara, who owned over a dozen cities, possessed an astonishing amount of wealth.
Chen Yu dared not even imagine it, nor could he conceive of it.
At best, he was a survivor doing quite well for himself. Even if he strained his imagination to the limit, he might not be able to touch even a fraction of what Barbara possessed.
It was like farmers believing that all rich people used golden hoes to till their land.
The world one saw was different depending on one's standing.
"You have a treasury too?" Chen Yu, swallowing his saliva, whispered intensely. Barbara shrugged noncommittally, "What's so strange about that? Don't change the subject. Just tell me, who's trash?" wΑp.kanshu伍.net
"Hehehe, why be so uptight about it?"
Chen Yu grinned, stood up from the rattan chair, pushed Barbara aside, and sat down. He produced several bottles of juice with a flip of his hand.
"Please, enjoy."
"Hmph~" Barbara, her face full of pride, savored the delicious juice. Chen Yu, rubbing his hands at her side, felt an immeasurable urgency.
He was in dire need of money!
If Barbara could take him to plunder her treasury, the subsequent development funds for this city-state might no longer be a concern.
"Don't even think about the treasury for now," Barbara suddenly murmured, sipping her juice. "With your current skill level, going to the treasury would be a death sentence."
"Eh?"
Chen Yu, full of anticipation, was stunned by her words.
Was she kidding him?!
He had almost begun fantasizing about a prosperous life after emptying Barbara's treasury.
"With you there, I can't die in your treasury?"
"Of course, you wouldn't die *inside* the treasury. The problem is the path leading to it," Barbara blinked. "I am a Great Demon King, and my treasury is in the Demon Zone. Your current location is the outskirts of the Underground World. If the planes weren't in chaos, you'd have to traverse half the Underground World to reach me."
"..."
"Now that the planes are in chaos, it's even harder. But one thing is certain: you'll definitely cross through monster activity zones. I can take you, but can you survive encountering high-level monsters?"
"That makes some sense."
Chen Yu, standing by the rattan chair, nodded slightly, then lowered his gaze to Barbara, who was enjoying her juice.
"Then why are you acting so proud here, even sitting in my chair? Go... squat over there." Chen Yu glared, feigning anger.
Barbara, however, acted as if she hadn't heard him, continuing to drink her juice.
She was no longer the Barbara of the past. Her interactions with Chen Yu during this time had allowed her to understand his personality. His current words were simply a joke.
"Hey, Chen Yu."
After finishing a bottle of juice, Barbara looked up.
"Hm?"
Chen Yu, who was squatting nearby contemplating how to make money, looked up.
"Quite a few people have entered our city-state recently, so you need to be careful," Barbara said softly. "There might be spies sent by someone."
With the Herald's Tiger Tally revealed, all factions were bound to make a move.
Although only a week had passed, no one could guarantee that someone hadn't already found Chen Yu.
It was better to be safe than sorry.
Being cautious would ultimately do no harm.
"I'm keeping an eye on things."
Chen Yu slowly looked up, spreading his palm to reveal his Herald's Tiger Tally.
"Those who entered the city-state without any change in their strength are my primary subjects of observation. Caelin has people watching their every move."
This was also one of the functions of the Herald's Tiger Tally.
It could detect spies.
The Herald's Tally had a passive effect: the realm of its holders' subjects would increase. Previously, Jiang Yaqing had lent him some people. After these people entered the city-state, their strength and realm showed no change, which puzzled Chen Yu when he discovered it.
He later investigated further.
Entering his city-state did not trigger the passive effect; it was truly about joining him. Simply put, only when one's heart belonged to this city-state would their realm change.
Jiang Yaqing's people were loyal to Jiang Yaqing. Although they were currently serving Chen Yu's city-state, their realms did not change.
The same applied to others within the city-state. Those who lacked a strong sense of belonging to the city-state, or who were inherently from other factions and came to gather intelligence, would not see their realms change.
These were the primary targets of Chen Yu's observation.
"So, what were the results of your surveillance? Did you find anything?" Barbara raised an eyebrow. Chen Yu grinned, "Honestly, we did find something."
"Oh?"
Barbara grinned, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Where are they from?"
"You'll know soon enough. I've already had Caelin make arrangements. To put it simply, I'm just waiting for these people to arrive," Chen Yu also grinned. "I'm short on money, and I'm waiting for them to fill my coffers."
...
...
"Let's all put in more effort. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest."
Within the city-state, orcs and survivors were diligently working. Despite the arduous work, the city-state's triple wages motivated everyone to give their all.
"Come on, put your backs into it, lift!"
The crocodile orc, sporting a long scar on his face, roared. The veins in his arms bulged as he and several other orcs heaved a massive stone weighing several hundred pounds.
"Damn, brother, you're really strong."
Several orcs marveled, giving him thumbs-ups. The crocodile orc grinned and scratched his head.
"I've been strong since I was little."
"Amazing!" The orcs exclaimed, "You'll probably get promoted soon. Our city-state is in great need of management right now. Among us, you're the strongest, and you work the hardest. Our City Lord is a very wise ruler. She'll definitely promote you to foreman. You'll have to look out for us then, okay?"
"No problem!"
The crocodile orc grinned, looking at the giant logs not far away.
"Brothers, let's not slack off. Let's finish the work in front of us, and I'll treat everyone to roasted meat when we're done. Exquisite roasted meat!!!"
"Got it."
The orcs responded with hearty laughter. Suddenly, a figure walked in from outside.
"Big guy."
"Hey, who's calling me?" The crocodile orc turned and laughed, then looked closely and saw City Lord Caelin standing outside, beckoning him with a smile.
"City Lord."
The crocodile orc was momentarily stunned. The other orcs chuckled.
"Buddy, it looks like you're really going to get promoted."
"No way, I've only been here a few days," the crocodile orc said with a smile. "Brothers, wait for me, I'll go see what's happening."
The other orcs waved with smiles, and the crocodile orc hurried over to Caelin.
"City Lord, you called for me."
"You've worked hard during this time," Caelin said with a smile. "How are you settling in the city-state? Our city-state is newly established, so the work might be a bit tough, but can you still manage?"
"It's nothing."
The crocodile orc flexed his arm.
"I'm just strong, and I like this city-state. The atmosphere is great. I'm very grateful that the City Lord is willing to take me in as a refugee and give me a home."
"But... you're not a refugee."
Caelin, who had been smiling all along, suddenly lost her smile, her lips curving slightly.
"Resis, you were sent by that crocodile leader, weren't you?"