"Tsk, struck it rich, didn't we?"
The little devil, perched on Chen Yu's shoulder and swinging his tiny feet, grinned. Chen Yu, leading the procession, had a smile stretching from ear to ear.
Despite his elation, he feigned modesty.
"A little."
"Nearly a million gold coins, plus so many golden-grade weapons, and you call that 'a little'?" the little devil chuckled, hiding his mirth.
Chen Yu merely pursed his lips and chuckled incessantly.
The Crocodile Camp.
It had indeed provided him with quite a surprise.
He had initially thought that tribes rooted outside the city, no matter how prosperous, wouldn't be exceedingly wealthy. To truly extort, one would need prestigious families like Tony's.
Who would have imagined that a mere camp would yield him nearly two million gold coins' worth of resources?
Life and wealth.
The camp's managers had chosen the former.
When Chen Yu entered the treasure vaults of these high-ranking officials, his eyes widened. Piles of gold coins were stacked like mountains in the secret chambers.
Weapons and armor were innumerable.
All of them were golden-grade.
"Think about how much civilian wealth they must have plundered. These are nothing but parasites," Chen Yu muttered with a frown.
The camp was so affluent, yet the beastmen in the camp wore tattered clothes.
Their equipment and armor were pitifully meager.
They preferred to let the armor in the secret chambers gather dust rather than give it to their camp's warriors. Truly, they were insatiably greedy.
Chen Yu was also greedy.
Who wouldn't want more money?
However, Chen Yu would not let his greed compromise the development of the entire camp. Before indulging in his greed, he would equip his people and ensure their basic needs were met.
The little devil on his shoulder smiled faintly.
"Not necessarily. Didn't you also find quite a few treasure maps there?"
"You mean they explored the underground treasures?" Chen Yu's expression turned suspicious. The little devil shrugged, "Seeing that equipment, it's quite probable."
"Is treasure hunting that profitable?"
Chen Yu had indeed obtained treasure maps before and explored them, namely the Tomb of the Undead he had encountered earlier. If one didn't count the necromancer he met in the tomb, the gains were only average.
Come to think of it, if one explored enough times.
Accumulating bit by bit,
It could indeed yield considerable wealth.
"Hmph~" the little devil snorted. "No matter how profitable, is it faster than robbing?"
Chen Yu immediately grinned.
A tacit understanding passed between them.
If one wanted to make money quickly in this underground realm, it was through plunder.
Wherever the sword pointed, camps were mere stepping stones.
Like this Crocodile Camp, Chen Yu had sent people to directly raze their stronghold. All their exploration gains would fall into his hands.
Once Black Bean and the others awakened, Chen Yu would give each of them several hundred elite soldiers.
All surrounding camps would be taken down.
How could he tolerate their presence sleeping beside his bed? His city-state would not allow any camps within its vicinity. As for the scope of his city-state's influence, that would be decided by him.
Treasure map exploration was also something that needed to be undertaken.
The resources of the chaotic underground plane would eventually be depleted. Furthermore, the gains from exploring treasure maps far outweighed the luck of traversing planes.
Previously, Chen Yu had few soldiers and little strength. Now, he had money, provisions, and people.
With money and provisions, people would come!
From now on, he would operate on three fronts: one, continue sending people to explore the underground; a second group would explore treasure maps; and the third would be to conquer camps.
The conquered camps would have their people fully absorbed.
They would undergo moral education.
Chen Yu believed they would come to love this city-state filled with the spirit of freedom and democracy.
Just like those behind him.
Chen Yu subconsciously glanced behind him. The beastmen from the camp had been detained by Chen Yu. His city-state was currently short of manpower, and he absolutely could not let them go.
"Camp Master, the enemy camp's people are all at our city-state's west gate."
Hyena Young Master Shan Gang You Tai ran over. Having been sold before, he now harbored a strong sense of belonging to the city-state and had thoroughly pledged his allegiance to Chen Yu.
His loyalty was ∞, maxed out.
"You take your people and enter the city from the east gate," Chen Yu said with a smile. Shan Gang You Tai frowned, "Camp Master, aren't you returning with us?"
"What are you saying? Shouldn't we thank our benefactor?"
This was a major benefactor who had directly resolved Chen Yu's recent pressing financial shortage. Chen Yu felt he would be letting them down if he didn't thank them properly for the resources they provided.
Upon hearing this, Shan Gang You Tai also smiled knowingly.
"Camp Master, shall I send some men to protect you?"
"No need," Chen Yu waved his hand. "I have the Meteorite Guards with me. How can I fear their mere shrimp soldiers and crab generals? Your presence would only be a hindrance."
Shan Gang You Tai knew a little about the Meteorite Guards.
They were Chen Yu's personal guards.
Their strength was outrageously high, rumored to be capable of fighting even those in the Black Obsidian realm. He had heard that the elder of his former camp was stunned by a single punch from a Meteorite Guard.
It was just a shame he had never witnessed it himself.
Since he knew Chen Yu's safety was assured, Shan Gang You Tai was relieved and led his hyena warriors towards another aperture.
This group must not be discovered by the Great Crocodile.
For that, they had to take a detour.
Chen Yu had no such trouble. Exchanging a smile with the little devil on his shoulder, Chen Yu walked directly towards the aperture before him.
"Camp Master."
"We've been standing outside this gate for hours. Are we attacking or not? Are they attacking or not?"
Outside the city-state, the battle generals of the Crocodile Camp stood watch, their gazes fierce.
But—
They did not attack.
The Great Crocodile, standing at the forefront, frowned. He wasn't unwilling to attack, but he was afraid.
Attack with what?
Despite the dilapidated state of the city-state, it was defended by over a dozen cannons, and the entire city-state was enveloped in an energy shield. If he were to attack, in less than ten volleys, his men would be half-cooked with a sprinkle of pepper.
"Where is Lexis? Didn't he contact you, saying he could open the city gate for us?"
"Didn't he say this city-state was very run-down?"
"I've been telling you to contact him, did you ever get through?"
The Crocodile leader's eyes narrowed as he berated. This group of people had been lured here by Lexis's intelligence.
They arrived, but the city wasn't opened.
They had been standing at the city walls for half the day.
"I can't reach him. I've been messaging him since earlier, and he hasn't replied at all." The deputy's eyes were filled with anxiety.
"Could he have been captured?"
At this point, the Crocodile leader still didn't suspect Lexis of betrayal, but he couldn't afford to wait here any longer. For this assault, he had brought everyone from his camp, leaving the camp vulnerable.
If any unsavory character decided to attack his camp, it would be disastrous.
"We're not waiting any longer, retreat!"
After a moment of contemplation, the Crocodile leader gave the order. Suddenly, a figure with a smile appeared before him, bowing slightly.
"Well, well, my dear benefactor, may you have eternal peace and fortune!"