Under the shade of the trees, Chen Yu leaned against the trunk, quietly listening to Hall's report.
"Is the information accurate?"
"Accurate!" Hall's eyes were filled with solemnity. "That vampire doesn't know I was captured by you and brought to the city. He's been in contact with me all this time."
Contact?
Chen Yu frowned slightly, then noticed the watch on Hall's wrist.
He had actually forgotten such an important matter.
All prisoners captured and brought to the city had their watches confiscated to maximize profits and avoid unnecessary trouble.
Just like Hall's report to him now, his dealings with the Great Crocodile.
Now, Hall felt a sense of belonging to the city and recognized it, hence he was willing to disclose their dealings. But what if Hall was a stubborn loyalist?
Then, his collusion with the Great Crocodile could very well endanger Chen Yu's city.
It was all because he had been too busy lately.
His mind was entirely occupied with how to get more money to fill the city's bottomless pit. Moreover, these matters were usually handled by Black Bean and the others, so Chen Yu had been negligent.
Fortunately, this negligence hadn't led to any major mistakes.
"Good. Since you are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, I, on behalf of the organization, will commend you. If there is a suitable management position for you in the city in the future, I will recommend you to the City Lord."
"Thank you, Steward!"
Hall grinned widely, bowing repeatedly in thanks.
He had specifically told Chen Yu all this to demonstrate his loyalty, hoping to pave a brighter future for himself in the city.
He was a captive!
His identity in the city was already quite special.
Relatively speaking, the refugees might have a higher status in the city than him, and their competitiveness for management positions would be stronger than his.
If he wanted to stand out, he had to offer a token of allegiance.
He had been a bit apprehensive initially, but he hadn't expected everything to go so smoothly.
"You're welcome. We're all on the same side, no need to be so formal." Chen Yu smiled and patted his shoulder, then changed the subject abruptly, "Hand over the watch."
"Huh?!"
Instantly, Hall, whose face had been beaming with smiles, was stunned!
"Chen Yu, you're not actually going to recommend him for a management position in your city, are you?" Looking at Hall's departing figure, the little devil's eyes showed some disdain.
She didn't like Hall, or people like Hall.
A fence-sitter!
Now that Chen Yu was in power, Hall could see the bright future of Chen Yu's city and had unhesitatingly abandoned the camp he had originally sworn allegiance to.
If Chen Yu encountered a stronger enemy in the future, Hall would probably lead the surrender.
"Why not?" Chen Yu's eyes were filled with a smile. "He has ability and talent. The city lacks such talent, so why should I bury it?"
Talent should not be buried.
Even if Hall's character was flawed, as long as his presence brought more benefits than drawbacks, he was worth using. If his presence later brought more drawbacks than benefits, Chen Yu could simply dispose of him. The city was currently short of talent, and he could accept some flaws in character.
Would a city filled only with upright and incorruptible people be better for the city?
Too much rigidity leads to breaking.
Generally, people with upright characters tend to have a more rigid approach to things, lacking the ability to be tactful and adaptable. It wouldn't be good for the entire city to be like that.
For healthy development, it truly needed some people with brains who also knew how to assess the situation and act accordingly.
"I don't understand."
The little devil pursed her lips and shook her head.
"What's there not to understand? I'm managing a city now, not a camp. If it were still a camp, I would naturally choose people like Black Bean. But a city needs diversity. Besides, he's just a minor manager, not a core position."
Chen Yu explained softly, then looked suspicious.
"That's not right. You're a great devil king, with over a dozen cities. Water that is too pure has no fish; don't you understand such a simple principle?"
"Why should I understand!"
The little devil suddenly widened her eyes and snorted coldly.
"Our demon race believes that whoever has the bigger fist is right. With me here, if anyone dares to be insolent, I'm not like you weaklings, having to complicate things."
"Yes, yes, how can I compare to you, the great devil king?"
Chen Yu replied with feigned flattery, but inwardly he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
He actually had no choice.
He was short of talent!
The situation in the underground world was very similar to ancient times, where educated people were extremely rare, and the majority were ignorant masses without independent judgment.
Ignorance inevitably led to short-sightedness.
Chen Yu also wanted to find some just and incorruptible people to be city managers and alleviate some of Kailin's pressure, but he simply couldn't find any.
He had even held some hope for the "recommendation of filial piety and integrity."
Recommendation of filial piety and integrity.
A system implemented during the Han Dynasty to select officials who were filial to their parents and upright in their administration.
When Chen Yu saw "recommendation of filial piety and integrity," he thought that various factions would recruit many such talents. Although his influence was not prominent, he did have a small city.
Yet, to this day, he hadn't seen any talents of filial piety and integrity.
"Don't overthink it. I have it all figured out. Besides, I was just stringing him along with promises, I didn't say I'd actually assign him to a management position." Chen Yu weighed the watch in his hand. "Regardless, Hall was honest. What he told us earlier was indeed what that Great Crocodile told him."
"If that's the case, don't you have less time?" The little devil's expression tightened.
"Why the panic?"
Chen Yu, leaning against the tree trunk, let out a cold laugh.
"Do you think I'm afraid of them?"
"The problem is, if Hall is telling the truth, how can your city contend with them?" the little devil frowned.
"Want to make a bet?"
The little devil: "???"
Here we go again!
She had never won a bet against Chen Yu!
Before, she was willing to argue with Chen Yu and make bets out of spite, but now that she had been frank with Chen Yu, there was nothing to bet about.
"Are you alright? I don't have any more oil to squeeze out."
Seeing the little devil almost reach into her pocket to show him, Chen Yu burst into laughter.
"I don't want to squeeze oil from you, it's just a pure bet for fun. Just add a little stake, for example, if I win, you give me a shoulder massage, and if you win, I'll serve you tea and water."
Chen Yu wanted to bet with the little devil for a simple reason: peace of mind.
Many things that the little devil had bet against him on in the past had ultimately come true. He had a slight belief in metaphysics and wanted to exploit a loophole this time.
"It's that simple, then I'll bet with you!"
"What are you betting on?"
"I..." The little devil blinked her eyes. "I bet that you can resolve this problem."
???
Instantly, Chen Yu was stunned.
No, no.
The script shouldn't be like this!
Constantly staring at Chen Yu's face, and seeing his expression change drastically after speaking, the little devil covered her mouth and giggled, then coughed and pretended to be serious.
"No, no, no, I've changed my mind. I bet your city will be wiped out!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu immediately showed a smile and linked his little finger with the little devil's.
"Deal!"
This round, he was guaranteed to win!