There's something to be said, absolutely.
From Chen Yu's understanding of Black Bean, if he had nothing to say, he wouldn't have come specifically. What's so good about him? It's not as joyful as fooling around with the beast-eared girls in the city-state.
If it weren't for official duties, Chen Yu would have wanted to experience this pleasure.
Black Bean, having been poked, clearly stiffened. That stiffness was as if his guilt had been exposed. After Chen Yu finished speaking, he paused for a good half minute.
"Brother Yu, how did you know I had something to say?"
Black Bean, with a face full of smiles, awkwardly rubbed his little paws. His big, round, ink-black eyes gazed at Chen Yu's eyes, and he grinned.
"Give me some money."
"Is that all for this? Chen Yu frowned slightly. "What do you need money for? Everything is available in this camp, can't you just take it?"
"I'm going to drink with the beast-eared sisters."
"???"
Several question marks popped up over Chen Yu's head.
"Flower wine, our city-state has this service?" Chen Yu, his eyes full of shock, craned his neck to question. As the owner of the city-state, he didn't even know about this.
"It's not flower wine."
Black Bean coughed lightly and explained.
"It's just a tavern, you know that too."
The establishment of a tavern within the city-state was authorized by Chen Yu, purely to provide a place for the beastmen to relieve their boredom.
It was also to allow survivors and underground natives to integrate more quickly.
"With the consumption standards of the tavern, isn't the money I gave you enough for you to squander?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow.
Black Bean grinned, implicitly.
"Here."
With a slight flick of his wrist, Chen Yu produced a pouch of gold coins and tossed it to Black Bean.
"There are about 1000 gold coins in this pouch, spend it sparingly." Chen Yu whispered sternly, "Our city-state is very short of money right now."
"Received."
Black Bean grinned, and the pouch of gold coins on the ground was stored in his spatial bracelet.
"I'm not taking this money for nothing," Black Bean's tail kept brushing against Chen Yu's arm. "I'll show you a good treasure."
Bling—
Shaking his little tail, a purple, sparkling gemstone suddenly rolled out from Black Bean's embrace.
"This..."
Upon seeing the gemstone, Chen Yu frowned slightly and shone his wrist-worn device on it.
[Mana Suppression Gem: Building Inlay Gem]
[Effect: Releases a wide-range mana suppression field]
"Where did you get it?"
Holding the gemstone, Chen Yu was somewhat surprised. Black Bean hadn't been running around aimlessly during this time. To get such a gem...
Could it be?!
Does his city-state have a gem mine?
"Was it dug out from our city-state?" Chen Yu's expression was a little anxious. If the city-state possessed a gem mine, he would be rich.
Unfortunately, before Chen Yu could get excited for even half a minute, Black Bean spread out his paws.
"How is that possible?"
"This gem was looted from the tiger-man we captured from the previous encampment. When I led people to attack the mountain stronghold, Kuka and the mages couldn't cast spells, and I felt there was something fishy about this city-state."
"When Ilina led people to break through the encampment, I searched for a long time but couldn't find it."
"I went to the dungeon just now and gave the tiger-man a good lesson. Guess what, that tiger-man turned out to be a spatial mage and put this gem in the space he had opened up."
Black Bean recounted the origin of the gem. Chen Yu's heart sank slightly after hearing it.
He got excited for nothing.
He thought his city-state had a gem vein.
Then again, if his city-state really had a gem vein, it wouldn't have ended up in his hands; it would have been occupied by the kingdom long ago.
"Just this one?"
"No, there are about a hundred. I put them in your bedroom. They should be with Sona and Barbara now." Black Bean spread out his little paws, excitement surging in his eyes. "Boss, don't underestimate this gem. Sona said that each of these mana suppression gems sells for tens of thousands of gold coins outside."
"Really?"
Chen Yu weighed the gem in his hand and frowned slightly.
"Tens of thousands of gold coins, and that tiger-man had nearly a hundred of them. He was still setting up an encampment on the outskirts of the underground, why didn't he sell them for money to live out the rest of his life?"
"Did he dare?"
Black Bean sneered, chuckling.
"This mana suppression gem and the Golden Bell Shield were both obtained by him in a ruin. With his strength, wearing such precious treasures, he would have died the moment he used them. Of course, it's also possible that he simply didn't know the value of the mana suppression gem and the Golden Bell Shield. Why bother with so much, it's in our hands now anyway."
Black Bean, lying on Chen Yu's leg, analyzed it thoroughly, shaking his head.
"Sona said these mana suppression gems can cover about one-tenth of our city-state's area, and the suppression power is roughly below the Gold rank. Sona also said that the gem's suppression effect will increase with the number of gems. If we can get tens of thousands of them, even Black Obsidian rank mages will have to behave themselves when they come here."
Tens of thousands.
Black Bean really dared to dream.
Each mana suppression gem costing tens of thousands of gold coins, and getting tens of thousands would cost hundreds of millions of gold coins, which would be a vast amount in resource points.
His city-state wouldn't be worth that much even if it were sold.
However, the current gems could cover one-tenth of the area. Although the effect was only for Black Iron, Bronze, and Silver ranks, it could still be used.
"Well done, you get a big merit."
Chen Yu patted Black Bean's little head. Suddenly, the resting Black Bean curled up in Chen Yu's arms, and his face, full of excited smiles, became a little apprehensive.
Seeing Black Bean's expression, Chen Yu smiled and tapped his little head.
"What are you doing, acting so shifty?"
"Boss, there's something I need to tell you. Please don't be angry." Black Bean's eyes showed fear, and he coughed. "I, actually, didn't receive the Divine General's inheritance."
As soon as he finished speaking, Black Bean covered his head with his paws, afraid that Chen Yu would hit him.
"I know."
To Black Bean's surprise, Chen Yu simply smiled and replied when he heard this. He looked up blankly and saw Chen Yu's smiling face.
"Boss, you know?"
"When I entered the barracks, I felt something strange about you, and also that guilty look in your eyes. Moreover, this Divine General Seal of mine can see the number of Divine Generals." Chen Yu took out the tiger seal and waved it in front of Black Bean.
[Number of Divine Generals: 5]
This meant that only Kuka and a few others had become Divine Generals, and they all had the names of the fused Divine Generals. Only Black Bean remained Black Bean.
"You don't blame me?"
Black Bean stretched his neck, somewhat surprised.
"Why would I blame you?" Chen Yu couldn't help but laugh. "Your safety is the greatest gift to me. From now on, you will follow me and learn well, and fulfill the boasts you made in front of Kuka and the others. As a master who strategizes and wins a thousand miles, I believe you can do it."
"Absolutely!"
Black Bean patted his chest. Chen Yu, filled with curiosity, raised an eyebrow.
"I'm a bit curious. They all fused successfully, so why did you fail? Did you not see the Divine General, or can spirit beasts not be appointed?"
"The Divine General, I saw him."
"Then you?!"
"He said I was too outstanding and had nothing to teach me, so he sent me out."
"Tell the truth."
"Oh, the truth is, that scumbag felt I wasn't worthy of his inheritance and just kicked me out." Black Bean, lying on Chen Yu's leg, was indignant. "Boss, I'm really going to be pissed to death by that scumbag."
Just as Black Bean was shouting to vent his emotions, he felt a chilling gaze fixed on him.
Slowly looking up, he saw Chen Yu's eyes, sharp as a sword.
"WTF!"
"You're such a fw!"