Bang!
A fist slammed into the ground.
The Hyena Young Lord’s face was ashen, his serrated teeth grinding audibly. His fists were clenched so tightly that his veins bulged.
"Damn it!"
"They were indeed harboring ill intentions."
Yamagoka Yuuta, clenching his fists, spat out the words through gritted teeth, his eyes fixed on the projection from Chen Yu’s wristband.
The projection clearly showed Fujimura and Omuraki being secretly recorded by Chen Yu.
Plans never keep up with changes.
According to Chen Yu and Hei Dou’s initial plan, which involved layers of deception upon deception, Yamagoka Yuuta would not have been Chen Yu’s servant yet. This secretly recorded video was meant to be his trump card for recruitment.
Unexpectedly, Yamagoka Yuuta was disobedient.
Chen Yu had no choice but to discipline him like a dog, "disciplining with virtue," and turning him into his loyal subordinate.
The video then seemed less important.
"Hiss!"
"It actually increased loyalty."
Glancing at Yamagoka Yuuta, whose resentment was already overflowing in his eyes, Chen Yu couldn’t help but gasp inwardly. He had expected this video to push the Hyena Young Lord’s loyalty to its peak of 200 points. To his surprise, his loyalty remained unchanged, still at 190 points.
It was quite perplexing.
"It seems Yamagoka Yuuta's loyalty is already high enough, and such small favors are unlikely to cause further change," Chen Yu mused.
If nothing unexpected happened, to further increase his loyalty, it would likely be when he was granted significant authority.
Of course—
There was also the possibility that if Chen Yu truly handed over the Hyena tribe to him, his burgeoning ambition might lead to decreased loyalty and a betrayal of Chen Yu.
These would have to be assessed later.
In fact, although Chen Yu had told Yamagoka Yuuta that he would hand over the management of the Hyena tribe, whether he would actually do so in the future remained uncertain.
What he was doing now was essentially… painting a picture!
A very grand picture.
To keep Yamagoka Yuuta fully satisfied and serving him diligently.
As for future events, who could say for sure? In the meantime, Chen Yu’s goal was to bestow favors upon the Hyena tribe, gradually building a glorious image in the hearts of the hyenas. When the time was right, if Yamagoka Yuuta, by chance, proved to be an ungrateful rogue again.
Heh!
He could be replaced.
Alternatively, Chen Yu could also place his own confidantes within the Hyena tribe to counterbalance Yamagoka Yuuta. In any case, Chen Yu had countless ways to deal with Yamagoka Yuuta.
This was, of course, contingent on successfully bringing the Hyena tribe under his control.
"Alright, that should be enough." Seeing the anger in Yamagoka Yuuta’s eyes, Chen Yu slowly lowered his hand and whispered, "If you are truly angry, then transform it into your strength. You had suspicions that Omuraki and Fujimura harbored ill intentions towards you for a long time, yet you were still marginalized by them. Have you ever considered that you might also have a problem?"
"Me?!"
Yamagoka Yuuta looked bewildered.
"You lack power," Chen Yu whispered softly. "If you truly possessed absolute strength, your subordinates would ensure you had absolute authority within the tribe. Even if Fujimura and Omuraki wanted to move against you, in your eyes, they would merely be buffoons. However, the reality is that you were pushed to the sidelines. Doesn't this prove the issue?"
Faced with Chen Yu’s words, Yamagoka Yuuta fell into a long silence.
Finally, he sighed dejectedly and nodded.
"You speak the truth."
Chen Yu had hit the nail on the head. The root of the problem was his insufficient influence within the clan. Despite holding the title of Young Lord, true power had fallen into the hands of collateral branches.
Possessing the bloodline of the clan, he was forced to be ostracized.
"Don't be discouraged," Chen Yu said, gently patting his shoulder as he saw Yamagoka Yuuta’s dejection. "One must learn to leverage power. In the past, you were indeed no match for those collateral branches like Omuraki and Fujimura, but now you are my subordinate. I will not abandon you."
"Master, then how do you plan to annex the Hyena tribe?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Chen Yu whispered.
He certainly had his own methods for annexing the Hyena tribe. He had already laid the groundwork with Fujimura. If everything went smoothly, annexing the tribe without bloodshed would be ideal.
If, however, the Hyena tribe proved truly unwilling to comply.
A strong fist.
Sometimes, that too was a form of truth.
Chen Yu certainly would not reveal this method to Yamagoka Yuuta. After all, he was the Young Lord of the Hyena tribe. Even if he was marginalized by collateral branches and neglected by the tribe.
Who could be sure he had no sense of belonging to the tribe?
If, because of this minor matter, it affected Yamagoka Yuuta's loyalty to him, or planted a seed of resentment in his heart.
It would be a loss outweighing the gain!
"For now, just do what you're supposed to do. You know what that entails, don't you?" Chen Yu raised his eyebrows and whispered. Yamagoka Yuuta immediately understood. "I know."
Several minutes later—
In the damp and muddy dungeon, Chen Yu and Yamagoka Yuuta returned to the cell. Along the way, Yamagoka Yuuta maintained a position about half a step behind Chen Yu.
The hyenas, who had been worried since Yamagoka Yuuta left,
Seeing his figure, they rushed to the cell door with concern. The city’s beastmen warriors immediately drew their swords, ready to prevent any trouble.
"All of you, step back."
Chen Yu lightly raised his hand. At this moment, Yamagoka Yuuta also spoke.
"All of you, stand down."
Both parties retreated. The beastmen warriors of the Hyena tribe furrowed their brows.
"Young Lord, did he do anything to you?"
"You worry too much. What could City Lord Chen do to me? We just went out to discuss some cooperation." Yamagoka Yuuta’s eyes held a smile.
The hyenas in the cell were filled with confusion.
"Cooperation?"
"Yes, let me take this opportunity to announce to everyone. From now on, we will officially pledge allegiance to City Lord Chen. Address him as City Lord Chen."
"Young Lord."
"Address him as City Lord Chen!"
Yamagoka Yuuta’s expression turned serious. The hyenas in the cell dared not disobey and bowed respectfully to Chen Yu.
"City Lord Chen."
"Fellow warriors of the Hyena tribe, I am Chen Yu, the City Lord of this city. I am very pleased to have reached a cooperation with your Young Lord, Mr. Yamagoka Yuuta. I hope we can cooperate sincerely and build a beautiful homeland together." Chen Yu’s eyebrows were curved with a smile. He then gestured to the beastmen in the cell, "Release the hyena warriors inside. From now on, they are also members of our city."
"Yes!"
The beastmen, without suspicion, unlocked the cell doors. Their eyes, however, were filled with admiration for Chen Yu.
They had not expected that such defiant hyena tribesmen could be persuaded by City Lord Chen with just a few words, making their Young Lord willingly join the city.
The City Lord is indeed the City Lord!