"Are there really dragons?"
Chen Yu was also intrigued by his confident tone.
"Yes!" the necromancer nodded vigorously. "All beings are so insignificant before them. Any single dragon possesses the power to destroy a city-state, no... a kingdom. They are natural mages, yet they wield a strength that no creature can match."
The necromancer tilted his chin up slightly.
As if,
The scene of seeing a dragon once flashed in his mind.
Majestic.
Mighty!
Looking down upon heaven and earth.
Even in recollection, the necromancer's heart was filled with an irrepressible surge of shock.
"Tsk, is that so?"
Chen Yu crossed his arms, a smile playing on his lips.
"My goal is to summon a bone dragon!" a brilliant light flashed in the necromancer's eyes. "I want to become a Dragon-Rider Mage!"
One could see his deep yearning in the necromancer's eyes.
His hopeful eyes resembled a young boy chasing his dreams.
And yet—
Bang!
Chen Yu raised his hand and slapped him on the back of the head.
"Are you dreaming on my torture rack?" Chen Yu squinted, fixing him with a stern gaze. "You're a prisoner. Why haven't you figured out your position yet?"
With that one slap.
The necromancer instantly sobered up.
He instinctively wanted to lash out, but ultimately suppressed it.
"I've done all I can!"
"I can sense that," Chen Yu nodded slightly. "Five thousand gold coins. I can see your sincerity. I'm just curious, with so much money, why didn't you buy something for self-defense?"
What a fool!
If Chen Yu had entered the city-state, the first thing he would have done was purchase some defensive items.
Being alive was the most important thing.
The meaning of money was to be spent, not hoarded.
Only when it moved.
Could it bring benefits to its holder. At most, one should keep some for daily expenses and emergencies.
But this necromancer.
He had hoarded a full four thousand gold coins in his bracelet.
What for?
Keeping them in the bracelet to breed?
"The necromancy school doesn't need those," the necromancer whispered. "As a qualified necromancer, all you need is a staff. The undead warriors he summons are his sword and shield."
"And then the sword breaks, the shield shatters, and you're done for."
Chen Yu scoffed, holding a handful of gold coins.
"The wealth you painstakingly accumulated, handed over to others."
Pfft!
Hei Dou almost choked with laughter.
What masterful swordsmanship!
With such skill, one truly couldn't achieve this without decades of diligent practice in Yin-Yang blade techniques.
The necromancer's face also turned ashen.
Rubbing salt into his wounds.
"Here's some advice: don't believe in the so-called 'qualified.' Being alive is what matters most," Chen Yu said softly. "If you can't survive, even the most qualified past cannot become a beacon of hope to save you."
"I stand corrected!"
The necromancer gritted his teeth and said with determination.
Although Chen Yu could sense the necromancer's teeth grinding, he didn't pay it any mind.
He only valued wealth.
The resources in the bracelet were all he had, and their value was far greater than the bracelet itself.
He quietly put the bracelet into his pocket.
It was strange, though!
Storage bracelets couldn't be placed inside other storage bracelets.
No nesting dolls.
This really annoyed Chen Yu.
Watching the necromancer's heart bleed as he accepted the bracelet.
"You mages are indeed wealthy!" Chen Yu exclaimed in amazement after putting away the bracelet. "Hey, can you teach me, where did you get so much money?"
"Mages already have the best welfare in the underground," the necromancer replied.
"Is that so?"
Chen Yu narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly, then lowered his voice.
"Is that really all?"
"I can swear on my soul, this is truly all I have," the necromancer said earnestly. "I have no other requests, I just hope you will let me go."
"This..."
Chen Yu feigned difficulty, sighing mournfully.
"Friend, you might not know me very well. I... I am a person who adheres to rules. I've already calculated your debt at ten thousand gold coins, and now you're only giving me half. My heart feels unsettled."
"You're still not satisfied!" the necromancer exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Oh, don't put it so ambiguously. What do you mean by 'I'm not satisfied'?" Chen Yu glanced at the necromancer's bald head, his expression full of hidden meaning. "You have nothing, so who can you satisfy?"
Creak.
The necromancer's fists suddenly clenched.
If looks could kill, Chen Yu would have died tens of thousands of times by now.
"Let's talk about money."
Chen Yu grinned again, raising the corners of his mouth.
"Five thousand gold coins is still too little. This is a kidnapping, not like you're buying clothes and haggling for half price. If you insist on this, then I'll take half of you, keep half here, and let you go. How does that sound?"
The necromancer remained silent.
His hatred for Chen Yu surged like a tide.
"What else do you want!"
"Hey, give me another three thousand," Chen Yu held up three fingers. "Just three thousand, I, Chen Tianjiao, keep my word. If you bring it, I'll let you go."
"You're too greedy!"
The necromancer's pale face seemed to show a hint of red due to anger.
"Even kidnappers aren't as greedy as you. Your three employees are still alive, and you're alive too. I've given you five thousand gold coins as compensation, and it's still not enough!"
"Not enough," Chen Yu said expressionlessly.
"Chen Tianjiao, leave some room for maneuver in life, and you might meet again later," the necromancer said with a deep voice. "You've just arrived in the underground and don't understand many things. If you let me go now, consider it us becoming friends. Excessive greed will ultimately bring disaster upon you."
Instantly, Chen Yu's eyes widened, and he pointed his finger.
"Are you threatening me?!"
Then he turned to look at Hei Dou.
"Dou'er, did you hear that? He's threatening me!" Chen Yu pointed at the necromancer, then at his own injuries. "He thinks the injuries on me, and the injuries on Jack and the others, are not worth ten thousand gold coins. He doesn't even consider us human!"
"Why not kill him then!" Hei Dou suggested.
"I don't have it, I really don't have it anymore!"
The necromancer was so anxious that his face turned red, and he kicked his legs frantically.
"I've given you everything I possibly can!"
"Alas, since you have no money, then let's kill him," Chen Yu said with a cold smile, shrugging. "We don't do discount business here."
"Chen Tianjiao!!!"
The necromancer cried out with all his might.
Facing his shouts, Chen Yu didn't stop for a moment, slowly walking away from the employee training area.
Ridiculous!
Did he really think he could just leave?
Leave room for maneuver in life, and meet again later?
Why go through so much trouble? Why not just kill him directly and be done with it.
In this world—
There is only one foolproof way to deal with an enemy.
That is, to make him a dead man!