"Hoo~"
Chen Yu stretched lazily.
He glanced at the little guy on the bed, legs kicking upwards, paws flailing, drooling. He knew for sure this kid wasn't having any good dreams.
Not wanting to disturb the pleasant dream, Chen Yu washed up and stepped out of the camp, opening his arms to the gentle breeze.
Today—
It was another day filled with hope!
"Leader~"
A sweet, cute voice reached Chen Yu's ears.
Following the sound, he saw the little fox-girl Su Bei standing by the flowerbed, waving at him. Chen Yu smiled and walked over, gently wiping some dirt from her nose.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"Mhm~"
Su Bei nodded vigorously. It was clear she was trying her best to adapt to life here, a skill honed from her past as a slave.
Adaptability!
To get food and avoid the whip as a slave, one had to adapt to everything in the shortest possible time.
Although Chen Yu's environment wasn't as dark as her past, she was even more eager to find a job of her own here.
She wanted to repay him.
"As long as you slept well," Chen Yu smiled and looked at Nuo Ya. "Are you teaching Su Bei how to plant flowers?"
"Yes~"
Nuo Ya's face beamed as she said,
"Su Bei is still young, and planting flowers should be most suitable for her. She also seems very interested in this work."
"I can do other things too," Su Bei said suddenly, sounding a little nervous.
"Do what you like,"
Chen Yu gently placed his hand on her head. For some reason, when Su Bei felt the warmth of Chen Yu's palm, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.
"It's okay if you don't do anything."
"But how can that be?" Su Bei bit her lip and shook her head. Chen Yu listened and ruffled her hair. "You are still young. In my hometown, children your age should be living carefree lives and studying in school."
"Unfortunately, I don't have that capability yet."
"When our camp grows stronger, you will have more companions your age, and then I will set up a proper school."
"For now, just do whatever you enjoy within the camp."
Ruffling Su Bei's small head, Chen Yu then looked at Kuka on the side, who was energetically patting the ground with a golden shovel, dealing with mole rats.
[Nether Essence +1]
[Nether Essence +1]
...
Each Nether Essence was the unwilling soul of a mole rat. Kuka had become an emotionless executioner, regardless of whether they were of the same lineage five hundred years ago.
If he pulled one out, it was a shovel strike.
The other few newly joined mages in the camp stared intently.
"See, just do it like me!" Kuka, after dispatching a few mole rats, placed a hand on his hip and said, "Our job is simple. We are the logistics and resource supply department of the camp, the stable meat provider. I've already taught you the magic incantations. Strive to become a stable meat supplier as soon as possible. Understand?"
"Understood!"
The mages all glared, and then Chen Yu heard one of them whisper.
"Boss Kuka, you... undead mages do this kind of thing?"
"Don't you understand that the capable should do more?" Kuka said sternly. "Our camp is still in its early stages of development. Those with abilities must work more. None of you should slack off, understand? Hey, boss~~"
Kuka, who was lecturing the mages, suddenly saw Chen Yu run up with a smile.
"Well done, you're starting to look like a manager," Chen Yu said with a smile. "From now on, any mages who join our camp will be under your charge."
"Heh, just putting on a show," Kuka scratched his head.
Chen Yu was quite pleased.
Although he said he would promote talent, he also had a slight bias towards those close to him. Kuka, Er Gou, Hei Lü, Jack, Rou Si – the first batch of people who followed him, he hoped they would become high-level managers of the camp in the future.
Ability was important, but timing was also crucial.
"How are they? Do they have any talent?" Chen Yu's eyes twinkled with amusement. Kuka shook his head. "Their talent seems average. Perhaps space magic is just difficult to learn. Boss, don't worry, give me some time, and I'll definitely make them a stable meat provider for our camp."
"Alright, how's your undead magic coming along?"
"..."
Suddenly, Kuka fell silent and grinned foolishly.
Looking at his expression, Chen Yu knew he probably hadn't even touched the threshold.
"It's okay, take your time," Chen Yu patted his shoulder. Just then, some orc mercenaries walked over from a distance. Upon seeing him, they quickly greeted him.
"Boss!"
"Tian He."
Chen Yu recognized the approaching mercenary.
It was the half-orc mercenary who had given him advice that day.
"Where are you guys headed?"
"Exploring the underground caves," Tian He said with a smile. "We were all notified yesterday. Our camp is self-sufficient, so we're preparing to form a team to explore the caves. Also... according to Manager Kailin, our camp will be stationed here today."
The matter of stationing had indeed been notified to Kailin by Hei Dou last night.
It wasn't surprising that the mercenaries knew.
It's just that—
They were all wearing only shorts for the exploration of the underground caves.
"Fighting bare-handed?"
"Uh..."
Tian He and the other mercenaries gave wry smiles.
In their hearts, they thought: ???
What do you think?
You stripped us of all our equipment, and now we only have these shorts. What else can we do?
We've all pledged allegiance to you.
And you haven't re-equipped us with gear.
While they grumbled internally, they dared not say a word.
"Looking at your expressions, you seem to have a lot of opinions about me, don't you?" Chen Yu said with a sneer. "You must be thinking, 'He doesn't equip us.'"
All the mercenaries: ?
A mind reader!
The orc mercenaries stared at Chen Yu, stunned for a long time before vigorously shaking their heads.
"Alright, your facial expressions are too poor," Chen Yu scoffed. "Do you really want your old equipment back?"
The orc mercenaries dared not speak, but they secretly nudged Tian He.
They all knew he had a slightly closer relationship with Chen Yu.
They had to rely on him.
"Ah, this..." Tian He, pushed forward, scratched his head for a long time and hesitantly asked in a low voice, "Well, if it's convenient for you, boss..."
"It's not convenient!"
Chen Yu shook his head and shrugged.
"I sold off that batch of equipment that night."
"Ah, this..."
This is too difficult!
The equipment was sold that very night. Was the efficiency too fast?
"Your equipment was really too shabby. Keeping it was just taking up space," Chen Yu murmured. Tian He wore a bitter smile. "We're just small mercenaries, boss. Our equipment might not meet your standards. It's fine, we can still go..."
Before Tian He could finish his sentence.
Clang!
Several Advent Windswift Swords fell to the ground.
The mercenaries stared at the swords, which were emanating a purple glow, lying on the ground. Then they saw Chen Yu shrug and smile.
"So, I've prepared better ones for you."
--
Author's Notes:
Good afternoon, have you eaten?