Black Bean was ultimately too hasty.
He assumed Chen Yu knew the measurements of Nuoya, Kailin, and the others. In reality, after he pressed for details, Chen Yu was intimately familiar with all the females in the camp.
Even the Orc mercenaries knew them clearly.
"Boss, you're truly a hidden master!" Black Bean couldn't help but exclaim, "Did you sneak into their beds in the middle of the night? How do you know so much?"
"What do you think I am, you?"
Sneaking into beds.
It was truly remarkable that Black Bean could even conceive of such a thing.
"Then how did you do it?" Black Bean asked, looking bewildered. "Is there some sort of trick? Can you teach me a thing or two?"
"You want to know?"
"Yes!"
"It's merely familiarity."
"Huh?"
Black Bean craned his neck, utterly confused.
Showing off with fancy words?
Seeing Black Bean's confused expression, Chen Yu dismissively curled his lips.
"It's experience, understand?"
He had seen countless women outside the caves. While there wasn't any substantial progress in terms of relationships, he had observed a lot. Sitting in the pedestrian street for an entire afternoon during holidays, year after year, even if he couldn't be perfectly accurate, he could get it mostly right.
It was all about persistence.
He had only entered early. If Chen Yu had stayed outside for another three to five years, his skills would likely have advanced further.
"Sir, you've arrived!"
As Chen Yu and Black Bean were whispering outside the shop, a goat-like man with his hands rubbing together came out to greet them.
He was also the owner of this establishment.
Seeing the owner's unusual enthusiasm, Chen Yu was somewhat surprised and raised an eyebrow.
"You know me?"
"Oh, on our street, who wouldn't know you!" the goat-man grinned broadly, a look of delight on his face.
In just a few short hours.
Chen Yu had managed to make a name for himself in this city-state.
To summarize in two words:
Generous.
In mere hours, he had spent 300 gold coins, a fortune that many people in the city-state couldn't accumulate in a hundred years.
Once this news spread—
All the shopkeepers in the commercial district became aware of Chen Yu. They felt envious of the shops he had patronized.
The owner of this clothing store was one of them.
He had been eagerly awaiting Chen Yu's visit, wishing upon stars and moons. Seeing that Chen Yu had actually come, he knew his good fortune was about to begin.
"Understandable."
Chen Yu wasn't surprised by this.
His spending was indeed quite substantial. He cleared out any merchandise he fancied, throwing out hundreds of gold coins without batting an eye.
It would be strange if these shopkeepers, who depended on their businesses, didn't recognize him.
"Sir, are you planning to buy clothes?"
The goat-man asked tentatively in a low voice. Chen Yu didn't deny it.
"Yes."
"Sir, you've come to the right place. Our shop has the widest selection and the best quality of clothing in the entire city-state. It's no wonder it's you; you truly have discerning taste." The goat-man's eyes were filled with flattery. "Would you like to look around? We have..."
"I'll take it all."
Before the owner could finish speaking, Chen Yu's words created a huge stir.
All...
He would take it all?
Even though the owner knew Chen Yu was incredibly wealthy, he hadn't expected him to be this extraordinarily generous.
"You, you're sure you want it all?!" The owner couldn't help but swallow hard. "Our shop has hundreds of outfits..."
"You don't want to do business?"
"Yes, yes, of course! I just... Alright, I'll have someone pack it for you right away."
The goat-man owner bellowed to his employees and began packing the clothes. Chen Yu found a chair and sat down in the shop, watching them busily work.
Is this the joy of the wealthy?
Consumption!
It was truly exhilarating.
Chen Yu decided to buy all the clothes because he considered that his camp would surely have more people joining in the future. Therefore, all types of clothing would be useful.
Buying them all also saved him from extra hassle.
Furthermore—
Chen Yu's actions also served a deeper purpose.
Reputation!
He was unknown. Unlike the noble families of the cave dwellers who were renowned, he needed to either do something that caused a sensation or draw attention in the most direct and forceful way to integrate into this circle.
This method was consumption!
Paving the way with money never went out of style, no matter the era or place. At most, he might be perceived as foolish and rich, or as a nouveau riche or a parvenu.
But, you couldn't deny that paving the way with money was the simplest and most effective method.
Chen Yu's rampant spending in the city-state this time was bound to attract attention. Of course, even if this round of spending didn't catch the eye of those with real power.
He wasn't concerned!
He was well aware of his financial capabilities, and his appearance wouldn't be a fleeting one.
If not today, then tomorrow.
If not tomorrow, then the day after!
He would be noticed.
At that point, truly capable individuals would naturally try to interact with him, whether with goodwill or malice. Chen Yu could then decide his subsequent course of action based on their attitudes.
It couldn't be helped!
He had been in the caves for too short a time and knew too little about the happenings here. He wasn't sure if the people here were good or evil.
Therefore, in an unfamiliar environment, to avoid being lost in his path forward.
He needed to probe the waters!
After about ten minutes, the goat-man owner came running back, holding a bracelet.
"Sir, all the clothes from our shop have been placed in this bracelet. You..." the goat-man owner said with a tentative smile. Chen Yu took it and put it in his pocket without even looking. "How much is it?"
Hiss!
What boldness.
He didn't even check. Truly a wealthy patron who could spend hundreds of gold coins with a wave of his hand.
"A total of 37 gold coins. Please pay 35."
"Here!" Chen Yu took out forty gold coins and placed them on the table. "No need to round it down; these three gold coins are a tip for your employees."
Chen Yu spoke with an air of arrogance.
Little did they know, his heart was bleeding.
3 gold coins!
If it weren't for paving the way with money, he would never have been willing to give these 3 gold coins as a tip.
"This..."
Seeing Chen Yu's extraordinary generosity, the goat-man owner was dumbfounded. He quickly called out to the employees.
"Aren't you going to thank him quickly!"
The employees expressed their heartfelt gratitude. These 3 gold coins, divided among them, were equivalent to more than half a year's wages.
Chen Yu smiled and lightly raised his hand, giving a slight nod.
"We'll do business again in the future."
"Ah, sir..." Just as Chen Yu was about to leave, the goat-man owner called out to him. "Sir, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Wouldn't you like to buy some fabric?"
"Fabric?"
"It seems you truly don't know. Our shop is most famous for its fabrics and silks. Many noble families from major cities come here to buy fabric and silk to tailor their clothes."
"Ha, is that so."
This damned fellow was treating him like a fat sheep, intending to fleece him.
"Yes, and you've come at the perfect time. Just a few days ago, our shop acquired a batch of ice silkworm silk from some adventurers. It's absolutely top-grade material."
"Ice silkworm silk!"
Before Chen Yu could respond, the little demon exclaimed.
"Chen Yu, buy it all!"
--
Author's Say:
Good evening, have you eaten?