Flowers in a greenhouse, no matter how exquisitely beautiful and alluring when in full bloom, will wither under torrential rain and biting winds once their protective shelter is gone.
Wild grass in the wind, battered by storms yet still able to grow robustly towards the sun.
Chen Yu, who had once remained in Freedom Town, was like a large umbrella, shielding his subordinates from the wind and rain. They were, in essence, much like flowers living in a greenhouse.
For any problem, they would instinctively rely on Chen Yu to resolve it.
They obediently executed Chen Yu's orders.
Such circumstances prevented them from growing at all. In the end, they might even become mere machines that only knew how to follow commands.
Chen Yu's departure this time,
Although he had contact information for many people in the town, he also had various matters to attend to outside and could not respond immediately.
Sometimes, messages might be missed altogether.
To solve problems, Kailin and the others could only rely on themselves, and over time, they all grew into individuals capable of standing on their own.
What wonderful news this was!
Chen Yu didn't know how long he had longed for this day to arrive.
His heart held the stars and the sea. Being confined to a single town had also troubled him greatly. Now that Kailin and the others had grown up, Chen Yu could do as he pleased.
"Why don't you just die of laziness."
The little devil, as usual, was thoroughly disdainful of Chen Yu.
"Hey, the royal family of the Kingdom of Tartoo didn't cause you any trouble on this trip. Instead, you insisted on getting some kind of broken certification. The Kingdom of Tartoo is on the verge of being wiped out, so why are you still paying them taxes every year?"
Chen Yu, who was cooking wild game, pursed his lips and smiled without speaking.
"Are you deaf!" Seeing that Chen Yu remained silent, the little devil, infuriated, jumped up and shouted into Chen Yu's ear, "Speak!"
Only then did Chen Yu pick at his ear and curl his lips.
"Who is paying them taxes?"
"Chen Yu, have I been too nice to you lately?" The little devil tilted her head, glaring with her two pitch-black eyes, and extended a finger, "Don't go looking for trouble."
"Yada yada yada, the Demon King is angry."
Chen Yu feigned fear, shrinking his neck and saying with a smile.
"I only agreed to pay taxes, I never said I would actually give them the money. Besides, taxes are only due annually to the royal city. Can the Kingdom of Tartoo even last a year given its current predicament? And even if we take a step back, if the Kingdom of Tartoo does last a year, all of Freedom City-State is my people. If I cook up some false accounts for them, what would they know?"
The town managed itself, and the people within the city did not accept appointments from the royal city.
Chen Yu was merely using the name of the Tartoo Royal City. In the end, that city-state still belonged to him, and all the major and minor affairs within the city were under his control.
What taxes?
If the royal city truly sent people to audit their taxes, even if Chen Yu reported one gold coin in taxes, what could they do?
Would the royal city not allow its subordinate towns to implement tax exemption policies?
Everything he did was for the development of the city and to contribute to the kingdom's progress. It would be more appropriate for him to apply for financial support from the royal city rather than them demanding taxes from him.
Demanding taxes from him? Were they awake?
"You admit that the Kingdom of Tartoo won't last a year, yet you eagerly handed over 12 million to get certification." The little devil sneered.
"What 12 million?"
Chen Yu looked utterly bewildered, then with a clang, he dropped several boxes.
"Are you referring to these?"
Upon seeing this scene, the little devil's eyes widened round.
Her gaze was fixed directly on the boxes.
"This?"
"Showing him 12 million gold coins was enough. Did he really think he could keep it?" Chen Yu curled his lips. "The day after Gangmen's business was concluded, Liya chopped him up. Before chopping him, I investigated him. He relied on the seventh prince and did a lot of bad things in the Kingdom of Tartoo. Chopping him was a good deed. Naturally, with him gone, the money had to be returned to its rightful owner, and that owner would be me."
"You..."
The little devil's lips quivered for a long time before she finally spoke, her gaze at Chen Yu filled with an indescribable shock.
What a ruthless person.
Without her even knowing, he had so silently chopped up Gangmen.
"He had to die," Chen Yu said matter-of-factly, his eyes cast down. "As long as he was alive, it would always be a problem. No one could guarantee that if the Seventh Prince asked him questions, his mouth would remain sealed. Since there was a potential threat, it was better to nip the threat in the bud."
"The problem is, even if he's dead, the Seventh Prince will still notice."
"Liya is taking the blame."
Chen Yu smiled faintly and said softly to the little devil.
"Liya has always been known for his erratic behavior and doing as he pleases in the city. Chopping up a lackey is like a common occurrence for him. Even if the Seventh Prince finds out, he can only swallow his anger. Because even he wouldn't dare to provoke Liya, who has been doted on by the Chief Financial Officer since childhood."
"As for why I wanted the royal city's certification, the reason is also simple."
"For development!"
The Kingdom of Tartoo was about to face war. Su Zhan had confidently declared that this war would be victorious, so Chen Yu naturally wouldn't doubt the words of his childhood friend, who he had known since they were in diapers.
The kingdom would surely be defeated!
However, regardless of whether the Kingdom of Tartoo won or lost, Chen Yu's Freedom City-State would be caught in the whirlpool of war. At the very least, it needed to possess the ability to protect itself.
How could it protect itself?
The story of the Grasshopper God had taught Chen Yu that a secluded corner could not guarantee safety. To survive war well, one relied on strength.
Where did the town's strength come from?
Military power!
With the royal city's certification, those who were observing would be more willing to join Chen Yu's town, and an increase in population would naturally affect the number of people joining the legions.
Thus, the military strength of Freedom City-State would also rise.
At that time, even if war broke out, Freedom City-State would not aspire to seize territory during the conflict, but at least ensuring its own territory was not encroached upon would generally not be a major problem.
"Still too young."
Chen Yu glanced at the little devil and shook his head. The little devil was somewhat angry but couldn't retort. Suddenly noticing Chen Yu's gaze, she quickly covered her neckline.
"Where are you looking? What do you mean by 'young'?"
Chen Yu: "???"
"I really didn't expect you to be so shameless." The little devil, covering her neckline, yelled. Chen Yu, however, showed no signs of annoyance and curled his lips, "Stop covering yourself. What can you see with your flat chest? I don't know where you get the courage."
"I'll kill you!"
The little devil instantly exploded with rage, gritting her teeth as she pounced on Chen Yu and started wrestling with him. At this moment, Xiao Nuoyi also came bouncing back. Seeing the little devil straddling Chen Yu's waist, Nuoyi quickly covered her eyes.
"Ah, I didn't see anything... or did I?"
As she spoke, Xiao Nuoyi slowly parted her fingers, afraid of missing any exciting scenes.
"Hurry up and get up, stop messing around." Chen Yu gently pushed the little devil away and glanced at Nuoyi, "How is it, did you find the Pure Fire Land?"
"Found it!"
Xiao Nuoyi nodded noncommittally and pointed into the distance.
"It's over there, it's just... aren't you guys continuing?"