"Burp~"
"Ugh!!!"
In a dilapidated barracks, Yu Pu, with a rustic face covered in stubble and red eyes, retched uncontrollably towards the ground.
Standing beside him was a thin goblin with a slight bulge in his chest, holding a water-soaked linen cloth, his eyes filled with concern.
"Hurry and wipe yourself."
A melodious and gentle hum reached his ears. Yu Pu, who was dry heaving, slowly raised his hand, grabbed the linen cloth, and wiped his mouth.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"If you can't drink it, don't drink it." The goblin's voice was a world away from her appearance. She frowned and took the linen cloth, sighing, "The elders have been steeped in wine dregs since they were young. Your human body can't possibly be their match."
"I was too hasty."
Yu Pu grinned, leaning back against the chair. He scratched his neck with his right hand.
"Don't bother with me anymore. Don't worry, I can take care of myself. The person in charge of the Yak Camp will be here soon to buy coal. Help me keep an eye out, and let me know if they arrive."
"Remember to drink water."
The goblin gestured towards the table with her chin before picking up the basin and walking out of the room. As the camp's iron gate slammed shut with a 'dong', a chuckle came from Yu Pu's wrist communicator.
"Not bad, Old Yu. You've even got someone serving you specifically?"
Yu Pu, still feeling a bit groggy, heard the laughter from his wrist communicator and slowly raised his arm. Looking at the projection in front of him, he saw Chen Yu looking at him with a smile.
Yu Pu leaned back and gulped down the water in his cup, tugging at his collar and coughing forcefully.
"Benefactor, please don't tease me."
"Don't say that. You can now have your own career. I'm genuinely happy for you." Chen Yu lowered his head, flipping the meat on the grill, and then grinned, "Was that a goblin just now? Her voice is quite pleasant. Seeing how concerned she is about you, it seems like she has feelings for you?"
"How could that be?"
Yu Pu smiled slightly and said softly.
"Goblins are short on food. Didn't you give me a lot of food a while ago? I managed to solve their urgent need for food. Now, these goblins are all working in my mine. By the way, since Benefactor has some free time to video call me, I'll show you my current situation. If there are any shortcomings, I hope you can give me some pointers. Do you have time?"
"It's my pleasure." Chen Yu nodded with a smile.
After briefly wiping his face, Yu Pu in the video pushed open the barracks door and stepped out.
In the picture, it was clear that Yu Pu was in a rather large camp. The interior of the camp wasn't as prosperous as the city managed by Chen Yu, but from the numerous barracks, one could sense that his camp had a considerable population.
"Mine Master."
"Mine Master."
Shouts of greeting reached his ears.
Chen Yu saw many half-orcs moving around in the entire camp. The half-orcs were all very respectful towards Yu Pu.
Yu Pu nodded and smiled in response to every greeting.
During his free moments,
Yu Pu also introduced things to Chen Yu.
"This is where the workers live. It might seem a bit crude, but you should know that mining areas are very dirty. Having a simple place to rest is already quite good." Yu Pu's eyes were filled with a smile. "I plan to buy a larger camp once I have enough funds."
"How many people do you have under you now?"
"You mean..."
Yu Pu looked at the projection on his wrist communicator with a hint of suspicion.
"If we're talking about mining, there are probably a few thousand people. Many miners bring their families. Now that the business has grown a bit, we do need people in other areas. If we count everyone, it's probably around thirty to forty thousand people."
Hiss!
Hearing the number, Chen Yu gasped.
How much had changed.
He never imagined that Yu Pu would already be a mine owner with tens of thousands of people.
It could be seen that the once simple Yu Pu still maintained his honest character.
But—
Compared to when he first entered the cave, he had also undergone many transformations.
Chen Yu didn't find this strange; in fact, it was within his expectations. After all, Yu Pu was among the survivors who had a relatively substantial starting capital.
Several coal veins were enough to ensure he would never worry about his livelihood.
From a small workshop of dozens of people to a mine owner with thousands, even tens of thousands, if he were still as simple as when he first entered the cave, he would suffer greatly.
Time truly changes many things.
"With so many people, haven't you considered conquering a city?" Chen Yu raised his eyebrows and said, "A camp is just a camp, after all. If you had a city as a base, it might be better for your future development."
"You're right, I have had that thought."
Yu Pu sighed and said, "There is indeed a small city around the mining area I control, but the problem is that to attack a city, you need soldiers. I have plenty of mines, and I've also made some foreign trade deals to earn some money, but the problem is I can't spend the money."
"What do you mean?"
"My location is too remote," Yu Pu sighed. "I've specifically inquired, and my current location is within what's called the Tatou Kingdom, located in the northwest... I don't remember clearly. In general, there are very few merchants in my area."
"Don't you have a city-state there?"
"Don't mention it."
Yu Pu casually found a pile of stones to sit on, his face filled with helplessness.
"The city-state I'm referring to is so poor it's practically bankrupt. The city's residents seem to be fewer than the people in my camp. Moreover, they don't want money at all; they prefer barter. Even though I have a lot of coal, they don't accept it. Other camps buy coal from me and give me cave currency, which I can't use at all. Sending people out to buy resources isn't impossible, but it's not peaceful when they return. I've been robbed two or three times this month alone."
"Then why didn't you just tell me if you needed resources?" Chen Yu asked.
"I didn't want to bother you unless it was a very urgent matter. You've already helped me enough," Yu Pu said with a bashful smile, scratching his face. "The reason I contacted you a few days ago was that I really had no other choice. I was thinking that if you didn't reply soon, I would have to call you."
"Are you encountering any trouble?"
"The mine."
Yu Pu frowned and sighed.
"I don't know why, but there were hardly any people in my mining area before. Recently, however, many bandit camps have inexplicably set up here. I heard they are refugees fleeing from other city-states. The lord of that city-state is a ruthless person; he eradicated all the camps within his territory, and these bandits were quick to escape."
"Oh?"
Unaccountably, Chen Yu felt that this matter was somewhat familiar.
All camps within the territory eradicated.
It was very much like something he would do.
"They ran away, but now I'm suffering." Yu Pu frowned and sighed. "I can mine, thanks to the equipment you provided, and I can even make some mining tools. But I have absolutely no armed force. Coincidentally, the goblin chieftain said they could forge artifacts, so I was wondering if you had any high-purity ore."
"Old Yu..."
"Yes!"
"May I ask one more question, do you know where those bandits came from?"
"Hiss, it seems to be some kind of free city-state?"