"I'm willing to take that gamble."
The lionman among the camp chiefs, his head adorned with golden fur, spoke in a low voice.
"It's just that we can't possibly foot the entire bill. Young Master Svir, perhaps you should contribute some funds as well."
"Of course." Svir, to everyone's surprise, displayed a rather dignified demeanor. Without a word of refusal or evasion, he flipped his hand and produced two rings. "This is my entire savings, worth approximately three million gold coins."
Svir had truly gone all in.
He wasn't lying; these two rings contained all the profits he had accumulated through his uncle the City Lord's influence, with nothing held back. He dared to do this because he was confident he could reclaim it all.
Seeing Svir's action, the other camp chiefs exchanged glances. Since he was willing to invest like this, it seemed his earlier promise wasn't an empty one.
"Young Master Svir, I hope you won't disappoint me. This is our camp's share."
"And mine."
"Mine!"
In the end, only the tough ones remained. Even with such a vast sum of several million, they were willing to risk it. Chen Yu, watching from behind, couldn't help but gasp.
Their reserves are truly formidable!
He never expected these camp chiefs to actually pool their money, and it seemed they had managed it.
Let them pool it.
A staggering fifty million!
For him to obtain it so easily, there was no downside.
"Well, have you decided?" Seeing that the camp chiefs had gathered their funds, Chen Yu couldn't be bothered to waste any more time and urged them on.
As his voice fell, the camp chiefs and Svir turned back.
It was impossible to miss the deep-seated hatred in their eyes for Chen Yu. If looks could kill, Chen Yu would have been sliced into pieces by now.
"We have gathered the money."
Svir spread his palm, revealing several rings and bracelets.
Even though he knew they had pooled the money, hearing it directly was still more impactful. That was a full fifty million. These camp chiefs were truly dripping with wealth.
With such wealthy camps, who could resist robbing them?
Chen Yu, reflecting inwardly, slowly raised his hand.
"Hand it over."
"What are you thinking? Do you take us all for fools? You think we'll just give you this money?" Svir suddenly withdrew the hand he had extended. "You have to give us a promise."
"What promise?"
"We give you the compensation, and you let us go."
While not particularly intelligent, Svir and the others weren't entirely foolish. If they were truly threatened into handing over tens of millions, they wouldn't have reached their current positions. They needed a promise in exchange for this money.
"Hoh, I didn't expect you to have such a mind," Chen Yu mocked with a smile. "Although the current situation doesn't require me to promise you anything, I can give you a promise seeing your sincerity in compensation. I, Chen Bantian, swear by my soul: once the money is in my hands, I will let you leave."
Upon hearing Chen Yu swear by his soul, a flicker of joy appeared in Svir and the others' eyes.
Mysterious contractual power existed in the underground world. Swearing by one's soul was the highest level of contract in the underground world's agreements. If the oath-taker violated the contract, their soul would suffer backlash.
"Here."
Several rings and bracelets detached from Svir's hand and were tossed onto the ground. As they landed, Svir feigned a shrug.
"Apologies, but you'll have to bend down a bit."
Chen Yu couldn't help but laugh and shake his head at such a childish trick.
"Immature."
He gestured to the side, and Er Gou bent down to pick up the rings and bracelets, respectfully extending them towards Chen Yu.
Seeing his petty trick fail, Svir gritted his teeth. He had wanted to see Chen Yu stoop before him, but even such a simple wish couldn't be fulfilled.
"I underestimated you; you actually managed to pool it."
Chen Yu, weighing the rings and bracelets, smiled and pocketed them without a second glance.
"You're not even going to look?" Svir raised an eyebrow. Chen Yu feigned surprise, "Did you not give enough?"
"Hmph, don't use your commoner's mentality to judge us." Svir's eyes were filled with disdain. "The resources within are definitely worth more than fifty million. I can understand you, though. You've probably never seen so much money in your life, perhaps afraid of losing face if you showed your excitement too soon. So, keep it for your late-night gloating. But I must also warn you."
"Oh, what is it?"
"Eating too much can kill you. You have to be careful."
"Don't worry, my appetite has always been excellent," Chen Yu said, patting his stomach. "Back in school, everyone knew I was the king of eating."
"Chen Bantian, you're actually nothing special."
Looking at Chen Yu's smile, Svir perceived it as the smugness of a petty person who had gained a small advantage. He was actually letting them go. If Svir were Chen Yu, he would have killed everyone here. Then, all the wealth here would still belong to him, and there would be no loose ends. With a sneer, Svir looked at Chen Yu as if he were already a dead man. Let this foreigner enjoy a few days of triumph. As long as he could return to the city and inform his uncle, his uncle's cavalry would flatten this dilapidated city-state, and then he would have plenty of time to play with this foreigner properly.
Chen Yu just smiled and remained silent.
Unbeknownst to him, in the eyes of the camp chiefs, Svir was the truly foolish one. To dare to spew such insults at this moment, hadn't he grasped the situation yet? Had they escaped? As long as their people hadn't left this area, Chen Yu was still in control of everything.
"Young Master Svir, perhaps say a few less words," the camp chiefs whispered, trying to placate him. Svir scoffed at their nervous expressions. "He's already sworn by his soul, what are you still afraid of? Once we leave here, I'll help you get back all of it, with interest."
"Mr. Chen, can we leave now?"
Ignoring Svir's arrogance, the camp chiefs turned their gaze towards Chen Yu, and despite their anger, there was a hint of appeasing laughter.
"Please."
Looking at the chief who dared to question him, Chen Yu smiled and slightly raised his hand. "Thank you all for your patronage. We look forward to your next visit."
"Hmph!"
Svir, however, let out an indignant snort, his nose and face twisted in displeasure. He turned and headed for the exit, his expression darkening as he saw the soldiers blocking their path.
"Get out of the way!"
The soldiers blocking his way didn't budge. Svir frowned.
"I told you to get out of the way. Can't you hear? Your master has already let us go. Hurry up and don't block the path. The stench all over you is really disgusting."
"Oh, really? Does it disgust you?"
Unexpectedly, the moment Svir finished speaking, the lion Jack, clad in armor, walked up slowly. This was the change they underwent after fusing with the divine generals. Jack, Rosie, and Black Donkey, they had all transformed from their basic beast forms into beastmen.
"Go, breathe in his face," Jack said with a playful grin. The beast soldier then grabbed Svir by his collar, opened his mouth wide, and let out a fierce breath. The foul odor made Svir gag uncontrollably.
Seeing this, the other camp chiefs felt a sense of foreboding.
"Mr. Chen, didn't you say you were letting us go?"
"Yes, I haven't stopped you."
Chen Yu spread his hands, a smile on his face. The camp chiefs pointed at the soldiers.
"Then these people..."
"They are an independent legion and are not under my jurisdiction. The only ones directly under me are the legion commanders by my side," Chen Yu said with a slight smile. "As you can see, our City Lord's Mansion's direct forces are not obstructing you."
"You're playing us!"
In an instant, all the camp chiefs understood, their eyes widening as they yelled. Chen Yu spread his hands innocently, Er Gou spread his hands innocently, and Cailin spread her hands innocently. Everyone on Chen Yu's side was spreading their hands innocently, except for the lion Jack, who walked up and placed a large hand on the chief's shoulder.
"Yes, we're playing with you. So what?"