The night had grown deep.
Flames flickered from the campfire, around which a few people sat, feeling the slight warmth against the cool night.
Chen Yu watched the little demon, who was hugging her knees, in silence.
For a long time, he couldn't utter a word.
She, it turned out, also didn't know how to get to the royal capital of the Tatu Kingdom.
"Unbelievable."
Chen Yu, taking a bite of the roasted meat, couldn't help but laugh out of exasperation.
He had been digging dirt with a small shovel, following wherever the little demon said to go, and in the end, she didn't even know the way.
She had thought Chen Yu was leading.
Why should Chen Yu lead? To the undergound world, he was just an outsider. In the eyes of the natives, he was an invader.
His understanding of the underground world wasn't even a tip of the iceberg.
Leading the way?
He hadn't even figured out the area he was currently in, so how could he possibly know where the royal capital was.
"You were so eager to go to the royal capital, I thought you knew," the little demon whispered, pursing her lips. "You didn't say you didn't know."
"Sister, you said you knew the locations of all the royal capitals in the underground world."
"Yes!"
The little demon nodded noncommittally.
"I do know, but I also said I know them from my era. The Tatu Kingdom hasn't even been established for 200 years. How would I know about this newly emerging kingdom?"
Chen Yu was rendered speechless.
Fine!
He had suffered the consequence of not communicating.
If there was blame to be placed, Chen Yu admitted it was his fault.
He had indeed been a bit too presumptuous, thinking the little demon was a living map of the underground world and that bringing her along would lead them to the royal capital. He never imagined –
This was an ancient map!
"If the underground world hadn't been in such chaos, I might have been able to guide you with my experience. But the underground world is in such disarray now, where am I supposed to find it for you?" the little demon pouted.
Chewing on the roasted meat, Chen Yu began to ponder how to handle the current situation.
Clearly,
There were only two paths laid out before him.
Either, he would continue to blunder around like a fly, find a city-state, enter it, and inquire about the location of the royal capital, then plan a route to depart.
Or, he would return to the city now and gather intelligence from the explored city-states.
In Chen Yu's opinion, choosing the second option seemed more reasonable. They knew the directions to some city-states, making it easier to find them.
Otherwise, the underground world was too vast, and their random wandering would make it difficult to encounter any city-states.
He couldn't even return the way he came without entering a city. He had followed the little demon wandering through the underground world and had no idea how they had traveled.
He only remembered that one moment it was wilderness, and the next, a plain.
Then, a lake.
Mountains.
Along the way, they had even encountered deserts twice.
"How about we go back?" the little demon blinked. Chen Yu immediately refused, "Absolutely not. Once we leave the city, we can't go back. Otherwise, what will the people in the city think of us? The core members of the camp know I went to the royal capital. If I suddenly return, won't I lose face?"
How could he go back?
He had left the city with such fanfare, making so many arrangements with Kuka and the others. To go back dejectedly like this would damage his prestige as camp leader.
This was no longer the makeshift group of the past. He had several Divine Generals under his command and tens of thousands of soldiers.
Prestige was very important!
Even if he had to blunder through with gritted teeth, he had to continue forward.
"What's the big deal? Just say you suddenly remembered something you needed to handle, and they won't know what you're really doing," the little demon whispered.
"I second that!"
Heidou also raised his hand in agreement.
He wasn't thinking so much; he just wanted to find a place to sleep well. Although they could set up tents in the wilderness, it wasn't as comfortable as sleeping in a soft bed indoors.
"You're everywhere."
Chen Yu shot Heidou an annoyed glance and rubbed his head.
"Going back is absolutely impossible. Returning now would have too many potential repercussions. As camp leader, since I decided to leave the city, unless I reach the royal capital or encounter a truly fatal danger, I will absolutely not return. Let's set up tents and stay here for the night."
"Alright, I don't mind anyway."
The little demon shrugged.
If she wanted to rest, she could still return to the space within the watch. Camping in the wilderness had no effect on her.
Heidou, however, grinned reluctantly with a bitter expression.
"How about I take you to the royal capital?" Suddenly, a faint whisper came from the dark distance.
Everyone by the campfire focused their gaze.
They saw Ronnie Elton, her small face adorned with a smile, tiptoeing towards the campfire and extending her fair little hands to enjoy the warmth of the flames.
Seeing Ronnie's appearance, Chen Yu was dumbfounded.
"Why are you here?"
He had specifically sneaked out of the city to prevent Ronnie from following him, not wanting Ronnie to know he was going to the royal capital.
He assumed no one in the camp would tell her.
"I followed you," Ronnie smiled, pursing her lips. "I've been following you since you left the city. I tailed you the whole way. Who knew you'd keep going in circles? You almost made me dizzy. Oh, it's so cold. I was freezing to death hiding behind that rock. Is there any more food? Give me some."
"Here, help yourself."
Chen Yu gestured towards the roasted meat on the grill. Ronnie used two wooden chopsticks to pull the meat over and took a small bite.
"Mmm, it's so delicious."
Ronnie's eyes widened in surprise as she took a bite of the roasted meat.
"You made this?"
"Otherwise, do these two ancestors look like they can cook?" Chen Yu whispered. The little demon and Heidou grinned sheepishly.
"Heavens, I didn't expect you to be so capable."
"Huh?!"
Chen Yu's face was filled with surprise.
"Haven't you eaten it before when you were in my city-state? They sell it in the commercial street of the city-state, you can get it for 30 copper coins."
"Sorry, I thought it was something crude," Ronnie's tone suddenly lowered.
She did know that there was roasted meat sold in the commercial district, but she came from wealth and was accustomed to fine food. It wasn't that she was disgusted, but she subconsciously thought that if she couldn't eat it, she wouldn't bother queuing.
Moreover, roasted meat was too greasy. If she hadn't been so hungry on her journey, she wouldn't have eaten this piece of roasted meat.
"Then you've missed out on a lot of delicacies," Chen Yu could understand, saying regretfully with a smile. "The food produced by our city-state is very good."
"The canned fruit is delicious, I bought 2000 portions."
"..."
What kind of rich family was this?
Canned fruit was priced relatively high among the various goods, with each bottle costing at least 5 silver coins. This young lady had bought 2000 portions directly.
"You said you could take us to the royal capital?" Chen Yu raised his eyebrows.
"Of course!"
Ronnie Elton's eyes sparkled with a smile.
"I'm a native of the inner city of the royal capital. Isn't it easy for me to take you to the royal capital?"