A clamor.
The city buzzed with activity.
Chen Yu, having just entered the city, was met with a cacophony of sounds.
The streets were filled with people.
The city roads were smooth and well-maintained, with houses lining both sides in a dense, orderly fashion.
Young beastkin children, holding pinwheels, frolicked and played in the city. Behind them followed an aged beastman, his gaze fixed entirely on the child, his arm extending periodically as if to prevent a fall.
A beautiful family of three, their hands clasped together.
Others, like lovers, linked arms, whispering into each other's ears, their faces alight with immeasurable sweetness.
Everywhere one looked, cave beastmen and humans, clad in various colored garments, traversed the city, some strolling, others hurrying along.
A scene of tranquility.
"Whoa~"
Chen Yu, standing at the city gates, raised an eyebrow slightly.
This, this was how a city ought to be. What was that Black City he had visited before?
The more he compared,
the more Chen Yu felt that the Black City had to be taken.
Could such a city be allowed to exist?
Before coming to the caves, he had lived in a prosperous and peaceful nation where the people lived in contentment and security. Although the pressure of life had been steadily increasing, the cities themselves were at least safe.
The actions of the Black City had severely crossed Chen Yu's bottom line.
To put it in terms from outside the caves—
The Black City was a den of criminal elements.
It had to be eradicated!
However, the matter of attacking the city could not be done blindly. The more eager he was to act, the more he needed to calm himself and plan meticulously.
Recruit the worthy, sharpen the blades!
The most crucial thing for Chen Yu at the moment was to acquire strategic resources.
Whether it was something that could enhance the strength of his subordinates, like blood pills, to create a batch of Kobold warriors, or resources beneficial to the camp and effective in siege warfare.
He had to procure them all!
Money?!
Money was precisely what Chen Yu lacked the least at the moment.
Consumption, consumption.
He intended to vigorously boost the city's GDP.
"Charge, consume!"
"Go go go, shopping!" Hei Dou, perched on Chen Yu's shoulder, also chirped excitedly, then saw Chen Yu cast him a strange glance.
"Uh..."
"You, forget it, I can't be bothered."
It wasn't just a day or two since Hei Dou had started acting strangely. A living person who clearly lived on the surface had suddenly found himself in the sword and magic world of the caves.
He had seen adorable beast-eared girls.
When such things could happen, nothing was truly unacceptable or incomprehensible.
"Charge~!"
Chen Yu raised his arm and shouted, and Hei Dou was instantly ignited.
"Charge, let's explore all the beast-eared girls in the city!"
Bang.
Before Hei Dou could finish speaking, his little head was struck with a "bang."
"Have some backbone, we're here on business," Chen Yu said, glaring. "Exploring all the beast-eared girls, isn't that something to be done at night?"
Almost intimidated by Chen Yu's upright demeanor and feeling regret, Hei Dou heard the latter half of his sentence.
Instantly, he gave a thumbs-up, his eyes wide.
"Big brother, you truly are something else!"
"While it's good to be carefree, we can't let it interfere with our business," Chen Yu said softly. "As long as we establish ourselves firmly, are you afraid of lacking beast-eared girls? Broaden your horizons, okay?"
Chen Yu spread his right hand, and Hei Dou clenched his small fist.
"My horizons are wide open!"
Although beast-eared girls were appealing, they absolutely could not become a stumbling block on Chen Yu's path to success.
Chen Yu was still in the early stages of entrepreneurship.
His foundation was not yet stable.
More of his focus needed to be placed on his career, and he couldn't afford to be too extravagant or indulgent. He was a man with great aspirations.
Strolling through the city,
Chen Yu's eyes rarely strayed from the beast-eared girls. Regardless of whether they were couples deeply in love, respectable married women, or single young ladies.
He missed none of them!
What?
Was it not allowed to glance a couple of times?
Moreover, Chen Yu looked openly, not like a pervert sneaking glances. He had no wicked intentions, purely appreciating the charm of women.
Women were meant to be appreciated!
If no one in the world bothered to appreciate their beauty, what was the point of their elaborate makeup and carefully selected attire?
Furthermore, Chen Yu was actually doing business by observing the passersby.
He was assessing their levels.
[Fox Tribe, Decayed Wood level]
[For detailed data, please upgrade your wristband.]
[Ox Tribe, Black Iron level]
[For detailed data, please upgrade your wristband.]
...
This was a new function of his wristband after the cave plane fusion and dataization. It could not only detect the overall stats of facilities within the camp but also scan the approximate strength of those being observed.
However, detailed data was inaccessible, requiring an upgrade to the wristband.
Chen Yu still didn't know how to upgrade his wristband.
As for his own specific data, it could be viewed directly. On the dataized wristband interface, a new option, [Personal], had appeared.
This option was not the personal page in the chat.
Upon opening it, an internal 3D projection of a virtual human body was displayed, from which one could discern the body's health status.
On the right side, a line of data was listed.
[Chen Yu]
[Gender: Male]
[Combat Power: Bronze Peak]
...
At this moment, Chen Yu had reached the peak of the Bronze realm, just one step away from Silver. He had crossed the Black Iron realm, though he wasn't entirely sure how he had achieved it.
Perhaps it was by eating!
Lion Blood Jelly, exquisite cheese, foods that boosted attributes, he consumed them whenever he had the chance, further enhanced by critical hits.
His attributes surged upwards relentlessly.
And thus he reached the Bronze Peak realm!
Chen Yu observed the beastmen, also wanting to see where his current strength stood. So far, he hadn't encountered anyone who could match him.
Even if there were—
With the Five-Colored Sword unleashed, who could contend?
"Boss, it smells so good!"
Hei Dou on his shoulder suddenly twitched his nose, extending his little head as if about to float away.
Chen Yu also twitched his nose slightly.
It did smell good.
"How about we try some of the local snacks?!" Chen Yu suggested. He had been eating roasted meat for so long in the caves, and hadn't yet experienced the delicacies of the native cave dwellers.
He had to taste them at some point.
"Okay!"
Hei Dou was so excited he almost clapped his hands. Smelling that aroma had already whetted his appetite.
"Let's go see~"
Following the scent, they walked.
Not long after, the calls of the vendors flooded Chen Yu's ears.
It was just—
"Take a look, take a look! Freshly baked candied chestnuts, buying them is a profit, not buying them is being a fool, ah."
"Diarrhea and Loose Stool Soup, your remedy for constipation!"
"Stinky sea snails and stinky kelp! One bite will definitely make you float to immortality, and vomit uncontrollably. Your vomit-inducing artifact, miss this village and you won't find this shop again!"
"Leg-stretching, Eye-widening Pills, made from the kneecaps of feet that haven't been washed in three years, your instant death weapon."
Chen Yu stood silently in place, tilting his head, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at the vendors hawking their wares ceaselessly.
What kind of game was this?!
I can't comprehend it!
-
Author's note:
July, my dear readers, be happy~!