Li Yu followed the town mayor, moving slowly amidst the crowd of residents, until they returned to the mayor's office in the center of town.
Along the way, the residents all looked at Li Yu with admiration, and occasionally someone would shout the name of a hero, which made Li Yu feel a little uncomfortable.
As soon as he entered the office, the mayor, with a beaming smile, began to speak:
"Thank you so much, Commander Li Yu, for your help this time!"
"If it weren't for your timely intervention, many more innocent people in our town would have suffered, and countless lives would have been lost."
Upon hearing this, Li Yu simply waved her hand lightly and calmly replied:
"Mayor, you flatter me. I was merely employed by your town to complete the task as agreed and receive payment. There is no merit to speak of. We were simply getting what we needed."
The mayor's expression changed slightly, his previously calm face instantly turning serious.
He already understood what Li Yu was referring to, but he quickly regained his smile, turned his head slightly, and whispered a few words to his assistant beside him.
Upon hearing the mayor's instructions, the assistant dared not delay and hurriedly turned and left, his steps somewhat flustered.
Not long after, the assistant returned.
He was carrying a heavy box in each hand, beads of sweat were seeping from his forehead, and he looked slightly nervous.
He gritted his teeth, picked up the two boxes, and quickly walked to the mayor's side and stopped.
He then stood straight to the side, his eyes fixed on the mayor, as if waiting for further instructions.
The mayor glanced at the box, then nodded slightly to his assistant.
After receiving a clear signal, the assistant lifted the box onto the table and gently pushed it in front of Li Yu.
"Click".
The assistant pulled the latch, opened the box somewhat nervously, and then immediately took a few steps back to distance himself from Li Yu.
Seeing their assistant's strange reaction, Li Yu and Ma Yuanbai both looked into the box at the same time.
However, what they saw was not the common currency of Zhongzhou that they had imagined, nor other valuables, but rather a pile of dark red algae sticks placed haphazardly in the box.
Faced with the unexpected answer, Li Yu remained calm and asked in a composed tone:
What does this mean?
The town mayor opposite him smiled slightly, revealing a faint smile, and explained in a calm and unhurried tone:
"You mean all of this? These are inventions unique to our Bada Town—mutant red algae sticks."
"They can be considered a temporary, mutated food source, and compared to the green algae sticks commonly found in Central Plains, their ability to resist hunger is much stronger!"
After hearing the town mayor's words, Ma Yuanbai's face instantly darkened, and he had a vague feeling in his heart:
'This mayor is trying to renege on his debt.'
After all, according to the previous agreement between the two parties, the town mayor should have given Bada Town a full six months' worth of funds, but now he has only taken out two boxes of so-called mutated red algae sticks to make do with it.
But he didn't rush to react; he simply stood silently in place, waiting for Li Yu's reaction.
Li Yu remained expressionless, only offering a timely reminder:
"Mayor, if I remember correctly, you promised Bada Town six months' worth of funding, right?"
"That's right."
Faced with Li Yu's questioning, the town mayor readily admitted it.
He paused, then pointed to the two boxes of red algae sticks and continued:
"However, these two boxes of red algae sticks represent all the supplies we harvested in Bada Town in the first half of the year."
The town mayor, naturally aware of the difference between funds and supplies, said with a hint of sarcasm:
"If what you want is funds, just go to those bustling big cities and exchange these two boxes of supplies for funds."
At this moment, Ma Yuanbai, who had been silent all along, walked to the table, picked up a piece of red algae stick, examined it carefully, and even took a small bite.
After a thorough examination, Ma Yuanbai was quite certain of his decision.
These so-called red algae sticks are virtually identical to common green algae sticks, except for the color; in fact, they don't even taste as good.
After realizing that these things were completely worthless, Ma Yuanbai shook his head helplessly at Li Yu.
Li Yu was not surprised by Ma Yuanbai's reaction.
He looked up and couldn't help but take a serious look at the town mayor across the table.
As the vortex in his abdomen slowly rotated, absorbing the surrounding energy, Li Yu could also sense the strength emanating from the guards standing outside the door.
After sensing the area, Li Yu discovered that the strongest person in the town was only a third-tier awakened individual.
After confirming that even if all these people were combined, they wouldn't be enough to defeat him, Li Yu felt increasingly puzzled and confused.
With such limited power, where does this town mayor get the audacity to be so arrogant and domineering?
Why would a town mayor, who is not even as good as a third-tier awakened being, dare to deceive him so brazenly?
'Who gave them the courage?'
Li Yu narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at the person opposite her, her curiosity growing stronger.
'Aren't they afraid of dying?'
Sensing the faint killing intent lurking in Li Yu's eyes, the town mayor not only didn't restrain himself, but instead remained calm and began to explain with a forced smile:
"Oh dear, Commander Li Yu, please calm down!"
"This year's harvest is really bad, and we can't operate at full capacity. These two boxes of red algae sticks are all we can offer."
Ma Yuanbai, standing to the side, clearly didn't believe it and couldn't help but retort:
"Don't give me that! No money? If you don't have money, why did you promise to give us six months' worth of funding in the first place?"
Faced with Ma Yuanbai's questioning, the town mayor merely glanced at him dismissively:
"Who do you think you are, interrupting me while I'm talking to the commander?"
Having said that, the town mayor ignored Ma Yuanbai and turned his gaze to Li Yu, tilting his head back slightly as he leaned back in his chair and speaking slowly and deliberately:
"Commander Li Yu, in my opinion, you should know when to quit while you're ahead."
"These are my honest thoughts. I'm advising you not to refuse a polite offer and then suffer the consequences!"
The town mayor seemed to be having a good deed, which is why he was willing to persuade Li Yu.
Then he gestured with his chin to the two boxes on the table:
"You only have two choices now: either take these two boxes of red algae sticks and leave my town, or..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Yu interrupted him rudely:
"Do you think I'm a three-year-old? You think you can get rid of me with something like this!"
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