《Lord of the Sky City》


 Chapter 1 - 1, Chapter 2 Defects and Whispers (Combined Chapters)

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    "This is just... thinking about it is so frustrating!"


    Sitting in his own room, Rocky had a gloomy expression on his face.


    As a transmigrator, he had been in this world for a month now. He went from initial fear to wandering uncertainty, and finally, he slowly adapted to the new environment. Yet no matter what, he could not adapt to this new body.


    His new body was named Rocky. It originally belonged to a second-generation rich kid with a substantial family background. The personality was decent too¡ªperhaps not exactly a great person but not too bad either, so his future ought to have been bright.


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    Unfortunately, the otherwise quite capable Rocky had a fatal w: he was a pushover.


    This defect was truly terrifying because if you¡¯re a pushover, even dogs might bully you!


    The Rocky before the transmigration was such a pushover, and to an extent that nobody would believe if told. He actually let someone snatch a Sky City right out of his own hands!


    The so-called Sky City is a type of city capable of flight, high above the ground. To rify this fairy-tale-like notion involves delving into the history of this world.


    This world is called Sanibo, meaning nd blessed by the gods,¡¯ a world where both sword and magic, as well as magic technology, are highly developed.


    Regrettably, although the world¡¯s name sounds idyllic, the gods have shown little to no favor here. Instead, they have mercilessly punished this ce.


    A hundred years ago, demons invaded from the Different Dimension, seizing two-thirds of thend in an instant. Every race on thend suddenly faced the danger of annihtion, but thankfully, humans then invented Sky City and used this invention to relocate all races to the sky, ushering in the Sky Era.


    In the hundred years that followed, people continuously thrived in the sky, hoping that one day they would be able to reim thend. The number of Sky Cities grew from the initial one to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Nowadays, the amount of Sky Cities in the sky is beyond count.


    And Rocky owned one such Sky City!


    His Sky City was an inheritance from his father, who was originally a noble from the Mairente Family. Although he left the family after starting his own, with his efforts alone he carved out a medium-sized Sky City with a poption of thirty thousand.


    However, a few years after giving birth to Rocky, his mother passed away. The loss of his wife left the once valiant and capable father listless and morose. Eventually, he passed away a year ago.


    The sessive deaths of his parents meant that Rocky, as their only son, naturally inherited his father¡¯s Sky City, bing the lord of an entire city. Everything seemed so wonderful.


    But this beauty was only fleeting, as disaster struck not long after.


    "Ah... why am I so unlucky..."


    Remembering the events that had befallen ¡¯him,¡¯ Rocky in his room couldn¡¯t help but sigh, feeling a sense of ruefulness.


    The trouble began half a year ago when members of the Mairente Family, the family his father originally belonged to, suddenly appeared. They imed that as a descendant of the Mairente Family, they hoped he would return to the fold and listed a plethora of benefits that woulde with his return.


    This should have been a good thing. Even though Rocky didn¡¯t understand why his father had left the family, the Mairente Family was a major house after all. He felt that returning to such a family might not be a loss, so he agreed.


    But that agreement was a mistake!


    He did return to the family, but as soon as he did, Rocky was immediately informed: as a member of the Mairente Family, all assets owned by Rocky... now belonged to the family!


    These weren¡¯t just empty words. The Mairente Family really did confiscate all his assets, including the medium-sized Sky City with a poption of thirty thousand; it was all taken by the Mairente Family.


    After taking everything Rocky had, the Mairente Family then suddenly notified him that since his father had left the family, the family council did not recognize his status.


    Just like that, he was expelled from the family again!


    Of course, when the Mairente Family banished Rocky, they didn¡¯t leave him with nothing. Perhaps because they knew they had gone too far, in sending Rocky away they also gave him a small Sky City, one with merely a thousand residents...


    Which means, in the course of returning to the family, not only did Rocky not get anything beneficial, but he also lost all his property¡ªit all ended with him still being a city lord, but his Sky City had shrunk from a medium-sized one with a poption of thirty thousand to a tiny, rundown city of just a thousand.


    Others might feel furious just hearing about such incidents, wouldn¡¯t they? For this was clearly robbery!


    And even though he knew this was outright robbery, the Rocky before the transmigration had no way of objecting. His weak nature forced him to swallow the insult and bear it until he transmigrated.


    After transmigration, Rocky had even less chance to correct the situation; in fact, not only did he have no chance, but he also had to clean up the mess left behind by the ¡¯former him.¡¯


    This mess was the Sky City he owned.


    The Sky City Rocky now owned was called Thunderhawk City. The name sounded impressive, but it was nothing more than a tiny city with a poption of just a thousand, more fitting to be called a vige than a city.


    ```

 Chapter 2 - 1, Chapter 2 Defects and Whispers (Combined Chapters) _2

    And just the thought of Thunderhawk City worsened Rocky¡¯s already sour mood.


    The city was simply too small and dreadfully poor; being the City Lord of such a Sky City was a headache just to think about.


    "City Lord, Captain Eyer has returned and is waiting for you in the hall,"


    Just as Rocky was feeling a headacheing on, a knock suddenly sounded and someone pushed the door open and entered the room.


    The neer was a young woman with beautiful ck hair, dressed in exquisite leather armor, and equipped with a silver-white long sword at her waist, looking both dashing and charming.


    This striking woman was named Liliya, Rocky¡¯s bodyguard and the only confidante who followed him to Thunderhawk City.


    "Okay,"


    After agreeing, Rocky walked towards the doorway.


    He naturally liked Liliya; it wasn¡¯t out of lust but because the original Rocky had been very close to Liliya.


    The woman before him was not just an ordinary bodyguard; she had been Rocky¡¯s ymate since childhood, holding a significant ce in the original Rocky¡¯s heart, filled with trust and some admiration.


    Approaching Liliya, Rocky nced at her and immediately felt a surge of wild vigor, so he casually said, "Haven¡¯t I told you before, just call me by my name, no need for ¡¯City Lord,¡¯ it sounds so distant."


    "Calling you City Lord makes others respect you,"


    Liliya replied coldly, her face expressionless, making Rocky feel somewhat embarrassed.


    He had just made a casual remark, intending it as a joke, but Liliya took it seriously.


    Of course, Rocky understood why Liliya would do so; the original him, although a city lord, was indeed too feeble, to the extent that no one took him seriously¡ªnot to mention outsiders, even the officials and nobles of Thunderhawk Citycked respect for him as their City Lord.


    It was precisely because of this that Liliya treated him with such ¡¯seriousness,¡¯ otherwise, no one would take him seriously at all.


    In all of Thunderhawk City, probably only Liliya truly respected him.


    Thinking of this, Rocky inwardly sighed, but it wasn¡¯t appropriate to exin too much; he couldn¡¯t just tell Liliya the original him had died and that he was an entirely new person.


    Nevertheless, Rocky believed that even if he didn¡¯t say it, Liliya could sense the differences.


    "Captain Eyer left half a month ago, right?"


    To ease the awkwardness, Rocky changed the topic.


    "Yes,"


    "What exactly did he go to thend for?"


    But just as he changed the topic, Rocky felt even more embarrassed because he had forgotten why Captain Eyer had gone to thend.


    The Eyer they spoke of was the captain of the Guard Corps of Sparrowhawk City,manding the city¡¯s guards.


    Half a month ago, he suddenly requested to lead a team back to thend; at the time, Rocky had just arrived and was still adjusting to the changes around him, so he agreed without asking much, leading to hisplete forgetfulness about the reason for the other¡¯s return to thend.


    "He heard that there might be a mine nearby, so he led a team to search for it,"


    Liliya looked at Rocky, disappointment undisguised in her gaze but still provided the answer.


    Rocky avoided Liliya¡¯s gaze, nodded, and started to recall.


    When the world entered the Sky Era, many things changed, such as resources bing more precious, especially mineral resources.


    The sky was vast and boundless butcked even a single piece of ore; ironically, minerals are essential for development, so to obtain them, one must return to thend to mine.


    Thend was rich in mineral resources, but don¡¯t forget, thend had long be the territory of Demons! Therefore, going back to thend to mine was very dangerous, and among miners, there was even a saying: every piece of ore represents the life of a miner.


    This danger, in turn, made minerals even more precious.


    This time, Captain Eyer went to thend to search for a mine, perhaps an undiscovered new vein or an old mine from the Land Era, Rocky wasn¡¯t sure.


    "Hope Captain Eyer makes some discoveries,"


    Liliya said by his side, seemingly hopeful of Captain Eyer¡¯s mission.


    "Who knows... Let¡¯s hope he finds something,"


    Rocky didn¡¯t argue with Liliya, but deep down, he didn¡¯t believe Eyer would seed.


    Mineral resources were too precious, and most of the veins and old mines on thend were already controlled by influential figures; nowadays, not to mention finding a new vein, even discovering an old mine from the Land Era seemed less likely than a blind cat running into a dead rat.


    Besides, even if they found it, so what?


    With Thunderhawk City¡¯s capabilities, it simplycked the workforce to mine and a sufficient military force to protect miners, so even with coordinates of a vein, they could only sell them, nothing more.


    As these thoughts crossed his mind, Rocky had already arrived at the City Lord¡¯s Hall and then pushed open the door to enter.


    Upon entering the hall, he saw a middle-aged man sitting inside, who stood up when he entered.


    "City Lord,"


    When Rocky settled in the City Lord¡¯s seat, the middle-aged man nodded slightly to him as a form of salute.


    This man was Captain Eyer, around thirty years old with a scar on his face, emanating a faint aura of fierceness. He had been the city¡¯s captain of the Guard Corps even before Rocky came to Thunderhawk City, an old-timer of the city.N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 3 - 1, Chapter 2 Defects and Whispers (Combined Chapters)_3

    However, Rocky didn¡¯t like this person; in his memory, Eyer had once deceived his former self. When he had just taken over Thunderhawk City, Eyer had lied about military expenses and embezzled arge sum of money.


    Rocky knew all these things from before, but due to many concerns, he chose to step back, yet his stepping back was seen as weakness in the eyes of others, causing them to care less and less about him.


    And obviously, among those who didn¡¯t care about Rocky was Eyer.


    "Captain Eyer, have you found anything?"


    Putting aside his dissatisfaction with Eyer, Rocky asked with a smile, believing that in time Eyer would start respecting him again, as he was no longer the person he used to be.


    "I¡¯m sorry, City Lord, to disappoint you, but this time I haven¡¯t found any new veins."


    Standing in front of Rocky, Eyer spoke as though he hadn¡¯t found anything, yet he behaved as if he had won a great victory, puffing out his chest and lifting his head in pride.


    God, does this man have no shame?


    Seeing that Eyer had clearly made a futile trip yet assumed such an arrogant demeanor, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but get angry.


    Considering that returning from Sky City tond consumed a lot of resources, and Thunderhawk City being a small city with scarce resources, could hardly afford such waste.


    Thinking of this, Rocky¡¯s expression turned sour, but he still suppressed his dissatisfaction and then asked, "There were no casualties, right?"


    The poption of Thunderhawk City was only a little over a thousand, with no army of its own, just two hundred guards barely maintaining order in the city. Rocky remembered that Eyer had taken thirty guards with him.


    But when he asked this, Eyer¡¯s face changed, "My Lord, we were attacked by Demons on the way back, and more than twenty of our brothers died..."


    "What!"


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    Upon hearing Eyer¡¯s words, Rocky mmed his hand down on the table and stood up!


    More than twenty people died?


    There are only two hundred guards in Thunderhawk City. These two hundred people normally act as police, and in times of trouble, as soldiers, they are the city¡¯s only armed force, yet Eyer had just lost a tenth of them!


    This time, even if Rocky wanted to endure, he couldn¡¯t hold back, his anger ring as he questioned Eyer, "Captain Eyer, what exactly happened! Why was there such a great loss!"


    "City Lord, as I said earlier, we encountered a Demon attack on the way back. This loss is quite reasonable."


    However, faced with his questioning, Eyer seemed fearless, appearing utterly indifferent, simply repeating what he had said before.


    His opponent¡¯s demeanor infuriated Rocky, his face turning crimson, his eyes ring at Eyer as if he wanted to kill him.


    He stared intensely at Eyer, and Eyer likewise looked back at him; the two of them stood in silence, plunging the entire hall into quietness.


    It was a while before Rocky¡¯s face improved slightly, it seemed he had managed to suppress his rage, then he waved his hand as if giving up.


    Seeing him wave his hand in resignation, Eyer inwardly sneered, just a useless coward. Even if he had learned to re, he was still a coward!


    In Eyer¡¯s view, this new city lord didn¡¯t even count as being tough on the outside but soft on the inside; he was simply a fish on the chopping board, utterly without fear, knowing well that Rocky didn¡¯t have the guts to touch him.


    As for why there had been such heavy losses this time, of course, there was a reason, but it was a reason he had no intention of telling Rocky.


    But just as Eyer was sneering inwardly, Rocky had already whispered something to Liliya.


    When Rocky finished speaking, Liliya looked surprised, even asking incredulously, "Are you sure?"


    Rocky nodded, "Are you confident about it?"


    In disbelief, Liliya smiled after a moment and said confidently, "Almost certain."


    Having said that, she walked towards the exit of the hall, passing by Eyer without a sideways nce.


    But just as Liliya brushed past Eyer, she suddenlyshed out, kicking his knee with such force that it snapped with a crack! The next second she had Eyer pinned to the ground, her sword pressed against his throat.


    "You! What are you doing! City Lord!"


    Captured without any chance to react, Eyer endured the severe pain in his knee, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at Rocky.


    This worthless Rocky, dared to treat him like this!?


    PS: It¡¯s not easy starting a new book; the content will be increasingly exciting. I hope for everyone¡¯s support, and most importantly, please make sure to add this to your favorites! Thank you all!

 Chapter 4 - 3: Void Magic Armor

    "Release me! You scoundrel, how dare you treat me like this!"


    Pinned to the ground, Eyer cursed and struggled, only to realize he could not break free from Liliya¡¯s restraint, so he could only turn to Rocky, "City Lord, what do you intend to do!"


    Looking at Rocky sitting in the City Lord¡¯s seat, Eyer couldn¡¯t believe what was happening.


    This cowardly Rocky, the one who didn¡¯t dare to resist even when his father¡¯s Sky City was taken from him, dared toy a hand on him! Was he not afraid that Eyer would lead the city guards in rebellion!


    Before Rocky had taken over Thunderhawk City, Eyer had been the Captain of the Guards, relying on this as his greatest support; therefore, Eyer was certain that Rocky would not dare to touch him. If Rocky dared to act against him, he would not hesitate to lead the Guard Corps to oust Rocky from his position!


    Unfortunately, Eyer didn¡¯t know that the Rocky he was dealing with was not the same as before.


    The current Rocky had no intention of being a pushover any longer!


    "Captain Eyer..."


    Ignoring Eyer¡¯s shouting, Rocky reclined in the City Lord¡¯s seat and coldly watched him, "What exactly did you go back to thend for this time, and what did you discover?"


    "City Lord, what, what are you talking about... I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying..."


    No sooner had Rocky finished asking that question than the expression on Eyer¡¯s face changed, bing extremely uneasy.


    This change was not lost on Rocky, and it eased his mind somewhat. It seemed his guess was likely on the mark.


    Actually, while locking eyes with Eyer in anger, he had been thinking, and eventually, he came to a clear realization about something: that Eyer was deceiving him!


    Without a doubt, Eyer was not loyal to him, which was evident from the other¡¯s attitude and actions.


    So, would a Captain of the Guards who was disloyal to the City Lord go searching for a mine for Thunderhawk City, or for Rocky¡¯s sake? Especially when there was a chance of encountering demons.


    The answer was clearly no.


    Yet Eyer had gone, and during the process, he had indeed encountered danger and lost more than twenty men.


    Why? Why would Eyer take such a great risk to return to thend?


    The answer was actually quite simple: His return to thend wasn¡¯t for the purpose of finding a mine, but rather, he had a different objective. The mission was extremely dangerous, causing the deaths of over twenty guards, but Eyer had gone anyway, and must have gained something from it. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have returned so cocky and arrogant!


    That was the answer Rocky hade up with, and judging by Eyer¡¯s recent reaction, this spection was almost certainly correct.


    Regrettably, Eyer had no intention of confessing. He stared fiercely at Rocky and resolutely said,


    "City Lord, I don¡¯t understand what you are saying!"


    "My Lord, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve heard, but my trip to thend was truly for¡ªAhh!!"


    Eyer¡¯s halfway attempt at deception was cut short by a scream, as Liliya, holding him down, viciously struck his knee, immediately causing him to wail in pain.


    Good teammate!


    Liliya¡¯s action earned her a surreptitious thumbs-up from Rocky, grateful for such an understanding girl.


    It was only after Eyer¡¯s screaming ceased that Rocky continued, "Tell me, what exactly did you find when you returned to thend?"


    "I, I didn¡¯t find anything..."


    At that moment, because of the intense pain, Eyer¡¯s face turned pale, and the beads of sweat on his forehead grewrger than beans. He could no longer roar as he had before, yet he still tried to talk tough.


    But the tougher he talked, the more it hinted at a great secret, and the less likely Rocky was to give up.


    So, Rocky waved his hand, signaling Liliya, who looked like she was about to deal another harsh blow to Eyer, to stop.


    "Rocky, he¡¯s not telling the truth!"


    Seeing Rocky restrain her, Liliya urgently called out his name, fearing that Rocky might believe Eyer¡¯s slippery defenses.


    "I know."


    shing a grin at Liliya, Rocky, of course, knew Eyer was stubbornly lying, and so he stood up from his seat.


    He walked slowly over to Eyer, towering above him, "Captain Eyer, even the greatest secrets require a life to enjoy. I am very curious, what secret is worth risking your life to protect?"


    "You dare to kill me?"


    Suddenly raising his head, Eyer stared at Rocky with a pair of eyes and burst intoughter, "You dare to kill me? Rocky, you better think this through. If you kill me, the brothers in the Guard Corps won¡¯t let me die in vain!"


    The City Guards within the city were Eyer¡¯s greatest reliance, all of whom he had personally trained. Therefore, if he died, the Guard Corps would definitely not obey Rocky.


    However, Rocky had already considered this issue. He looked at Eyer coldly and slowly began to speak, "Captain Eyer, are you sure that after your death, the Guard Corps will seek revenge for a dead man?"


    "Will they confront the Void Magic Armor for your sake?"


    "Void, Void..."


    "You actually have Void Magic Armor?!"


    Eyer, who was previously full of arrogance, suddenly changed his demeanor upon hearing the words ¡¯Void Magic Armor¡¯, his eyes widening in shock as he looked at Rocky, never expecting him to utter those words.


    This Rocky... actually possesses a set of Void Magic Armor?!


    After the world entered the Sky Era, the way warfare was conducted underwent aplete transformation.


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    Warfare in the skies was no longer about soldiers engaging in hand-to-handbat, but rather battles between Floating Warships, and the key to determining the oue of the war was the Void Magic Armor!


    Void Magic Armor, second only to the magnificent invention of a Sky City, revolutionized the method of warfare. Soldiers d in Void Magic Armor not only gained the ability to fly but also a significant increase inbat power. Regardless of whether they had learned magic or not, they could rely on the armor tounch magical attacks.


    Take Rocky, for example; currently a Second Level Warrior and a First Level Mage, he would just be considered average. But once he donned his Void Magic Armor, the armor¡¯s augmentation would transform him into a Fourth Level Warrior and a Third Level Mage!


    And imagine, when soldiers wearing such armor appeared in the skies in formation, what kind of scene that would be and what terrifyingbat power they would represent.


    Rocky had such a set of Void Magic Armor, left to him by his father.


    Although the previous Rocky was quite feeble and had suffered terribly because of it, no matter what threats or temptations he faced, even if it meant giving away an entire Sky City, he never surrendered the Void Magic Armor left by his father, ultimately benefiting the current Rocky by giving him an ace up his sleeve!


    In the entirety of Thunderhawk City, no one knew about this except for Liliya; hence when Eyer learned that Rocky actually had a set of Void Magic Armor, he truly felt fear.


    Though Eyer was merely a captain of the guards, he had seen a fair bit of the world and was fully aware of how formidable a soldier wearing Void Magic Armor could be. It was simply not something average people could contend with, not even Floating Warships. The only thing that could contend with Void Magic Armor was another Void Magic Armor!


    What¡¯s more, he didn¡¯t believe Rocky was lying. Rocky might be feeble, but he was undoubtedly a true rich second generation, and it was entirely possible that he had some hidden assets.


    This realization deted Eyer like a punctured balloon, transforming him as if he was a different person, no longer resistant or defiant, and atst he spilled the truth.


    "My Lord, my trip to thend... actually, it was toplete a transaction..."


    "What transaction?"


    "Trafficking... trafficking the people of the city..."


    "What! You actually dared to traffic the people of the city!"


    This time, before Rocky could even speak, Liliya couldn¡¯t hold back any longer!


    You must understand that Thunderhawk City only had about a thousand inhabitants, which was already the minimum standard for a Sky City to operate normally. If the poption were to decrease further, Thunderhawk City would be a ghost city, even without outsiders conquering it!


    But here was Eyer, secretly trafficking the people of the city. His actions were utterly destructive to Thunderhawk City!


    Not only Liliya, but Rocky was also seething with anger.


    A month of limatization had given him a full understanding of this world, and he was well aware of the consequences Eyer¡¯s actions could bring. He was sucking the blood of Thunderhawk City! At the same time, Rocky felt genuinely relieved, grateful that his rebellion today was so correct; otherwise, he might not have known about this matter for who knows how long.


    "My Lord! My Lord, please hear me out, this is the first time I¡¯m doing something like this, truly!"


    Knowing that Rocky possessed Void Magic Armor, Eyer understood that the Guard Corps was no longer his reliance, and as soon as he noticed a change in Rocky¡¯s expression, he began to plead.


    "Keep talking!"


    Rocky, with a grim expression, looked at Eyer and said through clenched teeth.


    "Y-yes, my Lord, I did make an important discovery this time! A very important discovery!"


    Queried by Rocky, Eyer clung to that question like a lifeline, immediately saying, "My Lord, when I returned to thend, I discovered an institution from the Land Era!"

 Chapter 5 - 4: Decision

    "What did you say?"


    Eyer¡¯s words made Rocky furrow his brows in an instant, even doubting if he had heard wrong.


    "It¡¯s true! My lord, I really did discover a research institute from the Land Era, a Lost Research Institute¡ªwe were attacked by demons at that time!"


    Fearing that Rocky wouldn¡¯t believe him, Eyer very affirmatively repeated his statement; he truly had found a Lost Research Institute on thend!


    A hundred years ago, demons invaded from Different Dimension and drove all races on the continent up into the sky, seizing thend in one fell swoop.


    During that time, people tried to resist, but the strength of the demons far exceeded their imaginations. Hence, although the resistance war was brutally fought, it onlysted a few years before ending in failure, forcing humans to flee into the sky.


    However, although the resistance failed, the war spurred Magic Technology to advance by leaps and bounds. This led to the birth of countless new technologies and equipment, and ultimately the invention of Sky City, the ultimate creation.


    The birth of Sky City undoubtedly saved everyone, but in actuality, other Magic Technology was being developed at the same time. These technologies were also revolutionary inventions of their age. It¡¯s regrettable that...


    Regrettably, by the end of the resistance war,rge areas ofnd had fallen, and as people hurried to fly to the sky in Sky Cities, a great escape that involved everyone ensued. Those equally great inventions were either discontinued or abandoned in the process, and even somepleted ones never had the chance to be revealed to the world.


    And these unfinished yet equally great inventions mostlyy forgotten in research institutes across thend!


    In order to resist the demon invasion, during the resistance war, numerous countries established manybs to develop new weapons and equipment. But as the great escape began, due to the urgency, many research institutes were closed in haste, leaving their contents behind without a chance to be moved!


    These unemptied research institutes, possibly hiding great inventions, were then known as¡ªLost Research Institutes!


    Eyer¡¯s words made Rocky furrow his brows tightly. Could it be that right beneath Thunderhawk Cityy a Lost Research Institute?


    Such an oue was far beyond his expectations, and it even made it hard for him to breathe steadily. For if it were true, it would be a major discovery, perhaps even more significant than finding a new vein of ore!


    But... could it be possible? Could Eyer be so lucky?


    At this thought, Rocky steadied his breathing and asked with a still icy face, "Eyer, if you think you can save your life with such a lie, you¡¯re very foolish."


    "No! My lord, I¡¯m not lying to you! I truly found a Lost Research Institute, I swear!"


    Eyer bit his lip, as if making a grave decision, before speaking, "My lord, actually, the demon attack only killed about a dozen people. But I feared this secret might be leaked. So, I killed those I couldn¡¯t trust, leaving only a few confidants..."


    Desperate to make Rocky believe him, Eyer had told the ultimate truth.


    Eyer was indeed ruthless! On the one hand, he used the Guard Corps as his support, but on the other, when faced with truly valuable interests, he did not hesitate to get rid of these same guards!


    However, by saying so, he indeed added some credence to his previous words.


    The value of the Lost Research Institute was exceptionally great; after all, it might contain high-end Magic Technology. What was a few lives in the face of such immense interest?


    "Rocky, what do you n..."


    Unconsciously, Liliya had stopped calling Rocky "city lord." At this moment, she looked up at Rocky, wanting to know his next move.


    Eyer had spilled everything he knew. Now, the next course of action was up to Rocky, the city lord.


    At this moment, Rocky was already deep in thought.


    If there truly was a Lost Research Institute beneath Thunderhawk City, as the city lord, he faced two choices: either sell the location of the institute or personally investigate it.


    Since the Lost Research Institute could potentially contain high-end Magic Technology, many people¡ªespecially the city lords of manyrge Sky Cities¡ªwould be willing to pay a hefty sum for the coordinates of the institute, even if such a venture might yield nothing.


    But it was like gambling on stones, even if a hundred stones were useless, as long as one stone contained a beautiful jade, the previous investments were all worth it. And even if a hundred research institutes yielded nothing, finding advanced magic technology within one institute would likewise make it all worthwhile.


    Therefore, if Rocky sold the coordinates of the Lost Research Institute, he was sure to fetch a good price, and this money would significantly benefit Thunderhawk City, enough for the city to operate for a very long time.


    The other option was to personally visit the institute to see for himself. If he really found something inside the institute... his good days would being!


    However, this approach involved huge risks. Eyer had mentioned before, there were demons near the institute.


    There were only two hundred men in the entire Thunderhawk City Guard Corps, and they could barely manage to deal with two or three demons; facing arge horde of demons... haha, there wouldn¡¯t be enough of them even to stick between a demon¡¯s teeth.


    Moreover, even if we set aside the demons, what if Rocky located the institute, sessfully got inside, and found nothing?


    If he entered the institute only to discover it was empty, then the institute would be a waste, of no value to Thunderhawk City, and even the coordinates wouldn¡¯t sell.


    Those big shots who spent money on coordinates didn¡¯t want second-hand goods, and besides, these people were the true predators of the sky, not easily fooled. Otherwise, they could easily dispatch a force of Void Magic Armor troopsrger than the poption of Thunderhawk City and wipe Rocky out with a flick of their wrist!


    To sell the coordinates for a sure sum of money or to take the risk? The choice was up to Rocky to make.


    "You keep an eye on him; I¡¯m going to change into my armor,"


    After careful consideration for a moment, Rocky told Liliya, already determined in his heart!


    He was going to take the risk!


    In just a short time, Rocky thought about a lot. He was well aware that Eyer had likely intended to secretly sell the coordinates to walk away with a huge sum of money, but he couldn¡¯t do that.


    Because Eyer was someone who was satisfied as long as he himself was full, not caring about others. But Rocky was different; he had to think about Thunderhawk City.


    In this world, the importance of a Sky City was beyond words, with countless people dreaming their whole lives of owning one. Luckily, Rocky, who had crossed over, immediately became the lord of a city, a chance given by fate!


    He couldn¡¯t let this opportunity slip away, no matter who he was in his past life or what he had done. What was important now was to develop and strengthen Thunderhawk City. Only by doing so could he survive in this unfamiliar world.


    So he decided to take the risk, nning to use the Void Magic Armor to personally visit the research institute!


    He demonstrated remarkable decisiveness on this matter, driven as well by necessity. After observing for nearly a month, he deeplyprehended the weakness of Thunderhawk City.


    Thunderhawk City was already a struggling small city on the verge of a crisis. Now, with him as the new city lord, many others began to harbor ulterior motives, with Eyer being a prime example.


    Didn¡¯t Eyer know that trafficking people was destroying Thunderhawk City?


    Of course, he knew, but he did it anyway, clearly hoping to make a fortune and then take off, abandoning Thunderhawk City altogether. And there were definitely more than one person in the city with the same thought.


    This was the situation that Rocky faced, fraught with internal strife and external threats, leaving him with no choice but to take a gamble.


    While Liliya watched over Eyer in the hall, Rocky quickly returned to his own bedroom.


    Although he was the lord of Thunderhawk City, his bedroom was not luxurious. This wasn¡¯t because he preferred simplicity, but rather because he had no means for luxury.


    Once inside the bedroom, Rocky closed the door behind him and then pulled out arge leather trunk from under the bed.


    Thisrge leather trunk had been sitting under the bed for a long time, covered in dust, but no one could imagine that such an inconspicuous trunk contained the most valuable thing in Thunderhawk City: Void Magic Armor!


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Gently dusting off the trunk, Rocky felt a surge of excitement. Though he knew from memories that he owned a set of Void Magic Armor, he had never seen it or worn it before, so at this moment, he was filled with anticipation!

 Chapter 6 - 5 Shock! (Part 1)

    For the current Rocky, Thunderhawk City was the foundation of his survival in this world, and the Void Magic Armor left by his father was the support he could rely on for survival!


    So, with an excited heart, he slowly opened the leather case.


    "What, what is this¡­? What is this?"


    The excitement he felt suddenly vanished after opening the case; he didn¡¯t see the dazzlingly colorful golden helmet and armor he envisioned, but a pile of scrap metal instead?!


    Indeed, there was a set of armor inside the box, but it was covered in rust, barely looking any different from a heap of discarded metal.


    This, this is the Void Magic Armor left by my father?


    He picked up the armor and inspected it closely, finding a bracer in his hands. It wasn¡¯t particrly light, but it was covered in grime and seemed even inferior tomon armor, let alone the legendary Void Magic Armor.


    "Why does it even smell? Is it moldy?"


    Looking at the bracer in his hand, Rocky suddenly detected an unpleasant smell. Could it be that it smelled because it had been left to sit for too long and had grown moldy?


    With this thought, he sniffed it carefully, and after a moment he was shocked!


    How could there be a smell of blood!?


    Closely sniffing the bracer, Rocky indeed smelled blood. Upon closer inspection of the bracer, he realized that the so-called grime was actually bloodstains that had seeped into the armor!


    This discovery made him immediately take out the rest of the armor pieces from the case and inspect them, only to realize he was mistaken earlier. The supposed rust on the armor was in fact bloodstains that had soaked into the armor!


    Such a resultpletely shocked him.


    How many battles must it have been through for the enemies¡¯ blood to have permeated into the armor!


    This astonishing discovery inevitably made Rocky think of his father.


    Since he came from another time, he was not familiar with his father, knowing only through memories that his father was a mncholy man, his gloominess naturally stemming from missing his mother.


    However, he was also very aware that before bing mncholic, his father must have been an impressive person; otherwise, he couldn¡¯t have established a family on his own, and even more so, gained power to be the lord of a mid-sized Sky City ¡ª a feat that ordinary people could not aplish.


    The Void Magic Armor before him, especially the bloodstains branded on it, seemed like a book, a blood-written book recording his father¡¯s countless battles.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Sigh¡­"


    Taking a deep breath, Rocky cast aside the disrespect and dissatisfaction in his heart, and then took out every piece of armor from the case.


    In just a moment, aplete set of Void Magic Armory before Rocky, and he then recalled the method of donning it.


    The greatness of Void Magic Armor lies in the fact that it is entirely different from ordinary armor, which is essentially just clothing with strong defensive power. But Void Magic Armor is not like that. It is embedded with Magic Stones and driven by Mana, providing all-around enhancement and support to the wearer.


    It is exactly for this reason that the method of donning Void Magic Armor is different from regr armor¡ªit needs to be activated first.


    With his eyes closed, Rocky recalled the activation method of the Void Magic Armor several times, then opened his eyes and reached out to the armor on the ground with his left hand.


    "Void Magic... Armament!"


    Channeling the Magic Power within his body ording to the method from his memories, Rocky immediately felt a connection with the Void Magic Armor. Then he heard a whoosh as the armor¡¯s gauntlet suddenly flew up and fit itself onto his hand in the blink of an eye, followed by other parts of the armor flying up and equipping themselves on him without waiting for a reaction!


    In the blink of an eye, Rocky had fully donned the Void Magic Armor!


    "This¡­ This is just too cool¡­"


    Although he had long known that this world followed the path of Magic Technology, when Rocky personally experienced its marvel, he was left astonished and speechless.


    "It¡¯s quite lightweight and flexible too¡­"


    Having put on the entire set of Void Magic Armor, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but move his body around, finding the armor that felt so heavy in his hands now surprisingly light and far more flexible than imagined when worn on his body, without any difort at all.


    He then couldn¡¯t resist walking in front of a mirror to look at his own reflection.


    "My God¡­ This, this is just too cool!"


    Looking into the mirror, Rocky could hardly believe his eyes. Was that incredibly cool figure in the mirror really him?


    The Void Magic Armor he wore was actually an old model from forty or fifty years ago ¨C after all, it was his father¡¯s armor. By rights, it should have been outdated, but it still looked incredibly formidable.


    Compared to ordinary armor, the design of Void Magic Armor was much more exaggerated, but it was precisely this exaggeration that made Rocky, d in the armor, appear imposing and majestic, leaving him stunned.


    Next, Rocky attempted to control the armor¡¯s movement and found himself surprisingly floating bit by bit into the air!


    ......


    ......


    "Liliya! I order you to let go of Captain Eyer! Immediately!"


    While Rocky gushed over the merits of the Void Magic Armor, a change had urred in the City Lord¡¯s Hall.


    Liliya, who had been waiting here, now held Eyer up like a shield before her, confronting a group of people opposite her.


    The leader of this group was a fat man who appeared to be about fifty years old, bald and with a face full of fat, looking every bit the cunning fat pig.


    The man¡¯s name was Perolo, an administrative officer of Thunderhawk City. He was currently yelling furiously at Liliya, ordering her to release Captain Eyer.


    To the left and right of Perolo stood two guards, swords drawn and tips pointing straight at Liliya!


    "Liliya, are you deaf? I said to let go of Captain Eyer this instant!"


    ring venomously at Liliya, Perolo was beside himself with rage, his mind a whirl of chaos.


    Earlier, Eyer had confided that his true purpose for returning to the surface was to traffic humans, and his aplice in this crime was none other than Perolo!


    As an administrative officer of Thunderhawk City, Perolo had little to do, for the city was too small, but he was the one who knew the poption distribution of the city best.


    Perolo knew well which people in the city were untouchable and which could disappear without anyone caring. With his help, Eyer had managed to capture people for trafficking and sold them off.


    ording to the n between the two, Eyer should have gone to find Perolo to split the loot after reporting to Rocky. But Eyer hadn¡¯t returned after meeting with Rocky, and Perolo, wracked by guilt, suspected something was amiss and decided to find out, leading to the current scene.


    In truth, when Perolo arrived at the City Lord¡¯s Hall and saw Eyer injured, he realized that their misdeeds might have been exposed, throwing him into utmost disarray.


    In any Sky City, human trafficking is a capital offense, punishable by death¡ªa rule that Thunderhawk City was no exception to.


    Logically, once their human trafficking was exposed, Perolo should have fled immediately; otherwise, death was certain. Yet he did not, and the reason was simple: Rocky was the City Lord of Thunderhawk City!


    In Perolo¡¯s eyes, Rocky was young and inexperienced in governance and moreover, weak and easily bullied. Perolo believed that if he could just rescue Eyer, there might still be a chance to turn things around, especially since Eyer was the Captain of the Guards, with the entire Guard Corps at hismand.


    For insurance, he had also sent someone to notify the finance officer, nning to pressure Rocky into submission by teaming up with the officers when the time came.


    "Perolo, do you even realize what you are doing?"


    Sword in one hand and supporting Eyer with the other, Liliya retreated under the encirclement of the four guards, while coldly addressing Perolo: "Perolo, Captain Eyer is under arrest by order of the City Lord. By asking me to release him, are you suggesting rebellion?"


    "Nonsense! The City Lord would never issue such an order!"


    Of course, Perolo knew it must be Rocky¡¯smand, but he could not admit it and instead had to turn the tables, cursing Liliya internally.


    If it weren¡¯t for Liliya¡¯s Third Level warrior strength, even stronger than Eyer himself, he would have already attacked.


    That wretch! Given the chance, he would mount her and torture her to death!


    As these thoughts filled his mind, he was about to speak again when the main doors of the hall burst open and an elderly man with white hair slowly entered.


    "Lord Voss!"


    Upon seeing the elder, Perolo felt a surge of tion and hurriedly approached him, speaking anxiously: "Lord Voss, this Liliya is attempting a revolt, she has attacked Captain Eyer!"


    This elder was none other than the financial officer of Thunderhawk City.


    Different from the murderous Eyer and the fat-faced Perolo, the elderly Voss, though advanced in years, bore a much more spirited look, exuding a pure aristocratic aura.


    For instance, now, as Eyer was held captive by Liliya and Perolo was in a state of urgency, Voss entered with a calm smile, and after seeing everything around him, his face still held that calm smile, as if the tense standoff in the hall did not exist to him.


    So after Perolo finished speaking, Voss looked toward Liliya.


    "Miss Liliya, may I ask if the order to capture Captain Eyer came from the City Lord himself?"


    "Yes," Liliya replied to Voss, sinct and clear.


    "I see," Voss nodded and continued, "In that case, may we see the City Lord to have him exin what exactly is going on?"


    Voss spoke with no sign of urgency.


    However, just as he finished speaking, the doors were flung open again, and Rocky, d in Void Magic Armor, flew in!


    Indeed, he flew in, directly over the heads of Perolo and Voss,nding in front of Liliya!


    "Lord Voss, what is it that you would like me to exin?"


    Standing firmly in front of Liliya, Rocky smiled triumphantly at her, then turned to look at Voss and Perolo, his expression turning grim.

 Chapter 7 - 6 Shock! (Part 2)

    Rocky had never imagined that in the short while he was away, the situation would have evolved into this.


    Perolo and Voss, along with Eyer who had been captured, all the officials of Thunderhawk City were present. What were they nning to do? And those four guards pointing their swords at Liliya, what were they doing¡ªstaging a coup or rebelling!?


    The scenes unfolding before his eyes filled Rocky with fury, and he shifted his gaze from Voss and Perolo to the four guards pointing their long swords at Liliya.


    "What are you trying to do, rebel?"


    Before the guards before him could even react, Rocky aimed his palm at one of them, and immediately gathered a Magic Bullet, firing it in an instant!


    The Magic Bullet, the most basic magical attack of the Void Magic Armor, uses Mana to form a pure Magic Sphere that can be fired like a cannonball and has the power equivalent to one.


    With a loud bang, the Magic Bullet hit the chest of one of the guards, and the struck guard was sent flying out before he even had the chance to scream!


    ng ng ng...


    This spectacle made the remaining three guards quickly drop their swords like hot potatoes and kneel before Rocky.


    "City Lord, spare our lives! It wasn¡¯t us trying to rebel; it was Perolo who instructed us to do this!"


    "My Lord, it was Perolo who told us to do it. It¡¯s not our fault!"


    Kneeling before Rocky, the three guards begged for mercy non-stop, immediately pinning the me on Perolo as if fearing that if they were too slow, Rocky would fire another Magic Bullet at them.


    As for Perolo, mentioned by the guards, he had already been frightened out of his wits by this point, staring dazedly at Rocky with eyes bulging as wide as cowbells, nearly dropping to the ground.


    "Void Magic Armor... Void Magic Armor... How is this possible..."


    Seeing Rocky d in a set of Void Magic Armor and having knocked down a guard right off the bat, Perolo was so frightened that his legs trembled, and he almost sat down on the floor.


    He had never anticipated such an oue. How could Rocky possess a set of Void Magic Armor?


    In contrast to the terrified Perolo, Voss beside him remained much calmer. Yet even he was slightly startled upon seeing Rocky, the smile that had been constant on his face freezing for a moment, but soon he regained hisposure.


    All these reactions were keenly observed by Rocky, and they perfectly matched his impression of the two men: Perolo was a dumb pig, while Voss was as sly as a fox.


    So Rocky didn¡¯t bother with Perolo at all but instead changed his grim expression to a smile, looking at Voss, "Lord Voss, what was it that you wanted me to exin just now?"


    "My Lord, please don¡¯t misunderstand; that was my indiscretion."


    Hearing Rocky¡¯s words, Voss bowed to him with an unchanged expression, and then spoke calmly, "I wouldn¡¯t dare ask my Lord to exin anything. I¡¯m just very curious to know what crime Captain Eyer has actuallymitted?"


    Voss spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, showing respect to Rocky while also getting his question across. Unless Rocky wanted to find fault deliberately, there seemed to be no w in his words.


    However, there was no need to find fault with Eyer¡¯s case. Rocky directly said, "Captain Eyer has been uwfully trafficking the poption of Thunderhawk City, so I detained him for further interrogation. Any problems with that?"


    Sitting back in the City Lord¡¯s position, Rocky spoke casually, and Voss did not inquire further.


    Seeing Voss remaining silent, Rocky then turned to Perolo and asked coldly, "Perolo, was it you who ordered these guards to threaten Liliya?"


    "My Lord, have mercy! This is a misunderstanding. I, I was just, I wanted to..."


    Thumping to his knees on the ground, Perolo continuously begged for mercy, yet he couldn¡¯te up with any excuse and could only sneak nces at Voss, as if hoping Voss would intercede on his behalf.


    Interestingly, at this moment, Rocky also looked at Voss, and even added, "Lord Voss, Captain Eyer is trafficking people, Perolo is insubordinate; what do you think should be done with these two?"


    Rocky¡¯s question seemed casual, but in reality, he was probing Voss¡¯s attitude, because in his mind, Voss was the one person to be wary of!


    In Rocky¡¯s eyes, Eyer and Perolo were not of much concern; neither of them needed him to employ any strategies¡ªa set of Void Magic Armor was more than enough to deal with them, and indeed, that was the case.


    But Voss was different because among the three, he was the only one with real power, and this power, even Rocky couldn¡¯t shake!


    Thunderhawk City was very small, so small that there was virtually no industry to speak of. The over one thousand residents living in the city could only rely on two means for their livelihood: farming and textiles.


    Typically, each Sky City is surrounded by vast tracts of farnd to solve the food problem; Thunderhawk City was no different, with most of the city¡¯s residents living off thend around the city. However, being a small Sky City, even with farnd, it was not enough to feed all the residents.


    This gave rise to the city¡¯s second industry: textiles.


    Importing yarn from other Sky Cities, and then having the women of the city spin it into cloth before selling it, they would use the ie from selling the cloth to buy food. This was how the residents of Thunderhawk City made a living.


    As the Financial Officer of the city, not only did Voss control the city¡¯s finances, but more importantly, he had close connections with all the Chambers of Commerce involved in importing yarn!


    So it¡¯s no exaggeration to say that if Thunderhawk City were to lose Voss the Financial Officer, then the city¡¯s textile industry would immediately fall into paralysis and those residents who relied on textiles for their living would starve to death!


    The reason Voss was fearedy exactly in this: Rocky could deal with Eyer and Perolo with thunderous methods, but he could not treat Voss the same because this man was too important to Thunderhawk City.


    Therefore, Rocky asked Voss for his opinion at this time to gauge his attitude towards himself.


    But somewhat unexpectedly, Voss¡¯s response came quickly, as if he had been well-prepared:


    "My Lord, trafficking in people is a serious crime, with the mastermind being executed and the family members and other participants being expelled from the city, banished to thend."


    "Rebellion against one¡¯s superiors is equally a grave offense, where the death penalty may be spared but not the punishment. The main culprits and their families should all be expelled from the city, banished to thend."


    Facing Rocky¡¯s question, Voss didn¡¯t show the slightest change in expression and began to speak.


    "You! You!"


    His words not only stunned Rocky but also left Perolo, who was expecting him to plead on his behalf, pale-faced and so furious he couldn¡¯t speak.


    This old fox... was too decisive, wasn¡¯t he?


    Such an answer left Rocky feeling a chill down his spine. He remembered clearly that while Voss had not deceived him like Eyer had, there was certainly no respect shown towards him; there was more of an ignoring, disregarding himself as the City Lord.


    Yet from Voss¡¯s stance earlier, it was clear he was drawing a line between himself and Eyer and Perolo¡ªalmost as if he was helping Eyer eliminate the two of them!


    Was it possible that Voss had now acknowledged him as the City Lord?


    Looking at Voss, who stood with his hands hanging at his sides, Rocky couldn¡¯t fathom the old fox¡¯s thoughts. But since the other party had already taken the initiative to speak for him, he certainly didn¡¯t need to be reserved or cautious and said directly:


    "In that case..."


    While speaking, he looked at the three Guards kneeling on the ground: "From today on, you will be under Liliya¡¯smand. Now, take Perolo to the prison to await further handling, and if anything happens during this process, I¡¯ll hold you responsible!"


    "Yes, yes... Thank you, my Lord!"


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Thank you, City Lord!"


    The three Guards, without a second thought, immediately seized Perolo; mere moments before they had been his Guards, but now they were the ones taking him to prison.


    After Perolo was taken away, Rocky turned to look at Voss:


    "Lord Voss, if there¡¯s nothing else, you may go now."


    "Yes."


    After agreeing, Voss gave Rocky a slight bow and left the City Lord¡¯s Hall. He was the same as when he hade, as if nothing had happened at all.


    Watching his figure leave the hall, Rocky finally let out a long sigh of relief. He truly hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out this way. It was just as well that Voss had not challenged him because, given his status and importance, Voss would not have been an easy adversary.


    However, it was also thanks to what had just happened that the two cancers, Eyer and Perolo, were suddenly removed. This was indeed an unexpected blessing for Rocky, saving him quite a bit of trouble.


    "How was it? I did quite well just now, didn¡¯t I?"


    Pleased with the oue, Rocky turned to Liliya and posed the question, looking like a child seeking praise andpletelycking the imposing air he had just moments before.


    His action caught Liliya off guard, but she nodded and then looked at Rocky: "You seem... you seem different..."


    "Of course I¡¯m different, and I¡¯ll keep getting better."


    Laughing heartily, Rocky instructed Liliya: "Gather fifty Guards and arrest everyone who returned with Eyer. Deal with any who dare to resist as you see fit, then take your men to meet me at the Skyport."


    "Understood."


    After she agreed, Liliya handed Eyer over to Rocky and hurried out of the hall.


    Once Liliya had left, Rocky turned his nce to Eyer, his face beaming with a smile, "Captain Eyer, let us make another trip to thend, shall we?"


    "Yes, yes... I¡¯ll follow your lead, my Lord..."


    Having witnessed everything that had just transpired, Eyer no longer had the courage to refuse. He now profoundly understood that Thunderhawk City was about to see a change in the tides.

 Chapter 8 - 7 Skyship

    Having left the City Lord¡¯s Hall with Eyer, Rocky came to Thunderhawk City.


    As a small Sky City with just over a thousand residents, Thunderhawk City was naturally notrge. Standing on the high steps and looking out, Rocky could easily see the entire cityscape at a nce.


    His eyes swept over the city and soon fixed on the square at the city center where a Magic Crystal, over ten meters tall, hovered, looking incredibly eye-catching.


    This huge Magic Crystal, known as a Drive Crystal, was not just a decoration but the core of the entire Sky City. The power that allowed the city to fly through the air was all provided by this Drive Crystal.


    At the same time, the Drive Crystal spread out an invisible Defensive Net above the city, like a giant umbre enveloping the city, which could defend against external attacks during wartime and block high winds during regr times.


    When the Sky City was first invented, the Drive Crystal had to be manually charged. After nearly a century of development, the Drive Crystal no longer required manual charging, it could now be self-sufficient relying on sr and wind energy, which not only eliminated much hassle but also saved a vast amount of resources.


    "Truly spectacr..."


    Although it wasn¡¯t his first time leaving the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, every time he saw the huge Drive Crystal, Rocky would still be struck by awe. The grandeur and wonder of Magic Technology struck him afresh each time.


    It was only after a while that he took Eyer and boarded a carriage, heading straight for Thunderhawk City¡¯s Skyport.


    Since the onset of the Sky Era, carriages had be the means of transport within cities. To travel beyond Sky City, one had to take a Skyship, simr to how sea voyages were made in the past, only that the ports had turned into skyports now.


    Leaving the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, the carriage sped away, all residents deliberately making way, and upon seeing that it was Rocky sitting inside the carriage, some even voluntarily saluted him.


    The behavior of the residents was even slightly unsettling for Rocky.


    But this was not surprising. Although in the eyes of people like Eyer and Perolo, Rocky might seem like a weak City Lord, the ordinary residents of Thunderhawk City were unaware of these matters. They only knew Rocky as the City Lord, who had the authority over life and death for everyone in the city, so they both respected and feared him.


    Under these circumstances, the carriage naturally had an unobstructed path, quickly arriving at the Skyport.


    Since the Skyport was used to dock Skyships, it covered a vast area. Upon arriving, Rocky hadn¡¯t even alighted when, through the carriage window, he saw ten docked Skyships in the harbor.


    These Skyships were slightlyrger than fishing boats, equipped with a Magic Cannon at both the bow and stern, capable of carrying twenty people. They were early models of reconnaissance Skyships, constituting the entire aerial force of Thunderhawk City.


    Over a thousand residents, two hundred guards, and ten reconnaissance Skyships, plus a set of Void Magic Armor and a Liliya ¡ª this was the entirety of Rocky¡¯s assets.


    "City, City Lord!"


    "City Lord!"


    Rocky, along with Eyer, alighted from the carriage, and the guards at the Skyport immediately ran up to him.


    The guards had not expected the sudden appearance of Rocky, their City Lord. It was surprising enough, and even more startling was the fact that Rocky was dressed in a suit of Void Magic Armor. Thus, the expression on their faces when they saw Rocky was not just surprise but outright fear!


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    They also saw Eyer, who looked like a prisoner. The guards weren¡¯t fools and kept their mouths shut at this time.


    "Who is in charge here?"


    Looking at the group of guards before him, Rocky asked.


    "City Lord! It¡¯s me!"


    A young man, looking about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, dressed in Leather Armor, spoke up, looking quite spirited.


    "What¡¯s your name?" Rocky asked after looking over the young man.


    "City Lord, I, I¡¯m Felly, Felly!"


    Perhaps it was because it was his first time facing the City Lord, Felly was incredibly nervous, and even his name didn¡¯te out fluently.


    His response somewhat pleased Rocky, finally giving him a bit of the sense of being the lord of the city. After the pleasured moment, he said with a smile, "Felly, I need five Skyships to be ready for lift-off as soon as possible. You arrange it."


    "Yes!"


    Rocky saluted, and Felly immediately called a Guard nearby and then led a group of men away.


    Due to the sudden development, it took some time to get the Skyship off the ground, but this process coincided with Liliya¡¯s arrival.


    Following Rocky¡¯s previous orders, she went to the Guard Corps¡¯ camp and gathered fifty guards, and then personally arrested everyone who had returned with Eyer.


    "Everyone is here?"


    Looking at the six guards tied up tightly, Rocky asked.


    "There was one who tried to resist, he¡¯s already dead."


    "Hmm."


    Rocky nodded, which was not unexpected.


    The guards who followed Eyer to engage in human trafficking and were still alive were naturally his confidants. These people would definitely understand what was happening when they heard Liliya was going to arrest them. It¡¯s not surprising that they tried to resist, as trafficking humans is a capital crime, and being caught means execution.


    This was why Rocky had sent Liliya to arrest them. Liliya, being a Third-Level Warrior, was the strongest in the Guard Corps, where the strongest was only Second Level; thus, resistance would be futile.


    The oue was just as expected.


    Rocky nced over the six men brought before him, then looked at the guards behind Liliya, but said nothing.


    However, the less he spoke, the more fearsome he seemed, especially to the fifty guards assembled there.


    These guards might not be Eyer¡¯s closest aides but were still part of the Guard Corps. They had heard, more or less, about Eyer¡¯s deeds and some had even heard Eyer mocking Rocky, calling him a weak and ipetent City Lord.


    But now, it seemed, this City Lord was far from weak!


    In these soldiers¡¯ eyes, not only was Rocky not ipetent, but he also appeared quite imposing. Looking at him d in Void Magic Armor and then at Eyer, whose legs had been broken, made clear who the superior was!


    Undoubtedly, Rocky, dressed in Void Magic Armor, had left these guards in awe. This awe inadvertently cemented their recognition of him as the City Lord. Even if Eyer were to incite a rebellion at this moment, these guards would not follow him and might even arrest him voluntarily.


    And this was naturally the result Rocky wanted to see.


    "Sir! City Lord! The Skyships are ready, already ready!"


    Felly, who had previously led the men away, quickly returned. He saluted before Rocky, then reported breathlessly that five Skyships were prepared for takeoff and couldunch at any moment.


    "Good."


    Turning around, Rocky shouted to the guards behind him, "Everyone, listen to themand!"


    "Yes!"


    His shout caused all the guards to instinctively straighten up, staring straight at him.


    "Groups of ten, board the ship immediately!"


    "Yes!"


    The guards shouted in unison at the end of Rocky¡¯smand, then quickly rushed toward the five Skyships prepared for takeoff.


    Watching the guards spring into action without dy, Rocky was somewhat surprised; he hadn¡¯t expected Eyer to have trained these soldiers so well. Perhaps they were not on par with the regr army, but at least they were disciplined.


    "Felly, take these men and put them on the ship too."


    After instructing Felly to take the six tied-up men to the ship, Rocky boarded the Skyship with Liliya.


    With amand from Rocky as he boarded, the five Skyships slowly took off, and once they had flown out of Thunderhawk City¡¯s Defensive Net, they turned their bows downward and flew toward thend¡­

 Chapter 9 - 8 Land

    Standing at the bow of the skyship, Rocky could only see thick clouds, but even so, he was still very excited.


    This was his first time riding a skyship away from Thunderhawk City, and also his first time heading to thend below, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little thrilled.


    Thend had been upied by demons, which was the first thing Rocky learned aftering to this world, but what then?


    Was the demon-upiednd now devastated and unrecognizable, damaged beyond repair?


    Had all the other creatures on thend died out?


    And those who hadn¡¯t managed to reach Sky City all those years ago, could they have survived after so many years?


    Rocky had no answers to these questions, but he was about to see for himself.


    "Sir¡­ pleasee back to the cabin¡­ outside¡­ the wind is too strong."


    As Rocky stood alone in his excitement, Liliya¡¯s voice came from behind him. Turning around, he saw Liliya struggling through the strong wind.


    Traveling at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters, one could imagine the strength of the winds outside the skyship. Even Liliya, a Third-Level Warrior, was having trouble keeping her eyes open and found it difficult to speak on the deck, which was despite the fact that the skyship had its Defensive Net spread out to block the winds.


    Without the protection of the Defensive Net, a gust of wind could easily have blown Liliya away.


    "I¡¯m fine; I¡¯m just getting used to the Void Magic Armor."


    Compared to Liliya, who was struggling to walk on the deck, Rocky seemed unaffected by the strong wind, a feat naturally credited to the Void Magic Armor.


    Designed specifically for aerialbat, the Void Magic Armor was covered with an energy shield from top to bottom. This energy shield acted like a miniature Defensive Net, not only increasing defensive power but also blocking the vicious wind, offering protection to its wearer even during high-speed flight. That¡¯s why Rocky, standing at the bow, didn¡¯t feel the strong wind at all.


    But Liliya was a stubborn girl. She didn¡¯t turn around and leave; instead, she bravely stood by Rocky¡¯s side, despite the howling wind.


    "Sir, you¡­"


    "Just call me Rocky, it sounds less awkward."


    Turning to nce at Liliya, Rocky repeated his request with a smile.


    This time, Liliya didn¡¯t respond with the cold reply she had given before. Biting her lip, she eventually nodded, "Rocky¡­"


    Hearing his name from Liliya¡¯s mouth made Rocky inexplicably feel a wave of relief, much morefortable than when others called him City Lord.


    "Rocky, do you really n to personally explore the research institute?"


    While Rocky was basking in that moment, Liliya brought up her question.


    At that time, the skyship was en route to thend. Amidst the strong winds, aside from Rocky, d in Void Magic Armor, and Liliya, a Third-Level Warrior, no one else dared toe to the deck, which made their conversation private, with no chance of being overheard. Liliya took this opportunity to ask.


    "Yes, I want to go there myself."


    Nodding, Rocky didn¡¯t hide his intentions.


    "But... that¡¯s too risky... I think we should just confirm the exact location of the research institute and sell the coordinates. We would still make a lot of money from that, money enough to support Thunderhawk City for a long time."


    Standing behind Rocky, Liliya voiced her thoughts.


    But in response to his words, Rocky simply shook his head. "Thunderhawk City needs more than just a sum of money; just a sum of money can¡¯t change Thunderhawk City¡­"


    After finishing his statement, he turned around. "You don¡¯t need to worry about me. Even if I really encounter demons, I can retreat unharmed with the help of the Void Magic Armor, so it¡¯s fine."


    "You can¡¯t rely too much on the armor."


    However, the intendedfort from Rocky had the opposite effect, invoking Liliya¡¯s dissatisfaction. "You¡¯re only a Second Level Warrior, with no actualbat experience. You can¡¯t exert the power of the armor like the old master did. Over-reliance on the armor could cost you your life."


    The ¡¯old master¡¯ Liliya referred to was naturally Rocky¡¯s father. She had fought alongside him and had witnessed his gant form donning the Void Magic Armor. Therefore, in Liliya¡¯s eyes, though Rocky might be wearing the Void Magic Armor now, he was still a far cry from his father.


    That left Rocky with no choice but to roll his eyes. Must she be so blunt? What about respect?


    Unfortunately, even though he grumbled inwardly, he couldn¡¯t refute her because what Liliya said was true. His own strength was indeed too average. Even with the enhancement of the Void Magic Armor, he couldn¡¯t afford to be careless, especially since the foes he would face were not like Eyer.


    Left with no other option, Rocky had to y hardball. He verbally agreed to all of Liliya¡¯s demands but didn¡¯t budge in his actions, eventually frustrating Liliya to the point that she simply walked away.


    Watching Liliya¡¯s retreating back, Rocky shook his head with a wry smile, then stopped pondering other matters and began to adjust his own state.


    Liliya¡¯s admonitions had not fallen on deaf ears. On the contrary, they had sounded a warning bell for him.


    He must not becent just because he had the Void Magic Armor, for he might be facing demons this time!


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The Void Magic Armor was indeed strong, beyond doubt. Yet even so, there was no certainty of victory when facing demons. Otherwise, after the invention of the Void Magic Armor, people would have counterattacked thend long ago. Instead, they remained adrift in the sky, and so Rocky continually reminded himself not to be careless.


    Not long after he adjusted his state alone, the speed of the skyship began to decrease gradually, and the gusts of wind surrounding them started to weaken, transitioning from the initial howling gales to a gentle breeze.


    Clearly, they had arrived atnd.


    Standing at the bow and looking down, Rocky no longer saw thick clouds beneath him but the silhouette ofnd.


    A stretch of green¡­


    When Rocky looked towards thend, he didn¡¯t see the devastation or scarring he had imagined. Instead, he saw a verdant and beautiful vista.


    "This¡­ is this really thend¡­"


    Looking at the lush forests beneath the skyship, Rocky was stunned. He hadn¡¯t expected thend to look like this.


    Hadn¡¯t they said thend was upied by demons? Hadn¡¯t they said the demons had destroyed thend?


    Yet why was this forest before his eyes so beautiful?


    "Rocky, prepare fornding."


    Just as Rocky was astounded by the sight before him, Liliya emerged from the cabin and informed him that the skyship was ready tond.


    "Okay."


    He nodded and followed Liliya back into the cabin, after which the five skyships began to descend slowly.


    And when the five skyshipsnded smoothly, Rocky disembarked with the guards, stepping firmly onto thend that had been upied by demons.

 Chapter 10 - 9: Searching for the Research Institute

    Having left the cabin and arrived onnd, everyone, including Rocky, couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp of surprise and admiration.


    Because the scenery before them was simply too beautiful! So beautiful that not only was Rocky surprised, but even the guards behind him felt the same way.


    In fact, it was not only Rocky¡¯s first time returning tond, but many of the guards behind him were also experiencing this for the first time, so these guards, like Rocky, were filled with novelty and curiosity about everything they saw.


    The Skyship hadnded just on the edge of the forest, so as everyone looked ahead, they saw a dense forest, and behind them, an endless prairie. Everything looked immensely beautiful, with no trace of ruin.


    "Don¡¯t be deceived by what you see,"


    As everyone marveled at the beautiful scene before them, Liliya spoke up, addressing the guards, "Thend has long been upied by demons, so don¡¯t be fooled by what you see. Behind this beautiful scenery, there could be demons ready to tear you apart. So, all of you, be on alert!"


    Such a speech made all the guardse to their senses, as everyone quickly diverted their gaze and instinctively lowered their heads.


    It had to be said that Liliya held a significant position in the hearts of these guards, primarily due to her status as a Third-Level Warrior, and, unlike these inexperienced guards, Liliya had apanied Rocky¡¯s father in multiple battles, not only gaining experience in leading troops but also visiting the surface several times, hence her understanding of thend far exceeded others.


    Therefore, even Rocky took her words seriously and swiftly diverted his gaze as well.


    "Bring Eyer, and then you lead the guard squad here and wait for me,"


    Calming his excited emotions, Rocky then said to Liliya beside him, now was indeed not the time to admire the scenery; he had to attend to important matters.


    Although thend was not as devastated as imagined, even quite scenic, it did not change anything. The fact that thend was upied by demons was an irond reality. In such circumstances, Rocky did not want to waste time¡ªthe more time they dyed, the greater the chance they would encounter demons.


    Following his instructions, Liliya quickly brought Eyer, but did not hand him over to Rocky.


    "I¡¯m going with you,"


    After bringing Eyer, Liliya told Rocky that she intended to join him in searching for the institute.


    "No,"


    But to her request, Rocky rejected it outright without even thinking.


    "I outrank you and have experience fighting demons! I can help you!"


    Rocky¡¯s abrupt refusal caught Liliya off guard as he seemed more resolute, reflecting his determination on this matter.


    As expected, Rocky was very steadfast, shaking his head, "I can rest easy knowing you are here guarding."


    "But¡­"


    "No buts."


    Not wanting to argue further, Rocky then took Eyer, who had his hands bound, from Liliya¡¯s hands, and then slowly levitated, carrying Eyer towards the distant forest.


    Seeing him fly away like this, Liliya stomped her foot fiercely and immediately said to the guards behind her, "Everyone, be ready to fight! The Skyship should be ready to take off at any moment. As soon as the City Lord returns, we¡¯ll leave immediately!"


    "Yes!"


    At hermand, the guards immediately sprang into action, knowing well the dangers of thend. A moment¡¯sxity could mean death by a demon¡¯s attack, so no one dared to ck off.


    ......


    ......


    Liliya should be left out of the conversation for now, Rocky had already taken Eyer soaring into the sky above the forest.


    "Captain Eyer, tell me the exact location of the institute," Rocky said.


    "Sir, it¡¯s too, too high. I can¡¯t confirm¡­"


    Being carried in the air by Rocky, Eyer trembled all over in fear, but he did not lie; from the air, he truly couldn¡¯t pinpoint the location of the institute.


    With this, Rocky had no choice but to descend slowly andnd in the forest.


    As hended in the forest, Rocky noticed that the vegetation was incredibly dense, almost overly so. It was filled with unnamed green nts, looking much like a tropical rainforest.


    "Sir, if you keep going in this direction, you should find the institute," Eyer said.


    Uponnding on the ground, Eyer breathed a sigh of relief. Being in the air had terrified him, as he was not the one wearing the Void Magic Armor, but rather it was Rocky. If Rocky had let go, he would have been smashed to death.


    "Are you sure?"


    As Rocky turned around, he frowned, because as he looked in the direction Eyer had indicated, he suddenly felt a pang of distress.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    This sensation was quite peculiar; all he saw before him was a forest, no Demons or other threats, yet Rocky still felt this way, and even... he felt somewhat scared?!


    "Sir, you, you felt it too, right? Is that it?"


    Just as Rocky furrowed his brows, Eyer suddenly said, "Sir, I also felt something was off initially, which is why I went to check, and then I discovered the institute."


    "Oh?"


    This intrigued Rocky, so he immediately asked, "So, it is the Demons who are emitting this feeling?"


    Eyer had previously mentioned that after discovering the institute, he was attacked by Demons. So, could this distressing sensation be emitted by the Demons?


    But Eyer¡¯s next reply surprised Rocky, as he shook his head repeatedly: "Sir, Demons don¡¯t have that ability. I think it might be some kind of equipment in the institute that¡¯s emitting it to keep the Demons at bay."


    "Where could there be such equipment; that¡¯s just ridiculous..."


    Upon hearing this, Rocky couldn¡¯t help butugh. There couldn¡¯t possibly be the kind of equipment Eyer described; Demons aren¡¯t mosquitoes that one could simply fend off with a mosquito coil. Eyer had clearly mythologized the Lost Research Institute.


    Thus, after shaking his head, Rocky didn¡¯t ask further and simply led Eyer deeper into the forest.


    The forest was truly dense, not just thick with bushes but with many other forms of vegetation as well. Coupled with Eyer, who had a limp leg, this made Rocky¡¯s pace extremely slow.


    Fortunately, they encountered no Demons along the way, so although the journey was long, it was safe.


    After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, Rocky stopped in his tracks because there was a corpse in front of him, a Guard¡¯s corpse.


    "Sir... we¡¯ve arrived..."


    Looking at the body lying on the ground, Eyer stammered out, and the guard now turned into a corpse was one of those he had silenced!


    And finding these guards meant that the Lost Research Institute was nearby!

 Chapter 11 - 10: Lost Research Institute!

    Since they had found the guard who was silenced, it was clear that the Lost Research Institute was not far away.


    "Did you kill these people?"


    "Yes, yes..."


    Faced with Rocky¡¯s icy gaze, Eyer quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes.


    "How many people did you kill, do you remember?"


    "This..."


    Suddenly asked about this, Eyer was stunned; he really didn¡¯t remember how many guards he had killed to keep the secrets of the institute, because all he wanted back then was to keep a tight lid on the secrets, so he killed everyone he couldn¡¯t trust.


    "Think hard!"


    Seeing Eyer stammering and unable to answer, Rocky shouted at him, making Eyer shiver all over.


    "Sir, it should be eight people..."


    "Eight people? But there are only five corpses here."


    As Rocky spoke, he looked down at the corpses on the ground. Indeed, as he said, there were only five corpses. If Eyer was not mistaken, that meant three corpses were missing!


    When he mentioned this, Eyer also looked down at the corpses on the ground, noticing indeed that there were fewer than when he had left. This realization made his face turn pale as he quickly looked up at Rocky:


    "It¡¯s demons! Sir, it must be the demons that ate the corpses!"


    "Hmm... that¡¯s possible..."


    This time, Rocky didn¡¯t counter Eyer but simply nodded in agreement.


    Although he had never seen a demon with his own eyes, remember that the original Rocky was a proper nobleman, educated at a higher level. So, through what was recorded in books, he knew quite a bit about demons.


    One thing he remembered the most was that, ording to the books, demons ate humans!


    This was not just a rumor; it was a fact written into textbooks, so it should be correct. If demons indeed ate humans, then it assured that demons truly existed nearby! They were the ones who had taken the three missing corpses!


    "Sir, let¡¯s, let¡¯s leave... It¡¯s too, too dangerous here with demons around..."


    Thinking of possibly encountering demons again, Eyer was terrified. Although he had encountered a demon once before, at that time he was apanied by thirty guards. By sheer force of numbers, they had managed to escape the demon¡¯s attack, yet even then, more than ten had died.


    And... Eyer only encountered one demonst time!


    Just one demon, and thirty armed and trained guards fled in total disarray!


    So, when Eyer realized there were still demons nearby, he was utterly panicked. Now, there were just the two of them, Rocky and himself. Rocky might rely on Void Magic Armor, but he was a cripple and would surely die if they encountered a demon!


    But how could Rocky listen to him? He continued forwards without even bothering to respond, leaving a terrified Eyer to hurry after him, not daring to stay alone in that ce.


    So, the two walked another hundred meters through the forest, then once again found corpses on the ground.


    Just like before, numerous guards¡¯ corpsesy haphazardly on the ground, only this time, there were obvious signs of battle; some corpses were even torn apart, creating a very gruesome scene.


    "Were you attacked by demons here?"


    This time, without needing Eyer¡¯s exnation, Rocky already figured out what had happened.


    "Yes, we were attacked here. The entrance to the research institute... it¡¯s behind that huge rock..."


    Nodding, Eyer pointed with his hand toward a huge rock in the distance.


    Following the direction of his hand, Rocky indeed saw a huge rock nearby, its size like that of a small hill, standing out prominently in the forest.


    Atst, they had found it!


    Seeing the huge rock, a surge of excitement filled Rocky¡¯s heart, and he grabbed Eyer and leaped into the air, flying directly towards it.


    Momentster, hended steadily in front of the huge rock and truly saw arge door on the rock wall!


    It looked like Eyer hadn¡¯t lied to him after all! There really was a Lost Research Institute here!


    Setting Eyer aside, Rocky quickly walked up to the stone gate and noticed a pattern imprinted on the thick door.


    "This is..."


    After brushing all the dust off the stone gate, the pattern revealed its true form, looking like a crest...


    "This seems like... seems like a national emblem... I must have seen it somewhere..."


    At a moment like this, his past memories served him well. The old Rocky might have been timid, but he loved to read, and had read a variety of books, so the pattern on the stone gate seemed familiar, as if he had seen it in one of those books before.


    "I remember now! This is the emblem of Kohen Country!"


    After careful thought, he recalled seeing this pattern in a book about the history of the Land Era. This was the national emblem of Kohen Country!


    Kohen Country was a massive nation during the Land Era, with extensive territories and strong military and economic prowess, rightfully considered a global powerhouse at the time.


    This powerhouse nation, a stalwart during war periods, had established numerous research institutes to develop new weapons and equipment; it seems like the institute before them was indeed one established by Kohen Country then.


    "Wait here for me,"


    After confirming that this was a research institute left by Kohen Country, Rocky turned to look at Eyer, clearly nning to enter the research institute alone.


    "Don¡¯t, don¡¯t leave me here! My lord! Please!"


    However, upon hearing this, Eyer panicked immediately, as he dared not stay in this ce alone!


    But Rockypletely ignored his plea and directly pushed the stone gate with his hands.


    "Hm?"


    As Rocky pushed the stone gate with his hand, it felt as though he was pushing a mountain, and the stone gate did not budge at all.


    He then ced both hands on the stone gate and exerted force fiercely, but still, the gate did not open.


    "What¡¯s going on..."


    This result made him frown. With the augmentation of Void Magic Armor, he had reached the level of a Fourth Level Warrior, far surpassing ordinary people. How could he possibly not push open this stone gate?


    "There must be a mechanism!"


    A momentter, he realized, the reason the stone gate could not be opened by brute force was definitely that there was a mechanism.


    Thinking this, he began to search around.


    But after feeling up and down the stone gate, even walking around the massive stone twice, he found absolutely no mechanism.


    "What should I do now..."


    "Hehe, keep thinking..."


    Seeing Rocky blocked, Eyer could not help but sneer inwardly.


    He too had tried to open the stone gate when he discovered this ce, but all methods had been useless, so he knew Rocky would definitely also fail.


    The inability to open it was for the best, so Eyer did not have to stay here alone, he thought gleefully.


    "Right! I should use magic power!"


    But just as Eyer was reveling in misfortune, Rocky suddenly pped his forehead, having finally thought of something.


    He then ced his hand on the national emblem of Kohen Country and started channeling the magic power within his body towards the stone gate.


    Subsequently, a thunderous boom was heard, and the stone gate in front of him began to vibrate violently, then slowly opened!


    It worked!


    Watching the stone gate slowly opening, Rocky breathed a sigh of relief, turned back to look at the bewildered Eyer, smiled slightly, and walked through the stone gate.


    "My Lord! Wait for me, take me with you!"


    Seeing that Rocky truly opened the stone gate and was actually leaving him behind alone, Eyer hurriedly rushed over.


    Unfortunately, beingme, he was not quick on his feet, and before he had taken two steps, the stone gate slowly closed...


    Ignoring the cries and screams of Eyer left outside, Rocky discovered upon entering the stone gate a tunnel that led underground, indicating that the research institute was built underground.


    This was a clever decision, for with the strength of the Demons, if the institute had been built on thend¡¯s surface, it would undoubtedly be easily destroyed; building it underground was different.


    "I hope this time I really find something..."


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Taking a deep breath, Rocky, with a trace of anticipation, started walking towards the depths of the tunnel.


    However, he had barely taken a few steps when lights appeared before him, and the magicmps on the tunnel walls lit up all at once!


    "There¡¯s... there¡¯s still mana here?!"


    Looking at the magicmps lighting up the tunnel, Rocky was somewhat surprised. This research institute had existed for nearly a hundred years; how could there still be a mana reserve?


    Truly miraculous.


    No wonder the lords of the major Sky Cities were willing to pay arge sum for the coordinates of the Lost Research Institute. This ce was indeed extraordinary.


    Being immediately stunned upon arrival at the institute undoubtedly bolstered Rocky¡¯s confidence, so he immediately continued walking towards the deeper parts of the tunnel.


    Yet, just like earlier, as soon as he attempted to move, the situation urred once again!


    This time, a voice came from the depths of the tunnel!


    "Someone has finally found this ce..."


    "Who!"


    Hearing someone speaking, and moreover speaking to him, not only was Rocky shocked, but he was also frightened!


    "Come...e quickly... I do not know who you are, but I have been waiting here too long, so hurry."


    The voiceing from the depths of the tunnel paid no heed to Rocky, continuing to speak, seemingly eager for him toe quickly...!

 Chapter 12 - 11 Magic Energy Image!

    ```


    The voiceing from the depths of the tunnel sent shivers down Rocky¡¯s spine...


    "Could it be... this ce is haunted..."


    You see, when people fled to the sky, each nation urgently shut down their research institutes and evacuated all their staff, so there really shouldn¡¯t be anyone here.


    So what was with that voice just now? Truly haunted?


    Shaking his head, Rocky cast aside the absurd idea and bravely trod down the tunnel, step by step.


    No matter whether it was haunted or something else, he hade this far and couldn¡¯t return without achieving anything; it was crucial to figure out the situation here, both for himself and Thunderhawk City.


    Thus, he quickly adjusted his mood and focused intensely as he began to walk deeper into the tunnel.


    The length of this tunnel far exceeded his imagination; Rocky had walked downwards for a long time without reaching the end, feeling as if the tunnel had no end at all, which gave an idea of how profoundly deep the research institute was situated underground.


    However, this was rather normal, just like the stone gate outside; these were safety measures designed to prevent demons from destroying the institute.


    Finally, after descending nearly a kilometer, Rocky finally arrived at the end of the tunnel, where he faced another stone gate.


    Having walked such a distance without encountering any other strangeness and without that previous voice reappearing, Rocky¡¯s mood had stabilized greatly. Coupled with his prior experience, he ced his hand on the stone gate at the end of the tunnel and channeled his magic power.


    What followed was a rumbling sound as the stone gate rose slowly from the bottom up, and Rocky stepped through.


    Behind the stone gate was a vastboratory with dozens of research stations, each covered with various research equipment.


    "Just like the rumors..."


    Walking through the stone gate and surveying the room, Rocky approached the nearest research station and looked down to find a magic stone and an unfamiliar instrument covered in a thickyer of dust.


    It seemed that when everyone fled to the sky, they indeed did so in haste, not even having time to take the equipment from the institute, just evacuating the personnel.


    Thinking this, Rocky picked up the magic stone from the research table and discovered, to his surprise, that the magic stone still contained an ample amount of mana.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I¡¯ll take that, I can keep these magic stones for my own use."


    "And I should take this equipment too; it would be good to sell it as antiques!"


    Realizing that the magic stones still held mana, Rocky took out arge cloth bag, ced the magic stone inside and then lifted the equipment from the table, clearly nning to take everything with him.


    These things could fetch some money!


    As City Lord, Rocky knew all too well how tight the finances of Thunderhawk City were. The city couldn¡¯t even sustain itself, so what ie could it generate? Hence, he nned to take whatever he could from this ce; if nothing else turned upter, selling these items would be enough to break even.


    "You¡¯ve finallye..."


    But just as he was busily packing the devices into the cloth bag, that eerie voice appeared again!


    "Ah!"


    The sudden voice startled Rocky so much that he trembled, and a piece of equipment fell to the ground, causing him great distress.


    When he looked toward the source of the voice, he found someone standing at the deepest part of theboratory!


    He really saw a ghost!


    Seeing someone inside theb surprised Rocky greatly, even filling him with a sense of horror.


    But when he looked closer at the person, he realized it wasn¡¯t a person at all but a magic energy image!


    My goodness! There¡¯s a magic energy image here?!


    Realizing that the figure in theboratory was just an image formed by magic energy, Rocky¡¯s eyes widened, for as far as he knew, magic energy images were not exactly cutting-edge technology but had only been invented around fifty or sixty years ago!


    ```


    Why did Magic Technology, which wouldn¡¯t be invented for another fifty or sixty years, appear in a research institute that was nearly a hundred years old?


    The answer to this question wasn¡¯t hard to guess, but when Rocky thought of it, he couldn¡¯t help but take a sharp breath!


    Could it be... that the person in thisb had invented the Magic Energy Image all by themselves?


    This realization made Rocky¡¯s breathing quicken because if it was true, did it not mean the research in thisboratory was fifty or sixty years ahead of its time?!


    "Impossible, it must be impossible. Perhaps someone came here before me..."


    Feeling his guess was too bold, Rocky shook his head to warn himself not to think wildly and not to harbor too many hopes, or else he might copse from disappointment.


    Meanwhile, he also arrived in front of the Magic Energy Image.


    Standing before the Magic Energy Image, he looked closely and noticed that the image was of an old man, whose aged appearance seemed to be in his eighties or nies. The old man was dressed in a Magic Robe from the Land Era, suggesting he was from the Land Era.


    "I¡¯ve finally waited for you..."


    As if sensing Rocky¡¯s approach, the Magic Energy Image spoke again:


    "My name is Wensel, and I am the head of this research institute. This image is myst will and testament..."


    By this time, Rocky had somewhat understood. There must have been some sensing mechanism within the research institute; once the stone gate outside was opened, the Magic Energy Image would activate, leading to everything he was seeing.


    But what puzzled him was that if this Wensel was the head of the research institute, then he must be an extraordinary figure. So why would he leave his image here? Figures of his stature should have been taken to Sky City long ago, right?


    As Rocky was puzzled, the Magic Energy Image in front of him, or more precisely the image left by Wensel, continued, "I don¡¯t know when you or you all will find this testament, and I don¡¯t even know who you are, but I assume you must have already implemented the Sky City n."


    "But believe me, the Sky City n is destroying everyone!"


    All of a sudden, Wensel¡¯s image became agitated and angrily said, "Fleeing to the sky is the same as handing over thend to the Demons; it¡¯s an act equal to surrender! No more surrendering to the Demons!"


    "The direction of this n ispletely wrong; Sky City cannot take everyone away. People won¡¯t find a chance to fight back for thend in the sky¡ªit¡¯spletely a death wish!"


    My heavens!


    Wensel¡¯s words shocked Rocky to his core!


    How could this old man start by railing against Sky City, which had saved everyone? Who on earth was he to be so presumptuous?


    Meanwhile, Wensel¡¯s image paused for a long time, and it took a while before a sigh came through:


    "Forget it..."


    "Talking about this now is pointless since you¡¯re seeing this image. It means I am already dead, and the Sky City n has been carried out, so everything is toote..."


    After a long sigh, Wensel¡¯s image continued:


    "You might be wondering why you¡¯re seeing my image left here. It¡¯s simple because I didn¡¯t evacuate. When those cowards chose to flee, I preferred to stay here."


    "Don¡¯t be surprised; there are many who share my sentiments. And we¡¯re not staying here to die; we¡¯re continuing our research."


    Research!


    Research!


    When the image left by Wensel uttered this word, Rocky¡¯s breath almost stopped!


    This Wensel had not fled to the sky, and he was still in the research institute continuing with his own research. What did this imply?


    It meant that the research institute should hold his inventions!


    And it looked like... Rocky might be the first person toe to this research institute!


    This possibility made him forget to breathe...

 Chapter 13 - 12 Great Invention?

    Wensel¡¯sst words sent Rocky¡¯s heartbeat racing!


    Could it be, could it really be that this research institute contained Magic Technology from the Continental Era!?


    This possibility made Rocky hold his breath, not daring to think of anything else, listening very carefully to Wensel¡¯sst words.


    "When the cowards chose to flee, I, like many others, chose to stay and continue my research,"


    The image of Wensel continued to speak, recounting a piece of unknown history:


    "The arrival of the demons was so sudden that people were utterly unprepared, leading to the creation of numerous research institutes and thereby many great inventions."


    "Sky City was such an invention, but even the greatest inventions be scrap metal in the hands of fools; those cowards who only thought of fleeing wasted such a marvelous invention."


    "In contrast, the Flying Armor project that the Wins Dynasty was undertaking was more practical¡ª they wanted to create an armor that allowed the wearer to fly and greatly enhanced theirbat capabilities. Once developed, it would significantly increase the wearer¡¯sbat ability."


    "Unfortunately, although the idea of Flying Armor was good, it came toote. If it hade ten years earlier, perhaps we would not have been so utterly powerless before the demons. I hope, I hope they can make this project sessful one day¡­"


    Wensel¡¯s wordspletely shocked Rocky! That so-called Flying Armor project, it was clearly the Void Magic Armor!


    As far as Rocky knew, the earliest concept of the Void Magic Armor indeed emerged towards the end of the resistance war, but at that time, since they had already lost much of thend, it was toote to realize this idea, and the first true Void Magic Armor was only developed after everyone hadpletely relocated to the sky.


    Good heavens...


    Who exactly was this Wensel?


    He even knew about the Void Magic Armor, and from his tone, even such a great invention that was second only to Sky City was simply a nice idea in his eyes?


    Is this not a bit too arrogant?


    Or could it be...


    that Wensel had been working on something as great as the Void Magic Armor!?


    At this moment, the image of Wensel continued to speak:


    "The idea of Flying Armor is good, and Sky City is a great invention, but the research I am conducting is no less significant than theirs!"


    Following that, the image of Wensel spoke very proudly:


    "Unlike them, my approach is different. They just think about developing new technology, about using new technology to defeat the demons, but these people forget one thing¡ªthat there is neither time nor resources!"


    "The demons have upied a vast amount ofnd, leaving us with little time and fewer resources. How easy is it to invent new equipment to resist demons under these conditions?"


    "Even if it really seeds, what can a single new weapon or new armor do in the face ofpletely upiednds?"


    "So all these people are wrong!"


    "What we truly should do is to enhance the existing equipment! That is the purpose of my research!"


    Herees the important part!


    When Wensel¡¯s image finished saying this, it paused for a moment before continuing:


    "Mana Runes, this is my invention."


    "My life¡¯s work, a great invention that,pared to it, even Sky City pales slightly!"


    While speaking, Wensel¡¯s image waved its hand, and a symbol Rocky couldn¡¯t understand appeared in front of it.


    "This is the Mana Rune, a magical symbol containing energy, functioning like a Magic Stone, which can provide a magic power source, and willpletely rece Magic Stones from now on."


    "So it¡¯s... just this... thing...?"


    When Wensel¡¯s image proudly revealed his invention, Rocky felt somewhat disappointed...


    Because Wensel had made it clear that the Mana Rune he invented was merely a substitute for Magic Stones.


    In a world reliant on Magic Technology, mana had be an indispensable resource. From something asrge as Sky City to as small as the Void Magic Armor, all relied on mana to function properly, with Magic Stones serving as the containers for storing mana.


    Do you remember the Drive Crystal inside Thunderhawk City? That huge crystal is essentially a super-sized Magic Stone, and even the Void Magic Armor that Rocky currently wore was embedded with Magic Stones to provide the necessary mana for the armor.


    What Wensel invented was a substitute for Magic Stones.


    But so what?


    Today¡¯s technological level had already solved the issue of charging Magic Stones, making it possible for them to be reused, thus bing a renewable resource. Hence, they weren¡¯t as precious as before. Under these circumstances... what use could Mana Runes possibly serve?


    A recement for Magic Stones? But Magic Stones don¡¯t even need recing!


    Wensel indeed left behind his invention, which might have had some uses a hundred years ago, but today, a hundred yearster, it was utterly useless...


    This oue couldn¡¯t help but make Rocky feel disappointed.


    "Well, it¡¯s still an invention, maybe it can still be utilized somehow, so it¡¯s not aplete loss."


    Heaving a deep sigh, Rocky had no choice but to console himself and adjust his mood.


    He had actually been looking forward to making a truly significant discovery this time, hoping to use it to reverse the downturn of Thunderhawk City, but he also knew that one should not be too greedy, and he was not that lucky either.


    Just then, Winsel¡¯s voice continued to transmit, "The method to draw mana runes and my research materials are all here, and there are also some experimental items I used during my research. These items will help you better understand mana runes."


    As Winsel finished saying these words, the presence he left began to blur a bit, as if it was about to disappear.


    "Make good use of this great invention¡­ drive demons off thend¡­"


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    After saying thisst sentence, Winsel¡¯s imagepletely disappeared.


    But at the very moment the image vanished, the wall behind it slowly opened, revealing a secret room!


    Seeing the secret room slowly open in front of him, Rocky immediately walked over. Even though the invention of mana runes might not have much practicality today, it was still an invention after all. If used well, it could potentially generate considerable profits, so although Rocky might be disappointed, he still walked into the secret room immediately.


    The secret room behind the wall wasn¡¯t veryrge and contained only a table and a fewrge chests.


    As Rocky walked in and looked down at the table, he saw a yellowed notebook on it, clearly titled: Research Notes on Mana Runes.


    "It seems that Winsel has written everything about mana runes in this notebook."


    Rocky carefully collected the notebook, then turned toward the chests in the room.


    These chests were covered in dust, resembling treasure chests that had been sealed for many years.


    Winsel had mentioned earlier that these chests contained experimental items.


    "I wonder if there¡¯s any treasure..."


    Seeing these chests, Rocky¡¯s spirits lifted again because although Winsel¡¯s invention might be mediocre, such masters often have considerable value. If there were one or two treasures among these experimental items left by Winsel, Rocky would consider his journey worthwhile.


    So he eagerly opened the nearest chest.


    As the lid opened, Rocky saw two long swords inside, and he randomly picked one to inspect. A sparkle shed through his eyes instantly!


    "Good stuff!"


    As he grasped the long sword in his hand, Rocky instantly knew it was a top-notch weapon!


    Theoretically, this long sword should have been sealed for nearly a hundred years, yet it still glowed brightly, with a coldness emanating from its tip, looking murderous.


    More importantly, the hilt of the long sword was embedded with two magic stones!


    This was a piece of magic energy equipment!


    By using a special technique to embed magic stones into equipment, it is possible to create magic energy equipment, whose power, although notparable to that of Void Magic Armor, is much greater than ordinary weapons. Additionally, due to the much lower costpared to Void Magic Armor, magic energy equipment is extremely popr.


    The long sword before him was a mana sword, and it was also embedded with two magic stones. The mana contained in the two magic stones would undoubtedly greatly enhance the sword¡¯s power and significantly increase the value of the sword.


    "Scored big!"


    Swinging the long sword a couple of times in his hand, Rocky was overjoyed. ording to what he knew, such a mana weapon was worth quite a bit of money. If sold, it could at least earn him several hundred gold coins, nearly matching the monthly fiscal ie of Thunderhawk City.


    "Hopefully the other items here are also this valuable."


    Reluctantly setting the mana sword aside, Rocky reached into the chest to pull out the second long sword.


    This second long sword was almost identical to the mana sword he had just examined, the only difference being that this long sword did not have magic stones embedded. Instead, strange patterns were inscribed on the de.


    Holding the long sword, Rocky scrutinized the patterns and soon discovered that the patterns on the sword were allposed of weird runes!


    "These must be mana runes, no wonder there are no magic stones embedded."


    Mana runes themselves act as substitutes for magic stones, so while this long sword did not have magic stones embedded, because it was covered in mana runes, it still ssified as magic energy equipment and also was a valuable item.


    But then¡­


    Looking at the rune sword in his hand and then at the mana sword on the table, Rocky suddenly had a curious thought¡ªbetween the two swords, one embedded with magic stones and the other covered in magic patterns, which one had greater power?


    Thinking this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel curious and somewhat eager to test them!


    "Let¡¯s see which of you is sharper!"


    Driven by curiosity, Rocky held the rune sword in his left hand and the mana sword in his right hand. He activated their magic power simultaneously, causing both swords to radiate light. Following that, he swung both swords together, letting them sh against each other.


    However, instead of hearing the expected shing sound, Rocky only felt a swish as his hands crossed paths. When he looked at the swords in his hands again, he found that the magic sword in his right hand had been cut in half!


    The magic sword in his hand¡­ had broken into two pieces!


    "How is this possible!"


    Staring at the two halves of the magic sword, Rocky was dumbfounded¡­

 Chapter 14 - 13: Big Harvest! (Please Favorite!)

    Staring at the Mana Sword, broken into two pieces in his hand, Rocky was stunned...


    What had he just done... to destroy such a valuable weapon, it was simply wasteful... No, that¡¯s not the point!


    The point was, how could a Mana Sword embedded with two Magic Stones be so easily severed!


    This oue made Rocky scarcely believe his own eyes because even the powerful Void Magic Armor could not so easily destroy a Mana Weapon!


    Could it be... could it be...


    Thinking this far, he suddenly looked towards his left hand, no, towards the Rune Sword he was holding in his left hand!


    Could it be that the power of this Rune Sword was so great that it instantly cut through the Magic Sword?


    At this thought, he couldn¡¯t help but inhale sharply and felt somewhat dizzy.


    Because this simply shouldn¡¯t be happening!


    Previously, Winsel had already mentioned that Mana Runes were merely substitutes for Magic Stones, and aside from one being a rune and the other a stone, there was essentially no difference between them.


    So the Mana Sword he was holding should not have been severed by the Rune Sword!


    This resultpletely baffled Rocky.


    Unable to solve this puzzle, he then brought the broken Mana Sword up to his eyes to inspect it, finding nothing unusual, and then he carefully examined the Rune Sword he held, noticing nothing different besides the pattern made up of runes on the de...


    No, wait!


    Looking closely at the runes on the Rune Sword, Rocky suddenly realized something!


    There was indeed one difference between the two swords, which was that the Mana Sword had only two Magic Stones embedded, but the Rune Sword was densely covered with runes!


    This discovery led him to a crucial question!


    "Could it be... could it be because there are more runes than Magic Stones, so the power of the Rune Sword greatly surpassed that of the Mana Sword...?"


    No sooner had this thought emerged than Rocky gasped. He suddenly had a feeling as if his train of thought had been opened by a massive door.


    Yes, that must be the reason. The Rune Sword could so easily bisect the Mana Sword because the amount of Mana contained in each was vastly different!


    Although the Mana Sword was embedded with two Magic Stones, it had only those two; however, looking at the runes on the Rune Sword, there were so many that they formed aplete pattern!


    Which meant that although both were Mana Weapons, there was no difference in quality, but there was a vast difference in quantity, and this was likely the root cause of the Mana Sword being easily shed in two.


    And if that really was the case, it was terrifying because this might suggest that Mana Runes, as Winsel himself imed, were an invention no less great than Sky City and Void Magic Armor!


    The reason for this, Rocky realized swiftly, was his own Magic Armor!


    As everyone knows, the Void Magic Armor is powered by Mana, which naturallyes from the Magic Stones embedded within the armor. However, like the broken Magic Sword, the stone nature of the Magic Stones ces many restrictions on embedding, and this material limitation indirectly restricts the power of the Magic Armor.


    But what if... what if the Magic Stones in the Void Magic Armor were reced with smaller, more convenient Mana Runes? Would this not break the limitations? With more Mana, would not the same set of Void Magic Armor be more powerful than before?


    And once Void Magic Armor broke through the limits of Mana, could it not open up even greater development possibilities!?


    A series of spections burst from Rocky¡¯s mind, instantly rifying the true use of Magic Runes for him, and he finally understood why Winsel had devoted his life to researching this invention, because clearly, this invention truly was grand enough!


    "Made it, made it, this time I really made it!"


    Having understood the real purpose of Mana Runes, Rocky felt his heart might jump out of his chest because this time he really had made a breakthrough!


    Although he still knew very little about Mana Runes and had no idea how to draw them, don¡¯t forget, he had already obtained Winsel¡¯s research notes, and as long as he could learn everything from the notes once he got back, then he could truly master this grand invention!


    So this time, he really had made a fortune, and indeed, he had made it big!


    "Fantastic!"


    Waving his fists vigorously, Rocky was extremely excited. He knew that given some time to fully master the technology of Mana Runes, both he and Thunderhawk City would undergo transformative changes!


    "Stay calm, stay calm, I¡¯m the City Lord, don¡¯t act like someone who hasn¡¯t seen the world..."


    After the excitement had died down, Rocky forced himself to calm down and then looked towards the other chests in the secret room, quickly opening each one to find them filled with a variety of weapons and armor.


    By now, he had understood why Wensel had left these things in the secret room. They were left for him to use as references while studying Mana Runes.


    What a thoughtful old man.


    After taking out the equipment marked with Mana Runes from the chests, Rocky packed them into his cloth bag, and then, carrying the bag, he returned to theboratory and took everything that could be taken...


    It wasn¡¯t that Rocky was greedy, but because he was too poor now. Not only him, but Thunderhawk City was also too poor, so it was necessary.


    Although the technology of Mana Runes was great and had already fallen into his hands, remember, just learning how to draw Mana Runes would take quite some time, let alone producing real benefits could be an even longer wait.


    Therefore, although Rocky¡¯s future was full of hope, at this moment, he was still a poor and destitute City Lord. That was the harsh reality.


    In such circumstances, he couldn¡¯t overlook anything in theboratory. Whatever could help him study Mana Runes he kept, and what couldn¡¯t be used was to be sold. Nothing could be wasted by just lying there.


    So, after that, he started a frantic search in theboratory, disregarding the image of a City Lord...


    "There should be nothing left to take."


    Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand, Rocky finally stopped and looked very satisfied.


    After his raid, he had taken away everything that could be taken from theboratory, and when he was sure there was nothing left to take, he carried the cloth bag in one hand and several tied-up chests in the other, leaving theboratory with his full harvest.


    Exiting theboratory¡¯s main door and passing through the long tunnel, when the stone gate opened again, he finally returned to the forest above ground.


    Back in the forest, Rocky was naturally in an excellent mood, given his enormous gains this time.


    "Is something... missing?"


    Although Rocky was in a good mood back in the forest, he felt vaguely that something wasn¡¯t right, as if something were missing...


    "Could it be something I didn¡¯t take?"


    "No... I checked several times..."


    "Eyer!"


    Furrowing his brow in thought, he suddenly realized what was missing. Eyer, whom he had left outside, was gone!


    "Did this guy... run off by himself?"


    Realizing Eyer was nowhere to be seen, Rocky looked around and then confirmed that Eyer really had run off.


    However, Rocky didn¡¯t search too thoroughly because he had originally nned to banish Eyer to thend. In this situation, if Eyer had run off, let him be, as there was really no need to bother about such people.


    So, he did not pay attention to the fleeing Eyer and simply began to slowly ascend, preparing to leave the forest.


    But just at that moment, just as he had lifted off the ground, a sudden noise came from within the forest.


    "Help! Help! Help!!"


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The sudden cries for help immediately caused Rocky to turn his head, and then he saw someone limping from deeper within the forest towards him...


    Eyer!


    The personing towards him was none other than Eyer!


    As Rocky saw Eyer, Eyer also saw him and immediately shouted loudly, "My lord! Save me! Save me! It¡¯s..."


    Eyer hadn¡¯t finished speaking when suddenly arge hand stretched out from the shadows behind him, grabbed him, and dragged him deeper into the forest in the next instant!


    Everything had happened so suddenly that not only had Rocky not reacted, but even Eyer himself had not managed to scream.


    But a momentter, realizing the danger, Rocky cursed inwardly and without another word quickly flew up into the air.


    Demons!


    The ones who had taken Eyer away had to be demons!!

 Chapter 15 - 14: Good Girl! (Please Favorite!)

    Damned!


    We¡¯ve run into demons!


    Seeing Eyer being dragged into the forest by a huge hand, Rocky knew that the owner of that hand must be a demon!


    This left him no choice but to not even consider staying to inspect closely; he immediately took to the skies and flew towards the edge of the forest!


    Rocky was nowpletely different from when he had arrived; he hade to this part of the forest empty-handed, but now he possessed the hugely important discovery of the Mana Rune¡ªhe did not want to engage with a demon under these circumstances.


    Rocky had just seen a glimmer of hope for the future; he couldn¡¯t just die cluelessly at the hands of a demon.


    Moreover, he was currently holding arge cloth bag in his left hand and a box on his right shoulder; how could he fight?


    But fortunately, he was wearing the Void Magic Armor, and the greatest advantage of the armor was its ability to fly. As long as he could fly, he was rtively safe, so Rocky immediately took to the air.


    However, just as he had risen into the air, a furious roar suddenly emanated from the forest below.


    "ROAR ROAR ROAR!! ROAR ROAR ROAR!!"


    The sudden roar was like a thunderp, making Rocky¡¯s head buzz and even causing him to experience ringing in his ears.


    "What is that¡­ Could this be a demon¡­"


    Turning his head to look down at the forest, Rocky was utterly shocked.


    Just one roar had given him a splitting headache; it was unimaginable to Rocky how such a terrifying scream coulde from any creature. How powerful must a monster be to emit such a dreadful sound?


    Is this the strength of a demon?


    Rocky had never actually seen a demon, so his understanding of demons was still limited to what he¡¯d read in books. This made him suddenly remember Liliya¡¯s words; that is, a demon¡¯s terror was far beyond imagination and one must never be careless, even when wearing the Void Magic Armor.


    Now, it seemed he knew too little about demons and, although he had been mentally prepared, this preparation was clearly insufficient.


    He must leave immediately! Right now!


    If demons were truly this powerful, Rocky knew he couldn¡¯t linger in this forest; even wearing the Void Magic Armor might not save his life.


    Thus, he didn¡¯t hesitate to increase the speed of his Void Magic Armor and quickly flew towards the perimeter of the forest. Once he reached where the skyship was stationed, he could return to Thunderhawk City.


    However, to Rocky¡¯s surprise, as he rapidly escaped through the air, another roar boomed from the forest below, followed by arge swath of trees continuously falling over.


    "Is it catching up?"


    As he flew at high speed towards the outer edge of the forest, Rocky looked down at his feet; he soon saw that the trees below were continuously toppling. Although he was too high to see clearly, he could still make out a massive figure chasing after him.


    This figure was immensely huge, roaring furiously and charging wildly, causing the trees in its path to fall like wheat!


    Without a doubt, this massive figure was a demon, and not only was it chasing Rocky, but its speed was also no slower than his!


    "Damn!"


    Realizing that the demon below was chasing him and that its speed was no slower than his, Rocky became frantic, because this development meant that even if he sessfully escaped the forest and met up with Liliya, the demon would still catch up!


    At that time, he could rely on the Void Magic Armor to hide in the air, but what about Liliya and the others? Facing such a terrifying demon, the five skyships might be destroyed before they could even take off!


    "I must shake off this monster!"


    With this thought, he gritted his teeth and directly increased the speed of the Void Magic Armor to the maximum.


    In an instant, the speed of the Void Magic Armor¡¯s flight in the air sharply increased, finally creating some distance from the demon chasing through the forest.


    But just then, the demon in the forest roared angrily again, and arge tree suddenly flew up into the air like a javelin!


    "Damn!"


    While flying at high speed, Rocky only felt a gust of wind from behind. Turning around, he saw therge tree flying towards him and quickly rolled to the side in the air, barely dodging it.


    "That was close..."


    Watching the thrown tree fly past him, Rocky felt a chill, realizing he had narrowly escaped being hit.


    Yet, no sooner had he breathed a sigh of relief than more trees from the forest below soared into the air, one after another, like javelins aiming directly at him!


    It turned out that after Rocky elerated, the demon below did not give up. This fearsome creature not only continued the chase but also tried to knock him down from the sky.


    In such a situation, Rocky did not even have a moment to breathe; dodging another tree, he immediately flew towards the edge of the forest without looking back.


    Fortunately, he was flying in the air at full speed, so even though the demon relentlessly pursued him and kept throwing ¡¯javelins¡¯ at him, he gradually managed to increase the distance between them.


    Seeing the demon getting farther and farther away, Rocky finally allowed himself to rx. Although he never saw the true face of the demon, he fully understood how terrifying this creature was.


    However, just when he thought he had escaped the danger, something unexpected happened!


    Without any warning, his speed, which had been very fast, suddenly slowed down...


    "Not good!"


    Sensing a steep drop in the speed of the armor, Rocky was stunned for a moment, then cursed silently, realizing he had overlooked a critical problem.


    The mana of the Void Magic Armor was almost depleted!


    To shake off the demon, he had maintained the fastest possible speed of the Void Magic Armor, which had helped him distance himself from the demon. However, this high-speed flying had also elerated the consumption of mana, and just a short timeter, the armor¡¯s mana was critically low, nearly out of energy!


    It was totally unexpected that the Void Magic Armor would run out of mana. Rocky suddenly realized he might really be doomed.


    He was still far from the edge of the forest, and even if he managed to fly out of the forest at a slow pace, Liliya and the guards would have no chance against the demon relentlessly chasing him...


    In an instant, Rocky felt utterly despairing.


    He suddenly remembered something Liliya had once told him: "Relying too much on the Void Magic Armor could get you killed!"


    At this moment, Rocky finally understood what Liliya meant. He knew far too little about the Void Magic Armor, not even knowing how to manage its mana, which led to this embarrassing and fundamental mistake.


    At the same time, Rocky felt a deep malice from this world.


    Because the mana rune he had discovered was precisely an invention that could break through the limitations of the magic stone, increasing the capacity of mana. Yet here he was, about to die due to ack of mana in the Void Magic Armor, which felt like a cruel joke and made Rocky all the more unwilling to ept it!


    He had just acquired this great invention of the mana rune, had just started adapting to this new world, and had just improved his rtionship with Liliya!


    Why was he so unlucky!


    However, just when he was overwhelmed with frustration, a cannon sound suddenly came from afar, followed by a burst of explosions lighting up the forest below!


    "What is..."


    Watching the shells burst into mes in the forest, Rocky quickly looked into the distance, then saw a scene that moved him to tears.


    Five skyships were slowly approaching him in the air, relentlessly bombarding the forest below!


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Liliya!


    Seeing Liliya standing on the bow of one of the skyships, Rocky truly felt moved to tears, grateful for the girl¡¯s timely arrival!

 Chapter 16 - 15 Return Voyage and Night Talk

    Upon seeing that Liliya had dispatched five skyships to pick him up, a disheartened Rocky no longer dared to dy and immediately flew towards the skyship.


    At the same time, Liliya, at the bow of the ship, also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him, her previous tension finally easing.


    What Rocky hadn¡¯t noticed was that he had stayed in the institute much longer than he had imagined, and Liliya, who had been waiting on the outskirts of the forest, was already frantic with worry.


    To others, Rocky in his Void Magic Armor might seem invincible, and Rocky himself thought the same, but only Liliya knew this wasn¡¯t the case. Although the Void Magic Armor was strong, it wasn¡¯t invincible, especially for a novice like Rocky, so her worry for his safety was inevitable.


    Fortunately, Liliya¡¯s battle experience was incredibly vast. When the first roar of the demons echoed from the forest, she instantly realized Rocky might be in danger. This feeling, though baseless, was a unique intuition held by those who had experienced warfare, prompting her to immediately order the skyships to take to the air and meet Rocky above.


    As it happened, not long after the skyships ascended, Liliya saw Rocky in the air, flying unusually slowly, and more crucially, she spotted the demons relentlessly pursuing him through the forest.


    This quickly made Liliya grasp the peril Rocky was in, so she had the skyships close in while ordering a bombardment on the demons in the forest!


    Although the skyships of Thunderhawk City were all reconnaissance ships with weakbat capabilities, the magic cannons at the bow and stern still proved somewhat useful when bombardingnd targets.


    Besides, Liliya wasn¡¯t aiming to kill the demons, just to provide Rocky with an opening in case he fell at that moment, which led to the sequence of events that followed.


    Shortly thereafter, Rocky finally arrived above the skyship where Liliya was located, but before he couldnd safely, he crashed onto the deck! His Void Magic Armor¡¯s mana waspletely depleted just then!


    It was a close call, a very close call indeed. Had he been anyter, he would have fallen in the forest and been devoured by demons.


    "Roar, roar, roar! Roar, roar, roar!"


    As if noticing Rocky¡¯s safe boarding, an angry roar suddenly bellowed from the forest being bombarded by the magic cannons. This roar was not only deafening but also carried a deep frustration, a fury about prey that was on the verge of being caught yet escaped at thest moment!


    Such a terrifying outcry immediately terrified the guards on the skyship, particrly the gunners responsible for the cannons, who even forgot to continue firing. Even the well-versed Liliya frowned at that moment.


    However, Rocky¡¯s reaction at this time waspletely different from theirs; having crashed onto the deck, he flipped over and stood up, his expression not showing the slightest fear but instead bursting into loudughter!


    This caused both the demon¡¯s roars and hisughter to simultaneously echo through the skies and thend.


    Seeing Rocky¡¯s reaction, all the guards looked on in disbelief. Faced with such a terrifying demon, this city lord was not only able tough but did so with such excitement?


    It was utterly incredible!


    The guards on the ship were once again stunned by Rocky, not because of his Void Magic Armor this time, but by the bravery and madness he exhibited in that moment.


    Indeed, in these guards¡¯ eyes,ughing in the face of such a terrifying demon was surely an act of bravery, or perhaps even madness.


    But they thought too much; Rocky¡¯sughter was simply the result of the joy from having narrowly escaped death, nothing more...


    It wasn¡¯t his fault, considering the circumstances were too perilous not a moment ago; had Liliya not arrived in time, he truly might have died in that forest, so how could Rocky notugh joyously?


    When he stoppedughing, he went straight to Liliya and gave her a big, tight hug.


    "You..."


    The sudden hug took Liliya by surprise, turning her little face into a red apple in an instant.


    "Thank goodness you were here, otherwise I would have died out there."


    Holding her tightly, Rocky sincerely said, considering Liliya¡¯s arrival to be incredibly timely.


    "You... you don¡¯t need to do this... it¡¯s what I should do..."


    After a moment, the blushing Liliya finally responded, but the usually assertive woman stuttered at this time.


    "There¡¯s nothing that should! If it¡¯s good, it¡¯s good!"


    Having finally let go of Liliya, Rockyughed heartily and then turned to the guards on the deck, saying, "Stop the bombing, let all the skyships ascend and head back immediately!"


    "Yes!"


    Upon receiving the order, the guards immediately ryed Rocky¡¯smand, and soon the five skyships stopped bombing the forest and began to slowly ascend, preparing to return.


    Only when the skyship gradually climbed into the high sky did Rocky say to Liliya, "Have someone move these items into the cabin, and don¡¯t let others touch them."


    "These are..."


    Actually, when Rocky crashed onto the deck, Liliya had already noticed therge cloth bag and several boxes he brought back, but she hadn¡¯t had the chance to ask about them until now, and since Rocky had brought it up, she looked at these items and asked with anticipation.


    "Our good days areing."


    The response might be unintelligible to outsiders, but Liliya knew exactly what it meant. Thus, her eyes immediately lit up, followed by no further questions as she took the cloth bag in one hand and lifted the case with the other, personally delivering these items into the cabin where she stayed and guarded them herself.


    It was only after watching Liliya enter the cabin that Rocky could finally rx. Then, just as before, he stayed alone on the deck.


    He wasn¡¯t trying to act cool; he was nning for his and Thunderhawk City¡¯s future!


    Discovering the Mana Rune would undoubtedlypletely change his life and equally transform Thunderhawk City, perhaps even the entire world. However, how to utilize the Mana Rune and the specifics of its operation were problems Rocky couldn¡¯t ignore.


    Such a monumental invention, if handled well, could drastically elevate someone¡¯s status. Yet if mismanaged, it could lead to utter ruin, since "the innocent bearing a treasure invites trouble." Rocky was well aware of this.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He certainly did not want the Mana Rune he painstakingly found to end up benefiting someone else or, worse, be the death of him¡ªsuch a scenario was absolutely uneptable.


    Therefore, after returning to Thunderhawk City, Rocky had to carefully consider his next steps.


    Unfortunately, he had not thought for long before he found staying on the deck unbearable. As the Skyship ascended higher, the winds on the deck grew stronger, yet without mana, the Void Magic Armor could no longer provide protection, so he had no choice but to return to the cabin.


    Back in the cabin, Rocky found Liliya in his room, guarding the ce.


    "By the way, where are the other six people?"


    Upon seeing Liliya, Rocky suddenly remembered and casually asked.


    Previously, apart from bringing Eyer, Rocky had also brought Eyer¡¯s six confidants. However, he hadn¡¯t seen them on the ship just now.


    "I left them onnd due to the emergency when I went to pick you up."


    After stealing a nce at Rocky, Liliya gave her reply, and Rocky, in response, gave her a thumbs up.


    This was actually Rocky¡¯s original intention as well. He had no intention of letting Eyer or his subordinates off the hook but felt that killing them would be too severe a punishment. It¡¯s not that he was soft-hearted; rather, he believed that the act of killing should be reserved as ast resort and the most severe punishment, to retain its deterrent power.


    Hence, he had nned to leave Eyer and the others onnd from the start.


    Liliya clearly saw through his intentions, thus not bringing them aboard.


    Afterwards, the Skyship ascended continuously until it grew darker, and they finally returned to Thunderhawk City.


    Upon sessfully returning to Thunderhawk City, Rocky sent the guards back to the Guard Corps and then went with Liliya, along with their numerous gains, to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. However, instead of rushing to research the Mana Rune, he took a good night¡¯s sleep.


    After all, Rocky¡¯s identity was the city lord, and with Thunderhawk City undergoing major changes, with troublemakers like Eyer and Perolo eliminated, he had fewer troubles to deal with. However, he also faced many new challenges, such as new personnel appointments.


    Combining the issues of the Mana Rune and future developments, these were matters he needed to consider and would not be resolved overnight.


    Thus, after returning to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, he decided to rest well first, to clear his mind and make decisions for the future.


    ......


    ......


    While Rocky, content with his vast gains, dozed off upon returning to Thunderhawk City, some people in the city were far from sleep, like Voss.


    Thunderhawk City had just over a thousand residents, among whom there were few nobles, Voss being the most prominent among them.


    At this moment, Voss was sitting in his study, still the epitome of a nobleman, with a person sitting opposite him ¡ª a noble girl about seventeen or eighteen years old, very pretty with a distinct noble demeanor, and sharing some resemnce with Voss.


    "Grandfather, did the city lord really capture Eyer and Perolo?"


    "Yes."


    Voss, maintaining his usual faint smile, nodded as he looked at his granddaughter.


    "What is he nning to do?"


    "Eradicate the toxic tumors."


    Voss¡¯s answer was simple and clear.


    This response, however, made the girl across from him frown, thinking for a while before speaking, "But I heard this new city lord is timid and indecisive. Perolo is one thing, but how could he dare move against Captain Eyer?"


    "That¡¯s not important. What matters is that he has already made his move."


    "Then... will hee after us?"


    The girl¡¯s words made Voss pause, then he smiled and shook his head, "Aileen, do you also see your grandfather as a toxic tumor?"


    His words startled Aileen, but she quickly shed a cunning smile, "Grandfather, that¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is how the city lord sees you."


    This reply made Vossugh even more heartily and he was very pleased.

 Chapter 17 - 16 New Finance Officer

    "You are absolutely right,"


    Aileen¡¯s response greatly pleased Voss, and he nodded with a smile. However, he quickly added, "But you don¡¯t have to worry; the City Lord won¡¯ty a hand on us."


    "I know."


    Shrugging indifferently, Aileen nced at Voss, "Grandfather holds significant influence over the import of yarn, so unless the City Lord is a fool, he wouldn¡¯t dare meddle with us."


    "No, that¡¯s not the reason."


    This time, Voss shook his head, clearly feeling that his granddaughter had missed the main point.


    Aileen was surprised, and looked at Voss quizzically, not understanding where her thoughts had gone wrong.


    But Voss soon offered an exnation:


    "Merchants are profit-driven, so even without us, as long as the City Lord can offer money, he would still manage to find another Chamber of Commerce to import yarn. Therefore, that¡¯s not our real safeguard."


    "Then what is our safeguard?"


    "That depends on what we can offer this City Lord." He paused for a moment, then revealed the answer, "Thunderhawk City is too small, small enough that only we can assist him, and that is why he won¡¯t touch us."


    "Ha, I doubt that."


    Challenging Voss¡¯s assertion, Aileen pursed her lips, "Grandfather, our City Lord hardly seems like a man of great ambitions; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up in his current predicament. So, he might not even need us."


    "That¡¯s not important."


    At that moment, Voss smiled slightly, then looked at his granddaughter, "Aileen, whether the City Lord has great ambitions is not for us to consider. I just want you to understand one thing¡ªif we are clear about our own value, only then can we survive."


    After saying this, Voss handed Aileen a letter.


    "Take this letter to the City Lord tomorrow."


    As she took the envelope and looked at it, Aileen immediately showed a surprised expression, and turned her eyes towards Voss:


    "Grandfather, why...",


    ......


    ......


    The next morning, Rocky rose early, having slept more soundly that night than ever since his arrival, without even dreaming, and woke up feeling refreshed, all his fatigue gone.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But he didn¡¯tze around upon rising early; as the City Lord, he had many duties to attend to, like appointing the new Captain of the Guards and the new administrative officer.


    Regarding this matter, Rocky had made a n yesterday; he intended to have Liliya temporarily take over as Captain of the Guard Corps.


    The Guard Corps was the only military force in Thunderhawk City, hence it couldn¡¯t be left unmanaged. With the severe shortage of personnel, it could only be handled by Liliya, and given her sufficient prestige and strength, this wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for her.


    As for the new administrative officer, Rocky decided to take over for the time being himself since Thunderhawk City was rather small and the role of the administrative officer was basically symbolic; he believed he could handle it.


    This arrangement was naturally out of necessity, for apart from Liliya, Rocky had no one else he could rely on, so he had to opt for this temporary solution and consider slowly cultivating his own teamter.


    However, just as he had finished breakfast and was about to inform Liliya of his decision, Liliya informed him first¡ªthat Aileen had arrived.


    "Aileen? Who is she?"


    Rocky was unfamiliar with the name Aileen and had no idea who she was.


    "She¡¯s Voss¡¯s granddaughter."


    "Voss¡¯s... granddaughter?"


    This response surprised Rocky, wondering if Voss wanted to see him. But if Voss had something to discuss, he should havee himself; why send his granddaughter?


    "Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s see what this is about."


    Always wary of the shrewd Voss, Rocky stopped pondering and simply took Liliya with him to the City Lord¡¯s Hall.


    Before long, he met Aileen who was already waiting there in the City Lord¡¯s Hall.


    "City Lord, this is a letter from my grandfather."


    After briefly introducing herself, Aileen didn¡¯t beat around the bush and directly handed over the letter her grandfather had asked her to deliver the previous night.


    As Rocky took the envelope from Aileen, he looked at her, then at the envelope in his hand, his mind filled with questions.


    But as he opened the envelope and saw the contents of the letter, he frowned immediately!


    Having held the letter for a long time, Rocky finally turned his gaze back to Aileen and asked, "Is Lord Voss ill?"


    "Yes, grandfather felt unwell yesterday and is now resting in bed."


    "So he sent you to take over the position of finance officer?"


    "No, grandfather only suggested it, everything still depends on the arrangements of the City Lord."


    Aileen not only looked somewhat simr to Voss, but her tone and demeanor were also much like his, facing Rocky with the same unassuming yet confident manner, and her words were meticulously chosen.


    Her words, however, plunged Rocky into deep thought.


    The letter Voss had given him was actually a leave request, basically stating that he was not feeling well and needed some time to recuperate. Of course, all of this was nonsense; he was fine just yesterday, and now he was too sick to work in just one night? Rocky could hardly believe it.


    The most important content of the letter was just one thing: Voss was rmending his granddaughter to fill in for his position as finance officer.


    What was this old fox thinking?


    Looking once at the youthful Aileen, Rocky couldn¡¯tprehend Voss¡¯s intentions. Why suddenly push his granddaughter forward?


    At the same time, he felt helpless because it was clear that Voss intended for Aileen to seed him. Rocky¡¯s only options in this matter were to agree or disagree.


    But in reality, he had no choice. If he disagreed with Voss¡¯s suggestion and did not let Aileen take over as the finance officer, then who would fill the position?


    He was even struggling to find someone for the nominal position of administrative officer, let alone the indispensable role of finance officer. If not Aileen, then who?


    So, although it seemed a bit irregr, after frowning and thinking for a while, Rocky nodded at Aileen and said,


    "Aileen, the finances of Thunderhawk City will be in your hands. I hope you will not disappoint Lord Voss¡¯s rmendation."


    "Thank you, City Lord."


    "Please quickly summarize the city¡¯s financial status and the financial revenues of thest three quarters and bring them to me."


    "Yes."


    By agreeing to Aileen bing the new finance officer, Rocky also gave her a task to summarize the financial situation of Thunderhawk City and present it to him.


    Following that, Aileen responded with a nod, deeply bowed to Rocky, and turned to leave.


    Only after she had left did Liliya turn to Rocky.


    "Rocky, what exactly is Voss nning?"


    "Who knows..."


    Shaking his head, Rocky couldn¡¯t figure out Voss¡¯s thoughts, but he felt that Voss¡¯s actions were in his own favor. Now that the original team of Thunderhawk City waspletely gone, Rocky¡¯s control over the city would further increase, which was undoubtedly a good thing.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t ponder this issue much; rather, he turned to Liliya:


    "Liliya, I¡¯d like you to temporarily take charge of the Guard Corps. It¡¯s only temporary until I find suitable personnel for other appointments."


    "No problem."


    Liliya didn¡¯t refuse his request; she clearly understood the importance of controlling the Guard Corps herself, and that such power should not fall into the hands of outsiders.


    After that, things were easy to manage. Liliya went to take charge of the Guard Corps, and Rocky summoned all the personnel that had once belonged to Perolo to the City Lord¡¯s Hall. He met with them and also arranged for them topile detailed data of Thunderhawk City, including poption, industry, and material reserves, and bring it to him.


    As the lord of the city, Rocky had to have aprehensive understanding of his city.


    After arranging all this, he finally reached a brief respite in his work.


    However, rather than resting, Rocky returned to his room and then took out the research notes left by Winsair!


    The notebook detailed various aspects of Mana Runes, representing a huge wealth. Rocky had to learn everything within and master the Mana Runespletely.


    "Come on..."


    Holding the notebook in his hands, he took a deep breath and then slowly began to flip through it, diving into the content.


    He waspletely immersed, and by the time he stopped, it was alreadyte at night!


    "Unbelievable..."


    Closing the notebook slowly, Rocky struggled to calm himself but couldn¡¯t manage it.


    Because the content he saw in this research notebook was simply too shocking!

 Chapter 18: 17 Research Notes

    The research notes left by Winsel meticulously recorded various contents about Mana Runes, from the initial research ideas, through the research process, to the methods of drawing runes, and finally the uses of the runes, everything was documented therein.


    It was only after reading this notebook that Rocky came to truly understand Mana Runes.


    This was indeed a great invention!


    As for Winsel, he was a true genius!


    Not only had Winsel invented Mana Runes, but he had also perfected the entire system of Mana Runes on his own, and even ssified the runes into levels.


    ording to his ssification, Mana Runes were divided into six levels, with the First Level being the lowest and the Sixth Level the highest. As the levels increased, the capacity of the runes also continuously rose.


    This ssification of levels corresponded exactly to the sizes of Magic Stones, which were simrly divided into micro, small, medium,rge, extrarge, and a special category.


    ording to Winsel¡¯s calctions, a First-Level Rune corresponded to a Micro Magic Stone, but it contained only half the Mana of a Micro Magic Stone, meaning that it took two First-Level Runes to equal one Micro Magic Stone.


    Second-Level Runes corresponded to Small Magic Stones, and simrly, it took three Second-Level Runes to equal one Small Magic Stone.


    The Third-Level, Fourth-Level, and Fifth-Level Runes all had simr conversion methods.


    From this conversion, it was evident that a single rune could notpete in capacity with a Magic Stone of the same level, a point that Winsel also mentioned in his notes.


    But he also emphasized in his notes that the advantage of Mana Runes was not in their capacity, but in their size!


    The essence of a Magic Stone was after all a stone. This essential nature gifted Magic Stones with a massive w, that being theirrge size.


    Even the smallest Micro Magic Stone had to be the size of a bottle cap, which was the smallest size achievable for Magic Stones. Any smaller and they couldn¡¯t contain Mana, bing just a useless rock.


    But what could a Micro Magic Stone do? Sorry, it could only be used in daily life, such as powering Magic Energy Lamps, and beyond that, it was incapable of much else. The Mana contained within a Micro Magic Stone was too little to be used in manufacturing Mana Equipment, let alone embedding it in Void Magic Armor.


    To manufacture Mana Equipment, at least a Small Magic Stone was needed, but how big was a Small Magic Stone?


    The size of an egg!


    Each Small Magic Stone was equivalent to a stone the size of an egg, so imagine, on a piece of equipment, evenrge items like shields or te Armor, how many Small Magic Stones could be embedded?


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As for Medium and Large Magic Stones, it goes without saying: they were simply toorge to be used in manufacturing equipment. Rocky knew that only aplete set of Void Magic Armor could barely integrate a Medium Magic Stone; no other equipment could amodate such arge stone.


    Therefore, even though Medium andrger Magic Stones contained arge amount of Magic Power, their excessivelyrge size meant they could only be used in Magic Cannons or Skyships.


    This was the inherent w of Magic Stones: they were toorge.


    This is where the advantage of Mana Runes came in.


    And what is a Rune? It¡¯s just a symbol!


    How big are runes? Runes don¡¯t have a volume at all!


    As long as there is space on the target, runes can be drawn on it, and any number can be drawn; it can be said that using mana runes has almost no limitations!


    This is why Rocky was able to sever a mana sword with a rune sword in the first ce.


    Although the severed mana sword was also embedded with micro magic stones, due to theirrge size, only two micro magic stones were embedded in the hilt of the long sword, naturally limiting its power within a certain range.


    In contrast, the rune sword left by Winsel had no such limitation. Winsel specifically mentioned that rune sword in his notes and emphasized that all the runes drawn on the rune sword were first-level runes!


    It is known that the magic energy of two first-level runes is only equivalent to one micro magic stone, while two micro magic stones were embedded in the mana sword.


    Even so, when the amount of first-level runes with such low magic energy content reached a certain number, the power they unleashed already surpassed that of two micro magic stones.


    This was exactly Winsel¡¯s initial intention in researching mana runes, using quantitative changes to bring about qualitative changes!


    "Phew¡­"


    As Rocky closed the research notebook and organized the content he had seen, he couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath.


    It was through reading the contents of the notebook that he finally understood the greatness and subtlety of mana runes, and he also developed deep respect for Winsel.


    Winsel was definitely a master; this was not only evident in his ability but also in his determination to resist demons. His determination even led him to give up the opportunity to flee to Sky City. You should know that a master like him would have certainly been among the first to be sent to Sky City in those days, yet Winsel did not leave.


    But it was this stubbornness that led him to invent mana runes. It¡¯s detailed in his notes that he continued his research alone in the institute for ten years after everyone else had fled to Sky City, finally seeding in his research of mana runes.


    That was a whole ten years! What kind of persistence was required for Winsel to endure ten years and finallyplete his great invention?


    This kind of persistence couldn¡¯t help but impress Rocky.


    Now, the mana runes had finally seen the light of day again, and hadnded in Rocky¡¯s hands. So, not just for himself, but also for Winsel, Rocky had to promote the use of mana runes.


    As for the technique of drawing runes, Winsel also recorded it in detail in the notes. To draw mana runes, one must use magic power, and the higher the level of the rune, the greater the requirement for magic power.


    ording to the notes, a first-level magic energy rune is very simple; a first-level mage couldplete it once they grasped the method. But as the level of the runes reached second-level, the requirement for magic power was rtively high, needing at least a third-level mage toplete it.


    As for more capacity-demanding third-level runes, at least a sixth-level mage was needed to sessfully draw them.


    The strict requirements in terms of magic power did give Rocky a bit of a headache, since he was just a first-level mage.


    Fortunately, this thing wasn¡¯t absolute; he was just a first-level mage now but could level up in the future! Even if he couldn¡¯t reach the highest level, he could still hire someone to draw the runes.


    So while this was somewhat stressful for him, he wasn¡¯t too worried; after all, he could already learn first-level runes, which was enough for now.


    He had to learn first-level runes as quickly as possible!


    After reading through the research notes, Rocky now had a clear goal about what he needed to do next¡ªlearn first-level magic energy runes as soon as possible!

 Chapter 19 - 18: Great Crisis

    By the next day, Rocky had someone prepare a room in the City Lord¡¯s Mansion early in the morning to serve as his own study.


    Since he had the ability to draw First Level Magic Energy Runes, he naturally nned to devote his time to learning how to make them.


    However, it was best to have a separate study for these kinds of activities. Fortunately, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion had numerous rooms avable, and it was just a matter of arranging one to be cleared out. Later on, the equipment scavenged from the research institute could be moved in, and the study would beplete.


    But what Rocky hadn¡¯t anticipated was that Aileen, whom he had met the day before, arrived even before the room had been readied.


    "Is it ready already?"


    With a stack of thick papers in hand, Rocky found it hard to believe because this stack contained the financial summaries of Thunderhawk City for thest three quarters.


    The day before, Rocky had indeed asked Aileen to prepare this information and hand it to him, but he hadn¡¯t expected her topile so much data so quickly¡ªit had only been one day.


    Looking at the documents in his hand and then at Aileen standing before him, Rocky found it hard to believe.


    In his eyes, Aileen was just a delicate girl, approximately seventeen or eighteen years old, seemingly younger than him, yet he hadn¡¯t anticipated her capability in handling matters to be so strong.


    It would be one thing if Voss had helped organize these documents, but if Aileen had done it alone, then this seemingly youthful girl was truly extraordinary.


    Thinking this, Rocky tentatively asked, "Aileen, have you looked over all the financial documents regarding Thunderhawk City?"


    "I have," she replied, her face devoid of much expression.


    "Since that¡¯s the case, do you have anything you want to tell me?"


    Seeing her nod, Rocky asked again.


    "Yes, I hope the City Lord can be prepared."


    Facing Rocky¡¯s casual query, Aileen indeed nodded, then stated, "I just received news that the price of imported yarn next month might be much higher than before."


    "Oh?"


    Rocky hadn¡¯t expected Aileen to bring up the matter of yarn, and he furrowed his brow.


    As mentioned before, textiles were the only industry of Thunderhawk City; men in the city took care of farming while the women worked on weaving at home. Thus, every quarter, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion had to import yarn from cooperating chambers ofmerce to ensure that the residents could produce fabric.


    Aileen¡¯s words suddenly made Rocky realize it was already August, and September was thest month of the third quarter. As City Lord, he indeed needed to prepare the yarn required for the fourth quarter.


    However, he was puzzled as to why Aileen would suddenly tell him about the rise in yarn prices.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    This matter couldn¡¯t be taken lightly by Rocky, as it was extremely significant, directly affecting the financial ie of Thunderhawk City and the well-being of its residents. Thus, he immediately set aside his concerns about Magic Pattern Runes and regarded Aileen solemnly.


    "Aileen, what exactly is going on? Is there a problem with the Azure Commerce Guild?"


    There were two chambers ofmerce working with Thunderhawk City. The Azure Commerce Guild, mentioned by Rocky, was one of them, primarily responsible for supplying the city with yarn and food; the fabric produced was then sold to another chamber ofmerce.


    Confronted with his question, Aileen directly responded,


    "Sir, it¡¯s not that there¡¯s a problem with the Azure Commerce Guild, but Canng City is engaged in warfare."


    "Are you saying¡­ Canng City has gone to war?"


    "Yes, the information is very reliable."


    Facing Rocky¡¯s slightly surprised look, Aileen nodded, then fixed her gaze on his face, observing his reaction closely.


    Despite her calm demeanor in front of the City Lord, Aileen was actually quite intrigued.


    Previously, when Voss handed over the position of finance officer to her, Aileen always wondered what her grandfather meant by this. Of course, with her intelligence, she could understand that her grandfather wanted her to start building a rtionship with the City Lord from scratch, yet Aileen didn¡¯t see the reason for doing so.


    The City Lord in front of her appeared quite ordinary, and his reputation was notably feeble. Was he really worth building a rtionship with?


    Aileen couldn¡¯t figure it out, but she agreed to her grandfather¡¯s approach and grew curious about Rocky.


    Just like she had just mentioned, she did indeed receive this news today, but the reason she told Rocky was not out of loyalty, but because Aileen wanted to seize the opportunity to see how the City Lord would react.


    Was this City Lord truly as ipetent and pathetic as rumors suggested, or did he actually possess some extraordinary qualities?


    Of course, at this moment Rocky was unaware of what Aileen was thinking because he was considering a more critical issue.


    Shortly after, he sighed and then nced at Aileen, "So, does this mean there might be problems with the food supply for the winter as well?"


    They were clearly discussing the rising prices of yarn, yet Rocky suddenly mentioned the food supply for the winter, which waspletely off-topic.


    But it was precisely this remark that made Aileen¡¯s eyes light up!


    This City Lord was quite impressive!


    Aileen stared intently at Rocky and a slight, barely noticeable smile appeared on her face.


    It seemed that this City Lord wasn¡¯t particrly ipetent; at least he was thinking clearly.


    Because, indeed, the rising prices of yarn were rted to the food issue in Thunderhawk City!


    These two matters seemed unrted but were actually closely connected.


    It was well known that the textile industry was the sole industry in Thunderhawk City, and the revenue from exported textiles was the only source of ie; the use of this money was even more important as it was meant for buying food.


    Thunderhawk City¡¯s own food production was far from enough to feed everyone, and it was necessary to purchase additional food to meet the needs of the residents.


    But now, as the price of yarn, a raw material, increased, the profit from exported textiles would decrease, naturally reducing the money avable to buy food.


    Perhaps some might wonder why not just increase the price of the textiles as well? If both were raised, wouldn¡¯t it solve the problem?


    This idea might sound reasonable, but that¡¯s all it was¡ªreasonable sounding; the actual situation was nowhere near that simple.


    After all, the reason Thunderhawk City¡¯s textiles were able to sell was because they were cheap!


    In the skies, there were not just one but multiple cities producing textiles like Sky City,pared to which Thunderhawk City¡¯s textiles were neither substantial in quantity nor quality. Their only advantage was the lower price, which attracted Chambers of Commerce to purchase inrge quantities; but once Rocky raised the textile prices, no Chamber of Commerce would trade with them.


    In this matter, Thunderhawk City utterlycked bargaining power.


    So, at the root of it all was the rising price of yarn.


    Regarding the price increase of yarn, Aileen had already provided a reason: Canng City was engaged in a war!


    Canng City, arge Sky City with a poption of over one hundred thousand, housed the headquarters of the Azure Commerce Guild, which coborated with Thunderhawk City.


    The reason the Azure Commerce Guild could sellrge quantities of yarn was because Canng City produced a lot of cotton, which enabled the Guild to conduct yarn business.


    But now, as Canng City was at war, this would inevitably lead to a rise in local prices, and the Azure Commerce Guild would certainly seize the opportunity to increase the price of the yarn sold to Thunderhawk City.


    And more importantly, Thunderhawk City not only needed to import yarn from the Azure Commerce Guild but also the food necessary for winter.


    As the headquarters were located in Canng City, arge Sky City, the Azure Commerce Guild could ess arge amount of food; however, with the start of military conflicts, securing more food would be challenging, and the prices offered by the Azure Commerce Guild would rise as a result.


    With the increase in yarn prices and the decline in textile ie, not only would the money for food decrease, but the food prices might also surge significantly. Between the two, the pressure on Thunderhawk City was enormous!


    Therefore, Aileen had urged Rocky to be prepared, because given Thunderhawk City¡¯s current financial situation, it might be impossible to buy enough food for the winter, and if there was a food shortage, many people in the city would starve to death!


    If such a situation truly arose, it would be a real crisis for Thunderhawk City, and as the City Lord, Rocky naturally had to be prepared to face this crisis.


    In fact, Aileen had initially thought that Rocky wouldn¡¯t be able to foresee such a far-reaching issue, considering theplexity and the non-obviousness of the connections. People with slow reactions or less capable minds would never think that a problem with yarn could trigger such a massive crisis, but Rocky indeed had thought of it, which was interesting.


    Since Rocky now understood the severity of the situation, Aileen was very curious to know how, exactly, this City Lord nned to help Thunderhawk City get through this difficult time.


    Yes, how exactly would Thunderhawk City ovee this difficult time? That was a question Rocky was also pondering.


    At this moment, Rocky felt both helpless and powerless. The discovery of Mana Runes should have promised him a bright future, but before he had even mastered a single rune, Thunderhawk City was faced with such a big problem, and if not handled carefully, it could lead to serious chaos!


    So, how exactly could Thunderhawk City ovee this difficult time? Rocky indeed was thinking hard...

 Chapter 20 - 19 A Whole New Level of Respect

    Sitting in the City Lord¡¯s seat, Rocky pondered for a long time, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn¡¯te up with a suitable solution.


    Time was too pressing.


    The current time was August, and in a few months, winter woulde. In such a short time, he simply couldn¡¯t raise the money! Without money, there might not be enough to pay for the grain, and then the residents of the city would suffer.


    What should be done...


    After a long while, Rocky could only sigh helplessly and then looked to Aileen, "Aileen, please ask Lord Voss to step in and negotiate with the Azure Commerce Guild."


    "Alright, I will convey the message to grandfather."


    Nodding her head, Aileen wasn¡¯t surprised by the request, as she was the finance officer of Thunderhawk City and knew the city¡¯s financial situation better than anyone; she was well aware that Rocky could probably only think of such an ineffective method.


    Unfortunately, this method would not work at all. The Azure Commerce Guild might not be a dominant Chamber of Commerce, but it was not small in scale. A Chamber of Commerce of such caliber only looked at profits, not rtionships, and even if rtionships were to be considered, they wouldn¡¯t with Thunderhawk City, so even with her grandfather intervening, it wouldn¡¯t be very effective.


    This could not help but make Aileen a bit disappointed; she thought that Rocky mighte up with some practical solutions.


    But then, Rocky spoke again:


    "Also, can you get in touch with merchants who specialize in trading Magic Stones?"


    "Magic Stones?"


    Aileen furrowed her brows at Rocky¡¯s words, but nodded, "I can. I will contact them as soon as possible. But are you nning to...?"


    "I was lucky during myst trip to thend and found some items, among which are a few Medium Magic Stones that could sell for a good sum. So, I n to sell all these Magic Stones. This should alleviate some of the city¡¯s financial pressure."


    Rocky knew what Aileen wanted to ask, so he provided an answer before she could finish her question.


    And this answer was the only solution he could think of now.


    The biggest problem Thunderhawk City faced was, in fact, a single one: theck of money!


    This problem could not be solved in a day or two, and for Rocky toe up with a solution right now was utterly unrealistic, but if it was just about easing the immediate urgency, he felt he could manage it.


    Like selling some items.


    Last time he visited the research facility, not only did Rocky obtain research notes on Mana Runes, but he also scavenged a bunch of items from thebs. Although many of them were useful to him, some could be sold, like the Magic Stones.


    In theb, he found quite a few Magic Stones, all containing ample Mana, among which were several Medium Magic Stones.


    Medium Magic Stones, being toorge for use in equipment, were not typically used to manufacture gear but could provide Mana for Skyships and be embedded in Magic Cannons, making them very valuable and worth a considerable amount of money when sold.


    With this money, the financial pressure on Thunderhawk City could be alleviated to some extent.


    Under such pressing circumstances, Rocky could only rely on this method to help Thunderhawk City ovee its difficulties.


    After he finished speaking, Aileen across from him nodded slightly, without further questioning.


    However, in her heart, Aileen was somewhat surprised by his words.


    She really hadn¡¯t expected Rocky to be hiding so much "private stash."


    What was even more unexpected to her was that, for the sake of the Thunderhawk City residents to survive the winter, Rocky was willing to sell off his belongings. This action did make her see him in a new light.


    Because as Aileen knew, not every City Lord of Sky City was fond of their citizens, and in fact, the vast majority of City Lords didn¡¯t care much about the lives of the residents, or theypletely regarded the residents as their personal property. To get these City Lords to sell their belongings for the sake of the city¡¯s citizens was fundamentally impossible.


    But Rocky had done it. His solution might not be very clever, but it still made Aileen look at him with newfound respect.


    Clearly, Rocky¡¯s actions had made a good impression on Aileen, so she decided to seriously discuss with her grandfather and see if they could get the Azure Commerce Guild topromise on the prices of yarn and grain.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ......


    ......


    By around noon, Aileen had left the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, and when she was gone, Rocky returned to his own room, not long after which the empty room he had ordered to be prepared was ready.


    After surveying the tidied room, Rocky was very satisfied and dismissed everyone, only then did he move all the equipment he¡¯d scavenged from the research institute into the room, transforming the bare room into a fully equippedboratory with his arrangement.


    Once everything was in order, he took out his research notes.


    "Looks like I need to hurry up¡­"


    Holding the research notes in his hands, he couldn¡¯t help but feel the urgency of time.


    The previous conversation with Aileen not only made him aware that Thunderhawk City was facing a major problem, but also made him realize that he didn¡¯t have much time.


    The weakness of Thunderhawk City didn¡¯t allow him any luxury of time; he had to learn Mana Runes as quickly as possible and make them valuable fast, otherwise, even if he could wait, Thunderhawk City could not!


    "Sigh¡­"


    Standing in front of a desk, Rocky opened his research notes to the section on Rune drafting and studied it over and over.


    As the most basic Mana Runes, First Level Runes could be drafted by a First Level Mage, but this was only in terms of Magic Power requirements. As for technical skill, even First Level Runes required a high level of expertise to be sessfully drafted.


    And it was this skill that Rocky needed to master.


    Of course, mastering the First Level Runes couldn¡¯t be achieved simply by rote memorization of the methods in the research notes; extensive practice was also necessary.


    Before long, there was a knock on the door, and then Liliya, carrying arge box, arrived in theboratory.


    "This is the equipment you asked for."


    Liliya set therge box on the floor and came up beside Rocky, noticing he was intently studying the research notes. She didn¡¯t disturb him and silently stood by his side.


    After a few minutes had passed, Rocky finally took his attention away from the research notes and looked at Liliya.


    "Thank you for your hard work."


    "No problem, have you already learned all the Mana Runes?"


    ncing at the research notes set aside, Liliya appeared very curious.


    "How could it be so fast? I¡¯ve just started learning."


    Seeing Liliya¡¯s curious expression and her blinking big eyes, Rocky suddenly discovered she had such an adorable side and almost couldn¡¯t resist pinching her cheek.


    "Oh, I¡¯ll take my leave then."


    Completely oblivious to how cute she had been just a moment ago, Liliya then nodded understandingly, not quite getting it, and turned to leave the room.


    However, just as she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something.


    "Rocky¡­"


    "Hmm? What is it?"


    "The Guard Corps¡¯ equipment is so worn it can¡¯t be used anymore, and there¡¯s hardly any spare gear left. Now that we¡¯ve brought you so much, it¡¯s time you considered getting new equipment for the Guard Corps."


    After saying that, Liliya then left theboratory.


    But as soon as the door closed, Rocky in theb went crazy. He hadn¡¯t resolved the issue of having no money for supplies, and now the Guard Corps¡¯ equipment needed recing too¡ªhow was he supposed to survive this!

 Chapter 21 - 20 Difficulty of Runes

    "I just can¡¯t live like this anymore."


    With a long sigh, Rocky tried to calm himself and avoid thinking about the affairs of Thunderhawk City.


    The current state of Thunderhawk City was simply deplorable,cking in both clothing and food. Being the City Lord under such conditions, Rocky couldn¡¯t feel the slightest joy of his position.


    To change the plight of Thunderhawk City, there seemed to be only one method, and that was Mana Runes! If Rocky could learn Mana Runes and utilize them well, Thunderhawk City would surely be transformed.


    The greatest use of Mana Runes was to provide unlimited mana to equipment, significantly enhancing the power of Mana Equipment. This was something Wen Seer specifically mentioned in his research notes, and he hoped to empower people to fight against demons with this method.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, there was something Wen Seer didn¡¯t anticipate, that shortly after his death, the project of Flying Armor he mentioned in hisst words was developed sessfully. It produced the Void Magic Armor, which was far more powerful than Mana Equipment!


    If Wen Seer had known about this, he would have been extraordinarily excited, and with his intelligence, he would have immediately realized something¡ªthat the Mana Runes he invented were the perfect match for the Void Magic Armor!


    Once the Magic Stone inside the Void Magic Armor was reced with Mana Runes that had fewer restrictions and could provide more energy, thebat capability of the Void Magic Armor would instantly break through existing limits and reach heights unimaginable to anyone. It could even open a new door, allowing the Void Magic Armor to evolve again!


    All of these possibilities were the future of Mana Runes and the future of Rocky. When he had mastered all of this, would he still worry about Thunderhawk City running out of food for the winter? Would he still fret over the Guard Corps not having equipment?


    Certainly not!


    By then, he would have be one of the most formidable individuals under this sky! Rocky firmly believed in this.


    And to be awesome in the future, he had to work hard now, starting with learning how to draw runes.


    So he quickly put his worries aside and focused all his attention on his studies.


    Having calmed himself, Rocky took out a piece of equipment from the box full of them, a wrist guard, and then picked up a pen.


    But the pen in his hand was no ordinary pen. It was the Magic Energy Pen, an important tool for inscribing Mana Runes, specially modified for this purpose.


    The function of the Magic Energy Pen was to turn magic power into marks left on an item. To put it inly, it used magic power as ink, and only with this Magic Energy Pen could one draw runes that would be considered Mana Runes.


    After getting a hold of the Magic Energy Pen, Rocky activated his magic power and slowly drew a strange symbol on the wrist guard.


    This strange symbol was a Mana Rune, more precisely, a First Level Mana Rune.


    The principle of the Mana Runes was using magic power in the form of symbols to sustain energy. The crucial point was that the Rune had to be drawn without a single mistake in order to be effective; otherwise, it was just a useless symbol.


    ording to the research notes, a First Level Mana Rune was not tooplicated, but even so, Rocky drew very slowly. This was not only because he was drawing for the first time but also because he knew he couldn¡¯t rush in this matter. Otherwise, even a slight deviation would lead to a failed inscription.


    But the more he thought about being careful, the less his hand seemed to obey him, and an inadvertent jitter caused the nearlypleted rune to instantly vanish into nothing.


    "Huff..."


    Watching the half-finished rune disappear from the bracer, Rocky took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    In just a short amount of time, he was drenched in sweat. This was due to the tension of his first rune drawing and also because the task was much more difficult than he had imagined, nowhere near as simple as the notes made it seem.


    As for the failure, it was something Rocky had anticipated. He wasn¡¯t the least bit discouraged. It would have been surprising if he had seeded on his first try.


    Taking another deep breath to steady his hand, he began to draw the rune on the wrist guard once again...


    As time ticked by, Rocky¡¯s second attempt at drawing also failed quickly, followed by a third try, then the fourth, fifth, sixth. He kept trying over and over again, only to meet with failure repeatedly, as if stuck in an endless loop.


    Through these numerous failures, Rocky gradually came to understand the difficulty of inscribing runes. It was a hundred times harder than he had ever imagined!


    Regarding the methods of drawing First Level Runes, the research notes were very detailed, and they looked not too difficult. Rocky had memorized everything in a short amount of time, but it wasn¡¯t until he started drawing them himself that he realized the difficulty was entirely different from what he had imagined.


    Continuous failure even led him to reopen the research notes, wondering if he had remembered the methods incorrectly. The results proved his memory was fine; everything was difficult simply because creating a sessful Mana Rune was really hard.


    And it wasn¡¯t until the evening that he finally stopped, not because he was tired or frustrated, but because his Magic Power had beenpletely drained.


    The amount of Magic Power required to draw First Level Runes was minimal, after all, the Mana they could bear was also very limited, but still, his Magic Power was consumed in the repeated failures until he had no choice but to stop.


    However, although the process was filled with failures, Rocky felt not the slightest bit discouraged when he stopped; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.


    Because when he had used up all of his Magic Power, although he still had not managed to draw a sessful Rune, at least he could now draw the Rune in one go. Perhaps the ws in the details made the Rune he drew useless, but it was much better than his first attempt at drawing. This was progress!


    With progress, there was hope!


    So after he stopped, Rocky was actually very satisfied with his performance today, and he felt that if this momentum continued, he may well be able to draw a sessful Rune very soon.


    This anticipation filled him with confidence, and then he decided that tonight he had to get a good night¡¯s sleep to recover his Magic Power and rejuvenate his spirit for continuing tomorrow.


    "Liliya?"


    Leaving the study, Rocky saw Liliya standing at the door, which surprised him, "Have you been waiting here for me the whole time?"


    "Not waiting for you, protecting you."


    Looking at him, Liliya spoke meticulously, "Although I am now also the captain of the Guard Corps, I am still your protector."


    "You... you¡¯ve worked hard..."


    Liliya¡¯s words warmed Rocky¡¯s heart; clearly, not only was he busy working hard in Thunderhawk City, so were others.


    "Yourplexion... doesn¡¯t look very good."


    As Rocky was reflecting, Liliya looked at him with some concern.


    To this, Rocky casually waved his hand, telling her not to worry, that he was only drained of Magic Power. But upon hearing this, Liliya nodded, "Perhaps that¡¯s a good thing. Continuous use of Magic Power can greatly improve your control over it. If you keep this up, you¡¯ll be a Level Two Mage very soon."


    "Spare me, I just want to eat now."


    Rocky really couldn¡¯t stand Liliya¡¯s habit of getting serious at the drop of a hat, so he quickly interrupted.


    But he was truly getting hungry. When he was focusing all his attention on drawing Runes, he hadn¡¯t felt it, but the moment he stopped, he was starving, especially since he hadn¡¯t eaten all day.


    "Dinner has already been prepared for you. I had someone ce it in your bedroom."


    "That¡¯s great! You¡¯re the most thoughtful!"


    Giving Liliya a thumbs-up, Rocky hurried back to his bedroom.


    Watching his famished retreat, Liliya sighed.


    "Thoughtful..."


    "It¡¯s only because you¡¯re someone who needs to be taken care of..."

 Chapter 22 - 21: When Conditions Are Right, Success Will Follow

    In the following half-month, Rocky day after day did the same thing: he drew Mana Runes.


    On one hand, this was because the situation in Thunderhawk City required him to master Mana Runes in the shortest time possible, which was the only way he could proceed with his next ns.


    On the other hand, it was because during the process of drawing runes, Rocky was surprised to find that he didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit bored!


    Though he kept encountering failures, he could find pleasure in every failure by identifying his problems and trying to avoid them in the next attempt. This turned what was originally a tedious repetition not only into something that did not bore him but actually seemed quite interesting¡­


    Finding joy in it, perhaps only these words could describe his current state.


    Indeed, in failure after failure, not only did he not feel bored, but he also found pleasure; he truly found joy in it.


    However, precisely because of this, he became even more immersed in it, almost as if he were possessed.


    Fortunately, there was nothing pressing in Thunderhawk City during this time, and his obsession only made him stay in theboratory all day without affecting others or anything else.


    Days passed by uneventfully, each day progressing smoothly and tranquilly to a degree that felt pleasant.


    However, whether it was Rocky, Liliya, or Aileen, they all knew that the current calm was just superficial, the real crisis was actually right before them.


    The people from the Azure Commerce Guild were about to arrive!


    The arrival of the Azure Commerce Guild would signify the increase in the prices of yarn, which would then trigger a series of chain reactions, eventually leading to a significant crisis within Thunderhawk City!


    Facing this major crisis, everyone was thinking of solutions, not only Rocky, the City Lord, but Aileen as well.


    "Grandpa, the merchant ships from the Azure Commerce Guild will be arriving in a few days, have you greeted them yet?"


    Sitting in her home, Aileen asked somewhat anxiously.


    After herst meeting with Rocky, Aileen had been busy. She not only told Voss that Rocky wanted him to negotiate with the Chamber on his behalf but also informed Voss about Rocky¡¯s n to sell off private assets to subsidize the finances.


    Perhaps Aileen didn¡¯t even notice it herself, but in the process, although she didn¡¯t say much, her stance in her conversation with Voss had been made clear¡ªshe did not want to stand idly by on this matter.


    Aileen herself didn¡¯t notice this show of involvement, but Voss did. He never expected his granddaughter to be so earnest about this matter, so he certainly did not neglect it, having contacted the Azure Commerce Guild as early as a week before.


    In this situation, facing an anxious Aileen, Voss showed a bitter smile, "Little girl, are you starting to doubt grandpa¡¯s abilities now?"


    "Grandpa, I¡¯m not doubting you!"


    Being addressed this way, Aileen pouted in front of Voss, uncharacteristically bing more childlike.


    "Alright, alright. I¡¯ve already spoken to Chief Steward Mar. He mentioned that some amodations could be made, but the specifics need to be discussed in person, so don¡¯t worry."


    Looking at Aileen, Voss said smilingly.


    "Grandpa, you¡¯re amazing!"


    Hearing her grandpa say this, Aileen finally smiled, significantly relieved.


    The Chief Steward Mar mentioned by Voss was in charge of the trade with Thunderhawk City on behalf of the Azure Commerce Guild, and as Aileen knew, her grandpa had an old acquaintance with him. Therefore, since he said that amodations could be made, it meant the price issue could be negotiated, which made things much easier.


    If they could keep the yarn prices from rising too much, and then when the Magic Stone buyers arrived, sell them at a high price, this back-and-forth could greatly reduce the pressure on Thunderhawk City.


    Her grandpa¡¯s wordspletely eased Aileen¡¯s mind, and she started nning the next steps.


    In the days that followed, Thunderhawk City remained peaceful, with everyone busy with their affairs.


    During this time, Rocky continued drawing runes non-stop.


    Counting the days, he had already spent nearly a month in theb, an endeavor that even Liliya couldn¡¯t help but admire for his persistence.


    What a tedious and boring month it had been! Not only was he repeating the same thing every day, but the result was also always a failure. Not to mention the patience required, but just the fact that Rocky could maintain hisposure throughout the continuous failures, never losing faith in himself, was something ordinary people couldn¡¯t achieve.


    However, it was precisely because of Rocky¡¯s unyielding spirit that, after countless failures, he finally had a breakthrough.


    He had seeded!


    Without any warning, Rocky almost habitually drew a rune on his bracer, and then he seeded...


    After one failure after another, he finally sessfully depicted a First Level Mana Rune!


    "Finally... seeded...?"


    Holding the wrist guard up to his face and taking a closer look, Rocky blinked his eyes, hardly believing it.


    Because he didn¡¯t feel that the rune he drew this time was any different from the previous ones.


    "You, you seeded?!"


    As Rocky was lost in thought, Liliya¡¯s voice rang out, andpared to him, Liliya sounded even more excited.


    Coming to his senses, Rocky nced at her and then at the wrist guard in his hands, finally letting a smile spread across his face.


    It all came together naturally.


    This idiom was the perfect summary of his sess. After persistent practice, Rocky had naturally mastered the First Level Rune.


    Do not underestimate this, because not only was this rune the first one Rocky had sessfully depicted, but it was also the first Mana Rune to appear in the world since the beginning of the Sky Era!


    Although besides Rocky, only Liliya saw the rune, it was still a historic moment. From that moment on, the whole sky would start to change because of the sessful depiction of this rune!


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Congrattions, you finally did it..."


    Looking at Rocky¡¯s smiling face, Lilia sincerely congratted him.


    She had witnessed Rocky¡¯s efforts over nearly a month and understood better than anyone the struggles he had undergone to depict the rune before him.


    As for Liliya¡¯s congrattions, Rocky just smiled. He knew very well that during this time, Liliya had been instrumental. Although she may not have helped him with the runes themselves, she stayed by his side throughout, so that Rocky could feel her silent support every day.


    So, after ncing at Liliya, Rocky gathered his courage and gave her a hug.


    "Ah..."


    Clearly, Liliya had not expected Rocky to suddenly hug her, caught off guard, she even let out a slight exmation while being held.


    As for Rocky, who was hugging her at that moment, he was enjoying it, savoring the fragrance of Liliya¡¯s hair and feeling her body, strong yet delicate.


    Time passed by, minute by minute, for a long, long time.


    "How long are you nning to hold me..."


    After who knows how long, Rocky,pletely engrossed in Liliya¡¯s embrace, was suddenly asked by her, but then with a yful shake of his head, he replied, "A bit longer."


    "I think it¡¯s enough now."


    Amused by Rocky¡¯s response, Liliya didn¡¯t indulge him any longer, she broke free from his embrace, and then asked:


    "Rocky, now that you can depict runes, what are you nning to do next? Are these runes really useful?"

 Chapter 23 - 22 Caught Off Guard

    Rocky finally seeded in drawing the Rune, and even though it was only a First Level Rune, it was still a cause for joy, so much so that even Liliya couldn¡¯t help but feel happy for him.


    But even though the Rune drawing was sessful, what next?


    Rocky was now able to make Runes, but what did that represent? Could it mean that from now on, he and Thunderhawk City could soar to great heights and transform from a sparrow into a phoenix?


    Liliya didn¡¯t think so, which was why she couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    However, Rocky obviously had a n in mind, so he immediately gave his answer, "I n to produce a batch of rune equipment."


    "Produce rune equipment?"


    Upon hearing this answer, Liliya frowned, "Are you nning to start trading rune equipment?"


    "I..."


    "Rocky, you absolutely cannot do this!"


    Before Rocky could speak, Liliya interrupted him and said very seriously, "Rocky, you absolutely cannot sell rune equipment before you have the power to protect yourself, and you can¡¯t even let others know about it! Mana Runes are too important, important enough to change the entire structure of the skies.


    If otherse to know that you possess such terrifying technology, it would be a disaster for us!"


    Liliya looked at Rocky seriously and expressed the concerns that she had harbored for a long time.


    Even though Liliya didn¡¯t know much about Mana Runes, she was not a fool. She had understood how terrifying they could be just by a rough understanding of the potential applications of the Runes.


    If outsiders were to learn that Rocky had such important technology, the oue would not be beneficial for Thunderhawk City or him. Instead, it would bring disaster upon them, a disaster so severe that it could leave him and Thunderhawk City with nowhere to bury their dead!


    Thus, as soon as Rocky was able to draw Runes, Liliya spoke out her concerns, truly afraid that Rocky might not realize this.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve thought about all of this already."


    Liliya was right to be worried, but she underestimated Rocky. All the possibilities she mentioned had already been considered by Rocky.


    No one understood better than Rocky how important Mana Runes were and how they could change the world. The moment the Mana Runes were exposed, he and Thunderhawk City would be targets. Those behemoths roaming the skies, those true leviathans, would immediatelye after him, and they would stop at nothing for Mana Runes!


    This was a case of ¡¯the innocent man burdens himself with the guilt of his jade treasure.¡¯


    Mana Runes were the jade treasure, and Rocky was the man burdened with it. Almost all those he faced harbored malicious intentions toward the Mana Runes!


    Given such circumstances, how could he possibly be foolish enough to expose the Mana Runes so soon? The Mana Runes might eventually be known to the world, but it definitely wasn¡¯t the time yet.


    Rocky¡¯s intention to produce a batch of rune equipment was actually part of a different n.


    After Rocky exined simply, Liliya¡¯s worries dissipated. In fact, no matter what Rocky intended to do, she would support him in everything except for watching him head toward self-destruction.


    "By the way, Aileen came by earlier."


    "She wanted me to tell you that people from the Azure Commerce Guild will arrive tomorrow, but she said you shouldn¡¯t worry too much. Voss has already spoken with the Azure Commerce Guild, and from the hints they¡¯ve dropped, it seems that the matter regarding the price increase of the thread is negotiable."


    Having finished talking about the Mana Runes, Liliya remembered the main matter at hand and hurriedly conveyed Aileen¡¯s words to Rocky.


    Aileen had visited earlier that day, but at the time Rocky was engrossed in studying Mana Runes, so Liliya turned her away. Nevertheless, she conveyed Aileen¡¯s message to Rocky without omitting a single word.


    Upon hearing this, a look of joy spread across Rocky¡¯s face, even greater than the joy of sessfully drawing the Mana Rune!


    The issue of the yarn price hike was what truly concerned Rocky and gave him a headache; it was not only imminent, but any mishandling could lead to great chaos.


    "Did Aileen say that Voss has already notified the Azure Commerce Guild?"


    "Yes, that¡¯s what she said."


    "Huh... that¡¯s such a relief!"


    After asking Liliya once more and receiving a positive response, Rocky finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the price of yarn could be controlled, even if it was bound to rise, if the increase could be kept to a minimum, the pressure on Thunderhawk City would be significantly reduced, and future matters would be much easier to handle.


    "Let¡¯s go, we need to prepare. Aileen has already taken care of what she can, and we cannot afford any hitches on our part tomorrow."


    Having said this, Rocky left the study with Liliya to prepare for the next day¡¯s meeting with the Chief Steward of the Azure Commerce Guild.


    A day passed by quickly, and soon it was the next morning.


    "Grandpa, the merchant ship has arrived!"


    The next morning, to wee the Azure Commerce Guild¡¯s skyship, Aileen and Voss made a special trip to the port of Thunderhawk City.


    In theory, there was no need for such formality, but this time, Thunderhawk City was the one asking for favors, so not only did Aileen, the finance officer,e, but Voss was there too, showing utmost respect.


    At that moment, Aileen and her grandfather stood next to a carriage, looking in the same direction, when they saw a huge skyship entering Thunderhawk City¡¯s Defensive Net and slowly approaching the port fornding.


    "Don¡¯t worry, just perform normally and you¡¯ll be more than capable of handling it."


    As the skyship gently descended, Voss noticed that Aileen was a bit nervous and spoke tofort her.


    "Yes, since Grandpa has arranged everything, I won¡¯t mess it up."


    With a deep breath, Aileen nodded and then calmed herself down.


    Since Voss had previously greeted Chief Steward Mar, who was in charge of the trade, the negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce would be assisted by Aileen alongside Rocky, and Voss was not going to be involved. This fact had made Aileen somewhat nervous.


    However, since Grandpa had already made arrangements, Aileen felt that if she still couldn¡¯t handle the matter well, it would be rather ipetent of her. So she quickly let go of her undue anxiety, and confidence began to emerge in her eyes.


    Soon after, the merchant shipnded smoothly at the port, and in no time, a group of people disembarked and headed straight toward the carriage where Aileen and Voss were.


    These were the people from the Azure Commerce Guild.


    "Grandpa! What¡¯s going on?"


    Yet, as the people from the Azure Commerce Guild gradually approached, Aileen, who had stopped being nervous and was even full of confidence, suddenly panicked!


    Because upon seeing these people, she realized that the person leading them was not Chief Steward Mar, who had always dealt with the transactions with Thunderhawk City, but a middle-aged man she didn¡¯t recognize!


    What was happening?!


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Hadn¡¯t Grandpa already liaised with Chief Steward Mar? Wasn¡¯t it agreed to discuss the details after they met? Why was it not Chief Steward Mar who came this time?


    This was bad!


    Taken by surprise, Aileen quickly looked at Voss, but found that he still wore a faint smile, as if none of this was unexpected to him...

 Chapter 24 - 23 Deceived

    The sudden turn of events caught Aileen, who had made meticulous preparations,pletely off guard!


    She had assumed that Chief Steward Mar would be the oneing, and had prepared thoroughly for that.


    Not only did Chief Steward Mar have a good rtionship with her grandfather, but he had also hinted beforehand that although the price of yarn was bound to rise, the extent of the increase was negotiable.


    Isn¡¯t the implication clear? Simply put, as long as one can offer enough benefits, Chief Steward Mar could use his positional advantage to give Thunderhawk City a little price concession.


    As someone in charge of trading with a city, he certainly had that authority.


    Thus, Aileen had already figured out how to deal with Chief Steward Mar and had even notified Rocky in advance.


    But what was happening now? Why hadn¡¯t Chief Steward Mar, who had readily agreed with her grandfather, shown up, and why had someone elsee to trade with Thunderhawk City?


    This unexpected change left Aileen at a loss, even uncertain about how to respond for a moment.


    Fortunately, Voss was right by her side!


    "Is it Senior Voss?"


    The group from the Azure Commerce Guild had just approached when their leader spoke up first.


    "Indeed, may I know who I have the pleasure of speaking with...?"


    "I am Jia Xi, the newly appointed overseer of the Azure Commerce Guild."


    The man speaking was named Jia Xi, who appeared to be around forty years old, but his temples were already slightly graying, and hisplexion didn¡¯t look very good. However, he maintained a smiling face throughout the conversation.


    "Senior Voss, I have heard much about your exploits from Chief Steward Mar. You were quite an influential figure back in the day!"


    After a brief self-introduction, the new Overseer Jia Xi struck up a conversation with Voss, who effortlessly responded with wit and humor. Judging by their demeanor at that moment, one couldn¡¯t tell that it was their first meeting; instead, they seemed like old friends.


    After exchanging pleasantries, Voss, Jia Xi, and a perplexed Aileen all boarded the same carriage and headed straight for the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    "Senior Voss, please put in good words for us during this transaction in front of the City Lord."


    While riding in the carriage to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, Jia Xi and Voss talked continuously, quickly getting onto the topic of the transaction.


    But hearing this, Voss just smiled and shook his head, saying, "Overseer Jia Xi, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t interfere this time. I¡¯m no longer the finance officer of Thunderhawk City."


    "Oh?"


    Upon hearing this, Jia Xi was startled, clearly unaware of this fact, then inquired:


    "Senior Voss, who is Thunderhawk City¡¯s current finance officer...?"


    While speaking, Voss nced at Aileen.


    "Aileen,e and greet Overseer Jia Xi."


    "Overseer Jia Xi, hello."


    Called upon by Voss, Aileen finally snapped back to reality and hastily greeted Jia Xi.


    In fact, from the very beginning, Aileen had been somewhat distracted. She kept wondering why? Why had the personing to trade with Thunderhawk City suddenly changed?


    Was it an ident?


    Aileen didn¡¯t think so; at the critical juncture of rising yarn prices, such an ident seemed improbable.


    Was it a coincidence?


    Was it just a coincidence that the Azure Commerce Guild decided to have Jia Xi handle the trade with Thunderhawk City and that it waspletely unrted to the increased price of yarn?


    Aileen felt that was equally impossible. Thunderhawk City might be small, but it was still a Sky City, and it had to be managed by an overseer-level individual. Therefore, the Azure Commerce Guild wouldn¡¯t change its representative lightly.


    Furthermore, Chief Steward Mar had already made contact with Grandfather before; if he knew he was going to be reced, why would he have readily agreed to all of Grandfather¡¯s requests?


    Therefore, after much thought, Aileen could onlye to one conclusion¡ªGrandfather had been deceived!


    Even though Chief Steward Mar had readily agreed to Grandfather¡¯s requests before, in reality it was all a deception. The other party likely knew in advance that it wasn¡¯t himing to Thunderhawk City for the trade, but he didn¡¯t inform Grandfather, leading to today¡¯s scene!


    This oue was indeed difficult for Aileen to ept. She had never imagined that her grandfather, who had always been so astute, would be tripped up over such a matter and yed by a mere steward.


    With this in mind, she couldn¡¯t help but nce at Voss, only to find her grandfather looking asposed as ever, still jovially chatting with Jia Xi.


    At this moment, Voss was introducing Aileen to Jia Xi:


    "This is my granddaughter, and she is now the finance officer of Thunderhawk City."


    "Oh?"


    Voss¡¯s words made Jia Xi reveal an expression of sudden realization, and then he turned to look at Aileen.


    After examining Aileen, Jia Xi nodded with a smile. Although he didn¡¯t say much, there was an involuntary sh of something in his gaze.


    At the same time, Aileen subconsciously frowned because the thing that shed through Jia Xi¡¯s eyes while appraising her suddenly made her feel somewhat disgusted.


    However, everyone present was clever; the sly and crafty Jia Xi soon started chatting with Voss again, and Aileen returned to her normal demeanor.


    During the journey, Jia Xi and Voss were always chatting idly, looking very much like long-time acquaintances. After learning that all the previous preparations had been void, Aileen began trying her best to join in the conversation, attempting several times to steer it towards the yarn trade.


    She wanted to use this opportunity to sound out Jia Xi¡¯s stance, to better prepare for the negotiations toe.


    But for some reason, after discovering that Voss was not the finance officer, Jia Xi, who had originally brought up the matter actively, now refused to discuss it. Even when Aileen brought it up several times on her own, he only casually acknowledged her a few times before changing the subject to other matters.


    The journey from the port to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion was not short, but it had to end eventually. So by the time the carriage stopped, Aileen¡¯s efforts had been unsessful; she hadn¡¯t been able to discern Jia Xi¡¯s stance.


    This result made Aileen more and more uneasy, because based on her experience, Jia Xi¡¯s behavior was not a good sign.


    And after the carriage arrived at the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, Aileen led Jia Xi to meet Rocky, while Voss, just as he had said earlier, did not follow.


    "City Lord, this is the Overseer of the Azure Commerce Guild, Overseer Jia Xi."


    Having brought Jia Xi to the City Lord¡¯s Hall, Aileen was greeted by Rocky who had already been waiting there for some time.


    However, when Aileen finished introducing Jia Xi and then looked towards Rocky, she discovered, just as she had imagined, that Rocky¡¯s face was filled with surprise and confusion.


    Clearly, Rocky had been just as baffled by Jia Xi¡¯s appearance as Aileen had been, because like Aileen, he had expected Chief Steward Mar to arrive, as Chief Steward Mar had represented the Azure Commerce Guild in dealings with Thunderhawk City for a long time. So why was there suddenly someone else today?


    Now this was troublesome¡­


    ncing at Jia Xi standing in front of him and then at Aileen, whose expression was slightly embarrassed, Rocky knew that there might have been some changes in the situation!


    But his response was also quite fast; the surprise and confusion on his face quickly disappeared, reced instead by a smile as he said to Overseer Jia Xi, "Overseer Jia Xi, you¡¯ve had a long journey."


    "Thank you for your kind concern, City Lord."


    With a slight bow to Rocky, Jia Xi clearly was a man ustomed to significant events and knew very well how to behave in the presence of a City Lord.


    After that, Rocky exchanged a few pleasantries with Jia Xi, and then they moved on to the main topic.


    "City Lord, the price of yarn this time will increase by thirty percent."


    The real business between Jia Xi and Rocky was, of course, the yarn trade, and Jia Xi got straight to the point, informing Rocky that not only would the price of yarn go up, but it would be by as much as thirty percent!


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Thirty percent!


    At these words, Rocky involuntarily took a sharp breath!


    The increase was not just far beyond his expectations, it even exceeded the limit that Thunderhawk City could withstand!

 Chapter 25 - 24 Negotiations

    ```


    The price of yarn is going to increase by thirty percent!?


    Even though Rocky had known about this, when he heard about the thirty percent increase, he still involuntarily gasped, because this increase not only far exceeded his expectation, but also directly surpassed Thunderhawk City¡¯s limit of affordability!


    Such a significant price hike disrupted his original n.


    ording to his initial idea, he hoped to sell all the Medium Magic Stones that had been found in the research institute, then use that ie to offset the yarn price increase, maintaining the quarterly bnce of ie and expenditure.


    Based on Rocky¡¯s rough estimate, if he sold all the Magic Stones he had, he could earn at least two thousand Gold Coins.


    Thunderhawk City¡¯s expenditure on yarn each quarter was around twenty thousand Gold Coins, which means that even if the price of yarn increased by a full ten percent, he could still bnce it out with the ie from selling the Magic Stones, thereby relieving some of the financial pressure on Thunderhawk City.


    However, he never expected that the Azure Commerce Guild would actually raise the price of yarn by as much as thirty percent in one go! This meant that instead of spending twenty thousand Gold Coins on yarn, Thunderhawk City would now need to spend twenty-six thousand Gold Coins!


    An extra six thousand Gold Coins!


    Such arge sum of money, let alone selling a few Magic Stones, even if Rocky himself was sold, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to cover the cost!


    So after Overseer Jia Xi finished speaking, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but frown, and his expression became increasingly grim.


    "Overseer Jia Xi, why has the price of yarn increased by so much?"


    As Rocky¡¯s brows were tightly knitted, Aileen, who had brought Jia Xi and was standing beside him, opened her mouth to speak. Aileen¡¯s role was that of the finance officer of Thunderhawk City, and it was indeed her responsibility to handle negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce.


    "City Lord, in this matter, our Chamber of Commerce is alsopelled," replied Jia Xi, ncing at Aileen and wearing an innocent expression before turning to Rocky: "City Lord, you may have heard that Canng City is at war, and all resources in the city are being controlled."


    "Frankly, to ensure the timely delivery of yarn, our Chamber of Commerce had to exert great effort within Canng City, so City Lord, this price really isn¡¯t within our control."


    In the face of Rocky, Jia Xi presented an innocent facade. However, upon closer examination, his words seemed to hold some merit yet were ultimately nonsensical.


    It was true that Canng City was at war, but even if war necessitated the control of resources, it was unlikely to extend to yarn, which was not a strategic material. Moreover, the Azure Commerce Guild was not merely ordinary citizens¡ªit was a Chamber of Commerce. Could it be that they would stop doing business simply because the war was urring in the city where their headquarters were located?


    That, undoubtedly, was even less usible.


    So while the war might indeed have caused an increase in the price of yarn, the increase could surely not be so substantial. In essence, the Azure Commerce Guild was using the war as an excuse to intentionally hike the prices!


    This fact was something Aileen understood all too well, thus she spoke again: "Overseer Jia Xi, we¡¯re aware of the war in Canng City, but this price is too high for us to ept."


    "Miss Aileen, this is not something our Chamber of Commerce can decide, we truly have no choice..."


    Following that, a verbal duel ensued between Aileen and Jia Xi as they debated non-stop about the extent of the price increase.


    In the meantime, Rocky remained silent, quietly seated in the City Lord¡¯s position, clearly bing an observer.


    As the City Lord of Thunderhawk City, haggling was not his job. He only needed to wait for Aileen to reach a conclusion with Jia Xi and then give a nod or a shake of his head.


    Throughout the process of observation, Rocky gained a deeper impression of Aileen; the seemingly seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl made him have to secretly give her a thumbs up.


    Despite Aileen¡¯s young age, she was not at all timid during negotiations, demonstrating considerable skill. She wisely avoided wasting time on whether the price should increase at all, instead bargaining over the amount of the increase.


    Based on Jia Xi¡¯s demeanor, it was apparent that the Azure Commerce Guild was set on raising the yarn prices; therefore, Aileen focused on negotiating the extent of the increase, with the goal of reducing it as much as possible.


    Clearly, she had a concise and clear objective for the negotiation.


    However, Aileen¡¯s adversary was no easy opponent. Jia Xi was an extremely cunning merchant with impable negotiation skills, and he held fast to one crucial point¡ªthe Azure Commerce Guild, between itself and Thunderhawk City, was the stronger party, and Thunderhawk City had to purchase yarn and food from them!


    It was precisely because he held onto this key point that, no matter how hard Aileen tried, Jia Xi wouldn¡¯t budge an inch.


    "Overseer Jia Xi, a five percent increase in the price of yarn is the absolute limit we can ept," said Aileen, her brows furrowed as she looked at Jia Xi, stating Thunderhawk City¡¯s bottom line.


    Although that¡¯s what she imed, she wasn¡¯t telling the whole truth, for as much as she knew, Rocky¡¯s eptable bottom line was ten percent. This meant that she was still leaving room for further negotiation with Jia Xi.


    This is the art of negotiation¡ªit¡¯s not about arguing, but about giving. You give me a step, I give you one, and only then is there something to talk about. Aileen clearly understood this principle.


    Unfortunately, after she finished speaking, Jia Xi simply shook his head: "City Lord, Miss Aileen, raising the price of yarn by thirty percent is already the bottom line for our Chamber of Commerce, I truly have no leeway."


    "Overseer Jia Xi!"


    ```


    Jia Xi¡¯s attitude had finally pushed Aileen to her limit; she couldn¡¯t believe the other party was so stubbornly refusing to budge, clearly showing no desire to negotiate!


    "Alright..."


    Just as Aileen was about to speak again, Rocky, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up. He nced at Aileen, signaling her to stop, and then turned his gaze to Jia Xi.


    "Overseer Jia Xi, you must be weary from your journey. Let¡¯s end today¡¯s discussions here."


    After saying this, Rocky spoke to Aileen, "Aileen, escort Overseer Jia Xi to rest, and do not neglect your duties."


    "Yes..."


    With a response, Aileen left the City Lord¡¯s Hall with Jia Xi.


    Watching the two leave, Rocky waited until the doors of the City Lord¡¯s Hall were closed before he sighed,


    He had purposefully halted the negotiation because he had realized that facing the unyielding Jia Xi, Aileen was at a loss, so he let Jia Xi rest, thus giving Aileen time to regroup and think about how to handle her opponent.


    However, Rocky was well aware that even if Aileen thought of a strategy, she might note up with anything effective. The reasoning was simple: Thunderhawk City simply didn¡¯t have enough bargaining chips.


    Even a clever cook can¡¯t prepare a meal without rice. No matter how skilled Aileen was at negotiating, without sufficient leverage, she would never get Jia Xi to give in. And Jia Xi knew this, which was exactly why he was so upromising.


    This was the dilemma Thunderhawk City now faced.


    In such a situation, Rocky felt that he should start making other ns...


    ...¡­


    ...¡­


    "Overseer Jia Xi, is there really no room for discussion on this matter?"


    On the way to see Jia Xi out of the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, Aileen was still trying, but this time, she was less aggressive and seemed more like she was just chatting with Jia Xi.


    "Overseer Jia Xi, as you know, Thunderhawk City isn¡¯trge, and with the price of silk skyrocketing so much, I¡¯m afraid the City Lord won¡¯t ept it. So please, would you speak kindly of us to the Chamber of Commerce? If you could reallye to an agreement, the City Lord would surely not treat you unfairly."


    Now that they were in private, Aileen spoke of matters that could only be discussed behind closed doors, such as personal benefits.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, hearing her words, Jia Xi just shook his head and smiled, "Miss Aileen, just have the carriage take me back to the port. I¡¯m ustomed to staying on the merchant ships."


    He looked at Aileen without any intention of acknowledging her suggestions.


    "This... well then..."


    Jia Xi¡¯s reaction made Aileen frown. Could it be that Jia Xi really had no personal desires?


    Or was it that he had other ns, or simply wanted more from ying hard to get?


    Uncertain of Jia Xi¡¯s intentions, Aileen chose not to say more and proceeded to escort him out of the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    It was only upon leaving the City Lord, just as Jia Xi was about to board the carriage, that he suddenly turned to Aileen and said,


    "Miss Aileen, if you..."


    He caught Aileen¡¯s hand mid-sentence, gently stroking the back of her hand while he continued,


    "If you really want to talk, you cane to the merchant ship for a detailed discussion..."


    "Overseer Jia Xi! Please conduct yourself with dignity!"


    Jia Xi¡¯s move caught Aileen off guard, and she immediately pulled her hand back from his grasp like a startled rabbit, ring furiously at Jia Xi.


    "Overseer Jia Xi! What are you intending to do!"


    Staring fiercely at Jia Xi, Aileen was so angry she was on the verge of tears; she had never encountered such a situation before.


    But facing her angry stare, Jia Xi appearedpletely indifferent, saying as he got into the carriage, "Miss Aileen, the price of silk is negotiable. Whenever you are ready, you cane and find me."


    With those words, he closed the carriage door and rode away...

 Chapter 26 - 25 New Ideas

    What happened with Aileen after Jia Xi left, Rocky did not know, as he had returned to theboratory after the two had departed.


    Although he hadn¡¯t lost hope in the negotiations, Rocky knew he couldn¡¯t solely rely on them. He needed a backup n, which naturally involved the Mana Rune.


    So, after returning to theboratory, he had Liliya bring over his Void Magic Armor!


    "Do you really intend to do this? Isn¡¯t it too soon..."


    Not long after waiting in theboratory, Liliya brought over the Void Magic Armor, albeit somewhat reluctantly when handing it over to Rocky.


    Because Rocky had already told her what he intended to do¡ªhe was nning to inscribe runes on the Void Magic Armor!


    This decision surprised Liliya, as Rocky had only just learned about runes!


    Though using runes on the Void Magic Armor was an inevitable trend, wasn¡¯t it too soon for Rocky to proceed? Especially considering he only had this set of Void Magic Armor, and if anything went wrong, there was nowhere to turn.


    "I just want to experiment, and besides, even if the runes fail, there are no side effects. It will merely consume some Magic Power; the Void Magic Armor will definitely be safe."


    Though he spoke in such a manner, Rocky had no confidence inside, yet he had to proceed.


    How important the Void Magic Armor was to him, Rocky knew better than anyone. It had always been his prized possession; how could he not cherish it? Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, he had no choice but to risk using the Void Magic Armor.


    His only asset now was the Mana Rune, but given Thunderhawk City¡¯s current strength, he couldn¡¯t let outsiders know about the existence of runes. Thus, Rocky¡¯s options were limited, leaving him essentially with one choice¡ªto use the runes to enhance his own strength.


    Either he would apply the runes to ordinary equipment, turning it into rune equipment, or he would apply them to the Void Magic Armor to make it even stronger.


    And for Rocky, who already possessed the Void Magic Armor, he naturally chose to apply the runes there. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to forsake the more powerful Void Magic Armor in favor of wearing rune equipment.


    So he had to take this risk.


    However, Liliya found Rocky¡¯s decision not only rash but also pointless. In her view, even if Rocky became stronger, what use would it be?


    Nevertheless, she could see that Rocky seemed to have his own ns, so she ultimately did not stop him and even left theboratory for fear of disturbing his rune drawing.


    Afterward, theboratory was left with only Rocky, a pen, and a set of Void Magic Armor.


    cing the chest piece of the Void Magic Armor on theb table, Rocky did not immediately start inscribing runes on it but carefully studied it inside and out.


    The reason why the Void Magic Armor was considered the strongest personal equipment was not merely because it was embedded with Magic Stones. The technology contained within a set of Void Magic Armor far exceeded the imagination; therefore, even if Rocky had mastered the First Level Mana Rune, he couldn¡¯t simply apply runes to the armor.


    If he wanted to use runes to strengthen the Void Magic Armor, he first needed to understand the armor¡¯s Mana driving system, then connect this system with the runes so that the armor could utilize the Mana provided by the runes.


    The technology and expertise involved were soplex and advanced that unless one was a professional armor maker, no one could understand it, let alone Rocky.


    But despite the difficulty, he still nned to give it a try.


    It wasn¡¯t that he was overestimating his capabilities, but because he had a different idea.


    Rocky didn¡¯t want to drastically overhaul the Void Magic Armor. He knew he didn¡¯t have the capacity to do so, not just him, even the most experienced armor maker couldn¡¯t, especially since Mana Runes were a new technology.


    Without going through research and experimentation, no one could rece the Magic Stones in the Void Magic Armor directly with runes; the involved technology was too numerous andplex.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    So his real idea was to treat the Void Magic Armor like ordinary equipment and then turn it into rune equipment!


    Simply put, he wanted to inscribe runes on the Void Magic Armor. By ensuring the originalbat capabilities remained unchanged, he aimed to add ayer of rune equipment¡¯s power, using this method to indirectly strengthen the armor!


    This was a n only Rocky could think of, no, it was a new idea that only he could conceive of!


    Before the advent of Mana Runes, whether it was Void Magic Armor or Magic Energy Equipment, both relied on Magic Stones to provide Mana, making it impossible for a piece of equipment to be both Void Magic Armor and Magic Energy Equipment at the same time; they couldn¡¯t coexist.


    But now with the emergence of Mana Runes, which could substitute for Magic Stones and coexist with them, Rocky thought of this method to strengthen his own Void Magic Armor, aiming to let his Void Magic Armor maintain its original power while also bing a set of rune equipment!


    This idea perfectly circumvented the high-end technology involved with the Void Magic Armor, requiring only that the armor be treated as regr equipment, which could then be made into rune equipment.


    Though creating rune equipment wasn¡¯t a simple task, do not forget that Rocky still had a research notebook in his hands.


    Wenzel initially developed Mana Runes hoping they could rece Magic Stones and thereby transform Mana Equipment into rune equipment, significantly enhancing its power. Thus, his notes contained detailed instructions on how to use runes to make equipment.


    With this notebook, Rocky could fully create rune equipment!


    And if he seeded, the enhanced Void Magic Armor would undoubtedly see an upgrade inbat effectiveness! Then he could proceed with the next steps in his n!


    "Let¡¯s begin¡­"


    After observing the chest te of the Void Magic Armor set for a long time, Rocky was ready to begin.


    He picked up the Magic Energy Pen and drew a rune on the inner lining of the chest te.


    Not wanting anyone to notice anything suspicious, he fully utilized the convenience of the runes, drawing directly on the inner lining of the armor. This method would not affect the rune¡¯s effectiveness nor reveal anything unusual about his armor.


    As he finished the stroke, a rune was drawn and emitted a faint light.


    This indicated the rune was sessfully created, and it now contained Mana. However, that was not all; a First Level Rune held very little Magic Power, far less even than a Micro Magic Stone. To unleash its true power, it would rely on quantity.


    ording to Rocky¡¯s estimation, he needed to draw at least a hundred First Level Runes on the chest te to truly enhance its defensive power, a monumental task.


    So, after sessfully drawing one rune, he immediately drew a second, then a third...


    Half a day passed in this manner, and by evening, Rocky left theb with all his Magic Power depleted.


    The next morning, Jia Xi came seeking an audience with Rocky, seemingly eager to finalize the transaction involving the yarn as soon as possible.


    This was somewhat unexpected to him as he had nned to dy, but since Jia Xi was so proactive, he had no choice but to call for Aileen.


    By the time Aileen arrived at the City Lord¡¯s Hall, a new round of negotiations began.


    The morning flew by, and the oue of the negotiations remained the same as the day before, almost no progress was made, with Jia Xi standing firm on increasing the price by thirty percent without budging.


    On the contrary, Aileen seemed somewhat off today; whereas yesterday she could stand toe-to-toe with Jia Xi, today she was visibly distracted, which was a significant reason why the negotiations failed.


    Having no other choice, Rocky had to find an excuse to forcibly halt the negotiations, nning to give Aileen some time to think of a solution, but Jia Xi did not give Rocky that opportunity.


    "City Lord!"


    "Yesterday, the Chamber of Commerce sent an urgent notice. I am summoned back to headquarters for important matters, so I can only stay here for one more day. I hope the City Lord can provide a definitive answer tomorrow to finalize this matter quickly," said Jia Xi before he turned and left¡­


    His words clearly meant he was no longer willing to dy and was pushing Rocky to make a decision quickly!


    "Sir, I will also take my leave¡­"


    After Jia Xi left, Rocky initially wanted to discuss with Aileen what to do next, as they couldn¡¯t afford to dy any longer, but to his surprise, Aileen left without saying a word.


    "Rocky, Aileen was a bit off today."


    After Aileen left, Liliya said to Rocky, noticing that Aileen had been acting strangely.


    "There is something off¡­" He nodded, equally puzzled, not understanding what was wrong with Aileen.


    "I¡¯ll go ask her."


    After saying this, Liliya didn¡¯t wait for Rocky¡¯s response and immediately chased out of the City Lord¡¯s Hall.

 Chapter 27 - 26 Liliyas Experience

    ```


    Looking at Liliya chasing after Aileen, Rocky helplessly shook his head. He was relieved to have Liliya around; otherwise, he truly didn¡¯t know what to do in such a situation.


    Actually, Rocky could also tell that Aileen wasn¡¯t quite herself, but he didn¡¯t know how to broach the subject. After all, the two of them didn¡¯t share any personal rtionship but were merely in a subordinate one.


    Setting that aside for now, Liliya, who had left the City Lord¡¯s Hall, quickly caught up with Aileen.


    "Aileen, wait a moment."


    By the time Liliya had caught up with Aileen, she was already preparing to board a carriage. Called to a halt, she turned back and saw Liliya approaching.


    "Captain Liliya."


    Seeing Liliya, Aileen didn¡¯t dare to neglect her manners, promptly nodding to her as a sign of politeness.


    Now, Liliya was the Captain of the Guard Corps, holding a position equivalent to Aileen¡¯s, and what was more important, she was one of Rocky¡¯s confidants. Thus, even though Aileen wasn¡¯t very familiar with Liliya, she still showed her due respect.


    "Captain Liliya, does the City Lord have any instructions?"


    Knowing her departure was somewhat abrupt, Aileen quickly asked when Liliya approached.


    "Nothing from the City Lord, I just wanted to talk to you." ncing at Aileen, Liliya smiled and said, "If you don¡¯t have any matters to attend to, why don¡¯t you take a walk with me?"


    After saying this, Liliya didn¡¯t even wait for Aileen¡¯s response before she walked ahead, causing Aileen to have no choice but to follow.


    So, the two women walked side by side out of the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, a carriage trailing behind them, looking just like two nobledies taking a leisurely afternoon stroll.


    "How has Lord Voss been recently?"


    "Grandfather is doing well."


    Ambling through the streets, Liliya casually asked, and Aileen casually answered. However, Aileen¡¯s mind was somewhat perplexed, for she couldn¡¯t make out Liliya¡¯s intentions.


    With her intelligence, Aileen naturally understood that Liliyaing to find her was not for small talk; there must be another reason. Yet, she couldn¡¯t fathom what it could be. Could it be that Rocky had sent Liliya to see her?


    Impossible. If it were Rocky¡¯s instructions, then he would have simply directed her to see him directly, no need for Liliya to be involved.


    "Aileen, have you encountered any troubles?"


    "Hmm?"


    As Aileen was musing, Liliya¡¯s question took her aback, and she quickly shook her head: "I don¡¯t have any troubles."


    "Is that so?" Liliya looked at her skeptically: "It¡¯s not just me who noticed you weren¡¯t quite yourself today, the City Lord also saw it, which is why he asked me toe and check on you."


    "I truly appreciate the City Lord¡¯s concern, but I¡¯m fine."


    Continuing to shake her head, Aileen said nothing more.


    Seeing that she had no intention of opening up, Liliya suddenlyughed, which bewildered Aileen.


    "Do you remember Perolo?"


    After herugh, Liliya suddenly asked.


    "Perolo? I remember."


    Although Aileen did not understand why Liliya brought up that person, she nodded her head. Of course, she remembered the former administrative officer.


    "What do you think of Perolo?"


    "A waste."


    Without a second thought, Aileen voiced her opinion of Perolo. In her eyes, Perolo was nothing but a waste, and she even found it an insult for her grandfather to have to work with such a person.


    And Liliya, in response to that answer, nodded and added: "Perolo is not only a waste but also a scumbag who can¡¯t control himself around women."


    "Ah?"


    "When I first came to Thunderhawk City, Perolo harbored improper thoughts towards me, and he didn¡¯t let go of them until he was caught by the City Lord."


    Liliya¡¯s words staggered Aileen; she couldn¡¯t believe the other woman would share such a thing with her, someone who was hardly even a friend!


    Yet those very words struck a chord with Aileen.


    Deep down, Aileen was painfully aware of how badly she had behaved today, and the reason for that was the incident that urred with Jia Xi.


    The previous day¡¯s events had a significant impact on her, scaring her thoroughly.


    But Aileen was strong - so strong that she was stubborn. She hadn¡¯t mentioned yesterday¡¯s events to anyone, not even to her grandfather Voss, intending to bear the burden alone.


    However, she never expected Liliya to have noticed!


    As bright as she was, Aileen immediately realized why Liliya had sought her out. After a moment, she looked at Liliya and, biting her lip, asked, "What happened afterwards?"


    Liliya has just said that Perolo had unsavory intentions towards her, so what happened next? How did it end?


    "Afterwards¡­" Liliya gave a slight smile towards Aileen and patted her side sword: "Well, when I was ready to chop off his head, he ran away."


    This answer astonished Aileen, and it wasn¡¯t until she snapped back to reality that she looked at Liliya with newfound admiration in her eyes. She imagined a scene where Liliya, with her sword at the ready, pointed it straight at a terrified Perolo, scaring him out of his wits.


    ```


    If only I could muster the grace and imposing presence of Liliya, and point my sword at Jia Xi, I wonder if that old bastard would still dare to touch my hand! Would he still harbor inappropriate thoughts about me!


    Unfortunately, I am not Liliya.


    With that thought, Aileen couldn¡¯t help but sigh...


    However, she suddenly thought of something and blurted out, "Does the City Lord know about this?"


    "He...doesn¡¯t know..."


    Liliya shook her head upon hearing this and sighed, "I haven¡¯t told him about this matter, and even if he had known at the time, there was nothing he could have done."


    As Liliya thought about it, she felt a sense of helplessness, much like how Rocky regarded her as someone closest to him. In Liliya¡¯s heart, Rocky was also the person she trusted the most. It was just that Rocky at the time was really...


    But then she turned to Aileen with a smile, "But if it were now, I would tell the City Lord about it."


    "Why?"


    "Because the City Lord would help me, he would back me up," Liliya said with certainty as she looked at Aileen.


    Her words were no lie. Indeed, Rocky used to be too timid, a fact even Liliya admitted. But now, Rocky had changed, and although she didn¡¯t know why he had changed, he had undoubtedly be better than he was before.


    So if a simr situation were to ur again, Liliya would definitely tell Rocky, and Rocky would absolutely back her up!


    Aileen was stunned by her words. She of course understood what Liliya meant, but after a moment she still let out a wry smile, "Yes...the City Lord would indeed back you up..."


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Aileen believed Liliya¡¯s words, but let¡¯s not forget that the one speaking was Liliya herself! She was Rocky¡¯s confidante, possibly even his lover, whereas Aileen didn¡¯t share such a connection with Rocky.


    Aileen was well aware of her ce, knowing she was merely the finance officer rmended to Rocky by her grandfather.


    "No, he would help you too."


    Just as Aileen was privately sighing, Liliya suddenly took her hand and looked into her eyes, "You might not quite understand Rocky yet. Whether in the past or now, he¡¯s a good person. As long as you can support him well, he will never let you down."


    "And... Rocky is also worthy of your trust. His achievements in the future will be boundless."


    "Really?"


    Upon hearing this, Aileen also gazed intently at Liliya, her eyes suddenly filled with curiosity, "Does the City Lord have such aspirations?"


    "It¡¯s not aspiration, but an inevitable oue."


    Liliya was very clear about the future that awaited Rocky once he mastered the Mana Runes. Without exaggeration, as long as he could get through the current difficult period and had enough time, Rocky was destined to be a prominent figure in this sky!


    This was the reason Liliya had so much confidence in Rocky.


    Unfortunately, Aileen was not aware of this, so after listening to Liliya, she just smiled, "Perhaps, but Captain Liliya, you should know that the City Lord won¡¯t only be dealing with the likes of Perolo."


    "It¡¯s all the same."


    Aileen¡¯s skepticism didn¡¯t surprise Liliya, mainly because Aileen was still unaware that Rocky had mastered the top technology of Mana Runes. Therefore, she didn¡¯t argue further but said with full confidence:


    "Be it Perolo or Jia Xi, they¡¯re just clowns who can only strut around for a while. In front of Rocky, the current Jia Xi is no different from the former Perolo."


    ......


    ......


    By the time Liliya returned to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion and saw Rocky in theboratory, it was already the afternoon. She and Aileen had chatted for a long time, almost seeing Aileen all the way home beforeing back.


    "You¡¯re back, what took you so long?"


    In theb, Rocky was still busy inscribing Runes for the Void Magic Armor. At least thirty First Level Runes had been etched inside the lining of the chest te of the Armor. However, as soon as he saw Liliya return, he put down his pen.


    "I had a chat with Aileen, so I got a bit held up," she said.


    "Oh? Did you find out why she¡¯s been off her game?"


    Rocky was curious to hear Liliya mention this, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    "It¡¯s because of Jia Xi."


    After taking a sip of water, Liliya recounted the matter to Rocky.


    Rocky frowned upon hearing it.


    "That old bastard is really trying to y the dirty old man...and I haven¡¯t had my chance with her yet..."


    "You¡¯re still green yourself, so quit thinking about tender grass," Liliya unexpectedly heard his muttering and Rocky, startled, quickly retracted his head and hurriedly said, "I got it, I¡¯ll handle this matter."


    After saying that, he picked up the Magic Energy Pen again, seemingly ready to continue inscribing Runes, but then he seemed to remember something and turned to look at Liliya again.


    "Liliya, it seems like you had noticed something between Aileen and Jia Xi long ago, right?"


    "Did you ever encounter something simr?"


    Rocky might have been a bit slow on the uptake with this issue, but he was not a fool and immediately sensed there was more to it.


    However, Liliya responded with a faint smile and, heading towards the door, said, "Of course not. If anything like that had happened, I¡¯d have told you."

 Chapter 28 - 27 God City

    "Why does everything seem so strange today?"


    Watching Liliya turn around and leave, with an impish smile still on her face, Rocky was utterly confused. What was going on today? It was one thing that Aileen was acting out of sorts, but why did Liliya also seem off?


    "Women, truly baffling..."


    Shaking his head, Rocky put this intricate issue, one even the saints might not understand, to the back of his mind and continued with the Magic Energy Pen.


    The situation Aileen found herself in, to be honest, had relieved him of concern.


    Because it meant he didn¡¯t need to hold onto any hope for the negotiations; he just had to focus wholeheartedly on thinking of other methods. As for the matter of the rising yarn prices, and that shameless Jia Xi who wanted to use it to ckmail either him or Aileen, he naturally had ways to cope.


    But the precondition was, he must sessfully turn his Void Magic Armor into rune equipment, so as to further enhance its power!


    So Rocky quickly cast all concerns aside and started to focus on drawing runes on the Armor.


    A day passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the next morning.


    The following morning, not waiting for Overseer Jia Xi toe to him, Rocky took the lead and called both him and Aileen to the City Lord¡¯s Hall.


    "City Lord, have you made up your mind regarding this trade?"


    Upon seeing Rocky, Jia Xi still wore the same polite smile as the previous two days, his demeanor courteous, radiating confidence.


    "Overseer Jia Xi, the terms you¡¯ve proposed..."


    Just as Jia Xi was awaiting Rocky¡¯s reply, Aileen, who was standing next to Rocky, spoke first.


    After a thorough conversation with Liliya, Aileen had evidently readjusted herself and was ready for a rematch with Jia Xi!


    But just as she was about to speak, Rocky, from his position as the City Lord, gestured with his hand, interrupting her, and looked towards Jia Xi, "Overseer Jia Xi, about the price of yarn..."


    "We ept."


    Rocky said expressionlessly as he looked at Jia Xi.


    "My Lord!"


    Not only did Aileen, who was ready to challenge Jia Xi, freeze in shock upon hearing this, but Jia Xi himself also abruptly raised his head, looking incredulously at Rocky!


    "My Lord..."


    At this moment, Aileen couldn¡¯t worry about formalities and leaned close to Rocky¡¯s ear to say, "My Lord, I¡¯ve thought of a way to deal with Jia Xi, please give me another chance¡­"


    Aileen wasn¡¯t just making empty talk or being boastful this time, because after Liliya sent her home the day before, she adjusted her state and thought of a method to handle Jia Xi!


    Jia Xi¡¯s unwillingness to budge in the negotiations, and his brazen confidence, were rooted in his belief that Thunderhawk City could only import yarn from the Azure Commerce Guild. However, if the Guild insisted on raising the yarn prices so much, Thunderhawk City could simply purchase the yarn at the same high prices from other Chambers of Commerce!


    This approach might not benefit Thunderhawk City, as they would still need to spend more money to acquire yarn, but for the Azure Commerce Guild, it meant losing a client in Thunderhawk City!


    And for Jia Xi, who hade for these negotiations, it would signify his failure. If he caused the loss of Thunderhawk City as a long-term and stable client, wouldn¡¯t that count as a failure?


    This was exactly the bargaining chip Thunderhawk City needed!


    And once she had this chip in hand, Aileen believed she could definitely drive the yarn prices down. Not to overpromise, but reducing the increased rate to within twenty percent was absolutely feasible!


    Only, she never expected Rocky to suddenly agree to the other party¡¯s proposal, not nning to let her negotiate further. This was totally beyond her expectations, which was why she couldn¡¯t help but whisper to Rocky.


    But in response to her whisper, Rocky simply smiled with an air of confidence, subtly shaking his head at Aileen before turning his gaze back to Jia Xi.


    "Overseer Jia Xi, we¡¯ll go with the yarn price you¡¯ve mentioned. Please, have your merchant ships offload the goods as soon as possible."


    "Yes."


    Looking up at Rocky, Jia Xi hastily affirmed.


    However, his expression at that moment contained no joy whatsoever.


    Logically, this oue was precisely what he wanted. Although he didn¡¯t manage to get Aileen, he was, after all, a merchant. Having sessfully concluded the deal, he should feel delighted regardless of the circumstances.


    But Jia Xi could not bring himself to feel happy, as when his gaze fell upon Rocky, he experienced an unexined pang in his heart!


    In his sight, Rocky sat firmly in the City Lord¡¯s position, looking down on him with an expressionless face. This made Jia Xi extremely ufortable.


    He had been in big situations before and had even personally dealt with City Lords of some medium-sized Sky Cities¡ªindividuals who were tycoons in these skies. The feeling Rocky gave him now was exactly the same as those giants!


    That was why Jia Xi couldn¡¯t feel happy. He even thought... thought that maybe in this matter, he had gone a bit... too far?


    Even though the negotiation concluded in his favor, had he possibly upset the City Lord before him?


    "Just a lord of a broken little city, what do I have to fear!"


    As soon as these thoughts emerged, Jia Xi quickly consoled himself. Rocky was nothing but the lord of a minor Sky City, struggling to protect himself. What was there to fear? Even if the City Lord remembered this with resentment, what could he do?


    So, after a moment of self-reassurance, Jia Xi bowed to Rocky and left the City Lord¡¯s Hall to arrange for the cargo ships to be unloaded.


    Once he had departed, Aileen, who couldn¡¯t understand at all why Rocky would behave this way, couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and finally blurted out:


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "My Lord, why did you agree to his demands? I... I could have continued to negotiate with him¡­"


    Aileen was originally very angry about Rocky¡¯s decision, which she found not only rash but also quite thoughtless. However, when she recalled her own performance the past couple of days, her confidence waned.


    She even suspected that Rocky¡¯s impatience might be due to a lost hope in her...


    However, Rocky¡¯s following words left Aileen stunned.


    Rocky then smiled and said, "Aileen, I know of course you could have found a way, but for someone like Jia Xi, there¡¯s no need for my finance officer to go through such trouble. Just let him be."


    After expressing his indifference, he switched topics and asked, "How are the arrangements for the Magic Stonesing along?"


    "The merchants have already been contacted, and they will arrive within the next few days."


    "Pay close attention to the sale of textiles as well."


    "Understood."


    "Another thing..."


    After giving Aileen a few instructions, Rocky suddenly changed the subject,"I n to send Thunderhawk City to the Eternal City, so prepare yourself¡ªyou¡¯re the one I¡¯ll be counting on when the timees."


    "The... Eternal City?"


    The mention of Eternal City by Rocky made Aileen freeze, not understanding his intentions.


    The Eternal City Rocky referred to was also a Sky City, but no ordinary Sky City. It was one of the biggest cities in the skies, known for being a God City!


    The hierarchy of Sky Cities had been widely recognized many years ago.


    Cities like Thunderhawk City, with poptions under ten thousand, are all ssified as small Sky Cities. Only when the poption exceeds ten thousand do they qualify as medium-sized Sky Cities.


    The poption ceiling for medium-sized Sky Cities is one hundred thousand. Once the poption exceeds one hundred thousand, it bes arge Sky City. Canng City, where the headquarters of Azure Commerce Guild is located, just barely exceeds the threshold with a poption over one hundred thousand, making it arge Sky City.


    But above therge Sky Cities is another level: the Divine Cities!


    The so-called Divine Cities are the superrge cities with poptions above one million.


    In the whole sky, there are only ten Divine Cities, known as the Top Ten Divine Cities. These ten God Cities are the true behemoths of the skies, and the forces they represent are the most elite tycoons in the skies, dividing and ruling the sky among themselves.


    Even among the Top Ten Divine Cities, the Eternal City mentioned by Rocky was the most special, as it is a neutral city open to all, belonging to no particr power, and also thergest trade center in the entire sky.


    What puzzled Aileen was exactly this: Eternal City is a neutral city, to which Thunderhawk City could certainly go, but what for?


    As the biggest trade city in the entire sky, those who go to the Eternal City either go for business or for leisure and enjoyment. But neither has anything to do with Rocky or Thunderhawk City!


    Try as she might, Aileen couldn¡¯t fathom why Rocky wanted to go to the Eternal City, so she asked:


    "My Lord, you want to go to the Eternal City¡­ for what purpose?"


    "Of course, to make money," he said.


    Rocky looked at Aileen with a chuckle, "You¡¯ll know when the timees."

 Chapter 29 - 28: Carried Away by Success

    "What exactly have you nned?"


    After Aileen left with deep confusion, Liliya couldn¡¯t help but ask Rocky.


    Now, even she was a bit puzzled by what was going through Rocky¡¯s mind, and she was equally curious as to why he wanted to go to Eternal City.


    "Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll know when the timees."


    Rocky gave her a confident smirk and then asked, "Liliya, how long do you estimate it will take Thunderhawk City to fly to Eternal City?"


    One of the biggest differences between Sky City and cities onnd is their ability to fly in the air, meaning they can go anywhere they want, albeit slowly, so when Rocky mentioned going to Eternal City, he wasn¡¯t suggesting taking a skyship, but flying the whole of Thunderhawk City there!


    "Well... at least a month, I guess. Eternal City seldom moves, and from our current position, it should not be too far."


    "That¡¯s good to know." Rocky nodded upon hearing the time estimation and then left the City Lord¡¯s Hall, diving into his research room as usual.


    A month was not too long, nor too short, but he had to finish the runification of the Void Magic Armor within this period, or else the following matters would be troublesome.


    So after returning to his research room, he immediately picked up his Magic Energy Pen and continued drawing runes on the breastte of the Void Magic Armor.


    With days of effort, he had sessfully drawn nearly a hundred First Level Runes on the breastte, but even so, it was still not enough.


    The Void Magic Armor itself already had extremely high defensive power, and to further enhance it with runes on that basis required a massive amount of runes to provide mana support. Therefore, by Rocky¡¯s conservative estimation, he needed to draw over two hundred runes on the breastte to truly make an effect.


    This was a massive project, which not only consumed magic power but also drained his energy, and was by no means a task that could bepleted casually.


    Consequently, in the days that followed, he never stepped out of his research room, sometimes even choosing to sleep there.


    After three whole days, he finally managed to draw a total of two hundred mana runes on the breastte!


    "Phew... it is finallyplete!"


    Looking at his work,pleted day and night, Rocky took a long breath of relief and immediately moved on to the wrist guard of the Void Magic Armor on the research table without stopping.


    Yes, simply drawing runes on the breastte was far from enough for him; he intended to draw runes on the entire set of Void Magic Armor to undergo aprehensive enhancement!


    The reason he called it enhancement rather than modification was because everything he was doing now did not cause any fundamental changes to the Void Magic Armor, it was merely an enhancement using runes.


    Frankly speaking, his usage of runes was truly an underapplication, for the potential and changes that mana runes could bring about were far beyond simple enhancement.


    But the predicament was that the current Rocky indeedcked the conditions and capability to bring out the true potential of the runes, and this method of using them to enhance the Void Magic Armor was already his limit.


    However, even if his method ¡¯wronged¡¯ the mana runes, should it seed, it would still be considered a pioneering act!


    Time went on, day by day, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, Rocky spent almost every day in his research room, and the set of Void Magic Armor he owned was gradually filled with runes, one piece after another.


    As time progressed, Rocky¡¯s speed in drawing runes visibly increased. This was partly due to his increasingly proficient technique and partly because, apart from the breastte, the other parts of the Void Magic Armor were smaller, hence amodating fewer runes.


    While Rocky was wholeheartedly enhancing the Void Magic Armor, two things happened within Thunderhawk City. The first was the arrival of people from the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber.


    As mentioned before, there were only two Chambers of Commerce that had trade rtions with Thunderhawk City: Azure Commerce Guild was responsible for selling yarn and food to the city, while the cloth produced by Thunderhawk City would be sold to the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber.


    Compared to the Azure Commerce Guild, backed by Canng City, the cloth-buying Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber was much smaller. The Chamber¡¯s headquarters were in a mid-sized Sky City, and it was a standard organization with average strength; otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t havee to purchase cloth from Thunderhawk City for a bargain.


    Fortunately, despite its small size, the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber had a good reputation, so this transaction went smoothly, and Thunderhawk City managed to sell all its cloth without any trouble.


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    The second event that urred during this period also involved a transaction¡ªit was the arrival of the Magic Stone merchants contacted by Aileen.


    Since Rocky had only a few Medium Magic Stones, the Chamber of Commerce would not make a special appearance for this, and only a few merchants came to Thunderhawk City.


    However, due to the previous failed negotiations with the Azure Commerce Guild, Aileen felt very guilty, believing her own ipetence led to the failure. So when dealing with the few Magic Stone merchants, she really put her heart into it.


    Who knows what method she used, but when Aileen sold all the magic stones that Rocky had handed over to her, she actually fetched a price of a full three thousand gold coins!


    This price greatly exceeded Rocky¡¯s expectations!


    He may not be a businessman, nor was he familiar with the market, but he still had some understanding of the approximate price of a medium magic stone; a fully charged medium magic stone typically valued around five hundred gold coins, and since Rocky initially only found four medium magic stones from the research institute, he estimated that these four magic stones could sell for two thousand gold coins at best.


    However, he never expected Aileen to be so amazing, managing to increase the final price by a thousand gold coins. That was equivalent to a fifty percent increase!


    "Aileen, how exactly did you do it?"


    When Aileen told Rocky the result, even he, who wasn¡¯t much interested in trading, couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    "My Lord, I just took advantage of the other party¡¯s mindset," she said.


    Looking at the ever curious Rocky, the frustration that had been weighing on Aileen¡¯s chest these past few days finally relieved itself quite a bit.


    Herst negotiation with the Azure Commerce Guild had cost her several sleepless nights; she had never thought she would lose so miserably. Even though Rocky hadn¡¯tined about her at all over this matter, Aileen couldn¡¯t get past it herself.


    Her resilience, and her pride, couldn¡¯t ept such a crushing defeat, so she was very driven in the trade of the magic stones, determined to perform well in front of Rocky.


    It wasn¡¯t that Aileen valued Rocky¡¯s opinion of her too highly, but rather she didn¡¯t allow anyone to look down on her!


    "Hehe, it seems that Lord Voss¡¯s rmendation was indeed correct," Rocky said.


    Seeing Aileen¡¯s confident demeanor, returning to the proud noble youngdy she once was, Rocky was reassured. As for the specifics of the deal and exactly what methods Aileen used, he actually didn¡¯t care.


    "By the way, how much money do we have in the city now?"


    Thinking about the recent sale of the city¡¯s fabrics and now the sale of the magic stones, Rocky felt like he should have quite a bit of money by now, right?


    "My Lord, there are roughly sixty-seven thousand gold coins in the city," Aileen, the finance officer, naturally knew Thunderhawk City¡¯s financial details like the back of her hand, and so she gave him an exact figure on the spot.


    However, after giving this number, the previously somewhat exuberant Aileen lost her smile, and her expression turned serious, "My Lord, winter is approaching, you should consider purchasing grain."


    "Ourst trade with the Azure Commerce Guild made it clear they intend to take advantage of the Canng City war to hike their prices, and as a result the price of yarn has gone up. In a few days, the price they sell us grain will also rise."


    "And ... the increase won¡¯t be small."


    The saying that one falling leaf foretells theing of autumn was evident through the increase in yarn prices by the Azure Commerce Guild. It could be inferred that the price of grain they would sell to us would not be at the original price either; it was bound to rise as well.


    What was more important was that Rocky had easily epted the price of the yarn before, which undoubtedly signaled to the Azure Commerce Guild that Thunderhawk City had money! So, not only would they hike the price of grain, but the increase would certainly not be small.


    As the finance officer, Aileen understood this matter better than anyone, so she had to remind Rocky, warning him not to think that a few tens of thousands of gold coins made Thunderhawk City secure. When the need arose, those sixty or seventy thousand gold coins might not be enough at all!


    "I know, how could I possibly forget something like that."


    "But don¡¯t worry, I have a n in my mind, and you¡¯ll see when we get to Eternal City."


    However, faced with Aileen¡¯s warning, Rocky dismissed it with nonchnce and didn¡¯t wait for Aileen to continue before sending her away, which caused her considerable consternation. She even felt that Rocky had be arrogant due to having some money.


    It wasn¡¯t just her who thought so; even Liliya, who was beside Rocky, frowned after the event and couldn¡¯t help but say to him:


    "You should have let Aileen finish speaking; she was indeed looking out for you this time."


    "I know," Rocky replied.


    After ncing at the furrowed brow of Liliya, Rocky smiled faintly and then, unexpectedly, made a proposal:


    "Liliya, would you be interested in joining me for some martial technique practice?"

 Chapter 30 - 29: Strengthening Armor! (Part 1)

    "What do you want to do with me?"


    Rocky¡¯s words made Liliya question if there was something wrong with her ears. They were clearly discussing important matters concerning Thunderhawk City; how did the conversation suddenly shift to this topic?


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    "Didn¡¯t you say I should practice more? I¡¯m free today, so I thought I¡¯d seek your guidance."


    With a heartyugh, Rocky didn¡¯t give Liliya any time to respond and pulled her away from the City Lord¡¯s Hall, heading straight to the garden behind the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    The so-called garden behind the City Lord¡¯s Mansion was actually just a rtivelyrge grassy area. Logically, this was where Rocky practiced his martial techniques, but he hadn¡¯t been there since his arrival from another world.


    "Rocky, do you really want to practice martial techniques with me?"


    Having been forcefully dragged to the garden, Liliya was still somewhat disbelieving. She had indeed urged Rocky to spend more time on martial techniques and magic, but Rocky had never listened; what was different today that he was so proactive?


    "Of course."


    Facing Liliya¡¯s disbelief, Rocky appeared very confident, clearly not joking.


    But then, he quickly added, "However, you are much higher in level than me, so I need to wear the Void Magic Armor."


    "Void Magic Armor?"


    "You, you¡¯ve already sessfully modified the Void Magic Armor?!"


    Liliya, being very intelligent and aware that Rocky had been working on modifying the Void Magic Armor using runes, immediately thought of this when he mentioned it.


    "It¡¯s not a modification, just an enhancement."


    Liliya¡¯s words made Rocky unable to resist showing a proud smile because, as Liliya had said, after many days of effort, he had finally seeded in enhancing the Void Magic Armor using runes!


    That¡¯s why he had sought out Liliya to try his hand and see what kind of power the enhanced Void Magic Armor could unleash!


    "You, you really did it?!"


    Seeing Rocky¡¯s proud face, Liliya was also extremely delighted, because whether it was an enhancement or a modification using runes, it was a pioneering act!


    Thus, Liliya too became excited and was very interested in the enhanced Void Magic Armor.


    Afterward, Rocky returned to his room, put on the Void Magic Armor, and didn¡¯t leave through the door. Instead, he flew directly out the window to the garden.


    "Really..."


    Seeing his somewhat ostentatious entrance, Liliya shook her head helplessly, thinking that at times Rocky really did seem like a child who had never grown up. However, she quickly turned her attention to the Void Magic Armor, eager to see what the enhanced armor looked like.


    Unfortunately, when she looked at Rocky, she found that the Void Magic Armor he wore still looked the same. While it still appeared impressive, there was no change in its shape, and there wasn¡¯t even a rune visible.


    This wasn¡¯t surprising, because Rocky, in order to avoid drawing attention, had specifically drawn the runes inside the lining of the Void Magic Armor; thus, the real change in the armor was internal.


    After making a stylish entry, Rocky looked up at Liliya with confidence and said, "Should I go easy on you?"


    "Go easy on me?"


    Thisment made Liliyaugh out loud. The Void Magic Armor might be strong, but its effectiveness dependedrgely on the person wearing it. With Rocky¡¯s limited abilities, even in the Void Magic Armor, Liliya was not worried.


    So, without saying anything further, Liliya drew her side sword from her waist and pointed the tip at Rocky:


    "You better be careful; I won¡¯t hold back."


    The moment her words hit the air, she suddenly lunged forward, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye, and then swept her sword toward his chest!


    Curious about the power of the enhanced Void Magic Armor, Liliya went all out from the start, not holding back at all, knowing that with the armor¡¯s protection, Rocky was unlikely to get hurt; she didn¡¯t need to worry.


    It must be said that Liliya was definitely not just for show. Not only did she possess the strength of a Third-Level Warrior, she had also experienced the carnage of the battlefield firsthand, truly qualifying her as a genuine warrior. Therefore, even when faced with Rocky wearing the enhanced Void Magic Armor, which brought him up to the level of a Fourth Level Warrior, she was not afraid at all!


    In the blink of an eye, Rocky hadn¡¯t even fully grasped Liliya¡¯s movements when he felt the sword light at his chest. Then, he heard a ng as the sword struck directly upon his chest. Although it didn¡¯t injure him, the immense force still pushed him back several steps!


    This is the ¡­ enhanced Void Magic Armor?


    Unexpectedly, with one strike, Liliya forced Rocky into a retreat. She paused, totally not anticipating this oue; the enhanced Void Magic Armor seemed no different from before.


    Rocky, equally surprised by this result, stabilized himself after retreating four or five steps and was utterly astonished. He had not expected Liliya to strike as quickly as she did, nor did he anticipate such immense power!


    And just as he was secretly amazed, Liliya appeared in front of him again.


    "Wait...!"


    Seeing Liliya charge at him again, Rocky was just about to speak when he realized that Liliya had only feinted an attack before disappearing from his view.


    By the time he relocated Liliya, he had already been fiercely kicked, following her feint which had allowed her to move behind him and kick him off bnce!


    "Wait a second..."


    In just a few rounds of engagement, Rocky was already thoroughly disoriented and hurriedly tried to call a halt.


    Unfortunately, Liliya didn¡¯t give him a chance to speak. Her figure blurred once more as she charged at him again, forcing him to leap into the air and fly up.


    "Liliya, wait, wait a minute..."


    Having escaped into mid-air, Rocky tried to continue speaking, but then saw Liliya on the ground raising her hand toward him.


    This gesture immediately made Rocky¡¯s skin crawl, followed by a foreboding exmation, but it was already toote!


    Because afterwards, Liliya sent three fireballs hurling towards him with whooshing sounds!


    Liliya was not only a Third-Level Warrior but also a Level Two Mage!


    Facing the three fireballs flying towards him, Rocky hurriedly dodged. Just when he barely managed to avoid them, he spotted a figure leaping from the ground out of the corner of his eye, then felt himself being powerfully kicked and sent crashing towards the ground!


    With a boom, Rocky mmed into the ground like a shot-down cannonball, creating a huge crater in the grass...


    For a moment, dust was thrown up,pletely covering the spot where hended, making it impossible to see the situation inside.


    It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that the dust finally settled, revealing Rocky¡¯s disheveled figure.


    At that moment, Rocky was aplete mess, his Void Magic Armor covered in mud, looking like a soldier who had just fled a lost battle.


    Seeing his disheveled state, Liliya also opened her mouth awkwardly, and it took her a long while to finally say:


    "Rocky, is this your enhanced Void Magic Armor? It seems... it seems no different from before..."


    Although she didn¡¯t want to demoralize Rocky, Liliya couldn¡¯t help but speak her true thoughts. She really couldn¡¯t see any difference in the Void Magic Armor!


    Defeating Rocky without him being able to resist was exactly the expected oue, because Rockycked actualbat experience and had only mediocre fundamentals. Thus, even with the Void Magic Armor, he couldn¡¯t win against Liliya, a fact known to both of them.


    Liliya had initially thought that after being enhanced by runes, the Void Magic Armor would greatly increase Rocky¡¯s capabilities, at least making him not so inadequate against her, but now it seemed not to be the case at all, as if the enhancement of the Void Magic Armor did nothing.


    However, just as she finished speaking, Rocky, crawling up from the ground, started to roar!


    "What do you mean no difference! Who asked you to move so quickly, I, I haven¡¯t even activated the rune¡¯s mana yet!"


    Now, Rocky was infuriated. Because Liliya had acted too quickly, he had absolutely no time to activate the rune¡¯s mana...

 Chapter 31 - 30: Strengthening Armor! (Part 2)

    "I¡¯m so pissed! Why couldn¡¯t you wait until I was ready before attacking?"


    After climbing up from the ground in a disheveled state, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but roar at Liliya.


    It turned out that Liliya had acted too quickly just now, and Rocky hadn¡¯t been prepared at all; he had been ttened before he could even activate the runes on his armor...


    This oue had nearly infuriated Rocky to death!


    The reason he had challenged Liliya to a spar was partly to test how powerful the enhanced Void Magic Armor was after its upgrade; he knew Liliya was the highest-ranked and most experienced warrior in Thunderhawk City, and only by fighting her could he truly evaluate the strength of the enhanced Void Magic Armor.


    On the other hand, Rocky actually wanted to show off in front of Liliya.


    In Rocky¡¯s view, Liliya was perfect in every way; if he had to point out a w, it was that she was too dominant. Not only was her personality assertive, but her strength was formidable as well. Having such a strong woman by his side all the time almost constantly bruised his ego, so he also wanted to prove himself in front of Liliya, even if it meant wearing the Void Magic Armor.


    But the result... turned out to be a thorough thrashing from the get-go, which was nothing like what Rocky had anticipated!


    "This..."


    Hearing his words, Liliya showed a rare expression of embarrassment; she genuinely hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out this way. Looking at Rocky, who seemed to have suffered a great injustice, she had no idea what to say.


    "Wait until I¡¯m ready before you attack this time!"


    After muttering sulkily, Rocky tried to calm himself down. Then he began to harness his magic power to connect with the runes on the Void Magic Armor, activating the mana within them and truly enhancing the armor in the intended way.


    Time ticked away second by second. During this process, Liliya didn¡¯t dare to move an inch, afraid of disturbing Rocky, and remained standing opposite him.


    After a while, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Are you, are you ready yet?"


    "Ready!"


    This time, Rocky finally nodded his head. Now he had connected to every rune on the Void Magic Armor with his own magic power, fully activating them all!


    "Really?"


    Seeing him nod, Liliya still hesitated to act because she didn¡¯t notice any change in the Void Magic Armor from before.


    Although Rocky imed to be ready now, he still looked as disheveled as before, making Liliya reluctant to make her move. She didn¡¯t want to hurt Rocky¡¯s pride again.


    "Come on!"


    Seemingly discerning her hesitancy, Rocky was significantly more confident than before, nodding firmly at Liliya.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Sure,e on!"


    Seeing how certain Rocky was, Liliya took a deep breath, and when she looked at him again, her eyes were razor-sharp!


    Liliya¡¯s nature was such that once she got serious, she would show no mercy. Since Rocky imed he was genuinely prepared this time, she gripped her longsword tightly and dashed toward him like an arrow!


    In the blink of an eye, she reached Rocky and swung her sword in a sweeping strike aimed directly at his chest.


    Previously, it was this very strike that had forced Rocky to retreat, and she used the same move this time, with undiminished strength.


    Faced with the same attack as before, Rocky didn¡¯t react in time, or for some other reason, he didn¡¯t dodge, allowing the sword tond on him!


    A loud ng resounded as the longsword struck heavily against the armor!


    "How, how could this be...!"


    Having struck Rocky with her sword, Liliya was stunned because the strike, which was identical in technique and force to the previous one, resulted in apletely different oue!


    Before, her single strike had made Rocky retreat uncontrobly, backing up four or five steps before stopping.


    But this time, Rocky, having been hit, didn¡¯t budge an inch, not even a sway!


    How could there be such a big difference?!


    This result, far beyond Liliya¡¯s expectations, left her astonished, as she knew her strike was without reservation, a genuine full-force attack. How could it have no effect? It wasn¡¯t like this before!


    The astonishment on Liliya¡¯s face finally brought a smile to Rocky¡¯s lips, his heart swelling with pride.


    He had deliberately not dodged just now, wanting to see what kind of defensive power thebination of Void Magic Armor and mana runes could produce.


    The result was unexpectedly good, easily blocking Liliya¡¯s attack, which meant that Rocky¡¯s enhancement of the Void Magic Armor had been a sess!


    He had sessfully used mana runes to enhance the Void Magic Armor, significantly increasing its defensive power, convincingly proving its ability to withstand Liliya¡¯s attack without budging!


    "Unimaginable..."


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    While Rocky could hardly contain his triumph, Liliya couldn¡¯t help but marvel. She truly hadn¡¯t expected the enhanced Void Magic Armor to improve so much.


    Normally, Rocky¡¯s set of Void Magic Armor would only raise his strength to the level of a fourth-level warrior and a third-level mage, but Liliya¡¯s own strength was already at the pinnacle of a third-level warrior.


    Combined with her richbat experience, her fighting power wasn¡¯t much different from that of a fourth-level warrior, which was why she had been able to suppress Rocky wearing the Void Magic Armor before.


    But now, Rocky¡¯s Void Magic Armor had clearly been upgraded a notch in terms of defense. Liliya had extensivebat experience and knew well enough that even a fourth-level warrior couldn¡¯t effortlessly withstand her full-force strike, yet Rocky had done just that, and he hadn¡¯t even defended actively; it was the Void Magic Armor¡¯s own defensive power that had blocked herplete strike!


    What did this indicate?


    It meant that the enhanced Void Magic Armor had definitely surpassed the defensive level of a fourth-level warrior and might even have reached fifth-level capability!


    This enhancement was a qualitative leap!


    Perhaps even Rocky hadn¡¯t expected the Void Magic Armor, once enhanced by runes, would receive such an astonishing improvement!


    To verify this possibility, Liliya shed behind Rocky¡¯s back in an instant, delivering a ferocious kick to his back before he could react.


    With a thud, Liliya put all her strength into the kick that squarely hit Rocky¡¯s back, yet he remained immovable as a mountain!


    The enhanced Void Magic Armor had once again perfectly blocked her attack!


    "How is it? Impressive, isn¡¯t it?"


    Slowly turning around, Rocky was like a child eager for praise, impatiently asking.


    Facing his demeanor, Liliya couldn¡¯t help but feel both helpless and fond, yet she seriously nodded, "It¡¯s very strong."


    "Really?"


    "Yes." Seeing Rocky¡¯s excitement, Liliya honestly said, "With the Void Magic Armor and the rune¡¯s reinforcement, your defensive power has reached the level of a fifth-level warrior. My attacks can no longer defeat you."


    "It has reached the level of a fifth-level warrior? That¡¯s incredible. I didn¡¯t expect the enhancement effect to be so apparent."


    Hearing Liliya¡¯s words, Rocky was surprised as well. He had truly not anticipated such a huge improvement in the Void Magic Armor after its enhancement.


    "Attack me."


    And just as Rocky was also amazed by the enhanced Void Magic Armor, Liliya took a step back to create some distance and then said to him:


    "Attack me. Let me see if the Void Magic Armor has also reached the offensive power of a fifth-level warrior."


    "Alright!"


    Nodding, Rocky gripped his sword tightly and then charged towards Liliya withrge strides!


    Before the rune enhancement, the Void Magic Armor could bring Rocky up to the standard of a fourth-level warrior, so his speed was by no means slow. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Liliya, swinging his sword down!


    "So fast!"


    As Rocky charged towards her, Liliya didn¡¯t dare to ck and quickly raised her sword to block. But in the next second, she inwardly cursed and gracefully dodged the strike.


    "That¡¯s enough, no need to continue..."


    Seeing Liliya dodge the attack, Rocky originally intended to keep on the offensive, but Liliya immediately called a halt.


    "What¡¯s the matter?"


    Not expecting Liliya to stop the fight, Rocky was a bit taken aback.


    "There¡¯s no need to continue. The dual reinforcement of the Void Magic Armor and the rune has brought your offensive power to the level of a fifth-level warrior, too. I simply can¡¯t withstand it, and given that you have a rune on your sword, my ordinary sword would be sliced in two if it were to block."


    As she spoke, Liliya helplessly shook her head. The dual reinforcement from the Void Magic Armor and the rune had brought Rocky up to the level of a fifth-level warrior both offensively and defensively, creating a gap that could no longer be bridged by experience and skill, so there was no point in continuing the fight.


    "That¡¯s great! That means my enhancement was aplete sess!"


    Liliya¡¯s assessment finally put Rocky at ease, as it confirmed theplete and even beyond expected sess of his enchantment on the Void Magic Armor.


    "Rocky."


    However, just as Rocky was reveling in joy, Liliya walked up to him, and couldn¡¯t help but speak up, "I have something I want to ask you."


    "Oh? What is it?"


    "Why the rush to enhance the Void Magic Armor?"


    Looking into Rocky¡¯s eyes, Liliya voiced the question that had been on her mind for a while. She¡¯d been curious why Rocky was so hasty in enhancing the Void Magic Armor.


    It was something she couldn¡¯t figure out. The study of mana runes was indeed important, and Liliya admitted that, but let¡¯s not forget Rocky wasn¡¯t a researcher, he was the City Lord of Thunderhawk City, which was facing a significant crisis at the moment!


    Winter was fast approaching, and they had yet to secure food for the season, which should be the top priority for a City Lord!


    Yet, rather than focusing on these matters, Rocky had been devoting all his attention to enhancing the Void Magic Armor, something Liliya couldn¡¯t understand.


    "Because..."


    Rocky was well aware of Liliya¡¯s doubt. He hadn¡¯t exined in detail before because even he wasn¡¯t sure if his ideas would work, but now he could share his thoughts since he hadpleted the most crucial step.


    So Rocky went on to say:


    "I was in a hurry to enhance the Void Magic Armor because only in this way can we make money, money to buy food."


    "Making money from enhancing the Void Magic Armor? How do you n to make money?"


    Liliya was even more confused by Rocky¡¯s exnation.


    "I n to... hunt demons!"


    Looking at Liliya, Rocky revealed his long-held idea!

 Chapter 32 - 31 Were Together!

    "What, what did you say?"


    Rocky¡¯s words had stunned Liliya!


    And a momentter, having regained her senses, she rushed to Rocky¡¯s front, "No! Rocky, you mustn¡¯t think like this, don¡¯t consider targeting the demons!"


    Rocky had anticipated Liliya¡¯s reaction, so he just sighed helplessly and looked back at her with a question, "Other than targeting the demons, do we have any other choice?"


    His counter-question was filled with helplessness but left Liliya speechless.


    As Liliya had said earlier, Thunderhawk City was facing a significant crisis. Winter was approaching, and the citycked the food reserves for the cold months. The Azure Commerce Guild had also chosen this time to hike up the trade prices, leaving Thunderhawk City unable to afford enough food.


    How would they ovee this difficulty?


    This was the dilemma that had troubled everyone for the past month. Liliya was worried, Aileen was anxious, but no one was as desperate as Rocky, for Thunderhawk City was his! He was the City Lord!


    If something went wrong with the city, as the City Lord, wouldn¡¯t Rocky be doomed too? Therefore, he was actually the most anxious of all.


    So while Rocky would spend each day in hisboratory tinkering with runes, at night, when everyone else in the city had fallen into a deep sleep, he would think about how to get Thunderhawk City through the winter, how to ensure the city¡¯s residents had food to eat.


    Ultimately, he thought of a method: hunting demons!


    After so long familiarizing himself with this world, Rocky knew very well that demons were not just everyone¡¯s enemies but also a resource!


    Demons were valuable!


    Ever since demons began to invade thend, people discovered that these creatures from the Different Dimension, despite being terrifying, were treasures all over!


    Their skin, as hard as steel yet as flexible as cloth, was the perfect material for making soft armor.


    The blood of demons was a prime magical ingredient, even capable of enhancing magic stones.


    The most valuable part of a demon was the Demon Core, equivalent to the heart of a demon, containing energy far surpassing that of any magic stone, a very precious item that many were researching to uncover the secrets of the Demon Core and locate the demons¡¯ weakness.


    In short, a demon¡¯s body was full of treasures. Therefore, whether it was the governments represented by the various Sky Cities or individuals aiming to make money, many were hunting demons all year round, and it had even led to the emergence of a new profession: Demon Hunter.


    And the method Rocky thought of was to hunt demons.


    If he could sessfully kill a demon, he could easily earn close to ten thousand gold coins!


    This price was not exaggerated at all, for although demons were everywhere, unless a formal military force was deployed for arge-scale hunt, killing a demon with an individual¡¯s power was very difficult, hence the high price.


    This was why Rocky was heading Thunderhawk City towards Eternal City; it was thergest trade city in the skies. With demons in hand, once he reached Eternal City, he would not have to worry about being unable to sell them, nor fetching a high price.


    At the same time, this was also why he had been relentlessly strengthening his Void Magic Armor day and night. To hunt demons, he would have to act personally, as only the Void Magic Armor could contend with demons. However, Rocky knew his abilities were too mediocre, and his Void Magic Armor too outdated; thus, it was essential to enhance it with runes to have a chance at sess!


    And now, havingpleted the enhancement of the Void Magic Armor, his next n was to return tond, hunt demons, and then sell them. Thus, naturally, Thunderhawk City would ovee its crisis.


    In Rocky¡¯s view, this was the only way to save Thunderhawk City!


    "No! You absolutely cannot go!"


    However, Liliya firmly disagreed with his idea.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Rocky,st time you already witnessed how terrifying demons are, they are monstrous creatures that only an army can contend with, not something you can handle alone."


    At this moment, Liliya showed an unprecedented level of agitation, because, in her view, Rocky¡¯s idea was simply suicidal! She could rely on Rocky, could support him unconditionally, but she would never watch him go to his death. This was Liliya¡¯s bottom line, so she firmly opposed Rocky¡¯s method.


    "Liliya, this is the only way to save Thunderhawk City, I..."


    "Even if this city is destroyed, I want you to live!"


    Standing in front of Rocky, staring intently into his eyes, Liliya resolutely said!


    Her words stunned Rocky, he looked at Liliya¡¯s eyes with some disbelief, seeing only determination in her eyes, which let Rocky know that Liliya wasn¡¯t deceiving him, she would rather see Thunderhawk City fall than let him get hurt...


    So, Rocky smiled, smiled and ced his hands on Liliya¡¯s shoulders, then he said, "Thunderhawk City won¡¯t be destroyed, and I won¡¯t die."


    "Because I didn¡¯t n to hunt demons alone, so why are you in such a hurry."


    "You don¡¯t need to lie to me!", Liliya red at Rocky, dismissing his words, "Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m the Captain of the Guard in Thunderhawk City, none of the city¡¯s guards and skyships can help you in this matter, they are no match for demons."


    "I didn¡¯t say I wanted their help."


    Shaking his head at Liliya, Rocky became serious, "I want you toe with me, the two of us together, to hunt demons!"


    "Me?"


    Upon hearing this, Liliya was stunned, she stared nkly at Rocky for a long while before letting out a bitter smile, "Sorry... I cannot help you this time..."


    "I... am too weak..."


    Looking at Rocky, Liliya¡¯s voice was filled with bitterness, "Unless I reach the strength of a fifth-level warrior, I wouldn¡¯t even withstand a single blow from even the weakest demon, but I¡¯m only a third level, this strength is not even enough to buy you some time in case of a demon encounter, I¡¯m sorry..."


    As she spoke these words, Liliya felt extremely distressed, she indeed wanted to help Rocky, but as she had said, even to face the weakest demon, one would need the strength of a fifth-level warrior!


    This was experience that far too many had paid for with their lives, yet she was only third level.


    "No, you can, and only you can."


    However, just as she had finished speaking, Rocky shook his head and then smilingly reminded her, "Liliya, have you forgotten what I found at the research institute? It wasn¡¯t just research notes and a few magic stones I found, but also several pieces of rune equipment!"


    "Those rune equipments are all personally crafted by Winsor! And as long as you wear the rune equipment, together, we can definitely hunt down the demons!"

 Chapter 33 - 32: New Adventure!

    Rocky indeed wanted to earn money by hunting demons but he never thought ofpleting this task alone, because he knew he couldn¡¯t do it, even if his Void Magic Armor was sessfully enhanced, he still couldn¡¯t do it.


    So, his initial idea was to team up with Liliya!


    "Are you saying... let me wear the rune equipment left by Winsel?"


    After hearing Rocky¡¯s exnation, Liliya didn¡¯t dismiss it immediately, but instead frowned and fell into thought.


    She had figured out that Rocky had made thorough preparations for this n. Not only had he made arrangements for Thunderhawk City, but he had even taken helping her into consideration, which was veryprehensive, but... would his preparations be useful?


    If she wore the rune equipment left by Winsel, could she really fight the demons...?


    At this thought, Liliya nced at Rocky and then asked, "Rocky, how powerful is the equipment left by Winsel? Tell me the truth."


    "Each piece of rune equipment is at least as strong as my Void Magic Armor!"


    Rocky quickly provided the answer to this question and didn¡¯t exaggerate at all!


    The equipment he found from the research institute was indeed very powerful, those items were not ordinary, and they all had runes drawn by Winsel himself on them!


    This was the most important thing!


    Winsel was a top master who invented the mana runes; calling him the ultimate genius of this world was not an exaggeration. Thus, the rune equipment made by his own hands was absolutely no less powerful than the Void Magic Armor, and there was no doubt about that.


    "I see..."


    This answer made Liliya furrow her brow even tighter, her facial expression became quite intriguing in an instant, somewhat worried, yet also anticipative, eager to try while simultaneously filled with hesitation, clearly caught in a dilemma.


    Indeed, Liliya was conflicted because if Rocky hadn¡¯t exaggerated, then relying on the rune equipment left by Winsel, she too started feeling eager to try hunting the demons.


    But she was also worried about Rocky¡¯s reassurance; after all, equipment was just external aid, and hunting demons was like dancing on the edge of a knife¡ªany slight mistake could mean death, so Liliya was somewhat hesitant.


    "Liliya, it¡¯s settled then, you and I will hunt demons together!"


    "Wha¡ªWhat! I haven¡¯t..."


    Just as Liliya was indecisive, Rocky had already made the decision for her!


    "Liliya, I trust you, as long as you¡¯re by my side, I¡¯m sure nothing will happen to me."


    After saying this, Rocky leapt into the sky and flew towards the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    "Rocky! What, what are you doing?"


    "I¡¯m going to get your equipment, you are going to train me right away, we don¡¯t have much time."


    Just as Liliya thought, Rocky had indeed made thorough preparations for hunting the demons, not only had he enhanced his Void Magic Armor, but he also nned to have Liliya train him!


    Hunting demons was very dangerous, Rocky knew this better than anyone; he obviously didn¡¯t want to die doing this, so apart from the external preparations, he also hoped to improve himself. Although time was pressing, even a slight improvement before heading out could increase the sess rate, and he did not intend to give up even this small chance of sess.


    So once he had sessfully persuaded Liliya, he immediately started sparring with her, and this time it was a real sparring session.


    After that, Liliya began a week-long intensive training for Rocky!


    During this week, Rocky never went back to the researchb, because a week¡¯s time wasn¡¯t long, it was actually very short. If he wanted to improve during such a short time, he needed to devote all his energy to training, without any distractions.


    Liliya was naturally very pleased with his actions, and to ensure Rocky could see results in such a short time, she became quite tough on him, sparing no mercy, truly putting him through a hellish training.


    Time passed day by day, and the week was over in the blink of an eye.


    That day, Thunderhawk City, gradually hovering in the sky, slowed to a stop, and the entire city floated high in the air.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "City Lord, you... must be careful..."


    At this moment, within the Skyport of Thunderhawk City, a skyship had already prepared for takeoff, and both Rocky and Liliya were also ready to board.


    Seeing the two fully prepared, Aileen, who hade to see them off, could think of nothing else to say but to remind them to be careful.


    She had only learned a few days ago about their ns, and when she heard Rocky¡¯s intentions, she was genuinely frightened and instinctively wanted to stop them, but it was to no avail. The only thing Aileen could do was to take good care of Thunderhawk City while Rocky was away.


    "We will be fine."


    With augh towards Aileen, Rocky appeared quite rxed: "The city is in your hands now. Remember to keep the guards and the skyships on standby. The moment you see the signal,e to pick us up immediately."


    "Alright."


    Since the mission involved hunting demons, it would be impractical to take all ten skyships of the city, as that would be too conspicuous and might attract a multitude of demons.


    Therefore, this time Rocky sent only one skyship, and uponnding with Liliya, they would send the skyship back and signal Aileen when they wanted to return to the city. Upon seeing the signal, Aileen would dispatch a skyship to pick them up.


    This arrangement was so bold that even Aileen could hardly believe it, for it meant that Rocky was entrusting his life into her hands!


    Why would Rocky trust her so much?


    That question, even Aileen herself did not know. All she knew was that when Rocky informed her, she felt disbelief as well as a touch of emotion.


    "We are leaving now; make sure to watch for the signal!"


    As Aileen reminisced about the scenes from a few days ago, Rocky and Liliya had already boarded the skyship. They waved at her before the skyship gradually ascended and quickly flew towards thend.


    "Felly, keep all the skyships ready for takeoff, and keep an eye out for the City Lord¡¯s signal."


    As the skyship gradually disappeared into the clouds, Aileen turned to a guard standing nearby and instructed.


    This guard was none other than Felly, who had initially weed Rocky at the Skyport. He had since been promoted by Liliya to one of the deputy captains of the Guard Corps, specifically in charge of managing the skyships at the Skyport.


    "Yes!"


    With a response, Felly saluted Aileen militarily and then went to make preparations with his team.


    ......


    ......


    Leaving the people on standby in Thunderhawk City aside for now, Rocky, who was en route to thend on the skyship, was already seated in the cabin, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.


    This was his second return to thend, and he found it quite amusing, as his memories recalled that the former him had never set foot onnd in his entire life. Yet now, he had made repeated trips to thend within just a month or two, the frequency of which was indeed a bit too rapid.


    Having recently been to thend, Rocky felt less excitement this time and no longer stood at the bow facing the wind likest time; instead, he sat quietly in the cabin.


    "Once we reach thend, follow my lead. You must not act on your own."


    As Rocky inwardly mused whether his return to thend was overly frequent, Liliya was cautioning him.


    By now, Liliya had donned a new set of equipment, specifically the rune equipment left by Wensel. Not only were these pieces exquisite, but they also featured patternsposed of runes, making Liliya lookpletely renewed.


    Even though she was equipped with more powerful gear, Liliya remained cautious and continued to remind Rocky that he must not act independently once they reached their destination.


    Among the two, only she had encountered real demons. Rocky¡¯s knowledge of demons was still only theoretical, so they had agreed beforehand that Liliya would take the lead once they got to thend.


    "Okay."


    Rocky gave Liliya a serious look and nodded without jest.

 Chapter 34 - 33: Crows Mouth(crows cawing could bring people bad luck)

    The journey back to thend from Sky City didn¡¯t take long. After staying in the cabin for a few hours, Rocky felt the Skyship¡¯s speed slow down, which clearly meant they were nearing thend.


    So he and Liliya left the cabin together and stood at the bow looking down, just in time to see another vast forest below them.


    "Lucky us, another forest."


    Discovering theirnding spot was a forest made Liliya sigh with relief, for the terrain was ideal for their operation. Escaping danger would be easier in the woods than if they hadnded in arge in or desert, where they wouldn¡¯t have a ce to hide.


    "Steer the ship to the edge of the forest, then we cannd."


    Liliya turned to the guard apanying them and issued an instruction before turning to look at Rocky, only to find him unusually quiet and solemn.


    "What¡¯s the matter, you nervous?"


    Seeing Rocky acting differently from before, Liliya asked with a smile.


    "Yeah, a bit nervous."


    ncing at her, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath and nodded.


    He hadn¡¯t felt the slightest bit nervous when imagining all this before, nor when he was in the cabin, but now, as the Skyship was about tond, he couldn¡¯t help feeling tense.


    "It¡¯s normal to be nervous. After all, demon hunting is no game. One careless move and we both might not make it back."


    "But you don¡¯t seem to be nervous..."


    Looking at Liliya, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but admire her, as he couldn¡¯t sense any nervousnessing from her.


    "Between the two of us, you handle the nerves, I¡¯ll handle the calm."


    Curving her lips into a smile, Liliya cracked a rare joke.


    The joke finally drew a smile from Rocky, but he knew in his heart that Liliya¡¯s extensive experience allowed her to be calm andposed at critical moments, a skill hepletelycked. He still had much to learn.


    "We¡¯re about tond."


    Just then, Liliya¡¯s voice brought him back to the present, and he saw the Skyship hovering at the edge of the forest, making its descent.


    Soon after, the Skyship settled steadily onto a grasnd on the forest¡¯s outskirts. Rocky and Liliya disembarked and headed straight for the forest. As they ventured further away, the Skyship slowly ascended and flew back to Thunderhawk City.


    "Now we¡¯re truly on our own..."


    As he walked toward the forest with Liliya, Rocky looked back just in time to see the Skyship climb slowly, muttering to himself.


    Although this had been his own decision, the reality of being left onnd made Rocky feel uneasy, or perhaps... scared?


    "What do you mean ¡¯on our own¡¯? You still have me."


    Liliya rolled her eyes at him and said, "Stop fretting, let¡¯s get into the forest. We need to find the demons before they find us, otherwise we¡¯ll be at a disadvantage."


    After saying that, she quickened her pace, and after taking a deep breath, Rocky followed closely. It wasn¡¯t long before the two of them vanished into the woods.


    This forest was different from the one Rocky had visitedst time. The vegetation here was sparse and the trees were not lush, making it hard to feel a sense of verdancy. Instead, the whole forest exuded an aura as if it were on the verge of decay.


    And when Rocky and Liliya truly entered the forest, they gradually slowed down and became more cautious.


    "Do you remember what I told you?"


    Liliya, leading the way, casually chopped off a branch blocking their path with her sword without looking back at Rocky.


    "I remember, if we encounter a high-level demon, we run as fast as we can."


    "That¡¯s right."


    In this world, demons were ranked in tiers, with a great variety of species. The strength gap between different types and levels of demons could be tremendous.


    The strongest were, naturally, the high-level demons. Regardless of species, high-level demons were formidable. Warriors and mages stood no chance against them. Only a great warrior or an archmage, especially when equipped with Void Magic Armor, could fight a high-level demon, otherwise, it meant certain death.


    Inparison, low-level demons were much weaker, though their danger depended on the species. Some species might be ssified as low-level, but their strength was still formidable, making them equally perilous entities.


    Over the past several days, Liliya had told Rocky much about the types of demons and the hierarchy of their levels, so he could be prepared and clear about their target for this mission.


    So, while Liliya didn¡¯t look back as she led the way, she continued, "Our target this time is low-level demons, the lower the better. Hence, if we run into high-level demons or more than two low-level demons, we¡¯ll run immediately."


    "Got it, we probably won¡¯t be that unlucky to run into high-level demons right off the bat."


    Though Liliya¡¯s words were true, Rocky felt it wouldn¡¯t be so unfortunate for them to encounter high-level demons right away. They weren¡¯t asmon as cabbages on the roadside, surely they wouldn¡¯t stumble upon one so soon?


    He had just finished speaking when suddenly a roar came from a distance, and at the same time, the ground beneath him and Liliya began to tremble continuously.


    "This, this is..."


    "Jinx!"


    This sudden, but ear-splitting roar, along with the trembling of the ground, undoubtedly signified great danger!


    So after giving Rocky a fierce re, Liliya immediately dragged him behind arge tree for cover.


    In fact, both of them could tell that the roar did note from the forest they were in; rather, it came from a very distant ce, which only made it more evident how terrifying the source of that roar was. Liliya was afraid that the roar would disturb the demons in the forest, and naturally, they had to hide just in case.


    And if just a single roar could affect such a vast distance, one could imagine that the demon emitting the roar must be a high-level demon!


    They waited until the roar hadpletely subsided before Liliya and Rocky emerged from behind the tree where they had been hiding and finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Liliya, what exactly happened just now?"


    Turning his head towards the direction from which the roar came, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    "It¡¯s likely that someone provoked a high-level demon. The two sides must be fighting."


    Just like Rocky, Liliya also turned to nce in that direction but her answer was not certain.


    "Could there be others like us, hunting demons as well?"


    "I don¡¯t know."


    Shaking her head, Liliya sighed, "We¡¯re better off minding our own business. Even if the others are hunting demons, their target is a high-level demon. Do you really want to encounter such a person?"


    "..."


    Rocky opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Those who targeted high-level demons¡ªwhat kind of beings were they? Indeed, it was best to avoid provoking them, better yet, not to meet them at all.


    "Let¡¯s not worry about this anymore." Withdrawing her gaze, Liliya stepped forward to continue their progress, "Stay alert. If there are demons in this forest, they surely have been disturbed by that roar. We need to be cautious."


    "Alright."


    Agreeing, Rocky followed Liliya, his alertness heightened.


    The two of them cautiously made their way deeper into the forest, walking and stopping intermittently, always ready to halt at the slightest rustle of leaves or grass, prepared forbat.


    But despite their caution, they still hadn¡¯t encountered any demons, a fact even Rocky found unusual.


    So, as night fell and Liliya decided they should stop to spend the night in the forest, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but ask,


    "Liliya, what exactly is going on? Where have all the demons gone?"


    Sitting by the flickering campfire, looking at Liliya who sat opposite him, Rocky was somewhat agitated. It was beyond him how they had traveled the entire day without encountering a single demon; the phenomenon was just too abnormal.


    There¡¯s an old saying¡ªabnormal urrences often spell trouble; this was clearly not a good sign!


    "Something isn¡¯t right¡­"


    Even Rocky had noticed something amiss, so how could Liliya, with her more extensive experience, not realize there was a problem?


    But she was also at a loss to understand what was happening.


    Initially, Liliya¡¯s biggest concern was that the two of them would face a swarm of demons or even bump into a high-level demon, leaving them no chance to escape. Yet, after traveling through the forest for a whole day, they hadn¡¯t met any demons at all.


    Could it be that, by some coincidence, there were no demons in this forest?


    This possibility was quickly dismissed. Thend had been upied by demons for over a century; they were everywhere. How could there be no demons in this particr forest?


    However, no matter the reason, Liliya couldn¡¯t figure it out. She could only be certain of one thing¡ªthere was definitely a problem!


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Maybe something happened that we¡¯re unaware of. Anyway, be extra vignt tonight. It should be fine."


    After thinking for a long time without reaching any conclusion, Liliya gave up and then started to discuss the night watch with Rocky. They hadn¡¯t encountered any demons during the day, but that did not mean they would not encounter any at night, so someone had to keep watch.


    But just at that moment, while Liliya was getting ready to rest and Rocky was bracing himself for the night vigil, a furious roar suddenly erupted from within the forest!


    This roar startled them both because they could tell that this time the call wasn¡¯t from a distance; it originated from within the forest, and it was very close to them!


    Finally, the demons hade!

 Chapter 35 - 34: Unlucky? Lucky?

    "They¡¯re finally here!"


    Hearing the roar from the forest, Rocky immediately stood up, tense yet also faintly excited.


    He had finally encountered a demon!


    This time he hade to hunt demons, and if he had to return empty-handed because he was defeated, that could be forgiven. But if he had to go back because he hadn¡¯t encountered any demons, it would drive him mad with frustration.


    However, in today¡¯s world, noting across demons was almost impossible. Even if none were found during the daytime, there were always encounters at night.


    Liliya, who had justin down, also stood up at this moment. She looked in the direction of the roar and listened carefully before saying to Rocky, "Not far from us, let¡¯s go!"


    After saying this, the two rushed toward the direction of the roaring noise.


    "Remember, if there¡¯s any danger, you run first."


    Though they were speeding through the forest, Liliya did not forget to remind Rocky to flee if danger arose. Rocky, who was closely following her, nodded at her words, though it was unclear if he agreed.


    Afterward, the two advanced quickly through the forest, one after the other. Liliya was known for her agility, which allowed her to move freely through the forest, and Rocky, relying on the enhancement provided by his Void Magic Armor, moved with ease as well. In such a manner, they soon traversed hundreds of meters into the forest as if walking on t ground.


    At the same time, the demon¡¯s roars continued unabated, serving as invisible coordinates, continuously reminding Rocky and Liliya that they were getting closer and closer to their target.


    "Stop!"


    Once they heard the demon¡¯s roar again, Liliya suddenly halted, realizing from the sound that they were very close to the demon. It was not wise to continue sprinting at this point, as it could lead to running straight into the demon¡¯s embrace.


    Seeing her stop, Rocky, who had always been following her, also halted and then drew the side sword from his Void Magic Armor, readying himself for battle!


    "The demon is in that direction, go!"


    Using her experience, Liliya quickly identified a direction and, after informing Rocky, briskly headed that way.


    However, just as they were about to search for the demon, having barely taken a step, a loud noise suddenly erupted from the distant forest, followed instantly by a ck shadow shooting out like a cannonball!


    Had they been discovered?!


    Seeing a ck shadow fly out from the forest, both Liliya and Rocky were startled, their first thought being that the demon had spotted them.


    But a momentter, they realized that this was not the case. The ck shadow that flew out from afar crashed into arge tree while still a good distance from them and let out a miserable scream as it hit the ground.


    Not a demon?


    This unexpected oue left Rocky stunned. When he took a closer look at the shadow, he found that it wasn¡¯t a demon at all, but a person!


    No, that was not quite urate; to be precise, the shadow was a Beastman¡ªa towering Beastman, more than two meters tall!


    What was happening?!


    The scene before him confused Rocky. He had expected a demon to rush out, but instead, it was a Beastman, and judging by the way the Beastman hadnded, he seemed to have been sent flying?


    "Don¡¯t just stand there like an idiot!"


    While Rocky was dazed, Liliya reacted swiftly and pulled him behind a huge rock to take cover.


    Just as they had hidden, the demon¡¯s roar sounded again, apanied by the sound of heavy footsteps.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The heavy footsteps grew closer and soon caused the ground beneath Rocky to tremble, indicating something was approaching.


    The severe shaking of the ground made Rocky, hiding behind the rock, unable to resist peering out to take a look. Soon enough, he saw the distant forest ambiguously reveal a massive figure!


    The sheer size of the figure was astoundinglyrge by any measure, and with each step, the earth trembled along. And while its strides didn¡¯t seem swift, it had covered the distance in merely a few paces!


    "My God, what on earth is that thing!"


    As he watched the enormous figure step out of the shadows, Rocky¡¯s eyes grew wider and his face gradually paled!


    Because in his view, the creature that emerged from the forest was unmistakably a monster!


    This monster stood over three meters tall, resembling a humanoid rock. Every inch of it was made of stone, and its massive stone fists were as big as its head; the only things rtively normal about it were its eyes. However, inparison to its huge stature, its eyes were as small as soybeans, just two little dots on its enormous head.


    What was this thing?


    "Demons..."


    While Rocky was utterly dumbfounded by the monster before him, Liliya inhaled sharply next to him, for while Rocky didn¡¯t know what the monster was, Liliya did¡ªit was the demon they were hunting!


    "It¡¯s the Greyrock Demon... Damn it!"


    After one nce at the demon, Liliya clenched her teeth fiercely. Hearing this, Rocky quickly retreated and asked softly, "Is that a demon? You recognize it?"


    Liliya nodded, a worried look crossing her face.


    "Is it a high-level demon?"


    Rocky certainly noticed Liliya¡¯s concern and quickly pressed for answers. They couldn¡¯t really be so unlucky as to encounter a high-level demon right away, could they?


    Fortunately, Liliya shook her head after a moment, indicating they weren¡¯t that unlucky.


    But after shaking her head, Liliya followed up saying, "This type of demon is called the Greyrock Demon. Although it¡¯s a low-level demon, it¡¯s very tough to handle."


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Greyrock Demons have no flesh and blood; they are entirelyposed of stone. This thing is extremely strong, and its body is harder than diamond¡ª not even a magic cannon can shatter it, which makes it really tough to deal with."


    Liliya was absolutely right. At that moment, what they had encountered was indeed a Greyrock Demon, whose biggest characteristic was its toughness¡ªso tough that even standing still and taking a direct hit from a magic cannon didn¡¯t bother it!


    However, the value of a Greyrock Demon was also extremely high. Despitecking flesh, once killed, a Greyrock Demon¡¯s body would disintegrate into Greyrock Stone chunks. Once refined, these chunks could be turned into incredibly sturdy Grayrock Steel, making it one of the most top-notch materials, more valuable than an equivalent amount of gold!


    In just a few words, Liliya exined the situation regarding the Greyrock Demon to Rocky, leaving it unclear whether they were unlucky or fortunate to have encountered such a difficult yet valuable Greyrock Demon.


    "I see... So what do we do now? Do we take action?"


    After understanding the basics about the Greyrock Demon, Rocky asked.


    "Wait a moment, let¡¯s see how things unfold first,"


    Liliya waved her hand and was not ready to act immediately, instead peering out to observe.


    At this time, the Greyrock Demon once again took a step, but its heavy footsteps were not heading towards Rocky and Liliya. Instead, it was heading towards the Beastman who had previously crashed into the ground with a thud!


    Meanwhile, the Beastman also got up.


    The Beastman stood there bare-chested, his muscles sculpted and well-defined, and he wielded a broadaxe in his hand. He showed no fear in the face of the approaching Greyrock Demon. In fact, he even thumped his chest, full of fighting spirit!


    "Who is this guy?"


    Hiding behind a rock, Rocky nced at the Greyrock Demon and then at the Beastman, utterly confused; he still hadn¡¯t figured out what was going on.


    However, Liliya next to him quickly provided an answer.


    After looking at the Beastman, she turned to Rocky and said, "This Beastman, just like us, is here to hunt demons."


    "He¡¯s a Demon Hunter!"

 Chapter 36 - 35 Demon Hunter

    "This Beastman... is a Demon Hunter?"


    Liliya¡¯s words made Rocky gasp sharply and he hurriedly leaned forward to look at the Beastman.


    In his gaze, the bare-chested Beastman was confronting a Grayrock Demon. Although the Grayrock Demon had a gigantic body, the Beastman was also a hulking figure, standing well over two meters tall with muscles that seemed sculpted by axes and cleavers. Just this impressive appearance alone made him no less formidable than the Grayrock Demon.


    What was even more crucial was the strong fighting spirit exhibited by the Beastman. He had clearly been thrown here, but when he got up from the ground, he showed no fear facing the advancing Grayrock Demon.


    Was this the Demon Hunter?


    It had been said before that because demons were of great value, this had given rise to the profession of Demon Hunter, those who hunted demons specifically to sell them and thereby sustain their livelihood.


    Generally speaking, Demon Hunters were extremely wealthy, given the immense value of demons. A Demon Hunter, if he hunted just one demon a year, could earn enough to livefortably without worries for the entire year.


    But equally, while this profession was lucrative, it also had a high mortality rate. After all, the targets they hunted were terrifying, leading to a frequent reversal of roles between hunter and hunted, to the extent that the vast majority of Demon Hunters ultimately died during their hunts, turning into the quarry of the demons.


    Yet even so, there were still a great number of people who pursued this profession. After all, demons were valuable, and among the Demon Hunters, there were indeed skilled individuals; some even made a name for themselves and became significant figures that shook the entire sky.


    Rocky had not expected that his first demon hunt would bring him face to face with a Demon Hunter; he couldn¡¯t tell if this was bad luck or good fortune.


    "They¡¯re fighting!"


    Just as Rocky was inwardly reflecting, the Beastman and the Grayrock Demon had already started shing fiercely!


    The first to make a move was not the Grayrock Demon but the Beastman!


    The Beastman let out a furious roar and charged towards the Grayrock Demon, his entire form like a moving mountain. Momentster, he mmed ferociously into the Grayrock Demon¡¯s chest, forcing the massive opponent to stumble back several steps.


    And that was not the end. As the Grayrock Demon staggered back from the powerful impact, the Beastman leaped up, hoisted the Broadaxe in his hands, and chopped down fiercely.


    A sound rang out as the Broadaxe struck squarely on the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head, but it produced a metallic shing noise, and then... nothing further happened, the Grayrock Demon was unharmed!


    Seeing this scene, Rocky finally understood what Liliya had said earlier; the Grayrock Demon¡¯s body was exceedingly tough, impervious to ordinary weapons.


    After being struck by the axe, the Grayrock Demon was clearly enraged, and a crack then opened on its stone-like head, soon followed by roars emanating from the crack.


    Amid the roars, the Grayrock Demon raised its huge fist, and mmed it down hard at the Beastman!


    "Bring it on!!"


    Faced with the descending fist, not only did the Beastman not dodge, but he also let out a shout and then hoisted the Broadaxe with both hands as if he were holding up the fiery sky, attempting to block the strike outright!


    A momentter, a dull thud sounded; the Grayrock Demon¡¯s fistnded heavily, exactly on the Beastman¡¯s Broadaxe.


    And yet... he actually blocked it!


    The Beastman below the fist was gritting his teeth, veins bulging on his arms as he held the Grayrock Demon¡¯s fist at bay with the Broadaxe, sessfully withstanding the blow.


    Then, amidst his roaring, the Beastman¡¯s arms burst with force, swiftly knocking aside the fist overhead, and as he leaped up, hended another axe blow on the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head!


    "My goodness..."


    Rocky, hiding behind a rock, waspletely stunned by the battle unfolding before him. He had never imagined the Beastman could be so formidable, daring to fight a demon one-on-one, and not falling behind in the least!


    This was utterly unbelievable!


    Yet, as shocked as he was, and as much as he admired it, he hadn¡¯t forgotten his main task ¡ª he too was here to hunt demons!


    So, Rocky hesitated, unsure of what to do. The Beastman before him was so formidable; should he just stand by and watch the highly valuable Grayrock Demon be defeated and let this big catch slip away?


    Thinking this, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but nce at Liliya, then noticed that Liliya¡¯s brows were also tightly knit.


    "Liliya, can this Beastman win?"


    "Hard to say..."


    Liliya shook her head, her expression serious, "This Beastman is very powerful, I estimate he¡¯s at least a fifth-level warrior, maybe even sixth, and he has a lot of experience. Did you notice? Each of his attacks specifically targets the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head because that¡¯s the only weak spot, where the Demon Core is located."


    "But... it¡¯s not going to be easy for this Beastman to defeat the Grayrock Demon."


    "He¡¯s already on par with the Grayrock Demon, how is it not easy?"


    "You¡¯ll see soon enough, we¡¯re not at the critical moment yet."


    Without further exnation, Liliya continued to watch the battlefield.


    At this moment, the Beastman was fiercely tangled in a death battle with the Grayrock Demon, and he was indeed formidable. Facing a Grayrock Demon that was significantlyrger than himself, he did not fall behind at all; in fact, due to his rtively greater agility, he even managed to gain the upper hand at times!


    This result made Rocky extremely anxious, because, at this rate, the Grayrock Demon might really end up in the Beastman¡¯s bag!


    But just as he was about to lose control, an unexpected situation suddenly arose!


    The Beastman struck the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head with his Broadaxe once again, a move he had repeated countless times without effect. But this time, when the Broadaxe fell, something different happened¡ª there was a cracking sound, and a crack finally appeared in the rock-like head of the Grayrock Demon!


    ording to Liliya, the head was the only weak point of the Grayrock Demon, so although the Beastman hadn¡¯tpletely shattered its head, this strike gave him hope that a few more blows might finish the Grayrock Demon off.


    But at that moment, the heavily damaged Grayrock Demon let out a deafening roar and wentpletely berserk,unching an aggressive attack on the Beastman.


    In an instant, their positions of advantage werepletely reversed; the Beastman, who had been slightly on top, was immediately outmatched after the Grayrock Demon went mad and soon fell into a significant disadvantage.


    Facing the fists of the Grayrock Demon, the Beastman no longer dared to resist head-on and could only dodge awkwardly. At first, he managed to barely evade the attacks, but as time wore on, his greater disadvantage became evident¡ªhis stamina was failing!


    Considering the duration, they had been fighting for quite some time. The prolonged battle caused the Beastman¡¯s stamina to steadily decline. In contrast, the Grayrock Demon remained as strong as ever. So, when the Grayrock Demon began its frenzied assault, and the intensity of the fight escted, the Beastman gradually couldn¡¯t keep up.


    After dodging several attacks consecutively, the Beastman was ultimately, and carelessly, struck by a punch and knocked down to the ground!


    With one punch, the Beastman was ttened to the ground, and the Grayrock Demon then lifted its foot and, roaring furiously, mmed it down, attempting to crush the Beastman with one stomp.


    In that instant, the Beastman felt the threat of death and hurriedly rolled to the side before he could get up.


    Immediately after, there was a loud boom¡ªthe Grayrock Demon¡¯s foot mmed down, and the ground erupted in a cloud of smoke¡­


    "Aaaaah!!!"


    From within the enveloping smoke came a sudden scream. Hidden behind a rock, Rocky and Liliya quickly looked over, but it was not until the smoke cleared that they saw that one of the Beastman¡¯s arms was pinned under the foot of the Grayrock Demon!


    Amid the screams, the Beastman struggled fiercely to pull his arm free, but to no avail. The Grayrock Demon¡¯s body was even more massive than his and made entirely of stone, making it unimaginably heavy.


    While the Beastman struggled to escape, the Grayrock Demon, instead of lifting its foot, raised its fist high and aimed directly down at the Beastman!


    Boom!


    A loud crash sounded as the Grayrock Demon¡¯s fist smashed into the ground, and at the same time, the Beastman¡¯s screams abruptly stopped¡­


    Had he been, had he been smashed to death?


    No longer hearing the Beastman¡¯s screams, Rocky, hidden behind a rock, felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that the Beastman had just been smashed to death?


    But no!


    Just as he thought the Beastman had been killed, he suddenly saw a disheveled figure appear not far away¡ªit was the Beastman!


    He was alive! And he had escaped?


    Seeing the Beastman reappear, Rocky was shocked. However, as he looked closely at the Beastman, he was stunned.


    The Broadaxe in the Beastman¡¯s hand was dripping with blood, and his other arm was severed cleanly!


    In a desperate bid to save his life, the Beastman had amputated his own arm that was pinned down, thus narrowly escaping death.


    That was ruthless¡­


    Looking at the still-bleeding stump, Rocky felt his face must have turned pale, realizing just how dangerous it was to deal with Demons¡ªthat life and death could hinge on an instant.


    "Oh no!"


    As Rocky was somewhat dazed, Liliya suddenly shouted, snapping him out of his stupor.


    Oh no!


    Recovering his senses, Rocky silently cursed as the Beastman who had just narrowly escaped death was charging in their direction, where he and Liliya were hiding!


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    This wasn¡¯t to say that the Beastman had spotted them, but rather, having lost an arm, he knew he couldn¡¯t win and so decided to flee. Coincidentally, the direction of his escape was precisely where Rocky and Liliya were hiding.


    As he attempted to flee, the berserk Grayrock Demon showed no signs of stopping. The frenzied demon not only caught up with the Beastman but also raised its fist and smashed down, forcing the Beastman to use everyst bit of his strength to barely dodge.


    Although he dodged, the Grayrock Demon¡¯s fist smashed directly onto arge rock¡ªthe very rock behind which Rocky and Liliya were hiding!


    As the rock shattered, the two of them sprang out, appearing before the Beastman and the Grayrock Demon¡­


    In an instant, the whole forest fell silent, as neither the Beastman nor the Grayrock Demon expected others to be present.


    Simrly, Rocky and Liliya were caught off guard, never having imagined they would expose themselves like this.


    But as the Beastman, Grayrock Demon, and Rocky all froze, Liliya was the first to react, and she shouted at Rocky,


    "Take action!!"

 Chapter 37 - 36: Take Action!

    ```


    "Attack!"


    While everyone else was stunned, Liliya reacted the fastest, she shouted at Rocky and then, with shield in hand and longsword gripped tight, she charged directly at the Grayrock Demon!


    Rocky and the Beastmen quickly caught up, with the Beastmen¡¯s reaction slightly faster. He didn¡¯t get entangled in who Rocky and Liliya were, instead taking the opportunity to dash into the forest, directly running away.


    As for Rocky, he took to the air and then dove down at the Grayrock Demon from midair!


    "I¡¯ll hold it off, you look for a chance to attack its head!"


    Holding up her shield as she approached the Grayrock Demon, Liliya shouted while swinging her longsword heavily toward the Grayrock Demon¡¯s lower leg.


    The Grayrock Demon stood over three meters tall, and even the simrlyrge Beastmen only came up to its chest when facing it, so Liliya, who was even shorter than the Beastmen, had no way topare with such a massive creature. In front of this gigantic monster, Liliya was like a tiny speck.


    But don¡¯t underestimate this small figure, because Liliya was now fully equipped with rune-enhanced gear personally strengthened by Winsail. With the power of this rune equipment, her strength had skyrocketed, already nearing the level of a fifth-level warrior.


    So when Liliya¡¯s sword struck the Grayrock Demon, a crack followed by scattering of stone shards showed she had actually injured the Grayrock Demon!


    This was simply incredible!


    The rock-solid Grayrock Demon, so easily hurt!?


    If the Beastman from before had seen this scene, he would have dropped his jaw in shock, for he had fought desperately for a long time, striking the same spot countless times, only to barely make a crack on the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head. Yet Liliya¡¯s single strike knocked off several chunks of stone from the body of the Grayrock Demon, the difference was simply too great.


    Of course, this did not mean Liliya was stronger than the Beastmen, in actuality, the real difference in absolute strength was still in the Beastmen¡¯s favor. The real gap was in the equipment¡ªthe Beastmen¡¯s broadaxe couldn¡¯tpare with Liliya¡¯s full set of rune equipment.


    Especially the longsword in Liliya¡¯s hand, which Rocky had found in the research institute. Winsail had inscribed several hundred first-level runes on this longsword, the contained mana even surpassing that of the Side Sword of the Void Magic Armor.


    As the saying goes, a fine horse deserves a good saddle; the reason Liliya could injure the Grayrock Demon with one strike was because her weapon was good enough.


    At this moment, the Grayrock Demon, having been struck, was clearly in pain and immediately swung its fist down at Liliya.


    "Opportunity!"


    Seeing the Grayrock Demon focus on Liliya, Rocky immediately seized this opportunity, quickly flying over the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head from midair and shing viciously at its head!


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    With a ng, Rocky¡¯s longswordnded heavily on the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head, followed by a cracking sound that made the fissure cut by the Beastmen evenrger!


    Rocky was wearing the Void Magic Armor, and the longsword in his hand was naturally embedded with magic stones and inscribed with many runes, so its power was immense.


    Moreover, the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head had already been attacked countless times by the Beastmen and had shown weaknesses, so Rocky¡¯s sword strike immediately had an effect.


    At this moment, the Grayrock Demon clearly had suffered a heavy blow, its huge form even swaying and nearly losing its bnce.


    But simrly, the heavily injured Grayrock Demon became even more furious after regaining its footing!


    You could see it roaring in anger as it raised both arms and then tried to crush Rocky on its head with a powerful blow.


    In such a situation, even Rocky, who wanted to follow up with a second strike, couldn¡¯t react in time and hurriedly flew higher instead. Just as he flew out of the reach of the Grayrock Demon¡¯s attack, a muffled thud sounded as the demon¡¯s raised arms pped together with such force that it even cracked its palms!


    Seeing this, Rocky broke out in a cold sweat and felt thankful he hadn¡¯t been rash in seeking quick sess, for if such a heavy blow had hit him, he would have been heavily injured, if not dead.


    Seeing Rocky escape its attack range, the Grayrock Demon on the ground roared at him non-stop, madly waving its arms to hit him out of the air, but to no avail.


    However, suddenly during its wild arm swinging, the Grayrock Demon tilted and its huge body fell down without warning.


    It turned out that while Rocky had drawn the Grayrock Demon¡¯s attention, Liliya took the opportunity to circle behind it and, seizing the moment, shed at the Grayrock Demon¡¯s knee with all her strength. Adding the inherent power of her longsword, she managed to make the Grayrock Demon lose its bnce and half-kneel to the ground.


    At the same time, Rocky in the air dove down again, striking the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head once more.


    In this way, Rocky and Liliya, one in the air and the other on the ground, began to engage with the Grayrock Demon.


    Although Rocky and Liliya had less absolute strengthpared to the Beastmen, one was wearing rune-enhanced Void Magic Armor and the other rune equipment. With their tacit cooperation, theirbined strength resulted in a qualitative change, leaving the enraged Grayrock Demon no chance against them.


    Facing the agile Liliya and the freely flying Rocky, the Grayrock Demon was yed like a puppet, each time it targeted one of them, the other wouldunch a stealth attack, and with both of their weapons so powerful, the duet gradually left the Grayrock Demon battered and bruised.


    What¡¯s more important, during these repeated attacks, the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head became the main target, enduring countless hits!


    "Die!"


    ```


    When the Grayrock Demon was once again lured by Liliya, Rocky charged above its head and brought down another sword strike, directly severing half of its brain, even exposing the Demon Core within!


    Finally, they saw results!


    Seeing his strike sever half of the demon¡¯s brain and expose the Demon Core, Rocky was overjoyed¡ªit meant they were about to seed. If the next strike could hit the Demon Core, it would be enough topletely annihte the monster before them!


    But just as Rocky basked in his triumph, the Grayrock Demon wentpletely berserk. The threat of death made the monster let out an ear-shattering roar, and it suddenly changed direction, charging into the forest.


    This was...


    Trying to flee?


    The actions of the Grayrock Demon left both Rocky and Liliya stunned; they never expected the monster to know how to flee?


    However, they quickly realized their mistake, for demons do not flee, and that was what made them most terrifying.


    The crazed Grayrock Demon wasn¡¯t running away but instead made it to arge tree. It hugged the tree trunk, yanking the great tree from its roots, then swung it like a broom toward Liliya!


    "Ah!!"


    Faced with the sweeping tree, Liliya had nowhere to escape despite her agility. All she could do was shield herself with a shield before the tree trunk struck her fiercely, sending her flying...


    "Liliya!"


    Seeing Liliya sent flying, Rocky, who was in mid-air, panicked. But he was the next to suffer, as the Grayrock Demon, after sweeping Liliya away, raised the tree and took aim at him!


    "Damn it!"


    Rocky, who initially was about to dive down to rescue Liliya, had to halt his descent and, with a nimble sidestep, circled in the air, narrowly avoiding the attack.


    "Use magic!"


    Just then, Liliya¡¯s voice called out from below. Although she had been struck head-on, the protection of her rune equipment and the timely use of her shield meant her injuries weren¡¯t severe; she even had the strength to remind Rocky.


    Rocky immediately took her advice and began to fly around the Grayrock Demon, with his palm opened he shot out a series of Magic Bullets!


    The sounds of "Boom, boom, boom" followed, as a barrage of Magic Bullets rained down from the sky.


    However, due to the high-speed flight, the hit rate of the Magic Bullets wasn¡¯t high; only a small portion hit the Grayrock Demon, with the vast majority missing. Even the hits did not do much damage, for Rocky, empowered by the Void Magic Armor, only reached the level of a Third Level Mage. His Magic Bullets were too weak to harm the Grayrock Demon.


    Yet the unstruck Magic Bullets had a noticeable effect, as they kicked up dust upon impacting the ground, quickly enveloping the battlefield in smoke, with the Grayrock Demon, Rocky, and Liliya all lost within it.


    This was Rocky¡¯s true intention!


    Amid the billows of smoke, therge frame of the Grayrock Demon remained clearly visible, but it was different for Rocky and Liliya. After being engulfed by the smoke, theypletely vanished, leaving the Grayrock Demon unable to find them.


    For a moment, the battlefield fell silent, save for the Grayrock Demon¡¯s roars and heavy footsteps. No matter how much it bellowed, Rocky and Liliya did not appear¡ªthey seemed to have vanished.


    "Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"


    Unable to find the pair, the Grayrock Demon¡¯s roars grew louder, and it swung the tree in its hands blindly, making several rounds in the surrounding area.


    As the tree continued to sweep, the smoke gradually cleared, revealing everything that had been covered...


    "Die!"


    But just as the smoke started to clear, Liliya, who had been out of sight for a while, suddenly fell from above the Grayrock Demon, her Rune Longsword aiming straight for its head!


    With a ng, Liliya struck!


    Her sword harshly hit the Grayrock Demon¡¯s... arm!


    In a critical moment, the Grayrock Demon dropped the tree and raised its arm to protect its head, sessfully fending off the lethal blow...


    However, at the very moment Liliya¡¯s strike was blocked, the Grayrock Demon¡¯s head was prated!


    A Rune Longsword entered through the back of the Grayrock Demon¡¯s skull, piercing the Demon Core within, then emerged through the mouth, which resembled a gap!


    Dressed in Void Magic Armor, Rocky floated behind the Grayrock Demon and struck it down!

 Chapter 38 - 37 Meeting Again

    Rocky thrust his sword through the Demon Core of the Grayrock Demon from behind,pletely killing the fearsome creature...!


    A thunderous boom echoed as the Demon Core was pierced, and the Grayrock Demon¡¯s colossal body copsed with a crash, breaking into variably sized rocks, which turned into the Greyrock Stones that Liliya had mentioned before.


    The hunt¡ªsessful!


    As they witnessed the Grayrock Demon crumble into rubble, Rocky and Liliya exchanged a nce and smiles spread across their faces simultaneously.


    They had won!


    They had truly in the Grayrock Demon!


    The tough and perilous battle had exhausted them both, so as soon as the Grayrock Demon hit the ground, they were immediately overwhelmed by an immense fatigue and couldn¡¯t help but sit down on the ground to catch their breath.


    To be honest, even though Rocky had made ample preparations beforehand and had even undertaken an intensive week of training with Liliya, the real encounter with the Demon, especially thebat, made him understand the kind of pressure one had to bear in the face of a Demon.


    Therefore, even though the Grayrock Demon had be nothing more than real stones, the memory of the recent fight still left Rocky with lingering palpitations.


    "That was really close, just now..."


    Leaning against what had be a boulder¡ªthe Grayrock Demon¡ªRocky couldn¡¯t help but express his amazement.


    Although he and Liliya weren¡¯t gravely injured, it didn¡¯t mean the battle hadn¡¯t been dangerous. In fact, had they not been together, had their equipment not been sufficiently good, or had the Beastmen not fought a vanguard role prior, they might not have won at all.


    "You did well,"


    said Liliya, seated next to Rocky, as she nced at him and revealed a knowing smile.


    Rocky¡¯s performance had far exceeded her expectations. It was, frankly, unexpectedly good.


    Because Liliya knew Rocky best, she knew he hadn¡¯t really fought before; at most, he had engaged in some inconsequential training with her. But no matter how much training one does, it could neverpare to realbat.


    Therefore, before this point, including during the battle, Liliya had been worried that Rocky wouldn¡¯t be able to endure¡ªnot physically, but mentally. Intense and dangerous battles can easily crush the unstable at heart, yet Rocky had managed, and he had done quite well.


    "Haha!"


    Hearing Liliya¡¯s praise, Rockyughed heartily, naturally feeling especially pleased.


    As they joked andughed, they alleviated the fatigue from the fight, but they soon got busy with a pressing task.


    Though they had in the Grayrock Demon, one mustn¡¯t forget they were still in the midst of the forest, still onnd.


    In this day and age,nd was undoubtedly the most dangerous ce in the world, so after achieving their objective, they didn¡¯t dare to rx and immediately set about collecting the body of the Grayrock Demon, which was the Greyrock Stones scattered about.


    These Greyrock Stones were their spoils of war, and extremely valuable at that. These seemingly ordinary stones would instantly sell out once put on the market, bringing a steady flow of wealth to Rocky and Thunderhawk City!


    Under these circumstances, Rocky took out the bags he had prepared beforehand and, together with Liliya, gathered up all the Greyrock Stones, not leaving a single scrap behind.


    Rocky had done something simr at the research institute before, so he was quite experienced.


    "Liliya, how much do you think these Greyrock Stones will sell for?"


    asked Rocky as he collected the stones from the ground.


    "That¡¯s hard to say. We¡¯ll know when we ask Aileen back home, but as far as I know, Grayrock Steel is one of the best steel materials and it sells by the gram on the market, so we¡¯re definitely going to make a good amount of money this time,"


    replied Liliya.


    "That¡¯s great, hehe!"


    Rocky felt much relieved by Liliya¡¯s words. After all, he had risked his life hunting Demons to earn money.


    But just as he was gleefully stuffing the Greyrock Stones into therge sacks, Liliya suddenly stopped and stood up, clutching her Longsword.


    "Liliya, what¡¯s..."


    After ncing at Liliya, Rocky found her staring intently behind him and quickly turned around, only to see a person standing in the forest behind him!


    This person had only one arm... it was the Beastman from before!


    This guy hasn¡¯t run away yet?!


    Surprised to see the Beastman again, Rocky immediately gripped his side sword.


    Was this fellow nning to swoop in like a mantis stalking a cicada, with the oriole following, to steal the spoils of battle?


    It was no wonder Rocky thought this, for strictly speaking, the Grayrock Demon was actually the Beastman¡¯s prey. Not only had the Beastman discovered it first, but he had also fought with it for a long time, and during this fight, the Beastman had even cracked the Grayrock Demon¡¯s skull. The rtively easy victory Liliya and Rocky had over the Grayrock Demon owed much to the Beastman¡¯s efforts.


    Because of this, it was not impossible for the Beastman to want a share of the spoils or even to attempt to snatch them by force.


    And when both Rocky and Liliya had turned their attention to the Beastman, who, despite having lost an arm, still held a broadaxe in his other hand, he also took a step forward, walking toward them.


    "Stop, don¡¯te any closer."


    When the Beastman came within a dozen meters of Rocky, Liliya stepped forward to shield Rocky behind her, her long sword pointed directly at the Beastman, ordering him not toe any closer.


    Liliya knew all too well how strong the Beastman was; even with a severed arm, he was by no means an easy opponent, so she couldn¡¯t allow him to get too close.


    However, to the surprise of both Rocky and Liliya, the Beastman actually stopped in his tracks. Not only that, he then raised his broadaxe and slowly loosened his grip, letting the broadaxe fall to the ground.


    In the culture of the Beastmen,ying down one¡¯s weapon in front of an opponent was equivalent to surrendering!


    "You two, I mean no harm."


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    After setting down his broadaxe, the Beastman spoke up.


    His voice was somewhat muffled yet very loud, giving the impression of distant thunder.


    "If you have something to say, you can say it from there."


    Liliya, though the Beastman hadid down his weapon, didn¡¯t rx her guard one bit. She still gripped her long sword tightly, not allowing the Beastman toe any nearer.


    The Beastman seemed a little helpless at her intense caution and began to regard Rocky with even greater importance since he could clearly sense that Liliya was protecting him. Not to mention, Rocky¡¯s Void Magic Armor made it obvious that he was no ordinary individual.


    Thus, standing still, the Beastman inquired, "My lord, you are not Demon Hunters, are you?"


    "No."


    Realizing the Beastman was addressing him, Rocky nodded.


    "My lord, are you from Sky City?"


    Once the Beastman was certain that he and Rocky were not of the same profession, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and followed up with his question.


    "Yes, what do you want with that?"


    "My lord, I hope you could take me to Sky City, I..."


    "Need treatment."


    It was only when the Beastman spoke these words that Rocky remembered the other was severely injured!


    Despite appearing still majestic, the Beastman¡¯s left arm waspletely gone, the stump tied roughly with hemp rope to stem the bleeding, and the injury was evidently very severe.


    This was indeed the real reason why the Beastman had returned. Although he had initially fled taking advantage of the fight between Rocky, Liliya, and the Demon, such a serious injury was beyond him to handle, so after a simple dressing, he waspelled toe back, resulting in the scene before them.


    And upon hearing his words, before Rocky could even respond, Liliya suddenly turned around and whispered in his ear, "Take him back with us and try to keep him in the city!"

 Chapter 39 - 38 The Unexpected Guest

    Upon learning that the Beastmen actually wanted them to take him back to Sky City for treatment of his injuries, Liliya reacted swiftly and immediately whispered to Rocky, "Take him back and try to keep him."


    The words took Rocky by surprise. Although he was astonished by Liliya¡¯s change of attitude, he quickly understood her intention¡ªwas she nning to have him subjugate the Beastman before them?!


    Once he grasped Liliya¡¯s intent, Rocky immediately felt it was feasible!


    Despite the Beastman having lost an arm, which made him appear gravely injured, his inherent strength was unmistakable. Even with one arm missing, his power was not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, in his current state, it was impossible for him to continue as a Demon Hunter. ying demons single-handedly, the Beastman had not reached such a monstrous level of strength.


    But this presented Rocky with an opportunity. If he could retain the Beastman who could no longer hunt demons under hismand, it would surely be a significant asset. Whether it was the Beastman¡¯s strength or his experience and insight, it would all be of immense help to Rocky!


    Thinking this, he gave Liliya a slight nod to show that he understood her message, then turned to the Beastman and said,


    "I can take you to Sky City."


    "Thank you so much!"


    Seeing Rocky¡¯s nod of agreement, the Beastman appeared very excited, and the nerves he had been straining rxed, causing his massive body to sway uncontrobly thereafter.


    His injuries were actually much more severe than they appeared. The reason he had maintained his imposing demeanor wasrgely due to sheer tenacity; now that he had rxed, he was clearly struggling to keep up.


    This guy, he¡¯s quite clever...


    Noticing the Beastman¡¯splexion worsen, Rocky naturally understood that his just prior appearance was feigned. This didn¡¯t surprise him. After all, neither party knew the other, and it wasn¡¯t wrong for the Beastman to maintain a strong front, at least to appear capable of fighting, otherwise no one could ensure that he wouldn¡¯t be another hunting target.


    This kind of thing was not umon onnd.


    "What¡¯s your name?"


    And so, Rocky, Liliya, and the Beastman left the forest together, beginning their journey towards the edge of the woond.


    As they walked, Rocky asked.


    "Monte."


    The Beastman nced at Rocky, looking past Liliya who was between them, and in a deep, resonant voice, he stated his name.


    Although the three of them were walking together towards the outskirts of the forest at this time, they still maintained a considerable distance from one another. Liliya and Rocky walked side by side, deliberately keeping the Beastman apart from Rocky, clearly still on guard.


    Liliya didn¡¯t see a problem with this caution. Although she was keen on having Rocky subdue the Beastman, until they fully understood his background and character, it was prudent to remain guarded; otherwise, it might be toote if anything went wrong.


    The Beastman also noticed Liliya¡¯s thoughts and consciously maintained a fair distance from Rocky. It was fortunate his voice was naturally loud, otherwise they might have struggled to hear each other while talking.


    "My name is Rocky, and this is my guard, Liliya. We are from Thunderhawk City."


    After Monte introduced himself, Rocky also briefly introduced themselves, and with that, they were acquainted.


    "How do you n on returning to Sky City? You can use my Skyship if you want."


    Continuing towards the edge of the forest, Monte asked.


    "No need, someone wille to pick us up."


    "You have a Skyship?"


    Liliya declined Monte¡¯s offer, but Rocky¡¯s face showed surprise and curiosity. He knew that Monte was a Demon Hunter, but he was unaware that the other man also possessed a Skyship. Skyships were not cheap; most people simply could not afford one.


    They say Demon Hunters are wealthy, and it seems to be true.


    "Just a small, worn vessel barely good enough to get by, not worth much."


    As for Rocky¡¯s surprise and curiosity, Monte wasn¡¯t taken aback.


    As a Demon Hunter, Monte had traveled far and wide, and he could immediately tell that Rocky, although of no ordinary status, was ignorant about many things, such as his current reaction, which showed that he didn¡¯t have much understanding of Demon Hunters.


    For a true Demon Hunter like Monte, owning a Skyship was not out of the ordinary; in fact, his home was on the Skyship.


    Because of their constant hunting of demons, Demon Hunters spent more time onnd than in Sky City. Furthermore, since Sky City could fly, it could move to different locations after a certain period. Therefore, for Demon Hunters, a profession that required extended periods onnd, it wasmon to be without a fixed abode and to set up their homes directly on their own Skyships.


    Monte was such a Demon Hunter who not only had his own skyship but also lived on it with his daughter.


    Thinking of his daughter waiting for his return, Monte sighed silently to himself. He had never anticipated falling prey to a Grayrock Demon. Although his life was spared, one of his hands had been crippled, which made it impossible for him to continue hunting demons.


    It seemed he needed to start making ns early, Monte couldn¡¯t help but think.


    Without realizing it, the three of them had walked out of the forest and at the same time, a hint of dawn had risen at the edge of the sky, day had broken.


    Upon exiting the forest, whether it was Liliya, Rocky, or Monte, all three sighed in relief at the same time. Then Liliya took out a signal disc and sent a signal to Thunderhawk City.


    Monte was startled when he saw the signal disc in Liliya¡¯s hands. He recognized the object, and he knew that such a signal disc was not something ordinary people could use.


    At the same time, he also took out a signal re, lit it, and held it up to the sky. This was the way ordinary people sent signals. Liliya¡¯s method of contacting Sky City directly with a signal disc was a practice reserved for the nobility.


    Of course, there were more advanced methods, such as using Mana to directly transmit sound or images, which were certainly not something the average person could afford.


    Shortly after the signals were sent, a skyship slowly approached from a distance and began tond after it neared Rocky and his group.


    This skyship was naturally not from Thunderhawk City, as it was clearly a small civilian skyship, even smaller than the scout ships of Thunderhawk City. It looked somewhat dated, and a young Female Beastman stood on the prow of the ship.


    "I¡¯m heading back first. I¡¯ll go to Sky City with your skyshipter,"


    After greeting Rocky, Monte walked towards his own skyship. Although his figure was still towering, it couldn¡¯t help but look somewhat lonely.


    Watching his figure recede into the distance, Rocky and Liliya almost simultaneously let out sighs.


    Although Monte hadn¡¯t said much along the way, they could hear a hint of helplessness and worry in his few words, especially when they saw the young Female Beastman standing on the skyship, they understood Monte¡¯s feelings even better.


    "Is that his daughter?"


    "It looks to be about the right age," Liliya nodded and said helplessly, "That¡¯s the life of a Demon Hunter. These people deal with demons on a regr basis and few end well. Monte is already lucky to have survived."


    "......"


    Rocky didn¡¯t know what to say in response to Liliya¡¯s words, as this was probably the fate of a Demon Hunter. These individuals danced on the edge of the knife every day and eventually died by that same de.


    "When will our skyship arrive?"


    For some reason, Rocky suddenly felt the wait was too long. He was eager to return to Thunderhawk City. Perhaps he longed for the City Lord¡¯s seat, or maybe he just wanted Monte to receive treatment as soon as possible. He wasn¡¯t sure himself.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Aileen has received the signal. We should arrive in another hour or two,"


    Liliya nced at the signal disc in her hand, which had received a signal from Aileen. This indicated that Aileen inside Sky City had sent a skyship.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Hearing this, Rocky nodded, knowing that it was no use being anxious about such matters and began the long wait with Liliya.


    In principle, waiting for two hours wasn¡¯t a very long time, but because they were carrying a lot of Greyrock Stones, and with Monte¡¯s presence, both Rocky and Liliya wanted to return to Thunderhawk City quickly to feel at ease.


    However, before their skyship arrived, they encountered an unwee surprise!


    The surprise visitors were not Demons, but other humans!


    Just as the two hours were almost up, a group of people suddenly flew in from the sky!


    A Void Magic Squad had suddenly appeared!


    The so-called Void Magic Squad was a troopposed of Void Magic Armor soldiers, the most elite troops across the skies.


    The squad that appeared in Rocky and Liliya¡¯s view was about ten strong, each member d in thetest model of Void Magic Armor.


    "How did we run into a Void Magic Squad?"


    Seeing the Void Magic Squad flying overhead, Rocky and Liliya were both stunned, having not expected to encounter such a high-end team.


    And as they spotted the group, the Void Magic Squad in mid-air also noticed them, with the leader even halting in ce!


    This is bad!


    Seeing the others notice them and halt, both Rocky and Liliya were struck with panic, worrying they might not be able to return this time¡­!

 Chapter 40 - 39 Mana Energy Value

    When Rocky and Liliya noticed the Void Magic Squad in mid-air had spotted them, they both inwardly cursed, "Damn it!"


    After all, this is thend!


    In the current world, there exists an unwritten rule that everyone abides by, which stiptes that everything that happens onnd is the work of demons.


    Killed onnd? Definitely the work of demons.


    Robbed onnd? Also definitely the work of demons.


    In short, no matter what happens onnd, the culprits are always demons, as this has be amon understanding among the people, because thew can only govern the skies and has long ceased to govern thend.


    And it¡¯s precisely because of this that dangers are omnipresent onnd; these dangers do indeede from demons, but sometimes they do not.


    So when Rocky and Liliya saw the Void Magic Squad appear and realized they had been noticed, they both had a moment of dread, not because they feared the squad was after the Greyrock Stone, but because they feared the squad would discover their secrets!


    Rocky¡¯s current attire, the Void Magic Armor, had been enhanced with runes, while Liliya was dressed in full rune equipment. If the squad were to detect anything off about them, they were as good as dead.


    In an instant, their hearts leaped into their throats!


    But thankfully, after a brief pause, the Void Magic Squad in mid-air resumed their flight and soon headed towards the horizon, disappearing from view.


    Only when the squad hadpletely vanished from sight did Rocky and Liliya finally breathe a sigh of relief.


    They hadn¡¯t been discovered.


    That was indeed too lucky.


    After exchanging nces, Rocky and Liliya saw in each other¡¯s faces the look of having survived a great peril, because at that very moment, their tension had even surpassed that of facing demons.


    In the face of demons, they might have had a chance to flee, but facing that Void Magic Squad moments before, there would have been no opportunity to escape had a fight ensued.


    The sudden unexpected encounter came quickly and left just as swiftly. And not long after the Void Magic Squad disappeared, the Skyship of Thunderhawk City arrived. Ten Skyships slowly emerged above Rocky¡¯s head and gradually descended.


    "It¡¯s finally over..."


    Seeing the Skyships from Thunderhawk City, Rocky finally let out a breath of relief, his mind at ease, but immediately felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.


    His mission this time, though not lengthy¡ªmerely a day and a night¡ªhad been filled with too many incidents. Not only did he encounter demons, but he also met Demon Hunters, and even a Void Magic Squad right when he was about to return home. The constant surprises had nearly overwhelmed him.


    Despite the numerous unnned events, he ultimately achieved his goal and sessfully returned to Thunderhawk City, which was a joyous oue for everyone.


    ......


    ......


    "Jialuo, what model of Void Magic Armor was that person wearing?"


    While Rocky sessfully boarded the Skyship and began his return to Thunderhawk City, the Void Magic Squad he had encountered continued to ascend to high altitudes, seemingly on their way back as well.


    During the ascent, the leader of the squad suddenly asked.


    This person was d in a suit of sharp-edged, silvery-white armor, obviously not the regr kind of Void Magic Armor, and although his face was obscured by the armor, his voice sounded very young, indicating he was likely not very old.


    The person he referred to was naturally Rocky, and it was indeed Rocky¡¯s Void Magic Armor that he was asking about!


    "Young Master, that¡¯s the Blood-patterned Second Generation Armor, from the first generation of Void Magic Armor, which has long been phased out. It¡¯s normal that you haven¡¯t seen it before," another person flew up beside him and promptly gave an urate answer.


    The Blood-patterned Second Generation Armor, the Void Magic Armor that Rocky was wearing, to tell the truth, even he himself had no idea about it, but it was seen through at a nce by a man named Jialuo.


    Upon hearing this answer, the young master first fell silent for a while, and then said, "It seems I have not misrecognized it, that indeed is the Blood-patterned Second Generation Armor, but something seems off to me..."


    "Young Master, is there a problem?"


    "Jialuo, do you remember what the magic energy value of the Blood-patterned Second Generation Armor is?"


    ncing at the person flying beside him, the young master asked again.


    "If I remember correctly, the official data states it at 300 magic energy value."


    The magic energy value the two were discussing is an important indicator for measuring thebat strength of Void Magic Armor.


    As is well known, the power source of Void Magic Armor is mana, therefore its strength is directly linked to mana, making the magic energy value the best indicator of the merits of a particr Void Magic Armor.


    And the magic energy value of the Blood-patterned Second Generation Armor just happened to be 300.


    "Only 300 for the magic energy value..."


    Upon hearing Jialuo¡¯s words, the young master d in silver-white armor furrowed his brows and then said with confusion, "But I¡¯ve just noticed that the Void Magic Armor the man is wearing far exceeds this number in terms of magic energy value!"


    "Oh?"


    Upon hearing this, Jialuo was also startled: "Young Master, what value did you see?"


    "500."


    "500? Young Master, that¡¯s simply impossible."


    Laughing with a ¡¯haha,¡¯ Jialuo, who was flying beside the young master, said, "Young Master, the magic energy detector must be faulty. The model of the Blood-patterned Second Generation Armor is too old, thetest magic energy detectors may experience detection issues."


    "Why would you say that?"


    Seeing that Jialuo totally disbelieved him, the young master was somewhat puzzled.


    "Young Master, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but the Blood-patterned Second Generation Armor simply cannot reach a magic energy value of 500." Jialuo then started exining to the young master: "The Blood-patterned Armor was the first generation of Void Magic Armor.


    Back then, armor had just been invented not long ago, and the technology in all aspects was immature, so the first generation of Void Magic Armor not only had generally low magic energy values but also provided very limited enhancement to the wearer."


    "What¡¯s more important is that the Blood-patterned Armor itself had design ws, so this series of armor waspletely phased out by the fourth generation, but even the Blood-patterned Fourth Generation Armor did not exceed a magic energy value of 600, so that man, even if he modified his armor, couldn¡¯t have possibly brought a second-generation armor up to the level of the fourth generation; that is simply impossible."


    "What you¡¯re saying... does make some sense, maybe the magic energy detector really is faulty."


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Jialuo¡¯s words made the young master nod his head, and then he stopped thinking about Rocky¡¯s matter.


    Not leaving after this, Jialuo instead continued to ask, "Young Master, what do you think?"


    "About what?"


    "The new model of armor."


    While speaking, Jialuo pointed to a few people behind them, or more urately at the Void Magic Armor they were wearing: "This batch of new model armor, how do you feel it performs in actualbat, Young Master?"


    "Average." After a nce at the few people behind him, the young master casually remarked, "They im the magic energy value reaches 5700, but in actualbat, they can¡¯t even put out a magic energy value of 4500. If I hadn¡¯t been there this time, they would have all died at the hands of high-level demons."


    "This..."


    Seemingly not expecting the young master to rate the new armor so poorly, Jialuo felt a bit embarrassed and only spoke after quite a while: "Young Master, these are general-purpose armors, they cannot bepared with your special armor."


    "If it doesn¡¯t hold up in actualbat, then talking about it is pointless. I will not rmend to the king to purchase this batch of armor."

 Chapter 41 - 40 Flattery

    "City Lord!"


    When Rocky arrived back at the Skyport in Thunderhawk City aboard the skyship, Aileen and a group of guards, including Voss himself, were already waiting for him. It was only after they saw him emerge unscathed from the cabin that everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Aileen.


    Regarding Rocky¡¯s mission this time, Aileen had not been optimistic. Although she admitted Rocky¡¯s ideas were right, she did not believe he could seed. In her opinion, Rocky¡¯s safe return was already the best oue.


    But precisely because her expectations were not high, Aileen waspletely stunned when she saw four bags full of Greyrock Stones being carried off the ship!


    "My Lord, is this, could this be¡­"


    With a fist-sized Greyrock Stone in her hand, Aileen could hardly believe her own eyes. She confirmed it over and over, even ncing back at Voss before speaking dryly, "Could this be Greyrock Stone?"


    "Exactly."


    Her reaction did not surprise Rocky. Not only did Aileen hold little hope for the mission, but even he himself did not have much confidence.


    Nevertheless, Rocky had ultimately seeded. Thus, when he saw the incredulous look on Aileen¡¯s face, although he might not have shown it on the surface, he was truly thrilled inside!


    "Congrattions to the City Lord for the great sess! Hunting down the Grayrock Demon, your military fortune is vast and enduring!"


    While Aileen was still dumbstruck and Rocky was secretly reveling in the moment, Voss, who had been standing to the side, suddenly stepped forward, bowed deeply to Rocky with great respect, and spoke out loud.


    His words took everyone present by surprise.


    Rocky was also taken aback. He did not expect Voss to say such things at this moment; it was tant ttery!


    That did not seem to be Voss¡¯s style at all.


    At the same time, the other people present, especially the guards, were also stunned upon hearing this.


    Voss¡¯s words caused all the guards to reveal surprised expressions. These men had no idea what Rocky had been doing onnd, so when they learned he had actually killed a demon, their view of Rocky changed instantly!


    To these ordinary guards, the demons that had upied thend for nearly a century were undefeatable monsters. Any person capable of killing demons was someone to be revered. As soon as they heard Voss¡¯s words, the guards looked at Rocky with immense respect, astonished by their own City Lord¡¯s prowess!


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Unintentionally, the soldiers stood even more erect and dared not act casually in Rocky¡¯s presence.


    The unconscious change in the guards did not escape Rocky¡¯s eyes, and he immediately understood Voss¡¯s intention. What Voss had just said seemed like sucking up, but it was actually meant for the guards to hear!


    Old fox!


    Rocky nodded his head with a smile toward Voss, admiring the old man even more.


    "What are you standing around for?"


    At that moment, Liliya stepped forward and addressed the guards, "Take these things to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion and then assign someone to guard them rigorously, not allowing for any mishaps!"


    "Yes!"


    Although Liliya had not been Captain of the Guards for long, she had already managed the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City extremely efficiently. The guards had a great deal of respect for her. As soon as Liliya finished speaking, the guards immediately started moving the four bags of Greyrock Stones.


    The four bags of Greyrock Stones that Rocky and Liliya had brought back required three or four guards to barely move one bag; after all, they were filled with Greyrock Stone, not cotton, and both Rocky and Liliya had managed to bring them back with the help of Void Magic Armor and their own strength, respectively.


    And once the guards had gradually moved all the Greyrock Stones away, Aileen looked at Rocky with a bit of curiosity: "City Lord, aren¡¯t you nning to go back?"


    The Greyrock Stones had been moved, but Rocky had shown no intention of leaving, which puzzled Liliya.


    "Wait for me for a moment, someone else ising,"


    While saying this, Rocky turned to Voss, "Lord Voss, please stay as well."


    "Of course,"


    Voss nodded with a smile and didn¡¯t ask any further questions before staying at the skyport.


    Not long after that, another skyship emerged from the clouds and slowly flew above the skyport.


    "My Lord, what is this...?"


    Aileen looked surprised as she watched the unfamiliar skyship approach because in Thunderhawk City, such a small city, it wasn¡¯tmon for people to visit. Other than the Chamber of Commerceing at fixed times for trade, it was unlikely for anyone else toe back even once a year.


    "This is a friend I met on thend,"


    Rocky exined casually with a slight smile, and at the same time, Felly, who was in charge of the skyport, ran up to him, "City Lord, this skyship... How should it be arranged?"


    Standing in front of Rocky, Felly was respectful but seemed somewhat at a loss,


    Under normal circumstances, skyships wanting to dock at Sky City have regtions to follow. Unless it¡¯s a skyship from the city itself, all foreign skyships have to first dere their purpose. Uponnding, they are also required to pay a certain skyport tax before being officially allowed in.


    But at this moment, the skyship preparing tond was clearly the one Rocky was waiting for, leaving Felly unsure whether to proceed with the usual procedure or not, so he decided toe over and ask.


    "Everything should follow the rules,"


    "Yes, sir!"


    Upon hearing this, Felly saluted Rocky and then quickly left.


    Under hismand, Monte¡¯s skyship began docking and slowly descended into the skyport.


    Once the skyship hadnded safely, Monte, apanied by his daughter, a young female Beastman, exited his skyship. After paying the tax to the guards, they headed straight for Rocky.


    Shortly after, Monte and his daughter arrived in front of Rocky and the others.


    By now, Monte¡¯splexion had improved a lotpared to before, and the arm that had been severed was now simply bandaged, probably tended by his daughter.


    "City Lord Rocky, thank you for your help,"


    "City Lord Rocky, thank you for saving my father,"


    As they approached Rocky, Monte said this while giving a deep bow in gratitude, and his daughter likewise bowed her head to Rocky.


    Such a disy of gratitude from them wasn¡¯t at all excessive, even though Rocky had only brought Monte to Thunderhawk City. But this simple gesture was enough to be considered a lifesaving favor.


    Monte¡¯s injuries were clearly not something he and his daughter could handle alone; they needed to find a professional doctor in Sky City for treatment. With the sky being so vast, it¡¯s not easy to juste across Sky City.


    If it weren¡¯t for Rocky, the only option for the father and daughter would have been to seek treatment in one of therge sky cities that floated at a fixed coordinate all year round. But by then, it was uncertain if Monte would still be saveable.


    So, Rocky¡¯s seemingly simple action actually amounted to saving Monte¡¯s life.


    "It¡¯s no trouble at all, just a helping hand,"


    Facing the father and daughter who bowed and expressed their thanks to him, Rocky smiled lightly and wasn¡¯t too concerned. However, he then addressed Monte, "We should get to know each other anew, the City Lord of Thunderhawk City, Rocky."

 Chapter 42 - 41 Ambition

    "You, you are actually...!"


    Rocky¡¯s new self-introduction, though brief, had truly shocked Monte!


    Monte had long noticed that Rocky was no ordinary person, but he had never imagined that Rocky was a city lord! He had originally thought that Rocky might be a noble of not insignificant status, but he never expected that Rocky¡¯s rank was far above that of a noble, so much so that he owned the city beneath their feet!


    Therefore, after a brief pause, Monte promptly pulled his daughter to kneel on one knee: "City Lord, please forgive our previous disrespect!"


    As a Demon Hunter, Monte wasn¡¯t just well-traveled and knowledgeable, but also much smarter than the average Beastman. Upon learning that Rocky was the master of Sky City, he immediately changed his attitude.


    He was very aware that he was on Rocky¡¯s territory, and while onnd it might not matter as much, inside Sky City no one could contend with the city lord. He did not want to displease the City Lord over a matter of etiquette, bringing unnecessary trouble upon himself and his daughter.


    "No need to be so formal, get up."


    With a casual wave of his hand, Rocky let Monte and his daughter stand up, then he turned to Liliya and said, "Arrange for a guard to take them to the city district, and have them treated as soon as possible."


    "Understood."


    Nodding, Liliya summoned a guard and arranged for him to lead Monte and his daughter away.


    It was only after the father and daughter had walked some distance away that Rocky turned to look at Aileen and Voss standing nearby.


    "Aileen, Lord Voss, what do you think of this man?"


    "My lord, this Beastman is..."


    Rocky¡¯s question momentarily caught Aileen off guard because she did not know who the other person was and thus did not understand Rocky¡¯s point.


    After that, Rocky recounted the events that had taken ce onnd, and only then did Aileen learn who Monte was, as well as finally grasping the reason Rocky had kept her and her grandfather behind.


    Rocky wanted them to help assess whether Monte could be of use to him!


    Although Aileen understood Rocky¡¯s intention, she did not speak recklessly, but instead looked at her grandfather.


    Then Voss nodded at Rocky, "My lord, this man is of use."


    Though Voss¡¯s words were simple, they gave Rocky considerable relief. Rocky had asked Voss to stay precisely because he knew of Voss¡¯s vast experience, especially when it came to judging people; his gaze was not only clear-sighted but also keen.


    Soon after that, Rocky left the Skyport with everyone else.


    He was indeed eager to recruit Monte, but such matters could not be rushed, nor was there any need to hurry. Considering the severity of Monte¡¯s injuries, he would not stay in Thunderhawk City for just a day or two.


    Furthermore, Rocky himself was quite busy. Now that he had obtained the Greyrock Stone, the next step was to make his way to Eternal City as quickly as possible. Only in Eternal City could he sell the Greyrock Stone, possibly for a high price, which was his top priority at the moment.


    Therefore, the next day, he called Aileen to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    "Aileen, how much do you think this batch of Greyrock Stone can sell for? Is it enough for Thunderhawk City¡¯s grain sales?"


    The issue of having no money to buy grain had always been a major problem for Rocky and Thunderhawk City, a pressing issue at hand. Everything Rocky had done thus far was meant to resolve this matter.


    Now he had made all the efforts he could, and it was time to see the results.


    "My lord, it¡¯s enough."


    Aileen¡¯s answer was straightforward, yet it made Rocky breathe a long sigh of relief.


    "Are you certain?"


    "Absolutely certain." With a slight smile, Aileen said, "City Lord, the current market price of Greyrock Stone is around fifteen Gold Coins per kilogram, and based on the weight you brought back this time, we can earn over ten thousand Gold Coins."


    "That money, added to Thunderhawk City¡¯s reserves, will be enough to purchase winter provisions, even from the Azure Commerce Guild, no matter how much they raise the price, and we¡¯ll still have some left over."


    As the finance officer of Thunderhawk City, Aileen naturally had the most authority on this matter.


    Once Rocky returned with a full load of Greyrock Stone, she hadn¡¯t rested for almost an entire night, spending the whole evening gathering market information on Greyrock Stone through various means. Therefore, everything she had just told Rocky was not off-the-cuff, but the result of careful calction.


    And upon hearing her say this, Rocky finally felt at ease; the difficulty Thunderhawk City faced could finally be smoothly ovee.


    However, after this, he posed another question.


    "Aileen, must we import food from the Azure Commerce Guild?"


    "That..."


    Aileen paused slightly, but quickly grasped Rocky¡¯s meaning and fell deep into thought.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Rocky¡¯s question clearly indicated his dissatisfaction with the Azure Commerce Guild and his intention to seek cooperation with other Chambers of Commerce.


    This, of course, was not surprising. After all, although thest transaction of yarn was ultimately sessful, the process was anything but pleasant. The straightforward reason was that the Azure Commerce Guild had taken too much advantage of Thunderhawk City with their pricing.


    The reason the previous trade was sessful was not that it satisfied both parties, but rather it was a result of being left with no other choice.


    Thisck of choice referred solely to Thunderhawk City.


    In this context, it was logical for Rocky to want to change trading partners, especially now that they had money.


    Having money granted them the right to choose.


    Therefore, Aileen did not answer immediately, instead, she thought carefully before speaking after a while:


    "If you truly wish to change our trading partner, City Lord, this trip to Eternal City is a good opportunity. Eternal City is thergest trading hub in the skies, with branches of Chambers of Commerce, big and small; we could start by getting to know the situation before making any ns."


    "Yes, that¡¯s what I was thinking."


    Aileen¡¯s words made Rocky nod in agreement, for he had the same thoughts.


    His reason for visiting Eternal City this time was partly to sell the Demons, and another was to explore the possibility of finding new business partners.


    The performance of the Azure Commerce Guildst time had been a huge disappointment for Rocky. It was clear that they had deliberately raised their prices because they saw Thunderhawk City as a small town, andbined with Jia Xi¡¯s behavior, Rocky had long been considering finding a new Commerce Guild to coborate with.


    And now that he had money, he could buy food anywhere; why should he continue to cooperate with the Azure Commerce Guild and suffer their exploitation?


    However, Aileen then added, "City Lord, if we really cease cooperation with the Azure Commerce Guild, we must not only find a new Commerce Guild for buying food but also for importing yarn."


    The scale of the Azure Commerce Guild was not insignificant. It was only because Thunderhawk City agreed to their demand to import both yarn and food from them that they consented to long-term trade. If Rocky decided not to import food from the Azure Commerce Guild, he would need to find anotherpany to import yarn as well.


    Aileen felt it was her duty to remind Rocky of this.


    But Rocky was well aware of this. His willingness to end coboration with the Azure Commerce Guild had already taken this into ount.


    Moreover, Rocky¡¯s ambition was actually greater. He didn¡¯t just want to use this opportunity to break away from the Azure Commerce Guild and find a new partner; he even felt that Thunderhawk City should seize this chance to undergo some changes!

 Chapter 43 - 42 Urban Reform

    Thunderhawk City, it was time for some changes, Rocky thought.


    Regarding his identity as the City Lord, Rocky was filled with contradictions. Although this status provided him with a better starting point than others, it also brought him immense pressure, and being the City Lord of Thunderhawk City only increased that burden substantially.


    The frailty of Thunderhawk City was evident to anyone. A small city with merely a thousand inhabitants, itcked virtually everything¡ªindustry,merce, military, and so on. If there were such a thing as a development index in this world, Thunderhawk City¡¯s would undoubtedly be zero!


    Under such circumstances, Rocky believed that it was essential for Thunderhawk City to change!


    Now, with the unique technology of Mana Runes at his disposal, Rocky¡¯s potential was boundless. Therefore, he had to ensure the development and strengthening of Thunderhawk City. Only with a powerful Thunderhawk City could he truly take advantage of the benefits of Mana Runes.


    But how exactly could he strengthen Thunderhawk City?


    Rocky pondered this question for a long time and finally arrived at an answer: the economy.


    The economy was the key!


    For a city to develop, whether it was Sky City or any city onnd, the economy was paramount because it was the foundation of everything. Without it, all else was empty talk.


    So, if Rocky wanted to make Thunderhawk City strong, he naturally had to focus on the economy first.


    The first thing he thought of was that Thunderhawk City could no longer rely solely on the textile industry for its livelihood.


    The city had a small poption and no real factories; the so-called textile industry was entirely based on manualbor. The idea that a Sky City¡¯s economic lifeline was handwoven fabric wasughably absurd.


    Rocky believed that the economic lifeline of Thunderhawk City must shift to other industries, or even directly to the market. Only then could the city¡¯s economy improve.


    Next, it was imperative to change the economic model of Thunderhawk City.


    At present, Thunderhawk City was still functioning under a nned economy, with all resource allocation decisions being made and distributed by the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    Take the textile industry, for example.


    Each quarter, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion would decide how much yarn to import. Then, they would sell the yarn to the residents at a set price. Once the residents weaved the yarn into fabric, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion bought it back at a predetermined price and sold the fabric to the Chamber of Commerce.


    In this process, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion was in charge of everything, and the residents only had tobor and earn a margin to make an ie. This was a ssic example of a nned economy.


    This economic model had too many drawbacks. Without shifting to a free market economy, Thunderhawk City could never develop.


    Rocky saw his uing trip to Eternal City as an opportunity and hoped to use it to kickstart the reforms for Thunderhawk City.


    With this in mind, he summoned Aileen the day after and shared his thoughts with her. After all, as the Financial Officer of Thunderhawk City, she understood economic matters far better than Rocky did.


    "My Lord, I think I understand what you mean..."


    After Rockyid out his thoughts to Aileen, she fell into deep contemtion. After a while, she finally spoke, "My Lord, your ideas are indeed excellent, and Thunderhawk City does need to change. It¡¯s just that..."


    "Just what?"


    "We can¡¯t rush things."


    After looking at Rocky, Aileen said, "My Lord, the residents of Thunderhawk City have already be ustomed to the ¡¯economic model¡¯ you mentioned."


    "nned economy."


    "Yes, that¡¯s right, the nned economy." Aileen felt that the term was very urate. "The residents are already ustomed to the nned economy you mentioned. If you suddenly change this model and connect Thunderhawk City¡¯s market with the external markets, the residents won¡¯t be able to withstand the impact, and that could lead to significant turmoil."


    "So what do you suggest?"


    Aileen¡¯s words were entirely correct and also what Rocky was worried about. Although changes were necessary for Thunderhawk City, Rocky was afraid that the residents wouldn¡¯t be able to ept them. This was precisely why he sought Aileen¡¯s counsel.


    "My Lord, we can take it slowly, allowing the residents to gradually adapt."


    Aileen was sharp. After hearing Rocky¡¯s ideas, she quickly grasped the key points and thought of a solution¡ªto let the residents of Thunderhawk City gradually adapt.


    It may have sounded like an obvious statement, but it wasn¡¯t.


    This was because the poption of Thunderhawk City was too small. But with a small poption, adapting to changes could be swift. If Thunderhawk City had a poption not of one thousand but of one hundred thousand, adapting to new changes would prove challenging. Fortunately, with only about a thousand residents, adapting them to new changes would be much simpler.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After saying this, Aileenid out her thoughts to Rocky one by one. In the following days, the two of them discussed the matter extensively, deliberating on how to initiate change in Thunderhawk City and help its residents adapt to these changes.


    As a result, a week passed quickly, and by the end of it, Rocky and Aileen had crafted a fairlyprehensive n for the economic reforms of Thunderhawk City, ready to be implemented upon arrival in Eternal City.


    Following this, Liliya sought out Rocky and informed him that Monte had been discharged from the hospital.


    Since he had been busy preparing for the economic reforms of Thunderhawk City, Rocky had almost forgotten about the Beastmen. It was only after Liliya¡¯s reminder that he remembered.


    "Has his injury already healed?"


    "Is it possible to recover that quickly? He¡¯s broken an arm. It won¡¯t heal for three to five months," Liliya said with a shake of her head and an exasperated look before suggesting, "Shall I go talk to him?"


    Both Rocky and Liliya valued the Beastman Monte highly, despite his current disability. They still saw him as talented, at least the talent Thunderhawk City needed.


    His strength and his experience were valuable assets in Thunderhawk City. Hence, if they could recruit him, it would only benefit Rocky.


    However, with Monte healing and Rocky upied, they had not had a chance to meet. Now that Monte was not only out of the hospital but they were also about to arrive in Eternal City, there was little time left to speak with him before he potentially left.


    After contemting for a moment, Rocky shook his head, stood up, and said, "I¡¯ll go talk to him myself. It shows more sincerity that way."

 Chapter 44 - 43 Give Me Some Time

    Rocky nned to personally meet with Monte to see if he could persuade the beastman to stay under hismand.


    As for his approach, Liliya naturally gave her full support.


    Since their goal was to recruit Monte, it was undoubtedly a sign of sinceremitment for Rocky, the Lord of one city, to meet with Monte himself, which was certainly much more effective than having someone else make the visit.


    Thus, shortly after, Rocky and Liliya left the City Lord¡¯s Mansion and took a carriage to the city district.


    Monte had not met with Rocky sinceing to Thunderhawk City, but Rocky was well aware of his movements. First, because Thunderhawk City wasn¡¯trge, and Monte had few ces to go; and second, because Liliya had already instructed the patrolling guards to pay close attention to his whereabouts.


    So after leaving the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, they rode the carriage directly to the inn where Monte was staying and arrived shortly after.


    "City Lord, you, howe you¡¯re here..."


    When Monte opened the door to his inn room and saw Rocky standing before him, the tall beastman waspletely stunned, clearly not expecting to see the City Lord again.


    "What, not pleased to see me?"


    Observing the dumbfounded Monte, Rocky jokingly remarked.


    Unfortunately, he forgot the status difference between himself and Monte, for the beastman¡¯s face turned sour in an instant upon hearing his words, "My Lord, I beg forgiveness, I didn¡¯t mean it like that!"


    In the midst of speaking, Monte hurriedly moved aside his towering figure and invited Rocky and Liliya into the room.


    "City Lord! Hello!"


    As Rocky entered the room, he immediately heard an exceedingly crisp greeting. Looking towards the source, he saw Monte¡¯s daughter, the young female beastman.


    Monte¡¯s daughter seemed to be only about fourteen or fifteen years old, but because she was a beastman, her appearance and figure were almost on par with Liliya; she now greeted Rocky with enthusiasm.


    "Hello."


    Rocky nodded slightly to Monte¡¯s daughter and smiled.


    "Dusa! Stop fooling around!"


    Monte, following behind Rocky, scolded his daughter for herck of manners: "Go back to your room, don¡¯t bother the City Lord here!"


    "Oh..."


    Scolded by her father, Dusa pouted, lowered her head, and then reluctantly returned to her room. Though she closed the door, she still left a crack open and peeked out at the outside.


    "Monte, no need to be so nervous, I just came to check on your injuries."


    Ignoring Dusa¡¯s little antics, Rocky nced at Monte and then said with a smile.


    "City Lord, please have a seat."


    However, no matter how much Rocky said to rx, Monte couldn¡¯t possibly do so. He hurriedly offered Rocky a seat and stood without sitting himself.


    "You sit too, no need to be so formal."


    Only after Rocky¡¯s repeated requests did Monte finally take a seat opposite him, still appearing quite constrained.


    "How are your injuries?"


    Seeing that Monte remained tense, Rocky couldn¡¯t take it anymore and simply started to chat with him.


    "Thank you for your concern, my Lord, my injuries are no longer a concern."


    "That¡¯s good..."


    Upon hearing this, Rocky nodded and then nced at Monte¡¯s severed arm, which had been bandaged up and clearly received professional medical treatment; it indeed seemed no longer to be a major issue.


    Rocky then shifted his gaze back to Monte¡¯s face, looked at him for a moment, and asked, "Monte, do you still n to continue being a Demon Hunter?"


    "This..."


    Monte was taken aback by Rocky¡¯s sudden question, then he gave a wry smile and shook his head, "My Lord, in my current state, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to hunt Demons anymore."


    As he spoke, he unconsciously touched his severed arm and sighed.


    His arm had been severed, and although he received timely treatment and would heal after a period of rest, he could no longer be a Demon Hunter.


    "What are your ns for the future?"


    Monte¡¯s answer was entirely within Rocky¡¯s expectations, so after a slight pause, he spoke again.


    At this question, Monte, who had previously been somewhat confused, immediately understood why Rocky hade to see him and why he was asking these questions.


    Thus, after thinking for a while, Monte spoke again, "My Lord, my daughter and I have some savings, so I haven¡¯t made any ns for now."


    "Then... would you be interested in staying with me?"


    At this point in the conversation, Rocky stopped beating around the bush and directly entered the main topic, inly stating his purpose ining.


    "My Lord, I haven¡¯t considered that," Monte replied, looking at Rocky, his response was very tactful.


    This answer was effectively giving Rocky a response¡ªthat he did not n to stay in Thunderhawk City.


    This truly reflected Monte¡¯s thoughts; he had been living in Thunderhawk City for several days, and although he spent most of that time in the hospital, he had already learned a lot about the city and knew exactly what it was like.


    Monte felt that such a city was too small for him.


    Indeed, just as Liliya had estimated before, Monte was a Fifth Level, or even on the verge of breaking through to Sixth Level warrior before his injury. Even now, with only one arm, he still had the strength of at least a Fourth Level Warrior, which was not considered low.


    With such strength, Monte might not be able to hunt Demons, but he could certainly find a job in any Sky City to support his family, and that was absolutely not a problem.


    If that was the case, why should he live in such a small city as Thunderhawk City?


    Monte, who had traveled far and wide, had visited many medium andrge Sky Cities. In those cities, he could ensure a good life for himself and his daughter without any need to stay in Thunderhawk City.


    However, that was just what he thought internally; he couldn¡¯t say it out loud. After all, even though Rocky was just the Lord of a small city, he was still the City Lord, and the difference in status made Monte express his thoughts as tactfully as possible.


    "That¡¯s roughly what I was thinking..."


    What Monte didn¡¯t expect was that Rocky, upon hearing his tactful response, did not show displeasure but smiled as if he had anticipated it.


    Following this, Rocky opened his mouth to say, "Monte, you think Thunderhawk City is too small, right?"


    "My Lord, I absolutely did not..." Monte quickly shook his head in denial. If he agreed now, he would really be a fool.


    However, Rocky simply waved his hand to interrupt him, then said, "Monte, is that the only ambition you have for your future?"


    "I..."


    "Do you think that now, you can only serve as a guard for some minor noble, or find a menial job in a guild, and that¡¯s it?"


    Rocky¡¯s words stunned Monte on the spot; he couldn¡¯t speak for a long time because most of his thoughts were precisely what Rocky had articted!


    When he said he hadn¡¯t made any ns for the future, it was just to brush off Rocky. How could Monte not n for his future, especially since he was also a father?


    His ns were indeed as Rocky said: intending to head to arge Sky City, then be the guard for some noble there. With his abilities, achieving this would not be difficult, even with one arm lost.


    He believed that with his current conditions, if he could live such a life, that would be fairly good. The earnings from being a guard would be enough to support him and his daughter, with some left over to save for the future. When his daughter reached adulthood, he could find a good family for her to marry into, and that wouldplete his life.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Those were Monte¡¯s thoughts: no lofty ambitions, just solid and realistic ones.


    Clearly, Rocky didn¡¯t see it that way, so he then said, "Monte, you indeed cannot go hunting Demons anymore, but this might not be a bad thing. Rather, it could be an opportunity."


    "I hope you can stay here with me. Believe me, following me will be much better than serving some minor noble."


    "My Lord, I... I really haven¡¯t made up my mind," Monte replied.


    Rocky¡¯s words were straightforward but also sincere, a sentiment Monte could feel. He even felt slightly persuaded, but this was, after all, a significant matter, and he needed to consider it carefully.


    "No problem, I hope you think it over and give me your answerter." Rocky said with a slight smile, not seeming to rush, "We will arrive at Eternal City in two more days; you can leave at any time, and I won¡¯t stop you."


    "But I hope you can wait and give me some time because you will soon witness the transformation of Thunderhawk City. Once that happens, it won¡¯t be toote to make your decision."

 Chapter 45 - 44: Grateful Heart

    After his chat with Monte, Rocky brought Liliya back to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    In his view, this meeting with Monte had been a sess, because he had said all he could, and it was apparent that Monte had been touched; Rocky felt that was enough.


    However, in the eyes of some, his meeting with Monte had not been sessful at all, and it had yielded nothing, since he had not convinced Monte to be his subordinate.


    The reason was quite simple: what Rocky could offer now was just too little.


    Even so, Rocky still believed he had moved Monte, because he had seen reluctance in Monte¡¯s eyes. Although this Beastman had lost an arm and repeatedly said he would be content to live a peaceful life, his gaze was still filled with unwillingness.


    This reluctance made Rocky feel that there was still something to discuss with Monte.


    His thought was correct.


    Because Monte was indeed very reluctant, and it was this reluctance that made him not immediately reject Rocky.


    This was actually quite easy to understand. Monte had been a warrior on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Level, a strength already considered very formidable, and this was precisely why he had chosen the dangerous profession of a Demon Hunter.


    Under such circumstances, how could Monte, having lost an arm, be willing to lead an inconsequential life?


    So, although he did not agree to Rocky¡¯s proposal immediately, Monte also did not refuse him. Moreover, he did not n to leave Thunderhawk City immediately, since Rocky had mentioned that Thunderhawk City would soon undergo changes. Monte wanted to stay and see what the city would be, then make his decision when the time came.


    Therefore, overall, the conversation between Rocky and Monte went quite smoothly. Rocky ultimately convinced Monte to stay in Thunderhawk City, and as long as Monte stayed, he believed that with the Beastman¡¯s insight and experience, Monte would definitely make the right choice after witnessing the forting changes in Thunderhawk City.


    Following this, upon returning to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, Rocky immediately became busy again: they were about to reach Eternal City, and there were still many things he needed to prepare.


    Two days passed in the blink of an eye. After slowly flying through the sky for more than a month, Thunderhawk City finally arrived at its destination: Eternal City!


    Rocky had long heard of this God City, so he was excited to go to the Skyport early in the morning with Liliya and Aileen.


    "This is... Eternal City..."


    Standing on the Skyport tform, initially prepared to board a Skyship directly to Eternal City, Rocky was stunned. Just by standing on the tform of the Skyport, he had already clearly seen Eternal City in the distance and was utterly astonished.


    How could this city be sorge!?


    Standing in the Skyport of Thunderhawk City and gazing into the distance, Rocky could see a giant city floating in the sky. The scale of this city was so immense it almost filled his entire field of vision. Considering that Thunderhawk City was not actually close to Eternal City, being separated by several thousand meters at least!


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    From such a distance, and yet Eternal City was still so massive; one could only imagine how magnificent this city was.


    God City, truly as legendary as its name!


    Standing in the Skyport and looking for a while, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but inwardly exim; the name God City truly wasn¡¯t for naught; the city before his eyes indeed qualified as a colossal entity.


    "Have all the goods been loaded onto the ship?"


    Graduallying back to his senses, Rocky turned to look at Aileen and then asked.


    "Everything is ready."


    Rocky¡¯s main purpose for traveling to Eternal City this time was for trade. On the one hand, he wanted to sell the Greyrock Stone he possessed, and on the other hand, he needed to find a Chamber of Commerce that could supply food to Thunderhawk City, along with some other minor affairs. Thus, Aileen became crucial for this trip, with all trading matters being her responsibility.


    "Board the ship, to Eternal City!"


    Seeing that everything was in order, Rocky waved his hand excitedly and then led everyone onto the skyship, preparing to head to Eternal City!


    "My lord! Please wait a moment!"


    Just at that moment, just after Rocky had boarded the skyship and before it could take off, a thunderous shout came across. It immediately drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    Following the direction of the voice, it didn¡¯t take long for them to see a tall figure appearing at the Skyport¡ªit was the Beastman Monte!


    It didn¡¯t take much longer for Monte to sprint over to Rocky¡¯s skyship, and then he called out, "My lord, are you going to trade Greyrock Stone this time?"


    "Yes,"


    "My lord, I have been to Eternal City many times and am very familiar with it. I can help you."


    "Really? That would be great!"


    Having Montee to him proactively was something Rocky hadn¡¯t anticipated at all, and naturally, he was very pleased.


    Actually, Rocky had thought about asking Monte for help earlier because, being a certified Demon Hunter, Monte was surely more familiar with demon-rted trades than Aileen was. Having his assistance would make things much easier. However, considering Monte¡¯s injuries, Rocky had ultimately refrained from asking, yet here the Beastman was,ing forward of his own ord.


    It must be said that Monte the Beastman was indeed impressive. Despite having traveled far and wide and witnessed much of the world, he had not forgotten the simple honesty typical of Beastmen. This made his respect and gratitude for Rocky not only that of amoner towards a City Lord but also deeper and more personal.


    In Monte¡¯s view, no matter Rocky¡¯s status, he had once saved his life¡ªan act of kindness Monte always remembered. So even if Rocky wasn¡¯t a lord, Monte¡¯s attitude towards him would not change much, and he would definitely repay the favor.


    Although Rocky was delighted by Monte¡¯s initiative, thinking about his injuries still made him unavoidably concerned.


    "Are your injuries all right?"


    "They¡¯re mostly healed."


    Swinging his half-arm bandaged up, the Beastmanughed heartily, indicating that there were no problems at all.


    The physical resilience of Beastmen was indeed formidable. If a human had suffered injuries as severe as his, it would typically take months to recover. However, Monte had rested for only a week and was already quite healed.


    Seeing this, Rocky simply nodded and then waved to Monte, "Come aboard!"


    And so, Monte also boarded the skyship, and once he was aboard, Rocky ordered the skyship to slowly ascend and flew toward Eternal City!


    PS: Please rmend and bookmark the new book. Every rmendation and bookmark you give is the greatest encouragement to Little Detective. We hope for your extensive support! Extensive support! Extensive support!

 Chapter 46 - 45: Eternal City

    The skyship ascended and slowly flew out of Thunderhawk City¡¯s Defensive Net, then headed towards the distant Eternal City.


    "Liliya, look over there!"


    Standing at the bow, Rocky was once again just as excited as the first time he¡¯d taken a skyship.


    But who could me him, for in just this short journey he had seen so many sights he¡¯d never experienced before.


    For instance, at this very moment, he was pointing astoundedly at a vast Sky City in the distance.


    This Sky City was not the Eternal City, but rather it was smaller in scale than the Eternal City, yet significantlyrger than Thunderhawk City, and it was not far from Thunderhawk City at all, with roughly a kilometer separating the two.


    And as Rocky looked out, he realized that there were dozens of Sky Cities stationed several thousand kilometers around the Eternal City!


    These Sky Cities varied in size; the smallest were simr to Thunderhawk City, but most were medium torge sky cities.


    Such an astonishing sight was something Rocky had never seen before, so it was no wonder he was eximing excitedly at the bow.


    Not just him, even Liliya and Aileen had their mouths wide open, disying expressions of disbelief at the scene before them.


    Out of the group, only Monte appeared rtivelyposed, for Rocky, Liliya, and Aileen had only heard of the great name of the Eternal City but were visiting for the first time, whereas Monte was not. He had visited many times before, so the sight before him was nothing unusual.


    "Monte, are all these Sky Cities here to trade with the Eternal City like us?"


    Seeing Monte standing there calmly, Rocky quickly asked him since he knew much more about the Eternal City than Rocky did.


    "Yes, my lord."


    Monte nodded and then exined in detail to Rocky, "My lord, sky cities like these are always present around the Eternal City at every moment, and this is even not the busiest time. During certain important days, the surrounding area of the Eternal City might see over a hundred sky cities, and the scene is truly magnificent."


    "It¡¯s that extravagant¡­"


    Monte¡¯s words made Rocky take a deep breath. He tried to imagine, but ultimately, he simply couldn¡¯t picture what it would be like with over a hundred Sky Cities around the Eternal City¡ªit was beyond his imagination.


    Meanwhile, as the skyship gradually neared the Eternal City, more and more skyships appeared in the sky.


    These skyships came in various sizes, and there were civilian ships, merchant vessels, and even warships, bustling in the sky like lively fish, some flying far away, others heading to the nearby Sky Cities, all very busy.


    Just as Rocky was being amazed by this spectacle, a small skyship, no, a hoverboat, approached them.


    There were only two people on the hoverboat, but both were wearing Void Magic Armor!


    As Rocky noticed the hoverboat drawing near, it had already approached closely, and then he saw one of the people on the boat use their Floating Armor to fly up into the air and gently float alongside Rocky¡¯s skyship.


    "Good morning, sirs and madam. I am a Patrol Officer from the Eternal City. May I ask if you are here for trade?"


    "This¡­"


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    The Patrol Officer¡¯s question stumped Rocky as it was his first visit to the Eternal City, and he was still unclear about the local rules and regtions.


    What was even more important was that when the Patrol Officer approached, Rocky¡¯s attention waspletely captivated by the Void Magic Armor he was wearing!


    He had never imagined that someone who was merely a Patrol Officer would be equipped with Void Magic Armor, much less armor that was clearly superior to his own set!


    Heavens...


    The financial strength of Eternal City was simply too much, being able to supply such high-quality Void Magic Armor to a mere Patrol Officer. With suchvish spending, even Rocky, a City Lord himself, was left speechless.


    "We are visiting Eternal City for the first time," asked Aileen, "are there any differences for trade?"


    As Rocky¡¯s pride was deeply wounded by the seemingly insignificant Patrol Officer, Aileen beside him asked the officer, as they indeed didn¡¯t quite understand what the other party had just mentioned.


    "Oh, if you¡¯re here for trade, then please dock your Skyship at the trade port. If not, head to the general port. The port entry taxes are different for each, and only Skyships docked at the trade port are allowed to load cargo. General ports do not permit this. If anyone is found breaking these rules, they will be treated as smuggling and subject to heavy fines.


    Pleaseply with the regtions of Eternal City."


    "So that¡¯s how it is..."


    After hearing the Patrol Officer¡¯s exnation, Aileen nced at Monte, and only after seeing him nod slightly to her did she feel assured.


    "We are here for trade."


    "Okay." Upon hearing Aileen¡¯s response, the Patrol Officer immediately said, "The trade tax in Eternal City is fifty Gold Coins per day for each small Skyship. The total tax is to be paid upon departure. Please steer your Skyship to these coordinates to queue for entry."


    While speaking, the Patrol Officer d in Floating Armor gave Aileen a set of coordinates and then flew away without looking back.


    "Why is the entry tax so expensive?"


    After passing the coordinates to the Guard on the ship, Aileen pouted unhappily, her face showing clear distress¡ªevidently finding the entry tax exorbitant.


    A port entry tax of fifty Gold Coins a day¡ªif they were to stay for ten days, that would amount to five hundred gold coins in taxes! That was just too expensive!


    "City Lord, it looks like we can¡¯t afford to waste any time¡­"


    The steep entry tax forced Aileen to turn to Rocky, as they certainly couldn¡¯t afford a long stay in Eternal City.


    "Oh, alright."


    A shaken Rocky finally snapped back to his senses, then nodded.


    Not long after that, their Skyship slowly flew toward the Patrol Officer¡¯s given coordinates and began to queue for entry.


    Upon reaching the Skyport of Eternal City, Rocky and the others were once again astounded, as the Skyport of Eternal City was simply too vast!


    "My heavens... This port is even bigger than Thunderhawk City¡¯s entire district!"


    As the Skyship slowly descended, Rocky, standing at the bow, couldn¡¯t help but exim in shock because the scale of Eternal City¡¯s Skyport was overwhelming¡ªsurpassing even the district size of Thunderhawk City!


    In this enormous Skyport, there were hundreds of Skyships docked, with dozens or even hundreds taking off ornding in the port at any given moment, making the entire area extremely busy.


    Such a scale of Skyport thoroughly stunned Rocky. Thunderhawk City also had a Skyport, butpared to Eternal City¡¯s Skyport, Thunderhawk¡¯s was nothing more than a small tform¡ªthere was absolutely noparison.


    Is this the might of a God City?


    Seeing just a glimpse of Eternal City¡¯s Skyport was enough for Rocky to understand the tremendous power of Eternal City. No wonder this city had be thergest trade center in the skies, and no wonder the Top Ten Divine Cities positioned alongside Eternal City were known as the ten monsters of the sky¡ªtheir strength was simply staggering!

 Chapter 47 - 46 Exchanges

    After the skyshipnded at the skyport of Eternal City, Rocky and hispanions found a carriage and then headed to the city district of Eternal City.


    Since it was a trading city, the skyport of Eternal City was very close to the city district, and a half-hour carriage ride brought them inside the city area.


    Upon arriving in the city district, Rocky¡¯s first impression was of its bustling activity. It was indeed a super metropolis with a poption of millions, where the streets and alleys were filled with throngs of people making it extraordinarily lively.


    And the second impression it left him with was its prosperity.


    The prosperity of Eternal City far exceeded Rocky¡¯s imagination; he even saw seven- or eight-story buildings for the first time here. You must know that in Thunderhawk City, the tallest building was his City Lord¡¯s Mansion, which is merely a two-story castle.


    But in this ce, structures bigger and more luxurious than Rocky¡¯s City Lord¡¯s Mansion were everywhere, with some restaurants almost rivaling the scale of his Mansion!


    Such a vibrant and colorful sight gave Rocky a huge shock, suddenly making him feel like a country bumpkin who had finally arrived in the big city for the first time, having never seen anything like it.


    In fact, his thinking was a bit too self-deprecating. Eternal City was indeed very prosperous, and this prosperity was indeed something Thunderhawk City could notpare with, but this was only limited to aparison between Thunderhawk City and Eternal City.


    In reality, the level of prosperity in Eternal City was among the top throughout the entire Sky. Not to mention the feeble Thunderhawk City, other Sky Cities could notpare to it either, including therge Sky Cities, which also could notpete with Eternal City in terms of prosperity.


    "One day, I will make Thunderhawk City like this!"


    Sitting in the carriage, watching the bustle of the street traffic, Rocky felt not only envy but also made a secret resolution. He was determined to build his Thunderhawk City to be just like this, no, even more prosperous than Eternal City!


    In this manner, the carriage moved on. After entering the city district, it didn¡¯t take long before they arrived at their destination, a reasonably sized hotel.


    This hotel was rmended by Monte, not too expensive and very close to the trade center within the city district. Monte would stay here every time he came to Eternal City.


    Regarding where to stay, be it Rocky, Liliya, or even Aileen, none of them were particrly concerned, because they were well aware that they didn¡¯te to Eternal City for pleasure, even though it was also the best entertainment city in the entire Sky.


    "Monte, would you mind taking us to the Hunting Exchange now?"


    After selecting two rooms at the hotel, Rocky said to Monte, asking him to take them directly to the Hunters Guild.


    The so-called Hunting Exchange was actually arge market specializing in Demon trades. All buying and selling activities regarding Demons took ce there, with numerous sellers and buyers making transactions very convenient.


    "My lord, don¡¯t you want to rest for a bit?"


    ncing at Rocky, Monte did not expect him to be in such a hurry.


    Indeed, Rocky was in a rush!


    You must understand that for every day they stayed in the city district, the skyship parked at the skyport had to pay a docking fee of fifty Gold Coins, a substantial amount for the cash-strapped Rocky, so he had no intention of wasting any time here.


    Under these circumstances, soon after arriving at the hotel, the group almost immediately left again, and then they took the carriage straight to the Hunting Exchange.


    You have to say, the hotel rmended by Monte might not look fancy, but its location was really good. They arrived at their destination in just about fifteen minutes.


    "My lord, this is the Hunting Exchange."


    ```


    After getting off the carriage, Monte pointed across the street, and Rocky and hispanions crossed the bustling thoroughfare to see a trading house five stories high and twice the size of Rocky¡¯s City Lord¡¯s Mansion.


    "Good heavens, this ce is really massive."


    Having nced at the trading house, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue, not having expected it to be so grand.


    "My lord, this is Eternal City, where all demon hunters under the entire sky, if able, choose to conduct their business, because there are also the most buyers here. Moreover, any transaction is supervised and guaranteed by Eternal City, and any issues will be handled by Eternal City as well. Therefore, the trading house here is naturally quiterge."


    "I see..."


    After listening to Monte¡¯s exnation, Rocky nodded and then led his group across the wide street, heading straight for the trading house.


    Upon entering the trading house¡¯s lobby, what first came into view was a mana notice board sorge one had to tilt their head back to see it all - it was over ten meters in size, with dense, scrolling notices, which, upon closer inspection as Rocky and hispany drew near, turned out to be all transaction information.


    ¡Á¡Á Chamber of Commerce is offering a high price for Sky Antelope Demon Horn, interested parties please contact the Chamber¡¯s representative ¡Á¡Á¡Á, price negotiable.


    ¡Á¡Á Chamber of Commerce is buying various demon cores in bulk, fair price assured, interested parties are wee to discuss details at trading house¡¯s second floor in ¡Á¡Á shop.


    Arge quantity of Earth Dragon Demon Skin for sale, for price inquiries, please contact ¡Á¡Á¡Á¡Á.


    Long-term purchase of Greyrock Stone, price negotiable, interested parties are wee to the second floor of the trading house to discuss in shop ¡Á¡Á¡Á.


    The scrolling notices on the board were all about demon-rted transactions, including postings from buyers and sellers alike, their number so great it was dizzying to behold.


    And beneath the notice board there were also many people, like Rocky and his allies, looking up at it attentively. It was clear from the way these individuals were dressed that they were unmistakably not merchants, and if not merchants, then they must naturally be demon hunters here for business.


    "The trading house is too big, so this notice board was set up to facilitate trading for everyone."


    While Rocky was dazzled by the contents of the notice board, Monte at his side exined, "These messages are being updated every moment. Hunters whoe here to sell demons need only follow this information to find merchants to quicklyplete transactions, which is very convenient."


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Monte, none of the information on here specifies prices. Do all merchants operate this way?"


    At that moment, Aileen turned her head and inquired of Monte.


    "That... should be the case..."


    But Monte awkwardly scratched his big head when asked, "Actually, I¡¯m not too sure either. Each time Ie here to trade, I go directly to the merchants based on the information on the notice board, so I¡¯ve never paid much attention."


    Although Monte was much smarter than the average beastman, he still retained some typical characteristics of beastmen such as being very straightforward and finding calctive affairs bothersome, like the question Aileen had just posed - a matter he had never considered before.


    In Monte¡¯s eyes, as long as he could sell the demons he hunted, what did it matter if the price was a little higher or lower? After all, he was earning either way.


    After hearing his response, Aileen nodded and then looked at Rocky, "Lord, please wait here for a moment, I want to check the trading information."


    Having said this, Aileen no longer paid heed to the others and took out a small notebook from her pocket. She stood under the notice board, swiftly browsing through the ceaselessly scrolling information and incessantly jotting something down in her notebook.


    It was evident that upon arriving, Aileen was somewhat excited, and now she was preparing to make her move!


    ```

 Chapter 48 - 47: Horns and Fangs

    Aileen was indeed very excited now for she had an innate sensitivity to all transactions; after asking Monte a few questions, she began to take action.


    However, this meant that Rocky and hispanions had nothing to do, and even Monte was in the same situation. Although he was familiar with the ce, he was far inferior to Aileen, the business expert, and was of no help at all.


    In this situation, Rocky made a suggestion:


    "Monte, could you show us around? Besides purchasing demons, the merchants here should also sell them, right?"


    "My lord, yes," Monte nodded, then said, "This exchange almost gathers all buyers and sellers pertaining to demons. If my lord needs anything, you will definitely find it here."


    During their conversation, he led Rocky and Liliya deeper into the hall and then up the stairs to the second floor of the exchange.


    The Hunting Exchange was five stories tall; the first-floor hall mainly handled information dissemination and ount settlements, while from the second floor onward, there were independent storefronts of various merchants. Just as Monte said, there were both buyers and sellers within this exchange. Besides Demon Hunters who came here to sell demons, many also came here to buy demons.


    Of course, those who came to buy demons would not purchase a whole demon but certain parts, such as the Demon¡¯s Horn, demon skin, or the Demon Core, and so on.


    In this state of affairs, when Rocky entered the second floor under Monte¡¯s guidance, he quickly saw the separate storefronts, which instantly gave him the feeling of browsing through a shopping mall, and it felt like a luxury shopping mall at that.


    "What is this?"


    Rocky entered a shop casually and immediately noticed a long horn disyed inside the counter. The horn was grey-white in color, nearly one and a half meters in length, but straight as a ruler, which was quite unusual.


    So after looking at it for a while at the counter, Rocky couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    "My lord, this is a horn from a Wild Poison Demon, extremely hard. With just simple polishing, it can be directly made into a weapon, or even iid with Magic Stones to be a Mana Weapon," Monte exined.


    "The hunter is correct," said a man who walked out of the shop. Judging by his dress, he appeared to be the owner. Approaching Rocky, the man continued, "My lord, this indeed is the Horn of the Wild Poison. The most valuable part of the Wild Poison Demon is this very horn. It is a top choice for making Magic Energy Weapons."


    As a merchant, the owner naturally had an eye for judging people, so he recognized at first nce that Rocky was no ordinary individual; therefore, he was very enthusiastic.


    However, that was normal; although Rocky¡¯s attire wasn¡¯t particrlyvish, he was after all the City Lord, and he did have several high-end noble garments. Additionally, being the lord of a city, his natural demeanor set him apart frommon folk, so it was not surprising for his extraordinary status to be noticed.


    "Why is this horn particrly suitable for making Mana Weapons?"


    Rocky, evidently intrigued by the owner¡¯s pitch, couldn¡¯t help but inquire further.


    Hearing his question, the owner became even more certain of Rocky¡¯s umon status, for the more noble one¡¯s identity, the less they knew about demons.


    Subsequently, the owner said, "My lord, the Horn of the Wild Poison has the strongest adaptability to Mana among low-level demons, with excellent conductivity. Thus, Mana Weapons made from this horn are at least ten percent more powerful than ordinary Mana Weapons."


    "It has such an effect? How much is this horn?" Rocky nodded, asking casually about the price of the Horn of the Wild Poison.


    "Fifteen thousand Gold Coins."


    Seeing that Rocky had inquired about the price, the shop owner cheerfully put forth a figure.


    However, that number nearly gave Rocky a scare!


    Just one horn, and it costs fifteen thousand Gold Coins!?


    Such a high price was far beyond Rocky¡¯s expectations and even left him at a loss for words.


    Luckily, at that moment, there was a heavy sigh from behind, followed by Monte¡¯s voice, "My lord, perhaps we should look in other shops."


    "Alright."


    Upon hearing Monte¡¯s suggestion, Rocky promptly agreed and then walked away without looking back, his decisiveness catching the shop owner off guard¡­


    Actually, he genuinely took an interest in the Horn of the Wild Poison. Since the horn provided a boost to the Mana from Magic Stones, he wondered if it would also enhance Mana Runes. So he wanted to purchase the horn for experimentation, but he never expected it to be so expensive.


    He had assumed that the horn would cost around a thousand Gold Coins, which, even though not cheap for him, was still affordable if he tightened his belt. To his surprise, the price of the Horn of the Wild Poison exceeded his estimate by more than tenfold!


    Splurging thousands of Gold Coins on such a demon horn was simply beyond what Rocky could afford, so he left using Monte¡¯s interjection as an opportunity.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Monte, was that Horn of the Wild Poison really worth fifteen thousand Gold Coins?" Rocky asked, still somewhat reluctant to let it go; he really wanted to get his hands on it.


    After leaving the aforementioned shop, a slightly discontented Rocky questioned Monte ¨C he was indeed very interested in purchasing the Horn of the Wild Poison.


    "My lord, the Horn of the Wild Poison is indeed a fine material for crafting mana weapons, but it¡¯s not worth that much," the shopkeeper said. "The store owner must have sensed your noble status and purposely quoted a high price. In fact, if you really want it, you could find it for no more than eight thousand Gold Coins."


    Eight thousand Gold Coins...


    This number crushed Rocky¡¯s hopes entirely.


    Although eight thousand Gold Coins was nearly half the price of fifteen thousand Gold Coins, it was still well beyond Rocky¡¯s budget. Of course, he could produce eight thousand Gold Coins, but he would never spend so much for a single Demon¡¯s Horn.


    So, with no other option, Rocky had topletely give up on the Horn of the Wild Poison and then walked into another store.


    Afterward, he, Liliya, and Monte started browsing through the Hunting Exchange, stopping at different stores along the way. They may not have bought much, but the experience gave Rocky a general idea of the market prices for demon trades and exposed him to a wide range of goods.


    It must be said, all trades rted to demons were incredibly lucrative. Items like the Horn of the Wild Poison weremonce here, eachmanding prices upwards of ten thousand Gold Coins, and even the moremon ones cost several thousand Gold Coins.


    For Rocky, who wished to purchase something here, such steep prices were both a good and a bad thing.


    He did not have tens of thousands of Gold Coins to spend on these items. Rocky had set a maximum spending limit for himself of just one thousand Gold Coins¡ªthat was the limit he could afford.


    Actually, one thousand Gold Coins was not a small sum; it could even buy a piece of top-quality magic energy equipment, but sadly, it was nowhere nearly enough here.


    However, since items rted to demons could be sold at such exorbitant prices, Rocky was filled with anticipation about how much he could sell his Greyrock Stone for.


    Previously, Aileen had conservatively estimated that the Greyrock Stone could be sold for more than ten thousand Gold Coins, but this was just a forecast based on what she heard from other merchants. The actual price would depend on the market at the Hunting Exchange.


    This filled Rocky with anticipation, so even though he couldn¡¯t afford anything here, he remained cheerful and, before he knew it, he had unconsciously wandered up to the third floor of the Exchange.


    ording to Monte, the items sold in the Exchange became progressively more expensive and high-end with each floor. By the time one reached the fifth floor, it was all about high-level demon items, where any random item could fetch a price of over a hundred thousand Gold Coins!


    However, even though that was the case, the moment Rocky stepped into the first store on the third floor, he was immediately attracted to an item.


    "Is this a demon tooth?"


    With a casual nce, Rocky noticed a tooth disyed in the showcase. The tooth was about a foot long, and its grey appearance was quite unremarkablepared to the other items in the showcase, but it caught Rocky¡¯s attention immediately.


    "This... I¡¯m not quite sure."


    Monte approached the showcase for a closer look but still couldn¡¯t identify which demon the tooth belonged to after a long while.


    "Shopkeeper, what kind of demon tooth is this?"


    Seeing that even Monte couldn¡¯t recognize it, Rocky grew even more curious and decided to ask the store owner directly.


    "My lord, to be honest, we also don¡¯t know which demon this toothes from."


    When asked by Rocky, a hint of embarrassment appeared on the owner¡¯s face: "This tooth has been in our inventory for several years now, and the initial records are long gone, so I¡¯m not entirely sure which demon it belonged to."


    "But rest assured, there is absolutely no problem with the quality of this tooth, and its size is perfect for crafting into a dagger. Even if used to make a mana weapon, it would be much superior to ordinary materials."


    "How much for this tooth?"


    After the owner finished speaking, Rocky immediately inquired.


    "One thousand two hundred Gold Coins."


    It was clear the shopkeeper wanted to sell this unidentified demon tooth, so the quoted price wasn¡¯t too high.


    Rocky¡¯s eyes lit up upon hearing the price¡ªit was eptable to him. Although the tooth¡¯s origin was unknown, Rocky intended to buy it for experimentation, so he didn¡¯t need it to be of the highest grade.


    With that thought, he turned to look at Liliya: "Go and call Aileen."


    Although the tooth wasn¡¯t very expensive, Rocky felt there might be room to negotiate the price, so he decided to have Aileene over, as no one among them was better at bargaining than her.


    Soon after, Liliya returned with Aileen in tow.


    "My lord! Why are you spending money recklessly again?"


    As soon as Liliya found her, Aileen confronted Rocky with a pout and an unhappy face. She didn¡¯t even give Rocky a chance to speak before she blurted out, "Why bother buying such things, my lord? I¡¯ve already made arrangements with the Continental Commerce Chamber. After this trade ispleted, they will gift us ten Man-Eating Demon teeth."


    "My lord, please go back. Don¡¯t cause me any more trouble here."


    Pouting, Aileenined to Rocky, and as soon as she finished speaking, everyone present was taken aback.

 Chapter 49 - 48 Mercenary Guild

    Aileen¡¯s words left everyone stunned!


    Especially the storeowner, who was even frightened by her statement!


    The Continental Commerce Chamber that Aileen mentioned is one of the most powerful chambers in the entire Sky City.


    What kind of background do these people have to be doing business with the Continental Commerce Chamber?


    And Aileen also said that the other party would gift ten ogre teeth, which was even more unbelievable to the storeowner. It¡¯s not that such a thing had never happened, but because even the purchase price of a Man-Eating Demon¡¯s tooth would be around two thousand gold coins. How big a deal had they discussed with the Continental Commerce Chamber to receive such valuable items as gifts?


    Due to the shock, when the storeowner looked at Rocky again, his expression had changed from before, clearly unable to figure out Rocky and hispanions¡¯ backgrounds.


    It was no wonder that the storeowner was frightened because even Rocky was startled when he heard Aileen¡¯s words; he knew best what they were there to sell, which was nowhere near as exaggerated as Aileen had described!


    However, since Rocky had been with Aileen for quite a while, he quickly regained hisposure and then coughed twice, "Aileen, don¡¯t talk about me for now, look at this tooth, I think it¡¯s pretty good."


    "Nonsense, what good things could there be on the third floor of the exchange?"


    During the conversation, they approached the counter. Aileen pursed her lips and examined the teeth in the counter, then she looked at the owner, "Boss, how much for this?"


    "One thousand two hundred... gold coins..."


    It must be said, Aileen¡¯s series of actions aftering here genuinely shocked the storeowner, so when she asked him like this, the storeowner responded somewhat falteringly, looking very guilty.


    "Tch!"


    Aileen nced at the owner impatiently, "This thing, my family likes it. Your fortune is selling it to us, five hundred gold coins at most, otherwise, I won¡¯t let them buy it."


    "This..."


    The storeowner immediately showed a troubled expression; five hundred gold coins was indeed too low a price.


    However, he didn¡¯t immediately refuse because, conversely, he really wanted to quickly sell the tooth Rocky was interested in.


    In fact, regarding this tooth, the owner hadn¡¯t told a single lie; the tooth had indeed been stored in their warehouse for many years, for some reason kept in a corner unnoticed, unrecognized, and under such circumstances, the owner also wanted to quickly sell it off to avoid being stuck with it.


    Moreover, since Aileen had been acting like money was no issue from start to finish, the owner didn¡¯t want to offend Rocky and the others. So, after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he finally bit the bullet and sold the unidentified Demon Tooth to Rocky.


    Just like that, with a little cunning, Aileen managed to sh the price of the Demon Tooth by more than half and sessfully purchased the unknown tooth.


    Actually, Rocky and the others were well aware that everything Aileen had said earlier was just to scare the storeowner. It was all about "waving the big g to beef up their appearance."


    And logically speaking, the storeowner should not have been frightened by such tricks, but since Rocky was indeed a City Lord, he didn¡¯t seem like an ordinary person. Furthermore, Aileen¡¯s bluff was big enough, involving things like the Continental Commerce Chamber and the teeth of Man-Eating Demons, making the storeowner not even dare to doubt, thus he was duped.


    "Aileen, how did it go, did you find a buyer?"


    After leaving the store and securely storing the Demon¡¯s Tooth, Rocky looked at Aileen, eager to know how her negotiations regarding the Greyrock Stone went.


    "My lord, don¡¯t worry, these things take time. I¡¯ve already roughly talked with a few Chambers of Commerce and want to ask a few more, so we might not finish the discussions today."


    Aileen¡¯s idea was clearly right, so Rocky thought for a moment before saying, "If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s split up. You keep looking for suitable buyers here, no rush, and I¡¯ll go check out the leather and technicians."


    "That works."


    Nodding, Aileen then split up from Rocky and continued to look for Chambers of Commerce to discuss the Greyrock Stone affair.


    As Rocky had stated, he quickly left the Hunting Exchange with Liliya and Monte.


    His visit to Eternal City was not just to sell Greyrock Stone; there were many matters Rocky needed to handle, among which the most important were those he had just mentioned: buying leather and hiring technicians.


    Previously, he had prepared to reform the economy of Thunderhawk City, for which he and Aileen had discussed for several days and sessfully formted a detailed n, termed "Thunderhawk City¡¯s Two Economic Reform n," or the Dual Reform n for short.


    The so-called dual reform referred to both economic model and economic focus¡ªgradually transitioning Thunderhawk City from a nned economy to a free market economy and shifting the economic focus from low-margin textiles to higher-cost, but likewise highly profitable, leather manufacturing.


    The decision to choose leather manufacturing was a mutual decision between Rocky and Aileen after careful consideration.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Because leather production shared some simrities with textiles, it would be easier for the residents of Thunderhawk City to adapt. Furthermore, the leather industry had good market prospects, covering everything from military to daily uses, which suited a small city like Thunderhawk with a low poption that needed an industry that, despite low output, didn¡¯t worry about sales and profits.


    To ensure sess, Rocky was considering using the opportunity of his visit to Eternal City to hire a few technicians to teach in Thunderhawk City, so the local residents could learn leather manufacturing techniques and then gradually develop this industry in the city.


    So, after splitting up with Aileen, he followed Monte¡¯s lead towards the Technician Guild, ready to hire some technicians.


    However, they hadn¡¯t reached the Technician Guild when another guild caught Rocky¡¯s attention.


    "Monte, what is this Mercenary Guild?"


    Stopping in his tracks, Rocky pointed at a building not far away and asked.


    "My lord, that is where various Sky Cities congregate to distribute missions," Monte nced at the building Rocky mentioned and provided an answer.


    "There¡¯s actually a ce like this? Let¡¯s check it out!"


    Monte¡¯s exnation immediately piqued Rocky¡¯s interest, and without another word, he headed straight for the Mercenary Guild.


    However, just as he had taken a few steps, Liliya stopped him.


    "Rocky, what are you nning to do now?"


    Stopping Rocky, Liliya looked at him disapprovingly, as if she could see right through him.


    "Heh, I¡¯m just going to take a look, I promise not to do anything rash."


    With a chuckle to Liliya, Rocky said this but his feet didn¡¯t stop, heading directly towards the Mercenary Guild.

 Chapter 50: Dangerous Ideas

    Full of curiosity about the Mercenary Guild he had chanced upon, Rocky had disregarded Liliya¡¯s protests and walked straight into the guild.


    Unlike the previous exchange he visited, the Mercenary Guild was housed within a two-story building, yet its scale was much more grand, giving an immediate impression of magnificence. Moreover, it was bustling with peopleing and going inrge numbers.


    As soon as Rocky entered the Mercenary Guild, he found it extraordinarily lively.


    The people here far outnumbered those at the exchange, and they varied widely in appearance. For instance, just as Rocky walked through the door, he brushed past an elf whose beauty rivaled that of women, and then, after just a few steps, bumped into a dwarf who reached only up to his waist.


    "Goodness... the variety of races gathered here is enormous..."


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Seeing so many different races for the first time, Rocky was clearly unustomed to it, and when he looked past the crowd into the main hall, he immediately noticed a mana board simr to the one in the exchange.


    There was also a notice board in the hall of the Mercenary Guild, even bigger than the one in the exchange, constantly scrolling with various kinds of information.


    ¡Á¡Á Sky City offers a high-priced hiring of a Mercenary Group to help defend the mine, requiring a group size of over five hundred members, with an average strength not below the fourth level, offering amission of thirty thousand gold coins per month.


    ¡Á¡Á Chamber of Commerce offers a high-priced hiring of Void Magic Warriors to escort merchant ships, seeking thirty individuals, paying two thousand gold coins daily per person.


    ¡Á¡Á Sky City offers a high-priced employment for a powerful Mercenary Group to coborate in wiping out demons, requiring a group size of over three hundred, to coordinate with the Void Magic Squad, price negotiable.


    Beneath the notice board, Rocky looked intently at the rolling information and found that the content matched what Monte had described, all beingmissions issued by chambers ofmerce and Sky City, predominantly forbat missions.


    To be honest, it was the first time he had heard of such activities, so he couldn¡¯t help asking Monte, "Why does Sky City publishmissions to hire Mercenary Groups forbat?"


    "Well...," Monte looked at Rocky, opened his mouth, and after a long pause finally said, "My lord, not every Sky City has strong capabilities, so the weaker ones, especially when they face troubles rted tobat, typically post missions here to hire others to resolve their issues."


    "And even some fairly powerful Sky Cities sometimes post tasks here, though these tend to be more dangerous. That¡¯s because the city lords don¡¯t want their own people to die."


    "Oh... I see..."


    Monte¡¯s exnation made Rocky immediately understand, then his eyes lit up and he asked, "To ept tasks here, do we have to form a Mercenary Group?"


    "Rocky, what are you nning?"


    Before Monte could reply to Rocky¡¯s question, Liliya, who was beside them, spoke angrily as she had already guessed what Rocky was thinking.


    "Hehe, I¡¯m just asking, getting to know the situation doesn¡¯t pose any danger, right?"


    With a sly smile towards Liliya, Rocky turned back to Monte, awaiting his answer.


    "Actually, it¡¯s not necessary. For posting a task, one just needs to sign up, and it¡¯s simr for epting tasks. As long as you meet the employer¡¯s requirements, the guild handles everything else; it doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be through a Mercenary Group."


    "So, what types of tasks are generally avable here?"


    "Usually, they are protection-rted, but they almost always involvebat, and nine times out of ten it¡¯sbating demons. That¡¯s why there are very few tasks for individuals here."


    With Monte¡¯s exnation, a grin spread across Rocky¡¯s face because for him, the Mercenary Guild was obviously a perfect ce to make a fortune!


    Thunderhawk City was about to undergo a reform, which undoubtedly needed substantial investments for smooth progression, so now more than ever, Rocky needed a lot of money, a great deal of it.


    But the finances alone from Thunderhawk City were far from sufficient to cover these reform costs, thus Rocky had to think of other methods.


    Originally, his n was to immediately go hunting a few demons to sell their parts for money to support the reform after he left.


    But now it seemed that the various tasks offered by the Mercenary Guild were clearly a better option, withmissions easily reaching tens or even several tens of thousands of gold coins!


    As the City Lord of Thunderhawk City, Rocky had not only a set of Void Magic Armor but also two hundred guards and ten military floating ships under hismand! Such a setup wouldn¡¯t count for much in Sky City, but in the mercenary world, it definitely reached the scale of a Mercenary Group and was sufficient to meet the requirements of many tasks!


    So after thinking it over carefully, Rocky felt this idea was very feasible, and then he asked:


    "Monte, does the Mercenary Guild have anymunication facilities that would allow me to check for tasks anytime, anywhere?"


    "Of course, there are."


    Nodding, Monte said, "The Mercenary Guild has a task receiver that uses mana for transmission; it can check task information anytime and anywhere and can also contact the guild to hand over tasks, very convenient."


    "Monte!"


    As Monte was exining in detail to Rocky, Liliya on the side became unhappy, ring at Monte fiercely, scaring therge Beastman into immediately shutting up, and then Liliya red at Rocky with the same ferocity.


    Liliya knew Rocky too well; she knew from the start what little schemes he was plotting.


    Unlike Rocky, she had heard about the Mercenary Guild long ago and was well aware that although the tasks offered here seemed to have highmissions, they were also extremely dangerous, and in some respects, even more dangerous than hunting demons!


    So naturally, Liliya didn¡¯t want Rocky to stay here any longer because once Rocky understood the situation here, who knows what absurd and dangerous ideas woulde out of his head.


    "Hehe, I¡¯m just asking casually¡­"


    However, facing Liliya¡¯s obstacle, Rocky was as usual, acting spoilt while looking at Monte, "Monte, do you think the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City, along with the ten floating ships in the city, have the capability to undertake the tasks here?"


    "This¡­"


    The question from Rocky somewhat bewildered Monte. Despite Liliya¡¯s repeated interruptions, Monte really hadn¡¯t expected Rocky to aim for these tasks, considering he was a city lord! Was it really necessary to partake in such dangerous activities?


    Moreover, considering the strength of Thunderhawk City¡­ Monte¡¯s face showed a troubled expression.


    "No worries, you can say anything."


    Seeing the troubled look on Monte¡¯s face, Rocky waved his hand, encouraging him to speak frankly.


    Seeing his persistence, the candid Monte thought for a moment before finally saying:


    "Sir, the ten floating ships of Thunderhawk City are definitely a major force, which the vast majority of mercenary groups simply cannotpare with, and the strength of the City Lord and Miss Liliya naturally goes without saying."


    "However, the Guard Corps in the city... they really aren¡¯t suited forbat..."


    Shaking his head, Monte finally spoke the truth, in his eyes, the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City was merely for show,pletelyckingbat capability!


    "Hmm¡­ it¡¯s almost as I thought."


    Having heard his words, Rocky was not at all angered but instead nodded in agreement and then further asked, "Monte, if you were to train the Guard Corps, how long do you think it would take for the Guard Corps to be capable of actualbat?"

 Chapter 51 - 50: The City Lords Embrace

    After ncing at Monte, Rocky asked, "If you were to train the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City, how long do you think it would take before the Guard Corps is capable of actualbat?"


    "My Lord, I¡­"


    Caught off guard by the sudden question, Monte was at a loss for words and simply stood there stupefied.


    However, Rocky did not press him and soon looked around before walking over to the service counter in the hall to purchase a task receiver.


    The Mercenary Guild¡¯s task receiver was indeed a very convenient gadget, not only could it check task information anytime and anywhere, but it also allowed for constant contact with the Guild toplete the handover of tasks. The only issue was that it was not cheap; a palm-sized receiver cost a whopping five hundred gold coins, which really made Rocky wince.


    But despite the pain, Rocky still bought one, believing that the investment of five hundred gold coins would definitely bring him a return several times over.


    After that, he left with Liliya and Monte and finally made their way to the Technician Guild.


    There was not much to say about the journey to the Technician Guild. Once there, Rocky easily found two technicians willing to apany him to Thunderhawk City. After negotiating themission and signing a contract under the Guild¡¯s notarization, the matter was settled.


    But that wasn¡¯t all. After leaving the Technician Guild, he hurriedly went to thergest trade market in Eternal City and ordered five hundred pieces of leather there.


    These leathers were mainly for the residents to use in learning skills, the demand was not very high, and the cost was not too steep, so Rocky directly negotiated a deal with the seller and didn¡¯t bother Aileen.


    Only after attending to all of this did Rocky finally end his day¡¯s itinerary and returned to the hotel.


    However, when he returned to the hotel, Aileen had alreadye back earlier and brought back some good news: the trade for Greyrock Stone wasplete!


    "It¡¯s already done? So soon?"


    Rocky looked at Aileen in surprise, hardly believing it; he had thought that such things would take several days to finalize.


    "We were quite lucky this time."


    Seeing the skeptical expression on Rocky¡¯s face, Aileen went on to exin, "I didn¡¯t expect it to be concluded so quickly either, but it turns out that a newly established small Chamber of Commerce was in urgent need of a batch of Greyrock Stone, so the deal was made."


    "Then¡­ What price did they offer?"


    More than which Chamber of Commerce had bought the Greyrock Stone, Rocky cared about how much money it was sold for, as this sum was too important to him.


    "Neen gold coins per kilogram, nine hundred kilograms of Greyrock Stone, the total transaction price is seventeen thousand gold coins, and they also promised to gift a piece of Blue Rat Demon Skin, we canplete the handover tomorrow."


    With a slight smile towards Rocky, Aileen couldn¡¯t hide her pride as she announced the oue.


    And when Rocky and the others heard this result, they were all stunned.


    Because this oue was far beyond their expectations, unexpectedly good!


    Beforeing here, Rocky and Aileen had already made an estimate of the Greyrock Stone trade. Based on the market information that Aileen had at the time, they believed that the Greyrock Stone could be sold for at least ten thousand Gold Coins. As long as they hit this target, the money from selling grain in Thunderhawk City would be sufficient, and there might even be some surplus.


    So when Rocky found out that Aileen had actually sold the Greyrock Stone for seventeen thousand Gold Coins, and also got a piece of Demon Skin thrown into the deal, he was so delighted he nearly jumped for joy!


    This price was way beyond his previous expectations!


    It was definitely an asion for everyone to celebrate. Perhaps for other cities in the sky, the extra seven thousand Gold Coins might not seem like much, but for Thunderhawk City, not only was this amount not insignificant, it was also of paramount importance!


    With this money, Rocky could do so many, many things that he didn¡¯t even know how best to praise Aileen. So, he simply gave her a hug from the City Lord, which was the best way he could think of to express his gratitude.


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    The hug from the City Lord caught Aileen off guard. When Rocky embraced her, she froze like ice, and even after Rocky let go, she hadn¡¯t thawed out.


    "Fantastic, with this money, I can rece all the equipment for the Guard Corps!"


    Rocky didn¡¯t notice Aileen¡¯s reaction and began to excitedly pace around the room, muttering something under his breath.


    It wasn¡¯t until then that Aileen barely snapped back to reality and stared nkly at Rocky for a while before speaking.


    "My lord, it¡¯s best to save and be sparing with this extra money..."


    Seeing that Rocky had already started to n how to use the money, Aileen felt the need to remind him.


    Although the Greyrock Stone trade had exceeded their expectations, yielding a considerable windfall profit, Aileen had to remind Rocky that with Thunderhawk City¡¯s current situation, it was wiser not to spend money recklessly since they simply did not have the capital to squander.


    Such worries were not without merit. Rocky naturally knew this too, but in his opinion, Gold Coins stored in the warehouse would not breed smaller Gold Coins. On the contrary, sometimes spending all the money could actually lead to making even more money.


    Take the Guard Corps that he just mentioned, for example. After one visit to the Mercenary Guild, Rocky was considering bing a ¡¯mercenary¡¯, not meaning that he nned to abandon his role as City Lord to be a mercenary, but rather he wanted toplete the tasks assigned by the Mercenary Guild.


    To Rocky, the tasks posted by the Mercenary Guild were undoubtedly a good way to earn money, and a substantial amount at that. Those tasks typically offeredmissions in the tens of thousands of Gold Coins, which was not a small sum and would be of great help to Thunderhawk City.


    However, the tasks from the Mercenary Guild could not be done alone; they required a squad that met the task requirements. So, once he knew that the ie from Greyrock Stone far exceeded his expectations, he immediately thought of buying a batch of equipment for the Guard Corps.


    With new equipment, plus proper training, Thunderhawk City¡¯s Guard Corps would be like turning from matchlocks to cannons, ready to be truly useful!


    "This is great! Truly great! I need to think about how to use this money..."


    The excited Rocky paced around the room while muttering to himself, pondering in his mind about the best way to utilize the money Aileen had earned.


    He looked just like a child. Liliya, who had seen his antics multiple times, was unsurprised, but Aileen and Monte, who had never seen him like this, were both dumbfounded. They had never imagined that their City Lord could act in such a way.


    And so, everyone¡¯s first day in Eternal City passed by. On this day, Rocky and others aplished many things, but equally, there were many more tasks awaiting them, no matter if it was in Eternal City or Thunderhawk City.


    Therefore, on the second day, Rocky and Aileen continued on their separate tasks. Aileen went off to find the Chamber of Commerce to negotiate a grain trade deal, and after an excited night of nning, Rocky decided to take Liliya and Monte with him to purchase a batch of new equipment!

 Chapter 52 - 51: Whats Going On?

    The sky was far from peaceful now, war erupted at every moment, either against demons on thend or in major battles between the cities in the sky. In any case, the warfare never ceased.


    Under such circumstances, trade rted to warfare naturally flourished, and as a trade city, Eternal City was never short of transactions rted to war. It was even thergest weapon market in the entire sky.


    So when Monte brought Rocky to the weapon market of Eternal City, Rocky was immediately captivated by the dazzling array of weapons before him.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The weapon market in Eternal City wasn¡¯t some small fairposed of roadside stalls; the market¡¯s scale was immense, stretching across more than a dozen streets, a giant marketce with several hundred shops ranging from simple soldier¡¯s weapons and armor to Floating Warships, from cheap whetstones to thetest models of Void Magic Armor¡ªeverything was avable!


    Upon arriving here, Rocky had turned into a big kid, excited beyond measure by the countless "toys" before him, and almost immediately dived eagerly into a shop.


    "Hello, wee."


    As he walked into a shop with Liliya and Monte, a young and pretty female shop assistant greeted him with a smile as soon as he entered, "What would you like to buy?"


    "Hello."


    Rocky nodded at the shop assistant and looked around the shop, noticing that it was a reasonably sized weapon store with various weapons and armor hanging on the walls, and the same was true for the counters. Furthermore, all the weapons did not look ordinary at all.


    Rocky then began to browse through the shop, and the shop assistant followed him closely, offering just the right amount of information whenever Rocky stopped or showed interest in a particr weapon.


    "Sir, this Backstab Sword is forged from Fine Steel,ing from King Ding Mountain City, exceptionally sharp, and can easily pierce through regr armor."


    "This is a standard military shield, with arge defensive area and moderate weight, extremely agile to use."


    "This is a set of heavy armor with very strong defensive power, even capable of withstanding an attack from a Blue Rat Demon head-on."


    When Rocky paused and his eyes fell on an entire set of armor, the shop assistant beside him hurriedly introduced it.


    The shop assistant presented everything well, but Rocky wasn¡¯t really interested in these items, only slightly curious as he had not seen them before. So, he soon turned back to look at the shop assistant, "Do you have Mana Weapons here?"


    The reason Rocky hade to the weapon market this time was to buy equipment, and not just one or two pieces, but arge amount of gear because his goal was to arm the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City.


    However, what he wanted to buy wasn¡¯t ordinary equipment, but Mana Equipment!


    "Yes, we do!"


    As soon as she heard his question, the shop assistant¡¯s face lit up with a radiant smile. It was well-known that Mana Weapons were far more expensive than ordinary weapons, with profits several times higher naturally, so when the shop assistant heard that Rocky was interested in Mana Weapons, she became even more enthusiastic.


    She quickly led Rocky to a row of counters and then, pointing to them, she said, "Sir, these are the Mana Weapons you¡¯re looking for."


    Standing in front of the counter and looking down, Rocky saw that this row indeed contained all Mana Weapons¡ªthere were longswords and daggers embedded with Magic Stones and Armor and Shields with Magic Stones in them. Although the quantity wasn¡¯t particrly extensive, the variety was quiteplete.


    "Let me take a look at that shield."


    After browsing for a while, he pointed at a shield, and the shop assistant immediately retrieved the indicated shield from the counter and handed it over to Rocky.


    This was an oval, steel shield with a slight curvature on its surface, as smooth as a mirror. It also featured a three-star pattern, and when Rocky flipped it over to look at the inside, he saw that it was embedded with three Micro Magic Stones!


    There was no doubt that this was a Magic Energy Shield of quite good quality, both in material and craftsmanship, and particrly because the shield had three Micro Magic Stones embedded into it, the defensive power of the shield soared, easily enough to withstand a head-on assault from a Fourth Level Warrior.


    "Sir, this magic energy shield is crafted from fine steel and a small amount of mithril. The arc of the shield¡¯s surface has been specially designed to effectively reduce the impact force when defending against attacks. Moreover, as a three-star magic energy equipment, its magic energy value exceeds 150 points.


    The powerful mana ensures that it can easily withstand the heavy strikes of a fifth-level warrior."


    As Rocky carefully examined the magic energy shield in his hands, the female sales clerk thoroughly introduced the advantages of the shield to him.


    What she referred to as three-star magic energy equipment actually meant that the shield was embedded with three magic stones, one magic stone representing one star.


    However, her description was clearly exaggerated. Although Rocky might not know much about the material and craftsmanship of the shield, his mastery of mana runes meant he understood magic energy values much more deeply than most people.


    In his view, the craftsmanship and material of the shield were indeed very good, but the magic energy value definitely did not reach 150 points. A micro magic stone could only provide 40 points of mana, and three micro magic stones made 120 points. While some special techniques after processing could increase this value, the shield in front of him did not feature such technology.


    Not only did the magic energy value of this shield not reaching 150 points, it didn¡¯t even reach 120 points. Without additional technical enhancement, it was impossible for three micro magic stones to fully unleash their contained magic energy.


    ording to Rocky¡¯s estimation, the magic energy value of this shield was at most around 100 points. It should be fine for defending against the attacks of a fourth-level warrior, but it definitely couldn¡¯t withstand the assault of a fifth-level warrior, let alone their heavy strikes.


    But he wasn¡¯t interested in quibbling with the female sales clerk. Instead, he followed up with the question, "How much is this shield?"


    "Sir, eight hundred gold coins."


    Eight hundred gold coins... For Rocky, the price was undoubtedly too expensive.


    So he asked afterward, "Do you have something a little less expensive?"


    "Cheaper..."


    The sales clerk didn¡¯t look down on Rocky after hearing his request; instead, she lowered her head and rummaged through the counter. She soon found another shield.


    "Sir, this shield is made from top-grade ck iron. Although it¡¯s only a one-star shield, it still has a magic energy value of 50 points, and the price is much lower, only three hundred gold coins."


    While speaking, the sales clerk handed the shield she was holding to Rocky.


    But to her surprise, Rocky didn¡¯t even look at the shield and asked again, "Still too pricey, do you have anything even cheaper?"


    "Even cheaper?"


    The sales clerk, holding the shield up in mid-air, was stunned. After a moment, she smiled somewhat awkwardly, "Sir, if you¡¯re looking for something cheaper, I¡¯m afraid we only have ordinary shields."


    "No, I want magic energy equipment, but it doesn¡¯t need to be embedded with micro magic stones¡ªeven equipment with even smaller stones would do."


    "I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t sell that kind of equipment."


    When Rocky said this, the previously friendly sales clerk instantly changed her expression. She frowned at Rocky and then said irritably, "Sir, this is a legitimate weapon shop. We don¡¯t sell the kind of equipment you¡¯re talking about."


    After saying that, the sales clerk no longer paid any attention to Rocky. She rolled her eyes at him and returned to her position behind the counter.


    What was going on?


    The sudden change in the sales clerk¡¯s demeanor caught Rockypletely off-guard, and he was puzzled by what had just happened. Had he said something wrong?

 Chapter 53 - 52 Montes Dissatisfaction

    In the frustrated gaze of the female clerk, Rocky helplessly left the shop, still puzzled about the situation even after he had stepped outside.


    Had he said something wrong just now?


    Shaking his head in confusion, he didn¡¯t dwell on it much and directly headed for the second shop.


    Upon entering the second shop, Rocky did the same as before, inquiring about the prices of magical equipment and once again asked if there was any cheapest magical equipment avable, the cheaper, the better, even if it wasn¡¯t iid with a micro magic stone instead of a small magic stone.


    As soon as he made this request, the clerk hurriedly shook his head. While he wasn¡¯t as disdainful as the previous female clerk, he nevertheless began to ignore Rocky soon after.


    What Rocky didn¡¯t know was that those who worked in weapon shops were experts, and they all knew one basic fact, that the minimum standard for mana equipment was to have one small magic stone iid. Only equipment with at least one small magic stone could be called mana equipment, and anything below this standard could not be considered as such.


    The request Rocky had made clearly fell below this minimum standard, hence he naturally came back empty-handed.


    Yet, having hit a wall twice in a row, Rocky was all the more persistent, asking at each shop he visited just as he had at the first two, thus, he went through seven or eight shops in a row without any intention of stopping.


    Perseverance paid off, as after visiting more than a dozen shops and traversing several streets, he finally found what he was looking for in a secluded little store!


    "Yes! Sir, we have what you are looking for right here!"


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


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    As soon as the thin-faced shopkeeper with a monkey-like expression heard Rocky¡¯s request, he immediately showed a smile, "Sir, please give me a moment right here."


    After saying that, the shopkeeper turned and went into the back room of the shop, and not long after, he came out holding a round shield.


    Holding the round shield close to Rocky, the shopkeeper said with a beaming smile, "Sir, this is the magic energy equipment you wanted. It¡¯s impossible to tell anything from its workmanship or material. It looks just like normal magic energy equipment, and moreover¡­"


    Meanwhile, the shopkeeper turned the shield over, pointing at the magic stone iid on the back, "And look, this magic stone can only provide the mana of a micro magic stone, but its appearance and size are exactly like that of a small magic stone, absolutely indistinguishable from the real thing!"


    After saying this, the shopkeeperughed heartily at Rocky, with an expression that said ¡¯you know what I mean¡¯.


    From the shopkeeper¡¯s various behaviors, it was clear that he mistook Rocky for a swindler who dealt in fake magic energy equipment!


    Indeed, the magic energy shield he was introducing to Rocky was a counterfeit!


    This shield, although iid with a magic stone, only had a micro magic stone, which could indeed provide mana, but the amount it provided was insufficient for battle, making it a genuinely fake piece of magic energy equipment.


    This was also the very reason that Rocky kept facing rejection in the previous shops because to those clerks, his description of mana equipment was simply akin to seeking a fake!


    For legitimate weapon shops, selling poor-quality weapons and equipment was strictly forbidden since it directly affected the shop¡¯s reputation, even touching on the most fundamental ethical bottomline.


    What is the purpose of weapons and equipment?


    They are for battle!


    Therefore, if there¡¯s any issue with the quality of weapons and equipment, it could be a matter of life and death, and no weapon shop would dare to y tricks on this issue, as it could mean the end for the shop if something went wrong.


    However, there are always exceptions, for when the forest grows, all kinds of birds will fly into it. Knowing that selling substandard weapons and equipment was hical, there were still some unscrupulous merchants who engaged in such business in the shadows, much like the shopkeeper now.


    Before this, Rocky certainly had no knowledge of these matters, but when he saw the expression on the boss¡¯s face as he faced him, he pretty much understood what was going on.


    Yet, after that, not only did he say nothing, but he also took the fake Magic Energy Shield, looked it over, and then nodded his head in satisfaction, as though the shield was exactly to his liking!


    "Sir, may I have a word with you?"


    At that moment, as Rocky was nodding incessantly at the shield in his hand, Monte, who had followed him for a day, could no longer hold back and called him aside.


    "Sir, are you nning to buy equipment for the Guard Corps?"


    "Yes, what about it?"


    Rocky nced at Monte with an unconscious look of surprise, as if Monte was asking something he already knew.


    Indeed, Monte was asking a question to which he already knew the answer because, since Rocky had brought him to Eternal City, he had never treated Monte like an outsider and had not done anything without including him. So, Monte was indeed aware of Rocky¡¯s intentions.


    But it was precisely because he knew what Rocky intended to do that Monte asked the question¡ªhe meant to remind Rocky!


    Seeing that Rockypletely missed his point, Monte felt he had to borate: "Sir, are you nning to equip the Thunderhawk City Guard Corps with new gear and then lead them on Mercenary Guild missions?"


    "Exactly."


    "Sir, if you really intend to do so, this kind of shield simply won¡¯t do. After all, the majority of the Mercenary Guild¡¯s missions involve facing demons," Monte said straightforwardly after looking Rocky in the eye.


    Although he had only been with Rocky for two days, Monte had already understood the City Lord¡¯s financial situation¡ªit wasn¡¯t wealthy, but that didn¡¯t make Monte think less of Rocky. In fact, it was quite the opposite; it made him respect Rocky even more.


    Monte had observed every action of Rocky¡¯s since his arrival in Eternal City, noting that he didn¡¯t lead a life of debauchery like other City Lords or nobles. Rocky certainly had the means to do so; even though he wasn¡¯t rich, he could stille up with tens of thousands of Gold Coins, enough to enjoy several days in Eternal City.


    But Rocky didn¡¯t do that; he saved almost all of his money and never spent it frivolously¡ªall his expenditures had clear purposes.


    And this series of actions had left a very good impression on Monte, even making him consider staying at Rocky¡¯s side. If he could follow a City Lord like that, Monte felt it wouldn¡¯t be too bad.


    However, Rocky¡¯s actions today greatly disappointed Monte!


    Monte knew Rocky was nning to buy equipment for the Guard Corps and that Rocky wasn¡¯t rich, but even so, one should not purchase such shoddily made fake Magic Energy Shields for one¡¯s own guards, should they?


    This behavior had surpassed the limit of what Monte could tolerate!


    If Rocky was nning to take on Mercenary Guild tasks, it meant that he would be leading his guards intondbat, into battle with demons onnd!


    And once the battle ensued, could one even imagine what would be of the Thunderhawk City guards relying on these fake Magic Energy Shields? If soldiers were sent intobat with demons wielding such fake shields, wasn¡¯t Rocky essentially making a joke out of his subordinates¡¯ lives?


    So, Monte could no longer hold back.


    He felt he must remind Rocky because such behavior was no longer fitting of a person, not even the coldest-hearted or most frugal City Lord would do such a thing!

 Chapter 54 - 53: Misunderstandings Beyond Explanation

    "Sir, I suggest you not to buy this batch of equipment..."


    Looking at Rocky, the towering beastman said most cautiously.


    However, despite his earnest persuasion, Rocky, although exasperated, still shook his head, "Monte, you should know, I don¡¯t have much money."


    After saying this, he ignored Monte¡¯s reaction and directly turned to the shop owner, "Owner, give me a hundred of these shields."


    And after saying this, he even asked, "Do you have more armor like this?"


    "Yes! Yes!"


    The sly-smiling owner quickly nodded and, just like before, went to the back of the shop and brought out another set of armor.


    This armor, just like the previous shields, were counterfeit magical equipment. They looked no different from regr magic armor, but in actuality, they were embedded with micro magic stones that had no effect whatsoever.


    This type of armor, as well as the prior shields, seemed like magical equipment, but were actually equivalent to ordinary equipment; however, these items had one advantage¡ªthey were cheap!


    A hundred sets of armor and a hundred shields together cost only six thousand gold coins, and after some bargaining, Rocky actually spent only five thousand gold coins to buy all two hundred pieces.


    Without a doubt, this price was incredibly cheap, because if the same five thousand gold coins were used to buy real magic energy equipment, even the lowest one-star magic energy gear, he could only buy at most twenty pieces. That is to say, the price difference between the real and fake items was more than tenfold!


    It didn¡¯t take much time for Rocky toplete this transaction. He also arranged with the owner that early next morning, he would have all the equipment he purchased delivered to the skyship, where they would settle the payment.


    And throughout all this, Rocky did not try to avoid Monte, so his various actions were all seen by Monte, making Monte even more disappointed.


    Thus, after Rocky finished the transaction and left the shop, Monte, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up.


    "Sir, I¡¯m heading back first."


    After saying this to Rocky and even without waiting for Rocky¡¯s response, Monte turned and left right away.


    Clearly, though he didn¡¯t say much, his behavior spoke volumes; Monte obviously left filled with anger.


    And watching his receding figure, Liliya nced at Rocky, "Aren¡¯t you going to exin to him?"


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    "Exin what?"


    Turning to Liliya, Rocky¡¯s expression was helpless, "In front of everyone, should I tell him about the mana runes?"


    After saying this, Rocky looked in the direction Monte had left, not worried but rather nodding in satisfaction.


    He certainly knew that Monte was disappointed with him because of the recent incident, but he wasn¡¯t in a hurry, because it was clearly a misunderstanding.


    Rocky hadn¡¯t gone to great lengths to purchase a batch of fake Mana Equipment because he truly wanted to save money at the expense of his guards¡¯ lives. Indeed, it wasn¡¯t Monte who cared the most about the Thunderhawk City Guard Squad, but Rocky himself!


    That was the only armed force under hismand, which was bound to y a significant role now and in the future. How could Rocky possibly joke about their lives? He would never engage in such self-destructive behavior.


    In fact, he had bought the counterfeit Mana Equipment precisely to increase the survival chances of the Thunderhawk City guards in future battles.


    Because only with such fake Mana Equipment could the real Mana Runes function effectively!


    As he had said many times before, with the current strength of Rocky and Thunderhawk City, the Mana Runes could not be exposed carelessly. Hence, Rocky had to devise a way to maximize their effect without revealing them.


    That was the rationale behind the transaction just now. Although the Mana Equipment he had just purchased was fake and couldn¡¯t exert the power of genuine Mana Equipment, the problem would be solved if Rocky drew Mana Runes on this gear!


    Once runes were inscribed on these fake pieces of Mana Equipment, they would be authentic rune equipment!


    And why had Rocky specifically chosen to buy shields and Armor? Among all the types of equipment, these two were the most expensive. If he had merely wanted to economize, he could have simply bought wrist guards or even helmets, which are far cheaper.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Yet Rocky did not do so. He specifically chose Armor and shields because more Mana Runes could be drawn on these two items. He estimated that at least fifty First Level Runes could be applied to the Armor and shields, enough to bring their defensive power to the level of One Star Magic Energy Gear!


    More importantly, this approach wouldn¡¯t allow the Mana Runes to be easily exposed. No one would suspect that these pieces of Mana Equipment were embedded only with Micro Magic Stones, while the actual source of Mana was the Runes.


    This solution was the best Rocky could conceive at this stage. It would not expose the top-tier technology of the Mana Runes, while subtly allowing the Mana Runes to unleash their effects. Indeed, it was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone.


    Unfortunately, the only person who understood his intentions was Liliya. Others, such as Monte, wouldpletely misunderstand him.


    However, Rocky wasn¡¯t worried about Monte¡¯s misunderstanding. Instead, he felt that this incident had allowed him to understand Monte better.


    Although he had always wanted to recruit Monte to his side, the two had known each other for such a short time that Rocky had always been apprehensive about Monte¡¯s character. He wasn¡¯t recruiting Monte just to work under him; he wanted to build his own team!


    Monte¡¯s behavior today, however, gave Rocky a deeper understanding of him. Moreover, the straightforward nature disyed by the Beastmen greatly appealed to Rocky.


    So, although Monte had left in a huff, this reaction was instead seen as a validation by Rocky. He also believed that once he exined everything, the Beastman would surely understand him.


    Under these circumstances, he didn¡¯t chase after Monte. Instead, he soon went on a leisurely walk through the weapon market with Liliya, and they didn¡¯t return to their hotel until evening.


    The day had not only resulted in a sessful deal but also exposed him to much of the world. The weapon market in Eternal City was extremely vast and offered an array of equipment, including Floating Warships and Void Magic Armor.


    After Monte left, Rocky and Liliya focused their attention on the Void Magic Armor and Skyships. They visited severalrge stores in session, not returning until their legs were weak. This round of exploration made Rocky feel that he was finally on track with the world.


    For he had not realized until he saw for himself; up to now, he had been a frog at the bottom of a well. The age had left Thunderhawk City far, far behind...

 Chapter 55 - 54 Do you know me?

    Although demons had upied thend for a hundred years, people did not stop their strides after fleeing to the sky. In fact, during these hundred years, the entire world had developed and progressed, and the steps were quite significant.


    However, the sky was too vast and boundless, andmunication between the scattered Sky Cities was extremely poor. Coupled with the imbnce in human resources, material resources, financial resources, etc., the development of each Sky City was very uneven.


    Strong Sky Cities, such as the Top Ten Divine Cities of Monster-level magnitude, had long surpassed the top cities of the Land Era in splendor, reaching new heights that the predecessors could never have imagined.


    Beyond the Top Ten Divine Cities, somerge Sky Cities had also developed very rapidly. Theserge Sky Cities might not beparable to the Top Ten Divine Cities, but their scale had surpassed cities from the Land Era.


    As for the weaker Sky Cities, such as somerge Sky Cities and the vast majority of medium-sized Sky Cities, the scale of the cities had at least returned to the level of the Land Era, and in all aspects, there was no difference from the cities of the Land Era.


    The weakest batch of cities in the sky were the small-sized ones like Thunderhawk City. No matter from which angle, these small Sky Cities fell behind other cities by more than an entire era!


    Your next chapter is on §Þ??


    Rocky was previously unaware of this because he had been staying in Thunderhawk City since crossing over. Although he knew Thunderhawk City was weak, he did not understand to what extent and what level it held in the entire sky, due to ack of horizontalparison.


    However, after staying in Eternal City for two days, especially after browsing through the weapon market, Rocky realized just how backward Thunderhawk City was.


    Why did he suddenly understand?


    Because in any world, weapons are a ruler that can measure everyone¡¯s strength and weakness.


    Take a simple example: in Thunderhawk City, Rocky was already the strongest person, after all, he was the only one who possessed a Void Magic Armor, and the whole city only had one set of Void Magic Armor. But in Eternal City, even a mere Air Patrol Officer was equipped with Void Magic Armor!


    The strength and weakness of the two cities were immediately apparent through this mere fact.


    The ability to equip a humble Patrol Officer with Void Magic Armor amply illustrated the economic prowess of Eternal City and proved the military might of Eternal City. Economic and military strengthbined represented the significant role of Eternal City among all Sky Cities.


    This was all that could be measured with the ruler of weapons.


    So, after touring the weapon market, particrly after seeing thetest model of Void Magic Armor, Rocky essentially knew where Thunderhawk City ranked in the current world, and he also gained a moreprehensive understanding of the Void Magic Armor.


    Rocky possessed a set of Void Magic Armor, but his Armor was too outdated. After a tour in the weapon market, he realized that his Void Magic Armor belonged to the first generation, while thetest was already the Fifth Generation!


    This gap gave Rocky quite a shock.


    So for the next several days, instead of continuing to wander idly, he buried himself in the library of Eternal City.


    It must be said that aftering to Eternal City, Rocky¡¯s insights soared dramatically, and his vision and goals for the future became gradually clearer. Under these circumstances, merely using Mana Runes to enhance weapons and equipment was no longer enough for him; he nned to use Mana Runes in more areas and maximize the value of Runes.


    This kind of idea naturally required a vast amount of knowledge to realize, so for the next several days, Rocky would leave early and returnte, spending all his time in the library.


    Just like that, time flew by for three days. During this period, Liliya had already found a Chamber of Commerce willing to trade with Thunderhawk City, and everything was settled. They could have left already, but they ended up staying in Eternal City entirely because of Rocky.


    Since he started frequenting the library, Rocky became unstoppable,pletely drowning in the sea of knowledge, which led to them lingering many days in Eternal City.


    Today would be Rocky¡¯sst visit to the library, as Aileen had given him an ultimatum. Their mere food and lodging expenses in Eternal City had already exceeded five hundred gold coins, and with the departure tax, their expenditure had long surpassed a thousand. This cost greatly exceeded Aileen¡¯s prior estimate, and they had to leave.


    Under these circumstances, Rocky had to hurry and find all the books he needed in the library, then buy them all in one go, nning to study them slowly after returning to Thunderhawk City.


    "This book will be needed too¡­"


    After flipping through a few pages of a book titled "Principles of Magic Cannon Construction", Rocky handed it over to Liliya, intending to buy itter.


    But just at that moment, a young woman happened to pass by him. Rocky did not think much of it, his attention was on the book, but the woman turned her head to look at him subsequently. After looking at him for a while, she couldn¡¯t help but speak:


    "Rocky, is that you?"


    "Hmm?"


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Hearing someone calling him, Rocky stopped and turned around to look, just in time to see the woman looking back at him.


    Regarding the young woman who had called out his name, Rocky appeared quite puzzled, "Are you calling me?"


    He pointed to himself and asked uncertainly, as he did not recognize the other party at all.


    "Rocky, don¡¯t you recognize me?"


    At this moment, the young woman had walked up to him, looking at him with an expression that was hard to describe.


    "Do I know you?"


    The woman¡¯s words prompted Rocky to take a closer look. He noticed she was very beautiful and dressed meticulously, giving off an air of simrity to Aileen, evidently someone of noble background. But he was certain he did not know this person.


    Seeing Rocky failing to recognize her for quite some time, the woman¡¯s expression became even more peculiar, but she eventually said, "Rocky, I¡¯m Cyril, we met a year ago in Mairente City¡­"


    "Mairente City¡­"


    Upon hearing this name, Rocky suddenly felt as though he remembered something, then it suddenly dawned on him¡ªhis father¡¯s family was the Mairente Family, and the Sky City where this family resided was called Mairente City!


    With this realization, Rocky immediately remembered who the woman before him was, and he eximed in astonishment, "Cousin?!"

 Chapter 56: Chapter 55 The Result of the Struggle

    His eyes gradually widened, and Rocky couldn''t help but cry out loud; he finally remembered who this woman named Cyril was¡ªshe was his cousin!


    So-called cousins naturally referred to rtives of his father''s generation, which is to say, Cyril was from the Mairente Family!


    Rocky''s father came from the Mairente Family, and after his father''s death, the people from this family took away everything that Rocky had inherited, even including a medium-sized Sky City with a poption of thirty thousand!


    This incident, whether for Rocky before he traveled through time or the current Rocky, was etched deeply into his bones!


    Initially, Rocky thought he would never have anything to do with the Mairente Family in this lifetime, because he was no longer who he used to be, yet he hadn''t expected to encounter someone from the Mairente Family today; this truly surprised him.


    However, after a brief moment of surprise, he calmed his emotions, neither disying great anger nor the joy of seeing a rtive. He simply nodded to Cyril as if he was looking at a stranger, and then he turned and walked away.


    As for the various events before Rocky traveled through time, he actually didn''t care much. Simrly, he had no fondness for the Mairente Family. Under such circumstances, he didn''t want anything to do with the family, including any of its members.


    As for his cousin Cyril, he had even less of an impression. Perhaps it was true that they had met once, as she said, but due to his dislike and deliberate distance from the Mairente Family, Rocky had no intention of clinging to kinship.


    "Wait..."


    Watching Rocky turn to leave with an expressionless face, Cyril instinctively wanted to call out to him, but stopped herself at thest moment. The words that had reached her lips remained unspoken, and in the end, she could only sigh as she watched Rocky''s retreating figure.


    Cyril was not surprised by Rocky''s reaction, although it left her feeling helpless, because she knew all too well what the family had done to Rocky. After all, once Rocky''s father had passed away, the family took everything he was supposed to inherit.


    Obviously, such an action could not possibly gain Rocky''s favor. It was even more unfair to him, yet there was nothing that could be done about it.


    The Mairente Family was a powerful and immense family with a long history, controlling over ten Sky Cities, and holding a prestigious reputation throughout the heavens. In such a gigantic family, intense internal struggles were inevitable, and it was for this reason that Rocky''s father had left the family.


    But how could one cleanly break away from such a massive family?


    That''s why after his death, the family took everything from Rocky, a result also caused by the family struggles.


    Cyril, who was already involved in the management of the family, was well aware of these matters. She had even been part of the decision to take away everything Rocky had inherited!


    That''s why her expression was so strange after she recognized Rocky. She knew that Rocky lived in Thunderhawk City, and while she had never been there herself, one could imagine the conditions of a city that the family had intended to give up.


    So when Cyril recognized Rocky, she felt somewhat guilty.


    "Sister, what''s wrong with you?" Find adventures at §Þ??


    Just as Cyril was staring at Rocky''s disappearing figure in a daze, a young man about her age came over. While speaking, he nced in the direction where Rocky had disappeared, catching sight of Rocky''s fading figure.


    "Sister, who is that person?"


    "He''s your cousin, Rocky."


    Coming back to his senses, Cyril let out a sigh.


    "Rocky..." Hearing this name, the young man thought for a moment before an expression of realization dawned on his face, "Oh, I remember now."


    While speaking, the young man looked in the direction Rocky had left, "Sis, is he the one who had his inheritance taken away by the family? I heard this guy is pretty spineless. When the family was taking away his Sky City, he didn''t even dare say a word..."


    "Don''t talk nonsense! He''s your cousin!"


    Turning her head to re at her little brother, Cyril was quite displeased.


    But the young man just shrugged, showing a carefree expression, "Tch! I don''t want a cousin who''s such a loser."


    After saying that, something suddenly urred to the young man, and he then said, "Sis, didn''t the family give Thunderhawk City to this guy?"


    "Yes, what about it?"


    "I think I overheard father mentioning Thunderhawk City the other day, that... what''s his name... Baron Wolin, right, Baron Wolin recently secured arge mine for the family. Although it wasn''t some grand achievement, father and the others couldn''t not reward him, so it seemed they were also nning to grant Thunderhawk City to Baron Wolin."


    "What?!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyril immediately looked at her brother, and herplexion changed on the spot.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ......


    ......


    Rocky was unaware of what had transpired with Cyril after he left the library, because although he recognized her, and it brought up some unpleasant memories, he didn''t take it to heart. In fact, as soon as he left the library, he had left Cyril and all matters rted to the Mairente Family behind.


    Upon returning to the hotel, everyone started to pack up, and then, with a full harvest, they finally left Eternal City.


    For Rocky and his group, the trip to Eternal City was highly rewarding. Not only did they sell Greyrock Stone at a high price, but they also found a new Chamber of Commerce to partner with, hired a Technician, and even purchased new equipment for the Guard Corps. They hadn''t just aplished all the goals set before they left but had exceeded them.


    With this in mind, Rocky was in a very good mood on the way back to Thunderhawk City,pletely unaffected by everything that had happened in the library. In fact, once he got back to Thunderhawk City, he slept soundly to adjust his mental state, after which he was ready to make big moves!


    Because after returning from Eternal City, Rocky had already prepared everything he needed. Next, he would carry out economic reforms in Thunderhawk City!


    This was a significant event both for him and for Thunderhawk City. Rocky had even invited two Technicians from Eternal City for this purpose and had bought a batch of leather to ensure the smooth progress of the economic reforms in Thunderhawk City.


    However, before the reforms in Thunderhawk City had officially begun the next day, a new piece of news arrived first.


    The Azure Commerce Guild had sent someone at this time to inquire when Thunderhawk City would purchase grain and how much they would buy.


    Upon learning of this, Rocky was momentarily stunned, and then a sly smile spread across his face...

 Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Naive

    Rocky really hadn''t expected that just after his return to Thunderhawk City, he would receive a message from the Azure Commerce Guild, especially one inquiring about how much food he wanted to buy.


    This couldn''t help but amuse Rocky a bit. It seemed the Azure Commerce Guild still had no awareness; after thatst unpleasant trade, did they really think they had Thunderhawk City under their thumb?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    In reality, Thunderhawk City no longer needed to conduct any trade with the Azure Commerce Guild, because Aileen had already negotiated a deal with another chamber in Eternal City long before.


    This chamber was called the Ruby Chamber of Commerce, a newly established business with its headquarters in Eternal City. Although smaller in scalepared to the Azure Commerce Guild, precisely because of this, they wouldn''t bully their clients.


    Also, being newly established, the Ruby Chamber of Commerce also urgently needed a steady, major client like Thunderhawk City. In the eyes of the Azure Commerce Guild, Thunderhawk was just a minor client, but to the Ruby Chamber of Commerce, Thunderhawk could be considered a major client.


    Therefore, when Aileen approached them, they agreed to her terms right away, not only agreeing to supply the necessary food and yarn steadily but also at a much more favorable price than the Azure Commerce Guild.


    With this in ce, there was absolutely no need for Thunderhawk City to cooperate with the Azure Commerce Guild anymore.


    However, Rocky did not do so.


    "Aileen," he said, "tell the people from the Azure Commerce Guild that we need the food supply as per the previous years'' amounts, and the sooner the better. As for the price, we''ll discuss itter; just get the food here quickly."


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Blinking at Rocky, Aileen doubted if she had heard correctly. "My lord, we have already settled with the Ruby Chamber of Commerce. They will deliver this year''s food supply in three days, and I have already paid the deposit."


    Although Thunderhawk City had returned to the vicinity of Eternal City, the city did not immediately leave, the reason being that in a few days, the Ruby Chamber of Commerce would be delivering the food. Therefore, Aileen couldn''t understand why Rocky still wanted the Azure Commerce Guild to transport food.


    "I know, I just want to see what the Azure Commerce Guild''s food supply looks like this year."


    With a sly grin, Rocky told her not to ask too much and just do as he said.


    Aileen, being exceedingly clever, immediately understood what Rocky was up to and subsequently shook her head helplessly, the words "childish¡­" popping into her mind.


    Although in her thoughts she found Rocky''s approach quite childish, her heart was brimming with glee because she too was eager to see the expression on Jia Xi''s face¡ªthe old pervert who tried to take advantage of them¡ªwhen he arrived in Thunderhawk Cityden with food.


    Having discussed the matter with the Azure Commerce Guild, Aileen didn''t leave right away, because what she had to talk about next was more serious.


    "My lord, the notice for the training ss has been posted."


    "Oh? How has the response been?"


    Upon hearing this from Aileen, Rocky immediately asked.


    Previously, he had already hired two technicians from the Technician Guild, and he had them start teaching in Thunderhawk City. He had introduced this training ss for the residents to learn leather-making skills, which is what Aileen was referring to.


    Early this morning, Rocky had people post notices throughout the urban areas of Thunderhawk City, hoping the residents would eagerly sign up to learn new skills, and all courses were free of charge.


    Yet faced with his eager expectations, Aileen indeed looked at him helplessly and then shook her head. "My lord, the residents'' response... isn''t too enthusiastic." Experience new tales on §Þ??


    Looking at Rocky, Aileen, though reluctant to dampen his enthusiasm, still had to tell the truth, because the reality was as she said ¨C the response to the notice posted by the City Lord''s Mansion was lukewarm, and no one had signed up all morning.


    This was actually to be expected, as the residents of Thunderhawk City had long been ustomed to a lifestyle of men plowing fields and women weaving at home, and no one thought there was anything wrong with this way of living, so no one was willing to attend any training sses.


    "Sir, I think you should just issue an order directly,manding the town''s residents to attend the training sses, as this would be more effective," he said.


    Looking at Rocky, Aileen expressed her thoughts.


    Setting up training sses was not a problem, after all, leather manufacturing was a new technology for Thunderhawk City, and the residents indeed needed to learn to master it, but Aileen never understood why registration had to be voluntary?


    As the City Lord, Rocky could simply issue an order about what he wanted the residents to do, and who in the town would dare to disobey the City Lord''smand? One must remember, in this era, the residents of Sky City do not look up and see the sky, it is the City Lord of Sky City who is their sky!


    Yet, Rocky did not do so, he insisted on having the residents sign up voluntarily, a practice Aileen could not understand.


    "A twisted melon is not sweet..."


    Aileen''s misunderstanding was something that Rocky actually understood quite well; in fact, he really could make everyone in the city learn the new technology with a singlemand, but he did not wish to do so.


    It was not because of kindness, but because he had a longer-term n in mind.


    He hoped to use this reform to cultivate the residents'' initiative, allowing them to voluntarily ept and even proactively seek reform, as that would make future matters easier to handle.


    So, after pondering for a moment, Rocky said to Aileen, "Aileen, immediately send someone to change the announcement. Tell the residents that the deadline for this training session is one week from now. After this time, they will have to wait for the next session."


    "This... Sir, are you sure we should do this?"


    Rocky''s words caused Aileen''s eyes to widen in disbelief.


    The current situation was that no one was willing to attend the training sses. Under such circumstances, setting a registration deadline would only reduce attendance even more, Aileen thought, finding herself increasingly unable to understand Rocky''s ideas.


    Yet, faced with her confusion, Rocky did not offer much of an exnation. He only asked Aileen to follow his instructions, believing that it would not take long, at most after the first training session, for the residents of Thunderhawk City to change their minds about the training.


    "Sir!"


    Just then, as Rocky and Aileen were discussing the training ss, Liliya hurried over.


    "Liliya, what''s the matter?"


    Seeing Liliya hurrying towards him, Rocky frowned. She should be with the Guard Corps at this time, so why had she suddenlye to him?


    By now, Liliya had reached Rocky, and then she said to him with a smile, "Sir, Monte is leaving..."


    PS: New book seeking rmendation, seeking collection, each of your rmendation tickets, each collection is the biggest encouragement for Little Detective, hope everyone supports more! More support! More support!

 Chapter 58: Chapter 57 Help Me

    Since thest misunderstanding urred, Monte and Rocky began to drift apart, despite Rocky not leaving Eternal City ahead of time, but in the following days, he didn''t continue to follow Rocky. From then on, the two of them barely spoke to each other anymore.


    And as soon as he returned to Thunderhawk City, Monte went to find Liliya and told her he was leaving.


    It was clear that the previous incident had greatly disappointed Monte with Rocky, to the point where he even cast aside the thought of observing Thunderhawk City for a while, and he nned to take his leave as soon as he returned.


    Although Liliya was well aware that Monte had misunderstood the weapon, she couldn''t exin it to him, so she had no choice but to go to Rocky.


    "You go bring Monte to the City Lord''s Mansion,e directly to theb to see me."


    "Research... Rocky, are you going to?"


    Upon hearing Rocky''s words, Liliya was slightly taken aback because she was the only one who could understand the meaning of his words.


    "Go, I have it figured out."


    Without giving Liliya a detailed exnation, Rocky simply told her to bring Monte ording to his instructions.


    Monte''s departure wasn''t a surprise to anyone, at least not to Rocky, for Monte''s character was easy to predict. As a Beastman, he had no interest in beating around the bush: it was perfectly normal for him to part ways when their paths no longer aligned.


    However, regarding the misunderstanding between the two, Rocky naturally had a way to clear it up. After instructing Liliya, he also turned to Aileen.


    "Aileen, don''t leave just yet. Come with me to theb; I have something to tell both of you."


    "...Okay..."


    At this time, Aileen had been ready to leave since she still had work to do. But, after hearing what Rocky said, she too decided to stay, feeling somewhat curious.


    When had a researchb appeared in the City Lord''s Mansion? This was the first Liliya had heard of it, and she couldn''t help but feel curious.


    Afterward, Liliya went to find Monte, while Rocky took Aileen to his ownb ahead of them.


    It didn''t take long before he brought Aileen into theb, and just as they stepped through the door, Aileen was stunned by everything she saw!


    Rocky''sb was filled with various research instruments, which wouldn''t have been unusual, but as a shrewd merchant with vision far beyond ordinary people, Aileen realized at a nce that these instruments didn''t belong to the current era¡ªthey were all from the Land Era!


    This discovery took Aileen aback, and as she inspected more closely, she noticed that the room also contained numerous weapons and pieces of equipment that seemed to be used for research purposes¡ªeven Rocky''s Void Magic Armor was disyed in the room.


    Even the Void Magic Armor was being used; what on earth was Rocky researching...


    The scenes before her were astonishing to Aileen, and how astute was she? After a brief moment of shock, she quickly understood why Rocky had brought her here.


    And just thinking about what Rocky might be about to do made Aileen''s heart start to pound furiously. She felt that a significant event was about to unfold today, one that could deeply affect her!


    "Take a seat wherever you like."


    At this moment, Rocky, who had brought her to theb, didn''t say much, just telling Aileen to take a seat anywhere, clearly intending to speak once everyone had arrived.


    Not long after, the door to theb was pushed open again; Liliya arrived with Monte.


    Unlike Aileen, who was meticulous and extremely smart, Monte, brought by Liliya, did not notice the extraordinariness of theb. He merely nced at Rocky upon entering theb and then silently stood aside.


    "Now that everyone''s here..."


    Once Monte was brought in, Rocky stood opposite the few of them. Without any pleasantries, he picked up the Rune Longsword and slowly began, "This longsword, I found it at a Lost Research Institute on thend."


    With just this simple sentence, Aileen and Monte facing him were both stunned!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "This longsword has no name, but I think it can be called a Rune Sword because those patterns on the sword are called Mana Runes..."


    Rocky ignored the stunned looks on both Aileen and Monte''s faces and, as he spoke, activated the Mana Runes on the sword. In an instant, the longsword in his hand shone brightly, and at the same time, with a gentle flick of his wrist, a sh of sword light appeared before everyone.


    "These Mana Runes were invented by a master named Wensel during the Land Era to rece Magic Stones."


    After saying this, Rocky finally turned to look at Aileen and Monte, just in time to see their faces as they gasped in shock.


    In fact, from the moment Rocky began speaking, Both of them had been stunned. And when Rocky mentioned the Mana Runes, both the anticipating Aileen and the utterly unprepared Monte couldn''t help but gasp!


    Mana Runes... Could it be top-notch Magic Technology from the Lost Research Institute?!


    That was what Rocky had just meant, right? They hadn''t misunderstood, had they?!


    Thinking back on everything Rocky had just said, although the information was sinct, it left them both stunned for a long while, even doubting their own understanding.


    And if they had understood correctly, then this was too shocking for both Aileen and Monte.


    The two of them, one a supremely intelligent merchant and the other an experienced Demon Hunter, did not need Rocky to exin in detail the uses of Mana Runes; they had already realized the immense potential of this technology.


    So when Rocky looked at them, they also looked back at him, faces full of disbelief. They had never imagined that Rocky would possess such a potent technology with such potential!


    They were even more astonished that Rocky would so casually disclose this to them, knowing well that if such a thing were made known, it could cause a stir across the entire sky!


    At that moment, Rocky continued to speak, exining in detail the various potential uses of the Mana Runes to Aileen and Monte.


    And when he finished, the Aileen and Monte standing opposite him werepletely dumbfounded, standing still as if they had crashed, their minds a nk te.


    "My lord, you... shouldn''t have told us this..."


    Aileen whispered uncontrobly. She not only felt Rocky shouldn''t have disclosed this, but even thought she shouldn''t have heard it, because even hearing it could bring disaster upon oneself!


    "I know."


    Aileen''s whispered words, however, were heard by Rocky. He showed a face full of helplessness and said with great self-mockery, "Such top-notch technology, falling into the hands of a city lord like me, does seem like a bad thing indeed."


    With a self-deprecating smile, Rocky then looked at Aileen and Monte:


    "I also know that if this gets out, it''s over for me and Thunderhawk City. I''ve even thought more than once about just selling the Mana Runes as amodity. At least that way, I could save my life."


    "But every time I think about it, I feel¡ªunwilling!!"


    As he spoke, the expression on Rocky''s face changed; the helplessness and self-mockery disappeared in an instant: "I''m unwilling to forever be a small city''s City Lord, I''m unwilling to let my city be forever bullied, I''m unwilling to live such a mediocre life!"


    "So, I want to take a gamble!"


    "I want to take a gamble with the Mana Runes, I want to use the Mana Runes to let Thunderhawk City soar in the sky, I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with the giant beasts in the sky, with the demons on thend!"


    "But..."


    "I can''t do it, not alone..."


    Having said this, Rocky looked towards Aileen and Monte.


    "Therefore, I''ve decided to tell you everything, without holding anything back."


    "I hope, you will help me!"

 Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Oath

    On this day, Rocky did something extremely dangerous, the risk level of which far surpassed that of hunting Demons, and also exceeded all missions of the Mercenary Guild, which was sharing the secret of the Mana Rune with Aileen and Monte!


    His actions were, to say the least, unexpected by everyone, even Aileen and Monte themselves had not anticipated hearing such explosive news. It was an action of extreme danger, because if either of the two were to leak everything they had heard, there would only be three words to describe the fate of Rocky and Thunderhawk City: utter annihtion!


    Yet, at the same time, this move was within reason, because Rocky needed his own foundation!


    Only with his own foundation could he then freely develop and be stronger, and the foundation he chose was Liliya, Aileen, and Monte.


    There was no need to mention Liliya; Rocky absolutely trusted her, so that was beyond question. As for Aileen and Monte, after interacting with them for a period of time, Rocky also deemed them trustworthy.


    This was precisely where his audacityy because in Rocky''s eyes, although Aileen and Monte were trustworthy, they did not reach the level of absolute trust he had in Liliya.


    Still, he shared his greatest secret with the two of them, because Rocky knew one thing: excessive caution is tantamount to groundless suspicion, and once you fall into that vicious cycle, there is no one left to trust.


    In this situation, he decided to take a gamble; he bet that he had not misjudged these two people, and that his trust had not been misced!


    ......


    ......


    The silence in the research room had be profound at some point; after Rocky had finished speaking, he did not continue, merely watching Aileen and Monte as if waiting for them to digest everything they had heard,


    Indeed, Aileen and Monte truly needed time to process everything in their minds, and with their intelligence and experience, they had understood Rocky''s intentions as soon as he finished speaking.


    However, this was a matter they had to consider very carefully, because once they made their choice, it could potentially affect the rest of their lives. Therefore, neither spoke up immediately, falling into silence together.


    As time ticked by, after more than ten minutes had passed, Monte was the first to make his choice. He looked at Rocky, then slowly knelt on one knee before him!


    "City Lord, Beastman Monte swears loyalty to you. I am willing to be the spear in your hand, or the shield. I vow to follow you and never betray you!"


    Beastman Monte swore loyalty to Rocky!


    And after he made his oath, Aileen also made her choice. She too knelt on one knee before Rocky like Monte did and pronounced her vow, "City Lord, Aileen wishes to swear loyalty to you. Your ambitions are my goals, your dreams my desires. I will follow you, never to leave or forsake you."


    Aileen, swore loyalty to Rocky!


    "City Lord, Liliya swears loyalty to you. I am willing to be by your side forever, to follow your footsteps ceaselessly."


    After Aileen and Monte had consecutively sworn loyalty to Rocky, Liliya also knelt before him and spoke her vow.


    With this, Liliya, Aileen, and Monte, all three had sworn loyalty to Rocky. They were henceforth known as the most valiant, astute, and loyal trio under the Master of Runes, and at this moment, their legend was born.


    At the same time, these three giants would not know that many yearster, the vows they made today woulde to be known as the Oath of Spear and Shield, the Oath of Heart and Desire, and the Eternal Oath, and would spread to every corner of the skies, bing the standard for all pledges.


    Of course, all of this would happen many years from now, and at the moment, not the three of them, nor Rocky, who would beter honored as the Master of Runes, knew what the future would hold for them.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The current Rocky was simply ted, very much so!


    So, he then helped the three who were kneeling before him to their feet, and in turn, gave each one of them an embrace from the City Lord.


    "Alright, now it''s time to talk about serious matters."


    After giving each of the three a big hug, Rocky opened up his floodgates of speech.


    He actually had many ideas about their future development, including Thunderhawk City, how they were going to survive in the skies, and even the Mana Rune, in short, Rocky had many thoughts.


    But before this, he could only confide in Liliya alone. However, everyone has their expertise, and even though Liliya understood Rocky well, she was not adept at everything, so she couldn''t always help Rocky.


    But now, things had gotten better; not only did Rocky have Liliya by his side, but he also had Aileen and Monte, so he could share many of his ideas with them.


    Therefore, following this, the four of them held a candid conversation in the researchb, without any secrets or schemes, talking from day to night about all sorts of things ¡ª immediate ns and long-term goals alike; they chatted about a great many topics.


    After this in-depth conversation, Rocky became much clearer about what he needed to do next and how he was going to do it; at the same time, his rtionship with Aileen and Monte grew much closer because of the talk.


    So when the next day arrived, it might have seemed like nothing had changed in Thunderhawk City, but in fact, changes were silently taking ce ¡ª for instance, the Guard Corps had a new instructor.


    This instructor, naturally, was Monte.


    Actually, Rocky''s idea was to have Monte take over Liliya''s position and be the new Captain of the Guards, which was also what Liliya hoped for, but this needed to happen gradually.


    Monte was different from Liliya; while Liliya was the personal guard of the City Lord and her status naturally earned her everyone''s respect, coupled with her strength and beauty, which had facilitated a smooth transition when she took over the Guard Corps.


    Monte, however, arrived in Thunderhawk City as an outsider. Even though he was stronger than Liliya, he couldn''te close to her in terms of prestige. Appointing him directly as the Captain of the Guards would have caused unnecessary trouble for Monte.


    So, Rocky came up with a solution: he let Monte start as an instructor for the Guard Corps. This way, while training the guards, he could simultaneously establish his own prestige in their hearts, paving a natural way for his eventual promotion to Captain.


    Meanwhile, as Monte became the new instructor for the Thunderhawk City guards and began training the Guard Corps, the training sses finally started to gain some traction.


    Strangely enough, despite theck of initial interest in the training sses, once Rocky set a registration deadline, people began signing up. Although the number wasn''trge, with only a dozen or so participants, the result was still far beyond Aileen''s expectations and left her puzzled.


    "You could think of this tactic as like a sale."


    When Aileen voiced her confusion to Rocky, he responded, "Imagine this: if a product permanently drops in price, people won''t rush to buy it because the sale is forever, right? They can buy it any time when they really need it."


    "But if a product is on a limited-time sale, people''s desire to purchase intensifies, because if they don''t buy now, they might not get the chanceter."


    "The same principle applies to the training sses; setting a deadline for registration naturally boosts the residents'' desire to sign up."


    "So that''s how it works... Why didn''t I think of that before."


    After Rocky exined, Aileen understood the situation and nodded thoughtfully.


    "How are things going with the food?"


    At this point, Rocky inquired.


    "Oh, everything has been taken care of. We''ll start selling food to the residents next month, with the same prices as before. Once all the food is sold to the residents, funds will flow back, and we should have enough money for buying yarn for the next quarter."


    A week had passed since they left Eternal City, and the Ruby Chamber of Commerce had already delivered the food to the city, while Aileen had managed all these matters properly.


    "Excellent."


    Upon hearing Aileen''s report, Rocky nodded in satisfaction. Although he had initiated reforms in Thunderhawk City, it would take time to see actual results, so in the meantime, the city needed to continue operating in the old way without any mishaps.


    "By the way..." Rocky nodded, then suddenly remembered another matter, "Any news from the Azure Commerce Guild? They should be arriving soon, right?"


    "Soon."


    Upon mentioning the Azure Commerce Guild, a smile appeared on Aileen''s face, "They''ve already sent word; they should arrive with the food in a week, and the one leading the team is that Jia Xi."


    "Good, I''ll leave this matter to you then."


    After looking at Aileen, Rocky chuckled.

 Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Lord Steward, please dont be angry

    After leaving the Eternal City, everything in Thunderhawk City returned to normal, and everything was running smoothly and orderly.


    However, in reality, subtle changes were quietly taking ce in Thunderhawk City, changes that were unnoticed by many because they were too minor; probably only those who were driving these changes could perceive everything that was happening, but these changes were indeed urring.


    Monte, who had sworn loyalty to Rocky, had taken up his post sessfully. He became the new instructor of the Thunderhawk City Guard Squad and began targeted training of the Guard Corps with Liliya''s help.


    At the same time, the leather crafting training ss had also started. When the registration for the training ss ended, the number of participants in the first session stopped at thirteen, which meant that, in a city with a poption of one thousand, only about one percent of the poption participated in the training.


    This number was obviously much lower than what Rocky and Aileen had expected, but even so, the training ss started as scheduled, and the first step in the economic reform of Thunderhawk City was taken. Perhaps this step seemed small, but it was taken nheless.


    Thunderhawk City was changing silently like this, a change that might not seem effective now, but it would be enough to affect everyone soon enough.


    As for Rocky, the City Lord, he was quite busy these days. Although everything in the city was running smoothly, he was still very busy because he was preparing for his next goal.


    Just as he had meticulously prepared for the sessful hunting of Demons before, Rocky now set his next goal on the tasks of the Mercenary Guild. The training Monte was conducting for the Guard Corps was for this purpose, and he too was swamped with work because of it.


    He had to draw up a batch of rune equipment for the city''s Guard Corps by himself!


    As mentioned before, Rocky had spent thousands of Gold Coins buying arge amount of fake Magic Energy Equipment, to use these fake items to cover the truth, taking the opportunity to utilize the function of the Mana Runes.


    And what he had to do was to inscribe True Runes onto the fake Magic Energy Equipment.


    But... that''s over a hundred pieces of equipment!


    One hundred shields, plus one hundred sets of Armor, Rocky had to inscribe Runes on all two hundred pieces of equipment; and not just one or two Runes per item, he needed to inscribe a significant number of Runes on each piece of equipment to make them truly effective.


    ording to the conversion of Mana Points, a small Magic Stone contains Mana equivalent to 40 Energy Value points, while a First Level Magic Energy Rune has an Energy Value of only 1 point. This means if one wants to make a piece of rune equipment reach the effect of One-Star, they must inscribe at least 40 First Level Runes on it.


    This is a huge undertaking, indeed. One piece of equipment needs 40 Runes, ten pieces would need 400, a hundred pieces would be 4,000, and two hundred pieces of equipment would be 8,000...


    The thought of having to inscribe so many Runes made Rocky''s head spin, and he acutely realized the limitations of First Level Runes, which was that they contained too little Mana.


    If Rocky had mastered the Level Two Mana Runes now, his task would be much simpler, as the Energy Value contained in a Level Two Mana Rune is 15 points. This means he would only need to inscribe three Level Two Runes on the equipment to achieve the effect of One-star Magic Energy Gear.


    Unfortunately, Rocky was not yet able to learn Second-Level Runes. His magic level was too low, and only Third Level Mages could inscribe Level Two Mana Runes, while Rocky was still a First Level Mage.


    In this situation, he had no shortcuts to take and had to honestly stay in theboratory, inscribing Runes day and night.


    But fortunately, there was nothing in Thunderhawk City that needed his worries at the moment, and with the help of Liliya, Aileen, and Monte, he didn''t need to concern himself with the minor affairs of the city, allowing him to work in peace as a diligent little worker.


    And as time passed day by day, a week went by in the blink of an eye.


    A weekter, Thunderhawk City''s Skyport was suddenly graced with the arrival of five skyships, all of them merchant vessels.


    After making their appearance, these five merchant ships slowly descended within the Skyport. Shortly thereafter, a man disembarked, surrounded by a crowd... This man was none other than Jia Xi! And these five ships were the very grain transport vessels from the Azure Commerce Guild!


    In fact, as soon as Rocky returned from Eternal City, he had already received news of the Azure Commerce Guild''s arrival. No, it would be more urate to say he had actively arranged for the Azure Commerce Guild to transport the grain, even though Aileen had already purchased all the grain from the Ruby Chamber of Commerce by the time he made this decision.


    Still, Rocky let the people from the Azure Commerce Guilde. As for why¡ªit didn''t seem to be too important, at least that''s what Rocky believed.


    As he got off the merchant ship, with a crowd escorting him, Jia Xi''s smile froze and he looked around bewildered.


    He had disembarked to find the ce empty¡ªnot a soul to wee him!


    This scene left Jia Xi both dumbfounded and utterly unprepared.


    ording to his estimation, upon his arrival in Thunderhawk City, the reception ought to have been even more grandiose than thest time, even expecting Rocky, the City Lord himself, toe in person.


    After all, he was bringing grain this time! Was there anything in this world more important, more deserving of attention than grain?


    Moreover, after thest negotiation, Jia Xi felt that the City Lord of Thunderhawk City, provided he was not a fool, would have guessed that following the rise in yarn prices, the price of grain was bound to increase. Shouldn''t the City Lord understand then how crucial it was to curry favor with him?


    After all, with just a word from him, Thunderhawk City could potentially save tens of thousands of Gold Coins!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    For this reason, Jia Xi had employed a little trick¡ªhe deliberately dyed his arrival by a few days to make Thunderhawk City anxious, thus gaining more bargaining power upon his arrival.


    But to his astonishment, the reception at Thunderhawk City was sockluster; there wasn''t even a person to meet him!


    "Hey! You,e here!"


    After a moment of stunned silence, Jia Xi shouted angrily for a guard, then furiously asked, "Where is your City Lord! And what about that Aileen! Why aren''t they here to wee me!"


    The guard he called over was none other than Felly, who was in charge of the Skyport. Facing Jia Xi''s intimidating presence, Felly quickly tried to appease him with a nervous smile, "Overseer Jia Xi, please don''t be angry. The City Lord and the finance officer were really tied up with matters today, that''s why they couldn''te to meet you."


    "However, the Lord has arranged for a carriage and ordered us to take you to the City Lord''s Mansion as soon as you arrived."


    As he spoke, a carriage indeed pulled up in front of Jia Xi, clearly having been waiting there for him.


    "Hmph!"


    Seeing the carriage before him, Jia Xi huffed coldly. Although he was very angry, he knew he was here for business, so he boarded the carriage with an air of displeasure.


    However, once he was inside the carriage, he had already made up his mind. He decided to raise the price of grain by another ten percent, to give Rocky a shock¡ªthat would be the only way to appease his anger!

 Chapter 61: Chapter 60: The City Lord is Busy

    While sitting in the carriage leaving the Skyport, Jia Xi was pondering how to embarrass Rocky upon meeting him, as that was the only way he could feel relieved.


    At the same time, Jia Xi also thought of Aileen, and just thinking about her made him feel much better.


    Though he had met Aileen only a few times and those asions were several months ago, even so, the mere thought of Aileen made Jia Xi''s heart itch.


    This was actually quite normal because despite Aileen being the finance officer of Thunderhawk City, she was only seventeen or eighteen years old, a young age full of potential, and moreover, she came from a noble family and was full of spirit. How could such a girl not be likable?


    Thus, thinking of Aileen, Jia Xi felt much better, directly pushing Rocky to the back of his mind and figuring out how to win Aileen over this time.


    Actually, thest time he had tried to get Aileen, but Rocky had not given him the opportunity.


    Jia Xi couldn''t believe that Rocky, as the City Lord, did not understand what he wanted; he rather thought that Rocky was deliberately feigning ignorance because he had an affair with Aileen and could not bear to part with her.


    In Jia Xi''s view, such things were toomon in high society. This also made him more determined to possess Aileen because in his eyes, Aileen was the City Lord''s woman. If he could have her, he thought, it would not only possibly be enjoyable, but it would also make him feel very content inside.


    You must understand that although Jia Xi was a chief in the Azure Commerce Guild, in a guild of this size, there were several dozen chiefs. Besides, being a chief, no matter how significant, still could notpare to being a City Lord, so having the City Lord''s woman would surely be a brag-worthy achievement for Jia Xi.


    "Why haven''t we arrived yet?"


    Sitting in the carriage, fantasizing for quite some time, Jia Xi was getting thirsty, but he realized they still hadn''t reached the City Lord''s Mansion.


    Why was it so slow?


    Having been to Thunderhawk City once a few months ago, Jia Xi knew that the distance from the Skyport to the City Lord''s Mansion wasn''t particrly far, but he felt that he had been sitting in the carriage for a long time.


    Thinking this, Jia Xi subconsciously nced out of the carriage window to see where they were, only to be shocked by the scene outside. How had he been brought into the district of Thunderhawk City?


    The carriage was now traveling on the streets of Thunderhawk City''s district,pletely devoid of heading towards the City Lord''s Mansion.


    "Hey! What''s going on; why did you bring the carriage into the city district?"


    Realizing he had been brought into the district, Jia Xi could not care about his status anymore and quickly poked his head out of the window, shouting at the carriage driver.


    "Sir, the road from the Skyport to the City Lord''s Mansion is under repair, so we have to divert through the city district. Don''t worry, sir, we will be there soon,"


    the driver said, while waving his whip, then slightly sped up.


    "Damn it..."


    Hearing this, Jia Xi could not say much more and could only sit back inside the carriage, silently cursing Thunderhawk City and Rocky countless times in his heart.


    It wasn''t until more than an hourter that the carriage finally arrived at the City Lord''s Mansion, and when Jia Xi stepped down from the carriage, his legs were numb.


    However, having finally reached the City Lord''s Mansion, he still did not see Rocky or Aileen. A maid led him to the City Lord''s Hall, but there was no one inside.


    "Where is your City Lord?"


    "Sir, the City Lord is attending to urgent matters. Please wait a moment,"


    the maid who had brought Jia Xi to the hall said with a slight smile before turning and leaving. Soon, someone brought tea and snacks, and Jia Xi had no choice but to patiently wait in the City Lord''s Hall for Rocky to arrive.


    This waitsted another hour...


    After a long and tedious hour, the previous maid appeared again and then told Jia Xi that Rocky''s matters were not yet resolved and that he could only meet him tomorrow.


    By this time, Jia Xi hadpletely copsed, driven mad with anger, but he had nowhere to vent it. Surely he couldn''tsh out at a lowly maid, could he?


    So in the end, he had no choice but to leave the City Lord''s Mansion with a bellyful of pent-up frustration, and once again took a carriage, circling around Thunderhawk City''s district extensively before finally returning to the merchant ship at the Skyport.


    He had arrived in Thunderhawk City in the morning, but by the time he returned to his merchant ship, it was already dark!


    For the better part of the day, Jia Xi had wandered around Thunderhawk City''s district twice, achieving nothing and not even catching a glimpse of Rocky or Aileen¡­


    This left Jia Xi utterly furious upon returning to the merchant ship. In his rage, he decided that he definitely wouldn''t go to see Rocky tomorrow. Rocky muste to see him in person!


    But the next day, Rocky didn''t show up to meet him at all. Not only did Rocky, the City Lord, note, but even Aileen, the finance officer, didn''t appear. Jia Xi, who had waited agonizingly all day on the merchant ship, ended up waiting for nothing.


    Jia Xi, having waited bitterly for a whole day, was furious beyond measure, vowing that unless Rocky came personally to apologize, he absolutely wouldn''t go to meet Rocky. He wanted to see who could afford to wait longer; Rocky, who had a city''s poption to support, or himself!


    However¡­


    Just three days after making this vow, Jia Xi was forced to leave his merchant ship and visit the City Lord''s Mansion once again.


    During these three days, Rocky showed absolutely no intention of meeting him, and not even a message came. Jia Xi simply waited in vain on his merchant ship for three whole days, achieving nothing.


    Therefore, he had no choice but to take the initiative to find Rocky. After all, he hadn''te to Thunderhawk City to hold a grudge, but to conduct business. Therefore, reluctant as he was, he had to meet with Rocky, or the business deal would fall through.


    So, although he had cursed Rocky countless times in his heart, he still took a carriage just like three days before, circled the district extensively, and then headed to the City Lord''s Mansion.


    Meanwhile, Rocky was sitting in his study, sipping tea and chatting with Liliya, looking quite at ease.


    Actually, he had been very busy these past few days. In order to quickly turn the batch of equipment he had bought into rune equipment, he had been drawing hundreds of runes by hand every day. It was quiteborious, so much so that even Liliya felt pity for him and had forced him to rest for two hours every day, or else she wouldn''t allow him into the study.


    "How is the Guard Corps adjusting to Monte''s training?" Rocky asked after taking a sip of ck tea.


    "Monte''s training is very intense, so it''s quite a stretch for them to adapt. However, hearing that those who excel can receive Magic Energy Equipment has motivated everyone greatly, so there are no major issues," Liliya replied.


    "That''s good, but don''t let Monte be too harsh. If the guards develop resentment towards him, he''ll have trouble managing themter."


    "I know," Liliya said, nodding. "Why don''t you visit the Guard Corps in a few days? As the City Lord, if you personally check on the Guard Corps, it would greatly boost their morale."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Alright," Rocky considered it for a moment and felt that Liliya made a lot of sense, so he agreed right away.


    "By the way," Liliya seemed to recall something at that moment and casually mentioned, "I think I just saw Jia Xi outside."


    "Oh? He came today?"


    "Yes, he seems to have been waiting in the City Lord''s Hall."


    "Then let him wait; I''m very busy," Rocky said, taking another sip of his ck tea.

 Chapter 62: Chapter 61 The Cornerstone of the Future

    Three dayster, just as he said, Rocky took a day off to visit the Guard Corps in the city for an inspection.


    The Guard Camp of Thunderhawk City was adjacent to the urban district, but quite far from the City Lord''s Mansion, mainly for safety considerations. So although Rocky had set out from the City Lord''s Mansion early in the morning, by the time he arrived at the camp by carriage, it was already past ten in the morning.


    Upon his arrival at the camp, Liliya immediately took him straight to the training ground. Since Monte became the new instructor of the Guard Corps, apart from those who must patrol within the city, the rest of the guards were kept on the training ground by him from morning till night.


    As Rocky approached the training ground under Liliya''s guidance, he hadn''t yet seen anyone, but he could hear Monte''s voice booming like thunder.


    "Run faster! Haven''t you eaten breakfast?"


    "Hurry up! If anyone falls behind, everyone will have to run as punishment!"


    Looking in the direction of the voice, Rocky quickly spotted Monte, the Beastman standing in the center of the training ground, shirtless and holding a Teaching Whip, shouting at the guards like an evil foreman.


    As for the guards being constantly yelled at, they were runningps around the training ground in formation.


    Rocky took a quick nce and noticed that there were over a hundred guards participating in the training¡ªapparently, all of the guards except those patrolling the city were here. They were also shirtless just like Monte, soaked in sweat, their beads of perspiration glistening under the sunlight.


    "Look, there, isn''t that...?"


    "It''s the City Lord!"


    "What? Where?"


    "Let me see!"


    When Rocky approached the training ground led by Liliya, the guards running around the ground immediately spotted him, which caused somemotion.


    It was no wonder, for in the eyes of Thunderhawk City''s residents, Rocky was the highest existence in Sky City, respected by everyone and rarely seen.


    So, when they caught sight of him, many eximed in surprise, evening to a standstill.


    There weren''t many guards who had actually seen Rocky¡ªaside from a small number responsible for the Skyport, almost no one had truly met the City Lord. But the guards had heard many rumors about their City Lord.


    Among the Guard Corps, there were quite a few rumors about Rocky, with the earliest even dating back to the times when Eyer was still the Captain.


    Captain Eyer, the one who had discovered the Lost Research Institute through hard work, only to end up aiding Rocky''s fortune, had spoken ill of Rocky back when he was the Captain of the Guard, even describing Rocky as aplete loser.


    His words couldn''t be said to be entirely negative, as Rocky indeed used to be quite inadequate. However, because of Eyer''s gossip, the guards inevitably held the impression that their City Lord was ineffectual.


    Yet soon, the situation in Thunderhawk City turned upside down; Captain Eyer and the administrative officer Perolo were exiled one after another, and Rocky had even donned his Void Magic Armor. This series of news astounded the guards.


    Shortly thereafter, the news that the City Lord and Captain Liliya had gone to thend to hunt Demons shook the guards even more intensely. Suddenly no guard dared call their City Lord a loser anymore.


    However, the guards may no longer consider Rocky a loser, but what kind of City Lord he truly was remained a mystery to them. They had seen too little of Rocky, and the rumors about him varied so greatly that it was impossible to form a coherent image of him in their minds.


    So when Rocky personally came to the camp, the guards became exceptionally excited, eager to catch a glimpse of what the City Lord really looked like.


    "What are you idiots doing? Who told you to stop!"


    But just as the running troops stopped because of Rocky, Monte''s roar filled the air again, "The City Lord hase to inspect your training, and you dare ck off! Are you trying to disgrace me on purpose!"


    Monte stormed towards the troops while bellowing, and at the same time, he raised the Teaching Whip in his hand.


    This scene sent the guards scurrying for cover, immediately swarming back onto the track to run, even faster than before.


    "City Lord."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Having set the guards in motion again with his Teaching Whip, Monte smoothly made his way to Rocky''s side.


    "How''s the hand?"


    ncing at Monte, Rocky asked about his injury while inwardly marveling, how did the Beastman sculpt such muscr build?


    "My lord, it''s already healed."


    shing Rocky a grin, Monte shook his half-severed arm, which by now had no longer been bandaged, clearly healed, and it seemed Monte had already adapted to living with one arm.


    This reassured Rocky quite a bit, so he then turned to look at the running guards, "How are these guys doing?"


    "Not bad."


    Turning his head towards the track as well, Montemented, "These guards might have a weak foundation, but with proper training, they''ll certainly be fit for battle. Moreover, a few of them are promising recruits. With focused development, they could achieve great things."


    "That''s good to hear."


    Monte''s words made Rocky nod in agreement, his expectations rising because he had high hopes for Thunderhawk City''s Guard Corps.


    Thunderhawk City would eventually grow and expand. In time, the city''s Guard Corps would not only increase in size but would also have a true military force. By then, the role of the current Guard Corps would be exceptionally important.


    Because by that time, these guards would have be seasoned veterans, serving as an essential cornerstone of Thunderhawk City''s armed forces!


    With this in mind, Rocky nced at Monte:


    "Train these guards well, but don''t be too harsh. I''m afraid they won''t be able to handle it."


    Although it was only his first glimpse of Monte''s training method, even so, Rocky could imagine how Monte trained the guards¡ªit must be both straightforward and brutal.


    Such rudimentary methods were fine, for steel isn''t steel without being tempered, and jade isn''t jade without being polished, but Rocky was afraid Monte might be too rough in his tempering and polishing.


    "Don''t worry, my lord, I know my limits."


    With a heartyugh, Monte thumped his chest, assuring Rocky, then continued to roar and wave his Teaching Whip, heading back towards the guards.

 Chapter 63: Chapter 62: Restless Magic Power

    Rocky stayed with the Guard Corps until the afternoon before he returned to the City Lord''s Mansion, and he was very pleased when he left.


    He had spent almost the entire day with the guards and witnessed their whole day of training.


    It must be said that although Monte''s training was somewhat harsh, it was incredibly systematic. After running, came a series of physical exercises, and after lunch, they moved on to groupbat practice. Monte had arranged each training segment very appropriately.


    For the guards, even though the training was arduous and even painful, it brought significant benefits, especially since they would soon be apanying Rocky to thend toplete a series of missions assigned by the Mercenary Guild. In such cases, intensive training became a necessity, and it was the only way the guards could survive the battles against the demons.


    Seeing how hard the guards worked, Rocky did not dare ck off himself. So, upon returning, he went straight into the workshop and began to inscribe runes on one piece of equipment after another, working untilte into the night.


    Late at night, after a busy day, Rocky finally returned to his bedroom. Even then, he didn''t rest immediately. Although hey in bed, he took out the Demon''s Fang he had bought earlier.


    Holding the Demon''s Fang in his hand and continuously fiddling with it, Rocky examined its patterns while carefully feeling it, almost unable to let it go.


    He indeed liked the Demon''s Fang very much. Although he didn''t know which demon it hade from, Rocky was fond of it to the extent that he had bought it for experimentation but had not yet inscribed even a single rune on it after so much time.


    Because Rocky was somewhat reluctant, he did not want to waste the Demon''s Fang in haste. He wanted to wait until he could make it into a dagger, then it wouldn''t be toote to inscribe runes on it. Moreover, if given enhancement, he even considered inscribing a Second-Level Rune directly on it.


    It was because of this idea that he yed with the Demon''s Fang every night before sleep, carefully feeling it and bing familiar with it so that he would be more proficient when he actually began to inscribe runes on it.


    Thus, Rocky yed with the Demon''s Fang for quite a while before preparing to sleep.


    However, just as he hadin down and before he could even close his eyes, something unexpected happened. Rocky suddenly felt his magic power stir inexplicably within him.


    "This is..."


    "A breakthrough?!"


    Feeling the agitation of his magic power, the just-lying-down Rocky quickly sat up, and a look of joy appeared on his face.


    Although he was only a First Level Mage and didn''t know too much about magic power, he at least knew that such sudden agitation typically indicated a breakthrough, which meant he was about to be a Level Two Mage!


    This was definitely an unexpected surprise, but it did not surprise Rocky.


    That was because Liliya had once said that the best way to achieve continuous breakthroughs in magic power was to use it continuously and preferably to exhaust it every time. Every time the magic power was exhausted and subsequently recovered, it would increase a bit on its existing basis. Over time, this would naturally push the magic power beyond its previous limits.


    Since learning the Mana Rune, Rocky''s magic power had often been depleted because of his frequent inscription of runes, especially in recent days when he had inscribed hundreds of runes on several pieces of equipment every day until his magic power was exhausted. Perhaps it was this high-intensity consumption that had caused Rocky''s magic power to break through!


    Realizing that he was about to break through, Rocky quickly sat up from the bed, then focused his mind and began to consciously control the magic power within him.


    He had to do this because magic power became extremely unstable during a breakthrough. One had to actively control it to stabilize it, otherwise the uncontrolled magic power could easily rebound and injure Rocky.


    However, this task was easier said than done. Though Rocky tried hard to suppress his magic power and calm it down, the more he actively suppressed it, the more obvious the resistance within his body became, until eventually he could not suppress it at all!


    "Why is this happening..."


    Time and again, he tried to control the magic power within him, but to no avail, causing Rocky to furrow his brows in frustration.


    This situation was clearly not normal. He had already spent a long time drawing runes, and there should have been hardly any magic power left in his body. How could he possibly be unable to control such a small amount of magic power?


    However, the impossible had happened. The scant amount of magic power remaining in his body not only became difficult to control but also grew increasingly agitated, to the point where even Rocky could hardly bear it any longer.


    This was troublesome!


    Being just a First Level Mage, Rocky had little knowledge of magic power and encountered a situation he had never heard of before, making him unsure of what to do.


    Although he panicked, the magic power inside his body continued to churn violently, and what Rocky couldn''t see was that his skin had already turned an intense red. It felt as if fierce mes were burning beneath his skin, scorching him so intensely that he felt he might explode at any moment!


    This made Rocky immediately realize the gravity of the situation and hurriedly tried to find Liliya for help, fearing something disastrous would happen!


    No sooner had he risen from his bed than he copsed weakly onto the floor with a thud!


    "Some... some..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Somebody...!"


    Lying on the floor, Rocky struggled to open his mouth, but he could only make a very faint sound. When he tried to crawl toward the door, he found he couldn''t muster any strength at all...


    Why was this happening, what was this situation!


    Powerless, lying on the floor, Rocky wanted to shout but couldn''t make a sound, wanted to crawl to the door but couldn''t exert any force, causing him topletely break down. He even thought he might just die in such a bewildered state.


    But just then, just when Rocky really might have perished confusedly in his room, there was a ttering sound as the Demon''s Fang, which he had carelessly ced on the bedside, fell to the ground.


    Before the powerless and helpless gaze of Rocky, the Demon''s Fang that had fallen to the ground seemed to be drawn by some attraction, rolling toward him until it stopped by his side.


    Immediately after, a tremendous suction emerged from the Demon''s Fang, suddenly enveloping Rocky''s whole body, and sucked away all the agitated magic power inside him...

 Chapter 64: Chapter 63 Congratulations, my Lord!

    The Demon''s Fang that rolled to Rocky''s side instantly sucked away all the magic power about to explode within him, leaving himpletely drained!


    Once his magic was empty, Rocky, who had been lying on the ground unable to move or cry out, felt as light as a feather, as if all his burdens had vanished along with the magic power. Shortly after, he slowly got to his feet.


    After he rose from the ground, he gasped for breath several times, then realized that his entire body was soaked with sweat, almost as if he had taken a bath with his clothes on.


    But, at the same time, he had also be a Level Two Mage.


    After the perilous experience just now, he had sessfully leveled up to a Level Two Mage!


    However, after the breakthrough, Rocky did not seem very happy. Instead, he was more concerned about something else, so he hastily picked up the Demon''s Fang from the ground as soon as he stood up.


    What on earth just happened?


    Picking up the Demon''s Fang and inspecting it, Rocky couldn''t help but think about the recent events and feel a sense of fear.


    After careful recollection, he understood that something must have gone wrong during his breakthrough, causing the magic power in his body to riot and nearly costing him his life. If not for the miraculous performance of the Demon''s Fang in his hand, he would probably have died without understanding how.


    But why would this mysterious Demon''s Fang suck away all his magic power?


    Looking down at the Demon''s Fang in his hand, Rocky was utterly perplexed.


    His knowledge about the Demon''s Fang he had purchased was actually very limited; he didn''t even know which high-level demon the tooth came from. But now it seemed that this tooth was anything but ordinary!


    Could it be... a treasure?


    With that thought, he brought the Demon''s Fang closer for a detailed examination, hoping to detect some clues.


    But just then, there was a crisp cracking noise, and Rocky found that a crack had appeared on the Demon''s Fang he held, followed by the crack spreading across the entire tooth, causing it to show a web ofrge fissures!


    "It''s cracked? Cracked?"


    Watching the Demon''s Fang in his hand cracking into pieces, Rocky was stunned on the spot. Was it just breaking apart like this?


    No, the Demon''s Fang had not fallen to pieces. Though its surface cracked all over, it was only shedding its outeryer.


    After the fragments had peeled off, the true form of the Demon''s Fang was revealed!


    Now significantly smaller than before, the Demon''s Fang had shrunk to the size of a palm. More importantly, the tooth became as clear and sparkling as crystal, emitting a faint blue light, looking just like an exquisitely carved piece of art, stunning in its beauty!


    "This, this..."


    As he saw the Demon''s Fang transform before his eyes, Rocky couldn''t help but widen his own, his face a mixture of disbelief and utter confusion.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Was this the true form of the Demon''s Fang?


    Loading at the artistic Demon''s Fang in his hand, the only thing on his mind was what exactly had he bought?


    This item might indeed be a Demon''s Fang, but it was clearly not from any ordinary demon!


    "Fantastic!"


    Realizing the extraordinary nature of the Demon''s Fang, Rocky yelled out in excitement; it was obvious that he had stumbled upon a treasure!


    But perhaps due to the overwhelming excitement, he unintentionally waved his arm, and as he did, his arm clutched in his hand shot out a beam of blue light. Right after, there was a thunderous boom, and a huge hole was sted in the bedroom wall!


    This oue caused the jubnt Rocky to suddenly freeze, staring nkly at the hole sted in the wall,pletely dumbfounded...


    ¡­


    ```


    ......


    "To think such a thing happened, are you injured?"


    Liliya looked at Rocky with an anxious face, full of concern.


    "I''m fine."


    He waved his hand at her to show that he was not seriously harmed, then asked, "What do you all make of this? What exactly is this thing?"


    As he spoke, he took out the Demon''s Fang, which had be crystal-like, and then turned his gaze to Liliya, Aileen, and Monte.


    It was now early in the morning of the next day. After the events ofst night, Rocky had called Liliya and the others to the City Lord''s Mansion first thing in the morning and recounted his experiences from the previous night.


    After hearing his story, all three of them were stunned. None had expected that Rocky had encountered such a dangerous situation the night before.


    The most worried, naturally, was Liliya. Even when Rocky took the Demon''s Fang in his hand to show her, she snatched it away and threw it aside: "This thing is too dangerous, don''t hold onto it."


    "This..."


    Watching the Demon''s Fang being discarded like trash, Rocky was somewhat dumbfounded, but fortunately, Monte went over and picked it up.


    "My Lord, are you saying this tooth absorbed all your magic power?"


    After picking the Demon''s Fang back up, Monte looked at it and asked.


    "That''s right."


    Rocky nodded confidently.


    At that moment, Aileen and Liliya also gathered around Monte, and the three of them carefully examined the strange tooth together.


    After studying it for a while, Liliya finally said, "This thing looks quite dangerous..."


    At the same time, Aileen also spoke:


    "This thing looks quite valuable..."


    The two women examined the Demon''s Fang from all angles, each expressing her own thoughts.


    Clearly, their thoughts were very much in line with their personalities, and both were correct. The unidentifiable Demon''s Fang was indeed dangerous. If anyone doubted it, they only needed to look at the gaping hole in the wall of Rocky''s bedroom.


    At the same time, the Demon''s Fang was, as Aileen said, likely worth a good deal of money. Even setting aside its potential powers, its appearance alone, like that of a piece of fine art, would fetch a high price on the market.


    Unfortunately, although their thoughts were not wrong, they were of no practical use. Therefore, Rocky turned to Monte, who had been silent this entire time.


    As a former Demon Hunter, even if Monte could not recognize which high-level demon the tooth came from, he should at least be able to make a rough judgment, right?


    Indeed, after an even more meticulous study than anyone else had undertaken, Monte finally raised his head slowly and, while handing the Demon''s Fang back to Rocky, said solemnly, "Congrattions, my Lord!"


    "Hm?"


    Caught off guard by the unexpected remark, Rocky was taken aback, not quite understanding.


    Monte then continued:


    "My Lord, if I''m not mistaken, this should be a tooth from a high-level demon!"


    ```

 Chapter 65: Chapter 64 Dangerous Thing!

    "My lord, if I''m not mistaken, this Demon''s Fang likelyes from a high-level demon," Monte said as he handed the Demon''s Fang back to Rocky.


    As these words left his mouth, everyone present, including Rocky, was shocked and, in the next second, their gazes uniformly fixated on the Demon''s Fang in Rocky''s hand.


    This Demon''s Fang... could it actually be from a high-level demon?!


    The conclusion was so frightening that everyone was stunned for a long time before Rocky, after taking a deep breath, asked Monte, "Monte, how did you figure it out?"


    If this Demon''s Fang truly were from a high-level demon, then it would definitely be considered a treasure, possibly even more valuable than Rocky''s set of Void Magic Armor, but this was contingent on Monte not being mistaken, otherwise, a big misunderstanding could ur.


    "I believe I have not mistaken it."


    However, in response to Rocky''s inquiry, Monte confidently stated, "My lord, although I have never actually hunted a high-level demon, I have seen some items from high-level demons at the Demon Exchange, so I do have some understanding of them."


    "Although there are only high-level and low-level categories for demons, the gap between these two levels is immense. Hence, any item from a high-level demon, whether it be teeth, horns, or skin, is fundamentally different from those of low-level demons."


    "This difference stems from their essence. Take this tooth, for example. It is clearly a Demon''s Fang, yet it can absorb magic power.


    Just from this point alone, we can prove it definitely doesn''te from a low-level demon since even the most powerful low-level demon doesn''t possess such an ability, and even if they did, the ability would vanish after their death, but that''s not the case with high-level demons."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "High-level demons are all terrifying beings with immense strength, and almost all of them have special abilities that usually remain after their deaths, just like this tooth. This is also why the market value of high-level demons is far greater than that of low-level demons, by over tenfold."


    "So that''s how it is..."


    After Monte''s exnation, Rocky and the others finally understood the situation and felt that what Monte said made a lot of sense.


    They had recently visited the Demon Exchange and, though they only browsed the first three floors, they indeed did not see any items from low-level demons that had any special abilities. It appeared that, as Monte mentioned, only items from high-level demons possessed special abilities; low-level demons did not.


    If that was the case, then the Demon''s Fang that Rocky had acquired could indeed be from a high-level demon!


    With this realization, Rocky had struck it rich!


    You must know that he had purchased this Demon''s Fang for only five hundred gold coins, a price that was already quite cheap. And if the Demon''s Fang truly came from a high-level demon, then Rocky would have made a fortune!


    "This is truly great! And if it really is as such, I must thoroughly investigate what special ability this tooth possesses!"


    Upon learning that the Demon''s Fang in his hand mighte from a high-level demon, Rocky grew even more attached to it and immediately nned to investigate it further.


    He now knew that the Demon''s Fang could absorb magic power, but he was still unclear about the specific effects and the precise conditions for activation, among other things¡ªknowledge that was essential for maximizing the use of the tooth.


    Afterward, Aileen and Monte both left the City Lord''s Mansion, while only Liliya stayed behind.


    No choice, seeing Rocky''s excited expression, Liliya knew he was definitely going to do something reckless again, so she had no choice but to stay by his side, to prevent another incident likest night.


    And to avoid unnecessary danger, the two of them went to the back garden of the City Lord''s Mansion, and for safety''s sake, Rocky even put on his Void Magic Armor, just in case any idents urred.


    ......


    ......


    In the back garden of the City Lord''s Mansion, Rocky and Liliya stood together, both looking at the Demon''s Fang that Rocky held in his hand.


    "This tooth, it seems like it can absorb mana..."


    Holding the crystal-like Demon''s Fang in his hand, Rocky felt it for a moment, but didn''t feel the sucking force from yesterday, and his magic power wasn''t being absorbed directly either.


    "Try touching it with your magic power and see if there''s any effect,"


    Liliya reminded him from the side at this moment.


    "Okay."


    Agreeing, Rocky mobilized the magic power inside his body, controlling it to surge towards the tooth in his hand. The moment they made contact, a huge suction force emerged from within the Demon''s Fang, as if a giant maw instantaneously sucked all the magic power out of Rocky''s body.


    No, it wasn''t just the magic power within Rocky''s body that was being drained, even the magic power contained in the runes on his Void Magic Armor was being sapped!


    All of this happened in the blink of an eye, so instantaneously that Rocky had no time to react. By the time he did react, the Demon''s Fang he held in his hand was already emitting bursts of blue light, just as beautiful as it had been the night before.


    "Rocky, throw it away!"


    But at that moment, Liliya suddenly shouted and, without waiting for Rocky to react, kicked his hand. The force wasn''t great, but it was enough to send the Demon''s Fang flying from his grasp.


    It was exactly at the moment that Liliya''s kick sent the tooth flying when a blue light suddenly shot out from the Fang. In the blink of an eye, there was a thunderous explosion, and arge tree struck by the blue light waspletely sted into the air. The massive trunk flew for a while before crashing down heavily onto the ground,nding right in front of Rocky...


    The scene that urred in the blink of an eye left both Rocky and Liliya stunned on the spot, neither of them had expected such a result!


    What was this blue light that shot out from the Demon''s Fang? It possessed such immense power that it exceeded even the might of a magic cannon!


    And if it weren''t for Liliya''s quick response in kicking the Demon''s Fang away, the blue light might have exploded right in Rocky''s hands, and the consequences of that were simply unimaginable.


    You have to understand that his Void Magic Armor and the Mana Rune on it were already drained of mana. Without the support of mana, the Void Magic Armor is just an ordinary suit of armor, unable to withstand an explosion of that magnitude.


    With a light clink, the Demon''s Fang that had been kicked into the air now gently fell to the ground and, as if alive, rolled towards Rocky''s feet. But at this moment, Rocky was already too scared to pick it up...


    This thing is too dangerous!

 Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Havent Left Yet?

    Watching the Demon''s Fang fall at his feet, Rocky didn''t dare to pick it up right away because it was simply too dangerous!


    Only after a good while did he carefully bend over and gingerly picked up the Demon''s Fang from the ground.


    And when he picked up the Demon''s Fang, nothing happened.


    That''s what made Rocky breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Don''t be afraid, the magic power absorbed by this thing must have been depleted, it should be safe now."


    Liliya looked at Rocky with a bit of amusement before approaching and ncing at the Demon''s Fang in his hand.


    "Was the situation you encounteredst night the same as just now?"


    "Yes, it was the samest night. In the blink of an eye, my bedroom was sted, but the power was definitely not as strong as just now."


    Having confirmed that there was no danger, Rocky finally rxed and then exined to Liliya, simultaneously ncing at therge tree that had been blown to his feet. He couldn''t help feeling scared. Ifst night''s explosion in his bedroom had been as powerful as the one just now, his bedroom would have been more than just a hole in the wall; the whole room would have been leveled.


    "So, this Demon''s Fang can not only absorb magic power but also emit the absorbed magic power afterward?"


    As Rocky was still feeling shocked, Liliya opened her mouth.


    Her words made sense, for the blue light shot out from the Demon''s Fang was clearly mana, which meant that the Demon''s Fang could not only absorb mana but also release it exactly as it had absorbed.


    As for why the explosion was stronger thanst night, it''s actually quite simple. This time, the Demon''s Fang had absorbed more mana.


    Last night, it had only absorbed Rocky''s magic power, but just now, it had absorbed not only Rocky''s magic power but also the mana contained in the Void Magic Armor and Mana Rune, which naturally made the emitted mana much more massive and the effect more astonishing.


    "So that''s how it is..."


    After Liliya exined this, Rocky understood and then looked down and thought for a while. After quite some time, he looked up again and began to distance himself from Liliya while saying, "Liliya, attack me with magic."


    "What?"


    Liliya was slightly taken aback by this request, not understanding his intention.


    "I want to see if this tooth can absorb not only mana but also magic."


    Mana, magic power, and magic, although named differently, are essentially the same force; the only difference is in their form of manifestation. So, if the Demon''s Fang could absorb mana and magic power, could it also absorb magic that was transformed from magic power?


    Rocky really wanted to know, which is why he made such a request to Liliya.


    Liliya understood his reasoning after his exnation, and although hesitant, she eventually nodded.


    Beyond being a Third-Level Warrior, Liliya was also a Level Two Mage. Her control over magic power might not be exquisite but was still decent. Following that, she took two steps back and then shot a Magic Bullet at Rocky.


    A Magic Bullet is a First-Level Magic that is half as powerful as the Fireball Technique; even if it hit Rocky, it wouldn''t cause much harm.


    Facing the magic bullet flying towards him, Rocky didn''t dodge or flinch but instead raised the Demon''s Fang in his hand.


    In the blink of an eye, there was a loud bang, and Rocky was knocked back several steps by the magic bullet...


    "Are you okay?"


    Not expecting Rocky to actually be hit by the magic bullet, Liliya rushed over and then saw that he was not seriously hurt; the magic bullet had just hit his breastte.


    "Can''t this thing absorb magic?"


    Seeing that Rocky was alright, Liliya nced at the Demon''s Fang in his hand.


    "No, I didn''t aim it properly..."


    Shaking his head at Liliya, Rocky''s expression was somewhat embarrassed. It wasn''t that the Demon''s Fang hadn''t absorbed the magic bullet; it was because he hadn''t aimed the Demon''s Fang at the magic bullet correctly, so he was hit...


    ```


    "Let''s do it one more time."


    Rolling her eyes at Rocky, Liliya walked farther away than before, because the greater the distance, the longer the trajectory of the magic bullet and the more reaction time Rocky naturally had.


    ......


    ......


    In this manner, Rocky and Liliya started to experiment with the Demon''s Fang in various ways in the back garden of the City Lord''s Mansion.


    Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and during these days, the two of them spent every day in the back garden of the City Lord''s Mansion. They came up with all sorts of ways to tinker with the Demon''s Fang, feeling as though they had both turned into mischievous children.


    However, it was because of their relentless experimentation that they finally managed to understand the effects of the Demon''s Fang thoroughly!


    The Demon''s Fang disyed several characteristics:


    First, the Demon''s Fang could indeed absorb mana, magic power, and even magic itself. The specific upper limit of its absorption remained unknown.


    Second, whether it was mana, magic power, or various types of magic absorbed by the Demon''s Fang, it would all be converted into pure energy and stored within the Demon''s Fang.


    Third, the energy converted by the Demon''s Fang was highly unstable. Even a slight vibration, or a mere touch, would cause the Demon''s Fang to release the umted energy all at once without reservation.


    Fourth, and most importantly, the Demon''s Fang could only absorb energy with which it came into direct contact; otherwise, it had no effect whatsoever.


    These four findings were the result of Rocky and Liliya''s several days of consecutive experimentation and personal experiences. Not only did they rify the effects of the Demon''s Fang, but they also gave Rocky new ideas about its potential uses.


    At first, he intended to craft it into a rune dagger, but now it seemed impossible.


    Because the Demon''s Fang could absorb all mana it came into contact with, it was impossible to inscribe runes on it. If one tried to activate the runes, the Demon''s Fang would absorb all the mana contained within the runes, even the user''s mana, rendering it unusable as a rune weapon.


    Although his initial idea was no longer feasible, Rocky hade up with another method to utilize the Demon''s Fang. He thought of using it as a defensive measure, relying on its ability to absorb energy to fend off magic or magic energy attacks!


    If used this way, wouldn''t the Demon''s Fang be a top-tier defensive item?


    This new idea made him decide to embed the Demon''s Fang into his own Void Magic Armor. By doing so, his Void Magic Armor would have a powerful defensive measure against magic or mana attacks, wouldn''t it?!


    Of course, he couldn''t implement this idea right away, as he had been too busy recently. Besides, this kind of modification wasn''t easy to achieve, especially figuring out how to allow the Demon''s Fang to function without absorbing the mana of the Void Magic Armor itself, which Rocky hadn''t yet found a solution to. Thus, he could only wait until he had time in the future to undertake this task.


    And in order to fully understand the effects of the Demon''s Fang, Rocky had neglected several days'' worth of work. After rifying its effects, he busy himself trying to catch up on the progress of his enchanting work for equipment.


    Just as Rocky had begun to immerse himself in his primary duties, Aileen sought him out.


    "Sir, what do you n to do about Jia Xi?"


    "Who?"


    Holding the magic energy pen, Rocky looked up at Aileen in confusion and asked.


    "Jia Xi, the overseer of the Azure Commerce Guild."


    Seeing the nk look on Rocky''s face, Aileen had to remind him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Chapter Your:


    After her reminder, Rocky suddenly recalled the matter and his eyes widened.


    "He hasn''t left yet?"


    "Hehe, no, he hasn''t."


    With a slight smile towards Rocky, Aileen cheerily updated him about Jia Xi''s situation.


    Although neither she nor Rocky had seen Jia Xi during these past days, with Rocky even forgetting the incident, Aileen had not. She had been keeping a close watch on every move Jia Xi made; whatever he did, Aileen knew all about it!


    ```

 Chapter 67: Chapter 66 Vosss Plea

    Jia Xi had not been having a good time these days - no, it should be said he had been having a very bad time. He had already been in Thunderhawk City for over half a month, but he still had not met either Rocky or Aileen, a situation that was driving him to the brink of desperation.


    He hade to Thunderhawk City this time on behalf of the Azure Commerce Guild to conduct business, but how was he supposed to negotiate a deal when he couldn''t even meet anyone!


    So these days had left him extremely anxious, and he had even stopped staying on the merchant ship, moving directly into the residential area of Thunderhawk City in order to be more essible.


    After moving into Thunderhawk City, he practically ran to the City Lord''s Mansion every day, using every possible means in hopes of seeing Rocky as soon as possible.


    Over the course of half a month, he had been to the City Lord''s Mansion more than a dozen times. His previous pride had long vanished under such torment. Making Rocky look bad, Aileen - none of those mattered to him anymore. Now he only had one thing on his mind, and that was to meet Rocky as soon as possible, conclude the trade, and then he never wanted toe to Thunderhawk City again.


    s, he could not even achieve this, as neither Rocky nor Aileen would see him. Even though he ran to the City Lord''s Mansion every day, each time he would be politely taken to the City Lord''s Hall, where after waiting for two to three hours, someone woulde to tell him that the City Lord did not have time and asked him to return the next day.


    Thisck of audience was driving Jia Xi mad, and let''s not forget that he had note alone this time, he was apanied by no less than five ships full of grain!


    For every extra day Jia Xi stayed in Thunderhawk City, the grain on the merchant ships would also need to be stored for an additional day. While it is true that grains can be stored for a very long time, they can''tst nearly as long in the dark, damp hold of a ship.


    If stored for a short time it would be fine, but should it be too long and the grain begins to mold and spoil, then there would be real trouble!


    Thus, he was burning with impatience yet had no solution.


    In fact, with Jia Xi''s intelligence, he may not have realized it at first, but by now he had generally figured it out; he could guess that Rocky and Aileen were deliberately avoiding him and dragging their feet in not meeting him, and the reason was certainly due to thest trade deal.


    Chapter Continue:


    In the initial days, although Jia Xi understood what was happening, he was still not ready to give up; he still wanted to stand up to Rocky, believing that as long as Rocky needed the grain in his possession, he would ultimatelypromise, and Jia Xi would be the one to emerge victorious.


    But now he had changed his mind; he simply could not afford to wait any longer.


    After being ignored so many times, Jia Xi hadpletely given in; he had finally understood one thing, that he truly could notpete with the City Lord of Sky City, and he had genuinely relented.


    Once he had relented, Jia Xi''s mind became more agile, and he soon turned to Voss.


    Voss and the Azure Commerce Guild had quite a good rtionship.


    The reason the Azure Commerce Guild began doing business with Thunderhawk City wasrgely due to Voss''s efforts as a liaison, and given that Voss had also once served as the finance officer within Thunderhawk City, Jia Xi felt that if he could get Voss to pass on a message or make an introduction, he would definitely be able to meet Rocky.


    And what pleased him to no end was that when he sought out Voss and exined his purpose, Voss readily agreed, promising that he would talk to Aileen!


    This delighted Jia Xi immensely! In his view, as long as he could meet Aileen, then everything would be much easier. So he not only thanked Voss profusely but also presented him with a generous gift, then returned home filled with expectation to wait for news.


    As for Voss, who had epted a generous gift, he indeed kept his word and really did have a talk with Aileen.


    "Grandpa, didn''t you say you wouldn''t interfere with my affairs? Why have you gotten involved again? Tell me, did you ept a gift from that man?"


    Seeing that Voss had actually brought up Jia Xi, Aileen puffed up with anger.


    Leaving Jia Xi to fend for himself was a deliberate choice by her and Rocky, meant to discipline the Overseer and make him realize who truly ruled over Thunderhawk City. So, regarding her grandfather''s words, Aileen shook her head as vigorously as a rattle-drum, firmly disagreeing.


    "Aileen, you should meet with Jia Xi," Voss insisted.


    With a faint smile on his face, Voss exined to Aileen in a kindly manner, "You and the City Lord have been neglecting this matter for too long, which is really not good. What if you drive people to desperation, and they end up leaving once and for all? How would you handle that?"


    "So, you should listen to Grandpa''s advice, go meet with Jia Xi, appease him properly, and let him calm down. Doing this will bring only benefits and no disadvantages."


    Having said that, Voss looked at Aileen, noticing that she was looking at him with a face full of surprise.


    It was not until a good whileter that Aileen finally spoke:


    "Grandpa, you''re the craftiest."


    Giving Voss a thumbs up, Aileen had clearly understood what her grandfather meant.


    "Nonsense!"


    With his eyes wide, Voss put on an angry face, but Aileen was not the least bit scared. She quickly bounced away toward the exit, calling back, "I got it, I''ll see Jia Xi tomorrow."


    "There''s no need to rush. Wait three days before you meet him."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Watching Aileen bounce away, Voss shook his head and reminded her.


    Three dayster, just as she had said, Aileen did indeed go to meet with Jia Xi.


    Upon seeing that Aileen had finallye, Jia Xi was overjoyed. The arrogance he had shownst time was gone, and he quickly apologized to Aileen right after meeting her, saying that he had offended her during thest encounter with the City Lord and that he hadn''t wanted to, but it was the Chamber of Commerce''s orders, and so on. In short, he said a lot of things to ingratiate himself.


    Of course, Aileen was well aware of such tricks. After all, how could one believe the words thate so easily from a merchant''s mouth? However, she did not call him out on it. In fact, she did not show the slightest displeasure towards Jia Xi, but instead spoke to him earnestly.


    "Overseer Jia Xi, to be frank, the City Lord has been very dissatisfied after thest transaction, and he has not just once but multiple times requested that I seek cooperation with other Chambers of Commerce," Aileen said, her face a picture of helplessness.


    "So, if it were not for me and Grandpa pleading on your behalf in front of the City Lord, this deal might not have happened at all."


    "Yes, yes, I understand. I am very grateful to the senior Voss and to Miss Aileen. I will certainly remember this favor, but regarding the current situation..."


    Like Aileen before him, Jia Xi did not believe a word she said, but he verbally agreed to everything nheless.


    "Let''s do this, I''ll go speak with the City Lord."


    As if she had made a great resolution, Aileen stood up while she spoke and then looked at Jia Xi, "Overseer Jia Xi, please wait here. I''ll go see the City Lord right now, but you can''t behave as you didst time. Otherwise, I really won''t be able to help."


    "Good, good, Miss Aileen, rest assured, I know what I should do."


    Seeing that Aileen was going to see Rocky right away, Jia Xi quickly thanked her, and a weight lifted from his heart. At this point, he didn''t ask for anything more, just to finish this transaction as soon as possible would be a blessing.

 Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Inspecting the Guards

    Chapter Read:N?v(el)B\\jnn


    After speaking with Aileen, Jia Xi courteously and respectfully saw her to her carriage, not daring to take any inappropriate actions or even harbor inappropriate thoughts throughout the process.


    While not exactly an upright person, Jia Xi, who seemed respectable on the surface, had done many underhand things in the shadows. However, he wasn''t someone controlled by basal desires. He was very aware that he was asking Aileen for help, so he dared not entertain any improper thoughts or actions.


    One might wonder, was Jia Xi being too cautious?


    Since he already knew that Rocky was intentionally avoiding him, why then did he linger in Thunderhawk City? Why didn''t he just leave?


    This thought was not wrong, but Jia Xi couldn''t bring himself to do it because he had already missed the opportunity to leave.


    If he had wanted to leave during the first three days after arriving in Thunderhawk City, then leaving would have led to no loss, despite the failed negotiations. But now, having stayed in Thunderhawk City for over a month, if he were to leave dejectedly, the losses would be substantial.


    The entire five ships of grain he had brought were now exposed to the elements at the skyport. If he were to leave now, to whom would he sell this grain?


    If he couldn''t sell this batch of grain, how would he exin it to the Chamber of Commerce?


    So, it wasn''t that Jia Xi didn''t want to leave; it was that he simply couldn''t. He had to sell this batch of grain to Thunderhawk City, otherwise, the trouble would be even greater.


    In such a situation, Jia Xi could only ce his hopes on Aileen, hoping she could quickly convince Rocky and expedite the deal so he could leave. Moreover, Jia Xi had already decided that once this transaction waspleted, he would swear never toe to Thunderhawk City again.


    However, while Jia Xi sat waiting for good news from Aileen with great anticipation, the carriage-carrying Aileen headed straight to her training ss. She didn''t have time to specifically look for Rocky for Jia Xi''s sake; she had many other matters to attend to.


    The training ss had already been running for a month. Aileen went to check on the progress of the residents who had enrolled, which was truly what concerned her heart.


    On the other hand, Rocky in the City Lord''s Mansion was still buried in his study. After his extended efforts, the hundred shields bought from Eternal City had all been converted into runic shields, and the majority of the hundred pieces of armor had also been crafted into runic armor. That meant Rocky just needed to finish thest few pieces of armor to finallyplete this major undertaking!


    In this situation, he was highly motivated, continuing to work hard despite extreme fatigue and many days without proper rest.


    Once this major project waspleted, it would signify a fresh start. Soon, over half of the guards in Thunderhawk City would be equipped with the newly crafted runic equipment. Combined with Monte''s intense recent training, the Guard Corps would undergo a revolutionary transformation in strength. With that, Rocky could then lead them to undertake missions from the Mercenary Guild!


    This was something Rocky had to do, as it directly concerned whether the treasury of Thunderhawk City could be replenished. Only with secured funding could he move to the next phase of development and nning.


    So, it was right for Aileen not toe to him. Rocky didn''t have the time to deal with Jia Xi''s predicament; his focus was entirely on crafting rune equipment.


    After another four or five days, Rocky finally inscribed runes on all the equipment he had purchased, transforming these imitation magic energy equipment into genuine rune equipment!


    The smoothpletion of this major project brought Rocky a sense of relief. So much so that after drawing the final rune on thest piece of armor, he simply fell asleep in his study¡ªand slept for a whole day and night. The next day, he only woke up because he was too hungry; otherwise, he might have slept even longer.


    No wonder, considering it had been over two months since Rocky returned from Eternal City. That meant he had been tirelessly working alone on the batch of rune equipment for two months, which exins why he fell asleep as soon as he finished thest piece of armor.


    However, for Rocky now, rest was always a luxurious indulgence. It was just the beginning of the development of Thunderhawk City, and there were too many tasks waiting for him to tackle. Therefore, after briefly resting for a day, he went to the Guard Corps with the newly crafted rune equipment!


    The equipmentboriously produced was intended for the guards, but due to Thunderhawk City''s limited finances, only one hundred guards could be equipped with the new gear. This meant that only half of Thunderhawk City''s Guard Corps could don the new equipment.


    This was something Rocky had carefully considered beforehand. In fact, if he had chosen to purchase only shields or only armor, it would have sufficed for the entire Guard Corps. However, he did not do so.


    In Rocky''s view, guards equipped with only one piece of rune equipment would see very limited improvement in strength. Rather than that, he preferred a strategy of ''fewer but finer,'' allowing a select few of the more capable guards to wear more powerful gear. This elite strategy proved more effective.


    Moreover, although most of the Guard Corps participated in tasks from the Mercenary Guild, not every member was required to fight tooth and nail, as Thunderhawk City had more than the Guard Corps¡ªit also had ten skyships.


    Skyships needed to be piloted, and the magic cannons on board also required operators. Thus, some of the guards were needed to pilot the skyships and operate the magic cannons. Given this, the actual number of guards required to fight alongside Rocky was not extensive. One hundred sets of equipment sufficed to arm these guards.


    The guards, in fact, had already been informed of this. During their training, Monte had told them that the City Lord had acquired a batch of powerful ''Magic Energy Equipment,'' but only the top one hundred guards would have the privilege to wear this gear.


    That was precisely why, under Monte''s grueling training, the guards were tremendously motivated. Everyone''s goal was to be among the top one hundred to receive the ''Magic Energy Equipment'' prepared by the City Lord.


    ........


    ........


    Today, rather than training as usual on the parade ground, the soldiers stood in neat rows, as if they were ready for an inspection.


    In fact, they were indeed being inspected, for word had spread that the City Lord would bring one hundred sets of Magic Energy Equipment to evaluate their training results. From amongst them, the one hundred most outstanding individuals would earn the reward of a Magic Energy Shield and Mana Armor.


    At that moment, Rocky stood before these members of the Guard Corps, d in Void Magic Armor, radiating an imposing aura. Beside him stood Liliya and Aileen, and even Aileen''s grandfather, Voss, was present.


    For this inspection, Rocky took it significantly seriously; he was not only dressed in full military regalia himself but had also brought along all the notable figures of Thunderhawk City. Although the gathering was notrge, it was indeed the grandest assembly within the city.


    The scenario made the guards extremely tense, as in their eyes, whether it was Rocky or Liliya, or even Aileen and Voss, these figures were immensely high and unreachable.


    "All units...attention!"


    Just as the guards were extremely nervous, Monte''s voice, like rolling thunder, suddenly erupted. Following hismand, the entire Guard Corps instantly stood up straight, chests out and eyes forward.


    Soon after, the neatly dressed Monte ran to the front of the formation and then loudly called out to Rocky:


    "City Lord! The Thunderhawk City Guard Squad is ready for your inspection!"


    "Ready for the City Lord''s inspection!!"


    As Monte''s words fell, the Guard Squad behind him echoed in unison. Their voices booming, instantly reverberated across the entire parade ground.


    This scene made Rocky continually nod his head, not to speak of the actual strength of the Guard Corps, but merely the morale and fervor they disyed were already beyondparison to before!

 Chapter 69: Chapter 68: The Harsh Assessment

    The morale and enthusiasm disyed by the Guard Corps greatly satisfied Rocky, so he stepped forward to face the crowd. After nodding at Monte, he turned his gaze towards the guards.


    At such a time, his duty as the City Lord naturally required him to speak a few words. For this reason, Rocky was also quite nervous, for he had never addressed hundreds of people before; this was a first for him.


    While observing the Guard Corps, he pondered what to say. Yet, throughout this process, he managed himself well, exuding authority despite the intense pounding in his chest, giving the guards the impression that the City Lord was assessing them all.


    After a short while, Rocky began to speak: Chapter Your:


    "Guards, do you know why I am here today?"


    "We do!"


    After Rocky finished his sentence, the neatly arranged guards before him answered in unison.


    "Very good."


    With that response, Rocky nodded his head and swept his hand, signaling Liliya who immediately understood and took out a runic shield, no, a ''Magic Energy Shield'' from a row of boxes behind her.


    Holding the shield, Liliya turned towards Rocky and, upon seeing him nod slightly, she activated the shield''s magic energy.


    In an instant, the shield in Liliya''s hands emitted a faint glow, making the otherwise ordinary shield seem extraordinary.


    Such a scene immediately energized the gathered guards, their eyes sparkling with excitement.


    For these guards, mana weapons were considered treasures. Until now, not only had they never had the chance to use one, but they also had never even seen real magic energy equipment, nor had they ever imagined they would be able to use such high-grade gear.


    Therefore, when Liliya took out the runic shield, no, the Magic Energy Shield, and activated its power, how could the guards not be thrilled?


    However, as excited as everyone was, they also knew that these pieces of equipment were not for everyone. Only the most outstanding amongst them would receive them, which only served to increase everyone''s determination to demonstrate their readiness for battle.


    And this very excitement was exactly what Rocky wanted to see.


    He felt that nothing he could say at this moment would be as effective as simply presenting the real deal, and indeed, the oue was just as he had expected, immediately motivating the guards.


    Consequently, he cleared his throat and loudly announced, "Today, I will conduct an assessment to test the results of your training!"


    "And those who perform excellently in the assessment will be rewarded with a One-Star Magic Energy Shield and a piece of One-Star Mana Armor. Have I made myself clear?"


    "Clear!"


    Once Rocky finished speaking, the guards in front of him puffed out their chests and shouted with full vigor.


    "Very well, maintain this spirit and show me your true performance in the assessment!"


    Having said this, Rocky then turned to Monte, who immediately stepped forward and addressed the guards: "Attention, everyone! I will now announce the details of the assessment..."


    Regarding this assessment, Rocky had already discussed it with Monte beforehand. The content was straightforwardbat: the guards would pair off and engage in one-on-one battles, with their performance during the fight determining their assessment. Only those who excelled in actualbat would receive the equipment.


    This assessment might seem simple, yet it''s the best way to determine the strength of the guards. After all, these individuals would soon follow Rocky to execute tasks for the Mercenary Guild, and absolutepetence inbat is essential.


    It didn''t take long for Monte to exin the rules of the assessment to the guards. While everyone had already anticipated them, learning they had to engage in one-on-one battles and only those who performed exceptionally could receive Mana Equipment did cause their expressions to change to some extent.


    Some guards became even more nervous after this, with a few of them turning pale, but others showedplete confidence. Far from being tense, these few unconsciously curved their lips into a smile, appearing utterly determined to seed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Monte then brought over a box, specially prepared for this assessment. It contained slips of paper with the guard''s names written on them, and who would face whom was to be decided entirely by drawing lots to ensure the fairness of the assessment.


    "My lord, please."


    Presenting the box of lots to Rocky, Monte clearly intended for him to draw the first pairing for the assessment.


    At that moment, Rocky too felt a bit of excitement and immediately plunged his hand into the box, rummaging around for a good while before pulling out two slips of paper.


    "Lamiro, Mario."


    ncing at the slips, he read the names written on them aloud.


    As his voice rang out, the guards'' gaze swiftly shifted en masse, settling on the two individuals in the ranks, naturally Lamiro and Mario, whose names were called.


    Both men were around thirty years old, but perhaps they didn''t expect to be picked first¡ªwhether that was lucky or unlucky¡ªboth appeared somewhat disconcerted. It took them a good while to nervously step out from the formation.


    "Snap to it! Show the level you have in training, and don''t embarrass me!"


    Perhaps sensing their nervousness, Monte shouted encouragingly as Lamiro and Mario stepped out of the ranks and stood facing each other.


    His shout sounded fierce, but perhaps due to being ustomed to his loud voice during training, Lamiro and Mario rxed significantly.


    Then, following Monte''smand, their battlemenced.


    The fight went on for over ten minutes before finallying to an end, with Mario emerging victorious over Lamiro.


    However, the triumphant Mario didn''t receive the Magic Energy Shield and Mana Armor, for although he had won, the performance of bothbatants was rather ordinary. To put it bluntly, apart from showing good vigor, the battle had no shining moments. Such a disy won neither Rocky''s nor Liliya''s approval, nor Monte''s.


    Both the victor Mario and the defeated Lamiro were clearly aware of their dismal performance. Being overly nervous, they failed to show their best in the fight, not even managing to demonstrate half of the strength they exhibited during training.


    This was precisely their issue: after all, Rocky isn''t going to bite. If they are so nervous in front of him that they can''t perform properly, how will they handle facing Demons?


    Against real Demons, even an above-average performance may not suffice to save one''s life. How could they expect to survive if their performance was subpar?


    So, under these circumstances, neither Lamiro nor Mario received the coveted Mana Equipment. They could only return to their ranks dejectedly.


    As they rejoined the ranks, many among the troops began to understand. They finally grasped that the assessment wasn''t something that could be easilypleted. Simply winning wasn''t enough to earn the Mana Equipment; they had to perform exceptionally well, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the assessment significantly.


    As a result, the atmosphere became even more tense and somber¡­

 Chapter 70: Chapter 69 Bad Performance

    The first assessment had ended, but neither participating party received rewards, as neither side''s performance had satisfied Rocky.


    This oue undoubtedly conveyed to the Guards that this assessment was no child''s y, and it significantly increased their psychological pressure.


    Not long after, the second assessment began. However, this time Monte took over the task of drawing lots instead of Rocky. With two hundred participants undergoing assessment and pairs being matched, that meant a hundred rounds of lot drawing, aborious task that naturally fell to Monte.


    As Monte called out the names of two Guards, the named pair stepped out of the lineup.


    At themand, the second assessment officially began.


    Perhaps the oue of the first assessment had put too much pressure on the Guards because those participating in the second round performed not better but noticeably worse.


    The second assessment dragged on for a full fifteen minutes,ically ending with neither party daring to make the first move for almost half the time, creating an exceedingly unsightly scene.


    In such a scenario, when the victor was finally dered, the two participating Guards dejectedly returned to their formation, clearly aware of their subpar performances, knowing that such a poor showing would surely exclude them from receiving Mana Equipment.


    What they didn''t realize, however, was that they were not the only ones to be denied Mana Equipment; indeed, after several subsequent group assessments, not a single person received Mana Equipment!


    And as yet another pair of Guards returned to their ranks, dejected, the morale of the entire group plummeted to rock bottom. Originally full of energy, one by one, they deted like punctured balls. Even Monte, standing beside Rocky, began to look visibly displeased at this time.


    Monte ced great importance on this series of assessments as well, because they were a test not just for the Guards but for him personally.


    If the Guards performed well, his credit as their trainer would be greatest. However, if they performed poorly, it would inevitably demonstrate his ipetence. With no one interfering in his training methods, Monte didn''t even have the option to shirk responsibility.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    So as the performance of the Guards deteriorated, Monte''s expression became increasingly grim.


    To be honest, he hadn''t expected things to turn out this way at all. The Guards had performed far better in training than they were now showing. He had never imagined they''d disy such poor performance in front of Rocky, and he was caught off guard by this oue.


    Fortunately, although the Guards were performing poorly, Rocky didn''t seem displeased.


    Rocky indeed wasn''t displeased at all because he understood it was normal for the Guards to perform this way. After all, Monte had had too little time to train them. Counting from the first day Monte became their trainer to now, it had only been two months. For him to get the Guards to their current level in such a short time was quite an achievement.


    So, after another group assessment had ended, Rocky nodded at Monte just as he had done before, signaling that Monte could start the next round of assessment.


    With Rocky''s signal, Monte once again began drawing lots.


    This time, however, when he saw the names written on the slip of paper, he silently heaved a sigh of relief and then called out loud, "Robin! Sandro!"


    As Monte called out these two names, a buzz suddenly erupted within the demoralized ranks of the Guard Corps, with many Guards looking in the same direction.


    This naturally caught Rocky''s attention, making him curiously follow the Guards'' gazes. He then saw a young man step out of the formation.


    The young man appeared to be just over twenty, with nothing remarkable about his features, but with well-proportioned facial traits and a very stern expression, as if he did not know how to smile.


    As he stepped out of the formation, he immediately held his square shield in front of his chest and a long sword tight against the shield, slightly crouching to ready himself forbat.


    "Is that posture correct?"


    After taking a look at the stance the young man adopted, Rocky nodded. Thatbat posture was typical of a soldier, not something easily assumed by ordinary people.


    "His name is Sandro, twenty-one years old today. His grandfather once served as a soldier in another Sky City, so he began training Sandro from a young age. As a result, his strength is one of the best within the Guard Corps," Liliya exined quietly beside Rocky, who was watching with interest.


    "I see..."


    After hearing Liliya''s exnation, Rocky nodded, his interest in Sandro growing.


    Rocky then exchanged a look with Monte and, with Rocky''s cue, Monte immediatelymenced the assessment.


    As the assessment started, Sandro, armed with a shield and long sword, began advancing towards his opponent step by step. His pace was not fast, but each step was solid and menacing.


    At the same time, he kept his shield up in front of him, nearlypletely covered behind it, revealing only his eyes and the cold edge of his sword. This kept him in a state from which he couldunch an attack or mount a defense at any moment.


    Within three to five steps, Sandro closed in on his opponent, who, pressed relentlessly, was left with no escape, forced to strike. However, such a desperate attack naturallycked any threat. When the opponent swung his long sword down, Sandro easily blocked it with his shield, and nearly at the same instant, he thrust his own long sword forward!


    A sh of cold light shed. In a panic, Sandro''s opponent hurriedly brought up his shield to block, narrowly parrying the blow. Sandro then made a sudden lunging step, kicking his opponent''s shield away, and immediately afterward, he mmed his own shield hard against his opponent!


    A dull sound echoed, and Sandro''s opponent fell to the ground, thus concluding the assessment...


    No one had expected such a decisive oue, so swift it was almost unimaginable!


    Yet, the battle was also exceedingly spectacr! Sandro defeated his opponent with overwhelming force, turning the assessment into his own personal showcase, and he did it with great ir!


    This fantastic bout took Rocky by surprise, but it also left him extremely satisfied, so afterward, he nced at Liliya, ready to have her bring over the prepared Magic Energy Shield and Mana Armor to reward Sandro.


    But just at that moment, Sandro''s opponent suddenly rose from the ground, an unyielding look on his face, and shouted to Rocky, "City Lord, I can still fight!"

 Chapter 71: Chapter 70 Sandro and Robin

    Sandro''s performance not only satisfied everyone, but also greatly exceeded everyone''s expectations, to the extent that even Rocky couldn''t help but cheer for him.


    In such a situation, Rocky naturally wasn''t stingy at all and handed over the Magic Energy Shield and Mana Armor to him.


    But just at that moment, before Rocky could have Liliya hand over the Void Magic Armor to Sandro, the opponent whom Sandro had decisively defeated suddenly leaped up from the ground and shouted loudly at Rocky, "City Lord! I can still fight!"


    This outcry immediately attracted everyone''s attention, and many from the Guard Corpsughed upon hearing it.


    At this moment, Rocky naturally turned his attention toward this bristly fellow. Previously, his attention had been on Sandro, and he hadn''t paid much notice to Sandro''s opponent. But when he took a closer look, he realized that Sandro''s opponent was actually a youngster, only seventeen or eighteen years old.


    "His name is Robin. He''s only eighteen today and has just joined the Guard Corps recently."


    The Guard Corps had a roster of two hundred people. Although every one of them knew Rocky, Rocky did not recognize them. So when Rocky looked at the youngster scrambling from the ground, Liliya gave a simple introduction at his side.


    This guard named Robin was only eighteen, clearly a naive and confused young man. After rising from the ground, he didn''t admit defeat; instead, he was hopping and jumping, his youthful face full of dissatisfaction.


    "City Lord, I can still fight! I really can still fight!"


    Noticing that Rocky was only looking at him with a smile and not speaking, Robin became even more anxious and kept shouting.


    Seeing his eager demeanor, Rocky, while chuckling, turned to look at Sandro and then asked, "Sandro, your opponent thinks he can still fight. How about you?"


    "I can!"


    Sandro, who had already put away his longsword and shield, didn''t say much. He simply answered and once again took his shield and longsword in hand, immediately getting ready for the battle.


    Thus, the second match of the same assessment between Sandro and Robin began.


    "Sandro! I won''t go easy on you this time!"


    Gripping his longsword with both hands, Robin, full of resentment, yelled at Sandro and then charged at him withrge strides.


    He reached Sandro in no more than two steps and immediately lifted his longsword with both hands, shing down ferociously!


    One strike!


    Two strikes!


    Three strikes!


    Robin swung his arms, striking thrice, but each swingnded on Sandro''s raised shield. Not only that, Sandro, who was fending off these three strikes, did not even budge.


    This oue was not because Robincked strength; in fact, he was giving it his all. Unfortunately, Sandro''s defense was too solid. Facing the continuous assault, his defense was like a hill, steadfast and giving no opportunity to Robin.


    And after Robin''s three strikes, Sandro directly kicked him in the knee, immediately knocking Robin down.


    Simr to before, it didn''t take long for the second bout between the two to be decided, and the victor and loser did not change.


    "I can still fight!"


    Yet after being knocked down once more, Robin immediately got up and charged toward Sandro again!


    And so, their struggle began.


    As Liliya had mentioned, since Robin had only recently joined the Guard Corps and had no foundation to speak of, he could only be considered a Level One Warrior at most. With such determination, s, both his foundation and technique were stillcking by arge margin.


    In contrast, Sandro was entirely different. Although he was just a Second Level Warrior, his foundations were solid and he was extremely adept at defense. The shield in his hands was like a thick wall, capable of fending off all attacks.


    Under such circumstances, the oue of their exchanges was all too predictable; Robin was simply being overwhelmed.


    Yet, whether it was due to his stubbornness or foolishness, Robin, who kept getting knocked down, seemed like an indestructible roach, or like a Weeble that wouldn''t fall down. Despite being continuously knocked down, he was always able to stand back up!


    "I can still fight!"


    "I can still fight!"


    "I can still fight!!"


    Time and again, he got up from the ground, each time shouting his slogan. Although he was quickly knocked down again, he still loudly proimed his determination to stand up anew.


    For a moment, the entire field was filled with one voice, a voice that seemed to cast a spell, drawing everyone''s gaze involuntarily from Sandro to Robin.


    "I can still..."


    After knocking Robin down once more, before he could stand up again, Sandro directly pinned him down with the tip of his sword to his forehead, then slowly spoke, "Robin, you can''t defeat me. Surrender."


    "No! I can still fight!"


    Ignoring the sword above him, Robin suddenly lifted his head, roaring with resolve, "I must receive the City Lord''s gifted equipment! I''ve already promised my mother!"


    As he roared these words, he suddenly leaped forward and mmed into Sandro''s chest, pushing Sandro back several steps and nearly unbncing him.


    "Robin''s father died early, leaving only his mother to care for him,"


    As the two of them became locked inbat again, Liliya exined to Rocky. As the captain of the Guard Corps, she was well-acquainted with her guards.


    She then went on to say:


    "I heard that Robin''s mother has poor eyesight and can''t weave. The whole family relies on Robin''s ie from the Guard Corps. He''s been noisy about bing the captain since his first day, saying that captains earn more and he could then give his mother a better life."


    In this world, the lives ofmoners and nobles are as different as heaven and earth. Take Rocky, for example, who, although he always seems worried about money, never had to fret over food and drink as the City Lord. In fact, if he hadn''t been as driven as he is now, he could have lived his entire life without a care as the City Lord.


    But ordinary people''s lives are not the same. Take the residents of Thunderhawk City, for example. Even though Thunderhawk City employs a nned economic model to ensure everyone has food, some people still live in great hardship due to various reasons ¨C Robin is one such case.


    "So that''s how it is¡­"


    Understanding dawned on Rocky as he nodded at Liliya''s exnation, then turned his attention back to the two fighters still in battle.


    By the time Liliya had finished telling Rocky about Robin''s situation, Sandro and Robin were already fiercely engaged inbat.


    Sandro, who repeatedly knocked Robin down yet failed to win, was visibly growing annoyed. His brow was furrowed tightly, and his eyes gradually became colder, while Robin, as always, picked himself off the ground time and time again, with a more evident determination in his eyes.


    "Stop."


    However, at that moment, Rocky suddenly called for a halt, prompting the two, who had been fighting earnestly, to cease theirbat.


    Both fighters turned to Rocky, who was approaching them.


    "Sandro, your performance was very good, far exceeding my expectations. I''m quite pleased,"


    Rocky said as he approached Sandro, handing over a shield and armor he had crafted himself.


    His words were sincere ¨C Sandro''s performance had indeed won Rocky''s approval.


    "Thank you, my lord!"


    Taking the shield and armor from Rocky, the always-serious Sandro finally smiled, and immediately knelt on one knee before him.


    "Stand up."


    Rocky helped Sandro to his feet and nodded at him, then turned his gaze to Robin, who stood aside.


    "Robin."


    "City Lord, I¡­"


    "Enough, I know you can still fight," Rocky said with a shake of his head and a smile, full of appreciation, "But you don''t have to continue. Your perseverance has already earned my respect, and I am equally satisfied."


    Having said that, Rocky handed Robin a shield and a piece of armor.


    "Thank you, City Lord!"


    Upon receiving the shield and armor, Robin jumped for joy, hopping around on the spot for a while before remembering to thank Rocky.


    Afterward, the two returned to the ranks, their spirits high. Barely a moment passed before they were inundated with envious gazes ¨C they were the first to receive Magic Energy Equipment after such a lengthy examination process.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The sess of the two also greatly encouraged the other guards. The men, whose morale had been low due to poor performances in previous rounds, became excited again after witnessing the achievements of Sandro and Robin.


    Emboldened and invigorated once more, the participants recovered their normal performance in the subsequent assessments. Perhaps inspired by Robin, each guard entered the fray with renewed determination, making the event increasingly engaging. Under these circumstances, the equipment Rocky brought was finally distributed, one piece after the other.


    And so, the assessment continued, one round after another, and quickly it was evening. As the sky gradually darkened, the assessment was finally drawing to a close.


    When thest round ended, nearly all the hundred sets of equipment Rocky had brought had been handed out to the guards. However, not all were ounted for ¨C one set remained undistributed by the end.


    The remaining set was naturally not going to be kept. So when everyone''s assessment concluded, Monte addressed those guards who had not received equipment: "Who among you would like to vie for this set of equipment?"


    Upon hearing there was still a chance topete, the guards who had failed the assessment perked up, eager to try their luck.


    "City Lord! Me! I want to try!"


    A crisp shout suddenly rang out, catching everyone off guard as the voice didn''te from a member of the Guard Corps. As everyone turned to locate the source, they saw a young Female Beastman waving at Rocky from a distance, running towards the group as she waved.


    "Isn''t that Dusa?"


    Recognizing the young Female Beastman at first nce, Rocky identified her ¨C it was none other than Monte''s daughter!


    Upon recognizing Dusa, Rocky turned to look at Monte and instantly saw that his expression was far from happy.


    But by then, Dusa had already raced over and, full of enthusiasm, asked Rocky, "City Lord, may I try?"

 Chapter 72: Chapter 71 Dusas Talent

    "Dusa! What are you doing here, stop causing trouble!"


    Seeing his daughter had actuallye, Monte''s face immediately turned livid as he angrily scolded her.


    But facing her father''s scolding, Dusa, although somewhat scared, acted stubbornly. She didn''t look at her father, her eyes filled with eagerness as she looked at Rocky.


    "This..."


    Now Rocky was in a difficult position. He of course could tell that Monte did not want his daughter toe, a thought clearly written on his livid face. However, Dusa''s eagerness made it hard for Rocky to refuse.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Thus, caught between a rock and a hard ce, Rocky had no choice but to ask, "Dusa, what can you do?"


    "I can shoot arrows! I can shoot arrows!"


    Asked by Rocky, Dusa raised her hand as if a student answering a teacher''s question.


    It was then that Rocky noticed Dusa was indeed carrying a longbow and a quiver bag. She hade fully prepared.


    Seeing Dusa''s fully equipped appearance made Rocky realize that her presence here was no ident, but rather something she had nned in advance, or else she wouldn''t have been so thoroughly prepared.


    In this situation, he could only give Monte a look. It was then that Monte quickly said, "City Lord, you don''t need to bother with her. Dusa is just causing trouble..."


    "Father! I''m not causing trouble. I am very formidable, at least more than them!"


    Monte hadn''t finished speaking when Dusa unhappily interrupted him, then turned to Rocky, dissatisfied, saying, "City Lord, I am quite formidable. None of these guards can best me. Please let me try!"


    "Dusa, stop causing trouble and go home!"


    "I''m not causing trouble!"


    Seeing the father and daughter arguing just like that, Rocky reluctantly stepped between the two, "Enough with the arguing..."


    After stopping their argument, he looked towards Dusa, and her puffy, angry face immediately brightened when she saw him look her way.


    "Dusa, do you want thisst set of Magic Energy Equipment?"


    "Yes!"


    "What do you want this equipment for?"


    "I want to join the fight alongside my father!"


    To Rocky''s series of questions, Dusa answered without hesitation. She wanted to wear the new equipment and fight alongside her father.


    This indeed was Dusa''s true intent, as Beastmen, regardless of gender, are natural warriors. They not only possess innate abilities forbat but also crave battle deep in their bones; however, this is exactly where the conflict between Monte and Dusay.


    Monte did not want his daughter to end up like himself. He only wished her to live a peaceful life, thus he never involved her in his affairs. Yet, Dusa was a typical Beastman, innately craving to join her father on the battlefield, just as Monte had when he was a Demon Hunter and even now. This issue had often led to conflicts between father and daughter.


    "So that''s it..."


    Facing Dusa''s straightforward answer, Rocky just smiled and then said, "Dusa, I can let you try, but as you can see, anyone who gets the Magic Energy Equipment definitely needs real skill, do you have that confidence?"


    "Yes!"


    With her big eyes looking at Rocky, Dusa nodded without hesitation.


    "Alright."


    After saying that, Rocky casually picked up a stone from the ground, about the size of a fist, weighed it in his hand, and then looked towards Dusa.


    "Dusa, if you can hit this stone with one arrow, I will give you thest set of Magic Energy Equipment!"


    As his words fell, Rocky threw the stone into the air.


    This was the best solution he could think of. Monte did not want his daughter to be exposed to any danger or be involved in his affairs, and Rocky certainly would not defy his wishes, so he presented Dusa with this difficult challenge.


    It was already dark, and the stone he threw into the air was only fist-sized; those with poor eyesight couldn''t see it clearly at all, let alone hit it with an arrow. In this way, though Dusa would fail, she would not me her father for not giving her a chance. It was absolutely a perfect solution in every respect, at least that''s what Rocky thought.


    However, what he hadn''t expected was that at the very moment he threw the stone, Dusa immediately grabbed the longbow from her back, bent it, fitted an arrow, and shot it out with a swoosh!


    Right after, a whooshing sound was heard as the fled arrow drew an arc in front of everyone, and then with a snap, it hit the stone in mid-air!


    In an instant, the entire ce fell silent¡­


    "Is that even possible?"


    Watching as Dusa fluidly hit the stone he had thrown with one arrow, Rocky''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    He had never imagined Dusa would have such skill!


    Dusa''s archery was so superb?


    "Hit it! Hit it! City Lord, am I great?"


    While everyone was stunned by Dusa''s exquisite archery, Dusa herself cheered gleefully like a magpie, not even waiting for Rocky to speak before she ran to Liliya''s side and took away thest set of Magic Energy Equipment¡­


    No one had expected that Rocky''s inspection of the Guard Corps would end with Dusa taking thest set of equipment¡­


    However, this inspection was clearly a sess. Rocky not only handed over a hundred sets of personally crafted equipment to the guards, but he also witnessed the training achievements of the Guard Corps over this period.


    After two months of training, the guards'' strength had clearly grown considerably stronger. Notable talents like Sandro and Robin had emerged, which was definitely joyous for Rocky, as these individuals could potentially be the backbone of Rocky and Thunderhawk City in future.


    Of course, Dusa''s performance was an unexpected delight. Her archery skillspletely surpassed everyone''s expectations, and even Monte was unaware of his daughter''s prowess, which naturally made Rocky interested in her talent.


    However, he was not in a hurry about this matter; indeed, if Monte was not willing to let his daughter follow him, Rocky would certainly not insist.


    Also, after today''s review, Rocky now had aprehensive understanding of the Guard Corps'' strength. This understanding was very important and necessary for him, as he was soon going to lead these guards to aplish the tasks assigned by the Mercenary Guild!


    Yes, Rocky had already prepared everything, so it was time to ept the task from the Mercenary Guild!

 Chapter 73: Chapter 72: The Tricks of the Task

    Now, the food problem in Thunderhawk City was solved, and there was some surplus money in the treasury, enough at least to buy the next batch of yarn. After two months of training, the Guard Corps was fully prepared, both physically and equipment-wise. Finally, Rocky could focus on the next step of his n.


    His next n was naturally the mission from the Mercenary Guild!


    Since he had returned from Eternal City two months ago, he had been working hard toward this goal, and now everything was finally in ce to take on missions from the Mercenary Guild.


    So, after returning to the City Lord''s Mansion, Rocky didn''t go to sleep right away but eagerly took out the mission receiver.


    This mission receiver, which he had bought from the Mercenary Guild for five hundred Gold Coins, allowed him to easily review all the missions from the Mercenary Guild and directly contact them to receive missions.


    The mission receiver wasn''trge, about the size of a palm, and looked like a dish embedded with a Magic Stone, equipped with several buttons. When Rocky turned it on, a beam of light shot out from it and transformed into an image right before his eyes.


    "Damn! That scared me!"


    Startled by the image projected from the receiver, Rocky immediately thought of a term not of this world: holographic projection.


    This mission receiver was just like a holographic projector!


    When he looked more closely at the image, he saw rows and rows of information, all rted to missions.


    Rocky''s interest was piqued, and he quickly selected one of the messages, pressing the buttons on the receiver to read the details closely.


    Type: Merchant ship escort.


    Requirement: A Void Magic Squad of more than ten people.


    Duration: Three days.


    Mission Objective: Apany the merchant ship from Baili City and escort it to Hundred Beasts City, making and stop for resupply. The mission ispleted once the merchant ship sessfully reaches its destination.


    Commission: Thirty thousand Gold Coins.


    Mission Issuer: ¡Á¡Á Chamber of Commerce.


    Unlike the bulletin board inside the Mercenary Guild, the task information disyed on the mission receiver was very detailed, clear at a nce, and very convenient.


    When Rocky saw the detailed information of the randomly selected task, he couldn''t help but lick his lips.


    "Goodness, a three-day escort mission can earn thirty thousand gold coins¡­ That''s quite generous."


    "I just wonder what kind of valuable goods the issuing Chamber of Commerce is transporting to hire a Void Magic Squad for such a high price."


    Although surprised by the highmission of the mission, Rocky quickly moved on to other information because he couldn''t take this mission.


    Shortly after, another piece of information caught his eye.


    Type: Demons extermination.


    Requirement: A Mercenary Group of over one-hundred people.


    Duration: ¡ª¡ª


    Mission Objective: Head to the forest farm owned by the Mengma Commerce Guild in the Jialin Mountain Range, exterminate the demons within. Estimated number of demons is over thirty, specific types unknown, no high-level demons, and the mission ispleted once all demons are exterminated.


    Commission: Forty thousand Gold Coins.


    Mission Issuer: Mengma Commerce Guild.


    Unlike the previous escort mission, what attracted Rocky''s attention was an extermination mission, and themission for this task was very high, a total of forty thousand Gold Coins!


    Furthermore, the requirements for this missionpletely matched Rocky''s capabilities, even exceeding them, meaning that he could definitely take on this mission.


    But Rocky didn''t act rashly because after carefully reading through the mission information, he realized that although themission was high, it was also extremely dangerous.


    The objective of the mission was to clean out the demons that had upied the forest farm, and ording to the information, the number of demons inside was over thirty! That number was a bit too much!


    Thirty demons!


    Although Rocky hadn''t engaged inrge-scalebat with demons before, he knew that such a number and scale of demons could only be confronted by a Void Magic Squad; ordinary soldiers, let alone a Mercenary Group of over one hundred people, even a five-hundred-person mercenary group might not be able to handle them!


    So, despite the very highmission for this task, Rocky wasn''t blinded by the amount of money at stake. He indeed wanted to earn money bypleting tasks, but he wasn''t about to risk his life for it.


    Also, precisely because he maintained his rationality, the more Rocky looked at this task, the stranger it seemed to him.


    If this task truly required exterminating at least thirty demons to bepleted, then why would the Mengma Commerce Guild need to hire a mercenary group of more than a hundred people? You should know themission they were offering was a whopping forty thousand gold coins, a sum sufficient even for a mercenary grouprger than five hundred members.


    This is really strange...


    Shaking his head, although Rocky couldn''t figure out the answer, he still felt that the task released by the Mengma Commerce Guild, despite its highmission, was too dangerous and there seemed to be something off about it. It was a task he wouldn''t ept.


    Fortunately, there were many tasks avable at the Mercenary Guild, and there was a vast array to choose from. Thus, even if this particr task wasn''t suitable, there were other tasks to consider.


    In this way, Rocky soon began to look up information about various tasks one after the other and noted down the ones he was interested in.


    Before he knew it, he had spent most of the evening looking and, by the time he realized it, it was nearly dawn.


    The next day, he called Liliya, Aileen, and Monte into his room.


    The tasks from the Mercenary Guild were definitely to be taken, but they couldn''t be epted recklessly, or else he might end up spending all they had, which was not something Rocky wanted to see happen. Thus, for the sake of safety, they needed to discuss which task to take as a group.


    Once everyone had arrived, Rocky took out the task receiver and showed everyone the tasks he had selected the previous night. He believed these tasks were within their capability, but which one to actually take still required everyone''s opinions to make a decision.


    However, before that, he first brought up that extermination task again, because he always felt there was something peculiar about it.


    "Look at this task," he said. "Doesn''t it seem problematic to you? I just feel there''s something odd."


    After bringing up the detailed information of the extermination task, Rocky spoke.


    On being asked, Liliya, Aileen, and Monte all looked towards the task information.


    "My lord, is it the requirements of this extermination task that you find problematic?"


    Aileen was the first to speak, having just nced at it briefly.


    This was somewhat unexpected for Rocky, as he thought perhaps Liliya or Monte would be the first to notice something amiss, but he quickly nodded in agreement.


    "Exactly, I don''t understand why the Mengma Commerce Guild would spend forty thousand gold coins yet only hire a mercenary group of more than a hundred members. Logically, a task of this difficulty would require a group of at least five hundred members toplete, you know..."


    "The Mengma Commerce Guild did it on purpose."


    Even before Rocky could finish articting his doubts, Aileen had an answer for him, continuing to say, "The reason the Mengma Commerce Guild set the task''s requirements so low is actually to attract those mercenaries whose capabilities are clearly insufficient but are blinded by the prospect of money."


    "Because if a mercenary group with insufficient strength took this task, even if they couldn''tplete it, they could still indirectly lower the difficulty of it ¡ª after all, a group of more than a hundred might not be able to exterminate all thirty demons, but could probably kill at least one or two, right?"


    "But if only one or two demons are killed, the Mengma Commerce Guild definitely won''t pay themission, yet the difficulty of the task would have been reduced. Then, the Mengma Commerce Guild could immediately lower themission and raise the requirements, allowing apetent mercenary group to quickly finish the task. This method guarantees them a no-loss situation," Aileen exined.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    In just a few words, Aileen had clearly exined all of Rocky''s doubts, leaving himpletely dumbfounded!


    "I never thought it could be done this way..."


    It took a good while for Rocky to regain hisposure after Aileen''s exnation, after which he frowned. Although he had felt this extermination task was fishy, he hadn''t realized there were so many twists to it, and the Mengma Commerce Guild''s tactic was utterly devious!


    Seeing through Rocky''s thoughts, Aileen then said, "My lord, these are just small tricks of merchants, quite normal. We just need to be more cautious."


    When Rocky couldn''t help but feel the Mengma Commerce Guild was too sly, Aileen appeared unconcerned.


    Remember, Aileen was a merchant too!


    For a merchant, profits are always the top priority. To achieve their goals while minimizing expenses, such little tricks are nothing.


    Moreover, though the task seemed sly, it was up to the volunteers. If those mercenary groups, clearlycking in strength but hoping to make a fortune, ended up annihted, whom could they me?


    Therefore, to Aileen, such tricks were nothing much at all.


    Upon hearing Aileen''s words, Rocky, while reluctant to admit it, couldn''t help but nod. He also privately felt fortunate that calling everyone together to discuss this had been the right move, because clearly, what seemed simple in the Mercenary Guild''s tasks often had many underlyingplications¡ªone misstep could lead to unwittingly benefiting others.


    So afterward, heid out the tasks he had picked the day before, discussing with everyone which task they should take.

 Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Three Tasks

    After spending much of the night selecting, Rocky had looked at dozens of task information and finally chose three of them.


    He believed these three tasks suited him well in various aspects, so after Liliya and the others had gathered, he pulled up the detailed information for these three tasks.


    The first task chosen by Rocky was an escort mission.


    Type: Escort caravan.


    Requirement: Mercenary Group of over one hundred.


    Duration: Seven days.


    Task Objective: Escort the caravan from Deep Valley Mine, protect it through the entire journey as it passes Deep Gorge Canyon onward to the Great Drought Hignds to wait for the Skyship pickup. The task ispleted once the Skyship finishes transporting the goods.


    Commission: Ten thousand Gold Coins.


    Posted by: Drake Commerce.


    Rocky felt this escort mission was quite good for a start, as the time was not too long, and secondly, themission was quite decent. And from the description, he felt there weren''t significant dangers involved. Leading the Guard Corps and adding ten Skyships,pleting this task should not pose any problems.


    The second task he chose was a demon extermination mission:


    Type: Demon Extermination.


    Requirement: Mercenary Group of over two hundred, those with Floating Battleships given priority.


    Duration: ¡ª¡ª


    Task Objective: Clear out the demons on the Rhein ins, killing at least twenty demons toplete the task.


    Commission: Five thousand Gold Coins; spoils of battle belong to the Mercenary Group.


    Posted by: Libra City.


    Rocky was interested in this mission mainly because of the highmission. Although it was only five thousand Gold Coins, the spoils of battle belonged to the Mercenary Group. As a demon extermination mission, naturally, the spoils were the in demons!


    By this calction, the mission''smission was worth far more than a mere five thousand Gold Coins, because the mission requirement was to kill at least twenty demons for it to bepleted. This meant that Rocky could earn not only the five thousand Gold Coins but also at least twenty Demon Corpses.


    And if he were to sell these Demon Corpses, even if each sold for just one thousand Gold Coins, he could earn at least twenty thousand Gold Coins!


    Such a generous reward truly tempted Rocky, so he kept this mission.


    The third task he chose was a coordinated defense mission.


    Type: Coordinated Defense.


    Requirement: Mercenary Group of over one hundred.


    Duration: 30 days.


    Task Objective: Cooperatively defend the mining outpost, withstand demon attacks together, and sessfully defend for 30 days toplete the task.


    Commission: Ten thousand Gold Coins; spoils of battle belong to the Mercenary Group; five hundred kilograms of Yellow Scale Ore.


    Posted by: The Forsaken People.


    Thest task chosen by Rocky, to be honest, was filler, because apart from the highmission, many details were unclear to him, such as the nature of The Forsaken People who posted the task. However, themission was indeed very high, so he kept it.


    It didn''t take long after that for Liliya and the others to review the detailed information of the above three tasks thoroughly, then turned their gaze to Rocky.


    "What do you think? Which task do you feel is suitable?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Seeing that the three had finished reviewing all the task information, Rocky quickly asked.


    "My lord, the first task is definitely not eptable."


    This time, it was still Aileen who spoke first.


    However, her words caused Rocky to be slightly taken aback, and even Monte''s expression showed some change.


    Because the task Aileen was referring to was the escorting of the cargo, which was the very task that Rocky particrly liked. He felt that this task met his requirements in terms ofmission and difficulty level.


    Monte shared the same thoughts as Rocky, so his expression changed when Aileen spoke up.


    "Aileen, is there a problem with this task?"


    Given Aileen''s previous performance, Rocky did not dare to ignore her opinion, so he asked immediately afterward.


    Facing his question, Aileen directly responded, "My lord, the information about this task is too vague. Escorting the cargo through the canyon sounds simple, but what kind of attacks will we encounter along the way? Will it be an attack by demons or humans? None of this is rified."


    "Moreover, the client has stated that the task will only be consideredplete after the skyship has transported all the goods. How long will this take, will it bepleted in one trip, or will it require ten? Whether there will be attacks during this time is also not mentioned in the task details, so I think this mission is not very reliable."


    We must not underestimate Aileen just because she does not fight. To others, tasks published by the Mercenary Guild may seem like just tasks, but to Aileen, they are all business, and she knows business well!


    In such a scenario, she analyzed the task so thoroughly in just a few words that Rocky was left staring in amazement and even blushed from embarrassment because many of the issues raised by Aileen were ones he had not thought of before.


    What''s more important is that Aileen''s analysis sounded very reasonable, and even after listening to her, Rocky himself also began to feel that the task was unreliable.


    As a result, he sought the opinions of Liliya and Monte, then eliminated the first task.


    "If the first task is no good, what about the second one?"


    Having eliminated his preferred task, Rocky could onlypromise and focus on the second task at hand, which was the demon eradication mission.


    But as soon as he finished his question, Monte shook his head, "My lord, this task is absolutely uneptable."


    "Why?!"


    Turning to look at Monte, Rocky didn''t know what to say. Why couldn''t they ept this task either?


    "My lord, I''ve been to the Rhein ins mentioned in the task. It''s a true great in as far as the eye can see, riddled with demons, including high-level demons that appear frequently. We absolutely cannot go to such a dangerous ce."


    "......"


    Monte''s words left Rocky stunned, and he sighed inwardly, having never expected that the tasks he had worked so hard to find were all unfeasible.


    Yet, Rocky could not refute the reasons given by Monte. Monte had been a Demon Hunter and had traveled more than anyone else. If he said the Rhein ins were off limits, then they certainly were.


    With no other choice, Rocky reluctantly had to reject the second task he found and then turned his attention to the third task.


    ncing at thest task, Rocky felt there was no need to consider it, as it was only chosen to make up the numbers.


    To his surprise, facing this task that was meant just to fill the list, Liliya, Aileen, and Monte all fell silent¡­


    "What''s the matter with you?"


    Noticing everyone''s silence regarding thest task, Rocky blinked hisrge eyes innocently and asked.


    "My lord, about the task issued by The Forsaken People, you surely know what that entails, right?"


    Seeing Rocky''s naive expression, Aileen looked at him in slight surprise.


    However, facing Aileen''s astonishment, Rocky shook his head like a rattle. Indeed, he did not know anything about The Forsaken People.

 Chapter 75: Chapter 74 The Forsaken People

    ```


    Looking at Aileen, Rocky blinked hisrge eyes, a look of confusion on his face because he truly did not know what The Forsaken People was all about.


    Seeing that he was actually unaware of this matter, Monte, who was beside him, spoke up:


    "My lord, The Forsaken People is the term we use to refer to those who still live on thend."


    "What?"


    Upon hearing Monte''s words, Rocky was so surprised that his mouth hung open in amazement.


    Of course, one couldn''t me him, for he was, after all, a traveler from another world. Although he was very familiar with this world, his understanding was limited only to what he coulde in contact with. As for some matters he had never encountered since his arrival, Rocky knew very little, and The Forsaken People was one such issue.


    Over a hundred years ago, people built Sky City and fled to the sky to escape the Demons, a fact known to all. But the situation back then was far from simple.


    In reality, when humans had constructed the first Sky City and were ready for arge-scale migration to the skies, a significant portion opposed the idea. This opposition is mentioned in Wensel''s will, and at the same time, the capacity of Sky City to hold people was very limited.


    This led to many people either voluntarily or invrily staying on thend during the initial stages of the move to the sky.


    Later on, as more Sky Cities were constructed, people truly began migrating in earnest. Yet even then, there was still a significant number of individuals who chose to stay on thend to continue the fight against the Demons.


    And it was these people who decided to stay on thend that became known as The Forsaken People.


    The Forsaken People called those who fled to the sky traitors, seeing their actions as a cowardly escape, as a surrender of thend that had nurtured them. Therefore, The Forsaken People would rather stay and battle the Demons on thend than flee to the sky.


    This divergence of opinions caused the two groups to split into two major camps at the beginning of the Sky Era, leading to endless disputes. One side used the other of stubbornness, while the other called them cowards. Eventually, things escted to the point ofplete hostility, cutting off all rtions between them.


    This state of affairs continued for decades until thest few years, especially after the First Counter Offensive War began, that the rtionship between the two sides started to ease up.


    Today, interactions between the two groups have grown increasingly frequent. Take, for instance, thest task that Rocky had found¡ªthe person who posted the task came from thend!


    "I really had no idea that such things were going on..."


    After listening to Monte''s exnation, Rocky slowly nodded in a daze and couldn''t help but think back to the Magic Energy Image Wensel left in the Lost Research Institute. Now, giving it some thought, Wensel''s will did indeed mention that he was not the only one who stayed on thend, that many others, like him, chose to remain and continue the fight against the Demons.


    And now that he knew people still lived on thend and were continuously fighting the Demons, Rocky suddenly thought of something else: If people were still on thend and resisting the Demons, didn''t that mean thend hadn''t beenpletely upied?


    "No, thend has long been upied..."


    However, facing this question of his, whether it was Monte, Aileen, or Liliya, they all shook their heads. This time, Liliya was the one who spoke, saying afterward, "Although those who stayed on thend have continuously fought against the Demons, they have not seeded."


    "When Sky City had just been invented, the Demons had upied about two-thirds of thend. But by the early stages of the Sky Era, in just a short span of ten-plus years, thend waspletely lost.


    Nearly all cities were destroyed by the Demons, and although the people remaining on thend fought valiantly, in the end, they could only hide in ces less frequently visited by the Demons and barely manage to survive."


    "As for now, there are only three cities on thend that are truly under human control, and the reason these three cities have remained is due to the two counter offensive wars weunched; otherwise, not a single city would have been left on thend."


    "So it is..."


    With Liliya''s exnation, Rocky took a deep breath, for it was not difficult to hear from her words that life was hard for the people who remained on thend. But that was not surprising; staying on thend meant confronting the Demons daily and facing such terrifying creatures. It would have been strange if their lives had been easy.


    As for the counteroffensive wars that Liliya mentioned, Rocky did have some recollection. The so-called counteroffensive wars referred to the people in the sky uniting all Sky Cities in a major counteroffensive campaign to retake thend. The wars urred twice and were respectively known as the First and Second Counteroffensive Wars.


    The scale of these two wars were unprecedented, with each war mobilizing nearly all Sky Cities. The fighting was ferociously intense, with close to a million soldiers dead or injured, and dozens of Sky Cities destroyed, including the destruction of several major ones.


    Yet despite all this, thend remained in the hands of the Demons, and the oue of both wars ended in failure.


    All of these matters were in textbooks, so Rocky remembered them. However, from what Liliya had just said, although both counteroffensive wars had failed, they seemed to have been not entirely fruitless, as thend''s three cities at least managed to survive because of them.


    As Rocky pondered this, Aileen then spoke, "But don''t underestimate The Forsaken People; despite their harsh life on thend, they are very wealthy."


    "Oh? Why is that?"


    Upon hearing this, Rocky was slightly startled, evidently not understanding.


    The people on thend were wealthy? How could that be possible when they lived at risk of being killed by Demons every day¡ªhow could they possibly be wealthy?


    "My lord, don''t forget that the resources on thend are much more abundant than in the sky."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Seeing Rocky''s confusion, Aileen borated, "Although those on thend live under the shadow of Demons, because of thend''s abundant resources and the improved rtions with us, there is often trade between the two sides. Take, for example, the task that my lord has chosen."


    "The goal of this task is to assist in defending a mine, and if I''m not mistaken, this mine should belong to The Forsaken People."


    "My lord, you don''t need me to borate on the immense value a mine can generate, do you?"


    Aileen''s exnation led to an epiphany for Rocky, as it was true just as she said¡ªthe people on thend sat upon countless resources, and by selling these resources to Sky City, it would mean a continuous flow of wealth!


    And since the conversation hade full circle back to the task at hand, Rocky then asked, "Given this, what do you think¡ªshould we take on this task or not?"


    ```

 Chapter 76: Chapter 75 Its it!

    After a lengthy discussion, everyone''s focus finally circled back to the initial topic: whether to ept the task from The Forsaken People or not?


    After a lesson for Rocky, he became even more confused, so he had no choice but to look towards Liliya and the others.


    "My lord, if we speak solely of profit, this task is eptable."


    It was Aileen who spoke first this time: "Themission for this task is ten thousand Gold Coins, and any spoils of war are ours to keep. That means any Demons killed in battle belong to us, and on top of that, they will pay us five hundred kilograms of Yellow Scale Mine. If we calcte this..."


    "We could earn at least thirty to fifty thousand Gold Coins if we canplete this task!"


    Such a huge profit honestly tempted Aileen, and that was exactly why she thought the task was eptable. However, she also didn''t forget to remind them:


    "Just please remember, my lord, the profit of a task is directly proportional to its danger. If there is such arge profit to be made from this task, then its difficulty will inevitably be very high."


    "Hmm..."


    Rocky nodded and fell into deep thought.


    The reminder from Aileen made a lot of sense to him. ording to her calction, the profit of the task was indeed enormous, but let''s not forget: the Mercenary Guild is not a charity. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Hence, the greater the profit of a task, the higher and potentially even greater the risk.


    "I''m not so sure..."


    But at that moment, Liliya spoke up, and it seemed she didn''t quite agree with Aileen''s opinion.


    "Rocky, I think that if we take on this task, there will definitely be danger, but the difficulty might not be higher than the previous two tasks."


    "Oh?"


    Liliya''s words turned everyone''s attention toward her, and Rocky felt extremely surprised.


    He knew Liliya''s personality better than anyone, and that was exactly why he was surprised. From his point of view, it would have been normal for Liliya to strongly oppose such a dangerous task.


    Then Liliya looked at him and said, "Have you forgotten? I once followed the old master tond to fight, so I have had the experience of joining forces with The Forsaken People."


    "You may have overlooked something: although the people living onnd are always threatened by Demons, it has also made them brave and skilled in battle. Almost everyone, even the women, possesses great strength, otherwise, they couldn''t possibly survive on thend today."


    "The goal of this task is to assist The Forsaken People in defending the mine, which means we don''t have to bear the defense''s burden alone. The Forsaken People will share a lot of the pressure, as the minerals are theirs. They will be the ones who are most diligent andmitted in this task."


    "So I think this task will indeed be very dangerous, but if we talk about the ratio of reward to risk, it might actually be the highest of the three tasks."


    "That... that does make sense..."


    Having listened to all this, Rocky couldn''t help but nod his head. He found Liliya''s points very reasonable. After all, the mineral resources they were supposed to defend belonged to The Forsaken People, who would surely be more dedicated andmitted than himself.


    And if The Forsaken People''s fighting capability was as formidable as Liliya said, it would definitely alleviate some of their own pressure.


    "My lord, I also agree with Liliya''s opinion. We can take on this task."


    As Rocky nodded repeatedly, Monte also expressed his opinion at this time.


    And if even he said so, it meant that Liliya, Aileen, and Monte all affirmed the task concerning The Forsaken People.


    "Okay, then let''s take on this task!"


    With this, Rocky felt assured. Without any hesitation, he used the task receiver to contact the Mercenary Guild and sessfully epted the task!


    The process of epting the task was very simple; it didn''t even require verification of the ''Mercenary Group'' size that Rocky imed, because after he met with The Forsaken People, they would confirm with the Mercenary Guild. If Rocky had lied, they wouldn''t have confirmed his eligibility.


    After sessfully taking on the task, Rocky was given a set of coordinates. He had to meet with The Forsaken People within a week at those coordinates, or the task would automatically be considered a failure.


    This wasn''t a difficult matter for Rocky, since Sky City itself could fly. Therefore, he adjusted the flight direction of Sky City and headed directly to the location of the coordinates.


    Once everything was in order, everyone began their final preparations. Rocky started tuning his Void Magic Armor, Liliya was organizing her rune equipment, and Monte went to the Guard Corps to inform everyone of this news; everything was carried out in an orderly fashion.


    However, during this process, Aileen told Rocky something¡ªthat Jia Xi had already left.


    Jia Xi had left Thunderhawk City in a rage. Unfortunately, on the day he left, Rocky happened to be leading everyone to a review at the Guard Corps, so nobody knew he had left, and his departure only reached Aileen''s ears the day after. By the time Rocky learned of it, Jia Xi had been gone for several days.


    "Did he say anything when he left?"


    Upon learning that Jia Xi had finally left, Rocky asked with a chuckle.


    "I heard from Felly, who''s in charge of the Skyport, that he left cursing and swearing, not seeming to say anything useful."


    Aileen slightly curled her lips in a smirk when she mentioned Jia Xi, as if speaking of a joke.


    Jia Xi had indeed be a joke this time, having spent a month and a half in Thunderhawk City without aplishing anything. Not only that, but the five ships of food he had brought ended up being mostly wasted.


    So when Aileen said that Jia Xi kept cursing as he left, her words couldn''t be truer¡ªin fact, Jia Xi was not just cursing; he even felt the urge to kill!


    With his intelligence, how could he not realize that he had been yed like a monkey for over a month by Rocky and his team? So when he left, not only was he cursing, but he also threatened that the Azure Commerce Guild would not let this matter slide!


    Unfortunately, Rocky couldn''t care less about such threats¡ªnot because he didn''t care about the Azure Commerce Guild, but because he didn''t care about Jia Xi.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The Azure Commerce Guild was indeed arge Chamber of Commerce, there was no doubt about that, but would they really attack Thunderhawk City over this matter? Just for Jia Xi and five ships of food?


    Certainly not.


    In fact, Rocky felt that Jia Xi should be worrying not about how to take revenge on him, but rather about how to exin himself to the Chamber of Commerce upon his return. He spent a month and a half and failed to close a deal, moreover, he lost a sizable amount of food. The responsibility and loss would surely not fall on Thunderhawk City; Jia Xi would have to bear it.


    So as far as Rocky was concerned, Jia Xi''s departure was his problem. Rocky had no time to bother with such matters; he needed to focus on preparing for the uing task¡ªthat was the top priority!

 Chapter 77: Chapter 76: The Loyal Guard

    The mission from the Mercenary Guild was now Rocky''s top priority, and he permitted no errors on this matter. Thus, during the flight towards Thunderhawk City''s coordinates, not only did he fine-tune his Void Magic Armor to ensure it functioned wlessly in battle, but he also preemptively considered any potential issues they might encounter.


    As for the coordinates they were headed to, they were not too far from Thunderhawk City. The mission required that they arrive within seven days, but Thunderhawk City had reached the target area above in just three days!


    "Attention!"


    Inside the skyport of Thunderhawk City, the neatly arranged guards stood before Rocky. Upon Monte''smand, they all puffed out their chests and stood up straight.


    By this moment, the guards were already briefed about the mission. They harbored noints for they understood clearly that they were the guards of Thunderhawk City, which belonged to Rocky, thus they would do whatever Rocky ordered without question.


    However, even with mental preparation, everyone couldn''t help feeling tense at the moment of departure, a tension that was almost visibly written on each person''s face.


    Of course, this was to be expected since these guards had never experienced anybat before, so this mission could be considered their very first.


    In such a scenario, being the City Lord, Rocky naturally needed to boost everyone''s morale.


    At that moment, Rocky, dressed in his Void Magic Armor, stood in front of everyone. His gaze swept across each face, capturing every guard''s expression, then he spoke,


    "Guards, do you know what we are here to do?"


    "Yes! Toplete the mission for the City Lord!"


    At the end of Rocky''s words, the guards responded in unison.


    "Wrong!"


    However, Rocky suddenly shouted in anger, startling everyone.


    "You are not here just toplete a mission, you are here to fight!"


    "As guards of Thunderhawk City,bat is your sworn duty, and this time you will fulfill that duty by following me into battle against the demons!"


    After raising his voice to make this promation, Rocky paused for a moment. Only after scanning the crowd with his gaze did he continue in a more even tone,


    "Guards, are you afraid to fight the demons?"


    "You! Are you frightened?"


    Before the guards could respond, Rocky pointed at one of them and asked directly.


    "I, I... City Lord, I..."


    Suddenly singled out by Rocky, this guard was clearly unprepared and struggled to speak.


    Therefore, Rocky interrupted him, "You are scared, I can see it."


    After saying that, he addressed everyone, "You don''t need to answer my previous question because I''ve already seen the answer on your faces. I know you are nervous, even frightened!"


    "But that is normal."


    "Even I was filled with nerves and just as scared as you during my first battle against the demons. If it weren''t for my most loyal guard, Liliya, constantly protecting me, I might have already died!"


    "So, I don''t me you... however, I want you to know something!"


    "Demons are not invincible! There is absolutely no need for you to be afraid. Yourrades are right beside you, and I, your City Lord, will be at the forefront of the battle!"


    "I, your City Lord, will be your most loyal guard in the battle!"


    "Guards, tell me, are you afraid!"


    "No fear!"


    "No fear!"


    "No fear!!!"


    Under Rocky''s encouragement, the guards suddenly became spirited, letting out a deafening roar, and in that roar, the tension on their faces and the fear in their eyes were swept away!


    "Everyone on board! Prepare to depart!"


    After the three roars, Rocky issued the order to board, and all the guards in attendance promptly boarded the pre-prepared skyships!


    As soon as the guards were all aboard, Rocky also boarded the ship, apanied by Liliya and Monte, and following hismand, exactly ten skyships ascended, slowly flying out of Thunderhawk City''s Defensive Net, heading towards thend!


    This time, Rocky had truly pulled out all the stops, deploying all the skyships in the city and taking a full 180 members of the 200-strong Guard Corps, leaving only twenty guards stationed in the city. At the same time, he brought Liliya and Monte with him, while Aileen stayed in Thunderhawk City to coordinate.


    For this mission, Rocky had indeed put all his avable resources on the line, all to ensure the sessfulpletion of this mission!


    Afterward, the skyships departed from Thunderhawk City, flying downwards toward thend, with Rocky, Liliya, and Monte making final discussions and preparations in the cabin.


    "Liliya, if there is arge-scale battle this time, you willmand the Guard Corps,"


    Inside the cabin, Rocky nced at Liliya, then said.


    Among them, Monte''s power was undoubtedly the strongest, but his strength was personal. As a former Demon Hunter, Montecked experience inmand, an area in which only Liliya was experienced.


    Since Liliya had previously gone to war with Rocky''s father and knew what realbat was like, Rocky decided to let hermand the Guard Corps.


    "Okay,"


    Liliya nodded without any hesitation to take on this important responsibility.


    "Monte, if we engage the Demons in battle, you must obey Liliya''smands, and also lead the guards. This task is yours now."


    "Don''t worry, my Lord!"


    After nodding, Monte looked at Liliya, "Miss Liliya, my life is in yourmand."


    "As for me..."


    After arranging for Liliya and Monte, Rocky spoke about himself, "Once the battle starts, I will act alone, dealing with the strongest Demons on one hand andmanding the Floating Warship on the other."


    "That''s fine, but be very careful, and don''t try to overdo it,"


    Instead of stopping Rocky''s arrangements, Liliya epted them because inrge-scalebat situations where they faced arge number of Demons, Rocky, with his Void Magic Armor, would be the most crucial asset inbat. He indeed needed to tackle the strongest Demons and was the only one capable ofmanding the skyships during the battle due to his ability to fly.


    "City Lord!"


    Just as Rocky had finished making these arrangements, the door to the cabin suddenly opened, and Felly entered.


    Felly, standing at the door, saluted Rocky, then reported, "City Lord, we have reached thend and are advancing towards the coordinates!"


    "Good, I''m aware."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    After hearing this, Rocky nodded, then looked at Liliya and Monte, "Let''s go, it''s time to meet our employer."


    With that, he left the cabin with the two of them.


    PS: After such a long time of peace, it''s time for a real battle. Please cast your votes for Rocky to boost his morale!

 Chapter 78: Chapter 77 Thunderhawk Mercenary Group

    Apanying Liliya and Monte, Rocky exited the cabin and stood on the deck of the skyship, looking out over a barren expanse.


    By now, the skyship had reachednd and was slowly flying just dozens of meters above the ground, arriving at a destendmass.


    Not a single tree or de of grass adorned this barrennd, just rust-like yellow soil covered the ground. asionally, whirlwinds swept up gusts of dust, creating an air of destion.


    Standing at the bow of the skyship, looking down at the bleakndscape, Rocky found the sight difficult to adjust to.


    He had been to thend twice before, but each time he witnessed lush forests and verdant grasnds, never the destion he was seeing now.


    Despite the bleak appearance, he felt this might be more apt for the current state of thend, at least, that''s what Rocky believed.


    Afterward, the skyship continued towards the coordinates of their mission, and before long, a steep mountain appeared before their eyes!


    "What, what mountain is this...!"


    As they gazed at the distant peak, Rocky could not help but gape, and even Liliya and Monte gasped at the sight.


    The mountain soared into the clouds, blocking the skyship''s path and its exceedingly steep surfaces, almost as if cut by axes, gave it a sharp look.


    "Felly! What''s going on, why aren''t we turning!"


    The towering mountain blocked their way, yet the skyship was still heading straight towards it, prompting Rocky to urgently summon Felly.


    "Sir, the coordinates you gave us are indeed this mountain..."


    Felly, looking aggrieved, because the mission coordinates Rocky had given were for this mountain!


    Hearing this, Rocky was stunned; clearly, he hadn''t anticipated such a result.


    By this time, the skyship had drawn very close to the mountain, and as they approached, the true enormity of the mountain was revealed, far beyond Rocky''s imagination.


    Initially, the mountain had merely been shocking from a distance, but now up close, he felt not just shock but a tinge of fear!


    For the mountain not only reached into the clouds but obstructed the sun as if a colossal wall stood upon thend, its immense presence causing an oppressive feeling that suffocated anyone nearby!


    This was the mission location, in such a ce?


    "Sir! There are people below!"


    At that moment, Monte suddenly pointed ahead, and when Rocky followed the direction of his finger, he saw a group of people waving at them from the foot of the mountain.


    Seeing these people, Rocky knew the coordinates were correct, so he immediately ordered all the skyships to head there.


    In no time, ten skyships had safelynded, and as Rocky and the Guard Corps disembarked, the group that had been waving came over.


    Looking at the approaching people, Rocky knew they must be The Forsaken People, those who lived on thend because their attire was markedly different from those living in the sky; to say they were dressed shabbily might be impolite, but their attire certainly couldn''tpare to that of the sky dwellers.


    Soon after, The Forsaken People came closer, and then the leader gestured for the others to stop, approaching Rocky and his group alone.


    "Excuse me, are you the Thunderhawk Mercenary Group?"


    The Thunderhawk Mercenary Group was a name Rocky came up with when he needed to provide a name for easy contact while epting missions at the Mercenary Guild.


    "Yes, I am the leader."


    With that confirmation, Rocky also stepped forward, walking towards the other party.


    "Hello, my name is Lin Feng. I am the Soldier Captain of Backhill Vige. Wee to our vige."


    When Rocky approached, the leader among The Forsaken People smiled and said.


    This robust man, named Lin Feng, was about thirty years old, dressed in clothes sewn from beast hides, and had a very sturdy figure, giving off a highly reliable impression at first nce.


    "Hello, my name is Rocky. I am the leader of the Thunderhawk Mercenary Group."


    Nodding at Lin Feng, Rocky also gave a brief introduction of himself.


    During his introduction, Lin Feng appraised him from top to bottom, continuously nodding his head.


    Rocky was not surprised by this behavior since he was wearing an impressive Void Magic Armor, which exined Lin Feng''s thorough looking over.


    However, Lin Feng then could hardly hide his excitement as he said, "Leader, I did not expect you to have ten Floating Warships. Now I am relieved."


    ...So he wasn''t looking at him at all...


    Rocky felt awkward as it turned out that Lin Feng was not looking at him but the ten Skyships behind him, and was only satisfied with the Skyships.


    Of course, this was not surprising. The biggest reliance for Rocky toplete this mission was neither his Void Magic Armor nor the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City, but precisely these ten Floating Warships!


    In any battle against demons, the Floating Warship yed an extremely important role because the Magic Cannons on the Skyships were immensely powerful. Thus, with a sufficient number of warships, even demons couldn''t withstand the barrage of Magic Cannons.


    So, seeing that Rocky had brought ten Floating Warships, Lin Feng was naturally overjoyed, to the extent that he overlooked Rocky''s presence.


    "Leader, follow me to the vige. The Vige Chief is waiting for you," Lin Feng said.


    After a brief introduction, Lin Feng wasted no time directing Rocky and his group towards Backhill Vige, as that was the real location of their mission.


    As they made their way to Backhill Vige, they talked while walking, and through this conversation, Rocky also learned about the region they hade to.


    The ce they were currently in was called Carlson Wastnd. The towering peak that took everyone''s breath away was known as Skybreaker Peak, and Lin Feng''s vige lived at the foot of that mountain.


    Rocky was actually very curious about Backhill Vige, as mentioned by Lin Feng. Since crossing over, he had always lived in Sky City and had never seen how people on thend lived.


    However, when he finally saw Backhill Vige under Lin Feng''s guidance, he waspletely dumbfounded, for this was no ordinary vige but more like a small fortress!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    PS: There are no rmendations this week, so please ask for rmendation tickets and save this spot, there will be another updateter today!

 Chapter 79: Chapter 78 Backhill Village

    The location of Backhill Vige is not actually at the base of the mountain, but inside Skybreaker Peak.


    As mentioned before, Skybreaker Peak does not only tower into the clouds but the entire mountain is made up of cliffs, giving it a sharp appearance. However, at the base of Broken Mountain Peak, there is a huge crack which splits the steep cliff walls in two from bottom to top, and Backhill Vige is situated within this crack.


    The vige in the rift is surrounded by mountains on three sides with only one entrance and exit, which essentially serves as a natural barrier. Furthermore, they built a high wall at the crack in the cliff, making it feel as if the crack had been patched up.


    As a result, Backhill Vige became a settlementpletely hidden within Skybreaker Peak. Unless the demons could break through the high walls at the entrance, they wouldn''t be able to harm the vigers.


    This natural terrain allowed Backhill Vige to exist for over a hundred years. The vige was not only there before the demon invasion but also survived the hundred years after demons upied thend.


    So, when Lin Feng arrived at the entrance of the vige with Rocky and the others, they saw a high wall over ten meters tall made of stone, nked by two tower structures, manned by vigers.


    As they approached the wall, Lin Feng shouted to the people above, "Open the gate! The Thunderhawk Mercenary Group has arrived!"


    Following his call, the gates in the high wall slowly opened, and Rocky and his party finally entered Backhill Vige.


    Walking into the vige, Rocky immediately noticed rows and rows of simple houses. These modest dwellings were all no more than two stories tall. The better ones were made of stone, but most were wooden structures¡ªnot only in but also seemingly very frail.


    "These houses were built a few months ago."


    Noticing Rocky''s gaze and sensing his confusion, Lin Feng exined, "Despite being surrounded by mountains and having high walls for defense, we often suffer demon attacks. That''s why we use wood to build our houses¡ªthey can be quickly reconstructed even if destroyed."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Oh..."


    Lin Feng''s exnation made Rocky nod, and he couldn''t help but look back at the high wall they had passed, indeed noticing that the colors of the stones on the wall were different, clearly the result of multiple repairs.


    This meant that even with its natural terrain and fortifications akin to a small fortress, Backhill Vige still could not hold back the demons'' onught. No wonder they spent money to hire a mercenary group for assistance in defense.


    "Come, I''ll take you to meet the vige elder, then take your people to the camp so we can discuss defense strategies."


    After saying this, Lin Feng strode forward, and Rocky told Liliya and the others to wait in the vige while he followed Lin Feng alone.


    The vige elder''s residence was in the very center of the vige, yet it was nothing special and seemed no different from the other vigers'' homes.


    As for the elder himself, he was quite old, looking to be around seventy or eighty with wrinkles on his face that told of the many hardships he had endured.


    "Commander, I''m very pleased to meet you."


    Upon meeting Rocky, the vige elder was extremely cordial, even personally pouring him a ss of water.


    "You are too kind, vige elder. Please, just call me Rocky," Rocky said as he took the ss of water from the elder and sat down with him and Lin Feng.


    "Commander Rocky, no need for formalities with me, just call me Old Jack," the elder said with a smile, waving his hand at Rocky after a brief self-introduction, and then asking, "May I ask how many people you''ve brought with you this time?"


    Old Jack went straight to the point without much small talk.


    "Ten floating battleships, one hundred and eighty warriors, with an average level of Second Level among the warriors. This includes one Third-Level Warrior and one Fifth-Level Warrior, plus myself," Rocky replied without any concealment, aware that Old Jack was confirming whether his force met their requirements for verification with the Mercenary Guild.


    Sure enough, after hearing Rocky''s words, Old Jack nced at Lin Feng, and upon seeing Lin Feng''s slight nod, he broke into a smile.


    "If that''s the case, Commander Rockypletely meets our requirements, I''ll confirm with the Mercenary Guild right now."


    After Lin Feng confirmed that Rocky wasn''t lying, Old Jack made the confirmation with the Mercenary Guild right in front of him.


    And as Old Jack finished confirming with the Mercenary Guild, it also signified that Rocky''s mission had officially begun!


    "Lin Feng, you take Commander Rocky to the encampment," Old Jack said after confirming the task, then he turned to Rocky, "Commander Rocky, your team members will be staying at the encampment these days, then discuss with Lin Feng as soon as possible on how to defend."


    "Okay."


    Having agreed, Rocky left Old Jack''s residence with Lin Feng and promptly led everyone to the encampment within the vige.


    Actually, calling it an encampment was a bit of a stretch; it was really just an open space. There was a row of crude tents on the open ground, clearly prepared as amodations for Rocky and his team.


    For such a simple living arrangement, Rocky naturally wouldn''t mind, as he could see that Backhill Vige had very limited conditions, and being able to arrange such a ce for them was already very good. Besides, they weren''t here to stay for long; they could endure it for a month.


    Upon arriving at the encampment, Rocky gave some instructions to the guards, and once everything was mostly settled, he took Liliya and Monte with Lin Feng to his home to discuss the details of the mission.


    Rocky''s main task this time was to coordinate with the vigers of Backhill Vige in their defense¡ªdefense against what? Naturally, it was to protect against the attacks of demons.


    ording to Lin Feng, the main source of ie for Backhill Vige was mining. There was a vein inside Skybreaker Peak, and every quarter the vigers would delve into the vein to mine.


    It was precisely because of the need to mine that Backhill Vige required Rocky and others to assist in defense.


    The number of demons around Skybreaker Peak wasn''t very high, and also due to the location where Backhill Vige itself was situated, it was generally safe. However, troubles arose every time the vigers began mining, because there was a type of demon around Broken Mountain Peak that always attacked Backhill Vige during the vigers'' mining activities.


    "Is it the ck-eyed Demon?"


    At Lin Feng''s home, after Lin Feng briefly exined the mission from start to finish, when he mentioned that demons attacked each time the vigers began mining, Monte interjected from the side.


    "Exactly, it''s the ck-eyed Demon."


    Looking at Monte with slight surprise, Lin Feng nodded, indicating that what Monte said waspletely urate.


    "The ck-eyed Demon is a kind of low-level demon, named for its entirely ck eyes. However, these demons actuallyck vision. They perceive the outside world entirely through vibrations, especially vibrations from the ground. These demons can even detect through these vibrations if someone has walked dozens of miles away."


    "That powerful?"


    Monte''s exnation made Rocky widen his eyes in disbelief.


    "Captain Monte hasn''t exaggerated in the slightest,"


    Lin Feng then spoke up, "The terrifying aspect of the ck-eyed Demons lies in their sensory abilities. Thus, while we may not feel the noise of mining, to the ck-eyed Demons, it''s like thunder, which is why mining always attracts these demons."


    "So that''s the case¡­ Then how strong are the ck-eyed Demons?"


    Since their main target this time was the ck-eyed Demons, the strength of these demons naturally became a focal point.


    "This¡­"


    But upon hearing Rocky''s question, Lin Feng hesitated for a moment before finally providing an answer, "Well, in terms of strength, the ck-eyed Demons are rtively weak among the low-level demons, but..."


    "These demons are gregarious¡­"

 Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Taking Turns on Defense

    "ck-eyed Demons are social creatures..."


    Upon hearing these words from Lin Feng, Rocky couldn''t help but furrow his brow, aware even he knew how terrifying it could be once the demons reached a certain number.


    After that, Lin Feng continued:


    "Initially, Backhill Vige could still fend off the demon attacks on its own. Although mining always attracted the ck-eyed Demons, their numbers were not too great, at most about ten, and we could defend ourselves with the vige''s high walls."


    "But starting half a year ago, for some unknown reason, the number of ck-eyed Demons suddenly increased. We were overwhelmed unprepared and our walls were breached, with catastrophic losses. The same thing happenedst quarter during mining, with the number of Dark Demons increasing dramatically, and the walls were breached again."


    "The continuous breaching of the walls over several months led to severe casualties in the vige. Originally, we had over two thousand vigers and six to seven hundred soldiers to protect the vige, but now..."


    At this point, Lin Feng sighed helplessly, the vige having suffered repeated breaches by the demons. Now, only a little over a thousand vigers remained and the number of soldiers had drastically decreased from the original six to seven hundred to now barely two hundred. The extent of the casualties was indescribable.


    His words caused Rocky, Liliya, and Monte to exchange heavy nces.


    It appeared that this mission was as difficult as they had anticipated and certainly not something that could be easily aplished.


    Fortunately, prior to this, Rocky and his group had already assessed the risks of the mission, so although their mood was heavy, they were not frightened by it.


    Afterward, Lin Feng introduced the situation of Backhill Vige to them. With the vige repeatedly breached by the demons, its strength had significantly weakened, which was why they had requested Rocky''s help. Even so, the vige still had two hundred soldiers.


    Among these two hundred, there were one hundred warriors, with an average strength around the Second Level. Lin Feng, serving as the captain, was the highest ranked - the only Level Six Warrior in the vige, even a level higher than Monte!


    Besides Lin Feng''s hundred warriors, Backhill Vige also had fifty archers and fifty mages, whoprised the remote forces.


    From these arrangements, it was clear that although the vige did not have arge number of soldiers, its overall strength was still quite formidable, even stronger than Thunderhawk City if one discounted the Skyship.


    "Commander Rocky, how many from your Mercenary Group can participate in directbat?"


    "A hundred."


    "I see..."


    Rocky''s answer made Lin Feng nod, not surprised since Rocky had brought a hundred eighty people. However, due to the Skyship, quite a few were tasked with piloting, so having a hundred people avable forbat was already significant.


    Thus, counting the soldiers from Backhill Vige, both sides together had three hundred troops ready forbat against the demons, including two hundred warriors, fifty archers, and fifty mages.


    Calcted this way, evenbined, the forces were not veryrge and normally would be insufficient to contend with the demons. However, Backhill Vige had a unique geographical advantage and, with the high walls providing a blockade, this gave them a significant strategic benefit, making the battle rtively easier.


    Also, one must not forget the ten Skyships brought by Rocky!


    These ten Skyships were crucial in the fight, especially when facingrge numbers of demons. The wide-area bombardment from the Magic Cannons could effectively reduce the number of demons.


    "Regarding the Skyships, I have two questions."


    When the topic turned to Skyships, Liliya, who had been mostly silent, spoke up. She nced at Lin Feng, "Where exactly will the Skyships be docked? They are currently outside the vige, but obviously, they can''t stay out there indefinitely, as they would be prime targets for the demons. However, I don''t see any space within the vige to dock them."


    Liliya''s question was indeed sharp, as Rocky and the others had indeed arrived in Backhill Vige and had found ces to live, but ten skyships were still parked outside the vige!


    Since the skyships were an importantbat force, they couldn''t always be parked outside. Just beyond Backhill Vige was a vast wastnd, where the skyships would be the primary targets if demons appeared.


    "This¡­"


    Faced with her question, Lin Feng also furrowed his brow; he indeed hadn''t considered this, simply because he had never expected Rocky to bring so many skyships, and naturally, he hadn''t prepared a docking space for them.


    "Here''s an idea." After furrowing his brow in thought for a while, Lin Feng finally spoke, "There''s an open space on the mountainside. When we trade with the Chamber of Commerce from Sky City, they park their skyships there. The area is quiterge,rge enough for ten skyships, but with this arrangement, it would significantly slow the skyships'' speed toe to our aid¡­"


    Although he had thought of a suitable ce for the skyships to dock, the location was rtively far from Backhill Vige, making the skyships'' involvement in battles much slower.


    However, this was unavoidable. It was better to have the skyships parked further away than to have them targeted by demons just outside the vige.


    "The second issue is that the mana of the skyships is limited; they can''t support every battle, so please, Captain Lin Feng, prepare yourself mentally for this."


    After addressing where to dock the skyships, Liliya raised a second issue: although the skyships were an importantbat force, they couldn''t rely solely on them for every battle since their mana was finite.


    Liliya had realized that Lin Feng''s cordiality and satisfaction werergely because they had brought ten skyships.


    This was understandable, as in any battle against demons, the role of skyships was always secondary to that of the Void Magic Squad but far surpassed that of ordinary soldiers, so Lin Feng''s interest in these ten skyships was expected.


    But Liliya had to remind him that these ten skyships couldn''t be deployed in every battle to bombard; their mana was ultimately limited, and once depleted, they''d be no more than useless scrap. So, while they could rely on skyships, they could not be dependent on them.


    "I understand."


    In response to Liliya''s caution, Lin Feng directly said, "The skyships are our most precious asset this time, I will not use them indiscriminately; rest assured on that point."


    "Moreover, if the skyships are damaged in battle, Backhill Vige can take responsibility and providepensation. I can assure this. However, I also hope Commander Rocky won''t be stingy."


    ncing at Liliya, Lin Feng then addressed Rocky, iming that Backhill Vige could bear andpensate for any loss to the skyships in battle, but Rocky should not be parsimonious with his skyships and must not hesitate tomit them when crucial.


    "That''s not a problem."


    Rocky naturally agreed to this request.


    With that, everyone had a general understanding of each other''s situation, and then they began discussing the specific details of the defense.


    "Commander Rocky, I suggest we take turns defending."


    When it came to the specifics of defense, Lin Feng was the first to make a suggestion.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I suggest that our forces take turns defending Backhill Vige. I will lead the soldiers in defending for one day, then you lead the Mercenary Group the next day. This way, we can jointly alleviate the pressure on both parties."


    "Of course, when one party is defending, the other must also be on alert, ready to support if something goes wrong. If the number of attacking demons is too great, then we move out together. Do you think this is eptable?"

 Chapter 81: Chapter 80 A Little Surprise

    Regarding the specifics of the defense, Lin Feng suggested that both sides take turns defending Backhill Vige. Doing so would allow each to get ample rest, and if one side encountered danger, the other could promptly provide support.


    He had clearly considered this matter beforehand, so after speaking he looked toward Rocky.


    However, Rocky did not immediately give a response. Instead, he turned his head to nce at Liliya, wanting to see her opinion on the matter.


    Among Rocky''s people, only Liliya had experiencemanding troops, thus before this discussion, Rocky had entrusted themand of his forces to Liliya. Now, naturally, the decision would be influenced by her.


    "It''s agreeable."


    When Rocky looked her way, Liliya nodded her head, showing agreement with Lin Feng''s method, but she added, "Captain Lin Feng, the suggestion to alternate defense is good, but I hope you''re not nning to y any tricks. When reinforcement is needed, ourmander doesn''t want to see any idents."


    Liliya said this to Lin Feng, enunciating every word.


    Liliya''s impression of Lin Feng was rather favorable; the robust man indeed seemed honest and reliable. However, she hadn''t forgotten one thing: her side and Backhill Vige had no substantial ties, and there was even less trust to speak of between them.


    In such a situation, Liliya certainly did not wish for Rocky to be used as a pawn, nor did she want the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City to be treated as expendable in blocking the Demons!


    "About that ..."


    Seemingly caught off guard by Liliya''s forthrightness, Lin Feng appeared stunned for a moment but soon gave a wry smile, "Rest assured, Miss Liliya. We would never stab you in the back. In the same way, I hope Commander Rocky will do his utmost."


    As he spoke, Lin Feng looked at Rocky, clearly sharing the same concerns as Liliya.


    Subsequently, both partiesmunicated the specifics of the defense. By the time Rocky returned to the camp with Liliya and Monte, night had already fallen.


    "Liliya, is it really good to alternate defenses?"


    On the way back to camp, Rocky walked and questioned Liliya, his mind full of doubts. Though he had limited understanding of military affairs, he felt thatbining their forces, totalling only three hundred troops, would be stronger. Why deliberately separate them?


    "No, it''s easier to keep them separate."


    Yet to his query, Liliya shook her head, "It''s true thatbining our forces could make the grouprger, but it wouldn''t necessarily make us stronger."


    "Why is that?"


    "Because of cooperation, because of trust, and also because of our differentbat styles."


    Liliya apparently knew a great deal aboutmanding troops, she continued, "Our rtionship with Backhill Vige is purely based on the mission; not only is there no trust between us, but to some extent, we are both on guard against each other. Under these circumstances, merging our troops won''t enhance ourbat power."


    "Moreover, we have never cooperated before, and once the troopsbine, not only will there be no coordination, but it will also hinder individualmand, turning the soldiers into a disorganized group. It is better to remain separate in such a situation."


    "So that''s how it is ..."


    Hearing Liliya''s exnation, Rocky couldn''t help but nod. He realized that leading troops wasn''t an easy task; everything he had thought before was clearly too simple and na?ve.


    Thus, Rocky, Liliya, and Monte chatted as they walked, discussing the details of defense preparation while Monte filled them in on various aspects of the ck-eyed Demons. Before long, they had returned to the camp.


    Back at the camp, Rocky didn''t arrange any other tasks for the team, instead instructing everyone to rest well. After all, the mission was to officially begin tomorrow!


    After parting ways with Rocky, Liliya returned to her own tent, which had been specially prepared for her by Rocky. Since she was the only woman among all those Rocky brought, it was natural for her to have a tent to herself.


    As she stepped into the tent, Liliya let out a sigh, suddenly feeling extremely tired.


    Themand responsibility of the mission was entrusted to her by Rocky. This not only represented trust and authority but also meant she was ountable for the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City! And this was obviously an immeasurable pressure because Thunderhawk City had only this Guard Corps. If any mistake urred during the mission, she would bear the responsibility and thereby ruin Rocky.


    Thus, Liliya had kept her mind tight and focused from the outset, only allowing herself some rxation now that she was back in her tent.


    As she rxed, she walked over to the bed and began to undo her leather armor, and after taking it off, she proceeded to remove her side sword.


    However, just as she was about to take the side sword from her waist, she suddenly drew the sword and without hesitation stabbed behind her!


    Liliya sensed someone behind her!


    "Sister Liliya! It''s me! Stop, please!"


    The moment Liliya sensed someone behind her, and without a second thought turned around and thrust her sword, a panicked and rmed voice came from behind her!


    Hearing this voice, Liliya was at first taken aback, then promptly flicked her wrist to the side to change the direction of her sword thrust, and then saw her sword graze past Dusa''s neck!


    Yes, standing behind her wasn''t any malefactor, it was Dusa!


    "Dusa? What are you doing here!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Realizing that it was Dusa behind her, Liliya was taken aback and quickly sheathed her sword: "I didn''t hurt you, did I?"


    "No, but you scared me to death...huff..."


    Standing dazed in front of Liliya, Dusa''s face was covered in cold sweat. Only after Liliya put her sword away did she take a breath of relief and patted her chest.


    Ever since Monte had sworn allegiance to Rocky, his daughter Dusa had be one of them. Although they had not told her about the Mana Rune, the rtionship between Dusa, Liliya, and Aileen had be extremely close. Dusa even held a sense of admiration towards the valiant Liliya.


    Of course, that wasn''t the main point. The main point was, why was she in Backhill Vige?


    Liliya clearly remembered that Monte hadn''t brought Dusa with him when he left Thunderhawk City!


    At this thought, she frowned at Dusa, "Little girl, did you sneak out here on your own?"


    "Well... um... I don''t know! I woke up and found myself here!"


    Facing Liliya''s stern questioning, Dusa''s big eyes darted around a few times, then she responded with an innocent face...

 Chapter 82: Chapter 81 Mission Begins!

    Dusa''s response left Liliya patting her forehead, feeling utterly helpless.


    "Liliya sister, please, you mustn''t tell my father, or he will scold me again..."


    Just as Liliya was feeling helpless, Dusa began to plead with her not to tell Monte about her sneaking away.


    "This..."


    But this request really put Liliya in a difficult position. After all, Dusa was different from others; she was Monte''s daughter. If she kept this from Monte and something happened to Dusa in the process, who would bear the responsibility?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Liliya and Rocky couldn''t bear that responsibility!


    So, after a nce at Dusa, Liliya made a decision, "Little girl, you wait here for me and don''t go anywhere!"


    "Oh¡­"


    Realizing Liliya was somewhat angry, Dusa obediently nodded her head, then sat down demurely on the bed while Liliya immediately left the tent.


    After leaving the tent, she didn''t go to find Monte but went to find Rocky instead; she herself couldn''t handle this matter, so she had to let Rocky take care of it.


    Shortly after, she brought Rocky back to her tent, and upon entering, Rocky was stunned the moment he saw Dusa. He was incredibly surprised to find Dusa in the tent and felt a bit disappointed¡­


    "Dusa, how did you get here? Didn''t your dad lock you up?"


    "I, I... I sneaked out¡­"


    Facing Rocky, Dusa didn''t dare to lie anymore, so she told the truth.


    After learning that Dusa had sneaked away, Rocky also began to feel troubled.


    Just as Liliya had thought, Dusa was Monte''s daughter. How could Rocky keep this from him? If something happened, wouldn''t Monte me him fiercely?


    But faced with Dusa''s desperate plea, he found it hard to remain unswayed, for he could imagine Monte''s reaction upon learning of this¡ªno Beastman was known for their temper.


    Therefore, feeling helpless, Rocky had no choice but to agree to Dusa''s request, but he strictly ordered her not to leave the tent, or she would face the consequences if Monte discovered her, and neither he nor Liliya would intercede on her behalf.


    "Okay! I promise! City Lord!"


    Seeing Rocky agree to help keep it a secret from her father, Dusa readily agreed to all his conditions and even assured him fervently that she wouldn''t cause trouble, although Rocky found it hard to believe such a guarantee.


    And so, Dusa stayed in Liliya''s tent, and Rocky left with a feeling of resignation.


    Although Dusa''s appearance made him feel helpless, her disturbance somewhat lightened the tension of the mission, allowing Rocky to quickly fall asleep as soon as he returned to his own tent.


    When he woke up, it was already daylight, and Rocky got up early and prepared himself because from now on, the mission truly began!


    Early in the morning, Old Jack, the chief of Backhill Vige, led arge group of vigers to the mine at the end of the vige to start mining ores. At the same time, Rocky and Lin Feng also officially put their troops on alert.


    ording to Lin Feng, the first few days of mining were rtively safe, because even though the mining noise might attract the ck-eyed Demons, these demons'' gathering ces were quite far, so they couldn''t arrive immediately.


    However, once the first ck-eyed Demon appeared, more and more demons would start to emerge in an unending stream, and that''s when the real danger would begin.


    As previously arranged, Lin Feng would take charge of the first day''s defense with the soldiers from Backhill Vige, and on the second day, Rocky with the Guard Corps would take over, and then they would alternate in this order.


    So, on the first day of the mission, Rocky and the others weren''t too tense. Although the guards were on high alert, they didn''t need to fight, and only Rocky, Liliya, and Monte got up early and joined Lin Feng on the high wall for the vigil.


    "You all don''t need toe over, take the time to rest. The hard times are still ahead."


    Seeing that Rocky followed him up onto the high wall, Lin Feng couldn''t help but speak.


    Rocky understood his good intentions, but he also had his own thoughts, albeit somewhat selfish.


    In his heart, Rocky really hoped that Lin Feng and his people would confront the demons first. That way, he could observe how they fought and be better prepared himself, considering he had never led over a hundred people in battle, nor had he ever faced more than one demon. Thus, Rocky wanted to learn first.


    However, he couldn''t control such matters. In fact, as Lin Feng had mentioned, there was no danger on the first day of mining, and Rocky had stood on the high wall for a whole day without seeing a shadow of any demons.


    A day had passed in the blink of an eye with no battles urring.


    By the next day, the defense responsibilities had been handed over to Rocky.


    Early the next morning, Rocky led the Guard Corps to gather around the high wall, leaving Monte behind to lead the Guard Corps and stay on alert while he and Liliya climbed to the top of the wall.


    This was his second time standing on the high walls of Backhill Vige. He had stood there with Lin Feng for a day yesterday, but today, standing on the high wall again, he felt even more nervous than the first time.


    Because yesterday he was more of an observer, but today his mindset waspletely different since it was his responsibility to protect the vige and the wall behind him!


    This pressure inevitably made Rocky somewhat nervous, and after standing on the high wall for a while, he began to pace back and forth.


    "Maybe I should fly out and check. If we can spot the demons early, we can prepare earlier," he said after pacing back and forth on the wall a few times.


    "No, the Void Magic Armor''s mana is limited, and we didn''t bring many magic stones this time. You can only recharge a few times, so you can''t waste your mana indiscriminately," Liliya immediately rejected the idea. The Void Magic Armor was one of their most critical assets, but its mana was limited, so it shouldn''t be used unless necessary for battle.


    After rejecting Rocky''s suggestion, Liliya looked at him and said, "You don''t need to be too nervous. We have prepared for this mission for two months. Nothing will go wrong, and further, the vigers only started mining yesterday. The ck-eyed Demons won''t attack so soon."


    "You''re right... Maybe I am just too nervous."


    Rocky nodded, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then stood next to Liliya. The two quietly looked out over the endless wastnd.


    The next day passed just like that.


    Although Rocky stayed vignt all day, just like yesterday, no danger happened.


    And when the third day came, the defense duty was handed back to Lin Feng.


    But having the experience of the past two days, Rocky didn''t join Lin Feng on the high wall again. It had already been proven that there really was no danger these days, so there was no need for him to make himself nervous every day.


    So, on the third day, Rocky went to train with the guards instead.


    After training all morning with the guards, although he was a bit tired, his mood had rxed quite a bit, and at midday, Rocky had lunch with the guards, which brought them significantly closer to him.


    But just when everyone was having lunch at the food stall, a piercing bell suddenly rang out!


    "What''s happening!"


    Rocky, who was sitting with the guards, immediately stood up when he heard the bell and hurriedly looked toward the source of the sound. He saw soldiers frantically ringing the bell on the towers beside the high wall.


    "The demons are attacking? How is this possible!"


    Seeing that the bell came from the towers, Rocky was profoundly shocked, as this meant the demons had appeared!


    PS: The mission has finally officially begun. A fierce battle is about to arrive, ask for rmendations! Ask for favorites!

 Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Formation and Attack!

    The bell signaling the enemy attack rang out, causing Rocky, who was initially having a good time with the guards, to immediately rush towards the high wall with Monte!


    "What''s going on!"


    At this moment, Liliya also rushed out from her tent and quickly asked upon seeing Rocky.


    "I don''t know; it seems like the demons have arrived."


    Lin Feng had said that once the rm bell on the tower rang, it meant that demons were approaching, and this was undoubtedly true.


    But this wasn''t right! Because Lin Feng had also said that it would take the ck-eyed Demons several days to reach Backhill Vige, and even yesterday during the handover, he told Rocky to be prepared, informing him that the battle would start in three to five days, yet today the demons had arrived?


    How could they arrive this quickly?N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Carrying deep doubts, Rocky and Liliya quickly ascended the high wall and happened to meet Lin Feng, who wasing down from it.


    "Captain Lin Feng, what''s with the bell?"


    "The demons have arrived!"


    Without offering much exnation to Rocky, Lin Feng responded and then brushed past him, heading off the high wall towards the already prepared troops, loudly shouting at them, "Everyone, prepare for battle!"


    "Yes!"


    At Lin Feng''smand, the troops of Backhill Vige immediately arranged themselves neatly and stood ready, and soon after, therge gate of the high wall slowly opened. This hundred-warrior troop then swiftly and orderly charged out.


    As the troops charged out, Rocky and Liliya also climbed onto the high wall, where it was already crowded with people holding bows and arrows and others holding magic wands ¡ª they were the archers and mages of Backhill Vige.


    Standing on the crowded high wall, Rocky looked outside and soon spotted Lin Feng leading the troops. Lin Feng, who was leading the troops out, was continuously issuing orders, and following each of his orders, the troops from Backhill Vige split into three square formations.


    Three square formations, each formed by two rows of soldiers, fifteen in each row. The soldiers in the front row held up shields without weapons, while those in the back row wielded long spears without carrying shields.


    Although Rocky, who was still unfamiliar with tactics, couldn''t see the purpose of these formations, he could tell that the troops of Backhill Vige, although notrge in number, were well-trained. Faced with such a sudden situation, not a single soldier showed any sign of panic, and everyone moved smoothly and orderly into formation.


    After this, when Rocky shifted his gaze towards the distance, he saw three figures looming on the barrennd!


    Three demons!


    Although the three figures were still far away, at least a hundred meters or so, Rocky could instantly tell that they were demons!


    In his line of sight, these three demons were quickly approaching, in just a few blinks, they had alreadye much closer.


    "It''s the ck-eyed Demons!"


    As the demons continued to approach, Monte''s voice came from beside Rocky, and hearing this, Rocky looked even more carefully at the three demons.


    These three demons, each over two meters tall, walked upright like giants, but they resembled giant lizards. They not only hadrge lizard-like heads and beast-like sturdy limbs but also had exceptionally rough skin covered with dense bumps, which was revolting to look at.


    And ordingly to their name, they possessed a pair of pure ck eyes.


    So these were the ck-eyed Demons?


    Watching the three demons steadily approaching, Rocky took a deep breath and then looked again down at Lin Feng and others below the high wall.


    "Can these people handle three demons at once?"


    Having never experienced such a battle, Rocky had no concept of the fight unfolding before him, so he couldn''t help but worry.


    By contrast, Lin Feng, who was outside the high walls, seemed much more rxed and calm. As the three ck-eyed demons kept closing in, he continuously issued orders.


    "Everyone, maintain formation!"


    "Maintain formation!"


    "Maintain formation!"


    With Lin Feng''s voice echoing, the captains of the three formations also kept shouting loudly, ensuring their formations stayed intact despite the demons'' approach.


    "Everyone! Advance!"


    Soon after, as the rapidly approaching demons and the troops of Backhill Vige were only tens of meters apart, Lin Feng suddenly gave the order to advance!


    At hismand, the soldiers of the three formations stepped forward, maintaining their cohesive formation as they advanced. Though not very fast, their approach exerted immense pressure on the demons.


    "Hiss, hiss, hiss! Hiss, hiss!"


    As Lin Feng led the troops forward, the three lizard-like ck-eyed demons suddenly stopped. Then, facing the troops, they emitted a series of harsh, raspy cries before abruptly charging forward.


    The demons'' charge came without warning and was extremely fast; it felt like three whirlwinds instantaneously crossed the distance of tens of meters and reached Lin Feng and his men!


    Confronting the rushing demons, Lin Feng strode forward and collided head-on with the foremost one. Not waiting for the demon''s attack, his long sword came crashing down furiously, flipping the demon onto the ground. He then followed up with several more shes, pummeling the demon into rolling all over the ground.


    Of course, such an oue was not surprising¡ªLin Feng was a Level Six Warrior, and the ck-eyed demons were not particrly strong, so naturally, they were outmatched.


    However, the real focus of this battle was not on Lin Feng. Even if he were made of iron, could he beat a single nail? The keyy with the troops behind him.


    While Lin Feng tied down one demon with his own strength, the other two ck-eyed demons swiftly sprinted past him and, in a few moments, rushed up to the front of the three formations!


    Seeing the ck-eyed demons charging at them, all three formations halted, and every soldier in the front rows raised their shields.


    "Hiss, hiss, hiss!"


    The ck-eyed demon that rapidly reached the front of a formation let out a roar and viciously swung its ws at the front-line soldiers!


    Afterwards, a series of sounds followed as the demon''s sweeping strike hit four or five soldiers but struck only their raised shields, causing no casualties.


    But at that moment, soldiers from the back rows, gripping their spears tightly, suddenly surged forward and fiercely thrust their spears out!


    In an instant, more than a dozen spears pierced from the formation, all aimed at the ck-eyed demon!


    Among these attacks, some missed, and some hit but failed to prate the ck-eyed demon''s skin; yet still, two spears thrust fiercely into the demon''s body, causing it to issue a piercing scream and forcing it to leap backward.


    "They can actually push them back like this..."


    Standing atop the high wall, Rocky watched the battle clearly, and as he saw the troops of Backhill Vige using this method to repel the demons, his mouth fell slightly agape.


    PS: Please rmend! Please collect!

 Chapter 84: Chapter 83 Something is wrong...

    "So it can actually be done this way..."


    Standing atop the high wall, Rocky watched as the Backhill Vige troops not only sessfully resisted the Demon''s onught but also managed to repel them, and couldn''t help but feel astonished.


    These troops aplished this feat not with Lin Feng''s help or by relying on strong equipment, but purely through the advantage of their formation.


    For Rocky, who had never been on a battlefield, this was simply inconceivable.


    In his mind, the formidable nature of Demons was something ordinary people simply couldn''t contend with, unless they were high-level warriors or soldiers d in Void Magic Armor; otherwise, no one could match a Demon, but today, this notion had been shattered.


    The troop''s average level from Backhill Vige wasn''t high, mainly around Second Level, with few Level Three Warriors, and their weapons and equipment were even moremon; no, to be urate, they were rudimentary. Their gear was evenparable to the earlier equipment of the Thunderhawk City Guard Squad.


    Yet such a group had managed to defend against the Demons'' attack with the power of their formations and their excellent cooperation, even injuring the Demons. Although they faced only one, achieving this was no small feat.


    This oue filled Rocky with amazement.


    While Rocky was in awe, the battle outside the high walls continued.


    Lin Feng, entangled with a ck-eyed Demon one-on-one, showcased the prowess of a Level Six Warrior in full splendor. To ordinary people, the demon, monstrous in their eyes, was utterly defenseless against him, only able to take hits, and if Lin Feng had wielded a Mana Weapon, the victor might have been decided much sooner.


    On the other front, the other two Demons that charged at the three formations also bit off more than they could chew. Despite their relentless onught against the formations, each charge was futile, and after each rush, they would end up with several bloody holes from the spears!


    The formation of the troops from Backhill Vige was clearly aimed at countering the Demons. The front-line soldiers had given up their weapons, but therge shields they held with both hands could effectively withstand the ck-eyed Demons'' charges. Once they sessfully resisted the assault, the soldiers in the rear would immediately thrust their spears forward.


    Perhaps not every jab would hit or injure a Demon, but even if only one or two connected each time, the small amounts would umte, eventually killing the Demons through attrition.


    Thus, the battle swiftly moved towards its conclusion. When the two Demons, repeatedly charging at the formations, no longer had the strength to attack, the formations sprang into motion again. The three formations, like three moving walls, not only blocked the path of retreat but also forced the two Demons into continuous retreat.


    The soldiers in the front rank of the formations strode forward steadily. As soon as they closed in on the Demons, the soldiers in the back rank would thrust out their spears. In this manner, while pushing forward tens of meters, the two Demons finally copsed powerlessly to the ground!


    Meanwhile, Lin Feng on the other side had also concluded his battle. He beheaded the ck-eyed Demon with a single sword strike and lifted the severed head high off the ground, joining the soldiers behind him in a victorious roar!


    In the deafening roar of triumph, the battle finally ended, with all three Demons eliminated and no casualties among the Backhill Vige troops.


    To be fair, the scale of the battle was notrge, in fact, it was quite small, with only a hundred Backhill Vige troops and three Demons. But it still excited Rocky, who had watched the entire battle from the high walls.


    However, he felt a twinge of nervousness amidst his excitement, for tomorrow it was his turn to lead the troops in defense.


    "ck-eyed Demons are nothing to be afraid of,"


    Liliya''s voice came at that moment, and when Rocky turned to her upon hearing her, he saw that Liliya was looking at him: "If the troops from Backhill Vige could withstand these Demons, so can we."


    "Right, our guards won''t be any worse than them,"


    Monte also said from the side.


    Encouraged by Liliya and Monte''s words, Rocky nodded, and then the three of them descended from the high wall together.


    By this time, Lin Feng had already led his troops back, so the trio who came down from the high walls soon encountered them. Rocky had intended to step forward with congrattions, for despite the small significance, victory was still a victory.


    Unfortunately, before he could speak, Lin Feng, with a grave expression, took the initiative.


    "Commander Rocky, something doesn''t seem quite right,"


    "What''s wrong?"


    Lin Feng''s words made Rocky furrow his brows in slight astonishment.


    "The demons came too quickly this time; they shouldn''t havee so soon."


    Even though they had just won against the demons, there was not a trace of joy on Lin Feng''s face. Instead, he appeared deeply worried as he said, "In normal circumstances, the first wave of the ck-eyed would appear two to three dayster, but this time they came too quickly, and their numbers were greater."


    "Greater numbers?"


    "Yes, previously the first wave of demons would be just one, at most two, but today three appeared. This indicates there will be even more demons appearingter¡­ So¡­"


    At this point, he nced at Rocky, "So it''s possible that tomorrow we might face even more demons. Commander Rocky must be very cautious. I will also arrange for archers and mages to provide support from atop the high walls."


    Once Lin Feng had finished speaking, the look on Rocky''s face turned sour, and his previous excitement and good mood vanishedpletely.


    He thought hard with his brows furrowed for a good while before speaking, "Rest assured, Captain Lin Feng, I will be cautious."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    With those words, he returned to the camp with Liliya and Monte.


    For the rest of the day, the demons did not appear again, but because of the previous battle, it was clear that the demons had arrived. Therefore, neither the troops from Backhill Vige nor people like Rocky dared to take it lightly, particrly at night. Lin Feng left half of his troops to keep watch on the high walls, fearing any unexpected incidents.


    However, the night passed by peacefully without any demon attacking.


    This was naturally good news for Backhill Vige, but for Rocky, the opposite might be true, because it meant that the demons mightunch their attack during the following day when it was his turn to guard!


    So when the next day came, and it was still dark, he got up early and began checking his Void Magic Armor, making sure there would be no issues with the armor duringbat.


    As dawn broke, Rocky took over the defense duties from Lin Feng, leading his own troops for the handover.


    ......


    ......


    When Rocky stepped onto the high walls, Lin Feng and his troops started their rest. But as the captain, Lin Feng gathered with a few of the squad leaders.


    They intended to discuss the defenses going forward, but as soon as the topic started, the conversation turned to Rocky.


    "Captain, can we rely on these people?"


    "I doubt it; their soldiers are too nervous. A clear sign they''re greenhorns with no experience in big battles."


    Before Lin Feng could say a word, one squad leader beside him who was roughly the same age and hadmanded a phnx in yesterday''s battle, bluntly made thatment, showing his substantial standing among Lin Feng''s subordinates.


    "These soldiers from the Thunderhawk Mercenary Group¡­ are indeed average, but at least they have ten Floating Warships, and that''s enough," Lin Feng responded.


    Lin Feng wasn''t too impressed with the Thunderhawk City Guard Squad, but what he cared about the most were the ten Floating Warships Rocky brought with him.


    So afterward he said, "Let''s not worry about them; think about what we''re going to do next. The demons havee so suddenly, I''m afraid the events of half a year ago might repeat themselves¡­"


    Half a year ago, Backhill Vige''s high walls were directly breached by arge number of demons, leading to heavy casualties in the vige. At that time, Lin Feng wasn''tmanding a force of two hundred, but a force of seven hundred!


    And yet, despite that, the high walls were breached. With hundreds of ck-eyed Demons besieging them, both his troops and the vige walls were as fragile as paper¡­


    Lin Feng feared that the current situation might unfold just like it did half a year ago!

 Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Leading the Charge!

    Lin Feng and his troops were discussing something, but Rocky had no idea what it was, nor did he have the luxury of minding other people''s business.


    At this moment, Rocky stood on the high walls of Backhill Vige and had been standing there the entire morning.


    Having witnessed yesterday''s battle with his own eyes, today''s Rocky dared not take anything lightly, especially since ording to Lin Feng''s words, demons would start appearing endlessly from the moment the first batch emerged. So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, demons would attack today as well!


    How he wished for some ident to ur...


    Standing on the high wall, Rocky hoped more than once for some ident that would prevent the demons froming. Although this thought might seem cowardly, it is a natural human sentiment, as nobody in their right mind would want to fight demons unless they were mad.


    However, his prayers went unanswered. What was destined toe, after all, arrived.


    As noon approached and Rocky, who had been on high alert all morning, was about to grab some food and rest, the bell on the tower suddenly rang out!


    The sudden tolling of the bell immediately tensed everyone''s nerves. Rocky, who had just started eating, hurried to the edge of the high wall and when he looked beyond it, he couldn''t help but gasp!


    One, two, three, four, five...


    As he cast his gaze beyond the high wall, he immediately spotted a group of figures -- not just one, but a whole crowd!


    These figures were, of course, the attacking demons, and in an instant, a total of eight appeared!


    Oh, heavens...


    Seeing the eight demons outside the high wall, Rocky''s heart sank to the bottom!


    Even though Lin Feng had cautioned him yesterday that the demons wereing too quickly this time and that their numbers could be greater than before, the sight of eight demons appearing before his eyes still made Rocky inhale sharply!


    But at that moment, he had no time for surprise. After seeing the number of demons, he immediately rushed down from the high wall.


    "Everyone, prepare for battle!"


    Descending from the high wall, Rocky arrived in front of the Guard Corps and shouted loudly.


    And by this time, the guards were already aware of the demons'' arrival due to the bell and had readied themselves for battle under Monte''s leadership.


    However, despite this, most of the guards within the Guard Corps couldn''t hide their nervousness, especially after Rocky appeared.


    The expressions of the crowd were all taken in by Rocky, but unfortunately, with time pressing, he had no time to rally everyone again, so he could only shout, "Does everyone remember what I said before we set off?!"


    "We remember!"


    Before the mission, Rocky had told these guards that as their City Lord, he would lead the charge in battle; as their City Lord, he would be everyone''s most loyal guardian!


    Recalling Rocky''s words, the guards'' performance improved significantly, and they then followed Rocky out over the high wall, led by Liliya.


    Once outside the high wall, Liliya, the overallmander, gave the order, "Everyone, spread out by squads!"


    At hermand, the hundred-strong Guard Corps instantly split into ten squads, ten people each, led by a squad leader, and then dispersed in front of the high wall.


    Fighting in squads was a tactic that Rocky, Liliya, and Monte had formted the day before.


    After witnessing how Backhill Vige''s troops fought, Rocky sought Liliya and Monte''s opinions. He wanted the Guard Corps to employ formations simr to Backhill Vige''s troops tobat the demons.


    Because even though Backhill Vige had two hundred troops, half of them were archers and mages, and the warriors confronting the demons head-on were only about a hundred strong¡ªexactly equal to the Guard Corps. This led Rocky to believe that if the other side could rely on that two-row formation tobat the demons, then his Guard Corps should be able to as well.


    The ideas he had were immediately vetoed by Liliya and Monte.


    The Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City had never undergone such training and therefore couldn''t possibly form formations. It''s important to understand that formations aren''t just for show; they require the soldiers to be in tacit harmony with each other. Such harmony can onlye from long-term training and repeated battles, abilities that the Guard Corps currentlycked.


    However, after rejecting Rocky''s suggestion, Liliya also put forward her own idea; she nned to divide the Guard Corps into small squads forbat.


    Compared to the troops from Backhill Vige, Thunderhawk City''s Guard Corps was inferior in terms of experience, quality, and training. Therefore, it was impossible to adopt the samebat methods as their counterparts. But the Guard Corps did have one advantage¡ªequipment!


    Each of the one hundred Guards participating in the battle was equipped with two pieces of rune equipment. This was the greatest advantage of the Guard Corps. The defensive power provided by the two pieces of rune equipment was enough to elevate the strengths of the Guard Corps by a notch.


    By splitting the Guards into small squads and using this method to divide the demons, they could create a local advantage where one squad would face one demon. This strategy would allow them to leverage their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. As long as there weren''t too many demons, they would be able to fight back.


    It was because they were already prepared that, upon Liliya''smand, the Guards immediately divided into ten squads under the leadership of their respective captains.


    "What are they doing?"


    At this moment, Lin Feng, who had heard the bell, also led the people from Backhill Vige up to the high wall. Just like Rocky the day before, they looked down upon the battle below from their vantage point.


    But when they saw Liliya ordering her troops to split into ten separate squads, someone immediately furrowed their brows.


    "Captain, do these people even know how to fight? They dare to scatter themselves against the demons. Do they think that a small squad of ten can hold off a demon?"


    Clearly, to the people of Backhill Vige, Liliya''s tactics seemed like folly. Her idea might not have been wrong, but it was overly naive. While the dispersed formation could indeed create numerical advantage, one must not forget they were up against demons!


    Imagining that ten people could hold off or kill a demon seemed like a joke! And if they failed to do so, the situation would quickly reverse, turning into a horrific scenario where the demons would defeat the small squads one by one.


    Therefore, the people of Backhill Vige were entirely dismissive of Liliya''s approach, considering it foolishness.


    Even Lin Feng frowned at this moment, and he promptly instructed those around him to have the Archers and Mages on the high walls ready for long-range support while also preparing his own troops.


    From these arrangements, it was clear that Lin Feng was also doubtful about Rocky and his team''s chances in the battle.


    However, even as these thoughts crossed their minds, Rocky and hispanions were already in a state of serious readiness because, as they were dividing into squads, the approaching demons had already neared!


    Just like the previous day, the ones that appeared were still all ck-eyed Demons, and after emerging, they quickly closed in, reaching only a few dozen meters away in no time.


    "Everyone, hold your positions and wait for the demons to charge!"


    Liliya, who was leading a squad herself, held her Runic Shield and Rune Longsword in her hands. As she saw the demons getting closer, she ordered everyone to wait for the demons to rush in first.


    Hermand was quickly ryed by the captains of each squad, ensuring that all Guards remained stationary.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    But just as Liliya issued her order, the ck-eyed Demons made their move!


    The eight ck-eyed Demons suddenly elerated and charged toward the assembled warriors!


    Although there were only eight demons, they must not be underestimated for they were true monsters!


    Each of these formidable beasts stood over two meters tall. With each step, the ground would quake, and their charging speed was incredibly fast, so the impact and shock from just eight demons mimicked the charge of an army of thousands!


    Faced with such a staggering charge, everyone on the battlefield was extremely tense, except for one person¡ªRocky!


    As the eight ck-eyed Demons charged forward, Rocky, dressed in the Void Magic Armor, lifted off the ground. Gradually ascending, he then suddenly sped up, shooting towards the demons like an arrow released from a bow!


    True to the words he spoke before he departed, as the City Lord, he was to lead the charge in the battle against the demons!


    PS: The battle has begun! Seeking rmendations! Seeking rmendations! Seeking rmendations!

 Chapter 86: Chapter 85 Mana Sparkle

    They both charged at each other at the same time, Rocky and the demon moving so fast that it only took a few blinks of an eye for the two to crash into each other fiercely!


    Like an arrow released from the string, Rocky collided head-on with the demon at the forefront. This wasn''t just a figure of speech, he had literally mmed right into the demon. The tremendous force of the impact had flipped over the two-meter-tall ck-eyed demon!


    Having flipped the demon over, Rocky didn''t engage with it any further. Instead, he soared into the air, and once he was midair, he immediately dove down, targeting another demon. This demon was his actual target.


    The demon chosen by Rocky was over two and a half meters tall, thergest and most ferocious of the eight demons!


    With demons, the saying "all bark, no bite" didn''t apply. The bigger and more horrifying a demon looked, the more formidable it would be! And Rocky, wearing the Void Magic Armor, naturally chose the most formidable demon as his target.


    He dove onto thergest ck-eyed demon, and taking advantage of the momentum, Rocky swung his sword down in one fluid motion, striking the shoulder of the ck-eyed demon.


    However, the demon''s skin was too thick. Faced with a side sword that had been enhanced with runes, which was at least close to two stars in power, the sword came crashing down only to leave a small wound on the demon''s shoulder.


    This strike didn''t seriously injure the demon; instead, it enraged the ck-eyed demon, which let out a hoarse roar and immediately wed at Rocky''s chest, scratching him twice in an instant!


    If it had been an ordinary soldier who was wed by the demon, they would have definitely died, but Rocky was wearing the Void Magic Armor and had rune enhancement, so even though he was sent flying, he wasn''t seriously injured. Taking advantage of the momentum, he soared into the air again and dived towards the giant demon!


    "Thismander... is quite brave..."


    Rocky, who was the first to engage the demon, naturally caught everyone''s attention, especially the people from Backhill Vige on the high wall.


    And as they watched Rocky battle with the biggest ck-eyed demon, they internally gave him a thumbs up for his bravery!


    "Yes, it''s because he''s wearing the Void Magic Armor."


    As they watched Rocky and the demon fight time and again, the people around Lin Feng felt somewhat envious. They were familiar with the reputation of the Void Magic Armor, but unfortunately, Backhill Vige couldn''t afford such expensive equipment, so watching Rocky d in the Void Magic Armor fighting the demon made these people extremely envious.


    "Stop the idle talk and get the archers and mages ready!"


    While others were focused on Rocky, Lin Feng had a serious expression. He didn''t need to watch Rocky because there was no danger to him in the Void Magic Armor. He was truly focused on the troops behind Rocky!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    While everyone was chatting, other demons had already charged toward the troops behind Rocky!


    These ck-eyed demons seemed to have no brains, or maybe they just didn''t understand the concept of teamwork. Yesterday, when Lin Feng fought a demon one-on-one, the others charged at the troops, and today they did the same; while Rocky engaged the strongest ck-eyed demon, the remaining seven demons charged recklessly at the troops behind him.


    And only then did the real battle begin!


    "Everyone, stay calm! Follow themand!"


    Leading her own small team at the very front, Liliya was shouting loudly while intently watching the demon closest to her team. This demon might not be as huge as the one tangled with Rocky, but it was still big, and from the direction it wasing from, it looked like it was targeting her team.


    As the demon drew nearer, Liliya raised her shield and ordered her team, "Shields up!"


    At amand, the rest of the squad raised their shields and simultaneously activated the mana in both their shields and armor, enveloping the otherwise ordinary shields and armor in a halo of light!


    Just a few seconds after the guards raised their shields, the ck-eyed demon charged forward and swept its w without warning!


    There were two thudding sounds as the demon''s sweeping attack hit four guards in session, knocking two of them over with its immense force, while the other two were also pushed back several steps.


    But because they had all raised their shields in time, and more importantly, activated the mana in their shields and armor, they looked somewhat disheveled but did not sustain any real damage.


    "Surround it!"


    Ignoring the guards who had been knocked down and pushed back, after the ck-eyed demon''s strike, Liliya immediately yelled out and led the rest to encircle the demon. The guards who had been knocked down and pushed back also got up and joined the encirclement.


    Thus, Liliya led her squad andpletely surrounded the demon.


    "Others, look for an opportunity to attack!"


    Having said that, Liliya rushed toward the encircled demon and leaped high in the air, shing it with her sword, creating a foot-long gash across the chest of the ck-eyed demon!


    Liliya''s rune sword was even better than the side sword of the Void Magic Armor. If evaluated by today''s standards, this rune longsword would easily be considered a three-star weapon. Even the tough hide of the ck-eyed demon couldn''t withstand such a sh, and blood immediately sprayed from therge gash across its chest.


    "Chi chi chi! Chi!"


    The severely injured ck-eyed demon let out a scream and mindlessly swiped its w at the nearest guard.


    There was a loud bang as the w hit the guard, sending him flying several meters, but it did not kill him because his runic armor absorbed most of the force, allowing him to rise from the ground soon after and then rejoin the encirclement!


    "Raise your shields! Raise all your shields!"


    "Raise shields! Activate the mana! Everyone stay orderly!"


    While Liliya was leading her squad to encircle a demon and fight it fiercely, calls for action and mana activation also continuously came from behind her, indicating that other squads were also engaging the demons in battle.


    Because everyone had begun fighting, nearly in an instant, the battlefield was filled with a ze of light.


    This scene left everyone on the high wall dumbstruck!


    "My goodness ... how do they have such good equipment?"


    "Are these soldiers all wearing magic energy equipment?"


    As they watched the guards activating their magic energy equipment, everyone from Backhill Vige was gaping, their faces filled with disbelief.

 Chapter 87: Chapter 86 Accident!

    "What''s the deal with this Thunderhawk Mercenary Group? They even provided their soldiers with Mana Equipment?!"


    When Rocky led his Guard Corps into battle against the demons, Lin Feng and the others, who were closely watching the battle from atop the high walls, werepletely dumbfounded, their faces filled with astonishment.


    Before this, they hadn''t had high hopes for Rocky and his troops¡ªin the eyes of those in Backhill Vige who constantly fought against demons, Rocky''s troops were nothing more than greenhorns. So much so that Lin Feng had already arranged for his own men to be ready to charge to their rescue at a moment''s notice the instant Rocky''s forces couldn''t hold out.


    But to their greatest surprise, the troops led by Rocky were all outfitted in Mana Equipment, which made all their previous judgments meaningless.


    Take the current situation, for instance. Lin Feng and the others, with theirmanding view from the high wall, could see every corner of the battlefield.


    In their eyes, the situation on the battlefield was utterly chaotic; at first nce, it seemed no different from a scattered mess. This wasn''t surprising, as Liliya''s tactics involved dividing the troops into small teams to iste and pick off the demons one by one. inly spoken, the tactic was nothing more than a bunch of people ganging up on one demon.


    Naturally, the battlefield looked disorganized, even chaotic, unlike the ordered battle formations Lin Feng and the others were ustomed to.


    For this very reason, the people of Backhill Vige weren''t optimistic about the battle. They believed Rocky was bound to fail, and might even crumble at the first blow.


    However, once the battle trulymenced, the expected oue did not ur.


    Contrary to what Lin Feng and the others had imagined, when Rocky''s troops began to divide and surround the demons in small team formations, not only did these small teams not crumble under the ws of the demons, but they also managed to pin down their respective demons!


    Such an oue was, of course, thanks to the Guard Corps'' Mana Equipment!


    If the quality of Thunderhawk City''s Guard Corps was considered on its own, it was indeed quite average. Faced with the attacks of demons, most guards would be knocked back instantly, some even sted away. But because they were wearing two pieces of Mana Equipment, even though these guards couldn''t withstand the attacks, they also sustained no casualties.


    Those who were knocked back or flung away would simply get back up from the ground and rejoin the fight.


    Meanwhile, even though the overall quality of the Guard Corps wasn''t top-notch, some individuals shone particrly bright. There was no need to mention Rocky, d in his Void Magic Armor. Besides him, the performances of Liliya and Monte also took the people of Backhill Vige by surprise.


    Liliya on the battlefield was like a dazzling rose among a group of men, her presence as imposing as any. In terms of prowess and bravery, she was second to none, and she even took on a demon by herself with merely Third Level strength!


    And the reason Liliya could challenge a demon alone was, naturally, due to her full set of Rune Equipment, which made the people of Backhill Vige envious.


    Of course, Lin Feng and the others did not know that Liliya was wearing Rune Equipment. They all thought it was a set of Mana Equipment, and they were incredibly envious. It was an entire set of Mana Equipment, after all! In terms of equipment quality, if Rocky''s Void Magic Armor was ranked first, then Liliya''s set of Mana Equipment must be second.


    Therefore, from the beginning of the battle, Liliya became the center of everyone''s attention, even more so than Rocky. After all, who wouldn''t enjoy casting their eyes upon a beautiful woman shining brightly?


    Another focus of the crowd''s attention was Monte.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The people of Backhill Vige felt conflicted about Monte. They recognized his strength, but let''s not forget that Monte was missing a hand, making him, in their eyes, essentially disabled.


    That had led to plenty of behind-the-scenes talk. They really couldn''t understand why Rocky would put a disabled person in charge of his team.


    But after the battle with the demons started, those with such thoughts, especially those who saw Monte as a disabled man, were all silenced because Monte was incredibly fierce on the battlefield!


    Being a Beastman, Monte also stood well over two meters tall, a heightparable to that of the ck-eyed Demons, making it so their encounters resulted in a fight beyond ordinary people''s imagination.


    The towering Beastman faced the ck-eyed Demon without backing down, going Head-to-Head with brute force. In particr, his Broadaxe, which wasrger than a basin and etched with runes,bined with Monte''s inherent strength as a fifth-level warrior, allowed him to knock the ferocious ck-eyed Demon t in their first sh,pletely befuddling it.


    "Looks like we don''t need to make a move..."


    Assessing the situation of the battlefield, Lin Feng let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile to the people around him, who also nodded in agreement.


    Lin Feng''s assessment was correct. At that moment, Rocky and the others were still engaged in fierce battle, but such fighting wouldn''tst long. As soon as either Rocky, Monte, or Liliya managed to defeat the demon they were facing, the other teams would receive their support.


    That would significantly increase the speed at which demons were killed, and the battle would swiftlye to its concluding phase.


    In fact, Monte and Liliya had already overwhelmed their respective demons and would soon eliminate them. Under these circumstances, indeed, there was no need for Lin Feng and his group to provide support.


    "Make way! Make way! Let me see"


    "Step aside, don''t block the way!"


    Just as Lin Feng eased up, convinced that the battle was well in hand and he needn''t lift a finger, a crisp voice suddenly emerged atop the high wall. A figure promptly pushed through the crowd and ran to the edge of the wall, peering excitedly down at the scene unfolding below.


    This person... was naturally Dusa.


    Having hidden in Liliya''s tent, Dusa had stayed inside all this time, so she was quite stifled these past few days. As soon as she heard the battle had begun, she couldn''t contain her boredom any longer and dashed out.


    Dusa pushed through the crowd on the high wall and then looked toward the battlefield, immediately spotting her father.


    At that moment, Monte was locked in intensebat with the ck-eyed Demon, beating it back soundly. Seeing this, Dusa became ecstatic. She jumped up and down with joy and said to those around her, "Did you see that? That''s my father! That''s my father!"


    After saying this, she couldn''t contain her excitement and shouted toward the battlefield, "Dad! Go for it! Go for it!"


    Damn it!


    Lin Feng immediately cursed inwardly, realizing toote that Dusa had the audacity to shout in such a way!


    Dusa''s voice might have been ignored by others on the battlefield or not heard at all, but Monte did hear it!


    Monte, who was pressing the demon hard in battle, suddenly heard his daughter''s voice. He looked back in surprise, quickly spotting Dusa on the wall gesturing towards him¡ªa sight that left him utterly shocked.


    In that moment of astonishment, the ck-eyed Demon he had been beating back fiercelyunched an attack and swept its w towards Monte''s head!


    Feeling the rush of wind, Monte, regaining his wits, dodged just in time to avoid a blow to the head, but his shoulder was struck hard by the demon''s w. Not only was he sent staggering backward, but his shoulder was also torn open, revealing flesh and blood.


    Simultaneously, Liliya also heard Dusa''s voice, prompting her to nce unconsciously at the high wall and then towards Monte. She witnessed the very moment Monte was hit but was blindsided by an immense object charging at her. Liliya didn''t even grasp what was happening before being sent tumbling away!


    In an instant, just an instant, the formerly orderly battlefield descended into chaos!


    PS: Little Dusa has caused trouble, seeking everyone''s support! Seeking rmendations! Seeking rmendations! Seeking rmendations!

 Chapter 88: Chapter 87: The Mainstay

    "Captain! Captain!"


    "Instructor!"


    Monte and Liliya had been knocked down by demons one after another, causing their squads to fall into disarray in an instant, and this chaos undoubtedly gave demons the chance to break through the encirclement in a blink of an eye!


    The two squads, which had originally been the most promising to kill the demons first, had their ranks scattered first at that moment!


    At this time, the other squads also noticed the situation here, and when the guards saw that the squads led by Liliya and Monte were scattered, and that Liliya and Monte were knocked down, the biggest weakness of the new soldiers was exposed!


    The Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City had never seen the battlefield, hence regardless of age, all guards were new soldiers, and one of the most fatal ws of new soldiers is the inability to fight a battle against the odds.


    The reason the guards had been able to hold back the demons on the battlefield was firstly because Rocky, the City Lord, charging at the front had greatly boosted morale, making everyone feel high-spirited; secondly, it was because Rocky, Liliya, and Monte were the backbone of the guards, and everyone felt that as long as the three of them were there, the battle could surely be won.


    This thought might have been somewhat naive, but it was the basic motivation that kept everyone willing to confront the demons, and when the actual battle started, the situation indeed matched everyone''s expectations.


    Rocky, Liliya, or Monte all fought with extraordinary bravery, the demons which seemed like monsters to others werepletely suppressed by the trio, further inspiring the guards'' morale, and letting everyone hold their ground no matter what under the attack of the demons.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    But now, due to Dusa''s appearance, Monte and Liliya had both faced idents consecutively, and two of the three backbones had fallen in an instant, which was a huge blow to the guards'' psyches. The squads they led were the first to fall into chaos, and this chaos quickly spread to the other squads, throwing the entire situation into disarray.


    Although there is a reason for this, and although the downed Monte and Liliya actually stood up again very quickly, don''t forget that this is a battlefield, and most people do not know what exactly has happened; everyone only knows that both backbone figures like Monte and Liliya had been struck down by demons, and the previously soaring morale suddenly plummeted.


    This is the mostmon problem with new soldiers on the battlefield. Due to ack of experience, they cannot judge the situation on their own, coupled with ack of mental fortitude, often resulting in extreme disys of either excessive morale orplete despondency.


    The guards of Thunderhawk City are now in such a state.


    And when morale plummeted, the guards fellpletely into chaos, and as chaos broke out, the situation on the battlefield also changed immediately!


    The demons, which had been tightly encircled, started ughtering in all directions as soon as the guards began to panic, and in the wake of the demons'' wilful rampage, the solid encirclement was breached, and as soon as the circle was broken, casualties followed. Guards were injured by the ws of demons for failing to dodge in time, and some even fell never to rise again.


    "Don''t panic! Hold your ground! Captain Liliya is fine!"


    "Everybody, don''t panic! Stay calm!"


    "Instructor Monte is fine, don''t let the chaos get to you!"


    As chaos began to spread on the battlefield, the captains of each squad still tried to remain calm, doing their utmost to stabilize others, but it had no effect, and the chaos continued unabated.


    Almost in an instant, the tide of the battle hadpletely turned!


    "How... How could this... How could this happen..."


    The battlefield became chaotic in an instant, leaving the previously ted Dusa stunned, the naive girl having no idea what had happened; everything was fine just moments ago, so how did it all change so suddenly?


    "Someone! Get her out of here!"


    At that moment, Lin Feng also furrowed his brows deeply. At hismand, the dazed Dusa was hurriedly sent down the tall wall, and then he quickly turned his attention to the battlefield.


    Actually, based on Dusa''s behavior just now, Lin Feng had already figured out her identity, and with his experience, he could tell from Monte''s surprised expression the ins and outs of the situation; this also filled him with a profound sense of helplessness.


    Since ancient times, there has been a rule that soldiers going off to war can''t bring their wives and children. Why can''t soldiers take their wives and children into battle? Just look at Monte''s behavior just now, and you will understand.


    Once soldiers are on the battlefield facing the enemy, if their hearts are still tied to their loved ones at home, they will be deserters if they don''t die in battle! Dusa''s appearance was clearly a vition of this taboo!


    However, it was toote to say anything now. Although Dusa had been driven down from the tall wall, the battlefield was already in chaos, and a trend of defeat had be apparent. Lin Feng immediately gave the order for the Backhill Vige troops to prepare to strike; he wanted to lead the charge and support them.


    But just at this moment, as the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City had already be hopelessly disorganized, and the trend of defeat was inevitable, Lin Feng was just about to lead the Backhill Vige troops to support them when a miserable wail that pierced the entire sky suddenly came.


    "Ssshh ssshh ssshh! Ssshh ssshh!!"


    The wailing was ear-piercingly loud, so tragic that it made one''s blood run cold. It not only rang through the entire sky but also reached the ears of everyone as soon as it appeared. People on the battlefield heard it, those on the tall walls heard it, even the vigers of Backhill Vige heard it!


    This terrible wailing made everyone, whether on the battlefield, on the high walls, or the Demons wreaking havoc everywhere, look in one direction at the same moment: the source of the sound.


    In fact, the source of the wailing was not far from everyone¡ªit was at the edge of the battlefield, exactly where Rocky was!


    Due to the previously rapid change in the situation, many people had overlooked Rocky''s presence and had even forgotten him. But, when they paid attention to him once more, they were met with an incredibly shocking scene.


    At this very moment, Rocky, with his long sword in hand, was stabbing towards the ck-eyed Demon. He thrust his sword fiercely into the demon''s chest, then out its back, impaling the massive ck-eyed Demon clear through!


    The ck-eyed Demon, pierced through the chest by the sword, kept wailing mournfully. The sound was eerie, and with a resentful iling of its ws, it seemed as though it wanted to drag Rocky down with it to death.


    But it had no chance for that, as after impaling it with his sword, Rocky pressed down on the hilt with both hands and with a swift sh, split the ck-eyed Demon open from its chest!


    "My God..."


    "What did he just do..."


    This bloody scene left everyone stunned, and some even felt a wave of nausea churning in their stomachs.


    After cleaving the Demon in two, Rocky slowly turned around, holding his blood-drenched sword as he looked back over the battlefield.


    At that moment, he seemed like a God of ughter himself, not only shocking everyone present but also stunning the remaining Demons!


    Seeing the battlefield in utter disarray, Rocky didn''t hesitate as he leaped into the air and then flew towards the center of thebat zone!


    The cornerstone of the Guard Corps had finally arrived!


    ps: Seeking rmendations!

 Chapter 89: Chapter 88 Reversal!

    When Rocky parachuted onto the battlefield, the guards and demons hadn''t even snapped out of the shock from the previous moment.


    And it wasn''t Rocky who finally brought everyone back to their senses, but another scream!


    Rocky, who had parachuted into the fray, targeted a dazed demon and, after knocking it down with a sword, he shed at the demon three times with his long sword, drawing continuous screams from the creature.


    However, it must be admitted that demons are truly monstrous in nature. Even after being sliced by Rocky three times in a row, this demon still didn''t die until Rocky used all his strength to deliver a fourth blow, finally severing the demon''s head!


    With the beheading of the demon, everyone on the battlefield finally snapped back to reality.


    The Guard Corps, now reinvigorated, werepletely different from before; just moments ago on the verge of copse, they now surged with morale, changing the dynamics of the battlefield once again.


    The chaotic battlefield seemed to stabilize instantly; with the direction of various squad leaders, the guards once again surrounded the demonspletely, and all the previous chaos seemed as if it had never urred¡ªaside from the dead demons and injured guards.


    At this point, it''s worth mentioning the leaders assigned by Liliya to the squads. These were truly the elite of the Guard Corps.


    When all the guards were in disarray, leaders like Sandro didn''t lose their footing. They still tried to control the situation, and although they had little effect, their efforts were undoubtedlymendable.


    Indeed, it was thanks to them that, with Rocky joining the fray, the guards quickly encircled the demons again. Monte and Liliya also took this opportunity to recover and joined Rocky in a counterattack.


    The situation, which was on the verge of copse, turned around just like that, and the catalyst for this change was clearly Rocky.


    Killing the demon he was entangled with was a verymon urrence for Rocky, somon that no one bothered to pay attention. However, the timing of his kill was critical.


    The moment he killed the demon coincided precisely with the Guard Corps'' descent into chaos and the brink of defeat. This timing was pivotal, andbined with his God of ughter-like descent onto the battlefield and swift elimination of a demon, he steadied the hearts of the bewildered guards, allowing them to regain their pir of support.


    Rocky was that pir of support for the guards!


    In their eyes, Rocky''s status was irreceable. He was not only the City Lord in their hearts but also the mightiest warrior they looked up to.


    Interestingly, after Rocky joined the fight, not only did the morale of the guards swell because of his presence, but even the demons were affected!


    Perhaps it was because he had killed their ''boss'', the surrounded demons no longer disyed the same arrogance. When Rocky set his sights on them, these demons actually began to wail mournfully, and their pitch-ck eyes revealed fear.


    Given this, the oue of the subsequent battle was self-evident. Rocky, Liliya, and Monte began picking off the surrounded demons one by one. The demons were quicklyid out on the ground, and in no time, all were in!


    "We won! We won! We won!"


    "We won! Haha! We won!"


    "We won!"


    When thest demon was pinned under Rocky''s foot, and his long sword pierced its head, it wasn''t clear which guard started the victorious chant, but soon that cry connected into a chorus, bing waves of cheers.


    Amidst the cheering, Rocky pulled his sword out of the demon''s skull and turned to face the incessant cheers of the guards.


    As he slowly turned around, the cheering of the guards came to a sudden halt. Everyone was looking at him, watching as Rocky slowly raised his long sword, watching as a smile spread across his face streaked with demon blood.


    "We... won!!!"


    Facing his own Guard Corps, Rocky raised his blood-drenched sword high and dered victory!


    As he finished his statement, the guards all lifted their weapons, erupting into even louder cheers!


    They had won!


    "You''re not hurt, are you?"


    In the midst of deafening cheers, Liliya approached Rocky, eyeing his bloody figure, and asked with concern.


    "No, it''s all demon blood."


    While shaking his head, Rocky reached out to wipe the blood off Liliya''s cheek, causing her to blush, but he promptly said, "Take the injured into the vige immediately, and see to Monte. Dress his wounds as quickly as possible."


    The recent chaos had left many among the Guard Corps wounded, especially Monte, whose injuries were severe. Without wasting time on further conversation with Liliya, Rocky sent her to tend to the wounded, then called over Sandro.


    "Ci... Commander!"


    Seeing Rocky wave for him, Sandro quickly ran to his side with a face full of joy¡ªit was unclear whether his happiness derived from their recent victory or from Rocky calling out to him.


    "Sandro, take some men and carry the demons'' bodies into the vige," Rocky ordered. "Freeze them with Ice Magic. These are our spoils of war, understood?"


    "Yes, my lord. Rest assured!" Sandro responded.


    With his agreement, Sandro ran into the cheering crowd and called several guards to start cleaning up the battlefield.


    Although the battle had been fierce and they had ultimately won, Rocky hadn''t let sess cloud his judgment¡ªhe still remembered to seize their rightful spoils of war, the bodies of eight demons, which, even if some were damaged, could be sold for a substantial sum of money!


    Once everything was taken care of, he led his people back to Backhill Vige.


    As they passed through the tall gates, the victorious Rocky and his troops were greeted by Lin Feng and others, who had been waiting for some time.


    "Commander Rocky, that was a splendid victory."


    Approaching Rocky withrge strides, Lin Feng couldn''t help but say.


    His words were no ttery; the battle had indeed been thrilling. The situation on the battlefield had shifted several times, keeping Lin Feng on edge as he watched, but in the end, Rocky and his men won¡ªand won handsomely, with minimal casualties.


    "Thank you, Captain Lin Feng. Please make sure that our wounded are well cared for by the vigers," Rocky replied.


    "Don''t worry, the injured will be taken care of by the vigers," Lin Feng assured him.


    The two had already discussed the matter of the wounded, with Backhill Vige vigers being responsible for them, so Lin Feng simply nodded in agreement.


    After that, Rocky didn''t chat much with Lin Feng and immediately began preparing for the next battle.


    Although they had achieved victory, the day wasn''t over. What if more demons came? Rocky had to be vignt.


    And so, Rocky and the Guard Corps, rather than resting immediately after their victory, continued to remain on alert in case of another demon attack, all the way until the night. Once Rocky had arranged for the night watch, everyone could finally rest.


    Even so, Rocky didn''t rest. He went straight away to check on the wounded.


    Although no one had died in the recent battle, many had been injured¡ªnine guards in total. Naturally, Rocky wanted to check on them, and after seeing to everyone else, he brought Liliya to Monte''s tent.


    Among all the injured, Monte''s condition was the most severe. Upon entering the tent, Rocky saw Monte with thick bandages around his shoulder.


    "Monte, rest and recover in peace. Liliya and I will take care of the uing battles," Rocky assured him.


    Rocky was naturally most concerned about Monte''s injuries and urged him to heal without worry.


    However, Monte''s reply had nothing to do with the troops, with Rocky, or with anyone else.


    "City Lord, how is Dusa doing?" he asked.


    "......."


    Taken aback by Monte''s question, Rocky didn''t know how to answer and simply looked at Liliya, who, understanding the situation, stepped out of the tent. When she returned, Dusa was with her.


    Dusa at that moment seemed like apletely different person. The vibrant young girl now appeared wilted, especially her swollen eyes¡ªit was clear she had been crying for a long time.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Father... I... I was wrong..." she said tremblingly, approaching Monte''s bedside and unable to stop her tears from flowing.


    Rocky and Liliya had guessed that Monte would probably roar in anger at this point, especially since Dusa had indeed caused a big problem this time.


    Unexpectedly, rather than erupting in anger, Monte just looked at his daughter and sighed, turning his gaze toward Rocky.


    "City Lord, Dusa has caused serious trouble. Don''t hesitate to punish or discipline her as needed, but..." he said.


    "Please let me bear the burden in her stead."


    "This..." Rocky was initially taken aback and then sighed helplessly, as the situation was indeed a difficult one to handle.

 Chapter 90: Chapter 89 You Must Be Strong

    Monte''s words put Rocky in a difficult position.


    This time, Dusa had indeed caused a huge disaster. If it weren''t for her, the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City should have won the previous battle in a splendid fashion, and there would have even been no casualties. But it was because of Dusa that the battle nearly ended in failure, and many guards were injured as a result!


    Facing such serious consequences, it wouldn''t be excessive to charge Dusa with the crime of disrupting the military''s morale, and punishment was certain because not punishing her would not suffice to steady the military''s heart!


    But what made Rocky feel troubled was that although Dusa was at fault, she had no malicious intent; she caused this disaster simply out of ignorance, so the principle "the ignorant are not guilty" could apply to her. Secondly, the main reason for the Guard Corps'' chaos was actually Monte and Liliya, so the me couldn''t be entirely ced on Dusa¡ªthey both bore responsibility too.


    And the final point was that Dusa was Monte''s daughter!


    To treat Monte, Rocky naturally couldn''t act the same as he would with others. After all, Monte was his valued aide. How could he bear to punish Dusa in such a situation?


    Thus, Rocky did indeed find the situation difficult. The guards in the Guard Corps were already injured because of this matter. If he let it slide without any resolution, the guards would likely be discontented. But if he were to actually punish Dusa, Rocky couldn''t bear to do it.


    ording to thews of Thunderhawk City, Dusa had to be whipped formitting such a mistake!


    "City Lord, this was Dusa''s mistake. The brothers in the Guard Corps almost died on the battlefield because of her, so we must give everyone an exnation," Monte said, having noticed Rocky''s hesitance. "You don''t have to hesitate. Do what needs to be done. I will bear all the consequences."


    Seeing Rocky undecided, Monte spoke up again.


    He knew Rocky was in a dilemma, but Monte was even clearer that they had to give the Guard Corps an exnation, or there would surely be guards who harbored ill feelings. Such discontent would be very detrimental to both him and Rocky.


    "How about this? Let''s just make a note of this incident for now. Once the mission isplete and we return to Thunderhawk City, we will make a decision then," Liliya suggested from the side, offering a provisional solution.


    "That won''t do; such matters cannot be dyed!" Monte immediately replied, even before Rocky could agree or not: "The battle has just begun, and now is the time when unity is most needed. If we don''t deal with this matter, we won''t be able to fight in future battles!"


    Monte''s words hit the nail on the head. The fight had just started, and it was unknown how many more battles would follow. This was precisely the time to unite everyone''s hearts and make them cooperate. If the Guard Corps started harboring resentment now, it could indeed lead to big trouble.


    "City Lord..."


    As Rocky was torn, Dusa, who had been silent with her head down since entering the tent, suddenly spoke up. She looked at Rocky with her eyes still wet from tears and said while biting her lip, "City Lord, father is right. I caused a major disaster and should be punished. Please do not show mercy on my ount."


    "But please promise me one thing," Dusa continued, ncing at Monte before turning back to Rocky. "I can bear the consequences of the disaster I caused, my father doesn''t have to bear them for me."


    ...


    Upon hearing Dusa speak so bravely, Rocky was taken aback. He hadn''t expected the girl-like Dusa to have such courage, especially because if she were punished, she would be whipped!


    Monte, too, was surprised by his daughter''s words but then showed a proud smile. This was his daughter!


    "Alright..."


    With that, Rocky could only nod, then he patted Dusa on the head: "Youngdy, you''ve grown up."


    After saying that, he left Dusa in Monte''s tent. Now that everyone knew Dusa hade, there was no need for her to hide anymore. It was best for her to stay and take care of Monte. Immediately afterward, Rocky left with Liliya.


    And after Rocky and Liliya had left, Dusa sat beside Monte''s bed and, after a long while, still biting her lip, she asked:


    "Father, does the whipping hurt...?"


    "It hurts." Monte replied after looking at his daughter. "But you have to be strong."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ...


    ...


    The night passed without words, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.


    Early in the morning, afterpleting the handover with Lin Feng, Rocky led the Guard Corps back to camp, but did not immediately dismiss the troops. To everyone''s confusion, upon entering the camp, they saw Monte, bandaged up, standing with Dusa beside him.


    Rocky stopped the troops and stood before all of them.


    "In yesterday''s battle, all of you performed extremely well!" Rocky said loudly to the guards: "Your bravery made the Demons tremble, and your strength shocked the Demons. I am proud of you!"


    Rocky''s words came straight from the heart because yesterday''s victory had indeed filled him with pride. The guards, hearing this, puffed out their chests, feeling proud of themselves as well.


    But then, Rocky''s tone suddenly changed, his expression turning serious: "However, yesterday some made a fatal mistake! This mistake caused many brothers to be injured, and it nearly resulted in our downfall!"


    "I will not tolerate such incidents!"


    With that, Rocky waved his hand, and Monte brought Dusa forward.


    "Monte, you are everyone''s instructor, and Dusa is your daughter. Tell us, how should this be dealt with?"


    After ncing at Monte, then at Dusa, Rocky asked in a cold tone.


    "My lord, Dusa attempted to disrupt the army''s morale during wartime and should be subjected to the whip."


    "How manyshes?"


    "Sixshes!"


    Standing straight in front of Rocky, Monte said loudly.


    As soon as he spoke, the guards all drew in a sharp breath¡ªsixshes! Dusa was just a girl; how could she endure such severe punishment!


    Under these circumstances, someone from the Guard Corps immediately shouted, "My lord, please spare Dusa. She didn''t do it on purpose."


    "Yeah! My Lord, please let little Dusa go."


    "Please show mercy, my Lord!"


    Over two months of grueling training had forged a bond between the guards and their instructor Monte. Since Dusa often appeared during the training sessions, everyone was not only familiar with her but had also grown fond of the little girl, who was always hopping and bouncing around.


    Therefore, upon hearing that Dusa was to be whipped, the guards immediately cried out loudly for clemency on her behalf.


    However, in response to the pleadings of the crowd, Rocky simply waved his hand and then turned to look at Monte.


    "Monte, what do you think?"


    "My lord, please enforce thew impartially!" Monte replied without hesitation.


    "Very well."


    Rocky nodded at this response, which caused a pang in the hearts of the watching guards. But then Rocky spoke, "The mistake that Dusa hasmitted cannot be taken lightly, but considering that it was an unintentional fault, and she is not a member of the Guard Corps, therefore... let the punishment be halved."


    After saying this, Rocky nced at Dusa, and she, somewhat timid but also resilient, nodded her head and stepped toward arge wooden stake in the camp.


    The stake had been erected by Liliya early that morning, specifically for the execution of Dusa''s whipping. So when Dusa approached the stake and embraced it, Liliya, who had been waiting nearby with a whip in hand, handed her a small wooden stick.


    "Bite down on this."


    As Dusa bit down on the wooden stick, Liliya tied her securely to the stake and whispered softly, "Endure it, it will be over soon."


    Thus, it wasn''t long before Dusa was bound to the stake, after which Liliya retreated to a distance.


    "Carry out the punishment!"


    At Rocky''smand, Liliya, standing behind Dusa, swung the whip, and with a loud crack, thesh struck Dusa''s back!


    The strike tore a bloody gash across Dusa''s back, prompting many in the Guard Corps to turn away, unable to bear such a cruel sight.


    Even Rocky, at that moment, instinctively turned his head away.


    Rocky was quite fond of Dusa, and since she was close with Liliya, he often saw the vivacious little girl bouncing around at the City Lord''s Mansion. He would not have allowed her this suffering if it weren''t absolutely necessary, if not for the exigencies of the situation.


    As for Dusa herself, after that firstsh, she let out a whimpering cry, and tears streamed down her face.


    But the person who felt the most pain wasn''t Dusa; in fact, it was Monte. As her father, who could feel more heartache than him? But as Monte had said the night before, Dusa hadmitted a serious error at a critical moment, and this was the punishment she had to endure, lest it leave behind a grave hazard.


    While everyone felt sorrow for Dusa, another crack sounded as Liliya delivered the second and then the thirdsh!


    After three consecutiveshes, the execution wasplete.


    Although the procedure was very brief, it felt longer than a whole day to those present. After delivering the thirdsh with her own hands, Liliya rushed to the stake to untie Dusa, only to find the girl had passed out...


    In that situation, Liliya quickly took Dusa for treatment, and an anxious Monte followed at Rocky''s gesture.


    Only after they had departed did Rocky turn his gaze back to those assembled.


    "I want everyone to remember what happened here!"


    Rocky''s expression was stern as he addressed the crowd, his tone serious and his demeanor solemn: "Here with me, no matter who you are, rewardse with achievement, and mistakes carry penalties. Do you understand?"


    "Understood!"


    Standing straight before him, the guards of the Guard Corps shouted in unison.

 Chapter 91: Chapter 90 Silence?

    The flogging Dusa endured was not only heart-wrenching but also made the guards understand the true meaning of the saying w enforcement is as immovable as mountains."


    This was precisely why Monte insisted that Rocky punish Dusa.


    Because through this flogging, not only would the Guard Corps hold no grudges against Dusa and Monte, since the whip had already been cracked, but they would also develop a sense of fear, a fear that stemmed not from any person, but from militaryw itself!


    This was the most critical matter; once militaryw and military might were established, it would be infinitely beneficial for the entire Guard Corps.


    At the same time, Rocky''s actions were also observed by the people of Backhill Vige and in no time had reached Lin Feng''s ears.


    Upon learning of this on the high wall, Lin Feng was first stunned, then smiled and nodded.


    "Commander, this Rocky is really ruthless, showing no mercy at all," someone said.


    "Yes, he''s too cruel," another agreed.


    The residents of Backhill Vige were well aware of Dusa''s situation, as they all had been present the day before, so when they learnt that Rocky had dealt with the matter so promptly and had punished Dusa so severely, they all sighed.


    "This Commander Rocky does have some guts; it seems we underestimated this Mercenary Group before,"mented someone.


    After nodding with a smile, Lin Feng also spoke.


    As the leader of his own unit, Lin Feng naturally understood why Rocky had dealt with Dusa''s situation so swiftly, and although it wasn''t of much concern to him, Lin Feng was, after all, coborating with Rocky tobat the demons. Calling them allies was by no means inappropriate.


    In such a scenario, if Rocky could manage his own unit well, it would be advantageous and harmless for Lin Feng.


    "Ensure that the vige''s doctor takes good care of the wounded from the Thunderhawk Mercenary Group; they should not be neglected," hemanded.


    After giving the instruction, Lin Feng put the matter aside and turned his gaze towards the exterior of the high wall.


    Although he appeared no different than usual, he was very tense inside, perhaps even more so than Rocky.


    With years of experiencebating demons, Lin Feng had detected that there was something different about the demons attacking Backhill Vige this time, with the greatest difference being in their numbers.


    The demons attacking Backhill Vige this time were too numerous!


    This statement might seem a bit off, as, upon careful consideration, the demons attacking Backhill Vige totaled only eleven and had attacked over the span of two days, which didn''t seem excessive.


    In reality, it was the opposite, given that the mining in Backhill Vige would continue for an entire month. During this time, more demons would be continually attracted, and their numbers would gradually increase. This meant that within this month, the number of demons attacking Backhill Vige would consistently rise.


    This was precisely why Lin Feng was worried. If the second wave of demons amounted to eight, then what about the third? How many would appear in the third wave, and would it exceed ten? As for the fourth and fifth waves, how many demons would there be?


    One must know that demons were not only individually powerful but also numerous in number. The appearance of a swarm of demons would inevitably lead to a disaster.


    So while the initial two waves of demonic assaults had been repelled, this did nothing to alleviate Lin Feng''s concerns. After all, the number of demons in the previous two encounters had been below ten, which was still manageable. But when their numbers reached double digits, the battle would move to another level entirely.


    This was what worried Lin Feng and the cause of his nervousness.


    He had encountered a simr situation six months earlier. Back then, Backhill Vige was much stronger than it was now, but it nevertheless fell to the greatly numbered demons. Whether they were his soldiers or the vigers of Backhill, there had been heavy casualties. Therefore, Lin Feng truly did not wish for a repeat of the scenes from six months ago.


    "Everyone, stay sharp!"


    With these thoughts in his mind, he couldn''t help but shout at everyone on the wall, leaving them bewildered.


    Meanwhile, after carrying out the flogging and assigning Monte to take care of Dusa, Rocky summoned Liliya, Sandro, Robin, and the other squad leaders to his tent.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Although they had won the battle the day before, it also exposed many issues, such as the Guard Corps falling into disarray at a critical moment. If it weren''t for Rocky''s decisive action, the oue might have beenpletely different.


    The me for this incident was ultimately ced on Dusa, but that was just on the surface. The real issuey within the Guard Corps itself. If their discipline had been stronger, if the guards'' mental fortitude had been higher, perhaps the chaos that ensued would not have urred.


    It was normal for there to be problems during the Guard Corps'' first actualbat, but this was no excuse to ignore the issues. Thus, while the other guards were resting, Rocky had called the squad leaders to his tent to hold a meeting, or rather a post-battle summary, to discuss the lessons learned.


    But as everyone sat down in the tent and before Rocky had a chance to speak, Liliya couldn''t hold back any longer.


    Standing in front of the squad leaders with a solemn expression, she asked, "Do you think that the reason the previous battle went so poorly was all because of Dusa?"


    "This..."


    Perhaps because of the recent flogging, Liliya was in a bad mood, and her ominous expression looked particrly intimidating.


    Faced with her dour countenance, the squad leaders in the tent looked at each other and then all lowered their heads, with none daring to answer.


    Seeing no one respond, Liliya singled someone out: "Aga, you speak."


    The man named by her, Aga, was a middle-aged man, already thirty-five years old this year. Among the Guard Corps, he was the oldest and the most mature and steady. Hence, Liliya had appointed him as the leader of a small squad.


    However, after being named by her, Aga looked at her and awkwardly grinned.


    "Sandro, what do you think?"


    Seeing that Aga didn''t open his mouth, Liliya turned her spearhead toward Sandro, but just like before, Sandro, whose name was called, also hung his head.


    "Hmph, why aren''t any of you speaking!"


    When no one opened their mouths, Liliya snorted coldly and then said, "That''s right, having a young girl take responsibility for you, you really don''t have much to say."


    Giving a cold look at the crowd, Liliya was ruthless, immediately rendering a whole bunch of grown men blushing intensely.


    "You all should be well aware that the mess in the previous battle wasn''t Dusa''s fault, but because you didn''t do what you were supposed to!"


    "Commander, we did our best¡­ but when we saw both you and the instructor were taken down, the brothers really panicked at that moment¡­"


    After being severely scolded by Liliya, a squad leader next to Sandro said with a sense of grievance.


    His words were not wrong, because though the guards were in chaos, these squad leaders attending hadn''t descended into panic alongside them; they were all trying their best to control the situation.


    "You dare to argue!"


    As a result, the words of the squad leader directly inmed Liliya. She red with round eyes and said annoyedly, "When the people in your squad panic, isn''t that exactly when they need you! Otherwise, why would I appoint you as squad leaders!"


    After this remark, no squad leader dared to retort, for Liliya was absolutely right¡ªthey indeed hadn''t managed the members of their squads well during that time.


    So, the scene fell silent, until after quite some time had passed, Sandro, who had remained silent all along, suddenly stood up from his seat.


    "Commander, it is indeed our dereliction of duty."


    Looking at Liliya, Sandro''s expression was resolute, and then he turned to Rocky: "City Lord, as squad leaders, we failed to fulfill our responsibilities. Please punish us as you see fit, City Lord!"


    After finishing his speech, Sandro stood up straight before Rocky, and at the same time, the other squad leaders around him also stood up. They seemed to be waiting for Rocky''s reprimand just like him.


    But how could Rocky continue to scold them? Liliya had already done all the scolding previously, so he then said, "Sit down, all of you."


    After Sandro and the others had resumed their seats, Rocky began to speak, "What Liliya just said wasn''t wrong. As squad leaders, you indeed didn''t organize your guards well, but there''s a reason for this."


    "However, remember, for any military unit, discipline is the most important thing. Without discipline, even the strongest forces are no more than a scattered mob. As leaders, it is your responsibility to ensure on the battlefield that your squad is not thrown into disarray."


    "You may not be able to do this now, but you can''t forever be unable to do so. If that''s the case, then I will have to find recements. Understood?"


    "Understood!"


    "Good, now, let''s talk about your feelings. Facing demons for the first time, engaging in direct confrontation with demons for the first time, how do you all feel?"


    After making a summary speech, Rocky began to let everyone share their feelings about confronting the demons. This was also one of the reasons he had gathered them¡ªto collectively exchange and sum up experiences so that they could perform better in future battles.


    Time passed like this for quite a while. When the squad leaders came out of Rocky''s tent, the sky had already turned dark; they had actually talked for an entire day inside the tent!


    "Strange¡­"


    Observing the dark sky, Sandro, who walked out of the tent, couldn''t help but frown, then turned to Aga beside him, "Big brother Aga, did you hear the bell?"


    "The bell? I didn''t hear it¡­"


    Aga shook his head, indicating he hadn''t heard the bell that signalled the attack of demons.


    "It''s already dark?"


    At that moment, Rocky and Liliya also exited the tent, and they too were stunned to discover the night had fallen. Then they looked at each other.


    "The demons didn''te today?"


    Both reacted quickly. Seeing that it was dark, they knew that throughout the whole day, the demons hadn''tunched an attack. However, this didn''t bring them the slightest joy but instead made their expressions change.


    "Let''s go have a look!"


    After these words, Rocky rushed towards the high walls!


    The demons not attacking for an entire day was too abnormal!

 Chapter 92: Chapter 91 Where Did the Demons Go!

    The demons didn''t attack all day?


    This situation was so abnormal that it made Rocky immediately ascend the high wall.


    Upon reaching the top, he quickly spotted Lin Feng, who had been on guard there all day.


    "Captain Lin Feng, no demons appeared today?"


    "Yes... none..."


    Obviously, the quiet day had also left Lin Feng feeling uneasy. He frowned and nced at Rocky, "No, not even a shadow of a demon all day."


    "Is this... a good thing or a bad thing?"


    As someone new to Backhill Vige, Rocky wasn''t sure if this was normal or an anomaly, so he could only ask Lin Feng.


    But Lin Feng''s next response made his heart tighten.


    "This has never happened before..." Turning to him, Lin Feng said with concern, "Normally, as soon as the vige starts mining, demons begin appearing one after the other. From the first demon, the attacks continue nonstop until the mining ends, and sometimes even longer."


    "So I''ve never encountered this before." After saying this, Lin Feng sighed, and it took him a while to muster a smile, "But you don''t need to worry. Maybe the demons will show up tonight, it''s quitemon."


    Although demons previously appeared without interruption, they did not necessarily attack only during the day; sometimes, they started their assaults at night.


    "Alright, I''ll have the troops ready at all times. If you need support, send someone to notify us immediately."


    Since Lin Feng had said so, Rocky could only nod, tell him that he would keep the troops ready to assist at any moment, and then he left.


    Upon returning to camp, Rocky had no choice but to summon all the squad leaders, telling them to keep the guards alert at night in case the demons attacked.


    Once he had arranged everything, he finally managed to return to his own tent.


    After the battle yesterday and discussions with the various squad leaders all day, Rocky waspletely exhausted. No sooner had hein down on his bed than his eyelids began to droop.


    However, he couldn''t allow himself to fall asleep; he was worried something might happen during the night.


    Even though Lin Feng said the demons were likely to attack at night, Rocky was still very uneasy. After all, what if the demons didn''t attack during the night?


    Wouldn''t that mean when it was his turn to defend tomorrow, a bunch of demons would suddenly appear?


    If that were the case, it would be terrible because Rocky knew that a major reason they had won yesterday''s battle was due to good luck and because the number of demons wasn''t particrly high, staying in the single digits.


    If it were his turn to defend tomorrow and more than ten demons appeared all at once, that would be troublesome, something Rocky had to consider seriously.


    As he thought about it, he fell asleep...


    There was no helping it; Rocky was just too tired. Not only had the battle taken a heavy toll on his body, but the myriad concerns had also drained him mentally. Thus, once hey on his bed, he fell asleep and slept soundly until dawn.


    After a solid night''s sleep, Rocky awoke and immediately cursed himself for his uselessness, rushing out of the tent. There, he saw the already prepared Guard Corps, everyone waiting for him.


    "Liliya, how wasst night? Did the demonse?"


    While leading the Guard Corps towards the high wall to relieve Lin Feng, Rocky inquired about Liliya''s situationst night.


    But to his question, Liliya shook her head with a troubled expression, "Last night... nothing happened."


    "......"


    Such an answer immediately furrowed Rocky''s brows, because if the demons hadn''t appeared yesterday, they were definitely going to appear today!


    This was troublesome, as the Guard Corps had just battled the day before yesterday. Although they had rested for a day and were in better condition, continuing the fight with the demons might still be too much for them.


    Moreover, the injured from thest battle had not yet recovered, leading to an iplete roster in the Guard Corps. A few missing regr guards could be overlooked, but the absence of Monte, a key member, undoubtedly weakened Rocky''s side significantly.


    More importantly, since the demons didn''t show up yesterday, the number appearing today would definitely be especially high, easily exceeding ten, and possibly even more!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    This made Rocky very worried about whether he and the Guard Corps could hold the high wall¡­


    It seemed very likely that they would need the support of Lin Feng''s team today.


    Worried sick, Rocky and Liliya climbed up to the high wall and began their day-long duty of defense.


    An entire day went by consumed with his worries!


    Yes, an entire day passed peacefully, and the demons still did not appear!


    When evening came, Rocky, worried that the demons might appear at night, didn''t let the Guard Corps return to the camp to sleep, but had them rest right at the gate of the high wall, ready to fight at any moment.


    But just like during the day, although everyone was very alert all night, it was a night tensely spent in vain, as the demons still did not show!


    What in the world was happening?


    Two consecutive days of tranquility increasingly worried Rocky, because it was unusually quiet to a frightening extent!


    In fact, Lin Feng was feeling the same way at this time.


    When Rocky personally led his troops to guard the high wall all night, Lin Feng also stayed awake all night. Surprisingly, he really hoped for the demons to appear that night because that was the only way he would feel at ease.


    But his hope did not materialize, as the demons did not show up.


    And when Rocky and Lin Feng again swapped their defensive duties, this heavy burden nowy on Lin Feng''s shoulders!


    Taking over the duty of defense, he was just as deeply troubled as Rocky and stood on the high wall for a whole day and night, yet still did not encounter the demons that should have appeared.


    Not only that, but after another three whole days, the demons still did not show up!


    To calcte it carefully, it had been a whole six days since the demons had appeared, as if these creatures had vanished without a trace.


    However, this situation was highly unusual for Backhill Vige, because even when there wasn''t any mining happening, the demons would visit every now and then, albeit in smaller numbers. There had never been a memory of not seeing any signs of demons for six consecutive days.


    Now everyone was getting anxious, wondering, where are the demons?


    Where have the demons gone?!

 Chapter 93: Chapter 92: The Bell Rings Again!

    The demons disappeared...


    For six continuous days, the demons vanished without a trace, leaving everyone in great unease.


    This might sound strange¡ªaren''t the demons disappearing a good thing?


    No, it absolutely isn''t a good thing!


    Please don''t forget, the demons had upied thend for a century now, every corner of thend bore the trace of demons, the only difference being in their numbers. Under such circumstances, their omnipresence was the norm, and their sudden disappearance was abnormal.


    This was especially true for Backhill Vige at the moment.


    Both the group from Backhill Vige led by Lin Feng and the Thunderhawk City Guard Squadmanded by Rocky couldn''t help but worry.


    They had prepared for continuous attacks from the demons, and ording to past experience, once the mining began at Backhill Vige, it always ended up this way without exception.


    But the exception urred, with no attacks from the demons on the vige for six straight days, nor even a sighting of a shadow, which immediately made everyone tense.


    Where did the demons go?


    No one knew the answer to this question.


    But in order to find out the answer, Rocky and Lin Feng didn''t spare any efforts, eventually deciding unanimously to dispatch a skyship for reconnaissance!


    Before this, the skyship had remained docked at Skybreaker Peak and hadn''t been deployed since the previous two battles were too minor to necessitate its use. However, the extended absence of the demons troubled both Lin Feng and Rocky profoundly,pelling them to send out the skyship for reconnaissance to be better prepared should any situation arise.


    On the other hand, the sudden disappearance of the demons, though unsettling for everyone, also had a silver lining for Rocky and his team¡ªit allowed many days for recuperation, and the soldiers led by Monte were mostly healed from their injuries.


    This was definitely good news worth celebrating for Rocky, particrly Monte''s recovery, which restored the former strength of the Guard Corps, allowing them to fight against the demons with full force once again.


    Moreover, Dusa, who had been whipped three times, had also nearly recovered.


    Her quick recovery was partly due to the robust constitution of Beastmen; despite being a young girl, as a Beastman, her recovery was much more robust than that of a regr human.


    Plus, credit must also go to Liliya who administered the whipping.


    The reason Liliya personally carried out the whipping was to set an example and to protect Dusa.


    Being a Third-Level Warrior, Liliya''s control over her strength was naturally much greater than an ordinary guard''s; thus, although her whipping looked severe, theshes inflicted on Dusa weren''t very heavy, undoubtedly alleviating much of Dusa''s suffering.


    Since her recovery, Dusa had learned from this ordeal and had be obedient and well-behaved, now only moving within the camp boundaries, daring not to run around anymore.


    However, the young girl''s nature was inherently lively, so even though she had be much more obedient and well-behaved than before, she still couldn''t stay idle.


    Take today, for example.


    Today, as Lin Feng was responsible for the defense duties, the recovered Monte continued to lead the Guard Corps in training. Once her father left the tent, Dusa sneaked out, carrying her own bow and arrows.


    With her own bow and arrows, Dusa arrived alone in front of the post where she was once punished, then stood a hundred steps from it and immediately proceeded to draw her bow and nock her arrow.


    Although Dusa had be much more obedient in recent days, deep down, she still wished to fight alongside Monte and hadn''t forgotten to diligently practice.


    And it must be admitted that Dusa''s archery skills were indeed exquisite, iming her to be a talent in archery wouldn''t be an exaggeration. Because Monte, who didn''t want his daughter to suffer any harm, never taught her archery, yet Dusa had managed to master the skill of Endless Bullseye through self-learning.


    Standing a hundred steps away from the post, Dusa pulled open her longbow and took a brief aim before shooting an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, a whooshing sound was heard as the arrow urately struck the post!


    Afterward, Dusa began to shoot arrows continuously at a rapid pace. Although the speed slightly affected her uracy, it was only a minor impact, and all the arrows she shot still hit the wooden stakes.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Hee hee!"


    Seeing that all the arrows she shot had hit their targets, Dusa giggled proudly, shing her small canine teeth, then gleefully ran up to the stakes and plucked each arrow out one by one.


    But just as she had removed all the arrows from the stakes and was skipping back to resume her practice, the sudden jarring sound of a bell rang out!


    "The demons are here!"


    Hearing the bell from the tower, Dusa was startled at first but then she understood what was happening. The demons that had disappeared for so many days had finally appeared?!


    As she heard the bell, Rocky''s figure appeared above the camp. Hearing the bell, he used the Void Magic Armor to fly up into the air and then quickly headed toward the high wall. Soon after he left, Liliya and Monte also rushed out from within the camp, running toward the location of the high wall.


    "Dusa! Stay put in the camp!"


    As Monte was rushing toward the high wall, he brushed past Dusa in the camp and shouted loudly.


    Hearing this, Dusa pursed her lips, clearly reluctant, but she suppressed the urge to join in and stayed obediently in the camp.


    With the demons finally appearing, Dusa no longer had the heart to practice archery and simply jumped onto a nearby stake, standing on a pole to look toward the high wall, but she couldn''t see anything.


    Looking left and right and seeing nothing, Dusa jumped off the stake disheartened and glumly returned to her tent.


    "Damn it, everyone treats me like a child. It''s infuriating!"


    Back in her tent, Dusa sat on her bed, pouting and very dissatisfied.


    "I''m already fifteen years old. My father had already joined the army at my age, but they won''t let me join the Guard Corps. It''s so annoying!"


    Sitting on the bed, Dusained while angrily punching the mattress, making it thump loudly.


    Afterining for a while, perhaps feeling tired, she simplyy down on the bed, muttering to herself about how boring it was, and imagining herself in battle, shooting wlessly.


    In this daydream, she didn''t know how much time had passed until she sleepily opened her eyes, having unknowingly fallen asleep.


    However, as soon as she opened her eyes, still dazed and not fully awake, she suddenly heard a voice outside the tent.


    She knew this voice all too well¡ªit was her father''s voice!


    "Everyone! Get ready for battle! Prepare to support the troops at Backhill Vige!"


    Hearing this, Dusa abruptly sat up from her bed and ran outside the tent.


    As soon as she stepped out of the tent, she saw the Guard Corps hurrying past her.


    "What''s going on? What happened?"


    After looking for her father to no avail, the confused Dusa had no choice but to grab a guard and ask.


    "I''m not sure, but it seems the number of demons is too great, and the troops at Backhill Vige are almost overwhelmed."


    After saying this, the guard she had grabbed quickly left, joining the main force heading toward the high wall. In the blink of an eye, the entire camp was left with only Dusa alone...

 Chapter 94: Chapter 93: Wounded Soldier

    Before she could react, the entire campsite seemed to have emptied, leaving her alone. Dusa had just woken from a nap and hadn''t quite grasped the situation yet.


    Stunned for quite some time, Dusa finally looked up to see the sun still high in the sky, indicating that she hadn''t slept long¡ªjust a quick nap, at most.


    Having spent so many days at the camp, she had already figured out the defense rotation between Rocky and Lin Feng, and how they supported each other.


    It was Lin Feng''s turn to be on defense duty today, but the Guard Corps had suddenly been deployed. Could it be that the troops from Backhill Vige couldn''t hold their ground?


    This seemed unbelievable to Dusa, as she had heard Monte praise the troops of Backhill Vige, stating they were highly skilled. If they were to face off directly against the guards of Thunderhawk City, thetter would likely lose.


    Could it be that even such skilled troops couldn''t withstand the demon''s assault and needed support from the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City?


    Just how many demons had attacked this time?


    This made Dusa unavoidably worried, especially since Monte was also on the battlefield; she couldn''t help but feel anxious.


    Standing alone in the campsite, she then looked toward the tall walls, but they were too far to see anything, not even the sounds of battle could be heard, which only exacerbated her anxiety.


    Yet worry was futile. Although she thought of running up to the wall to see for herself, remembering the trouble she causedst time, she had no choice but to suppress such thoughts.


    With no other options, Dusa reluctantly returned to her tent to pick up her bow and arrows, deciding to try to calm her nerves with some archery practice.


    So, in a short while, she was in front of the wooden stakes again, continuously shooting arrows. Perhaps due to her worry, her aim was off, and many arrows missed their target.


    Instead of easing her anxiety, this only made her more upset. With nothing else to do, she pouted and irritably went to collect the Arrow Feathers one by one.


    Boom!


    Boom, boom!


    Just as Dusa was irritably gathering up all the Arrow Feathers, a sudden barrage of thunderous cannon fire reached her ears, and she quickly turned to look toward the walls.


    "Is that... the sound of Magic Energy Cannons?"


    Upon hearing the cannon fire, Dusa immediately realized it was the sound of Magic Energy Cannons.


    Could it be that the Skyships had been deployed?


    A small vige like Backhill Vige didn''t have Magic Cannons. The tall walls at the entrance looked impressive, but there were only two defense towers on either side, and no Magic Cannons on top of the walls. Therefore, the only option left to use Magic Cannons for bombardment was the Skyship.


    This meant that the sound of cannons signified the deployment of the Skyships!


    "What exactly is happening outside..."


    The roaring cannons filled Dusa with immense urgency. She hadn''t expected, after so many days had passed, that the demon attacks would be so fierce that not only had Lin Feng and Rocky taken their respective troops out one after another, but the Skyships had also joined the battlefield.


    Only now did Dusa understand why Rocky and her father had looked so worried over the past few days. It seemed that after lying dormant for so long, the demons had indeedunched a severe attack!


    But what kind of demonic force had arrived, strong enough that both the troops of Backhill Vige and the guards of Thunderhawk City couldn''t hold, forcing the use of Skyships to bomb them?


    Being in the campsite, Dusa naturally couldn''t know the answer, but the less she knew about a situation, the more she wanted to investigate it. Thus, she was caught in a dilemma, debating whether she should run up to the wall to check for herself.


    Furrowing her brows, Dusa thought to herself: If she could sneak to the wall without anyone noticing, would there be no problem?


    Even if someone did discover her, she could just say that being alone in the campsite was too frightening. That way, her father wouldn''t get angry, right? At least the City Lord wouldn''t me her, right?


    After pondering for quite some time, Dusa felt her idea was feasible...


    However, just as she was nodding to herself, believing her n to be wless, suddenly a group of people came running from the direction of the walls.


    "What''s this..."


    Recognizing the approaching group as the Guard Corps, Dusa realized that the guards were heading her way!


    Has the battle ended?


    Seeing the guards returning, Dusa immediately smiled, thinking that the battle must have ended.


    However, when she looked closely at these guards, she realized that there was a small squad of them, and they were carrying stretchers two by two, bearing the wounded on them!


    The battle hadn''t ended after all; these guards were returning to transport the injured!


    Seeing the guards carrying a stretcher towards the camp, Dusa hurried over to meet them.


    "Uncle Aga, has the battle not ended yet?"


    As she approached the guard carrying the stretcher, Dusa recognized the leader as Aga and hurriedly helped carry the stretcher while asking.


    At the same time, she nced at the stretcher and, with that look, her whole being was stunned, no, shocked!


    "Sister Liliya!"


    Among those being carried on the stretcher back to camp was Liliya herself!


    Seeing Liliya on the stretcher, Dusa was instantly dumbfounded; she had never imagined that Liliya would be carried back on a stretcher.


    However, fortunately, Liliya''s injuries didn''t seem too severe, as Dusa saw her struggling to get off the stretcher when she looked her way.


    Unfortunately, her struggles were stopped by the surrounding guards.


    "What are you doing! Let me go!"


    Seeing the guards pressing down on her, preventing her from getting off, Liliya shouted loudly, but this time no one listened to her.


    "Captain, bringing you back is amand from the City Lord, we can''t obey you!"


    "Let me go, you bunch of... Dusa?"


    Liliya, who had been struggling incessantly, caught sight of Dusa by chance.


    "Sister Liliya, what''s happened to you, how could you be so badly injured..."


    Helping to carry the stretcher, Dusa looked towards Liliya with an anxious face, her eyes already brimming with tears.


    Seeing Dusa, Liliya, who had been ceaselessly striving to get off the stretcher, calmed down a bit and then smiled at Dusa: "Little girl, sister is fine, it''s just a minor injury from being careless."


    Dusa couldn''t possibly believe those obviouslyforting words; besides, she wasn''t blind. Liliya''s body was covered in blood, and although most of it wasn''t her own, a bloody wound on her arm couldn''t be hidden from anyone.


    Liliya was injured, and the injuries were far from light!N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Therefore, afterward, Dusa didn''t ask any more questions and, together with the guards, carried Liliya and the other injured back to the camp.


    After settling Liliya and the others, the leading Aga called Dusa to his side.


    "Little girl, the City Lord has an order for you."


    "Ah? What order?"


    Hearing Aga''s words, Dusa froze.


    "The City Lord ordered you to keep an eye on Captain Liliya; no matter what, she must not leave the camp. Also, the vige doctor will soone over with others. I will leave two people here; when the timees, you need to help out, okay?"


    "Okay!"


    She nodded emphatically and agreed.


    After saying this, Aga left two guards who had also sustained minor injuries, and then hurriedly led the others away.


    Seeing Aga leading the people away in a hurry, Dusa suddenly remembered something and called out:


    "Uncle Aga, what about my father? How is he doing?"


    "The Instructor is fine, don''t worry!"


    Shouting back, Aga left the camp with his men, and hearing his answer, Dusa was also much relieved.


    However, no sooner had she calmed down than she turned to see Liliya''s figure.


    "That bastard Rocky... he''s really infuriating!"


    Standing behind Dusa, Liliya muttered and then strode towards the exit of the camp, obviously intending to return to the battlefield!

 Chapter 95 Chapter 94 Died

    "Liliya, sister! You can''t go!"


    Seeing Liliya trying to return to the battlefield, Dusa thought of Rocky''s instructions and hurriedly spread her arms like an eagle catching a chick, blocking her way.


    "Dusa, stop messing around!"


    Liliya nced at Dusa and, without another word, walked around her. But as soon as she took a step, Dusa stepped across and stood in front of her again.


    "Sister Liliya, the City Lord has instructed me to keep an eye on you, so I won''t let you pass!"


    Biting her lip, Dusa was stubbornly unyielding, showing no sign of backing down.


    Her stubbornness frustrated Liliya. If it had been anyone else from the Guard Corps obstructing her, Liliya would have already knocked them down. However, she couldn''t do that to Dusa, so she just sighed.


    As she sighed, she suddenly felt dizzy. If Dusa hadn''t quickly supported her, Liliya would have almost copsed.


    Liliya''s injuries were not light at all!


    Although she might not have suffered severe external injuries, the cut the demons made on her arm caused her to lose too much blood, making her unfit for further battle, which was precisely why Rocky had ordered her to withdraw to the vige.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Feeling almost faint, Liliya had no choice but to return to the tent with Dusa''s support and rest with the other injured brought back.


    Not long after, the vige doctor arrived with the vigers and began treating the injured.


    Dusa naturally helped a lot during the treatment. Monte used to get injured often when he was still a Demon Hunter, so Dusa was quite experienced with such matters.


    But precisely because of this, when Dusa saw the wounds on the guards, she couldn''t help but exim.


    The guards brought back had very severe injuries!


    Although there had been casualties in previous battles, the guards had only sustained minor injuries and had recovered after a few days of rest, including Monte, who was the most severely injured. But this time, the guards'' injuries were much more serious.


    Among the guards who were brought back with Liliya, one had his chest torn open, a vast wound even tearing through his runic armor. When Dusa and the doctor were treating him, the guard was screaming nonstop.


    But he was rtively luckypared to the other four who were brought back with him; their injuries were even more severe, and they had all fallen into aa!


    How fierce was the battle still raging outside?


    All the guards involved in the directbat were equipped with rune equipment!


    Although the rune equipment crafted by Rocky might notpare to Wensel''s creations, it still packed some power. Thebination of a runic shield and runic armor could significantly boost their defensive power, and normally, not even a ck-eyed demon could severely injure a guard with a single blow.


    Yet here, all these guards were severely injured, evenatose!


    What did that imply?


    It implied they weren''t just injured by a single strike from a demon; they must have been struck countless times to have such severe injuries!


    Just how many demons hade this time?!


    This question popped up in Dusa''s mind once again, and evidently, the only one who knew the answer was Liliya.


    So after she finished helping the doctor with the wounded, she ran over to Liliya.


    Now it seemed that among those carried back, Liliya was the least injured, as she was still conscious at least.


    But if you thought that, you would be gravely mistaken.


    Because Liliya was wearing a full set of rune equipment crafted by Wensel. The fact that she was injured even with such gear meant one could only imagine how severe the strikes she endured in battle were!


    Stay tuned for updates on empire


    "Sister Liliya, you¡­ you should drink some water first..."


    Seeing Liliya''s cracked lips, a somewhat clueless Dusa hurriedly got her a cup of water, then sat beside her.


    "Sister Liliya, how many demons havee outside, and how could everyone be injured like this?"


    "Outside..."


    Facing Dusa''s question, Liliya had just started to speak when another bout of chaotic footsteps came from outside the tent, and soon soldiers rushed into the tent carrying stretchers.


    More wounded had been carried in!


    Seeing more wounded being brought in, Dusa and Liliya naturally couldn''t continue their casual chat. Dusa immediately went to help, and after Liliya gulped down the water in her cup, she also stood up resolutely and went to assist.


    The wounded brought back this time were from the troops of Backhill Vige, and the number of injured soldiers was over a dozen. In order to help these wounded soldiers, everyone was frantically busy, not even having time to speak.


    Compared to the injuries of the Guard Corps, the soldiers from Backhill Vige were more severely injured. They did not have rune equipment to protect themselves; wearing only regr equipment, they relied mainly on experience when facing the attacks of Demons, and basically had no external forces to rely on, so once injured, it was bound to be serious.


    In such a situation, every soldier brought back had severe wounds. The worst among them had a leg brutally torn off by a Demon, and his screams filled the tent upon being brought in, but not long after, the screams disappeared...


    He died.


    The battle against the Demons had finally begun to im lives...


    As the deceased soldier was carried out of the tent, everyone inside fell silent, even the busy doctor spoke softer when directing others, as if he was whispering.


    An invisible gloom shrouded everyone.


    Under this oppressive gloom, after who knows how long of hustle, they finally managed to settle the new batch of the wounded, and then the tent fell into a deathly silence.


    In this deathly silence, the wounded soldiers eithery on beds or on the ground, each with a vacant look, not knowing what they were staring at, while the doctors and vigers of Backhill Vige all remained silent, some silently shedding tears.


    Their vige was notrge, and everyone recognized each other, so even though not all the deceased guards were their rtives, it left the vigers feeling sorrowful nheless.


    This mood also affected Dusa, who likewise seemed drained of energy. She stopped talking and just sat next to Liliya, starting to zone out as if worried about something.


    "You don''t need to worry."


    Seeing Dusa zoning out by herself, Liliya wrapped an arm around her and said, "You don''t need to worry, Monte will be alright. At least, he had no problems when I was pulled back."


    "Really?!"


    Upon hearing this, Dusa immediately turned her head, her face showing much less concern.


    "Of course it''s true. Why would I lie to you."


    "Then... what about the City Lord?"


    "The City Lord... that fool should be okay, I suppose..."


    Thinking of Rocky, Liliya felt a surge of anger. How could she have been injured if not for him?


    Unfortunately, not knowing what had happened, Dusa nodded upon hearing this and said with full conviction, "Right! The City Lord is so powerful, he certainly won''t have any problems!"


    After learning that both her father and Rocky were alright, Dusa''s oppressed mood improved, and she couldn''t help but ask, "Sister Liliya, exactly how many Demons came this time?"


    "Ten."


    Liliya nced at Dusa and immediately gave the answer.


    However, her reply not only shocked Dusa but also made the vigers of Backhill Vige look at her, disbelief in each of their eyes.


    Ten Demons?


    How could that be possible!


    The forces of Backhill Vigebined with Rocky''s Guard Corps, how could these two forces suffer such severe losses against an attack of just ten Demons!


    But as everyone was incredulous, Liliya continued to say, "At first there were only ten Demons, then another ten came, and then another ten, and then another, until when I was pulled back, another ten had arrived."

 Chapter 96 Chapter 95 Continuous!

    Ten demons, then another ten, and then another ten, and then another ten, finally another ten!?


    Liliya''s words left Dusa and the others momentarily unable to respond. They weren''t sure if they hadn''t heard clearly or hadn''t counted properly, but they simply didn''t grasp how many demons there actually were.


    But without a doubt, there were a lot of demons attacking this time!


    Indeed, that was the case. Your journey continues at empire


    After hiding for so many days, the demons not only reappeared but did so like a relentless tide!


    The first wave of demons that appeared was indeed only ten, and this number had initially greatly relieved Lin Feng, who was in charge of the defense, because in his view, ten demons might not be few, but the troops of Backhill Vige were definitely capable of repelling them.


    Not just him, even Rocky, who had rushed to the high wall first, rxed, believing that Lin Feng would surely be able to hold them off.


    The actual situation was simr to what both had imagined. When Lin Feng led the troops of Backhill Vige out beyond the high walls and engaged the ten demons, they quickly gained the upper hand, but at that moment, the second wave of demons appeared!


    The second wave of demons was also precisely ten in number. However, Lin Feng''s troops had only just killed three from the first wave, so when the two groups of demonsbined their forces, their numbers reached seventeen!


    Faced with these seventeen demons, Lin Feng and his troops instantly lost all their advantages!


    The Backhill Vige troops numbered two hundred, but half of them were Archers and Mages, equipped for rangedbat. Only a hundred warriors could directly confront the demons, which meant each warrior was faced with the task of taking on nearly two demons, instantly multiplying the pressure on Lin Feng and his troops.


    Fortunately, Rocky responded quickly enough. Almost at the same time the second wave of demons appeared, he had Monte mobilize the Guard Corps, and immediately thereafter, he led the Guards out over the high wall.


    Rocky''s timely support greatly reduced the pressure on Lin Feng and his troops, and with the help of the ranged units, they managed to steady the battle.


    But then, an unexpected turn of events urred as the third wave of demons suddenly entered their field of vision!


    This third wave was also ten strong and charged directly into the battlefield on arrival!


    By the time this third wave appeared, Lin Feng and his troops along with Rocky and the Guard Corps had only just killed six demons, which meant that as the third wave joined the battle, the number of demons swelled to twenty-one!


    If one thought that twenty-one demons weren''t enough, then the following fourth wave of demonspletely threw everyone into panic.


    Shortly after the third wave entered the battlefield, the fourth wave appeared, also ten in number, and quickly joined the fray, imposing an almost mountainous pressure on both Rocky''s and Lin Feng''s troops as soon as they entered.


    At this moment, Rocky made a quick decision. He flew into the air and released a massive Magic sh, signaling the Skyship troops!


    Facing such a multitude of demons, relying solely on their troops was no longer viable, so he decisively called for the Skyship.


    About ten minutes after the signal was sent, the Skyship arrived with utmost speed, and then followed the scene Dusa witnessed with the sound of cannons.


    The timely arrival of the Skyship relieved much of the pressure on everyone, but the tide of battle did not turn in their favor because the Skyship had arrived toote.


    The greatest function of the skyship was to take advantage of aerial superiority to bombard demons with the enormous power of magic cannons which could deal heavy damage to demons.


    However, in this battle by the time the skyship arrived at the battlefield, Rocky and Lin Feng had already led their troops into closebat with the demons, with both sides entangled with each other, making it impossible for the skyship to conduct a wide range of bombardment, after all, magic cannons do not discriminate.


    In such a situation, the arriving skyships could only bombard isted demons as best as they could, and although this had a certain effect, it was very limited, which is why Dusa heard only sporadic sounds of cannon fire.


    Thus, the battlefield entered the most brutal phase where Rocky and Lin Feng, leading their respective troops, were thoroughly entwined inbat with the demons, engaging at close quarters. And as the battle continued, casualties started to mount.


    This led to the scene where Liliya was injured and carried back to the vige.


    With her strength, Liliya should not have been injured so easily. d in her runic armor, her defense was second only to Rocky, and she would normally not be harmed.


    The real reason she was injured was not that she couldn''t defeat the demons, but because she was protecting Rocky!


    In this battle, Rocky, wearing the Void Magic Armor, naturally became the primary force, because he could fly!N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The advantage of being able to fight in the air made him even more valuable on the battlefield than Lin Feng who had the highest rank, and Rocky himself was well aware of this. Therefore, he fought extremely bravely inbat, managing to entangle three demons by himself!


    To hold off three demons single-handedly was an act of courage that would make everyone give a thumbs-up.


    But such an act was clearly beyond his capacity.


    Rocky was indeed strong with the enhancement from the Void Magic Armor. If thebat power of everyone was ranked, he would only be second to Lin Feng, even stronger than Monte who only had one hand left.


    But please don''t forget, this strength came solely from the boost provided by the Void Magic Armor, and Rocky himself did not possess this kind of power.


    If the Void Magic Armor could provide a boost in raw power, when it came tobat experience, Rocky was severelycking.


    He had participated in too few battles, which led to his seriousck of experience. This deficiency might not show when facing a small number of demons, but once the number exceeded a certain threshold, he simply could not cope.


    And so, as the battle went on, Rocky, who was holding off three demons, started to face increasingly dangerous situations. Multiple times he fell into extreme peril, often being snatched from midair by the demons he couldn''t dodge in time, and it was to protect him that Liliya got injured.


    By the time Liliya was injured and carried back to the vige, she didn''t know what happened on the battlefield afterward, but she was certain that by the time she was evacuated, the fifth wave of demons had appeared!


    Yes, when Liliya was carried away, the fifth wave of demons arrived!


    Since Liliya was forcefully put on a stretcher when the fifth wave of demons appeared, she did not see the exact number of demons, but based on the previous situation, it could be inferred that there were no fewer than ten demons in the fifth wave!


    This is why she wanted to rush back to the battlefield as soon as she reached the camp. Liliya knew very well that once the fifth wave of demons joined the fight, the pressure on Rocky and Lin Feng would be even more enormous!


    This fact had actually been confirmed. The wounded soldiers who were carried back in session were the best proof, with the increasing number of casualties clearly indicating that the pressure on the battlefield had reached unimaginable levels.


    In such circumstances, although Liliya keptforting Dusa, she was far more worried than Dusa, equally eager to know the situation on the battlefield after her departure, wondering if a sixth or even a seventh wave of demons had appeared after the arrival of the fifth wave?


    PS: These chapters have been describing the battlefield indirectly; they might not be very dramatic, but don''t worry, a real big battle with the demons ising soon!

 Chapter 97 Chapter 96 Tragic Victory...

    Compared to others, Liliya was actually even more worried about the situation on the battlefield, but unfortunately, just like everyone else, she could only wait in silence now. The only thing she could probably do was pray, praying that the gods would bestow their blessings.


    Regrettably, such prayers seemed futile, as more and more wounded soldiers were continuously brought back in the time that followed, undoubtedly proving that the battle was still ongoing and had be even more brutal.


    Time slipped away minute by minute, and the sky went from broad daylight to sunset. During this process, the number of wounded steadily increased, with soldiers from the Guard Corps and Backhill Vige, amounting to dozens of people.


    In this situation, Liliya and Dusa didn''t even have time to worry anymore. They did all they could to treat the wounded, which was the most they were able to do.


    "Sister Liliya, listen..."


    After an indeterminate amount of time, just after she finished bandaging a wounded soldier, Dusa suddenly lifted her head. She looked towards the outside of the tent and said to Liliya, "Sister Liliya, the artillery fire has stopped..."


    "The artillery fire..."


    Dusa''s words made Liliya listen carefully, realizing indeed, just as she said, the constant bombardment that was heard before had unknowingly ceased!


    The cessation of artillery fire¡ªcould it be that the battle was over?


    With this thought, Liliya quickly put aside everything in her hands and hurried out of the tent.


    Upon leaving the tent, she immediately ran toward the high wall, but after only a few steps, she faintly heard a series of noisesing from beyond the wall¡ªthat sound... it was cheering!


    Cheering... had they won? Could it be that Rocky and the others had already won?


    The faint cheering from the other side of the wall made Liliya pause for a moment before rushing toward the wall!


    But just as she arrived in front of the wall, before she could climb up, the gates of the wall were opened, and soon after, people appeared, carrying arge number of stretchers.


    It looked like the battle had indeed ended, and as soon as it did, the casualties from the battlefield were immediately brought back to the vige.


    Under normal circumstances, this would all be expected, but when Liliya saw those carrying the wounded appear before her, she panicked because among these people was Monte!


    Monte was not lying on a stretcher; he was actually carrying one!


    Who could be injured that would make Monte personally carry a stretcher?


    The answer was self-evident!


    So Liliya immediately rushed toward Monte, and when she reached the stretcher he was carrying, she saw the scene she least wanted to witness¡ªRocky, d in Void Magic Armor, was lying on the stretcher!


    "Rocky!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    At that moment, Rocky, whoy on the stretcher, was covered in blood, his face as pale as paper, which left Liliyapletely stunned. Even in times when she had been seriously wounded without as much as furrowing her brow, she now suddenly burst into tears.


    "I''m fine..."


    As Liliya uncontrobly started crying, Rocky on the stretcher lifted his arm and slowly grabbed her small hand, then he revealed a smile.


    It was evident that Rocky was trying to make his smile appear as manly as possible, but given his current condition and pale face, his smile wasn''t reassurance for Liliya, but rather it increased her heartache.


    So, without waiting for Rocky to finish speaking, Liliya eagerly asked, "Where are you injured?"


    "Do you still recognize who I am?"


    "Where does it hurt on your body?"


    "Can you move your leg?"


    As she ran alongside the stretcher toward the camp, Liliya bombarded him with questions in rapid session, so quickly that Rocky simply couldn''t keep up with the replies.


    Left with no choice, Rocky had to muster all his strength to make a stopping gesture to her, and only then did the incessantly questioning Liliya pause, and atst Rocky had the chance to speak.


    "I''m not injured... It''s just... It''s just that the Void Magic Armor is out of mana..."


    "You don''t need to... worry..."


    Although it was a short sentence, Rocky spoke in fits and starts, indicating that he had no energy left even to speak.


    But he was not lying. Even though hey on a stretcher being carried, he was indeed uninjured; the reason he was on a stretcher was entirely due to exhaustion, and on top of that, the Void Magic Armor had run out of mana.


    The battle that had just ended had drained all of Rocky''s strength, so as soon as it was over, he copsedpletely, unable to even stand.


    At the same time, the Void Magic Armor had also depleted its mana during the fight, and once the mana was gone, the full weight of the armor immediately pressed down on Rocky''s body, making the already exhausted warrior feel as though he wore a small mountain, and leaving him no choice but to be carried back on a stretcher.


    This exnation did note from Rocky himself, as hecked the energy to exin, but from Monte, who told Liliya. After hearing Monter''s words, Liliya''s breakdown eased, and she ran back to the camp alongside the stretcher.


    The troops outside the city walls returned to the vige in session shortly thereafter, and the oue of the battle was self-evident¡ªthey had won!


    However, Liliya did not know how exactly they had won. Having returned to the vige early, she had not had time to ask before she joined the ranks of those treating the injured.


    In fact, even though the troops led by Rocky and Lin Feng had won, the victory hade at a colossal cost. The casualties of the battle were staggeringly high, leaving those who heard about it dumbfounded.


    In this battle, Rocky and Lin Feng had led their respective units into the fray; a total of 300 warriors had entered the battle, but by the end, the number of those either wounded or killed was as high as 63, with 45 injured and 18 dead!


    With 300 joining the fight, 63 had be casualties, a ratio of one in five!


    But even this high casualty rate was not urate, for out of the 300 who participated, a full 100 were part of a ranged unit. This means that these 100 supported the fight but did not engage in directbat with the demons, leaving only 200 warriors who truly fought hand-to-hand with the demons!


    So, if we talk about the casualty rate among the warriors in this battle, the number would be even more staggering, exceeding one in four! That is to say, after the battle, on average, one out of every four warriors was injured, and out of every ten, a warrior was killed by the demons!


    The battle against the demons was just that brutal!


    A hundred years ago, there was a reason why the demons swept across the continent as soon as they appeared; that reason was that they were too powerful, so mighty that human strength could hardlypete.


    And today''s battle served as the best proof of this. And please do not forget, the number of demons Rocky and Lin Feng faced today did not exceed a hundred!


    So when the battle was over, there was no time to revel in the joy of victory. Treating the wounded, reorganizing the troops, and other matters awaited their attention because no one knew if the demons would attack again tomorrow, and everyone needed to continue preparations for the next battle.


    That night, no one in Backhill Vige got any sleep; they were busy until dawn, when they finally got a brief moment to rest.


    "How are you feeling?"


    Sitting beside Rocky''s bed, Liliya saw that he had woken up and handed him a ss of water while asking with concern.


    Since Rocky was carried back, Liliya stopped attending to others, devoting all her attention to caring for him, and Rocky had fallen into a deep slumber upon his return, sleeping through the whole night before waking.


    "Much better..." Taking a sip of water, Rocky looked at Liliya and noticed she looked haggard, obviously having not slept all night.


    "You don''t have to take such care of me, I''m fine."


    Seeing that Liliya had been taking care of him, Rocky felt a pang of difort, but at the same time, his heart was warmed. Even though he knew his words would likely be in vain, he still hoped that Liliya would take some rest.


    As he had anticipated, Liliya gave him an indifferent look. "I''m not seriously affected."


    After saying this, she eagerly asked, "What happened after I left yesterday''s battle? Did more demonse?"


    Liliya had been very concerned about yesterday''s fight, even now that the battle was over, she still wanted to understand what had happened.


    Hearing her question, Rocky simply nodded. "They did."


    At this point, he took another sip of water and then continued, "After you left yesterday, the fifth wave of demons arrived, followed by another, making it a total of six waves of demons."

 Chapter 98 Chapter 97 Mission Change

    "In yesterday''s battle, a total of six waves of Demons came,"


    Rocky said tly.


    But his matter-of-fact tone did nothing to reduce the impact of his words, and upon hearing this, Liliya couldn''t help but gasp.


    "...Six waves of Demons?!"


    "Yeah, during yesterday''s battle, sixty Demons came in total..." While speaking, Rocky nced at Liliya and then, without warning, shed a grin. "Heh, I killed four Demons in the fight! Pretty impressive, huh?"


    "Impressive my foot!"


    Seeing Rocky suddenly adopt a teasing and smiling demeanor, Liliya couldn''t restrain herself and, raising her fist, thumped him on the head!


    Didn''t he realize how worried everyone was?


    Struck on the head by Liliya''s fist, Rocky chuckled twice, and Liliya, helpless at his reaction, rolled her eyes before pressing on, "Since another wave of Demons came after I left, how on earth did you win?"


    With six waves of Demons in total, that made sixty of them! Although the Demons were being killed off during the process, it was not as fast as their arrival, which meant the number of Demons they faced kept increasing.


    Honestly, Liliya couldn''tprehend how Rocky and the others could have possibly won such a battle; she clearly remembered that when she was carried back to the vige, the forces on the battlefield had already been pushed to their limits and simply couldn''t withstand any more assaults from the Demons.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "It was all thanks to the Skyships."


    Yet, faced with her question, Rocky directly provided the answer.


    The reason why they managed to win yesterday''s battle was that the Skyships yed a crucial role!


    Although the Skyships joined the battlefieldte, arriving when the fourth wave of Demons had not only already arrived but were entangled inbat with the soldiers, this caused the Skyships to fail to exert their full power, and their effect was extremely limited on the battlefield.


    However, as the fifth and sixth waves of Demons appeared one after the other, the significance of the Skyships became evident.


    When the fifth wave of Demons appeared, the Skyships directly bombarded them with fierce firepower. Ten Skyships firing in unison blew away more than half of this wave before they could join the battle.


    And by the time the sixth wave of Demons appeared, the Skyships followed suit, resulting in numerous casualties under their bombardment as well.


    Therefore, although two more waves of Demons arrived after Liliya had returned to the vige, thanks to the Skyships, these waves did not exert too much pressure on Rocky and Lin Feng, at least not fatal pressure. It was for this reason that they finally achieved victory.


    "So that''s how it was..."


    Listening to Rocky''s brief ount of the battlefield situation after her departure, Liliya contemted as she nodded, then looked at him.


    "Rocky, what do you n to do next?"


    Although they had won yesterday''s battle, the mission was far from over. Less than half of the month had passed, meaning the Demons would continue their assaults, and Rocky would have to keep defending.


    But after yesterday''s fierce battle, both the Guard Corps and the Backhill Vige forces had suffered heavy losses. The Guard Corps had over ten injured and three fatalities; the number who could participate in the next battle would not exceed eighty.


    Compared to that, the losses of Backhill Vige were even more severe. Due to the poor equipment of the soldiers from Backhill Vige, over twenty were injured in the battle and more than ten died on the battlefield, greatly diminishing their strength.


    Because of this, it became impossible for either Rocky or Lin Feng to continue to fight the Demons with their own troops separately. Moreover, from thest battle, it was clear that there would be no more minor skirmishes against just a few Demons. Each battle from now on was bound to be a bitter struggle!


    So, how to defend became the current priority.


    And regarding this matter, Rocky had already made some ns, so he directly said, "From now on, both sides must defend together; otherwise, we will definitely not be able to withstand the Demons. I will lead the Guard Corps, and Lin Feng will lead the troops from Backhill Vige. Each of us willmand our own forces; there is no other way."


    It was quite coincidental that just as Rocky had finished speaking, someone entered his tent, and it was none other than Lin Feng.


    "Commander Rocky, how are you feeling?"


    As Lin Feng walked into the tent, he nodded to Liliya and then came over to Rocky''s bedside, asking with concern.


    "Much better, I reckon I''ll be fine after resting for one more day."


    With a slight smile, Rocky sat up from the bed and said, "Captain Lin Feng, you''vee about merging our troops together, haven''t you?"


    Lin Feng''s arrival was not unexpected, much like Liliya was concerned about how to cope with the uing battles, Lin Feng would naturally think of this too.


    "Right, I wanted to ask for your opinion."


    Indeed, Lin Feng nodded directly, indicating that he was indeed there for this reason.


    Afterward, Rocky discussed the matter with him. They had no objections to merging their forces because both had mentioned this point at the start of the mission, and everyone had been prepared for it early on.


    So the issue was quickly settled after a brief discussion, with both sides agreeing to lead their troops together in theing battles, eachmanding their own teams.


    At the same time, the Skyships could not continue to remain idle above Break-Sky Mountain. The location where the Skyships were docked was a bit too far from Backhill Vige. Although it would only take about ten minutes to get there, in the rapidly changing battlefield, this time was enough to determine the oue of a battle.


    In fact, in the previous battle, if the Skyships had arrived earlier, the casualties of the troops would certainly not have been so great.


    Therefore, Rocky decided to dispatch two Skyships for patrol every day; on one hand, to provide early warning, and on the other hand, to allow these two Skyships to quickly join the Armor in suppressing the battlefield as soon as the battle started, before the other Skyships arrived.


    After they had finished discussing this matter, Lin Feng told Rocky about another issue.


    He indeed had other matters to discuss with Rocky.


    "Commander Rocky, I discussed with the vige chief yesterday. The number of Demons is too great this time. If we continue fighting, I estimate that it will be difficult for us tost a month, so it''s been decided to shorten the mining schedule to twenty days."


    "Reducing the mining period means that your mission time is now twenty days instead of a month. But rest assured, Commander Rocky, themission for the mission will still be paid as we previously agreed, and all the Demons killed in battle, including those we kill, will belong to you."


    "Commander Rocky, what do you think?"


    Having said that, Lin Feng looked at Rocky, seemingly waiting for his response.


    It was exceptionally rare, but in Lin Feng''s gaze, there was also a hint of nervousness, as if he feared that Rocky would refuse his proposition.

 Chapter 99 Trouble Again!

    After everything with Rocky was settled, Lin Feng left, and with the day having fully dawned and Rocky needing recuperation, the entire defense of the vige fell on Lin Feng alone, which meant he couldn''t afford to stay for long.


    After Lin Feng had left, Rocky assigned Liliya a new task, asking her to check on the mood of the Guard Corps. At such a critical moment, it would be very troubling if there were any issues among the Guard Corps.


    This task would normally have been done by Rocky himself, because even though Liliya and Monte were highly regarded in the hearts of the guards, they still couldn''tpare to Rocky. In the eyes of the guards, Rocky was not only their City Lord but also their idol. His personal presence would have definitely boosted their morale considerably.


    Regrettably, it wasn''t that Rocky didn''t want to go, but his body simply didn''t allow it. The previous battle hadpletely drained him, and he couldn''t get out of bed without a day''s rest. If he had gone to the Guard Corps in his frail condition, it likely would not have boosted their morale, but instead, might have demoralized them even further.


    Therefore, this task could only be entrusted to Liliya to first check on the spirits of the guards.


    And once Liliya had also left the tent, the bedridden Rocky quietlyy on his bed, pondering how to defend next while he waited for time to slowly pass.


    A day slowly went by, and it was yet another uneventful day...n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As for today''s calm, whether it was Rocky, Lin Feng, or anyone else, they all had expected it, since a simr situation had just happened recently.


    The recurrence of simr conditions had given everyone experience; they all knew this moment of calm was just the quiet before the next storm arrived.


    Yet likewise, this foreboding also increased everyone''s stress, because it implied that when the demons appeared next time, a fierce battle would erupt again!


    Facing this imminent fierce battle, no one could prevent it; everyone could only wait behind the small high walls, waiting for what was inevitable to gradually arrive.


    However, this calm wasn''t necessarily a bad thing for Backhill Vige now; at the very least, it allowed the soldiers who had just fought in the dreadful battle to fully rest and the injured soldiers to take the chance to heal.


    Just like that, the next day arrived in the blink of an eye.


    The bedridden Rocky was finally able to get out of bed. After he left his bed, he moved around to stretch his muscles and found that although there was still a sensation of soreness, it was essentially manageable; participating in the next battle would absolutely not be a problem.


    With that, he immediately went to the Guard Corps.


    The day before, Rocky had arranged for Liliya to check on the guards, but the news Liliya brought back wasn''t good. After the previous dreadful battle, the morale of the guards was very low, almost as if they had been through a devastating defeat.


    This worried Rocky a lot, because in the uing battle, the Guard Corps would be the main defense force. If there were issues with their mindset, then the battle could not be fought. So the moment Rocky recovered, he hurried to the Guard Corps.


    It wasn''t long before Rocky arrived at the small training field of the camp. The guards had just finished their routine training and were resting.


    "My lord!"


    "My lord!"


    "My lord, you''vee!"


    The guards, who were resting on the spot, quickly stood up at the sight of Rocky and instinctively began to form ranks.


    "No need to form ranks; I just came to see how you all are. Please, sit down."


    Waving his hand at everyone, Rocky not only dispensed with formalities but also sat down on the ground with them.


    "How are you holding up?"


    Sitting in a circle with the guards, Rocky didn''t give a speech but instead started chatting with them.


    Through this mission, especially after several consecutive battles, Rocky had be very familiar with these guards, and now he could urately name each person in the Guard Corps.


    Simrly, the guards had be more familiar with him than before. At this point, although they still respected Rocky greatly, they no longer felt he was so unapproachable, but rather more affable.


    However, even so, when Rocky finished speaking, everyone still fell into silence, their heads lowered, none responding to his question, which made the atmosphere turn tense.


    "I heard from Liliya that you are not in a good state?"


    In this tense atmosphere, Rocky spoke again.


    Unfortunately, no one answered him this time either.


    "Are you... afraid of battle?" Rocky asked calmly as he looked at the silent guards, "Or is it that... you are afraid of dying?"


    When he finished these words, some of the silent guards raised their heads, some even with tears in their eyes.


    Death, amon urrence on battlefields, is something no one wants to ept or even mention. Yet, in thest battle, although the casualties within the Guard Corps were fewer than those of Backhill Vige''s troops, people still died on the battlefield, an unprecedented urrence for everyone, leaving them unsure of how to cope.


    "Lord... Uncle Reed died... he died¡­"


    At that moment, a young figure suddenly stood up and looked at Rocky.


    "Robin..."


    The one who stood up was none other than Robin, the youngest member of the Guard Corps. He looked at Rocky while tears streamed down his face, appearing overwhelmingly distressed.


    As for Reed, whom he mentioned, Rocky knew him well. Reed was a naively honest uncle, just a year younger than Aga, and was considered an elder in the Guard Corps. He usually took good care of everyone and was particrly protective of Robin, the youngest. Therefore, the two had a very good rtionship and emotional connection.


    However, during thest battle, Reed did not survive; he was pierced in the chest by a demon and died instantly.


    This incident had deeply affected Robin. Therefore, when Rocky mentioned death, Robin thought of Reed, and his emotions instantly became uncontroble, bursting into tears and sobs.


    Rocky had a profound impression of Robin. He still remembered how this tiger-headed young man looked during the assessment, and through their interactions over this period, he understood that Robin was entirely driven by emotions.


    Following that, Rocky beckoned to Robin, signaling him toe over.


    "Robin, are you scared? Scared of dying on the battlefield like Reed?"


    "No! I''m not scared! I want to avenge Uncle Reed!"


    Asked thus by Rocky, Robin immediately lifted his head, his assertion unwavering.


    This response made Rocky nod and then he turned to the other guards, asking the same question.


    "Are you scared? Are you scared of dying on the battlefield like Reed?"


    The same question, yet there were different answers. Some guards shook their heads, others lowered theirs, everyone reacted differently.


    "Sir... aren''t you... aren''t you scared? Aren''t you afraid of dying..."


    It was unclear who suddenly asked Rocky in return, directing everyone''s gaze towards him.


    "Not scared."


    Without the slightest hesitation, Rocky shook his head: "I am not afraid, because I have all of you."


    Such a reply stunned all the guards, but Rocky did not borate further. He promptly stood up: "Everyone, buck up! We will definitely make it back alive this time!"


    After saying this, he left the drill ground and headed straight for his tent, moving very hurriedly.


    He was indeed in a hurry because while he was chatting with the guards, he saw Monte arriving at the camp with Felly, and Monte soon gave him a meaningful nce from afar, indicating they go inside the tent first.


    Given the circumstances, Rocky had to abruptly end the conversation, as clearly something was up!


    In this mission, Felly had not stayed in Backhill Vige to participate in the frontalbat but had been assigned by Rocky as the Commander of the Skyship, in charge of directing ten skyships to support the battlefield. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire


    After thest battle, Rocky had ordered the skyships to patrol in groups of two around Backhill Vige daily, and to immediately report any demon sightings; Felly was responsible for this task.


    Therefore, in principle, Felly should not have appeared at the camp; he should have beenmanding the skyships from the sky!


    Back in the tent, Rocky saw Felly and Monte already waiting for him.


    "Felly, what''s the problem?"


    As soon as he saw Felly, Rocky immediately asked.


    "Sir, I spotted demons while patrolling!"


    Without wasting any time, Felly directly said, and upon hearing this, Rocky couldn''t help but take a deep breath. The demons came so soon?


    "How many demons did you see? When are they likely to attack?"


    As he spoke, Rocky was ready to leave the tent and lead his troops out to strike.


    But at that moment, Felly stopped him: "Sir, please don''t worry, we''ve scattered the demons, but I came back to report because something seemed off."


    "What?"


    Rocky sharply turned towards Felly, not understanding his meaning.

 Chapter 100 Ridiculous Idea

    "Demons... you scattered them?"


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    Looking at Felly, Rocky clearly did not understand what he meant, so he asked, "Tell me exactly what happened."


    "Yes." Felly responded and said, "Sir, when I was leading two skyships on patrol, we happened to see a few demons all moving in the same direction. I thought they were about to attack Backhill Vige, so I immediately ordered the skyships to follow them."


    "But then I discovered that the demons were not heading to attack Backhill Vige; instead, they were gathering together."


    "What?"


    After Felly finished speaking, Rocky was startled and asked, "What do you mean the demons were gathering together?"


    "Demons from all directions were converging on one ce. By the time we discovered them, more than twenty demons had already gathered. Fearing they might attack Backhill Vige, I ordered the skyships to bombard them, scattering the gathered demons."


    In just a few words, Felly had summarized the situation to Rocky, and although his words were brief, they caused both Rocky and Monte to furrow their brows after hearing them!


    Demons, gathering together?


    This discovery was extremely important! But how could this be possible?


    Rocky had never heard of such a thing before, so he looked to Monte, who had once been a Demon Hunter and was most knowledgeable about demon behavior.


    "I''ve never encountered anything like this either, but if it''s the ck-eyed Demon, it might be unusual, yet not impossible. After all, ck-eyed Demons aremunal creatures."


    Seeing Rocky looking at him, Monte spoke up. Although he had never personally witnessed a simr situation, given themunal nature of ck-eyed Demons, it was not beyond the realm of possibility that they would gather and act together.


    No sooner had he finished speaking than Felly interjected, "Sir, it wasn''t just ck-eyed Demons that were gathering; there were other types of demons as well."


    "Are you sure?"


    With Felly''s words, Monte was immediately taken aback and quickly followed up with, "Felly, are you absolutely certain you weren''t mistaken?"


    "Instructor, I''m absolutely sure because the other demons with the ck-eyed Demons had distinct features: they had two horns on their heads and their heads looked like those of cows; they also had Scale Armor. When I ordered the skyships to bombard, the ck-eyed Demons were quickly dispersed, but these types of demons kept charging into the sky, so I definitely could not have been mistaken."


    "The armored bull demons..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Upon hearing Felly''s description, Monte immediately recognized what type of demon he had seen, and his expression changed.


    "Sir! Something isn''t right here!"


    Turning his head, Monte immediately said to Rocky, "Sir, if it were just ck-eyed Demons gathering together, perhaps it could be exined, but the presence of armored bull demons as well is very suspicious."


    "Why?"


    "Because armored bull demons are solitary creatures. They are extremely territorial, and typically, there''s only one armored bull demon per territory, never exceeding two."


    "...Felly, how many armored bull demons did you see?"


    After hearing Monte''s exnation, Rocky asked Felly.


    "At least three, I''m absolutely certain I wasn''t mistaken."


    When faced with this question, Felly was very certain in his response.


    This made things clear; different types of Demons had gathered together for some unknown reason¡ªthis was the intelligence Felly had brought back.


    This was extremely important intelligence! Because if nothing unexpected happened, these gathered Demons were most likely targeting Backhill Vige!


    As this possibility emerged in his mind, Rocky could no longer remain calm. He hurriedly sent Monte to call Lin Feng and Liliya over because they also needed to know about this.


    Not long after, Lin Feng and Liliya arrived at Rocky''s tent, and Felly repeated what he had said before. Once he finished, Lin Feng and Liliya also fell into deep thought.


    "Captain Lin Feng, have you encountered this kind of situation before?"


    "No." Shaking his head at Rocky, Lin Feng frowned deeply, "In the past during our mining, the attracted Demons would immediately attack the vige. They never gathered together like this."


    "So, you''re saying that the Demons are gathering this time because they are organized?"


    Realizing that Lin Feng had also never encountered such a situation, Rocky voiced his own thoughts. He believed that since different types of Demons had gathered, including both solitary and social ones, their gathering must not be spontaneous but organized!


    "Impossible!"


    "Rocky, it won''t happen."


    "Right, how could Demons possibly be organized."


    No sooner had he finished speaking than he faced unanimous opposition from everyone, whether it was Lin Feng or Liliya, or even Monte. They all shook their heads as if they were spinning drums, indicating that he waspletely wrong.


    This left Rocky somewhat bewildered; he didn''t think he had said anything incorrect!


    His thought wasn''t just blind conjecture; it had urred to him right after thest battle.


    The reason thest battle had been so fierce was because there were too many Demons. But why had the number of Demons suddenly increased so much? Naturally, it was because of the lurking in the previous days!


    Before the battle urred, the Demons hadpletely disappeared for six days, and then suddenly appeared, continuing to emerge in six waves one after another. Could there be no connection between these two events?


    Rocky believed there must be a connection. It was precisely because the scattered Demons had gathered together during those six days that the attack was so fierce.


    Not only did Rocky believe that the Demons were organized, but he also thought they weremanded, otherwise why would the exact count of ten appear in each of the six waves of Demons?


    So, he was perplexed as to where he had spoken incorrectly to face such unanimous rebuttal.


    Unfortunately, even after he shared his thoughts and rationale, Lin Feng, Liliya, and Monte still continuously shook their heads.


    "Rocky, the things you''re thinking about simply aren''t possible. Demons can''t be organized, much lessmanded."


    Even as Rocky tried his best to exin his ideas, Liliya still said, "Demons have upied thend for a century, and since the very first day they appeared, these beasts have acted purely on instinct, regardless of whether they are high-level or low-level Demons."


    "Miss Liliya is correct." After Liliya finished speaking, Lin Feng also said, "Commander Rocky, I''ve lived in Backhill Vige since I was born, but I''ve never heard of Demons being organized. Moreover, if Demons could be organized to act collectively, our Backhill Vige would have been annihted long ago, right?"


    "More than just Backhill Vige, if Demons could be organized and obeymands, I''m afraid these beasts wouldn''t only upy thend; they would have taken to the skies long ago."


    As Liliya, Lin Feng, and Monte spoke, they shook their heads; not one of them thought Rocky''s idea was correct, even going so far as to find it somewhat ludicrous¡­

 Chapter 101 Taking the Initiative

    ```


    Regarding Rocky''s idea, Liliya and others repeatedly shook their heads, which made him very distressed.


    However, the reason why Liliya and the others did this was not because they were obstinate, but because demons had been around for a hundred years, and in that time, people had thoroughly researched them. This in-depth study was evident from the fact that demon corpses could be used as resources.


    Under such thorough research, there was no evidence to suggest that demons possessed organizational abilities.


    Demons were undoubtedly powerful, but they also had their weaknesses. For example, their intelligence was very low. They were essentially monsters driven entirely by instinct, which means that beneath their formidable bodiesy not-so-bright brains.


    That is also why people were still able to live in the sky after losing thend. If demons were not solely driven by instinct and had be organized and strategic, then these monsters would have already attacked the sky, and the world would have beenpletely upied by them.


    Because of this clear understanding, Liliya and the others simplyughed off Rocky''s idea.


    "So why do you think the demons are starting to gather?"


    Rocky was naturally dissatisfied with everyone''s attitude. As a transmigrator, he didn''t hold any preconceived notions. He felt that both the previous battles and the intelligence brought back by Felly were proving that the demons wereunching organized attacks on Backhill Vige, but why wouldn''t anyone believe it?


    Indeed, it''s possible that the demons were just a group of mindless monsters for a hundred years, but even if they were monsters, couldn''t they evolve?


    Could it be that monsters couldn''t gradually evolve intelligence?


    After all, it has been a hundred years since the demons appeared! In such a long time, any species could undergo fundamental changes, even demons!


    "Commander Rocky, let''s not dwell on this issue,"


    Seeing Rocky being persistent, Lin Feng spoke up to mediate, then said, "I think we can put the discussion about why the demons are gathering near the vige aside for now. Let''s discuss how to deal with these gathered demons first."


    Although he did not agree with Rocky''s idea, Lin Feng''s words hit the nail on the head. For Backhill Vige at present, the reason behind the demons'' gathering was not important. What mattered was how they should handle it if the gathered demons began to attack.


    Following Lin Feng''s redirection, the focus of the conversation shifted to this issue.


    Then Rocky turned to look at Felly:


    "Felly, how far are those demons from the vige?"


    "About a dozen miles away."


    "I see... Captain Lin Feng, do you think it''s possible that the demons'' target is not Backhill Vige?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    After hearing Felly''s answer, Rocky turned his gaze back to Lin Feng.


    Unfortunately, Lin Feng just shook his head: "To the north of Break-Sky Mountain, there is only our vige; no other ces are inhabited, so the demons'' target is definitely here. There should be no mistake about that."


    "In that case... the primary question now is exactly how many demons there are." When Lin Feng finished speaking, Liliya opened her mouth: "If there are only twenty or thirty demons gathered together, then even if stronger armored bull demons join them, we can still hold the vige with the advantage of the high walls and skyships, even withstand several waves of attack."


    "But... If the number of gathered demons is toorge, for instance, likest time, reaching fifty or sixty, or even a hundred, then it would be difficult for us to defend."


    Liliya''s words made everyone nod in agreement.


    ```


    The most critical issue now is indeed the number. If there aren''t many demons, it''s manageable, but once their numbers grow, say, they appear in groups of fifty or sixty demons, or even more, then what should be done for defense bes the key issue!


    This question caused everyone in the tent to lower their heads, all sinking into deep thought, earnestly contemting countermeasures. Your next chapter awaits on empire


    After a good while, Lin Feng was the first to lift his head, but he did not speak. Instead, he turned his gaze to Rocky.


    "Commander Rocky, what do you think we should do?"


    Seeing that Lin Feng was asking for his opinion, Rocky thought for a moment and then said, "The best method... is probably to dispatch the skyships on the offensive, to find the demons gathered together and then bomb them. This way, we can not only disperse them, but also reduce their numbers."


    "Good! I agree with Commander Rocky''s idea!"


    Just as Rocky finished speaking, Lin Feng immediately seconded the motion, leaving Rocky feeling a bit helpless.


    Lin Feng agreed with the n without even thinking about it, indicating that he had alsoe up with it long ago but inquired Rocky''s opinion out of respect, as the skyships were not under hismand. Otherwise, given Lin Feng''s cautious nature, he definitely would not have reacted as such.


    Of course, there was no need for Rocky to point this out, so he then instructed Felly, "Notify the other skyships immediately that from now on all skyships are to go on patrol. As soon as they encounter demons attempting to gather, they must report it right away, and then all the skyships will carry out bombing together."


    "Yes!"


    "Also, you came back in a skyship this time, right?"


    As Felly saluted and prepared to carry out the orders, Rocky asked him another question.


    "Yes..."


    Felly nodded nkly. Of course, he hade back in a skyship.


    "Great, I''ll join you on patrol."


    Seeing Felly nod, Rocky directly stated that he would join Felly on patrol!


    "No!"


    However, no sooner had he finished speaking than Liliya expressed her opposition.


    Unfortunately for her, Rocky''s mind was already made up, and her objection was evidently ineffective. Rocky remained undeterred from his initial idea, believing there must be a reason for the demons'' concerted efforts to gather. Since others doubted his convictions, he resolved to see for himself.


    That''s just the kind of person Rocky was. He seemed easygoing, yet he possessed a stubbornness that far exceeded that of ordinary people. Once he made a decision, it was very difficult to sway, even by Liliya.


    So, after giving a few instructions to Liliya and Monte, he boarded the skyship with Felly, and soon they slowly left Backhill Vige.


    "Felly, take the skyship straight to where you discovered the demons."


    As the skyship gradually flew away from Backhill Vige, Rocky ordered Felly to head to the site of the incident, the ce where the demons had been spotted before. He wanted to see for himself what was going on, to find out what exactly had caused the demons to be gathered together!


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 Chapter 102 Gather in Groups!

    The Skyship''s patrol radius wasn''t far, because the purpose of the patrol was to provide early warning. In the absence ofprehensivemunication equipment, toorge a radius would mean that even if demons were spotted, there would be no way to report it in time.


    Therefore, when Rocky left Backhill Vige aboard a Skyship, it didn''t take long to reach the destination, the demon gathering site.


    Upon arrival, Rocky ordered the Skyship to lower its altitude, then stood at the bow and looked down carefully.


    At this moment, their location was still a destend, but the ground was riddled with severalrge pits, clearly the result of magic cannon bombardment. Looking closely, one could see some bodies around theserge pits, the bodies of demons, which undoubtedly confirmed that Felly hadn''t lied. Previously, demons had indeed gathered here and had been bombed.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    After confirming this, Rocky issued a new order.


    "Felly, inform the other Skyships to thoroughly search the vicinity. We must find the traces of the remaining demons."


    "Yes!"


    With an affirmative reply, Felly immediately used themunication equipment on the Skyship to convey Rocky''smand.


    Rocky had just carefully counted and found that there were only two or three demons that had been killed by the bombing, which was quite normal since Felly had only brought two Skyships at that time, each equipped with only four magic cannons. Achieving such a result was already quite good.


    But if there had really been more than twenty demons gathered together at that time, a problem arose. Where were the other demons scattered by the bombing?


    Where had the other demons, scattered by the magic cannons, run off to?


    Rocky was determined to find these fleeing demons; otherwise, once they regrouped, Backhill Vige would be in danger!


    Under these circumstances, ten Skyships began to act separately, like a huge cast in the sky, searching for prey on the ground.


    Time went by, and the zing sun overhead moved slowly from east to west in this process, finally being swallowed by the horizon, and nightfall came soon after.


    Strangely enough, after almost a day of spread-out patrolling, the ten Skyships failed to find any trace of demons. Not a sign of arge group, nor even scattered demons could be found.


    This was obviously very abnormal because the area around Heavensplit Mountain was an unending wastnd with no forests or simr ces for concealment. The dispersed demons, even if scattered, should have appeared sporadically on the wastnd rather than disappearing without a trace.


    In light of this, Rocky did not skimp on the mana for the Skyships; instead, he ordered the expansion of the reconnaissance area to continue until traces of demons were found!


    Meanwhile, he did not return to Backhill Vige but joined the Skyships in the reconnaissance, wanting to see where these demons were hiding.


    Thus the night deepened, and Rocky, persuaded by Felly, returned to his cabin. But just as he was about to rest, Felly came to him again.


    "My lord! We''ve found the demons!"


    "Where?!"


    The moment Rocky, who had justin down on his bed, heard this, he sat up.


    "It''s the third Skyship that spotted the target, five kilometers away from us."


    "How many are there?"


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    "The report says... at least thirty..."


    Thirty...?!


    Hearing this number, Rocky involuntarily took a sharp breath, thought for a moment, and then immediately ordered, "Command the third ship to monitor the demons'' movements on the spot, and report immediately if there is any movement."


    "Have the other Skyships immediately converge on the third ship, but before I arrive, no one is to engage in an attack!"


    "Yes!"


    With his order received, Felly immediately turned and left, and Rocky had no more intent to rest.


    Now, he wasn''t thinking about anything because the demons'' actions had clearly gone beyondmon sense. In such a situation, any prediction made in advance was unreliable and could even lead to misleading conclusions. Therefore, he decided to wait until he saw the demons with his own eyes before making any decisions.


    A distance of five kilometers was not far for a Skyship flying in the sky. In just over ten minutes, Rocky was called to the deck; they had already met up with the third Skyship, and in addition, three other Skyships had already arrived.


    As soon as Rocky stepped out of the cabin, he heard a cacophony of hissing roars!


    Having shed with the Demons multiple times, he immediately recognized the sounds and hurried to the bow of the Skyship to look down.


    With that single nce, his heart sank.


    The Skyship was not too high above the ground, about forty to fifty meters, allowing him to clearly see everything below from the bow.


    Looking down from the bow, Rocky saw a dense throng of Demons beneath the Skyship, bunched together inrge numbers, at least thirty strong!


    At the same time, the Demons clustered on the ground were roaring at the Skyships, theirbined cries not only deafening but also unbearably cacophonous.


    What''s more, some Demons were picking up huge stones from the ground and hurling them at the Skyships, each stone flung to a height of over ten meters!


    Fortunately, with the Skyship being forty to fifty meters above the ground, the stones thrown into the sky couldn''t reach it, which allowed Rocky to observe these Demons more safely and carefully.


    "ck-eyed Demons..."


    "Bull-horned Demons..."


    "This kind of Demon... I don''t recognize..."


    Carefully observing the thirty-odd Demons below, Rocky found that the most numerous were the ck-eyed Demons, with about twenty or more; next were the armored bull demons, covered with scales and with bull-like horns on their heads, but not just the three that Felly had mentioned¡ªthere were five!


    In addition to these two types of Demons, there was one more kind that Rocky had never seen before, with only three present.


    In other words, the group of thirty-plus Demons now had not only increased in number from the daytime, but the variety had also grown!


    This undoubtedly proved Rocky''s earlier thought: the Demons near Break-Sky Mountain had been gathering together!


    "Sir, shall we open fire?"


    As he furrowed his brow, Felly couldn''t help but ask beside him, his tone and voice betraying his fear.


    "How many Skyships have arrived now?"


    "Six."


    While Rocky was observing the Demons, another Skyship had arrived.


    "Wait a bit longer, let''s bombard them when all the Skyships have assembled."


    The Skyships Rockymanded, though all outfitted with Magic Cannons, were old models of Reconnaissance Ships, each with only two cannons on board, so a single ship''sbat power was not strong. Only when a sufficient number converged for a collective bombardment would they achieve the best effect.


    So he had to wait until all ships were present tounch the attack.


    In the time that followed, Skyships arrived one after the other, but during this same process, the number of Demons also grew!


    Yes, as the Skyships arrived one by one, scattered Demons also emerged from all directions, one after the other.


    And by the time ten Skyships had finally assembled, the number of Demons gathered together had swollen to over forty!


    The rate of this increase was chilling to Rocky''s spine! He didn''t dare to imagine how many Demons would have gathered if they hadn''t been discovered today, and how many there would be after a night had passed.


    Fifty?


    Or a hundred?


    Or even more!


    So when all the Skyships had assembled, he immediately gave the order for the ten Skyships to carry out free bombardment on the Demons below!

 Chapter 103 Demon Evolution Theory

    Following Rocky''smand, the ten skyships encircling the demons in the sky immediately started a barrage of indiscriminate bombardment!


    Each skyship''s magic cannons numbered only two, and even with relentless firing, the destructive power was quite limited. However, twenty magic cannons from ten skyships firing continuously made for a vastly different effect and scene.


    From the first boom of the cannon, the sounds of the magic cannons seamlessly merged into one relentless roar.


    Under such intense bombardment, the ground below was instantly riddled with a session of dense explosions, dealing a heavy blow to the clusters of demons.


    In theory, the hit rate of magic cannons wasn''t very high, especially considering the older models on Rocky''s ships, which relied solely on sight for aiming. As a result, uracy was as one might expect. However, due to the dense clustering of the demons, the gunners didn''t need to aim precisely; they simply had to fire within a general area.


    Under this unrelenting onught, the grouped demons were initially roaring at the sky, but it didn''t take long before they started to scatter and flee.


    Given the demons'' strong physiques, they fled quickly. From the first demon''s escape, in just a few minutes, the clustered demons scattered in all directions, vanishing without a trace.


    "Cease fire."


    Seeing that the demons had mostly fled from the smoky aftermath of the artillery, Rocky ordered a cease-fire. After all, mana for the magic cannons wasn''t infinite and shouldn''t be wasted.


    On hismand, the ten skyships stopped shooting one after another. After some ten minutes had passed, the smoke from the gunfire finally began to settle, revealing a pockmarked terrain.


    Standing at the bow of the ship, Rocky looked down to see not only the chaotic and blown-up terrain but also some demon corpses.


    One, two, three¡­ He counted roughly and saw that more than a dozen demons had been directly killed by this round of bombardment, a quite significant victory.


    But such favorable results still failed to ease Rocky''s furrowed brow.


    "Felly¡­"


    Turning his gaze away, Rocky called over Felly, "I remember you saying that thest time we bombarded these demons, the armored bull demons seemed very agitated?"


    "Yes."


    Not quite understanding why Rocky was asking this, but Felly still nodded and affirmatively said, "Sir, I clearly remember that during thest bombardment, an armored bull demon was howling at the skyship amidst the artillery fire, and they only reluctantly left after all the ck-eyed demons had run away."


    "I see¡­ How far are we from Backhill Vige now?"


    After hearing this reply, Rocky posed another question.


    "Around eight kilometers."


    "Eight kilometers¡­"


    Felly''s answer caused Rocky to nod continually while his brow furrowed even more deeply.


    He was frowning for a simple reason: this time, while observing the bombardment, he noticed that the armored bull demons didn''t show any ''bone essence''; not long after the bombardment started, they ran off following the ck-eyed demons¡­


    What did this imply?


    Had the armored bull demons grown fearful?


    Rocky was convinced that was definitely not the case¡ªthe bombardment from ten skyships had not left even a single body of an armored bull, proving this type of demon was very robust.


    This could only mean that the armored bull demons had be smarter!


    Or, in other words¡­ they were following some sort ofmand, knowing they should immediately flee once the skyshipsmenced their assault! Explore more stories at empiren/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Also, the two asions the demons had gathered were different locations¡ªwhat did this suggest?


    These questions left Rocky deep in thought for a long while before he issued a new order.


    "Order all skyships to continue reconnaissance. If demons that have gathered together are found, notify the other skyships immediately, and carry out the bombardment once everyone is assembled," hemanded.


    After issuing the order, he had Felly steer their skyship back to Backhill Vige.


    This personal reconnaissance confirmed Rocky''s previous suspicions¡ªthe organized clustering of demons was definitely orchestrated, and the reason for their organization was to followmands!


    If this were true, it was incredibly frightening. Demons that previously acted on instinct alone were now organized and following orders, leading to unthinkable consequences. Therefore, he must inform everyone in Backhill Vige, whether they believed it or not.


    Thus, as dawn broke, Rocky returned to Backhill Vige and immediately summoned Lin Feng, Liliya, Monte, and all others!


    "Everyone, this is everything I discovered yesterday."


    Standing before a whiteboard, Rocky faced not only Lin Feng, Liliya, and Monte, but also Old Jack, the elder of Backhill Vige, and the squad leaders of both troops who had also been called over.


    Facing so many people, Rocky recounted the situation he had reconnoitered the day before, and when he finished speaking, everyone was stunned, as his point of view was somewhat difficult for the crowd to ept.


    Demons being organized?


    These monsters beginning to followmands?


    Was this some kind of fantasy tale?


    No, even for a fantasy tale, it seemed too far-fetched!


    "Commander Rocky, could everything you found...possibly, possibly just be a coincidence?"


    The oldest among all present was Elder Old Jack, who although not versed in warfare, had the most extensive experience dealing with demons out of everyone there. Yet even he had never encountered such an urrence.


    "Elder Sir, I believe none of this is a coincidence."


    While speaking, Rocky drew a circle on the whiteboard behind him: "This location represents Backhill Vige."


    He then drew a smaller circle in front of the one representing Backhill Vige: "Here is the spot where the Felly demons first gathered, and this is the location of the demons'' second gathering."


    After drawing a third circle on the whiteboard, Rocky said, "As you can all see, the first gathering spot of the demons was about five kilometers from Backhill Vige, but it was soon discovered by a skyship."


    "However, by the time the skyship discovered demons gathering for the second time, it was eight kilometers away from Backhill Vige."


    "If demons gathering in one ce could be considered a coincidence, that might be one thing, but what if it happens twice within a single day? And what if the second gathering consists of even more demons, of a greater variety? Could that still be a coincidence? I don''t think so."


    "And consider this; the first gathering spot was five kilometers from Backhill Vige, but the second gathering was even farther away. What do you think that means?"


    "Could it be... could it be that these gathered demons are hiding from us?"


    As soon as Rocky finished speaking, Liliya spoke out in surprise.


    "Not hiding from us, but from the skyship..."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Feng, whose brows were already knotted with concern, said that the demons weren''t hiding from Backhill Vige, but rather from the skyship bombing them!


    "Exactly, I believe the demons are indeed avoiding the skyship."


    At this moment, Rocky nodded and then proceeded to describe the different reactions of the armored bull demons during the two bombings.


    And when he had finished exining all of this, the more than ten people in the tent simultaneously let out a collective gasp of astonishment.


    Demons...evolving?!


    How could that be possible!


    Despite being utterly incredulous about these events, everything Rocky had just described was logical and irrefutable, leaving everyone at a loss to rebut. Moreover, arguing about it was pointless because regardless of whether Rocky''s conjecture was true or false, one fact couldn''t be changed: Backhill Vige was in danger!


    In just one day, more than forty demons had gathered without any sign of stopping. So when these demons finallyunch an assault on Backhill Vige, just how numerous will they be?


    That is the most pressing issue!


    "What are we to do..."


    Old Jack, who had been the vige elder for decades, showed panic on his aged face. He was truly scared, and he had every reason to be.


    "Elder Sir."


    Just when Old Jack seemed at a loss, Rocky addressed him: "Elder Sir, since we have taken on this mission, we will see it through to the end. Captain Lin Feng and I will coordinate on this matter."


    "So, Sir, please don''t worry about this aspect, but¡­"


    After saying that, he paused before continuing, "Perhaps I am not the one who should say this, but as the vige elder, I hope you will make ns for the future of Backhill Vige. Demons have now changed from before, and if you and the vigers continue to stay here..."


    After ncing at Old Jack, Rocky sighed deeply and did not continue.

 Chapter 104 A Sudden Turn

    Rocky''s finalment was, indeed, just as he himself had said, not fitting for him to make.


    In Thunderhawk City, he might be the lord of a city, but in Backhill Vige, he was merely an outsider. Decisions on how to protect themselves from the demons'' attacks were to be made by the vigers themselves, and it was not his ce as a foreigner to be dictating what they should do.


    So, when he had finished speaking, whether it was Lin Feng, Old Jack, or any other person from Backhill Vige, all frowned to different extents. If it were not for the fact that Rocky currentlymanded a formidable force, they might have already expressed their dissatisfaction with his meddling.


    The reactions of Lin Feng and the others did not surprise Rocky. He even knew that he should not have said those things, but they were things he had to say!


    Because Rocky had his own ns: he wanted to absorb the people of Backhill Vige into Thunderhawk City!


    In the skies, poption was the most valuable resource. Backhill Vige had more than a thousand inhabitants, their number even surpassing that of Thunderhawk City''s residents. If he could bring all these people back to Thunderhawk City, the poption of his city would immediately double!


    To Rocky, that was where the real treasurey, of a value so immense that it couldn''t be measured by any amount of Gold Coins.


    So, there were things he had to say!


    Actually, before this, Rocky had never entertained the delusion of taking away all the people of Backhill Vige. There was a reason these people chose to live on thend and would not be swayed by a few words from an outsider like him, so Rocky had never considered this possibility.


    But now, he had this thought, because the situation had changed!


    This change was the unusual movement of the Demons!


    Since the mission had started, the behavior of the demons had repeatedly caught everyone by surprise, something that even Rocky didn''t need to remind Lin Feng and Old Jack of, as they could feel it themselves.


    And as the situation continued to evolve, Backhill Vige found itself in an increasingly dangerous position. For instance, at the current moment, the demons began to gather outside the vige¡ªa very dangerous sign. Perhaps this time Rocky could stay to help them defend, but what about once he left?


    What could Backhill Vige use to fend off future demon attacks once he had gone, without the Guard Corps, without the Skyships?


    The people of Backhill Vige might face death without flinching for the sake of their homnd, but knowing it to be futile and still waiting for death was not the same thing. For Rocky, this presented a perfect opportunity!


    That''s why he had spoken those words earlier¡ªto remind the people of Backhill Vige that they had to consider what woulde "afterward."


    This mission, for Rocky, might truly be described by the saying "good fortune lies within bad, and bad fortune lurks within good." The abnormal behavior of the demons had plunged him into a situation far more dangerous than he had anticipated, but likewise, if he could turn this disaster into an opportunity to absorb all of Backhill Vige''s residents, it would be a great stroke of fortune!


    However, these matters were not something Rocky could speak too inly of just yet. As conditions continued to develop, he had to wait until the situation was desperate before making his move to maximize his chances of sess.


    In fact, events unfolded far quicker than he had imagined, for just half a dayter, a Skyship returned to Backhill Vige, and then Felly appeared before Rocky once again.


    "My Lord, we''ve spotted demons again,"


    Felly immediately reported thetest news upon seeing Rocky and the others.


    After escorting Rocky back to Backhill Vige, Felly, following his orders, led ten Skyships on a sweep-style patrol and quickly found another gathering point of demons!


    The demons that had been scattered not long ago had regrouped in a short time, andpared to the previous two times, there were even more of them this time¡ªover fifty had been gathered when discovered!


    Obeying Rocky''smand, the ten Skyships immediately converged and bombarded the demons fiercely.


    The bombing was highly effective, killing nearly twenty demons, while the rest dispersed in the chaos.


    Having reported thetest intelligence, Felly hurriedly left. After hearing thetest developments, Lin Feng and the rest of Backhill Vige fell into silence. Experience new stories on empire


    The fresh reports once again proved Rocky right. If the gathering of demons was just a coincidence, then when these creatures gathered three times in session, such a coincidence no longer existed.


    Moreover, let''s not forget that every time the demons gathered, they were scattered by the Skyships, yet time after time they regrouped, undoubtedly proving that their actions were organized.


    What''s more important is that although the Skyship dispersed the swarming Demons with each bombing and killed at least thirty of them, the number of Demons gathering in swarms was still increasing!


    The first time a Demon gathering site was discovered, there were more than twenty Demons, but by the second the number had soared to thirty or forty, and ording to thetest intelligence brought back by Felly, the third gathering of Demons had reached more than fifty!


    In other words, even though each bombing by the Skyship was a significant triumph, it seemed to have no impact on the Demons at all¡­


    At this time, even without Rocky''s reminder, Lin Feng and the people of Backhill Vige had begun to consider a question, namely, what they were going to do in the future.


    The most important reason why Backhill Vige could survive at the foot of Break-Sky Mountain for so many years was the scarcity of Demons there, plus the geographical advantages of the vige, which allowed the people to barely survive.


    But now the situation had clearly changed, with the number of Demons increasing sharply; the geographical advantage of Backhill Vige had vanished against their numbers, and the high walls at the entrance of the vige were utterly useless against hordes of Demons.


    This situation gave the people of Backhill Vige an enormous headache.


    Yet what caused them an even bigger headache cameter, as Felly, who had left during the day, returned after nightfall, bringing with him thetest intelligence!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The Skyship on patrol had discovered the Demon gathering site for the fourth time!


    The Demons that had just been dispersed during the day had regathered in less than half a day''s time, and this time the Demons had a new change in tactic: When the first Skyship discovered them, they dispersed before any others could arrive. By the time other Skyships hurried over upon hearing the news, the Demons had long since vanished without a trace¡­


    "How, how could this be?!"


    After hearing Felly''s report, not only Lin Feng, Liliya, and Monte, but even Rocky was surprised, his mouth agape!


    Without a doubt, the rapid development of the situation had far exceeded everyone''s expectations; describing it as a drastic turn for the worse was no exaggeration.


    "Felly, order all the Skyships to return,"


    After a brief moment of astonishment, Rocky issued a newmand to Felly, ordering all the Skyships to return!


    No sooner had thismand been given than the surrounding onlookers turned their gaze upon him, all wearing incredulous looks.


    "Commander Rocky, why retreat the Skyships?"


    The first person to not understand or to ept the order was Lin Feng.


    Since it was now clear that the Demons were continually gathering; it was only because the Skyships were able to scatter them each time that they hadn''tunched an attack on Backhill Vige yet.


    Therefore, if the Skyships were retreated, the Demons would face no threat at all, could rapidly gather sufficient numbers, and would soonunch an attack on Backhill Vige!


    However, facing Lin Feng''s confusion, Rocky shook his head helplessly before exining, "Keeping the Skyships out there is pointless now."


    "The Demons are obviously bing smarter. Continuing to let the Skyships patrol outside is of no use, doing nothing but depleting Mana unnecessarily."


    "But, but¡­"


    Rocky''s words stumped Lin Feng, leaving him unable to retort, for based on thetest intelligence brought back by Felly, the Demons had indeed be smarter. With the scattered patrolling of the Skyships, even if they did find a Demon gathering, the Demons dispersed before any reinforcements could arrive, greatly diminishing the effect of the Skyships.


    Yet simrly, if the Skyships were retreated, wouldn''t Backhill Vige be in danger?


    Consequently, Lin Feng had no choice but to ask:


    "Commander Rocky, after recalling all the Skyships, what do you n to do?"


    "What to do?" Looking at Lin Feng, Rocky calmly provided the answer, "Of course, we''ll wait for the Demons to initiate an attack."

 Chapter 105 The Final Battle

    Perhaps no one had noticed something, which was that at some point, Rocky had be the leader of this mission.


    At the beginning of the mission, everything rted to it was determined by Lin Feng and Liliya, with Rocky more of a bystander. But now, both Liliya and Lin Feng had begun to follow hismands unconsciously.


    Liliya might be understandable, but it was quite abnormal for Lin Feng, because in terms of strength, experience, and even capabilities Lin Feng should have been far superior to Rocky. Yet, Lin Feng kept asking Rocky what to do, as he was doing now.


    And when the speech had ended, everyone immediately frowned, because the implication was clear, they were nning to give up using the Skyship to harass the demons, and instead let the demons attack proactively!?


    "Commander Rocky, are you nning to defend with all your might?"


    Lin Feng, with his vast experience, instantly understood Rocky''s intention, understanding that he nned to use all their strength to defend against the next demonic attack.


    But...could they hold?N?v(el)B\\jnn


    True, the high wall at the entrance of the vige could serve as a barrier against the demons, but anyone could tell from the growing number of demons that their next attack would be on an unprecedented scale! Against such a huge number of demons, the high wall would be utterly useless.


    And if even the high wall couldn''t stop the demons, how could the troops of Backhill Vige and Rocky''s Guard Corps withstand them with their mere flesh and blood?


    The answer seemed ringly obvious¡ªit was impossible to hold!


    "I think we can."


    However, in face of the doubts of Lin Feng and others, Rocky seemed very confident, "I think we can hold. At least, I am confident we can hold the next attack."


    "Why?"


    His confidence was not only iprehensible to Lin Feng but even Liliya was somewhat puzzled.


    "Because the number of demons won''t be that many, at least not as many as you all imagine."


    After saying this, he nced at Felly, "Felly, ording to thetest intelligence, how many demons have you found?"


    "This... about fifty or so."


    "Hmm, that''s right."


    Hearing this response, Rocky nodded his head and then said to everyone, "ording to the current situation, it is true that the demons are being organized and brought together, but their numbers are limited."


    "Captain Lin Feng, I remember you said that the demons around Break-Sky Mountain are actually very rare, right?"


    Explore new worlds at empire


    "Yes..."


    Lin Feng could only nod in response to this question, because it was true that there weren''t many demons around Break-Sky Mountain.


    After Lin Feng had nodded, Rocky continued, "Everyone, think about it. Since the demons around Break-Sky Mountain are few, even if they are organized and brought together, their number must have a limit, right?"


    This assumption left no room for rebuttal from the crowd.


    Seeing no one contest his point, Rocky then said:


    "Now, let''s consider this. From the beginning of the mission to now, how many demons have we eliminated? If I remember correctly, counting the achievements of the Skyship these past two days, we''ve killed at least a hundred demons. With this in mind, how many can be left surrounding Backhill Vige?"


    "I''m sure there can''t be that many left."


    "So, I believe that although the demons'' next attack will surely be huge in number, it definitely won''t be astronomical, at most around a hundred. That should be all the demons that can be gathered from around Break-Sky Mountain in the short term."


    "Facing around a hundred demons, we have the advantage of the high wall, the soldiers, and the bombardment from ten Skyships; there''s no reason we can''t withstand the next attack."


    Having said this, he paused for a moment, scanned the room, then continued:


    "However, if we continue to send Skyships to harass them, the situation will bepletely different, and even be much worse."


    "The harassment from the skyships can indeed dy the demonic assault, but this dy is also very beneficial for the demons, because the longer it drags on, the more demons will arrive from all around. By then, we won''t just be facing the demons from around Break-Sky Mountain; even demons from the surrounding areas may be gathered."


    "By that time, not only will there be over a hundred demons, but there might even be over a thousand!"


    "Captain Lin Feng, facing over a thousand demons, do you have confidence in defending against their attack?"


    After saying this, Commander Rocky threw the final question at Lin Feng.


    At thisst question, Lin Feng opened his mouth several times but said nothing...


    Could Backhill Vige withstand an attack from over a thousand demons?


    Was this even a question?


    Facing an attack from over a thousand demons, not to mention Backhill Vige, even a city would be leveled to the ground, wouldn''t it?


    So then Rocky continued, "Captain Lin Feng, let''s prepare for defense next. For our Thunderhawk Mercenary Group, this will likely be thest battle of this mission. I and my troops will not shrink from this battle, rest assured on that ount. It''s just the matter afterwards..."


    Rocky stopped talking there because he was right. Considering the timeline of the mission, the next battle indeed should be thest one for him and the Guard Corps in Backhill Vige. Once this battle was over, the mission period would also be nearly up. However, once he led his troops away, Backhill Vige would...


    Have to fend for themselves...


    Of course, Backhill Vige still had one way out, and that was to leave with Rocky, but at this moment Rocky had not yet expressed this idea, because he could see that the people of Backhill Vige were not yet desperate enough. Only when they were utterly desperate, with no way out, would Rocky put forth his suggestion.


    After the conversation, Felly was the first to leave the tent. He went to recall all the skyships outside to prepare for the final battle of this mission.


    Lin Feng also left with the people of Backhill Vige, his face filled with worry. It was unclear whether he was worried about the next battle or the future of Backhill Vige, but their expressions were one more unsightly than the next.


    Once all the outsiders had left the tent, Rocky shared his n with Liliya and Monte.


    "Good idea!"


    After hearing his thoughts, Liliya was the first to agree. If they could absorb all the people from Backhill Vige into Thunderhawk City, the city''s strength would immediately double. It was undoubtedly a situation where there were only benefits and no drawbacks.


    At the same time, Liliya started to see Rocky in a new light. During this mission, Rocky''s growth rate was astonishingly fast; he was bing more and more like a true City Lord, just like his father.


    At this point, it was decided what everyone should do next: prepare for battle with all their might!


    So, when dawn broke, the troops from Backhill Vige and Rocky''s Guard Corps werepletely integrated, with Liliya and Lin Feng discussing and taking responsibility for themand.


    The skyships that had been dispatched earlier also returned that day, but instead of docking at Break-Sky Mountain, they stopped outside the high walls. Additionally, a skyship patrolled outside the vige every day, constantly observing the demons'' movements. Should there be any sign of a demonic attack, all the skyships outside the high wall would take to the skies.


    In the midst of these intense preparations, a day quickly passed, followed by another day.


    When the sun rose on the third day, the skyship that was patrolling around the vige suddenly returned, bringing back news that everyone had anticipated: the demons had arrived!


    "What''s happening?"


    As he hurried out of the tent, Rocky''s first sight was Felly, to whom he posed the question.


    "Sir, the scouting skyship has spotted arge number of demons heading towards Backhill Vige."


    "How far away are they?"


    "Two kilometers."


    "How many are there?"


    Looking at Rocky, Felly swallowed hard beforeboriously saying, "At least... at least more than a hundred...!"

 Chapter 106 Demon Army!

    What was destined toe, eventually arrived without the slightest surprise.


    As soon as Rocky received the report from the skyship, he immediately went to the high wall with Liliya, Lin Feng, and others in tow.


    Upon mounting the high wall, everyone looked out into the distance together, but while the demons themselves were nowhere to be seen, the party did witness billowing sand dust rising from afar.


    In their line of sight, a sandstorm appeared several kilometers away, the vast dust cloud sweeping towards them like the gaping maw of some beast, and there was no question that the culprits behind this tempest were the demons.


    But this was hardly a surprise, given that the skyship''s report indicated that more than a hundred demons were surging towards Backhill Vige. It was only logical that such a number could stir up a storm of this magnitude.


    What was destined toe, indeed, had arrived.


    "Captain Lin Feng, Liliya, take your troops out,"


    Rocky turned to nce at Lin Feng and Liliya before continuing. Now that the demons had arrived, they had to take action as well.


    Upon hearing this, Lin Feng and Liliya each nodded and then descended the high wall.


    As the two of them left, Rocky certainly wasn''t going to sit idle, either. Donning the Void Magic Armor, he took flight, soaring toward the skyship stationed outside the high wall and ordered it to lift off immediately.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Soon thereafter, the ten skyships outside the high wall gradually rose into the air, and following them, the gates of the high wall were flung open as Lin Feng and Liliya led their respective troops outside.


    The two detachments struck out together but were not intermixed directly, each forming separate, independent squares led by Lin Feng and Liliya.


    After two full days of preparing for battle, Lin Feng and Liliya were fully ready for the fight, so as soon as their troops appeared, they immediately adjusted their formations, positioning the troops into two identical squares.


    Meanwhile, archers and mages stationed on the high wall were also in ce, ready to y a vital role in the battle ording to the n previously devised by Rocky, Lin Feng, and others.


    Dusa''s figure also appeared conspicuously among the archer unit, her bow and arrows at the ready as she stood alongside her fellow archers at the crented battlements, her face equally tense.


    This time, Dusa wasn''t sneaking out to join the fray. Given that this could be considered their final battle, Monte had finally granted his daughter''s wish, allowing her to join the fight as an archer alongside him.


    With skyships, ground troops, and the rangedbat unit all prepped, Backhill Vige''s entire force was ready for action, merely waiting for the demons to arrive.


    On this front, the demons surely didn''t disappoint. In just a few short minutes, the sandstorm whipped up by the demons drew near to Backhill Vige.


    As the demons closed in, Dusa noticed small stones on the crentions start to dance about, the pebbles of around the size of soybeans hopping and jumping on the battlements as if enchanted.


    But, of course, this was not the effect of magic, rather that the demons were drawing close, causing even the high wall itself to tremble!


    If those atop the high wall could feel such distinct trembling, the sensation was far more pronounced for the troops outside the wall. The units arrayed outside were acutely aware of the ground shaking beneath their feet, feeling very much like the onset of an earthquake.


    With more than a hundred demons charging towards them, even the Earth itself trembled in rm!


    In the midst of the continuous tremors, the demons neared Backhill Vige. The troops on the wall and on the ground might not yet see the fiends, but Rocky, positioned mid-air with the skyship, could already see the demons clearly.


    Through the swirling dust clouds, herds of demons came into his view, their numbers indeed surpassing a hundred. They seemed like a pack of hungry beasts lunging for food, madly surging towards Backhill Vige.


    Demon Army...


    Facing these groups of demons, the term "Demon Army" emerged in Rocky''s mind, and indeed, the demons he was confronted with this time could truly be described by that term.


    At the same time, he was constantly calcting the distance between the demons and Backhill Vige.


    One thousand meters...


    Eight hundred meters...


    Seven hundred meters...


    The demons'' speed was just too fast; in the span of a few minutes, the Demon Army, which had been a kilometer away, had already closed in to about seven hundred meters.


    However, at this moment, Rocky, suspended in midair, suddenly raised his arm and then pointed fiercely towards the demons.


    Following his gesture, the ten skyships that had already ascended immediately flew headlong towards the Demon Army.


    And after the skyships took flight, it didn''t take long for the oing Demon Army to enter the firing range of the Magic Cannons.


    "Fire!"


    As soon as the first demon entered the range of the Magic Cannons, Felly, who was responsible formanding the ten skyships, used themunicator to order all the skyships to open fire, and a series of cannon roars immediately followed!


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The deafening sounds of bombardment instantly merged into one, and the ground being bombarded was shrouded in smoke and flying debris. The demons within range naturally suffered the consequences; in the relentless shelling, some were even sted into the sky, and the less fortunate were hit directly by the Magic Cannons and torn to shreds!


    Without a doubt, the advantage of the skyships and Magic Cannons was fully exhibited at this moment; the ferocious attack from the skies left the demons powerless to retaliate, allowing the skyships to bombard them and causing significant casualties.


    But let''s not forget, demons are not mere targets. These monsters may not be able to counter the bombardment of the skyships, but they could use their speed to rush out of the bombing range.


    In fact, after only two rounds of bombing, demons had already dashed beneath the skyships,pletely escaping the bombardment zone.


    There was no help for it, the demons were too robust; despite the continuous cannon fire, apart from a few unlucky ones struck head-on, the rest could swiftly exit the bombardment area unafraid of the artillery. Once they were out of the skyships'' bombardment range, they only faced the troops beyond the tall walls.


    In this situation, the captains of the various skyships began to bellow at the gunners, ordering them to fire as many cannons as possible and to bombard more before the demons could fully escape the attack zone.


    But even so, even though the barrels of the Magic Cannons had be glowing red from overuse, the Demon Army still charged out of the bombardment range and towards the high walls!


    Thus, the only thing the skyships could do was to immediately turn around, follow the footsteps of the Demon Army, and try to fire a few more shots at the demons before the battle transitioned to closebat¡ª that was all they could do.


    Meanwhile, Rocky, floating in midair, had everything in his sight. He watched demon after demon rush out of the bombardment range and towards the troops outside the walls, yet a smile slowly began to appear on his lips at this moment.


    Very good, everything is going ording to n!


    PS: The intense battle for this mission has started, asking for rmendations! Requesting for rmendations!

 Chapter 107 The Baptism of Death!

    The bombing from the skyship was highly effective; had it not been for the demons'' speed, the damage dealt to them would have certainly been significant.


    Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in battle, and the demons had swiftly moved out of the bombing range, charging straight towards the troops under the high wall!


    All of this was watched by Rocky from mid-air; however, faced with the Demon Army that hadn''t suffered heavy casualties, he didn''t show the slightest hint of panic. Instead, a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.


    Yes, he had anticipated this oue.


    The skyship could only be effective at the beginning against the charging demons. Once the demons broke through the bombing range of the Magic Cannons and started engaging in closebat with the ground troops, the skyships'' impact would be much less noticeable¡ªa fact that Rocky had already taken into ount.


    That''s why he had sent out the skyships when the Demon Army was about seven hundred meters from Backhill Vige, striking at this distance. Coupled with the demons'' charging speed, they were meant to encounter each other at roughly five hundred meters from the high wall, causing the Demon Army to suffer the first round of bombing.


    This first round of bombing served two purposes: the first, naturally, was to strike the demons with an initial round of fire from the Magic Cannons. No matter how fast the demons were, casualties were inevitable under the relentless onught of twenty Magic Cannons.


    In reality, that''s exactly what happened. When the demons moved beyond the range of the Magic Cannons, there were no longer one hundred of them. This meant that, in the recent bombing, at least a dozen or twenty demons had been killed.


    The second purpose of this round of bombing was to disrupt the formation of the demons, using sustained bombing to slow their charge.


    Under the continuous bombardment, the Demon Army could be said to have beenpletely baptized by the cannon fire from start to finish. Setting aside how many demons were killed, the dense formation was certainly scattered. The once ferocious Demon Army dispersedpletely after charging out of the bombing area.


    That was the true significance of the first round of bombing!


    The group formations of the demons were unstoppable.


    If they were allowed to maintain their speed and dense formation all the way to the high wall, not only would the troops led by Lin Feng and Liliya be instantly overwhelmed, but even the tall wall standing at the entrance to the vige could be easily breached¡ªa situation Lin Feng was all too familiar with, as half a year ago Backhill Vige''s high wall was breached in such a manner.


    It was precisely because of the experience from the previous incident that Lin Feng and Rocky formted this battle strategy, to have the skyshipsunch furious bombings at the demons. They weren''t aiming to kill as many demons as possible, but definitely to scatter them.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Looking at the results, the n was very sessful. Although arge number of demons still broke through the bombing area, not only was their speed significantly slowed down from before, but their formation was also broken.


    However, once the Demon Army broke out of the bombing range, they were only three to four hundred meters away from the high wall¡ªpractically within striking distance.


    At that moment, Rocky, positioned in mid-air, once again raised his arm!


    As he raised his arm once more, his gaze was firmly fixed on the Demon Army that continued to approach.


    Four hundred meters...


    Three hundred meters...


    Two hundred meters...!


    As the Demon Army charged to less than two hundred meters from the high wall, Rocky suddenly dropped his arm.


    Right after that, a continuous wooshing sound could be heard, as countless arrows were fired into the sky. After tracing a nearly perfect parab, they all fell like raindrops!


    The archers from atop the high wall began their attack!


    The ranged forces from Backhill Vige were an extremely crucial power, having yed a very important role in thest fight, and even more so in this battle.


    Benefiting from the advantage given by the high wall, paired with the longbow''s own range, the archers easilyunched attacks at targets two hundred meters away. At that distance, the Demons could do nothing but take the hits. Although the power of the arrows was quite limited, they would definitely cause damage upon striking the Demons, and that was enough.


    Including Dusa, all the archers on the high wall repeatedly drew their longbows, then one after another they let the Arrow Feathers fly.


    Any archer engaging targets one to two hundred meters away didn''t need to aim; what they needed was to shoot as quickly as possible, turning the released arrows into a true arrow rain. This form of intensive firing naturally meant that targets would be hit.


    Under the deluge of Arrow Feathers, the Demons, who had just suffered from the bombardment of the Magic Cannons, were struck again. Perhaps this blow wasn''t particrly massive¡ªhardly any Demons were shot dead¡ªbut their speed and formation were inevitably affected. This resulted in their charge towards the high wall slowing once more, and their ranks bing even more disordered.


    But was that the end?


    No, it was far from over!


    As the Demon Army continued to advance beneath the rain of arrows towards the troops below the high wall, the Mages on top of the high wall unleashed the third round of attacks!


    One by one, searing Fireballs were hurled by the Mages from the high wall at that moment!


    In theory, a Mage''s magic would not be able to reach a hundred-meter range, but Backhill Vige''s high wall was more than ten meters tall. This elevation difference greatly extended the range of the magic, enabling them to hit targets nearly a hundred meters away.


    Simrly, to the archers, at such a distance, there was no need to aim. The Mages simply had to cast their spells as quickly as they could. Against the Demons, the most convenient magic was the Fireball Technique. This magic was not only low in consumption but also had clear effects. Even if the Demons had thick skins, they couldn''t possibly bepletely unafraid of fire, right?


    Indeed, that was the case. The damage caused by magic to the Demons was significantly greater than that of arrows. In fact, two or three Demons that had already been wounded by the sts were struck down by the Fireballs, unable to get up again.


    Having ounted for the Mages'' assault, the Demon Army had now faced three consecutive strikes. First came the bombardment from the Magic Cannons, then the Arrow Rain from the archers, and now the Mages'' magic. This round after round of assault was like a baptism from the angel of death, and even if the Demons'' bodies were strong, they couldn''t possibly remain unharmed.


    There''s a saying: "First we muster the energy, then we begin to g, and at the third attempt, we are exhausted." After enduring three consecutive rounds of attacks, the Demon Army''s momentum had clearly diminished, far from what it was initially. The sandstorm they raised was long blocked by the smoke raised from the Magic Cannons and was hundreds of meters away.


    Also, under the attack of Arrow Rain and magic, their speed and formation had already dispersed,cking the imposing manner they initially possessed.


    And at that moment, the two square formations that had been waiting outside the high wall sprang into action!


    Liliya and Lin Feng issued consecutivemands. Under their orders, each of the formations they led stepped forward in unison, taking the initiative to advance towards the Demon Army!


    PS: The great battle erupts! Little Detective has some confidence in depicting scenes of warfare. As the grandest battle in this mission, I guarantee it will be written splendidly. So, as always, I ask for your rmendation! Please rmend! Please rmend!

 Chapter 108 Battlefield Ghost

    Though the arrow reaches its limit, it cannot pierce the strong armor.


    First strike with vigor, weaken on the second, exhaust on the third.


    After three sessive rounds of long-range salvo, the Demon Army had lost its initial fierce momentum, nearly halving its speedpared to before, and its formation was in disarray, looking like a scattering of sand.


    It was at this time that the two square formations waiting outside the high wall started moving!


    Following themands issued by Liliya and Lin Feng, the troops in both square formations took a step forward!


    Looking at the two formations now, one would notice a different configuration from before. At this moment, Liliya and Lin Feng did not arrange their troops in a single line but instead formed them into a Cone Formation.


    The so-called Cone Formation is characterized by a small group at the front as the vanguard and arger force on the two nks.


    This formation allows the vanguard troops at the front to break through swiftly, piercing the enemy''s line like a cone, thereafter tearing apart the enemy''s formation, allowing therge forces on the nks to expand on their achievements.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The reason for choosing this formation was its focus on the vanguard; if the troops in the front could withstand the demons'' onught, therge forces on the wings would have significantly less pressure, which was the most suitable option for everyone.


    Thus, looking closely at the two formations, one would find Lin Feng positioned at the very front in the formationposed of Backhill Vige troops, with various squad leaders behind him. The situation was simr on the Guard Corps'' side, with Liliya and Monte at the forefront, followed closely by squad leaders like Sandro and Aga, and then the rest of the Guards trailing behind.


    As the two formations began to move, the Mages and Archers on the high wall alsomenced their final onught.


    At that moment, the distance between the Demon Army and the two formations was less than a hundred meters. Considering the speed of both sides, they would collide within minutes. Once they shed, the battle would turn into hand-to-handbat, significantly limiting the Archers'' and Mages'' opportunities.


    Therefore, during this brief period when the two sides were about to encounter each other but had not yet met, it became the best andst opportunity for the long-range troops.


    Archers on the high wall relentlessly fired arrows as if cost-free, spraying out Arrow Feathers, and the Mages did likewise, casting magic non-stop into the area beyond the high wall, utterly disregarding whether they had exhausted their Magic Power.


    In this situation, Arrow Feathers and Magic rained down on the Demon Army like droplets.


    Meanwhile, the booming sound of the Magic Cannons continued. The ten Skyships were also tightly chasing the tail of the Demon Army, seizing thisst chance to bombard.


    For a while, the barrennd in front of the two formations was shrouded in gunsmoke; the sounds of cannon fire, magic, and the swish of Arrow Feathers managed to overshadow the demons'' roars at this moment!


    Fairly speaking, the series of strikes delivered by Backhill Vige were extremely effective and forceful. Had it been only a few dozen demons attacking, they may have been bombarded to death before even engaging with the two formations.


    Regrettably, this time they were facing hundreds of demons!


    Although they had undergone three sessive baptisms and were at theirst breath, demons are still demons, monstrous creatures! Your journey continues with empire


    So, as the Mages, Archers, and Skyships just raised the screen of gunsmoke, the first demon fiercely burst out from it! Then came the second, the third, the fourth¡­ and then countless demons surged out of the smoke!


    In that instant, the Demon Army collided with the soldiers of the two formations!


    "Roar, roar, roar!!!"


    Amidst roaring, Monte, at the forefront of the formation, swept a ck-eyed Demon flying away with a strike from his Broadaxe. He then took two steps forward, facing another demon charging at him and swinging his axe again, making it stagger.


    However, Monte could not pursue, because he simply did not have the time. The third demon was already upon him, and all he could do was swing his axe at the demon fiercely.


    Liliya, almost side by side with him, was also facing a simr situation. Adorned in rune equipment, she was equally valiant, her Rune Longsword shining in the smoke and causing severe damage with every strike, but s, there were too many demons. By the time she cut down one demon, she barely had time to strike again before another would leap at her.


    On the other front, Lin Feng''s troops were facing a simr situation, and Lin Feng was particrly unlucky. After chopping down several ck-eyed Demons in session, he encountered an armored bull demon and was immediately engulfed in a fierce battle.


    This is characteristic of the Cone Formation. The advantage is that the vanguard troops are incredibly sharp. Correspondingly, the first-line troops also bear enormous pressure, just like Monte, Liliya, and Lin Feng at this moment.


    Stationed at the forefront, they became the prime targets of the Demon Army as soon as the fight started. Countless demons were emerging, one after another; no sooner had they hacked one down than another would strike, and had their personal strength not been exceptional, they would have likely been crushed into pulp during the initial onught.


    However, the valiant efforts of the vanguard ensured that the two square formations were not scattered during the head-on collision with the demons and even ughtered many demons.


    The demons, struck down by the vanguard before they could even rise, were immediately surrounded by arge number of soldiers converging from the nks. No matter how tough the demons'' hide, facing five or six soldiers wildly hacking with longswords proved too much; many demons died this way.


    Meanwhile, Rocky''s figure had also appeared on the battlefield, and upon his arrival, he instantly became the most active participant there.


    This time he chose not to engage the demons with his personal strength alone, as it would have been futile.


    Faced with hundreds of demons, could Rocky even make a difference if he restrained two or three of them, much less ten by himself?


    Clearly not.


    In a battle of this magnitude, individual power was insignificant. Therefore, before the battle began, Liliya had clearly instructed him to focus on two tasks. The first was tomand the distant troops before the melee began and the second was to y demons with utmost speed once the melee had started!


    These two tasks were all Rocky was meant to do in this battle, and he executed them precisely.


    In mid-air, he dove toward the ground and, using the momentum of hisnding, kicked a ck-eyed Demon in the chest. The force and inertia of the dive sent the demon tumbling, and seizing the opportunity, Rocky strode forward, raising his longsword and repeatedly stabbing the ck-eyed Demon in the chest!


    After several strikes, the ck-eyed Demon was thoroughly vanquished. Next, Rocky took arge step forward, gliding five or six meters across the ground assisted by the flying capability of his Void Magic Armor, and reached a demon who was overpowering a soldier. He swung his sword at its neck!


    It must be said, Rocky, d in Void Magic Armor, performed iparably on the battlefield. First, because his Void Magic Armor was extraordinarily powerful, strengthened by both armor and runes, he could kill an ordinary demon in three to five shes; second, he was very agile.


    After so many battles, Rocky had mastered the control of his Void Magic Armor, allowing him to quickly maneuver through various spots on the battlefield. Only he chased demons, as they couldn''t catch up to him at all.


    This made him seem like a ghost independent of the battlefield, continually seeking prey and steadily increasing his achievements.


    "Die!"


    Flying low and fast, Rocky held his longsword horizontally, using the speed of flight and the sharpness of the sword to slice past a demon. By the time hended, the demon''s neck was spraying blood, and it thudded to the ground.


    "The fifth..."


    ncing at the demon thaty motionless, Rocky gasped for breath and said, this was already the fifth demon he had in!


    The continuous ughter boosted Rocky''s morale; not only that, but he even felt that if things continued this way, they would surely win the battle.


    However, at that moment, he heard a grumbling sound, and something rolled to his feet. When Rocky instinctively looked down, he saw a human head at his feet!


    "Aga..."


    "Aga!!"


    Seeing the head, Rocky immediately widened his eyes, for it was none other than Aga, the squad leader of the Guard Corps!


    PS: The great battle is underway, please rmend, continue to rmend!

 Chapter 109 Father and Daughter

    When Rocky, donned in his Void Magic Armor, became a phantom of the battlefield, not only did he wreak havoc but he was also brimming with confidence. However, the overall situation on the battlefield was far from as favorable as he imagined; in fact, "not optimistic" would be a more urate description.


    Not every soldier on the battlefield wore Void Magic Armor!


    Those without Void Magic Armor were as fragile as paper in front of the Demons, only managing to hold off a Demon when several soldiers worked together.


    Especially when the fight turned into a melee, once the frontline troops and the wings inevitably engaged in hand-to-handbat with the Demons, the advantage of the Demons became markedly evident. Not to mention the troops from Backhill Vige, even the Guard Corps equipped with rune equipment also fell into a tough fight.


    There was no helping it; this time, there were simply too many Demons. Over a hundred Demons charged them, and even after three rounds of ranged attacks, seventy to eighty Demons still remained. With the soldiers'' ratio at two or three to one, could two or three soldiersbat a Demon? The answer was obviously no.


    The time shifted to a few minutes earlier.


    Determined to avenge Reed, Robin, who had joined the battle, truly lived up to his words. He disyed exceptional bravery inbat and, once the melee started, together with a few other Guards, managed to engage a Demon.


    However, this time the Guards were not facing a mere eight Demons but at least eighty! On such arge-scale battlefield, forming an encirclement was impossible. Robin and four or five others had just surrounded a Demon when they were immediately scattered by other Demons, leaving Robin to face a Demon alone.


    Even so, Robin did not retreat. He charged at the Demon with a shout. Admirable in courage, but the oue was predictable ¡ª he was immediately smacked away by the Demon.


    Thrown about like a kite, Robin''s shield and longsword fell to the ground. Although he quickly got up, before he could steady himself, another Demon appeared out of nowhere and swiped at his head!


    Continue your adventure with empire


    Just at this critical moment, Robin, utterly defenseless, was knocked aside.


    The one who knocked him away was none other than Aga.


    But after knocking him away, the Demon''s w harshly struck Aga, sending his head flying like a ball¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn


    There was no fierce battle.


    There was no back-and-forth confrontation either.


    Dying on the battlefield was a matter of an instant, even... quite simple.


    Witnessing all of this, Robinpletely nked out. He sat dumbfounded on the ground, the only thing he could do was stupidly watch as Aga''s headless body slowly fell,prehensively shocked.


    While he was stunned, the Demons were not. After one swipe killed Aga, the Demon immediately targeted Robin.


    Facing the Demon that was getting closer with each step, Robin continued to daydream, seemingly turning into a statue.


    But just then, whoosh! An Arrow Feather, from nowhere, whizzed past the Demon''s neck. Although it missed, it drew the Demon''s attention momentarily, and it was in this brief moment that Robin finally snapped out of it!


    Regaining his senses, he hurriedly rolled to the side, picked up the longsword and shield that had fallen to the ground, and by the time he stood up, two more soldiers had arrived. So, he roared and charged at the Demon with the other two.


    "Damn it!"


    Standing before the battlements, Dusa cursed herself fiercely. The arrow that had saved Robin was the one she had shot.


    When the battle had escted to close-quartersbat, Archers and Mages were still providing support to the battlefield as much as they could. Though they couldn''t unleash Magic and Arrow Feathers as before, they still aimed at their targets whenever possible.


    Dusa was naturally the most active one, but including the arrow just now, she had already continuously shot five arrows, yet not a single arrow had hit its target.


    This was simply unimaginable because anyone who had seen Dusa practicing archery would describe her in three words: sharpshooter.


    However, Dusa knew that the reason every arrow missed was because her hands were shaking!


    Standing on the high wall, Dusa could see the battlefield exceptionally clearly, but what she saw was not victory, only blood and death, of demons, and soldiers, but mostly of soldiers.


    For her, who was on the battlefield for the first time, the scene was too cruel,pletely different from the battles she had imagined and longed for, causing Dusa to feel scared.


    In such a situation, her hands shook every time she drew the bowstring, and arrows shot with such trembling hands naturally couldn''t hit any target; in fact, the arrow shot at Robin just then was already Dusa''s most reliable shot, the rest she didn''t even know where they had gone.


    This caused Dusa a great deal of distress, and she even kept cursing herself as useless in her heart, but the more she did so, the more her hands trembled and she couldn''t aim at any target at all.


    Until... she saw her father on the high wall.


    Standing on the high wall, shaking hands forced Dusa to put down her drawn bow because she knew she could no longer shoot any arrow feather, but just then, she suddenly saw Monte''s figure on the battlefield!


    "Father..."


    Seeing her father''s figure, Dusa''s feelings of depression and fear improved a lot because, in her eyes, her father was always a valiant warrior, her lifelong idol, but when she looked closely at Monte, her heart tightened!


    At that moment, Monte was in a very bad situation!


    In an armyposed entirely of humans, Monte, a beastman, naturally stood out tremendously, not only to other soldiers but also to demons, especially since Monte himself was extraordinarily brave, making him the prime target for demons as soon as the battle entered close quarters.


    Therefore, when Dusa noticed Monte, he was being surrounded and attacked by four demons! What was even more terrifying was that among these four demons, only three were ck-eyed demons, and the other one was the even more dangerous armored bull demon!


    Facing the attack of so many demons, Monte, with only one hand, simply couldn''t resist; it was extremely perilous, and he had been knocked down to the ground several times. If not for his indeed strong strength and abundant experience, he might have died several times over already.


    With her father in such grave danger, it was impossible for Dusa to just stand by. She hurriedly picked up her longbow, drew, and aimed it, and shot an arrow.


    However, once the arrow was shot, she didn''t know where it had flown. Monte on the battlefield, instead of receiving any support, was actually knocked down by the charge of the armored bull demon, rolling and crawling on the ground to barely avoid the follow-up attacks of the other demons.


    "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"


    Dusa on the high wall kept cursing herself, clenched her fists, and fiercely pounded the wall twice, then picked up another arrow feather, drew her longbow again, and aimed at the demon that was pursuing her father.


    "Huff..."


    "Huff..."


    "Huff..."


    After breathing deeply three times, Dusa loosened her fingers, and with a whoosh, she shot out the arrow feather!

 Chapter 110 Blowing for a Year!

    Struggling to control her trembling hands, Dusa took careful aim and finally loosed the arrow!


    With a whoosh, the arrow feather shot forth with a sharp piercing whistle, and in a blink, struck the demon in the shoulder!


    Hit!


    Seeing that she had finally hit her target, Dusa almost cried out in joy, but she quickly suppressed her delight because she saw clearly that her father still received no support from her shot. The demon, struck in the shoulder by an arrow, seemed utterly unaffected and continued its fierce pursuit.


    In such circumstances, Dusa immediately drew another arrow feather from behind her, nocked it onto her longbow, aimed, and released another arrow.


    With a whoosh, this arrow feather hit the demon''s chest, followed swiftly by Dusa shooting a third arrow, which also struck the demon!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    She''s got her groove back!


    Three sessive, urately aimed shots let Dusa gradually regain her usual form and restored the confidence she had lost for a moment. She continued to draw and release arrows, targeting the demon relentlessly pursuing her father.


    Undeniably, as part of the ranged troops, archers are a force that cannot be ignored in any battle, even against demons. However, due to the demons'' incredibly tough, thick skins, ordinary archers find it hard to inflict real damage.


    To enable archers to y their role effectively inbat against demons, people had already greatly improved arrow feathers through continuous battles.


    Today, the most powerful arrow feathers aren''t made of wood but are crafted from the spines of Hundred-thorn Demons. Resembling huge hedgehogs, these demons have hundreds of spines that are harder than steel but amazingly light, making them the best material for making arrow feathers.


    These arrow feathers crafted from spines are known as Piercing Arrows, allowing even the most ordinary archer to wound a demon.


    Regrettably, any equipment made using demon parts is extremely expensive, and Piercing Arrows are no exception. One Piercing Arrow costs a whole Gold Coin, a price too steep for the archers from Backhill Vige, and Dusa couldn''t afford them either; they could only use ordinary wooden arrow feathers.


    In this case, even though Dusa hit the demon with five or six arrows consecutively, the damage inflicted was very limited, only causing the demon to cry out in pain twice.


    But don''t forget, in such fierce battles, life and death are decided in an instant. Thus, when the demon, relentlessly pursuing Monte, cried out in pain from the consecutive hits, Monte seized the opportunity to raise his broadaxe and chopped at the demon''s neck, instantly causing blood to spurt from the wound.


    Monte, having escaped danger, was unaware that it was his daughter''s support that had saved him. He had barely caught his breath after ying the demon before he rushed off in another direction where three soldiers were being attacked by another demon¡ªhe wanted to help out.


    Seeing her father out of danger, Dusa also breathed a sigh of relief, but she soon shifted her target and aimed her bow and arrows at another demon.


    This time, her target was an armored bull demon!


    Equal in might to the Grayrock Demons, thebat power of the armored bull demons was significantly stronger than that of the ck-eyed Demons. Their horns, which topped their heads, were the perfect weapons, capable of prating even shields once they charged, added to the scale armor that covered their bodies, making them nearly unstoppable once they began their assault.


    In this assault, there were about a dozen armored bull demons among the hundreds, not a high proportion, but still, they were among the most dangerous creatures on the battlefield. Aside from Rocky, Lin Feng, Liliya, and Monte, the strongest warriors, ordinary soldiers targeted by these demons were inevitably either killed or severely wounded.


    As Monte''s daughter, Dusa''s understanding of demons was naturally far superior to that of ordinary people. Thus, once she had regained herposure and adapted to the brutality of the battlefield, she focused on the biggest threat out there!


    Having set her sights on the armored bull demon, Dusa slowly drew her longbow, not releasing the arrow feather immediately as she usually did, but taking good aim for a while before gently loosening the bowstring in her hand.


    An arrow shot forth, and after a blink, it urately struck the neck of the armored bull demon, immediately causing it to bellow in pain!


    The armored bull demon was covered in scale armor from its feet all the way to its neck mane. Hence,bating such a demon required breaking through the scale armor with immense strength, or else targeting the neck and head, which were not covered in scales.


    Particrly the neck of the armored bull demon; though it was covered in thick mane, it was the most vulnerable part of its body. Dusa''s arrow targeted precisely this spot and pierced directly through the mane into its neck!


    Unfortunately, as the saying goes, the power of wooden arrow feathers is extremely limited. Even though Dusa had so precisely struck the armored bull demon''s weak spot, the damage inflicted was minuscule.


    But it seemed Dusa already knew this would be the case. No sooner had she released one arrow than she pulled out a second arrow feather, drew her bow, aimed, and fired just like before!


    Another arrow struck its mark, the armored bull demon cried out in pain again, but before its cries could end, a third arrow arrived in the blink of an eye and hit its neck once more.


    After this, the fourth, fifth, and sixth arrows followed in quick session, each striking the armored bull demon''s neck with unwavering uracy!


    The impact of one arrow feather was indeed small for the armored bull demon, even if it hit a vital area, but what about two arrows? Five? Ten? Fifteen?


    If a vital spot was hit repeatedly by a dozen arrows, even the armored bull demon couldn''t bear it, could it?


    When the neck was struck by another arrow, the unlucky armored bull demon turned and roared furiously at Dusa on the high wall, as if bellowing for Dusa toe down and face her death.


    Clearly, the armored bull demon had no concept of what a Sharpshooter was, and it didn''t realize how ridiculous it was to roar in anger towards the target of a Sharpshooter.


    So as the armored bull demon kept roaring, Dusa''s lips couldn''t help but curl up slightly, and she nonchntly pulled out another arrow feather, slowly drawing her longbow.


    The constant drawing of the bow had caused Dusa''s shoulders to ache unbearably, and her delicate fingertips were raw and bloody from pulling the bowstring repeatedly, each draw causing excruciating pain.


    But when she drew the longbow yet again, she didn''t even furrow her eyebrows as she immediately released another arrow!


    This arrow, as if alive or endowed with awareness, flew straight from the bowstring towards the roaring demon and in a split second pierced through the armored bull demon''s eye, half of the arrow feather instantly prating into its brain!


    The roar stopped abruptly, and the massive body of the armored bull demon fell to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust...


    With just her own strength, Dusa had actually killed an armored bull demon!


    This result was simply unbelievable. Considering the formidable strength of the armored bull demon, even a dozen normal soldiers might not be a match for it, and even if Lin Feng and Rocky wanted to kill it, it would have been exceedingly difficult. Yet Dusa achieved it, using her astonishingly exceptional archery skills to kill an armored bull demon!


    Such a feat, without exaggeration, was enough for her to boast about for a year!


    However, although Dusa was gradually regaining her form and achieving impressive results, as previously stated, in battles of this scale and level, the power of one person could hardly sway the oue of the battle, not even Rocky d in Void Magic Armor could achieve that.


    As Dusa was gradually regaining her form and earning impressive results, Rocky too was continuously killing demons. At this time, although he had not kept an exact count, he had killed at least seven or eight demons.


    But what of it?


    "Die!"


    A sword chopped onto the neck of a ck-eyed Demon, and Rocky, with bloodshot eyes, immediately decapitated the demon, but he didn''t even have time to breathe before quickly sliding away eight meters using the mobility of the Void Magic Armor.


    "No!"


    Using the rapid slide of the Void Magic Armor, Rocky roared but could only watch helplessly as a ck-eyed Demon bit into a soldier''s shoulder and then violently jerked its neck upwards, tossing the bitten soldier into the air. By the time Rocky arrived with utmost speed, the soldier had already fallen to the ground, dead...


    In anger, Rocky then ruthlessly thrust his sword into the chest of the ck-eyed Demon. When the first stab didn''t prate, he thrust a second time. The second stab didn''t prate either, so he thrust a third time, finally skewering the ck-eyed Demon through and through.


    After killing this demon, he immediately soared into the sky, and from his aerial perspective overlooking the entire battlefield, his heart sankpletely...

 Chapter 111 The Last Barrier

    Rocky''s personalbat power in this battle could indeed be described as unrivaled. With the augmentation of the Void Magic Armor, he even killed more demons than the Level Six Warrior, Lin Feng. Yet, this still could not change the tide of the battlefield.


    When Rocky flew midway into the sky and looked over the entire battlefield, his heart turned cold because even he, a novice who had only participated in a few battles, could tell that the situation was quite disadvantageous for his side!


    His spree of killings did nothing to shift the overall unfavorable situation. In fact, ever since the battle had escted to closebat, the situation had steadily tilted toward the Demon Army.


    This scenario was not because the soldiers weren''t fighting desperately; on the contrary, from his vantage point in the sky, Rocky could clearly see every soldier on the battlefield fiercely battling the demons.


    Not just the soldiers, but the archers and mages on the high walls were also doing their utmost to support the fighting, and even the Skyships, which were less effective in the melee, were trying their best to contribute.


    The ten Skyships repeatedly lowered their altitude, now down to just over ten meters above the ground. Only at this height could the gunners improve their uracy enough to strike at the demons without mistakenly hitting their own forces in the melee.


    Yet even with everyone''s bravery, the Demon Army still held an absolute advantage...


    As the fighting reached a phase of intense intricacy, the soldiers'' formations werepletely disrupted. Without the protection and bnce of their formations, the soldiers couldn''t confront the demons with their individual strength.


    On the other hand, as soon as the battle turned into closebat, particrly during the intensely heated deadlock phase, the monstrous nature of the Demon Army became apparent. The demons, with their robust bodies, immense strength, and seemingly endless stamina, had their advantages increasingly amplified on the heated battlefield.


    Although the troops from Backhill Vige also had some standout moments during this process, such as Lin Feng, the Level Six Warrior who was unmatched on the battlefield. Not to mention the ck-Eyed Demons, even more formidable were the Armored Bull Demons, two of which were killed by Lin Feng alone!


    Liliya and Monte''s performances were equally remarkable. Liliya leading a small team of guards killed at least four demons, and although Monte wasn''t leading a team, his personal strength also achieved nearly the same results. In addition, Dusa had also killed an Armored Bull Demon, making their aplishments quite outstanding.


    One could say that in localized skirmishes, the forces from Backhill Vige did indeed havemendable performances, but looking at the entire battlefield presented a different picture altogether.


    Across the entire battlefield, except for a few individuals, the vast majority of soldiers who werebating the demons were being steadily pushed back. Not to mention killing many demons, it was considered lucky if they could save their own lives under the demon strikes. Yet even this low standard was met by only a few.


    In such circumstances, one could only imagine the casualties of the troops. When Rocky surveyed the entire battlefield, he saw more bodies than living people. The destend was littered with corpses lying in every direction, the blood seeping from their bodies staining the ground in spots.


    Among these corpses, some belonged to demons and others to soldiers, but Rocky did not know exactly how many were soldiers'' bodies. Ten? Twenty? Or fifty? He couldn''t count. He just knew they could not continue fighting like this!


    This battle could not continue this way any longer because if it did, the victor was sure to be the demons!


    Thinking this, he released a Magic sh towards the sky, instantly illuminating the entire battlefield sky!


    Seeing the radiant light, soldiers fighting the demons quickly began retreating toward the high wall behind them, as if obeying a certain order.


    It was indeed amand, amand for a full retreat!


    In the two days waiting for the demon attack, Rocky and the others had been studying the tactics for this battle, covering every possible scenario and formting various ns.


    One of those ns was to retreat behind the high walls and use them as a final barrier for defense when the situation turned extremely unfavorable.


    The decision of which n to use and when to execute it was left to Rocky''s discretion, as only he could move freely across the battlefield with the advantage of the Void Magic Armor and oversee the entire situation from the air.


    Now, Rocky felt it was time to implement this final n!


    After signaling for retreat to everyone on the battlefield, Rocky did not retreat with the others. Instead, he dove back into the battlefield, fighting the demons alone while everyone else fought as they retreated.


    This was not because Rocky had lost his mind¡ªit was a pre-nned strategy!


    Once he issued the retreat signal, it meant the battle had entered a highly unfavorable stage, and retreating under such circumstances would not be easy, especially since the demons were not fools who would simply allow everyone to withdraw behind the walls.


    So it had already been nned that once Rocky signaled the retreat, all squad leader-level individuals in the two units would hold off the demons as long as possible to allow more troops to reach the safety of the high wall. Then, the squad leaders would retreat, followed by Lin Feng, Liliya, Monte, and others, with Rocky being thest to withdraw.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Because of these well-prepared arrangements, although the situation on the battlefield was highly unfavorable for Rocky and his team, the retreat process did not degenerate into a chaotic rout. As the retreat began, both ordinary soldiers and guards, whether acquainted or not, immediately grouped and started falling back slowly.


    Meanwhile, squad leaders from the two units quickly gathered around Lin Feng, Liliya, and the others, blocking the demons under their lead.


    In this, Rocky''s courage was paramount as he returned to the battlefield and once again chose to personally contain the demons.


    What worked at one time may not at another. Initially, containing the demons had little effect, but now, as the main forces began retreating toward the high wall, the significance of containing the demons became apparent. If Rocky could hold off even one or two demons, the pursuing demon forces would be reduced ordingly.


    Moreover, after such a prolonged battle, although the human side had suffered heavy casualties, the Demon Army was not unscathed. The earlier counterattack by the long-range units had killed a dozen or twenty demons, and ensued by the fiercebat, now there were probably less than fifty demons left, likely only about thirty to forty.


    This was why Rocky chose this moment to retreat. Thirty to forty demons could still exert terrifyingbat power on the battlefield, but against a high wall, they might not be able to cause much trouble.


    In other words, as long as the remaining forces could retreat behind the high wall and make theirst stand with the wall as their backing, there was still hope for victory in this battle, the only hope for their sess!

 Chapter 112 By Ones Own Strength!

    As long as the troops on the battlefield could return to the high wall, the advantage of the wall would be enough to drive back the remaining demons. This was Rocky''s only hope of winning the battle.


    And to achieve this, to allow as many troops as possible to retreat, Rocky naturally took the lead to be the vanguard blocking the demons!


    While the other soldiers retreated towards the high wall, he charged at the demons, constantly drawing their attention with the advantage of the Void Magic Armor.


    Gliding instantly to a demon, Rocky raised his hand for a sh, immediately slid to the side, and struck another demon with his sword, then retreated after the blow and targeted other demons.


    With the agility of the Void Magic Armor, Rocky continued to harass the demons through relentless repetition. His goal wasn''t to kill arge number of demons, but to attract their attention to the fullest, keeping the monsters focused on him.


    He had done the same thing in thest battle, so he had experience on how to attract demons and how to entangle with multiple demons at once. It did not take long before at least six demons were enraged, directing their spears at him.


    "Come on...e on... all of you,e here..."


    To ensure that the demons always followed him, Rocky did not fly into the air. If he flew away, the demons would target others, so he always used the Void Magic Armor to glide close to the ground, shing at any demon he encountered to draw in more of them.


    At the same time, he absolutely did not engage in a drawn-out battle with the demons. Last time, he had put himself in danger by doing so, and Liliya ended up getting hurt trying to protect him. So, this time Rocky had learned his lesson. He wouldn''t entangle with the demons and would simply use the Void Magic Armor to soar into the sky and shake off any pursuing demon, nothing more.


    Without a doubt, Rocky had grown a lot through ceaseless battles. Before this mission, he hardly had any encounters with demons, and the only time he did, he cooperated with Liliya. Now, due to this mission, he had rapidly grown into a qualified warrior, whether in skills, experience, or on-the-spot judgment.


    In such a situation, an astonishing scene urred on the battlefield. Arge number of human soldiers were retreating toward the high wall, and the gate had already opened. The first group of soldiers had even made it back, but the demons did not take advantage of the situation to pursue a victory. At this critical opportunity, over half of them were distracted by one person.


    That person was naturally Rocky!


    From up high on the wall, one could see Rocky weaving through the battlefield alone, with a long tail of demons relentlessly chasing him, uttering furious roars. Over twenty demons were chasing Rocky at that moment, resembling a pack of hungry wolves pursuing a fleeing rabbit.


    These hungry wolves were frenzied, baring their teeth and shing their ws as they chased. It was easy to imagine that once they caught their prey, they would unquestionably tear it to shreds.


    However, the pursued rabbit was quite clever. Despite being in constant flight amidst dangers, it always managed to escape from the gaping jaws of the hungry wolves, even taking the chance to attract more during the chase!


    Thus, the situation on the battlefield underwent yet another change.


    At this moment, there were fewer than forty demons left on the battlefield, and there were still about a hundred soldiers withbat capabilities. With this ratio, if they continued to fight head-on, Backhill Vige would be undoubtedly defeated. Even if the troops started retreating, the demons would certainly not give them this chance.


    But it was because of Rocky''s sessful diversion, that more than half of the demons had their attention fixed on him. He led them around the battlefield as if walking dogs, drastically reducing the pressure on the others.


    Under the cover provided by Lin Feng, Liliya, Monte, and a host of other squad leaders, along with the support of Archers and Mages on the high walls, even the demons that Rocky hadn''t drawn away were blocked from chasing down their victory, allowing more and more troops to make it back inside the high walls.


    Once the bulk of the troops had safely returned, Lin Feng, Liliya, and the others also led the various squad leaders in a fighting retreat, eventually making it back to the high walls under the cover of Archers and Mages!


    "Hold it! Everyone, help me hold the gate!"


    Retreating to the gate of the high walls, Lin Feng grabbed a shield from someone unknown and took the lead in front of the gate, together with Liliya and the other squad leaders, they all became the most solid barricade, blocking the demons that were attempting to storm the high walls with them outside.


    Meanwhile, noticing that everyone on the battlefield had managed to retreat, an utterly exhausted Rocky leaped into the air and soared towards the nearest Skyship, bellowing, "Fire! All hands, open fire!"


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    At his roar, the nearest Skyship immediately started bombarding the battlefield, followed by other Skyships unleashing their cannons, turning the battlefield outside the high walls into a field of explosions almost in the blink of an eye.


    At the same time, the Archers and Mages on the high walls once again began to unleash their fury, sending a barrage of Arrow Feathers and Magic beyond the walls.


    Obviously, now that all the troops had retreated behind the high walls, the ranged units had another opportunity toe into y, an opportunity that was incredibly precious, especially for the Skyships.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    That''s because once the demons started to attack the high walls, the Magic Cannons couldn''t fire anymore¡ªotherwise, the cannons themselves would be sufficient to bring down the walls without waiting for the demon assault.


    In this situation, the gunners aboard the Skyships didn''t have the time to aim. They used the Magic Cannons to bombard wildly, firing until the barrels glowed red hot, firing until there wasn''t a speck of Mana left in the Magic Cannons.


    At the same time, Rocky had already flown back to the high walls, but he didn''t stay on top; instead, he flew directly toward the camp.


    After the intense fighting just now, especially thest stage where he single-handedly held off half of the demons, the Mana in his Void Magic Armor was almost depleted. Whether he liked it or not, Rocky had to recharge his Void Magic Armor.


    Until the Void Magic Armor was fully charged and Rocky could return to the front, the troops that had retreated back to the high walls had to rely on themselves.


    Fortunately, with the bombardment from the Skyships, not only did Lin Feng and the others withstand the demon''s onught at the gate, but they also managed to close it sessfully.


    "Barricade the gate! Quick! Use whatever you can find!"


    The moment the gate closed tightly, a massive bolt, which took several soldiers to lift, was thrust across it, yet this was clearly not enough; a single bolt could not withstand the following assaults of the demons. Therefore, Lin Feng immediately ordered to bring all the heavy objects they could find to thoroughly block the gate.


    Under hismand, carts, barrels, and evenrge grindstones from the vige were moved over,pletely sealing the gate shut.


    After that, Lin Feng, Liliya, and the others charged up to the high walls.


    However, the moment they reached the top, the deafening sound of the bombardment stopped, immediately sinking their hearts. They quickly leaned on the battlements to look down, only to see that the demons had gathered below the high walls and started assaulting the walls with their strong bodies!

 Chapter 113 Turning the Tide!

    When Lin Feng and Liliya were peering down from the top of the wall, they discovered that the demons had already begun to charge the high wall!


    After another round of cannon fire, the number of demons had significantly decreased, but there were still nearly thirty. All the demons that survived the cannon fire rushed to the base of the wall!


    Unlike the sieges conducted between humans, the demons'' method of attacking the wall was hardly admirable; this group of monsters could only rely on their robust bodies tounch a direct and brutal assault on the wall.


    This crude form of assaultcked any aesthetic value but was undeniably effective. Take the armored bull demon, for example, it charged at the wall, and its hard horns easily shattered arge portion of the wall, yet it was unscathed itself.


    Compared to the formidable armored bull demons, the ck-eyed demons were much weaker in all aspects, but they were also a lot more agile. The few ck-eyed demons that survived the bombardment jumped up as they reached the wall, clinging to it with their sharp ws and climbing up swiftly like geckos.


    The extremely hard wall seemed like tofu under the ws of the ck-eyed demons, not only failing to stop them but rather providing these monsters with the perfect foothold. When Lin Feng and Liliya looked outside the wall, the fastest ck-eyed demon had already climbed up five or six meters!


    "Archers and mages, fall back, soldiers, forward!"


    Seeing the demons attacking the wall, particrly the ck-eyed demons crawling up, Lin Feng immediately issued orders.


    This was where his abundant experience came into y. Had a novice been inmand, they would surely have used this opportunity to let the archers and magesunch an attack, which would undoubtedly be the case.


    However, this approach, while seemingly logical, was utterly impractical. After such a prolonged battle, the archers and mages were already exhausted, with both their arrows and magical power nearly depleted. At this point, letting the ranged troops continue to attack would have limited effect.


    Moreover, given the not-so-great height of Backhill Vige''s walls, it wouldn''t take long for the ck-eyed demons climbing up to reach the top, and even if only one made it up, it would spell sure disaster for both archers and mages!


    In these circumstances, the ranged troops on the wall were immediately withdrawn, with the few remaining soldiers taking their ces. However, no sooner had the soldiers positioned themselves than the first demon arrived!


    The first ck-eyed demon to climb over the wall leaped onto the walkway, but before it couldnd, the quick-reacting Liliya stabbed it in the chest with her sword, causing the demon to scream and fall back down.


    But after that, more demons leaped onto the wall one after another. At first, the soldiers could still sh or kick them down like Liliya had, but once a demon firmly made it onto the wall, the situation quickly deteriorated.


    The first demon that secured a foothold on the wall swept through three soldiers with one swipe of its w and then leaped towards further soldiers, throwing everyone into disarray. With the soldiers panicked, more demons made it onto the wall.


    Thus, the battle on the wall began!


    After the bitter struggle beforehand, the soldiers still standing on the wall were fewer than a hundred, and each one was exhausted and wounded. Although the number of demons had also significantly reduced to a few dozen, the soldiers were still unable to hold their ground.


    Even Lin Feng and Monte, the two mightiest warriors, were beginning to falter.


    Facing a swipe from a ck-eyed demon, Lin Feng steadied himself with his longsword, but he was pushed back two steps by the strike before he could stop¡ªa scenario unimaginable for him as a level six warrior. Under normal conditions, he should have been able to make the ck-eyed demon recoil with a single stroke.


    But that was the reality. Even someone as strong as Lin Feng was drained of his strength during the battle, and he was forced to give ground under the demon''s assault, making the situation worse for everyone else.


    So, when the battle on the wall started, the demons jumping onto the wall gradually gained the upper hand, forcing the soldiers into a relentless retreat without any chance to fight back.


    With a heavy crash, Liliya quickly rolled to the side, and then a loud thump followed as the giant foot of the armored bull demon stamped down hard where she had just been.


    But at that moment, Liliya had no time for fear; she leapt up from the ground and struck the shoulder of the armored bull demon with her sword, the force of which surprisingly shattered the demon''s scale armor and sank into half its chest.


    This was trouble!


    Given the demons'' tenacious vitality, the only way to effectively kill them was to cleave them in twain with a single blow; failing that, even grievous wounds could allow a dying demon tounch a fierce counterattack. That was exactly Liliya''s situation now!


    Her sword, having sunk into the armored bull demon''s shoulder and chest, did not deal a killing blow, but instead got stuck!


    And just as Liliya struggled to pull her sword out, the badly wounded armored bull demon roared and pounced at her!


    What immense strength does an armored bull demon have?


    And how narrow is the walkway on the wall?


    Embraced fully by the armored bull demon, Liliya almost in an instant crossed over the battlements, falling outside the high wall...


    "Liliya!"


    "No!!"


    "Captain!"


    The moment Liliya fell outside the wall was witnessed by many. Lin Feng shouted, Monte sprinted towards the battlements, and the guards beside Liliya were simply stunned.


    No one could have anticipated such a turn of events. How could Liliya die?


    She was wearing equipment second only to Void Magic Armor! She had been leading everyone in battle until now! How could she possibly die like this!?


    "Captain!"


    Not only the soldiers on the high walls found it hard to ept such a scene, but even the guards on the skyships surrounding the walls saw Liliya fall from the wall. Felly, who was in charge ofmand, burst into tears. He rushed to the bow and yelled for his captain, but couldn''t do anything. He could only watch helplessly as Liliya and the demon fell together from the wall¡­


    But just at that moment, a figure flew in from nowhere. It soared like a swallow, leaping down along the high wall and just a few secondster, the figure rose back into mid-air.


    Rocky!


    The figure hovering in mid-air, naturally, was Rocky d in Void Magic Armor, and in his arms, he held Liliya!


    "It''s the City Lord!"


    "The City Lord has arrived!"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "The Lord has arrived!!"


    Watching Rocky rise slowly from outside the high wall and having also rescued the almost certainly doomed Liliya, the guards atop the wall were the first to burst into cheers. Excited, they had forgotten that they should call Rocky the captain here, for they only knew their leader had arrived!


    In fact, not just the Guard Corps, but also the soldiers from Backhill Vige unconsciously let out shouts. Although these soldiers were not under Rocky''smand, and were not even familiar with Rocky, his performance in two consecutive battles had already conquered them.


    Soldiers worship the strong, just as the soldiers from Backhill Vige respect Lin Feng. Rocky''s leadership in battle and the formidable strength he showed with the Void Magic Armor had impacted the soldiers of Backhill Vige greatly, earning their deep respect. Therefore, when he appeared, Backhill Vige too seemed to see their savior and shouted excitedly!


    Among the soldiers'' loud shouts, Rocky ced Liliya on the high wall and then handed her his side sword.


    "Use my sword for now."


    Having said that, he once again leaped down the high wall and when he returned shortly after, he already had in his hand Liliya''s longsword which she had left on the demon.


    This longsword was crucial not to lose, for it was a Rune Longsword personally made by Winsel, its power even greater than the side sword of Void Magic Armor.


    "Warriors!"


    Having retrieved the Rune Longsword, Rocky, hovering in mid-air, bellowed, "For Backhill Vige! For our families! And for ourselves! Kill these demons!!"


    In his roar, hovering in mid-air, he flew straight at a demon. With a swing of his sword, he cleaved the demon in half!


    One sword strike to kill a demon!


    The power of the Rune Longsword was finally unleashed to its fullest extent in that moment!


    Following that sword strike, the guards who had been continuously retreating on the high wall suddenly surged in morale, and inspired by him, engaged the demons inbat once more!


    It''s strange how things work. Before Rocky''s appearance, the soldiers were nearly overwhelmed by the demon''s onught. No, not nearly¡ªthey were indeed overwhelmed. But after his arrival, they seemed to regain their full strength, charged with boosted morale, and courageously fought against the demons once again.


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    It was not only the soldiers; even Lin Feng and others, upon seeing Rocky re-enter the fray, seemed to shed all their exhaustion and once again gained the upper hand against the demons.


    At the same time, Rocky''s presence brought not just morale but also a significant enhancement to everyone''s strength!


    In his hands, the true power of the Rune Longsword was finally unleashed. With the enhancement of the Void Magic Armor, Rocky now possessed the strength of a Level Four Warrior. Under this powerful influence, the Rune Longsword left no challenger standing!


    The ck-eyed Demons were thick-skinned and tough, and ordinary weapons found it hard to fatally wound them. However, the Rune Longsword, personally forged by Winsel, was no ordinary weapon. Its power even surpassed regr Mana Weapons, making each of Rocky''s strikes deadly to a demon.


    Even the stronger Armored Bull Demons found no advantage under the Rune Longsword; their scale armor could not withstand its strikes, often sumbing within two or three shes.


    Thus, the situation on the battlefield changed once again.


    One, Two, Three¡­


    Rocky sliced through the demons, charging into any that appeared in front of him.


    Four, Five, Six¡­


    After slicing down a demon, he immediately turned and charged another direction.


    Seven, Eight, Nine¡­


    With a sweeping strike, he decapitated a demon. Rocky immediately turned back, then in surprise, he realized there were no more demons on the high wall¡­


    The demons attempting to climb the high wall had been killed off without anyone realizing!


    PS: The biggest battle till now has finally ended. I hope everyone liked it? With this battle over, Rocky is about to return to Sky City and he''s bringing massive gains with him. So, as I always say, the uing chapters will be even more exciting. Please rmend! Please rmend!


    Please rmend!

 Chapter 114 The Terrible Cost

    ```


    Unbeknownst to them, the demons¡­ had all been killed?!


    Rocky, who was scanning the high walls left and right, could hardly believe the oue, but sure enough, as he looked around, he found that all the demons on the walls were lying on the ground, indeed there were no living demons left!


    They¡­ had actually won?


    This battle, they had won!


    "We''ve won!!!"


    After confirming that there were no living demons left, Rocky finally roared towards the sky!


    With his roar, all the soldiers who were still standing on the walls, even those barely breathing, let out a cheer together! Many of them shed tears in their cheer.


    They truly had reason to cheer, they had every right to shed tears for the victory of this battle, because it was all well-deserved!


    With a force totaling no more than three hundred people, plus ten skyships, they faced off against more than a hundred demons and ultimately achieved victory. Such a military feat was something to be proud of no matter where they went or who they mentioned it to.


    In the battles of humankind against demons, numerous fights involved more troops than theirs facing fewer demons, yet resulted in defeat, not to mention those were not few in number, but this time Rocky and hisrades had won. Perhaps this victory could not be considered unprecedented, but it certainly qualified as a splendid and outstanding triumph!


    "All able-bodied men, immediately tend to the wounded!"


    After the cheering and shouting had subsided, Lin Feng immediately gave the order. The final oue of the battle was their victory, but the number of wounded soldiers was also countless. So, after a brief moment of joy, everyone began the urgent work of treating the wounded.


    Rocky, who had performed exceptionally well in this battle, exhausted hisst ounce of strength in the cheering, and finally copsed on the ground due to exhaustion, just as he had done previously. He was ced on a stretcher and urgently carried back to camp.


    The reason Rocky was able to return to the battlefield so quickly, rescue Liliya at the critical moment, was not because his Void Magic Armor was fully recharged. In fact, when he returned to the battlefield, the Void Magic Armor had only replenished a third of its mana. Therefore, in the final stages of the battle, the Armor''s mana was already depleted.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    This meant that the Void Magic Armor was effectively useless during thest stages of the fight!


    After this mission, he had reflected carefully on the situation and still had no answer; he didn''t know how he had managed to fight to the end in his heavy armor.


    But now none of that mattered because they had won this crucial battle, and that was enough!


    Completely exhausted, Rocky fell into a deep sleep as soon as he was ced on the stretcher. He didn''t even know how he was carried back to the tent. Fortunately, all post-battle operations were managed by Lin Feng and others, so it was no big deal that he slept through it all.


    He slept straight through to the next day, and only then did he wake up from his deep slumber and, unsurprisingly, saw Liliya.


    "Has the casualty count been tallied?"


    As soon as Rocky opened his eyes and saw Liliya, his first question was about the casualty count because he knew that although they had won the battle, the victory must have been incredibly harsh. He wanted to know how many soldiers of the Guard Corps were left.


    Liliya, who had been joyful at Rocky''s awakening, saw her smile fade away by half at that moment, then she sat by Rocky''s bed and nodded at him: "It has been tallied, the losses of both units are very severe¡­"


    Then, Liliya went on to ry the casualties after the great battle to Rocky.


    In this battle, not including the skyships and the guards on them, a total of 267 people from Backhill Vige and the Guard Corps participated inbat, of which there were 100 ranged troops, and 167 soldiers engaged the demons in direct confrontation.


    ```


    But when the battle ended, only 178 soldiers were left alive, among whom only 92 soldiers who had directly participated in thebat survived, with 75 casualties!


    Also, during the battle at the tall wall, two demons had broken into the vige, resulting in 14 deaths among the 100 ranged troops that had been withdrawn.


    In other words, after the battle, Backhill Vige and the Guard Corpsbined suffered 89 deaths, a casualty rate of nearly forty percent!


    And this was only the death toll. The number of injured soldiers was beyond counting, because there wasn''t a need to¡ªevery soldier who survived the battle was injured, with the only difference being the severity of their wounds.


    "......"


    Although he had anticipated it, Rocky still fell into silence after hearing everything Liliya had to say.


    Casualties were an inevitable price of war, especially in the war against demons. In fact, if judged solely on the scale and oue of this battle, a forty percent casualty rate was not only not high, it was actually quite low! Facing a battle against hundreds of demons, not just a forty percent, but even a fifty percent death rate, or even total annihtion, would not have been surprising!


    Yet such heavy losses were still hard for Rocky to ept, so after a brief silence, he asked,


    "How about the casualties of the Guard Corps?"


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    "The Guard Corps... they are... not too bad, I guess..."


    With a sigh, Liliya replied to the question, "The Guard Corps lost 32 people inbat, and among those injured, another 13 will never be able to serve as guards again..."


    "Sigh... the casualties are so heavy..."


    After hearing Liliya''s report, Rocky let out a long sigh. Previously, nearly ten guards had died in the sessive attacks by demons, and now 32 more had perished in this battle. All in all, of the hundred guards Rocky had brought to Backhill Vige, nearly half had died, and among the remaining half, many hadpletely lost their fighting ability and could no longer serve as guards...


    Saddened by such a grim oue, Rocky didn''t know what to say. He sat on his bed, lost in thought for a long time, then suddenly seemed to remember something and hurriedly asked, "What about Monte? And Dusa, is the little girl alright?"


    "They''re all fine."


    "That''s good... that''s good..."


    Monte, Dusa, and Liliya had not met with any idents in the battle, which was probably the only thing that could make Rocky feel happy and relieved. So after this, he got up from the bed.


    "What are you going to do?"


    Seeing him rising to leave, Liliya quickly asked because his condition wasn''t good, and he should continue to rest.


    "I need to see Lin Feng and Old Jack, it''s time for them to make a choice," Rocky responded.


    Although the losses of the battle pained Rocky deeply, it was exactly because of such a painful cost that he felt it was time to reveal his identity and purpose to Lin Feng and the vige elder, Old Jack. They either had to follow him and leave, or stay here and wait for death, but Rocky was absolutely not going to take care of them anymore!


    PS: Three chapters today, ask for rmendations!

 Chapter 115 The Great Migration (Part 1)

    The battle that had just ended had fulfilled Commander Rocky''s mission, so he did not n to stay here a minute longer. However, there were two things he had to take care of before leaving.


    The first was to collect his rightful reimbursement, consisting of ten thousand Gold Coins, five hundred pounds of Yellow Scale Mine, and all the bodies of the Demons. These were Rocky''s dues, and the very reason he had undertaken this mission, so he had to take these items with him before departing.


    The second matter was Rocky''s n to reveal his identity to Lin Feng and Old Jack and to persuade them to lead the vigers of Backhill Vige to leave with him.


    Thus, upon leaving the camp, he went directly to meet Lin Feng. However, as he just arrived at Lin Feng''s residence, he saw several carts of ore parked outside the house, which indicated that Lin Feng had already prepared the reimbursement without needing a reminder.


    Indeed, that was the case. When Rocky entered Lin Feng''s residence, he not only met Lin Feng but also Old Jack.


    "Commander Rocky."


    Upon seeing Rocky, Old Jack was the first to stand up and warmly thanked him, then said, "Commander Sir, we have prepared themission for this mission, ten thousand Gold Coins and five hundred pounds of Yellow Scale Mine all loaded onto carts.


    As for the bodies of the Demons, I had Captain Lin Feng send people beyond the high wall to retrieve them as much as possible, and it should be ready by tomorrow."


    "Thank you, vige chief."


    Rocky nodded and did not offer thanks because these were his entitlements, earned through the blood and lives of he and the Guard Corps, no thanks owed to anyone.


    After that, he cut short any further pleasantries and directly asked, "Vige chief, and Captain Lin Feng, do you have any ns for the future?"


    "Well¡­"


    Upon hearing this, both Old Jack and Lin Feng furrowed their brows, and then Old Jack said with augh, "We are still considering it. Anyway, we truly thank you, Commander Rocky, as without your cooperation against the Demons, our vige would not have known how to survive this ordeal."


    Old Jack was indeed a wily old man, skillfully bringing the topic to a close without any fuss.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    This was actually quite normal, for the affairs of Backhill Vige were really not something Rocky, a foreigner, should be concerned or meddling with. However, he had asked about it twice now, and if not for him and the Guard Corps indeed helping Backhill Vige resist the Demon attacks, Old Jack and Lin Feng would certainly not have been courteous to him.


    Yet, it seemed as if Rocky did not understand Old Jack''s hint and continued, "Gentlemen, do you really think you can withstand another attack from the Demons after I leave?"


    With these words, Old Jack and Lin Feng''s expressions indeed began to sour¡ªfirstly because Rocky''s repeated probing annoyed them, and secondly, because what Rocky said was absolutely true!


    It didn''t matter whether he was entitled to meddle, but his point was undeniable¡ªthat once he and his troops left, could Backhill Vige withstand another attack from the Demons?


    The answer was clearly no. After a series of brutal battles, Backhill Vige had suffered much more than the Guard Corps, not only were there more injured soldiers, there were also many more deaths and even the high walls were riddled with holes.


    The high wall had sustained severe damage during the Demons'' assault, especially during the initial charge by the armored bull demon, which caused extensive cracks in the wall. Had the battle not ended when it did, the wall might have copsed!


    So when Rocky led the troops away, Backhill Vige could hardly gather effective defensive forces in a short period of time. It would take at least one to two months, or even up to six months, for them to possibly recover. However, in such a prolonged period, the demons would certainly not remain inactive and even a single attack by the demons could wipe out Backhill Vige!


    This matter also troubled Old Jack and Lin Feng. So, when Rocky made this issue clear, both their faces looked incredibly grim.


    Even so, facing Rocky, an outsider, Old Jack still forced a smile and bared his teeth, "Commander Rocky, we naturally have..."


    "Vige chief, I actually have a suggestion."


    Not waiting for Old Jack to finish his words, Rocky interrupted, "Vige chief, and Captain Lin Feng, my identity is not merely that of a Mercenary Groupmander, or rather, I am not really amander at all."


    Looking at Old Jack and Lin Feng, Rocky slowly said, "In fact, I am the City Lord of a Sky City."


    Just as expected, when Rocky revealed his identity, both Old Jack and Lin Feng gasped!


    The two had indeed harbored doubts about Rocky''s identity before because as a City Lord, Rocky exuded a demeanor unlike ordinary people. Backhill Vige had not hired mercenaries for the first time to help with defense, and they could naturally spot that this ''Commander'' was different from othermanders.


    However, the limit of their imagination was to think of him as a noble who had concealed his identity, but they had never imagined that he was the owner of a Sky City!


    No wonder this was the case, for during the Sky Era, the status of a Sky City Lord was regarded as the most noble rank. No matter how noble you were or how long the suffix title of your nobility was, without being a City Lord, it was all nonsense!


    Therefore, no matter how hard Old Jack and Lin Feng racked their brains, they could never have imagined that a City Lord would lead troops to carry out such a dangerous task! Were they insane?


    In this context, the way they looked at Rocky changed, and it had to change, for the gap between them was far too great.


    It was only after Old Jack and Lin Feng had regained theirposure that Rocky continued to speak, "Gentlemen, I think you are well aware of the situation in Backhill Vige. If the demonsunch another attack, you definitely won''t be able to withstand it."


    "I understand that you have your own reasons to remain living on thend, and even your own beliefs, which I deeply respect. It is precisely your fearlessness in fighting the demons that has preserved thest sanctuary for people on thend and prevented the demons frompletely overtaking it." Explore more at empire


    "However, I think not fearing death and waiting for death are not the same thing. What do you think?"


    While speaking, Rocky looked at Old Jack and Lin Feng, waiting for them to absorb everything he had said before he continued, "Therefore, I hope you carefully consider the suggestion I am about to make for the sake of all the vigers in Backhill Vige."


    "I suggest... moving all the people of Backhill Vige to my Sky City."


    Looking at Old Jack and Lin Feng, Rocky slowly stated.


    Upon hearing his words, both Old Jack and Lin Feng furrowed their brows tightly and simultaneously fell into silence.

 Chapter 116 The Great Migration (Part 2)

    Actually, as soon as Rocky had made his identity known, Old Jack and Lin Feng had already anticipated the suggestion he might make, so when he finally voiced it, neither of them showed much surprise; instead, they both fell into silence.


    This reaction was certainly a good sign for Rocky since their hesitation to immediately refuse meant they were considering it.


    In fact, this was indeed the case; Old Jack and Lin Feng were seriously considering Rocky''s suggestion, not because it was particrly good but because Backhill Vige had very few options left.


    If they disregarded Rocky, then Backhill Vige would inevitably face the next wave of attacks from the demons, and no matter how quickly the vige tried to repair or even hire other mercenary groups to help, nothing could guarantee the vige''s survival from the next wave of demon attacks.


    However, if they agreed to Rocky''s proposal, it would mean that everyone in Backhill Vige must give up their homnd and move to an entirely unfamiliar environment to live, and in this strange environment, they could no longer dictate their own terms, which posed a great challenge to the people of Backhill Vige.


    Therefore, making a choice was indeed a significant dilemma.


    "Commander Rocky... rather, Lord Rocky, could you give us some time to think..."


    After a moment of contemtion, Old Jack nced at Rocky.


    However, Rocky shook his head, "Vige Chief, we don''t have much time. I only have ten skyships; if you really wish to relocate, then we must hurry as no one knows when the demons might attack."


    Rocky''s words were not untrue; Backhill Vige had over a thousand vigers, but he only had ten skyships. So even if they didn''t bring anything else, just transporting these vigers to Thunderhawk City would take two or three days, indeed leaving no spare time to overthink.


    Moreover, Rocky harbored his own motives; now was when Backhill Vige was most helpless and desperate. Under such circumstances, Old Jack and Lin Feng were highly likely to agree to his proposal. But if they dyed too long and the two of them thought of another solution, then Rocky''s attempt to take all the vigers to Thunderhawk City would be difficult.


    Thus, from the beginning, he had not nned to give Old Jack and Lin Feng much time to think; they had to make a decision immediately and stick to it.


    Under these circumstances, Old Jack thought for a long time and even whispered with Lin Feng for a while before they finally came to a decision.


    "Alright, Lord Rocky, we agree to your suggestion..."


    With a hint of reluctance, Old Jack delivered the final answer; he agreed to relocate all the vigers of Backhill Vige to Thunderhawk City!


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    Hearing this answer, Rocky merely nodded outwardly, but internally he shouted in triumph!


    If it weren''t for the presence of these two men, he would have loved to fiercely swing his fist right now, for this would mean the poption of Thunderhawk City could potentially double!


    A doubled poption!


    In today''s age, the size of a Sky City''s poption directly determined its rank. This was not without reason, for therger the poption, the greater the productivity, and the greater the productivity, the stronger the Sky City would be; also, arger poption could form a bigger army, and arger army naturally meant greater strength¡ªit was a simple fact.


    And thus, the poption has always been the scarcest resource. Although there could be poption movements among the Sky Cities, a small city like Thunderhawk had no chance of attracting new inhabitants from other cities. For Thunderhawk, not to mention doubling the poption, even increasing it by ten percent was extremely difficult!


    But now, once the vigers from Backhill Vige were relocated to Thunderhawk City, the city''s poption would instantly double, which would undoubtedly y an enormous role in the city''s future development.


    So, having confirmed this matter, Rocky immediately set to work on arranging the relocation, acting as though he feared Old Jack might have a change of heart.


    On one hand, he had Old Jack and Lin Feng exin the situation to the vigers, while on the other, he personally oversaw the task of organizing the skyships for transportation.


    Just like that, the day after the great war had just ended, Backhill Vige became busy.


    Old Jack and Lin Feng gathered all the vigers, including Rocky, introduced Rocky''s new identity to everyone, and also exined the situation facing Backhill Vige, thereby mentioning that everyone would be relocated to Sky City.


    Upon hearing this news, the vigers were naturally filled with astonishment, and some were even unwilling. Therefore, Rocky delivered a speech, which was almost identical to what he had used to persuade Old Jack and Lin Feng.


    With the clear outline of the pros and cons, and with the assistance of Old Jack and Lin Feng by his side, the vigers of Backhill Vige had eventually epted the result.


    After that, the great migration kicked off in full swing!


    Under the arrangement of Rocky, ten skyships began transporting vigers to Thunderhawk City continuously. Although these ten skyships were strictly speaking warships, and also small-sized scout ships, with a carrying capacity iparable to cargo ships, each skyship carrying twenty vigers was still achievable.


    Thus, ten skyships could transport two hundred vigers at a time, and going back and forth five or six times was enough to move all the people of Backhill Vige.


    Of course, it wasn''t just the vigers who were to be transported; other items from the vige, like the warehouse of Backhill Vige, were also to be moved.


    In the warehouse of Backhill Vige were not only food supplies but also Gold Coins, and even demon cores from Demons! Could Rocky possibly give those up? Of course not!


    Furthermore, the necessities of life needed by the vigers were to be transported as much as possible. Thunderhawk City originally had just over a thousand inhabitants, and now that number had suddenly doubled, which made amodating the additional people a big issue.


    Next were the spoils of this mission. Although after the migration began, Rocky''s biggest gain from this mission became the popce, he did not want to forsake themission that was rightfully his, especially the bodies of hundreds of Demons, and several thousand pounds of Yellow Scale Ore!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    There''s no need to mention the bodies of the Demons, after having gone through two major wars, the number of killed demons had reached into the hundreds, and the majority of these bodies had been recovered inside the vige. Rocky definitely wanted to take as many as possible.


    As for the Yellow Scale Ore, normally Rocky, afterpleting a mission, could only take away five hundred pounds of Yellow Scale Ore. But now, with the vigers of Backhill Vige following him, the freshly mined ore naturally belonged to him as well.


    You should know that even if mining in Backhill Vige had only been conducted for twenty days, the excavated Yellow Scale Ore amounted to several thousand pounds. These ores could be sold to any Chamber of Commerce for tens of thousands of Gold Coins. How could Rocky possibly give them up?


    Given the circumstances, he had to make arrangements as efficiently as possible, first using the skyships to transport the vigers, then the spoils and items from the Backhill Vige warehouse, and finally the necessities of daily life, in that order.


    However, the relocation of over a thousand people was definitely a major project. Though simple to arrange, serious difficulties arose when it actually came time to act, so Rocky promptly had Vosse down after the first batch of vigers had been transported, hoping to utilize his experience to help with the migration.


    Upon arriving at Backhill Vige, Voss didn''t disappoint Rocky''s hopes; always based in Thunderhawk City, he might not have known what had happened, but after quickly understanding the situation, he immediately took over the coordination work from Rocky. Under hismand, the speed of the migration improved significantly.


    Time passed by day by day, and on the third day after the start of the migration, all the people of Backhill Vige were sessfully transported to Thunderhawk City, where Aileen, who was stationed there, was responsible for settling them in.


    Then, within three more days, the bodies of hundreds of Demons, several thousand pounds of Yellow Scale Ore, and the warehouse of Backhill Vige were also emptied.


    Meanwhile, during these days, the Demons did not appear, it seems they were just as Rocky had previously thought. The Demons, already scarce around Break-Sky Mountain, had been exhausted in thest fight. Although it wouldn''t be long before more Demons would appear, at least before thepletion of the migration, the Demons would note.


    Thus, the work of migration was nearing its conclusion. Three dayster, the necessities of life packed by the vigers were also transported to Thunderhawk City by skyship, trip by trip. By the time the skyship came to Backhill Vige for thest time and took Rocky and others away, Backhill Vige had already be an empty vige!


    In the whole vige, besides the houses that could not be moved, everything that could be taken was taken by Rocky!


    After that, Rocky left Backhill Vige with thest trip of the skyship. Standing at the prow of the skyship, watching as the vige became increasingly tiny in his sight and nowpletely empty, he couldn''t have been more satisfied!


    PS: Three updates delivered! Please rmend!!

 Chapter 117 Gesya City

    With a brimful of gains, Rocky took thest skyship out of Backhill Vige and returned to his own Thunderhawk City.


    Standing at the bow of the skyship, Rocky was in high spirits, or rather, his mood had to be good, for the rewards from this mission were simply too great!


    The originalmission for this mission was merely ten thousand Gold Coins and five hundred pounds of Yellow Scale Ore, plus a portion of Demon Corpses. If all thesemissions were converted to Gold Coins, the total sum would definitely not exceed one hundred thousand Gold Coins. Of course, for Rocky and Thunderhawk City, this was already considered a huge amount of money.


    But now, when Rocky truly left Backhill Vige, the gains he acquired far exceeded his expectations.


    Let''s not talk about hismission which initially belonged to him, nor the over a hundred Demon Corpses, or even the thousands of pounds of Yellow Scale Ore¡ªit goes without saying. Even excluding these, Rocky still had other gains.


    For example, everything in the storage of Backhill Vige!


    The warehouse of Backhill Vige was not particrlyrge, but it waspletely equipped, containing not only Gold Coins and food but also over a hundred Demon Cores!


    Long before this mission began, Aileen had mentioned that The Forsaken People were very wealthy since they not only possessed the resources of thend but also those of the Demons. Backhill Vige was just such a case.


    Years of battling with Demons had allowed Backhill Vige to umte arge number of Demon Cores. Whenever the vige encountered an emergency, the vigers would sell these cores to the Chamber of Commerce of Sky City in exchange for needed resources. Now, with Rocky having emptied the whole of Backhill Vige, these Demon Cores, umted over years, belonged to him!


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    Demon Cores, ah!


    There were at least a hundred of them umted by Backhill Vige, and once these cores were sold, how much money would that be?


    So, counting this profit, this time, he''s probably going to earn over several hundred thousand Gold Coins!


    Several hundred thousand Gold Coins!


    My God, even thinking about that number made Rocky drool. He, who had been troubled about money since traversing to this world, had never seen so much Gold!


    And all these earnings were still those that could be measured in numbers. In reality, his most significant gain from this time was precisely what could not be calcted with numbers or Gold Coins, which was the poption of Backhill Vige!


    The more than one thousand vigers of Backhill Vige would henceforth be residents of Thunderhawk City. Two months ago, Rocky had just started economic reforms in Thunderhawk City; new industries were waiting for manpower to be developed and constructed.


    At such a critical period, the sudden increase of more than a thousand people was self-exnatory in terms of what it meant for Thunderhawk City, right?


    At the same time, among these more than a thousand people, several hundred were experienced soldiers who would undoubtedly greatly strengthen Thunderhawk City''s power. After all, the troops of Backhill Vige were not rookies; they were veterans who had fought against Demons for countless years!


    A single mission, with so many tangible and intangible gains, how could Rocky not feel ted.


    And with such a tremendous gain, what would the future hold for him and Thunderhawk City?


    It would undoubtedly be on the rise!


    So, if it weren''t for the presence of outsiders, Rocky really wanted to dance andugh out loud just to express the joy in his heart.


    At this point, some might ask, the rewards from this mission were indeed huge, but let''s not forget, how many people died for this mission! Since human life cannot be measured in money, is the profit earned at the cost of so many lives truly worth it?


    Rocky didn''t know the answer to that question. He only knew one thing: If so many had died and nothing was gained, that would be the true loss!


    ......


    ......


    And so, Rocky left Backhill Vige with his full gains, leaving in high spirits, and he really should be d, for his gains from this time were enormous indeed.


    But as the saying goes, joy for some often means sorrow for others. When Rocky happily returned to Thunderhawk City, on the other side of the continent, someone was worrying.


    Gesya.


    In this world, Gesya is known as the God of the Earth, said to be the one who nurtured thend and bestowed life upon all creatures dwelling on it. Legend has it that he, along with the God of the Sky, gave birth to the seas, making him the father of the Sea God. In the mythological system of this world, Gesya holds an exceptionally important position.


    But now, people no longer believed in such myths and legends, because no one was blind. When Demons began to invade thend, the deities of the myths were nowhere to be seen. Gesya, the so-called God of the Earth, was missing without a trace, letting Demons upy thend. Under such circumstances, who would continue to worship him?


    For the people of today, Gesya no longer represented the God of the Earth; instead, it denoted a city.


    One of only three remaining cities onnd is called Gesya City!


    Today, after demons have upied thend for a hundred years, there are only three ces left onnd where people still live and can be called cities, and Gesya City is one of them.


    This city is located on a vast in, almost asrge in area as the Top Ten Divine Cities in the sky, and is home to hundreds of thousands of people. It can be said to be one of thest strongholds onnd.


    However, anyone who has personally visited this city would be incredibly surprised because Gesya City is situated on a in surrounded by expansive grasnds, with no naturally defensible terrain. How could such a city hold out so long against the attacks of demons?


    If someone thought this way, they would be terribly mistaken, or rather, anyone who had such thoughts obviously had not seen the full picture of Gesya City. Indeed, the city is located on a in and one can see endlessnd all around the city, but if one looked farther, they would see the true face of the city.


    A hundred li away from Gesya City lies a swamp nearly a thousand kilometers wide. This vast swamp encircles the city like a giant serpent, protecting Gesya City from the approach of demons. Even high-level demons, faced with a swamp nearly a thousand kilometers wide and fathomless, are at a loss.


    The swamp is known as the Karina Great Swamp, meaning "insurmountable," and it is precisely because of this insurmountable swamp that Gesya City remains one of the only three cities left onnd!


    Only now, the situation seems to have changed a bit¡­


    Above the vast swamp, there appeared a fleet of skyships numbering in the hundreds. Each warship in this fleet is of thetest model, especially the gship of the fleet, which is over two hundred meters long, equipped with nearly a hundred newest type magic cannons, and carries thousands of crew members and hundreds of soldiers donning Void Magic Armor!N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The highest officer of this gship, who is also the suprememander of Gesya City¡ªSiberius¡ªis currently wearing Void Magic Armor, floating in midair, and surveying the opposite shore of the swamp under the protection of a Void Magic Squad.


    Following Siberius''s gaze to the other side of the swamp, one would find itpletely covered with demons!


    At this moment, the number of demons gathered on the other side of the swamp is unimaginably high, so much so that one couldn''t even begin to count them.


    Are there ten thousand demons?


    No.


    Fifty thousand demons?


    No.


    One hundred thousand demons?


    No!


    The demons surrounding the swamp are easily in the millions!


    Millions of demons are packed around the Karina Great Swamp, thoroughly surrounding Gesya City both inside and out, making it imprable, a scene that even Siberius, who had led Gesya City through the Second Counteroffensive War, couldn''t help but be startled by.


    "What on earth is going on..."


    Hovering in midair with the aid of the Void Magic Armor, Siberius looked upon the endless horde of demons, his brow knotted in deep concern. A month ago, demons began congregating around the swamp; in just a short month''s time, their numbers grew from a few hundred or thousands to the scale it had reached now, and it appeared that their numbers were still increasing.


    Who is Siberius?


    Being themander of one of humanity''sst three cities onnd, his strength and abilities have reached an unrivaled level, but even he had never faced a situation like the one before him.


    However, drawing on his lifetime of experience fighting demons, he could tell that something major was about to happen, a catastrophe!


    Therefore, he swiftly called his lieutenant, "Inform the Kafka Empire, the Sky Alliance, and the Magic Energy Research Institute about our situation here. Ask them to sendrge Sky Cities to eliminate the demons as soon as possible, and also contact the other two cities to see if they too have encountered simr situations."


    "Yes, sir!"


    With a quick response, the lieutenant immediately returned to the gship and ryed Siberius''s orders.


    The Kafka Empire, the Sky Alliance, and the Magic Energy Research Institute that Siberius mentioned are the three superpowers in the sky. Over eighty percent of the Sky Cities are dependent on these three forces for survival, and even the monstrous Top Ten Divine Cities have seven of them divided among these three powers!


    Clearly, Siberius felt that the abnormal behavior of the demons in the recent month was serious enough that the three superpowers must be informed!


    PS: It''s still three updates today! So continue to ask for rmendations!

 Chapter 118 Astronomical Numbers!

    "Finally... I''m back!"


    Rocky had no way of knowing what was happening on the other side of thend, but now that he had returned to Thunderhawk City, he stood at the Skyport, arms wide open as he took deep breaths, because he was finally back, finally home! Experience new tales on empire


    Although this mission hadsted only a month¡ªno, in fact just over twenty days¡ªthe ordeal felt like a lifetime to Rocky. Each day of the mission dragged on endlessly, every battle seemed like it could be thest. This relentless pressure made Rocky long for Thunderhawk City and the days when he was the City Lord.


    Being City Lord is really the best...


    It was only after facing the hardships and dangers of the mission that Rocky truly appreciated how blissful it was to be City Lord.


    "My Lord! Wee back!"


    As Rocky was musing to himself, Aileen, who had been managing Thunderhawk City during his absence, had already approached him, clearly having waited for some time.


    Aileen''s face was likewise adorned with a joyful smile, showing her happiness upon seeing Rocky. It was evident that during Rocky''s absence, Aileen had missed him, even if just a little.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Hahaha, Aileen, you''ve worked hard during this time!"


    Seeing Aileen made Rocky burst intoughter, then, without further discussion or allowing for refusal, he gave her a big hug.


    Another hug from the City Lord.


    To his peculiar habits, Aileen seemed to have grown ustomed, so she did not resist being embraced by Rocky.


    After the embrace, Rocky led the group that had returned with him onto a carriage and headed straight for the City Lord''s Mansion.


    "My Lord, the vigers from Backhill Vige have all been settled," Aileen reported to Rocky, who hadn''t even waited until they reached the City Lord''s Mansion to start briefing him.


    This wasn''t because she was impatient, but rather because the treasures Rocky brought back were astonishingly numerous, so much so that Aileen could hardly imagine it. Naturally, this made her extremely excited, hence she had been busy without pause ever since the great migration began, and she wasn''t done yet.


    Of all her tasks, the most crucial was settling the over one thousand vigers who hade from Backhill Vige, a number roughly equal to the existing poption of Thunderhawk City! To amodate these vigers, Aileen had been incredibly busy.


    Thankfully, Thunderhawk City was big enough; even with an additional thousand people, there was still enough housing avable.


    Some might wonder how a small Sky City like Thunderhawk could be considered ''big.''


    That question would only be asked by someone unfamiliar with the matter. Although Thunderhawk City''s poption was just over a thousand, it didn''t mean that the city could only amodate a thousand people.


    In fact, the standard housing capacity for any small Sky City is around five thousand, so with a poption of just one thousand, there were plenty of vacant houses and lots of unusednd in Thunderhawk City.


    Under these conditions, the vigers from Backhill Vige were quickly housed within the city and given residences as soon as they arrived. The process wasplex and time-consuming, but with the cooperation of Old Jack, Lin Feng, and others, there were no incidents.


    Once they had a ce to live, the migration could be considered more than halfway done, so when Rocky returned to Thunderhawk City, the one thousand plus vigers from Backhill Vige were almost all settled.


    "You''ve worked hard," Rocky said after listening to Aileen''s report, letting out a sigh of relief. He had to admit that Aileen''spetence was truly remarkable. Though her official role was finance officer and resettling people wasn''t her forte, Aileen had managed everything perfectly, saving Rocky a lot of trouble, since he was, in fact, the city''s administrative officer!


    After nodding at Aileen, Rocky asked, "Aileen, have you finished inventorying the spoils of war?"


    "Yes! The inventory isplete!"


    At the mention of the spoils he brought back, Aileen''s eyes immediately sparkled, and the tiredness on her face vanished, reced by radiance and vitality.


    "My Lord, not only have Ipleted the inventory of the treasures from Backhill Vige, but I''ve also divided them into three categories," she excitedly reported.


    "Firstly, there''s everything from the storehouse of Backhill Vige. After inventorying, there were a total of fifty-two thousand three hundred and twenty-one Gold Coins, which have now all been deposited into the treasury of Thunderhawk City.


    Including our existing surplus and the forty thousand gold coins in Commission, there are now a total of seventy-four thousand eight hundred and thirty-three Gold Coins in the city. This amount is sufficient for purchasing next quarter''s food supplies or importing yarn and leather; it''s enough tost us through the year."


    Whenever money was mentioned, Aileen''s spirits soared, and she even calcted down to the veryst Gold Coin!


    "And the second major item among the spoils is ore."


    No sooner had Aileen finished counting the Gold Coins in Thunderhawk City''s treasury than she continued without giving Rocky the chance to ask any questions: "From Backhill Vige, you brought back 3999 pounds of Yellow Scale Ore, all of which have now been stored in the storeroom."


    "I asked around a few days ago, and the market price for Yellow Scale Ore is approximately eight to ten Gold Coins per kilogram, so if we were to sell all of this Yellow Scale Ore, we could fetch at least thirty to forty thousand Gold Coins."


    Thirty to forty thousand Gold Coins... This wasn''t a small sum either, especially for Thunderhawk City.


    However, among the spoils Rocky had acquired this time, the ore was still the lesser part; the real bulk of the loot was yet toe.


    Demon Corpses and Demon Cores!


    This was the greatest gain from Rocky''s venture!


    So, after discussing the Yellow Scale Ore, Aileen naturally brought up the Demon Corpses and Demon Cores, and her little face was so flushed with excitement as she spoke about them.


    "My lord, the most important spoils you brought back this time are the Demon Corpses. I''ve counted them, and you brought back a total of one hundred and thirty-five Demon Corpses, among which there are one hundred and twenty-two ck-eyed Demons, and thirteen armored bull demon corpses."


    "Out of these one hundred and thirty-five corpses, ny-nine areplete Demon Corpses, the rest are either iplete or are corpses pieced together from various limbs, but this is not a problem, even these corpses can be sold for money."


    "As for the price of these Demon Corpses, I asked Monte, and he said that the corpses of ck-eyed Demons might fetch about three to five thousand Gold Coins apiece, depending mainly on the demand from buyers.


    And the price of an armored bull demon is particrly high, worth at least ten thousand Gold Coins each, and if it''s in perfect condition, with horns and Scale Armor intact, the price could be even higher."


    "By this estimate, just by selling all the Demon Corpses, we could make over two hundred thousand Gold Coins!"


    "That much?! Can we really sell them for over two hundred thousand Gold Coins?"


    Aileen''s estimate made Rocky''s eyes widen in disbelief!


    Two hundred thousand Gold Coins... The Demon Corpses he brought back could actually be sold for so much money?!


    For Rocky, who had been poor since his arrival in this world, two hundred thousand Gold Coins were an astronomical figure. He didn''t evenprehend what that amount could signify!


    "My lord, I''m not lying to you. The Demon Corpses you''ve brought back can indeed be sold for over two hundred thousand Gold Coins, and..." Aileen nced at Rocky as she spoke, smiling broadly, and very happily, because she then went on to say, "And this two hundred thousand Gold Coins'' worth of ie doesn''t even include the Demon Cores."


    Don''t forget, apart from arge number of Demon Corpses, Rocky also brought back a substantial number of Demon Cores!


    So Aileen continued:


    "This time, you brought back a total of two hundred and thirty-one Demon Cores, all from ck-eyed Demons. I''ve already asked Monte, and he said the Demon Cores from ck-eyed Demons are not that valuable..."


    "But even if they aren''t worth much, each Demon Core can still be sold for at least one thousand Gold Coins. Thus, if we sell all these Demon Cores, then earning over two hundred thousand Gold Coins will still be easy for us."


    "Another two hundred thousand..."


    Upon hearing this number, Rocky waspletely bbergasted!


    It suddenly seemed to him that he couldn''t quite keep up; the Demon Corpses could earn two hundred thousand Gold Coins, and the Demon Cores could also earn two hundred thousand Gold Coins. How much was that when added together?


    Four hundred thousand!


    So, if he sold both the Demon Corpses and the Demon Cores, Rocky could make four hundred thousand Gold Coins!?


    Four hundred thousand... The number had a staggering impact on him. For Rocky, it was simply an astronomical sum!


    PS: The second update! Please continue to rmend!

 Chapter 119 Not Enough to Spend?

    Four hundred thousand Gold Coins... For Rocky, that was absolutely an astronomical sum!


    For a moment, Rocky even felt his breathing be rapid, experiencing a tension and excitement he had never known before!


    With so much money, how should he spend it?


    Money, naturally, is to be spent, and the purpose of making money is to spend it. Hence, after epting this astronomical sum, the first thing Rocky thought of was how to use this money to develop Thunderhawk City.


    Unfortunately, he who had always been worried about money suddenly couldn''t think of a way to spend it!


    Because now the coffers of Thunderhawk City were quite substantial; as its City Lord, he no longer had to worry about food, yarn, and such. But suddenly not having to worry about these things left Rocky feeling at a loss¡ª if he wasn''t worrying about these things, what should he worry about?


    After much thought, Rocky finally rified his ideas; he wanted to use this money to develop Thunderhawk City and expand his strength!


    Firstly, he would use the money to elerate the pace of Thunderhawk City''s economic reforms, then make another trip to Eternal City, hire more technicians, and have more people start learning leather manufacturing techniques. At the same time, he would also build a leather manufacturing factory in Thunderhawk City, setting the city''s manufacturing industry on the right track.


    This was something he had never considered before because he didn''t have the money to build a factory. In Rocky''s original n, even if the residents of Thunderhawk City learned leather manufacturing techniques, they would still, just as now, do manual production at home. Thinking about building a factory was a n far in the future.


    But now he had money, so to take out tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand Gold Coins to develop Thunderhawk City had be easy. Under these circumstances, previously unfeasible ideas could now be realized!


    Besides the development of Thunderhawk City itself, he would also use this money to enhance Thunderhawk City''s military strength. If the economy was the soft power, then the military naturally was the hard power.


    The mission to Backhill Vige not only allowed Rocky to genuinely experience a war against Demons but also to understand many things. For instance, through continuous battle, he increasingly realized the importance of the Void Magic Armor.


    In this mission, he was the only one who possessed Void Magic Armor, yet thebat power disyed by just this single set of armor was enough to rival an entire squad of soldiers, no, even more exaggeratedly so. Because judging from battle achievements alone, Rocky had killed more Demons in various battles than an entire squad of soldiers.


    And if he could have a fullyposed Void Magic Squad, how much would Thunderhawk City''s strength be enhanced?


    Unfortunately, a fully-formed Void Magic Squad would require ten people, and considering the exorbitant cost of Void Magic Armor, even Rocky with his four hundred thousand Gold Coins couldn''t form such a squad all at once. However, he could start by buying one or two sets of Void Magic Armor!


    Not to mention much else, once he sold the Demon Corpses, Demon Cores, and ores, he would definitely have enough to purchase two sets of Void Magic Armor. When the time came, giving one set to Liliya and another to Monte or Lin Feng, even like this, Thunderhawk City''s strength would see a significant increase.


    And then there was the Skyship, something Rocky absolutely mustn''t forget.


    In this mission, the Skyship had yed a far greater role than Rocky had anticipated, giving him apletely new perspective on Skyships.


    Having started with his own Void Magic Armor and then extremely fortuitously discovering Mana Runes, a top-tier technology, Rocky hadn''t paid much attention to Skyships, even thinking that in front of Void Magic Armor, Skyships would be of no use.


    However, this mission changed that ingrained idea; Void Magic Armor was indeed strong, but Skyships were by no means weak, especially in aerialbat where, in some respects, their role could even surpass that of the Void Magic Armor.


    Furthermore, the price of Skyships was substantially cheaperpared to Void Magic Armor, which was a crucial factor.


    Take thetest Fifth Generation Void Magic Armor, for instance, the cheapest model on the market ranged from 80,000 to 100,000 Gold Coins, and the price could double, or even triple, for some of the more powerful models. Your next read awaits at empire


    But thetest models of Floating Warships, especially the small ones, were significantly cheaper by arge margin. Rocky remembered thest time he saw a new model Reconnaissance Ship on the weapon market in Eternal City; it was priced at only 50,000 Gold Coins. And if it were an older model or a second-hand Floating Warship, then the price would be even cheaper.


    In such circumstances, Rocky felt that he should also purchase a few Skyships. Currently, Thunderhawk City only had ten Skyships, all outdated Reconnaissance Ships, and it was time to expand the fleet.


    After all, when facing demons, he could send the soldiers into battle, but between Sky Cities, thebat was dominated by Void Magic Armor and Skyships¡ªordinary soldiers simply couldn''t y a significant role.


    In addition to the Void Magic Armor and Skyships, it was naturally necessary to provide benefits for the soldiers, such as new equipment.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    In this mission, the power and utility of rune equipment were fully demonstrated. The casualty rate of the Guard Corps equipped with rune equipment was at least half that of the Backhill Vige troops in ordinary gear.


    This was despite the fact that the Guard Corps consisted of new recruits with little battle experience, while Backhill Vige''s troops were veterans with substantialbat experience.


    If the Guard Corps were to undertake the same mission again, Rocky believed that with the protection of rune equipment, the casualty rate among the Guards would be even lower!


    That was the role rune equipment yed on the battlefield, and Rocky felt it was essential to rece all the Guard Corps'' gear with rune equipment!


    Andstly, there were the Mana Runes.


    As the ace of aces and a secret among secrets in his hands, Rocky thought that once he had money, he should further expand the applications of rune equipment. Currently, he had only used Mana Runes on equipment, but could runes be used on Skyships or Magic Cannons as well?


    Both Skyships and Magic Cannons relied on Mana for flight and firing. Since Mana was being used, Mana Runes certainly had a role to y. It was just that Rocky currentlycked the technical expertise in this area.


    In fact, Rocky had this idea for a while but, being a transmigrator, his understanding of Magic Energy Technology was limited. Although he had specifically purchased many books on hisst trip to Eternal City, his learning progress was very slow.


    Therefore, he felt that he should hire a real teacher, preferably an expert in the Magic Energy Domain, to improve his skills in this area as quickly as possible.


    In light of this, Rocky had a rough direction on how to spend the 400,000 Gold Coins.


    Part of the money would be used for the construction of Thunderhawk City, a rough estimate would be about 100,000 Gold Coins;bined with the current treasury of Thunderhawk City, it would definitely be sufficient. The remaining 300,000 Gold Coins would be allocated for purchasing Void Magic Armors, Floating Warship battleships, and also weaponry and equipment for the soldiers.


    And if there was any surplus afterward, Rocky would hire a teacher for himself so that he could learn all about Magic Energy as quickly as possible and maximize the effectiveness of Mana Runes.


    Heavens... after making these ns, Rocky roughly tallied up the budget and found that the 400,000 Gold Coins were almost entirely allocated, and even... might not be enough?!


    PS: Third release! Seeking rmendations! Seeking rmendations! Seeking rmendations!

 Chapter 120 Domestic Affairs (Part 1)

    Rocky had never imagined that the staggering sum of 400,000 Gold Coins, which he had casually allocated, would suddenly be insufficient to cover the expenses.


    This money... was it really that easy to spend?


    In fact, it wasn''t that the money was easy to spend, but rather that Rocky had too many ces to spend it. If an ordinary person had 400,000 Gold Coins, they could live a life of daily luxury and squander it all, and still have enough tost a lifetime.


    However, Rocky was using this money to develop his own city and expand his army. In front of a city, in front of an army, what was 400,000 Gold Coins? No, it was not much at all; this amount could only be considered a mere trifle, something that could be spent with a mere flick of the fingers!


    By this time, the carriage had already arrived at the City Lord''s Mansion, finally returning home, and Rocky could put aside the matter of money, as there were still many other issues waiting for his attention.


    Now, Thunderhawk City, having absorbed the entire Backhill Vige, had too many decisions waiting for him as the City Lord to make, and so, upon returning to the City Lord''s Mansion, he didn''t even have time to rest before heading straight to the City Lord''s Hall.


    In the City Lord''s Hall, he met Liliya and Monte, who had returned just before him; he also encountered Lin Feng and the distant elder of Backhill Vige, Old Jack.


    "City Lord, wee back!"


    Once Rocky sat down in the City Lord''s designated seat in the hall, Liliya, leading the group from Thunderhawk City, immediately greeted him with a bow.


    Seeing the way Liliya and the others acted, Lin Feng and Old Jack also bowed to Rocky shortly afterward and also started addressing him as City Lord.


    Clearly, Lin Feng and Old Jack were still not ustomed to this; having always lived onnd, they were obviously not yet adapted to the customs of Sky City, but there were certain rules they had no choice but to adapt to, such as recognizing the change in Rocky''s status.


    In Backhill Vige, Rocky''s role might have been just the leader of a Mercenary Group, at most on par with Lin Feng, or even lower than Old Jack, but now Backhill Vige was no more, and in Thunderhawk City, there was only one authority, and that was City Lord Rocky!


    So when these two men met Rocky again, regardless of what thoughts they had, they had to respectfully call him City Lord and bow, otherwise, it would be considered rebellious.


    "Lord Jack, Lin Feng, are you two adapting well to life in Thunderhawk City?"


    After everyone had bowed, Rocky asked with a smile to Old Jack and Lin Feng, who had returned several days before him and had already been living in Thunderhawk City for some time.


    "Thank you for your concern, City Lord. Everything has been well arranged, and everyone, including myself, is very satisfied," Old Jack replied with all his usual tact, having a wealth of experience and being able to choose his words carefully, even though he was still somewhat unfamiliar with the customs of Sky City.


    "That''s good to hear."


    This response pleased Rocky greatly because Old Jack cleverly included the over a thousand vigers from Backhill Vige in the term ''everyone,'' which made it soundfortable to Rocky; here was Thunderhawk City, and every person here was a resident of Thunderhawk City¡ªthere was no concept of Backhill Vige here anymore!


    So, nodding his head, Rocky then said to everyone, "Everyone, you have all worked hard on this mission; on behalf of the over two thousand residents of Thunderhawk City, I thank you."


    After saying this, he then turned to Old Jack, "Lord Jack, do you have any suggestions for the development of Thunderhawk City?"


    "Hmm? This¡­"


    Faced with Rocky''s sudden question, Old Jack was clearly taken aback, unsure of how to respond, and what puzzled him even more was why Rocky would ask him such a question.


    After everyone from Backhill Vige had relocated to Thunderhawk City, the so-called vige chief''s role lost its significance¡ªafter all, he had no voice in Thunderhawk City!


    Just when Old Jack was at a loss, Rocky smiled and said, "Lord Jack, the previous administrative officer of Thunderhawk City was banished by me six months ago, so the position has been vacant. I wonder if you''re willing to take on this role?"


    So it turned out that Rocky wanted Old Jack to be the administrative officer of Thunderhawk City!


    This was something he had been considering for the past few days. He felt that Old Jack, as the vige chief of Backhill Vige, definitely had more experience in administration than anyone else, and since Thunderhawk City had already absorbed Backhill Vige, Old Jack obviously couldn''t continue as the vige chief.


    However, he could take on the role of administrative officer, which would also relieve Rocky himself.


    As for Rocky''s proposal, Old Jack took a while to react but soon agreed!


    In Old Jack''s eyes, this was naturally a great opportunity! Frankly, he was quite afraid that the vigers might be bullied after arriving in Thunderhawk City, as they were outsiders and had no say here. Even if Rocky, the City Lord, did not target them, it would be unbearable if other city dwellers bullied them!


    But if he could hold a minor official position in Thunderhawk City, the situation would be much better. He could at least speak with Rocky, the City Lord, ensuring that the days of Backhill Vige''s residents in Thunderhawk City would not be too dreadful.


    With this in mind, Old Jack agreed to Rocky''s request without a second thought, thus bing the new administrative officer of Thunderhawk City.


    After arranging things for Old Jack, Rocky then turned his attention to Lin Feng, asking, "Lin Feng, are you interested in serving in the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City?"


    Rocky naturally liked Lin Feng even more because he was an absolute talent!


    Not only was Lin Feng personally powerful, being a rare Level Six Warrior, but what was even more valuable was his rich experience in bothbat andmand¡ªexactly the kind of talent Thunderhawk City needed. Continue your journey with empire


    So, after arranging things for Old Jack, Rocky turned to Lin Feng.


    To his invitation, Lin Feng also nodded without hesitation!


    Indeed, even before Rocky returned, Lin Feng had already decided on this. He was somewhat confident in his own ability, knowing there was a good chance Rocky would want him to join the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City, and he had no objections to it.


    In his view, since Backhill Vige no longer existed, he had to live in Thunderhawk City next, and with a family to support, securing a position in the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City would obviously be the oue Lin Feng hoped for.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Okay!"


    Lin Feng''s painful nod made Rocky very pleased; thus, he then said to everyone, "Starting tomorrow, Lord Jack will assume the role of administrative officer of Thunderhawk City, and Lin Feng will join the Guard Corps, taking the role of instructor. The previous instructor, Monte, will be promoted to deputymander of the Guard Corps, both under themand of Liliya."


    "Aileen, tomorrow, take Lord Jack around Thunderhawk City to familiarize him with the environment and help him adapt quickly."


    "Understood."


    Aileen nodded in agreement and responded.


    "Liliya¡­" After making the arrangements, Rocky turned to Liliya and instructed, "Order Thunderhawk City to set sail immediately, flying towards Eternal City!"


    "Yes!"


    PS: It''s off to Eternal City again, but this time Rocky is very different from before. What will happen in Eternal City this time? Just thinking about it is quite exciting!

 Chapter 121 Domestic Affairs (Part 1)

    After appointing Old Jack and Lin Feng, Rocky ordered Thunderhawk City to head for Eternal City once again!


    The decision met with no objections, for after such a great haul, the most appropriate action for Rocky was to immediately make for Eternal City, to convert all the spoils of war into Gold Coins at thergest trading city in the skies, and then use those Gold Coins to enhance his own strength as well as that of his city.


    So, at hismand, Thunderhawk City, which had been docked near Break-Sky Mountain for nearly a month, slowly began to move, and then it headed towards the coordinates of Eternal City.


    After making all these arrangements, Rocky finally had the chance to rest well, which resulted in him sleeping for a full two days in his room!


    There was no helping it; the mission had been extremely exhausting. The continuous battles had left him worn out in both body and mind, so once he was finally back in his city, Rockypletely rxed and was able to sleep soundly, peacefully, and, most importantly, safely for a good long time.


    A week went by just like that, and after a week had passed, a fully rejuvenated Rocky once again summoned his officials to the City Lord''s Hall, resuming his regr duties as a City Lord.


    "During this time, there hasn''t been any conflict among the residents, has there?"


    The sudden doubling of Thunderhawk City''s poption, especially with neers, naturally led to busier civic affairs. Although the specific details and operations did not require Rocky, the City Lord, to involve himself, he still had to control the general direction.


    What he was now most concerned about was the fear of conflicts arising between the original residents of Thunderhawk City and the newly arrived vigers.


    The influx of so many people into the city meant that the original residents of Leying City might feel some resentment, and the same could go for the people from Backhill Vige. As outsiders, they would naturally be nervous about the unfamiliar environment, making it very easy for conflicts to erupt between the two groups.


    "City Lord, please rest assured, everyone is integrating well and there hasn''t been any conflict," Old Jack, the newly appointed administrative officer, hastened to say at this time, while Liliya, Captain of the Guard, also nodded at Rocky: "My Lord, the Guard Corps has not received any reports regarding such issues."


    Neither Old Jack nor Liliya was lying; ever since the vigers from Backhill Vige had moved into Thunderhawk City, there had indeed been no conflicts with the residents. Instead, there was more curiosity between them, and as both residents of Thunderhawk City and Backhill Vige were rtively simple and honest folks, there had been peace all along.


    "That''s good to hear..."


    Upon receiving this response, Rocky breathed a sigh of relief but then he cautioned, "Lord Jack, you must mediate the rtionship between the two groups well so that everyone can integrate quickly. Our Thunderhawk City may be small, but unity is of the utmost importance."


    "Yes, Sir."


    After giving instructions to Old Jack, Rocky turned to Liliya: "Liliya, keep the Guard Corps vignt at all times, and should any anomaly arise, act swiftly to suppress it. But ensure thatw enforcement is just and does not favor any individual. If need be, employing stern measures as a warning example is permissible."


    "Understood."


    It was, of course, good that there were no problems, but they could not afford to lower their guard simply because there were none at present. Preparations had to remain thorough.


    Once that matter was settled, Rocky then turned to Aileen:


    "Aileen, after we reach Eternal City, I n to build a leather factory in Thunderhawk City, as well as arge store, so you and Lord Jack will need to select two suitable locations within the city. Once we''re in Eternal City, you should conduct some research in that regard as well."


    Having secured a substantial sum of funds from his trip to Eternal City, Rocky had long made new ns for the development of Thunderhawk City. In addition to the nned leather factory, he had decided to build arge store.


    The quality of life for residents in Thunderhawk City was far too low, with hardly any shops to be found; the necessary goods of life were supplied by the City Lord''s Mansion. Hence, with ample funds now avable, Rocky had decided to improve residents'' quality of life by constructing arge store for everyone.


    And to Rocky''s ns, Aileen naturally had no objections and subsequently nodded in agreement.


    "That settles it then. Is there anything else?"


    After arranging these matters, Rocky looked around the group, giving off a vibe of ''report if there''s business, withdraw if there isn''t''.


    "My lord, please take a look at these items."


    While no one else had any issues, Aileen was an exception. Right then, she produced a package and handed it over to Rocky, and when Rocky opened it, he found it full of leather trinkets and other small baubles.


    "My lord, these were made by the students of the training program."


    "Oh?"


    Upon hearing this, Rocky immediately started examining a bag full of leather trinkets with care, noticing the craftsmanship was quite satisfactory. Although he wasn''t particrly knowledgeable in this field, he could still discern whether the workmanship was exquisite and the quality good.


    At the same time, he also asked:


    "Does this mean that the first training session has concluded?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Yes, it ended half a month ago."


    "Very well, let''s start the second session immediately."


    After setting down the leather trinkets, Rocky said to Aileen, "Post notices as soon as possible, informing everyone about the schedule for the second training program. Additionally, tell everyone about the uing leather factory."


    "Inform all the townspeople that, once the factory starts operating, only those who have attended the training program andpleted all of its courses will be eligible for employment at the factory. The first batch of trainees from the training program will be employed without the need for tests, while the rest will be selected based on merit. You''ll handle the details regarding wages."


    "Understood, I''ll take care of it right away. Also¡­" Aileen agreed, then hesitated, which surprised Rocky¡ª he had not expected Aileen to have so many matters to address.


    "My lord, there has been a slightplication with the cloth exports."


    "Oh? What happened?"


    Rocky quickly asked, concerned.


    Most of Thunderhawk City''s administrative affairs were trifles, and only three matters could be considered significant: grain imports, yarn imports, and cloth sales. Upon hearing that there was a problem with cloth sales, Rocky naturally took it very seriously.


    Although he wanted to transform Thunderhawk City''s economy, such a goal wasn''t achievable overnight. Therefore, at least until the leather factory was up and running, Thunderhawk City would still need to rely on cloth sales for its ie.


    Seeing Rocky''s concern, Aileen hastened to say, "My lord, the situation isn''t particrly serious. Half a month ago, the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber was supposed toe to Thunderhawk City for trade, but they couldn''t reach the vicinity of Break-Sky Mountain as quickly as nned due to issues with their skyship''s voyage.


    They hope to postpone this trade and prefer conducting it in Eternal City if possible."


    "I see¡­"


    Hearing Liliya''s exnation, Rocky breathed a sigh of relief¡ªit seemed there wasn''t a significant problem after all.


    Discover hidden tales at empire


    It was strange that the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber couldn''tplete the trade on time, but for Thunderhawk City at the moment, selling the cloth a few dayster wasn''t a major concern. Furthermore, trading in Eternal City aligned with his destination ns, which hardly posed an inconvenience.


    He thus instructed Aileen to contact the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber and inform them of his approximate arrival time in Eternal City, adding that they couldplete the trade directly at the Eternal City Skyport.

 Chapter 122 Family Resolution

    After arranging a series of governmental affairs, Rocky could rx for a while, and then he just needed to wait, bing busy again only after arriving at Eternal City.


    But his leisure time was not spent idly; he took this opportunity to read several books thoroughly.


    Last time he visited Eternal City, he had brought back arge collection of books about mana, and Rocky''s purpose in purchasing these books was naturally to better utilize Mana Runes. After all, though both runes and magic stones could provide mana, they differed significantly in their usage.


    Recing the magic stones in equipment with runes was rtively simple, partly because Wensel''s research notes contained relevant records, and partly because the technology involved in Mana Weapons was not very advanced, thus Rocky could manage it.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, increasing the scope of rune application proved more challenging for him.


    To mention not only the highly sophisticated Void Magic Armor but even the Magic Cannon had stumped Rocky.


    ording to his original n, he had hoped to apply runes to the Magic Cannons, as using runes either to rece magic stones or to work alongside them to generate mana could significantly enhance the power of the Magic Cannons.


    His idea was undoubtedly correct, but he encountered problems in practice, because operating the Magic Cannon wasn''t as simple as just embedding magic stones or drawing on runes; it involved many conduction technologies that were beyond Rocky''sprehension, and only after understanding these technologies could he apply runes to the Magic Cannon.


    For this reason, he had specifically purchased arge quantity of books and had finished quite a few, but unfortunately, the results were far from ideal.


    Though Rocky had gained some understanding of Magic Energy Conduction through the books, his knowledge was far from sufficient for practical application, which was why he nned to use this trip to Eternal City as an opportunity to find himself a teacher, realizing that some things indeed required teacher''s instruction.


    Even though he had decided to hire a teacher, he was still making the most of his free time to study, hoping to master some of the fundamentals. By doing so, once the teacher arrived, he could move directly to practical application.


    However, while Rocky leisurely read his book, he was unaware that, on the distant horizon, an event was unfolding that could impact both him and Thunderhawk City!


    ......


    ......


    In the skies far from Thunderhawk City, there was a magnificent Sky City by the name of Machine City, which was arge Sky City with a poption of one hundred and fifty thousand.


    At this moment, inside the City Lord''s Mansion of Machine City, a conversation was taking ce that could potentially alter the destinies of Rocky and Thunderhawk City!


    "Father! Why would the elders agree to such a thing!"


    Standing behind a middle-aged man, Cyril, Rocky''s cousin, was very agitated.


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    Upon hearing her words, the middle-aged man with his back to Cyril slowly turned around and nced at his daughter.


    This man appeared around forty, tall and broad-shouldered, with a high stature and a chiseled face that made him appear very resolute. Named Atted, he was Cyril''s father, Rocky''s paternal uncle, and also held an extremely important role: the current n Leader of the Mairente Family!


    "Which matter are you referring to?"


    Turning around to look at his daughter, Atted responded with a serious tone.


    It wasn''t that he was deliberately being stern; rather, Atted was a naturally serious person, embodying all the qualities of a superior leader.


    "Father, I am talking about Thunderhawk City. Why would the elders grant Thunderhawk City to Baron Wolin?"


    "That is a decision of the family. Baron Wolin has performed a great service for the family and should be rewarded,"


    "But, but Thunderhawk City was given to Rocky half a year ago. Have the Elders forgotten?"


    Cyril was baffled and even furious at her father''s words. As he spoke, it seemed as though Rocky, the current City Lord of Thunderhawk City, didn''t exist, as if there were no City Lord in Thunderhawk City at all!


    However, what Cyril hadn''t expected was that Atted then coldly said:


    "Things given away by the family can always be taken back. Do I need to remind you of that?"


    "But, but..."


    Facing her father''s words, Cyril suddenly found herself at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.


    While she was at a loss, Atted had already sat down and then suddenly asked, "Cyril, are you feeling guilty about what happened six months ago, hence wanting to help Rocky?"


    "Yes."


    Taking a deep breath, Cyril looked her father in the eyes. "Father, if it hadn''t been for Rocky''s medium-sized Sky City, it would have been difficult to say whether you could have received Auntie Kelly''s support and seeded in bing n Leader. So, I feel that we indeed owe Rocky a great deal."


    "Moreover..." This time, without waiting for her father to speak, Cyril continued, "Even if we disregard Rocky, I still think the decision to hand over Thunderhawk City to Baron Wolin is exceedingly ill-considered."


    "I believe you are aware, Father, that Baron Wolin is a man of Lexington, and his faction has never been satisfied with you bing n Leader. Handing Thunderhawk City over to Baron Wolin would only embolden Lexington''s group further, offering no benefit to us."


    As Cyril had long been involved in the family affairs, she had a deep understanding of the various factions and branches within the Mairente family, just as she had thought when first meeting Rocky. In families as powerful and with as many branches as Mairente, there were not only conflicts amongst them but also ceaseless struggles.


    In such circumstances, Cyril wasn''t merely arguing over Thunderhawk City with her father because she felt indebted to Rocky; she was also considering her own faction''s position.


    However, facing this series of arguments from Cyril, Atted rarely smiled, but he immediately said, "Cyril, since you know the people of Lexington have long harbored dissatisfaction towards me, you should not have tried to stop me from giving Thunderhawk City to them."


    "Why?"


    "Because it gives them an opportunity." From a smile to a frown, Atted''s expression changed rapidly. "The people of Lexington have always been looking for troubles with our family, and now that Baron Wolin has secured a mine for the family, establishing a great merit, if I don''t reward him ordingly, I would merely give Lexington a chance to criticize."


    "So I decided to give them Thunderhawk City. This city was already one the family nned to abandon, not only is it small, but it also has a low poption. I remember when I handed it to Rocky, there were just over a thousand people, and now there might not even be that many left, it might already be a deserted city."


    "Giving such a city as a reward to Baron Wolin not only won''t increase his power but will instead be a burden; Cyril, don''t you understand such simple logic?"


    "But... Father..."


    "I met Rocky a few months ago, and he seemed to be managing Thunderhawk City quite well, so it probably isn''t a deserted city yet..."


    Unable toe up with any argument to respond to her father''s words, Cyril could only blurt out.


    Her words were indeed said in desperation, for thest time she had seen Rocky was in a library. How could she possibly know how Thunderhawk City had developed?


    She would have been better off not saying anything at all; as soon as she finished speaking, Atted snorted coldly, "Since Rocky is developing Thunderhawk City well, then you don''t need to worry about it. This time, the family will not intervene in this matter. I believe Rocky should have the strength to hold off Baron Wolin after all, as the Baron only has one fleet."


    After saying this, Atted waved his hand, denying Cyril any chance to speak further and immediately made her leave the study.


    Visibly infuriated, Cyril left her father''s study, thought for a moment, and then immediately summoned her assistant: "Find out the exact location of Thunderhawk City immediately!"

 Chapter 123 Making Things Difficult? Revenge!

    Rocky had no idea what was happening on the distant horizon, for his attention was now wholly focused on the Gold Coins that were practically in his grasp!


    After a half-month of prolonged flight, Thunderhawk City was once again approaching Eternal City!


    Several months had passed since Rocky''sst visit to this magnificent Super Sky City, yet he was just as awestruck as he had been during his first time here, overwhelmed by the splendor of Eternal City.


    However, armed with the experience from hisst visit, he was well versed in the entire process of heading to Eternal City, so he quickly set off with his people.


    This time, as arge amount of trade was to be conducted, Rocky brought out ten Skyships in one go, three of which were loaded with fabric because Aileen had already arranged with the Steward of the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber to trade directly at the trading port.


    As for the other seven Skyships, they were filled with Demon Corpses; after all, next to Eternal City''s trading port was a vast array of warehouses, storing a hundred or so corpses was a trivial matter.


    The ten Skyships reached the trading port of Eternal City after a brief flight, and after queuing for a short while, they smoothlynded.


    Once Rocky led all ten Skyships tond, he met the Steward of the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber, who was responsible for the trade with Thunderhawk City, just as they had agreed to wait there for the transaction.


    "Steward Maima, it''s been a long time."


    Upon seeing the Steward of the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber, Rocky was very courteous and then asked Aileen to arrange for the fabric to be moved off the ship.


    Just as Aileen was about to handle this matter, the fifty-something Steward Maima suddenly stopped her and, grinning at Rocky, said, "City Lord, before we trade, I''d like to inspect the goods first."


    An inspection? Maima''s request left both Rocky and Aileen taken aback.


    The fabric trades between Thunderhawk City and the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber had been ongoing for more than just a day or two. Long before Rocky had be City Lord, the two sides had been trading. Was there really a need for inspection? Could it be that Thunderhawk City was capable of deceit?


    Although he furrowed his brows, Rocky didn''t make much of Maima''s request and simply nodded, allowing Aileen to have a few boxes of fabric carried down from the Skyship. Maima also promptly had his apanying helper begin the inspection.


    A dozen minutes passed, and the helper finished inspecting several boxes of fabric, then hurried over to whisper to Maima.


    Rocky and Aileen found the entire sequence of actions perplexing. Was there such a need for formality?


    However, while they were puzzling over it, Maima shook his head and said to Rocky, "City Lord, the Chamber of Commerce has new quality requirements for fabric. Therefore, the batch you have provided doesn''t meet the standards."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "What?!"


    At his words, Rocky was dumbstruck. He hadn''t anticipated such an issue!


    "Steward Maima, what do you mean? We''ve been cooperating with your Chamber of Commerce for years, and the quality of the fabric has always been the same. How can it suddenly be substandard?"


    This matter naturally fell within Aileen''s domain, so before Rocky could speak, she challenged Maima with displeasure in her voice.


    Indeed, if quality were to be mentioned, the fabric from Thunderhawk City was indeed very ordinary, a fact Aileen acknowledged. But don''t forget, it was exactly because of its ordinary quality that the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber traded with Thunderhawk City! Because ordinary quality meant lower prices, and the Chamber was buying fabric from Thunderhawk City precisely to save costs.


    In Aileen''s view, this so-calledck of quality wasughably absurd!


    In response to Aileen''s objection, Maima still greeted her with a smile and said, "Miss Aileen, these are the requirements set by the Chamber; I have no authority to question it."


    "But..."


    "Oh! Isn''t this the finance officer of Thunderhawk City?"


    Just as Aileen intended to continue, a voice she found somewhat familiar suddenly appeared. When she looked towards its source, she indeed saw a familiar figure.


    Jia Xi!


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    The person who had unexpectedly emerged was none other than the Steward of the Azure Commerce Guild, Jia Xi!


    "Aileen, what a coincidence to meet here," said Jia Xi as he approached them with a stance that seemed both smug and taunting, "We meet again at this ce."


    After saying this, Jia Xi nced behind Aileen and naturally caught sight of Rocky.


    "Oh! Isn''t this the City Lord of Thunderhawk City? Seeing you is truly a rare pleasure!"


    Upon seeing Rocky, Jia Xi raised his voice, and the remark clearly had an undercurrent, since Rocky had previously made him wait for over a month in Thunderhawk City without granting an audience.


    Honestly, Jia Xi''s sudden appearance came as a surprise to Rocky and the others. Was this coincidence too good to be true?


    Of course, it was no coincidence! For right after that, Jia Xi casually stationed himself beside Maima, and the two began chatting andughing together!


    "Old buddy, it''s been a while since west saw each other."


    "Yes, indeed, how long has it been? How have you been recently?"


    "Not bad, just running errands for the Chamber of Commerce..."


    In the presence of Rocky, Aileen, and others, the two chatted away as if they were old friends who hadn''t seen each other in years.


    By this time, even a fool could understand what was happening. Everything that had urred before, whether it was the supposedly poor quality of Thunderhawk City''s cloth, was clearly nothing but Jia Xi and Maima colluding to deliberately make things difficult!


    This Jia Xi truly was a persistent ghost. Despite being yed by Rockyst time, not only did he not be more honest, he actually came back for more!


    By now, Jia Xi and Maima had been chatting for a while before Jia Xi suddenly pped his own head as if he''d just realized something, "Oh my, Maima, you were in the middle of negotiating with the City Lord. Look at that, I''ve interrupted your important business. Please, continue, continue."


    As he spoke, he retreated behind Maima, then put on a cold smile as he looked towards Rocky and Aileen.


    Afterward, Maima still had a beaming smile, but when he turned to Rocky, he actually showed a hint of apology on his face, "City Lord, I''m truly sorry. Jia Xi is an old friend of mine. Let''s continue."


    After saying these words, Maima nced at the few boxes of cloth on the ground, then turned to Rocky, "City Lord, the quality of your goods really is subpar. However, if you really wish to sell them, we''re not unwilling to purchase them, but the price cannot be the original one."


    "Oh?"


    Rocky looked at Maima and then at Jia Xi standing behind him. He was far from angry because, in his eyes, these two were merely a joke. The only thing on his mind was whether he should y along and pretend to be furious, given they had gone to such lengths to retaliate against him.


    Unfortunately, Rocky simply couldn''t bring himself to do that; the most he could do without bursting intoughter was to ask, "Steward Maima, how much do you intend to offer for these goods?"


    "Twenty percent of the original price."


    Maima, with chin held high and shing two fingers in front of Rocky, set his price, then didn''t forget to add, "City Lord, if you think the price is too low, feel free to try elsewhere in the city. There are plenty of Chambers of Commerce in Eternal City."


    After Maima finished his sentence, Rocky couldn''t help but let out augh. Did Maima really think him a fool?


    To purchase the cloth at twenty percent of the original price would lead Thunderhawk City to its financial demise!


    And as for what he had added, suggesting that they could try at other Chambers of Commerce in the city?


    Without even checking, Rocky knew it was most surely a set-up, and in all likelihood, Jia Xi had already notified many Chambers of Commerce to ensure the cloth couldn''t be sold anywhere.


    As the steward of the Azure Commerce Guild, Jia Xi had that level of influence. It wasn''t that he wielded monumental power, but rather, to many Chambers of Commerce, Thunderhawk City was simply too insignificant to warrant making an enemy out of the steward of a major Chamber of Commerce. Instead, they would prefer to curry favor with him by offering a convenient gesture of goodwill.


    Unfortunately...


    "Steward Maima, if that''s the case, then we won''t be selling the goods."


    Rocky looked at Maima and said.


    As if Maima had been eagerly anticipating this reply, he immediately shook his head with regret, "City Lord, that is truly regrettable. Next time, next time we might have the opportunity to coborate."


    "There''s no need to wait for next time."


    Just as Maima turned to leave, Rocky suddenly called out to him, "Steward Maima, I have another batch of goods here. Would you be interested in taking a look?"


    "Oh?"


    Such words made both Maima and Jia Xi pause, bewildered, then both revealed sly looks. What was Rocky thinking, being unable to see the situation for what it was, yet still intending to do business with them?


    But for Jia Xi, who relished the opportunity to further humiliate Rocky, it was a chance not to be missed, so he nodded his head at Maima. After understanding the gesture, Maima stayed behind with a grin.


    Seeing that neither had left, Rocky was relieved. He had indeed been worried that the two clowns might just walk away!


    "Aileen, have everyone unload the other batch of goods."


    "Yes!"


    With a firm response, Aileen cast a nce at Jia Xi and Maima, then ordered the guards, who were already fuming with contained rage, to unload the goods from the other seven skyships.


    All that had happened was witnessed by the aboard Guards, and it had left them seething with anger.


    It was evident that Maima and Jia Xi were purposely making things difficult for Rocky, something the Thunderhawk City Guard Corps could not tolerate. What was more intolerable to them was Maima''s im about the cloth''s substandard quality.


    The cloth meant for trading was personally woven by the wives and children of the guards!


    iming that its quality was subpar was tantamount to insulting thebor of the guards'' families!


    Could the guards stand for that? Had it not been for Rocky''s presence, they might have already rushed forward to beat these two infuriating old fools to death.


    So, when Aileen ordered them to unload, the guards on the ship swiftly got to work, and soon after, one after another, Demon Corpses were being carried off the ship!

 Chapter 124 Regretting the Past

    One after another, Demon Corpses were quickly moved down from the Skyship by the Guards, and at the same time, Aileen had dispatched Guards to contact the Skyport dispatcher, who immediately rented a warehouse.


    Once the warehouse was rented, the Skyport dispatcher sent over several horse carriages, and then the Guards began transporting the Demon Corpses to the carriages one by one.


    Moving more than a hundred corpses from the Skyship was certainly a major project; not only was itborious, but it was also quite time-consuming. However, Rocky was not in a hurry at all, for he had entertainment to watch¡ªJia Xi and Maima were his greatest sources of amusement.


    From the moment the first Demon Corpse was moved off the Skyship, Jia Xi and Maima both furrowed their brows; indeed, they had not expected Rocky to show them something like this.


    As Commerce Association Managers at the First Level, Jia Xi and Maima certainly knew the immense value of Demon Corpses¡ªgoods that were perpetually in short supply on the market. Even if there was only one, most Chambers of Commerce would not pass up the opportunity.


    However, even knowing the value of the Demon Corpses, the expressions on their faces didn''t change significantly, for they were both Managers of various Chambers of Commerce and had overseenrge trades involving dozens of Demon Corpses; a couple of corpses were not enough to frighten them.


    Even when Jia Xi saw Guards carrying corpses walking past him, he scoffed indifferently.


    However, his indifference quickly turned to shock, as with each passing second, not only did the Guards not stop passing by, but they also started moving even more Demon Corpses from the Skyship!


    Initially, Jia Xi and Maima thought that Rocky could only produce one or two, at most four or five, Demon Corpses. But the reality was entirely different. In just half an hour, an entire ship''s load of Demon Corpses had been moved out, filling two whole carriages, yet the Guards still didn''t stop and swiftly began unloading from a second Skyship!


    By this time, Jia Xi and Maima''s faces hadpletely changed, as they watched at least twenty Demon Corpses being loaded onto the carriages¡­ Twenty corpses of Demons!


    For any Chamber of Commerce, a transaction involving twenty Demon Corpses would be termed as arge transaction, the sum of which would often amount to tens or even hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins, a concise reason no Chamber of Commerce would miss such an opportunity.


    So, when Jia Xi and Maima saw that Rocky possessed so many Demon Corpses, and as the Guards continued moving them down from the Skyship, their expressions changed as well. Jia Xi''s face turned red with anger, bbergasted that Rocky could produce so many Demon Corpses.


    However, even more ghastly was the look on Maima''s face, which had turned a deathly pale blue, for strictly speaking, the conflict between Rocky and Jia Xi had nothing to do with him!


    He had been innocently dragged into this, never imagining Rocky would possess so many Demon Corpses. Had he known this would be the case, he wouldn''t have sided with Jia Xi against Rocky but would have tried to curry favor with him instead.


    Regrettably, it was toote for regrets now, and as their faces grew increasingly ugly, the second Skyship had also been emptied, and the Guards immediately began unloading corpses from a third Skyship.


    By then, the number of Demon Corpses moved had already surpassed fifty! Seeing so many Demon Corpses being unloaded, and given that there seemed to be more toe, the Skyport dispatcher immediately called for more horse carriages and began treating Rocky and his group with even greater courtesy.


    As more and more Demon Corpses were moved down from the Skyship, other people on the Skyport also took notice of the scene. It is known that the Skyport in Eternal City is extremely bustling, with hundreds of Skyshipsnding and offloading at every moment, frequented by people from various Sky Cities and Chambers of Commerce.


    But even in such a bustling Skyport, it was very rare to see so many Demon Corpses being unloaded at once, which is why many onlookers turned their gaze towards Rocky''s group.


    Another hour passed, and five Skyships had been emptied, the Demon Corpses amounting to over a hundred!


    Now in front of Rocky, there were about fifteen or sixteen horse carriages, loaded with Demon Corpses, while around the carriages, a crowd had gathered, appearing to enjoy the spectacle. However, judging by their attire and bearing, these people were clearly wealthy and noble, definitely not idle bystanders.


    As for Jia Xi and Maima, by this time they were already stupefied. No matter how they had thought or guessed beforehand, they had never expected Rocky to bring out so many demon corpses!


    The number exceeded one hundred demon corpses¡­ if all were sold, what a tremendous trade that would be! Such a huge transaction is something any Chamber of Commerce would fight tooth and nail to secure!


    Regret over past deeds!


    Now, Jia Xi despised Rocky so much that he gritted his teeth, but even though he hated him, he felt somewhat regretful in his heart.


    His Azure Commerce Guild might be arge Chamber of Commerce, but what of it? Didrge Chambers of Commerce not do business?


    On the contrary, therger the Chamber of Commerce, the more they would want to engage in big business, like this one involving the trade of one hundred demon corpses!


    So when more than a hundred demon corpses were moved off the skyship, Jia Xi started to regret how if he hadn''t caused all sorts of disputes with Rocky, relying on the strength of the Azure Commerce Guild and its longstanding cooperative rtionship with Thunderhawk City, they could have likely secured this deal!


    Like him, Maima also felt immense regret, and if Jia Xi was regretting the past, then Maima was regretting ''just now.'' Read thetest on empire


    Because just an hour or two ago, his Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber still had an excellent cooperative rtionship with Thunderhawk City, and his rtionship with Rocky, the City Lord, was also very harmonious.


    Therefore, if it were possible to turn back time by an hour or two, even if the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber could not swallow this huge transaction whole, they could have at least gotten a piece of the action!


    Considering that the Golden Purple Flower Commerce Chamber was much smallerpared to the Azure Commerce Guild, even a transaction involving only twenty demon corpses, no, even ten, would be considered a big deal for them and would have brought in a hefty profit for the Chamber.


    Unfortunately, all of this was now impossible, because Maima had already offended Rocky!N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Thinking this, Maima fiercely red at Jia Xi and with a cold snort, stepped aside, deliberately distancing himself from him.


    The one he hated the most now was Jia Xi. If it weren''t for him encouraging his own actions, how could he possibly have antagonized Rocky or made things difficult for him over the fabric issue? If none of this had happened, he could definitely have bought several demon corpses from Rocky''s hands no matter how much he talked.


    In fact, Maima was not wrong, because if it hadn''t been for the previous issues, Rocky would indeed have possibly sold him a few corpses, ten corpses for certain, as after so many years of cooperation with Thunderhawk City, Rocky would even be willing to do a favor.


    "Esteemed Sir..."


    Just as Jia Xi and Maima were amidst their regrets, the Skyport dispatcher ran up to Rocky, then, with a smile on his face, asked, "Esteemed Sir, do you need more carriages? If not, I''ll let the carriages leave first, since right now..."


    While speaking, the dispatcher nced around. At this time, the surrounding area was crowded with onlookers, and the gathering of so many people was severely disrupting the order at the Skyport.


    "Sorry, we might need to wait a bit longer. You''d better send over some more carriages. The corpsesingter are bigger in size, and additionally¡­" After smiling, Rocky whispered a few words to the dispatcher.


    His voice was very low, so no one heard what he said, but everyone noticed that after Rocky finished speaking, the dispatcher''s eyes lit up, and then he nodded repeatedly at Rocky and turned to run off.


    This inevitably made the onlookers curious. What on earth had Rocky said to make the dispatcher so excited?

 Chapter 125 Cant Help It Anymore

    The dispatcher at the skyport had barely left when a dozen more carriages were sent over, and once the carriages arrived, the guards boarded thest two skyships.


    Initially, what was unloaded from these two skyships were still demon corpses, but different from the ones before, this time the size of the corpses were bigger. Previously, two guards were enough to carry a corpse, but now it required four people!


    "It''s, it''s armored bull demon corpses!"


    When it took four guards to barely carry down a corpse from the skyship, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted out, causing others to immediately turn towards the corpse.


    "Look at those horns, and the scales on its body, it truly is an armored bull demon!"


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    "Yes! It''s an armored bull demon!"


    As said before, the onlookers at this time were not idle bystanders, many among them were knowledgeable and had sharp eyes, and someone immediately recognized these corpses as those of armored bull demons!


    This immediately caused a stir among the crowd because while the previous batch of over a hundred demon corpses might have seemed impressive in quantity, their quality was ordinary. Everyone knew they were just ck-eyed demons, which weren''t particrly valuable, but armored bull demons were a different story!


    In the Hunting Exchange of Eternal City, a well-preserved armored bull demon corpse could easily sell for over ten thousand gold coins. The horns and scale armor of the armored bull demons were particrly valuable, ensuring that these demon corpses always had buyers moring for them, some shops even offered higher prices for exclusive purchasing rights.


    So, when the guards emerged onto the skyport carrying thirteen armored bull demon corpses, it indeed caused a small sensation. Thirteen armored bull demon corpses, calcted at a minimum of ten thousand gold coins per corpse, that totaled to a whopping one hundred thirty thousand gold coins!


    By this time, people in the crowd finally could not hold back, and a man in his thirties stepped out from the group, then approached Rocky with a smile on his face.


    "Sir, my name is Laight, I am from the Klein Chamber of Commerce, and this is our business card,"


    While speaking, the middle-aged man named Laight handed over a business card to Rocky, then continued, "Sir, if you would like to sell this batch of demon corpses, Klein Chamber of Commerce is fully willing to take them off your hands. I don''t know if you have heard of us, but we have a wide array of channels for demon sales and guarantee your satisfaction..."


    Clearly, this Laight was representing his chamber ofmerce to do business with Rocky, and he wasn''t the only one with this idea, as more people from various chambers ofmerce began approaching Rocky, each handing over their business cards, hoping to have a good talk with Rocky.


    Among these people was also Maima!


    After the guards carried out the armored bull demon corpses, a previously pale Maima, who had already distanced himself from Jia Xi, couldn''t help but try to negotiate with Rocky regarding such valuable goods.


    Then, everyone saw what it meant for someone to turn their face faster than flipping a book. The previously pale-faced Maima instantly stered a ttering smile on his face. After the other chambers ofmerce people gradually moved away, he rushed up to Rocky.


    "City Lord, you... look... see how senile I''ve be, what was I even saying just now, when can I transport the cloths?"


    Approaching Rocky, Maima was all smiles, not mentioning the demon corpses at all, but just wanting to transport the cloths away as if nothing had happened just before.


    Rocky merely nced sideways at him and said directly,


    "Steward Maima, you should take your medication,"


    Rocky truly had never seen someone as shameless as Maima, daring to talk to him after behaving like that, insane.


    Meanwhile, he also looked at Jia Xi, whoseplexion was extremely ugly, seeming like he could die of anger at any moment, then he just smiled, "Overseer Jia Xi, you really should take your medication."


    These words were indeed no joke, as Jia Xi, who watched helplessly as each demon corpse was carried off the ship, appeared as if he was truly having an attack, so agitated he couldn''t even speak. If he didn''t take some medicine quickly, he really might die of rage.


    So after Rocky finished talking, Jia Xi was so infuriated that he almost passed out on the spot. He staggered a bit before barely steadying himself, then clenched his teeth and walked away with a dejected Maima.


    Unfortunately, the departure of the two went unnoticed as people continued to approach Rocky, hoping to discuss potential trades with him.


    "What are you all gathering here for? Disperse!"


    Just then, a loud voice suddenly rang out, followed by a group of Guards dressed in armor carving a path through the crowd.


    After the crowd was parted, a squad captain, fully d in Magic Energy Armor, led a team simrly equipped to appear before everyone, apanied by the dispatcher who had left earlier.


    The dispatcher who led the Guards quickly approached Rocky, said a few words to him, and with a wave of Rocky''s hand, the Guards who had already moved the Demon Corpses boarded thest Skyship and began to move boxes of cargo down one after another.


    Meanwhile, the brought-over Guards started to disperse the crowd, asking the onlookers to back away.


    Regrettably, the Guards'' efforts to disperse the crowd were ineffective. The dispersed people merely moved a bit farther away, as these were merchants who regrly dealt with Eternal City and were well aware of what kind of people these Guards were.


    These Guards belonged to the Skyport Security Team, tasked partly with managing the security of the Skyport and partly with escorting valuable cargoes!


    Eternal City is a trade city where countless goods are moved daily, including naturally luxurious goods. To ensure the safety of these items, even in a city where no one dares cause trouble, the God City still assigns a Security Team for escort duties.


    Well aware of the Security Team''s responsibilities, the crowd was even less willing to disperse. It was clear to everyone that there was no security issue here. Given that, the reason why a squad of Guards appeared was easily understood¡ªthey were here to escort valuable cargo!


    In this situation, the surrounding crowd was unwilling to disperse. Everyone wanted to see just what valuable goods Rocky had that required the escort of the Security Team?


    During this curious process, the Guards had moved boxes off the Skyship and ced them on a cart. Clearly, these were the cargoes that needed to be escorted by the Security Team, but exactly what they were remained unknown, as they were all packed in boxes.


    "Sir, the boxes contain Demon Cores."


    Among the curious crowd, a middle-aged man in his forties whispered to an old man beside him, revealing the mystery!


    At that moment, the boxes that the Guards had methodically loaded onto the cart indeed contained Demon Cores!


    "To think that there are so many boxes of Demon Cores..." Overhearing the middle-aged man''s words, the elder beside him couldn''t help but look towards Rocky: "Who exactly is this City Lord? How did he manage to procure so many Demon Corpses and Demon Cores."


    Muttering to himself, the old man then instructed the middle-aged man next to him: "Send someone to check this City Lord''s background, and also find out where they are staying so we can pay a visitter."


    "Yes."


    With that, the middle-aged man turned and walked away. Coincidentally, as he left the crowd, several other individuals also departed with simr intentions to investigate Rocky''s identity!


    Earlier, when the armored bull demons were being offloaded, quite a few Chambers of Commerce eagerly approached Rocky to talk, but there were also a significant number of people who remained calm. These people also came from various Chambers of Commerce, but they were in no hurry.


    Because they understood that any deal involving over a hundred Demon Corpses could potentially be worth four to five hundred thousand Gold Coins, and such arge transaction could not possibly be settled in a ce like the Skyport. Hence, they only needed to note Rocky''s identity and where he was staying, and they could negotiate slowlyter on.


    So it wasn''t until Rocky began moving out the Demon Cores that these individuals finally sent their subordinates into action. Yet even so, a few people in the crowd remained stationary, although it wasn''t clear if these few were truly just onlookers or were genuinely capable of keeping theirposure...n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 126 City Lords!

    When Rocky truly left the skyport, it was already nearing dusk, which meant he had spent almost an entire day at the skyport.


    But there was nothing he could do about it. This time, he brought so much with him, including demon corpses and demon cores, as well as fabrics. Besides, he had several thousands of pounds of ore to sell. So, when the demon corpses and demon cores had been unloaded from the ship, the skyship had to return to Thunderhawk City to transport the ores to the skyport, naturally causing significant dys.


    Luckily, unlikest time, Rocky was in no hurry at all. Even though he had spent a whole day at the skyport, he was still in a great mood; he didn''t even worry about the fabrics.


    Because the fabric, indeed, wasn''t something worth worrying about. The fabric from Thunderhawk City was bound to sell, and considering the many deals he was about to negotiate, any chamber ofmerce would likely purchase these fabrics while trading with him.


    At the same time, what surprised him more was that when he left the skyport this time, the treatment he received was significantly different.


    Thest time Rocky left the skyport, he had hired his own carriage and stayed at a small inn rmended by Monte, but this time, he had a car reserved just for him!


    Looking at therge carriage that had been waiting for a long time, Rocky waspletely baffled, not knowing who had sent it. After much inquiry, he finally understood the situation.


    It turned out that in Eternal City, any City Lord from a Sky City was entitled to certain privileges, such as car transfers and amodations specifically prepared for the city lords within the city.


    This was the first time Rocky had learned of this, but after detailed inquiries, he understood the reason. It seemed that this was a tactic by Eternal City to attract city lords to conduct trade.


    One should know that city lords of this rank, when they made their move, it resulted invariably inrge-scale transactions: a few hundred thousand gold coins were a trivial amount, while transactions worth millions of gold coins weremonce, and even transactions amounting to tens of millions of gold coins were not new to the city lords ofrge Sky Cities.


    Such massive transactions naturally brought in equally substantial tax revenues for Eternal City. So, in order to attract the city lords from various Sky Cities, Eternal City devised several methods.


    They not only allowed the city lords to enjoy the privileged treatments of a city lord but also offered them certain privileges that increased with their trade volume, much like the VIP systems of various chambers ofmerce.


    This was naturally good news for Rocky, who was also a Sky City lord. Thus, upon learning about this, he immediately registered with Eternal City authorities. From then on, not only could he enjoy the treatment orded to city lords here, but as his trading volume in this ce umted, he would also gain certain privileges.


    In such circumstances, when Rocky and his people left the skyport, they boarded a carriage exclusively reserved for city lords and were directly sent to the amodations prepared specifically for them.


    The amodation prepared for the city lords in Eternal City was arge hotel called Star of the Sky, which stood nine stories tall.


    Even in Eternal City, a building of nine stories was quite rare, and this ce, along with the hotel''s name, certainly underscored the prestigious status of the city lords from every aspect.


    When the carriage delivered Rocky and hispany to the entrance of Star of the Sky, looking at the nine-story tall hotel, Rocky, visiting this ce for the first time, seemed somewhat nervous.


    This was not surprising, considering that this was no ordinary ce. It housed only the City Lords of Sky Cities! A slight mishap could trigger a major war among Sky Cities!


    Fortunately, as soon as Rocky and his group entered the lobby on the first floor of Star of the Sky, a waiter immediately led them to handle various procedures, barely requiring any effort on their part.


    And once the procedures were smoothly handled, Rocky and his group were assigned to three rooms on the second floor, where they couldfortably settle in.


    In the Star of the Sky hotel, which floor one resided on was a matter of great significance. Small Sky City lords could only stay on the second or third floors, medium Sky City lords could reside on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, while only the lords ofrge Sky Cities were eligible to live on the seventh and eighth floors.


    The highest ninth floor was reserved for those city lords in Eternal City wanting special privileges.


    This rule meant that Rocky, who had just registered his status in Eternal City, could only stay on the second floor and was not eligible for the third floor. Although the third floor was also for Small Sky City lords, it was reserved for those who had achieved a certain amount of trade, which Rocky had not yet achieved.


    Rocky didn''t particrly mind this; he was satisfied enough to stay in such a fine hotel for free, and whether he was on the second floor or the third didn''t really matter to him.


    However, just as he had finished processing his paperwork and was about to turn away, he noticed a young man of his own age, surrounded by several guards,ing straight toward him.


    "Hello, are you City Lord Rocky?"


    Walking straight up to Rocky, the young man of simr age to him asked with a smile.


    "Yes, that''s me. And you are...?"


    "Oh, I''m Berg, the City Lord of Lingyu City."


    A simple self-introduction had forced Rocky to take serious notice of Berg, who was around the same age and also a City Lord of a Sky City!


    Honestly, this was Rocky''s first time meeting another City Lord of a Sky City, which somewhat caught him off guard. Fortunately, Berg soon initiated the conversation.


    "City Lord Rocky, my Lingyu City is also a trade city, so I hope you can visit when you have time, and you are very wee toe to Lingyu City for trade," Berg said.


    While speaking, Berg stepped closer to Rocky and lowered his voice, "The trade tax in Eternal City is really high, and although my Lingyu City is small, there are quite a few chambers ofmerce. City Lord Rocky, if you visit, you will surely be satisfied."


    After saying this, Berg nodded at Rocky, giving off an air of ''you know what I mean,'' and then exchanged a few pleasantries before leading his guards away.


    It wasn''t until Berg and his guards had disappeared from view that Rocky finally caught on; this guy was trying to woo him to trade in his city!


    This somewhat surprised Rocky; a City Lord personally soliciting business for his Sky City was incredibly proactive of Berg.


    In reality, he shouldn''t have been surprised, as he too had led charges against Demons for the sake of Thunderhawk City. Otherwise, where would all those Demon Corpses havee from? Discover more content at empire


    This little episode ended with Berg''s departure, and then Rocky and his group were finally led by the servants to the elevator leading to the second level.


    Yes, an elevator, or rather, it should be called a Magic Elevator here, but its function and mechanism were just like those of a regr elevator, capable of moving straight up and down.


    This was Rocky''s first encounter with such a device, yet he wasn''t surprised. In a world where cities could fly in the sky, an elevator hardly seemedplicated.


    On the way to the second level, Rocky met four or five groups of people, each moving in different directions, some alone and some nked by attendants. The onlymonality was that all these individuals were City Lords!


    Being a City Lord himself, Rocky could tell who among them were his peers, marking the first time he had seen so many City Lords together.


    In today''s day and age, although there were thousands of Sky Cities, the sky itself was vast. Inparison to the entire sky, thousands of Sky Cities still amounted to a tiny number.


    Moreover, since City Lords usually stayed within their own cities, opportunities to meet each other were rare. Some City Lords didn''t even wish to interact with other City Lords, preferring to livefortably in their own cities.


    Thus, the appearance of five or six City Lords together was a scene Rocky had never encountered before, making him both nervous and a bit excited.


    Not long after, they were led by the servants to the front of the Magic Elevator, stood waiting for a little while, and then the doors slowly opened, revealing a group of people stepping out.


    Among this group, the most eye-catching was a young woman surrounded like the star among the moon. She was dressed in a fiery red gown with beautiful curly red hair, making her look like a blooming red rose.


    Undoubtedly, she was another City Lord. Rocky knew her identity at just a nce. However, as he passed by this rose-like woman, she seemed to remember something and involuntarily looked back at him.


    "You''re the one named Rocky, right?"


    "Um? ¡­ Yes, that''s me ¡­"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It was Rocky''s first time realizing how well-known he had be; everyone seemed to know his name.


    This response made the rose-like woman examine him with great interest, up and down, until Rocky felt somewhat uneasy, and then she smiled while moving her red lips, "I''m Karina, City Lord of Rose City. I heard about what happened today at the Skyport. Did you kill those Demons?"


    "Well ¡­ yes ¡­"


    Rocky was surprised at how quickly the day''s events had spread, even among the City Lords of Star of the Sky.


    Upon hearing his confirmation, Karina revealed a sly smile, "I didn''t expect you to be so capable, given your small frame. But that''s great; we might have a chance to coborate because ¡­ I also love hunting!"


    PS: More City Lords are appearing, and a bigger story is about to begin. This trip to Eternal City is extremely important for Rocky, as he will officially enter the grand stage of the sky after this ¡­ so of course, I''m still requesting rmendations!


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!