Lord of the Sky City

Under the recommendation of Zhang Heng, City Lord Rocky looked at at least six or seven reconnaissance ship models before finally making a decision.

"Airship Model 6, let's go with this one."

"City Lord Rocky, you really do have a good eye!"

Seeing Rocky finally make a decision, Zhang Heng immediately praised him. His compliments were, of course, mostly flattery, but a small part of them was sincere.

That's because the Airship Model 6 reconnaissance ship that Rocky ultimately chose indeed had very distinctive features among the third-generation reconnaissance ships.

As the smallest class with the weakest combat capability, reconnaissance ships didn't have many advantages to offer. Their only notable advantage was their decent speed, and the Airship Model 6 reconnaissance ship that Rocky chose was the very embodiment of maximizing speed advantage.

The Airship series had a ringing reputation in the large category of reconnaissance ships, with its greatest characteristic being its speed.

When set to full speed, the reconnaissance ships in this series could reach one and a half times the speed of regular reconnaissance ships. After several generations of development and improvements, the series had already become quite perfected by the fifth model. As for the Model 6 chosen by Rocky, it was the ultimate model of this series among the third-generation warships.

The Model 7 would then belong to the fourth generation.

The reason Rocky chose this model was precisely because of its fast speed. He believed it was foolish to overemphasize firepower and defensive power in reconnaissance ships, as the type itself restricted these capabilities. Even though each shipyard attempted to enhance these areas, even the latest fifth-generation reconnaissance ships still didn't make much of a breakthrough.

It made more sense to focus on speed because in aerial combat, speed was also a core element. The faster the speed, the more agile the ship, and the harder it was to be hit by magic cannons; this was an easy concept to grasp.

However, although the Airship Model 6 was very fast, its firepower and defensive power were indeed quite deficient. This model of reconnaissance ship was only equipped with four magic cannons with a magic energy power of 400, and the defensive net it was outfitted with was the most basic kind.

It not only did not utilize independent magic stones for mana but also had a defensive power of only 300 points, which was quite pitiful.

But likewise, the price for the Airship Model 6 was very affordable. Zhang Heng quoted a price of twenty-eight thousand gold coins per ship, and they were ninety percent new. The attractive price was also a key reason that swayed Rocky.

At twenty-eight thousand gold coins per reconnaissance ship, Rocky planned to buy fifteen ships outright. This would leave him with about one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins, enough to buy another warship!

Yes, Rocky was not only planning to buy a few reconnaissance ships and be done with it; he also intended to buy a proper warship, a real big one!

Thus, after finalizing the reconnaissance ship deal with Zhang Heng, Rocky disclosed his plans to him, and naturally, Zhang Heng was more than willing.

"City Lord Rocky, you see, I was just boasting in front of you just a moment ago, not realizing you had already thoroughly considered everything. Pairing reconnaissance ships with a large warship is the most fashionable fleet configuration nowadays."

"Are you planning to get a flagship kind of warship?"

"That… Is there a difference?"

Rocky's knowledge about warships was not as extensive as it was for Void Magic Armor. After all, he had only started to pay attention to floating battleships after his last mission ended, so Zhang Heng's remark left him somewhat perplexed.

Rocky, of course, knew what a flagship meant, but judging by Zhang Heng's manner, the flagship he mentioned seemed to be different from what Rocky imagined.

And indeed, it was different.

Zhang Heng then explained, "City Lord Rocky, you might not be aware, but as a commanding vessel, a flagship plays a core role in any fleet. This makes the flagship an easy target for enemy attacks. To address this issue, every shipyard designs a flagship version aside from the standard models when they design large warships."

As he spoke, Zhang Heng led Rocky to the side of a huge warship, "City Lord Rocky, do you remember the escort ship provided by the Chamber of Commerce as a gift?"

"The Scavenger Type 1 Escort Ship, what about it?"

Rocky certainly remembered the escort ship gifted by the Apple Tree Corporation; he even recalled the exact model number.

Impressed by his accurate response, Zhang Heng just smiled and pointed to the warship beside them: "My lord, this warship here is the flagship version of the Defender Type 1."

"This warship? No way..."

Subconsciously, he looked up at the warship beside him, and Rocky's mouth gradually widened in awe.

The Scavenger Type 1 Escort Ship gifted by Apple Tree Corporation was very much to Rocky's liking, so not only did he personally go to see it upon delivery, but he also boarded the warship himself before piloting it back to Thunderhawk City. In his plans, this Scavenger Type 1 Escort Ship was to be his future flagship, and he had even thought of a name for it: the Thunderhawk.

This fondness meant that Rocky was highly familiar with the Scavenger Type 1 Escort Ship. However, the escort ship that Zhang Heng was introducing to him now was completely different from the Scavenger Type 1. To begin with, the warship in question was larger in size, measuring up to one hundred and thirty meters in length—over twenty meters longer than the Scavenger Type 1.

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Additionally, this escort ship was equipped with an even greater number of magic cannons, no less than twenty!

This enormous difference made it difficult for Rocky to believe that the escort ship before him was a Scavenger Type 1.

But just as Zhang Heng had introduced, this indeed was a Scavenger Type 1 Escort Ship, the difference being that this was the flagship version.

"City Lord Rocky, as a flagship, this warship naturally differs from a standard Scavenger Type 1. As you can see, the body of this warship is larger, and it is fitted with more magic cannons. It has two additional main cannons and seven auxiliary cannons, bringing the total number of magic cannons to twenty-four, making its firepower extremely potent."

"At the same time, the armor of this warship is also much thicker. Even without deploying the defensive net, the hull can withstand magic cannon attacks with a magic energy power of up to 500. And if the defensive net is deployed, then magic cannons with magic energy power below 1000 cannot even scratch this big guy."

"How much for this warship? I'll take it!"

With Zhang Heng's introduction, Rocky immediately fell for the flagship version of the Scavenger Type 1 and decided on the spot to purchase it!

In his view, this flagship was simply too fantastic, with both powerful firepower and impressive defensive capabilities. Being the lord of a city, he should command battles from such a colossal vessel!

Of course, the desire to buy this warship was not entirely an impulse; he had also taken into consideration the upcoming battle with Baron Wolin.

In Baron Wolin's fleet, the main force was also constituted of reconnaissance ships, and Zhang Heng's various introductions had already given Rocky a very comprehensive understanding of them. He knew very well that even the latest fifth-generation reconnaissance ships had limited firepower and could not possibly be equipped with magic cannons with a magic energy power over 1000.

This meant that if he purchased this big guy before him, wouldn't it be tantamount to holding an indefeasible position in the battle against Baron Wolin?

This was the crux of his considerations.

"City Lord Rocky, you have an excellent eye!"

Seeing how eagerly Rocky desired this warship, Zhang Heng's face immediately lit up with a brilliant smile: "My lord, the price of this warship is 150,000 Gold Coins."

"150,000? The price of a new ship?"

"No, it's the price for a second-hand ship, eighty percent new."

The initially enthusiastic Rocky felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him when he heard the price because it was simply too expensive!

He had already ordered fifteen reconnaissance ships and had spent more than half of his Gold Coins. Now, he had only about 150,000 Gold Coins left, so if he were to buy this flagship, he would be left with not a single Gold Coin...

"Aileen, you talk to Steward Zhang about this."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

After gritting his teeth, Rocky finally decided to purchase the flagship. Although the price of the warship was exorbitant, and the same amount of money could buy five reconnaissance ships, the combat capabilities of such a flagship far exceeded that of five reconnaissance ships! So Rocky was determined to make the purchase.

However, he did not need to handle such matters himself. He had Aileen, who was more professional, to represent him.

And as soon as Rocky called Aileen to his side, Zhang Heng's face stiffened, having previously negotiated with her. Zhang Heng knew all too well how formidable this seemingly young lady was.

In contrast, Aileen, who had been called forward, smiled at Zhang Heng. It was as if she had set her sights on some prey, making Zhang Heng break out in a cold sweat...