Lord of the Sky City

Confused as it was, almost akin to a forceful transaction, Rocky hired Orton to be his teacher, and it wasn't until he left the Technician Guild that he actually realized what had happened. It felt as though he had been dreaming, unwittingly becoming Orton's student.

Although the event seemed quite dramatic, Orton was indeed a genuine Magic Energy Master. Rocky was still confused when signing the contract, but he had asked the waiter thoroughly about Orton, and the waiter was certain that he was a real Magic Energy Master.

Since that was confirmed, Rocky didn't mind other details. Perhaps Orton's personality was a bit eccentric, but as long as he was genuinely skilled, that was enough.

Thus, Orton followed Rocky back to the Star of the Sky, and about a week later, most other matters had been settled. Aileen and Old Jack had purchased all the necessary equipment for the leather factory and imported a batch of goods from the Ruby Chamber of Commerce, thus solving most of the issues concerning the leather factory and the store.

At the same time, Liliya and Lin Feng sold the equipment and returned. With Rocky having sorted out the crew and his teacher, everyone had finished their business in Eternal City and could safely return to Thunderhawk City.

However, on the day before departure, Rocky decided to visit Karina and Berg once more. Through the previous ball, Rocky had become quite familiar with these two City Lords and felt that they were quite amiable, so he made a point to say goodbye before leaving.

The next day, the group left Eternal City's Skyport with substantial gains and successfully returned to Thunderhawk City.

Rocky's trip to Eternal City was immensely fruitful, but upon his return to Thunderhawk City, he couldn't rest at all because a great battle was looming over him and Thunderhawk City.

Under these circumstances, as soon as he returned to Thunderhawk City, he immediately began preparations.

First, he decided to let Thunderhawk City fly far away, preferably to a place where no one could find them. This would not only effectively delay the time Baron Wolin could find them but also give himself more time to prepare.

This was crucial because Cyril only mentioned that Baron Wolin would come with his Fleet, but did not specify when they would arrive. The timing might be tomorrow, or next year, and it was possible that Baron Wolin had already set off while they were leaving Eternal City.

Therefore, Rocky must find a way to buy more time to prepare, otherwise Cyril's information would be meaningless.

On another front, the newly formed Fleet also needed urgent training and coordination. Rocky named this new fleet the First Fleet of Thunderhawk City, with Thunderhawk as the flagship, and Felly was appointed as the Commander of the First Fleet, henceforth independent from the Guard Corps and directly under Rocky's command.

This appointment elated Felly, who had never dreamt of one day commanding such a large fleet, and he was so thrilled that for several days he literally slept on the Thunderhawk.

Rocky's first order to Felly was to train the Fleet quickly and thoroughly because no one knew when Baron Wolin might appear. Felly must ensure the Fleet had sufficient combat power before the opponent showed up.

Simultaneously, he had Old Jack post a notice to recruit a hundred new crew members citywide. Depending solely on hired crew to operate the Fleet was only a temporary solution, and ultimately, Thunderhawk City had to rely on its own crew to run the Fleet.

However, since Thunderhawk City's population was still too small, with a population of two thousand and over three hundred in the Guard Corps alone, making the military-civilian ratio over one-tenth, which was well above the normal standard.

Thus, Rocky could only recruit a hundred people; recruiting more would completely distort the city's military-civilian ratio, which was not something he wanted to see happen.

Besides organizing the Fleet's training, Rocky didn't neglect the construction of the city. Thunderhawk City's first leather manufacturing plant and the first store had already started renovations, and the second training class had officially begun, with everything proceeding in an orderly manner.

Rocky was relieved to see that when the notice for the second training class was released, the number of applicants increased several times over. The first training class had only a dozen registrants, but by the time the second training class started, the number of participants had surged to several hundred!

The enthusiastic registration was for two main reasons. Many wanted to work at the newly established leather factory, as Aileen had announced the factory's wages—thirty Gold Coins per month with two days of rest each week—a very enticing offer for the residents of Thunderhawk City.

Especially the women who usually weaved at home; their monthly output of fabric could never earn thirty Gold Coins. Such generous wages prompted many women from Thunderhawk City to eagerly sign up for the training class.

Another reason for the active participation in the training class was the addition of the residents from Backhill Village. The villagers from Backhill Village had generally integrated into the life of Thunderhawk City without any major issues, but one thing continued to trouble them.

They couldn't find things to do in Thunderhawk City.

The native residents of Thunderhawk City could live off weaving and farming, but these newly joined villagers lacked such skills. The cultivable land in Thunderhawk City had already been taken, and the villagers didn't know how to do the skilled work of weaving, which worried all the residents of Backhill Village.

They were concerned that although Rocky might be able to support them now, what would happen in the future?

With the announcement of the training class, residents from Backhill Village flocked to register. If it wasn't for the inability to train too many people at once, the size of this training session could have exceeded a thousand!

Everyone's enthusiastic participation in the training naturally pleased Rocky, as it signified that the first step of Thunderhawk City's economic reform had successfully been taken.

Thus, although a great battle was imminent, the overall situation in Thunderhawk City had not changed drastically. Development was ongoing, military strength was improving, and everything was progressively getting on the right track, moving forward methodically.

......

......

While Thunderhawk City was equally focusing on development and military, far across the horizon, another protagonist of the looming grand war, Baron Wolin, was also busy.

Unlike Rocky, Baron Wolin was just a noble in name only; it was precisely because of that, he was desperately eager to own a Sky City. And who in today's world wouldn't want to be a City Lord?

To achieve this goal, many had strived their entire lives, and Baron Wolin was among the best of them.

Today, Baron Wolin was over fifty. He had joined the Mairente Family in his twenties, and after nearly thirty years of dedicated service, he had finally achieved his long-awaited dream during his destined year, being bestowed by the family as a City Lord!

Although everyone knew that Thunderhawk City was only a small Sky City, it was still a Sky City! And everyone understood that no matter how small a City Lord was, he was still a City Lord. The status and level of importance could not be compared to that of ordinary people.

So, since receiving the appointment from the family, Baron Wolin had been shuttling between parties hosted by various colleagues. There was no help for it; as a City Lord, his status and position had drastically changed. Those who were once his peers were now eagerly flattering him, leading to constant invitations, a feeling Baron Wolin greatly enjoyed.

"Baron Wolin, congratulations! No, I should not call you a baron anymore, now it should be City Lord Wolin."

At the ball, wherever Baron Wolin went, he became the focus of everyone, and people tirelessly came forward to pay compliments. Baron Wolin, having maneuvered in these circles for decades, was no longer surprised and handled them with ease.

"Count Kexins, you shouldn't say that. It's all thanks to the family's recognition, nothing to do with me personally."

"City Lord Wolin, you are far too modest. Everyone knows you were given this honor by the family for your great merits, so don't be so modest."

"Exactly, exactly. Now that you will become a City Lord, your status is different. Don't forget about us, your colleagues!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Sir Chalgold, what are you saying? Am I the type who would be ungrateful and forget favors?"

Surrounded by a group of nobles, Baron Wolin looked very happy and enjoyed himself immensely.

"City Lord Wolin, when do you plan to take office?"

At that moment, someone suddenly asked, and everyone turned their attention to Baron Wolin. After all, he had only received the family's appointment and had not yet assumed office.

"Right, City Lord Wolin, I heard that the family wouldn't intervene directly this time and that you need to go to Thunderhawk City to assume office yourself. Will there be any troubles? If you need anything, just say the word, and we will surely help."

Since they all served the Mairente Family, this was not a secret, so everyone knew that Baron Wolin needed to personally take office.

"I appreciate your kindness, I've already sent people to scout the location of Thunderhawk City."

"As for taking office, don't worry about it. Currently, the City Lord of Thunderhawk City is just a young boy. Even if the family does not intervene, just a visit with the fleet will make him hand over the position willingly, right? What else could he do?"

Looking up at the crowd, Baron Wolin said with utmost confidence, and as soon as he finished, there came an immediate shower of agreeable noises.

"Hahaha! City Lord Wolin is indeed confident as always. Indeed, there's nothing for us to worry about."

"Exactly, just a young lad. What could he possibly do when City Lord Wolin arrives with the fleet, challenge you to a battle?"

"Hehe, if that kid really dares to do so, it would become this year's most amusing joke!"

PS: The novel 'Sky City Lord' should be able to launch next week, so the update pace will slow down a bit. But don't worry, once it's launched, it will burst out explosively, and we will make up for the slow pace now with double the content!"