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 not large. Standing on the high steps and looking out, Rocky could easily see the entire cityscape at a glance.
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 umbrella enveloping the city, which could defend against external attacks during wartime and block high winds during regular 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 solar and wind energy, which not only eliminated much hassle but also saved a vast amount of resources.
"Truly spectacular..."
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 become the means of transport within cities. To travel beyond Sky City, one had to take a Skyship, similar 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 slightly larger 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 — 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!
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't come 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 outcome was just as expected.
Rocky glanced 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 incompetent City Lord.
But now, it seemed, this City Lord was far from weak!
In these soldiers' eyes, not only was Rocky not incompetent, but he also appeared quite imposing. Looking at him clad 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 could launch at any moment.
"Good."
Turning around, Rocky shouted to the guards behind him, "Everyone, listen to the command!"
"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's command, then quickly rushed toward the five Skyships prepared for takeoff.
Watching the guards spring into action without delay, Rocky was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Eyer to have trained these soldiers so well. Perhaps they were not on par with the regular 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 a command 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 the land…