Upon seeing that Liliya had dispatched five skyships to pick him up, a disheartened Rocky no longer dared to delay 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 weak combat capabilities, the magic cannons at the bow and stern still proved somewhat useful when bombarding land 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 could land safely, he crashed onto the deck! His Void Magic Armor's mana was completely depleted just then!
It was a close call, a very close call indeed. Had he been any later, 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 the last moment!
Such a terrifying outcry immediately terrified the guards on the skyship, particularly 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 was completely 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 loud laughter!
This caused both the demon's roars and his laughter to simultaneously echo through the skies and the land.
Seeing Rocky's reaction, all the guards looked on in disbelief. Faced with such a terrifying demon, this city lord was not only able to laugh 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, laughing in the face of such a terrifying demon was surely an act of bravery, or perhaps even madness.
But they thought too much; Rocky's laughter 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 not laugh joyously?
When he stopped laughing, 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, Rocky laughed 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 relayed Rocky's command, 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 the large 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 are coming."
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 relax. Then, just as before, he stayed alone on the deck.
He wasn't trying to act cool; he was planning for his and Thunderhawk City's future!
Discovering the Mana Rune would undoubtedly completely 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.
He certainly did not want the Mana Rune he painstakingly found to end up benefiting someone else or, worse, be the death of him—such a scenario was absolutely unacceptable.
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 place.
"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 on land due to the emergency when I went to pick you up."
After stealing a glance 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 a last resort and the most severe punishment, to retain its deterrent power. Hence, he had planned to leave Eyer and the others on land 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 successfully 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 noble girl about seventeen or eighteen years old, very pretty with a distinct noble demeanor, and sharing some resemblance 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 planning 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 he come 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 flashed a cunning smile, "Grandfather, that's not important. What's important is how the city lord sees you."
This reply made Voss laugh even more heartily and he was very pleased.