"What, what did you say?"
Rocky's words left Liliya stunned!
And after a moment, when she regained her composure, she rushed to Rocky: "No! Rocky, you can't have such an idea, don't go after the demons!"
Rocky had actually anticipated Liliya's reaction, so he sighed helplessly and asked her in return, "Besides targeting the demons, do we have any other options?"
His counter-question was full of helplessness, but it rendered Liliya speechless.
Just like Liliya had said before, Thunderhawk City was facing a major crisis. Winter was approaching, and the city had no food reserves, while the Azure Commerce Guild had conveniently raised their prices, leaving Thunderhawk City with no money to buy enough grain.
How could they get through this difficult time?
It was something everyone had been worrying about for the past month. Liliya was worried about it, Aileen was anxious too, but despite all their efforts, no one was as urgent as Rocky, because Thunderhawk City was his! He was the City Lord!
If something happened to this city, wouldn't Rocky, the City Lord, be utterly doomed? So, naturally, he was the most anxious.
Thus, even though Rocky spent every day in the lab tinkering with runes, every night, when everyone in the city was sound asleep, he was thinking about how to get Thunderhawk City through the winter, how to ensure the city's residents had food.
Finally, he came up with an idea, and that was to hunt demons!
After familiarizing himself with this world for such a long time, Rocky was well-aware of one thing, and that was in this world, demons were not only everyone's enemy but also a resource!
Demons were extremely valuable!
Since demons began attacking the land, people discovered that these monsters from the Different Dimension, though terrifying, were also treasures from head to toe!
The demons' skin was as hard as steel, yet as soft as cloth, making it an ideal material for crafting soft armor.
The demons' blood was top-grade magic material and could even be used to enhance Magic Stones.
And the most precious part of the demon was the Demon Core. The Demon Core was equivalent to the demon's heart, and the power contained within far exceeded that of Magic Stones, making it an extremely valuable treasure. It was rumored that some people had been researching the Demon Core to find secrets that might reveal the demons' weaknesses.
In summary, the demons were treasures from head to toe, which was why whether they were the official forces represented by each Sky City, or individuals with the motive of making money, many engaged in the long-term hunt of demons, giving rise to a new profession: Demon Hunter.
And the method Rocky thought of was to hunt demons.
As long as he successfully killed a demon, he could easily sell it for nearly ten thousand Gold Coins!
This price was no exaggeration, for although demons were everywhere, unless a regular army was deployed for a large-scale hunt, it was extremely difficult to kill a demon individually, thus driving the price sky high.
This was why Rocky planned to take Thunderhawk City to the Eternal City, because it was the largest trade city in the sky. As long as he had a demon, it would be sold for a good price in Eternal City with no worries.
This was also why he worked tirelessly on strengthening the Void Magic Armor. To hunt demons, he had to take action personally, because only the Void Magic Armor could stand against the demons. But Rocky knew he was too ordinary in skill, and his Void Magic Armor was outdated, so he had to strengthen it with runes to have a chance at success!
Now, the enhancement of the Void Magic Armor was complete, so his next plan was to return to land and hunt demons, then sell them, naturally resolving Thunderhawk City's 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 plan.
"Rocky, you have already experienced the horror of demons last time. They are terrifying monsters that only the army can withstand, not something you can handle."
At this moment, Liliya exhibited an unprecedented level of agitation, because in her opinion, Rocky's idea was practically suicidal! She could follow Rocky, support him unconditionally, but she would never watch him court death. This was Liliya's bottom line, so she adamantly opposed Rocky's idea.
"Liliya, this is the only way to save Thunderhawk City, I..."
"Even if this city is destroyed, I want you alive."
Standing in front of Rocky, staring intently into his eyes, Liliya said resolutely!
Her words left Rocky stunned; he looked at Liliya's eyes incredulously, seeing nothing but determination. This made him realize that Liliya was not deceiving him—she would rather let Thunderhawk City fall than let anything happen to him...
So, Rocky smiled, and placed his hands on Liliya's shoulders, then said, "Thunderhawk City will not be destroyed, nor will I die."
"Because I don't plan to hunt demons alone, so why are you so anxious?"
"You can't fool me!" Liliya glared at Rocky and disregarded his words: "Don't forget I'm the Captain of the Guard in Thunderhawk City; the Guards and Skyships here can't help you with this, they are no match for the demons."
"I never said I needed their help."
Shaking his head at Liliya, Rocky's expression turned serious: "I want you to come with me. The two of us, together, will hunt demons!"
"Me?"
Hearing this, Liliya froze. She stared blankly at Rocky and after a long while, let out a bitter smile: "I'm sorry... I can't help you this time..."
"I... am too weak..."
Looking at Rocky, Liliya's voice was filled with bitterness: "Unless I reach the level of a fifth-level warrior, I can't withstand even a single blow in front of even the weakest demon. But I'm only a third-level; with this level of strength, encountering a demon means I can't even buy some time for you, I'm sorry..."
Saying these words pained Liliya deeply; how could she not want to help Rocky? But as she said, even facing the lowest-level demon required at least the strength of a fifth-level warrior!
This was a lesson summed up through many lives, but she was only third-level.
"No, you can, and only you can."
But as soon as she finished speaking, Rocky shook his head and with a smile, reminded her: "Liliya, did you forget what I found in the research lab? I didn't just find research notes and a few Magic Stones; I also found several pieces of rune equipment!"
"Those rune equipment are all crafted by Wensel himself! And as long as you wear the rune equipment, together, we can definitely hunt demons!"