Rocky indeed wanted to earn money by hunting demons but he never thought of completing this task alone, because he knew he couldn't do it, even if his Void Magic Armor was successfully enhanced, he still couldn't do it.
So, his initial idea was to team up with Liliya!
"Are you saying... let me wear the rune equipment left by Winsel?"
After hearing Rocky's explanation, Liliya didn't dismiss it immediately, but instead frowned and fell into thought.
She had figured out that Rocky had made thorough preparations for this plan. Not only had he made arrangements for Thunderhawk City, but he had even taken helping her into consideration, which was very comprehensive, but... would his preparations be useful?
If she wore the rune equipment left by Winsel, could she really fight the demons...?
At this thought, Liliya glanced at Rocky and then asked, "Rocky, how powerful is the equipment left by Winsel? Tell me the truth."
"Each piece of rune equipment is at least as strong as my Void Magic Armor!"
Rocky quickly provided the answer to this question and didn't exaggerate at all!
The equipment he found from the research institute was indeed very powerful, those items were not ordinary, and they all had runes drawn by Winsel himself on them!
This was the most important thing!
Winsel was a top master who invented the mana runes; calling him the ultimate genius of this world was not an exaggeration. Thus, the rune equipment made by his own hands was absolutely no less powerful than the Void Magic Armor, and there was no doubt about that.
"I see..."
This answer made Liliya furrow her brow even tighter, her facial expression became quite intriguing in an instant, somewhat worried, yet also anticipative, eager to try while simultaneously filled with hesitation, clearly caught in a dilemma.
Indeed, Liliya was conflicted because if Rocky hadn't exaggerated, then relying on the rune equipment left by Winsel, she too started feeling eager to try hunting the demons.
But she was also worried about Rocky's reassurance; after all, equipment was just external aid, and hunting demons was like dancing on the edge of a knife—any slight mistake could mean death, so Liliya was somewhat hesitant.
"Liliya, it's settled then, you and I will hunt demons together!"
"Wha—What! I haven't..."
Just as Liliya was indecisive, Rocky had already made the decision for her!
"Liliya, I trust you, as long as you're by my side, I'm sure nothing will happen to me."
After saying this, Rocky leapt into the sky and flew towards the City Lord's Mansion.
"Rocky! What, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to get your equipment, you are going to train me right away, we don't have much time."
Just as Liliya thought, Rocky had indeed made thorough preparations for hunting the demons, not only had he enhanced his Void Magic Armor, but he also planned to have Liliya train him!
Hunting demons was very dangerous, Rocky knew this better than anyone; he obviously didn't want to die doing this, so apart from the external preparations, he also hoped to improve himself. Although time was pressing, even a slight improvement before heading out could increase the success rate, and he did not intend to give up even this small chance of success.
So once he had successfully persuaded Liliya, he immediately started sparring with her, and this time it was a real sparring session.
After that, Liliya began a week-long intensive training for Rocky!
During this week, Rocky never went back to the research lab, because a week's time wasn't long, it was actually very short. If he wanted to improve during such a short time, he needed to devote all his energy to training, without any distractions.
Liliya was naturally very pleased with his actions, and to ensure Rocky could see results in such a short time, she became quite tough on him, sparing no mercy, truly putting him through a hellish training.
Time passed day by day, and the week was over in the blink of an eye.
That day, Thunderhawk City, gradually hovering in the sky, slowed to a stop, and the entire city floated high in the air.
"City Lord, you... must be careful..."
At this moment, within the Skyport of Thunderhawk City, a skyship had already prepared for takeoff, and both Rocky and Liliya were also ready to board.
Seeing the two fully prepared, Aileen, who had come to see them off, could think of nothing else to say but to remind them to be careful.
She had only learned a few days ago about their plans, and when she heard Rocky's intentions, she was genuinely frightened and instinctively wanted to stop them, but it was to no avail. The only thing Aileen could do was to take good care of Thunderhawk City while Rocky was away.
"We will be fine."
With a laugh towards Aileen, Rocky appeared quite relaxed: "The city is in your hands now. Remember to keep the guards and the skyships on standby. The moment you see the signal, come to pick us up immediately."
"Alright."
Since the mission involved hunting demons, it would be impractical to take all ten skyships of the city, as that would be too conspicuous and might attract a multitude of demons.
Therefore, this time Rocky sent only one skyship, and upon landing with Liliya, they would send the skyship back and signal Aileen when they wanted to return to the city. Upon seeing the signal, Aileen would dispatch a skyship to pick them up.
This arrangement was so bold that even Aileen could hardly believe it, for it meant that Rocky was entrusting his life into her hands!
Why would Rocky trust her so much?
That question, even Aileen herself did not know. All she knew was that when Rocky informed her, she felt disbelief as well as a touch of emotion.
"We are leaving now; make sure to watch for the signal!"
As Aileen reminisced about the scenes from a few days ago, Rocky and Liliya had already boarded the skyship. They waved at her before the skyship gradually ascended and quickly flew towards the land.
"Felly, keep all the skyships ready for takeoff, and keep an eye out for the City Lord's signal."
As the skyship gradually disappeared into the clouds, Aileen turned to a guard standing nearby and instructed.
This guard was none other than Felly, who had initially welcomed Rocky at the Skyport. He had since been promoted by Liliya to one of the deputy captains of the Guard Corps, specifically in charge of managing the skyships at the Skyport.
"Yes!"
With a response, Felly saluted Aileen militarily and then went to make preparations with his team.
......
......
Leaving the people on standby in Thunderhawk City aside for now, Rocky, who was en route to the land on the skyship, was already seated in the cabin, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.
This was his second return to the land, and he found it quite amusing, as his memories recalled that the former him had never set foot on land in his entire life. Yet now, he had made repeated trips to the land within just a month or two, the frequency of which was indeed a bit too rapid.
Having recently been to the land, Rocky felt less excitement this time and no longer stood at the bow facing the wind like last time; instead, he sat quietly in the cabin.
"Once we reach the land, follow my lead. You must not act on your own."
As Rocky inwardly mused whether his return to the land was overly frequent, Liliya was cautioning him.
By now, Liliya had donned a new set of equipment, specifically the rune equipment left by Wensel. Not only were these pieces exquisite, but they also featured patterns composed of runes, making Liliya look completely renewed.
Even though she was equipped with more powerful gear, Liliya remained cautious and continued to remind Rocky that he must not act independently once they reached their destination.
Among the two, only she had encountered real demons. Rocky's knowledge of demons was still only theoretical, so they had agreed beforehand that Liliya would take the lead once they got to the land.
"Okay."
Rocky gave Liliya a serious look and nodded without jest.