Lord of the Sky City

Chapter 748: Chapter 711: The Return of the Heavenly Wolf

“My Lord, Master Orton has sent word that the Super Crystal in Thunderhawk City has been replaced, and a comprehensive transformation is now underway. Everything is progressing smoothly,”

“Hmm, I know,”

Inside the cabin of the War Steed, Rocky glanced at Robin, who reported to him, and nodded.

Ever since the upgrade of Thunderhawk City began, Rocky had left the city, leading the Fleet around Red Water Lake, fearing any unexpected incidents, but fortunately, the situation around the lake turned out to be much better than anticipated. First, the receding of the floodwaters was slower than expected, and second, it seemed the demons had truly run off. In these past few days, while leading the Fleet in patrols, they encountered some demons, but the numbers were very scarce, only a few thousand at most.

With this in mind, Rocky felt considerably more relaxed, because the few thousand demons he had discovered posed no significant threat to Thunderhawk City, especially since Rocky controlled Rune Battleships. Although the number of Rune Battleships was not particularly large, their combat strength was extraordinarily formidable; a few thousand demons were hardly a concern before them.

Now, Orton also sent news that the upgrade of Thunderhawk City was proceeding smoothly, the city having replaced its original Super Crystal, and next came the transformation part. Once that was completed, Thunderhawk City could take to the skies again. The most critical and challenging part of the entire upgrade process would be considered finished, which naturally made Rocky breathe a sigh of relief internally.

However, after he nodded, Sandro in front of him did not immediately leave, prompting Rocky to give him a glance: “Is there anything else?”

“This… My Lord, there’s a message from Backhill Village.”

“Oh? Is there a problem?”

Upon hearing Sandro mention Backhill Village, Rocky frowned. Lately, he had been maintaining regular contact with Backhill Village, because for this upgrade, he had almost brought out ninety percent of his forces. The entire Fleet and Void Magic Corps were mobilized, along with more than half of the Guard Corps, leaving only a few hundred guards and several tank squads in Backhill Village, plus a Moving Fortress for defense.

In principle, the defense forces of Backhill Village weren’t weak, but it was Rocky’s sole road-based base and also a mine, vital to his development. Rocky was always somewhat worried, so as soon as Sandro brought up Backhill Village, Rocky immediately looked at him.

“My Lord, there’s a message from Backhill Village stating that Sirius City has come back.”

“Sirius City has returned?”

Hearing this, Rocky’s brow furrowed even more tightly, for the Sky Alliance had withdrawn Sirius City several months ago, and this act had marked the relationship with Rocky hitting rock bottom.

So when Rocky learned that the Sky Alliance had once again sent Sirius City back, he was somewhat baffled.

Could it be because of the trade involving Runes, indicating the Alliance intended to further ease relations?

Learning that Sirius City had returned, the first thing Rocky thought of was that the Alliance was softening its stance towards him, given that he had recently completed a Rune trade with them. Although the transaction was brief, it was beneficial to both parties and indeed fulfilled the Alliance’s wish of acquiring the coveted Runes. Could it be that the Sky Alliance was using this opportunity to send a signal of rapprochement?

Not necessarily.

At this thought, Rocky shook his head. To the likes of the Sky Alliance—a colossal entity—in their eyes there were only interests, devoid of personal sentiments. Thus, even though Rocky had sold them the runes, they would definitely want more. Even if the return of Sirius City was the Alliance’s way of seeking to mend the relationship with him, it was crucial to remain cautious.

“I understand. You may go now. Also, inform Uncle Wil to have the War Steed return to port.”

“Yes, sir!”

After affirming with a single word, Robin left the cabin. Once he was out, Rocky frowned and pondered over the recent developments carefully.

Concerning the actions of the Sky Alliance, he had to stay on guard. Yet, Rocky also had to admit that he wasn’t particularly talented in this regard. The truly talented one was Athena, which was why he ordered the War Steed to return, planning to consult Athena face to face back in Thunderhawk City and hear her opinions on the matter.

Thus, about half a day later, Rocky returned to Thunderhawk City. Having led the fleet on patrols outside these past days, this was his first time back since Thunderhawk City had descended. Upon his return, Rocky first visited the Central Square in the city sector to inspect the renovation work, then chatted with Wynn and Orton to confirm the progress of the upgrades. Only after all this was handled did he return to the City Lord’s residence and meet with Athena.

Before Rocky’s return, Athena had already learned about the situation with Sirius City, so upon seeing him, she cut straight to the point, “My Lord, we need to be cautious.”

“Oh?”

At her words, Rocky’s heart skipped a beat, and he hastily asked, “You mean the Alliance has sent Sirius City over not to ease the relationship with us, but with a different purpose in mind?”

“For a power like the Sky Alliance, there is always an ulterior motive in everything they do.”

With a faint smile at Rocky, Athena casually remarked, “The Sky Alliance has sent Sirius City this time with clearly two purposes. The first is naturally to mend relations with us, as my Lord’s previous decision to sell runes to the Alliance, while somewhat displeasing to them, has indeed eased the tension between us to some extent. Therefore, their sending of Sirius City certainly contains some goodwill.”

“However, my Lord must not overvalue this goodwill. To the Sky Alliance, such goodwill is merely a means to an end. In fact, I believe the true intention behind the Alliance sending Sirius City lies with the Kafka Empire and the Magic Energy Research Institute.”

“Related to them?” Hearing this, Rocky’s expression turned somewhat grim.

It was well known that Rocky’s greatest crisis before had stemmed from the Kafka Empire and Magic Energy Research Institute’s collusion with numerous forces targeting him. To cope with these giants’ hostility, Rocky had no choice but to reveal all his cards and only narrowly avoided disaster thanks to a sudden demon attack. Everything he was doing now, including selling runes to the Alliance, producing rune armor and rune battleships in cooperation with Apple Tree Corporation, and even upgrading Thunderhawk City, was all to prepare for the next targeting by these adversaries.

What Rocky hadn’t expected was that they would set their sights on him again so soon?

“My Lord, now that the Sky Alliance has obtained the mana runes, the Kafka Empire and Magic Energy Research Institute naturally will not let matters rest. They have been backed into a corner and, if I’m not mistaken, they are surely considering how to continue targeting us. Moreover, this time their targeting will be unprecedented, as this will be their last opportunity. We must make thorough preparations for it.”

Source: .com, updated on Novlove.com