Lord of the Sky City

When Rocky finally left the docks with his companions, a wide smile was plastered on his face, and Aileen beside him was just as beaming with happiness. Only Zhang Heng, who accompanied them, had a less than pleased expression.

Naturally, the deal had gone through, and it was a big one at that. Rocky had bought a total of fifteen Airship Model 6 reconnaissance ships and a Scavenger Type 1 flagship edition escort ship. Although both were second-hand, such a transaction, even for the Apple Tree Corporation, was considered a major deal.

The sheer size of the transaction was naturally extremely substantial. Rocky had spent five hundred thousand Gold Coins. It may sound like a lot, but if you consider Zhang Heng's original asking price, the actual sum should have been five hundred seventy thousand Gold Coins. This meant that after Aileen's negotiations, Rocky saved a total of seventy thousand Gold Coins!

That was the reason for Zhang Heng's displeasure. Even though the corporation still made a huge profit from the deal, they had earned seventy thousand Gold Coins less than expected. For a businessman who considers not picking up money on the ground as a loss, it was almost akin to taking a loss.

Therefore, when Zhang Heng finally signed the trade agreement with Rocky, he couldn't stop praising Aileen. Without her, he wouldn't have been able to "accompany" such a substantial amount.

With the completion of this transaction, Rocky's most significant reason for coming to Eternal City had been sorted out. This didn't just mean that he had spent most of his Gold Coins, but also that Thunderhawk City's military strength had increased several times over!

Discover stories at empire

Once the fleet was delivered, Thunderhawk City's aerial combat force would transform from its original fleet of ten first-generation reconnaissance ships to an imposing fleet comprised of the ten original ships, fifteen third-generation reconnaissance ships, one third-generation escort ship, and a third-generation flagship.

This fleet, made up of twenty-seven Skyships, now had a scale in terms of numbers, and it didn't fall short even when compared to other small Sky Cities.

Moreover, the quality of this new fleet was also quite satisfying. Although the main force was still reconnaissance ships, the two third-generation escort ships significantly enhanced the overall strength of the fleet, especially the flagship.

With its firepower and defensive power, this flagship would be considered an excellent warship even among the fleets of some large Sky Cities, not just in Thunderhawk City.

Such a formidable fleet substantially increased Thunderhawk City's military capability, bolstering Rocky's confidence for the upcoming battles!

With the warship situation handled, Rocky's remaining tasks in Eternal City were few. After careful consideration, there were roughly three left.

The first task was to get Aileen and Old Jack to finalize the leather factory equipment. Although war was imminent, the city's development and construction couldn't stop.

The second task was to have Liliya and Lin Feng purchase a batch of equipment for the soldiers, with the same requirements as before, which Liliya was already familiar with.

The last task was to hire teachers and recruit crew members.

Due to the purchase of a large number of warships, Thunderhawk City was facing a severe shortage of crew members, particularly since both escort ships required over a hundred crew members to be operational. This made it necessary for Rocky to recruit a batch of crew members to bridge the gap, or else the newly purchased warships would only serve as decorations.

Fortunately, in Eternal City, there was a dedicated Technician Guild where a large number of crew members could be hired.

As for hiring teachers, it was something Rocky had planned for a while. After several personal attempts, he had to admit that it was not feasible without a teacher. Although he had the research notes left by Wensel, due to his own insufficient foundation, much of the content in the notes was incomprehensible to him, which undoubtedly made learning Runes more challenging.

In this situation, everyone started to act separately. Aileen and Old Jack took care of one task, Liliya and Lin Feng another, and Rocky himself, accompanied by Monte, took charge of hiring crew members and recruiting teachers.

Last time he came to Eternal City, he had already hired technicians specializing in leather manufacturing, so when everyone split up to tackle their respective tasks, Rocky went straight to the Technician Guild with Monte.

Just like the Mercenary Guild, the Technician Guild was bustling with people, but those here didn't carry the same heavy air of murder about them and looked more refined.

"Hello, how may I assist you?"

Approaching the service desk of the Technician Guild, the attendant greeted Rocky with a professional smile.

"I'd like to hire a group of crew members, about three hundred people."

"Sure, do you have any specific requirements?"

"The requirements are that they must be proficient in operating reconnaissance ships and escort ships."

"Alright."

After knowing Rocky's request, the waiter handed him a slip of paper and told him that in three days, someone at the port would lead the crew members he needed, waiting for him—it was all that simple.

And after hiring the crew, Rocky then made another request to the waiter, to hire a teacher.

"What kind of teacher would you like to hire?"

"Mana. Preferably a master in mana."

"I see..."

Upon hearing Rocky's request, while the waiter began to search, suddenly someone at the side shouted!

"Me! Kiddo, I'll be your teacher!"

That shout startled everyone, and both Rocky and Monte quickly turned their heads, only to see an old man with white hair striding towards them.

The old man was certainly not young, with white hair and beard, sporting a pair of sharp, triangular eyes, and a face riddled with wrinkles—easily in his seventies or eighties. Despite his age, he exuded vitality, brimming with energy, almost resembling a young lad.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The old man covered the distance in just a few steps and arrived in front of Rocky, then began to size him up, not only observing Rocky but also not sparing Monte, checking him out for quite a while, even taking in the axe tied to his waist.

After looking them up and down for a while, the oldster finally spoke: "Kiddo, didn't you want to hire a teacher? I'm here!"

Having said that, the old man didn't wait for Rocky's consent and approached the service counter. He then said to the waiter inside: "Quickly, quickly, hurry up and give me a contract."

The old man's anxious appearance baffled everyone, not just Rocky and Monte, but even the waiter's eyes bulged in utter confusion.

"What are you dazing for? Hurry up!"

Seeing the waiter still unresponsive after quite some time, the impatient old man slammed his hand on the service counter, jolting the waiter awake.

"Uh... Master Orton, this gentleman just wants to hire a teacher, you..."

"What, can't I, Orton, be a teacher?"

The waiter's words made the so-called Orton, the old man, immediately widen his eyes, then he turned to face a bewildered Rocky, pulling him close.

"Kiddo, are you looking for a teacher in mana?"

"Yes... Yes..."

"Preferably a master in mana, right?"

"Right..."

"That settles it, I am a master."

After saying this, Orton pushed him back and then looked at the waiter: "See? This little guy has agreed to hire me as his teacher, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get me the contract!"