Chapter 41 - 40 Flattery
"City Lord!"
When Rocky arrived back at the Skyport in Thunderhawk City aboard the skyship, Aileen and a group of guards, including Voss himself, were already waiting for him. It was only after they saw him emerge unscathed from the cabin that everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Aileen.
Regarding Rocky’s mission this time, Aileen had not been optimistic. Although she admitted Rocky’s ideas were right, she did not believe he could succeed. In her opinion, Rocky’s safe return was already the best outcome.
But precisely because her expectations were not high, Aileen was completely stunned when she saw four bags full of Greyrock Stones being carried off the ship!
"My Lord, is this, could this be…"
With a fist-sized Greyrock Stone in her hand, Aileen could hardly believe her own eyes. She confirmed it over and over, even glancing back at Voss before speaking dryly, "Could this be Greyrock Stone?"
"Exactly."
Her reaction did not surprise Rocky. Not only did Aileen hold little hope for the mission, but even he himself did not have much confidence.
Nevertheless, Rocky had ultimately succeeded. Thus, when he saw the incredulous look on Aileen’s face, although he might not have shown it on the surface, he was truly thrilled inside!
"Congratulations to the City Lord for the great success! Hunting down the Grayrock Demon, your military fortune is vast and enduring!"
While Aileen was still dumbstruck and Rocky was secretly reveling in the moment, Voss, who had been standing to the side, suddenly stepped forward, bowed deeply to Rocky with great respect, and spoke out loud.
His words took everyone present by surprise.
Rocky was also taken aback. He did not expect Voss to say such things at this moment; it was blatant flattery!
That did not seem to be Voss’s style at all.
At the same time, the other people present, especially the guards, were also stunned upon hearing this.
Voss’s words caused all the guards to reveal surprised expressions. These men had no idea what Rocky had been doing on land, so when they learned he had actually killed a demon, their view of Rocky changed instantly!
To these ordinary guards, the demons that had occupied the land for nearly a century were undefeatable monsters. Any person capable of killing demons was someone to be revered. As soon as they heard Voss’s words, the guards looked at Rocky with immense respect, astonished by their own City Lord’s prowess!
Unintentionally, the soldiers stood even more erect and dared not act casually in Rocky’s presence.
The unconscious change in the guards did not escape Rocky’s eyes, and he immediately understood Voss’s intention. What Voss had just said seemed like sucking up, but it was actually meant for the guards to hear!
Old fox!
Rocky nodded his head with a smile toward Voss, admiring the old man even more.
"What are you standing around for?"
At that moment, Liliya stepped forward and addressed the guards, "Take these things to the City Lord’s Mansion and then assign someone to guard them rigorously, not allowing for any mishaps!"
"Yes!"
Although Liliya had not been Captain of the Guards for long, she had already managed the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City extremely efficiently. The guards had a great deal of respect for her. As soon as Liliya finished speaking, the guards immediately started moving the four bags of Greyrock Stones.
The four bags of Greyrock Stones that Rocky and Liliya had brought back required three or four guards to barely move one bag; after all, they were filled with Greyrock Stone, not cotton, and both Rocky and Liliya had managed to bring them back with the help of Void Magic Armor and their own strength, respectively.
And once the guards had gradually moved all the Greyrock Stones away, Aileen looked at Rocky with a bit of curiosity: "City Lord, aren’t you planning to go back?"
The Greyrock Stones had been moved, but Rocky had shown no intention of leaving, which puzzled Liliya.
"Wait for me for a moment, someone else is coming,"
While saying this, Rocky turned to Voss, "Lord Voss, please stay as well."
"Of course,"
Voss nodded with a smile and didn’t ask any further questions before staying at the skyport.
Not long after that, another skyship emerged from the clouds and slowly flew above the skyport.
"My Lord, what is this...?"
Aileen looked surprised as she watched the unfamiliar skyship approach because in Thunderhawk City, such a small city, it wasn’t common for people to visit. Other than the Chamber of Commerce coming at fixed times for trade, it was unlikely for anyone else to come back even once a year.
"This is a friend I met on the land,"
Rocky explained casually with a slight smile, and at the same time, Felly, who was in charge of the skyport, ran up to him, "City Lord, this skyship... How should it be arranged?"
Standing in front of Rocky, Felly was respectful but seemed somewhat at a loss,
Under normal circumstances, skyships wanting to dock at Sky City have regulations to follow. Unless it’s a skyship from the city itself, all foreign skyships have to first declare their purpose. Upon landing, they are also required to pay a certain skyport tax before being officially allowed in.
But at this moment, the skyship preparing to land was clearly the one Rocky was waiting for, leaving Felly unsure whether to proceed with the usual procedure or not, so he decided to come over and ask.
"Everything should follow the rules,"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon hearing this, Felly saluted Rocky and then quickly left.
Under his command, Monte’s skyship began docking and slowly descended into the skyport.
Once the skyship had landed safely, Monte, accompanied by his daughter, a young female Beastman, exited his skyship. After paying the tax to the guards, they headed straight for Rocky.
Shortly after, Monte and his daughter arrived in front of Rocky and the others.
By now, Monte’s complexion had improved a lot compared to before, and the arm that had been severed was now simply bandaged, probably tended by his daughter.
"City Lord Rocky, thank you for your help,"
"City Lord Rocky, thank you for saving my father,"
As they approached Rocky, Monte said this while giving a deep bow in gratitude, and his daughter likewise bowed her head to Rocky.
Such a display of gratitude from them wasn’t at all excessive, even though Rocky had only brought Monte to Thunderhawk City. But this simple gesture was enough to be considered a lifesaving favor.
Monte’s injuries were clearly not something he and his daughter could handle alone; they needed to find a professional doctor in Sky City for treatment. With the sky being so vast, it’s not easy to just come across Sky City.
If it weren’t for Rocky, the only option for the father and daughter would have been to seek treatment in one of the large sky cities that floated at a fixed coordinate all year round. But by then, it was uncertain if Monte would still be saveable.
So, Rocky’s seemingly simple action actually amounted to saving Monte’s life.
"It’s no trouble at all, just a helping hand,"
Facing the father and daughter who bowed and expressed their thanks to him, Rocky smiled lightly and wasn’t too concerned. However, he then addressed Monte, "We should get to know each other anew, the City Lord of Thunderhawk City, Rocky."