After arranging a series of governmental affairs, Rocky could relax for a while, and then he just needed to wait, becoming busy again only after arriving at Eternal City.
But his leisure time was not spent idly; he took this opportunity to read several books thoroughly.
Last time he visited Eternal City, he had brought back a large collection of books about mana, and Rocky’s purpose in purchasing these books was naturally to better utilize Mana Runes. After all, though both runes and magic stones could provide mana, they differed significantly in their usage.
Replacing the magic stones in equipment with runes was relatively simple, partly because Wensel’s research notes contained relevant records, and partly because the technology involved in Mana Weapons was not very advanced, thus Rocky could manage it.
However, increasing the scope of rune application proved more challenging for him.
To mention not only the highly sophisticated Void Magic Armor but even the Magic Cannon had stumped Rocky.
According to his original plan, he had hoped to apply runes to the Magic Cannons, as using runes either to replace magic stones or to work alongside them to generate mana could significantly enhance the power of the Magic Cannons.
His idea was undoubtedly correct, but he encountered problems in practice, because operating the Magic Cannon wasn’t as simple as just embedding magic stones or drawing on runes; it involved many conduction technologies that were beyond Rocky’s comprehension, and only after understanding these technologies could he apply runes to the Magic Cannon.
For this reason, he had specifically purchased a large quantity of books and had finished quite a few, but unfortunately, the results were far from ideal.
Though Rocky had gained some understanding of Magic Energy Conduction through the books, his knowledge was far from sufficient for practical application, which was why he planned to use this trip to Eternal City as an opportunity to find himself a teacher, realizing that some things indeed required teacher’s instruction.
Even though he had decided to hire a teacher, he was still making the most of his free time to study, hoping to master some of the fundamentals. By doing so, once the teacher arrived, he could move directly to practical application.
However, while Rocky leisurely read his book, he was unaware that, on the distant horizon, an event was unfolding that could impact both him and Thunderhawk City!
……
……
In the skies far from Thunderhawk City, there was a magnificent Sky City by the name of Machine City, which was a large Sky City with a population of one hundred and fifty thousand.
At this moment, inside the City Lord’s Mansion of Machine City, a conversation was taking place that could potentially alter the destinies of Rocky and Thunderhawk City!
“Father! Why would the elders agree to such a thing!”
Standing behind a middle-aged man, Cyril, Rocky’s cousin, was very agitated.
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Upon hearing her words, the middle-aged man with his back to Cyril slowly turned around and glanced at his daughter.
This man appeared around forty, tall and broad-shouldered, with a high stature and a chiseled face that made him appear very resolute. Named Atted, he was Cyril’s father, Rocky’s paternal uncle, and also held an extremely important role: the current Clan Leader of the Mairente Family!
“Which matter are you referring to?”
Turning around to look at his daughter, Atted responded with a serious tone.
It wasn’t that he was deliberately being stern; rather, Atted was a naturally serious person, embodying all the qualities of a superior leader.
“Father, I am talking about Thunderhawk City. Why would the elders grant Thunderhawk City to Baron Wolin?”
“That is a decision of the family. Baron Wolin has performed a great service for the family and should be rewarded,”
“But, but Thunderhawk City was given to Rocky half a year ago. Have the Elders forgotten?”
Cyril was baffled and even furious at her father’s words. As he spoke, it seemed as though Rocky, the current City Lord of Thunderhawk City, didn’t exist, as if there were no City Lord in Thunderhawk City at all!
However, what Cyril hadn’t expected was that Atted then coldly said:
“Things given away by the family can always be taken back. Do I need to remind you of that?”
“But, but…”
Facing her father’s words, Cyril suddenly found herself at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
While she was at a loss, Atted had already sat down and then suddenly asked, “Cyril, are you feeling guilty about what happened six months ago, hence wanting to help Rocky?”
“Yes.”
Taking a deep breath, Cyril looked her father in the eyes. “Father, if it hadn’t been for Rocky’s medium-sized Sky City, it would have been difficult to say whether you could have received Auntie Kelly’s support and succeeded in becoming Clan Leader. So, I feel that we indeed owe Rocky a great deal.”
“Moreover…” This time, without waiting for her father to speak, Cyril continued, “Even if we disregard Rocky, I still think the decision to hand over Thunderhawk City to Baron Wolin is exceedingly ill-considered.”
“I believe you are aware, Father, that Baron Wolin is a man of Lexington, and his faction has never been satisfied with you becoming Clan Leader. Handing Thunderhawk City over to Baron Wolin would only embolden Lexington’s group further, offering no benefit to us.”
As Cyril had long been involved in the family affairs, she had a deep understanding of the various factions and branches within the Mairente family, just as she had thought when first meeting Rocky. In families as powerful and with as many branches as Mairente, there were not only conflicts amongst them but also ceaseless struggles.
In such circumstances, Cyril wasn’t merely arguing over Thunderhawk City with her father because she felt indebted to Rocky; she was also considering her own faction’s position.
However, facing this series of arguments from Cyril, Atted rarely smiled, but he immediately said, “Cyril, since you know the people of Lexington have long harbored dissatisfaction towards me, you should not have tried to stop me from giving Thunderhawk City to them.”
“Why?”
“Because it gives them an opportunity.” From a smile to a frown, Atted’s expression changed rapidly. “The people of Lexington have always been looking for troubles with our family, and now that Baron Wolin has secured a mine for the family, establishing a great merit, if I don’t reward him accordingly, I would merely give Lexington a chance to criticize.”
“So I decided to give them Thunderhawk City. This city was already one the family planned to abandon, not only is it small, but it also has a low population. I remember when I handed it to Rocky, there were just over a thousand people, and now there might not even be that many left, it might already be a deserted city.”
“Giving such a city as a reward to Baron Wolin not only won’t increase his power but will instead become a burden; Cyril, don’t you understand such simple logic?”
“But… Father…”
“I met Rocky a few months ago, and he seemed to be managing Thunderhawk City quite well, so it probably isn’t a deserted city yet…”
Unable to come up with any argument to respond to her father’s words, Cyril could only blurt out.
Her words were indeed said in desperation, for the last time she had seen Rocky was in a library. How could she possibly know how Thunderhawk City had developed?
She would have been better off not saying anything at all; as soon as she finished speaking, Atted snorted coldly, “Since Rocky is developing Thunderhawk City well, then you don’t need to worry about it. This time, the family will not intervene in this matter. I believe Rocky should have the strength to hold off Baron Wolin after all, as the Baron only has one fleet.”
After saying this, Atted waved his hand, denying Cyril any chance to speak further and immediately made her leave the study.
Visibly infuriated, Cyril left her father’s study, thought for a moment, and then immediately summoned her assistant: “Find out the exact location of Thunderhawk City immediately!”