Rocky and Cyril were both momentarily stunned upon seeing each other again; neither had expected to encounter the other at such an event.
It was Cyril who reacted first, quickly pulling Rocky away from the group of City Lords and into a corner.
This move naturally caused dissatisfaction among the City Lords, but they were all well aware of Cyril’s status and thus hesitant to provoke her easily.
After taking Rocky to the corner of the dance, Cyril looked him up and down a few times before asking incredulously, “Rocky, how come you’re here?”
“Why can’t I be here?”
Rocky, hearing this, was not pleased at all. What did that mean? Was he supposed to just stay in Thunderhawk City forever?
Frowning slightly as he looked at Cyril, Rocky also asked a question:
“And why are you here?”
“The Chamber of Commerce invited me.”
“They invited me too.”
“The Apple Tree Chamber of Commerce… invited… you?”
Cyril blinked her eyes for several seconds, her face filled with disbelief at Rocky’s words.
The Apple Tree Chamber of Commerce held such dances not without purpose; in fact, the aim of these dances was very clear: to expand the business scope of the Chamber through the City Lords. And, due to this goal, anyone invited by the Chamber was seen as an exceedingly important client.
Cyril had also just arrived in the Eternal City yesterday and received the invitation immediately upon arrival. Given that the Mairente Family had some business dealings with the Apple Tree Chamber of Commerce, she had come.
Accustomed to such affairs, Cyril, being the daughter of the Mairente Clan Leader and a City Lord of a Sky City herself, was always a person of honor wherever she went. Moreover, her own status made many people eager to maintain good relations with her.
Still, Cyril hadn’t expected that the Apple Tree Chamber of Commerce would also extend an invitation to Rocky, which was somewhat of a surprise to her.
Afterward, she couldn’t help but scrutinize Rocky thoroughly, her gaze growing more complex the longer she looked.
Being invited by the Apple Tree Chamber of Commerce signified that Rocky was seen as an important client in their eyes. Just a few months had passed since they last met – what had he done to gain such a status?
“What kind of business have you done with the Chamber?”
Considering this, Cyril couldn’t help but ask.
“Nothing much.” After glancing at her, Rocky kept his expression neutral: “Cyril, what do you want? If there’s nothing important, I am leaving.”
Having said that, he turned around and was ready to leave without hesitation.
“Wait…”
Seeing that Rocky was indeed about to leave, Cyril, feeling helpless, had no choice but to call out to stop him: “Rocky, I have something important to discuss with you.”
“Is it about the family?”
“Yes.”
“I have no relation to the Mairente Family anymore.”
With his back to Cyril, Rocky walked away while speaking coldly; ever since his father’s Sky City had been taken by the Mairente Family, he had indeed severed all ties with that family.
But just as he had taken a couple of steps, Cyril’s voice came from behind him again.
“The family wants to take back Thunderhawk City.”
That simple sentence forced Rocky to halt in his tracks!
“…”
Stopping, Rocky let out a soft sigh and then turned to look back at Cyril: “What did you say…?”
“The family… is planning to take back Thunderhawk City…”
Gazing into his eyes, Cyril repeated the sentence helplessly once again.
It was only after Cyril had repeated these words that Rocky furrowed his brows and thought carefully, taking several minutes before lifting his eyes again.
“The news you have for me is just this? Why?”
“Because… I don’t want the family to take back Thunderhawk City. It’s not good for you or for me, and besides… this is what the family owes you…”
Looking at Rocky, Cyril bit her lip and spoke haltingly.
At this moment, Rocky had returned to Cyril’s side. He looked down at Cyril, who was shorter than himself, feeling torn inside.
Because he could see that Cyril felt some remorse towards him. The reasons for her remorse need not be stated, but the current Rocky truly wanted nothing to do with the Mairente Family. The last incident had made him see the family for what it truly was.
However, Cyril’s words just now meant that Rocky couldn’t simply walk away carefree; even if he was reluctant, he had to ask what was going on before he could leave.
On the other hand, seeing Rocky return to her side, Cyril began to speak: “Rocky, the family isn’t deliberately targeting you…”
“Let’s stick to the main topic.”
Rocky interrupted Cyril’s words with a wave of his hand and asked directly, “You just said the family wants to take back Thunderhawk City. What exactly is going on?”
“Yes, because…”
In a few words, Cyril explained the family’s decision regarding Thunderhawk City and the situation with Baron Wolin to Rocky. The matter was simple, just a straightforward decision by the family, so it didn’t take long to describe.
“So that’s how it is…”
And after Cyril had finished explaining everything, Rocky nodded while his brows were furrowed deep in thought.
Despite his calm demeanor, the news was as sudden and shocking as a bolt from the blue for him. He had not expected that just as things were starting to look up for him, he would encounter such misfortune.
But now it was too late for any regrets, whether cursing his own bad luck or hating the Mairente Family. The urgent matter at hand was how to survive this looming crisis. Find your next read at empire
If Thunderhawk City were taken back, Rocky could definitely not agree to it. The Mairente Family had already taken away a medium-sized Sky City he was supposed to inherit, and Rocky would never allow such a thing to happen again.
So after a brief silence, he lifted his head again.
“You just mentioned that the family won’t help Baron Wolin take action, right?”
“Exactly.” Cyril nodded affirmatively and said, “In fact, both my father and I would prefer not to see Baron Wolin’s faction grow, but individual wishes can’t sway the family’s decisions. The only thing I can do is ensure the family stays out of this matter, and you can be assured of that.”
“If that’s the case, how does Baron Wolin plan to take Thunderhawk City from me?”
Such a response made Rocky somewhat surprised. If the family wasn’t going to intervene, how could Baron Wolin manage to take his Thunderhawk City? Surely he didn’t intend to drive Rocky out of Thunderhawk City himself?
“How to take it back? Naturally, by bringing the fleet to drive you away.”
Cyril gave Rocky a glance, appearing astonished. Wasn’t the answer to this question obvious?
“Drive, drive me away?”
Rocky was wholly taken aback by the correctness of his guess; it took him a good while to regain his composure before he couldn’t help but ask another question:
“How large is Baron Wolin’s fleet?”
He couldn’t fathom just how powerful Baron Wolin had become, to the point where he even aimed to forcefully remove Rocky from Thunderhawk City. Such audacity!
“Although Baron Wolin is not yet a City Lord, he is still considered a veteran in the family. As for his fleet… it comprises at least thirty Floating Warships.”
“Thirty…”
Hearing this number, Rocky’s face revealed a strange expression. Then he fell silent, as if calculating something.