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After speaking with Aileen, Jia Xi courteously and respectfully saw her to her carriage, not daring to take any inappropriate actions or even harbor inappropriate thoughts throughout the process.
While not exactly an upright person, Jia Xi, who seemed respectable on the surface, had done many underhand things in the shadows. However, he wasn’t someone controlled by basal desires. He was very aware that he was asking Aileen for help, so he dared not entertain any improper thoughts or actions.
One might wonder, was Jia Xi being too cautious?
Since he already knew that Rocky was intentionally avoiding him, why then did he linger in Thunderhawk City? Why didn’t he just leave?
This thought was not wrong, but Jia Xi couldn’t bring himself to do it because he had already missed the opportunity to leave.
If he had wanted to leave during the first three days after arriving in Thunderhawk City, then leaving would have led to no loss, despite the failed negotiations. But now, having stayed in Thunderhawk City for over a month, if he were to leave dejectedly, the losses would be substantial.
The entire five ships of grain he had brought were now exposed to the elements at the skyport. If he were to leave now, to whom would he sell this grain?
If he couldn’t sell this batch of grain, how would he explain it to the Chamber of Commerce?
So, it wasn’t that Jia Xi didn’t want to leave; it was that he simply couldn’t. He had to sell this batch of grain to Thunderhawk City, otherwise, the trouble would be even greater.
In such a situation, Jia Xi could only place his hopes on Aileen, hoping she could quickly convince Rocky and expedite the deal so he could leave. Moreover, Jia Xi had already decided that once this transaction was completed, he would swear never to come to Thunderhawk City again.
However, while Jia Xi sat waiting for good news from Aileen with great anticipation, the carriage-carrying Aileen headed straight to her training class. She didn’t have time to specifically look for Rocky for Jia Xi’s sake; she had many other matters to attend to.
The training class had already been running for a month. Aileen went to check on the progress of the residents who had enrolled, which was truly what concerned her heart.
On the other hand, Rocky in the City Lord’s Mansion was still buried in his study. After his extended efforts, the hundred shields bought from Eternal City had all been converted into runic shields, and the majority of the hundred pieces of armor had also been crafted into runic armor. That meant Rocky just needed to finish the last few pieces of armor to finally complete this major undertaking!
In this situation, he was highly motivated, continuing to work hard despite extreme fatigue and many days without proper rest.
Once this major project was completed, it would signify a fresh start. Soon, over half of the guards in Thunderhawk City would be equipped with the newly crafted runic equipment. Combined with Monte’s intense recent training, the Guard Corps would undergo a revolutionary transformation in strength. With that, Rocky could then lead them to undertake missions from the Mercenary Guild!
This was something Rocky had to do, as it directly concerned whether the treasury of Thunderhawk City could be replenished. Only with secured funding could he move to the next phase of development and planning.
So, it was right for Aileen not to come to him. Rocky didn’t have the time to deal with Jia Xi’s predicament; his focus was entirely on crafting rune equipment.
After another four or five days, Rocky finally inscribed runes on all the equipment he had purchased, transforming these imitation magic energy equipment into genuine rune equipment!
The smooth completion of this major project brought Rocky a sense of relief. So much so that after drawing the final rune on the last piece of armor, he simply fell asleep in his study—and slept for a whole day and night. The next day, he only woke up because he was too hungry; otherwise, he might have slept even longer.
No wonder, considering it had been over two months since Rocky returned from Eternal City. That meant he had been tirelessly working alone on the batch of rune equipment for two months, which explains why he fell asleep as soon as he finished the last piece of armor.
However, for Rocky now, rest was always a luxurious indulgence. It was just the beginning of the development of Thunderhawk City, and there were too many tasks waiting for him to tackle. Therefore, after briefly resting for a day, he went to the Guard Corps with the newly crafted rune equipment!
The equipment laboriously produced was intended for the guards, but due to Thunderhawk City’s limited finances, only one hundred guards could be equipped with the new gear. This meant that only half of Thunderhawk City’s Guard Corps could don the new equipment.
This was something Rocky had carefully considered beforehand. In fact, if he had chosen to purchase only shields or only armor, it would have sufficed for the entire Guard Corps. However, he did not do so.
In Rocky’s view, guards equipped with only one piece of rune equipment would see very limited improvement in strength. Rather than that, he preferred a strategy of ‘fewer but finer,’ allowing a select few of the more capable guards to wear more powerful gear. This elite strategy proved more effective.
Moreover, although most of the Guard Corps participated in tasks from the Mercenary Guild, not every member was required to fight tooth and nail, as Thunderhawk City had more than the Guard Corps—it also had ten skyships.
Skyships needed to be piloted, and the magic cannons on board also required operators. Thus, some of the guards were needed to pilot the skyships and operate the magic cannons. Given this, the actual number of guards required to fight alongside Rocky was not extensive. One hundred sets of equipment sufficed to arm these guards.
The guards, in fact, had already been informed of this. During their training, Monte had told them that the City Lord had acquired a batch of powerful ‘Magic Energy Equipment,’ but only the top one hundred guards would have the privilege to wear this gear.
That was precisely why, under Monte’s grueling training, the guards were tremendously motivated. Everyone’s goal was to be among the top one hundred to receive the ‘Magic Energy Equipment’ prepared by the City Lord.
……..
……..
Today, rather than training as usual on the parade ground, the soldiers stood in neat rows, as if they were ready for an inspection.
In fact, they were indeed being inspected, for word had spread that the City Lord would bring one hundred sets of Magic Energy Equipment to evaluate their training results. From amongst them, the one hundred most outstanding individuals would earn the reward of a Magic Energy Shield and Mana Armor.
At that moment, Rocky stood before these members of the Guard Corps, clad in Void Magic Armor, radiating an imposing aura. Beside him stood Liliya and Aileen, and even Aileen’s grandfather, Voss, was present.
For this inspection, Rocky took it significantly seriously; he was not only dressed in full military regalia himself but had also brought along all the notable figures of Thunderhawk City. Although the gathering was not large, it was indeed the grandest assembly within the city.
The scenario made the guards extremely tense, as in their eyes, whether it was Rocky or Liliya, or even Aileen and Voss, these figures were immensely high and unreachable.
“All units…attention!”
Just as the guards were extremely nervous, Monte’s voice, like rolling thunder, suddenly erupted. Following his command, the entire Guard Corps instantly stood up straight, chests out and eyes forward.
Soon after, the neatly dressed Monte ran to the front of the formation and then loudly called out to Rocky:
“City Lord! The Thunderhawk City Guard Squad is ready for your inspection!”
“Ready for the City Lord’s inspection!!”
As Monte’s words fell, the Guard Squad behind him echoed in unison. Their voices booming, instantly reverberated across the entire parade ground.
This scene made Rocky continually nod his head, not to speak of the actual strength of the Guard Corps, but merely the morale and fervor they displayed were already beyond comparison to before!
