Lord of the Sky City

The sudden surge in population was naturally all benefit and no harm to the development of Thunderhawk City, but it also brought tremendous financial pressure to the city's finances.

This pressure made Rocky feel as if he was back to six months ago, when he spent every day worrying about money, and now was the same.

"Aileen, can we take out fifty thousand gold coins from the treasury?"

After the routine affairs had ended and everyone else had left, Rocky kept Aileen behind and then asked,

"Fifty thousand gold coins? Sir, are you joking!?"

But hearing Rocky's words, Aileen's eyes widened in disbelief. She had just finished saying the treasury was out of money; how could Rocky still be asking her for money?

"I need money for warship repairs."

Rocky actually had a general direction in mind on how to solve the financial crisis. At this stage, he knew that relying on Thunderhawk City to be self-sufficient was not a solution to the problem. He could only rely on completing Mercenary Guild missions or demon hunting to earn 'extra income', which was the most viable method.

Moreover, for him at that moment, whether it was completing Mercenary Guild missions or demon hunting, both had become much easier than before. A fleet led by two large warships was enough to rely on, and even the number of Void Magic Armors had increased from one to two. These were the guarantees that he could safely and smoothly complete various tasks.

But there was a prerequisite: the fleet, which had just been through a great battle, needed to be repaired.

As mentioned before, the remaining warships of Thunderhawk City were all damaged. Under these circumstances, it was very difficult to engage in the next battle and repairs were necessary, but repairs cost money, and not a small amount at that.

"No!"

However, right after Rocky had explained, Aileen pouted her lips and shook her head, instantly turning into a stringent housekeeper.

"Come on, Aileen, I really need this money. How about forty thousand, even forty thousand gold coins will do."

"No!" Her head shook like a rattle-drum, Aileen puffed her cheeks and said, "Sir, there's not much money left in the treasury now, and so many new people have arrived. I must contact the Ruby Chamber of Commerce to purchase food tomorrow, where would I find money for your warship repairs, no!"

"...What about... thirty thousand will do..."

"Thirty thousand?"

Hearing this number, Aileen looked at Rocky, thought for a while, and finally said, "Only thirty thousand, not a penny more!"

"Deal!"

With a laugh, Rocky nodded in agreement.

This conversation between the two seemed a bit off. How could Rocky, as the City Lord, be humbly asking Aileen for money?

But if one thought that, they would be mistaken. Rocky was actually seeking Aileen's opinion, for she was the person in control of the finance. Just think, if Aileen gave him the money as soon as he asked for it, how could Thunderhawk City function? Who would ensure that the city's finances would operate normally?

After this, Aileen also prepared to leave. With an additional thousand people in the city, as the finance officer, she had to immediately contact the Ruby Chamber of Commerce to purchase food and other necessities. She was very busy.

But watching Aileen leave, Rocky seemed to suddenly remember something and called out, "Aileen, have the Ruby Chamber of Commerce meet directly with us in Lingyu City!"

"You are going to Lingyu City?"

Hearing this, Liliya, who was beside Rocky, asked in surprise.

"Yes, I can only go to Lingyu City now. The trade tax in Eternal City is too expensive, we need to save where we can. Additionally, going to Eternal City is too conspicuous, and it is easy for the people from the Mairente Family to find us."

Rocky had considered his next move very carefully, not only thinking about the high trade tax in Eternal City that he couldn't afford, but also taking into account possible retaliation by the Mairente Family. Hence, he set Lingyu City as his next target.

Although Lingyu City was also a small Sky City, it was equally a city centered on trade. Its City Lord, Berg, had encountered Rocky a few times before, so going there to make repairs was the best choice.

His line of thinking was clearly correct, for as he had anticipated, the Mairente Family had indeed begun preparations for retaliation!

......

......

"Atted, why hasn't the family dispatched troops yet? What are you still waiting for!"

Inside the City Lord's Mansion of Machine City, during a meeting of the Mairente Family Elders, Lexington angrily looked at Clan Leader Atted, questioning him about the delay in deploying the troops.

Within the vast Mairente Family, there were a total of ten Elders. Among these ten, Lexington was indeed one of the most influential and powerful figures, whose authority and strength were even comparable to that of Clan Leader Atted himself.

As such, the faction he represented was always in conflict with Atted's faction, and even Atted, though the Clan Leader, had to be extremely cautious when dealing with him.

But this time, facing the furious Lexington, Atted was confident. To Lexington's aggressive questioning, he simply smiled and retorted, "Elder Lexington, why should the family dispatch troops?"

"Of course, to punish the rebel! Rocky openly defied the family's orders and even provoked internal strife within the family. As the Clan Leader, do you intend to sit back and ignore such rebellion!"

Staring at Atted with eyes wide open, Lexington said angrily, referring naturally to the battle between Rocky and Baron Wolin.

It had been a week since the end of this battle, and Baron Wolin had already returned to the family—though it was after paying a ransom.

The heavily damaged Matu had captured Baron Wolin and held him hostage, demanding a ransom from his family as compensation, causing an uproar.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

And since Baron Wolin was an aristocrat, he naturally had his own small family. But faced with Matu's exorbitant demands, his minor family could not afford the ransom. In the end, it still depended on the Mairente Family to settle the matter. They paid a full five hundred thousand gold coins to ransom Baron Wolin from Matu...

This incident was a disgrace for the Mairente Family, and even more so for Lexington, because Baron Wolin was his subordinate. Wolin's defeat in battle brought shame not only upon himself but also tarnished Lexington's reputation.

What's more critical is that the five hundred thousand gold coins used to free Baron Wolin came from the Mairente Family on the surface, but in fact, it was Lexington who had paid!

For Lexington, five hundred thousand gold coins might not be a significant sum, but he would not let the matter rest so easily. This had nothing to do with personal feelings; it was because if he didn't regain his standing, it would affect his prestige throughout the entire family.

But all of his thoughts could not escape Atted's notice. As a party to the dispute, Atted would certainly not let things go Lexington's way.

"Lexington, Baron Wolin's failure has already cost the family five hundred thousand gold coins. Do you want the rest of the family to suffer even more losses due to one man's incompetence?"

"I don't need help from anyone else!"

As if he had anticipated Atted's attempt to evade responsibility, Lexington immediately replied, "I will send my own fleet to resolve this matter. I just need the family's approval."

No sooner had he finished speaking, the other Elders in attendance, and even Clan Leader Atted, cast deep glances at him.

Even within the entire Mairente Family, Lexington could be considered a power player. He owned a large Sky City and commanded no fewer than five fleets, each consisting of over a hundred warships!

Five fleets—that was over five hundred warships! And these five hundred warships were not mere Reconnaissance Ships. In Lexington's fleets, the Reconnaissance Ships were used solely for scouting; the main force was comprised of real, large warships, and at the very least, Escort Ships!

This was the strength of a large Sky City City Lord!

Thus, once Lexington dispatched his fleets, even sending just one would be enough to obliterate Thunderhawk City to nothingness!

PS: Today I replied to several readers' comments. Those interested can take a look; you should be able to understand the direction of the book and some questions. Also, I am asking for recommendations! Please recommend!