Chapter 1, Chapter 2 Defects and Whispers (Combined Chapters) _2

And just the thought of Thunderhawk City worsened Rocky's already sour mood.

The city was simply too small and dreadfully poor; being the City Lord of such a Sky City was a headache just to think about.

"City Lord, Captain Eyer has returned and is waiting for you in the hall,"

Just as Rocky was feeling a headache coming on, a knock suddenly sounded and someone pushed the door open and entered the room.

The newcomer was a young woman with beautiful black hair, dressed in exquisite leather armor, and equipped with a silver-white long sword at her waist, looking both dashing and charming.

This striking woman was named Liliya, Rocky's bodyguard and the only confidante who followed him to Thunderhawk City.

"Okay,"

After agreeing, Rocky walked towards the doorway.

He naturally liked Liliya; it wasn't out of lust but because the original Rocky had been very close to Liliya.

The woman before him was not just an ordinary bodyguard; she had been Rocky's playmate since childhood, holding a significant place in the original Rocky's heart, filled with trust and some admiration.

Approaching Liliya, Rocky glanced at her and immediately felt a surge of wild vigor, so he casually said, "Haven't I told you before, just call me by my name, no need for 'City Lord,' it sounds so distant."

"Calling you City Lord makes others respect you,"

Liliya replied coldly, her face expressionless, making Rocky feel somewhat embarrassed.

He had just made a casual remark, intending it as a joke, but Liliya took it seriously.

Of course, Rocky understood why Liliya would do so; the original him, although a city lord, was indeed too feeble, to the extent that no one took him seriously—not to mention outsiders, even the officials and nobles of Thunderhawk City lacked respect for him as their City Lord.

It was precisely because of this that Liliya treated him with such 'seriousness,' otherwise, no one would take him seriously at all.

In all of Thunderhawk City, probably only Liliya truly respected him.

Thinking of this, Rocky inwardly sighed, but it wasn't appropriate to explain too much; he couldn't just tell Liliya the original him had died and that he was an entirely new person.

Nevertheless, Rocky believed that even if he didn't say it, Liliya could sense the differences.

"Captain Eyer left half a month ago, right?"

To ease the awkwardness, Rocky changed the topic.

"Yes,"

"What exactly did he go to the land for?"

But just as he changed the topic, Rocky felt even more embarrassed because he had forgotten why Captain Eyer had gone to the land.

The Eyer they spoke of was the captain of the Guard Corps of Sparrowhawk City, commanding the city's guards.

Half a month ago, he suddenly requested to lead a team back to the land; at the time, Rocky had just arrived and was still adjusting to the changes around him, so he agreed without asking much, leading to his complete forgetfulness about the reason for the other's return to the land.

"He heard that there might be a mine nearby, so he led a team to search for it,"

Liliya looked at Rocky, disappointment undisguised in her gaze but still provided the answer.

Rocky avoided Liliya's gaze, nodded, and started to recall.

When the world entered the Sky Era, many things changed, such as resources becoming more precious, especially mineral resources.

The sky was vast and boundless but lacked even a single piece of ore; ironically, minerals are essential for development, so to obtain them, one must return to the land to mine.

The land was rich in mineral resources, but don't forget, the land had long become the territory of Demons! Therefore, going back to the land to mine was very dangerous, and among miners, there was even a saying: every piece of ore represents the life of a miner.

This danger, in turn, made minerals even more precious.

This time, Captain Eyer went to the land to search for a mine, perhaps an undiscovered new vein or an old mine from the Land Era, Rocky wasn't sure.

"Hope Captain Eyer makes some discoveries,"

Liliya said by his side, seemingly hopeful of Captain Eyer's mission.

"Who knows... Let's hope he finds something,"

Rocky didn't argue with Liliya, but deep down, he didn't believe Eyer would succeed.

Mineral resources were too precious, and most of the veins and old mines on the land were already controlled by influential figures; nowadays, not to mention finding a new vein, even discovering an old mine from the Land Era seemed less likely than a blind cat running into a dead rat.

Besides, even if they found it, so what?

With Thunderhawk City's capabilities, it simply lacked the workforce to mine and a sufficient military force to protect miners, so even with coordinates of a vein, they could only sell them, nothing more.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Rocky had already arrived at the City Lord's Hall and then pushed open the door to enter.

Upon entering the hall, he saw a middle-aged man sitting inside, who stood up when he entered.

"City Lord,"

When Rocky settled in the City Lord's seat, the middle-aged man nodded slightly to him as a form of salute.

This man was Captain Eyer, around thirty years old with a scar on his face, emanating a faint aura of fierceness. He had been the city's captain of the Guard Corps even before Rocky came to Thunderhawk City, an old-timer of the city.