Lord of the Sky City

"City Lord Rocky, are you satisfied with these decisions of the council?"

After finishing the statement about the compensation the council decided upon for the assassination attempt on Rocky, Huson asked with a smile. Yet, although he appeared to be asking Rocky, his eyes were actually on Aniye!

Because Huson was very clear that all of this had been orchestrated by Aniye, so only with Aniye's nod could this messy affair finally be considered settled.

Indeed, for Huson, the assassination attempt on Rocky was truly a troublesome matter.

The incident itself was not significant, but its impact on Eternal City was undeniably negative. On the other hand, the people involved also gave him a headache. Orton alone was annoying enough, but now there was an even more difficult Aniye to deal with. Compared to the bumbling Orton, Aniye was clearly much more cunning and shrewd, so all Huson wanted now was to end this affair as quickly as possible—the quicker, the better.

It was precisely because of this thinking that he offered the above terms.

And it must be admitted, the terms Huson offered were not only good but also very, very favorable!

The first compensation he gave Rocky was to elevate his status in Eternal City to that of an important guest!

Do not underestimate this promotion because once someone becomes an important guest of Eternal City, all of Rocky's transactions there would enjoy a 5% discount!

A 5% discount might not sound very high, but think about it carefully: as a city lord, any single transaction in Eternal City could easily amount to hundreds of thousands, if not millions. Under this premise, the savings from a 5% discount could amount to tens of thousands of Gold Coins!

The second compensation Huson offered to Rocky was even more substantial, as Eternal City decided to extend Thunderhawk City's refuge period!

"Refuge period" is an official term that translates quite simply to extending Thunderhawk City's free refuge time in the airspace for an additional three months!

This compensation was absolutely genuine because seeking refuge within the airspace of Eternal City required a protection fee: fifty thousand for the first month, one hundred thousand for the second, and two hundred thousand for the third.

Thus, extending the refuge period by three months for free amounted to saving Rocky three hundred thousand Gold Coins!

For Rocky, who was extremely tight on funds, this was like a timely rain after a long drought, a delightful surprise that significantly eased his burdens!

The third compensation Huson offered Rocky was not a benefit but rather a punishment, a punishment for Karlo!

According to Huson, Karlo and Wild Horse City would be banned from entering the airspace of Eternal City for the next year. Not only that, but the Chamber of Commerce within God City was also ordered to halt any transactions with Wild Horse City!

This punishment might not mean much to Rocky, but for Karlo it was severe!

Because Karlo too was a city lord, and the lord of a medium-sized Sky City at that, his relationship with Eternal City was much tighter than Rocky's. Many resources needed by his city, as well as many goods produced there, had to be traded in Eternal City, and being banned from entering Eternal City and especially from trading with the city's Chamber of Commerce would be a massive loss for Karlo.

Although there are other trade cities in the sky, and not all chambers of commerce are in Eternal City, Karlo could potentially conduct business in other cities with other chambers of commerce, seeming to suffer no loss.

But in reality, that is not the case. As the largest trade city in the sky, Eternal City offers an array of chambers of commerce, a complete variety of goods, and fair prices, unmatched by any other city or chamber of commerce. Karlo could indeed trade in other cities with other chambers of commerce, but he would inevitably have to pay a higher price.

Just as said earlier, transactions at a city level could easily reach hundreds of thousands or millions of Gold Coins. Even if Karlo only had to pay a little extra, it would amount to spending tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands more Gold Coins. And with this ban lasting a year, how much more would Karlo have to spend?

It must be said, the punishment imposed by Eternal City on Karlo was indeed severe.

But this punishment was necessary for Eternal City to give, because regardless of Rocky's situation, Karlo's actions had already caused immense dissatisfaction within Eternal City. Moreover, with the issue involving Rocky, it prompted Eternal City to decide on making an example of Karlo to warn other city lords that they must not act recklessly in Eternal City, or they would face consequences.

"City Lord Rocky, what do you think?"

After laying out his terms, Huson asked Rocky while glancing towards Aniye, implying quite clearly, "I've given what you wanted, can we consider this matter resolved now?"

And when Aniye was looked at in such a way, he just smiled and then nodded at Rocky.

"Haha, good, good, good!"

Seeing that Aniye finally nodded, Huson laughed heartily a couple of times, then said to Rocky, "City Lord Rocky, you take care of yourself and heal up in the city. I have other matters, so I'll be taking my leave now."

After saying those words, Huson left; his purpose for coming this time was to negotiate terms, and now that the terms were settled, what reason did he have to stay?

Once he had gone, the people in the hospital immediately burst into laughter!

This event had finally been resolved satisfactorily, not only resolved, but Rocky had also turned his misfortune into fortune, securing a substantial benefit from the hands of Eternal City, which greatly alleviated his own pressure. Such good fortune, of course, was a reason for everyone to be cheerful.

...

...

With some rejoicing here, naturally, there were worries elsewhere. Rocky had turned misfortune into fortune due to this assassination attempt, not only reaping tangible benefits but also significantly reducing his pressure. On the other hand, Karlo had outsmarted himself, stirring up a host of troubles.

Karlo had attempted to assassinate Rocky because he didn't want to keep dragging things out and sought a swift resolution. Little did he think that not only would the assassination fail, but it also granted Rocky a three-month sanctuary, allowing him more time to hide in Eternal City.

Originally, even if Rocky had to bankrupt himself, he could only stay in Eternal City's airspace for six months, after which he would be driven out for failing to pay protection fees, and whether he liked it or not, he would have to face Wild Horse City directly.

But now, Rocky could easily stay in Eternal City for six months, and even manage a small year if he economized!

For Karlo, what was even more frustrating was the ban from Eternal City.

After Huson and Rocky had come to an agreement, the very next day, Wild Horse City received the ban issued by Eternal City, and upon seeing this document, Karlo was infuriated on the spot!

"Useless trash!"

Violently slamming the decree from Eternal City onto the ground, Karlo roared at everyone in the City Lord's Hall, "A bunch of useless trash!"

Facing the people below, Karlo was so angry that his face turned crimson, his gaze sweeping over every face until it finally settled on Kilov.

Looking at Kilov, who was silent with his head bowed, Karlo slowly stood up and walked over to him.

"Kilov, didn't you say that you would definitely kill Rocky this time?"

The assassination of Rocky had been instructed by Karlo and executed by Kilov, with the participants all being members of the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group. So when the operation failed and also caused so much trouble, naturally, Karlo had to confront Kilov.

"City Lord, I..."

Before Kilov could even speak, Karlo slapped him across the face! Discover stories at empire

With a smack, the sound echoed through the City Lord's Hall, and Kilov, struck by Karlo's slap, was immediately knocked to the ground; when he looked up again, his mouth was already bloody.

Karlo was not a pampered fool; being a City Lord who dared employ a bandit group for his service, he was inherently ruthless—in plainer terms, he was basically a bandit leader!

So, after slapping Kilov, Karlo roared at everyone in the City Lord's Hall, "Everyone, keep a close watch on Rocky! The moment he steps out of Eternal City, I want him wiped out! And his Thunderhawk City, wipe that out too! Anyone who dares help him, that Karina, that Berg, wipe them all out too!"