Lord of the Sky City

Under Berg's incessant pestering, Rocky really couldn't stand his harassment any longer and finally agreed to make a deal with him, agreeing to sell a portion of his Demon Materials to the Chamber of Commerce within Lingyu City.

This made Berg ecstatic!

As everyone knows, Demon Materials have always been the most sought after resource, equivalent to Gold Coins in value, only appreciating and never depreciating. As soon as Rocky would part with even a small portion of the Demon Materials he had acquired, it would immediately enhance the reputation of Lingyu City, attracting more customers.

So when Berg finally managed to coax Rocky into agreeing to his request, the gloom on his face vanished, and he decided on the spot to hold a dance. He summoned all the merchants in the city so that Rocky could pick and choose whom to trade with as if selecting a woman.

Not long thereafter, a carriage arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, and soon after in the same banquet hall, at the same table, the same three people gathered once more.

A few weeks before, it was here that the three of them had set the plan to annihilate the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group. Today, they reconvened, but the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group was no more.

"My esteemed colleagues, let me toast to you both! To our great victory!"

After the three took their seats with Berg as the host, he was the first to raise his glass, and both Rocky and Karina did the same, downing their drinks in unison.

"Rocky, Karina, you might not know it yet, but the news of the eradication of the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group has already spread."

After emptying his glass, Berg eagerly opened the conversation, not waiting for the maid to refill his drink before hastily informing Rocky and Karina.

"Not surprising."

Upon hearing this, Karina raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by such news, and the same was true for Rocky. After all, with the presence of the Shadow Alliance and considering the notoriety of the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group, it was only natural that their defeat had become widely known.

"Look at you, a single victory and you're already full of yourselves! See how arrogant you both are!"

Seeing their indifferent reactions, Berg snorted, "Have you forgotten who was backing the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group? That's the Wild Horse City itself!"

"I'm telling you, the City Lord Karlo of Wild Horse City is aware of the good deeds you two have done, and he has vowed to annihilate both of you!"

Having said that, Berg raised his glass again, laughing as he watched the expressions on their faces.

At this moment, the expressions on Rocky's and Karina's faces were indeed different. Karina casually scoffed, her face full of disdain, clearly not taking the threat from Wild Horse City seriously.

However, Rocky frowned and then asked, "Has Wild Horse City taken any specific action?"

"This… Well, I haven't heard anything about that yet…"

Caught off guard by the question, Berg awkwardly shook his head, indicating he had no news regarding that matter.

"Karlo has no time to bother with us right now; it would be good enough if he could manage his own affairs."

At this, Karina let out a cold laugh and said, "Wild Horse City is currently at war with Fire Elf City, and with the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group eliminated, Karlo himself is too preoccupied to even focus on threatening us. Does he think I am so easily intimidated?"

After sipping her wine, Karina concluded with a smirk.

As a battle-hardened City Lord, Karina's perspective and control over the bigger picture were indeed much stronger than the average person. And just as she said, even though City Lord Karlo of Wild Horse City had made tough declarations, he was actually too busy tackling his own problems to manage taking action against them.

In comparison to Wild Horse City, the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group was naturally insignificant in strength, but the role it played for Wild Horse City was substantial, especially the role it played during warfare, which was irreplaceable.

The wars of small Sky Cities were usually decided in a single battle, as one fight could determine the outcome between two cities. Because small Sky Cities generally had weak strength and smaller military sizes, the losing side was typically left without the capability to fight again after a battle, leading to the war's conclusion.

However, when the scale of Sky City reached medium or above, warfare became a different matter.

The strength of medium Sky Cities was several times, even a dozen times, higher than that of small Sky Cities, and their military power could be significantly greater. This meant that warfare between medium Sky Cities could never be resolved quickly. The fleets would clash back and forth incessantly, in a constant tug-of-war with battles occurring one after the other. Wars could last a few months at their shortest, and some could go on for a year or two.

This made resources a key factor, as wars were essentially a battle of resources. In a prolonged conflict that could last months or even years, the resources within the cities alone were simply not enough to sustain the demands of the war; external supply lines were imperative. And this was where the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group became crucial.

Firstly, the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group, being a band of brigands, could hand over various loot to Wild Horse City to support its wartime expenditures, and they could even select targets to rob based on Wild Horse City's needs.

Secondly, the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group could act as an independent raiding force, striking at the enemy's supplies with agility.

Take, for example, the ongoing war between Wild Horse City and Fire Elf City. The two have been long-standing rivals, engaging in conflict that could last months at a stretch. In these numerous encounters, Wild Horse City often came out ahead. Why? Both were of medium Sky City scale with comparable strength, so why had Wild Horse City consistently gained the upper hand?

It was because of the assistance of the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group!

Throughout the prolonged conflicts between Wild Horse City and Fire Elf City, the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group would always strike at the enemy's supply lines, robbing the Chamber of Commerce that was supplying Fire Elf City. Even if the robbery failed, they could still tie down a substantial amount of the enemy's forces, leaving Fire Elf City stretched too thin to effectively respond.

Indeed, just before Rocky and Karina exterminated the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group, Kilov had received an order from Wild Horse City, instructing them to attack by all means the merchant ships trading with Fire Elf City.

In such a situation, the sudden extermination of the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group was definitely a blow to Wild Horse City. It not only deprived Wild Horse City of a trump card in the war against Fire Elf City but also caught them off guard during the combat, throwing all their plans into chaos.

And it was precisely because she knew these circumstances that Karina didn't care about Karlo's threats at all.

After listening to her explanation, Rocky was also able to put his mind at ease.

"Hehe."

However, at this moment, Berg chuckled twice and then said, "Latest news, Wild Horse City and Fire Elf City have already ceased fighting."

"What!"

Upon hearing this, Karina instantly turned towards Berg, her brows furrowing into knots!

"I'm not lying to you. The Shadow Alliance just delivered the intelligence this morning; Wild Horse City and Fire Elf City have ceased fighting."

"This..."

Berg's statement plunged Karina into deep thought, and it took her a while before she spoke again, filled with bewilderment, "How is that possible? Fire Elf City and Wild Horse City have been fighting for so many years, and now is an excellent opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the other side, why would they cease fighting?"

The ceasefire between Wild Horse City and Fire Elf City not only surprised Karina but also left her perplexed. With the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group eradicated and Wild Horse City caught off guard, this was an excellent opportunity for Fire Elf City to deal a heavy blow. Was the City Lord of Fire Elf City a fool? To pass up such an opportunity and agree to a ceasefire!

"I don't know about that. I only heard that it was Wild Horse City that actively proposed the ceasefire, but Fire Elf City agreed to it very quickly, clearly indicating some kind of deal or agreement was reached..."

As he spoke, Berg glanced at Rocky.

Turning towards Rocky, Berg noticed something off about his expression. There wasn't much surprise on his face, rather he seemed distracted, as if he hadn't listened to what he and Karina had been discussing.

"Rocky, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing Rocky's abnormal behavior, Berg called out to him.

"Did you just say... that Wild Horse City and Fire Elf City may have reached some agreement, and that's why they stopped fighting?"

Called back to reality, Rocky looked at Berg and asked.

"Certainly, that must be the case. And the price paid must have been significant; otherwise, why would Fire Elf City give up such a good opportunity."

Berg nodded decisively as he spoke.

Although the Shadow Alliance didn't provide this part of the intelligence, everyone was a City Lord, so they were all very clear about the nuances involved. Fire Elf City would not be passing up a great opportunity to attack unless Wild Horse City had offered a price for this outcome.

"I think... I know why Fire Elf City agreed to Wild Horse City's ceasefire request."

After hearing Berg's words, Rocky sighed and then spoke up.
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"Why?"

"You know?"

As soon as he finished his statement, both Berg and Karina turned their gaze toward him.

Facing both of their puzzled looks, Rocky shook his head with a wry smile and said:

"The Mairente Family."

As he spoke, he let out a long sigh, "Just as we eradicated the Wild Horse Air Pirate Group, Wild Horse City issued threats and also ceased fighting with Fire Elf City. This clearly shows an intention to act against us."

"But doesn't it seem strange to you? Wild Horse City is willing to pay a great price to Fire Elf City to stop fighting, just to deal with us. Is it worth it? That's why I think there's definitely something fishy going on... it's very possible that the Mairente Family intervened."

"Are you saying... the Mairente Family approached Wild Horse City to come after you?"

When Rocky said this, Karina asked with a frown, which clearly was also Berg's question.

And to her question, Rocky nodded helplessly... It was very possible!