Lord of the Sky City

Full of curiosity about the Mercenary Guild he had chanced upon, Rocky had disregarded Liliya’s protests and walked straight into the guild.

Unlike the previous exchange he visited, the Mercenary Guild was housed within a two-story building, yet its scale was much more grand, giving an immediate impression of magnificence. Moreover, it was bustling with people coming and going in large numbers.

As soon as Rocky entered the Mercenary Guild, he found it extraordinarily lively.

The people here far outnumbered those at the exchange, and they varied widely in appearance. For instance, just as Rocky walked through the door, he brushed past an elf whose beauty rivaled that of women, and then, after just a few steps, bumped into a dwarf who reached only up to his waist.

"Goodness... the variety of races gathered here is enormous..."

Seeing so many different races for the first time, Rocky was clearly unaccustomed to it, and when he looked past the crowd into the main hall, he immediately noticed a mana board similar to the one in the exchange.

There was also a notice board in the hall of the Mercenary Guild, even bigger than the one in the exchange, constantly scrolling with various kinds of information.

×× Sky City offers a high-priced hiring of a Mercenary Group to help defend the mine, requiring a group size of over five hundred members, with an average strength not below the fourth level, offering a commission of thirty thousand gold coins per month.

×× Chamber of Commerce offers a high-priced hiring of Void Magic Warriors to escort merchant ships, seeking thirty individuals, paying two thousand gold coins daily per person.

×× Sky City offers a high-priced employment for a powerful Mercenary Group to collaborate in wiping out demons, requiring a group size of over three hundred, to coordinate with the Void Magic Squad, price negotiable.

Beneath the notice board, Rocky looked intently at the rolling information and found that the content matched what Monte had described, all being commissions issued by chambers of commerce and Sky City, predominantly for combat missions.

To be honest, it was the first time he had heard of such activities, so he couldn’t help asking Monte, "Why does Sky City publish commissions to hire Mercenary Groups for combat?"

"Well...," Monte looked at Rocky, opened his mouth, and after a long pause finally said, "My lord, not every Sky City has strong capabilities, so the weaker ones, especially when they face troubles related to combat, typically post missions here to hire others to resolve their issues."

"And even some fairly powerful Sky Cities sometimes post tasks here, though these tend to be more dangerous. That’s because the city lords don’t want their own people to die."

"Oh... I see..."

Monte’s explanation made Rocky immediately understand, then his eyes lit up and he asked, "To accept tasks here, do we have to form a Mercenary Group?"

"Rocky, what are you planning?"

Before Monte could reply to Rocky’s question, Liliya, who was beside them, spoke angrily as she had already guessed what Rocky was thinking.

"Hehe, I’m just asking, getting to know the situation doesn’t pose any danger, right?"

With a sly smile towards Liliya, Rocky turned back to Monte, awaiting his answer.

"Actually, it’s not necessary. For posting a task, one just needs to sign up, and it’s similar for accepting tasks. As long as you meet the employer’s requirements, the guild handles everything else; it doesn’t necessarily have to be through a Mercenary Group."

"So, what types of tasks are generally available here?"

"Usually, they are protection-related, but they almost always involve combat, and nine times out of ten it’s combating demons. That’s why there are very few tasks for individuals here."

With Monte’s explanation, a grin spread across Rocky’s face because for him, the Mercenary Guild was obviously a perfect place to make a fortune!

Thunderhawk City was about to undergo a reform, which undoubtedly needed substantial investments for smooth progression, so now more than ever, Rocky needed a lot of money, a great deal of it.

But the finances alone from Thunderhawk City were far from sufficient to cover these reform costs, thus Rocky had to think of other methods.

Originally, his plan was to immediately go hunting a few demons to sell their parts for money to support the reform after he left.

But now it seemed that the various tasks offered by the Mercenary Guild were clearly a better option, with commissions easily reaching tens or even several tens of thousands of gold coins!

As the City Lord of Thunderhawk City, Rocky had not only a set of Void Magic Armor but also two hundred guards and ten military floating ships under his command! Such a setup wouldn’t count for much in Sky City, but in the mercenary world, it definitely reached the scale of a Mercenary Group and was sufficient to meet the requirements of many tasks!

So after thinking it over carefully, Rocky felt this idea was very feasible, and then he asked:

"Monte, does the Mercenary Guild have any communication facilities that would allow me to check for tasks anytime, anywhere?"

"Of course, there are."

Nodding, Monte said, "The Mercenary Guild has a task receiver that uses mana for transmission; it can check task information anytime and anywhere and can also contact the guild to hand over tasks, very convenient."

"Monte!"

As Monte was explaining in detail to Rocky, Liliya on the side became unhappy, glaring at Monte fiercely, scaring the large Beastman into immediately shutting up, and then Liliya glared at Rocky with the same ferocity.

Liliya knew Rocky too well; she knew from the start what little schemes he was plotting.

Unlike Rocky, she had heard about the Mercenary Guild long ago and was well aware that although the tasks offered here seemed to have high commissions, they were also extremely dangerous, and in some respects, even more dangerous than hunting demons!

So naturally, Liliya didn’t want Rocky to stay here any longer because once Rocky understood the situation here, who knows what absurd and dangerous ideas would come out of his head.

"Hehe, I’m just asking casually…"

However, facing Liliya’s obstacle, Rocky was as usual, acting spoilt while looking at Monte, "Monte, do you think the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City, along with the ten floating ships in the city, have the capability to undertake the tasks here?"

"This…"

The question from Rocky somewhat bewildered Monte. Despite Liliya’s repeated interruptions, Monte really hadn’t expected Rocky to aim for these tasks, considering he was a city lord! Was it really necessary to partake in such dangerous activities?

Moreover, considering the strength of Thunderhawk City… Monte’s face showed a troubled expression.

"No worries, you can say anything."

Seeing the troubled look on Monte’s face, Rocky waved his hand, encouraging him to speak frankly.

Seeing his persistence, the candid Monte thought for a moment before finally saying:

"Sir, the ten floating ships of Thunderhawk City are definitely a major force, which the vast majority of mercenary groups simply cannot compare with, and the strength of the City Lord and Miss Liliya naturally goes without saying."

"However, the Guard Corps in the city... they really aren’t suited for combat..."

Shaking his head, Monte finally spoke the truth, in his eyes, the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City was merely for show, completely lacking combat capability!

"Hmm… it’s almost as I thought."

Having heard his words, Rocky was not at all angered but instead nodded in agreement and then further asked, "Monte, if you were to train the Guard Corps, how long do you think it would take for the Guard Corps to become capable of actual combat?"