Lord of the Sky City

After releasing Nelson and two Void Magic Warriors, Rocky had completely occupied Backhill Village.

Having recaptured the village, he didn’t dare to relax even a bit, immediately ordering the Guard Corps to station within the village and he mounted the city walls, after all, this was land, and it was possible to encounter Demons’ attacks at any time. It was also possible that the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild might launch a counterattack, so he had to be prepared.

Even so, after occupying the village, he still took Liliya and others for a walk around the village.

It must be said, after the reconstruction by the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild, Backhill Village had indeed become much better than before.

Because the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild not only rebuilt the city walls and the mines, but they also constructed numerous residential houses for the miners to live in. They also built a barracks of considerable size for troops to garrison.

What astonished Rocky even more, the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild had even carved out platforms on the cliffs on both sides of Backhill Village, for docking warships and cargo ships!

“No wonder, no wonder so many Escort Ships were able to come out from the village, they were stationed here…”

Standing inside the village, Rocky looked towards the cliffs on both sides, noticing one platform after another for docking warships and cargo ships. These platforms were very large and were all carved out from the cliffs, obviously involving a great deal of effort.

“Not bad, really not bad, the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild really helped us save a lot of trouble.”

After withdrawing his gaze, Rocky glanced at the people around him, then laughed heartily.

Indeed, as he said, the reconstruction of Backhill Village by the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild had indeed saved him a lot of effort. Whether it was rebuilding the city walls and mines or constructing houses and barracks, these were all tasks Rocky needed to handle. But now, the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild had already done it for him. Not only had they completed it, but they also did it better than he could have, how could Rocky not be happy?

Of course, this was not what made Rocky the happiest. What truly excited him were the gains he achieved after occupying Backhill Village!

Therefore, after inspecting the village and returning to the mansion that originally belonged to Nelson for residence and office, Rocky asked:

“Have the prisoners of war, warships, and materials all been accounted for?”

“They have all been accounted for.”

Asked by him, Aileen, who had already arrived at the village with the warship, spoke up, “The captured prisoners of war total five hundred and thirty-nine persons, of which two hundred sixty-three are soldiers of the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild stationed in the village, another two hundred seventy are miners, and the few remaining are cooks.”

After Backhill Village was occupied, though Rocky had released the general manager of the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild, he did not release any of the soldiers or miners stationed in the village from the guild. These were even more precious than the mine itself, Rocky was too eager to have them, how could he possibly return them to the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild?

So, hearing Aileen’s words, Rocky let out a sigh of relief, and his face couldn’t help but show a smile.

Over five hundred people!

He had never imagined that the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild would leave him such a big gift! If these five hundred people were absorbed into Thunderhawk City, then the population of Thunderhawk City could be increased substantially!

However, as happy as Rocky was, he was also clearly aware that the big gift left by the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild was actually a double-edged sword.

The importance of these 500 people naturally goes without saying, and these 500 people are not ordinary either; they are either trained soldiers or skilled miners. If Thunderhawk City acquired such a group, its strength would immediately rise a notch.

However, similarly, if this group were not handled properly, Thunderhawk City could also face significant troubles.

This group differed from the previous two population increases of Thunderhawk City. In the former instances, Thunderhawk City had absorbed the entirety of Backhill Village and pilfered a thousand people from Matu City. Although those groups were larger, they arrived with their families, so for them, moving to Thunderhawk City was essentially just a change of living place, not a substantial transformation.

The 500 left by the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild were different; their relatives, friends, and families were not in Backhill Village, so making these people become obedient members of Thunderhawk City was definitely not an easy task—there was a high risk of chaos!

In such a situation, Rocky smiled and then turned serious before saying to Liliya, “You are personally responsible for this. First, send these people to Thunderhawk City in batches, keep them under guard, tally them up, and see where they all come from. Then, I will slowly figure out a solution. Make sure they don’t cause any trouble.”

Unsure of how to handle such a large number of prisoners, Rocky decided to first send them to Thunderhawk City to be detained, especially since he had already gathered his own miners from Thunderhawk City early on to develop the mines in Backhill Village, and the Guard Corps was stronger than the soldiers left by the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild. They were not needed here.

“Understood.”

Liliya nodded and agreed.

After this, Rocky then turned to Aileen, as besides the people, the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild had left other things behind, and he continued to inquire, “What about the materials?”

“The materials mainly consist of food, equipment, and warships, and of course, the ores that weren’t shipped in time.”

When asked about materials, Aileen simply took out a list and read from it, “The weapons and armor left here by the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild include 200 longswords, 150 sets of standard armor, 200 shields, 100 standard longbows, 8,000 arrows, and 5,000 pounds of food. The rest are minerals.”

“I had someone check earlier, and the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild transports minerals every quarter. They were just here last month, so there isn’t a particularly large amount of minerals left in the village—about 1,500 pounds.”

“Lastly are the warships. We’ve captured a total of eleven Reconnaissance Ships and three Escort Ships, all fourth-generation. That’s about it.”

“Very good.”

After hearing Aileen’s report, Rocky nodded. Compared to the 500 people, there wasn’t much in the way of materials, though the warships were quite valuable. As the saying goes, ‘even a grasshopper is meat’—the materials left by the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild, although not voluminous, were better than nothing, especially the three fourth-generation Escort Ships, which were quite valuable.

“Aileen, leave the matter of weapons and armor to Monte. Let him keep what the Guard Corps needs and send the rest back to Thunderhawk City. As for the minerals, transport them directly. Calculate the food supply; if it’s sufficient, use it first. If not, continue transporting from the city.”

“Okay.”

After Aileen nodded, Rocky turned to Felly, “Is there any update from the Reconnaissance Ships we dispatched?”

“No.”

“Have them keep a close watch. Losing 500 people, along with so many warships and materials, the Proud Dragon Commerce Guild might not let this go easily. So, disperse the Reconnaissance Ships we brought, and notify me immediately if the enemy is spotted.”

“Also, tomorrow we will be near Thunderhawk City. I plan to incorporate the captured three warships into the Second Fleet. Later, I will have the First Fleet and the Second Fleet take turns defending the village. Prepare everyone mentally for this. Understood?”