Lord of the Sky City

This time, Rocky genuinely plans to help Cyril by sending her to Backhill Village.

But this help is not about giving her money; Rocky intends to assist Cyril fundamentally.

Teach a man to fish, rather than give him a fish.

In Rocky's view, the elders of the Mairente Family should step off the historical stage. The family's current state has an inseparable connection to these elders.

This is not a deliberate act of revenge on Rocky's part but rather his genuine belief, as he had just explained to Cyril. Even though humanity has lived in the skies for nearly a century, this hundred years has essentially been a chaotic period of unrest. In such upheaval, the existence of family councils serves no useful purpose and only adds unnecessary complications.

Sometimes, the rise of a family truly requires a strong and decisive leader, not a group of meddling old fools who refuse to step aside.

Rocky himself is the best proof of this. Imagine if Thunderhawk City had a council, and as City Lord, Rocky needed their approval every time he wanted to make a decision. Could Thunderhawk City have reached its current heights?

Absolutely not!

The ability of Thunderhawk City to astonish the entire world with the strength of one city is largely due to the risky decisions Rocky made at critical moments. If a council had been in place at those times, those seemingly reckless and even suicidal decisions Rocky made would certainly not have been approved. Without those decisions, Thunderhawk City would never have reached its current position.

Thus, in times of war and chaos, centralized leadership is often far more effective than so-called democracy.

And this is precisely what Rocky wants Cyril to understand: if she wants the family to rise again, she cannot let those elders interfere with her decisions. By the time they figure out what's happening, it'll be too late.

"Think this through carefully. If you need anything, just tell me; I'll support you."

Rocky understands how impactful his suggestion must be on Cyril and decides to give her some time. He then shifts the conversation to other topics, primarily his earlier decisions with Karina before Cyril arrived.

"You—you plan to build another city within Kasin City?"

"It's just walls and fortifications for now. As for how to rebuild the city itself, or whether it can be stationed like Backhill Village, I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

Smiling faintly at Cyril, Rocky then elaborates on his plans, after which Cyril departs Thunderhawk City.

Returning to her own Machine City, Cyril is greeted by the long-awaiting elders.

In the meeting room, facing the ten elders in attendance, Cyril conveys Rocky's plans, including the intra-city fortification approach and Rocky's decision not to form an Alliance.

"How could he do this?!"

As soon as Cyril finishes speaking, an elder immediately protests: "Rocky is being irresponsible! Is he treating us as unpaid labor?!"

"Exactly! This is completely irresponsible of him! We left the Allied Forces to assist him; even though he saved the family back in Qingyuan City, that's a separate issue. He owes us something in return."

"Clan Leader, you should have a serious talk with Rocky."

At this point, another elder speaks: "We're not demanding anything excessive from him, but Clan Leader, you absolutely must make it clear—to Rocky—that what we gain cannot be less than what Karina gets."

"That's right. The family has mobilized everything this time; our help to Rocky should outweigh Karina's. Clan Leader, you need to make him aware of this."

"Yes!"

As soon as this elder finishes speaking, nearly all the elders present nod in agreement. They know they no longer have the qualifications to negotiate terms with Rocky, but they believe that even if they can't negotiate, the family should at least surpass Karina in influence, right?

In truth, ever since last night's ball, these elders have already been probing for information. They've heard that Rocky is assisting Karina in rebuilding her city, which excites them greatly. They feel that since Rocky is helping Karina with urban renovations, they should receive the same treatment.

Sure enough, one elder follows up: "Clan Leader, I heard Rocky is assisting Rose City's reconstruction, which seems connected to Orton's City Armament Plan. When you next meet with Rocky, make sure to…"

"Enough!"

As the elders continue spouting various demands, Cyril's mind is preoccupied with Rocky's recent words. These people—do they ever do anything beyond buzzing around uselessly? Before the elder can finish his thought, Cyril uncharacteristically interrupts him.

Her sudden rebuke shocks all the elders, for Cyril rarely acts this forcefully. Despite being Clan Leader, she typically treats the elders with great respect and refrains from displaying excessive boldness.

But today, Cyril is genuinely furious.

The family is already in such a dire state, yet these elders are still indulging in their delusions, constantly making demands. How shameless do they intend to be?

At this juncture, does the family even have the ability to dictate terms to Rocky?

Don't they realize that with just a single frown from Rocky, the family's remaining five Sky Cities could instantly be obliterated?

And still, they dare to aspire to be on equal footing with Karina? Cyril doesn't even need to discuss this with Rocky to guess the outcome—Karina and Rocky have endured countless trials side by side, their bond forged through shared perils. Can the family compete with that?

Cyril knows Rocky is aiding Karina in rebuilding Rose City. This knowledge only strengthens Cyril's confidence in Rocky because it demonstrates Rocky's commitment to his allies. Thus, Cyril is not thinking about extracting terms from Rocky, nor about positioning herself as Karina's equal. Her top priority is earning Rocky's trust and becoming one of his own.

From Cyril's perspective, this is not even worth discussing. The family should already understand this intrinsically. In its sunset years, with Rocky on the rise, even the most self-serving and pragmatic thinking would suggest taking steps to ingratiate themselves with Rocky, wouldn't it?

Instead of demanding rewards without contributing any effort?

Looking at the elders before her, Cyril feels utterly disappointed. She opts not to argue further with them and directly voices her decision: "Regarding Rocky's plans for Kasin City, I intend for the family to take on both the offensive and defensive tasks for the city. This will earn Rocky's trust and demonstrate the family's value."

"Clan Leader! This is unacceptable!"

As soon as Cyril expresses her intentions, the elders immediately object.