Lord of the Sky City

Orton's barrage of questions initially baffled Rocky, but he soon realized that all the inquiries pertained to Mana Runes!

With this revelation, Rocky's complexion immediately shifted!

The secrecy of the Mana Runes, his greatest secret, could not be discovered by others, for such knowledge was too dangerous. The slightest exposure would invariably attract endless calamities. The moment Rocky realized Orton might be privy to this secret, his mind buzzed explosively.

Still, his reaction was swift, making a sign with his eyes to Liliya across the room. Though she did not fully grasp the situation, she instinctively moved to block the doorway, sealing Orton's exit.

The secret of the Mana Runes could not leak out, a line that must never be crossed. So when it became apparent that Orton was aware, or even just potentially aware of this secret, Rocky felt an immediate surge of murderous intent!

"Teacher Orton, I don't understand what you're talking about…"

Rocky continued to feign ignorance from his seat, only after Liliya had blocked Orton did he speak.

Unfortunately, this evasion only provoked wry laughter from Orton.

"Young man, there's no need to play dumb with me here."

As he spoke, Orton glanced at Liliya blocking the doorway, waved his hand, and a powerful burst of magic power instantly erupted from him. Liliya couldn't even react in time as her Rune Longsword flew out of her grasp, landing straight into Orton's hands!

To Rocky, this scene was completely astonishing, and he inwardly cursed himself for being foolish!

If Orton was a master in the realm of Magic Energy, then he must be a Mage as well, and a high-level one at that. This was evident from the burst of magic power he had just released. Now the situation was problematic, could he and Liliya actually stop him? Neither of them was wearing their Void Magic Armor!

While Rocky was in the midst of his silent self-reproach, Orton meticulously inspected the Rune Longsword, activating it with his magic power. The runes on the sword glowed intensely once activated.

"This is truly... truly incredible…"

Gazing intently at the Rune Longsword, Orton's eyes shone brightly, incessantly marveling, "This is unbelievable. There is not a single Magic Stone embedded in the sword, yet the patterns alone comprise over two hundred points of mana, this is... simply miraculous!"

After admiring the Mana Rune on the sword for quite some time, Orton deactivated the magic power and casually threw it back to Liliya.

"Young fellow, you didn't draw the patterns on this sword, did you?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Having returned the Rune Longsword to Liliya, Orton turned to Rocky with the question, but he didn't wait for an answer, instead starting to muse to himself: "Right, it couldn't have been you. The patterns on the sword clearly come from the hand of a master."

"However, the patterns on the axe wielded by the Beastmen, those were drawn by you, weren't they?"

"Young man, this technology, you found it in the Lost Research Institute, didn't you?"

Orton's mixture of soliloquy and interrogation left Rocky dumbfounded because what he said... was spot on!

Through Orton's words, another matter also became clear, the reason he eagerly volunteered to be Rocky's mentor at the Technician Guild. It was simple—Orton had discovered the axe worn by Monte!

The axe Monte carried was also created by Rocky as rune equipment, and it was through Monte's axe that Orton had become aware of the Mana Rune secret!

The exposure of the Mana Runes in such a manner not only surprised Rocky but was closely related to him, as he had evidently been somewhat negligent.

Considering the timeline, Rocky had been safeguarding the secret of the Mana Runes for half a year, always careful to prevent it from being discovered. Yet the six months of undisturbed peace had led him to lower his guard, leading him to believe that even if someone saw the Mana Runes, they wouldn't recognize what they were and would just consider them regular patterns.

While this line of thought wasn't wrong, since the Mana Runes were a technology unknown to anyone else and would likely be seen merely as decorative patterns by most, there was one thing he had forgotten...

In this world, there are many people who have profound research into magic energy!

Take Orton for example—he is one of such people!

Orton truly was a master in the field of magic energy. If one were to consider research ability and technical skill, his contributions to magic energy could even be ranked amongst the top few of the contemporary world. However, this master was not exactly in everyone's good graces...

There were two reasons why he wasn't liked. First, he had no restraint. As a master in magic energy research, Orton started off very popular. The first institution he served was none other than one of the three greatest forces in the Sky—the Magic Energy Research Institute, also touted as a paradise for scholars.

Even among the populous, highly respected scholarship of the Magic Energy Research Institute, Orton was held in high esteem. Unfortunately, his unrestrained research would be his downfall.

Seven years ago, Orton began research on a new generation of magic energy technology under the sponsorship of the Magic Energy Research Institute. However, during the two years of the project, he completely destroyed seven Super Crystals!

What are Super Crystals?

The giant magic stones that make Sky City soar in the heavens are known as Super Crystals. In just two short years, Orton, for the needs of his research, had destroyed seven Super Crystals. What did this amount to? It was akin to obliterating seven whole Sky Cities!

Such vast consumption, even for one of the three greatest forces like the Magic Energy Research Institute, was just too much to bear. What the Institute found even more intolerable was that after destroying so many Super Crystals, Orton brazenly announced the termination of his research project against all objections—he hadn't come up with anything at all!

This completely incensed the Magic Energy Research Institute and led to his expulsion, an event which marked the beginning of Orton's continuous decline.

After departing from the Magic Energy Research Institute, Orton consecutively visited the Kafka Empire as well as the Sky Alliance. He had been to all three major forces, and each time he was turned away for the same reason—his research was just too unrestrained.

Consequently, over the years, Orton moved from one force to another, never staying long anywhere. This nomadic lifestyle naturally dragged down his research. To this day, Orton hasn't produced any research of practical or academic value for years.

As for the second reason for his unpopularity, it was Orton's terrible temper, something even Rocky—who had only had a few interactions with him—could feel. As a scholar in the field of research, besides professional expertise, interpersonal skills are also incredibly important. After all, a scholar with only technical knowledge but no funding means having to rely on others for support.

A lack of social acumen was definitely out of the question.

However, Orton's intelligence in this regard was in the negative. As proficient as he was in magic energy, he was equally bad at social interactions. One of the reasons he was repeatedly driven away by the forces he joined was precisely this. Otherwise, how could a master like him have to look for work in a place like the Technician Guild?

So, to sum up, Orton could be described in two words: academic nut. His eyes only saw research. For the sake of research, nothing else mattered to him. Everything else, in his view, was as irrelevant as garbage.

Despite this, it cannot be denied that Orton's academic capability and research strength were undeniable. It was this exceptional ability that made him notice Monte's axe at first glance in the Technician Guild and immediately recognize its extraordinariness, leading to the events of today.

Now, when Rocky was faced with his barrage of questions and was forced to remain silent, Orton just curled his lips dismissively.

"Kid, I'm not interested in all that roundabout crap you're thinking," Orton said, "I just want to know what these patterns you've drawn are, so stop beating around the bush like an old woman and tell me!"

Every time he opened his mouth, Orton exemplified his flaws. He really didn't know how to speak, but what he said was the plain truth. As an academic nut who only focused on research, he genuinely had no interest in fame, power, or influence. His only interest lay in knowledge.

Just think, if he truly had ulterior motives regarding the mana runes, would he directly, and boldly, come to Rocky like this to demand answers?

"These patterns... are called mana runes."

Watching Orton, Rocky had pretty much figured him out, so after a slight hesitation, he disclosed the information about mana runes.

"Mana runes... a good name, very fitting. Who invented it?"

"It was a master named Winsel."

"What!" The moment Rocky mentioned the name Winsel, Orton was taken aback, then immediately burst out excitedly, "You mean these mana runes were researched by Master Winsel! You're not lying to me!"