Lord of the Sky City

Orton thus stayed in Thunderhawk City, becoming Rocky's teacher.

This turn of events was completely unexpected to everyone, but on second thought, it seemed to make sense.

Orton was an academic fanatic, despite his age, his pursuit of academic knowledge had never ceased, so when he learned of the existence of Mana Runes that completely overlapped with his field of expertise, he was absolutely unable to let go.

At the same time, since he was only focused on research, he didn't value the immense power and prestige that Mana Runes could bring, in Orton's eyes, money, fame, rights, and status were all external matters, and he didn't care about them at all.

Yes, if Orton cared about these things, he wouldn't have ended up in the predicament he was in today.

Therefore, his decision to stay in Thunderhawk City, although surprising at a glance, was actually quite reasonable upon reflection.

Orton thus remained in Thunderhawk City, and became a core member of Rocky's entourage, and with his stay, Rocky's academic life officially began.

By this time, Rocky had already arranged everything that could be prepared before the great battle, one could say that everything was ready except for the arrival of Baron Wolin, which paradoxically left him with more spare time to follow Orton and study the knowledge related to Mana earnestly.

As for having a master in the field of Magic Energy to instruct him, Rocky was naturally very pleased, which no doubt greatly helped him in learning Mana Runes, however... he only realized after he actually started studying with Orton that, indeed, Orton was a master, but not a good teacher...

"How many levels of Rune have you mastered now?"

On the first day of studying with Orton, this was his first question.

"First Level."

Rocky answered truthfully.

"Waste! You've had the research notes for over half a year, what have you been doing!"

The moment he heard about Rocky's progress, Orton's eyes widened immediately, and he started berating him!

"Do you even need to learn First Level Runes! Anyone who isn't an idiot, even if they used their feet, could learn them quickly. Tell me, have you been looking at the notes with your feet this past half year?"

With bulging eyes, Orton scolded Rocky without sparing any of his dignity, causing Rocky's face to turn red.

"Teacher, my Magic Power is only Second Level, so I can only learn First Level Runes..."

Bowing his head, Rocky offered a soft defense, but it might have been better if he hadn't. His retort fully ignited Orton as if he were a powder keg.

"You dare to argue back! Why don't you work hard to raise your level of Magic Power? What have you been doing every day?!"

With a glare, Orton glanced at Rocky and grumbled discontentedly, "I don't even know what's so busy about being the lord of your little broken city, really..."

After finishing this remark, he quickly wrote something on a piece of paper, and in no time, he drafted a training plan, then threw it at Rocky, "Starting from today, you train your Magic Power according to the steps here. Within a month, you'll reach Third Level Mage. Then start learning Second-Level Runes immediately, do you hear me!"

Handing over the training plan to Rocky, Orton continued, "Even though you only know First Level Runes, you can still learn about the mainstream Magic Energy Technology of today, and you must, because Magic Energy Technology relates to all sorts of applications of Mana, a point which doesn't change whether it's applied to Magic Stones or Runes."

"Start with the Mana Energy Conduction Technique, this is the foundation of Mana applications..."

After a good deal of roaring, Orton finally began to impart some useful knowledge to Rocky.

It had to be admitted that Orton had many glaring faults that could not be overlooked, but academically, there was nothing about him that could be criticized.

In just one day, Rocky felt as if a skylight had been opened in his mind, suddenly revealing to him an array of new things, all thanks to Orton's instruction.

Although on the first day he only briefly covered the basics of Magic Energy Conduction, even this proved to be incredibly beneficial. Many things Rocky had previously read about in books became crystal clear.

Thus began the days of studying under Orton.

To better his studies, Rocky carefully devised a study plan. He scheduled two-hour mini-lessons with Orton on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and a full-day's lesson on Sundays, making his schedule quite packed indeed.

Yet even this was begrudgingly accepted by Orton who would have preferred Rocky to study with him every single day, all day long, preferably without even stopping for meals. In order to achieve this, they argued at least three times.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But this was utterly impossible. After all, Rocky's identity was not that of a mere student; he was the City Lord and had many matters to attend to every day. The amount of time he could spare for studying was already at its limit.

And so, a week passed by in the blink of an eye. During this time, Rocky had attended three mini lessons and one major lesson with Orton. His understanding of mana had advanced by leaps and bounds, and as he became more familiar with Rocky, Orton also presented him with new demands.

He needed a research lab of his own.

Even for a master like Orton, Mana Runes were ultimately a foreign technology. So, if he wanted to apply these runes practically, continuous research and experimentation were necessary; therefore, having a lab was indispensable.

In response to this, Rocky readily agreed and immediately instructed Old Jack to start construction next to the City Lord's Mansion, intending to build a new lab for Orton. Until the new lab was completed, Orton was temporarily based in the City Lord's Mansion's research lab.

"What did you say? You want to use runes to enhance the Void Magic Armor and Floating Warships?"

One day, Rocky sought out Orton in the research lab and proposed his idea, hoping that he could use runes to enhance his own Void Magic Armor and the Floating Warships of Thunderhawk City!

With the battle against Baron Wolin possibly starting at any time, Rocky wanted to seize the moment to become even stronger.

"Hmm... that's not a problem, it just so happens I have some ideas I'd like to try out."

Upon hearing Rocky's request, Orton stroked his chin thoughtfully, then not only readily agreed but also eagerly said, "Kid, bring over your Void Magic Armor, and the little girl's armor too, I'll enhance them for you."

"This... let's start with the Magic Cannons on the Floating Warships, shall we?"

Seeing Orton so eager to get started, Rocky secretly swallowed hard and then cheerfully suggested.

Having spent so much time with Orton, Rocky had become well acquainted with some of his 'glorious' deeds - not through deliberate probing, but because Orton had eagerly recounted them all to Rocky himself.

One project alone had destroyed a total of seven Super Crystals! This left a deep impression on Rocky, so when Orton asked him to bring his and Liliya's Void Magic Armor for enhancements, Rocky firmly refused, suggesting they start with the Magic Cannons instead.

After all, if the cannons were ruined, it wouldn't be a huge loss, but if the Void Magic Armor was destroyed, Rocky would have nowhere to turn to mourn the loss.

"Tch! Look at you, being all timid!"

Rocky's cautious attitude did not escape Orton's notice. However, Orton probably knew all too well the extent of his destructive capabilities, aware that if he went all out, the entirety of Thunderhawk City wouldn't suffice as a playground for his research, so he didn't say much more and simply rose from his seat.

"Kid, take me to the Skyport. Let's see how I can give those junk of yours a decent enhancement!"