Lord of the Sky City-Chapter 870 - 852: Open Conspiracy!

Facing Rocky’s questioning, Su appeared flustered. After all, as she said, Rocky was highly regarded within the Kafka Empire, so where did his dissatisfaction stem from?

After a cold snort, Rocky chose not to trouble Su further and quickly recounted what had happened.

"Lord Rocky, this absolutely cannot be Marshal Mannstein’s intention!"

Upon understanding the entire situation, Su’s face showed panic. She could assure that Marshal Mannstein wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for Rocky, and she most feared a confrontation arising between Rocky and the Empire. Without hesitation, she said, "Lord, give me some time, and I’ll find out the truth immediately."

As the daughter of the Imperial Chancellor, Su held the position of ambassador stationed in Thunderhawk City, yet her connections far exceeded those of an ordinary ambassador. While others might not easily reach Marshal Mannstein, she could accomplish it.

"Go ahead. I’ll wait for your good news."

Rocky nodded toward her, permitting Su to leave. Once her figure completely disappeared, he turned to Liliya and said, "It seems the allied forces aren’t entirely united."

"Are you suggesting... someone is deliberately sowing discord between us and the Empire?"

Liliya, being exceptionally intelligent, immediately grasped the situation with Rocky’s prompt.

It made sense. Currently, Rocky and the Kafka Empire were enjoying a honeymoon period, their relationship exceedingly smooth. Particularly after the war began, the Apple Tree Corporation had consistently provided Rune Battleships to the Kafka Empire, and these warships secured one victory after another on the battlefield.

These victories were no trivial matter because the allied forces fundamentally consisted of the Three Great Alliances. And since they were formed by unions of the alliances, internal competition was inevitable. The more victories the Empire’s troops secured, and the more significant their performance, the greater their leverage within the allied forces. Sky Alliance and the Magic Energy Research Institute clearly didn’t wish to see one dominant player emerge. Marshal Mannstein and Holy Knight Wilton’s respective efforts to capture two separate zones previously had been prime examples of such competitive dynamics.

Given this realization, today’s events appear far less straightforward than their superficial explanation.

In truth, it’s easy to comprehend. With Rocky’s reputation, simply revealing his identity should deter anyone from targeting him deliberately under normal circumstances. Moreover, the highest commander of the Myriad Snake Battle Zone was Kafka Empire’s Marshal Mannstein, which should rule out direct conflict between them. However, conversely, if any conflict arose between Rocky and Mannstein in the battle zone—no matter how large or small—the damage to both parties would be significant. And this was precisely a scenario many would gladly witness.

Some might argue that if Marshal Mannstein had no intention to trouble Rocky, why not issue a direct order to resolve it?

While this sounds logical, reality is far from simple. Mannstein, being the battle zone’s Commander-in-chief, would hardly have immediate knowledge of Rocky being stopped by a mere patrolling Sky City unit. Between Mannstein and Rocky lay multiple layers of personnel, which gave ample maneuvering space for those wishing to drive a wedge between them. If such individuals succeeded, conflict between Rocky and Mannstein would inevitably follow.

"It seems the opponents know you rather well."

Once Rocky put all the pieces together, Liliya chuckled and teased him, leaving Rocky slightly puzzled.

"Know me? In what way?"

"They know you’re not one to back down. If provoked, you certainly wouldn’t prioritize sparing Marshal Mannstein’s reputation and would likely stir up a storm in the battle zone. Ultimately, you might walk away unscathed, leaving Mannstein in a compromised position."

"So, their ultimate goal isn’t to trouble you but to use you as a chess piece to pressure Mannstein."

With just a few pointed remarks, Liliya had deduced the opponents’ plan. In truth, they didn’t intend to harm Rocky directly. Or rather, given Rocky’s current momentum and strength, no one could genuinely harm him. Their intention was merely to manipulate him as a pawn.

Rocky was well aware of this too. He shrugged toward Liliya and said, "I’m pretty pathetic, you know."

As soon as he said that, both Rocky and Liliya burst into laughter. Few people knew this particular inside joke anymore, but Liliya understood because Rocky had once been infamously branded as a coward.

"What’s your plan?" After their laughter subsided, Liliya asked, "The opponent’s scheme is insidious. Even knowing about it doesn’t make it easy to counter."

"Indeed."

Rocky nodded, agreeing with Liliya’s analysis. It wasn’t exactly a covert plot, but rather an open maneuver. Accepting their inspection? Rocky himself certainly wouldn’t agree. However, if he refused and confronted them head-on, he wouldn’t be intimidated. Dealing with a mere Listening Sky City wouldn’t even require dispatching a fleet—several rounds from the Asura Cannon could reduce it to rubble. Yet, if he actually resorted to such action, it would play right into their hands. Thus, even after understanding their intentions, countering them remained challenging.

At that moment, the entire City Lord’s Hall faintly vibrated, prompting Rocky to chuckle.

Up in the skies, Thunderhawk City happened to brush past the obstructive Sky City, and the vibration was caused by their abrupt proximity!

Earlier, following Rocky’s instructions, Monte had quickly contacted the opposition and sternly ordered them to cease approaching. Yet the other side blatantly ignored the command, continuing their advance toward Thunderhawk City and even deploying a fleet—clearly showing hostile intent.

All of this made sense now. The opponent’s strategy was to provoke Rocky into action. Any retaliation from Rocky would place Marshal Mannstein in a precarious dilemma. If Mannstein issued orders to arrest Rocky, the budding rapport between Rocky and the Kafka Empire would disintegrate. On the other hand, if Mannstein chose not to detain Rocky, his role as Commander-in-chief of the region risked being stripped away.

Monte, however, was unaware of these machinations.

Still, as Rocky’s longest-serving general, Monte had imbibed some lessons in the art of intrigue. Although not particularly skilled in manipulation, he knew well enough that engaging the allied forces in direct conflict within the battle zone would harm Rocky’s position. Furthermore, Monte noticed the opponent’s provocations, noting their apparent intent to bait them into action. This made Monte all the more suspicious.

Thus, Monte reacted decisively. He immediately activated Thunderhawk City’s Defensive Net and issued an utterly unexpected command to the opposition: he ordered Thunderhawk City to accelerate at full speed and collide directly with the obstructing Sky City, forcibly shoving it aside!