Imperial Crown

The door opened, Judra and the two knights carried Angel, and left in a hurry under the gaze of many nobles.

For the entire Wharton family, this was a complete defeat.

Angel didn't know the enemy, so he raised an army out of anger. Although he had already failed, he could have ended up at a lower price, but he lost completely because of his paranoia and conceitedness!

The prestige and reputation built up over the years were destroyed in one fell swoop.

And everything he lost was pocketed by Raven.

No matter how irritable, impulsive, and unreasonable Angel appears, Raven appears to be calm, reserved, and polite.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Raven spoke, attracting everyone's attention: "As the organizer, I'm sorry to let everyone see such an unseemly scene. As compensation, after the ceremony, I will give A bottle of Angel’s Tears for every household.”

Viscount John's voice sounded: "Oh? Is this the end of today's drinking party? Baron Raven can't be so stingy, right? We haven't tasted this kind of fine wine yet."

This sentence immediately caused a burst of good-natured laughter. Angel's sudden attack just now really left everyone with little time to enjoy the wine.

Raven said with a smile: "Of course not, there will be meals served next, please feel free to enjoy them."

The waiters moved to the long table, the maids presented the food, and the most popular buffet at the moment officially began.

Out of etiquette, the nobles came up to chat with Raven one after another. The content was nothing more than building relationships and reminiscing about old times - your grandfather and my great-grandfather once fought side by side on a certain battlefield, and my great-grandfather once fought with your great-grandfather. Which girl have you fought over?

It doesn't matter if it's true or not, what's important is that you can talk and look familiar, maybe you can use it one day in the future.

However, most of the nobles would only chat with Raven for a few words and then leave. On the contrary, Denise was surrounded by people - mainly the female relatives of the nobles present.

Aristocrats are shy about talking about profit, and naturally they will not go out in person to negotiate the purchase price, but communication between aristocratic women is another matter.

The banquet lasted into the evening, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves. Many nobles who were closer to the party left by car, while those who were further away chose to stay overnight and wait for the next day to set off.

After a busy day, Raven returned to his room and leaned against the window to drink.

As soon as he poured himself a glass of wine, Raven heard a knock on the door, and he whispered: "Come in."

The door opened, and a wisp of cool wind passed through the hall. Raven looked back and was stunned.

It was Denise who came.

She had taken off her black clothes during the day and put on a white gauze skirt. The hem of the skirt flew in the breeze, revealing her soft arms and two attractive ankles.

She walked over to Raven and sat down next to her. The fragrant breeze hit her. Her face was rosy due to the alcohol, and her eyes were moist and passionate.

Raven took a deep breath, then leaned against the wall: "Uncle, I advise you to leave quickly. My concentration is not that good."

"Otherwise, what are you going to do?" Denise giggled: "Strip me naked and throw me on the bed now?"

"Do you think I don't dare?" Raven suddenly turned around and got close to Denise's face, with undisguised aggression in his eyes.

His eyes swept over Denise's eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips, all the way down into the ravine, then up again, approaching quietly.

Just when she was about to get close, Denise suddenly stood up: "Tsk, it's a pity that I don't have that interest."

She walked to the window, took a new cup and poured herself wine. She frowned as soon as she took a sip: "Why liquid amber and not angel tears?"

"I like it, do you care?" Raven snatched the cup from Denise's hand, drank the remaining wine in one gulp, and said impatiently: "Either strip yourself naked and throw it on the bed, or hurry up Get out."

Denise frowned slightly and said dissatisfied: "Raven, you are such a scumbag."

"I can do even more scummy things now." Raven sneered and poured himself another glass of wine: "For example, I can press you against the window now and let the entire Eagle Town take a look at their lord's... Heroic."

"...It seems that I really think highly of you." Denise shook her head angrily: "I don't know how Lux was persuaded by you."

She turned around and walked to the door: "Today, there are thirteen noble families interested in purchasing Angel Tears. Within half a month, you need to prepare another three hundred bottles of Angel Tears. I will prepare the raw materials. Please hurry up and process them. ”

With a bang, the door was shut tightly.

Raven didn't look back, he just looked at the moon in the sky with more and more ecstasy.

These damn nobles!

For Raven, today is a day of great victory. He defeated Angel's offensive, obtained Judra's promise, and Angel's Tears also sold well.

But he just wasn't happy.

Especially when I think of the conversation with those nobles today.

"Baron Raven, I heard that you were born in an orphanage. How was life there?"

"Baron Raven, can you tell me what the life of the untouchables in Meng'en City is like?"

"Baron Raven, I heard that your nickname is 'Little Bee'. Can you tell us how you got it?"

Snap.

The silver cup was smashed on the window sill, and Raven showed a trace of annoyance: "Say your mother!"

Each of these nobles looked polite, but their attitude was condescending. They looked at him as if they were looking at a monkey, hoping to use his words to solidify their superior status.

Their words and deeds reveal a message all the time - it is an honor for you, little Kalami, to stand with us.

Raven didn't like this feeling, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

He looked at his palm and sighed: "It's still too weak."

Rank, military strength, honor, status, wealth...

He has none of these.

In terms of rank, he is just a mortal, but through the Eyes of Truth, he can clearly see that all the nobles present today, as long as they have titles, are at least first-level extraordinary.

In terms of military strength, he only has thirty-six private soldiers and a first-level extraordinary like Eric.

In terms of honor and status, he is just a baron, and he only has 800 people under his command, which is not even as good as some knights.

Talking about wealth - where did he get his wealth? The ninety gold coins in the warehouse?

This was a huge sum of money for him, and for most nobles, it was the price of an everyday dress.

And the root lies precisely in wealth.

Without gold coins, there is no way to become extraordinary, no way to support and arm the army, and no way to spread the industry he envisioned.

But fortunately, he now has a hand.

He moved his eyes to the window. It was dark there and Eagle Town was dark, but the three settlements on the other side of the river were twinkling with lights, especially Goldsmith Town, which was brightly lit.

It was indeed fun to defeat Angel today, and Judra's promise was true, but Raven didn't think that the Wharton family would really use the two lands, the Eagle Beak Mountain Quarry and the Thousand Needles Jungle. spit it out.

Qualified nobles are all thick-skinned and dark-hearted, let alone an old guy like Angel.

After today's scene, unless Angel kicks off immediately and Judra succeeds as Baron, the so-called promise will be nothing but empty talk.

What Raven really wants is Goldshire.

With an annual tax of four hundred to seven hundred gold coins, it is the largest market town within a hundred miles.

If it can be recovered, the Eagle Territory will be able to obtain a stable source of tax revenue and have more territorial citizens who can be mobilized as soldiers to expand the strength at hand.

More importantly, the new products that Raven will promote next can be produced and released in Goldsmith Town, reducing his dependence on Denise.

The knock on the door sounded again.

"Come in." Raven turned around and said with a smile: "If you really want to strip yourself naked, I hope you wear the lace I like..."

The voice was stuck in his throat, because it was Eric who opened the door and walked in.

The face of this big man, who was 1.9 meters tall, was full of panic and confusion, and his peanut-sized eyes were as big as hawthorns.

"Ahem, you didn't hear anything." Raven rubbed his nose and changed the subject with a slight embarrassment: "Is there something urgent?"

"Uh, no, um, yes, Lord Raven!" Eric's mind wandered for a while before he calmed down. He stepped forward and handed over a letter: "There is a letter for you."

Raven took the envelope and saw the seal of "H\u0026S", and his brows jumped. After tearing open the envelope, he found that there was only a short sentence inside: Come to Goldsmith Town and meet me alone at the "Eagle Wings" hotel immediately. The expiration date has not expired. You will be responsible for the consequences.

"Who sent the letter?" Raven asked.

"A mysterious guy wearing a cloak, at least the second level." Eric replied respectfully: "He named this letter to you."

Raven asked: "Are there green lines on the cloak, like snake scales?"

"Yes, sir." Eric said, "Do you have any clues?"

Raven didn't answer, his eyes became deeper and deeper: "Eric, follow me."

The two left the castle and came to the gate of "Eagle Wings" in Goldsmith Town. Raven said, "Wait for me here."

Eric didn't know why, but his natural loyalty made him choose to carry out the order.

Raven touched his arm, confirmed that the hand crossbow was loaded, and opened the door of the hotel.

The smell of burning pine wood hit his nose, mixed with the aroma of wine and meat. The bald innkeeper looked up, and then immediately lowered his head.

"You brought a tail." A deep voice suddenly sounded behind Raven.

Raven didn't panic: "I'm a baron, so of course I need to be accompanied when I travel, and I did come in alone. Is there any problem?"

"Follow me, don't play tricks." A man wearing a brown cloak walked up to Raven. The edge of the cloak was inlaid with a green scale pattern.

The Eyes of Truth quietly opened at this moment, and a rich cyan light lit up under the man's cloak, and there were two green spots flickering on his waist and fingers.

A second-level storm swordsman, wearing an enchanted long sword and an enchanted ring.

really.

There was silence in the hotel. Raven followed the man's footsteps to the second floor and came to the innermost room.

The man walked to the door of the room, opened the door and stepped aside: "Go in."

After pausing for a moment to make sure there were no traps at the door, Raven walked in.

In the living room, a young man with short blond hair parted in the middle was sitting on a bench, his body emitting a soft golden light, showing the strength of a first-order light knight.

The feet, waist, and fingers all shone with green magical light, and the necklace around the neck shone with blue light.

Excellent level enchanting props.

And behind him, stood a man who was exactly the same as the man outside the door. If this man hadn't had a beard, he would have been thought to be the same person.

Although he was clearly in great intimidation, Raven grabbed a chair and sat directly opposite the young man. This made the latter's eyes flash with anger: "Leaven, I haven't given you permission yet. Sit down?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't expect that as a baron, I would need other people's permission to sit down in my own territory," Raven said.

"Presumptuous!" The man behind the young man held the hilt of his sword: "Do you know who you are talking to?"

Raven picked up a grape on the table and threw it into his mouth: "Of course I know that Hyde Slater, the son of Earl Tyrone, is neither the most favored nor the most respected."

This time the man was silenced.

Hyde finally sat up straight: "How do you know my identity?"

"It's very simple." Raven pointed at the man behind him: "This kind of cloak is the standard equipment of your family's elite private soldiers [Typhon's Fang]. A young man who can command them, his name is ' HS', I can't think of anyone else besides you."

"You are quite clever. This is the survival wisdom of a rat in the gutter." Hyde sneered: "Since you are so smart, why don't you guess the purpose of calling you here?"

"If you can't answer it..."

His eyes were blue with a touch of gray, and looked particularly eerie under the dim light in the room. He stretched out a finger and pushed his neck sideways.

Raven made a look of fear: "Oh, my respected Lord Hyde, please forgive my arrogance and my sins. If you ask for anything, I will do anything for you!"

There was a hint of pride on Hyde's face, and just as he was about to speak, Raven said with a straight face: "Did you think I would say that, Mr. Hyde?"

Hyde's face turned pale for a moment: "You are looking for death! The dignity of the Slater family cannot be desecrated!"

"Well, very good, very impressive." Raven clapped his hands slowly: "If Count Tyrone said this to me personally."

"You!" Hyde's face turned red and he gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't you afraid of me..."

"What are you afraid of?" Raven asked: "Afraid that you will kill me here? Do you really dare, Master?"

Hyde's breath hitched.

It is true that he is the son of the Earl, but Earl Tyrone has two wives, seven sons and two daughters. Although he is the youngest son, the favor of the family falls on his sister.

If he really kills an imperial baron here, not to mention that Earl Tyrone will probably not protect him. Even if he does, his brothers are also watching him!

"I won't kill you," Hyde said, "but I have many ways to make your life worse than death!"

Raven stared and asked innocently: "What about?"

"For example-" Hyde's voice got stuck in his throat, and then he froze.

Yeah, like what?

Use the resources you have to attack the economic lifeline of the Griffith family?

The Griffith family...does this really happen?

Or send people to destroy the industry in Eagle Town?

But there are only a few hundred acres of farmland in Eagle Town. You can't let your men set fire to the farmland for fun, right? ?

Or threaten to kidnap Raven's family...like Denise or Vesdon.

But if these two people were kidnapped, Raven would probably smile happily, right?

After thinking for a while, Hyde was surprised to find that he couldn't even grasp anything about Raven.

"So do you have anything else?" Raven asked, "If not, I'll leave first."

In just ten minutes, Raven had completely taken the initiative in the conversation.

Hyde said gloomily: "I do have something to ask you."

"I hope you can give up the title of Baron of the Eagle Territory and hand this title to me. Of course, I will not let you suffer."

He clapped his hands, and the man behind him turned and left. After a while, he carried a heavy wooden box with both hands and placed it gently between Raven and Hyde.

Hyde opened the lid, and the room was suddenly filled with golden light: "Here are five thousand gold coins, is it enough?"

"Oh, oh, 5,000 gold coins, that's a lot." Raven sighed in admiration, then reached out and closed the lid of the box.

Hyde frowned: "What do you mean?"

Raven said: "It means that the price you gave is too low."

"Raven, don't go too far!" Hyde slammed the table: "You are just a pariah crawling out of the gutter, a gangster who hangs out in the slums, you just got the title by luck, do you really think you are a noble? "

After giving him a deep look, Raven stood up, turned around and walked out.

"The rainy season is coming soon in Bloody Highlands, and there will be a large number of bandits coming down then." Hyde shouted loudly behind him:

"The nobles of the fiefdom have the responsibility to protect their land!"

"I'm waiting for you here. Remember, within a month, you will kneel here and beg me to take over your territory!"

…