Imperial Crown

Soon after the news of his death came out, Angel's funeral was held.

In the morning light, the carriage driven by Eric stopped outside Ironforge.

Weston was the first to jump out, and Raven walked out of the car, holding Denise's hand and helping her out.

Judra, who had been waiting at the door to welcome guests, immediately came forward, and her eyes fell on Denise involuntarily.

She was wearing a simple dark blue silk dress, and her makeup was also very simple and elegant. She looked more bright and beautiful than a few months ago, like a fresh and moving orchid.

Looking at Raven, a trace of jealousy rose from Judra's heart, but he did not show it.

He walked forward enthusiastically, gave Raven a heavy hug, nodded to Weston, and gently took Denise's hand and completed a kiss.

Before he could appreciate the soft touch of Denise's palm, the hand had already retracted.

"Mr. Judra." Raven said, "I'm deeply sorry about the death of Baron Angel."

While speaking, Raven was also observing Judra's reaction.

The eldest son of the Wharton family looked a little haggard, with a slightly excited red on his cheeks, giving people the feeling that he had not slept for three days and three nights.

After hearing Raven's words, Judra's face showed a sad expression: "Father is too obsessed with cultivation and completely forgot his age. It's all my fault for not persuading him..."

His fingers wiped his eye sockets, but he couldn't get a single tear.

Raven said meaningfully: "Mr. Judra doesn't have to be too sad. I think Baron Angel will be very pleased to see that the Wharton family has a vigorous and vigorous heir."

"I hope so." Judra's eyelids trembled slightly.

After the greetings, Judra led Raven and others into the castle. At the door, a pair of children in black clothes were guarding there. When they saw everyone coming, they bowed together.

"This is my daughter, Vicky."

Judra introduced the girl and turned to the boy, with a hint of relief and pride in her tone: "This is my son, Barney, who previously studied at Asbell College in Monen City."

The boy also straightened his chest. He looked about eleven or twelve years old. He was not short, and his figure was well-proportioned and upright. He had a very military atmosphere. His eyebrows and eyes resembled his father. He was simply a smaller Judra.

Asbell College is a well-known aristocratic school. It seems that Judra is training him as an heir.

Seeing this scene, Raven didn't understand Angel even more.

The eldest son is capable, and the grandson is growing up. Why must the inheritance be given to Mark?

This can only be attributed to Angel's paranoid personality. He favors Mark and doesn't care about gains and losses.

If he wasn't so stubborn, he wouldn't be so confused at Donald's funeral, and now, he wouldn't die so early.

Judra was welcoming guests outside the castle, while Mark was in charge of reception at the entrance of the hall. Even at his father's funeral, the youngest son of the Wharton family refused to lose the limelight.

Wearing a black dress with black lace on his chest, wrists and waist, he warmly welcomed every guest who came.

The moment he saw Raven, Mark smiled and bowed: "Baron Raven, I am relieved that you can put aside the past and come to my father's funeral."

Raven nodded gently in return. Mark turned to Denise again, suppressed the heat in his eyes, and pulled Denise's finger very measuredly: "Ms. Denise, your beauty is enough to dim the stars. The Angel's Tears label you designed is simply art."

Wesdon on the side straightened up and prepared to welcome Mark's enthusiasm.

However, Mark just shook his hand: "Welcome, Wesdon."

After saying that, Mark did not forget to nod to Eric.

"I have prepared fine wine for the Griffith family. Please take a seat."

Raven and his party entered the hall and sat down. Mark's eyes stayed on Raven's back for a long time before he retracted them.

The speed of the Griffith family's rise far exceeded his expectations, or exceeded everyone's expectations. A year ago, this family was still lingering in Eagle Town, but now it has become an overlord that cannot be ignored in Xuefeng County.

Raven is even one year younger than him!

That's why he was so polite to Raven and his party.

Of course, except for Weisdong. If he hadn't come with Raven and the others, Mark would never let him step into the hall.

Mark even regretted that he didn't show goodwill to Raven earlier, otherwise he would have a strong helper.

But fortunately, his brother and Raven had a worse relationship.

Denise, Weisdong and Eric sat down at the round table, and Raven himself came to Angel's coffin with a wine glass.

The coffin was filled with ice, which prevented Angel's body from rotting.

His fiery red hair was scattered, like spilled blood, his huge nose was covered with frost, he was wearing fine plate armor, his hands were crossed in front of his chest, holding a long sword.

Even with makeup, you can still see the dense blood vessels bursting under the skin.

"What a failure, old man." Raven said in a voice that only he could hear.

When Angel was alive, the entire Ironforge Territory strictly prohibited the sale of Angel's Tears, but now this wine is filled in the hall.

And his death itself did not cause much waves, even his family would not feel sad for him.

Judra behaved very well, but there was no sorrow in her eyes; the two children were just immersed in the atmosphere and were a little depressed; as for Mark, except when welcoming guests, his eyes were always locked on Judra, and he didn't even glance at the coffin.

As time went on, more and more guests came to the hall, and it gradually became lively.

From time to time, nobles came forward to chat with Raven, and the topics they talked about basically started from the weather, to the arrangement of today's funeral, and the end of the drinks, which made Raven feel quite bored, but he couldn't refuse with face.

With the arrival of Viscount John, Raven's troubles were finally relieved. The nobles bowed and retreated, leaving the two people with space to talk alone.

"Baron Raven, how does it feel to be the center of attention?" Viscount John asked with a smile.

Raven was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly realized.

He was still a little confused, why these nobles were talking about boring things, not even gossip, Viscount John's words woke him up-there are differences in levels among nobles. Now Raven is a baron in name but a viscount in reality. If he doesn't lead the topic, how dare others speak?

After figuring this out, Raven shook his head and smiled, changing the subject: "I didn't expect you to come here in person. Have you finished your work in the new territory?"

"Almost. The serfs have been counted and will be transported here in a month or two at most." Viscount John said, "That's why I came back to attend the funeral of an old friend and to supervise the relocation of Xuefeng Territory."

Raven nodded slowly. Although Xuefeng Territory has been exchanged, it is the place where Viscount John has lived for generations. In addition to the warehouse and serfs, the ancestral mausoleum also needs to be moved, which will take some time.

"Now that Fisher is dead, his successor is not very capable and has a very poor reputation." Viscount John continued: "After I leave, you will be the most famous and powerful person in the entire Snow Maple County. The position of the county chief should not fall to others."

Raven asked: "You have been the county chief for so long, do you have anything to teach me?"

"You are smarter than me, and you will definitely do better than me in details." Viscount John smiled and shook his head:

"But even among the five counties in the northwest, Snow Maple County is the one closest to the border. External transportation is the top priority. There are a few people you need to pay attention to."

Raven looked at Baron Kate who was talking in a low voice with someone: "First of all, it's him. His territory is adjacent to Savery County and guards the trade road to Hovi City."

"You also know Baron Kate, so I won't say much." Viscount John smiled with satisfaction: "The one you really need to pay attention to."

Following Viscount John's finger, Raven saw a middle-aged man about forty years old, with a slightly bloated figure and looking very kind.

"That's Baron Zeyi." Raven pointed out his name: "He seems to be the first one to withdraw among the nobles who followed Fisher, and he also suffered the least loss."

Viscount John said: "Yes, Baron Zeyi is known for his shrewdness. If his territory was not close to Fisher, he would not have gone with him. If you want to win him over, you have to spend more time."

"As for the other nobles, you will have plenty of time to get familiar with them slowly in the future. Most of them are mediocre and not worth worrying about."

Raven gradually had a plan in his mind. Baron Zeyi's territory was close to Hippoc County and guarded the trade road to Mon'en City. Only by taking him down, Eagle Territory can develop better.

While the two were talking, Judra had returned to the hall with a pair of children, which meant that the funeral was about to begin.

The nobles who were originally wandering around sat down one after another, and Raven also said goodbye to Viscount John and walked towards his seat.

At the same time, Raven's eyes swept across the whole audience, paying attention to every detail.

Angel's coffin was placed on a high platform at the end of the hall. As the hall was relatively small, even though the round tables were arranged in a dense and orderly manner, it still seemed a bit crowded in front of more than 200 guests. The air became hot and humid under the burning of torches and candles.

Because there was no temperature control array, even Raven's forehead was wet. He returned to the table, refused the wine glass handed by Eric on his left, took the handkerchief handed by Denise on his right, and gently wiped the sweat on his forehead.

Suddenly, accompanied by calm footsteps, a figure walked out of the side corridor with heavy steps.

He was strong, at least 1.9 meters tall, with dark skin. When he moved, he felt like a moving rockery.

This scene not only attracted Raven's attention, but also the nobles present looked over - because he was wearing a full set of enchanted plate armor.

The plate armor was completely black, with the wolf head emblem of the Wharton family engraved on the chest, and a thick and heavy sword emitting an enchanted light hanging on his waist.

This rockery-like sturdy man walked to the side of Angel's coffin, bowed, and then stood aside to wait.

A low voice of discussion sounded, and even Denise whispered: "Who is this man, why is he wearing armor?"

Before being "differently treated" by Mark, Weisdong was holding his breath and wanted to prove himself. Now that the opportunity came, he immediately said: "That is Seberon, Angel's old dog, who has followed Angel the longest, a second-level knight, and possesses a rare shadow fighting spirit."

"He wears armor, maybe for safety reasons. After all, the chaos in the Nord Province has not been completely quelled, which is understandable."

It is not only Weisdong who made this statement, and what happened next also consolidated this speculation.

There are four knights in the Wharton family, and two more are here now.

The two men were about the same age, both in their thirties, and they were also wearing enchanted armor with the Wharton family crest printed on it.

They walked past Mark, nodded slightly in greeting, and also bowed in front of Angel's coffin. One came to stand next to Ceberon, and the other stood on the left side of the coffin.

This time, before Denise could ask questions, Vesdon explained: "These two people, the one standing next to Cerberon, is named Sari, a first-order storm knight. It is said that his swordsmanship is very unique, and he may be from the elves." inheritance.”

"The other guy with a beard and a mace is named Byram, a first-order poisonous knight. Both of them were pointed out to Mark by Angel."

boom--

The door was closed, cutting off the airflow and most of the sunlight, making the air in the hall even duller and the atmosphere more depressing.

The knight responsible for closing the door passed through the crowd, the smooth surface of the black heavy armor reflected the candlelight, and the long sword at his waist made a crisp sound when it hit his leg armor.

Vesdon continued to introduce in a low voice: "This is Judra's henchman, named Arden. He is only first-level. Like his master, he is a flame knight."

Denise's eyes shone with joy. She did not expect that her son would be able to know all the knights of the Wharton family. It seemed that his work as acting lord these past few months was not in vain.

He reached out to touch Vesdon's head, but Vesdon shrank his neck and tilted his head to avoid his mother's touch. He looked past Denise and looked at Raven expectantly.

Raven stretched out two fingers and circled his temples, which was a signal to Vesdon to think more.

Vesdon was stunned for a moment, his eyes once again glanced at the four knights, and then at Judra and Mark who were wearing formal clothes. A hint of understanding appeared in his eyes, and he whispered: "I understand, brother, this time..."

"Shh." Raven put his finger to his lips and smiled: "It's good that you know."

At this moment, Arden came to stand next to Byram, bowed deeply towards the coffin, and then raised his face and nodded lightly to Judra.

Judra walked to the coffin, her eyes were already red before she opened her mouth.

He looked at the many guests, took a deep breath, and said loudly:

"Dear gentlemen and ladies, I am grateful to see you come to Ironforge to attend the funeral of my dear father, the Imperial Baron, Angel Orta Worton."

…