Imperial Crown

When the dungeon door was pushed open, a cool breeze hit him in the face.

Raven walked down the stairs and saw Mark leaning against the iron cage with his back to him.

The former noble young master had completely lost his nobleness. His clothes had become dirty and worn. His originally bright red hair had faded a lot and stuck to his back like felt, like a greasy cloak.

Mark's ears twitched when he heard Raven's footsteps, but his body did not move.

In fact, his legs had basically healed. The reason he did not react was because he thought it was a servant who came to deliver food.

But after the footsteps stopped, he did not hear the sound of the plate falling to the ground for a long time, and turned around.

Compared with before, his face was much thinner, and his beard had grown out. He could not tell that he was only one year older than Raven, but looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.

Mark's eyes first fell on Raven's feet, his throat moved, and slowly began to move upwards until he looked at Raven.

At this moment, the emotions in his originally dim eyes changed several times, first surprise, then hatred, anger, and finally turned into fear and humility.

"Let me out!" He trembled with tears in his eyes: "Raven, Baron Raven, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please let me out, let me out!!"

Bang——

Raven grabbed the railing and shook it hard: "Stop acting, Mark."

"You are not afraid, you just know that you are going to die!"

Mark's body collapsed: "...Then kill me."

Raven said lightly: "I am not a lord who can't listen to others. If this is your wish, then I can fulfill it."

As he said, a cluster of light blue flames had already burned in his hands.

The fire illuminated Mark's eyes, making him realize that Raven was not joking.

Indeed, he had been living a life worse than death during this period.

He could not see the sun or hope, and could only determine the passage of time by the servants who delivered meals, and those damn meals were only black bread and oatmeal porridge, and meat was out of the question.

Some time ago, there were still some green vegetables to embellish the place, but now there is not even a hint of green.

Not to mention personal hygiene, the playboy who used to hang out at cocktail parties and dances every day is now sour, smelly and sticky.

The worst thing is that he is the only one imprisoned here, and the servants are repeatedly ordered not to talk to him, so that he even develops the habit of communicating with rats and cockroaches.

If Raven hadn't occasionally sent someone to send him some novels, he would have gone crazy long ago.

But he is still alive after all!

Although life is boring, death makes him more afraid, and a strong desire to survive occupies his consciousness.

With a flattering arc at the corner of his mouth, Mark said: "I was just joking. I am very satisfied with the life here!"

"That's good, it's worth it for me to come to you." As he said, the appointment document appeared in Raven's hand: "Look, what is this?"

Seeing the content above, Mark's pupils shrank, and then cold sweat dripped down.

Raven became the county governor appointed by His Majesty the King himself, and he also served as a baron, which shows that he has been recognized by His Majesty at the political level.

Not to mention that Mark is still here, even if he really escapes and accuses Raven, no one will make a decision for him, but he will be dealt with secretly.

Big people can make mistakes, but they never admit their mistakes.

Ironically, at this moment Mark suddenly realized that staying in the dungeon was the safest choice for him.

Then, Raven told how he met Judra in the casino and how he won a large sum of gold coins from him, and also talked about the recent situation in Ironforge.

During this period, Mark would flatter him from time to time, such as "The Baron is wise and brave".

For Mark, knowing that Raven is still paying attention to Judra is good news in itself, because it means that he is still useful to Raven.

Raven's attitude gave Mark a glimmer of hope: "... Baron, are you going to let me out?"

"Impossible." Raven shook his head: "But my new castle is under construction. When the new castle is completed, this place will be transformed into my wizard tower."

"If you perform well, then your range of activities may be larger and you will have your own room."

Mark was stunned and nodded vigorously: "I will perform well!"

After the matter was said, Raven turned around and prepared to leave. At this time, Mark suddenly said:

"Baron, I have a small request."

"Can you add a little meat to my meal in the future?"

"Okay." Raven smiled and left the dungeon quickly.

I came to the dungeon today because Raven knew that Mark's mood had been getting more and more depressed recently, and he might die at any time. Raven wanted to take this opportunity to give him some motivation to live.

So far, the effect is good.

For Raven, imprisoning Mark is just a casual move, which may be useful or not.

But this is not the point.

The point is that Raven needs to keep a trump card to kill Judra.

It is better to be prepared than to be in trouble.

After Raven left, Mark ate the meat he had been longing for at the next meal. He didn't know when the new castle would be built, but he finally had hope for the future.

Mark was not the only one who felt that the future was becoming more and more hopeful.

It was the end of the year. Although the Keynes Empire did not have the tradition of celebrating the New Year, Raven was still used to giving his retainers and servants a year-end bonus at the end of the year, which made everyone in the castle full of energy and joy.

Baron Raven was going to hold his first cocktail party after taking office as the county governor. Old Gordon attached great importance to it. Not only did he do many things himself, but he also mobilized everyone he could use.

For example, Volaf.

After the shift change, the leader of Raven's personal guards was dragged into the warehouse by Old Gordon before he could take off his armor to rest.

"Mr. Gordon, what do you want to see me for?" Volaf yawned, "My daughter is waiting for me to go back and tell stories."

Old Gordon rolled his eyes at him, "Are you going to tell stories to your daughter, or to tell stories to women in the Crystal Palace?"

Volaf chuckled, "You know that too? Otherwise, let's go together, I'll treat you!"

"Get lost!" Old Gordon didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I still want to live two more years, and I called you here for something important."

As he spoke, Old Gordon removed the lid of a large jar next to him, and a fishy smell immediately hit him in the face.

There were many slippery, black things in the tank, some hard and some soft. Volaf's scalp tingled as he looked at them: "What is this, the magic raw material that the Baron wants to use?"

"Sea cucumbers and abalone." Old Gordon said: "These are all good things that were rushed from the seaside and prepared for the day of the cocktail party."

"Seaside?" Volaf was stunned for a moment. He had no idea about the sea. He only knew that the Nord Province was located in the central and western part of the continent, and there was no connection with the ocean in the four directions of southeast, northwest, and northeast. It was probably tens of thousands of kilometers away: "This...how much does it cost?"

"Calculated, it's about less than two gold coins for one." Old Gordon smacked his lips, obviously feeling a little pain: "Don't just stand there, get started . "

Looking at the crawling and wriggling sea cucumber, Volaf's face twisted: "...not good, can it be eaten raw?"

"What are you thinking!" Old Gordon coughed: "You are the Ice Fighting Qi, freeze these tanks."

"Ice Fighting Qi is not used like this." Volaf scratched his cheek: "And now it's so cold, if you leave it outside, it will freeze solid overnight."

Old Gordon said: "What if it is polluted or attracts wild cats when it is left outside? These things cannot be lost, hurry up!"

In desperation, Volaf had to become a human refrigerator. It is foreseeable that this kind of work will be done twice a day in the future.

At first he was a little unhappy, but in the next few days, Volaf felt balanced because he was not the only one who was pulled to be a "tool man".

The first one is Link, this guy is the Flame Fighting Qi. He just took a year off and was caught by Old Gordon to light a lantern - literally.

The lantern, Baron Raven's invention, was very popular throughout Eagle Castle. It didn't require much material, but it could effectively prevent wind. It was not like the previous braziers and torches, which were placed in the yard and would be covered with ash when the wind blew.

The disadvantage was that it was difficult to light. If you were not careful, you would burn your hand or smoke the inner wall of the lantern black. Link was just right, and he could light it with his finger.

This job was not easy either.

For the sake of show, Old Gordon planned to hang the lanterns directly from the gate of Eagle Castle all the way to the Jinsha River Bridge, and the walls of Eagle Castle would also be full of them. There were more than 400 lanterns in total, and Link's fingers were cramped after lighting them.

After ordering, Old Gordon nodded: "Well, Chaofan does things steadily, so that we will have experience next time."

Link said angrily: "There will be a next time?"

"Yes, today is just a trial, and we will officially hang it up on the day of the cocktail party." Old Gordon said, and began to blow out the candles in the lanterns one by one: "Don't stand there, come together."

Link's eyes went dark and he almost fainted.

Everyone has his own work to do.

Simon rode on the claw Huang Feidian to lead the scout team to deliver invitations, and was specifically told by Old Gordon to say different things to different families.

Poirot temporarily put down the work of the riverside workshop, and discussed with the cook Martha to formulate the menu for the cocktail party, what cold dishes and hot dishes should be used, how to match the drinks, and how to cook the ingredients prepared by Old Gordon deliciously.

When the menu was ready, Eric temporarily worked as a part-time hunter and led the soldiers to hunt wild animals and store food, including but not limited to bears, deer, roe deer, wild boars, etc. The amount of prey obtained was enough to feed a dragon.

Petty and Fiona worked together. Fiona was responsible for planning the decoration and layout of the castle, while Petty coordinated the specific placement and placement of the servants in the castle. The two would exchange opinions from time to time, listen to other people's suggestions and make adjustments to ensure that it was beautiful.

Philip began to order his patrol team and the Chamber of Commerce to clean up the streets and maintain strict law and order, and never cause trouble for the Baron. In just a few days, the streets of Shining Gold Town became as new as new.

To exaggerate, even the donkeys raised in the backyard of each family had to be brushed three times.

Some people were busy, and some people were idle.

Since returning to Eagle Castle, Margaret has been floating around like a butterfly almost every day, changing different clothes.

These clothes have one thing in common, that is, they are close-fitting enough.

Her figure was extremely plump, and coupled with the soft and close-fitting fabric, it trembled as she walked on the road, as if it was about to burst out. She was simply a walking hormone.

When the men of Eagle Castle see her, their attention will be drawn to her, and they can't wait to hold her in their arms and ravage her.

Especially since she always has a veil on her face, people can see the attractive outline of her face and the seductive red, but they can't see it clearly, which arouses the curiosity and attention of men.

Margaret unscrupulously displays her charm. She enjoys the gaze of men and indulges in the pleasure of turning people upside down.

In fact, if Raven hadn't asked her to restrain herself, the whole Eagle Castle might have been slept with by her.

Of course, the premise is that those people don't know what she really looks like.

On this day, Margaret walked out of the room and leaned against the wall.

She had just taken a shower, and her eyes were a little blurred, looking for an opportunity to "capture" a prey.

Footsteps sounded, and An Nuo came from a distance.

As soon as she saw her, Margaret felt a little jealous.

She worked hard and finally got this body, but An Nuo's natural beauty can easily surpass her.

As long as the two of them appear in the same place, more people's attention will fall on An Nuo instead of her.

Moreover, Margaret could not forget the embarrassment she faced when she first met An Nuo - this made her jealous and a little inferior in her heart.

She wanted to say something sarcastic, but the fear in her bones made Margaret give up and turned to go back to the house.

Unexpectedly, An Nuo stopped in front of her: "I have something to find you."

"It's rare, Lord An Nuo, a dignified witch of divine blood, actually came to me?" Margaret snorted: "Are you trying to persuade me to be more restrained? Unfortunately, you are not my master, and I have no obligation to listen to your teachings."

An Nuo shook his head: "No, I want to hire you as a mentor in the future academy."

Such a calm attitude made Margaret feel like she punched the air, quite depressed and a little ashamed.

In front of her, An Nuo was like a mountain. How could a mountain get angry at Tupo's ridicule?

"Why? You and I are not the same people." Margaret lifted her hair: "And I can see that you don't agree with my lifestyle. If you hire me as a mentor, aren't you afraid that your students will be corrupted by me?"

An Nuo shook his head: "You are right. You and I are not the same people. I am a witch of divine blood, and you have grown up little by little."

"The difference between you and me in our origins has led to different situations. You will encounter more and greater malice than me, but this also means that you have experienced more setbacks before you have come to where you are now."

"If nothing unexpected happens, most students should have a similar origin to you, not me, so you will have better solutions to many of the difficulties and problems they may face than me."

She spoke calmly and eloquently, without any personal emotions. Even when talking about the difference in origin, there was no disdain or contempt. She was simply telling the facts.

Margaret was silent for a long time. She realized that the gap between her and An Nuo was not just in strength.

"I can promise you." Margaret said lightly: "But, my asking price is not low."

"No problem." An Nuo nodded: "Wait until the academy is up and running, you can come and join."

Anno really doesn't care about this, she is not sensitive to money.

And no matter how high Margaret's asking price is, it is Raven who pays!

"Ah--chiu!" Raven, who was looking at the bill, sneezed, causing Black Cat to glance at him with dissatisfaction.

Raven rubbed his nose: "Good guy, who is thinking about me?"

Then he put his attention back to the bill.

During this period of time, with the misty iron ore as a source of income, the gold coins on the books have exceeded the 100,000 mark, which was not far from the goal of one million, but now it has fallen back below 100,000.

He knew that the cost of holding a cocktail party would be very high, but he didn't expect it to be so expensive. Now the bill is reported, all in all, it will cost more than 3,000 gold coins!

"I hope it's worth it!"

As Simon walked, the news of the reception spread throughout Xuefeng County, and the nobles were all speculating on what kind of pomp the newly appointed county governor would put on.

Finally, the time came to January 1, 1195 of the Guangming calendar.

The reception was officially held.

…