Imperial Crown

Thank you very much to Qidian Dad [the donkeys in the production team don’t dare to rest like this] for the ios 100 reward!

…

It rained heavily.

Eagle City, living room.

Gul'dan, who was soaked all over, sat on the chair with a dull expression, covered with a blanket and holding hot tea in his hand.

He had been sitting here for almost an hour, but he never spoke or moved. His whole body was as stiff as a piece of wood.

Raven was standing not far away, crossing his arms and looking at him intently.

Gul'dan's sudden arrival and this abnormal state made Raven wary.

"When can Nancy come over?" Raven asked in a low voice.

Old Gordon responded in a low voice: "Madam went to Xuefeng Town Church to give alms this morning. People have been sent to chase her. She should be back soon."

"Sir, why don't you let me lead the soldiers to bring the lady back?" Eric asked.

"No need." Raven shook his head and rejected his proposal.

Gul'dan came here in such a state of despair that something big must have happened. Eric, as the only third-level person besides himself and his wife, must take charge here.

And it's not just him. Raven's four knights, except Link who went to Koga Town, are all gathered here at this moment.

Everyone has some uneasiness on their faces. The power of the Fox family is obvious to all. What happened to Gul'dan that made him come to the Eagle Territory?

Just then, the door opened.

Everyone thought it was Nancy returning, and they all looked over and were stunned.

It was indeed a woman, but it wasn't Nancy.

She was wearing a brown-yellow burqa, which seemed to be made of linen, but there was a faint magical light wheel flowing around her head, wrists, and waist. This made her whole body hidden in the shadows, except for a pair of hands as tender as white jade. middle.

She walked up to Raven, took off her hood, and her hair was flowing down like a waterfall. White petals were dotted on it as if they were swaying in the wind. She also wore a heart-shaped crystal headband on her forehead.

Raven felt slightly at peace: "Sorry to trouble you."

"The Baron invited me, of course I will come." Annuo turned his head and took a deep look at Gul'dan: "The wheel of fate has finally begun to turn."

This sentence made Raven a little concerned. Just when he was about to ask a question, Annuo had already walked to the wall and found a chair to sit down.

The room fell into silence again, except for the sound of rain outside the window, which became louder and louder.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and the door was pushed open with a bang. Nancy hurriedly walked into the house holding her wet skirt. She was relieved when she saw Raven was safe and sound: "...what happened? , so anxious to call me back.”

The faces of the people around her were not good-looking. Nancy turned her eyes and saw Gul'dan sitting blankly in the chair:

"elder brother?"

This was the first time she had seen Gul'dan in such a miserable state. He looked as if he had been soaked in water for three days. His face was pale, and even his lips had no blood.

Gul'dan's originally dull eyes rolled, and finally adjusted the focus and locked on Nancy. The tea cup in his hand fell to the ground with a bang, and his whole body began to tremble non-stop.

After a night of terror, he finally met someone who could make him feel at ease. Gul'dan's emotions that had been suppressed in his heart suddenly burst out. Tears burst out of his eyes, and his mouth opened, but he could not say a complete sentence:

"Ah...ah!!!"

This move startled Nancy.

Although the relationship with this brother is not always good, they are connected by blood after all. Now that I see his appearance, my heart suddenly softens.

She walked to Gul'dan, gently held his head in her arms, and slowly patted his back: "It's okay, brother, it's okay, this is Eagle City, you are safe!"

Seeing this scene, Raven sighed softly and called Petty to whisper a few words.

Patty nodded and went out. About 7 or 8 minutes later, he walked in with a pot of hot tea soup and brought it to Nancy.

Nancy didn't care about scalding it, picked up a cup of hot tea and raised it in front of Guldan: "Brother, take a sip first, and speak slowly if you have anything to say."

Nodding slightly, Guldan, who gradually came back to his senses, held up the teacup, but tightly grasped Nancy's hand that was about to withdraw, as if grasping a life-saving straw.

He used too much force this time, causing Nancy to frown and cry out in pain: "Ah..."

Gul'dan noticed that he had lost his composure. He opened his twitching palms with force, held the cup in both hands and took a sip.

"Don't worry." Nancy held the back of his hand: "Brother, don't worry, we will contact Fox Castle immediately. No matter who you meet, the Fox family will not make it easy for him!"

Hearing these words, Gul'dan's tears that had stopped flowed again. He crushed the tea cup to pieces with both hands. The porcelain shards pierced his palms, and blood mixed with the tea flowed out: "...No more. there is none left……"

Nancy didn't understand: "What?"

"The Fox family..." Gul'dan took a deep breath: "Never again!"

boom--

Lightning pierced the sky, illuminating a room of shocked faces.

"This joke is not funny!" Nancy stared into Gul'dan's eyes and said seriously: "What happened?!"

"The Fox family is gone." Gul'dan repeated, mumbling nervously: "My father is dead, Sanchi is dead, my wife and my children are dead, they are all dead... Fox Castle is destroyed... …It’s gone, it’s gone!”

Nancy's expression froze on her face, she slowly stood up, and suddenly fell behind her.

Raven quickly stepped forward and took him into his arms, gently holding her palm to comfort her.

Almost losing the strength to stand up, two lines of hot tears flowed down Nancy's face silently, and pictures emerged in her mind, about her father, about Sanchi, and about those lively but not close friends of hers. Lovely nieces and nephews.

"How, is it possible?" Nancy forced a smile and looked at Guldan: "You are lying to me, right?"

Gul'dan lowered his head.

Nancy looked at Raven again, grabbing his collar, her knuckles turning white: "This is a prank, he is lying to me, he is not my brother, he is just, just a fake, right?"

"Raven, tell me, this is a joke, a joke!"

Raven looked unbearable, grabbed her palm, and then hugged her forcefully.

The shrill cries echoed in the house.

Although Nancy tried hard to play the role of a baroness, in the end, she was just a girl in her 20s.

Eric and others all looked away, and Patty gently wiped away tears.

After a long time, Nancy gradually stopped crying, struggled to get up from Raven's arms, and looked at her brother: "What on earth is going on? What happened? I didn't hear about the Slater family declaring war on us. !”

"It's not the Slater family." Gul'dan swallowed: "There are only two people in total."

"The fifth-level lightning knight calls himself J. The sixth-level ice mage calls himself Q."

When the "two people" were mentioned, everyone present was a little surprised, but when the "sixth-level magician" came out, no one had any doubts.

The sixth level is already the strongest level besides the top seven levels of combat power on the continent, and there are many sixth level magicians on the entire continent.

"There are not many sixth-level magicians, and there are even fewer people who can control sixth-level magicians." Nancy took a deep breath and tried her best to calm down her emotions: "Where do they come from?"

She couldn't guess at the moment, but she believed that her father, Montreal, was well-informed and would be able to lock in the target.

"I don't know..." Gul'dan's cheeks twitched and he buried his head in his hands: "...I don't know."

As his sanity gradually returned, Gul'dan had vaguely guessed the mastermind behind it, but he couldn't say it, let alone dare to say it.

Raven gently patted the back of Nancy's hand: "Gul'dan is tired enough. Let him take a rest. You also need to take a good rest."

"But..." Nancy wanted to argue a few more words, but seeing the haggard Gul'dan and thinking of her family, endless sadness filled her heart, and she said with a sore nose: "...Well, I knew."

After sending Nancy back to her room and comforting her for a while, Raven came to the study.

Old Gordon, Eric, and Simon are waiting here.

Pulling up Xikri who was sitting on the seat and holding him in his arms, Raven sat on the chair and gave orders in an orderly manner: "The situation is urgent, so I won't gossip."

"Eric, starting from today, the Eagle Army has officially entered a state of wartime alert, taking turns patrolling and taking turns to rest. I need the Eagle Army to be able to respond to any emergencies at any time."

"Simon, you lead the flying brigade to patrol the airspace. Don't worry about any disputes. I need to put all Xuefeng County under surveillance. If necessary, we can explore outside and set up a cordon outside the five northwest counties!"

"Old Gordon, when Gul'dan calms down, immediately ask him to describe the appearance and physical characteristics of the perpetrator, and then distribute it to various industries. Cuman, Fili, and Eagle Eye Guards will also be given. Once discovered, they will not If you act rashly, report it to me immediately.”

The three of them took orders one after another and retreated one by one.

After leaving the room, Simon hurriedly left first. Both Gordon Sr. and Eric saw the worry in each other's eyes.

"It's all my fault." Eric frowned: "If I had known earlier, I should have stopped Gul'dan and killed him secretly. Otherwise, we wouldn't have brought such a big disaster to the Eagle Leader."

"Don't ever say that again." Old Gordon pushed up his monocle: "Don't forget, the Fox family is Griffith's in-laws. Even if Gul'dan died outside, if the other party wanted to eradicate it, I won’t let go of the Eagles.”

"Gul'dan's arrival is actually an early warning, allowing us to be vigilant in advance."

Eric smiled bitterly: "But if he didn't lie, how should we deal with a fifth-level and a sixth-level? They will not attack the castle openly."

"That's why I asked Ms. Anno to come over, just to be more safe." Old Gordon sighed: "But, in the final analysis, this thing happened so suddenly, I still can't believe it."

Eric nodded and also sighed: "Yes, who would have thought that Fox would be destroyed just like that!"

In fact, not only them, but even Raven found it difficult to accept it for a while.

On the Middles continent, very few noble families were destroyed due to assassinations. This was not only due to strength factors, but also to profit factors.

Just like today's two major empires, the Cairns Empire and the Insa Empire, there are several seventh-level powerhouses sitting there. They are fully capable of attacking and killing important figures in the other country.

But why does no one almost never do this?

Because there is no benefit and the gain outweighs the loss.

Attacking important figures in the other country can only create a little chaos, but once such a precedent is set, the other side can naturally send strong men to retaliate indiscriminately.

The existence of the strong is more like a nuclear deterrent.

Although Raven knew that since the sixth-level strongman had not chased him now, he would not attack Griffith in the future, but he still planned to let Anno live in Eagle City for a long time.

After all, even the Fox family was destroyed so easily, Raven had to be prepared.

"Baron, urgent news!" Eric pushed open the door and rushed into the house, placing a document covered with oil paper in front of Raven: "The governor ordered that it be passed throughout the province!"

Raven took the document, glanced at it, and put it on the table: "You can also take a look."

Eric looked closer and showed surprise.

Antony Vanya Edwards, Marquis, and the new governor of Nord Province, ordered on March 9, 1197:

The Insa Empire violated our border without reason. With the royal order of His Majesty King Cairns XVI, we officially declared war on the Insa Empire on March 3, 1197.

In order to fully support this just anti-aggression war, all extravagant activities in Nord Province will be stopped.

From the date of this order, all military supplies, including food, leather, steel, and salt, are not allowed to be exported outside the country. Violators will be punished for treason.

Eric swallowed his saliva: "Baron, this... this is not common sense. When the governor takes office, there should be an inauguration ceremony for the nobles of the province to watch, but we haven't received any news!"

"Didn't the above say that in order to support the war, all luxury activities should be cancelled." Raven tapped the paper with his fingers: "So the cancellation of the inauguration ceremony can also earn him a reputation of "thrifty for the country."

"Without the constraints of the Fox family, Anthony will be able to show his prowess in the Nord Province."

Hearing this, Eric's eyebrows flashed with a trace of confusion.

He had long felt that something was wrong. As soon as Gul'dan arrived, the baron actually sent someone to contact Anno, as if he already knew what happened; and now the baron's attitude is so... relaxed?

After looking at Raven's face, Eric asked cautiously: "Baron, you don't seem to be particularly surprised by the demise of the Fox family."

Raven waved his hand and said: "It's expected."

"As long as the Fox family is still in Montreal, this ending is a matter of time."

"As expected?" Eric's eyes narrowed to the same size in confusion.

"He is just a qualified noble, not a qualified politician." Raven nodded: "From this point of view, he is not even as good as Brocka."

Eric was even more confused: "Brocka? What does this have to do with Brocka?"

"If you don't understand, think about it slowly." Raven sorted out the documents on the table: "When you figure it out, it will be considered as entering the door of politics."

Eric knew that he would definitely not be able to figure it out in a short time, so he simply didn't think about it: "Then I will continue to patrol, Baron."

Raven waved his hand and let Eric say goodbye and leave.

"Fox..." Raven leaned back in his chair, stroking Sikoret's satin-like fur, staring at the deep rain and sighing: "Thunder, rain and dew are all grace from heaven."

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, as if it would rain all year tonight.

With this rainstorm, the news of the Fox family's demise and Anthony's appointment as governor spread throughout the Nord Province.

And these two pieces of news also hit the hearts of all nobles like a rainstorm.

No matter how big or small, no matter where, they all felt unprecedented panic.

Vice Viscount John paced back and forth under the eaves with the news, his heart was in turmoil.

He had thought that he could spend the rest of his life in peace in his later years, but he didn't expect that he would encounter such a great event.

"Who did it?" Viscount John fell into deep thought.

First of all, the Mage Guild was ruled out. Although they could do it, they have always pursued an isolationist policy and rarely intervened in worldly affairs.

The Death Hand Cult undoubtedly has this ability, but their actions are usually not to start a large-scale war, and destroying the Fox family at this time will not bring too much turmoil.

The Church of Light... won't do that either.

They have already obtained a garrison through the Fox family, and they will definitely continue to develop by binding with the Fox family. If Montreal is out of control, they should use more gentle and safer means.

"Could it be Anthony!?"

Did Marquis Anthony secretly destroy the Fox family?

Viscount John nodded slowly. Although he was reluctant to accept it, this was the most logical inference.

Because with the fall of the Fox family, Anthony will no longer be constrained after taking office as governor, and the exposed power vacuum will be taken by him.

John is not the only one who came to this conclusion, but no one dared to publicly announce it. Even the Sky Eagle platform could not see any news, as if the destruction of the Fox family had never happened.

Fox is a count family, occupying a county, and rooted in the Nord Province for a hundred years!

Such a family was destroyed before the first rain of the New Year. Who wouldn't be afraid?

The dark clouds were endless, almost covering the entire Nord Province.

The rain fell on the top of the church in Monen City. The onion-like top of the tower diverted the rain and gathered into a beam to hit the roof of the church.

Ding...

On the church tower, the bell rang once, indicating that 1 o'clock in the morning had officially arrived.

Savanna broke through the rain curtain and knocked on the door of Archbishop Thomas: "Your Excellency the Archbishop, there is a letter from the city of Hovi!"

After a while, a voice came from the door: "Come in."

Pushing the door open, Savannah saw Archbishop Thomas in his nightgown.

Even though he got up in a hurry, he still put on a round-top soft hat to cover his slightly smooth head.

Through the gauze curtain on the bed, Savannah could see two smooth and delicate bodies like swimming fish, and even a little foot swinging mischievously outside the gauze curtain.

Looking down, Savannah's expression remained unchanged, as if she had not seen anything, and she handed over the document with both hands: "It has been confirmed that the Fox family has been destroyed, and Gul'dan is on the run and his whereabouts are unknown."

Thomas' brows tightened suddenly, he took the document, opened it, and read it in detail.

After a long time, he put the letter down and said to himself:

"Anthony?"

No, it can't be him, he doesn't have this ability.

Then, there is only one answer...

"It shouldn't be like this."

Climbing all the way up from the bottom, Thomas is not an ascetic monk in an ivory tower. He is also very clear about the cruelty of political struggle, but because of this, he is more and more confused.

It was not because the sudden destruction of the Fox family disrupted his subsequent deployment, but because that person could have many ways to deal with the Fox family, and the treatment was so unreasonable that no one could find any reason, but he chose the most extreme, mean and ultimately troublesome one.

That was the Fox family, which had been passed down for 400 years and had been the Earl for more than 100 years!

Does he think that everyone is blind and that no one can see the problem?

If he can treat the Fox family like this, he can also treat other families in the same way.

"Why are you so impatient, Your Majesty!"

Even Earl Tyrone of the Slater family could not guess the thoughts behind it.

He stood by the window sill on the top floor of the Snake Castle, watching the heavy rain that seemed to pour down from the sky, listening to the rain turning from knocking to stirring, and could not fall asleep for a long time.

"Master, take a rest first." His wife Selina gently put a blanket on him: "Be careful of the cold weather."

Count Tyrone smiled and nodded gently: "I know, you go to sleep first, I'll come in a while."

Selina knew that her husband would not be easily persuaded, nodded, left a cup of hot coffee, and turned to leave.

Talon picked up the coffee and drank half a cup.

The Fox family was destroyed. Now there is only the Slater earl family in the Nord Province. He should be happy about it, but at this moment his expression is as bitter as coffee.

Birds will feel sad for the death of their own kind, and Tyrone has the same feeling now.

He knew that Montreal's previous actions would definitely cause dissatisfaction from His Majesty the King. The more Montreal flaunted it, the more severe the King would suppress him.

Maybe one day, the Fox family will really be destroyed.

But Tyrone didn't expect that His Majesty the King would actually take this approach, this kind of...

Tyrone took a deep breath, as if he heard Montreal's unwilling screams before his death, and his expression became even more sad.

The Earl's family is the descendant of nobles who have made great contributions to the empire. Even if they are destroyed, they should be punished according to the law, not slaughtered cruelly like livestock!

The destruction of the Fox family is a warning, a warning issued by His Majesty the King to him and all the nobles.

Looking up at the top of his head, there is only cold stone there, but Tyrone seems to see a sword hanging there, and he doesn't know when it will fall and cut off his head.

The Fox family was destroyed so easily, so where will Slater, who is also a member of the Earl's family, go?

Tyrone didn't know, he couldn't see or understand His Majesty the King's calculations, but he knew that he must be more cautious and more fearful in the future.

The destruction of the Fox family will never make room for Slater. If he dares to reach out, he may face the same ending as the Fox family.

Standing from the dark night to dawn, the rain gradually stopped, and the sky was as clear as crystal.

"Master, are you awake?" The butler's voice sounded outside the door: "Marquis Anthony invites you to have breakfast."

"I know, I'll go in a moment." Tyrone responded in a clear voice.

Moving his somewhat stiff legs, Tyrone picked up half a cup of coffee and sprinkled it on the ground as a final tribute to Montreal:

"Farewell, old friend."

With the help of the maid, Earl Tyrone put on his clothes and walked towards the restaurant.

This is his castle, but at this moment he was a little uneasy in his heart, because he didn't know who he was going to face.

Is it Anthony, or the extension of the will of His Majesty the King?

...