Imperial Crown

I am extremely grateful to Qidian Dad [Book Friends 20170610093211508] for the 5,000 reward!

…

In the Eagle City reception room, Nancy was sitting on a chair, holding a handkerchief with both hands, her brows slightly furrowed.

At this moment, the door opened, Jenny came into the room and stood by the door, and then Gul'dan walked in.

Nancy stood up and saw Gul'dan's dejected look. Her expression became a little complicated. She took a deep breath and said, "Sit down."

Gul'dan looked at his sister, sat down on the chair in a muffled voice, lowered his head, held his fingers apart, and stared at his palms in a daze.

"Have you seen the news?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah." Gul'dan nodded.

After saying this, the atmosphere fell silent for a while.

"I'm sorry, Shaq is a very sweet kid..." Nancy tried to raise the topic again, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she realized that it was inappropriate.

Shaq is Gul'dan's child, and mentioning it at this time is undoubtedly adding salt to the wound.

But Nancy couldn't find anything else in common. Apart from their blood relationship, the two of them had almost no interactions.

On the day Gul'dan arrived, it was not only him but also Nancy who collapsed. Now that the relationship between the two parties has returned to rationality, it is inevitable to be a little awkward in the same room.

Nancy, who knew she had said something wrong, began to explain: "I didn't mean that, it was just..."

"I know, Nancy, I know." Gul'dan waved his hand: "Although it may be inappropriate, for the Fox family to face this ending, 60% of the responsibility lies with my father and 40% with me, and it has nothing to do with you. "

After falling from the clouds into the mud, Gul'dan thought a lot after the pain. Many things that he couldn't understand, couldn't see, or deliberately didn't see before were shoved in front of him.

He has now guessed who was behind the family's downfall, and also knows why the family suffered this misfortune. Looking back, many things can be avoided.

Regret filled his heart, and if he could go back in time, he would have prevented many of Montreal's decisions.

But regret is useless, he must face the future.

Gul'dan suddenly said: "This is Eagle City."

"Yeah, so you can stay here safely."

"No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was, does Raven know that you asked me to come here?"

"Huh? Oh, of course, I discussed it with him."

Gul'dan breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew how much trouble his identity would bring. If Nancy met him without permission, Raven would inevitably be jealous and disgusted.

He no longer has a future, and he doesn't want to drag down his only relative.

"Now that you know I'm coming." Gul'dan rubbed his hands and asked, "What does Raven mean?"

"He said he respects your decision." Nancy said.

In the past, Gul'dan might not be able to taste the taste, or he might be able to detect it, but he would definitely be furious.

It's a threat, a warning.

If he made a decision that Raven was satisfied with, of course he would respect it, but if he couldn't...

But now, Gul'dan was even a little grateful to Revan, because it meant that Revan gave him a choice, and he didn't have many choices.

"The destruction of the family is a foregone conclusion." Gul'dan took a deep breath and used all his strength to finish speaking calmly: "So, next, I plan to stay in Raven's territory, change my appearance, and use a new identity. Live."

"There are always people who covet the heads of members of the Fox family, but no one cares about a border farmer."

"There will no longer be a 'Gul'dan' in the world."

Nancy was a little surprised. She didn't expect that someone as arrogant as Gul'dan would choose this kind of future: "You can stop farming, and I can ask Raven to give you a knighthood, or become a businessman?"

"Thank you, sister." A smile appeared on Gul'dan's pale face. He stood up and walked out: "But... no need."

Looking at Gul'dan's back, Nancy opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

Gul'dan paused at the door: "Take care of yourself."

"Of course, Raven has always been very kind to me." Nancy said.

"Really? Then I'll be relieved." Gul'dan smiled and waved his hand and left the door.

at the same time.

Raven was walking side by side with Anno in her witch academy.

The spring is warm, the sun is shining slantingly on the ground, and the mottled tree shadows are swaying with the breeze, and the shadows are swaying on the flat grass.

Raven's perspective quietly tilted to Annuo's face.

Strangely enough, Annuo's appearance was obviously so otherworldly, but when recalling it, it was difficult for Raven to recall her face. Only when they saw her again would the amazing feeling come over her again.

Sensing Raven's gaze, Annuo smiled slightly: "Baron Raven, it's easy to fall if you don't look at the road in front of you."

"What's the point? After all, I'm walking with you." Raven retracted his gaze: "Even if you fall, I can help you stand up."

"Some roads can only be walked by yourself." An Nuo shook his head and said: "I can only give you some advice, but it will not be a crutch for you."

Raven shrugged: "Okay, then please ask the distinguished divine blood witch Ms. Annuo to give me some guidance?"

Annuo asked: "For example?"

Raven was just chatting along the topic, but when he heard this sentence, his mind started to become active.

Anno's divination had left a very deep impression on him.

After careful consideration, Raven asked: "Anno, who do you think will win in this war between the Empire and Insa?"

Those who do not plan for the overall situation cannot plan for a region. The trend of the war will inevitably affect the entire empire, and thus the Nord province, which is a part of it.

An Nuo said: "If everything can be predicted, then how can there be war in the world?"

"I hate answering questions with questions." Raven sighed, but he also knew what Anno meant.

If the outcome of the war could be clearly predicted, wouldn't it be great if we asked two prophets to sit together and determine the winner or loser based on the divination results?

Hearing Raven's complaint, Anno smiled: "But I would like to know, as a nobleman, Baron Raven, what do you think the direction of this war will be?"

Raven frowned and said seriously: "I am just a noble living in a corner of the empire. I don't even know the situation on the front line. How can I possibly see the trend of the war?"

Having said that, Raven began to think seriously.

The map of Middles continent that I had seen before came to mind again.

This war took place in the northeastern part of the empire on the border with Insa, and there was also the unknown variable of the Feton city-states.

Its origin lies in the magic crystal mine in Makik City. If the empire chooses to defend and wait for Insa to attack, and both sides are prepared, then the empire will be more likely to win given the geographical advantage.

But the problem is that the empire chose to take the initiative to attack, which makes it difficult to say.

Troops, logistics, commanders' judgment on the battlefield, and even local terrain, climate and weather will have an unpredictable impact on the outcome of the war.

Thinking of this, Raven shook his head slightly to clear his mind of too many thoughts.

As he said before, he knew nothing about the situation on the front line. He only knew that the empire was commanded by Duke Ferdinand. He didn't even know who the opponent's coach was. If he wanted to judge the direction, he could only start from the big picture.

"Is this question difficult?" Annuo suddenly asked.

"There are indeed some." Raven was aroused to be competitive: "But now I'm gradually thinking about it."

Annuo was a little curious: "Oh? Then what conclusion did you draw?"

"The Empire will win." Raven began to analyze in an orderly manner: "The Empire occupies the most fertile middle-earth land on the continent. Whether it is financial resources, manpower or logistical supply capabilities, it far exceeds that of Insa, and the war lasted It’s financial resources.”

"What's more, Markik City is still in the hands of the empire, and its output can be exchanged for the help of the Mages Guild. Although the Mages Guild will never directly participate in the war, various materials, including big killers like magic crystal cannons, But it can be continuously provided to the empire.”

An Nuo was noncommittal and asked: "Then according to your opinion, Insa will only fail?"

"If nothing else happens, yes." Raven said.

"But that doesn't mean that this war will be smooth sailing."

"Although I don't know much about Insa, I know that they have been fighting the dwarf kingdom in the northeast of the mainland. This is a very effective way to train troops. On the other hand, the empire has not had a major war in these years."

"So in the early stages of the war, the imperial army, Chaofan, and commanders would inevitably suffer some losses due to their lack of war experience. However, our strong national strength is our advantage. Once we survive the most difficult period, a steady stream of additional troops will gradually fight The experienced troops will recover all the losses they suffered before.”

"That's why I said, the empire will win."

After hearing this, Annuo showed a playful smile and nodded slowly.

Raven was a little surprised: "Is there something wrong with my judgment?"

"No, no, it's a very logical judgment." Annuo chuckled and said, "But you have to know that many times, the world may not operate according to logic."

A trace of doubt crept into Raven's mind. Could it be that Annuo had divined the result or learned some information that he didn't know?

"Will the Empire lose?" Raven asked.

An Nuo did not answer directly, but stroked her hair: "The goddess of fate is always very hateful. She will occasionally lift the corner of her skirt to show a glimpse of the scenery under her skirt. Just when you think you can see clearly, she will Run away naughtily."

Before Raven could ask, Annuo added, "The Demon Field is here. I hate the smell here, so I won't stay with you any longer."

With that said, he has already swayed back to the academy.

Raven shook her head and sighed. Annuo's words were just like her. She was looking at flowers in a fog, but it was hard to see clearly.

Focusing his attention on the plant in front of him, the dense green smoke-like plant in front of him was the first-order magic plant, the twin snake-faced fruit.

Now after a throwback to their ancestors, these calf-high magic plants are closer to their namesake. The rhizome is like a snake's body and the branches are like a snake's neck.

The snakehead fruit is as green as an orange, while the snakehead fruit is as pink as a cherry.

Seven months have passed since the last harvest and this batch is about to mature.

Some of the fruits harvested last time were turned into seeds with Petty's help. Now, there are 702 twin snake-faced fruit plants in this magic field.

Last year, 1,933 snakehead fruits were picked, of which 400 were used for seed production.

After this batch matures, based on the yield of 3.5 per plant, Raven will have approximately 4,000 snake head fruits equivalent to the one-time Poison Cloud Technique, as well as an equal amount of snake letter fruits used for detoxification.

If all goes well, this number will expand to about 6,600 by the end of the year.

"Hmm..." Raven rubbed his nose and took out a handkerchief from his pocket to cover his mouth and nose.

As the twin snake-faced fruits successfully reverted to their ancestral form, as they approached maturity, they would emit a smell similar to a mixture of onions and green peppers, which was three to five times stronger. It was pungent and irritating to the eyes, so it was no wonder that An Nuo didn't want to stay here any longer.

But Raven still walked around the yard patiently, observing the growth of these magic plants. When he was sure that no one was spying nearby, he took out the magic core and replenished them with the Eye of Truth.

After doing all this, it was noon, and Raven didn't stay in the academy for long.

Before leaving, Raven asked An Nuo to take care of the magic field where the twin snake-faced fruits were planted.

The locust plague was coming, and if they were eaten by locusts, Raven's hard work over the past two years would be wasted.

Riding Xiaobai, who had grown to the size of a horse, back to Eagle City, Raven and Nancy had lunch together.

Nancy just ate two bites of food, put down her knife and fork, and stared at Raven.

Sensing Nancy's gaze, Raven felt a little uncomfortable and wiped his lips with a silk scarf: "Is there anything on my face?"

"No, nothing." Nancy pursed her lips and stared at Raven's eyes: "I just want to say something about Gul'dan, thank you..."

Raven was slightly stunned, then held her tender little hand: "It's nothing, we are a family, aren't we?"

"Yeah!" Nancy nodded vigorously and held Raven's palm with her backhand.

After dealing with Gul'dan, Nancy seemed to let go of her worries. In the following period of time, she slowly recovered her previous vitality and began to organize social activities that had been interrupted for a long time.

Spring passed quickly, and the cicada's cry replaced the cicada and became the lingering melody in people's ears, making the hot summer even more unbearable.

Because from the heavy rain in March until the end of June, for a full 4 months, the entire Nord Province did not have a drop of rain.

Serfs had to carry water on their shoulders and hands to deliver water to the fields.

The width of the Liujing River was greatly reduced, the riverbed was exposed, and the narrowest part was less than 5 meters.

On this day, Raven was enjoying the cool in the study, thinking about whether to organize people to build some canals, and heard a slightly strong knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and Hoyaz, wearing leather armor, walked in. His hair was stuck to his forehead, and the fluff on his chin was stained with sweat.

As an orphan who was personally instructed by Raven and one of the first people to receive the Wind King, Hoyaz once raised funds in the orphanage with Banks and Lennon, and engraved a "Father's Sword" for Raven.

Now that the Wind King is gradually becoming an adult, Hoyaz has officially joined the flight brigade and is responsible for monitoring the possible movements of locusts.

Although extremely tired, Hoyaz still straightened his back, put his left hand close to his thigh, beat his chest with his right hand, and saluted impeccably:

"Father!"

"When I was patrolling in Essex County before, I found some strange movements, so I explored a little further to the south."

"A swarm of locusts has appeared in Hampshire!"

Raven was stunned: "Hampshire, are you sure?"

"Sure!" Hoyaz took off the cloth bag from his waist and put it in front of Raven: "These are locusts I caught myself."

Raven untied the bag, and a strong smell of grass came to his face. The black cat Sikoret, who was lying on the table, made a disgusted cry and jumped onto the windowsill.

"Is this a locust?" Raven's pupils shrank slightly.

In the bag, there were three corpses of insects.

The round head, the eye-catching compound eyes, the fat belly, the short and wide wings, and the thick, serrated thighs, there is no doubt that they look like locusts.

But each insect is the size of a fist!

It is no exaggeration to say that these three are enough to stir-fry a dish.

Although Hampshire is also adjacent to the province of Molinier, there is a mountain range between it and Molinier. The locusts actually appeared there, which means that the border between the province of Nord and Molinier is probably no longer clean.

"Well done, this time you are the first to be credited!" Raven said, but he did not look at Hoyaz, but immediately contacted Denise through the Sky Eagle platform.

"The scale of the locust plague is beyond expectations, return to the Eagle Territory immediately!"

...