Imperial Crown

The whole manor began to be busy for Miss Nancy's "ambition", and the Eagle Territory continued to operate in an orderly manner.

Only two days later, the new residents were involved in the construction, rebuilding roads and building warehouses.

Although the original residents of Eagle Town were the main force, these newcomers also played a significant role, and their vitality was amazing.

The men were responsible for helping out and providing some technical or experience assistance, while the women cooked food and mended clothes, and even the children were let out to pick some wild fruits and vegetables.

Although they didn't make much money, at least they could guarantee three meals a day.

On the same day, Philip brought the five leather craftsmen that Raven needed, and the production of Warcraft leather armor was officially put on the agenda.

According to these craftsmen, it only takes half a month of tanning, and then it can be mass-produced at a rate of 3-5 sets per day.

Along with these craftsmen, there were also 28 first-level magic cores for this month.

So, Raven's afternoon equestrian training became a study of magic cores in the dungeon.

During this process, Raven repeatedly tested and confirmed that the strange purple-black aura in the magic core, which is the "corrupted soul essence" mentioned in "The Path of the Mage", can be separated out by his mental power with the help of the Eye of Truth.

Although about 70% of the corrupt soul essence could not be completely filtered at the beginning, with two days of practice and the sacrifice of 14 domestic pigs, this number has dropped to 45%.

It is just around the corner to use the energy in the magic core safely on living people.

The "corrupted soul essence" was not wasted. According to the method provided by "The Path of the Mage", Raven stored it in a small bottle made of natural crystal.

Usually, mages use it as an enchantment material involving curse magic.

And Raven, on the other hand, pays more attention to its other role...

The time came to the fourth day after receiving the people, that is, October 2.

Raven and Denise sat in the restaurant, waiting for the start of dinner.

Today, Denise wore a rather homely green gauze dress, with a light and delicate makeup on her face, and a smile on the corner of her mouth.

Since she took control of the financial power of the Eagle Territory, she has more and more affairs to deal with, but her spirits are getting better day by day. She is simply a natural workaholic.

Even before the meal, she did not forget to discuss some details with Raven: "The invitations are almost ready. I plan to attach some samples with the letter. What do you think?"

"Not a bad idea." Raven's eyes fell on her fair collarbone: "Angel Embrace and Angel Tears are both easy, but Angel Kiss..."

Denise lifted her clothes to cover her collar: "Why, the production can't keep up?"

"On the one hand." Raven nodded and said: "On the other hand, there is not enough suitable packaging."

"Angel Kiss is a real high-end luxury product. It is impossible to give the same weight as the finished product in the sample, but with the current glass technology, it is impossible to make the small bottle I want."

Hearing this, Denise showed an inexplicable smile on her face.

Raven asked in surprise, "What are you laughing at?"

Denise's smile grew stronger: "I'm laughing at you, Lord Baron! You're so smart most of the time, but you get confused in these details."

"What do you mean?" Raven still didn't react.

"Why do you have to spend so much time on the sample? Just use the Angel's Kiss bottle and put a drop in it, isn't it okay?" Denise explained.

"Of course..." Raven suddenly realized it after saying three words, and then laughed with a little self-mockery.

Yes, why not?

Cosmetic samples must be in small bottles, which is a stereotype left in his mind by the memory of his previous life.

But in the Middles Continent, perfume is his exclusive invention, and what to use to hold the sample is not up to him, right?

Thinking of this, Raven said, "The gift with the letter is a bottle of newly packaged Angel's Tears and 1 drop of Angel's Kiss."

"A whole bottle? Is it necessary to go to this extent?" Denise was a little confused: "And what about Angel's Embrace?"

Raven smiled proudly and said in a gentle way: "Everyone knows that Angel's Tears are very expensive, but the sample sent with it is only 1 drop, so what does this mean?"

"Oh..." Denise nodded slowly: "This is done to show the preciousness of Angel's Kiss!"

Speaking of this, her eyes became brighter: "And the invitation mentioned Angel's Embrace, but no gift was given, but instead And it can make potential customers curious and expectant. "

"That's it!" Raven nodded heavily, then lowered his voice, and quietly touched the back of Denise's hand: "Otherwise, you can spare some time tonight, and we can decide on the style of the invitation together?"

Denise was immersed in her own world and didn't notice Raven's movements at all. Just when the latter was about to succeed, a maid hurried in:

"Baron, Madam Denise."

"Master Weisdong is back."

Denise immediately came back to her senses and asked with surprise: "Really?"

Raven rubbed his nose in dismay.

I didn't expect this cheap brother to come back, and dare to come back.

It happened at this time!

Looking at Denise's performance, this doesn't seem to be arranged by her, so what is the reason?

"Hmm..." Raven hesitated for a moment and said, "Since he's back, let's ask him to come over and have something to eat together."

Soon, with the sound of slightly heavy footsteps, Weisdong appeared in the restaurant.

Raven looked at this "little brother" carefully.

Wesdong was not short to begin with. Now, after three months, his height has exceeded 1.75 meters. His originally round body has become thinner. Although he is still fat, he looks much more energetic.

His round face has not changed much, but his expression has become more regular and no longer so playful.

What Raven cares about most is his right hand. The arm that was cut off by the bandits is now replaced by an alchemical prosthesis, which seems to hang casually at his waist.

If you don't know the inside story, at first glance, this looks like his own arm.

But if you look closely, you will find that this arm does not move, and the skin is as stiff and lacks texture as a dead person.

Although it is not a magic prop, it is probably not less than 300 gold coins to achieve such a realistic level.

It seems that even after what happened last time, Denise still cares about her son.

With a smile on his face, Weisdong bowed and said, "Mother!"

Then he turned his eyes to Raven's face, a trace of fear and resistance flashed in his eyes, but he still tried his best to maintain his tone, swallowed his saliva and bowed: "... Baron."

"Hmm." Raven nodded in return and pointed to the empty seat on his right: "Sit down."

Sitting next to Raven a little awkwardly, Weisdong was about to speak when he saw Raven's mouth curled up a smirk, and then immediately turned serious and said in a low voice:

"It's a rare opportunity to eat something together, let's pray before the meal?"

As he said, he had already raised his hands.

This is a tradition left since the founding of the empire.

Families gather together, holding hands, praying before eating, expressing their piety to the Lord of Light together, and also symbolizing that the relationship between the family is one and unbreakable.

The person who initiated the prayer can only and must be the "head of the family".

Wesdon was at a loss.

He also knew the meaning of this action, and he had participated in this kind of ceremony.

But the host at that time was Donald!

Now, the place is still the same, and the people are basically the same.

That is, the host has changed from Donald to Raven.

This...what is going on! ?

He really didn't want to suffer this loss, and looked at his mother for help, but at this time Denise had already put her hand on Raven's palm.

It's not that Denise didn't know the details, but who made Raven the head of the Griffith family now?

She really had no reason to refuse.

Wesdon had to lower his head and bite his back teeth, and handed his hand over.

"Then, let's close our eyes and start praying." Raven said, and he closed his eyes first.

The low prayer sound echoed in the restaurant.

"Our Lord in heaven, the great God of light."

"May your kingdom come, and your will prevail on the earth and the sky."

"Give us daily food and save us from evil."

"With your kingdom, your authority, and your glory, until eternity."

In the depressed mood of Vesdon, the chanting finally ended. He was about to speak when suddenly a crisp voice like a wind chime sounded: "It's really enviable."

Turning around, I saw a beautiful girl with blond hair and blue eyes standing at the door. Even though she was wearing the priest robe of the church, she still looked bright and refreshing.

Vesdon's mood was much better.

But the next sentence directly hit his heart to the bottom.

"What a harmonious, loving and harmonious family!"

Vesdon's eyes went dark.

A family! ? Who is a family with Raven! ?

Originally, he thought it was just a little bit wrong, but now, Lux's words directly determined it.

The three of us, my mother, me, and Raven, are a family?

Raven, that's it, it's done...

"What a coincidence." Raven was in a good mood: "Do you want to stay and eat something together?"

"No need." Lux was a little tempted, but still shook her head and refused: "I just want to say that the herbs on the construction site are a little insufficient, and I hope Eagle Castle can supply them."

"No problem, I will send someone to notify Philip to purchase them tonight." Raven nodded and said.

Lacus said goodbye and left, and Raven saw her off for a while.

After returning, dinner officially began.

Perhaps it was because they hadn't seen each other for too long, Denise and Weston chatted with each other, nothing more than trivial matters in daily life, but excluded Raven from the topic, which made him quite bored.

Seeing Denise's red lips opening and closing, Raven smiled gently and a plan came to his mind.

"... Angel's Tears are rare. Some of my classmates are the eldest sons of viscounts, some have baron titles, and some are knights. They surround me and try to please me all day long, just for a bottle of Angel's Tears..."

Wesdon was boasting excitedly, and suddenly saw Denise's expression froze, and then a ray of red climbed up her cheeks, and couldn't help asking: "What's wrong, mother, are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"No..." Denise bit her teeth and tried to keep her tone calm: "Maybe I drank too much wine, a little drunk."

Under the table, Raven had quietly taken off one of his shoes and climbed onto Denise's ankle.

Denise's skirt just barely covered an inch below her knees, and her calves were wrapped in tight and thin flesh-colored stockings.

Through this thin layer of barrier, Raven could clearly feel the smooth touch and the amazing elasticity of the skin inside.

Although Denise has a lot of knowledge, it is also about business and relationships. Where has she ever been exposed to this kind of gameplay?

A numb and itchy feeling spread all the way up from the instep of her feet, and a different kind of excitement surged into her heart, making her heart beat faster.

There are maids and Vesdon beside him. What if someone discovers this?

She wanted to kick Raven's feet away, but was afraid that the movement would be too loud to attract attention. She could only glance at Raven with a hint of resentment, reach out her hand under the table curtain, and hit Raven's thigh hard. Pinch it.

But Raven didn't seem to notice anything, and even took over the conversation: "It seems that you have been very happy at the college recently. Did you come back specifically to visit your mother this time?"

Vesdon followed Raven's meaning and said, "Yes, after all, I haven't seen her for such a long time. I miss her very much. Of course, I miss you too!"

"That's good." Raven said with concern: "But you are still young after all, so you can't delay your studies. If you want to become a qualified noble, you can't do it without enough knowledge."

"Let's do this. You stay for two days, and I will send someone to take you back to Men'en City early the morning after tomorrow. How about that?"

After hearing this, Vesdon's face turned white and red, and he obviously didn't want to leave: "Well... ah, in addition to seeing my mother, I also want to... I also want to... ah, yes, I also want to bring more tears of angels. go back!"

Raven nodded immediately: "Okay, the production capacity of the workshop has been good recently. I will bring you five boxes back, which will fit on your carriage."

"Ah! And, yes, and..." Vesdon was quite anxious. He turned to his mother for help, only to find that the latter was staring at the dinner plate with a straight face, his eyelids still Trembling slightly, not knowing what he was thinking.

Denise was embarrassed and anxious now, and she pinched Raven six times in a row, but the latter didn't react at all, as if the leg was not his.

"What else?" Raven's tone was calm and tolerant, attracting Vesdon's eyes: "Don't worry, as a qualified brother, no matter what you want, I will be ready and will never delay Your studies.”

"This..." Vesdon opened his mouth several times, but no words came out. His face was wrinkled like a bitter gourd. He could only lower his head and poke the food with his fork, cursing Raven in his heart.

You damn guy, you just took advantage of me, but you still blatantly forced me to leave, it's really unreasonable!

What makes Vesdon even more uncomfortable is that even Denise doesn't seem to be on his side anymore.

Could it be that something happened between the two of them in the three months since I left?

When he thought about what Lux said before and looked at Denise's performance now, Vesdon became more and more confused.

It seemed that the next moment, Denise would hold Raven's hand and say to him: "Come, meet Uncle Raven."

Don’t do this kind of thing!

No, my mother would not fall in love with a guy like Raven. She must be dissatisfied with me because I betrayed her last time. That must be the case!

"Actually... I didn't tell the truth..." After thinking about it, he couldn't find a way to stay. Vesdon could only tell the truth: "I came back this time to... avoid trouble."

"Ah!" Denise let out a short and high-pitched cry, then glared at Raven angrily and asked in a slightly changed voice, "What happened?"

Vesdon lowered his head and did not notice Denise's strangeness: "Just twenty days ago, a murder occurred in the embassy district."

"A third-level extraordinary person was drinking at the Montero Hotel. Suddenly, all the flesh and blood on his body was gone. He turned into a skeleton. He drew out his sword and started hacking people, killing dozens of them alive. indivual!"

His body was trembling: "I was at the scene at that time. I was really scared. Fortunately, the patrol team came and killed the skeleton."

"But after that, the three people who survived with me all started to have accidents. On the first day, one jumped off the building and died; on the second day, another one stabbed himself to death with a wooden stick; on the third day, The last one is crazy too!”

"I...I really don't dare to stay in Men'en City anymore, so, so..."

He looked at Denise with a pleading look on his face: "Mom, just let me stay. I promise to be obedient!"

Denise was distraught, and of course it wasn't just because of Raven's "little actions."

From a mother's point of view, of course she wanted Vesdon to stay.

But she had just taken over the financial power of Eagle Castle.

When Vesdon's words have not been confirmed, if she speaks rashly, it will only make people suspect that she wants to take this opportunity to let Vesdon continue to compete for the title of the Griffith family.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing cannot be discussed on the table.

Denise thought quickly about how to get Raven to let go.

Weisidong could no longer hold on.

He now understands that if he wants to stay, he must first obtain Raven's permission.

Forget it, be patient!

As long as you survive today's level, you will be able to make back the losses you suffered from Raven sooner or later.

As soon as he thought about this, he stood up with a sigh, took a deep breath and said loudly: "I was wrong!!!"

At the same time, Raven also spoke: "Then first..."

The two voices stopped at the same time. Raven was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Weisdong with interest: "You speak first."

Wesdong almost vomited blood.

Raven's words clearly meant that he should stay, so why can't he be so impatient!

But at this point, he couldn't help but say it. He gritted his teeth and whispered like a whine: "I was wrong... I shouldn't have opposed you, shouldn't have interfered with your training, shouldn't have hurt Simon..."

"I can't hear it." Raven said.

Swallowing his grief and anger, Weisdong straightened his chest and shouted loudly: "I was wrong! Baron Raven! I shouldn't have interfered with your training! I shouldn't have hurt Simon!"

That voice was so loud!

"Well, that's about right." Raven slowly put a piece of beef shoulder into his mouth: "In that case, stay first."

Wesdong sat back on the chair with a thump.

Denise also breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Raven with a hint of gratitude.

Of course, if Raven's feet were a little more honest, she might be more grateful.

After dinner, Raven ordered the servants to reserve a room for Weston on the second floor. The latter hurriedly bowed and ran away.

Looking at Denise who was still sitting on the chair, Raven smiled and asked: "This beautiful lady, do you need me to help you back to your room?"

"No need." Denise glanced at him unhappily: "Angie, let's go back."

With the help of Angel, Denise moved her legs that were a little stiff due to excessive tension and slowly walked out of the restaurant.

Raven watched with a smile, and only when Denise's back disappeared did the smile on his face fade away, and he rubbed his thighs desperately.

He was also a human being, and of course it hurt to be pinched, but he just endured it before.

"Good guy, pinched 7 times! It's really cruel, I guess it's blue." The pain gradually faded, and Raven's eyes became clear, thinking about Weston's words.

Although he concealed some details, Raven was still able to roughly sort out the whole picture of the matter.

The embassy district is located in the northwest of Monen City. It belongs to the upper city area and is the most prosperous part. Only the rich and noble can spend money there.

The boundaries between nobles and civilians are clear. Those who can sit with Weisdong and witness this murder must be of noble origin.

But even so, they still encountered "accidents" one after another.

The lives of nobles are not as cheap as those of civilians. Under normal circumstances, the death of each noble will attract attention from many parties. The consecutive death and madness of three nobles will become explosive news.

But nearly 20 days have passed, and Raven has not heard any news.

There is no doubt that it was intentionally blocked.

Two possibilities.

One is that the authorities of Monen City want to silence them, and the other is that the Death Hand Cult secretly makes trouble.

Raven is more inclined to the former, because he did not see any traces of magic power or curse on Weisdong.

But the Slater family actually let Weisdong return to Eagle Castle, which shows that their control over Monen City is rapidly declining.

The murder itself is also a proof.

Even the embassy district has had such a vicious incident, which is enough to prove how badly the public security in Mon'en City has deteriorated.

It seems that the next chaos in Nord Province will definitely be big!

The more so, the more the press conference must be held as soon as possible - to make a fortune before the chaos occurs and the market shrinks!

The next day, Raven still followed his schedule, and Weisdong was also very obedient.

At least on the surface.

That afternoon, Raven and Denise discussed and decided on the format of the invitation.

In the evening, Raven had a quick dinner, and then went to the church in Eagle Town alone with two thick books.

He knocked on the corner door rhythmically, and soon a voice rang out: "Who's there?"

"It's me, Raven."

"Wait a minute!"

The footsteps went away with a thump, and a few minutes later, they came closer with a thump.

The door opened, and Lux's face appeared in the crack of the door: "It's so late, what's the matter?"

"Of course I'm here to ask for advice on the Elvish language." Raven blinked and raised the "Holy Words" in his hand.

Lux's scrutinizing eyes paused on the "Holy Words" for a while, and then fell on Raven's face:

"Come in."

...