Imperial Crown

Raven did not just wait for the enchanted equipment to be delivered.

In the next two days, more orders were issued - repairing Eagle Castle, making simple stretchers, preparing herbs...

The most important order was to recruit a group of soldiers from the transferred people.

This order was implemented without any obstacles.

After more than a month of rest, except for a few serfs who died from wound infection and other factors, most people have recovered.

For the original residents of Eagle Town, there are fewer people competing with them for work.

For the newly transferred people, being a soldier of Raven can earn much more than working on the construction site, and it can also save a portion of food for the family, which is of course a good thing, so they signed up quite enthusiastically.

The transferred people were mainly young and strong men and women. Even if the standards were not relaxed, more than 70 serfs in six squads were quickly recruited.

The personal soldiers who had just been withdrawn from Flash Gold Town basically did not rest, and were engaged in the training of these serfs.

It's not that I want these people to be cannon fodder. In fact, untrained serfs are not even qualified to be cannon fodder in front of fierce bandits.

If we want to counterattack the bloody highlands, even if we have war horses, it will probably take more than ten days to go back and forth. During this period, Eagle Fort cannot be unmanned.

Although most of the recruitment work does not need to be done by Raven himself, he cannot be idle. He has to give these serfs a speech, give them a boost, and then personally distribute the advance of one month's military pay.

This method is old-fashioned. Raven himself has done it twice, but old-fashioned often means practical.

After more than a month of life in Eagle Town, this group of people have a lot of trust in Raven. When Raven personally distributed bags of copper coins, he could clearly see the surprise and excitement in their eyes.

On the night of November 15, Eagle Town ushered in the first snow of winter.

Goose feather-sized snowflakes fell one after another under the whistling north wind, and the wind hit the glass windows, making a series of rumbling noises, as if an invisible monster wanted to break through the window and rush into the house.

That night, during meditation, the ice and snow elements were particularly active.

The next morning, as soon as Raven opened his eyes, he found a layer of ice flowers on the glass window. When he opened the window, he saw that the entire Eagle Territory was covered with white snow.

The yellow dog was white, and the white dog was swollen.

But Raven didn't have much time to appreciate and sigh. After changing clothes with Petty's service, he just walked out of the room and ran into Old Gordon head-on.

Without waiting for the retainer to speak, Raven directly instructed: "I have arrangements with Eric. Let the recruits recruited in the past two days go to Eagle Town to help sweep snow and save people."

Old Gordon was stunned for a moment: "Yes, Baron."

He didn't expect Raven to think the same as him.

The houses in Eagle Town are basically civil structures. Every winter when heavy snow comes, some houses will collapse, causing unnecessary population losses.

In previous years when Donald was in power, he never cared about these things. Even if Old Gordon wanted to, there was no one available.

Unexpectedly, Baron Raven noticed this hidden danger when he first encountered heavy snow, and he had already thought of a countermeasure.

Last night, the snow fell heavily, covering the ground, reaching people's waists. The serfs were mobilized, some were responsible for clearing the snow on the streets, and the other part was to clear the collapsed houses.

Fortunately, with the economic recovery of Eagle Town in the past six months, the local people have the awareness of strengthening their houses. There are not many collapsed houses, but there are still 11 people from 3 households who died in this heavy snow.

Not only the serfs, but also the new recruits on Eric's side have started to move. First, they cleared the snow in the training ground, and then started from the gate to clear the road from the barracks to Eagle Castle.

Students who go to school are happy to do anything as long as they don't have classes.

The new soldiers were the same, working hard to clear the snow. Even though their faces were red from the cold and their beards were covered with icicles, they did not feel tired at all.

As the leader, Eric naturally participated in the work, using a wooden pry to clear the way and throwing piles of snow to the roadside.

He had already sweated a lot, and the snowflakes on his armor melted by the heat from his body and condensed by the cold air, and soon froze into layers of thin ice, which were then thrown to the ground with his movements.

Until noon, the sky was still gloomy, but the road from the military camp to Eagle Castle was basically opened.

"Mr. Eric." Volaf came over: "The Baron has something to summon you, please bring a few captains with me!"

"Got it, I'll go right over." Throwing the wooden pry on the side of the road, Eric turned around and shouted: "Gol, Link, Mosingan, follow me, the rest of you continue to clear the snow!"

Under Volaf's leadership, Eric and others came all the way to Eagle Castle. As soon as they entered the hall, a warm feeling surrounded them.

Eric couldn't help but sigh: "The temperature control array is good. It can be used in summer and winter, and you don't have to endure the smoke of charcoal fire. Volaf, you are still lucky."

"We are all working for the Baron." Volaf laughed: "If you ask me, I envy you. You can train those new recruits every day to stretch your muscles!"

After talking and laughing, everyone was taken to the dungeon by Volaf, which made them all look forward to it.

After all, the last time they came here, everyone's physique and strength had grown significantly.

Even though they were mentally prepared, they were still shocked by the scene before them when they entered the dungeon.

Beside the long wooden table, there were six or seven empty crates scattered around. On the wooden table were enchanted weapons shining with various colors!

The one with a faint white glow was a hand-and-a-half sword enchanted with "sharpness".

The one with a faint red glow and a rune that was almost burning was a crossbow enchanted with "flame".

The one with a smooth mirror-like surface and a light golden luster was a steel round shield enchanted with "sturdiness"!

Eric was fine. With Raven's preference, he was now wearing enchanted equipment.

But the three of Gore were all blank. They were crazy about Eric's equipment. Now they saw so many enchanted weapons with their own eyes, and their eyes turned red.

"Okay, don't just stand there." Raven clapped his hands: "You three, each of you will get an enchanted hand-and-a-half sword."

This sentence stunned them immediately. Although they had guessed that Raven had called them over for this matter, it was another matter to hear it with their own ears.

Raven was not surprised. He took up a half-sword and put it into Gore's hand.

The latter reacted. He lowered his head, held the half-sword horizontally, and observed carefully.

This enchanted weapon is made of fine steel. The handle is 30 cm long. The cross-shaped sword guard is simple and shiny. The 90-cm-long sword body is shaped like a fish belly. The part close to the handle is wide and thick, and the higher it goes, the narrower and sharper it becomes. It has excellent balance and can be held with one hand or two hands.

Gently rubbing it, as the fingers pass over it, the light blue magic lines on the sword body light up and disappear one after another.

Enchanted weapon!

Enchanted weapons that cost hundreds of gold coins are enough to cut through most unenchanted armor.

How many people will never see it in their lifetime, let alone hold it in their hands.

This is not just equipment, but also a kind of trust, a heavy trust!

If there were such weapons when they faced Anderson and his group, there would never be so many sacrifices!

Link and Mosingan also received their own enchanted weapons. They were all in the same mood as Gore. The three of them looked at each other and knelt down together, saying:

"Thank you, Lord Baron, for your generous gift!"

"This is a reward for your loyalty." Raven said: "Although enchanted weapons are good, the more important thing is the person who uses them."

"Gore and Link have both trained in swordsmanship, but you, Mosingan, lack training in this area. You should ask them for advice in the future."

"Understood, sir!" Mosingan nodded heavily: "I will never let you down!"

Seeing that they all gained something, Eric, who was standing aside, was quite moved.

Just half a year ago, the Eagle Territory was still poor, with only him, Gore and Link as soldiers, and they didn't even have a single enchanted piece of equipment.

Now, there are 22 elite personal soldiers alone, with more than ten enchanted weapons.

If it weren't for the sharp rise in prices, it wouldn't be impossible for all the personal soldiers to be equipped with enchanted equipment!

"Eric!" Raven's voice suddenly rang out: "I didn't call you here just to watch."

As he spoke, a round shield flew in front of him.

With a bang, Eric reached out to catch it, his eyes full of surprise and joy: "Baron, this..."

He already had a set of enchanted plate armor, and two enchanted weapons, a scimitar and a mace, on his body. He didn't expect that he would have a share this time.

"You are an iron warrior, and you can only use this round shield to its greatest effect if you hold it." Raven said.

"That's right, Mr. Eric." Volaf said with emotion: "I begged the lord for a long time, but he refused to give me this round shield to use."

"But I gave you a flaming crossbow." Raven glanced at him and said.

Volaf opened his mouth and laughed honestly, but even a fool could see the pride in his eyes.

"Time is running out. It's hard to improve the combat effectiveness of the recruits in Gold Shining Town in a short period of time." Raven brought the topic back to the main business: "Your next focus is to rectify military discipline and engrave the phrase 'obey orders and prohibitions' into their instincts."

"Understood, sir!" Led by Eric, the four people accepted the order with great enthusiasm, and then left the dungeon with sufficient spirit.

Raven did not leave with them. He picked up a crossbow enchanted with fire on the table, loaded an ordinary crossbow arrow into it, wound up the string, aimed at the dummy target 20 meters away and pulled the trigger.

The flexible steel spring pushed the crossbow arrow and activated the rune on the crossbow at the same time. The flame light gathered at the tip of the crossbow arrow. As the crossbow arrow left the string, the whole body was wrapped in orange-red flames. In a flash, it pierced the target.

Boom.

The flames immediately wrapped around the dummy and burned fiercely!

"It's really a good thing. No wonder it can be sold so expensively." Raven nodded and praised.

The crossbow with flame enchantment does not need enchanted crossbow arrows. Each time it is activated, a layer of blazing flames can be added to the crossbow arrows. It can be activated 17 times every 24 hours.

Not only can it be used to kill people, but its destructive power against shields and wooden fortifications is far greater than that of ordinary crossbow arrows!

If five crossbows are fired together, even an ordinary first-level extraordinary person will find it difficult to survive.

"Wow, so cool!" Weisdong, who just pushed the door in, saw the moment when the dummy burned, swallowed his saliva, and said with envy.

Weisdong noticed that Raven turned his head to look at him, and he smiled and greeted him: "Brother, what do you want to talk to me about?"

As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing at the table.

"How is it? Do you like it?" Raven raised the crossbow in his hand.

Vesdon nodded repeatedly.

"Do you want it?" Raven asked again.

Vesdon nodded vigorously.

Raven said: "It's a pity that I can't give it to you."

Vesdon's face fell all of a sudden.

But Raven's next sentence made him energetic again: "I can't give you the crossbow, but I can give you other things."

As he said that, Raven held the remaining half sword in his hand and handed it over.

Vesdon swallowed his saliva, with longing in his eyes, and slowly stretched out his hand.

"Think about it carefully." Raven paused and continued: "This is an enchanted weapon. If you take it, you will not only be the young master of the Griffith family, but also a warrior!"

"I was born a warrior!" Vesdon said impatiently.

"Well, it will be yours from now on." Raven moved his wrist and handed the hilt to Vesdon.

The latter held the half-sword in his hand and said excitedly: "I am a warrior! I am a warrior!"

Raven chuckled and said: "Then you have to practice well."

"Don't worry, my left hand is very flexible!" Weisdong showed off his sword skills.

Don't say it, he still looks good.

"Then go." Raven instructed: "Don't forget to practice horsemanship these days."

"I understand!" Weisdong agreed excitedly and left the dungeon.

As soon as he left, Raven's face turned cold again.

The arrival of this batch of enchanted weapons boosted the confidence of the personal soldiers, but also made Raven more vigilant about the upcoming battle.

The bandits on the bloody highlands were killed by the blade, and the larger the bandit group, the more so. Under the great waves, the proportion of enchanted equipment in service may be surprisingly high.

Take Anderson's group as an example. The team of 18 people not only had six first-level magic beasts as mounts, but also two sets of enchanted armor and three enchanted weapons!

Even if they were pulled out now and engaged in a head-on encounter with his own soldiers, the odds of winning and losing would be fifty-fifty.

And they were a very weak force on the Bloody Highlands.

"We still can't relax." A glimmer of determination flashed in Raven's eyes.

He calmed down and chanted the spell. After a few seconds, he pointed his finger, and a flash of light flashed at his fingertips. Then a cantaloupe-sized orange-red fireball flew out with a little fire and landed on a brand new dummy.

With a bang, the sticky flames wrapped the dummy, and the originally light yellow wood quickly turned black.

"Chant a little slower, and now you can guarantee a 73% chance of successful casting." Raven whispered to himself: "If you don't wear the improved leather armor, the success rate should be about 10% higher."

The improved leather armor is covered with iron filings, and metal naturally interferes with the operation of magic.

This is why, despite the reputation of being weak, magicians, regardless of their rank, still wear robes most of the time instead of armor with higher defense.

"Next, the next test."

He touched his belt with his hand, and a staff half a person's height appeared in his hand.

A second-level "dragon locust wood" staff.

Dragon locust wood is a plant with extremely high magic flow. Its body is gray-black. After processing, it presents a soft and transparent color like amber. Its internal lines are twisted and complex, and it has dragon claw-like patterns, which is also the origin of its name.

The staff is as thick as a child's wrist, with a tight texture and a warm feel. There is also a fist-sized magic crystal inlaid on the top of the staff.

Raven took a deep breath, waved the staff slowly, chanted the spell again, and then waved it in the air. Another fireball condensed at the top of the staff and flew out.

This time, the volume of the fireball increased by about one third, and the overall color became a little whiter on the basis of orange-red.

Boom!

The fire hit the dummy, and a thick flame exploded, bringing a huge impact force, twisting the wooden pole under the dummy and hitting the wall, blowing the dummy into two halves, and then continuing to burn.

"The magic power consumption has increased by less than 50%..." Raven analyzed in a low voice: "But the magic power has also increased by more than 20%."

"No wonder magicians like to use the staff as a medium for casting spells."

This is not the only function of the staff.

Due to the characteristics of the dragon locust wood and the care of the enchanter when making it, this staff can store a second-level magic and two first-level magic, which can be activated without chanting when necessary.

The magic drill lasted until the night, and Raven spent most of the time getting familiar with the effectiveness of the staff and trying to find a cost-effective way to increase it.

It was not until dinner time that Raven came out of the dungeon. After a simple wash, he came to the restaurant. Denise and Weisdong had already been waiting here.

Even with the temperature control array, Denise still changed into a winter outfit, with a thick woolen long skirt inside, lace on the cuffs and collar, and a soft fur cape on her shoulders.

Her delicate skin was made even whiter by the brown fur, and her face, which was slightly red due to the dry air, also had a unique charm.

Since the last strengthening, Weisdong's attitude towards Raven has changed greatly, calling him "brother" and "brother" all the time, but now for some reason, his eyes are somewhat evasive when facing Raven.

He put the enchanted half-sword on his waist and put the fake hand on the hilt, so that people could see it at a glance.

Denise was expressionless, looking at Raven's face with a trace of scrutiny.

Raven didn't notice these things. His mind was still immersed in the use of the staff and magic practice. He sat on the chair and spread his hands, ready to pray before the meal.

Now praying before the meal has become a routine of the Griffith family-of course, it was formed under Raven's insistence.

Today is no exception.

After praying, the three of them began to lower their heads to enjoy their dinner.

In the huge restaurant, no one said a word, only the sound of knives and forks cutting food and colliding on the plates kept ringing.

The strong wind hit the windows, making the empty room even quieter and the atmosphere even more depressing.

Finally, Denise couldn't help but speak first:

"Raven..."

"Ah?" Raven put a piece of bacon into his mouth:

"What's the matter?"

...