Imperial Crown.

Chapter 386 Royal Capital, here I come!

Many thanks to Qidian Dad [Fish Questioned by Water] for the 1000 reward!

Many thanks to Qidian Dad [God’s Punishment] for the 5000 reward!

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……

Raven frowned, lowered the corners of his mouth, and moved his shoulders.

He had prepared for this funeral for three months. Let's see who dares to cause trouble in such an occasion!

Following the sound and parting the crowd, Raven's expression became a little strange when he saw the scene in front of him.

Two men were fighting—or rather, one was hitting the other and the other was being hit.

The man who was beating the victim had a hideous look on his face. He was pulling the victim's hair with one hand and scratching his face with the other!
Looking at the one who was beaten, his face was blue and white, with a lot of blood on it. He didn't dare to use too much force with his hands, but just shouted:

“Stop—Stop!!”

"If you don't stop, I'll be rude!"

The attacker raised his eyebrows and refused to give in: "Stop? Why didn't you stop when I told you to? Now either kneel down and apologize, or I'll scratch your face!"

The person being beaten couldn't break free for a moment, but he couldn't hit a woman, so he had to look around for help, but none of the nobles nearby wanted to get involved and avoided his gaze.

Finally, he found someone he could turn to:
"Baron Raven, you finally came out, make this crazy woman stop!"

Raven, who was watching the show attentively, touched his nose, coughed, and walked forward: "Okay, Mrs. Doreen, just let him go for now."

Seeing Raven coming, Doreen loosened her grip on his hair, shook off the hair stuck on it, and saluted respectfully to Raven: "Baron Raven!"

"The funeral isn't over yet, why did they start fighting?" Raven glanced at the person being beaten: "And you hit him too hard, you made his eyes red..."

"My eyes are like this!" The victim lifted his hair, revealing a face covered in blood: "It's me, it's me!!!"

Raven then "suddenly realized" and said in an apologetic tone: "Oh, I'm so sorry, it was dark and I couldn't see clearly. It turned out to be the Little Viscount Flayed."

"Lady Doreen, although Little Peeler is young, he is still a viscount after all. No matter what, you have to apologize to him."

When it comes to apologizing, Xiao Peeler's face showed a trace of discomfort. He coughed and said, "No need. After all, it's Mrs. Nancy's funeral..."

"No need? If you say no need, then no need!" Lady Doreen's eyes were red as she stared at Little Peeler. "If you are still a noble, say what you just said again!"

Raven understood immediately, and looked at Little Peeler with a gaze as sharp and cold as a razor: "Little Peeler, Viscount Little Peeler, what did you just say?"

The tone was calm, but to Little Peeler's ears it sounded as cold as the wind blowing from a glacier.

He shuddered suddenly, looked away, and said something else: "...Uh, maybe there were too many people and the noise was chaotic, so Mrs. Doreen must have heard it wrong. I didn't say anything."

This is of course a lie.

Little Flayed has always disliked Raven, and after Raven defeated Eivor, his jealousy grew even more and even became uncontrollable.

He didn't understand why Raven could always get so much support from people.

His subordinate Dalton praised Raven highly after he came back. Viscount John risked his own life for Raven - he suffered such heavy losses last time that he couldn't even attend this funeral!

Of course, the situation is stronger than the person. Raven is now very powerful in the Nord Province. Even the Slater family has to give him face. Of course, Little Flayed also knows the pros and cons.

So come to the funeral obediently.

But he didn't expect that Raven would hold Nancy's funeral so lavishly that he had to follow the funeral from early morning to night.

In fact, according to Nord tradition, after the requiem mass, the nobles could leave the funeral to rest and enjoy the party, but Raven's influence was so great that many nobles spontaneously followed to see Nancy off for the last time.

Not all nobles were willing to do so, but being unsociable was a taboo in aristocratic social occasions, so Little Peeler had to follow reluctantly.

As a result, Raven stayed in the cemetery for nearly 2 hours!
Little Peeler was really tired and impatient, and complained in a low voice:
"Raven, this bastard, really treats a poor nobleman who has lost his family as a treasure?"

These words were heard by Mrs. Doreen, and then the previous scene happened.

Seeing that Little Peeler remained silent, Mrs. Doreen became more and more annoyed:
"Okay, you won't say it, right? Then I'll say it for you!"

Little Flay's heart tightened. The current Raven was not someone he could afford to offend. If Madam Doreen really told the truth, he would be in trouble.

"I didn't say anything in the first place, don't go crazy here!"

"Crazy? Yes, I am crazy!" Mrs. Doreen's eyes suddenly turned red.

Mrs. Doreen always had two dreams in her heart.

One is to marry a noble and brave hero and become his wife.

The other is to become a respected woman herself, like the legendary "Daughter of War", inspiring every woman to fight for her own destiny.

And Nancy lived exactly the life that Mrs. Doreen wanted.

She has a great husband in Raven, and she is also very powerful herself.

When Eagle City was besieged before, it can be said that it was thanks to Nancy's decisive decision that we were able to defeat those horse thieves and pirates.

Not only did it rescue Eagle City, but it also avoided a greater disaster!
Doreen's life path has been locked and will never change. Nancy is her ideal self, the embodiment of her dreams and her soul.

Such a perfect woman in Doreen's heart withered and died at the age of 25. How could Doreen not feel heartbroken and regretful?
But Little Peeler actually said such words at the funeral, in such a solemn and serious occasion, which made the pain in Mrs. Doreen's heart burn into anger!

"But don't worry, I'm not you, and I won't say such mean words." Mrs. Doreen covered her chest with one hand and pointed at Little Peeler with the other:
"But you must apologize to Mrs. Nancy now! Otherwise, after today, you will get a war!"

Xiao Peeling felt like laughing for a moment.

Doreen is just a baron's widow, and her territory is less than 1/5 of Little Skinner's. If she wants to start a war, it will be like hitting a rock with an egg.

How dare she?

But when his eyes fell on Raven, Little Flay's heart turned cold - Dorin didn't have many soldiers, but Raven did, a lot of them, and they were all elite warriors who had fought in many battles!

If only these soldiers had donned the Simpsons' uniforms...

"This..." Little Peeler straightened his collar that was messed up by Doreen, and looked at Minsk not far away for help.

Minsk is Tyrone's eldest son, the next head of the Slater family, destined to inherit the title of earl, and the leader of the Iron Legion.

If he spoke, he would be able to resolve the dilemma that Little Peeler was facing.

Minsk moved his feet and spoke calmly:
"I also think that the little Viscount Flay needs to apologize to Lady Nancy!"

Little Peeler's eyes widened.

Am I crazy or is the Nordic province crazy?
After all, you, Slater, are from an earl family. You wouldn't be so shameless as to try to please Raven like that, right?
Minsk's face was calm.

He spoke this time not only to gain Raven's favor and strengthen the relationship between the two families.

More importantly, he knew better than anyone else present what Nancy had accomplished.

Ever since Raven invaded Eivor, his Iron Legion has not moved an inch. Even though His Majesty the King asked Count Jonah, who was far away in Molinil, to provide support, he did not move the only special-class empire legion in the three northwestern provinces.

why?
That’s because Insa didn’t just watch Raven make his moves, they also had responses.

Although its territory is more barren than that of Keynes and its population is only 2/3 of that of Keynes, Insa's comprehensive national strength is never inferior to that of Keynes.

The key lies in the fact that India is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has stable sea trade routes and channels in the east and west of the continent.

The sea is no more peaceful than the land, with pirates, sea creatures and sea monsters appearing one after another.

In order to maintain maritime trade routes, Insa has two top-level naval fleets.

They are the "Raging Waves Fleet" located in the western Storm Sea and the "Silver Dragon Fleet" located in the eastern Endless Sea.

The Mon River in the Nordic province flows westward into the Storm Sea.

The Iron Legion remained on hold precisely to guard against a surprise attack from the Raging Fleet!
If Nancy had not defeated those horse bandits and pirates, there would have been chaos in the province, and the Iron Legion would probably have been forced back into the province to suppress and eliminate the bandits.

If that happens, the Storm Fleet will advance straight in and the situation will really get out of control.

Seeing that no one was on his side, Little Peeler gritted his teeth.

Forbearance!

He turned toward Raven and bowed respectfully:
"Baron Raven, I express my deep respect to you!"

After he finished speaking, he was about to stand up, but the force suddenly came to his knees, and he lost his balance and fell to the ground on one knee.

Mrs. Doreen retracted her kick from the little skinny boy's knee and shouted, "And Mrs. Nancy!"

"You--!" Little Peeler suddenly looked up, wishing he could eat Doreen alive.

But seeing Raven's cold face without a smile, he restrained the curse words and knelt on one knee in a humiliating manner:
"I would like to express my most sincere respect to the late Mrs. Nancy!"

The blood in my body ran cold. As a viscount, I had to kneel down and apologize to a woman. What a shame!

Raven had a fake smile on his face that everyone could see: "Haha, little Viscount Flayed was too quick. Why did you kneel down directly?"

"quick……"

I wanted to say "Please get up quickly", but before I could finish my words, I heard the sound of flapping wings.

call--

The wind approached, blowing away the thick layer of roses on the ground. A snow-white monster with an eagle's head, a horse's body, lion's claws, a tiger's tail, and wings on its ribs fell to the ground with a bang.

Griffin!

A knight rolled down from the griffin's back, holding a cloth bag in both hands, raised it high, and shouted, "Who is Baron Raven!?"

Raven took a step forward: "It's me."

The knight trembled his lips, and his greasy mustache moved, as if he was surprised by the baron's youth.

But the surprise did not last long. The knight straightened up and said loudly:
"By order of the noble King of the Keynes Empire, the guardian of human civilization, the lord of Middle-earth, the inheritor of the bloody reign, the most honorable king of kings on the Middles Continent, Habsburg Mann Keynes, and His Majesty the XVI Keynes,

Summon Baron Raven to the capital, Nagar City, to hold the earl enthronement ceremony!"

puff

Xiao Peeler, who was originally kneeling on one knee, now had both knees completely on the ground!

Count... Count!!

Raven actually surpassed the title of Viscount and became Earl! ?
How many years has it been since the empire produced a new earl?
300 years? 400 years?
There were low but irrepressible discussions all around.

"Woo..."

A sob sounded, and Mrs. Doreen covered her mouth and nose with the back of her hands, but her tears still flowed out uncontrollably.

"Mrs. Nancy, you should have witnessed this!"

As soon as these words came out, Jenny, who had been busy since Nancy's death and had remained strong as ever, suddenly knelt on the ground and broke down crying!
Crying is always contagious, especially in this situation.

For a moment, the sound of crying was everywhere.

Infected by this emotion, Raven thought of Nancy and the face of old Gordon flashed in his mind again.

Unfortunately, he was not awake enough to hear the news.

“Regrets… always run through one’s life.”

The knight walked up to Raven and handed him the leather bag:

"Please allow me to express my condolences on the passing of Mrs. Nancy."

"I also know that this is not appropriate, but I have to do this because of the order of His Majesty the King."

"Understood." Raven took the leather bag without opening it: "What's your name?"

"Ezio, just call me Ezio." The knight stroked his beard and said, "The funeral will continue. I will not disturb you any longer. If you have any questions later, please feel free to come to me."

Raven nodded and watched Ezio leave.

According to Nordic customs, after the funeral, there is a continuous banquet, which means that relatives and friends are by the side of the deceased, accompanying him to complete the last journey of life. Depending on the financial resources and status of each family, the duration can range from 7 days, 14 days to 1 month.

This time, the banquet for Nancy's funeral will last for one month.

But most of the nobles' attention was no longer on the banquet itself.

Raven is about to be crowned as earl, which has become the hottest topic in the entire Nord Province and even the entire empire.

While dealing with the guests, Raven also took the time to read the imperial edict.

The content was quite simple. Apart from the customary courtesies and official language, it first emphasized the historical achievements of the Griffith family, and then used a lot of space to praise Raven's great contribution to the empire by conquering the Principality of Eivor.

Finally, the theme was brought to the fore, requiring Raven to go to the capital to be conferred the title in a manner "consistent with aristocratic etiquette and status."

As for what is "in accordance with aristocratic etiquette and status", Raven asked Ezio, the messenger, in detail, and the latter also told him everything he knew.

So in the second half of the banquet, Raven began to give orders and prepare all matters before departure.

On the one hand, Nancy's funeral must be thorough; on the other hand, one cannot be too impatient, as if Raven cares too much about this title.

Of course Raven cares, but there are some things that can only be done and not said.

Raven also underestimated the difficulty of preparation. It took nearly two months in total, and it was not until early December that the preparations were completed.

In order to comply with etiquette, Raven brought with him a 500-man guard team and 80 carriages with the Griffith family crest. The wheels of each carriage were covered with silver, which was the earl's privilege and obligation.

In terms of staffing, most officers and extraordinary people, including Eric, Simon, Link and others, were left in Eagle City.

The only people Raven took away were the captain of the guard, Hyena, and a few extraordinary people who had no training missions, such as Julia.

This trip to the royal capital is a rare opportunity, and many people want to go with them to broaden their horizons, such as Eric's son Thor, Raven's clerk Hu Xia, and Visdon.

The gray dwarves Sohei and Boveir were arguing with each other and both wanted to go to the capital to see the world, but the forge could not be left unattended.

In the end, for the reason that "weapons and equipment cannot be left unattended", forging master Sohei followed the team.

The city of Monn is located in the northwest border of the empire, and the Eagle Territory is in the northwest of the Nord Province. If you want to go to the royal capital, you need to cross nearly 2/3 of the empire.

Starting from the Nord Province and heading east, after leaving the Nord Province, you must pass through the North Sea Province, Semprons Province, Mantain Province, and the West Garrison Province among the four Garrison Provinces before you can reach the directly-administered province where the royal capital is located.

Even if you ride a gryphon or a griffin, it will take at least 12 days, and that’s the straight-line distance!
If it were a fast ground horse, it would take at least two months - and this is the speed of the official post station.

For a situation like this, where Raven was leading so many people and supplies, and the speed was not much faster than that of the infantry, this time would be about -

10 months!

Of course, there is a more convenient way. In the east of Hovi City, there is an ancient teleportation array built about 600 years ago - to be exact, 622 years ago. If it is activated, you can instantly reach Mingnagar City.

However, this ultra-long-distance teleportation array requires magic crystals worth at least 23 gold coins just to activate it, and it costs at least 1000 gold coins to teleport each person.

500 soldiers, plus more than 100 scattered accompanying personnel and servants, it would cost more than 60 gold coins just to transport them.

Not to mention, there are 80 horse-drawn carriages loaded with local specialties!

Magic items need to go through the teleportation array, but it costs extra money!
Therefore, unless it is an urgent incident at the level of destroying a country, this teleportation array will basically not be activated.

1200 12 Month 7 Day.

Raven left Eagle City and headed towards the royal capital, Mingnagar City.

A long journey is always accompanied by various unexpected events.

Including but not limited to snow disasters, heavy rains, floods, etc.

Therefore, when Raven led his team into the direct-administered province, a full 13 months had passed!

During these 13 months, Raven had traveled through 5 provinces besides Nord and gained a lot of knowledge.

The clear blue "Beihai Lake" in Beihai Province left a deep impression on Raven.

The passionate beauties of the province of Semprons almost tripped up Raven's troops.

The Province of Mangtain can be said to be the "crossroads of six provinces", gathering together the specialties of most of the empire, and its prosperous commercial activities surprised everyone.

It was in the province of Mangtain that Raven first saw a giant commercial city with a population of over 120 million.

What impressed Raven the most was the endless amount of horse manure on the streets, which looked like the humus layer in a primitive jungle.

It was also after entering the province of Mangtain that Raven encountered his first group of blind bandits.

The deeper he went into the heart of the empire, the more he could feel the corruption beneath the apparent prosperity of this old empire, and he recorded it one by one in his notes.

The time came to the evening of January 1202, 1.

The hinterland of the directly-administered province.

The outline of the royal capital has appeared on the horizon.

"Brother!" Outside the tent, Weisdong's slightly impatient voice sounded: "Can I come in?"

"Come in." Raven put down the letter in his hand.

Over the past 13 months, Raven has maintained communication with Eagle City, with a frequency of about one letter every half a month.

The overall situation in the Nordic province has not changed much.

Old Gordon was still in a daze, and the Eagle Territory was running smoothly under the leadership of Denise and the remote control of Raven.

But this letter tells a small detail.

That is, since Nancy's funeral, the funeral customs in Eagle Territory have undergone significant changes. Nowadays, whenever a woman dies and is buried, a red ribbon will be hung at the door and the guests must wear a red rose.

This custom is spreading to the five northwestern counties at an alarming rate.

Nancy's grand funeral, together with her heroic deeds in resisting horse thieves during her lifetime, together weave an enduring legend.

In addition, there was the news of Viscount John's death.

The elderly nobleman passed away on November 1201, 11.

"Brother!" Weisdong went into the tent.

After 13 months of hard journey, Weisdon looks more and more vigorous.

With the baptism of the previous Principality of Eivor War and the accumulation of this year, he has now successfully broken through to the 2nd level.

Rubbing his hands, Weisdong sat opposite Raven and pursed his lips: "...I can't sleep."

Raven glanced at him and said, "Then go find a woman yourself. Why are you looking for me?"

"No, brother. Although I haven't been as chaste as you during this period, I haven't been messing around either. Don't slander my innocence out of thin air!" Weisdong said with a bitter face:
"We're almost at the capital, but I'm always feeling uneasy."

Raven sighed and closed the letter, "We'll be there soon. We'll know when we get in."

“Brother, you are awesome.” Weisdong gave a thumbs up. “If it were me, I would probably turn around and run away now!”

Over the past 13 months, the situation on the mainland has also undergone significant changes.

In early March 1201, nine months ago, the Empire and the Phaetonian city-states reached an agreement.

The Empire withdrew its troops from Eivor, but could retain the right to garrison the Wall of Sighs for 50 years; in exchange, the city-states of Fitun had to provide logistical supplies for the Empire's city of Majik, and must also mediate the war with Insa.

This agreement will only take effect if Insa agrees to a ceasefire.

On August 1201, 8, with the mediation of many parties, Keynes and Insa formally reached a ceasefire agreement.

The Insa Empire withdrew its troops, and the border between the two sides returned to the level before the war; and the Keynes Empire, in addition to paying Insa 1077 million gold coins in war reparations, was also required to grant Insa free trade rights on its northeastern border, and the tax on Insa goods could not exceed 7% of their value.

The war ended.

On September 1201, 9, the treaty between the Keynes Empire and the Fitun city-states came into effect.

Earl Taeron and Earl Jonah led their troops to evacuate the Duchy of Eivor, but Lancha still retained his previous title and position.

Quentin secured his position as Marshal of the Duchy, continued to control the national army, and acted as regent.

But anyone with a discerning eye knows that the person who truly holds power in the principality is the current Grand Duchess Cuiqi.

As the war ended, a voice emerged within the Keynes Empire:
If Raven had not broken the deadlock for the Empire in the Principality of Eivor, the Empire would have suffered a humiliating defeat this time. Not to mention paying compensation and gaining some trade concessions, even ceding territory and becoming a vassal would not have been impossible!

When the news spread, even the usually calm Visdon sensed the crisis.

This is pushing Raven to the opposite side of all the high-ranking nobles of the empire!
Especially those aristocratic families with a long history in the royal capital, how could they tolerate a baron from a border area riding on their necks?

The more Weisdong thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong: "Brother... since we haven't reached the capital yet, why don't we trouble my mother to fake her death, and then we can ride the Wind King back and avoid this storm?"

"You-"

Raven pointed at Weisdong with a smile on his face: "Let alone how bad your idea is, I'm here to receive the title!"

"You're leaving now. Do you still want the title? Where will His Majesty the King save his face?"

Weiss Winter Cricket pupa: "But it's too dangerous. The area around the capital is even more chaotic than our Nordic country!"

This is true.

Since entering the West Guard Province, Raven has witnessed the deep corruption beneath the empire's superficial glory.

War costs money, and reparations cost money. This money was paid from the national treasury and first fell on the shoulders of nobles at all levels. The nobles then plundered the pockets of the lower-class civilians and serfs.

It was common to see free people on the streets putting up signs saying they were bankrupt and wanted to sell themselves into slavery.

In the countryside, there are countless impoverished knights and serfs who turned into bandits and robbers because they could not bear the oppression.

In the ravines, there were babies, both new and old, who were abandoned because they could not be raised. There were both boys and girls, and there were even more boys!
In a small town of 300 people, 17 bodies of abandoned babies were found within half a year.

Visdon was really afraid that someone would have evil intentions, so he sent a team of assassins to kill them quietly, and then put the blame on the rioters!

"Don't worry." Raven said, "Unless the Imperial Titled Legion takes action, no one can defeat us safely. And in the directly governed provinces, mobilizing troops cannot be hidden from the eyes of His Majesty the King."

"But what if we enter the city?" Weisdong smacked his teeth: "The Eagle Army can't follow us in!"

"Then I am even less afraid." Raven said, "I am the earl appointed by His Majesty. Who dares to touch me in the capital?"

Weisdon was about to speak, but Raven yawned, "Okay, stop talking nonsense and get out of here. I'm going to sleep if you don't!"

"Yes, brother, good night!" Weisdong stood up, reluctantly moved to the door, and leaned on the door frame: "Um... can I sleep in your tent tonight?"

"roll!"

Raven looked at the swaying curtains and sighed.

This kid still needs some training!

After stretching, Raven fell asleep peacefully.

The next morning, in the light snow, Raven and his party broke camp and set off.

At noon, the snow stopped.

Without the curtain-like snow covering it, the city of Mingnagar leaped out of the horizon and crashed into the sight of Raven and his party.

There was a sound of gasping for air.

The 15-meter-high city wall blocked almost everything, except the mountain-like Royal Court!
This is the city of Mingnagar, the pearl of Middle-earth, the most prosperous city in the entire continent!
"King's capital, here I come!"

Looking at the towering wall, Raven clenched his fists secretly.

Although most of Visdon's worries last night were unfounded, there was one thing he was right about.

This enthronement is bound to encounter many obstacles.

……

(End of this chapter)