Imperial Crown.

Chapter 393 Finally Becoming an Earl

The Royal Court, the power center of the Keynes Empire.

It is located on the top of a mountain that rises from the plain, with a cliff over 80 meters high and a city wall 20 meters high, totaling over meters. As its name suggests, it overlooks the capital and the entire Mingnagar from the height of royal power.

The stairs flowing down from this hundred-meter-high cliff look like clouds under the rising sun.

Walking up the towering stairs step by step, one can't help but feel as if he or she is stepping out of this mortal world and ascending to the kingdom of God.

This was Raven's first time in Sovereign High Court.

But inexplicably, he had a sense of familiarity, as if this scene had appeared in his mind thousands of times.

It is the call from blood and the sigh left over from ancient times.

He walked up the stairs with his head held high, his black suit fluttering in the wind, and the eagle emblem of the Griffith family fluttering as it flew.

After walking up the stairs and reaching the end, Raven bowed and saluted the statue of Keynes I. Then, as requested by the court ceremonial officer, he personally took the knight's long shield with the Griffith family emblem from the hyena behind him and placed it in front of the statue.

"In the name of Griffith, the Keynesian Empire will live forever."

Only the earl with real power is qualified to place the family emblem here.

This symbolizes the family's loyalty to the kingdom, and also symbolizes that the family has officially entered the core of the empire.

Then, under the guidance of the palace eunuch, Raven walked through the trails and came to the hall of the Royal Court, which is the palace known as the "Supreme Hall".

The high-ranking nobles, both men and women, had been waiting here for a long time.

The palace was spacious, and even though there were nearly 600 high-ranking members of the empire's nobility standing here, it still seemed quite empty.

Da da da.

Raven stepped into the hall, following his own shadow, his footsteps echoing between the towering dome and walls.

The door of the hall closed, and the magical light blooming on the four walls dispelled all shadows and made Raven's face clear.

The originally tense atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.

Even King Keynes XVI, who was sitting high on the throne, leaned forward slightly.

The last time Raven appeared in public was during the Great Trial.

At that time, after nearly four months of imprisonment, Raven's spirit and spirit had declined to the extreme. To be honest, this also disappointed many noble girls who admired Raven.

But now, the renovated Raven surprised everyone.

Is this really the same person as Raven in court?
Confident, calm, young and handsome, yet never giving people any frivolous feeling.

It's like a sharp sword that has been carefully forged and hidden in a sheath.

Beautiful, delicate, dangerous.

Regardless of age, the women's eyes showed appreciation, admiration and attraction, while the men were more or less surprised and resistant.

Some people began to feel ashamed of themselves and suddenly became grateful to their mothers.

I am grateful to my mother for not packing up my ugly self and throwing away the baby crane. She is simply an example of maternal love.

Raven walked ten steps to the throne and bowed:

"His Majesty!"

Keynes XVI stood up and spoke. His voice echoed in the carefully designed hall, as if it was ringing in everyone's ears:

"Today is the day when Baron Raven Ota Griffith is crowned Earl."

"The history of the Griffith family is as old as the Empire itself."

"The ancestor of his family, Don Quixote, once obtained the title of earl of the empire and was one of the 24 core nobles who founded the empire."

"I have heard rumors that Don Quixote committed a terrible mistake, so his name was removed from the obelisk. But today, I want to clarify here - Don Quixote has never made a mistake, and his loyalty to his ancestor, His Majesty King Keynes I, has never wavered!"

"After a thousand years, many things have changed, but many things have not changed."

"Another talented person has emerged in the Griffith family."

Cairns XVI paused for a moment and looked at Raven. "Like his ancestors, he is a man of extraordinary military skills and has made great contributions to the empire."

"More importantly, he is as loyal as his ancestors. He would rather suffer injustice than betray his king!"

"Raven."

Raven said respectfully, "Your Majesty."

Cairns XVI said in a deep voice: "Today, I will confer upon you the title of Earl of the Empire."

"And are you willing to serve as the sharp sword of the empire, follow the loyalty of our ancestor Don Quixote, and assist me in rebuilding the brilliant glory of the First Dynasty?!"

Raven took a deep breath and said solemnly:

"Your will will guide my blade!"

The music started out softly, then gradually became more and more majestic, filling the entire hall.

The expressions of the nobles in the venue also changed differently.

The speech just delivered by King Keynes XVI not only praised the history of the Griffith family and expressed his respect for Raven, but also fully displayed his personal talent and strategy.

Prime Minister Hamilton looked solemn.

Because the quality of "great talent and strategy" can also be called "ambitious".

Rebuild the glory of the First Dynasty.

These heavy words meant that the previous failure in the war with the Insa Empire did not extinguish the ambition of Keynes XVI to establish unprecedented military achievements.

Ferdinand's expression was serious, but there was a hint of cautious expectation in his seriousness.

He was not afraid of war. In fact, after fighting with Insa, he had gradually figured out his opponent's temperament and strength.

As long as he is well prepared, he is confident that he can avenge his previous defeat.

Duke Serafino was more excited.

As upstarts personally promoted by His Majesty the King, everything they have was bestowed by His Majesty the King, and no matter what His Majesty the King does, they are the ones who can use it most easily.

As long as they are still useful, they have the opportunity to establish merit and gain greater benefits.

Only Duke Morenzo had the most solemn expression.

The Church of Light has a huge influence on the continent. In the two major kingdoms in the east, even the coronation of the king must be granted by the Pope himself.

In fact, at the end of the Republic, when the influence of the Church of Light in the Keynes Empire reached its peak, the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic needed to be canonized by the Pope himself.

But after the establishment of the Third Dynasty, three consecutive kings spared no effort to eliminate the influence of the Church of Light.

From the time of King Keynes XV, the coronation of the king was no longer subject to interference from the Pope.

To this day, even the ceremony of Raven's enthronement as earl no longer needs to be presided over by the envoy of the Church of Light.

All that remained was the ceremonial duty of blessing the recipient.

A palace servant had already brought a tray, and on the red griffin velvet was the Earl's golden and jeweled crown.

Taking a step forward, Morenzo came to the stairs under the throne, holding the scepter, and said in a deep voice:
"Today, under the witness of the Lord of Light, a noble aristocrat will be conferred the title of Earl."

"I hope that you can serve the human race in your future..."

As he chanted the prayers he knew so well, Morenzo calmed down.

Since now is not the right time, let's wait. As long as the Church of Light is still at the center of the empire, its influence will not disappear, and sooner or later it will regain the right to speak.

When the prayer was over, Morenzo sprinkled a few drops of holy water in front of Raven.

Raven knelt on one knee at the bottom of the steps.

Keynes said solemnly:

"I, Habsburg Mann Keynes, the Lord of the Keynes Empire, Keynes XVI, hereby announce in the name of the King that Raven Griffith will be promoted to the rank of Earl of the Empire, and the Griffith family will be upgraded to the rank of Earl family."

"From today on, he will enjoy the full sovereignty of Eagle Territory, Snow Maple Territory, and Holo Territory in Snow Maple County of the Nord Province of the Empire, and will also obtain the right to develop the Bloody Highlands."

King Keynes XVI held up the Earl's crown with both hands and placed it on Raven's head.

At this moment, Raven finally became an earl.

Nine years have passed since he inherited the title of baron.

The strange thing is that although Raven had long expected to become an earl, when the crown fell on his head, he couldn't help but feel excited.

Since then, he has held many more titles.

From now on, if Raven wants to introduce himself to others in a formal way, his full name should be:
The ruler of Eagle Territory, Snow Maple Territory and Holo Territory, the conqueror of the Principality of Eivor, the legitimate ruler of Bloody Heights, the Count of the Keynes Empire, Raven Shiva Griffith.

Next, the palace eunuch announced a series of rewards from His Majesty the King to Raven.

Including but not limited to a set of level 3 enchanted armor, 10 gold coins, 1000 Warcraft-blooded war horses, as well as various gold and silver utensils, artworks, and so on.

It took a full ten minutes.

King Keynes XVI then said, "Okay, get up."

The music changed from grand to cheerful.

A maid brought a tray with two glasses of red wine. Cairns XVI picked up one and put the other in Raven's hand:
"From today on, you don't have to endure it anymore."

Raven didn't quite understand what King Keynes XVI meant, so he raised his glass and clinked it with his. After drinking it all, he was about to speak when he saw Keynes smiling and saying:
"Enjoy the party, you deserve it."

After saying this, Keynes XVI put the empty wine glass on the tray and turned to leave.

The cocktail party officially begins.

As the protagonist of this banquet, even His Majesty King Keynes XVI had to clink glasses with Raven, so of course the other nobles had to come and congratulate him.

Starting from Prime Minister Hamilton, to the new-style aristocrats represented by Serafino, and then to the two old families of Vandoriya and Heinholtz.

Even Duke Witus, who had captured Raven personally, and Morenzo, who wanted to kill Raven in the end, came over and chatted with Raven.

That's how politics works, there are no eternal enemies.

Then the scene became a bit awkward.

As the protagonist of this cocktail party, there was no one around Raven.

None of the other nobles came to talk to Raven, including Anthony who was a little impatient.

Because there is still one missing among the eight dukes.

That was Duke Ferdinand.

Raven took the initiative to walk over to him with a glass of wine:

"Duke Ferdinand, it has been four months since we last met, right?"

These words made Pei Dinan's face turn red with embarrassment.

It is said that high-ranking nobles are all thick-skinned and it is normal for them to not show their emotions, but Ferdinand is an exception. He really can't get over the hurdle in his heart.

He felt guilty towards Raven.

Especially the meeting 4 months ago that Raven mentioned.

That time, he vowed that he could get Raven out, and said "come back in 5 days", but later he received news that Raven was imprisoned at the behest of His Majesty the King.

Most of the blame for the previous defeat fell on the heads of these old-school nobles, and it was not a good idea to offend His Majesty again now.

Not to mention, in order to express his loyalty, Pei Dinan had to personally make the military plan used to accuse Raven.

It was fine to testify, but it was embarrassing for Raven to see it and scold him in public. "Lord Raven, I'm sorry, I'm old and not energetic enough. This cup is for you to regain the glory of your family!" He raised his glass and clinked it with Raven.

Originally, Pei Dinan was thinking of going somewhere else to rest after drinking, using the excuse that he was drunk.

Before he could say anything, Raven said, "My Lord Duke, this cup is not only for me, but also for your health and longevity."

"Your Majesty has great ambitions. Although we suffered a small loss in this battle with Insa, we will have to make up for it sooner or later. In the future battles with Insa, we will still need you to take the helm."

At the first sentence, Ferdinand thought that Raven was speaking sarcastically, but at the second sentence he knew that Raven was sincerely congratulating him, and he felt even more ashamed:
"Lord Raven is too polite. You are the most outstanding general in the empire today."

"No, you're welcome." Raven sighed and said, "Although I have become an earl, there are still many things to deal with. There are many things that I need to think about. There are some things that I need your help to discuss."

"Now, what's giving me the most headache is how to deal with the Bloody Highlands."

Logically speaking, after becoming an earl, Raven should have a fiefdom that matches it, at least a county.

But the territories of Xuefeng County already had owners, and there was no reason to drive them away, so Keynes XVI adopted another plan - that is, to give Raven the right to develop the Bloody Highlands.

This is also the biggest substantial gain for Raven in being conferred the title of Earl.

The so-called right of exploration is the legal right of occupation. As long as Raven can take down the Bloody Heights, the conquered land will be Raven's legal fiefdom.

The Bloody Highlands is not small in size, not smaller than the Nord Province. If Raven could really swallow it, he could be said to be the earl with the largest fiefdom in the empire.

The environment above is extremely suitable for raising horses, and it is no problem to support a cavalry force of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.

Moreover, the Bloody Highlands also have many specialties. Not only does it border the Principality of Eivor and the Insa Empire on land, it is also across the sea from the Slaver's Bay and has a passage connecting to the Dark Region. Once the business prospers, the wealth that can be brought should not be underestimated.

But although there are many benefits, there are also many problems.

The terrain of the Bloody Highlands is not complicated, but the soil is poor and cannot support many people. Most of the people are gathered in scattered oases, and the communication delay between them is extremely high, which makes the cost of ruling extremely huge.

Moreover, once they took over the Bloody Heights, they would not only have to face the pirates of the Slave Bay, but would also expose themselves to attacks from both the sea and land of Insa.

If it is not handled properly, it will not only not be an asset but may even become a burden.

This is why, even though the Bloody Highlands are right there, neither the Keynes Empire, Insa, nor the Fitun city-states have included it in their territory.

Duke Ferdinand frowned and thought, then slowly said, "It is indeed impossible to take down Bloody Highlands all at once. Earl Raven, if you want to send troops to Bloody Highlands, you don't need my advice on tactics. You are also a veteran on the battlefield in terms of logistics."

"If I have any advice... it's that Bloody Highlands is different from Eivor. Earl Raven, if you want to conquer it, don't be soft-hearted. Kill those who deserve it!"

Raven's eyes lit up: "Your Excellency the Duke's words really hit the core of the problem."

The biggest problem in Bloody Heights is that bandits and civilians are not distinguished.

The environment is harsh, with horse thieves everywhere. No one who can live there is a good person. They will kill people when they get off their horses to herd sheep, and kill people when they get on their horses.

Moreover, the Bloody Highlands has been in a state of chaos since the third Orc War a thousand years ago. Whoever has the bigger fist is the one who has the final say. Horse thieves leaders come one after another, and there is no order at all.

This is the most difficult part in establishing rule over it.

If a country or a regime is a high-rise building, then the people are the foundation. But on the Bloody Highlands, this foundation is nothing but loose sand!
Next, the two had a heated discussion on how to conquer the Bloody Heights.

The other nobles found it strange.

Everyone knows Duke Ferdinand's temper, so how come he became even more enthusiastic after being scolded by Raven?
Is it that the way we got along with each other before was wrong, and we should curse at each other first when we meet next time to open up the situation?
In fact, Raven took advantage of Pei Dinan's guilt.

And pestering Ferdinand to talk was to strengthen this feeling of guilt.

The guilt of a big shot, if used properly, can bring about amazing benefits.

After chatting with Pei Dinan for a long time, the two separated. The other nobles were freed from their shackles and rushed to Raven to congratulate him.

Among them, there were some who had previously shouted for Raven to die.

Of course, now their tempers have become very kind and they only have smiles for Raven.

The reception continued into the evening.

During this time, many young noble women smiled affectionately at Raven, explicitly or implicitly expressing their desire for him to invite them to dance. Some of the bolder ones even took the initiative to invite Raven to the dance floor.

But they were all rejected by Raven.

Until late at night, when the party was about to end, Piler came to Raven:
"Lord Raven, His Majesty invites you."

Raven was not surprised by this.

Since Keynes XVI wanted to win me over as his confidant, a private conversation was inevitable.

Although he had seen the luxury of the palace, when Raven saw the "Rock Heart Flowers" planted in large patches in the garden on the way, which he had been looking for for more than three years, the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching.

Following Pierre, Raven came all the way to the bedroom of Keynes XVI.

His Majesty the King was wearing a loose silk robe, with bare feet as delicate and smooth as a woman's. He sat on a chair with his legs folded, pointing to the chair opposite him and said:

"sit down."

Raven sat down respectfully.

A king is a creature who can reveal his daily life to you, show you intimacy and try to win you over. But anyone who really thinks he can be friends with the king on an equal footing is not far from death.

After sitting down, Keynes XVI kept looking at Raven without saying a word, which made Raven feel uneasy.

As a last resort, he took the initiative to speak:

"Your Majesty lives a simple life. Your daily clothes are so simple."

"Insa, that's abominable."

Cairns XVI smiled and said, "Haha, although the pressure from Insa is not small, and the compensation of more than 1000 million gold coins is not small, it is not enough to make me live like this."

"I'm just used to being simple."

"Don't worry if you laugh at me, but I only wear eight sets of daily clothes in a year."

Having opened his mouth, Cairns XVI stopped being silent and changed his tone: "Nord Province is not close to the capital. I heard that it took you 13 months to get to the capital?"

Raven said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Cairns XVI sighed, "It's time to strengthen the Empire's post roads. If you are deployed to fight in the future, the army will take a year to march, and everything will be delayed."

"Speaking of which, I grew up in the Royal Court. When I was older, I was limited to the provinces directly under my jurisdiction. At most, I never went out to guard the four provinces. I am far less knowledgeable than you."

"We have traveled across most of the empire. Raven, what do you think of the current state of the empire?"

Why is it a fatal question right at the start?

This kind of view on the general trend of the empire should only be discussed at a cabinet meeting chaired by the king.

Although Raven is now an earl, he does not hold any position in the central government of the empire. If he says something, it would be a bit too much.

But if you don’t say it…

The king's question could not be delayed. In a flash, Raven made up his mind and swallowed his saliva:

"To be honest, the current state of the empire is not optimistic..."

Next, Raven truthfully recounted everything he had seen and heard along the way, especially the chaos he saw after entering the Western Garrison Province and the Directly-Administered Province.

Listening to Raven's story, Keynes XVI smiled and spoke slowly:
"You have such meticulous observations, you are worthy of being a famous general."

"Now, I can safely hand over the Nord Province to you."

"The Empire is facing internal and external troubles. When you return, don't be away for another 13 months. Stabilize the situation in Nord as soon as possible."

Raven nodded immediately, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Next, Keynes XVI did not let Raven leave immediately, but instead pulled Raven and, on the magic sand table, deduced the detailed process of every battle that Raven had fought after entering Eivor.

When the deduction gets to the point where you're happy, you still have to ask Raven about the current situation on the battlefield.

It was not until the moon was at its zenith and it was midnight that Keynes let Raven leave the Royal Court.

Back at the Emerald Palace, Raven immediately gave the order: "Everyone get ready. After receiving the reward from His Majesty the King, we will set off immediately."

"So fast?" Weisdon was a little surprised.

Although they had been in the capital for five months, they had been terrified of Raven for four of those months. They had neither the energy nor the time to have fun. They wanted to stay a few more days and enjoy themselves.

"It's not that I have to leave, but I am in the way here, so I have to leave." Raven said, pointing at Weisdong:

"But you can stay."

"Brother, I just said that." Weisdong smiled and said, "I'll pack my bags right away!"

"I'm not kidding you. You really have to stay this time." Raven took out the recommendation letter that Anthony left for him from his storage ring. "Take it. In a few days, you will go to the Royal University to register."

Weisdong made a bitter face: "Brother, I'm already 24 years old, do I still need to go to school?"

"What's wrong with 24? There are 40-year-old students in the school." Raven said sternly, "Be obedient and socialize as you should every year. You won't lose money."

The changes in the center of the empire affect the situation of the entire empire. Without our own people, we will be at a disadvantage in terms of intelligence.

Leaving Visdon behind is like leaving a pair of ears and eyes in the capital, allowing Raven to always understand changes in the situation.

"This..." Weisdon had a conflicted expression, and was obviously still reluctant.

If Earl Tyrone's son Hyde was here and saw Weston's appearance, he would definitely kick him out of jealousy.

That’s the Imperial Royal University!

You know, if you enter the Imperial Royal University and graduate, it is equivalent to having a stepping stone to enter the core of the empire, and there is a great possibility of becoming a court noble.

Court nobles are also nobles!
This is a golden opportunity that many children of marquis and earl families who have no inheritance rights would beg for.

Weisdon actually disliked it.

It's not that Visdon is indifferent to fame and fortune, but during the time he has been in the capital, he has come to realize that with his brain, if he really wants to get involved in politics, he will probably be sold out and help count money.

It would be happier to go home, eat and wait for death.

However, Raven's order could not be disobeyed, so he could only sigh and say, "Okay, brother, you must remember to write to me more often."

In the next few days, Raven was basically processing and summarizing the accounts after entering the royal capital.

This time in the royal capital, the business was quite fruitful, as Angel's Glory, Angel's Embrace and Angel's Kiss all opened up the market.

The goods brought were basically sold out, and after deducting various expenses, the total profit reached 161 gold coins.

If he hadn't been caught, he would have earned even more.

If it weren't for the lack of suitable personnel, Raven would have opened a shop here.

In addition, there are various rewards from the king.

The reward far exceeded the expected standards, which also showed that Keynes XVI valued Raven.

All in all, there are about 50 gold coins in total - among which the set of level 3 enchanted armor is worth more than 10 gold coins.

There were 80 trucks when they came, and when they left, not only was the number not less, but there were 20 more.

However, Raven's personal strength has improved relatively limitedly.

There was not much time for meditation during the more than one year journey. Due to the lack of high-level magic cores, the magic growth brought by crushing the magic cores and extracting energy with the Eye of Truth became a drop in the bucket.

Now, Raven's magic power has only grown to a little over level 4, 2 stars, which is about 22% of the magic power growth limit.

After 4 days, everything was finally sorted out. Raven left the Emerald Palace, wrote a letter to bid farewell to His Majesty the King, and set off to leave the capital.

The newly-prepared Eagle Army had already been waiting quietly outside the city.

Leaving the city gate, Raven looked at the magnificent Mingnagar and the towering Royal Court behind him. He suppressed the thousands of emotions in his heart, turned back, and shouted the order:
"Let's go home!"

……

(End of this chapter)