Imperial Crown.

Chapter 408 Death (Part )

Raven's succession ceremony ended in chaos.

Although the nobles maintained their usual demeanor, most of them did not attend the subsequent reception and left with various excuses.

"Well, at least I can save some money on drinks." Donald said, hugging his shoulders.

Surprisingly, there was still one noble left.

Viscount John.

The lord of Snow Maple Territory, southwest of Xiongying Territory, is an old man in his 60s.

If the tall hooked nose is turned upside down, it can be hung on the wall as a clothes hanger.

Rejecting the invitation to dinner, Viscount John went to the study to have a private talk with Raven.

"Baron Raven, today is a good day for you to inherit the Eagle Territory." Sitting at the table, Viscount John said in a very organized manner: "I have specially prepared a gift for you."

As he said this he coughed lightly, and the butler beside him brought a wooden box and placed it on the table.

John opened the wooden box and shook out the parchment scroll inside. It was the contract signed by Donald himself to rent out Goldshire for 50 years.

Seeing the amount on it, Raven suddenly felt a little confused and couldn't help but glance at Donald next to him.

50 years, 1 gold coins!
No matter how much money you spend on yourself, it won’t be that much, right?
Where did all the money go, so that now there are only 100 gold coins left?
Donald coughed and turned his head away, obviously not intending to explain.

"Viscount John, are you planning to return Goldshire Town to the Griffith family?" Raven looked at John, "But we don't have that much money at the moment."

"I know, I know." Viscount John smiled, "So I don't plan to ask Baron Raven for money."

"As long as you acknowledge me as your godfather, I will return this contract to you immediately."

"What!?" Before Raven could say anything, Donald couldn't sit still: "John, this is my nephew!"

"Yeah, what's the problem?" John blinked.

Donald was speechless.

That's right, it seems that this will not cause any loss to Raven or Donald himself.

It just feels weird.

"What do you think, Baron Raven?" John asked, "If you agree, Goldshire will be back in the hands of the Griffith family right away."

"If you want to redeem it with gold coins, that's fine too, but the price you pay for it won't be the same as when you rented it to me."

Raven scratched his hair, confused.

Viscount John is not without an heir, so why does he have to be his godson?
After thinking about it, he couldn't find any possible trap, and 1 gold coins was indeed an astronomical figure that was out of reach for Raven at the moment.

But, does he really want to sell out his dignity for 1 gold coins...?
"Godfather!" Raven stood up and bowed.

"Haha, great, great!" John clapped his hands and laughed.

Thus, Goldshire returned to the control of the Griffith family.

A few days later, when Nancy came skipping to find Raven, Raven finally understood why Viscount John was so generous.

"Raven, I've already made an agreement with my father. We'll get married in three months!"

When Raven heard this, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"But……"

"No buts, Uncle Donald has agreed." Nancy said with a smile: "You must prepare well during this period, little bee~"

Nancy's full name is Nancy Fox, and the Fox family is the only earl family in the province of Nord.

Being able to marry into the earl's family is indeed a great blessing for a small baron. It is no exaggeration to say that it means less hard work in one's life.

But Raven still felt a little uncomfortable - why did he feel like he was betrayed by Donald?

Moreover, this old fox John must have received the news in advance, otherwise he would not have handed over Shining Gold Town so smoothly and coaxed me into becoming his adopted son.

For a period of time afterwards, Donald kept avoiding Raven, probably because he found it somewhat difficult to face him.

But Raven himself adjusted himself quickly. After all, even from a political point of view, Nancy was the best marriage partner that Raven could find in the entire Nord Province.

What's more, she really takes good care of herself.

Soon, the wedding date approached.

Old Gordon was busy in pain and joy.

Outside Eagle Castle, there were crowds of nobles from all over the province who came to congratulate them.

Although only a few months had passed, the nobles' attitude towards Raven had improved greatly. There was no longer any condescending look at him, and only envy and jealousy remained.

When he spoke to Raven, he was obviously trying to please her.

Nancy's father, Count Montreal, came to Eagle Castle with his two sons, Gul'dan and Sanchi.

Montreal, who held a high position, behaved in the manner that a nobleman should when marrying off his daughter.

"Raven, I'll leave my daughter to you from now on." Montreal said, "She has been willful since she was a child. After you get married, you need to be more accommodating to her."

Raven said respectfully, "Of course, Lord Earl, since Nancy will be my wife, I will fulfill my obligations both as a noble and as a man."

Having said that, we have already done what we should do. The next time we meet will be when the wedding starts tomorrow.

Raven stood up and said goodbye.

He could not see any outward emotions in Montreal, nor could he understand his thoughts, let alone his purpose.

But Gul'dan, who had been with him, clearly showed hostility and kept staring at Raven.

After all, Gul'dan is a well-known playboy, so it is normal for him to look down on a baron like himself.

Raven didn't really care - he wasn't marrying Gul'dan after all.

The next day, at the wedding, Nancy walked on the road paved with petals accompanied by Montreal.

The music was solemn and moving; the white wedding dress made Nancy look even more pure and lovely, and her fiery red hair was particularly dazzling.

Her delicate eyebrows and eyes are curved in a smile, and the dimples on her face are clearly visible.

Even Raven's heart was beating fast.

At this moment, Montreal was moved, and with red eyes he handed Nancy's hand to Raven.

Nancy couldn't help but shed tears.

Witnessed by the priest, the two completed their wedding and officially became husband and wife.

Nancy went back to Eagle Castle to wait for her husband, while Raven had to deal with the guests at the party.

Ingres had a gloomy face, but he did not get angry because of the prestige of the Fox family.

Maybe he was afraid that Raven would beat him up again.

Viscount John smiled so much that his face turned into a chrysanthemum.

Gul'dan, Raven's brother-in-law, came up and tried to force Raven to drink.

Then he was forced under the table by Raven.

If Sangqi hadn't been watching, the young master would have choked to death in his own vomit.

Finally, the social event was over and Raven returned to his new home with Nancy.

Nancy glanced at Raven, turned her head away, and said with a pout:

"Take off my shoes!"

Raven was not a man who liked to be obedient, but when he saw Nancy's slender long legs wrapped in white translucent stockings, he half-knelt down and took off her high heels.

A charming atmosphere spread.

His chin slipped, and Raven looked up. It was Nancy who lifted his chin with her fingers and said with a smile: "From today on, you can never get rid of me again!"

As he said this, he boldly pressed his lips against mine.

I was teased! ?

Raven was a little amused and stood up to greet her, then took Nancy's petite body under him.

Nancy opened her big, shining eyes with confusion, surprise, and a hint of embarrassment, and beat and tore at Raven's chest with her little fists.

With a ripping sound, Raven's clothes were torn open.

And immediately, Raven retaliated in kind.

The two men wrestled together, their clothes flying all over the floor.

When there was a short break, it was Raven who lay on the bed with Nancy riding on his waist.

In the dark room, the moonlight clearly illuminated half of Nancy's face and also outlined her figure.

The eyelashes are long, the eyes have a "victorious" smile, and the skin is smooth and plump.

The slender arms, round collarbones, the curves of the body, and the figure that was beginning to take shape were all clearly visible to Raven.

"Tonight..." Nancy's voice trembled slightly: "You are mine!"

But just as she finished speaking, Raven suddenly exerted force, and their positions immediately reversed!

"Raven! I am the daughter of the Earl family. I want to be on top. How dare you disobey my orders!?"

Raven smiled slightly: "But in the Griffith family, I am the head of the family!"

"I don't care, I want to be on top!" Nancy struggled hard, but how could she get away?
Suddenly he opened his mouth, revealing a row of white teeth, and then bit Raven's shoulder hard.

Raven gasped, "Looks like I need to teach you a lesson!"

Tossed by the waves.

Two hours later.

Nancy struggled to sit up, feeling sore all over, and smiled like a little devil:

"Is it finally my turn now?"

A trace of astonishment flashed across Raven's eyes.

Oops!

The next day, the two of them slept until the afternoon.

For the next few days, Raven did not dare to do any strenuous activities and walked in a very "dignified" manner.

There were also a few white strands in the hair.

"Young man, you must learn to be moderate!" Donald patted Raven on the shoulder and advised.

After the wedding, it was already October.

Late autumn has arrived and winter is approaching.

In the Eagle Castle meeting room, Donald frowned: "Raven, are you really going to do this?"

"I know you've been training your army, but you only have a hundred men under your command!"

"The scouts have reported back that they have found out the location of the Sand King." Raven said seriously, "March in winter, take the enemy by surprise. Now is our best chance."

"But that is Bloody Heights after all!" Donald said, "You are still young and just got married. Why do you have to take risks now?"

Raven sighed, "Because of the Hand of Death."

"Although the nobles were all happy at my wedding, the news had already spread secretly."

"In two to three months at the least, and half a year at the most, the Death Hand Cult will stir up a riot."

"I don't know the scale of this unrest, nor what results it will bring, but one thing is certain."

"If the bandits rush down from the Bloody Heights when the Hand of Death strikes, Eagle Castle will be doomed!"

"So we must take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate the hidden dangers of the horse thieves!"

Donald sighed and had to accept Raven's decision.

He did not ask Nancy to persuade Raven, because Nancy fully agreed with the decision to attack Bloody Heights!
Leading a 12-man guard team and 120 Eagle Army soldiers, Raven set out on a day when the first snow fell and embarked on a journey to attack the Bloody Highlands.

2 months later.

The Scorpion Nest is the lair of the "Sand King" Heleti, the largest horse thief in the southeastern outskirts of Bloody Highlands.

This is a semi-abandoned castle with typical orc architectural style, which was renovated by horse thieves.

The tower was bombarded by Nancy's magic and turned into a pile of ruins.

There was smoke and blood everywhere, and the bodies of the bandits were piled up in the corner of the square.

The battle is over.

Raven adopted a strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain, letting Anderson lead the main force outside to lure Heleti out, while he led a small number of elite troops to attack the scorpion nest directly.

One of the scouts sent out to survey the terrain was captured, which allowed Helaiti to learn about Raven's troop composition in advance. Sensing a bad premonition, Helaiti summoned the other two gangs of horse thieves in advance.

Therefore, Raven had to face additional troops when attacking the Scorpion Nest, as well as the horse thief leaders, Firebeard and Steelfang, who were second-level transcendents.

Just when he had gained a certain advantage, Heleti realized that he had fallen into a trap and counterattacked back to the scorpion nest with his elite "Scorpion Claw Guards".

It was a hard, brutal and costly battle.

But fortunately, Raven finally won.

"Sir, we've caught him!" Mosingan grabbed a man by the collar and threw him in front of Raven: "It's him!"

The man's collar was torn open, revealing large, shocking scars from torture. Looking closely, the missing flesh on his fingers had not yet healed.

Facing Raven, he trembled all over, cried and lowered his head: "Sir... I'm sorry for you. Now that things have come to this, I only ask you not to tell my mother about my affairs..."

This person was the scout who had been captured by the Heleti before, Bent. After joining the Heleti side, he was given an insulting nickname "Snow Chicken".

The losses in this battle were heavy, and the surrounding Eagle Army soldiers were full of anger. They were all waiting for Raven's orders.

As long as Raven gives the order, they can eat Bent alive!
"Return to the team." Raven said.

Bent looked up in disbelief.

Moxingan even raised his voice: "But sir...!"

"Stop talking. I know what you're thinking." Raven looked around the room. "You all think that it was his betrayal that caused us to suffer such a huge loss."

"But I want you to think about how Bent was captured?"

"He had successfully surveyed the terrain, but fell into a snow pit during the evacuation, which is why he was captured. Moreover, after being captured, he did not betray us immediately, but endured a lot of torture!"

"If any of you were placed in the snow chicken's position, would you be able to hold on?"

The soldiers were still obviously unwilling to accept the defeat, but when they saw the shocking scars on Snow Chicken's body, their morale dropped. "As a scout, he fulfilled his duty; as a soldier, he persisted long enough; even if he had to bow to Heleti, it was only for his life!"

"It is true that one is loyal to the end, but it is not necessarily weak to choose to live," Raven said.

"If this 'traitor' is to die, none of you here deserve to live!"

That was the end of the matter.

Later that day, Anderson led the remaining main force of the Eagle Army to the Scorpion Nest and reunited with Raven.

The look he gave Raven was full of admiration.

He was born a horse thief, and he knew better than anyone how dangerous and terrifying the Sand King was.

Unexpectedly, Raven was actually able to defeat him.

At this time, Heleti, Firebeard and Steelfang were being imprisoned together.

"Helati, look at your brilliant idea!" Firebeard complained, "You clearly know that Raven is trying to lure you out. Why don't you just guard the Scorpion Nest and watch them freeze to death?"

"Now you're asking us to follow you and wait for death here!"

Heleti, who was squatting in the corner, spread his legs and frowned when he heard this: "Stop talking, it's because you two are useless. You brought more than 50 people and couldn't even handle Raven's 20 people. Fortunately, I still trusted you so much!"

"What did you say!?" Steel Teeth laughed angrily, "Just get it straight, we are here to help you! You are so arrogant and even named yourself 'Sand King', but now you are unwilling to take responsibility for yourself!?"

Heleti sneered: "Come on, I did invite you here, but are you two bastards really that loyal? Did I not pay you enough? Or did I not give you enough food and fodder for the winter?"

"One is Firebeard and the other is Steelfang. They have great reputations, but they are dumber than the other. Even if they join forces, they can't even beat a woman!"

"If I had known you were such losers, I would have just given these things to Raven!"

Fire Beard and Steel Teeth were already feeling very aggrieved, and after hearing what Heleti said, they became even angrier. They looked at each other and went straight towards Heleti.

Firebeard hit Helaiti's chest with a headbutt, causing Helaiti to roll his eyes; Steel Teeth made use of the advantage of his name and bit him!

Heleti kicked around with both feet, but even though he was at level 3, his hands were tied up with the magic-sealing steel, and he was beaten the worst by Raven, so he was no match for these two men.

When Raven brought his men over, they were still wrestling with each other, and it was Anderson who whipped them apart.

"Stop making trouble!"

Helaiti sat in the corner, panting, with tears in the corners of her eyes, looking like a girl who had just been insulted.

Looking at Gangya again, his mouth was full of blood, and with a "puff" he spat out half of an ear - Helaiti's.

Raven was delighted when he saw this. As expected, the name Steel Teeth was used. His teeth were really good!
"Do you want to live or die?" Raven asked.

"I want to live, of course I want to live!" Fire Beard smiled flatteringly, and Steel Teeth echoed him.

Heleti struggled to crawl to Raven's feet: "Baron, you have the final say!"

"If you want to live, I can let you live." Raven said, "But the premise is that you must obey my orders, stay in Bloody Highlands honestly, and don't harass the Nord Province again."

"The most important thing is that you must keep in touch with me at all times. I must be the first to know about any movement on Bloody Highlands."

"otherwise……"

Helaiti said loudly: "Understand! We all understand. Don't worry, it's not just the slightest disturbance. If there are any blind horse thieves who dare to harass you, we will kill them immediately without you saying anything!"

Raven nodded: "Let them go."

This decision was one that Raven had considered carefully.

On the bloody high ground, the horse bandits come and go like the wind. If you kill them this time, others will take their places. It would be better to stay and watch the gate.

Firebeard and Steelfang are a group, while Heleti is a separate force.

After this incident, their relationship can be said to be like fire and water.

Whichever side gets Raven's support will be able to overwhelm the other side.

As a Nord noble, Raven would not have any interest in their territory on the Bloody Highlands.

Therefore, if they want to exist and continue to develop, they must first try to please Raven.

This can not only ensure that they are used by Raven, but also prevent them from colluding with each other and deceiving Raven.

After resting for a few days, Raven led his team out of the Scorpion Nest and stopped briefly to rest at the Rustwater Oasis.

Taking advantage of this time, Raven summoned "Snow Chicken" Bent:
"From now on, you will stay here and monitor the movements on Bloody Highlands for me."

Bent's eyes were full of gratitude: "Yes, sir!"

Although he was pardoned by Raven, betrayal is an indelible stain after all. The Eagle Army soldiers who survived the battle had no trust in him. He has been looked down upon these days.

Instead of going back, it’s better to stay here.

"I'm glad you understand." Raven nodded: "Back then I left you in..."

At this point, Raven was stunned.

Back then? What back then?
Something seemed to pass through his mind, but Raven couldn't grasp it for a moment.

Bent and the surrounding soldiers were also a little confused, but they all thought that Raven had made a slip of the tongue, so they kept silent.

"...In short, although I let those bandits go, I don't trust them." Raven said, "It's okay if it's a small matter, but if there's a big one, they'll be the first to betray me."

"You are here to keep an eye on me. If anything goes wrong, report it immediately."

Bent nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, sir! This time, I won't let you down again!"

With supplies ready, the team set off.

At the beginning of the new year, Raven led his team back to Eagle Castle.

Seeing the team's heavy losses, Donald was also worried about Raven's safety.

Especially when he saw that Raven's hair had turned white again, he felt even more worried.

But when he saw the huge amount of supplies brought back, he immediately burst into smiles.

I immediately went to count the spoils with old Gordon.

After this adventure together, Raven and Nancy's relationship has warmed up.

"Raven, look, what kind of flower is this?" Nancy asked puzzledly while bending under a dead tree in the forest outside Eagle Town.

In the Nordic province, it is indeed rare to find plants that can bloom in winter.

But Raven did not answer. Looking at Nancy's plump and perky little butt as she bent over, he suddenly felt itchy.

"I'm asking you, come and take a look!"

As she spoke, Nancy pulled at her skirt, as if she wanted to squat down and take a closer look.

The sudden bulging arc made Raven unable to bear it any longer. He clasped his hands together, raised his index and middle fingers together, and suddenly poked it up!
"what--"

Like a boiling kettle, Nancy jumped up, holding her buttocks, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, staring at Raven angrily:

"you!!!!"

Raven thought this was too harsh and turned around and ran away:

"Sorry, I couldn't help it!"

But thinking of Nancy's aggrieved expression, Raven couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Come back here!" Nancy shouted.

Then a fireball passed by Raven and landed not far in front of him!
"Help! You are murdering my husband!!"

Raven laughed and continued walking.

There is always a price to pay for being naughty. For example, after this incident, Raven slept in the study for a full 10 days.

However, the anger did not last long, as news arrived that the Death Hand Cult was causing trouble.

The three central counties of the Nordic province, Hodges, Mansa and Arag, were almost completely destroyed.

Hundreds of thousands of people died and millions were displaced!

The provincial governor, Count Montreal, issued an order to mobilize the nobles of the province to fight against the Order of the Hand of Death.

So Raven, together with John, Angel, and Baron Romney, the lord of the Stonebreak Territory, set out on a journey to fight against the army of death.

Their goal was to recapture occupied Hodges County.

Starting from Snowmaple County, passing through Hippok County, then detoured to the northeast and passed through Savery County, and finally on the 17th day, we entered Derby County.

Here they began to approach the war zone, and they also witnessed the destruction brought by the Hand of Death.

There were corpses everywhere and the village was destroyed.

Skeletons and zombies became the only living creatures that could still move on this land.

After annihilating several small forces, Raven and his team finally found the main force.

The large army was led by Viscount Morgan of Hippoc County. Upon seeing Raven and his party arrive, he immediately extended a warm invitation.

Raven went to the banquet with John and the others, but faced with Viscount Morgan's request for cooperation, they all chose to refuse.

"What an idiot!" After leaving, Angel complained loudly: "There are more than 2 troops, but they only set up one camp, and it's so chaotic!"

"The carpet of the tent is soaked with wine. I don't think they are here to fight, but just to have a picnic. If the undead army attacks them, they won't even have time to escape!"

This foul-mouthed man may sound harsh, but he does have some insight. From a military perspective, Viscount Morgan's actions are indeed tantamount to seeking death.

Although Raven didn't get along with Angel, he wouldn't go against him deliberately. He knew Morgan couldn't be trusted, so he chose to camp next to Viscount John.

I don’t know if it was because of Anger’s bad luck, but just two days later, the army of the Hand of Death arrived.

An army of 50000 bones almost filled the horizon!

Viscount Morgan led his troops to attack, and Viscount John, out of his noble duty, also led his troops to the front line.

However, the enemy was too numerous after all, and although Viscount Morgan had gathered 2 troops, there was no organization or unified command, and a great defeat followed.

Looking at the endless sea of ​​undead and the friendly forces that were beginning to collapse, Angel's teeth chattered, and he grabbed the reins of Raven who wanted to lead the charge:

"What are you doing? Are you going to die?!"

"John has returned Goldshire to you!"

"He adopted you as his son in order to get close to Fox, but do you really think of him as your real father?!"

It's not that Angel suddenly fell in love with Raven, but because although Raven only brought more than 30 people on this trip, they were all cavalry, and each of them rode two horses. When they acted together with Raven, their mobility was fully guaranteed.

"Let go!" Raven frowned.

"Give me a reason!"

Raven snorted coldly: "A real man has his share of things to do and things not to do. Westerners like you will never understand that."

"let go!"

As if it was burned, Angel let go of his hand, and Raven personally led the cavalry into the torrent of bones!

Relying on his keen battlefield intuition, Raven repeatedly interspersed and temporarily stabilized the defeated nobles, and accidentally rescued Baron Romney from the chaos.

"Baron Raven, thank you so much!" Romney said with tears in his eyes: "If you hadn't arrived in time, I would have died here!"

"What are you going to do next?"

"Go and support Viscount John. If he is defeated, our five northwestern counties will be completely finished!" Raven said.

"Then let's charge together!" Romney cheered up: "You saved my life, even if I die on the way to charge, it won't be a loss!"

"Okay!" Raven nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Baron Romney. Even if you die, I will take good care of your wife Doreen and your son!"

After saying this, he rode out on his horse.

Romney looked puzzled.

I'm not married yet? How do you know my wife's name is Doreen?

But there was no time for him to think on the battlefield.

The final result was gratifying.

Raven successfully rescued John and stabilized the front line, and Viscount Morgan regained his sanity after the initial panic and calmly commanded the battle and dispatched the troops.

After all, the army of death wins by numbers. Their individual combat effectiveness is poor, and they have no coordination at all. After several precise tactical moves by Viscount Morgan, the necromancer leading the army escaped, and the human race won the final victory in this battle!
After cleaning up the battlefield, there was another cocktail party.

At this party, everyone drank and had more fun, without the helpless feeling of waiting for doomsday with blindfolded eyes as in previous parties.

And Raven also became the focus of everyone's attention. His many intrusions not only saved Romney and John, but also many nobles.

late at night.

Raven arrived at Angel's camp.

Angel was drunk at this time. He glanced at Raven and snorted coldly: "Ha, isn't this our war hero? Why, are you showing off in front of me, an old man?"

With a bang, he threw the wine jug in front of Raven and said angrily, "Get lost! You are not welcome here!"

"Oh, calm down, calm down." Raven kicked away the broken pieces of the wine jug and sat opposite Angel.
"This is not the right attitude to face your savior."

Angel said: "Are you drunk? You saved John, it has nothing to do with me!"

"Really?" Raven smiled. "Maybe I remembered it wrong. Then I will go back to Morgan and tell them that Baron Angel was not lost, but wanted to abandon everyone and escape!"

Angel's drunkenness immediately came out along with the cold sweat: "What do you mean?"

"It's meaningless." Under the moonlight, Raven's hair was almost completely white. "Since Baron Angel doesn't appreciate it, I can only tell the truth."

At that time, Angel wanted to escape because he was certain that the battle was a loss and everyone would fail. So he could just run away and no one would notice him.

But the problem is, the battle is now won!

Many nobles also died on the battlefield.

If Angel was exposed for deserting the battlefield at this time, not only would he be drowned by the saliva of the nobles, he would probably not be able to escape the punishment at the imperial level.

Reduction of land and title, and execution are the lightest punishments!

"What do you want?" Angel squeezed out a word from between his teeth.

"It's simple. I hope my territory is intact." Raven stared at Angel and said slowly, "Besides, when I return, I will expand my army. I am in great need of equipment and iron materials."

"Gray Mountain Mine will be very helpful to me!"

……

(End of this chapter)