Imperial Crown.

Chapter 445: Return of the Strong Force

Chapter 461: Return of the Strong Reinforcement
On the street of Eagle City, stood a man about 40 years old.

His hair was messy, as if it had been gnawed by a dog; his skin was pale and bloodless, and he was wearing a standard-sized Pigeon brand overalls, but it looked a little empty, as if what was supported inside was not a human body, but a skeleton.

Against the backdrop of his skinny cheeks, his eyes were frighteningly bright, staring at passers-by, regardless of gender, age or status.

This unusual posture made everyone he stared at speed up their pace and look at him with disdain.

If this man hadn't been accompanied by a knight in full helmet and armor, someone would have probably come and beaten him up.

"We're going to have a war, aren't we?" the man suddenly asked, his voice dry and strange, as if he had just learned to speak: "There are a lot of Eivor people on the street, and several caravans just passed by."

"How soon will we set off? 10 days? 8 days?"

"12 days." The hyena behind him sighed helplessly: "Doug, the master only ordered me to take you out for a haircut, can you please not make yourself look like a cultist?"

"But I'm a cultist." Doug smacked his lips.
"Um... a former cultist."

This was a bit neurotic, but the hyena didn't want to blame him: "I know you've been locked up for 10 years and you long for life outside, but don't make it difficult for me. We should go back."

"No, to be exact, I was imprisoned for 10 years, 7 months and 4 days." Doug corrected and walked towards Eagle City.

This man named Doug was imprisoned from the age of less than 30 to nearly 40.

That's why the hyenas didn't want to bother with him.

Anyone who has been locked up in a dungeon for more than 10 years and then sees the light of day again would not be able to behave more naturally.

Just 10 years ago, as a member of the Hand of Death, Doug was ordered by Elder Rudolph to come to Xuefeng County to investigate the movements of the Bone Dragon. He originally wanted to cause trouble to test Raven, but before he could start, he was captured by Raven.

"so good……"

Looking at the bustling streets and all kinds of passers-by, Doug smiled.

He was alone for too long, and everyone he saw on the road made him happy.

For the first time in his life, he felt that living people were so lovable.

After all, he had been alone for too long.

During the 10 years of imprisonment, the first five years were okay because at least there was a Mark in prison with him.

Five years ago, Raven set off for the royal capital, taking Mark with him, leaving Doug alone.

Without anyone to accompany him, spring, summer, autumn and winter became meaningless, and Doug even forgot how to speak.

I just always hold on to one belief: if Mark can get out, then so can I!
His faith finally bore fruit and he was really released.

He was also confident that he would not be imprisoned again in a short period of time.

Before this, Raven came to see him and ordered him to cast a spell to communicate with the Hand of Death, and Doug also successfully contacted Elder Rudolph.

Raven knew that the Hand of Death knew a lot about the Orc Empire and wanted to exchange it for information about the Orc Empire.

Although Elder Rudolf did not agree immediately, he did not express a clear refusal.

This at least means that Doug will not be locked up in that dark dungeon again until the next round of negotiations.

When we arrived at the gate of Eagle City, a clear voice suddenly rang out.

"Is Raven in the castle?"

In Eagle City, is there anyone who dares to call Raven by his name without using a respectful title?
Doug turned around in astonishment, and then froze in place—

What a nice view!

It was a young girl, with brown hair braided into thin braids like a veil, dotted with star-shaped lavender petals.

The beautiful eyes reflected the stars in the sky, and they were so clear that they seemed to see through the essence of all things.

There was a faint smile on the corners of her pink lips, which made people unable to breathe, but also gave people an impression of nobility and purity, making people dare not have the slightest disrespectful thoughts.

It can only be viewed from a distance, not played with.

"Your Highness Anno!" Hyena bowed and patted Doug on the back:
"The Earl is in the study now."

"Thank you." Annuo nodded slightly and walked towards the city.

Doug was a beat slow to react. He bent down and his eyes fell on the hem of Annuo's skirt.

The high-heeled boots crocheted with silver metal made crisp sounds, the arch of the foot was breathtakingly beautiful, and the small toenails reflected the moonlight, light and cute.

A few minutes later, An Nuo pushed open the door of Lei Wen's office.

Raven looked up, a little surprised: "Annuo, why are you back?"

An Nuo did not answer, but said: "I heard that you are planning to expedition to the Orc Empire."

As she spoke, she sat down opposite Raven, placed a deck of tarot cards with a blue background and gold edges on the table, and made a gesture of "please".

Raven has become accustomed to Anno's routine. Whether meeting or saying goodbye, Tarot cards are a necessary process.

It's like some weird etiquette.

As usual, he stretched out his hand and wanted to turn over a few cards, but when his fingers were about to touch the cards, he suddenly retracted his hand.

There was a hint of surprise in An Nuo's eyes: "What's wrong?"

As a witch of divine blood, the results of Annuo's divination can be said to be a silhouette of fate. A wise man can always get a glimpse of the future from it.

This was also a gift she prepared to give to Raven after returning from her trip.

"Fate is ultimately created by humans." Raven smiled.

“It is better to move forward without hesitation than to know the outcome in advance and live in fear until the judgment of fate comes.”

"No matter what the final result is, I can accept it. At least, it is my own choice."

"Instead of attributing victory or defeat to fate."

An Nuo smiled, his smile like a gurgling mountain stream after the ice and snow melted in spring. He stretched out his delicate fingers and collected the tarot cards.

"Come to think of it, you went treasure hunting, didn't you?" Raven changed the subject: "Two years have passed, what have you gained?"

"Nothing." An Nuo said calmly: "So before coming back, I did another divination for myself. The thread of fate led me to the Orc Empire."

Raven asked, "So, you're going to work with me this time?"

An Nuo said: "Yes."

Raven rarely showed his joy.

When they first met, Raven had used the Eye of Truth to test Annuo. The power emanating from her was so great that it almost blinded Raven.

Now that Raven's strength has greatly increased, the effectiveness of the Eye of Truth has also increased, and he can already roughly understand Annuo's strength.

The reason why I said "roughly" is because the energy in Annuo's body is extremely special, making it difficult for Raven to judge its strength.

But generally speaking, he is very similar to the "Q" who once delivered messages for His Majesty the King.

Raven even felt that Annuo was even stronger.

Having such a strong person around always makes people feel at ease.

After showing the tarot cards in his hand, Anno asked:
"You really don't want to do a divination?"

"No need."

Time soon came to January 1205, 3.

The Eagle Army's expedition officially begins.

Chapter 462: The Beginning of the Expedition

It was a sunny and bright morning.

Outside the Eagle City, a dark cloud rose up. It was the assembled Eagle Army, forming six huge square formations, in an orderly manner, like clay sculptures.

A slightly chilly wind blew by, and the eagle flag representing Griffith fluttered.

On the high platform, Raven looked at everything in front of him, and a surge of emotions surged in his heart.

12 years ago, also here, also before going to war.

At that time, Raven had only 127 soldiers under his command, 19 of whom were wearing heavy armor, and the remaining 108 were only wearing leather armor. Not only did they have to carry their own logistical supplies, they also had no military equipment at all.

Today, Raven controls 6 legions with a total of 33755 soldiers, including 2153 heavy cavalry, 23327 heavy infantry, and 8275 archers.

There are also 846 Wind King Cavalrymen soaring in the sky!
Among these people, there are 1 first-level transcendents, 337 second-level transcendents, 29 third-level transcendents, and 3 fourth-level transcendent.

In addition, there were more than 10 farmers and auxiliary soldiers responsible for logistics, more than 2 pack horses, and magic crystal cannons and catapults that had been disassembled into parts.

If the army had been so powerful back then, the battle for the Principality of Eivor would not have lasted a full year!
"Let's go." Raven said.

woo-

A low horn sounds.

The Eagle Army, which had been stagnant like dark clouds, suddenly flowed like a river, and the sound of footsteps and horse hooves awakened the earth.

In the 6th Legion, Thor was full of confidence and held his head high.

This was his first time to truly participate in a war, and his heart was beating vigorously with every breath.

He had a feeling that in such an army, he would surely win one victory after another and return with honor and wealth.

Perhaps one day, when people mention him, they will no longer refer to him as “Eric’s son”, but as “the honorable Lord Thor”!
Moas, who is also in the Sixth Legion, has a much more complicated mentality.

Although he had been on the battlefield before, the enemies were either humans or the stiff and rigid undead.

But this time, they have to face the fierce orcs rumored to be there.

He didn't know whether he could come back alive, nor did he know whether he would gain merit on the battlefield or become a trophy of the orcs.

However, not everyone thinks as much as Thor and Moas.

"Oh my god, 3 people turned out to be a lot." Freckles muttered in a low voice: "You say, if a merchant collects all the things we pull every day, can we sell them for a lot of money?"

The donkey next to him drooped his face and said, "You are already the commander of the detachment, but you still talk about nonsense all day long. No wonder others don't want to stay with us."

"I think this has nothing to do with what I say." Freckles said bluntly: "The most important thing is that we both don't look good."

Donkey Face rolled his eyes and said, "You have such a heartless temper. You better be more careful next time. Don't let others sell you and then help them count the money."

"Hehe." Freckles rubbed his nose: "Don't you still have me, donkey-faced aunt."

Donkey Face was helpless and was about to continue nagging when he suddenly heard someone calling his name: "Paul——"

Turning around, he saw his mother standing by the roadside, shouting, "Be careful on the road!"

“Really? Didn’t I tell you not to send me off…” Donkey-face blushed and complained in a low voice out of the childish stubbornness of a young man.

But the tone was a little weak.

Those who came to see them off were not only Donkey-faced's mother, but also many relatives, friends and lovers of the Eagle Army soldiers.

Some people have earnest expectations, hoping that their children can succeed and gain military merit; some people have reluctant attachment, hoping that their lovers can return as promised.

They shouted the soldiers' names loudly, gave blessings with good wishes, and moved along beside the team.

Gradually, cries began to mix with the blessings.

This is a long journey with an unknown outcome. No one can be sure whether these expeditionary soldiers can come back or when they can come back.

Simon looked back at Jenny's figure, his eyes lingering on her slightly bulging belly, then he looked at Jenny again, smiled and made a silent promise.

"I will return."

As one of the veterans who had followed Raven the longest, Simon did not feel any special emotions.

War was his duty and the only thing he was good at.

The next thing to do is to follow the Earl's wishes and use your sword to clear the obstacles for him.

The Eagle Army of more than 3 people and 6 legions set out in the early morning. It took nearly 3 hours for the last batch of soldiers to leave the Eagle Territory.

At this time, the farmers and auxiliary soldiers responsible for escorting the supplies were about to set off.

The mobilization of large forces is always time-consuming.

All the way south.

Raven remained in the car, maintaining the illusion of being sick, but he did not deliberately slow down the march.

At a rate of about 60 miles a day, we left Snowmaple County and passed through Essex County, Hampshire County, Seaside County, and Irene County.

Finally, before spring arrived and the permafrost melted, they arrived at the border between Molinier Province and Nord Province.

Molinier, which means "high roof" in Imperial language, aptly describes the characteristics of this province.

From Nord to Molinier, you need to climb a mountain trail called "Throat of Frost and Snow" with a height difference of nearly 9800 feet, or more than 3000 meters.

The place lives up to its name.

As the only passage between Molinier and Nord, it is wide but extremely steep, with cliffs on both sides covered with ice and snow.

Walking in it is like walking in a crystal corridor, and the sunlight scattered by the ice walls is gorgeous and charming.

The environment is beautiful, but it is difficult for people walking in it to appreciate it.

The cold temperature comes second, as Nord men are never afraid of the cold.

The real problem is snow blindness. Even with the best discipline, sudden blindness will always cause chaos.

As a result, some unnecessary layoffs occurred.

Marching in winter was never a good idea, and Raven knew it, but he had to do it.

All this is determined by Molinier's special environment.

The province of Molinier is located on a plateau, and its winters are longer than those in the Nords to the north.

From October to April of the following year, the mountain is covered with snow for more than half a year.

If Raven chooses to climb Mount Molinier in May, the snow will melt and they will have to march in the icy mud. The semi-cold environment will not only slow down the marching speed, but also cause more serious non-combat casualties.

June to September will be the rainy season in Molinier, which is even less suitable for marching; in October, it will be winter again.

It can be said that the best option is to enter Molinier in April and leave before the snow melts.

"Tell the soldiers, it won't be long." Lei Wenxue ordered, thinking of a way to quench his thirst by looking at the plums: "After we pass 'Gail Zhuoya', the local nobles will come to greet us."

"Gailtraya" is a snowy mountain that can be seen immediately after stepping into the Throat of Frost and Snow. It is towering into the clouds and is also the third highest peak in the empire.

Crossing it means you have officially entered the border of Molinier.

After that, even though the mountain roads were difficult to travel, the Eagle Army would still march at least 40 miles every day. But even so, the Gaelzoya seen every morning and evening seemed to have not changed much.

Even Raven, after a long time, had the illusion that he was leading the team in circles.

For the first time, he understood what "running to the mountain and the horse dying" really meant.

Finally, on the sixth day after setting foot on the Throat of Frost and Snow, the peak of Gaeltraya, which seemed forever unreachable, finally became within reach.

The steep mountain road disappeared, replaced by an endless expanse of snowfield!

A nobleman who had been waiting here for a long time, wrapped in a fur robe, found Raven and handed him an invitation from his master:
"Count Comos, please come and have a chat with me, Lord Raven!"

……

(End of this chapter)