Manor Lord of the Elf World

Chapter 165 Sharon's Shock and Envy (Two Chapters Combined)

"Lord Sharon, shall we explain our identities and purpose to the lord here?" the steward, Crane, inquired.

“No need.” Sharon narrowed his eyes, gazing at the town ahead, thinking to himself: He wanted to see just who this person was.

Not only did he dare to impersonate Prince Raven, but he also had the audacity to attempt to abolish the slave system.

This is undoubtedly an attempt to overthrow the rule of the entire kingdom; this is no longer the work of an ordinary lord, and a strong response is necessary.

Sharon instinctively felt that this person could not be the third prince Raven. As far as he knew, Prince Raven was in the royal city, a little prince who had been raised in the deep palace since childhood and had never been involved in worldly affairs.

Moreover, His Highness Raven is a member of the royal family, so how could he do something that would dig his own grave?

"Let's go, Crane!" Sharon prepared to enter the other party's territory first to take a look.

"Yes, my lord."

The two rode their horses slowly forward. Before they even entered the city, they saw vast stretches of fields outside the city.

The fields were a golden expanse, with endless rows of wheat ripening soon, resembling a golden ocean, and even the air was filled with the joy of harvest.

"My lord, this is...!"

Kran's face showed a look of surprise and uncertainty.

As far as he knew, it was not harvest time yet; the crops planted by the farmers in their territory were still lush and green.

How could this be?
“There’s something strange about this place…” Sharon frowned.

At that moment, they noticed that there seemed to be several farmers working in the fields.

"Kran, go and ask what happened," Sharon said.

"Yes, my lord!"

Crane nodded, walked up to a farmer who was resting by the roadside, and struck up a conversation with him, pretending to be a passerby.

"Uncle, it looks like this year will be another bumper harvest!"

The farmer glanced at him, smiled, and said, "You must be from out of town."

"Huh? How did you figure that out?" Crane asked, somewhat surprised.

"This isn't just a bumper harvest this year; every season here yields a bumper crop!" the farmer said proudly. "Everyone in Raven City knows this; we're all used to it!"

“Every season…?” Crane was taken aback.

"Yes!" the farmer nodded matter-of-factly.

A question mark popped up above Crane's head.

"How did you manage to do that? Besides, when we passed through other territories before, their crops were still lush and green, and it would be a long time before they were ready for harvest," he couldn't help but ask.

"All of this is thanks to His Highness Raven's leadership!" The farmer's eyes were filled with gratitude.

“Your Highness Raven?” Crane keenly noticed the word “Your Highness” at the end, and an unbelievable thought immediately popped into his mind.

It's important to know that within the kingdom, not everyone can use the title "Your Highness".

Only members of the royal family are entitled to use this title.

Could it be that Prince Raven here is really the Third Prince they've heard about?
But that shouldn't be the case! Shouldn't the Third Prince be in the royal city right now?
Moreover, according to the intelligence they had gathered, the third prince had little contact with politics since childhood. He was deeply favored by the old king and spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun.

Such a person could never possibly govern such a large territory.

Could it be... that the Third Prince is hiding his true abilities?

Realizing this was possible, Crane forgot to inquire about the situation and hurriedly returned to Sharon's side to report the matter.

"It can't be Raven, absolutely not!" After some thought, Sharon finally rejected the possibility.

If it were Raven, Prince Lance would have known long ago and wouldn't have let this place go unattended.

"Kran, did you see those magical beasts?" Sharon asked.

"Warcraft?"

Following the lord's gaze, Crane indeed spotted several magical beasts and a few other farmers at the edge of the farmland.

“Strange…” Sharon was not an incompetent lord. In his territory, the common people usually kept their distance from these wild magical beasts.

In this place, these commoners were not afraid of those magical beasts.

Early-ripening crops and civilian-friendly monsters—this place is getting stranger and stranger.

“Let’s keep going! Perhaps once we’re in the city, we’ll find the answer to this question,” Sharon said.

"Yes, my lord!"

The two traveled along the country road and soon arrived at the town.

The town was bustling with people. Although it didn't seem very big, Sharon noticed that the town was still under construction and its current appearance was not its full picture.

Beneath my feet are clean and tidy red brick streets. Compared to the uncivilized territories ruled by some barbaric lords, this place is simply another world.

An atmosphere of advancement and civilization is palpable...

"My lord, look!" Crane pointed ahead in surprise.

Sharon looked up and saw a group of soldiers in armor, with swords at their waists, marching past in neat formation not far away. They seemed to be on patrol.

Of course, at first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with this scene.

But the question is, why are so many magical beasts following those soldiers?!
More importantly, the monsters seemed to have been tamed by the soldiers, and they followed the soldiers obediently.

Sharon looked completely stunned.

Kran was equally shocked.

Did these soldiers tame these magical beasts?

Or, like the King Lance they served, did those magical beasts choose to join the army and fight for him in order to help him achieve his beliefs?

Before the two could think further, the patrolling soldiers gradually disappeared into the distance.

"My lord... what exactly is going on?" Crane murmured.

In response, Sharon shook his head in silence. If they hadn't never heard of Raven before, they would probably have thought this was a place used by Prince Lance for experiments.

The two walked along the clean and tidy red brick street, observing the surrounding scenery as they went.

Gradually, the further you go in, the more prosperous it becomes.

The streets were lined with shops: inns, fruit stalls, blacksmith shops, barbershops, clothing stores, and the newspaper shops they had seen before...

Similarly, the number of monsters here has gradually increased.

The Bean Pigeon perched on the rooftop, the waders in the women's arms, Hayok following behind the old man, and the snow-hat monster led by the children.

Some magical beasts even helped humans.

For example, there's the lily root doll that helps sell vegetables, the wind sprite that acts as a signboard, and the long-eared rabbit that attracts customers...

More like a town of monsters than a human town. No! To be precise, it's a town where humans and monsters live together—this thought crossed Sharon's mind.

The butler, Crane, standing nearby, also wore a look of astonishment.

The master and servant were completely stunned by the scene around them, and it took them a long time to come to their senses.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at a relatively secluded place.

"here it is?"

Sharon subconsciously glanced inside and then saw many young men and women with magical beasts in a courtyard inside the gate.

The guard at the school entrance, seeing the two of them, couldn't help but ask with curiosity, "Who are you two?"

"Hello, we're from another territory. May I ask where this place is?" Crane asked.

"From out of town?" The guard realized, then smiled and explained, "This is our school. All children in the territory who meet the age can come here to study."

"School?" Crane was slightly taken aback.

But Sharon noticed the second half of the sentence: all the children…

Connecting this to the lord's actions, he asked, almost as if possessed, "Can commoners and slaves' children also be included?"

“Of course, His Highness Raven advocates education for all, and all children can come here to learn.” The guard’s face was full of gratitude; his children would also come here to study when they grew up.

He's gone mad! The lord of this place has gone mad!

At that moment, Sharon felt that, given the handiwork of the landowner, the news of the abolition of slavery published in the newspaper was probably true.

Sharon was shocked. Did the other party know what he was doing?

This behavior is shaking the very foundation of the kingdom!
If we send lowly slaves to school here, who will be willing to serve the nobles in the future?

Not to mention him, if other nobles found out about this, they would surely gang up on him.

Before Sharon could say anything, the guard in front of him continued:
"However, we don't have any slaves here anymore. This is a law personally promulgated by His Highness Raven. From now on, everyone is a free man!"

The guard grinned, his heart and face filled with gratitude whenever he mentioned Prince Raven.

"No more slaves?" Sharon looked at the guard in front of him and thought to himself, what's the difference between you, the gatekeeper, and those slaves who serve the nobles?
The guard seemed to have read his mind and immediately said:
"His Highness Raven will pay us a salary! It's a lot of money a month! And if we don't want to work anymore, we can quit anytime and find other jobs."

Upon hearing this, Sharon fell silent.

The guard continued, "Not only that, we also have social security. As long as we pay a certain amount of insurance, we can save a lot of money when we go to the hospital for treatment. Prince Raven is the best king in the world!"

"Moreover, we don't have to worry about having nowhere to put all the money we earn. His Highness Raven has even set up a special bank for us. All the money we earn can be deposited there and managed by a dedicated person. We can withdraw it whenever we want, and we even get interest every year!"

Social security? Bank? Interest? Sharon was slightly taken aback.

What is that?
However, what shocked Sharon even more than these things was that the common people living in this territory trusted their lord so much.

What is most important to an ordinary person?
Besides family, it's all about money.

If it were his territory, unless he forcibly requisitioned it, those commoners would never hand over their money to him for safekeeping.

At that moment, Sharon keenly sensed something.

His relationship with ordinary people is probably different from Raven's relationship with ordinary people.

The common people in his territory felt only fear and respect for these rulers.

The common people in this place have a deep and heartfelt respect and love for the lord named "Raven".

Sharon felt a strange sense of envy.

"Sir, let's go back first!" Crane whispered.

Sharon nodded and said nothing more.

They checked into a hotel in town, and then Crane went to identify himself and inform the owner that they would be making a formal visit the next morning.

When Raven heard the news, he was having Kyurem help train several of his Pokémon.

"Sharon, the lord of Twin Dragon Territory?" Raven looked at Elif with some uncertainty.

“That’s right.” Elif nodded. “Lord Sharon arrived in our territory today and will pay you a formal visit early tomorrow morning.”

Twin Dragon Territory... Could it be the Twin Dragon City of later generations?

Sharon? Could he be an ancestor of Shaka?
Raven wasn't too surprised by this, after all, he had anticipated that this day would come sooner or later when the newspaper was first published.

"I understand." Raven nodded slightly.

Since that's the case, then he should meet with the other party!

With Kyurem around, Raven isn't afraid of his two good brothers finding him now.

Whether it's Reshiram, Zekrom, or Kyurem, they are all equivalent to nuclear weapons in terms of war; their existence is both a threat and a warning.

However, the contradictions in this war had clearly been accumulating for a long time, and could not be ended by a war between kings alone.

“I understand. I will arrange for them to meet you first thing tomorrow morning.” Elif nodded, and then, as if remembering something, he added, “By the way, Your Highness, the throne room in the castle has been completed. You can receive them there first thing tomorrow morning.”

As a king, how can Your Highness continue to use such a small office to receive other lords?
That would be too beneath Prince Raven's status and would make him look down upon by other lords.

Only a magnificent castle is worthy of their prince.

*

The following morning, Sharon and Crane, led by Elif, went to meet Prince Raven.

They walked through the town, crossed a large bridge, and there stood a tall and majestic castle in front of them.

A look of surprise flashed in their eyes; this castle was far more magnificent than theirs!
Gradually, the group arrived at the gate.

The castle gates slowly opened, revealing a spacious and magnificent hall. A thick red carpet was laid out underfoot, stretching all the way to the front, where a luxurious throne stood.

A young man sat on the throne, and behind him stood a terrifying figure exuding an ancient aura.

The figure was enormous; just by looking into it, one could feel an irresistible aura of majesty and chill, as if it were an innate aura of a superior.

Sharon and Kran couldn't help but shudder. They looked at Kyurem with terror in their eyes.

That is……

What is that magical beast?!

The aura emanating from it was in no way inferior to that of the dragon named Reshiram that he had seen with Prince Lance before!
"Your Highness..."

At that moment, an unbelievable thought suddenly popped into the minds of the master and servant.

Could the person before them really be Raven, the third prince of the kingdom they had heard so much about?!

Sharon couldn't help but murmur, "Raven... Your Highness?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man on the throne lowered his gaze and looked at him.

(End of this chapter)