Imperial Crown.

Chapter 105 Rustwater Oasis (500 total monthly tickets plus additional chapters)
There were 137 war horses and 352 pack horses.

This was the number of horses when Raven and his companions left the Scorpion Nest, and the scale was even greater than when they came.

Before leaving, Raven piled up the fuel and food that he could not take with him and started a big fire.

The soldiers lit the fire in an orderly manner, and the gray dwarves joined in the fun.

The craziest ones were the women. They cursed, cried, threw pieces of firewood into the fire with hatred, and watched the castle slowly being engulfed by flames with unspeakable complex emotions in their eyes.

This devil's den that devoured their chastity, youth and lives finally disappeared in the flames.

When Raven and the others left, the entire scorpion nest had turned into a huge bonfire.

Then, it collapsed with a loud bang, and the flying ashes and smoke covered the sky.

It can be imagined that no matter which group of bandits it was, it would be difficult to clean up this ruin.

The soldiers have gradually become accustomed to life on horseback. The gray dwarves are tied to the horses' backs, and since they are short in stature, there is no need to worry about them falling off.

What surprised Raven the most were the women. Their movements when mounting the horses were very clumsy and it was obvious that they did not know how to ride horses at all. However, they gritted their teeth and followed the main group. Even when they could not get off the horses when setting up camp at night, they never fell behind.

Under such circumstances, and with Margaret's guidance, the journey took less time than Raven expected. It took only eight days to get from the Scorpion Nest to the Rustwater Oasis.

There is a deep lake extending from underground here. The area is not very large. The bottom and walls of the lake are covered with reddish-brown algae unique to this place. From a distance it looks like rust has grown in the water, hence the name Rusty Water Lake.

Raven decided to rest here for a day and take a final rest and replenish supplies before leaving the Bloody Highlands.

The leader of the Rustwater Oasis is named "Pugna", a retired old horse thief. When he heard that Heleti was defeated by Raven, he collected Woz's body early and tidied up his remains.

As soon as Raven arrived, he immediately offered the body of the sacrificed scout and gave his own house to Raven for temporary residence.

Under Raven's arrangement, the soldiers camped beside the Rustwater Lake, while he took Simon, Bent and the witch to the tavern "Sand Fox House".

The environment of this pub was unexpectedly good. Even in winter, there was not much dust and mud on the ground. The stove was burning brightly and the room was filled with the aroma of meat.

A boy who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen was huddled behind the counter with his eyes rolling around. Next to him was a woman who looked to be around thirty years old.

The woman had chestnut hair and high cheekbones, and she clearly had the blood of the Insa Empire. Although her skin was a little rough, she was a rare beauty in the harsh environment of the Bloody Highlands.

"Would you like to have a drink or stay in a hotel?" the woman asked with a warm smile on her face.

Raven ignored the female boss because he had heard Simon and Bent's heavy breathing.

The Eye of Truth swept across the room, Raven sat down at the table, and said calmly, "Handle it yourselves."

Margaret laughed wickedly in a low voice: "Leave the woman to me."

This looks exactly like the villain in the story.

Simon and Bent both took off their hoods, drew their swords and rushed forward. There was no loud condemnation like in the knight novels, but the murderous intent in their steps and eyes made their intentions clear.

The woman's face suddenly turned pale: "Someone is causing trouble——"

All of a sudden, four drinkers who seemed to be drinking stood up and surrounded them. They were wearing thick fur armor, had thick hair and beards, and walked steadily. In just a few steps, they formed a circle.

However, this did not stop the angry soldiers.

Simon strode forward, and under the impetus of the stormy fighting spirit, his speed was far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. As he brushed past a big man, the long sword in his hand had already cut the other person's throat.

Blood gushed out and the body fell to the ground.

War is the best teacher.

After being tempered by the flames of war, Simon has begun to understand how to achieve the greatest results with the least effort.

"Extraordinary——!?" A cry of surprise was heard in the tavern.

The remaining three thugs were stunned, but Bent did not stop. If there was one thing he had learned during his time in Bloody Highlands, it was that -

Don't go soft on anyone on the bloody high ground.

He grasped the sword with both hands and thrust it forward suddenly. The sword pierced into the heart of a thug and blood spurted out.

The thug's face turned pale with pain, but perhaps because the armor on his chest was thick enough, or perhaps because his muscles were strong enough, he did not die for a moment. Instead, under the effect of adrenaline, he reached out to grab the sword!
But Bent would not give him this chance. With a roar, he slammed his knee on the hilt of the sword. With a "puff", the sword pierced the thug's chest, causing blood to spurt out of his mouth and nostrils, and then he fell limply to the ground.

The blood was steaming. Seeing this, the two remaining thugs looked at each other, dropped their weapons, and slowly retreated.

On the other side, the boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old saw Simon coming, pushed the woman towards Simon, and went to the back door himself.

Simon's body flashed with green fighting spirit, and he let the woman go. He took two steps forward and grabbed the boy by the back of his collar.

The boy gritted his teeth, turned around, and a dagger appeared in his hand. It flew straight towards Simon's throat with a sound of breaking through the air.

If it was an ordinary horse thief on Bloody Heights, this attack would almost certainly hit the target.

But Simon is not ordinary.

He raised his left hand and grabbed the opponent's wrist and twisted it, and the dagger fell to the ground with a clang. Then he held the hilt of the sword with his right hand and hit the opponent's lower back hard. The severe pain and numbness made the boy collapse completely.

Panting, Simon pulled the man back to the counter and pressed his body down to his knees.

The boy gasped heavily: "Who... are you?!" Although Raven and others' team was large, they did not raise a flag, and Simon and others were cruising outside, so their whereabouts had never been exposed.

Simon said nothing and glanced at Bent, who rubbed his aching knee and limped out of the door. Soon, he came in dragging a frozen corpse.

The moment he saw the corpse, the boy's pupils suddenly contracted: "This... is, it's you! I remember...!"

Before he could finish his words, he was pressed to the bloody ground, face to face with Wozniacki's body.

The stiff face made him feel extremely scared, and his desire to survive burst out:
"You can't kill me... You can't kill me! Aren't you the Empire's army? I'm a civilian, a civilian!"

"But you are not a civilian of the Empire, nor are you my subject." Raven finally spoke.

"You must be the Baron!" The boy struggled: "I... I am still useful. I grew up in Bloody Highlands. I know this place well!"

"The Bloody Heights will devour the weak. This man died in my hands. He is not worthy of being your soldier. I will definitely be more qualified than him!"

Simon clenched his teeth tightly and applied more force to his hands.

"The Bloody Highlands devour the weak." Raven muttered this sentence and nodded slowly: "Well said."

"So, your death here doesn't fit this statement?"

After saying that, Raven stood up and walked out.

He had come along to avoid any accidents, but now that the matter had been resolved, there was no need to stay any longer.

Looking at Raven's back, the boy cried out in despair: "Baron... Baron——"

With a bang, Simon punched the boy's head to the ground, crushing his mouth.

Then he drew out his sword and slowly stabbed it into the back of his neck!

The sword pierced into the back of the neck and then came out of the throat, blood splattered and bubbles with blood foam kept spewing out of the boy's mouth.

Bent stepped forward, swinging his long sword with both hands and bringing it down like a guillotine.

With a clang, the sword blade fell to the ground, leaving a gap, and the boy's head rolled out.

The blood fell on Woz's stiff face, as if revealing a smile.

Simon slowly drew his sword and looked up, his eyes sweeping over the remaining drinkers in the room. These people suddenly became panicked and left one by one, carefully sticking to the wall.

Margaret stepped over the corpse on the ground, her robe stained with blood, and grabbed the woman's hair and dragged her on the ground, going up the stairs step by step.

Oddly enough, the woman was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, but the moment she was pulled up by Margaret, she began to cry out and scream miserably.

“Nooooooooooo!!!”

Because she saw Margaret's face beneath her burqa.

A wisp of black air leaked out from Margaret's fingers and enveloped the woman's face, making her speechless instantly.

"Don't let anyone up here."

That night, Raven stayed in a two-story building next to the Rustwater Oasis.

If we don't consider that this is the Bloody Highlands, the scenery here is actually quite nice. In the near distance is the Rusty Lake with slightly hot steam rising from it, and in the far distance is a vast expanse of white land. One glance at it will make one's heart open up.

Crunch, crunch, crunch…

Footsteps sounded, the door opened, and the tavern's female owner appeared in front of Raven.

She seemed to have carefully washed and dressed up. Her skin became whiter and smoother than before, her figure became more curvaceous, and her eyes were filled with tenderness like water: "Jianka, hello, Lord Baron."

Raven just glanced at him and said, "Speak properly."

"My Lord Baron, don't you like my new body?" Jennifer, or Margaret, walked forward with her waist twisted. She was so charming that she could win a large number of fans even in the city of Mon'en.

"Stop." Raven said in a commanding tone, "If you want a man, go find one outside. Don't come to me, and don't provoke my soldiers!"

This body is indeed nice, but Raven has seen her true appearance. No matter how beautiful she becomes, Raven will not be tempted at all.

This reminded Raven of the legends about monsters in his previous life. White Snake's original form, a python, at least looked clean, so it was reasonable for Xu Xian to be courageous.

But how could the seniors have the heart to kill those female monsters whose true forms were foxes, dogs, or even musk deer?
At this moment, Margaret suddenly trembled, and she unconsciously backed away to the corner of the room.

Through the connection between the two, Raven felt Margaret's genuine fear, just like a mouse seeing a cat.

The door opened and Volav walked in: "Baron, there is a woman who wants to see you."

Raven glanced at Margaret, a hint of curiosity rising in his heart: "Let her in."

Volav stepped back, and soon a figure shrouded in a silver robe walked in gracefully.

At this moment, Raven opened the Eye of Truth.

……

(End of this chapter)