Imperial Crown.

Chapter 108 Return to Eagle Territory

Just as they were about to enter Eagle Town, Savanna rode up to Raven:

"Baron, thank you for your care during this period. Now that I have returned to the Nord Province, I will take my leave."

Raven was a little surprised: "We'll be at Eagle Castle soon, why don't you stay a little longer? I can also do my part as a good host."

"I appreciate your kindness, Lord Baron." Savannah's tone was as cold and hard as ever: "But I have been delayed in the Bloody Highlands for too long. I need to report back as soon as possible."

"In that case, I won't stay any longer." Raven asked politely, "But it's not safe for you to go alone. Do you want me to transfer a few soldiers to go with you so that we can look after each other?"

Savanna refused decisively: "No need, I already owe the Baron too much."

Having said this, she glanced at Nancy who was following behind Raven, and continued meaningfully: "Your support for the great cause of the Holy See will definitely be rewarded handsomely!"

"May the Lord of Light bless you." Putting her hand on her chest in salute, Savanna turned her horse's head and galloped towards the direction of Shining Gold Town.

After a brief interlude, Raven and his troops slowly approached Eagle Town.

Finally returning to their long-lost hometown, the Eagle Army soldiers did not feel the joy of returning victoriously, but their mood became increasingly complicated.

Fear of being close to home.

When the residents of Eagle Town heard the news and rushed over, the atmosphere became heavy and solemn.

Especially when they saw the bodies being carried on horseback.

The war was won, as can be seen from the number of war horses that returned.

But the price paid was too heavy.

Even Eric couldn't bear to look into the eyes of his subjects.

Although the road in Xiongying Town had been renovated and was smooth and solid, it was not very wide. Even though the people in the town restrained their desire to rush forward, their progress still slowed down.

Bobby rode on his horse, looking through the crowd, hoping to see his family.

He failed to achieve his goal, but he discovered some new details.

Even in the cold winter, the residents of Eagle Town no longer huddle like in previous years. Their clothes are much thicker, and some even wear gloves and hats. Their faces are red from the cold, but there are no cracked wounds from the cold as before.

Perhaps it was because the sound of horse hooves was too loud, or perhaps it was because the voices of people were too deafening, the chickens and ducks raised in the yards and backyards began to flap their wings and cluck.

Looking at the smoke rising from the roof, a smell called fireworks enveloped Bobby, making his originally depressed mood slightly uplifted.

Bobby was not the only soldier who felt this way. Each of them had been deeply harmed by the horse thieves. Now that they had rescued a group of women from the scorpion's nest, they understood the evil of the horse thieves more intuitively and clearly.

When they saw their families in the crowd, they felt a sense of relief that they were still alive and living better than when they were gone.

The peaceful life of the people is the meaning of their fighting.

The sacrifices of our comrades were not in vain!

The soldiers were observing the people, and the people were observing the soldiers.

Their gaze would linger on each soldier's face, and only after confirming that it was not their relative or child would they move on to the next person's face.

The leader who found his family breathed a sigh of relief, an expression of joy yet fear on his face.

The faces of the residents who didn't find the bodies became more and more stiff and gloomy, so gloomy that water seemed to drip out of them. They looked at the corpses wrapped in horsehide, and their expressions were different.

Some were extremely disappointed, with empty eyes and lifeless eyes; some immediately began to cry softly, and wanted to rush to the bed but were stopped by the people next to them; others talked and laughed with the people next to them to deceive themselves, thinking that they might be dazzled, but tears still kept flowing from the corners of their eyes.

As a priest of Eagle Town, Lux was also among the crowd. Under her expectant gaze, Raven's figure finally appeared.

Lux's heart tightened.

Compared to when he left Eagle Town, Raven's face was a little more cold and resolute, his cheeks were thinner, and he looked more angular.

As he hadn't taken care of his hair for a long time, his chin and mouth were covered with a circle of short beard, making him look more mature and stable.

Seeing Raven's attire, Lux felt a little worried.

Before leaving, the shiny black leather armor that Raven was wearing had disappeared, replaced by a set of scale armor that didn't quite fit him.

At this moment, Raven's gaze also moved over. When their eyes met, Raven smiled and nodded at her slightly. Then he turned away and continued moving forward.

Lux let out a long breath.

It didn't look like Raven was seriously injured.

The team slowly passed through Eagle Town, and the people who came with the team also had their own ideas.

The women looked at the people on both sides, thinking they would be looked down upon or scrutinized, but they found that no one cared about them at all.

At the same time, they were also keenly aware of the differences between the people of Eagle Town and those elsewhere.

For example, the clothes he wore were both new and old, but they were all washed very clean, not as sloppy as the people under the rule of other lords. This was not something the lord could enforce.

It only shows that the people here live a relatively comfortable life, so they have the energy and financial resources to boil a pot of hot water to wash clothes in the middle of winter.

Moreover, it is cold in winter and it is difficult to dry clothes after washing, which means that every family and every person should have clean clothes!
This made them realize a fact.

Baron Raven was not being hypocritical, but under his rule, the people in his territory could always live a prosperous life. Expectations for the future quietly grew in his heart.

In contrast, the focus of the gray dwarves is completely different.

Sohei and Boweier were tied to the same warhorse, Sohei at the back and Boweier in front.

Sohei was bored to death because he traveled all day and slept at night. Now that he was in town, he couldn't help but open his mouth and leaned his shoulder towards Bowell: "Hey, don't sleep, look at that girl over there!"

"Which one?" Bower asked in a low voice.

Sohei said with impatience: "It's the one with golden hair. Look at her skin and figure. Not only can the dwarves not compare to her, even the drow can't compare to her!"

"Are you an idiot?" Bowell wanted to cover Sohei's mouth. "Just look at her clothes. She is a priest of the Church of Light. Do you want to betray the Master of the Forge?!"

"Hey, why don't you say that she is the one who will betray the Lord of Light?" Suohei licked his lips.

Bowell rolled his eyes and said, "This is human territory. If you don't want to be pushed into the cesspool like you were in Bloody Highlands, shut up!"

"Also, you know that this priest is so beautiful. Don't others know this? Baron Raven, a noble who always takes a woman with him when he goes to war, doesn't know this? If you want to drink again, don't have such a bad idea!"

The first sentence was not enough to convince the tough and tough Sohei, but the second sentence was so fatal that Sohei immediately closed his mouth and lowered his head.

Xiongying Town is not very large, so even if the team is slow, there is still time to get through.

Arriving in front of the Eagle Castle, Suo Hei's eyes lit up again: "Oh, there are beauties!"

But Raven's next words almost made him swallow his tongue.

"Aunt, I'm back." Raven said while riding on a horse.

At this time, the gates of Eagle Castle were wide open, and a group of maids and servants, led by Denise and Old Gordon, lined up outside the gate to greet them.

Old Gordon had a smile of excitement and relief on his face. To him, as long as Raven was fine, it didn't matter if everyone else died.

His granddaughter Fiona was holding a book and timidly glanced at Raven from behind old Gordon.

In her eyes, in less than two months, Baron Raven had become even more terrifying than before.

Jenny looked at Nancy and her eyes suddenly became red. She felt unfair for her young lady.

Although her daughter was as lovely and beautiful as before, she looked more haggard and tired than before, and she was still wearing the same clothes she wore when she left! When had Miss Nancy ever been wronged like this?

Denise's mood was more complicated. She looked at Weston with a look of relief as if she had finally put her mind at ease, and she looked at Raven with gentleness and a hint of admiration.

She spoke softly, her voice full, loud and pleasant: "Welcome to the triumphant return of the head of the Griffith family, Raven Ota Griffith!"

Led by Raven, the soldiers on horseback all pounded their chests:

"Invincible!"

There is a bowl of wine when practicing, and there is also a bowl of wine when returning.

The former is to wish the soldiers bravery and fearlessness, and the latter is to wash away the dust of war for the returnees.

Raven's return came without any warning. The wine had already been prepared, but there was no time to gather his family members. The bowl of wine was served by the maid and servants.

Denise walked to Raven's horse with the wine in her hand, looked at Raven who was obviously weathered, and said softly, "You are finally back."

"I said I would come back." Raven picked up the wine bowl and drank it all.

The hot wine flowed down his throat, dispelling the coldness in his chest.

Throwing the wine bowl on the ground, Raven turned his horse around, facing his soldiers, and said only one sentence:

"Eagle Army, listen up, take a three-day break!"

The soldiers saluted in unison: "Yes!"

But there was no action.

It was not until Raven turned his horse and slowly drove into the castle that the soldiers dispersed.

Jumping off his horse, Raven walked towards the castle while issuing orders.

The first thing was to immediately let old Gordon organize people to return the bodies of the fallen soldiers along with the compensation to their relatives as soon as possible.

The second thing was to accommodate the women. Since there were more than thirty of them, old Gordon suggested cleaning up the vacant warehouse first as a temporary shelter for them.

Next are the gray dwarves. There are only seventeen of them, and they can all be placed in the riverside workshop for easy supervision. They can also be isolated individually so that Raven won't have to see them and won't be bothered by them.

The last thing is to count and classify the spoils and place the horses, which cannot be rushed.

After giving these orders, Raven entered the castle, immediately he tore off his helmet and handed it to Petty, and white mist immediately came out of his head.

Raven's fatigue was visible to the naked eye. Old Gordon hesitated, but still reminded him:

"My Lord Baron, during the time you were away, some things have accumulated and need to be dealt with."

……

(End of this chapter)