Imperial Crown.

Chapter 151: Viscount Territory

At noon the next day after Montreal reprimanded Gul'dan, Raven set out from the Silver Hand Brotherhood's villa and returned to the camp.

As he walked towards his camp, Raven realized something was wrong. The nobles coming and going were all looking at him secretly, and their greetings were also strange.

What happened?

Confused, Raven returned to his tent and then understood why all this happened.

At this moment, Gul'dan was standing straight at the door of his tent, motionless.

As well-behaved as a guard dog.

Now Gul'dan finally understood Raven's situation yesterday.

He came here early in the morning and waited at the door for a long time, much longer than Raven waited yesterday.

For him, this humiliation was too great. As the heir to an earl's family, he had to wait at the door of a baron!
He even suspected that Raven was deliberately taking revenge on him.

But Gul'dan guessed wrong about this. Raven didn't know he would come. If he had known, he would definitely not show up now. He would at least wait until night.

But now that I'm back, there's no point in just turning around and leaving. Raven said:

"Mr. Gul'dan, why are you here?"

Gul'dan turned around, knowing that Raven was asking a question knowing the answer, but he still put on an impeccable aristocratic smile, as if a mask had been welded to his face. "Baron Raven, my father has asked me to deliver an invitation to you to discuss some matters at the garrison."

"It is an honor for me that the Governor has personally invited me." Raven responded in the same aristocratic and exaggerated tone: "Then please lead the way, Mr. Gul'dan. I can't wait."

The two of them tacitly did not mention what happened yesterday, as if nothing had happened.

Gul'dan didn't want to humiliate himself again, but Raven had other ideas.

Perhaps some small tricks could disgust Gul'dan, but this would also cause dissatisfaction among the Fox family.

If you fail to kill the snake, you will suffer from it. If you cannot kill it with one blow and teach the Fox family a profound lesson, then there is no need to do any small tricks.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Raven followed Gul'dan to the former government hall, which is now the temporary residence of the Fox family.

The rumors about the Fox family's arrogance and disrespect, which had just started last night, have also died down a lot.

Raven didn't stay long and left after about two hours.

For a moment, the nobles speculated about what Raven had discussed with Count Montreal.

However, the Fox family did not leak a single word, and Raven did not return to the camp at all, leaving no one to ask.

The nobles' attention was soon diverted, because as the recompiled war report was submitted, a meeting involving all nobles was held on May 5.

Determine military merits and share the spoils of war.

All the participants sat at a long table made up of square tables. There were hundreds of people, and the table was nearly thirty meters long.

Fortunately, the Slater family castle meeting room is large enough, otherwise such a large table would not be able to fit.

Everyone sat according to their rank, with those with higher ranks sitting near the main seats and those with lower ranks sitting in the back rows.

The only exception is Raven. Although he only has the title of baron, he is ranked in the team of viscounts because he has the first-class medal of bravery, and is second only to several people who served as commanders of the four temporary legions.

When the nobles were all seated and were about to start talking, Earl Tyrone and Earl Montreal arrived together.

Everyone stood up and saluted.

"You're welcome, everyone." Tyrone looked around the room and said, "I am able to sit here today because of the selfless help of all of you gentlemen. Without you, Mon'en City would not be safe, and the turmoil sweeping across Nord Province would not be quelled so easily."

After he finished speaking, he paused and looked at Montreal: "Of course, this also requires the help of the Governor."

These two sentences set the tone for the entire meeting.

It is necessary to satisfy the majority of nobles and also give some credit to the Fox family faction.

The nobles present all put their hearts back in their stomachs.

After the speech, the next step was to verify and distribute the military merits. Of course, they started with the smaller ones. The titles of knights were distributed one after another, and there were even more than a dozen baron titles.

The empire was originally very strict in granting titles, and it was rare for titles to be given away in such large quantities.

However, many nobles lost their lands or their entire families were wiped out in this war. The three counties around Mon'en City were swept away, leaving large tracts of fiefdoms vacant.

It is impossible for these fiefs to be concentrated in the hands of a few people, because this is not in the interests of the empire and the two earl families. It is inevitable that they will be divided up piecemeal.

Most families expressed their satisfaction. Although barons also had the right to enfeoff knights, the territory was limited. If they gave some to others, they would have less for themselves. And this time, the fiefdom came with the title.

Every military achievement was finalized by Tyrone and Montreal, and with the two of them as guarantees, the effectiveness could be basically guaranteed.

As the achievements were realized one by one, the atmosphere of the meeting became more and more lively. Even if some people were not satisfied with their gains, they did not dare to stand up and cause trouble in such a harmonious atmosphere.

Time passed little by little.

While verifying Viscount John's military achievements, Tyrone said, "Viscount John, you have earned another baronial title for your family this time. It is really enviable that you have expanded your family."

All the nobles present perked up.

This statement is correct, but it is actually nonsense.

By now, which family is not expanding and spreading its branches? Earl Tyrone's words are full of meaning.

Viscount John said modestly: "My children are not doing well, so as the head of the family, I must strive for more."

"That's a good point!" Earl Tyrone sighed, "Your family situation is relatively good, with only one child, but it's different for me. Minsk doesn't need me to worry too much, but I also need to think more about the future of the other children."

"For example, my youngest son Hyde. I originally just wanted him to be an idler who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. The Slater family can afford to support him."

"But this child just didn't listen. Not only did he secretly run to the Third Legion to fight in the battlefield, but after the battle outside the city ended, he also turned around and killed a fourth-level necromancer regardless of the danger!"

"So, I intend to obtain a viscount title for Hyde."

"It's a bit selfish of a parent, but if we don't do this, we'll be ungrateful for his efforts." "Do you have any opinions?"

Of course the nobles have opinions - what a shameless thing to say!

Going to the Third Legion and wanting to fight the enemy? Isn't it just to gain military merit? I haven't gained much yet!

And there is this "annihilation of the fourth-level necromancer", so many eyes are watching, everyone knows that Hyde is only at the first level, even if he is a knight of light, holy light naturally restrains the undead, but he can't exceed three levels!
But even though everyone had opinions, no one spoke up.

Whether the nobles present supported Slater or Fox, they had already made their contributions, so there was no need to offend Tyrone at this time.

Let him say whatever he wants. As long as the credit goes to us, we'll accept it even if it's Hyde who commanded the bone dragon to spray the Bone Spire!
However, Count Montreal suddenly spoke:

"We all understand that Earl Tyrone loves his son dearly, but if you do this, I'm afraid it will chill the nobles who fought bravely for the Nord Province."

This sentence was like a silent magic, making the originally lively venue quiet.

Some people want to say "I'm not heartbroken", but they can't offend the Slater family, and they can't offend the Fox family either!

Tyrone didn't expect Montreal to make trouble at this time, but he was not panicked. He asked, "Does the Governor have other candidates? Don't worry, since I have nominated Hyde, I have no objection to whoever you nominate."

Montreal smiled and said calmly:

"I recommend it, Baron Raven."

This sentence immediately sparked a burst of discussion, and for a moment everyone's eyes were focused on Raven, with surprise and realization in their eyes.

It turns out that this was what Raven and Montreal discussed yesterday!

This move also caught Earl Tyrone off guard. He thought the Fox family had paid some price in order to get Raven to give up his merits and pass them on to their relatives in exchange for more benefits.

Therefore, Tyrone had not verified Raven's military achievements, and wanted to wait for Montreal to come forward.

I didn’t expect Montreal to support Raven!
This is not the Fox family style.

Tyrone seemed to see Thomas appear behind Montreal.

His eyes fell on Raven. "Baron Raven, what do you think?"

The strength of a fifth-rank official, the identity of an earl, and the seemingly casual but actually interrogative tone were enough to scare most people.

However, Raven withstood the pressure. He stood up and said, "Earl Tyrone, although I have a close personal relationship with Mr. Hyde, I also feel that I have fulfilled my duty for the Nord Province and the Keynes Empire."

"I hope to become a Viscount!"

Doing so would be tantamount to breaking off relations with the Slater family, but Raven did not want to retreat, nor would he.

Benefits will not come to you for free, you need to fight for them!

If he doesn't have this mentality and awareness, then why should the Fox family support him, just because he is handsome?

Talon looked at Raven. This was the first time he had observed the baron so carefully.

He had an upright figure but not too tall, revealing an imposing posture; his young face had clear lines like a marble sculpture, and the short beard under his chin made up for his immature appearance well, while his eyes reflected his determination to never retreat.

Raven was also observing Tyrone. The Earl was of burly build, but his slender face gave him an impression of being thin. Although he had no beard, he did not look sinister, but rather had an uplifting and majestic aura.

Their eyes met, neither of them gave in at all.

It was Tai Long who felt that this was beneath his dignity and was the first to look away: "I am also aware of Baron Raven's military achievements. They are indeed very impressive."

"However, although Baron Raven's spirit is commendable, as far as I know, he only has about thirty people under his command."

Montreal slammed the table and said, "Lord Tyrone is right. It is really doubtful that such a small number of people can achieve so many gains."

"But this military achievement was reported by the Fourth Legion itself. I believe it has been publicly discussed. If Baron Raven's military achievement is false, then the Fourth Legion..."

Montreal didn't finish his words, but they were meaningful.

"This is indeed my oversight." Viscount John suddenly spoke up and offered an assist: "I am old, not sensitive to numbers, and I am unable to count them. If you, Earl Tyrone, have any doubts, then I can lead the Fourth Legion to recheck the numbers."

"After all, no one else can produce as many emblems as Baron Raven!"

As soon as these words came out, Earl Tyrone's face darkened, and the entire Fourth Legion began to waver.

They themselves knew that the figures of military merit were inflated. If they were to be re-checked, Raven's military merit would be devalued, and those of them who were not as good as Raven's, the military merit that had already been pocketed would be reduced even more!
A noble from the Fourth Legion stood up and said, "Baron Raven has more than twenty emblems of the Death Hand Cult in his hands. His military exploits cannot be false!"

"What's more, Baron Raven was awarded the First Class Medal of Bravery. If he cheated, wouldn't that mean that all of our coalition forces are cheating?"

"If you ask me, we can re-check it. Then let the four temporary legions re-check it together!"

Raven looked at the noble and gave him a kind smile.

This man's name is Hamp, a baron. He was once saved by Raven on the battlefield, and now he is repaying him.

With the preparations made by Montreal and Viscount John, Hamp's words immediately dragged all four temporary legions into the water.

This involves two-thirds of the nobles present!

No one wanted their military achievements to be diminished, and no one wanted to re-check them. For a moment, the entire conference room was in an uproar, with all the voices supporting the fact that Raven's achievements were true.

And there are already calls for a re-examination of Hyde's military achievements.

When things got to this point, even a powerful man like Earl Tyrone had to compromise. The Slater family was able to fight against Fox, not only because of the army, but also because of their popularity. If things continued like this, even if they could force Hyde to win the war, it would be a loss.

"Everyone, listen to me."

"I didn't doubt Baron Raven's intentions. I just said the wrong thing out of love for my son. I apologize to Baron Raven here."

As he spoke, Tai Long began to bow to Raven.

Raven's pupils shrank, and he quickly moved sideways, getting out of the way of Earl Tyrone.

He came here to ask for benefits, not to provoke the Slater family.

If he really accepted this bow, even if Earl Tyrone didn't want to, everyone in the Slater family would fight him to the death!

At the same time, Raven couldn't help but sigh at how cunning this man, Tyrone, was. With just a single move, he was able to stabilize the situation.

"You are too serious, Earl Tyrone." Raven returned the greeting, "You are so cautious about my military exploits, which further demonstrates your serious and responsible attitude."

Every move of these two people confused everyone else present.

Is this a reconciliation? Is Tyrone really going to give up the Viscount title to Raven?
It is not impossible.

After all, although Raven's military exploits were somewhat exaggerated, they were not much exaggerated in comparison, and his first-class medal of bravery was genuine.

If anyone could be promoted to Viscount, Raven would be the most reasonable one.

"It's a little late today, let's take a break first." Tai Long looked around the room and said, "Don't worry about the war achievements. What has been decided will definitely not be changed."

"As for the follow-up arrangements, we will continue tomorrow."

The nobles present could see that the place was to be cleared for private conversation and negotiation of terms.

Since their military achievements would not be touched, no matter how much they talked about it, it would have nothing to do with them, so no one had any objections and they all left.

Soon, Raven and the two earls were the only ones left in the huge conference hall.

"It's getting late, how about we enjoy dinner together?" Tyrone suggested.

"Okay, I really miss the delicious food in Mon City." Montreal said.

"Thank you very much for your kindness." Raven agreed with a smile.

The dining place was not in the restaurant, but in the reception room of Earl Tyrone.

The Earl's family has a rich heritage, and the meals are also unique and exquisite. The first appetizer is a dessert made from the eggs of the second-level monster "Hippogryph", called "Amber Hibiscus". It is crystal clear and extremely elastic, with an extremely rich egg flavor.

By the way, the Slater family originally had an air force of a hundred people, the main force of which was the Hippogryph, but in the early stages of the war, they were all destroyed by Gregory.

The food was delicious, but the three people present were not paying attention to the food.

Tai Long observed Raven and raised his eyebrows when he saw his elegant eating posture. "A hero like Baron Raven actually appeared in Mon'en City, and I, as the city lord, had no idea about it. How foolish I am."

This was obviously a hint that the Slater family had conducted a comprehensive investigation on Raven, which did not surprise Raven: "I was young at that time, and I did not know the importance of what I did, and I did not know right from wrong. I am sorry to have embarrassed the Earl."

"It's good to be young." Montreal said, "You are young, energetic, and dare to fight. Otherwise, you wouldn't be a baron, nor a candidate for viscount."

The topic has entered the main topic. Tai Long put a piece of pudding into his mouth: "This dish is called 'Amber Hibiscus'. It is actually a pudding. It is only because it is made from the eggs of a second-level monster that it has such a fancy name."

“On the other hand, if it’s just an ordinary pudding, then no matter how fancy the name is, it’s meaningless.”

This implies that if Raven insists on fighting for it, he will not be able to gain any substantial benefits even if he obtains the title of Viscount.

"But if it's called 'Amber Hibiscus', even if it's just a normal pudding, it can be sold at a higher price," Raven said. "That way, the store can save some money until they can buy the Hippogryph eggs and live up to the name."

Raven was saying that he wanted to get the title of Viscount first, and then he could slowly strive for specific benefits.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Tyrone nodded, and suddenly pushed the plate in front of him to Montreal: "Count Montreal, you seem to like this dish very much, why don't I give it to you to eat?"

Montreal thought Tyrone was beginning to give in, so he smiled and said, "Okay."

Earl Tyrone said, "In exchange, the following main dishes will all be mine."

The meaning is obvious. Tyrone can give up the Viscount, but the price is to fight with the Fox family and take away the title of Governor of Montreal.

Montreal pushed the plate back to Tyrone. "Forget it. I won't be full without the main course. But..."

His eyes fell on Raven: "This appetizer has been delivered to them, you can't let me snatch it away, right?"

Montreal said that he didn't have to let Raven be the viscount, but the words had been spoken. If Raven didn't benefit at all, where would he put his face?

"Since the dish is served, just eat it calmly." Tai Long said, "Just treat it as a pudding."

I can give you the benefits of being a Viscount, but don't even think about the title.

This result is acceptable to Montreal.

But at this time, Raven did something that was beyond their expectations.

He suddenly took off the first-class bravery medal on his chest and placed it on the table: "It's really not easy to live in Meng'en City. One medal can only be exchanged for an appetizer."

Raven was still not satisfied.

Tyrone gave Raven a long look, his eyes fixed on the medal.

If he was just a small baron, Raven would not be worthy of making conditions with him, but the problem lies in this medal.

As the only medal issued in the entire war, it concerns the reputation of the Slater family. If Raven makes a fuss about it, it will be a huge blow to the reputation of the Slater family.

This would not be a good thing for Raven, but it was nothing compared to the loss of the Slater family.

Tailong looked at Raven. He admired the baron's ambition and courage more and more. He asked meaningfully, "I wonder what Baron Raven would like to eat?"

"It's not what you eat that matters, it's where you eat it." Raven smiled and offered a condition: "I grew up in the downtown area and I have a lot of feelings for it."

"It would be great if we could settle down in downtown and have a pudding like this!"

"Maybe the pudding you eat will all be made from the ingredients I provided?"

Tai Long's pupils suddenly contracted: "Baron Raven, aren't you afraid of getting an upset stomach?"

Raven acted as if he hadn’t seen it: “Don’t be afraid, I came from the lower city, so I have a good stomach.”

Tai Lung: "..."

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Until someone came up, removed the plates in front of everyone, and brought the next dish. Just as Raven was about to use his knife and fork, he heard Tyrone say, "Since Baron Raven wants to, then take the plates back to the lower city."

Raven smiled and stood up. "Thank you, Lord Tyrone."

After bowing to the two earls, Raven walked out with the plate in his hand, and dumped the food into a trash can outside the door.

His subsequent conversation with Earl Tyrone was not about the title. What he wanted was something else - the title of President of the Chamber of Commerce in the Lower City of Mon'en!

Although it is called the Lower City District, it only occupies two of the five major districts in Mon'en City, namely the Port District and the Old City District. Its actual area is more than half of Mon'en City, and its population accounts for two-thirds of Mon'en City.

Most of the low- and mid-end industries in the entire city of Mon'en are also gathered here.

As the economic center of the entire Nord Province, whoever holds the position of President of the Chamber of Commerce in the Lower City of Monn will control the commercial lifeline of most of the Nord Province.

He walked out of the castle with a smile, and Eric, who was waiting at the door, immediately came up to him: "Baron, are you okay?"

"We're not going to slay a dragon, what could possibly happen? The Earls are still very civilized." Raven said.

Seeing that Raven was in a good mood, Eric asked carefully: "So...what did you get?"

"You'll know tomorrow!"

The next day, not only Eric, but all the nobles knew what Raven had obtained.

The title of Viscount was still given to Hyde, but Raven had the power to choose the fiefdom first.

Raven did not hesitate and hammered the wooden nail with his name on it into a piece of land on the map.

An entire viscounty.

The largest viscount territory!

The area of ​​a viscounty is at least five times that of a barony. The one chosen by Raven is over a thousand square kilometers!

This made everyone watching extremely envious.

You know, territory is the real strength of a noble. Between false reputation and reality, most nobles will choose reality.

From then on, the Griffith family was only one title away from becoming a viscount!

Even in terms of the size of the territory, it is larger than that of most viscounts!
The Slater family was efficient enough that they selected the fiefdom during the day and someone delivered the title deed documents in the evening.

As soon as the messenger left, another one came.

This time, it was Viscount John.

Compared to his previous haggard appearance, Viscount John looked much more energetic, and his whole body exuded vitality from the inside out.

"Congratulations, Baron Raven. The Griffith family is really starting to take off in your hands!"

Raven said modestly: "Don't praise me. If it weren't for your help, it wouldn't be so easy for me to take this territory."

Viscount John was invited to take a seat, and Raven poured him a glass of Angel's Tears.

Strangely, after Viscount John sat down, he started to feel a little uneasy, talking a lot but without getting to the point.

"Lord John, why did you come to see me today?" Raven asked, "You can't just come to congratulate me, right?"

"Well..." Viscount John was a little embarrassed: "I came here this time to make a request."

Lei Wen smiled and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. If you hadn't set me free before, I wouldn't have gotten so many military merits."

"Do you have a distant relative that you want to place under my wing?"

It's possible to be stingy if you only own a barony, but with a viscounty, it is imperative to enfeoff knights, otherwise you won't be able to manage it.

It was not uncommon for nobles to ask the viscount for a knighthood as a favor.

But Viscount John's own Snow Maple Territory is only slightly larger than Raven's newly acquired territory, so he shouldn't have such troubles.

"Not really." Viscount John pursed his lips and said, "Baron Raven, I have said this. Even if you don't agree, don't kick me out."

Raven became more curious: "Tell me, as long as our ancestral tomb is not dug up, I shouldn't have such a big fire."

"Then I'll tell you." Viscount John swallowed his saliva:

"I want to exchange territories with you..."

……

(End of this chapter)