Imperial Crown.

Chapter 162 My goal is the king
After leaving the gate of Ironforge, Raven thought that after a long battle, the nobles should have mostly left. However, when he looked up, he saw that the carriages were still packed, even more chaotic than when he came.

Eric and Visdon bowed from a distance away from their carriage.

Denise lifted the car curtain and was relieved to see Raven returning safely. Then she looked Raven up and down carefully, making sure that he was not injured. Then she breathed a sigh of relief.

Walking back to the carriage, Raven looked at the chaotic scene in front of him and asked, "What's going on?"

"A bunch of frightened quails." Vesdon said with disdain: "I thought they would be more stable after experiencing the chaos of the Death Hand Cult, but the result is... Tsk!"

Raven smiled. Having been tempered in the Bloody Highlands, Visdon was indeed qualified to look down on this group of nobles.

Compared to Visdon, Eric was much more stable and began to explain the cause and effect of the matter to Raven.

The battle at the funeral broke out too suddenly, and many of the nobles' grooms were still having meals in the servants' rooms of the castle. Fear and panic were contagious, which caused many nobles who could not drive at all to frantically try to drive away.

Everyone wanted to get ahead, and due to poor vehicle control and anxious mentality, they crashed into each other; some nobles wanted to go around the road from both sides, but forgot that the carriage was wider than the horse itself, so they blocked the entire road.

After listening to Eric's story, Raven shook his head and smiled bitterly. Just as he was about to step forward to relieve the congestion, he heard Denise ask, "Raven, why did you insist on staying in the castle before?"

"President Denise, can't you figure it out?" Raven teased, and then said, "Actually, I just went to copy the bottom."

As he spoke, Raven showed the signed contract in his hand.

Denise took it in her hand, her eyes showing surprise: "Eagle's Beak Mountain, Thousand Needles Jungle, and Gray Mountain Mine, Raven, you really did it!?"

Upon hearing this, Weisdon also came over. Eric was not in a position to get close, but he also glanced at the content out of the corner of his eye. For a moment, the three of them showed excited expressions on their faces, but for different reasons.

Denise's focus is on Eagle's Beak Mountain, where the granite is produced.

Granite is a high-end building material that can only be produced in Eagle Mountain in the entire Nordic Province. However, the market for high-end buildings in the Nordic Province was close to saturation, so the income was not outstanding.

But it is different now. The Nord Province has just experienced a turmoil, and the three counties have been swept away. The nobles who fill these vacancies are not afraid to spend a lot of money to build castles - after all, that is the face of the nobles.

Denise estimates that for at least five years, Eagle Mountain will be able to bring the Griffith family at least tens of thousands of gold coins in net income every year!

Eric paid more attention to military uses. What made him happiest was the Gray Mountain Mine, which was the largest iron mine in the five northwestern counties of the province. Now there were gray dwarves proficient in forging in the workshop, and he could basically get rid of his dependence on the outside world for armor and weapons.

However, Visdon tried to look at the problem from a lord's perspective. What he valued most was the Thousand Needles. The reclamation of this land would make Eagle Castle farther away from the border of Eagle Territory and better ensure the safety of Eagle Castle.

At this moment, Viscount John's voice sounded: "Baron Raven, what are you talking about that makes you look so happy?"

Denise put away the contract, and Weston and Eric saluted Viscount John.

Raven said, "Nothing, just chatting about family matters. What did Viscount John do just now?"

"I helped with some chores." Viscount John turned his head and said, "Yes."

Following his gaze, Raven found that the road had been cleared and the nobles were leaving in an orderly manner. It seemed that this was the result of Viscount John's hard work.

"It's not convenient for me to interfere in the private affairs of the Wharton family. It seems that you have been there all the time." Viscount John talked about business: "How is the situation?"

Raven sighed when he heard this and told him everything, except for the part about having Judra sign the contract.

Viscount John was silent for a long time after hearing this, and finally he sighed: "Alas!!"

In the Keynes Empire, it was not the first time that nobles fought for inheritance rights and caused bloody massacres, but when Viscount John actually saw it, he was still somewhat touched.

He and Ingres were not close personal friends, and this sigh was probably out of sympathy for one's own kind. Ingres' death meant that there was one less old man of his era.

While being touched, Viscount John felt somewhat fortunate. He used to be troubled by the fact that he had only one son, but now he has become more open-minded - at least his family will not face a tragedy like the Wharton family, and even his body will not be unable to be preserved after his death.

Viscount John would not say such a thing, but only sighed: "Mark is really favored too much. He dared to use force at the funeral. It was really unwise. Even if he could succeed, wouldn't he be afraid of the review of the Noble Council?"

Raven said with disdain: "The guys on the Noble Council are just a bunch of money-hungry stray dogs. As long as the gold coins for succession are handed over, they don't care who inherits the title."

Viscount John smiled bitterly and nodded: "Hey, I don't know when the empire became like this."

As they were talking, the road was clear and the nobles' carriages had almost finished leaving. Seeing this, Viscount John turned around and said goodbye.

Raven wanted to invite Viscount John to stay at Eagle Castle for a while, but Viscount John declined. Raven did not force him to stay, and the two carriages drove away from Ironforge one after the other.

Back in Ironforge, Denise went back to her room to rest, Eric continued to supervise the training of the army, and Weston chose to train in martial arts.

Only Raven remained in the hall, flipping through a blank metallic card in his hand that was emitting a faint blue hue.

When this card appeared in his carriage, Raven knew that it was a sign of Annuo's arrival.

Not long after, An Nuo appeared in the hall. Raven stood up and bowed slightly: "Hello again, Ms. An Nuo."

An Nuo nodded slightly in return: "Baron Raven, do you have a clearer understanding of your own destiny?"

"How can I see clearly when I am in the long river of fate? I can only take one step at a time." Raven said: "Do you want to tell my fortune again?"

"You have already glimpsed part of your destiny. Further divination will only do harm and no good." An Nuo looked calmly into Raven's eyes: "I came here this time to make a deal with you."

As she spoke, she lightly tapped the silver scepter in her hand on the ground, and Xiao Mo's huge body appeared beside her.

There was a hint of surprise in Raven's eyes. He had seen this kind of monster in a book before. It was called the "Deep Rock Dragon Lizard Beast" and had about 25% dragon blood.

Considering Anno's strength, it was not surprising for Raven to have such a magical pet, but it was really... a bit fat. Instead of calling it "Deep Rock Dragon Lizard Beast", it would be better to call it "Deep Rock Dragon Pig Beast".

"Xiao Mo." An Nuo said softly.

Xiao Mo opened his mouth and spit Mark onto the ground with a "plop".

Mark, who saw the light of day again, gasped for breath and slowly regained his spirit. The moment he saw Raven, his eyes widened.

He was about to shout loudly when Annuo moved his fingers slightly. Immediately, a ball of purple light sealed his mouth and turned into vines, binding him tightly.

After taking a look at Mark on the ground, Raven's eyes moved back to An Nuo's face: "This is indeed a good bargaining chip. I wonder what you want?"

An Nuo said quietly: "I need a knight's collar."

A knight territory is about two to ten square kilometers, which is not a burden for Raven now, but he still instinctively feels that it is inappropriate: "Be more specific, what are you going to do with it?"

An Nuo's expression became a little complicated, but he did not hesitate: "I need to build a school that specializes in recruiting witches."

Before this, Raven was still wondering, with Annuo's strength, no matter what she wanted, she could cooperate with the nobles and even the royal family. No one would refuse a divine blood witch.

Now he understands.

The status of witches on the continent is basically equivalent to that of undead creatures, and they are closely associated with words such as evil, cruel, and vicious. The nobles avoid them as much as possible, and the attitude of the Church of Light towards them is to rather kill them by mistake than let them go. "Witch hunts" are not uncommon in history.

In this context, Annuo's idea of ​​establishing a witch academy was simply a fantasy. No noble would accept it, not to mention that it would offend the Church of Light. It would simply be a joke on his own future and the future of his family.

Raven stroked his chin and shook his head slowly: "Witch Academy... No."

The light in An Nuo's eyes dimmed slightly.

She knew that her request was not reasonable, so she did not hold too high expectations beforehand. But now that the reality was approaching, she couldn't help feeling a little depressed and was about to say goodbye and leave.

"Oh, don't be impatient." Raven raised a smile and said, "Just because the Witch Academy isn't a good option doesn't mean other options aren't a good option. For example, the Orphanage?"

An Nuo was stunned for a moment: "What does this mean?"

Raven explained, "What I mean is, I can give you a knight's territory. But you can't use the name of the witch academy. As long as it's acceptable in name, I can put a wall around it. You can decide what to do with it."

Annuo had never thought about the problem from this perspective, but Raven's proposal was indeed feasible.

Anno herself is a witch. When she was a child, she was regarded as a freak because of her extraordinary behavior and was kicked out of the house early.

As far as she knew, she was not the only witch who had experienced the same thing, but those who could survive, go on adventures, and grow up safely like her were quite rare.

That's why Annuo wanted to build a witch academy to take in those homeless people, and also hoped to use this as an opportunity to integrate them into normal society.

"That's settled then." An Nuo showed a clear smile on his face and nodded seriously:

"……Thank you!"

Raven smiled back, "Just a fair trade."

If the Eagle Territory was located in the Nord Province, Raven would definitely not agree to such a request, but the Nord Province is on the border of the Keynes Empire, and the Eagle Territory is on the border of the Nord Province. The emperor is far away and no one will notice it.

What's more, it can also bring back a powerful helper like Annuo.

Having solved his biggest worry, An Nuo felt much more relaxed: "It's just one mark, the value is not quite equal. You can make another request."

Raven thought for a moment and said, "Since you want to build an academy, you won't just put your hopes on me. You must have traveled to many places. The Nord Province is isolated from the news. I wonder if you can tell me about the situation outside?"

An Nuo readily agreed. He raised his finger slightly, and a dark blue light flew out from his fingertips, outlining an irregular circle in the air. "This is the map of the Middles Continent that I saw when I visited the Mage Guild. Now that it has been reproduced, it should be about 80% accurate."

Raven's eyes showed a trace of amazement. This was the first time he had seen the entire Middles Continent clearly. From the shape point of view, the entire continent was like a pancake with a bite taken out of it. It was oval in shape, long from east to west and short from north to south. The southeast corner was missing a corner as if it had collapsed.

The Keynes Empire is located in the central and western part of the continent. Its northwest and northern borders border the Fitun city-states, and its northeastern border is adjacent to the Insa Empire; to the east is the Papal States and the Kingdom of Lozeren, and to the southeast is the Kingdom of Podomiche; to the south is the Miracle Mountains, and across the mountains is the Orc Empire; to the southwest is the Ancient Forest, where the Elf Empire is located.

Generally speaking, the five major human forces firmly occupy the richest central part of the continent, the elves retreat to the southwest corner of the continent, the Orc Empire is squeezed to the southernmost part, and the Dwarf Kingdom is compressed into the millions of mountains in the northeast corner of the continent.

"Speaking of which, how is the Death Hand Cult doing now?" Raven asked. "I heard before that they were causing trouble in multiple countries at the same time, and their momentum was quite large."

"It has basically been put out." An Nuo said, "But the damage caused in different places is different. According to my personal observation, both the Insa Empire and the Fitun City-States dealt with the Death Hand Cult very promptly. The Kingdom of Lozeren is close to the Papal States, so it was put out the fastest."

"Among the five major human forces, only the Cairns Empire where you are and the Kingdom of Bodomichi in the southeast have suffered the greatest losses and delayed the longest."

Raven's brows raised slightly. This was not good news.

To put it nicely, the Keynes Empire is located in the center of the continent; to put it bluntly, it is a place surrounded by wars. Now that it is showing signs of "fatigue", it is likely to attract the covetousness of surrounding forces.

But this is not Raven's headache. If the sky falls, the king and the nobles will bear the brunt of it.

Suddenly, a clear "gurgling" sound was heard in the hall. Raven turned around and saw that it came from the belly of the Deep Rock Dragon Lizard named "Xiao Mo".

Raven couldn't help laughing and said, "It seems that I have been talking for too long and wasted a lot of your time. Let's stop here for today? It just so happens that I also have something to say to Mr. Mark."

An Nuo nodded: "Please."

Mark on the ground twitched when he heard this.

After clapping his hands, some personal soldiers came in. Raven gave a few instructions, and two personal soldiers took Mark into the dungeon, while the others went to prepare food for Xiao Mo.

"Then I'll excuse myself first."

Having said that, Raven turned and left.

Soon, several bodyguards came carrying two freshly slaughtered pigs and placed them in front of Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo licked his lips with his fat tongue in a very human way, and started to bite the piece of meat on the ground.

Surprise, Xiao Mo has meat to eat today (starry eyes, eat eat eat)...but it's raw meat (cry while eating)...

Looking at Xiao Mo's eating posture, Annuo gently stroked its head.

Although he is powerful, Annuo is only eighteen years old after all. During his years of traveling on the continent, he has rarely been able to talk to others.

Even if she could, as long as she showed a little bit of power, those people's attitudes would change drastically.

Only when Raven spoke to her, he didn't pretend to be arrogant, nor did he fawn on her. He was just like... a friend?
She seemed to be beginning to like the feeling of communicating with Raven.

But Mark didn't like it. His heart twitched when he saw Raven's expressionless face.

But he couldn't lose his noble demeanor. Even though he was locked in a cage and had handcuffs on his wrists, he still sat against the wall, looking up and said in a condescending tone: "Raven, you are indeed very lucky. You can make friends with a powerful being like Anno, and you even caught me in your hands."

"There is no personal hatred between you and me. You chose to interfere in my family affairs only for the sake of profit. Let's make it clear. If you let me go, I can bring you greater benefits!"

Mark began to conceive these words the moment he saw Raven. He had to constantly emphasize his own value, so that he would have a chance of surviving Raven's hands.

Raven seemed to be interested: "What benefits?"

Seeing Raven take the bait, Mark breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface he acted even more arrogantly: "A noble who changes career halfway is short-sighted. Since you don't understand, I will explain it to you!"

"You colluded with Judra for nothing more than Eagle's Beak Mountain and Thousand Needles, but you were so unwise that you actually participated in the murder of my father. Do you know that this is equivalent to putting the handle in Judra's hand?"

"It's just stupid!"

"Fortunately, you found me, and I can show you a clear way."

Raven smiled: "What clear path?"

Mark sat up straight and hooked his finger at Raven: "I'm not used to looking up at others. Sit down and listen to me slowly."

With a smile, Raven walked into the iron cage, and Mark patted the straw in front of him.

Raven raised his right foot, but instead of sitting down, he kicked Mark's left knee hard!
click -

The clear sound of bone cracking echoed in the dungeon. Mark's face turned pale in an instant. He twitched and took a deep breath. He hugged his knees with both hands and wailed like a pig being slaughtered: "Ah, my legs, my legs——!!!"

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He clenched his teeth and looked at the culprit with trembling eyes:

"Raven!"

"Do you think your plan is perfect? ​​If the matter of the Witch Academy gets out even a little bit, you will be wiped out!!! The Slater family, the Fox family, and the Church of Light will not let you go!"

"Judra can even kill our father, do you think he will obey you?! Once he is sure of my death, he will be the first to stab you!"

"You are courting your own death!!!"

Raven nodded slowly, "Oh, so that's how it is."

Then he raised his foot again, stepped on Mark's right leg, and crushed it hard.

Mark only felt his knee exploded, broken bones piercing into his flesh. The pain made him roll his eyes, his neck twitched and shook, and tears burst out uncontrollably.

At this moment, Mark finally understood that he had no qualifications to have an equal dialogue with Raven. The status of both parties had long been reversed. Now, he was just an insignificant ant!

For a moment, the desire to survive overwhelmed his dignity and pride, and Mark just wanted to survive:
"Please spare my life, Raven, Baron Raven, Lord Raven!!!"

"I am still useful, I really am! If Judela dares to have other ideas, you can replace me. I promise that I will be ten or a hundred times more obedient than him!!"

Raven looked down at Mark and said, "You are really a young master from a noble family. Do you still want to be a baron now?"

Mark swallowed his saliva: "No, of course I dare not, I will listen to you!"

Seeing his ugly appearance, Raven sneered: "Don't worry, I won't kill you."

"But I won't let you go. Just live your life here."

After saying that, Raven turned around, closed the iron cage, and walked out of the dungeon.

Mark endured the pain and rushed to the side of the iron cage, holding the bars with both hands: "Baron Raven, wait a minute!"

Raven turned around: "What else do you want to say?"

"I'm sorry... I was so rude before." Mark said humbly, "But I'm serious about my suggestion!"

"Judra is unreliable, and his son is dead! If he can't give birth to a son, then I will be the only remaining bloodline of the Wharton family!"

"Give me a manor and put me under house arrest. I promise to do nothing but give birth to children. Then my son can inherit the title of the Wharton family, and you can also gain the loyalty of the Wharton family!"

"This will do you no harm, only good!"

Raven's expression softened a little. "You have some brains. This is indeed a method, but the problem is that I don't want to wait that long."

"Now I control the entire Eagle Territory and the Snow Maple County. My power is far greater than that of the Wharton family."

"If Judra remains loyal to me, he can live; if he wants to betray me, I will flatten his territory and take Ironforge Territory completely into my possession!"

Mark said: "But... this is against the rules. According to the imperial law, nobles are not allowed to attack each other!"

Raven sneered, "Do you know what I hate most about you nobles?"

"Everything he does is done by the rules, with rules on the left and laws on the right. He drags his feet, has no opinions of his own, and has made no achievements!"

"Either he's a follower of a noble family, or he's a yes-man for the royal family!"

Mark looked at Raven in horror. He knew that Raven was arrogant, but he didn't expect him to be so arrogant.

These words are a complete contempt for the royal family and do not take all the nobles seriously.

"Raven, what do you want to do!?"

"It's very simple." Raven grinned.
"I want the world to run according to my ideas. My words are the rules, and what I make can be called law!"

"My target is the king!"

"Madman..." Fear, surprise, shock, and many other inexplicable emotions surged into Mark's heart. His hands holding the railing began to tremble uncontrollably, causing the entire iron cage to emit clanging and trembling sounds:

"madman--!!!"

……

(Volume 1, end)
(End of this chapter)