Imperial Crown.

Chapter 185 The Viscount's Secret Treasure

A few days passed, the performance of the Dark Side of the Moon Troupe was coming to an end, and they began to negotiate with the arena.

That morning, Raven went for his morning run as usual. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw an old man in ragged clothes kneeling down in front of him.

Are you here to scam me?

During this period of doubt, the old man cried out in pain: "Baron! I was wrong!!"

Raven stopped and asked, "Who are you?"

The old man's body stiffened for a moment, and he raised his tear-stained face and said, "It's me, the sinner!"

"...Oh!" Raven looked for a long time before he recognized it.

It was Zhu Nasheng who had come with the 20,000 serfs.

Zhu Nasheng looked even worse than when he first arrived. His shoes were gone, his face and hands were covered in dirt, and even a large section of his beard was burnt off.

It seems that he is not having a good time.

"Oh, you know you are wrong. Then reflect on it slowly."

As Lei Wen was about to leave, Zhu Nasheng quickly moved his body to block his way. He originally wanted to say a few more words to whet Lei Wen's appetite and make it easier to bargain.

But now seeing Raven's nonchalant look, he realized that he had no right to negotiate with Raven, and immediately said: "My Lord Baron, I deeply realize my mistake and am willing to atone for it!"

"I know where the secret treasure of the Metini family is buried!"

Hearing this, Raven stopped.

The Medini family is from the Viscount family, and is the former owner of the territory that Raven had previously exchanged with Viscount John.

In fact, after exchanging territories, Raven also thought about packing up the things he should take away, and sent Simon to investigate, but found nothing - the Death Hand Cult had emptied the treasure house of the Medini family, and the castle was almost destroyed, and there was nothing valuable at all.

Touching his chin, Raven asked, "You are a knight's clerk, not a retainer of the Metini family. How do you know this?"

Zhu Nasheng quickly explained, "The battle was fierce at the time and everyone was trapped in the castle. I was there too. Two nights before the castle was breached, I secretly saw the master of the family burying a package of things in the yard. It must be a good thing!"

His heart was bleeding.

Originally, he wanted to keep this secret and wait until his descendants became free people, and then secretly dig it out. That would be the beginning of their family's rise!
But now, let alone rising, if he doesn’t get Raven’s forgiveness, he will have to dig his own grave!
Raven indeed did not take him seriously, but the serfs who came with him were different.

The differences in living conditions and treatment between the serfs and the local subjects made them accumulate resentment every day. Not only him, but also his grandson was squeezed out to the point where he could not survive!

The adults’ scolding and the children’s exclusion made Zhu Nasheng’s grandson feel drowsy all day long, and there was no light in his eyes.

If not for this, he would never hand over the secret!
"The Viscount family's inheritance is really tempting." Raven stroked his chin, "But... after all, that place is now Viscount John's territory."

"How can I, Raven, be a thief?"

Three days later, it was late at night and there was no moon.

Under a bush, Zhu Nasheng was trembling, causing the entire bush to shake.

Raven glanced at him and said with dissatisfaction: "We are here for 'archaeological excavation', not to steal anything. What are you afraid of?"

Yes, Raven still came to the territory of the current Viscount John, bringing Junason with him.

After all, the Medini family is a viscount family that has been passed down for hundreds of years. The things that the head of the family buried before his death must be valuable things, and Raven is very short of money.

What's more, it was supposed to be Raven's thing!
Zhu Nasheng stopped trembling, but his face still looked quite ugly.

For three consecutive days, they hid during the day and moved out at night, and finally arrived here from the Eagle Territory, crossing half of the Nord Province.

Although they flew here, Zhu Nasheng was not having an easy time. Xiaobai would not let him ride on its back, so it kept flying with his claws. The feeling of floating in the sky with the cold wind blowing was simply torture.

But even so, it did not stop him from supporting Raven: "The Baron is right!"

"Stop talking nonsense." After all, this territory now belongs to Viscount John, and Raven doesn't want to stay too long: "Lead the way, we must leave before dawn."

For some unknown reason, Zhu Nasheng asked, "You want to...rob a tomb?"

Raven almost kicked him out: "Get out!"

Knowing that he had said the wrong thing, Zhu Nasheng quickly shut up and walked ahead.

More than four months had passed since the end of the war, and most of the remnants of the Death Hand Cult had been wiped out. However, this area near the castle was not only the most severely damaged in the war, but many of the serfs later transferred to the Eagle Territory were conscripted from here, so it was extremely deserted.

Apart from the occasional patrol passing by, the only sounds were the birds perched on the branches and the insects hiding in the grass.

After sneaking in the darkness for a while, the ruins of the castle soon appeared in front of Raven.

According to the customs of the Nordic province, nobles usually place their ancestral tombs under the castle. However, the Medini family died in battle, rather than escaping and being stripped of their titles, and Viscount John could not do anything to their ancestors, so the tomb was left vacant.

Having reached here safely, Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to give a few instructions, Junason had already walked towards the castle.

"Come back!" Raven whispered, "Go in after we've done the reconnaissance!"

Zhu Nasheng couldn't hold on any longer. He was tired and anxious. He just wanted to get those things quickly and end this difficult journey as soon as possible. "Don't worry, Baron. This damn place has been plundered long ago. There won't be anyone patrolling!"

According to common sense, Zhu Nasheng's judgment is correct.

For most nobles, not demolishing the castle of the previous lord in the territory was already the most they could do. Why would they send people to protect it?

But Viscount John is an outlier.

Before Zhu Nasheng had taken two steps, he heard a loud shout: "Who!? Stop!"

Zhu Nasheng's body suddenly froze, and he turned to ask Raven for help, but Raven glared at him fiercely and then disappeared into the grass.

The fire was getting closer, and a patrol soldier came over and said in a trembling voice: "Stand still!!"

The soldiers were actually a little panicked.

This castle was breached and many people died. There are still bloodstains on the walls, which are black and sticky. Under the collapsed walls are layers of broken bones. It looks eerie even during the day.

But now it is pitch black, and the castle gate is pitch dark. Every time you walk past it, a cold breeze blows, making you shudder. What's more, a dark shadow suddenly appears?
Zhu Nasheng was even more scared!
Now in this dark night without even a moon, he was really afraid that people would mistake him for an undead creature and kill him in a fit of excitement. He was still a serf, so he deserved to be beaten to death.

Finally, the torch illuminated Zhunasheng's face. The soldier was surprised and asked, "Zhunasheng? Why is it you?" He put down the torch and gasped loudly, "Oh, you should have told me earlier... You almost scared me to death!"

"Didn't you go to the Eagle to get it? Why are you running back?"

Seeing that it was an acquaintance, Zhu Nasheng breathed a sigh of relief, but he also knew that if he couldn't get this man out of trouble, Raven would definitely not let him go, so he rolled his eyes and immediately shouted, "Don't say that, Eagle Territory, that's simply not a place for people to stay!"

"It's bitterly cold there. It's only summer here, but it's already autumn in the Eagle Territory. The wind is so strong that it can blow up the rocks on the ground. We've only been there for three days, and dozens of people have been beaten to death. It's so tragic, with blood all over the ground..."

"Hiss, are you kidding me?" The soldier was skeptical: "I heard from Xuefeng's people that the people there are quite wealthy."

"They are lying to you!" Junasen shouted, "Think about it, if that place is really that good, why would Viscount John stay there and come to this place that has just been destroyed?"

This statement does make some sense. The soldier was about to nod when he felt something was wrong: "If that's the case, why would Baron Raven exchange territory with Viscount John?"

This question hit the nail on the head. Zhu Nasheng was so anxious that his head was sweating, but he also thought of a quick solution: "Have you forgotten the Baron's nickname?"

"Uh... little bee?"

"Yes, do you think that this nickname is worthy of most people? Previously in Mon'en City, Baron Raven showed off his prowess. I heard that he plucked dozens of flowers from noble families and got more than a dozen of them pregnant!"

"What a disaster this is! So, of course we have to stay away from the city of Meng'en and stay out of the spotlight!"

These words immediately hit the soldier's sore spot, and his eyes lit up: "Baron Raven is really amazing, a role model for us!"

"By the way, if you want to run away, then run away. What are you doing here?"

Zhu Nasheng sighed: "I really couldn't find a place to stay, and I was afraid of being recognized, so I planned to come here to rest for a night. I didn't expect you to be here."

"You are really brave. How can this be a place for people to live? Otherwise..." The soldier stopped talking halfway.

He wanted to ask Zhunasheng to live in his house, but when he thought of the crime of harboring a fugitive slave, he stopped abruptly: "How about this, you sleep for a night, and I'll get you something to eat tomorrow."

Zhu Nasheng wished that he would ignore him, and nodded repeatedly: "Thank you very much."

The soldier nodded, thought for a moment, took off a torch from his waist, lit it, and handed it to Zhu Nasheng: "Take it. It's too dark. You should be brave too."

Soon, his back disappeared into the darkness, and he obviously wanted to share the new "story" he had heard with his colleagues.

Zhuna let out a breath, and then saw Raven appear in front of him with a smile on his face, clapping his hands: "What a good speaker."

Zhu Nasheng put on a smiling face and said, "Isn't this just to cover up the issue? I don't mean to be disrespectful to you at all!"

"Hey." Raven smacked his lips noncommittally. "You should pray now that what you said is still there!"

Zhu Nasheng shuddered suddenly.

The castle was huge, but Junasheng often came here, so he quickly found his destination - the castle was laid out in the shape of a field, with four vacant plots of land in the center used as gardens and training grounds. The burial site was the garden in the southwest corner.

Zhu Nasheng had a good memory and quickly dug out a box wrapped in yellow satin from the ground.

"My Lord Baron, everything is here!" Zhu Nasheng smiled flatteringly: "Please open the box!"

Raven glanced at him and opened the box. On the top was a roll of parchment.

When he opened it, Raven's brows raised slightly.

This item records a method of practicing a third-level steel combat skill, which is very suitable for Eric to use. If it is sold, it can be sold for three to five thousand gold coins.

If there were only things like this here, it would be a wasted trip and the gains would not be much.

After putting away the scroll, Raven was stunned for a moment, because in addition to the scroll, there were three small boxes in the box.

Raven's breathing quickened slightly as he randomly picked up a box and opened it.

Inside was a crystal shaped like a stone knife, with an uneven surface and a silver glittering spot inside, like a silver vertical pupil, containing tremendous energy.

Fifth-order steel attribute magic core!
It is now difficult to see magical beasts above level four or five within the area ruled by the human race. Therefore, the higher the level of the magic core, the more expensive it is. A level three magic core can easily cost hundreds or thousands, a level four magic core can cost tens of thousands, and a level five magic core can cost tens of thousands of gold coins.

A fifth-level magic core is enough to allow Raven to reach a higher level on the path to becoming a mage!

Then, Raven opened the second box, a hint of joy in his eyes.

Inside was a piece of metal ore, the size of a fist, and silver-gray in color. It looked like a piece of extremely pure iron ore, but if you held it in your hand, you would find that it was light, like holding a piece of cotton, yet its hardness was no less than that of any metal.

Fifth-level ore, mithril ore!
It is extremely light yet incredibly strong. Just a little bit of it can greatly reduce the weight of armor and weapons and greatly improve the wearer's flexibility.

Most importantly, it has excellent magical conductivity and does not hinder the flow of magic like most metals. It is a treasure that many magicians dream of.

If it falls into Raven's hands, he can use it to strengthen his crossbow. If there is enough material left, he can also make a close-fitting soft armor.

This fist-sized piece can be sold for at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins, and there is no demand for it!

Taking a deep breath, Raven opened the last box. He was stunned at first, then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

There was a small stack of parchment notes in it.

This is a bearer bond issued by the Upper Town Chamber of Commerce in Mon'en City, and behind the Upper Town Chamber of Commerce is the Slater family, also known as the Hyde family.

As long as the Slater family does not fall, they can use them to withdraw gold coins at any time.

There are sixteen bonds in total. Except for one bond which is worth three thousand gold coins, the rest are each worth ten thousand gold coins, which means a total of one hundred and fifty-three thousand gold coins.

This is like a timely relief for Raven whose treasury is on the verge of drying up!

Seeing Raven's smile, Zhu Nasheng also smiled.

Raven was satisfied, which meant that he had finally made up for his mistake. He would no longer have to be looked down upon. Maybe the Baron would be so happy that he would turn them into freemen or knights!
However, the next moment, Raven sighed and said:

"Alas, it's still too little!"

Zhu Nasheng's smile suddenly froze on his face.

……

(End of this chapter)