Imperial Crown.

Chapter 197 Some are happy and some are sad

When the dungeon door was pushed open, a cool breeze hit me in the face.

Raven walked down the stairs and saw Mark leaning against the iron cage with his back to him.

This former noble young master had completely lost his noble appearance. His clothes had become dirty and worn, and his once bright red hair had faded a lot and stuck to his back like felt, like a greasy cloak.

Mark's ears twitched when he heard Raven's footsteps, but his body remained motionless.

In fact, his legs had basically healed, and the reason he didn't react was because he thought it was a servant who came to deliver food.

But after the footsteps stopped, he didn't hear the sound of the plate falling to the ground, so he turned around.

Compared with before, his face was much thinner and his beard had grown out. He didn't look like he was only one year older than Raven. Instead, he looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.

Mark's eyes first fell on Raven's feet. His throat moved and slowly began to move upwards until his eyes met Raven's.

At this moment, the emotions in his originally dim eyes changed several times, first surprise, then hatred, anger, and finally turned into horror and humility.

"Let me out!" He was shaking with tears in his eyes. "Raven, Baron Raven, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please let me out, let me out!!"

boom--

Raven grabbed the railing and shook it hard. "Stop acting, Mark."

"You're not scared, you just know you're going to die!"

Mark's body collapsed: "...Then just kill me."

Raven said calmly: "I am not a lord who doesn't listen to others. If this is your wish, then I can fulfill your wish."

As he spoke, a cluster of light blue flames burned in his hands.

The firelight illuminated Mark's eyes, allowing him to realize that Raven was not joking.

Indeed, he was living a life worse than death during this period.

There was no sun to be seen, and no hope to be seen. The only way to determine the passage of time was by the servants who brought him meals. And those damn meals were only black bread and wheat porridge, with no meat at all.

Some time ago, there were still some green vegetables to decorate the place, but now there is not even a trace of green to be seen.

Not to mention personal hygiene. The playboy who used to hang out at cocktail parties and dances every day is now smelly, stinky and sticky.

The worst thing was that he was the only one imprisoned here, and the servants were repeatedly forbidden to talk to him, so he even developed the habit of communicating with rats and cockroaches.

If Raven hadn't occasionally sent someone to bring him some novels, he would probably have gone crazy long ago.

But he is still alive after all!

Although life was boring, he feared death even more, and a strong desire to survive occupied his consciousness.

Mark said with a flattering smile: "I was just joking. I am very satisfied with the life here!"

"That's good. It's worth my while to come to you." As he spoke, the appointment document appeared in Raven's hand: "Look, what is this?"

Seeing the above content, Mark's pupils shrank, and then cold sweat dripped down.

Raven became the county governor appointed by His Majesty the King himself, and he also served as a baron, which shows that he has won the recognition of His Majesty at the political level.

Not to mention that Mark is still here, even if he really escapes and accuses Raven, no one will stand up for him, but he will be dealt with secretly.

Big people can make mistakes, but they never admit them.

Ironically, at this moment Mark suddenly realized that staying in the dungeon was actually the safest choice for him.

Then, Raven told how he met Judra in the casino and how he won a large sum of gold coins from him, and also described the recent situation in Ironforge Territory.

During this period, Mark would flatter him from time to time, saying things like "Your Excellency the Baron is wise and brave."

For Mark, knowing that Raven was still paying attention to Judra was good news in itself, because it meant that he was still useful to Raven.

Raven's attitude gave Mark a glimmer of hope: "... Baron, are you going to let me out?"

"Impossible." Raven shook his head. "But my new castle is under construction. When it is completed, this place will be transformed into my magic tower."

"If you behave well, you may be able to move around more freely and have your own room."

Mark was stunned on the spot, then nodded vigorously: "I will behave well!"

The matter was finished, and Raven turned around and prepared to leave. At this time, Mark suddenly said:

"My Lord Baron, I have a small request."

"Can you add some meat to my meal from now on?"

"Okay." Raven raised a smile and quickly left the dungeon.

The reason why he came to the dungeon today was because Raven knew that Mark's mood had been getting increasingly depressed recently, and he might die at any time. Raven wanted to take this opportunity to give him some motivation to live.

So far, the results seem good.

For Raven, imprisoning Mark was just a casual move that might be useful or might not.

But this is not the point.

The point is that Raven needs to keep a trump card to kill Judra.

Be prepared, never worry.

After Raven left, Mark ate the meat he had been longing for at the next meal. He didn't know when the new castle would be built, but he finally had hope.

Mark is not the only one who feels that life is becoming more hopeful.

It is already the end of the year. Although the Keynes Empire does not have the tradition of celebrating the New Year, Raven is still accustomed to giving year-end bonuses to his retainers and servants at the end of the year. This makes everyone in the castle full of energy and joy.

Baron Raven is going to hold his first cocktail party after taking office as county governor. Old Gordon attaches great importance to this. Not only does he do many things himself, he also mobilizes every person who can be used.

For example, Volav.

After the shift change, the leader of Raven's personal guards was dragged into the warehouse by old Gordon before he could take off his armor to rest.

"Mr. Gordon, what do you want to talk to me about?" Volaf yawned, "My daughter is waiting for me to go back and tell her a story."

Old Gordon rolled his eyes at him and said, "Are you telling stories to your daughter, or are you going to tell stories to women at the Crystal Palace?"

Volav chuckled and said, "You know this too? Why don't we go together? I'll treat you!"

"Get lost!" Old Gordon didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I still want to live two more years, and I called you here for something important."

As he spoke, Old Gordon removed the lid of a large vat next to him, and immediately a fishy smell hit him in the face.

There were many slippery, black things in the jar, some hard and some soft. Volaf's scalp tingled as he looked at them: "What is this? Is it the magic ingredient that the Baron wants to use?"

"Sea cucumbers and abalone." Old Gordon said, "These are all good things that were rushed from the seaside and prepared for the cocktail party."

"Beach?" Volaf was stunned. He had no idea about the sea. He only knew that Nord Province was located in the central and western part of the continent. There was no connection with the ocean in the four directions of east, south, west and north. The nearest distance was probably tens of thousands of kilometers away. "How much... does it cost?"

"All in all, it's less than two gold coins for one." Old Gordon smacked his lips, obviously feeling a little pained: "Don't just stand there, get started."

Looking at the crawling and wriggling sea cucumber, Volaf's face twisted: "...Not good, can it be eaten raw?" "What are you thinking!" Old Gordon coughed: "Aren't you a cold warrior? Freeze these tanks."

"That's not how you use ice fighting spirit." Volaf scratched his cheek, "Besides, it's so cold now. If you leave it outside, it will freeze solid overnight."

Old Gordon said, "What if it gets contaminated or attracts wild cats if left outside? We can't afford to lose these things, so hurry up and get them!"

In desperation, Volav had to start making a human-shaped refrigerator. As expected, he would have to do this job twice a day.

He was a little unhappy at first, but in the next few days, Volav felt balanced because he was not the only one who was used as a "tool man".

The first one is Link. This guy is a fire fighter. He just took a year off and was caught by old Gordon to light a lantern - literally.

The lantern, Baron Raven's little invention, is very popular throughout Eagle Castle. It does not require much material but can effectively block the wind. It is not like the previous braziers and torches, which were placed in the yard and would have ashes fly everywhere when the wind blew.

The disadvantage is that it is difficult to light. If you are not careful, you will burn your hand or smoke the inside of the lantern black. But Link is just right and can light it by putting his finger in.

This job is not easy either.

For the sake of grandeur, Old Gordon planned to hang lanterns directly from the gate of Eagle Fort all the way to the Jinsha River Bridge. The walls of Eagle Fort would also be filled with lanterns, with a total of more than 400 lanterns, which made Link's fingers cramp.

After ordering, Old Gordon nodded: "Well, Chaofan does things steadily, so that we will have experience next time."

Link said angrily, "Will there be a next time?"

"Yes, today is just a trial. We will officially hang it up on the day of the cocktail party." Old Gordon said, and began to blow out the candles in the lanterns one by one: "Don't just stand there, come together."

Link's vision went dark and he almost fainted.

Everyone has his own job to do.

Simon rode on Claw Yellow Flying Lightning and led the scout team to deliver the invitations. Old Gordon also specifically instructed him to say different things to different families.

Poirot temporarily put aside his work in the riverside workshop and discussed with the cook Martha the menu for the cocktail party, including what cold and hot dishes to use, how to pair the drinks, and how to cook the ingredients prepared by old Gordon deliciously.

When the menu was ready, Eric temporarily worked as a part-time hunter and led the soldiers to hunt wild animals and store food, including but not limited to bears, deer, roe deer, wild boars, etc. The amount of prey obtained was enough to feed a dragon.

Patty and Fiona work as partners, with Fiona responsible for planning the decoration and layout of the castle, while Patty coordinates the specific placement and arrangement of the servants in the castle. The two exchange ideas from time to time, listen to other people's suggestions and make adjustments to make it beautiful.

Philip began to order his patrol teams and chambers of commerce to clean up the streets, maintain strict law and order, and not cause trouble for the Baron. In just a few days, the streets of Shining Gold Town looked as good as new.

To exaggerate a little, even the donkeys raised in the backyard of every household have to be brushed three times.

Some people are busy, while others are taking a break.

Since returning to Eagle Castle, Margaret has been moving around like a butterfly almost every day, changing into different clothes.

These clothes all have one thing in common, which is that they are close-fitting enough.

Her figure was extremely plump, and coupled with the soft and close-fitting fabric, it trembled as she walked on the road, as if it was about to burst out. She was simply a walking hormone.

The men in Eagle Castle would be attracted by her as soon as they met her, and they couldn't wait to hold her in their arms and ravage her.

Especially since her face was always covered with a veil, people could see the attractive contours of her face and the seductive blush, but they couldn't see it clearly. This aroused the curiosity and attention of men even more.

Margaret displayed her charm unscrupulously. She enjoyed the gazes of men and indulged in the pleasure of seducing everyone.

In fact, if Raven hadn't asked her to restrain herself, the entire Eagle Castle might have been slept with by her.

Of course, that assumes those people don't know what she really looks like.

One day, Margaret walked out of the room and leaned against the wall.

She had just taken a shower and her eyes were a little dazed. She wanted to find an opportunity to "capture" a prey.

Footsteps were heard and An Nuo was walking towards them from a distance.

As soon as she saw her, Margaret felt a little jealous.

She worked hard and finally got this body, but An Nuo's natural beauty easily surpassed hers.

Whenever the two of them appeared in the same place, more people's attention would be on An Nuo rather than her.

Moreover, Margaret could not forget the embarrassment she felt when facing Anno when they first met - this made her jealous and a little inferior at the same time.

Margaret wanted to say something sarcastic, but the fear in her bones made her give up and she turned around to go back to the house.

Unexpectedly, An Nuo stopped in front of her and said, "I have something to talk to you about."

"It's really rare that Lady Anno, a dignified God-Blood Witch, would come to me?" Margaret snorted, "Are you trying to persuade me to be more restrained? Unfortunately, you are not my master, and I have no obligation to follow your teachings."

An Nuo shook his head: "No, I want to hire you as a mentor for the future academy."

Such a calm attitude made Margaret feel like she had punched the air. She felt quite depressed and ashamed.

In front of her, An Nuo was like a mountain. How could a mountain get angry at Tupo's ridicule?

"Why? You and I are not the same kind of people." Margaret lifted her hair and said, "And I can see that you don't agree with my lifestyle. If you hire me as a tutor, aren't you afraid that your students will be corrupted by me?"

An Nuo shook his head: "You are right, you and I are not the same person. I am the God Blood Witch, and you grew up little by little."

"The difference between our backgrounds has led to different circumstances. You will encounter more and greater hostility than I have, but this also means that you have experienced more setbacks to get to where you are now."

"If nothing unexpected happens, most of the students will have a similar background to you, not me, so you will be able to solve many of the difficulties and problems they may face better than I do."

He tells the story in a calm and leisurely manner without any personal emotion. Even when talking about differences in family background, there is no disdain or contempt. He is simply stating the facts.

Margaret was silent for a long time. She realized that the gap between her and An Nuo was not just in strength.

"I can promise you." Margaret said calmly, "But my price is not low."

"No problem." An Nuo nodded: "Once the academy is up and running, you can come and join us."

Annuo really doesn't care about this, she is not sensitive to money.

And no matter how high the price Margaret asks for, it's Raven who pays!

"Ah--chi!" Raven, who was looking at the bill, sneezed, causing the black cat to glance at him with dissatisfaction.

Raven rubbed his nose and said, "My goodness, who is thinking about me?"

Then he turned his attention back to the bill.

During this period of time, with the misty iron ore as a source of income, the gold coins on the books have exceeded 100,000. The goal of one million was not far away, but now it has fallen back below 100,000.

He knew that hosting a cocktail party would be very expensive, but he didn't expect it to be so costly. Now that the bill came in, it turned out to be more than three thousand gold coins!
“Hope it’s worth the money!”

Following Simon's steps, the news of the cocktail party spread throughout Xuefeng County, and the nobles were all speculating about what kind of ceremony the newly appointed county governor would put on.

Finally, the time came to January 1195, 1 in the Guangming calendar.

The reception officially began.

……

(End of this chapter)