Imperial Crown.

Chapter 198 Business Alliance
It’s a cold winter in the north, and the sky is covered with thick clouds like a quilt, without a single ray of sunshine.

The biting cold wind blew the snowflakes down layer by layer, making it almost difficult to distinguish between the sky and the ground.

This weather where water turns into ice as soon as it falls is not suitable for traveling.

But at this moment, hundreds of carriages were passing through the streets of Eagle Town, crossing the bridge over the Jinsha River, and embarking on the trail leading to Eagle Castle.

The lanterns hanging on both sides of the trail emit a soft light, illuminating the snow and making Eagle Castle at the end of the lights look as warm as home.

Excluding Raven, there are thirteen nobles in Snow Maple County. With the relocation of Viscount John, there are now twelve.

The nobles brought their spouses, families, and a large number of servants, and each family brought at least six or seven carriages.

Broca Ota León is one of them.

His father was Viscount Fisher. In the war with the Order of the Hand of Death, in order to compete with Viscount John, Fisher not only killed himself but also killed six barons.

Otherwise, after Viscount John left, the position of Sheriff should have been taken over by Broca.

Now that the position of county governor fell on Raven's head, Brocka was quite dissatisfied, so he had some bad intentions. This time he brought fifteen carriages, intending to compete with Raven.

But when the carriage arrived at Eagle Town, his mentality began to change.

Although he had heard about the prosperity of Xiongying Town, the feeling was completely different when he actually saw it. What impressed him most was the Colosseum.

The building was huge, enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people, while his duel venue was only one acre in size, which was incomparable.

In addition, there is an oil painting of Raven hanging above the gate, which depicts the heroic feat of Raven defeating Visasi!

Broca even slipped out in the middle and walked around the arena several times, becoming more and more excited.

How happy it would be if you could have a knightly duel in such a venue under the watchful eyes of the public, and then hang your image at the door for everyone to admire?

In comparison, the daily enjoyment of flying eagles, running dogs, eating, drinking and having fun is simply not worth mentioning!
However, after silently calculating the cost in his mind, Brocka sighed and completely gave up the idea of ​​competing with Raven.

His carriage was the first to arrive.

At this time, Lei Wen was standing at the door to welcome guests. There was no arrogance on his face due to his sudden rise to a high position. He was so calm that it was totally inconsistent with his age.

Brocka is already thirty-seven years old. When Raven was his age, he was still judging people by their noses.

Walking up to Raven, the two men saluted each other, and Broca smiled and said, "Baron Raven, congratulations on becoming the county governor."

According to the information Raven received, Brocka had always been dissatisfied with his position as county governor, so he had already prepared for a tit-for-tat response. However, he did not expect Brocka's attitude to be so gentle, and all the responses he had already prepared became scrapped.

However, Raven did not get stuck: "We still need Viscount Broca's help. The entire Xuefeng County cannot do without the Leon family!"

As the saying goes, a sedan chair is carried by everyone. Even Viscount Brocka was polite to Raven. The other nobles, needless to say, came forward one by one to congratulate him.

Even Vesasi and Seleva, who had conflicts with Raven, had smiles on their faces.

Lady Doreen had changed out of her mourning clothes and was wearing a bright green dress. She walked to Raven and said, "The lighting on both sides of the road is really unique. Baron Raven always gives us surprises."

Raven smiled. "Those are called 'lanterns'. They are just a little thought. If you like, you can take some with you when you leave."

"I'm afraid I can't take my favorite things with me." Doreen looked at Raven meaningfully, then covered her giggling lips and walked into the door.

The next person to arrive was Baron Shufu Ota Vernon, who was born a commoner and inherited the title by chance. He was the lord of Holo Territory, which was just south of Eagle Territory and had close ties with the Fox family.

As soon as they met, Xiufu showed great enthusiasm: "Baron Raven, it's really better to meet you in person than to hear about you!"

"I have wanted to visit you for a long time, but I never had the right opportunity. Now that I finally meet you, we must have a good exchange!"

"After all, we are all working for the Governor of Montreal."

As he said this, he winked at Raven.

Raven was quite disgusted by this attitude of dragging him to be a dog for the Fox family. Before he could say anything, another baron came up.

Mos Ota Tanbek, Lord of Ek Territory, whose territory borders the southeast of Eagle Territory.

He walked over and saluted generously, then said: "Although it is a pity that I could not fight alongside you, Viscount Hyde told me about your heroic spirit. I was still wondering what kind of person you were. I didn't expect you to be so promising at such a young age!"

If you were to be picky, it would be somewhat rude for a third person to suddenly interrupt a conversation between two nobles.

The reason why Moss did this was hidden in his words - he was a close confidant of the Slater family, and of course he didn't want to see Shufu, who had a Fox family background, chatting too enthusiastically with Raven.

Raven didn't want to show any inclination, so he said a few polite words and sent the two men in the gate, and continued to welcome guests. Although Viscount John did not come, Baron Kate, who had fought against the Hand of Death together at that time, came.

The two of them recounted the situation at that time and were both quite happy.

The last one to arrive was Judra, who was closest to him. As he gained weight, he looked more and more like Angel.

When Judra saw Raven, she took off her hat, saluted, said a few polite words, and walked into the hall.

To be honest, Judra felt a little sad. As early as two years ago, Eagle Town was still a dilapidated scene, but now it has undergone earth-shaking changes. His Ironfurnace Town cannot be compared with here at all.

And Raven himself, from a baron who had never established his foothold, became the most dazzling star in Xuefeng County.

But what’s so great about this? From the time Raven started out to now, which of his successes wasn’t built on the back of countless lives?
When the horse bandits attacked Eagle Castle, Raven watched his people being ravaged by them, and only dared to fight at the foot of the castle; afterwards, he captured the Bloody Highlands, and although he became famous, more than 120 people went out and only more than 30 returned!

Thinking of this, Judra felt much better, but immediately felt something was wrong.

In terms of wasting more lives, he has done more than Raven, but he does not have the same achievements as Raven!
Blushing with embarrassment, Judra walked into the hall and immediately found a seat.

Behind him, Raven's figure attracted the attention of all the nobles as soon as he appeared.

Raven enjoyed the feeling.

At Donald's funeral, Raven also received attention from the nobles, but at that time everyone treated him as a clown and an object of entertainment.

Now, they have to face themselves.

Walking to the high platform at the end of the hall, Raven glanced at the whole audience and saw pairs of focused eyes. He said softly, "Thank you all for coming to Eagle Castle to attend my inauguration reception."

"It's the beginning of a new year, so let's only talk about personal matters today, not business matters."

"You have all come from afar, so I won't say much. I hope you can enjoy this reception!"

These words were brief, but they made the nobles present heave a sigh of relief.

What the nobles fear most is change. The fact that Raven does not plan to issue any new decrees is itself a good thing.

Before the reception officially started, there was a hand-cleansing session, and the soap used was, of course, Angel's Embrace. Now, after the iterative upgrade of technology, the wax in the soap can be separated and made into candles, which makes the Angel's Embrace feel smoother, bringing a little surprise to the nobles present, and making them look forward to the content later.

The cocktail party officially began, and the servants brought trays to serve wine and food to everyone.

In a normal cocktail party, not many people would focus on eating and drinking. Most of the time, they would communicate and laugh with each other, and it would often be noisy.

But now, apart from the music, the only sound in the hall is the sound of knives and forks hitting plates. Even if people are communicating with each other, they keep their voices down.

Because today's dishes and drinks are really exquisite.

The Angel's Tears itself was within their expectations - it would be strange if there was any noble in the Nord Province who had not drunk the Angel's Tears.

But this time, in addition to the classic styles, there are also newly developed styles that have never been sold to the public. Each dish is accompanied by an exclusive style of Angel's Tears, giving them a completely different dining experience than before.

The lavender flavor is slightly astringent, refreshing and perfect with the appetizers; the classic version is smooth, sweet and mellow, which can effectively eliminate the greasiness of the meat in the main meal; the citrus flavor is slightly sour, which makes people salivate, and it is a perfect match with the seafood!

The one who enjoyed the meal the most was Baron Shufu. He was also born a commoner, and unlike Raven, he was not taught etiquette in the orphanage. All the etiquette was learned after he inherited the title, so he had to remind himself to pay attention to it all the time.

Now that he was enjoying the meal, he immediately forgot all etiquette and started eating and drinking with big mouthfuls!
Especially the two seafood dishes, sea cucumber and abalone. If the waiter hadn't introduced them, he wouldn't have known what they were. But the deliciousness of them was so unforgettable that he even licked the soup in the plate clean.

After doing all this, he felt a little embarrassed and quickly wiped his mouth and looked around. The result made him feel relieved - not only his plates, but also those of other nobles were clean. However, others did not lick the food, but dipped it in the sauce with bread.

"Otherwise, he is a true noble." Xiufu thought to himself, "I learned another trick today."

When the last dessert disappeared on the plate and the nobles took a short break, the music changed.

The nobles stood up one after another, and servants came forward to remove the tables, chairs and plates, and the hall was transformed into a dance hall. Several long tables were placed on both sides, with cold food and drinks on them for people to use at will.

Amid the melodious music, the nobles began to talk freely.

Judra, Versacine and Seleva gathered together, each holding a glass of Angel's Tears.

Selewa said with a sullen look: "Baron Versacim, it seems that we two have to continue to be patient for a while."

"It won't take long." Wesasi looked at the Angel's Tear in his hand and took a sip. "I originally thought that Raven had some ability, but now it seems that he is just so-so."

"He wasted money right after taking office. He is corrupt, decadent and degenerate!"

Jude nodded: "Yes, even the cocktail parties held by Viscount Fisher and Viscount John were not so grand before!"

Both Vesasi and Seleva were aware of Judra's dissatisfaction.

As Raven took back the Thousand Needles, Judra's Ironforge Territory lacked fuel, resulting in a significant reduction in production capacity. Although the prices of weapons and equipment on the market are high, he cannot get a piece of the pie. Instead, he has to pay a large sum of money for breach of contract!
Judra continued to complain: "And recently I heard that the Principality of Eivor among the Feydon city-states is ready to make a move. It is very likely that they were instigated by the northern barbarians and want to harm us. But he is actually obsessed with such trivial matters. He really has no ambition!"

Versacine and Seleva looked at each other and both felt that Judra was a little extreme.

Snow Maple County is located in the northwest of Nord Province, while the Principality of Eivor is in the northeast of Nord Province. Not to mention that the news itself is groundless and unreliable, even if a war really breaks out, Snow Maple County will have nothing to do with it!
Not wanting to continue listening to Judra's complaints, Vesasi and Seleva each found an excuse to leave, while Judra continued to drink alone.

After a while, Judra suddenly heard a commotion. She turned around and saw Raven talking about something. The nobles all gathered around him.

Even Vissaxin and Seleva, who had previously cursed at Raven, were no exception, and they had smiles on their faces!

"You spineless thing!" Judra spat.

But seeing that it was getting more and more lively over there, Judra still walked over with a glass of wine.

Seeing him coming, Vesasi and Seleva looked a little embarrassed, as did Judra herself, but nobles were nobles after all, and the three of them quickly adjusted themselves and focused on what Raven was saying.

"...Actually, this is just a concept for now." Lei Wenzheng held a glass of wine and talked freely: "Since everyone is interested, I will explain it in detail."

"Next, I want to unite the nobles of our Xuefeng County to form a business alliance."

Judra now knew why the nobles had gathered around her.

At present, Raven is the most successful nobleman in Xuefeng County in business. The alliance he proposed to form is undoubtedly very attractive.

But is Raven so kind that he would help everyone make money for free?

Raven's next words answered his question: "Our Xuefeng County is located in a remote area. The profits from the things we sell are low, and the prices of the things we buy are high. The bulk of the money is actually spent on shipping costs."

"The first thing for a commercial alliance is to cancel our internal tariffs. Foreign goods will be taxed once when they enter Xuefeng County, and no other taxes will be levied."

"Of course, the one that benefits the most here is my territory, but I don't intend to take advantage of it. You should all know that my aunt, Lady Denise, is currently serving as the president of the Chamber of Commerce in the Lower City of Mon'en."

"Through this relationship, the goods of our business alliance can be directly transported to Mon'en City and sold there. The various materials we need can also be purchased directly from the Mon'en City Chamber of Commerce."

Judra was immediately shocked by Raven's generosity. He was willing to share this channel.

He didn't understand it very well before, but now that he has taken over Tieluling completely, he has realized the importance of purchasing and sales channels.

The dispute between Lady Doreen and Baron Versacem is an example of this, Versacem sent soldiers to pose as horse thieves, and Doreen asked Raven for help.

Isn't the reason for such a big conflict between the two companies just over a low-cost channel for shipping goods?

Even Judra himself was very tempted. If he joined this business alliance and had a stable fuel supply channel, his Iron Furnace Territory would be able to recover and move to a higher level!
But the price involved made Judra hesitate.

The so-called people in power are those who distribute benefits.

Once the business alliance is successfully formed, Raven will definitely be the leader. In this way, Raven will hold the power to distribute the interests of Xuefeng County and truly be above every noble.

Not to mention that he also has the convenience of the title of county governor. Even if he steps down in the future, as long as this alliance lasts one day, Raven will be able to firmly grasp Xuefeng County in his hands and tie the entire Xuefeng County to his chariot!

Madam Doreen smiled faintly: "Baron Raven's idea is really comprehensive. On behalf of the Simpson family, I would like to express my willingness to join your alliance."

"As early as when we fought side by side, I knew that Baron Raven had a great vision." Baron Kate said, "I am also willing to join your alliance."

Viscount Broca also expressed his opinion: "Baron Raven was able to turn the impoverished Eagle Town into what it is today, and he will definitely be able to make this alliance a glorious one. I will join as well."

Now that the only viscount in Xuefeng County did so, the others naturally followed suit, starting with Shufu and Moss, and finally even Vissaxin and Seleva gave in.

Everyone's eyes were on Judra, who remained silent.

Seeing this, Judra sighed inwardly and forced a smile: "I'm willing to join in too!"

Raven clapped his hands and said, "Okay, in that case, let's stay a few more days."

"Let's work out a charter together."

……

(End of this chapter)