Imperial Crown.

Chapter 222 Letter of Recommendation

The aristocratic world is clearly divided into classes.

Even nobles with the same title have different statuses.

The most intuitive example is Raven.

He is still just a baron now, but in the entire Nord Province, there is no baron who thinks he can be on equal footing with Raven.

And if we look at the entire empire, the powerful nobles with the same title will undoubtedly have a more respected status the closer they are to the royal capital.

Apart from political factors, the most important thing is wealth.

The Keynes Empire firmly occupies the most fertile land in the central part of the Middles Continent, and the capital city of "Mingnagar" is the essence of this land.

Agriculture, commerce, and industry are all the best in the continent, and magic has penetrated into every aspect. It is said that in the royal capital, even the street lamps are magic lamps.

The rivers flow with milk and honey, and the land is covered with gold.

The same earl, if living near Mingnagar, can have an income 3-5 times that of the border nobles.

There is no noble who does not yearn for the wealth and splendor of the royal capital.

If given a choice, many nobles would be willing to pay the price of reducing their territory by half in exchange for a piece of land near the royal capital.

The letter that Marquis Anthony was writing could not allow Raven to obtain the fiefdom near the royal capital, but its effect was enough to make Hyde jealous.

Yes, jealousy, Hyde clearly felt this strong negative emotion.

Because it was a letter of recommendation.

The holder of the letter can study at Keynes Imperial Royal University!
The Royal University of Cairns is a legendary institution with a history of 657 years. All the presidents have been served by His Majesty the King himself.

This means that as long as you enroll in school, you will have the opportunity to meet His Majesty the King.

At the same time, the Royal University also has the largest library on the continent.

There, you can learn magic and combat skills treasured by the royal family, and acquire the most comprehensive knowledge of the entire continent.

No matter what you want to know or research, you can find relevant records and materials.

On the other hand, the admission threshold of the Royal University is quite high, and it can be said that "earls are as numerous as dogs, and marquises are everywhere."

In the 600 years since the establishment of the Royal University, 143 of the empire's 105 prime ministers were born here; 87 of the 71 marshals studied here.

The rest, such as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, military advisers, Foreign Minister, and other important officials at all levels, accounted for more than 80% of those who studied at the Royal University.

And this proportion is increasing over time.

So much so that for nearly 100 years, if you did not study at the Royal University, you would not be qualified to enter His Majesty the King’s Cabinet!
It can be said that the moment you step into the campus gate, you have already stepped half a foot into the core of the empire.

There is no noble who does not want to enter this incubator for the imperial nobility, but its admission requirements are also quite strict.

Although theoretically, His Majesty the King has the right to special recruitment, this power has never been exercised.

The only way is through alumni recommendation, and each alumnus has only three places.

And only outstanding alumni are eligible to issue recommendation letters.

As for what constitutes an outstanding alumnus, of course that depends on one's personal influence. There are many jokes in history about people who thought they were outstanding and wrote letters of recommendation, only to have the holders of the letters be turned away.

This also ensures the style and authority of the Royal University. Everyone who is fortunate enough to enter the Royal University is proud of his or her identity.

"My Lord Marquis, this return gift... isn't it too expensive?" Hyde swallowed.

It is no exaggeration to say that if possible, Hyde would even be willing to exchange his viscountship for this letter of recommendation.

As long as he has this resume, no matter how poor his ability is, he can replace his elder brother Minsk and become the first heir of the Slater family.

And now, this letter of recommendation is about to fall into Raven's hands!

Anthony put down his quill, put the letter into an envelope, and stamped his personal seal on the wax.

"As a noble, you cannot be stingy like a businessman. You must maximize every resource you have."

Hyde's eyes were still confused.

Anthony handed over the letter: "Give it to Baron Raven, maybe he can answer your questions."

So Hyde took on the job of messenger.

Not only did he want to answer his questions, he also wanted to see if Raven, who had never lost his composure in front of him, would lose his composure because of this.

To his disappointment, when the letter was handed over, Raven did look happy, but this joy was totally disproportionate to what he had gained. It was as if he had just picked up a wallet full of gold coins on the roadside.

"No, don't you feel any surprise at all?" Hyde was a little upset: "Or did you know this result when you sent out the Angel's Glory?"

"I'm not a god, how can I calculate it?"

"Then why are you behaving like this?"

"I won't let you laugh at me. I am a nobleman. It is my basic skill to not show my emotions. Maybe after you leave, I will close the door and be happy like a fool."

Hyde was speechless for a moment: "You are only one year older than me, why do you talk like those old foxes?"

He was a very self-aware person. He knew he couldn't win the argument with Raven, so he went straight to the point: "Why did Marquis Anthony give you the letter of recommendation? Your status and influence can't be greater than my father's, right?"

Raven said, "If we only look at influence, Marquis Anthony sent out the recommendation letter as early as in the capital."

"Let me ask you a question, who is my gift for?"

Hyde blurted out: "Of course, Your Majesty, but..."

Hyde's brows gradually knitted together, and he swallowed his saliva, feeling that he was more shocked today than in the past 21 years.

Raven's gift is for His Majesty the King, so does that mean that Marquis Anthony's gift... is also for His Majesty the King?
Hyde vaguely grasped something, but the answer seemed to be hidden in the fog and he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried: "Okay, I give up. Just tell me the answer."

Raven did not dislike a clear-minded noble like Hyde, and patiently explained: "If His Majesty the King receives my gift, he will probably be curious about me and want to see me in person."

"Marquis Anthony must think about what His Majesty the King wants and share His Majesty's worries."

At this point, Hyde's eyes gradually revealed a hint of realization, and he even understood the hidden meaning of Raven's words.

If it was just about letting His Majesty meet Raven, Anthony would have many options.

All Hyde could think of was to bring Raven back to the capital directly, or to recommend Raven to work in the palace.

But all of these have the same problem, which is that they not only make Count Anthony look like a jester who is only interested in personal gain, but also put Raven in the position of a clown and actor.

More importantly, this will make the outside world feel that His Majesty the King is frivolous and not stable enough.

But with letters of recommendation, these problems can be completely avoided.

Raven now had a legitimate reason to enter the capital, and Marquis Anthony no longer had to bear the stigma of being a jester.

If His Majesty the King wants to see Raven, it is reasonable; if he does not want to see him, there will be no additional burden.

The key point is that Anthony and Raven understood each other's meaning without even communicating with each other!

"It seems that what father said is right. I am indeed not the material to inherit the family headship." Hyde smiled bitterly: "In the future cooperation, you should try not to set traps for me. I can't outsmart you."

Raven put on a smile and said, "How is that possible? I am a very kind person." Hyde rolled his eyes and turned away.

Raven laughed in silence, and when he was sure Hyde was far away, he picked up the envelope on the table and kissed it hard, with an irrepressible smile on his lips.

How could he not be happy with this valuable return gift?

This was not just a letter of recommendation, it was also his stepping stone to enter the upper echelons of the empire, and it also carried the attitude of Marquis Anthony - from today on, he was a member of Marquis Anthony's faction.

And the Marquis Anthony represented His Majesty the King.

When Raven decided to marry into the Fox family, he had considered the pros and cons.

First of all, this move can leverage the Fox family's network of relationships to open up more connections and trade routes, allowing the economy of their own territory to develop more rapidly.

Secondly, it can enhance one's political reputation and status in the Nordic province.

Finally, there are the benefits of marriage itself.

Raven rarely holds cocktail parties because he doesn't like overly lively occasions and he also needs more time to improve himself and manage his territory.

Once he marries Nancy, she can take the lead in organizing these social activities and maintain the Griffith family's connection with other nobles.

Of course, the disadvantages are also obvious.

Although Raven's territory is developing very well at present, it is far inferior to that of the Fox family.

The gap in titles is also quite obvious.

Once the marriage is made, the Griffith family will be considered an integral part of the Fox family, whether they like it or not.

This is very likely to be suppressed by Slater's faction, and even the position of President of the Lower City Chamber of Commerce in Mon'en City that he has already obtained may be lost.

Lei Wen had already made preparations for this.

Exchanging Hovi City for Mon'en City is not a very unprofitable deal.

Now, with the recommendation letter in hand, Raven successfully removed himself from the Fox family's camp, offsetting the disadvantages.

Raven poured himself a glass of Angel's Tears, leaned back in his chair leisurely, and suddenly sighed in boredom.

At this time, it would be nice to have a cigarette.

In my previous life, I was under so much work pressure that I became addicted to smoking. Now that I’ve relaxed, I actually miss the smell of cigarettes.

Unfortunately, although tobacco is also produced on the Middles continent, not only is the quality extremely poor and the taste worrying, but due to the lack of filtering technology, smoking the tobacco is like squatting next to a stove and eating ashes, and your mouth will be full of residue after just two puffs.

"Grow some tobacco?" Raven pondered the feasibility of this plan and wrote a line in his notebook, preparing to do it again when he had the chance in the future.

Looking back on the past year, many goals have been achieved.

The forging factory has been built and put into use, and the glass factory is also on track. It can not only produce mirrors and cans, but also provide high-quality and cheap packaging for its own Angel's Tears and Angel's Kisses.

The Congyun kumquats were ripe, the magic potion was successfully refined, and his own strength was also improved to the third level.

The only regret is that the construction of the new castle itself has been a little slow due to the need to take into account the construction of Annuo's academy and the bone dragon's dragon's nest. Judging from the current progress, it will not be completed until the middle of next year.

And now he has more than 80 gold coins in his hand. Although it is still a bit far from 100 million, Raven is not a miser and will not wait until he reaches 100 million before considering spending.

Tapping his fingers on the table, Raven took out a quill and began to plan his future goals.

The first thing, undoubtedly, is to become an earl.

Viscounts and barons are both lower-level nobles. No matter how powerful Ren Leiwen is, he can only please both sides. Only by becoming an earl can he officially sit at the table.

But this step is difficult, and the Angel's Glory that you send out is far from enough.

Therefore, Raven will have to win the support of the Fox family next, and at the same time, he will have to use the good impression he left on Marquis Anthony to consolidate his position in the heart of His Majesty the King.

Of course, this inevitably involves some entanglement with the Slater family.

The second thing is to build a platform of your own.

It is not realistic to become rich in one bite. What Raven needs to do is to develop step by step, starting from Xuefeng County, then the five northwestern counties, and then radiating to the entire Nord Province.

After achieving this goal, we can consider expanding outward.

The last thing is to improve personal strength.

Currently, Raven's magic power is three stars at the third level, and he still has some way to go before reaching the fourth level.

If we divide the extraordinary levels into general levels, then every three levels are a hurdle, and after breaking through, there will be a qualitative change.

Fourth-level knights and warriors can condense battle patterns to greatly enhance their physical strength and unleash terrible destructive power; and fourth-level magicians can even make their magical creations exist forever.

The difficulty from level three to level four is much greater than that from level one to level three.

Therefore, there are so many magicians stuck at the third level in the Mage Guild; Angel also fell on the road of sprinting from the third level to the fourth level.

To become a fourth-level magician, Raven still has three steps to complete:
1. Select and refine a type of magic, and engrave its magic circuit into your own magic pool.

2. Increase your magic power to level three, ten stars.

3. Obtain the "Magic Upgrade Potion".

Mastering a type of magic is a process for a magician to hone his control over magic power and also a process of polishing himself.

It is like a kind of enchantment on oneself, making the manipulation of magic power become an instinct. The chosen magic will no longer be restricted by rank, but will gradually become stronger as the magician's own strength increases.

This also involves the ability to awaken at the fifth level.

There is no need to say much about accumulating magic power, the most important thing is the third step, "Magic Upgrading Potion".

This is because this kind of potion is truly "different for different people" - because every magician has a different magic composition in their body.

This has resulted in its price remaining high at six figures.

If he wanted to have it tailor-made, he would undoubtedly need to undergo a comprehensive inspection by the Mages Guild, which also meant that Raven would have to completely expose himself to the Mages Guild's vision.

This was unacceptable to Raven.

Not to mention that the secret of the Eye of Truth cannot be made public. In the future, he will have many more magicians under his command and will not be strangled by the Mage Guild.

The formula for the magic upgrade potion costs 379600 gold coins.

Raven scratched his head and made a budget list, in which the simplified version of the "Intellectual Magic Network" used to build the platform would cost 57 gold coins. If he bought this, he would not be able to get the formula for the magic upgrade potion!

"There are never enough gold coins..."

Raven sighed, put down his pen for the time being, rubbed his temples, and returned to his room.

After all, it will take some time for the cash to arrive, so Raven has plenty of free time to think and rest.

This time, the nobles did not stay too long, but left one after another after receiving the first batch of goods - Angel's Glory is a fragile item and the price is quite high, they really can't rest assured if they don't escort it personally.

And Eric also took the initiative to find Raven after a long time.

……

(End of this chapter)