Imperial Crown.

Chapter 239: Adding to the Stakes
I will update more chapters to reward the QQ reading boss [阳洋得意@]!
……

Raven said he wouldn't do it and he really didn't do it.

Over the next few days, Raven basically spent his time meditating, engraving fireballs, strengthening his staff, attending various events with Nancy, and occasionally watching his own extraordinary competitions.

Based on Ingra's arrangement, their schedule was placed in the second half, giving them plenty of time to watch the battles and get familiar with the game.

In addition to discussing tactics with each other, they also had the weapons and equipment carefully crafted by the gray dwarves, so they all defeated their opponents and advanced to the second round.

Today, which is the 17th day after the start of the competition, after Simon finished his first match, Raven found Simon and handed him a set of promotion materials.

Simon was so excited that he refused: "But this is against the rules. I just won a game."

"Take it. You are different from others." Raven advised: "In the past year or so, in addition to your job, you have also taken care of the affairs of the orphanage. I can see how hard you work."

"Besides, even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about them."

At this moment, the orphans were standing in the yard playing and fighting, imitating Simon's actions in the arena.

They were trained by Simon himself, and they regard Raven as their idol and Simon as their role model.

If the orphanage is compared to a big family, Raven is the father, and Simon is the eldest son of the family.

"I understand, Baron." Simon nodded vigorously and put the things away.

Raven laughed and shook his head: "This is a good thing that others would beg for, but you made me talk so hard before you accepted it."

Simon blushed: "My Lord Baron, I..."

"Okay, I know you don't have any other thoughts." Raven patted his shoulder: "So, among so many people, I trust you the most."

Some people are not good at expressing themselves, and Simon is one of them, but judging from his heavy breathing, he was obviously deeply moved.

"Baron." Volav walked in and whispered, "Mr. Gordon just sent someone to tell me that Marquis Anthony is looking for you and hopes you can come to the auditorium for a meeting."

"I didn't expect it to be today. I thought he could hold it in until tomorrow." Raven was not surprised. He turned to Simon and said, "Don't be too anxious. You still have at least one more round to hone your skills. Only by keeping a steady mind can you make great progress."

Simon nodded in agreement, his eyes full of determination but not anxiety.

Not long after, Raven arrived at the auditorium in a carriage. Free drinks and food were still provided here, but the flow of people had decreased a lot - most people went to watch the game.

In the innermost seat, Marquis Anthony was already waiting there.

Besides him, Archbishop Thomas, the Earl of Montreal, and the Earl of Tyrone were also present.

"Sorry, I'm late due to some personal matters." Raven bowed and took a seat.

"Newlyweds need some time for themselves." Montreal said kindly, "It's us old guys who are so unkind that we had to call you over here."

The competition became more and more grand, and his son Gul'dan also finished the competition a few days ago. Like Akori, he also crushed the others.

As a native of the Nord province, Gul'dan's influence is even greater than that of Ackerel, and the reputation of the Fox family is also reviving.

All this is thanks to Raven's Sky Eagle platform.

Therefore, Montreal paid more and more attention to Raven, not only considering the benefits, but also because he really appreciated and liked him.

"The vitality and love of young people are always enviable." Archbishop Thomas smiled and looked harmless, but quietly led the topic to the right track: "But as a lord, you also have to take responsibility and handle affairs."

Lei Wenming asked knowingly, "Archbishop, what do you mean?"

Marquis Anthony said, "Baron Raven, you should have received the joint petition from the knights, right?"

"That's true." Raven blinked and continued to play dumb: "But how did you know about this? It seems that Archbishop Thomas also knows about this?"

His acting skills could be said to be superb, but those present were all shrewd people, and it was obvious; and Raven certainly knew this.

But sometimes, even if both parties know the truth, the show has to go on.

"Even I know about it." Earl Tyrone laughed bitterly. "In the past few days, since they haven't received any reply from you, the new knights have been looking for ways to get their names added in."

"That's nothing." Marquis Anthony said with empty eyes: "There is already a lady with great power who has put the letter directly on my desk."

"So, Baron Raven."

“The reopening of registration cannot be delayed any further.”

Although the three people next to him did not speak, it was obvious that they had reached an agreement with Anthony on this point.

This is the effect Raven wanted.

If he had taken the initiative to propose this suggestion, or simply approved it without delay, let alone what the four people present would think, the complaints from the contestants alone would be enough to make him very upset.

After all, the lengthening of the competition schedule and the increase in the number of participants will definitely dilute the attention of those who registered earlier.

Now that Marquis Anthony has taken the initiative to make this request, any criticism will only be directed at him, and Raven can extricate himself.

"As a junior, I'm really sorry for causing so much trouble to everyone because of my wrong decision." Raven said sincerely, "But there is an important factor that has delayed my decision."

"If we open registration now, it would be like diluting the prize money, which is not fair to the knights who registered before."

There was a hint of admiration in Montreal's eyes, and Marquis Anthony's eyebrows slightly lowered.

In fact, Anthony had already seen through Raven's intention to divert the trouble.

But he still had to take the initiative to propose expanding the candidates and opening up registration.

There are more than 400 knights and nobles who want to participate this time, which is almost one-third of the male nobles in the Nord province and involves most of the noble families.

As the future governor, Anthony could not please these people, but he could not make them dissatisfied.

If they have a favorable impression, they may not reciprocate, but if they harbor resentment, they will really trip you up.

Therefore, in order for subsequent work to proceed smoothly, Anthony must take the initiative to promote registration.

But this kid Raven actually took advantage of the situation.

What he meant was that he wanted him to pay money to add more spice and replenish the prize pool!
Seeing that Marquis Anthony did not make a statement immediately, Raven stepped up his firepower: "Well... if the number of people doubles, then the number of winners will also double. Originally, the top 50 winners each received 50 gold coins; now it will be changed to the top 100 winners, which will give us an extra 2500 gold coins."

"After all, this is to celebrate my wedding, so I'll pay for it."

Raven seemed relieved, but Marquis Anthony did not feel happy.

If only Lei Wen paid, wouldn't Lei Wen still be the one to be thanked? His own benefits would not be apparent.

So the money still has to be paid.

Anthony could only smile bitterly in his heart.

This is not a conspiracy but an open plot. Anthony would not hate Raven because of this - after all, he was the one who came up with the idea of ​​the competition in the first place.

But not having any resentment didn't mean he didn't have any resentment towards Raven, so he brought out the words he had prepared long ago: "We do need to increase the stakes, but doubling it is too petty."

"Now we can say that all the nobles in the entire Nord Province have come to participate in the competition. The momentum should be even greater, allowing the whole province to enjoy the joy together. When it is mentioned in the future, it will not only be a wedding, but also a grand event that will be recorded in history."

Montreal raised his glass to hide the anger in his eyes.

Just like the old saying goes, a greedy python dares to swallow even a dragon. Anthony is no longer satisfied with his initial goal. Montreal can hear that Anthony wants to take all the credit for this competition and turn this competition into his personal achievement!
But this is Nancy's wedding after all, the wedding of Montreal's daughter!

"Indeed, since this is a grand event for the Nord Province, it is time for us Nords to contribute." Montreal immediately said, "This time, the prize will be paid by our Fox family, as well as the Slater and Griffith families."

Earl Tyrone had no intention of getting involved in the dispute. With Anthony standing in the front, there was no need for him to be in the spotlight.

But Montreal's words were clearly full of resentment, and he confronted Anthony head-on.

Anthony wanted to take all the credit for himself, while Montreal simply wanted to kick Anthony out.

Earl Tyrone had to express his opinion: "Since this is a grand event in our Nord Province, as a member of the province, we, the Slater family, will certainly not refuse to add to the prize."

"But the previous war severely damaged our Slater family. It's okay for us to pay some gold coins, but since the scale is going to expand to that extent, it seems a bit petty to just add money."

"So, how about we pay the money and Marquis Anthony take out a treasure as a reward for the champion?"

At this point, he chuckled and said, "But this will be borne by you, Marquis Anthony."

Montreal's eyelids twitched slightly.

Last time, Earl Tyrone used the same method to drag Anthony into the game, and this time he was repeating the same trick.

But this time, Montreal was not going to let Anthony get his wish so easily: "The Slater family is having a hard time, I know that, so you don't have to give out the treasures, but this is Raven and Nancy's wedding after all, so our two families still have to pay."

At this time, Marquis Anthony felt a little regretful. His momentary resentment gave Montreal another opportunity to win over Raven.

But this opportunity might not be able to turn into a rift between the two families: "That's great, if that's the case, I'll take it as a prize."

Before he finished speaking, Marquis Anthony flicked his finger, and a knight's sword with a scabbard appeared in front of everyone.

The blade is about 95 cm long and the hilt is 15 cm long, a standard knight's long sword.

But its scabbard is made of some unknown Warcraft leather, dotted with blue gems, and has fine enchanted patterns spread all over it - this scabbard is actually also an enchanted item.

Marquis Anthony stretched out his hand and pulled it out. A brilliant light suddenly burst out from the blade, and it was obvious that it was extremely powerful.

"This sword is called 'Hate of Hyperion'. It is the first masterpiece of the legendary swordsmith Hyperion. Both the blade and scabbard are second-tier items. When combined, the first sword unsheathed can exert the power of a third-tier enchanted weapon."

"Although it's only level 2, it can be used with any fighting spirit, and it won't look shabby even if it's used at level 3 or 4."

This Hyperion's hatred immediately attracted everyone's attention, and even Montreal was a little dazed.

As a swordsmith whose name has gone down in history, Hyperion is so famous that the weapons he produces have a collection value far exceeding their practical value. If Marquis Anthony is willing to sell them, they will be better than most third-tier weapons!

But for a count's family, it is not difficult to come up with enchanted equipment that is worth more than it is, so Montreal was about to speak immediately, but when he saw the smugness in Anthony's eyes, his voice got stuck in his throat.

He suddenly thought of a question. He could take it out, but what about Raven?
Indeed, Raven has earned a lot of gold coins in the past two years, but high-level enchanted equipment cannot be bought with money alone, and it is basically impossible for Raven to afford it.

Moreover, it was Montreal who took the initiative to ask Raven to use treasures as rewards.

If Raven fails to come up with a suitable prize, not only will his limelight be stolen, but the little trust that the two families have just established will also be destroyed.

Bishop Thomas, who had been silent all this time, suddenly sat up and said, "Sorry, I'm old, and I was a little distracted just now. Where were we talking about?"

How could a fifth-rank master magician be distracted? This was a joke, but since he had spoken, Marquis Anthony had to take it seriously, so he explained it briefly.

Archbishop Thomas suddenly understood: "Oh, so that's the case. As a member of the Nord Province, I have to express my opinion."

"But the church is poor and cannot afford any valuable treasures. So the prize I'm offering this time is a year of tax exemption on tithes."

As soon as these words came out, Montreal's mouth curled up into a smile, Earl Tyrone glanced at Thomas secretly, and Marquis Anthony's eyes suddenly tightened, and he began to curse in his heart.

He took the initiative and brought out the Hyperion's Hatred in order to raise the stakes and deliberately sow discord between the Fox family and Raven.

But now Thomas' words have directly muddied the situation.

If you're talking about the annual tithe, it's indeed a lot, but you have to distinguish where it comes from!

If it were the Fox and Slater families, then indeed, it might be enough to save tens of thousands of gold coins.

But if it falls into the territory of a knight, it would only be worth a few or at most a dozen gold coins.

But Anthony couldn't find any problem!

In this way, no matter what Raven takes out as a prize next, as long as it is not too shabby, it will be acceptable for face.

Instead, it makes Anthony look like a resentful person.

Sure enough, Montreal had already cast a gentle gaze on Raven.

Raven had not expected things to develop to this point, but he had been prepared since Tyrone proposed the physical prize.

"Since Marquis Anthony and Archbishop Thomas are so generous, as the protagonist of the wedding, I can't be too stingy."

After saying that, Raven wiped his belt and a dark green, jewel-like crystal appeared in front of everyone.

Marquis Anthony didn't think that Raven could come up with anything good, but the moment he saw this thing, he took a breath of cold air.

"Life Essence!?"

That’s right, this is the third-level magic plant, the essence of life, obtained after the Green Peach evolved twice, or reverted to its ancestral form.

According to Marquis Anthony, it is the best material for breaking through the third level of life energy. If taken directly, it can treat most external injuries and can forcibly pull people back from the brink of death!
On the battlefield, having a life essence is equivalent to having an extra life.

Moreover, this kind of thing is a specialty of the elves and is extremely rare among the human race. It is also a treasure as a collection!

Montreal was even more overjoyed. He thought that since Archbishop Thomas had asked, Raven would just take out one and he would just take out something similar.

But in this way, Anthony will inevitably steal the limelight.

But now that Raven had taken out the Essence of Life, Montreal could let go: "Since everyone is so generous, I am not modest either, so I will use it as a prize."

As he spoke, a bottle of medicine appeared in front of everyone.

This potion is contained in a crystal bottle. The liquid inside is green in color, but it does not remind people of harmonious elements such as nature and life. Instead, one can feel a burning heat through the bottle, which makes people feel irritated.

A specialty of the Fox family, the third-level magic potion, the Fire Soul Potion.

It can serve as the material for the flame fighting spirit to break through to the third level, and even a third-level flame knight can be upgraded by one star after taking it.

Its value can be said to be on par with the essence of life, but its scope of application is a little narrower.

"Well, the Fox family is worthy of its hundreds of years of heritage." Marquis Anthony clapped his hands and said, "Then let's set this new prize."

"Baron Raven, I'd like to trouble you to draw up a new reward list. If you need to add more gold coins, please let me know. I have something else to do, so I won't stay any longer."

After saying that, he stood up and left first.

Anthony left, and Tyrone followed suit. Montreal didn't say much, but just had a drink with Raven and left with Archbishop Thomas.

After they left, Raven sat for a long time before he stood up. His clothes were already sticking to his back.
"These old guys are more difficult to deal with than each other!"

……

(End of this chapter)