Imperial Crown.

Chapter 24 This Can't Be Acting

"Lord Raven, we're here." Eric stopped the carriage in front of Snow Maple Castle.

The moment he lifted the car curtain, he was completely stunned!
Is this still Baron Raven?

He was dressed the same as before, but his originally smooth clothes were now full of wrinkles, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, his face was pale and swollen, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept in several days. He looked indescribably haggard and decadent.

"Sir...what are you doing?"

Raven yawned and asked, "How do I look?"

"Uh..." Eric carefully considered his words: "I suggest you take a rest. If you are like this, it will be easy for the Vatican to mistake you for a vampire."

"That's right." Raven jumped down from the carriage. "It's worth it that I rubbed my face for an hour."

Unlike Eagle Castle, Snow Maple Castle is located on a mountain peak. It has no moat. Instead, it is built from low to high along a ridge. It is more like a fortress than a castle.

The defenders of Xuefeng Castle were also very surprised by Raven's sudden visit, but after confirming his identity, they still lowered the hanging basket and took him to the city wall.

Under the guidance of the soldiers, Raven came to the door of the castle hall. He paced around anxiously like a headless fly, scratching his messy hair from time to time. He did not look like a noble at all.

"Kent, what do you think?" On the third floor, Viscount John leaned against the window and examined Raven's performance: "What is this little guy planning to do by coming here at night?"

Kent was the butler's name. He said respectfully, "Baron Raven is so anxious. He must have something urgent to do."

John asked again: "Is it possible that he was deliberately playing misery?"

"It's unlikely." Kent shook his head gently. "Look at him, his steps are very untidy, and he moves forward, backward, and in circles without any pattern. His eyes and eye bags don't look like they are made up. If he is acting, then his acting skills are too good."

"Then let him in," John ordered, "Take him to my study."

John came to the study, and a few minutes later, Raven, looking haggard, walked in led by Kent.

As soon as he saw John, Raven felt like he had seen a savior, and his eyes lit up: "Oh! Respected Viscount John, I finally see you!"

He sat down on the chair and let out a long sigh: "Thank God, thank you for seeing me!"

Seeing his behavior, Viscount John's original vigilance suddenly decreased a lot.

Xuefeng Territory and Xiongying Territory are adjacent to each other, so what happened in Xiongying Castle certainly could not be hidden from his eyes and ears.

As the old saying goes, all that glitters is not gold.

Raven may look respectable, but he is just a gangster after all. Although he has won by chance, he is also scared. This time he probably came to borrow troops to strengthen the defense of Eagle Castle.

"Don't panic. This is Snow Maple Castle. No one can hurt you." John said with a pleasant face, "Kent, go and pour Baron Raven a glass of wine."

Perhaps his comfort was effective, Raven calmed down a little. He took the wine from Kent and took a sip.

"Baron Raven, I'm deeply sorry for what happened in Eagle Castle. As a noble, I'm willing to help you strengthen your defense, but I also know that you don't have much money." John revealed his purpose: "So, if you can hand over Goldshire to me completely..."

Raven reacted immediately and interrupted Viscount John: "Golden Town is the key!"

John thought he had figured it out, and said with a smile: "Yes, as long as Baron Raven hands it over..."

"No, it's not me!" Raven said loudly, a little madly, "It's you. Please return Shining Gold Town to me immediately, otherwise disaster will befall me!"

"What?" Viscount John thought there was something wrong with his ears: "I hand over the town of Shining Gold?"

Raven nodded heavily. He came forward and twisted his armpit with his right hand, which was pressed against his chest. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Viscount John, the attack on Eagle Castle this time was not accidental. Someone was behind it!"

"The mastermind behind this is Hyde from the Slater family! He wanted my baron title, but I didn't agree, and as a result, I got into such a disaster!"

John's eyebrows twitched: "Hyde Slater?"

As the actual controller of Shining Gold Town, he had long known that Hyde had been living there recently and had sent people to visit him, but he had never imagined that he would actually have such an idea!
No wonder the bandits ignored the closer quarry and rushed directly to Eagle Castle.

There are five ranks of nobility: duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron. No matter how noble a viscount or baron is, he is only a small resident of a certain area. Only an earl is qualified to govern a region.

For example, in the Nord Province, most of the fiefdoms are in the hands of the Slater family. If they are targeted, not to mention Raven, a baron with shallow roots, even a viscount like John would have to give way.

John asked carefully: "Although the Leicester family is powerful, they cannot ignore the laws of the empire. Since you have already resisted the attack of the bandits, there is no need to..."

"Resist? You think too highly of me!" Raven laughed bitterly, drank the red wine in the glass, and his hands trembled: "There was no resistance at all... All the servants in the castle were killed... More than half of my private soldiers were killed, except Eric. Now the whole castle is controlled by bandits who obey Hyde's orders!"

"What!?" John was shocked, but he immediately came to a realization.

Yes, although Raven’s private soldiers look good, they are just looks after all. With their equipment disadvantage, there is no way they can compete with a group of murderous bandits!

He was originally shocked by the high combat effectiveness of Raven's private soldiers and the low combat effectiveness of the Bloody Highlands bandits. Now after hearing Raven's explanation, everything made much more sense.

"Hyde even colluded with the bandits to get me to give up my title, just to get a fiefdom for himself." Raven said bitterly, "That's why I came to ask you to save me..."

"This is really too much!" Viscount John slammed the table and shouted, "This is simply a trampling on the dignity and rules of the nobility!"

"Baron Raven, you can go back without worry. I will go to Mon'en City and meet Earl Tyrone in person. I will ask him to discipline his children strictly!"

Having said that, John did not intend to do so. Although he was a fourth-rank ice knight and a viscount, and looked like an important figure, he was nothing in front of a powerful earl. He said this now to reassure Raven and get rid of this sticky candy.

"It's useless, Viscount John." Raven said in despair, "Hyde has gone crazy! He forced me to come here today and told me to return the Golden Town to the Eagle Territory."

"He said... he needs a complete Eagle Territory, and if you don't agree... the tragedy of Eagle Castle will be repeated in Snow Maple Territory!"

John's brow furrowed.

He had heard of Hyde, the youngest son of Earl Tyrone and a playboy.

If he was the first heir of the Slater family or had outstanding abilities, John would look up to him, but unfortunately he had neither of these two qualities.

How dare he threaten me?
"Hyde really said that? You want to take Goldshire away from me based on empty threats?"

"No, it's not a threat!" Raven said, "Lord Hyde gave me four thousand gold coins. As long as you promise to return Shimmering Gold Town, these four thousand gold coins will all be yours! Now the money box is in my carriage!"

John drummed his fingers on the table.

When he first rented the Shining Gold Town, he spent 10,000 gold coins. Now, ten years have passed, and he has recovered more than 4,600 gold coins. If he accepts 4,000 gold coins and hands over the Shining Gold Town now, he will not lose too much.

But the account is not calculated in this way. Shanjin Town is not only an important tax collection place, but also a transportation hub. The exchange and sale of materials in the two baronies and one viscounty around it need to be circulated through Shanjin Town.

It is precisely because of this feature that almost all the craftsmen that the nobles need can be found in the Town of Shining Gold, including blacksmiths, carpenters, bricklayers, potters, architects, animal trainers, and even the Mercenary Guild has a branch here.

With it, Xuefeng Territory has been rejuvenated like never before. Although the tax revenue in the past ten years was only more than 4,600 gold coins, the positive benefits it brought to Xuefeng Territory even exceeded the tax revenue itself.

Besides, why would a mere Hyde be so arrogant? If he asked me to hand it over, wouldn't it be embarrassing?
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint Baron Raven this time." John said, "Shimmering Gold Town was rented to me by Baron Donald. I don't plan to give it up before the contract expires."

"But, Viscount John!" Raven seemed to be completely unable to accept this answer. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "If you don't agree, what should I do? "

"If I fail to accomplish this, Hyde will not let me go... He won't let you go either! The bandits on Bloody Heights will find you soon!"

"Then let him come!" John lowered his eyelids and said with a hint of dissatisfaction: "Baron Raven, you are also an imperial noble. You should have the decency and dignity of a noble! A mere Hyde made you lose your composure. You are indeed not a mature noble yet!"

"I have no choice..." Raven smiled helplessly: "Sir Viscount, how about 5,000 gold coins? I still have 1,000 gold coins to give you..."

John shook his head indifferently: "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"If five thousand gold coins are not enough, I can also give you three hundred bottles of Angel's Tears. I..."

"Okay, Baron Raven." John interrupted Raven and said, "If you feel tired, you can rest in Snow Maple Castle for a night. I think no one will dare to disturb you."

Faced with such a clear rejection, Raven seemed to have his soul taken away. He slowly shook his head: "... No, no need..."

He stood up and knocked over a chair. Kent wanted to help him, but he shook his head and walked out unsteadily.

"Humph, what a useless little bee. Even if Hyde is from the Slater family, he cannot represent the Slater family." John said confidently: "If he can't even see this, he doesn't deserve to be a noble."

Kent whispered, "Are you really sure that the Slater family is not behind this?"

John was stunned for a moment: "What do you mean?"

"I just thought of what Baron Raven just said." Kent said: "He said he still has a thousand gold coins."

John asked, “What’s the problem?”

Kent said, "Raven shouldn't have so much money. Denise's own son didn't get the inheritance right, so she couldn't have given him much. Whether it's buying formal clothes or repairing the castle, it requires a large amount of gold coins. Where does his money come from?"

John pondered, "You mean, he lied?"

Kent shook his head. "No, I'm more inclined to believe that Baron Raven is telling the truth. It's impossible for someone to act that well."

"What do you mean?" John looked through the window at Raven's hunched back as he walked away. It certainly didn't look like he was pretending. "Did Donald leave him an inheritance?"

Kent said: "Angel's Tears..."

"Angel's Tears!" John suddenly realized, "Oh, yes, it's the new wine he invented a month ago. You mean, he made a profit of more than a thousand gold coins in just one month by relying on Angel's Tears?"

Kent said: "There must be Denise's initial investment in this, but in terms of profit, I think it will not be less than 300 gold coins. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain the Slater family's motives."

John rubbed his chin and said, "Are you trying to say that if it was just Hyde, he wouldn't dare to provoke me. He only has the confidence to do so because he has the Slater family behind him?"

Kent acquiesced to this and returned to the previous point: "I have also tasted Angel's Tears. It is indeed a very palatable and luxurious red wine. There are also few similar competing products on the market. I think as long as the production capacity is rolled out, huge profits will be made."

"And the Eagle Territory is so close to the Bloody Highlands, and the Slater family is connected to the bandits there..."

John took a deep breath and said, "The Slater family wants to acquire the Eagle Territory not just for a small title, but to control the production of Angel Tears, and then smuggle them to the Fitun city-states and the Insa Empire through the Bloody Highlands to make huge profits!?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had guessed the correct answer.

No wonder Hyde wanted Goldshire first, instead of rushing to take back Eagle's Beak Mountain and Thousand Needles which were easier to obtain.

The craftsmen in the Town of Shining Gold can be called upon immediately to greatly expand the production capacity of Angel's Tears and minimize the chance of leaks!
With the current production capacity of Xiongying Town, a profit of 300 gold coins can be obtained per month, which is 3,600 gold coins per year! If the scale is expanded tenfold, the profit will be 36,000 gold coins per year!

This amount is far more than the income of a viscounty and is enough to attract a earl's family!
So Hyde is just a cover, the real instigator is probably Earl Tyrone himself!
When Viscount John thought about facing the entire Slater family, he felt cold sweat on his back: "Why didn't you remind me just now!?"

Kent was speechless.

My own viscount has always been very concerned about his reputation. If I really refute him in front of outsiders, how will I end up well?

But I definitely can't say that: "This is just a guess after all. I must contact Mr. Hyde before I can make a conclusion."

"That makes sense." Viscount John nodded. "Write a letter for me now, then take the letter and visit Hyde Slater immediately! You must find out what he means!"

Kent withdrew.

At this moment, Viscount John himself turned into a headless fly, wandering back and forth in the room, feeling extremely anxious. Even his favorite Angel's Tears became difficult to swallow.

It was not until dawn that he lay down on the bench in the study, ready to rest for a while, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he heard hurried footsteps.

With a bang, the retainer Vongola pushed open the door and said, "My Lord Viscount, this is bad. Kent, Kent..."

"What are you panicking about?" John stood up and said, "Tell me slowly, what happened to Kent?"

The only answer he got was silence, and a stretcher was carried in.

Kent was lying on a stretcher, his legs covered in blood and bent into a twisted shape like a rag doll.

"John... Sir!" Kent tried hard to sit up.

"Speak slowly." John held his shoulder and put his ear close to him.

"Hyde didn't see me... He had someone break my legs...!"

"What about the Hyde people?" John asked.

Kent coughed and whispered, "...already, back to Meng'en City."

A bone-chilling chill crept up Viscount John's back. It was clear from Hyde's look that he was not prepared to talk anymore. He left Goldshire in order to distance himself from the upcoming large-scale invasion by the Bloody Highland bandits!
He yelled, "Prepare the car, I want to go to Eagle Castle!!"

……

(End of this chapter)