Imperial Crown.

Chapter 289 Whitewash
The aura of death emanating from the holy symbol of death caused the temperature in the room to drop suddenly, and the burning candlesticks on the wall turned a frightening green color.

Archbishop Thomas's eyes were fixed on the holy emblem, then moved to Raven's face.

This evil object belonging to the Hand of Death is of great significance both to the Holy See and to Thomas personally.

Thomas had no reason to refuse to exchange it for food.

However, as far as Thomas knew, this evil creature had disappeared four years ago, and the Hand of Death had tried its best to find it but failed. How could it appear in Raven's hands?
"Lord Raven, I know what you want to do, but before that, I have a question."

"How on earth did you get it?"

Raven said slowly, "Sir Thomas, do you remember that there was a big fire in my territory at the beginning of this year?"

Thomas nodded. "I received a report from Herlind, saying that in addition to the fire, some low-level undead creatures also appeared at the scene..."

"Did you obtain this evil object during that chaos?"

Raven nodded: "In fact, in order not to expand the impact, I concealed some of the facts."

"Not only was there a fire, but I was also attacked by a fourth-level necromancer who called himself 'Imperial'."

"Thanks to Eric's protection and my wife's help, we were able to kill him. This Holy Symbol of Death was obtained from his corpse."

As he spoke, Raven took out another bone staff and placed it between the two of them.

The upper end of this staff is made of the spine of some magical beast, and the lower end is a smooth handle. At first glance, it looks like a cobra standing upright.

The bones were crystal clear, with a hint of ink, and were filled with a strong breath of death.

Judging from the purity of the aura, it was indeed used by a fourth-level necromancer for a long time.

However, do Raven, Nancy, and Eric, three third-level necromancers, really have the ability to kill a fourth-level necromancer?

One doubt, followed by another.

Thomas thought about how just three years ago, there were rumors that Raven summoned a bone dragon and killed many horse thieves.

Could it be that it's not just a rumor, but true?

After the battle with the Death Hand Cult, Raven not only obtained the holy emblem, but also used it to control the bone dragon?
"Baron Raven, are you sure that he calls himself Imperial?" Thomas asked indirectly, trying to find some flaws.

Raven shrugged. "Yes, he seemed to feel that he had won, so he introduced himself openly."

Seeing that Raven acted so naturally, Thomas decided to get to the heart of the matter: "Then, Baron Raven, can you explain why this evil object fell into Imperial's hands?"

"Uh..." Raven was stunned and frowned, "What do I need to explain?"

In Thomas's opinion, Raven could no longer act. A smile appeared on his face, and just as he was about to expose Raven's true colors, his expression suddenly froze.

Because he realized one thing.

Do I have preconceived ideas?

Shocked by the appearance of this evil creature, Thomas subconsciously believed that Raven was deeply involved in this matter.

However, the Holy Symbol of Death once absorbed the souls of the dead in the Nord Province, and disappeared four years ago along with the Bone Dragon and the Soul Saint Parisil. This was top secret information, and Thomas only learned about it through an insider.

What if Raven was telling the truth?

When Raven received the holy emblem from Impir, he naturally thought that the holy emblem belonged to Impir. Not knowing the twists and turns behind it, it was normal that he could not answer his own questions.

Thinking of this, Thomas couldn't help but look Raven up and down. The clear doubt in Raven's eyes did not seem like he was lying.

"Then, one last question." Thomas hesitated for a moment and stared into Raven's eyes: "How do you know that this evil thing can be exchanged for food?"

As a holy relic of the Hand of Death Cult, the Holy Symbol of Death must be activated in a unique way to show its power. Apart from that, most of the time, it is just a plate that exudes the breath of death.

"Depending on your reaction." Raven shivered a little, and before Thomas really got angry, he said, "Just kidding, that's because my wife is from the Fox family."

Thomas' brows relaxed and he nodded slowly.

The Fox family has a long history and it stands to reason that they have information about the Hand of Death.

Thomas finally solved his doubts. He could clearly understand how the holy emblem was lost and how it fell into Raven's hands.

Impir is a member of the Order of the Dead Hand and is on the Church of Light's wanted list.

According to the information collected by the church over the years, Imperial is not a fanatical believer in the God of Death. He was born in the Mages Guild, and because he was obsessed with the study of necromancy, he took the initiative to join the Hand of Death.

After joining, he has always been a loner and a maverick.

He may have been eyeing the Holy Symbol of Death for a long time, which is why he killed the so-called Saint Parisil who was responsible for transporting the Holy Symbol.

And precisely because Impir was a member of the Hand of Death, the Bone Dragon did not intervene.

For a long time after that, he might have been hiding in the five northwestern counties, studying how to use the holy emblem, and attacking Raven's Eagle Territory was probably to verify the research results.

A smile gradually formed on Thomas's lips.

He felt that his previous thoughts were a little ridiculous. It was too absurd that Raven killed Parisil and controlled the bone dragon.

Moreover, this feeling of unravelling the mystery reminded him of his time serving in the Inquisition.

Of course, there are still some details that cannot be explained, such as why Raven could kill a senior fourth-level magician with only three third-level magicians.

However, Thomas stopped himself from asking further questions. Everyone has secrets, and as long as the secrets would not harm the church, Thomas was unwilling to delve into them.

"This corrupted evil object is filled with innocent souls. It really needs the light of our Lord to purify it." Thomas looked at Raven and nodded seriously. "1 million pounds of food is not an excessive request."

Raven smiled and said, "I'm glad we have reached an agreement on this issue, but Sir Thomas, just because I need food doesn't mean I only need food."

"What else do you want?"

"Plus 200 bottles of second-level God-given potions."

Considering Raven's "stunning success" before, Thomas was not particularly surprised by this request. He just said, "Greed is not a virtue of the nobility."

"Of course, but it is the instinct of every noble to strive for the greatest benefit for themselves." Raven did not intend to retract his proposal.

"Baron Raven, you should know that the moment you show this evil object, the bargaining power is mine, not yours." Thomas emphasized: "It is the holy object of the Hand of Death."

This already carries a hint of threat. If the news that Raven has collected the Holy Symbol of Death leaks out, what awaits Raven will be endless entanglement and attacks from the Hand of Death.

Raven smiled slightly and said nothing, but instead tapped the third-level magician emblem on his chest.

Thomas asked, "Have you contacted the Mages Guild?"

Not only is the Church of Light not afraid of the revenge of the Hand of Death, the Mages Guild also has this strength.

Thomas also knew that all wizards were natural blasphemers. They would definitely be extremely interested in this holy object that was full of the power of faith and would not hesitate to spend a large price to buy it.

"Not yet." Raven put his hand on his chest. "This is my respect for you."

"You have the same courage as the heroes in the legend." Thomas sighed, "I can give you food and divine potions, but the quantity cannot be as much as you said."

There was a hint of relief in Raven's eyes.

Since Thomas has agreed, the trade is not a problem. What follows is some bargaining over the specific quantity.

After some discussion, the two finally decided on the terms of the transaction.

Raven handed over the Holy Symbol of Death to the church, and the church would provide Raven with 8000 million pounds of food and 120 second-level divine potions within half a year.

"Thank you for your generosity." Raven placed the Holy Symbol of Death on the table and bowed before leaving. "My people and I will remember the help of the church."

Raven left and the door closed gently. Thomas took the Holy Symbol of Death in his hand, stroking it gently and staring out the window.

The night was still dark, and only the holy emblem in his hand and the empty cup on the table could prove that Raven had been here. Undoubtedly, Raven showed great greed in this transaction of the holy emblem of death, and it can be said that he squeezed the value of this evil object to the maximum extent.

But while being greedy, he also remained extremely cautious and always adhered to the bottom line. Although he used the Mage Guild as a bargaining chip, he was not really blinded by greed and instead made some concessions on specific conditions.

Be greedy when you should be greedy, and be fearful when you should be fearful.

"Young people nowadays are really amazing." Thomas sighed.

After saying that, he stood up, walked to the bookshelf, pulled the candlestick, and the wall next to it suddenly disappeared, revealing a deep passage.

Picking up the candlestick, Thomas walked along the passage, came to a deep secret room, and began to draw a magic circle.

As a level 3 magic crystal was embedded in the core of the magic circle, rich undead energy flowed through the magic runes, and a cold, dark picture emerged.

Thomas said, "I have what you want."

……

The news of Raven's meeting with Thomas disappeared quietly without causing any ripples, as if it had never happened.

But it really happened after all.

The amount of God's potion that Raven wanted was too large to be raised all at once, but starting from the end of September, batches of food continued to flow into Eagle Territory, filling Eagle City's warehouses almost day and night.

The influx of large amounts of food was like a bottle of invigorating potion. While other nobles were busy dealing with the aftermath of the locust plague, Raven's territory began reconstruction work in full swing.

From the end of September 1197 to the beginning of March 9, he was busy.

The reconstruction of the territory has achieved considerable results.

The land was plowed in an organized manner, and large locust eggs were turned out of the ground, becoming food for the surviving poultry and also helping them to gain weight in the autumn.

Of course, poultry alone cannot eat all the locust eggs, but with the arrival of winter and after several heavy snowfalls, the lifeless eggs will become fertilizer in the fields.

The newly arrived refugees were broken up and dispersed throughout the territory and began to build their own homes. The trees on the hillside that had their bark eaten by locusts and had dried up and died were the best building materials.

It is worth mentioning that with Annuo's protection, the twin snake fruits planted in the college were not invaded by locusts and have already been harvested.

The specific details were all handled by his subordinates. Raven only needed to listen to reports and look at documents occasionally. The rest of his time was basically spent on improving his personal strength.

At this moment, Raven was sitting in his newly renovated meditation room, with the "Phantom Incense" prepared by Petty burning in the corner.

This is a spice made from 3 different first-level magic plants and 1 second-level magic plant, which can effectively improve the efficiency of meditation.

As his understanding of alchemy deepened, Petty demonstrated extraordinary talent and enthusiasm.

Although this kind of phantom aromatherapy is slightly inferior to the magic-infused lemongrass, it is more suitable for Raven's personal physique and has a lower cost.

That’s what a personal alchemist is all about.

Raven sat cross-legged on the soft bed with a crystal bottle and a dozen second-level magic cores in front of him. In the blink of an eye, the magic cores exploded one by one.

The essence of the corrupted soul was collected into a crystal bottle. The elements contained in the magic core were swallowed in his throat and sucked into the magic pool water. They were crushed into his own magic power under the pressure of the two whirlpools.

The surging tide of magic power rippled in the room, rising and falling around Raven.

"call--"

When the last bit of element was completely transformed into magic power, Raven slowly opened his eyes.

As the engraving of Fireball was completely completed, Raven's affinity for the element of fire was greatly improved, and the rate of growth of his magic power was even more gratifying.

Now he has reached the third level, seven stars. According to the current progress, in less than a year, Raven's magic power will reach the third level, ten stars.

After finishing his meditation, Raven went to the next room, activated the deep blue platform, and without hesitation, bought a recipe for a magic-enhancing potion.

As a necessity for advancement to the fourth rank, it costs as much as 437781 gold coins—even after a discount.

This move caused the gold coins in Raven's warehouse to drop to less than 50.

The path of a mage is difficult!
While feeling the pain, Raven also thought of the Holy Symbol of Death that he sold to Thomas. Apart from anything else, if he handed it over to the Mage Guild, it would be more than enough to exchange it for a formula.

But Raven has no regrets.

Having Imperial cleanse the Holy Symbol of Death and handing it over to the Church was the strategy Raven finally decided upon after repeated consideration and weighing of the pros and cons.

The formula for the magic-raising potion is indeed expensive, but many times, a problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.

However, many of the materials controlled by the Church of Light cannot be purchased with money alone.

For example, God's gift potion.

The standard price of a second-level divine potion is 700 gold coins, but in actual transactions, it is already very good to get it for 1000 gold coins, not to mention 120 bottles at a time.

In the entire Nord Province, the church does not release so many second-level divine potions every year.

So according to Raven's psychological estimation, 100 would be good, and 120 would be a pure surprise.

Of course, Raven would not be satisfied with just these, so he kept thinking about what else he could get.

The arrival of the locust plague made Raven realize what he wanted - he needed food.

Although food prices will certainly drop after this peak, and 8000 million pounds of food is not a constant value, it is enough to feed everyone in Raven's territory for more than a year.

With this one-year buffer, the territory can ensure self-sufficiency in food, and continue to develop while other nobles are struggling on the brink of famine.

Five days later, Raven's old acquaintance, Monroe, a third-level magician from the Mage Guild, brought Raven the formula for the magic-enhancing potion, and couldn't help but express his admiration for Raven's progress in training.

It has only been three years since he was promoted to the third level, but now he has to prepare for the fourth level. Monroe can't help but feel jealous at this progress.

After enthusiastically leaving a private communication magic circle for Raven, Monroe left Eagle City.

And Raven also started this recipe.

The recipe for the magic-enhancing potion gives 51 kinds of raw materials that may be used, and also comes with a method to detect the composition of magic power. The accurate formula can only be obtained based on the test results.

After checking the composition of his own magic power, Raven worked out a formula consisting of 17 ingredients, 15 of which were used to squeeze, strengthen and consolidate the medicinal properties, and there were only two truly core ingredients.

The third-level magic ore "Red Molybdenum" and the third-level magic plant "Rock Heart Flower".

Among them, red molybdenum ore is also sold on the Deep Blue Platform, but the core flower, as a sacred object of the dwarves, is a little difficult to obtain.

In response to this, Raven posted a bounty on the Deep Blue platform and wrote to Count Jonah, hoping that he could keep an eye out for him. At the same time, he also released news through the Sky Eagle platform, taking a multi-pronged approach.

After doing all this, Raven leisurely made himself a pot of tea.

Gently blowing away the mist on the teacup, Raven's mouth curled up into a satisfied smile.
After practicing for a period of time, he was finally able to brew a pot of bright red blood tea.

Taking a sip of the strong tea in the cup and savoring its rich aroma, Raven leaned back in his chair, stroking the black cat that jumped onto his knees, and looked out the window leisurely.

As if to compensate for the drought of the past year, the heavy rain outside the window has been falling on and off for a whole week.

Raven stretched his body and smiled:
"The firewood in the creek is soft and the blanket is warm. The raccoon slave and I won't go out."

Anyway, there is still some time before reaching the third level and ten stars. Raven believes that with the generous reward, he will be able to obtain the Rock Heart Flower sooner or later.

However, some people don't enjoy life as much as Raven.

For example, our Governor Anthony.

The aftermath of the locust plague had just been put to an end when new news arrived from the royal capital.

……

(End of this chapter)