Imperial Crown.

Chapter 30: Nightlife in Goldshire (Part )
Raven patted his clothes to make himself look more respectable, coughed lightly and was about to take a step forward.

But before he could enter, the door opened by itself. Two private soldiers in messy shirts supported each other and pushed the door open.

Raven knew these two men. One was called Volaf and the other was called Mosingan. Both of them had red faces, obviously having drunk a lot.

"Burp~" Volaf burped, "The wine here is really strong~ Phew, but this toilet is too dark."

Mosingan shook his head with his tongue hanging out, but he was still more sober than Volaf: "No, maybe we went to the wrong door, this sign looks familiar."

"Never mind! It's here anyway and I can't hold it anymore." Volaf walked under a tree and untied his belt. Soon, the sound of water splashing was heard.

Seeing this, Mosingan also came over and untied his belt. He glanced at her and said with a smile, "Tsk, buddy, your model is not good. Don't embarrass yourself in front of those bitches later."

"What men want is not size, but hardness and durability!" Volaf shook his body: "I'll show those bitches what a man is!"

Mosingan nodded and said, "That makes sense. When we go back later, we have to hold back our efforts and save face! There are more than a dozen of us this time, and we have to rank them according to their rank!"

After they finished using the toilet, they walked back shaking their heads. Raven stood in the corner not far away and sighed, feeling both amused and helpless.

These two guys were talking nicely in front of me during the day. One said he wanted to buy a bracelet for his daughter, and the other said he wanted to buy a blanket for his grandmother. But they got together here at night.

From what they said, their private soldiers came here for team-building, and it was estimated that almost all those on vacation were here.

"A bunch of bastards." Raven cursed with a smile and turned to walk towards the central street.

It's so hard to have a holiday, so I won't disturb their interest. There will be opportunities later anyway.

All the way back to the entrance of the government hall, the private soldier guarding the door saluted and said, "My Lord Baron!"

Raven nodded: "Has anyone been here?"

"President Philip came here and brought you a gift, which has been placed in your room." The private soldier guarding the gate replied.

"Okay, you've been standing guard all day and you've worked hard. Close the door and take a rest." Patting his shoulder, Raven walked towards his room.

There were no electric lights in this era. Although there were magic lamps, they were very expensive. Therefore, candles and oil lamps were used for lighting most of the time. The government hall used candlesticks. The dim light, coupled with the creaking sound of the old wooden stairs being stepped on, gave an atmosphere similar to that of a horror movie.

I went back to the door and kicked it open, and suddenly two screams were heard.

Raven's eyebrows slightly raised, revealing a hint of teasing realization: "Fili, this is the gift you gave me?"

There were two women squatting in the corner of the room, and the exclamation came from their mouths.

The two looked like a pair of sisters, with a facial feature that was 60% similar, both with chestnut hair and light grey eyes.

"Come here." Raven raised his foot and gently hooked the door.

With a light click, the door closed. The two women's bodies trembled slightly. They supported each other to stand up and slowly walked towards Raven.

Their bare feet stepped on the carpet, the dim candlelight reflected on their smooth nails, and they were as lively as fireflies in the summer night.

Raven showed a satisfied smile in his eyes, because their outfits were so suitable for the current atmosphere.

It was a white gauze nightgown, loose, soft, thin and translucent.

The candlelight shone through their clothes, outlining their graceful figures. As they swayed their steps, their sexy calves appeared and disappeared, yet they were shrouded in misty gauze skirts.

The two women, one tall and one short, one plump and the other slender, are hidden in the same gauze skirt, but they have two completely different temptations.

The latter's body shrank a little, and she walked forward with her legs together, occasionally tucking the soft fabric between them, outlining a beautiful outline. Her youthful and shy temperament made people want to hold her in their arms and ravage her.

Although the former was also a little afraid, her steps were broader and her chest was straightened. Since she had sweated a little, the thin gauze dress stuck to her plump body, and every step she took caused her plump body to surge.

They walked up to Raven and stood still. The older one swallowed and said, "Master Raven, I..."

Before she could finish her words, her breathing suddenly became rapid because Raven's hands were already on their spines, slowly sliding upwards, as if an invisible electric current was passing through her, causing her to stand up straight unconsciously.

The young man's breathing also became rapid, his nostrils flickered, and there was a hint of fear of the unknown in his hum.

The beautiful scenery was revealed before Raven.

The older ones are more mature and fuller, as plump as the persimmons hanging on the branches in late autumn. Although they are a bit heavy, you can tell at a glance that they are full of juice.

The younger ones seemed not to have fully grown up yet, with tight and elastic skin, just like two green pears, creating sexy curves against their thin shirts.

Raven's hands went from their backs to their lower abdomens, and then from their lower abdomens all the way up, kneading their respective features.

"Ah..." the older man breathed seductively.

"Ah——" The younger one's voice was filled with panic and fear.

Satisfied with the touch of his fingertips, Raven asked, "What are your names, both of you?"

"My name is Winnet." The older man's voice was trembling. "This is my daughter, Della."

Raven's hand stopped: "Daughter!?"

"Yes, sir." Winette lowered her eyelids slightly: "My husband said that only in this way can he atone for his offense..."

A feeling of being both amused and helpless dissipated Raven's anger - this Fili actually sent his wife and daughter to me.

Who does this guy think I am?
Shaking his head slightly, Raven sighed, "Let's go, let's go wherever we need to go."

Winnet's body trembled slightly. She had heard that the baron was always lustful and cruel, and she didn't think he would let them go like this: "Lord Baron, have we done something wrong?"

"You are not wrong, don't worry about it." Raven said, "Go back and tell Fili to do his job honestly and not waste his time on these crooked ways!"

"Thank you for your kindness and goodness..." Winette's body almost went limp. She didn't expect that Raven would actually let her go. She led Della to salute Raven: "We will always remember your kindness!"

The door opened and closed again, the footsteps gradually faded away, and soon a carriage drove away from the government hall.

Raven took off his coat and threw it on the bed, kicked off his leather shoes and socks, and walked into the balcony barefoot.

The cool night breeze made him feel much more relaxed. He bit off the cork and took a big gulp of Angel's Tears. He smiled playfully, "This Fili..."

"He is timid, but also very thoughtful. He is good at figuring out other people. He can be used, but unfortunately he can only be used to maintain the status quo. He is far from being able to expand."

Raven extended his gaze. It was already ten o'clock in the evening, but the town of Shining Gold was still brightly lit. Those were the lights from the taverns, mansions, and hotels.

He slowly stretched out his hand and clenched it into a fist, as if he wanted to grasp the entire town of Shining Gold in his palm.

"This is my territory." With a long sigh, Raven took another sip of Angel's Tears.

The cool and moist wine flowed down his throat into his stomach, and the sweet feeling was quite charming.

"This is what beer is." Raven recalled the beer he drank in the tavern. He still liked the taste, but not the beer itself, but the memories of an old time that came with it.

But memories are just memories.

To Raven, the market tavern was like a muddy pond where he had once rolled. It was nice to go back and experience it occasionally, but if he continued to live that kind of life, it would be better to kill him.

It has only been two months since he traveled through time, but Raven has already begun to have trouble distinguishing which memories are his own and which are the memories of this body - perhaps there is no longer any distinction.

In the past two months, Raven had achieved a goal he had never thought of: he inherited the title of baron, initially possessed military force under his control, and now, Goldshire was back in his hands.

"Power is such a good thing."

It is precisely because he holds power that Philip would try to please him at all costs; it is also precisely because he holds power that he can kill Carl without restraint without worrying about possible retaliation.

In this world, only nobles are considered human beings, and the others are just dogs raised by the nobles. No one will kill someone for the death of a dog.

These are just the beginning. Since coming to this world, Raven is not satisfied with a small baron title, he wants more.

In this world, power is not only reflected in titles and fiefdoms - strong personal strength itself is a kind of power.

"Magician." Raven dipped his finger in the wine in the glass and wrote the word on the table, then wrote the number 2000 next to it.

This is the price for the second-level divine potion specially used to awaken the wizard's talent.

But now, Raven still didn't have enough money. At the beginning, Denise gave him two batches of gold coins totaling 800 pieces. After spending them, he only had 96 pieces left.

The first income from Angel's Tears was 235.58 coins.

227 gold coins obtained from the space belt.

After redeeming the town of Glittering Gold, there were still 3500 gold coins left from Hyde.

A total of 4058.58 gold coins.

The total is large, and the expenses are equally high.

Today alone, I spent 754 gold coins, which was just the deposit. I have to pay an equal amount of gold coins later, which totals 1508 gold coins.

If large-scale alchemical equipment is available, Raven plans to purchase at least ten sets, which will require another 664 gold coins.

Redeploy population, 600 gold coins.

The pension for private soldiers and the bonus issued this time total 8.64 gold coins.

This is already 2780.64 gold coins.

In addition, you must leave at least 200 gold coins for emergencies. God knows what accidents may occur during the construction process.

"So, the number of gold coins I can use is..." Raven thought for a moment: "1077.94 coins!"

It’s still half way to the mage potion.

Not to mention, Raven has many plans that require money.

"We still have to work harder to make money." Raven scratched his head. "Golden Town is nice, but we can't stay here for long. We need to finish things as soon as possible and go back as soon as possible. We still need to focus more on Eagle Town."

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Donald relied too much on the tax revenue from Glittering Gold Town, so after it was taken away, his finances collapsed. Raven must learn from this lesson.

And Goldshire has its own drawbacks.

First, we are too close to Xuefeng Territory. Just because Viscount John is temporarily fooled by me doesn’t mean he will remain confused in the future. If he really wants to retaliate, it will be hard to defend against him.

Another, and most fundamental, problem is that Goldshire lacks a real pillar industry.

The business here is lively, the population flow is complex and dense, and the most representative industry is the wine and beverage industry.

But this is also the most fatal problem.

The economy of Goldshire relies on the sale of alcoholic beverages, but there is no local brewery. Apart from a small amount of private brewing, most of it relies on trade imports.

This is not a big problem in peacetime, but the Nord Province will not always be peaceful.

"It should start by the end of the year at the latest, right?" A cloud flashed across Raven's eyes.

Old Gordon once advised him that now that he had just recovered Glittering Gold Town and Eagle Town was in ruins, he should invest more of the precious gold coins in territory construction instead of spending a lot of money to recruit private soldiers and arm the territory.

After all, this time, nearly 500 gold coins were spent on purchasing armaments alone, accounting for one-fifth of the total budget.

But Raven was never willing to give in. If it weren't for the population issue, he would have wanted to raise an army of at least 300 people in one go.

If the money is not used to equip the army, should it be used to pay reparations?

And he knew that the Nord province would soon be in chaos.

As early as in the City of Mon'en, Raven had smelled a hint of something - people in the city's slums were disappearing in large numbers, mysterious missionaries were frequently appearing, and the lower-class civilians were keen to attend secret gatherings.

Raven still remembered their slogan: "When Danathus awakens, we will be reborn."

Thanatus, the god of death who is said to have fallen into eternal sleep, will open his eyes in the winter month every year.

That's why Raven was certain that something big would happen in winter, and that's why he asked old Gordon to complete the population redeployment before October.

It's not like he hadn't thought about reporting this to the Church of Light, but Raven quickly denied it himself - things had gotten to the point where even a small figure like him knew about it, so how could those nobles and priests be so ignorant?
If you get involved rashly, you will only lose your life faster.

At that time, Raven's choice was to save money and try to live in the upper city of Mon'en City, where the powerful and wealthy gathered, and no matter what happened, he would not be affected.

But now that he has become a lord, he has completely new choices.

He was powerless to stop the coming turmoil, and he didn't know how big it would be - could it be easily extinguished? Or would it sweep across the Nords?
None of these are important. What is important is that he needs to have a force in his hands, a force that is strong enough to protect himself, so that he has the choice of fighting, defending or fleeing.

Then the next goal will be clear.

"Recruit soldiers and a group of maids." After swallowing the Angel's Tears, Raven's eyes became brighter. "Then wait for the first batch of goods to arrive and return to Eagle Town."

"With more options to choose from, the recruitment standards for this batch will be stricter, and the level of training will also be raised."

Raven tapped his fingers on the table. "Then, I need to become a magician as soon as possible. The income from the Angel's Tears next month, plus the balance of 700 gold coins that Denise owes, should be enough."

"And then..." Raven's lips curled up into a smile, which contained a hint of self-mockery and a bit of ambition.

"I want to have a legion, a legion composed entirely of extraordinary people!"

He even thought of a name: the Legion of the Twelve Constellations.

Those who practiced ice fighting spirit were organized together and called the [Aquarius Legion]; those who practiced dark fighting spirit were organized together and called the [Cancer Legion]; those who practiced iron fighting spirit were organized together and called the [Taurus Legion]...

Of course, all of this is only in the imagination stage. Not to mention gathering all twelve zodiac signs, even gathering all twelve extraordinary people is beyond his current financial support.

But people always have to have some dreams, right? Otherwise, what’s the difference between them and salted fish?
And now, he has found the key to unlock all this - the magic core.

Since the energy in the magic core can be used to strengthen himself, why can't it be used to strengthen others?

Even if this kind of enhancement does not bring fighting spirit, the improvement in physical fitness is obvious.

A bottle of first-level divine potion costs three hundred gold coins, while the price of a first-level magic core is only four or five gold coins on average. The difference is obvious.

"Well... I hope Fili can do things more quickly and send the magic core to me as soon as possible." Raven's eyes were full of anticipation.

At the same time, in an independent manor in the southwest of Shining Gold Town, a savage and clear voice rang out: "Karl is dead? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

The person who spoke was a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was petite and wore a silk nightgown. Her delicate legs were sticking out from under the skirt, and her ten small toes were playfully stretched out because of her master's anger.

The maid half-knelt on the ground and said in panic: "Miss Nancy, we got the news at noon, but you were conducting magic experiments at that time, so..."

Nancy pouted and reprimanded, "When I said I was going to conduct a magic experiment, you knew not to bother me. But did I ever tell you that today is the day Raven takes back Goldshire. If there is any movement, tell me immediately?"

"Yes, miss, but..." The maid's voice was full of grievance.

It's not like she didn't report today, but before she could finish, a bottle of magic potion was poured on her, and her clothes were completely ruined. How could she dare to say anything more?
Nancy also remembered this, but of course she would not apologize. She picked up a grape and put it in her mouth angrily: "Humph! Tell me, how did he die?"

The maid whispered, "It is said that he intended to assassinate Baron Raven, and was shot dead on the spot by Baron Raven."

"Assassination?" Nancy's eyes widened and she sneered, "This is really new. A businessman assassinated the baron for no reason. Does Raven think that everyone else is stupid?"

"Karl is the dog of my Fox family. When beating a dog, you have to look at its owner first. Raven's behavior clearly shows that he doesn't take the Fox family seriously."

"Change your clothes!" She stood up and said, "I'm going to find Lei Wenxing to question him."

"This..." The maid raised her eyelids carefully: "But Miss, it's already midnight. You're visiting a man at this time, right..."

"Hmph, a little rascal, how could I be interested in him?" Nancy rolled her eyes and sat back on the couch. "But you do have a point. I can't let my reputation fall into the hands of this 'little bee'. I want to be a princess in the future."

The maid lowered her head in silence. Let alone a princess, Nancy had never even seen a prince in her life.

"Then wait until tomorrow morning." Nancy raised her head, like a cock with high morale: "He wants to establish his authority, so I will break into the government hall and make him apologize to me in front of everyone. I want them to know -

The dignity of the Fox family cannot be offended casually!"

……

(End of this chapter)