Imperial Crown.

Chapter 324 I only want you, not your heart

The document trembled slightly on the table.

The above content clearly requires Lancha to be loyal to Raven and serve him wholeheartedly.

Moreover, this is not an ordinary contract, but a magical contract with extremely strong binding force that has been witnessed by the Hidden Lady and the Lord of the Contract.

Once the contract is signed, it will be no different from selling it to Raven.

“Oh, don’t be so excited.” Raven shook his finger.

"I think it's better for you to sign it."

"Do you want to watch 3000 elite soldiers who are loyal to your father die because of your refusal?"

Lancha's heart tightened: "What do you mean?"

"That's exactly what it means." Raven spread his hands and smiled. "Your father is a worthy opponent. The soldiers he trained personally are all top-notch elites."

"Either you sign this contract and lead them to serve me from now on; or I will have no choice but to send them to see your father."

Although Raven's tone was flat, as if he was just having an ordinary chat, Lancha had no doubt that Raven could do it.

Outside the camp, the image of tens of thousands of skulls piled up into a mountain was still lingering in his mind.

Lancha, who was educated by the Church of Light since childhood, has not learned the ability to defend himself.

In his opinion, these 3000 people could have lived, and if he refused now, it would be tantamount to executing these people himself.

but……

Lancha clenched his fists tightly and his body trembled continuously.

Their Chemanli family has been loyal to the Principality of Eivor for hundreds of years!

The lives of 3000 loyal warriors and hundreds of years of family reputation...

No, calm down, calm down!
Lancha took a deep breath, silently prayed to the Lord of Light, and gradually cleared his mind.

Raven wouldn't be so kind. He asked me to pledge allegiance to him and command these 3000 warriors. It must be because he doesn't have enough troops.

Even if I choose to pledge my loyalty, these people will be used as cannon fodder by Raven, and sooner or later...

Looking at Lancha's gradually clear eyes, Raven said slowly:
"Are you thinking that even if you pledge allegiance to me, I will only let you lead these 3000 people as cannon fodder and charge in the front, and they will still die."

"In this case, it would be better for me to kill him, so as to confirm my reputation of cruelty, right?"

Lancha was shocked.

Raven is only 27 years old this year, only 3 years older than him, but he can easily see through his thoughts, it's like he has lived two lives.

Lancha said: "Your killing of prisoners is itself a form of cruelty!"

"Very good, you have a mind that is no less brilliant than your father's." Raven nodded in appreciation:
"Then, have you ever calculated the other account?"

"These 3000 people will certainly be sent to the most dangerous places, but I want to use them, not kill them."

"Some of them will survive in the end."

"Their families will not lose the breadwinner of their families."

"Or do you think that if you can't completely save these 3000 people, you can convince yourself to let it go?"

Lancha was speechless.

He still didn't want to swear allegiance to Raven, but he couldn't go against his conscience and watch people die.

"You are a smart person. Smart people will not lose their minds because of personal grudges." Seeing that he had broken through the first fortress, Raven took advantage of the victory and pursued: "The only thing you are worried about now is the family honor."

"Duduo has already paved the way for you in this regard."

"What!?" Lancha couldn't help but get excited again: "What did my father tell you? He didn't commit suicide, right?"

These days, Lancha has been wanting to see Raven in order to get the truth about his father's death.

Because he couldn't understand why his father would choose to commit suicide. It made absolutely no sense.

"...Calm down, kid." Raven looked at Lancha and said, "Your father committed suicide. Everyone on the battlefield could see it. It can't be faked."

"I don't know the details either."

“But there is one thing that cannot be refuted.”

"Earl Dudor chose to die calmly on the battlefield when he could have survived. It can be said that he was loyal to Eivor until the end."

"Morally, he is completely spotless, and has brought great honor to your Chemanli family."

"Because of this, even if you join my army, the outside world will only think that you are being coerced by me; and your brothers, if they are not fools, will swear to cut ties with you."

"So working for me won't affect your family's reputation."

Lancha's mouth twitched constantly and he couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.

Because everything Raven said was true.

There are currently two paths before him.

Either he rejected Raven's request, continued to be imprisoned, and watched those 3000 loyal soldiers die.

Either agree to Raven's request, be loyal to Raven, lead 3000 soldiers as Raven's vanguard, and fight against the Duchy of Eivor where he came from.

These 3000 loyal soldiers are the last spark of the Chemanli family. If they are all killed here, the family will find it difficult to recover its former vitality in the next hundred years.

Even after the war, they will be moved to a remote area and the Bolan region will be handed over to others.

And all Lancha got was a reputation for loyalty that had already been earned by his father.

On the contrary, if he stayed with Raven, what Lancha would lose would only be his personal reputation.

Even if Raven is defeated in the future, those who are still alive in this army of 3000 people can return to the Chemanli family.

And if Raven succeeds - which Lancha believes is unlikely - it will allow the Chemanli family to gain a foothold in the new Eivor.

Lancha couldn't help but start thinking, could this be his father's purpose?
Did he commit suicide so that his family could have more flexible options?

Personal interests and family interests kept circling in Lancha's mind.

Lancha's frown relaxed, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again: "I understand, I can sign this contract."

The young man's mentality made Lancha unwillingly say:
"But you are threatening me like this, aren't you afraid that I may not obey you in my heart?!"

Raven smiled calmly: "I only want you, not your heart."

Lancha's pupils trembled violently.

After taking a deep look at Raven, Lancha picked up a pen and paper and signed his name neatly on the document.

When the name came down, a light blue trace of magic blossomed on the document and slowly floated up.

Then a heavy ink color appeared around the document, eroding and covering it inwards until the entire document disappeared into the darkness.

The contract has been reached, and a mysterious connection has been established between the two.

"Sir...Raven!" Lancha tried hard to suppress his emotions: "Now, can you remove my handcuffs?"

"Of course, Hyena, open it for him." Raven said, "Then take him to the quartermaster's office, get his identity token, and return the armor to him."

"From now on, he is the commander of my Eagle Army's 1st Independent Corps."

Lancha, whose handcuffs were uncuffed, was led out of the room by the hyena and started a busy day.

After receiving equipment for himself and his men from the quartermaster department, Lancha came to the prisoner camp and took over the elite troops that originally belonged to Du Duo.

There were originally 2300 people who evacuated with Du Duo, and the remaining nearly 700 people surrendered sporadically after the situation was decided.

Suddenly having to fight for Raven, these soldiers were generally a little confused at first, but they quickly accepted the reality.

Anyway, as a professional soldier, he was loyal to the eldest son of his former master Duduo who was most trusted. Apart from the faction changing from Eivor to Keynes, there was nothing he couldn't adapt to.

The previous heavy armor is gone, leaving only 3000 sets of leather armor.

But it’s good enough to be able to survive intact. Leather armor is still armor, it’s better than being naked!

For a period of time afterwards, Lancha stayed at home and focused on training and integrating soldiers. He would not leave his camp unless necessary.

On the one hand, he was not yet accustomed to the change in his identity; on the other hand, he did not want to see the people who originally belonged to the Chemanli family being abused by Raven's troops.

But as time went by, he sometimes had to leave the camp and discovered a very strange phenomenon.

Raven's army did not seem to harass the nearby people.

Next to the military camp, nearby merchants and residents gathered spontaneously to form a temporary market for the Eagle Army's consumption and entertainment.

Actually spend money instead of just robbing?
This was beyond Lancha's imagination!
A horse thief is as cruel as a sickle, and an army is as greedy as a goat. This is a proverb that is popular in the Principality of Eivor.

Bandits are brutal and reap wealth and life like a sickle, but they always leave something behind; while the army is like goats, they will scrape the land clean and even dig out the grass roots to eat.

Could it be that Raven’s troops are really of such noble quality and everyone is a legendary saint?
Through inquiring from many sources, Lancha gradually understood the inside story.

Raven's Eagle Army not only has military pay, but after every major battle, a portion of the spoils will be taken out as rewards to the soldiers.

"I really envy the Eagle Army."

An old soldier who originally belonged to the Duduo Army and is now affiliated with the First Independent Corps of the Eagle Army said with emotion: "In the past, after we finished fighting, if we wanted to have some fun, we could only rob and use force."

"Not only can we not sell the stolen items for much money, but playing with girls is not really enjoyable. You either look like a dead fish or you have to beat them to death."

"If we were as rich as the Eagle Army, we would never be willing to do such a thankless task!"

This sentence almost stunned Lancha.

What the old soldier said sounded very reasonable, but it went against everything he had learned before.

Shouldn't the noble character of an army be achieved through teaching and discipline?
How can dirty money support a well-disciplined army?

This is simply... blasphemy!
And the source of all this is Raven.

"Forgive me, my great Lord." In the secret room, Lancha knelt down and prayed:
"I sold my soul to the devil!"

……

The capital of the Keynes Empire, Mingnagar City, the Royal High Court.

Keynes XVI was still wearing a loose Peplos suit, but his expression was more anxious and haggard.

The unfavorable war situation in recent years has caused people from all walks of life to complain about him.

Insa is becoming more and more ferocious on the front battlefield, having already conquered two provinces in a row, and there is no sign of stopping.

The empire had to mobilize more troops to the front lines, and the daily expenses were like running water, making the treasury increasingly dry.

If this continues, he might have to open his own treasury.

The city of Majik, where the magic crystal mine was hidden, has now become a completely isolated city, and its food and grass are being consumed rapidly.

If it is lost, then the war is truly lost.

So in order to maintain supplies, the empire had to consume a lot of resources and open up an air supply line to transport supplies to the city of Majik.

The amount of grain consumed is dozens of times the amount of grain transported to the local area!
Although he was extremely anxious, Keynes XVI was also under great pressure.

But today, I finally received good news, and two of them at once.

The first one is that Raven actually broke through the Wall of Sighs!

Keynes XVI looked at the map, running his fingers over the Wall of Sighs, as if he were looking at his lover.

Once the high wall is broken, the entire Principality of Eivor will no longer have any natural defenses. The Empire only needs to make a slight effort to break through the principality and directly threaten the heartland of Insa!

occupied?

No need, we just need to send a few more troops to set fire everywhere in Insa's territory.

Burnt their most beautiful land into a wasteland.

This is enough to get Insa back to the negotiating table!
"Well done, well done!" Keynes XVI picked up the letter from Anthony and gave a playful smile.

Although Anthony hinted that it was his idea to let Raven attack.

But Keynes XVI knew Anthony. This guy was old and would never have such courage and spirit.

Attacking the Wall of Sighs must have been Raven's own idea.

"Raven Griffith..."

In fact, Keynes XVI had thought about relieving the pressure on the front battlefield by opening up a second front.

The choice at that time was the Duchy of Eivor.

But in the end, I gave up.

King Keynes XVI estimated that at least 3 troops from three neighboring provinces would be needed to take down the Wall of Sighs.

But this is totally unacceptable to the imperial finances.

Unexpectedly, Raven could pull down the Wall of Sighs and hold it in his hands by himself!
This made Keynes XVI think of Raven's ancestor, Don Quixote.

That founding earl of the empire, like Raven, had a keen sense of war. He fought step by step on the battlefield and became one of the 24 most meritorious founding nobles.

Otherwise, Keynes I would not have sent Don Quixote to carry out that secret mission.

"Are you going to restore the glory of your ancestors?" Keynes XVI chuckled and looked at the Angel's Glory offered by Raven. He saw his own clear reflection on it.

"However, the title is not that easy to obtain."

After saying that, Keynes XVI picked up another letter on the table.

That’s the second good news.

A very formal diplomatic document from the city-states of Fitun.

King Keynes XVI was asked to immediately withdraw the troops that had invaded the Principality of Eivor, hand back the sovereignty of the Wall of Sighs, and punish Baron Raven who had launched the attack without authorization.

Cairns XVI enjoyed it very much.

Since the beginning of the war, Keynes XVI has asked the city-states of Fitun to provide assistance in trade, logistics and other aspects, but all of their requests were righteously rejected.

Now, you come to beg me again?

Cairns XVI cleared his throat and said loudly: "Well... remember!"

Immediately, a palace eunuch prepared paper and pen and lay down beside him.

"Tell the cabinet that I have read the letter from the Fitun city-states. Tell their ambassadors that this is an unfounded accusation. Our Keynes Empire has always been peace-loving and will never attack friendly countries without authorization."

"But since the accusation is so clear, we will start a formal investigation process. Please ask the ambassador to remain calm."

"Please believe that we, the Keynes Empire, will definitely give them a satisfactory answer!"

The eunuch stood up and uttered a sharp and high-pitched voice: "Oh my God, Your Majesty, this reply is simply a work of genius. It also reminds the city-states of Fitun who is the real master of the continent!"

As he spoke, the eunuch jumped down from the stool - he was actually a dwarf less than one meter tall.

His name was Pillar, and he was the most favored court jester of King Keynes XVI.

"Haha, stop teasing me." Cairns XVI said, "Go send the letter to the cabinet for polishing, and then call Ezio over to me."

"But, Your Majesty, you also know that Ezio..." Piller was a little embarrassed.

"Stop talking nonsense. I believe that others can't find him, but I don't believe that you, a 'gardener', can't find him."

"I am just borrowing your name, Your Majesty." Pile chuckled and bowed to say goodbye.

Keynes XVI lowered his head, stretched out his hand, and a feather pen jumped into his hand.

He himself does not know magic, nor is he extraordinary. The reason he can do this is purely because the pen itself is a magical creation.

This letter was written to Anthony.

The superior told Anthony that he was very satisfied with this operation; at the same time, he also gave Anthony a direct order to support Raven with all his strength and tear as much flesh from Eivor as possible.

The greater the losses caused, the more bargaining chips you will have in the future.

But this war cannot be fought in the name of the Empire.

In recent years, Anthony's performance was not enough to reassure King Keynes XVI, so in the end, His Majesty the King emphasized:

"Without support or food, I can only send you Ezio."

"But I'm sure you can handle the details."

“If it doesn’t work out, that’s OK.”

"After all, there are other candidates who can govern the Nord Province."

"for example……

Raven."

……

(End of this chapter)