Imperial Crown.

Chapter 394 Looking for Death
Many thanks to Qidian Dad [Braised Prawns] for the 100 reward!

……

When he came here, Raven walked for 13 months. It took more than a month just to walk from the Western Guard Province to the directly-administered province and then to the royal capital. On average, he walked less than 1 miles a day.

On the way back, we brought a lot of supplies, and our speed was increased by more than half.

On the one hand, it was because of the 1000 war horses with Warcraft bloodlines given by King Cairns XVI that people basically didn't need to walk.

On the other hand, it is also because the originally chaotic public security has undergone a huge turnaround.

People began to sow seeds on the abandoned fields, and the thieves and rioters that were often seen disappeared without a trace.

Except for the first few days when you need to be more careful, you don't have to be as cautious when setting up camp afterwards. Basically, you can rest wherever you go.

At first, Raven thought that Keynes XVI had noticed the unrest on the ground and had stepped up the rectification efforts.

But the more he looked, the more confused Raven became - this speed was too fast.

Construction is always much more difficult than destruction.

Suppressing bandits and relocating people is a project that is destined to be a long-term one.

If restoring order in a place was so easy, the Bloody Highlands would not have been outside the territory of any country for thousands of years.

So out of curiosity, on the fourth night after leaving the royal capital, Raven ordered his men to bring in several local leaders for questioning.

It doesn't matter if you don't ask, but the content of the question makes Raven even more frightened.

In the next few days, every time he arrived at a place, Lei Wen would find someone to ask as usual. He asked for 5 consecutive days. On the morning of the 6th day, Lei Wen ordered to speed up the process and cancel the daily lunch break and lunch time to eat on the way.

So in just 17 days, Raven and his party left the direct-controlled province, crossed the West Guard Province, and arrived at the border between the West Guard Province and the Mangtain Province.

Early that morning, Raven woke up from his sleep, had just washed up, and was about to set off when the hyena came to report:

"Sir, the Queslan family has sent someone to invite you to meet with Duke Serafinu." As he spoke, he held up a letter in both hands.

Raven took the letter and read it, then found a piece of paper and pen and wrote a simple reply to the hyena:

"Give the letter to the messenger and tell him that I only want to go home now, and I will have to let down Duke Serafino's kindness."

The hyena took the order and retreated. Soon, the whole team broke camp and set off.

At noon that day, they left Xishuwei Province and arrived at the territory of Mangtain Province.

The entire directly-administered province, including the four garrison provinces, is basically an endless plain, but after entering Mangtain, the terrain changes.

At first it was just rolling hills, but slowly it turned into towering mountains.

The team walked along the mountain road, with streams gurgling beside the road and green mountains not far away.

Just after noon, the sun was covered by heavy dark clouds. The clouds climbed up along the mountain ridges, making bursts of thunder, and raindrops were squeezed out with rustling sounds.

The fresh rain in the empty mountains has washed the mountains with a fresh green color, and the rustling sound of raindrops falling on the leaves is even more pleasant.

However, although the scenery is beautiful, it is not suitable for traveling.

Fortunately, Mangtain Province is famous for its commerce, and there are many merchants coming and going on this road. You can always see camping sites cleared by predecessors on the roadside.

So Raven and his party found a gentle slope away from the stream to set up camp.

Although the Eagle Army did not wear heavy armor during the march, they behaved in a disciplined manner and had a strong momentum, so no blind merchants dared to harass them.

There were some nobles who were also on the journey and handed in visiting cards, wanting to meet Raven, but they were all politely declined by Raven.

The hyena sat under the curtain at the entrance of Raven's tent, wiping the water marks on his armor with a fine cotton cloth.

Raven also took off his wet leather armor, hung it on the pole, and changed into a dry cotton robe.

For a moment, he felt a little regretful. If he had accepted Seraphinu's invitation, he could now listen to the rain peacefully in the castle.

"Oh, this damn weather..."

At the same time, in Xishuwei Province.

Duke Serafino was in his castle, leaning against the stove, thinking with his eyes closed:
"Are you sure Lord Raven has left?"

"Sure." A knight with rain marks on his body complained:
"It's understandable that he's anxious to get home, but it's really too much. He's like a rabbit being chased by a wolf, and he doesn't even dare to stop."

"You don't understand, you don't understand..." Serafinu sighed:
"It's not that Earl Raven doesn't dare to stop, he just has to show that he doesn't dare to stop."

If there was anyone who could understand Raven's feelings at this moment, it would be Seraphinu.

During this period, Raven did not hide his movements, so Serafinu knew clearly what Raven had done, what he had asked, and what he had found out.

I know more about what conclusion Raven came to.

That is, all the phenomena of the empire's impending "decline" and "collapse" that Raven saw in the directly governed provinces and the Western Garrison Province before entering the royal capital were false.

The so-called bandits and rioters were actually the imperial army in disguise; the so-called poverty and serfs fleeing were nothing more than being conscripted in large numbers to work on projects elsewhere; as for the dead babies in the ditches - there shouldn't have been too many of them in the first place.

Now Raven could see that it was because the bandits and rioters had withdrawn and turned back into the army; the conscripted serfs had been returned to their original places, and the dead babies in the ditch had long been buried.

As for why Serafinu knew it so clearly?

Because those soldiers disguised as bandits were appointed by Seraphinu himself; the serfs were deployed by Seraphinu himself.

All of this is part of His Majesty the King's plan.

From the moment Raven stepped into the West Guard Province, he had already walked into the King's trap. Everything he saw and encountered afterwards was planned by His Majesty the King.

This is a test for Raven.

The test is to see if Raven has developed other thoughts about His Majesty and the empire because of the chaos he has seen in the empire, and whether he would consider joining the old or new school of nobles.

Even Ferdinand was able to enter the Abyss to visit the prisoner and negotiate terms with the tacit approval of His Majesty the King.

From entering the royal capital to being arrested and then to being tried, if Raven had shown the slightest dissatisfaction with His Majesty the King, or if he had any intention of joining any faction, he would not have been able to leave Samur Palace alive.

And letting Raven see everything clearly when he left was a warning and a deterrent.

You made the right choice this time, and I will let you go; next time, remember your choice this time!

The trial that Keynes XVI had carefully designed and planned was certainly not only a test for Raven, but also a deterrent to all the nobles involved.

If His Majesty the King can design Raven in this way, why can't he design others in the same way?

How can you guarantee that what you see is not what His Majesty the King wants you to see?
When suspicion arises, everyone is in danger and no one is absolutely safe.

If you want to save your life, you can only hold on to two words -

loyalty!

Serafinu lay in a chair, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Perhaps because he had been away for too long, the servants who cleaned the room were lazy and spider webs had already formed in the corners of the ceiling.

Perhaps because of the noise of rain outside, a fly flew into it, struggled for a few times, and then stopped moving.

Seraphim said silently to himself:

"I really envy you... Raven."...

The rain did not last long, and early the next morning, Raven and his party set off on their journey.

If you zoom out and look at the terrain of the Mangtain Province, it looks like a concave hexagonal star, surrounded by high mountains, but with six wide roads connecting the surrounding provinces.

The intersection of these roads is the provincial capital, "Xiongchuan City".

After traveling for half a month, Raven and his party finally arrived here.

The logistics were basically exhausted, so we camped outside the city, purchased supplies, and prepared everything before setting off again.

From baron to earl, it is not just a change in title, the difference in status is also reflected in all aspects.

The last time he passed through Xiongchuan City, although Raven was quite welcome, he still had to do many things himself.

This time, as soon as they settled down, the big merchants in the city took the initiative to come to provide supplies for Raven.

Even the president of the local mercenary guild came over and brought a rather surprising news - someone was trying to find out Raven's whereabouts.

Raven is a newly promoted earl and is very popular, so it is not surprising that some people want to know him.

The strange thing is that the man who was trying to find out Raven's identity was a mercenary with a mysterious origin and considerable strength; even stranger was that he was generous and wealthy, which was not commensurate with his mercenary status.

This is quite intriguing.

Raven was also bored of traveling, so he decided to go and take a look himself.

Maybe you can even stretch your muscles.

I've been feeling so depressed in the capital during this period!
So, Raven changed into casual clothes, brought a group of personal guards, and under the guidance of the president of the local mercenary guild, came to the hiding place of the mysterious mercenary - a remote two-story building.

"Sir, this person's strength is mysterious. Although he has only shown level 3, but..." The guild president was still reminding carefully.

There was a bang, and Raven had the hyena beside him kick the door open, then he strode in with his men.

Are you kidding? It's fine to be cautious when you are the king, but now that you are out, you still have to be cautious. Then what am I doing out?
The president was stunned on the spot.

He himself is a 4th-level extraordinary person. Although he relied on his own strength to get to the top, he has not carried out any missions personally for many years, so it is inevitable that he is a little rusty.

Seeing Raven leading a group of personal guards rushing in, he was really conflicted. Should he go in?
However, the expected fight did not happen, and it was so quiet that it seemed as if no one was inside.

Just as I was wondering, Hyena came out, closed the door, and said coldly:

"Thank you, Mr. President. There is nothing for you to do here."

"Remember to keep your mouth shut about what happened today. The Earl will repay you later."

The president wanted to ask more, but when he saw the hyena's cold eyes, he immediately swallowed his saliva, knowing that this was not something he could inquire about, so he nodded, smiled, and turned away.

Inside the building, Raven's face was filled with astonishment.

Mantheni is here, Link is here, Eric is here...

Even Denise is here!

After not seeing him for nearly two years, Eric really looked like an old mercenary.

He was wearing tattered armor, his boots were in tatters, his face was covered in dust, and he even wore an eye patch to hide his uneven eyes. He looked just like a pirate who had come ashore.

Denise, on the other hand, was no longer noble and cool as usual. She was dressed in a black robe, with her hair covered and a black veil on her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Now that she had seen Raven, she had lifted the veil.

"Why are you here?" Raven was confused.

If it weren't for the Eye of Truth confirming that he was not having an illusion, Raven would have thought that this was an illusion cast by a great wizard.

Denise opened her red lips slightly and lowered her eyelids: "It's like this..."

The news of Raven's arrest was the most explosive news in the empire. In less than a month, it spread throughout the empire.

And Weisdon's letter for help was sent back to Eagle City at about the same time.

After Denise received the news, she first wrote a letter to appease Weston and told him not to worry, and then immediately made a decision: to break up the 1st Legion of the Eagle Army into small units, disguise it as a caravan, and head straight from the Nord Province to the Directly-Administered Province.

If there is enough time, then sneak into the city and rescue Raven;
If we can't make it in time, then we will die together with Mingnagal to avenge Raven!
Denise took Mantheni and led a part of the Eagle Army to set out alone; Eric and Link went together; the rest of the people also had their own arrangements.

It was not until some time ago that I heard that Raven had been released, so we met in Xiongchuan City. While gathering the troops, we were waiting for Raven to arrive here.

At first, Raven nodded frequently as he listened, but as time went on, his expression became worse and worse. After hearing the whole story, he could no longer suppress his anger:

"Stupid, stupid, absolutely stupid!"

"Let's not talk about how ridiculous it is to split up a 5000-man team into smaller units. Can they arrive on time? Can they reach as many places as they want? Even if your plan succeeds, what will happen?"

"That's the capital, the capital! Do you think you can take it down with just a few of your little kitties and 5000 elite soldiers?!"

"What's the difference between what you're doing and committing suicide!?"

Everyone lowered their heads after being scolded, and a trace of grievance appeared on Denise's face.

Raven set his eyes on Eric again:

"I'm just surprised. Denise has never been to a battlefield. She doesn't know what war is. It's no wonder she could come up with such a whimsical and idiotic plan."

"You've been with me for so long, from Bloody Highlands to Eivor, how could you agree to such a plan?!"

"This is not the way to seek death!"

"Yes, I was caught, but is it worth it for you to drag the entire Eagle Territory and the Griffith family to be buried with me?"

"Are you doing this to justify my hard work over the years?!"

Raven's chest heaved, and his eyes were so fierce that he seemed to want to eat someone.

Eric raised his head and looked directly into Raven's eyes: "But, sir..."

"The Griffith family only matters if you are here."

After saying this, Denise raised her head, and Link and Mantheni beside her also raised their heads. Although they did not say anything, they expressed their agreement with their actions.

"I..." Raven looked at the looks in everyone's eyes and felt his heart warm. The words that were about to come to his throat could no longer be uttered.

After a while, Lei Wen said, "Eric, logically speaking, for making such a decision, I should give you the most severe punishment!"

"But you have fought with me, and your contributions are obvious to all. If I do not give you a promotion, I am afraid that it will discourage people."

Eric swallowed his saliva and was about to ask for punishment when he heard Raven say loudly:
"Thor."

"Sir!" Thor shuddered, took two steps to stand straight in front of Raven.

Raven said coldly:
"I was going to give you a knighthood for your contribution in defending Eagle City, but now it's gone."

"The son pays for the father's fault!"

Thor: ???
……

(End of this chapter)