Imperial Crown.

Chapter 404 Do you want to become stronger?
Raven was not in the meditation room at this time, but in the enchantment room separated by a wall.

He has been spending a considerable amount of time on this these days.

To be exact, it was used on the big root in his hand.

That is the Tree of Life Staff.

The reason a magician carries a staff is not because it is written in the books.

Nor is it because, as scholars have speculated, the early wizards were wild men wearing grass skirts and living in the woods, who needed a staff to travel.

This is because a magician's channel for releasing magic power is often in his hands, and a large-sized staff can amplify the magic when casting.

In this day and age, magicians carry staffs, and most importantly, they store a few spells in the staffs so they can release them at critical moments without chanting.

The tree of life staff in Raven's hand is made of level 5 material, and theoretically can also be upgraded to level 5.

However, embarrassingly, because Raven was busy with other matters, the staff remained at level 2 for quite some time.

When Raven was at level 3, it was still somewhat useful, but at level 4 it became extremely useless.

Click.

Placing the staff in his hand on the table, the silver light in Raven's eyes gradually faded, the Eye of Truth stopped working, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

After half a year of intermittent enchantment, this staff finally reached the 3rd and 4th level and officially became a 4th level staff.

The enchanted pattern will not be visible, but its naturally enriched magic power still makes the staff look brand new.

Although it is still gray, the texture has become like metal, and the patterns left by the growth of plants on it are clearly visible.

If you use it to fool laymen, and based on its appearance, portray it as a treasure left over from hundreds or thousands of years ago, people will believe it.

Wearing a wizard's robe and holding a staff in his hand, Raven smiled at the mirror on the wall, admiring it very much, and couldn't help but say:

"If I were a woman, I would fall in love with myself!"

With a smile, Raven put away the Tree of Life Staff and came to his meditation room through the side door.

In the past six months, Lei Wen has been staying at home and rarely going out.

If it was just used for enchantment, with Raven's current subtle grasp of magic, there would be no need to spend so much time.

Most of the time, Raven meditated in this room.

The reason.

Does a magician need a reason to increase his magic power?

Coming to the meditation room through the side door, Raven sat on the central cushion with a 6th-level magic core appearing in his palm.

In the treasury of the Principality of Eivor, Raven obtained three level 3 magic cores. He had used two of them in recent months, and this was the last one.

Placing the prepared crystal bottle at his feet, Raven gently crushed the magic core, and silver light flowed out from his eyes.

That is the sign of the Eye of Truth working.

Under the guidance of the Eye of Truth, the energy that dissipated into the air was slowly drawn into Raven's body.

The energy flow was divided into two parts. One part merged into Raven's magic pool water, causing it to rise at a very obvious rate; the other part penetrated into Raven's skin, quietly strengthening this body.

The light flowing from Raven's eyes also had a few dust-like golden specks.

The silver color is the reflection of the spiritual power in operation, while the gold color is the silhouette of the Eye of Truth.

When the Eye of Truth is operating to its limit, the golden color cannot be concealed, and Raven can observe the world, his enemies, and himself from an absolutely objective perspective.

In this way, we can understand the underlying logic of how the world works, find the enemy's weaknesses, and find the most appropriate way to circulate our own energy, so as to achieve the greatest results with the least energy.

"call……"

When the energy absorption was completed, Raven slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of slightly hot air, and nodded with satisfaction.

This level 6 magic core not only increased Raven's strength, but also increased his magic power by about 6%.

After being strengthened by three sixth-level magic cores in the past few months, as well as his own meditation, Raven's magic power has grown to between level 3, 4 stars and 4 stars, which is about 5%.

If it weren't for the fact that Raven's magic capacity is about three times that of an ordinary magician, he would have been ready to be promoted to level 3.

"it's time!"

A deep green light bloomed in Raven's palm.

It even illuminated the entire room.

That was the 7th level magic core obtained from Dane, from the Hydra lizard.

It is the size of a walnut, emerald green all over, with dense dark green patterns like blood vessels on the edges, and the light flickers like breathing.

The life energy it exudes is so rich that people suddenly have an illusion that a brand new Hydra lizard will be born from it at any time.

Magic cores of different levels bring completely different pressures to the body.

For example, when Raven used the Eye of Truth to strengthen himself for the first time, he was only using a level 1 magic core and almost burst his blood vessels.

The reason why Raven still has many level 5 magic cores in his hands is that he still has to use the level 6 magic core to strengthen himself, in order to pave the way for absorbing this level 7 magic core!
As long as it is absorbed cleanly, Raven's magic power will be able to leap to level 4, 8 stars, or even 9 stars, and his physical strength will be able to make great progress.

Staring at the magic core, Raven felt a little regretful for a moment.

A rank 7 magic core, if handled properly, can be used to create extremely powerful magic items.

But firstly, Raven himself is only level 4, and any processing on him would be a waste.

Secondly, this is stolen goods after all, and keeping it in hand will cause trouble sooner or later.

"I should have asked earlier if I had known." Raven shook his head and sighed.

Raven was talking about Anno.

She was a divine blood witch, and she already had a rich memory of inheritance. Her years of traveling around the continent also made her knowledgeable.

Unfortunately, not long after Raven returned, Annuo said goodbye to Raven and left.

She didn't always stay in the Witch Academy. It was normal for her to go out for a month or two and bring back a few little witches, but this time she was very serious.

According to her, she had predicted that an extremely rare treasure was about to be born, which involved the power of laws necessary for advancement from level 6 to level 7, so she needed to explore and prepare in advance.

At that time, she also invited Raven to go with her, but was rejected by Raven.

After all, promotion to level 7 is still too elusive for Raven at present, and with Raven's current level 4 strength, he doesn't want to get involved in such an event where level 6 and 7 strong men are bound to be everywhere.

Anno did not force it, but asked Raven to draw a tarot card as a souvenir.

That card is now hanging on the wall -

The card showed a dark red humanoid creature with horns on its head, bat-like wings on its back, and cow-like hooves sitting on a toilet-like thing.

A decent devil.

Although intuitively, this should be a hint of the power of the blood curse on Raven.

But Raven, who had a certain understanding of Tarot cards, always felt that Annuo was mocking the relationship between him and Denise...

"cough!"

Retracting his mind that had been wandering too much, Raven took a deep breath, calmed his breathing, and meditated for another hour to make sure his mind and body were in perfect balance. Then he gently exerted force and crushed the 1th-level magic core in his hand.

click-

All the magic cores that Raven had handled before, no matter what their attributes or grades, had almost invisible energy after being crushed.

But the energy flowing out from this 7th-order magic core is thick and clear, like a ball of thick green ink exploding in deep water!

The ink clearly formed the shape of a nine-headed lizard, with nine heads looking up to the sky and hissing!
The essence of the corrupt soul was completely dissipated in the thick green, and it was almost impossible to find any trace of it.

The Eye of Truth had already begun to operate at full speed. Raven peeled off the essence of corrupt souls from the energy, which was like a fine fishing net. Before he could actively pull it, the energy hit him between the eyebrows.

Zhi! ! !
The skin between his eyebrows instantly turned dark purple, like a dead body, and as he frowned, it fell off and onto the ground, without even a trace of blood on the edge of the wound.

This is because the life energy is too dense and exceeds the limit that the body can bear, causing the skin and the flesh underneath to become stiff and dead.

It seemed that it was not Raven who was absorbing this energy, but this energy was wrapped in a lingering will that wanted to devour Raven's body!
Raven also endured the pain and divided the energy into two. One part turned into magic power and flowed into the magic pool; the other part was dispatched and seeped into every inch of his skin.

Golden light burst out from Raven's eyes at this moment!
This was the first time that Raven had used the Eye of Truth to its full potential without being in an enemy situation. Only in this way could he ensure that the energy would be dispersed evenly and orderly into his body, rather than turning his body into a pile of rotten meat!
As the energy seeped into his body, Raven could clearly observe the changes in his body.

The cells are dividing, proliferating, and reorganizing. The hair begins to grow wildly at a strange speed; the nails grow in coils like horns, and then break naturally.

The skin was like a pot of boiling porridge, constantly cracking; however, before it could bleed, it would be filled with newly grown tissue.

Even so, the overly active energy still pushed Raven's body to its limit and on the verge of collapse!
Under the influence of the Eye of Truth, Raven's mind was in an absolutely calm and rational state, but the instinct aroused by the pain could not be suppressed.

He opened his throat and let out a horrible roar:

"ah……!!!!"

The sound echoed between the walls and even passed through the metal door.

Julia, who was standing guard outside the door, pursed her lips nervously.

Although Raven had already warned people not to go in and disturb him no matter what happened, this situation was indeed a bit beyond the norm.

Da da da.

There were hurried footsteps and Patty ran over in panic.

Before she could stand still, Julia asked, "Has this situation ever happened before?"

"No." Patty was stunned for a moment. She rushed here just to ask Julia a question, but she didn't expect Julia to get there first. But she still answered in a low voice: "This is also the first time I've encountered..."

Julia nodded, turned around immediately, and took out the key from her waist.

"What are you doing?" Patty quickly grabbed her wrist:

"My Lord said that no one is allowed to disturb us!"

"Sister Patty, you said you've never encountered a situation like this before." Julia said calmly, "I feel I have an obligation to check on the adults."

"But you can't afford the consequences!" Petty lowered her voice, "Although the Lord is kind and gentle, he values ​​rules the most. Even if you want to go in, you should at least ask the Madam first!"

"Which lady?" asked Julia.

Patty was stunned.

"Lord Raven is a 4th-level magician. It's fine if he doesn't encounter any problems. Once he does, only a magician can solve them." Julia said quickly: "If Madam Nancy is still alive, she can still help with her attainments as a 4th-level magician, but what about Madam Denise? It seems that she hasn't broken through to the 2nd level yet?"

Patty was choked and speechless. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "But you are not a magician either."

Julia said: "I am the Earl's bodyguard!"

Before she finished her words, the key in her hand clicked into the keyhole. After turning it half a circle, she broke free from Patty's arm, pushed open the closed iron door and walked in.

By the time Petty reacted, the door had already quietly closed under its own weight.

Julia didn't think too much when she stepped through the door. She just knew that she was Raven's guard, and Raven was probably in trouble.

As long as Raven is safe, she is willing to be punished!

The room was filled with a hazy green mist, making it impossible to see the surroundings clearly. However, behind the layers of green curtains, a faint golden light was shining through.

Just as she was hesitating whether to go forward, the sea seemed to part and the fog opened up a path.

The scene that came into view made Julia freeze in place.

Raven was floating in the air, his long black hair dancing behind him like a cloak. Although his eyes were closed, golden light was flowing out from them.

The skin on his body kept cracking and then healing in the blink of an eye, as if there were thousands of eyes constantly opening and closing, appearing and disappearing.

Yet his figure was as perfect as a marble sculpture.

It was as if they were ancient sages and wise men who were suffering on behalf of all living beings.

It is weird, but also has a holiness that makes people want to worship it!
"You, do you want to become stronger?" Raven asked.

"Yes, sir!" Julia knelt on one knee, her eyes filled with a silent burning fanaticism.

"Take off your clothes."

Julia was stunned at first, then a trace of panic flashed in her eyes. She didn't understand what becoming stronger had to do with whether or not one was wearing clothes.

However, coming in rashly would be a disobedience to the adults' orders.

This situation left her with no space or time to think.

So he bit his lip, turned around, and slowly unfastened the buckle on the armor, then the cotton padding inside, the underwear...

By the time the breast wraps had piled up into a small wall at her feet, Julia's skin had become as red as a shrimp.

The heaviness on her chest could no longer be covered by two arms, so Julia hugged her arms and supported them before turning around. Even so, she could only barely cover her vital parts.

"come over."

Raven's voice came again, sounding calm.

Julia stared at the floor and walked towards Raven step by step, too shy to even look up.

A good girl shouldn't expose herself in front of a man, the matron once said.

Julia, who was not tall to begin with, hunched her body because of nervousness and to cover up her shame. If it weren't for her excessive sexual characteristics, she would have looked like a young student who was scolded and cried by her teacher.

Julia stopped when she saw Raven's feet.

"Turn around."

Feeling nervous, Julia turned around, but did not receive any further instructions for a long time.

Just as she was wondering, her body suddenly shuddered: "My Lord Earl, this is..."

"do not move."

Julia's face flushed, her lips slightly opened, her legs unconsciously turned inward, her breathing began to become rapid, and her whole body was tense as if she was under a petrification spell.

When Raven's hands left her body, the tension showed a slight sign of relief.

However, before her mind could turn again, a sharp pain struck her mind:
"what--"

But behind her came a cry of pain louder than hers:

“Ah ...

It was as miserable as if one's limbs were crushed.

It hurts so much!
It was as tight and solid as if a piece of leather armor had been punctured.

Julia's body suddenly collapsed, and before she hit the ground, Raven's rough and hot hands lifted her up.

She hung on Raven like a doll and could still feel Raven's breath in her ears.

This posture was really embarrassing. Tears filled with complex emotions such as grievance, fear, and panic flowed from the corners of Julia's eyes.

Julia, who was completely unaware of the meaning of this action, could no longer hold back and whispered:
"My Lord... if you want to become stronger, do you have to be in this much pain?"

"Practice is the sword that humans use to fight against fate!" Raven's voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth:
"This is the price of fighting against fate!!"

It turns out that adults are also in pain.

When she thought of this, even though her legs were still shaking and twitching, Julia covered her lips to prevent herself from screaming.

The meditation room became quiet, but not so quiet.

I don't know how long it took, until Julia's body, which had been strengthened by years of training and second-level fighting spirit, completely lost its strength.

Ravensong then opened his hands, and Julia knelt on the ground with her knees together and legs apart, and her upper body leaned forward again, like a paralyzed duckling.

Her hot cheek pressed against the cold ground, and then a faint gasp of pain like the sound of an insect came out of her mouth, blowing up a layer of fine mist on the slightly cold ground.

"turn around."

A heat touched Julia's shoulder.

……

(End of this chapter)