Imperial Crown.

Chapter 52 Objective: Bloody Heights

Not only Raven, but the other three present were also confused.

After a moment's pause, our Lord Baron finally realized that Nancy was probably talking about the fashion show.

Was this all she thought about during these six days?
"But Raven, although I forgive you, you can't take it as my indulgence of you." Nancy stared and said seriously: "Don't even think about marrying me."

As soon as these words came out, Denise, Eric and Old Gordon all looked at Raven, then at Nancy, their eyes lingering between the two, all with doubt and uncertainty, but the specific meanings were different.

Denise found it baffling. There was a huge gap between Fox and Griffith. With Raven's intelligence, there was no reason for him to waste his energy on such an impossible thing.

Eric admired Raven even more. He was worthy of being the Baron. He could think of things that ordinary people could not even dream of and he even dared to pursue the daughter of an earl.

Old Gordon thinks from a different perspective. If Baron Raven can marry Miss Nancy, it will be a good thing for the Griffith family, but there are also risks.

There are many cases in history where great nobles married their daughters to lesser nobles, and then through various operations, took over the lesser nobles' titles and fiefs for themselves.

The most innocent one was of course Raven, who looked at Nancy with eyes full of confusion.

"Even if you look at me like this, I won't be soft-hearted." Nancy's face flushed slightly: "Although you are not bad, you are far from good enough to be favored by this lady."

"If you want to marry me, you have to be stronger than me. You are only a first-level mage, and I am a second-level mage!"

She rolled her eyes and continued, "Besides, your title isn't high enough. I'm going to marry a prince in the future. Even if that's not possible, at least you have to be an earl!"

Raven frowned and looked at the strange looks from the people around him, and smiled bitterly in his heart.

What the hell is going on? When did I say I was going to marry her? I've been sleepwalking lately?

But this kind of thing cannot be explained, the more you try to smear it, the worse it gets!
Jenny, who was standing behind Nancy, lowered her head nervously.

Lord of Light, please forgive me, I didn’t mean it!
At the press conference, before Nancy left, she said she would ask someone else, but how could such a distinguished lady go back and do such a thing in person?
Of course, this job fell to poor Jenny.

In fact, Jenny also knew the identities and origins of those catwalk models, but she couldn't tell them.

With Miss Nancy's strange train of thought, if she really told me about it, she would definitely get angry with the reason "Am I no better than a group of call girls?"

When Nancy gets angry, Jenny suffers.

So, under Nancy's increasingly urgent questioning, Jenny had to make up a reason: Raven didn't want Nancy's graceful figure to be seen by other men, and this was to protect her reputation.

Unfortunately, Miss Nancy only heard the first half of the sentence.

Then Nancy's logical chain became clear: Raven doesn't want to share me with others → he wants to monopolize me → he likes me → the catwalk show is to stimulate me to pay attention to him and quarrel with him → I want to tell him to give up this idea.

Jenny was also shocked by this, but she didn't dare to correct it. She could only pray that nothing bad would happen.

The Lord of Light seemed to have heard her prayers, and at least for now, the result was good.

At least, she wasn't the one who suffered.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Raven coughed and cleared his throat: "Let's continue the meeting, Miss Nancy, you..."

Nancy picked an empty seat and sat down: "You guys say, don't bother with me."

Raven knew he couldn't get her out, and what he was going to discuss next wasn't a secret, so he said, "Then let me continue to talk about how to spend the money."

As soon as this topic was mentioned, the attention of the three people present was drawn back.

"First of all, what Denise said makes sense. Flowers are the raw materials for Angel's Kiss, and their necks cannot be choked by others. We need a stable supply of flowers, so it is imperative to deploy a group of flower farmers. The mountains and hills that cannot be used as farmland can be used to grow flowers."

Seeing that her proposal was adopted, Denise showed a satisfied smile on her face: "The price of flower farmers is much higher than that of ordinary serfs, but their professional level is unquestionable. If 100 people are deployed at a time, the price will be around 7-900 gold coins."

普通农奴一人1金币，花农7-9金币，足足7-9倍的身价。

Raven nodded. "Okay, I'll leave this matter to you. In addition, go buy the recipes for beer and red wine. It would be best if you could get one of each. They don't need to be too high-end. I'll budget 2000 gold coins. Is that enough?"

Red wine is the base material of Angel's Tears, and beer is used to distill alcohol, and it also cannot rely on others.

Moreover, these two types of wine can be used to supply the low-end markets in Shining Gold Town and Eagle Town.

Denise smiled and said, "Of course no problem."

Raven turned his gaze to Eric: "Can we still contact the Iron Legion?"

"No problem, sir." Eric immediately perked up: "What do you need?"

"120 war horses, 200 pack horses." Raven said, "In addition, 15 first-level God-given potions for non-directional awakening!"

"Well... a war horse can be obtained for about 9.5 gold coins, and a pack horse is much cheaper, about 1.6 gold coins." Eric nodded excitedly and asked:
"As for the God-given potion... the directional awakening of the Iron Fighting Qi waist only costs about 300 gold coins, but the price of the non-directional awakening is also more than 230 gold coins. Why not choose a more stable one?"

Fighting spirit with the same attributes will have a higher degree of coordination on the battlefield and will play a stronger role.

"Because I want to think about the future, not create a degraded version of the Iron Legion," Raven said.

Reading can indeed benefit people a lot. From the book "A Knight's Self-cultivation", Raven learned that knights, like mages, have a natural affinity for elements.

Ordinary God-given potions activate the corresponding attributes of fighting spirit according to the original constitution of the user. The extraordinary people awakened in this way have greater potential for future development.

Although directional awakening can awaken fighting spirit of specific attributes, if the zodiac signs are not compatible, it will also destroy the potential.

Raven doesn't have many people he can use, and even fewer who are reliable. If he has options, the more potential the better.

Eric wanted to ask more, but Raven continued, "And you, Eric. As the leader of my personal soldiers, you should also improve your strength."

"To advance the Iron Fighting Qi to the second level, if I remember correctly, it should use the natural 'Iron Core', right? How much does it cost?"

"Yes, sir." Eric's eyes showed a look of surprise, and he swallowed his saliva: "To advance to level 2, I think... I need 4 iron cores, which I can buy from the Iron Legion. The total price is about 840 gold coins."

"But sir, this is against the rules. The cost of the promotion should be paid by myself..."

Raven raised his hand to stop him from speaking. "According to your contributions to the family over the years, you should have been knighted long ago. However, the territory has not been completely recovered yet, and I cannot afford to give you the fiefdom at the moment. This can be considered as compensation for your reputation."

"Sir!" Eric's eyes suddenly turned red, and he pounded his chest heavily: "I will definitely not let you down!"

Normally, a nobleman's extraordinary person would either be canonized as a knight, with all his income coming from his own knighthood; or he would not be given a fiefdom but a fixed salary, such as Eric's previous year's salary of 60 gold coins.

The Griffith family owes Eric nothing.

Therefore, Raven's actions now further demonstrated his importance to Eric and also won Eric's heartfelt gratitude.

Turning his gaze to Old Gordon, Raven said, "Mr. Gordon, please contact Baron Roger. I need to order a batch of magic props from him. Ask them to draw up a list to see what products are available. The budget is generous, and it can be within 10000 gold coins!"

This sentence made Old Gordon stunned. After thinking for a while, he said with a little worry: “Sir, Denise wants a budget of 2900 gold coins;
Eric's warhorse, 15 divine potions, and 4 iron cores, if processed to the maximum, will cost about 6500 gold coins;

We will set aside another 10000 gold coins. Even if we take into account the previous surplus, we will only have 778.54 gold coins to mobilize!"

"In this case, the construction of Eagle Town may be..."

"There's no rush to build Xiongying Town." Raven shook his head and said, "We just need to build the general framework first. It's not the time to invest a large amount of money yet."

Old Gordon said with a bitter face: "My Lord, I know that, but there is no need to invest so much money in enchanted equipment!"

"Yes, of course." Raven sat up straight and glanced at the three people present: "Because our next goal is to counterattack Bloody Heights!"

The air in the conference room suddenly froze, and they all didn't dare to believe what Raven said.

For many years, horse thieves have been coming and going in the Bloody Heights, but no one has ever been able to eliminate them.

Even the Empire's Iron Legion was only stationed on the outskirts of the Bloody Highlands to guard against a large-scale invasion, and did not dare to go deep into it!
"Great!"

Nancy had been drowsy at first, but now her eyes sparkled. She jumped up and held onto the table with both hands. "It's really fun to listen to, Raven. I support you!"

"My Lord Baron, please consider this carefully!" Old Gordon swallowed his saliva and advised with reason and evidence:
"Of course I believe you can succeed, but the bandits are too poor. Even if they win, they will lose manpower. Not only will they not make much money, but they will also spend more than they earn."

"Besides, if it fails, the result will be even worse."

"Not to mention that your troops now have salaries, but there is a huge hole in the pensions. The Eagle Territory has just begun to recover, and if there are too many casualties, they will need to be replenished, which will also hinder the development of Eagle Town. And it will also be a major blow to your reputation!"

As he spoke, Old Gordon winked at Eric.

Eric understood what old Gordon meant, and he also disagreed with Raven's decision: "Sir, it is indeed not a good idea to attack Bloody Heights now."

"It's already November. Even in Eagle Territory, winter has begun. It's already snowy on the Bloody Highlands, so it's not suitable for long-distance marches."

"Although this batch of new recruits has been training for a longer time and has your personal soldiers as the backbone, they have never seen blood. They are not fighting to defend the territory like last time, with psychological and terrain advantages. I'm afraid their performance will not be very good!"

Denise rolled her eyes and said nonchalantly, "Haha, you guys, your advice is in vain. When can anyone shake Baron Raven's determination?"

Old Gordon looked at her with dissatisfaction.

"Raven, if you insist on going, that's fine." Denise looked at her nails. "After you die, Visdon will be the heir. But before you go, you have to leave the formula of Angel's Tears behind."

Although their ways of expression were different, the three people had the same attitude: they opposed Raven's decision to counterattack Bloody Heights.

"Is that all?" Raven looked around the room and said confidently, "Then it's my turn next."

He looked at Old Gordon first. "It's true that the horse thieves on Bloody Highlands are poor, but that's limited to floating wealth. They have many Warcraft mounts, war horses, and enchanted equipment. As long as we can win and take them back, we can make a lot of money."

"What's more, we are not completely unprepared. The money we have invested in armaments and food supplies is our confidence."

"Even if we don't win, we can still retreat!"

Then, Raven turned his gaze to Eric. "It is indeed the snowy season in Bloody Highlands, but because of this, the bandits are all in hiding, and they don't expect us to attack them. This way, we can gain the upper hand."

"Besides, the Nord Province is about to fall into chaos. We don't have many soldiers to begin with, so we must take this opportunity to have some actual combat experience. Without the baptism of blood, the new recruits will always be new recruits!"

"As for your consideration, Aunt Denise..." Raven turned his head and said with a smile: "I am not crazy enough to not take my life seriously."

"Besides, if I really die in battle, mastering the formula of Angel's Tears will be your way to death!"

Denise's expression froze.

Just as Raven said, while he was alive, the nobles would not go too far because of the constraints of the imperial order; but if Raven died unfortunately, she, a widow, would not be able to keep the family business!

"Any other comments?" Raven asked in the final analysis.

"No, not at all!" Nancy said with an excited smile: "When you leave, you must inform me in advance."

"This is my first time participating in such an exciting thing!"

The other four ignored Nancy's "self-recommendation".

"Hey! What are you doing? Look at me!" Nancy pouted and shouted, "Raven, I'm going to Bloody Heights, do you hear me?"

"I heard it." Raven scratched his nose helplessly and refused decisively: "But I don't plan to take you there."

"Why? I'm a second-level wizard, look!" As she spoke, she raised her palm, and with just two syllables, a cluster of flames burned.

"I said no and it means no." Raven looked into Nancy's eyes and said, "Besides, isn't the Count of Montreal already urging you to go back?" "Anyway, I haven't received any letters." Nancy smiled and said, "Well, just take me with you, I promise not to cause any trouble!"

"No, it's not possible!" Raven said word by word.

Nancy's eyebrows were twisted together and she was about to get angry.

Jenny quickly pulled the corner of her clothes behind her and whispered, "Ass, Miss..."

Seeing Raven start to rub their hands together, Nancy turned pale and said with forced calmness:

"Well... I'll let you go today, but I won't give up!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Eric was really not optimistic about Raven's plan, and he wanted to make a final struggle: "My Lord Baron, Simon hasn't come back yet. Isn't it too early to make a decision now?"

"If we really wait for Simon to come back, it will be too late!" Raven said calmly: "Even if he doesn't come back, these supplies will be of great use in the future."

Eric lowered his head and said nothing.

Raven waved his hand. "If there is nothing else, the meeting is adjourned!"

Everyone dispersed with their own thoughts and focused on their work.

Raven continued with his daily activities.

That night, Lux came to Eagle Castle to tutor Raven in the Elvish language.

Since the last class in the church, Lux suggested moving the course to Eagle Castle. Although Raven didn't understand why, he readily accepted it.

The air in the study was filled with the faint scent of jasmine. Lux, dressed in a plain white dress, hugged her knees and curled up in an oak chair with a thick copy of the "Holy Word" placed on her knees. The picture was indescribably harmonious and beautiful.

"Raven." Lux closed the book and asked softly, "Are you worried about something? I see that you don't seem to be paying attention today."

"Sorry." Raven smiled apologetically, "I was indeed a little distracted."

Lux was not angry, but said sympathetically: "No wonder, socializing with nobles is always tiring. You have been with them for 6 days in a row, it must be very exhausting."

"It's okay." Raven smiled and said, "As a lord, I can't avoid this kind of thing. At least I haven't missed my daily meditation."

"Besides, you are here to teach me Elvish!"

"You're talking nonsense again." Lux glanced at Raven and said, "This won't work. You'd better not meditate tonight and get a good night's sleep."

Raven leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on the back of his hand and asked, "Why?"

"Meditation cannot completely replace sleep." Lux said slowly: "Sleep is not only for restoring energy, but also for relaxing the soul."

"Oh, I see." Raven nodded slowly, suddenly realizing, "No wonder I've been feeling a little low on energy these past few days, but I don't know what's wrong."

"Then I'll go back first. You should get some rest early today." With that, Lux stood up and was about to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Raven paused and said, "It's not time for me to rest now anyway, why don't you sit with me for a while?"

Lux hesitated for a moment, but when she saw Raven's tired face, her heart softened. She nodded slightly and sat back in her seat.

Raven's eyes fell on her, from her long, smooth golden hair to her round, well-shaped shoulders, to her slender, white fingertips.

It's like admiring a beautiful work of art.

Lux shrank her hand a little uncomfortably: "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Raven retracted his gaze: "I was just thinking, it would be nice if you were also a member of the Griffith family."

Hearing this, Lux's face suddenly turned red: "... Stop joking."

"I'm not kidding, I'm serious." Raven said with emotion: "If I had a sister like you, life would be much easier."

Needless to say, when dealing with various nobles and merchants, even in Eagle Castle, Raven must always maintain his image as a lord.

Only in front of Lux can he truly relax.

"I won't be your sister." Lux snorted and bit her lip.

"Yes, it's better not to spread the Griffith family curse." Raven said with a smile.

"That's not what I meant!" Lux sighed and frowned slightly. "Actually, I wrote a letter to ask the teacher about the curse of the Griffith family."

"He said that this curse didn't seem to be a recent creation, and it might have a long history. He needs to look through ancient books to see if there are any corresponding records."

"But you don't have to worry. Over the years, our human race's magic and divine arts have made great progress. If we couldn't solve it back then, we may be able to solve it now."

"Lacus." Raven smiled and stared into those blue eyes and said seriously, "Thank you."

Lux quietly avoided his gaze.

The air became quiet, and neither of them spoke anymore. All they could hear was each other's steady breathing.

After a long while, the hourglass on the table flickered, and Lux ​​stood up: "Then I'll take my leave first."

"Can I take you there?" Raven stood up as he said this.

"No need to bother." Lux gathered her scattered hair behind her head and said, "You should rest early. I hope you can concentrate better in the next class."

"Wait." Raven stopped her, "You really don't want to be my sister?"

Lux frowned and glanced at him: "No!"

Having said that, he quickly left.

Raven stood by the window and watched Lux ​​leave until her figure disappeared into the night, then he returned to his bedroom.

After changing into pajamas with Petty's help, Raven held a bottle of Angel's Tears in his hand and said, "Back off."

"Yes, Baron." Petty left respectfully.

In November, the Eagle Territory was relatively warm during the day, but freezing cold at night. Raven opened the window and a bone-chilling north wind blew in his face, dispersing the heat brought by the temperature control array and lifting his spirits.

Since the recapture of Shining Gold Town, the Eagle Territory has been recovering rapidly and many goals have been achieved.

New soldiers were recruited and trained quite effectively, and the maids and attendants in the castle were also replenished.

Eagle Town accepted the transferred residents, the riverside workshop was completed and put into use, Angel's Kiss and Angel's Embrace were invented, and the temperature control array was installed in Eagle Castle.

In addition, he himself has also achieved great growth.

In terms of strength, he became a first-level wizard, obtained four first-level spells, and the effectiveness of the Eye of Truth was further developed.

In terms of knowledge, he has mastered the Elvish language, and has some understanding of the taboos and knowledge in cultivation. He also has a better understanding of the many nobles in the Nordic province.

"A noble." Raven took a sip of wine and sneered, "A noble!"

During these six days, thanks to Raven's meticulous hospitality, he gradually developed an evaluation of him as "young but thoughtful and hospitable".

This is what nobility is like. They are clearly praising you, but they always make you feel a little uncomfortable.

As for the press conference itself, it was undoubtedly a success, and it greatly increased the popularity of Angel's Tears. If nothing unexpected happens, sales will continue to rise.

Angel's Kiss has also made a name for itself as a true luxury product, and 83 bottles is by no means the end, but only the beginning.

These two things will bring Eagle Tie a steady stream of income.

Although the price of Angel's Embrace is not as high as the previous two, its market is much broader. Both the City of Mon'en and the City of Hovi have tens of thousands of middle-class citizens who have considerable requirements for the quality of life and their family assets are much richer than those of ordinary civilians.

As long as we slowly expand sales, even though the price is the lowest among the three, the profit margin will not be much smaller.

After taking a sip of Angel's Tears, Raven smiled and his eyes became much clearer.

"The next step is to prepare for the counterattack on Bloody Heights, which can also be regarded as training for the unrest in advance."

He has become more and more proficient in using the Eye of Truth. The next step is to use the magic core to transform the warhorse into a semi-demon beast.

At the same time, we must also take into account the growth of our own strength.

The energy in the magic core can be used to strengthen wild beasts, replenish magic power, and also increase his magic power limit. A first-level magic core is roughly equivalent to 14 days of meditation, which makes his promotion to the second level much faster.

But the current supply of magic cores cannot keep up with his consumption.

You still have to spend more money!
And there will be many more places where money will be spent in the future.

Raven spun the bottle and took another sip. "Riverside Workshop is just the beginning. The construction of Eagle Town will also cost money. The most important thing... is industry."

Weapons, armor, military industry, building materials.

It can not only bring profits and ensure a constant supply of sales, but also enhance the foundation of the Eagle Territory.

After all, if you want to arm the future Twelve Constellations Legion, you can't just buy the equipment.

That's why he needs to take back the Eagle Mountain Quarry and Thousand Needles Jungle, and the Gray Mountain Mine in Ironfurnace Ridge!
"Judra." Raven muttered the name and chuckled, "You'd better not let me down."

The eldest son of the Wharton family is quite shallow.

In comparison, Gul'dan of the Fox family is much stronger.

Although his request for the Angel's Tears formula was rejected, he did not show any obvious hostility or malice, but only sent someone to hint secretly:
The Fox family knew that Raven had become a wizard, and hoped that he would think carefully and not get too close to the Slater family.

"The Earl's family...!" Raven sighed.

He thought of the grand ceremony when Nancy arrived at Eagle Castle, the expensive equipment worn by Townsend and his party, and Gul'dan's enchanted dress that was purely for style and had no practicality at all.

He also thought of the fact that Gul'dan ordered Florence around like a servant, totally ignoring the fact that the latter was a genuine baron of the Empire!
I don’t know when Raven will be able to possess such financial resources and power.

Someday.

One day!
After drinking the last sip of Angel's Tear, Raven did as Lux said and slept until dawn instead of meditating.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, the Eagle Territory was running smoothly, but Simon still hadn't returned.

That morning, Raven finished his breakfast amid Nancy's chattering. As soon as he arrived at the meeting room, he saw old Gordon and Eric sitting there with grim expressions.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"Sir!" Old Gordon stood up and pushed his monocle:
"I've run into some trouble with what you asked me to do."

……

(End of this chapter)