Imperial Crown.

Chapter 53: A critical moment, turning danger into safety
"Don't be in a hurry, sit down and talk slowly." Raven said as he sat down.

"Yes, sir." Old Gordon calmed down and said clearly, "I contacted Baron Roger through the Mercenary Guild. They replied that due to the recent surge in demand, the variety of magic props will not be so complete, and the price is much higher than before, at least doubled!"

After listening to this, Raven turned to Eric and asked, "What's going on over there?"

"That's about the same." Eric's face was filled with shame. "The price of a war horse is 15.3 gold coins, which is more than half the price! Even a pack horse has increased to 2.4 gold coins!"

"As for the God-given potion, its price has gone up like crazy. An ordinary first-level potion costs 367 gold coins, and the targeted awakening potion is not for sale at all."

"Where is the iron core?" Raven asked.

Eric was stunned: "...It has also increased. The total cost of 4 pieces is 1176 gold coins."

"Hmm..." Raven pinched his chin, his expression as calm as a lake, and he didn't seem surprised by this.

The nobles are not fools. Now the entire Nord Province is a powder keg that may explode at any time. Of course, everyone must prepare for a rainy day. The high prices of enchanted equipment, war horses and other supplies are reasonable.

"You all have bad news, but I have good news." Denise said with a smile: "The food that Raven asked me to buy is on the way and will be delivered in ten days at the latest."

"Comparing the grain prices at the time of purchase with the current prices, we have earned at least as much as 100 flower farmers."

"So many?" Old Gordon was a little surprised.

Denise nodded slightly. "Yes, before, Raven said that the Nord Province would be in chaos. I didn't believe it, but now it seems to be true."

"I bought this batch of grain at the lowest price since the autumn harvest. 100 kilograms of coarse wheat flour only cost 2.19 silver coins. I bought 130 million kilograms in one go. Now the price has risen directly to 9.68, and there is no demand for it. Maybe it will rise further."

Old Gordon swallowed his saliva and said, "My Lord Baron, your vision is as far-sighted as an eagle's!"

"It's nothing." Raven smiled and shook his head. "It's just that our budget needs to be readjusted, but the focus should still be on military supplies."

This time Old Gordon did not object. The prices of food, weapons, war horses, and medicines were all rising, which was enough to show that a great chaos was about to come. At this time, even if it was not for the purpose of attacking the Bloody Highlands, it was extremely necessary to enhance one's own military strength.

"First, let's talk about you, Eric." Raven knocked on the table. "This is related to the mobility of the troops. The number of war horses cannot be reduced. The number of God's potions... reduce it to 10. And you can't give up your iron core either."

Eric nodded heavily: "Yes, sir!"

"So, the total cost is..." Old Gordon lowered his head and calculated: "7162 gold coins. After deducting the price of the flower grower and the formula, the remaining amount is 10395.06 gold coins!"

"Yeah, about the same." Raven tapped his fingers on the table. "Do you have the price list from Roger?"

"Here, sir." Old Gordon pulled out a piece of parchment and respectfully pushed it in front of Raven.

As he glanced over, his brows suddenly frowned.

The prices above are a bit too high, and the price of some items has increased by more than double.

The original market price of a level 1 primary enchanted plate armor was between 700-1200 gold coins, but here it was directly offered at a high price of 1867 gold coins.

The market price of a level 1 primary enchanted chain mail is slightly lower, about 450-800 gold coins, but now the price is as high as 1335 gold coins.

As for enchanted weapons, they are relatively cheaper, but the variety is not complete enough.

Looking at the price list, Raven said, "Mr. Gordon, I'll tell you, remember."

Old Gordon quickly picked up the pen: "It's ready, sir."

Raven said word by word:

Primary sharp enchanted half-hand sword, four pieces, each cost 473 gold coins;

Five elementary fire enchanted crossbows, each priced at 662 gold coins.

Primary solid enchanted steel round shield, two-sided, unit price 571 gold coins.

A second-level 'Dragon Acacia Wood' staff, one, price 2922 gold coins. "

Old Gordon recorded and calculated the amount, and finally looked up and said, "Sir, the total is 9266 gold coins."

After scanning the list again, Raven asked, "How long does it take Baron Roger to enchant ordinary equipment?"

Old Gordon thought for a moment and said, "If it's just a primary enchantment, it only takes 3-5 days..."

"Then send my crossbow along with the purchase list." Raven touched his belt and placed the crossbow on the table. "It has a double enchantment of power and penetration. The price is 747 gold coins. I will also add 5 enchanted crossbow arrows."

Lao Ge recorded the price and swallowed his saliva: "Sir, if this is the case, if we add this month's expenses, there will be less than 60 gold coins left by next month."

"That's enough." Raven said calmly, "Then the battle of Bloody Highland will have its outcome."

Speaking of Bloody Heights, everyone present felt a little heavy-hearted.

Eric hesitated for a moment and said, "... Baron, isn't it too biased to spend all the gold coins on weapons? Considering the rate of armor wearing among the Bloody Highland bandits, at least all the new recruits should wear chain mail so that they can fight."

"I knew you were going to ask that." Raven smiled and looked at Old Gordon and Denise in turn: "Anything else?"

They both shook their heads.

"Okay, then the meeting will end here." Raven stood up and walked out: "Eric, come with me."

Eric followed Raven all the way into the dungeon, somewhat confused.

After this period of renovation, the dungeon has been completely renovated. All the cages have been removed, and the straw on the ground has been cleared away, turning it into a spacious laboratory.

In the corner opposite the door, there was an alchemical device. On the left was a hardwood table with a wooden box on it containing dozens of magic cores of different colors. There were also three chairs next to it.

On the right hand side is a weapon rack, which contains all common weapons such as crossbows, hand-and-half swords, long swords, scimitars, shields, spears, etc.

At the end of the dungeon, there stood two wooden dummies, which were actually the human-shaped wooden stakes commonly seen in military training grounds, each of them wearing a set of leather armor in a crooked manner.

The leather armor on the left was yellowish-brown, smooth and shiny, and it was obvious that it was the kind purchased in bulk before; the leather armor on the right was gray-black, and looked dull and rough, and even the light of the torch could hardly be reflected.

"Baron, what do you want me to do for you?" Eric asked.

Raven did not answer immediately. Instead, he took a crossbow from the wall and handed it to Eric. He then pouted at the two dummies and said, "Try it."

Eric immediately understood that Raven wanted him to test the protective capabilities of the two different leather armors himself.

The dungeon is not very big, only about twenty meters from one end to the other, which is indeed the distance range where the crossbow can best exert its power.

As expected of a veteran, Eric's movements were extremely smooth and fluent. He took the crossbow, knelt on one knee, aimed at the dummy on the left, held the crossbow horizontally and pulled the trigger, performing a standard kneeling shooting.

Whoosh, drip.

The crossbow arrow pierced through the heavy air, pierced the tan leather, raised a large cloud of dust and nailed into the wooden stake. The tail fin was still shaking slightly.

"Try another one," Raven said, handing over a crossbow arrow.

Taking the crossbow, Eric aimed at the wooden stake on the right, skillfully loaded the string and shot.

"Huh?" Eric showed a hint of surprise on his face.

Because although the crossbow arrow also penetrated the leather armor and nailed to the wooden stake this time, the sound it made was very slight.

Raven's lips curled up into a smug smile: "Go ten meters forward and try again!"

Without waiting for Raven to urge him, Eric took the initiative to pick up the crossbow, loaded it, and shot it at a distance of ten meters. There were two more targets, one arrow each.

This time the difference is even more obvious.

The leather armor on the left was no protection against the crossbow at this distance. The crossbow arrow pierced into the wooden stake with a thud, and the tail barely trembled.

The wooden stake on the right only made a slight muffled sound under the protection of the gray leather armor. Then, the crossbow arrow fell off the wooden stake, and only the arrowhead was still hanging on the leather armor.

Eric's eyes lit up.

Just like a drunkard seeing fine wine, Eric immediately stepped forward, but stopped in front of the wooden stake on the right, turned around and asked: "Sir, can I verify it carefully?"

"Of course, otherwise why would you come here?" Raven said with a smile.

Eric rubbed his hands, reached out to grab the tail of the crossbow arrow and tried to pull it out, but he was stunned as soon as he put his hand on it.

He thought that he would have to use some force, but he didn't expect that the crossbow arrow would fall into his hand with just a slight touch. The crossbow arrow didn't go deep enough and the arrowhead was entangled by the leather.

Looking at the crossbow in his hand, Eric was somewhat unbelieving. He swallowed, walked to the wooden stake wrapped in brown leather armor next to him, and took out the crossbow as well.

But this time he had to use much more force, especially for the second crossbow arrow. He even twisted the arrow shaft before he could pull it out.

After removing the two sets of leather armor, the scars on the wooden stakes clearly reflect the difference in protection between the two.

There were two scars on the left side of the wooden stake, one deep and one shallow. The shallower one was half an inch thick, while the deeper one was as thick as an inch. If it fell on a person, the person would either die or be disabled.

There was only one scar on the right wooden stake, and it was very shallow, only half the size of a fingernail. If it were on the flesh, it would only be a skin injury.

"This is just a wooden stake." Eric sighed, "If it were a battlefield, this would be the difference between life and death."

He reached out and touched the gray leather armor, as if he was caressing the skin of his lover: "At a distance of 20 meters, it can completely resist crossbow shooting, and at a distance of 10 meters, people will only suffer superficial injuries. What a strong protective ability!"

"Sir, this is Warcraft leather armor, right? Have you already started shopping for it?"

Raven nodded, then shook his head. "It was prepared in advance, but it was not purchased. It was produced in our workshop."

"Produce it yourself? Then where do the raw materials come from?" Eric couldn't help but ask.

"That's a secret." Raven smiled mysteriously: "You just need to know that we have a stable supply channel."

Eric grinned and said sincerely, "Sir... you are really, so resourceful!"

Warcraft is scarce in the Nordic province, and most of them cannot be raised artificially, so Warcraft leather is a very scarce commodity, and even the mercenary guild does not have a stable stock.

"Hehe." Raven shook his head noncommittally and asked, "What do you think of giving the new recruits this kind of leather armor?"

Eric was stunned for a moment, his small eyes as big as soybeans burst into fiery passion: "That's great, sir! This kind of Warcraft leather armor is not much weaker than chain mail in terms of protection, but it weighs only one-tenth of the chain mail. It is much more flexible and convenient. You can wear it on a forced march without having to drag the armor on the carriage."

"If it were really equipped to new soldiers, their combat effectiveness would at least double!"

As he spoke, he hesitated: "It's just... in terms of production capacity, can you keep up?"

Facing Eric's question, Raven raised a confident smile and said, "At present, excluding this sample, we have 63 finished products. In seventeen days at the latest, all recruits will be equipped with this leather armor."

This immediately surprised Eric.

Warcraft leather armor, equipped for everyone!
This is beyond the equipment level of most of the empire's standing armies!
"Lord Raven." Eric said from the bottom of his heart: "Now I am more and more confident in our counterattack on Bloody Heights."

"I won't fight a battle without preparation." Raven patted his shoulder: "It's too early to be surprised now, this has just begun!"

Griffith's master and his ministers were all very happy, but the Wharton family, which was only a dozen kilometers away, was not so relaxed.

"Look what you've done!"

With a snap, a crystal glass brushed Judra's ear and shattered on the black stone wall.

The fragment cut Judra's left temple, and sticky, hot and wet blood flowed out, staining half of his cheek red.

Mark, who was sitting opposite Judra, shuddered, shrank his neck, and had a gloating expression on his face.

As soon as Judra raised her arm, Angel shouted again: "Don't wipe it!"

The former could only lower his arms stiffly.

Angor panted like an angry lion: "I asked you to go to the press conference to get information, but what did you find out? You just hang around that bitch Denise, right?!"

Judra was in a terrible mood.

Baron Angel, who had been practicing hard for more than ten days but failed to break through to the fourth level, vented all his anger on his eldest son without any reason.

Taking a deep breath, Judra clenched her fists and looked down at the ground.

He didn't like being scolded by Angel, especially when Mark was sitting opposite him, but things would not stop happening just because he didn't want them to.

He could only endure it.

According to past experience, as long as Anger cursed enough, the matter would be over. But today Anger was particularly irritable: "I'm asking you a question, are you deaf or dumb?!"

Enduring the stinging pain on her cheek, Judra whispered in defense, "It's not that I don't want to ask, it's just... it's just that after the last incident, the nobles are unwilling to communicate with me!"

"They don't want to communicate with you, so you have no way to deal with it?" Angel laughed strangely: "Mr. Jude's self-esteem is so precious that it surpasses the entire Wharton family?"

"No way?"

He pointed at Mark who was sitting next to him and said, "Your brother is also a member of the Wharton family. How could he stay in the meeting place for six days and come back only after getting enough information?"

Hearing this, Mark puffed out his chest proudly: “I just respect my father from the bottom of my heart.”

In fact, during these six days, he spent most of his time drinking and enjoying the show, but the nobles were not so tight-lipped, and a little bit of rumor was enough for him to report to Ingres.

"Learn from your brother!" Angel took a deep breath and continued to question Judra: "You can chat and laugh with that bitch from the Griffith family, but you don't have the courage to face the nobles who have no interest in our family. Do you believe this?"

Judra whispered, "Denise is different."

"You've learned to talk back?!" Angel raised his voice, "Do you feel wronged? The bad reputation you have today is all because of me. You think that not only do I not understand you, but I also make things difficult for you. I'm not worthy of being a father, right?"

Yes, absolutely!
Judra was roaring madly in her heart, but there was no expression on her face: "No, Baron."

"No? I think so!" Angel leaned over the table, leaning forward and staring at his eldest son. "So, you hooked up with the widow of the Griffith family and used her money to buy people's hearts in order to overthrow my rule and take my place, right!?"

The moment Judra heard these words, her face turned pale!
Could it be that my father discovered the secret agreement between Raven and me! ?

He has evidence! ?

His eyes widened and his eyes glanced at Angel and Mark.

The former's face was filled with anger, his fists clenched tightly, and his eyes seemed to penetrate his heart.

The latter had a dull expression, but an irrepressible smile was on his lips, and the look he gave himself was full of teasing and pride.

No, I can't admit it. I absolutely can't admit it!

If I give in now, I will definitely be deprived of my inheritance rights, and Mark, my "good brother", will definitely not let me go!
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva to moisten his throat which was dry due to nervousness and fear, and said while suppressing his pounding heart: "My Lord Baron, I swear to the Lord of Light that I have never had such a disrespectful thought to you!"

"You are a piece of trash!" Angel laughed in anger: "If you dare to admit it, you are still brave. Do you have to put all the evidence in front of you before you plead guilty?"

Judra's face tightened: "I didn't do it!"

"That's really weird." Mark stared at his fingertips and said in a gloomy tone, "Did I see it wrong when you raised your glass to toast Raven at the press conference?"

With her head lowered, Judra's pupils suddenly contracted and she felt the blood in her body run cold!
He never expected that Mark, who usually only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, would reveal such deadly fangs!
The knife almost stabbed him in the heart!
For a moment, regret surged in his heart, making him want to slap himself twice.

How could I do such a stupid thing!?

Angel asked coldly: "Speak up, why don't you say anything? Don't you even have the strength to be tough?"

Judra clenched her teeth, her mind racing.

In the end how to do?
The fact that he toasted to Raven was an irrefutable fact, and there was no room for rebuttal on that point.

At this point... I can only grit my teeth and hold on!
Thinking about Angel's temper, Judra took a deep breath and said an excuse that she didn't even believe: "My Lord Baron, I... really didn't collude with the Griffith family. The reason I toasted that little bee was because I wanted him to know that the men of the Wharton family are not something he can bully!"

This sentence actually made Angel show a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Oh, do you really think so?"

There was a gleam in Judra's eyes.

I still have room to continue to defend myself!
"It is absolutely true, my Lord Baron!"

Judea's mind raced, and she immediately brought up another fact: "That so-called 'press conference' was held for a full six days. If I really had any collusion with the Griffith family, I would never have returned on the first night!"

"Father, don't listen to him flattering himself!" Seeing that Angel's attitude was wavering, Mark immediately added fuel to the fire: "My brother didn't want to stay. He was circling around Denise at the time, almost wagging his tail!"

"But when Raven arrived, he was told to get lost. He didn't even dare to say a word. He ran back like a dog. He is simply bringing shame to our Wharton family!"

"That's not the case!" Judra said in a hissing voice, "My Lord Baron, I'm not timid, I'm just cautious! All the nobles were looking at me at the time, no matter what I said, I would be subjected to a flood of abuse!"

Mark sneered: "After all, isn't it just about your so-called 'reputation'?"

"My reputation doesn't matter!" The moment she said this, Judra felt her heart bleeding, as if her self-esteem was torn apart by her own hands.

Once the bottom line is broken, many things that were originally unspeakable are no longer a problem.

"I, Judra, am a member of the Wharton family after all! It doesn't matter if I am personally abused. What's important is that it will implicate the Wharton family and you, the Baron, to be humiliated as well!"

Mark didn't expect that Judra had suddenly learned the essence of pleasing his father, and he said without thinking: "Brother, do you want to tie your reputation to the reputation of our father again!?"

"Stop arguing!" Angel pounded his fist on the table and swept his two sons with a cold gaze.

Although he didn't like his eldest son, Angel knew that Judra was not a fool.

There was no way he could discuss any secret deal with Denise in public.

And if they were really colluding with the Griffith family, as the most suitable occasion for contact, Raven would have no reason to kick Judra out of the press conference.

And he also had to admit that in that situation, Judra's best approach was to do nothing and endure it.

Thinking of this, Angel gradually made a decision on how to deal with Judra.

When he first heard Mark's report, he really thought that Judra was a traitor and wanted to immediately abolish the eldest son's inheritance rights.

But now that this suspicion has been ruled out, there is no need to deal with it in this way.

After all, Mark is still too young, and Angel himself has to spend time and energy to reach the fourth level. Many affairs in the territory must be handed over to Judra to handle.

If Judra's inheritance rights were really abolished, the operation of Ironforge might be in big trouble.

"Judra, I'm very disappointed in you." Angel sighed and said, "As the eldest son, you should have set an example, but at this press conference, it was Mark who took on the responsibility that should have been on your shoulders!"

"Originally, I should have fined you one year's salary, but considering that you are still considering the family and have not escalated the situation, I will suspend your salary for half a year. Do you have any objection?"

Half a year’s salary!
Judra sneered in his heart. His brother Mark didn't have to do anything, but he had so much pocket money that it made people jealous; but he himself received the salary of a second-level extraordinary person, which was only 300 gold coins per year.

It is said that the way to control people is with a stick and a carrot.

In your case, if you use the stick less forcefully, you can use it as a carrot.

How generous!
But in the end, this crisis was overcome.

Judra pounded her left chest with her right hand: "Your punishment is extremely fair. I have no complaints, Lord Baron!"

Seeing his performance, Angel shook his head, stood up and walked out: "Humph, not manly at all."

Mark was stunned by this scene. He didn't understand why his father suddenly changed his mind about Judra, lifted her up high and then put her down gently.

Wasn’t it agreed that his inheritance rights would be abolished?
But Mark has always adhered to one principle: everything his father did was right.

Since he couldn't continue to suppress Judra, he had to strengthen his impression in Angel's mind.

He grabbed the gloves that were placed aside and chased after him: "Father, I have something else to report to you!"

When he reached the door, he turned around and winked at Judra provocatively.

Judra's eyebrows twitched, and she seemed to ignore it.

The room soon fell silent.

Thinking back to everything that happened on the day of the press conference, and thinking about everything that happened today, Judra's emotions changed rapidly, her anger slowly subsided, her reason regained the upper hand, and her breathing became steady.

When I entered the press conference, my mentality was not right. Without the pressure of Raven as my creditor, I was too relaxed and even did things like toasting.

"Raven...did he discover this hidden danger at that time?"

No wonder Raven ignored me at that time. If he had really shown kindness then, he would not be able to cover it up today!

A cold sweat of fear instantly soaked Judra's inner clothes.

His emotions changed from anger to confusion, from confusion to astonishment, and from astonishment to enlightenment.

"So, Raven deliberately angered me and asked me to leave, just to put on a show for Mark and clear my suspicion!?"

"He is only twenty years old, how could it be possible..."

Was it Denise's idea?
But when I entered the venue, she was not in the hall.

For a moment, Judra felt a little admiration for Raven.

But more of it is hatred.

Raven, Raven, since you have already seen through it, you could have sent someone to tell me or hint to me, but you chose to insult me!

What do you think of me? A servant you can order around, or a chess piece?
Thinking of this, Judra's fist slammed down on the table:
"Raven, you are the one who was born a pariah!"

Raven, who was being scolded by Judra, sneezed suddenly in the dungeon: "A-choo!"

The bodies of two half-demonized domestic pigs were carried out, and a fat body that was no less impressive was pushed in by Volav.

Looking at the two pig corpses with hideous features, Weston swallowed his saliva. With the sound of the dungeon door being closed with a bang, his knees softened and he knelt on the ground: "... Baron, spare my life!"

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead and his heavy breathing echoed in the dungeon.

Ever since he came back from Mon'en City, he has been feeling a little uneasy.

After a few months of settling down, Weisdon clearly realized how stupid what he had done was. If they were in a different position, even if he was Raven, he would never let him go.

But Raven's attitude towards him was really strange.

He didn't say a single harsh word or insult, and he even asked him to stay!
He intuitively felt that Raven was up to no good, so he was extremely cautious, fearing that Raven would find something to hold against him and an excuse to punish him.

From then on, he had been behaving himself to the fullest. Not only did he not go to the military camp to cause trouble like before, he even didn't dare to tease the maids. He even gave up the habit of stealing food in the kitchen.

Seeing that Raven was not focusing his attention on himself, his mind gradually relaxed, and he unexpectedly discovered that as long as he did not go against Raven, he, as a young master, could live a pretty good life.

You can drink Angel's Tears as much as you want, eat all kinds of delicious food as you want, and you won't be forced to learn this or that.

Until the press conference, he had a lot of fun, and he was particularly fond of Raven's protection of Denise.

Now that a month has passed, Visdon even thought that Raven was really going to let him go.

Unexpectedly, that guy Volav suddenly appeared at the door of his bedroom and took him to the dungeon without saying anything!
Did I do something wrong recently?
His eyes rolled around, and he suddenly remembered the recent rumors, and his breathing stopped for a moment:

"My Lord Baron...I was wrong! I will never bother Nancy again!"

"Ah?" Raven stopped packing his things and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Weisdong thought Raven was playing dumb: "I was wrong, I was really wrong! Only you are worthy of a lady from a count's family like Nancy!"

"I will never gossip about you behind your back again!"

"If you let me go, I promise to stay in my bedroom from today on and never go out again!"

"Oh, don't get excited." Raven scratched his ears which were a little itchy from the noise and patted the chair: "Sit down."

"Ah?" Weisdong was stunned.

"Sit down!" Raven raised his voice.

"Yes! I'll sit!" Weisdon rolled and crawled to his feet and squeezed his body into the chair.

Raven smiled slightly and looked at Weisdon sitting on the chair, looking him up and down.

In the latter's eyes, this smile seemed extremely evil.

……

(End of this chapter)