Imperial Crown.

Chapter 537 Mansfield City

The moonlight is bright, and the stars are sparkling.

Countless vine-like branches swayed and danced in the air, as if performing a ritual, emitting a faint glow. The surrounding area was filled with thick trees with forked branches, their leaves and fruits radiating a mesmerizing light. Seemingly harmless, they were in fact extremely poisonous. Countless small magical beasts, only appearing at night, rustled and scurried among them. Although it was unknown whether ghost owls, brown forest owls, barn owls, or spotted owls existed on the continent of Middels… their eerie and terrifying cries were certainly not lacking.

Crackling sounds filled the air as a fire pit was dug in the ground, the gentle crackling of the fire making one feel drowsy. On top sat a small grill made of branches, where a plump, juicy rabbit was being skinned and gutted, roasting vigorously. Its skin was golden brown, tiny bubbles of oil rising from it, and a fragrant aroma wafted through the air.

Raven rested his head on his hands, crossed his legs, and had a blade of grass in his mouth. He gazed at the clear June night sky, relaxed and carefree, lost in thought.

"You've been following me for over a month, from the Eastern Region to the Northern Region." After a long while, Raven's voice sounded somewhat impatiently. "I've said it before, our goals are different, and I don't want to team up with anyone." "My patience has been exhausted. I hope you'll take care of yourself."

However, the surroundings were empty, and there was no one in sight.

Another hour passed. Raven got up, picked up the roasted rabbit, sprinkled it with a little salt, and began to eat it slowly. He ate very slowly, occasionally hissing from the heat, but he ate with relish. Just then, a figure finally emerged from the moonlight, swaying with the grace of a cat. The pure, bright moonlight cast a long, slender shadow, revealing the figure's exquisite curves. The figure was still dressed in black leather, wearing a glowing, enchanted mask—who else could it be but Black Scorpion?
Inside the other person's storage ring was an identical set of clothes—no! Raven even suspected there were many more sets inside. Back at the tavern, they probably took clothes from a dead person to wear, fearing Raven would rob them. Raven found it both amusing and speechless. Was he the kind of person who would be so greedy?
"Lord Raven, I meant no harm." Looking at Raven, who had devoured the entire rabbit and even licked his fingers without any decorum, leaving not a single bite of rabbit meat for himself, Black Scorpion swallowed hard and said nervously.

Raven flashed a bright smile, revealing his red lips and white teeth. "Isn't that precisely why you've survived until now?"

Black Scorpion strolled to a spot not far from Raven, sat down gracefully, and placed her hands on her knees, exuding a broken beauty. She looked at Raven and smiled, "I didn't expect the famous Earl Raven to be so young."

Raven paused, then braced himself behind his back and vigorously shook his black hair. "You...have heard my story?"

"That's not the case."

Black Scorpion shook his head. "You're just different from what I imagined! You're much less greasy than the aristocrats I had in mind."

Raven was slightly disappointed; he had thought he'd met one of his little fangirls. Turns out, it was nothing. "Why have you been following me?" Raven asked.

“Lord Raven,” Black Scorpion looked at Raven, “Let’s not beat around the bush. I want you to come with me to the ruins. I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal too much information about the ruins to you at the moment.”

“I’m not interested.” Raven lay back down, gazing at the starry sky, crossed his legs, and swung his right leg back and forth. “If I were really interested, I would have contacted you long ago, wouldn’t I?”

“No.” Black Scorpion stared intently at Raven. “You will definitely be interested. Because in the ruins I’m going to this time, there is a potion recipe called—Wing Potion. And it’s at least a fourth-tier Wing Potion, enough to sustain you for more than an hour.”

"Ok?"

Raven sat up straight again. The so-called Wing Potion, also known as the Flight Potion, as the name suggests, grants flight capabilities to extraordinary beings below the sixth rank. If it truly were such a potion, its large-scale deployment in the military would be a devastating blow to the enemy. "Are you sure?" Raven asked, still somewhat doubtful.

“I’m sure.” Black Scorpion nodded again, his tone even more certain than before.

"What if you lie to me?" Raven asked worriedly. "I mean, what if you can't find me and then make up another excuse?"

"Pfft," Black Scorpion seemed unable to suppress a laugh. "Lord Raven, you saved my life, so why would I lie to you? Even if I did lie to you, given your personality, would you let me leave alive?"

Raven nodded in deep agreement, "That makes sense!"

"Please introduce yourself and the ruins first." Raven was clearly interested. "I'll think about it."

"Lord Raven, I come from the Fluquinsi family of the capital of the Insa Empire." "To be honest, our families have a rather special connection." Black Scorpion's tone was filled with self-deprecation. "As for what I'm looking for, you can call it a relic, or you can call it a notebook. It's a notebook belonging to Emperor Watzgib of the vampire family." "I guarantee with my life that it contains the formula for the Winged Elixir." "As for how I know it, please don't ask, Earl Raven. Even if you did, I wouldn't tell. You saved my life, and I don't want to deceive you."

“Wait a minute,” Raven interrupted.

"Hmm?" Black Scorpion was puzzled. He didn't understand the meaning of Raven's words.

“If I’m not mistaken, I should be a marquis,” Raven tapped his hat brim. “You should address me as—Marquis Raven Vanya Griffith.” Raven corrected the other’s address very seriously, then smiled and said, “The Fluquinsie family, I know. You were once the royal family of the Insa Empire, but a coup occurred, and your family was stripped of its royal status.” This must be the “connection” between the two families that the other mentioned. The Griffith family had once been prominent, but now, like them, had fallen into decline.

"Well then, congratulations, Marquis Raven," Black Scorpion said, his tone enigmatic and complex. Both were once fallen families, yet now Raven was a marquis, while his own family's rise seemed a distant dream. Black Scorpion naturally felt a pang of melancholy. However, if he could successfully obtain the notebook this time, his family would undoubtedly rise again, and might even have a chance to restore their royal status!
"Where is the notebook?" Raven asked. If it was too far, Raven decided to give up this opportunity. After all, the continent of Middlesex had evolved for several eras, and many ancient potions were useless even if the formula was obtained, because there were no more magical plants. No matter how overpowered his ancestral ability was, he still needed to find magical plants of the same origin, otherwise he would be helpless.

Perhaps she had talked too much, because Black Scorpion stuck out her pink tongue and licked her lips. "Don't worry, I will definitely not let you go to the Forbidden Zone. It's in the Western Regions, some distance from the border of the Forbidden Zone."

Raven frowned and pondered for a while. They were currently in the Northern Region, with the Central Region directly above them, the most prosperous area of ​​the Elven Empire. Behind them lay the Eastern Region, the region they had come from. Further ahead lay the legendary Forbidden Region. To reach the Western Region, they would have to cross the border between the Northern and Central Regions. While the Elven Empire's division into five regions was convenient, each region was terrifyingly vast! Raven had been traveling day and night for over a month, partly to shake off the Black Scorpion and partly to reach the Forbidden Region as quickly as possible. Even so, he hadn't even traversed a third of the Northern Region. If he truly possessed the Wing Potion, an hour's flight would be equivalent to several days and nights of travel. Why didn't the elves find it troublesome? Because elves were born with the ability to fly.

“We can make a deal, but…” Raven looked at the shimmering mask on Black Scorpion’s face, “The notebook is mine, and you can make a copy to take with you.” “This…” Black Scorpion hesitated. Even through the mask, Raven could sense the unpleasantness on her face.

"Otherwise, you shouldn't follow me anymore," Raven said calmly. "If you're still following me after tonight, I'll definitely take your life. And I'll rape you first and then kill you." For the past month or so, how many mindless magical beasts had Raven cleared away along the way to speed things up? This black scorpion was following him around, just picking up the scraps! It was practically freeloading.

“To show my sincerity and respect for you,” Black Scorpion finally lowered his proud head. “Marquis Raven, I am willing to agree to your conditions. It’s better than getting the notebook and then turning my back on you.” “It seems the rumors about Eivor are untrue; you are an open and straightforward nobleman.”

“That’s right.” Raven raised an eyebrow and whistled. “You came from Eivor?” Although the Keynes Empire borders the Elven Empire, the Miracle Mountains, and the Orc Empire, requiring a significant expenditure of manpower and resources to guard against the magical beasts of the Elven Empire, the Death Hand of the Miracle Mountains, and the orcs of the Orc Empire, it has also inadvertently gained a wealth of rare resources. For the people of the Insa Empire to travel such a long distance to the Elven Empire, they would inevitably have to pass through the city-states of Feton and the Keynes Empire. The Insa Empire may seem large, but in reality, there isn't much land suitable for human habitation.

“Yes.” Black Scorpion nodded. “Since Earl Raven has agreed to the deal, I’m wondering if we can go to Mansfield City and take the teleportation array directly to the Western Regions?”

"Huh?" Raven looked somewhat surprised. "There are teleportation arrays between the regions of the Elf Empire? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Black Scorpion curled his lip. "I didn't know your purpose before, and you wouldn't let me get close to talk to you." "There is a price to pay, but taking a teleportation array once costs a lot. For the two of us, it will cost at least 7 gold coins."

Raven: ...

"That explains why you weren't sitting down and kept following me." Raven finally understood the reason.

Raven then smiled mysteriously, "Money isn't a problem, but this is at most a loan. You'll have to write an IOU." Raven hadn't brought many gold coins with him to the Elven Empire, only a little over 4. Before he arrived, Bloodstone Territory was so poor it couldn't even pay its soldiers' salaries. However, after killing the three Shadow Brotherhood undead transcendents at the Continental Inn, although the rings contained few usable items, Raven still made a fortune, acquiring over 28 gold coins. It seemed selling elves was really profitable, making Raven somewhat tempted.

In the continent of Middels, once you step outside, you can do almost nothing without money; even getting a drink of clean water is difficult. Everything costs money.

Black Scorpion: ...

Upon hearing that an IOU was required, Black Scorpion couldn't help but roll her eyes in annoyance. This was the first time in her life she had encountered such a stingy nobleman. And a marquis at that!
Silent all night.

The following day, Raven, led by Black Scorpion, headed towards Mansfield City.

Both of them were fourth-order transcendent beings, so their travel speed was naturally not slow. Two to three days later, they arrived at Mansfield City in the Northern Region.

"We haven't gathered enough people yet, so please rest in the city."

"It is a fairy whose feet are off the ground and flying in mid-air," said a sweet voice.

Unlike the bustling human cities, and unlike the rough-and-ready orc cities built of massive stones, elven cities mostly emphasize harmony with nature. Beneath their feet lies lush green grass, surrounded by towering ancient trees and glowing magical plants.

Taverns, shops, and lodgings are either in the trees or in tree hollows. Man-made buildings are extremely rare. Oh, the teleportation hall in front of us is one.

The two left the teleportation array's main hall, and Black Scorpion couldn't help but complain, "Marquis Raven, your interest rate is way too high!" The teleportation array cost a total of 7.6 gold coins, which works out to 3.8 gold coins per person. She then borrowed another 2000 gold coins from Raven, but unexpectedly, he made her sign an IOU for 4.5 gold coins! The interest alone amounted to 5000 gold coins!
“It didn’t say when it would be repaid.” Raven didn’t seem to care. “McGinja, this is already a very good loan.” McGinja was Black Scorpion’s real name—McGinja Fluquincy.

Black Scorpion had no choice but to accept it.

The two then parted ways. If the teleportation array gathers ten people, the communication leaf given to him by the elf will notify him and Black Scorpion.

Raven wandered around aimlessly, and soon spotted tiny, palm-sized, humanoid yellow figures busily working in the trees. This was probably the Philri Lux had mentioned. Raven stared at them like they were ants for a while, chuckled, and then headed towards a potions shop.

With the shopkeeper's enthusiastic introduction, Raven bought nearly 30 magical plants in one go. These were rare magical plants that could not be bought outside. He spent a total of 3 to 4 gold coins.

“Generous guest, I imagine you would need a pet pouch and a magical elf to help you care for your magical plants.” “Please follow me.” An old elven woman smiled and looked at Raven mysteriously.

"Magical elves?" Raven became interested.

They followed the old elf woman up to the second floor.

……

(End of this chapter)