Imperial Crown.

Chapter 544 Ghost Castle
Ouch——

As Hume and his companions ran and chatted towards the mountain territory, a sudden dragon's roar exploded overhead! Immediately afterward, the sky darkened slightly. Hume, Tang San, and the others immediately looked up. High above, a gigantic dragon-like creature flew rapidly from afar, obscuring the full moon. This was why the sky had dimmed slightly, but thanks to the magical streetlights, the effect wasn't particularly strong.

"Zorzahn??!!" Too far away to see clearly, Perkin only vaguely made out the outline of a giant dragon leaping past the disc-shaped moon, heading towards Eagle City. He had only ever seen Zorzahn in his entire life; he had never seen any other dragons, and blurted out the name.

“The voice doesn’t sound like it,” Hume said hesitantly.

Zolzaen's voice was passionate and excited, while the dragon's roar just now clearly carried a sense of gloom and old age.

"Tang San, do you know the name of that giant dragon from earlier?" Hume asked as he approached.

Tang San had a guess in his mind, but he wasn't sure, so he shook his head and said, "I'm not too sure either."

"He's just a kid, what does he know?" Kohler laughed. "It's probably Zolsahn. Could it be that Marquis Raven has returned?"

"Sigh." Hume and the others exchanged glances and couldn't help but sigh softly. If it really was Marquis Raven, then it probably wasn't good news. Marquis Raven was probably at the end of his rope, which was why he had Zolzahn take him back to Eagle City so quickly.

“Kid, let me ask you, what is this… you know… Hawkeye Guard you were talking about earlier? Why can’t you arrest people just because you’re not a Hawkeye Guard? And this guy also said he wanted you to hand him over to Hawkeye Guard?” Old asked curiously.

“The Hawkeye Guard is the sheriff of Eagle City. He is under the jurisdiction of the Crimson Tribunal of Eagle City.” Tang San answered seriously, and as he spoke, a look of longing unconsciously appeared on his face. “My dream is to become a Hawkeye Guard and protect the peace of the territory.” But soon, the expression on his face disappeared, and a heavy look appeared. “Unfortunately, my father has always forbade it.”

"Hmm?" Old was even more puzzled. "This is a good thing, why doesn't your father allow it?" As he spoke, he looked at the ugly patches on Tang San's clothes. It was obvious that they were either made by Tang San or by a man, and could not possibly be the work of a woman. Suddenly, his eyes rolled, and he guessed, "Could it be that the Hawkeye Guards don't get paid? I don't think Marquis Raven would be that stingy, would he?"

"How could that be?!" Tang San's tone rose several octaves as he immediately retorted, "The Eagle Eye Guards earn a decent monthly salary, and they get paid on the 15th of every month, plus lots of benefits. So many people would kill to get in!" Then, Tang San scratched his head in frustration. "My father often tells me that I might be a piece of gold, but Lord Raven's Eagle City is magnificent." "Perhaps my father is worried about me."

"What a load of rubbish." Hume scoffed. "I never listen to my father. Don't worry, I might have to see Mrs. Denise later. I'll make your dream come true."

"Really??" Tang San was excited, his dark eyes brightening.

"When have I ever made a false alarm? Don't worry," Hume said with a smile.

The warhorses were incredibly fast, and the group chatted for so long that they didn't realize how quickly time had passed. Before long, they arrived at the mountain territory.

Holmes asked a few more questions and confidently replied, "The man is hidden in Ghost Castle."

"Ghost Castle?" Hume was dumbfounded.

"It used to be Baron Hudson's castle, but his family was killed by necromancers from the Death Hand Order. I heard it was haunted, so it was abandoned afterward." Tang San explained before heading anxiously toward the haunted castle.

The group rode swiftly, quickly approaching the Ghost Castle, a place overgrown with weeds and filled with the sounds of ghostly wails. In the darkness, under the moonlight, the mountain castle was enveloped by twisted, dense climbing vines, resembling a silkworm cocoon from afar. The castle entrance and the enormous windows on the stairs were all obscured by thick vines, making it seem as if shadowy figures were floating and silently observing from within. It was also like a monstrous abyss lying on the ground, seemingly waiting for its chance to devour its prey.

Hume pulled Tang San back and looked at Perkin. Perkin and the others gestured, and immediately formed a formation and charged in. This was a tactic they had learned from the Eagle Army, called the three-three system.

Soon, sounds of fighting and killing came from inside. After a while, the fighting gradually stopped, leaving only mournful howls.

Hume then led Tang San inside, while Peng E was like a walking corpse, his face ashen and silent.

“Young Master, there are seven people in total, led by a first-tier transcendent.” Perkin’s voice was somewhat excited. “We really found two girls. Fortunately, their eyes haven’t been gouged out yet. It’s just that…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone clearly understood what he meant.

"Damn it, you beast!" Hume glared back angrily at Penelope, then grabbed the crossbow bolt from the man's arm tightly. "I almost fell for your trick!"

Ahh ...

"Let go!" "Let go, please!" Peng'er immediately knelt on the ground in agony, wailing and begging for mercy.

Hume approached the leader, a man with a long, narrow face, extremely ugly, his limbs severed, writhing on the ground like maggots. How could someone who had only recently broken through to the Transcendent realm be a match for Perkin and his companions, second-tier Transcendents who had fought orcs for months? Moreover, the man hadn't even learned any combat techniques. "Peng'er! You son of a bitch! You betrayed us?!" The leader, who had been groaning and writhing, roared in utter despair upon seeing Peng'er.

“It wasn’t my boss! I didn’t say anything!” Penelope stared at Holmes in horror. “It was him! He figured everything out the moment he saw me! He’s definitely the witch, boss!”

“Idiot!” “I’m a man,” Holmes immediately corrected.

"The Razor Claw Gang! You're members of the Razor Claw Gang!" Tang San said solemnly. The leader was dressed in a standard black uniform with a razor tattooed on his shirt!
"The Razor Gang?" Holmes's expression changed as well. This underground gang, which had recently been wreaking havoc throughout Snowmaple County, was incredibly powerful. He'd heard they'd even robbed nobles of their supplies several times. He hadn't expected them to finally extend their reach to Marquis Raven's territory.

"Forget about parties, let's go find Mrs. Denise now," Hume said. "Stop her!" Suddenly, Kohler's expression changed drastically, and he shouted.

Everyone turned their heads and saw a fair-skinned girl suddenly get up from the ground, her disheveled clothes slipping off her body, and without saying a word, she resolutely jumped out of the window.

Immediately following, a loud thud echoed as something heavy slammed into the ground, reverberating throughout the Ghost Castle for a long time.

"I'm sorry, young master, I was distracted," Kohler said with some self-reproach. He then tightly gripped the other girl beside him.

Although the two girls had not been captured for long, they had clearly suffered inhuman torture. Now that they had just been rescued, they felt no joy whatsoever, but instead were contemplating suicide.

"Don't get agitated. If you don't want to stay here, I'll leave soon, and you can come with me as my handmaid. How about that?" Hume naturally understood that these girls had lost their virginity, and going back would likely mean a lifetime of shame, even bringing disdain and criticism to their families. The thought of such consequences was terrifying, and not everyone could withstand it.

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light appeared in the girl's dull eyes, and she nodded silently.

The group tied up the Razor Gang members, attached them to the back of the horses, and headed back towards Xuefeng Territory.

Despite the warhorses' incredible speed, by the time the group arrived at Eagle City, it was already broad daylight. Hume went forward to negotiate for a while and then waited where he was. Perkin and the others were naturally once again amazed by the grandeur of Eagle Fortress. The outer six-pointed star-shaped fortress alone was awe-inspiring. Every so often, soldiers in gleaming armor stood motionless like statues on guard duty. Small squads of soldiers could be seen patrolling back and forth from time to time. Each junction of the six-pointed star was heightened to form a watchtower. It was obvious that archers were hidden inside. The defense was impeccable, truly formidable! Seeing the towering Eagle Fortress enveloped by the six-pointed star, they couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence. Tang San and Holmes, though not seeing it for the first time, were even more nervous than the others. Having lived in Snow Maple Territory for so many years, they had never dared to come here before.

A short while later, an extremely beautiful woman rode a hippogriff out from the outer castle. "Lord Hume, you have been waiting for a long time. Lady Denise invites you in."

“Beautiful lady, please allow me to know your name,” said Mr. Hume.

“My name is Petty.” Petty covered her mouth to hide her laughter. “I’m an alchemist from Eagle City.”

“So it’s Miss Patty.” Hume nodded.

The group followed Petty into the castle, taking the magical elevator to the sixth floor, where Hume finally met Denise. "Viscount Denise, please forgive my intrusion," Hume said, stepping forward and bowing politely. Although he was the son of a marquis, he didn't actually hold a title, so he could only offer a lower form of greeting to Denise. Even with a title, it was useless; before Raven, a marquis was merely an equal. Fortunately, nobles tacitly understood this and didn't place much importance on formalities. The gesture was enough. "This is Raven's aunt? She's so beautiful!" Hume's heart stopped after just one glance. He felt that every woman surrounding Lord Raven was several levels above his goddess, Savannah. No wonder Lord Raven couldn't resist; who could resist? She was also holding a child in her arms, presumably Lord Raven's daughter, Merovingian.

"You flatter me, Lord Hume. It would be a great loss for Eagle City not to greet you upon your arrival from so far away," Denise said with a smile, her tone warm. Then, her phoenix eyes swept over the people beside Hume. "And who are these gentlemen?"

Hume's mind raced, and he remained silent for a long time. Perkin and the others, growing impatient, coughed incessantly. Their young master's "womanizing" had struck again. He was completely mesmerized by any beautiful woman he saw.

"Oh, oh," Hume seemed to snap out of his daze and hurriedly began to recount the whole story. After he finished, he said, "Lady Denise, these two young men played a crucial role in capturing these Razorfen Downs bastards. They are very eager to join the Hawkeye Guard. I wonder if they could do me the favor?"

"Since they've done their job, they should be rewarded." Denise's expression was clearly somewhat angry after hearing this, but her voice remained calm. "Jenny, Tang San and Holmes will each receive 100 gold coins. They will also be given a set of Eagle Eye Guard uniforms and promoted to Eagle Eye Guards." "As for these people, Tang San, you and Holmes will interrogate them and compile the interrogation records into a dossier, which will be submitted later. Then find all the girls who were previously victimized and send them to the orphanage. All their expenses will be covered by Eagle Fortress. After the interrogation, send these people to the hunting grounds as fodder."

"Thank you, Madam." Tang San and Holmes exchanged a glance, and Tang San thanked them repeatedly, overjoyed.

Listening to Denise's orderly and rapid series of orders, Hume secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. To be honest, he felt a real pressure; the absolute authority cultivated by years of immersion in power was even more terrifying than when facing his father. He had truly been deceived by Denise's beauty; now, his own goddess, Savannah, seemed much gentler. At least after marrying her, he wouldn't have to worry about suddenly dying one day.

Just as Hume was about to take his leave, a crow's caw suddenly drew everyone's attention.

A black raven the size of an eagle flew in from outside. The instant it entered, black energy surged from its body, flashing with light, and it quickly transformed into a woman dressed in a noble robe. Hume was numb. Since arriving in Eagle City, first it was Patty, then Denise, and now this extremely beautiful woman—no! A witch! The only relatively ordinary person present was the maid named Jenny.

"Margaret greets Lady Denise." Margaret, disguised as Fryndall, entered the room and immediately knelt before Denise, speaking respectfully.

“If you hadn’t come back soon, I’d have started to suspect you’d run off with the bone dragon,” Denise said meaningfully. “Is that bone dragon the same one from back then?”

Margaret's brow furrowed. In truth, she truly didn't want to return. In Ganville Province, after using the Corrupted Soul Essence given to her by Raven to subdue the Bone Dragon, she had become a guest of honor of Marquis Duncan, practically having his every wish fulfilled. She was living a very comfortable life! But recently, while she was frolicking and enjoying herself in the bath with her eighteen male models, a giant crimson eye suddenly appeared from the void, ordering her to return immediately. Only then did she ride her Bone Dragon back to Eagle City in a flurry of activity. Moreover, recently, she suddenly felt the Blood Curse within her body strengthen again, which alarmed Margaret. She strongly suspected that Raven had already found Ganville Province. Therefore, upon returning and hiding the Bone Dragon, she flew back to Eagle City without stopping, and without a word, humbly knelt on the ground to show her submission. “Lady Denise is too kind. My loyalty to Lord Raven is as clear as day and night!” She then chuckled sweetly, quickly changing the subject, “Madam, I brought back over 320 million gold coins this time, practically emptying the entire fortune of the victimized nobles in Ganville Province.” With that, Margaret crawled forward, removed her ring, and presented it to him. “It was indeed Gregory. He seemed to have sensed some kind of calling back then, which is why he left without saying goodbye and flew across the entire empire to Ganville Province. But after he arrived, an earthquake struck Ganville, cutting off his trail, and he became enraged, which is why he wreaked havoc there.”

Upon hearing this, Denise finally smiled. "The territory's finances have indeed been strained recently due to the opening of Dragon Gold Shops in various places. Fortunately, you returned in time. Alright, if there's nothing else, everyone can go now." At this moment, Mellove, who was in her arms, started crying again, and Denise took this opportunity to dismiss them.

"Yes!"

Everyone agreed in unison and filed away.

……

(End of this chapter)