Imperial Crown.

Chapter 553 Come Home With Me
January 1, 1209 (Bright Calendar)

Miders Continent, Orc Empire, Nightthroat Province, Bloodstone Territory, Bloodstone Fortress.

Lux, dressed in a pristine white priestess robe, knelt on the ground, her slender, fair hands clasped in front of her. Her long, flowing hair cascaded over her shoulders. A shimmering green gem floated before her. She murmured devoutly, "Lord of Light, please bless Raven's safe return. I am willing to offer my life in exchange for your divine intervention. I am willing to give my life to break Raven's blood curse and prolong his life." At this point, Lux trembled slightly, opened her eyes, and a single, crystalline tear slid from her sapphire-blue pupils. "Those who believe are never alone, the holy flame shines eternally! Please, this time, grant my request, allow me to travel to the Elven Empire to find him."

click
Before he could finish speaking, the green gem in front of him shattered instantly and then fell to the ground with a thud.

"Why?!" Lux asked, sobbing uncontrollably. She had begged the Lord of Light countless times, but each time the answer was a denial. In terms of loyalty to the Lord of Light, Lux was undoubtedly among the most devoted on the entire continent of Midlers. But at this moment, for the first time, she felt a deep unease within herself.

During this time, she tried writing letters to her teacher Crouch and her parents for help, but each time they disappeared without a trace. She didn't know if the letters were never delivered, or if her teacher and parents had chosen to cut off contact with her because of her past "betrayal" of the Church of Light. If it was the latter, she didn't hate her parents, nor did she blame her teacher. Her parents had their own businesses to manage, and her teacher had his own beliefs. Choosing to help her would undoubtedly offend the Church of Light completely.

Raven has been gone for 975 days! Nearly three years. In these three years, Lux has hardly had a good night's sleep. No, she did sleep once. That was after Ernada returned, gave her the Dawn Sprout, and told her about Raven's deeds. That night, she was freed from the toxins in her body and slept soundly. But as the days passed, the worries in her heart could not be dispelled, and she spent more and more time lost in thought, sometimes even forgetting what she was supposed to be doing. Standing there blankly for a long, long time, when she came back to her senses, she found that everything around her, even the whole world, was so unfamiliar. So unfamiliar that she couldn't even remember why she was there.

Lux slowly rose, carefully picked up the gems from the floor, then swept the carpet clean. She went to the window, opened it, and let the cold wind and snow lash against her. Only in this way could she remain fully clear-headed and maintain her ability to think.

Lux's earlobes turned bright red from the cold, and her nostrils flared; though there was no snot, she felt as if something was flowing. She gently picked up a small wooden box from the windowsill, opened it, and slowly wound it up. The clicking of the gears engaging was crisp and jarring. Soon, the box emitted a slightly somber melody. Raven had told her in his letter that it was a story about *Interstellar*. In it, the father went to the far reaches of space, but no matter what happened, how many difficulties he encountered, or what price he paid… he would ultimately choose to return to his daughter. Raven also wrote in the letter that he couldn't remember the name of the piece, only the monotonous yet strange melody.

Before the song even finished, Lux was already in tears. This melody was indeed strangely awful. It sounded like a painful farewell, yet also like a long-awaited reunion. Having worshipped the Lord of Light since childhood, she had never fantasized about love. It wasn't until Raven barged in that she understood what love was. This damned love was like a sharp dagger, each cut slicing through her bones, each cut ripping out her heart! It was excruciating, like falling into an abyss.

“Raven.” “Whether you’re dead or alive, you have to give me an explanation.” “Even if you’re dead, I’ll bring your body back.” “I will never… let your bones rot in a foreign land, exposed to the wilderness.”

Lux gripped the windowsill tightly, her sapphire-blue eyes, as cold as an icy pool, hardening with determination. She was unwilling to wait passively any longer. The aimless, endless waiting had exhausted the last vestiges of patience and utmost gentleness within her. Years ago, to save Raven, she dared to defy the entire Church of Light. What harm was there in rebelling against the Lord of Light's will once more?!
That jerk! He's always been glued to her, practically one with her, but when it came time to part, he didn't even dare to see her one last time. "Coward!" Lux muttered angrily. She then wiped away her tears, placed the small wooden box into her ring, and turned to head towards the Elven Empire.

"what--"

However, as soon as she turned around, a scream escaped Lux's lips.

"You" Lux was both surprised and frightened as she looked at the unshaven, tattered-clothed man in front of her, who looked like a wild man. She wanted to ask him if he was a human or a ghost.
"haven't seen you for a long time."

The deep, magnetic voice rang out again, and this familiar voice, upon hearing it now, struck Lux's heart like a thunderbolt. It made her heart pound, her emotions surge uncontrollably, and her body tremble like lightning.

"Long time no see." Lux's eyes were misty. "You bastard."

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha"

Raven laughed and pulled the beauty in front of him into his arms, then, with his stubble-covered beard, kissed Lux.

"Stinky!" "Go wash up!" Lux struggled.

"You'd better put up with it, or I'll really become a coward!" Raven threw Lux onto the bed without saying another word. "Have you heard the old saying—absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

... (30,000 words omitted here. As you know, I am very skilled, but unfortunately, I have no opportunity to use my abilities.)
Five minutes later, Raven, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, asked with an air of domineering power, "Isn't it fierce?"

Lux: ...

With Lux's help, Raven took a hot bath, shaved his beard, cut his hair short, and put on the angelic feathers he had designed before leaving, instantly transforming into a different person.

Believe it or not, in the magically advanced continent of Middlesbrough, there isn't even a normal pair of men's socks.

Raven was already tall and thin, a perfect clothes hanger. Slip on his leather shoes, put on his suit pants, a jacket, a tie, a black trench coat, and stylish sunglasses—he looked even more handsome than a model. He bore a resemblance to Hu Ge from the TV series "Blossoms in the City," but with more presence and charisma.

"Haven't you had enough of showing off yet?!" Lux chuckled, watching Raven wriggle back and forth in front of the Angel's Radiance, like a flea trying to burrow into his clothes. Then, she couldn't help but ask again, "Is the blood curse in your body really broken?"

"Would I lie to you?" Raven picked up the Angel's Tear, took a sip, and said, feeling refreshed.

“Then… Sicreth…” Lux had always known that Raven wasn’t as cold-hearted as he seemed; he just kept many things buried deep inside and didn’t want to say them aloud.

"A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years," Raven said calmly, his tone icy. "I have more important things to do now, and my strength is far from sufficient. Naturally, I won't be foolish enough to go back and die, and let down Sicotreth."

Lux secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "So, what do we do now?"

“It’s time to go back to Eagle City.” Raven glanced at Lux. “Didn’t I tell you to change into that Angel Feather set?”

"I won't wear it." "That's so embarrassing." Lux immediately shook her head vigorously.

"Tsk," Raven said with dissatisfaction, "Although I've been gone for years, Angel's Feather was designed, but the sales results are terrible! It's all because these people don't know how to promote it. You are my best spokesperson and model, so put it on."

To be honest, before transmigrating, if anyone had told Raven that foreign women were conservative, he would have punched them to death. But since arriving on the Middles Continent, he's been quite depressed. The women around him are all more conservative than the last. Whether it's his aunt Denise or Lux, they're both as conservative as those terracotta warrior fossils from thousands of years ago. Especially Lux, no matter how beautiful she is, it's useless. Every time he's intimate with her, he's not allowed to turn on the lights, and no matter how much he struggles, she won't make a sound. Afterwards, he has to shower, get dressed, and kneel before the Lord of Light to sincerely repent for a long time, often for up to an hour—far longer than the time spent intimate. This is driving Raven almost to depression. It also makes him miss Nancy terribly. Nancy was the most willing to cooperate with Raven in all sorts of tricks and cosplay. Her emotional value was off the charts. Unlike these two, one lies in bed like a silicone doll, and the other struggles wildly like a pig being slaughtered during the New Year, impossible to hold down. So, is it really Raven's fault that the time is short each time? Now, if anyone tells Raven that foreign women are open-minded, he'll roll his eyes.

For example, right now, even if you just ask Lux to wear a matching black cape with him, a black mini-skirt, and safety shorts underneath, she absolutely refuses. And that's without even mentioning stockings; Lux would probably object even more to that. In this respect, Lux is even worse than her aunt. At least her aunt knows how to dress herself.

“It’s too weird, I’m not wearing it,” Lux said awkwardly.

"Phew—" Raven rolled his eyes and looked up in anger.

Fine, if you don't want to wear it, then don't. What can Raven do against the powerful?

He picked up the clothes and led Lux ​​downstairs, where he saw Ernada waiting for him in the lobby. Presumably, Ernada had something to say to him, Raven's eyes lit up. He threw the clothes on the sofa in front of Ernada and said, "Go, change into these clothes and come back to Eagle City with me."

Ernada glanced down at the few pieces of cloth covering her clothes, then looked up at Lux behind Raven, and said angrily, "Raven, although we have a soul contract, I am merely your subordinate. Not a prostitute from Bloodstone City!"

Raven: ...

Well, another conservative and feudal relic. It seems that promoting their Angelic Feathers and reforming their cause across the Middlesbrough continent will require many more years of development. However, Raven was puzzled; he always felt that Ernada shouldn't be so conservative. Perhaps it was because Lux was around. Lux was simply too beautiful. It inevitably made other women feel inferior from the bottom of their hearts. If they wore this outfit, compared to the conservative Lux, they would be even more inadequate.

"Come come come"

Lei Wen waved to Lingling, who was wiping the floor nearby.

Lingling, a half-human, half-goblin, came running over. Before she could even utter the word "Master," Raven grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. She was already short, and Raven lifted her about a foot off the ground. Her slender legs kicked wildly in the air, and she pounded on Raven's wrist with her hands, but seemed afraid of hurting him, so she could only pound gently. "Master, Master, give me some air! I'll wear it!! I really want to wear it!!" Lingling said in a hoarse, broken voice, almost like a man speaking.

"You should have said that earlier. You're the smartest." Raven loosened his grip, and Lingling collapsed to the ground with a thud, kneeling there for a long time, unable to catch her breath.

"Raven, what are you doing! How can you treat Lingling so rudely?" Lux scolded, somewhat displeased. To be honest, over the years, the person Lux had the best relationship with was actually Lingling, this half-goblin.

"What are you doing?" "I'm trying to save my business!" "Damn it, I invested hundreds of thousands of gold coins in one of my factories, and it's already lost over 60%." "Grandma, you really don't know the value of money until you're in charge." Raven shook his head and sighed.

"Then you can't force Lingling," Lux said, still somewhat unhappy.

"I was wrong."

Raven didn't bother explaining. Lux was great in every way, except for her excessive compassion. If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have been so easily fooled by Raven back then. In Raven's eyes, he didn't even consider Lingling a human being. Perhaps he was just too heartless.

A short while later, Lingling came out of the room. Her oversized high heels made her walk with a limp, and the black cloak she wore looked like a bed sheet, completely obscuring her figure. It also left a long trail behind her.

"puff"

Raven couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, but you should still take it off." "Never mind," "It's yours." This kind of effect will probably only cause the already pitiful sales to plummet again.

"Master, I really put my heart into dressing up, but the clothes and shoes are too big," Lingling said in extreme fear, afraid that her capricious master would mistreat her again.

Raven nodded without saying a word, then led Lux ​​out of the castle.

Outside the castle, Eric, Link, Thor, and others had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Raven, Thor couldn't help but exclaim, "Master, you look so handsome!"

Eric asked with concern, "Master, is your injury... healed?" There were too many people, and Eric found it difficult to say some things.

Raven patted the veteran on the shoulder. Several years had passed, and the veteran's temples were noticeably whiter. Only his uneven eyes remained striking. "Don't worry," Raven said calmly.

"Oh, these grown men, crying their eyes out?" As soon as he finished speaking, Eric, Link, Hyena, and the others' eyes reddened, and they shamelessly wiped away their tears in front of everyone. These past years had been difficult for Lux, but they hadn't fared any better. Every day felt like an eternity. As early as last year, rumors were spreading throughout the empire, including Bloodstone Territory, that Raven was dead, though the news was being kept secret. Coupled with the leaked image crystal, Raven's reputation was further ruined. He became a laughingstock and a disgrace to the entire noble community. Seeing Raven now, not only alive and kicking but also no longer aging, the shock was indescribable.

"However, I can't let too many people know that I'm back yet."

Raven leaped onto the back of the dragon Zolzahn, who wasn't as eager to leave as before. He was being well-fed and cared for, and was noticeably stronger than he had been a few years ago. Raven gave orders: "Hyena, stay here and guard Bloodstone Territory. Half of the remaining Eagle Army, led by Link, will return to Eagle City. The rest of you, get on board," "Follow me," "Home."

"Yes!"

Everyone agreed in unison, their faces beaming with joy, as if it were New Year's Day. And indeed, today, January 1st, is New Year's Day.

Come home with me.

These four seemingly insignificant words, from the moment Raven departed from Eagle City, spanned a full four years! Everyone was as happy as children, but many more Eagle Army soldiers lay forever buried in this land. The remains of the vast majority could not even be found.

This is one of the reasons why Raven did not hesitate to give up immortality.

He could not let down these flesh-and-blood soldiers who had made sacrifices and shed blood for him; they were all flesh and blood, with fathers and mothers, wives and children, relatives and friends.

Absolutely not.

……

(End of this chapter)