Imperial Crown.

Chapter 558 The real show is about to begin.

0596 The real show is about to begin!

The Cairns Empire, capital city of Menegar, within the Duke's family's Qutherland Castle.

"If Raven is really not dead, what will become of our new faction?"

Wittous frowned and said in a muffled voice.

"Let's wait and see," Serafino said slowly, pouring himself a cup of hot tea and blowing on it repeatedly.

"Wait and see?" Okolius repeated, puzzled.

Wittus's brow furrowed even deeper, forming a deep frown. "Why don't we have Comos of the Morinil province send troops to attack Raven? Firstly, to avenge Comos's previous robbery, and secondly, to vent His Majesty's anger." "Raven deceived His Majesty and everyone else with the image crystal! His marquisate should be stripped!"

"What reason?" Serafinu countered with a question instead of an answer. "Whether it's the Keynesian Empire or any other empire, they were all formed by the gathering of individual, self-governing nobles. Theoretically, each noble was the master of the empire, and the chosen overlord determined the royal family." "Several thousand years!!!" "How many nobles are still sworn to serve Keynes to the death today???"

After he finished speaking, Wittus and Oculius stared at Serafino in disbelief.

“Those old-school nobles all have their own territories.” “The Gustav family, to which Prime Minister Hamilton belongs, controls the province of Slihag!” “The Berenheim family, to which Egihard belongs, controls the province of Venadi.” “The Vandorian family, to which Fernandez belongs, controls the province of Insay.” “The Hainholz family, to which Gottfried belongs, controls the province of Manteine.” “Even the Rosenville family, to which Morenzo, who joined the Church of Light, belongs, controls the province of Ganville!” “These provinces are either rich in resources or have fertile land!”

Serafino's voice was filled with anger. "And what about us? Although the three of us are all dukes, our territories are located on the very edge of Minnagar City." "This mere narrow strip of land is divided into four parts, with each of us occupying the east, south, and west." "It's less than a third of the territory of these old-fashioned nobles!" "Why can't the three of us rule our own province?" "Gentlemen," he said, "are you truly content to live like this forever?"

Wittius touched his belt. "You...you're going to betray His Majesty?"

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration,” Serafino said calmly. “I just want to have the dignity that a ducal family should have.”

"Then why did you ask us to transfer all the forces cultivated in the other provinces?" Vitus asked with a hint of hostility in both his eyes and tone. "Serafinu, if you want to betray us, I, Vitus, will be the first to object!"

Like the old-school Fernandez, Witus is also a soldier by origin within the new-school faction. The Black Feather Guard, which can also be called the Imperial Guard, is largely under his control. As a soldier, Witus would never betray the Emperor alongside Serafinu, nor would he allow the latter to commit any treasonous acts.

Serafinu shook his head speechlessly. "Vitus, you're too tense." "I had you mobilize men to the capital just as a precaution." "I only want my own interests. It's not disloyalty to His Majesty." "Regarding Raven, we should try not to interfere. Let's just observe and see what happens."

"Next, I need you two to open your eyes wide."

"The real show is about to begin."

……

The Cairns Empire, capital city of Menegar, Gustav Castle of the Duke family.

"Father," "We..." "Do we really have to do this?"

"I'm a little scared," Berson asked.

"Don't you want to avenge your son?" Hamilton squinted, his words muffled as if he had phlegm stuck in his throat.

“But…” The thought of his son Jeffrey falling from genius to a useless person filled Boson with endless hatred, yet he still hesitated. “But why do you think so highly of Raven?”

Hamilton sat up straight in his rocking chair, looking at his son. After a long pause that made even Boson somewhat uncomfortable, he slowly said, "Son, from the moment you were born, you've enjoyed endless wealth and luxury. Therefore, you'll never understand the ruthlessness, the resilience, the viciousness in the lower classes." "If you had ever truly understood Raven, you would know just how dark, selfish, shameless, and despicable human nature can be." "You don't understand." "The one living in the High Court doesn't understand either." "For a title, Raven can be so vile and filthy." "Now, let alone taking his life." "Do you think Raven will continue to hide? Can he really hide any longer?"

“What if Raven actually wins?” Berson pressed.

"Heh," Hamilton chuckled dismissively, then slowly rose to his feet. "He can't win. Even if he survives the blood curse, he's destined to be nothing more than a dog that bites. To tame a dog, you have to use the methods of dog training, methods that the dog can understand."

Berson nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Hamilton, hands behind his back, gazed at the pond and said, "Like this fish, it always believed that as long as it crossed that stone step, it would reach a bigger pond, have more mates, and get more food." "So every day it desperately jumped up the stone step, even if it fell and bled profusely, it wouldn't give up." "But it didn't understand that these were just two equally sized ponds for two people." "Until one day, someone fished it up, preparing to kill and eat it, it could see the cruel truth of the pond below. It turned out that all its proud efforts over the years were just a performance and a joke in other people's eyes."

"The old school has used me for so many years, it's time for them to do their part for me."

……

In the capital city of Menegar, within the Gotfried Castle of the Dukes of Keynes Empire.

"That insatiable beast!"

Gottfried had just returned home with Fernand and Egihard when he received a secret letter. He was so angry that he started cursing.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Egihard asked from the side.

"Hmph!" Gottfried snorted and handed the secret letter to the other party.

"A compensation of 100 million gold coins???" "This dog really dares to ask for such an exorbitant amount!" Egihard was also furious.

Perandi frowned, took the letter, and glanced at it. It was a letter from Tyrone, the governor of the Nord Province, requesting compensation. Gottfried was the Empire's Minister of Finance, which was why he had received this letter. "He was the one who unilaterally sent people to the Orc Empire, and now he's turning around and writing to Tiangang request compensation—it's utterly shameless!" "You two," Perandi said, "compared to him, Raven is practically a glorious and great hero!"

“Refuse?” Egihard asked tentatively.

“Hmm—” However, Gottfried hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head. “Forget it, we still need this person to do things.” “If we don’t pay him, he might just pay lip service and not cooperate to make a big fuss.” “Besides, His Majesty the King can’t know about this, so let’s split the cost.”

“You can divide it among yourselves; I won’t contribute any money,” Pei Nandi said decisively.

Egihard shook his head. "Really give him a million?" "80 gold coins. Each of our two families will contribute 40," Gottfried said after calculating.

"Hiss—" Egihard gasped. 40 gold coins? That meant his entire year's net income had gone down the drain?
Too many people have the misconception that once they reach the rank of Marquis or Duke, they can easily earn millions of gold coins a year with their eyes closed. This is completely unrealistic. Take Egihard, for example. Yes, he does control the entire province of Vinadi. But within the province, there are many marquises, dukes, viscounts, and barons who have been granted fiefdoms. The Berenheim family has thrived for nearly a thousand years; not counting collateral branches, the direct line alone must number in the tens of thousands. Are they going to chop up all their brothers and sisters who didn't inherit the title and feed them to the dogs? Furthermore, how many people does a ducal family have to support? At least tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands—the sheer scale of expenses is suffocating. Earning a net income of 300,000 to 400,000 gold coins a year is already a stellar achievement, and that's assuming no natural disasters or man-made calamities and a good harvest. The province of Ganville was first hit by a major earthquake, and then by bone dragons ravaging the area. In just a few years, Morenzo's Rosenville family lost at least ten years' worth of savings. Otherwise, why would they have the audacity to humbly beg for government funding?

“You guys,” Perandi shook his head, “are really willing to spend.” Because of the defeat against the Insa Empire, Perandi bore the main responsibility, and his family paid the most in war reparations. So let alone 40 gold coins, even 4 gold coins would be spent very carefully by Perandi.

“It’s settled then,” Gottfried declared decisively.

……

The Cairns Empire, Nord Province.

The steel legion, clad in gleaming armor and numbering a full 70,000, marched in a mighty procession from Hodges County, where Monen City is located, through Wilt County and Hippoc County, toward Snowmaple County.

More than a month had passed by then. During this time, Talon not only received a secret letter instructing him to attack Raven, but also received the $80 compensation he had been waiting for. Only then did he leisurely begin his journey.

And it has only been two months since Raven returned.

"Father."

Minsk, clad in full armor, approached Tyrone and called out softly. Compared to his younger brother Hyde's rapidly gaining weight, Minsk maintained his lean physique and soldierly sharpness. He had spent years stationed in the military camp, diligently training, and his demeanor was naturally extraordinary.

Tyrone nodded. "Let's go too."

The Iron Legion was the Imperial Legion of the Keynes Empire, responsible for guarding the Nord Province and repelling the Bloody Highland bandits. However, it had long been controlled by the Slater family and had become their private army. Its full strength was only 5500 men. But after a series of events, including the Death Order's chaos, the destruction of the Fox family, the Battle of Eivor, and Tyrone's promotion to governor… especially the Battle of Eivor, which brought the Slater family a huge fortune, Tyrone began to expand the legion, directly recruiting nearly 1.5 men, increasing it to 2 men—equivalent to four legions.

As for the remaining 5 men, they were not soldiers of the Iron Legion at all, but rather soldiers conscripted from families in other counties of the Nord province by order of the governor of Tyrion. Their crime was—Raven failed to fulfill the Emperor's order to capture the Titan cubs.

Of course, the Nord province has 17 counties in total, and while some were willing to send troops to assist, others were not. Being able to mobilize 5 soldiers was already an extremely good result after coordination.

Several days later, the army advanced and arrived in Hippocrates.

"Alright, let's set up camp here for now," Tyrone ordered.

"Huh?" Hyde asked, puzzled. "Father, aren't we here to attack Raven? Why are we stationed in Hippocrates? We should at least take Mina territory first!"

Raven's return carried immense power, and naturally, none of the nobles in Snow Maple County dared to send out a single soldier.

"Fight." "Not that we won't fight, but we'll fight slowly, deliberately, and rhythmically." Tyrone glanced at Hyde indifferently. "Go and send me a letter, asking Marquis Raven to come here."

"He declined the invitation to the banquet last time. Will he come this time?" Hyde asked.

“Things have come to this point, he has no choice but to come,” Tyrone said in a deep voice.

Hyde nodded and turned to leave the castle. But as soon as he stepped outside, he froze. Before him stood a man, a man in a black, fur-lined cloak. His short, black hair was both striking and clean-cut, and his black eyes, like a deep, dry abyss, radiated an aura of extreme danger. He stood there like a nail driven into the ground, or a pine tree growing in stone, watching Hyde with a half-smile.

"What? Brother Hyde, it's been years, don't you recognize me?" Raven smiled.

"Ray?" "Raven??" After several years apart, Hyde's mind was filled with the image of Raven's aged appearance. Seeing him again now, he was truly a little dazed. Looking at Raven, who was already greasy-faced, had a beer belly, and was starting to gain weight and become out of shape, Hyde felt a strong sense of inferiority from the depths of his heart.

“You should address me as Marquis Raven,” Raven said softly, patting Hyde’s cheek with his black-gloved right hand as he walked to his side. He then strode into the castle. No one stopped him along the way.

Hyde gritted his teeth, clenched his fists so tightly his bones cracked, and followed him into the castle. Only then did he realize that Raven had come alone! A month and a half ago, Raven hadn't dared to keep the appointment, but now, with troops at the gates, Raven was showing up alone? "Arrogant!" Hyde roared inwardly, annoyed.

"Your Majesty the Governor."

Inside the hall, Raven removed his gloves as he spoke, “I was preoccupied with worldly affairs and was unable to keep our appointment. Today, I have come specifically to apologize to you. I hope Marquis Tyrone will not take offense.” Raven’s tone and demeanor were both rather casual, as if he were chatting with a friend. He didn’t bow, and was even a little impolite.

Tyrone was burly, but his face was gaunt, making him look somewhat disproportionate, which suited him perfectly to the Slater family crest—a venomous snake with a massive mouth and a red tongue. His blond hair was thick and dazzling. "Raven, I thought you'd become more timid, but you're still as insane as ever." "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Feigning compliance was a charade favored by the lower classes; those truly in power preferred directness—"What benefits do I want?" and "What can I offer?" This saved precious time.

"I don't need to tell the Governor the principle of 'the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked'," Raven said, sitting down and crossing his legs, pouring himself a glass of wine. His specially measured and tailored trousers made his legs appear even longer, enhancing his unique and noble air.

Tyrone glanced at Hyde, who had followed him in, and waved his hand, "You can go now."

"This..." Hyde was already seething with anger, but he hadn't expected to be kicked out by his own father as soon as he entered. He stammered, wanting to say something but didn't dare, and could only retreat dejectedly. He closed the door and walked angrily towards the military camp. He wanted to ask his older brother, Minsk, why he had let Raven in without informing him. With his brother's fourth-tier strength, couldn't he have just killed Raven directly?

Raven swirled his wine glass, glancing at Tyrone, who was still standing motionless. A contemptuous smile first appeared on his lips before he said in an icy voice, "Stay put in Hippocrates. If you dare cross the line, I'll wipe you out immediately." "And your entire Slater family."

Tyrone's face turned ashen. "Raven, aren't you being a bit too arrogant?" "Your Eagle Army is still on its way, and only half of them have returned this time." "It will take at least half a year to get back to Nord Province from the Orc Empire!" "How many Eagle Army soldiers are there in Snowmaple County now? Do they even number 4000?" "Do you really think that just because you went to the Orc Empire and broke the blood curse, you're invincible?"

Raven put down his glass, though he hadn't actually drunk a drop. He stood up and walked step by step to Tyrone, looking directly into his eyes. "Governor, you really have a short memory. Don't you remember I have a dragon?" "You're absolutely right. Not to mention anything far away, in the Nord Province, I am indeed invincible." "These 70,000 men you brought, are they enough for Zolzahn to spit out in two breaths?" Raven's aura was strong, at least stronger than Tyrone's, because his confidence was far greater. However, Raven still extended his hand first. "I have no intention of being your enemy right now." "Pleasure doing business with you, Governor."

"Pleasant to work with."

Tyrone said with a stiff smile.

No matter how angry or resentful Talon was at that moment, based on the facts Raven had presented, he could only reluctantly extend his hand and shake hands with the annoying fellow before him. As a proper nobleman, he possessed that much self-control. Raven's words also sent a chill down Talon's spine. This lowly bee from his own city of Mon'en had unknowingly grown into a colossal monster that even he couldn't shake. Watching Raven's departing figure, Talon felt an immense sense of loss.

……

(End of this chapter)