Imperial Crown.

Chapter 578 Griffins and Friendship

Bang!Bang!Bang!
Raven had been drinking with Eric until late into the night, and was almost completely drunk when he finally lay downstairs. Suddenly, he heard a knocking sound coming from downstairs. No, strictly speaking, it was more like banging on the door. It was giving Raven a terrible headache.

"Get out of here, Koru!" "Get out now!"

Raven couldn't help but yell. He really couldn't understand what this old guy was up to in the middle of the night.

He was already very happy. If it were old Gordon, he'd probably be at his bedside by now. Even if Raven was sleepy, tired, or drunk… it was impossible for him not to remember. Since old Gordon's death, Raven, as the lord, had been much more relaxed. This reminded him of some unpleasant memories… Back then, to seduce Lux, he would always stay in the church until the wee hours of the morning. And every time he returned, old Gordon would be standing in the castle like a ghost, waiting for him. He wouldn't say a word, just silently watching him. It annoyed Raven to no end, so he simply stopped coming home so late.

"Old Gordon."

The knocking continued, growing more urgent. Raven lay in bed, inexplicably thinking of old Gordon. In his dizzy, disoriented memory, Gordon's face grew clearer, haunting Raven's mind like a ghost. A tear slid down Raven's cheek. He squinted, sighed, and turned over. Could it be that the old man had really come back for him?

Arriving on the first floor, Raven impatiently opened the door. "Koruk, if you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, I'll twist your head off... Ah!"

Raven shivered from the cold. Although the snow had stopped, the weather was still quite cold. After all, it's not cold when it snows, but it's cold when the snow melts. But it shouldn't be this cold. At this moment, Raven felt as if he were naked, hugging a golden cudgel made of ice. His anus twitched from the cold, and he almost had diarrhea on the spot.

"host"

Looking down, holy crap, there really was a "block of ice" lying in his arms. He'd been dazed and hadn't seen it clearly before. Now he realized it was a small, thin figure completely frozen solid. Its tiny feet, originally no bigger than a palm, were now covered in thick frost, making them look larger than a face—like the hooves of a monster. Raven's eyes gleamed with silver light as he exclaimed in surprise, "It's you???"

It turned out to be Lingling, a half-goblin maid from Bloodstone Territory. Because her mother was human, she was a half-goblin.

She wasn't in the Orc Empire, so why did she come back? Raven was puzzled, but he was too cold to bear it any longer, so he quickly put her on the sofa and locked the door. At this moment, Lingling's whole body was covered in frost, and she was completely unconscious, obviously having frozen to death.

Raven washed his face, clearing his head a bit. He was genuinely curious about where Lingling had come from. It gave him the feeling that Lingling had trekked all the way back from the Orc Empire. Raven quickly lit the fireplace. Although a temperature-controlled array had been installed in the castle, it was clear that this temperature was insufficient to bring Lingling back to life.

After tossing Lingling onto the rug by the fireplace, Raven was too exhausted to stay awake any longer and lay down on the sofa next to him, falling asleep. He slept until the afternoon, when he felt heavy and breathless. He opened his eyes and found Lingling curled up against him like a kitten.

"Tsk," Raven frowned and pushed her down.

"ah!"

Lingling was woken up by the fall and let out a painful cry.

"What the hell are you doing?" Raven asked, displeased.

“Master, the fire in the fireplace has gone out. I… I’m so cold.” Lingling knelt on the ground and hurriedly kowtowed, “I’m sorry, Master.”

Despite his hangover and headache, Raven sat up straight on the sofa. "You're an orc, why didn't you stay in the orc empire? What are you doing back here?"

"I...I...I..." Lingling cried out anxiously, "I'm not an orc! My mother is a human."

"laugh"

Raven couldn't help but laugh. "You're an orc, aren't you? You're pretty resilient, like a cockroach. How come you didn't freeze to death?"

"I'm about to freeze to death." Lingling didn't understand the first part of the sentence, but she understood the last one. "There are still many ancestral demonic plants, the Holy Blood Soul Moss, that are about to mature in Bloodstone Territory. They are not suitable for being picked and brought back. So I asked my sister, Xizi, to take care of them there. I brought back the rest of the Eagle Yellow Rot Moss. These Eagle Yellow Rot Moss are very delicate, and they have no experience in taking care of them."

"Oh," Raven was no longer interested in any of this. Firstly, his situation was extremely dangerous. Secondly, he had no use for the Doumu potion made from the Holy Blood Soul Moss. "You're free. Get out of here."

Lingling lowered her head and remained silent, kneeling motionless on the ground. Tears fell drop by drop onto the carpet.

"yeah?"

Raven used his socked foot to prop up her chin, forcibly lifting her head. "What do you mean? You still want to cling to me?" Seeing that she was indeed crying and enduring the humiliation without daring to move her head, Raven said indifferently, "Then if it doesn't work, you can go to New Eagle Fortress."

“I…I went.” Lingling said, and actually started to take off her clothes. Fortunately, although she was all skin and bones, she was still wearing a bra. Then she turned around and faced away from Raven. “They hit me.”

Raven noticed the gruesome scar on Lingling's back, clearly from a military whip. This explained her condition; she must have walked all the way from New Eagle Fortress last night. Raven took a deep breath, feeling a headache coming on. "Go upstairs and take a shower and change your clothes. You stink." Spending all day with Eagle Yellow Moss, and being an orc, it's no wonder she faces discrimination.

Lingling then got up and went upstairs.

"Master, I have no clothes!" About an hour later, Lingling's scream came from above again.

Raven was getting really annoyed, so he got up, grabbed one of his shirts, and threw it into the bathroom.

Soon, Lingling came downstairs wearing a shirt, which she had styled into a miniskirt that just covered her buttocks. However, it looked rather awkward, as she was completely naked underneath. But Raven didn't have any women's clothes around. He had no interest in her slender figure and didn't even bother to glance at her.

"You stay here for now," Raven said after a moment's thought. "I'll go and have Koru bring over some clothes."

Raven then went upstairs, took a shower, changed his clothes, and left the castle.

……

Caw-choo—caw-choo— Above Snow Maple Territory and New Eagle Fortress. A series of piercing, noisy sounds suddenly rang out.

A dozen or so enormous griffins descended from the sky! These griffins—with lion bodies, four hooves, eagle heads, wings on their backs, and a tail—were incredibly imposing, each carrying two huge, long boxes on either side of its body. They were almost as long as the griffins themselves.

Rico jumped down and, seeing the Eagle Army charging towards them at breakneck speed, quickly raised his hands. "Relax! Relax, friends!" "We are soldiers from the Kingdom of Podomichrie, and we've come mainly to support Marquis Raven." "Look!" "We've brought the best weapons and armor from our country!"

"Lico shouted. He was dressed in simple leather, had curly hair, a weathered face, and his average height and build made him seem less hostile and threatening.

"What's your name!" the hyena barked.

“Rico, fourth-tier transcendent.” Rico said calmly, still holding his hands up. A nasty, wicked smile even played on his lips.

Link walked over to examine the contents of the box and his eyes lit up. Inside were indeed brand-new weapons and armor. Judging from the craftsmanship of the armor, although it wasn't an enchanted creation, it was still quite excellent. It wasn't much different from the armor they made themselves. "Chirp," Link whistled.

The hyena sheathed his sword, looked up and laughed heartily, "So you really are a friend." "Hello, hello." He hurriedly went up and grasped Rico's hands with both of his. His demeanor was completely different from before, arrogant to obsequious.

Rico: ...

It was only then that Rico realized that the people of Eagle Territory were all incredibly talented. The hyena personally led Rico into the castle. "I'm so sorry, my friend," he said. "The Marquis is not in the castle. You can speak with Miss Fiona. She is now the steward of the new Eagle Castle."

"What happened?" Fiona asked as she came out.

The moment Rico saw Fiona, his eyes lit up. A great nation truly lived up to its reputation; even a castle butler was so beautiful and elegant. Her clothes were also incredibly pleasing to the eye. If anyone truly loved wearing angel feathers, it wasn't a conservative woman like Lux, nor a feudal woman like Denise. Rather, it was Fiona, a woman outwardly extremely socially awkward but inwardly incredibly rich in drama. She, Patty, and Jenny weren't averse to it; after all, who wouldn't want to admire themselves in a more beautiful and elegant light? Only Denise's maid, Angie, influenced by Denise, as a young woman, stubbornly refused to try these new clothes, secretly calling the three of them wanton sluts.

Fortunately, New Eagle Keep was large enough that everyone ate and worked on different floors, rarely bumping into each other. Otherwise, they would have definitely fought. After letting Savannah go, Lux returned to the church Raven had built for her, continuing her simple life of three meals a day and exorcising evil spirits and healing the sick for the lower classes. This life brought her peace and joy. Although she deeply loved Raven, she truly did not want to share a bed with him frequently. Each time they shared a bed, it only brought Lux mental torment. The doctrines she had been taught since childhood had been branded into her mind, making it impossible for Lux to overcome that inner hurdle. Brief pleasures were often accompanied by longer punishments.

Today, Fiona wore a brocade cheongsam personally designed by Raven, with small vests draped over her shoulders, a silk scarf tied around her slender neck, and high heels. Combined with her short hair, her elegant demeanor was instantly captivating. Not only Rico, but even the hyenas were mesmerized.

“Oh, beautiful lady.” Rico rushed to Fiona, bowed very politely, and extended his palm. “Please allow me, Rico, the Supreme Military Commander of the Kingdom of Podomichrie, to express my respect to you.”

However, to Rico's surprise, Fiona didn't extend her hand. The atmosphere became quite awkward. It wasn't until the hyena approached Rico and whispered, "She likes women," that Rico straightened up with an "Oh, oh, oh" of sudden realization. "I see. Forgive my intrusion earlier."

In fact, the hyenas had their own ulterior motives; how could they let the good stuff go to outsiders?

Fiona didn't think much of it. She rarely even wanted to talk to people, let alone let anyone touch her. The only people who had ever touched her, besides her grandfather, were Raven and Fiona. Howell had been pursuing her for so many years, but she had never let him hold her hand.

“It’s like this, Butler Fiona.” Rico entered Fiona’s office and began to explain the situation. “The great King Sam Vansnor of the Kingdom of Podomichea heard that Marquis Raven was in trouble. He immediately sent me to deliver all the military supplies in the armory to support Marquis Raven.” “I think you already know this.” “Our country is suffering.” “Those orcs are slaughtering our nobles and abusing our people…” “Even so, His Majesty the King still sent me here day and night.” “Just to gain Marquis Raven’s friendship.” At this point, Rico sighed with a heavy heart. “We flew for nearly three months!” “We only ate one meal a day. We dared not delay at all.” “Although we only delivered military supplies worth 30,000 gold coins this time, it is the maximum amount of supplies we can provide to our country.”

"Thank you for your hard work, General Rico." "King Sam's generosity and your tireless efforts will surely earn the respect of our Eagle Territory." Upon hearing these words, Fiona's expression finally softened slightly, and she rose to pour Rico a glass of wine.

Rico chuckled and said, "That would be perfect, Butler Fiona."

Fiona was already 35, no longer the 19-year-old girl she once was. After sitting down, she asked, "General, you have come from afar. Is there anything I can do to help you with your worries?"

"No wonder you're so beautiful, yet so capable as a butler." "Marquis Raven certainly didn't misjudge you." Rico thought to himself, such a beautiful woman, so incredibly intelligent, truly flawless. Wait… there's one flaw: she likes women. Rico felt a deep sense of regret. "Besides supporting this batch of armor and weapons, we'd like to do a big deal with Your Excellency, Marquis." "Purchase 10 gold coins worth of supplies." "Angel's Tears—whether it's wine; Angel's Embrace—soap; even Angel's Honey—potato chips; Angel's Radiance—mirrors; Angel's Kiss—perfume…" "Oh, right." "Or this Angel's Feather you're wearing—clothes…" "Food." "Anything is fine."

Rico took a sip of his drink to moisten his throat and said generously, "Cash."

Fiona's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but push up her glasses. This was wonderful! She had complained to Raven about not having enough money just a few months ago, and this was like a godsend! "No problem, General Rico," Fiona said, her voice trembling with excitement. "There's quite a lot of supplies, but it will take some time." "And I need to consult the Marquis." With this money, Fiona could start working with Petty to refine the anti-aging potion. This was the potion she most wanted to refine. She hadn't dared mention it before, not wanting to upset Raven. With the territory's economy in such a bad state and under so much pressure, Raven certainly wouldn't agree to refine this potion first.

Rico shook his head. “Time waits for no one, beautiful lady.” “It took me almost three months just to get here.” “And another three months to get back.” “That’s almost half a year!” “My country, which is being ravaged, obviously cannot be without its commander for long.” “I hope you can pack as much as you can.” “I’ll pay you.” “We will send more weapons and armor later.”

At this moment, Link walked in from outside, looking somewhat suspicious, and said, "Why don't I see the box containing the money?"

The hyena scratched its head. "Yeah." 10 gold coins is no small amount. Even a regular storage ring wouldn't be that big, right?

Rico laughed heartily, and the three rings on his hand simultaneously emitted light, revealing three large chests on the ground. Rico opened them one by one. "Inside is our country's currency—the Bigi Faso." "A full 78." "At the exchange rate, that's a full 10 gold coins."

Fiona, Link, and the hyena each picked up a stack of banknotes and examined them closely. The hyena couldn't make heads or tails of them either, and Link frowned. Fiona, however, quickly recognized the banknotes. "They are indeed the currency of the Kingdom of Podomichre." "No problem, we'll take this deal," Fiona said excitedly.

"Great!" Rico stood up and clinked glasses with Rico.

Link suddenly spoke up, "General Rico, I'm quite interested in your griffins. You won't need to carry heavy weapons and armor back this time. How about this, you send us two more griffins?"

“This…” Rico hesitated for a moment, but quickly said firmly, “To prove the friendship between our country and Marquis Raven, I will take the liberty of sending you two.” “However, you must keep these coins safe. You will have to pay for them later when we forge weapons and armor. We can’t take advantage of you anymore.”

Link finally felt relieved. "Don't worry. Marquis Raven is a man who always pays his debts."

Afterwards, the group rode their griffins to the riverside factory. They moved almost all of the factory's inventory. The 30,000 Angel Feathers that had been stockpiled were sold out instantly! After gathering a full 100,000 gold coins worth of supplies, Rico led his griffins into the distance.

……

(End of this chapter)