Imperial Crown.

Chapter 58: Equipped Weapons
Raven didn't just sit there and wait for the enchanted equipment to be delivered.

In the next two days, more orders were issued - repairing Eagle Fort, making simple stretchers, preparing herbs...

The most important order was to recruit a group of soldiers from the transferred subjects.

The order was carried out without hindrance.

After more than a month of rest, most people have almost recovered, except for a very small number of serfs who died from wound infection and other factors.

For the original residents of Eagle Town, there are fewer people competing with them for jobs.

For the newly assigned citizens, being a soldier under Raven can earn much more than working on a construction site, and it can also save some food rations for the family, which is of course a good thing, so they sign up enthusiastically.

The transferred civilians were mainly young and strong men and women. Even if the standards were not relaxed, it was not long before more than 70 serf soldiers, numbering six squads, were recruited.

The personal soldiers who had just been withdrawn from Shanjin Town had almost no rest and immediately began to train these serf soldiers.

It’s not that they wanted to use these people as cannon fodder. In fact, untrained serfs were not even qualified to be cannon fodder in front of the vicious bandits.

If they want to counterattack the Bloody Heights, even with war horses, the journey back and forth will probably take more than ten days. During this period, Eagle Fort cannot be left unguarded.

Although Lei Wen did not have to do most of the recruiting work himself, he could not sit idle. He gave speeches to these serf soldiers, encouraged them, and personally distributed one month's advance military pay to them.

This method is old-fashioned. Raven himself has done it twice, but old-fashioned often means practical.

After living in Eagle Town for more than a month, the trust of these people in Raven increased a lot. When Raven personally handed out bags of copper coins, one could clearly see the surprise and excitement in their eyes.

On the night of November 11th, Xiongying Town welcomed the first snow of winter.

Goose-feather-sized snowflakes fell one after another under the howling north wind. The wind hit the glass windows, making bursts of rumbling noises, as if an invisible monster was trying to break open the window and rush into the house.

This night, during meditation, the ice and snow elements were particularly active.

The next morning, as soon as Raven opened his eyes, he found a layer of ice on the glass window. He opened the window and saw that the entire Eagle Territory was covered in white snow.

The yellow dog is white and the white dog is swollen.

But Raven didn't have much mood to appreciate or sigh. After changing his clothes with the help of Patty, he just walked out of the room and bumped into old Gordon.

Without waiting for the retainer to speak, Raven gave instructions directly: "I have arranged for Eric to have the new recruits recruited in the past two days go to Eagle Town to help clear the snow and rescue people."

Old Gordon was stunned for a moment: "As you command, Baron."

He didn't expect that Raven would share the same idea as him.

The houses in Xiongying Town are basically made of earth and wood. Every winter when heavy snow comes, some houses will collapse, causing unnecessary population losses.

In previous years when Donald was in power, he never cared about these things, and even if old Gordon wanted to take care of them, there was no one to help.

Unexpectedly, Baron Raven noticed this hidden danger when he encountered heavy snow for the first time and had already thought of a countermeasure.

It snowed heavily last night, covering the ground up to a person's waist. The serf soldiers were mobilized, some were responsible for clearing the snow on the streets, and the other part was responsible for clearing the collapsed houses.

Fortunately, with the economic recovery of Eagle Town in the past six months, local residents have all become aware of the need to reinforce their homes, so not many houses collapsed. However, a total of 3 people from three households still died in the heavy snow.

Not only the serf soldiers, but also the new recruits on Eric's side started to move. They first cleared the snow in the training ground, and then started from the gate to clear the road from the military camp to Eagle Castle.

Students who go to school are happy doing anything as long as they are not in class.

The same went for the new recruits, who worked enthusiastically at the snow-clearing job. Even though their faces were frozen red and their beards were covered with icicles, they did not feel tired at all.

Eric, as the leader, naturally participated in the process, using a wooden crowbar to clear the way and throwing piles of snow to the roadside.

He had already sweated a lot, and the snowflakes on his armor were melted by the heat emitted from his body and condensed by the cold air, quickly freezing into layers of thin ice, which were then thrown to the ground as he moved.

Until noon, the sky was still gloomy, but the road from the military camp to Eagle Fort was basically opened.

"Mr. Eric." Volaf rushed over: "The Baron has something to summon you, please bring a few captains with me!"

"Got it, I'll be there right away." Throwing the wooden pry on the side of the road, Eric turned around and shouted, "Gall, Link, Mosingan, follow me, and the rest of you continue to clear the snow!"

Led by Volaf, Eric and his companions came all the way to Eagle Castle. As soon as they entered the hall, they were surrounded by a warm feeling.

Eric couldn't help but sighed: "The temperature control array is great. It can be used in summer and winter, and you don't have to endure the smoke from the charcoal fire. Volaf, you are so lucky."

"We are all working for the Baron." Volaf chuckled: "If you ask me, I envy you guys. You can train those new recruits every day to stretch their muscles!"

After some chatting and laughing, everyone was taken to the dungeon by Volaf, which made them all look forward to it.

After all, the last time we came here, everyone's physique and strength had grown significantly.

Even though they were mentally prepared, they were still shocked by the scene before them when they entered the dungeon.

Next to the long wooden table, there were six or seven empty crates scattered around, and on the tabletop were enchanted weapons sparkling with various colors!
Surrounded by a faint white glow is a half-sword enchanted with "sharpness".

The crossbow that emits a faint red light and has runes that seem to be burning is a crossbow enchanted with "fire".

The surface is as smooth as a mirror and emits a light golden luster. It is a steel round shield enchanted with "solidity"!

Eric is fine. Thanks to Raven's preference, he is now wearing all enchanted equipment.

But the other three, including Goyle, were all blank slates. They had been envious of Eric's equipment to begin with, and now, seeing so many enchanted weapons with their own eyes, their eyes turned red.

"Alright, don't just stand there." Raven clapped his hands, "Each of you three will have an enchanted half-hand sword."

These words stunned them immediately. Although they had guessed that Raven had called them over for this matter, hearing it with their own ears was another matter.

Raven was not surprised. He picked up a half sword and put it into Goyle's hand.

The latter finally reacted. He lowered his head, held the half sword horizontally, and observed carefully.

This enchanted weapon is made entirely of fine steel, with a 30-centimeter-long handle and a simple, shiny cross-shaped hilt. The 90-centimeter-long sword body is shaped like a fish belly, and the part near the handle is wide and thick, becoming narrower and sharper as it goes upwards. It has excellent balance and can be held in one hand or used with both hands.

He rubbed it gently, and as his fingers passed over it, light blue magic patterns on the sword lit up and then disappeared.

Enchant weapons!

Enchanted weapons that cost hundreds of gold coins are enough to cut through most unenchanted armor.

How many people will never see it in their lifetime, let alone hold it in their hands.

This is not just equipment, but also a trust, a heavy trust!

If we had such weapons when we faced Anderson and his gang, there wouldn't have been so many casualties!

Link and Mosingan also received their own enchanted weapons. At this moment, they all had the same emotions as Goyle. The three of them looked at each other, knelt on the ground, and said:
"Thank you, Lord Baron, for your generous gift!"

"This is a reward for your loyalty." Raven said, "Although enchanted weapons are good, what is more important is the person who uses them."

"Gol and Link have both been trained in swordsmanship, but you, Mosingan, lack training in this area. You should ask them for advice in the future."

"Understood, sir!" Moxingan nodded heavily: "I will never let you down!"

Seeing that they all gained something, Eric, who was standing aside, felt quite emotional.

Just half a year ago, the Eagle Territory was still extremely poor. There were only three soldiers, him and Gorlink, and they didn't even have any enchanted equipment.

Nowadays, there are twenty-two elite personal soldiers and more than ten enchanted weapons.

If the prices hadn't risen so drastically, it wouldn't be impossible for all of his personal soldiers to be equipped with enchanted equipment!
"Eric!" Raven's voice suddenly rang out, "I didn't ask you to come here just to watch."

As he spoke, a round shield flew in front of him.

With a bang, Eric reached out and caught it, his eyes filled with surprise and joy: "My Lord Baron, this..."

He already had a set of enchanted plate armor, as well as two enchanted weapons, a scimitar and a mace. He didn't expect that he would get another one this time.

"You are an iron warrior, and this round shield will be of greatest use to you," Raven said.

"That's right, Mr. Eric." Volaf said with emotion: "I begged you for a long time, but he refused to give me this round shield."

"But I gave you a flaming crossbow." Raven glanced at him and said.

Volaf smiled innocently, but even a fool could see the smugness in his eyes. "Time is running out, and it will be hard for the new recruits in Goldshire to improve their combat effectiveness in a short period of time." Raven brought the topic back to business: "Your next priority is to rectify military discipline and make the phrase 'obey orders and prohibitions' ingrained into their instincts."

"Understood, sir!" Led by Eric, the four men accepted the order with great enthusiasm, and then left the dungeon with full confidence.

Raven did not leave with them. He picked up a fire-enchanted crossbow on the table, loaded an ordinary crossbow arrow into it, strung the string, aimed at the dummy target twenty meters away, and pulled the trigger.

The flexible steel spring pushed the crossbow arrow and activated the runes on the crossbow at the same time. The flames gathered at the tip of the crossbow arrow. As the crossbow arrow left the string, it was wrapped in orange-red flames and pierced the target in an instant.

boom.

The flames immediately enveloped the dummy and burned fiercely!

"It's really a good stuff, no wonder it's sold at such a high price." Raven nodded in praise.

A crossbow enchanted with fire does not require enchanted crossbow arrows. Each time it is fired, a layer of blazing flames will be added to the crossbow arrows. It can be fired seventeen times every twenty-four hours.

Not only can it be used to kill people, its destructive power against shields and wooden fortifications is far greater than that of ordinary crossbows!
If all five weapons were fired at the same time, even an ordinary first-level transcendent would find it difficult to survive.

"Wow, so cool!" Visdon, who had just pushed the door open, saw the dummy burning, swallowed his saliva, and spoke with envy.

Noticing that Raven turned around and looked at him, Weisdong smiled and greeted him: "Brother, what do you want to talk to me about?"

As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing at the table.

"How about it, do you like it?" Raven raised the crossbow in his hand.

Weisdon nodded repeatedly.

"Do you want it?" Raven asked again.

Weisdon nodded vigorously.

Raven said, "It's a pity that I can't give this to you."

Weisdon's face suddenly fell.

But Raven's next words cheered him up again: "I can't give you the crossbow, but I can give you the other things."

As he spoke, Raven took the remaining half sword in his hand and handed it over.

Vesdon swallowed, with longing in his eyes, and slowly stretched out his hand.

"Think carefully." Raven paused and continued, "This is an enchanted weapon. Once you take it, you will not only be the young master of the Griffith family, but also a warrior!"

"I was born to be a warrior!" Visdon said impatiently.

"Well, then it's yours from now on." Raven moved his wrist and handed the hilt of the sword to Weston.

The latter held the half-sword in his hand and said excitedly: "I am a warrior! I am a warrior!"

Raven chuckled and said, "Then you have to practice well."

"Don't worry, my left hand is very flexible!" Weisdong showed off his sword skills.

You know what, it does look somewhat similar.

"Then go ahead." Raven instructed, "Don't forget to take some time to practice horse riding these few days."

"I understand!" Visdon agreed excitedly and left the dungeon.

As soon as he left, Raven's face turned cold again.

The arrival of this batch of enchanted weapons boosted the confidence of the personal soldiers, but also made Raven more vigilant about the upcoming battle.

The bandits on the Bloody Highlands all fought their way out on the edge of a knife, and the larger the bandit group, the more so. After a long period of separation, the proportion of enchanted equipment in service would probably be astonishingly high.

Taking Anderson’s group as an example, the team of eighteen people not only had six first-level magical beasts as mounts, but also two sets of enchanted armor and three enchanted weapons!
Even if they were pulled out now and had a head-on battle with his own soldiers, the chances of winning or losing would be fifty-fifty.

Moreover, they are a very weak force on Bloody Highlands.

"We still can't relax." A gleam of determination flashed in Raven's eyes.

He calmed his mind and chanted a spell. After a few seconds, he pointed his finger and a light flashed at his fingertips. Then, a melon-sized orange-red fireball with a little flame flew out and landed on a brand new dummy.

With a loud bang, the sticky flames enveloped the dummy, and the originally light yellow wood quickly turned charred black.

"If I chant a little slower, I can guarantee a 73% chance of successfully casting the spell." Raven whispered to himself, "If I don't wear the improved leather armor, the success rate should be about 10% higher."

The modified leather armor is covered with iron filings, and metal naturally interferes with the flow of magic.

This is why, despite their reputation of being weak, magicians, regardless of their rank, most of the time still only wear robes instead of armor with higher defense.

"Next, it's time for the next test."

He touched his belt and a staff half a person's height appeared in his hand.

A second-level "dragon locust wood" staff.

Dragon Sophora japonica wood is a plant with extremely high magical fluidity. Its main body is gray-black, and after processing it presents a soft and translucent color like amber. Its internal lines are twisted and complex, and it has dragon claw-like patterns, which is also the origin of its name.

The staff is as thick as a child's wrist, with a tight texture and a warm feel. A fist-sized magic crystal is inlaid on the top of the staff.

Raven took a deep breath, slowly waved his staff, chanted the spell again, and then swung it in the air. Another fireball condensed at the top of the staff and flew out.

This time, the volume of the fireball increased by about one third, and the overall color became whiter from orange-red.

boom!
The flames hit the dummy, and a thick flame exploded, bringing with it a huge impact force, twisting the wooden pole under the dummy and hitting the wall, blowing the dummy into two halves, and then continuing to burn.

"The magic power consumption has increased by less than 50%..." Raven analyzed in a low voice: "But the magic power has also increased by more than 20%."

"No wonder magicians like to use staffs as a medium for casting spells."

This is not the only function of the staff.

Due to the characteristics of dragon locust wood and the care of the enchanter when making it, this staff can store one second-level magic and two first-level magics, and can be activated without chanting when necessary.

The magic practice continued until the night, and Raven spent most of the time familiarizing himself with the effectiveness of the staff, trying to find the most cost-effective way to increase it.

It was not until dinner time that Raven came out of the dungeon. After a simple wash, he came to the restaurant. Denise and Weston were already waiting there.

Even with the temperature control array, Denise still changed into winter clothes. She wore a thick woolen skirt with lace on the cuffs and collar, and a soft fur cape on her shoulders.

The delicate skin is made even whiter by the brown fur, and the face, which has slightly red marks due to the dry air, also has a unique charm.

Since the last strengthening, Visdon's attitude towards Raven has changed greatly. He always calls him "brother" and "older brother", but now for some reason, his eyes are somewhat evasive when facing Raven.

He put the enchanted half sword on his waist and placed the fake hand on the hilt so that everyone could see it at a glance.

Denise, on the other hand, had a blank expression on her face, and looked at Raven with a hint of scrutiny.

Raven didn't notice any of this, his mind was still immersed in the use of his staff and his magic practice. He sat on the chair and spread out his hands, ready to pray before the meal.

Now, saying a prayer before meals has become a tradition in the Griffith family - of course, it was formed at Raven's insistence.

Today is no exception.

After praying, the three of them lowered their heads and began to enjoy their dinner.

In the huge restaurant, no one spoke a word, only the sound of knives and forks cutting food and hitting plates could be heard.

The strong wind hit the windows, making the empty room even quieter and the atmosphere even more depressing.

Finally, Denise couldn't help but speak first:
"Raven……"

"Ah?" Raven put a piece of bacon into his mouth:

"what's up?"

……

(End of this chapter)