Imperial Crown.

Chapter 594 A Night's Sleep Turns White

Nord Province, Snow Maple County, Hero Territory.

Time goes back to a month ago.

The three floors of Herroburg.

Raven slowly opened his eyes. The excruciating pain in his mind had subsided considerably, but his body felt as if it were torn apart in pieces. Muscle pain? Bone pain? Or a sprained tendon? He couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the pain; his whole body ached, like a dislocated shoulder or a stiff neck. It was alright when he wasn't moving, but the slightest movement caused excruciating pain that made him grimace and gasp. Raven felt as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. The saying "illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is like pulling silk" perfectly described his current situation. It made him admire the wisdom of his ancestors even more. With just a few words, they could capture the full spectrum of life's joys and sorrows, its ups and downs.

The small, cramped room was packed with people. Despite the crowd, it was eerily quiet, save for the occasional soft sob. The atmosphere was oppressive and somber. Sitting closest to him on the bed was his aunt, Denise. Her hair was styled in a dyed bun, she was dressed neatly, and she exuded a faint scent of rose from Angel's Kiss. ​​This was the first bottle of Angel's Kiss—a rose fragrance—that Raven had given her over a decade ago. Over the years, Angel's Kiss had developed many other rich floral scents. Surprisingly, his aunt hadn't changed her perfume in over ten years. "Time never defeats beauty"—this phrase perfectly described his aunt. She possessed a captivating maturity, an ultimate femininity. This was a quality that no other woman in Raven's life could replace. Perhaps to avoid disturbing Raven, Melovie wasn't being held in her arms.

Behind her was Patty, kneeling on the blanket on the floor. She buried her head in the thick bedding, and Raven's aching and numb right leg was probably mostly due to her "contribution." One of the sobs came from her crying.

Behind Patty, almost at the foot of the bed, against the wall, sat Fiona, with short silver hair and thick round glasses. Her gleaming, kidney-shaped shoes were pressed tightly together at the toes, turned inwards. Fiona had her head down, her thin, pale fingers constantly fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.

Seeing her like this, Raven felt a wave of dizziness. He knew without asking that something bad must have happened again that he didn't know about. Otherwise, Fiona wouldn't be in this state. Raven knew her too well. At that moment, Raven also felt an overwhelming longing for her grandfather—old Gordon.

To Fiona's left sat Lingling, relegated to a corner of the room. This half-goblin was the least popular. Her head was wrapped in thick bandages, with a dark red welt on it—clearly, the wound inflicted by Raven when he pushed her out hadn't healed. And naturally, she couldn't get any healing potions. Not even at level one. The other sobbing in the room came from her.

On the other side of the room were the elders: Eric, Hyena, and Link. Link stood guard by the door. Hyena's large, round eyes darted around, looking at everyone as if they were villains plotting against Raven. His large hand gripped the hilt of his sword, clearly ready to draw it at the slightest provocation. Eric, on the other hand, looked worried. His uneven eyes were fixed on Raven on the bed. The moment Raven opened his eyes, Eric was the first to notice, and he hurriedly called out, "He's awake! The patriarch is awake!"

Oh right, there's one more person, Hu Xia, who's huddled in another corner of the room. But he's crouching on the ground, covering his face with his hands, as if afraid of being discovered.

"Go!" Denise hurriedly said. "Go get some warm water."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Patty quickly got up and ran towards the door.

Everyone stood up and gathered around Raven's bedside, their eyes filled with deep concern. It was just like the feeling of his relatives crowding the hospital room when he was hospitalized in his previous life.

"Raven, how are you feeling?" "Master, are you alright?" "My lord, you scared me to death!"... "Master..." "Warm water is here!"...

A series of voices echoed in Raven's ears, causing a throbbing pain in his head again. He strongly suspected that someone had cursed him. Otherwise, why would he be so weak? This feeling was very similar to the one he experienced when he was cursed to death six or seven years ago. Could it be that the Hand of Death had returned after lurking for a few years?
Where is Lux?

After drinking some warm water, Raven waved for everyone to stop chattering. He then asked a question. He was rather weak, and his voice was hoarse and feeble.

"Sigh," Denise sighed softly, without saying a word. But Raven could sense Denise's dissatisfaction from that sigh alone.

"Laxus," Petty finally spoke up to explain to Raven. "After hearing about what happened in Hippocrates, Miss Laxus went to provide assistance alone." "However, before that, Miss Laxus had been staying here."

From "Mrs. Lux" to "Miss Lux," Patty was subtly expressing her dissatisfaction in her own way.

"Thor" Raven was still exhausted, but he still asked the question that was on his mind most.

"Not a single one returned."

Eric, already grieving the loss of his son, spoke with reddened eyes. He then saw Raven close his eyes, gently turn his head away, and gesture with his left hand for everyone to leave. Clearly, he was heartbroken. Years of unspoken understanding between master and servant allowed Eric to immediately sense the "dissatisfaction" Raven was expressing. It was "disappointment" in him, "resentment" towards him. But he didn't voice it. Yes. He, Eric, had once again made a grave mistake. Negligence, also known as dereliction of duty. It was because he had been drugged that night that Zolzahn's merit token had been stolen, leading to a series of consequences. He should have realized that those scoundrels' sudden invitation to drink was suspicious. He should have been more vigilant.

But it's too late to say anything now.

Eric wasn't wrong. Raven harbored some resentment towards him. This wasn't the first time Eric had made a mistake, or rather, a "fatal mistake." The first was before the attack on Bloodstained Heights, when he was blinded by greed and revealed the battle plan to Nancy for the sake of the potion. This mistake had ruined a group of second-generation heirs and all of Raven's painstakingly planned schemes. But Raven knew perfectly well that Eric was also human, merely a "mortal." How could he expect Eric not to make mistakes when even he himself couldn't handle everything perfectly? Eric's greatest strength was his loyalty. But his greatest weakness was also his loyalty. He was a good soldier, a good general, but he lacked strategic command. Without Raven, Eric would be like a headless fly, destined to live a mediocre and unremarkable life. This was why Raven was so eager to cultivate the next generation. In reality, no one is perfect. Even Raven himself was not without flaws. If such a person truly existed—possessing both talent and cultivation ability—Raven wouldn't dare employ him. Take, for example, Pan. This man had absolutely no cultivation talent, only unparalleled strategic acumen, yet Raven remained wary of him. "Those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die," Raven sighed softly, his eyes closed. Or perhaps it's these second-generation rich kids; they only see their own ruthless madness when facing enemies, never their extreme patience in the face of adversity. Because they don't understand the principle of "making steady progress every day, no effort is wasted." They lack the willpower to "not let a thousand thoughts disturb my mind, nor let my will be broken by my unwavering resolve."

"Homeowner"

Eric had many things to report, and even though he knew Raven was unhappy with him, he had no choice but to speak up again.

Raven opened his eyes and saw Eric glance around. He understood that Eric meant for everyone else to leave before reporting. "Speak," Raven said directly. "There are no outsiders here."

“That’s right.” “Tyrone and Hyde have gone mad for some reason and slaughtered the entire Hippocrates.” “The Dalton family was all killed.” “Even the local priest Marantosh was not spared.”

Eric quickly relayed the news.

The women in the room were visibly surprised and flustered upon hearing the news. They clearly hadn't expected Governor Tyrone to be so cruel! Raven understood that without the dragon and a whole group of second-generation transcendents, Ferdinand and Tyrone had decided to take action. No wonder he was in this state; Lux had also chosen to leave. Her kindness, benevolence, and morality... wouldn't allow her to ignore this matter. However, to avoid burdening Raven, she chose to go alone. This was perhaps the biggest difference between Lux and Nancy. Nancy could stand against the entire world for him. Lux could too, but unless Raven was involved, Lux still upheld her principles and beliefs. "An angel on earth," "A living bodhisattva"—these best describe Lux.

"I understand." Raven nodded. There wasn't much of a reaction. He was too busy taking care of himself to care about others.

“But now Tyrone is heading towards Wiltshire.” “It seems,” Eric added, “that he’s probably targeting Jonathan in Mansashire.” Raven remained expressionless and silent. It was true that he had a close relationship with John, but after John’s death, Jonathan hadn’t shown him any respect. Raven had already learned from others that Jonathan had been involved in the Razor Shields. He had only let him go out of the way because of his father, John. And over the years, thanks to Raven’s respect for John, Jonathan had made quite a bit of money—at least 2 to 30 gold coins. He could consider it a repayment to Viscount John.

Seeing that Raven hadn't made any special arrangements, Eric continued his report: "The teleportation array at Eivor has been destroyed." "Unfavorable news has also come from over there." "Our people, including Lady Cuiqi and Lancha... have all been beheaded." "The heads of Lady Cuiqi and Lancha have been refined into amber using pine resin and [Honey Amber Elixir] and are suspended in Blue Castle." "To warn everyone."

"Ugh"

Raven sighed deeply. He had always read the phrase in books—"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it down"—and felt nothing for it. Now, experiencing it firsthand, caught in the torrent and whirlpool, he understood the true value and weight of those five words! Lady Cuiqi needed no introduction; she was originally the first wife of Grand Duke Eivor. Lancha was the son of Tudor Chemanli. After Tudor's suicide, Raven forced him to sign a magical contract, which he later burned himself. He then supported Lancha's rise to become the Prime Minister of the Duchy of Eivor. Yet, the two had ended up like this! "I didn't kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me," Raven couldn't help but sigh.

"That's all the information for now." - Head of the Family

Eric glanced at Fiona, who was standing to the side, still fiddling with the hem of her clothes, and paused before saying, "Why don't you take a rest first?"

Raven didn't speak, but gestured vaguely at Fiona. The meaning couldn't be clearer: let Fiona report directly.

"Ahem." "Fiona." "Didn't you have something to say to the head of the family?" "Now you can report."

Eric coughed lightly and then spoke.

"Oh oh"

Fiona, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped out of her daze, her eyes darting around, unable to meet Raven's gaze. "It's like this, Your Excellency..." "Before, in order to quickly recoup my funds, I acquired a large amount of Bigefaso from the Kingdom of Portomiche." "But..." "But the people I sent said..." "They didn't want Bigefaso, they only wanted Keynesian gold coins." As Fiona spoke, tears streamed down her face. Wiping away her tears, she sobbed, her voice thick with grievance, "But this is clearly their country's currency!" "And it was Grand Marshal Rico of the Royal Family who personally made the deal with me!"

"..."

Raven's vision blurred after hearing this. He hurriedly asked, "How much did you lose?"

“10.” “A full 100,000 gold coins.” Fiona lowered her head even further, her voice barely audible. “But we also got about 30,000 gold coins worth of equipment.” “And…” “And those two griffins.” She tried to salvage her image so she wouldn’t seem so foolish.

"You mean," "a member of the Podemos royal family approached you," "made a deal with you," "but paid you in their country's currency," "and then when you wanted to use that money to buy more things from their country," "they told you they didn't want their own currency?"

Raven tried to sort out the connections between these things. Could a country really be this shameless? And a royal family at that?! They don't even want their own currency anymore?! Even Raven himself would probably fall for it, let alone Fiona.

“Yes, Your Excellency.” “I… I was wrong.” Fiona lowered her head, covered her face, and sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

That damned King Sam Vansnor! That bastard extorted money from him when he was at his lowest point! Raven coughed furiously and shouted, "Help me up!" "Help me up!!!" 100,000 gold coins—how many Angel Tears would he have to sell, how much hardship would he have to endure to earn that!
"Alright, alright." "Getting angry is bad for your health." Denise quickly helped Raven up, stuffed two more pillows behind him, and patted Raven's chest while advising him. "Money can be earned back."

Raven let out a long sigh. He couldn't criticize Fiona further in front of her. After all, Fiona was both fragile and sensitive, and she meant well. "Go down," Raven waved his hand. With those two griffins around, he might seem to be at a disadvantage, but he was actually gaining. He would get his revenge sooner or later, but now wasn't the time.

"Master," the hyena suddenly boomed, "I also have something to say." The sound seemed to shake the entire room.

Raven frowned and covered his ears. "I'm not deaf. Just say what you want to say." He really couldn't figure out what this idiot could possibly want.

“I stopped a letter at the gate a while ago.” “It was delivered by a small-time vagrant.” “The letter only had two words on it—’Help me immediately.’” The hyena scratched his head. “I don’t understand what it means.”

"What?!!!"

Raven's face paled in shock. He quickly waved his hand, "Bring me the letter."

"Here," the hyena pulled out a small slip of paper and handed it to Raven.

Raven glanced at it, his face darkening instantly. He closed his eyes and lay back on the pillow, muttering, "Even the best-laid plans can have flaws..." "Even the best-laid plans can have flaws..." Then, enduring the pain in his body, Raven got up and got out of bed.

The crowd rushed forward, surrounding Raven. "Where are you going?"

Raven remained silent, walking straight towards the door, muttering to himself, "Even the best-laid plans can have flaws." However, as he passed the Angel's Radiance displayed in the room, he suddenly froze. He then turned around, facing the Angel's Radiance directly.

Inside was someone who looked exactly like him. The only difference was that this person used to have a full head of black hair and a straight spine. But now, his back was hunched and his hair was completely white.

He slept like that and his hair turned white overnight.

……

(End of this chapter)