Imperial Crown.

Chapter 615 Game of Thrones

soon.

Inside the meeting room, Dubois and Wellington signed another agreement. As a witness and guarantor, Raven naturally had to affix the Griffith family crest and sign his name and title.

"Back to you."

Wellington took a gold coin from his purse and flicked it with his thumb in an almost humiliating manner. The coin slid to the ground and landed at Dubois's feet.

Dubois clutched his injured right hand with his left, sweating profusely from the pain. His family members picked up the gold coins, glaring angrily at Wellington. Wellington had truly taken the "dog relying on its master's power" trope to the extreme. Before Raven's arrival, Wellington had been more obedient than a lapdog in their presence. Now, his attitude was truly despicable and hateful.

"Alright." "That's the end of it."

Raven smoothed things over, waving his hand to signal the two families to leave the meeting hall. Many more people were waiting to enter. He was in a very good mood; in just a short time, he had earned 5 gold coins. This made him even more eager for the upcoming meeting with the nobles.

"Your Excellency, Godfather."

However, after the Deboron family left, the Wellington family remained in the meeting hall, showing no intention of leaving. At this moment, Wellington approached with a smug smile, saying respectfully, "As Deboron said, 'My family's strength is insufficient to fully exploit the mine.'" Mining requires sacrificing a large number of serfs, a heavy price for a minor baron. After all, serfs, though cheap, are still valuable. "You have helped me solve my problem," "You have helped me uphold justice," "You have helped me regain fairness," "I wish to sell you the Green Forest Stone Mine at a low price," "In exchange for some gold coins," "To express my respect and loyalty to you," "And friendship."

"Oh?" Raven asked, somewhat surprised. "But what other difficulties are there?"

Seeing how quickly Raven grasped the crux of his words, Wellington was inwardly impressed. He couldn't understand how Raven, so young, could be so mature and sophisticated. His precise understanding of human nature and his keen insight into worldly affairs were beyond even his own reach at 63. Those dark eyes, like crocodiles lurking beneath the surface, were both calm and restrained, yet carried an unyielding and dangerous domineering aura. "It's like this, Your Excellency," Wellington said, his demeanor respectful and his words filled with unwavering trust in Raven. "The Grey Territory is remote and extremely barren. It's simply unsuitable for raising cattle and sheep." "I sincerely wish to ask you for advice on how to develop it," Raven said.

So he wanted to make a living. Raven immediately understood. Mining veins was extremely profitable, but clearly not all nobles possessed such resources. He knew nothing about Wellington, and even less about Grey Territory. He hadn't expected Wellington to be so poor. "The mines are easy to arrange." "I have many grey dwarves in my territory." "They are experts in mining." Unlike serfs and freemen, grey dwarves mostly possessed talent for mining and smelting. Most were even extraordinary. However, although they had fighting spirit, they weren't skilled in combat. Their only strength lay in mining and smelting. Being short in stature and extraordinary, they were like fish in water in the mines. It was impossible for them to suffer the extremely high losses that humans did. “Like this,” Raven said, “after the mine is mined, we’ll split the profits 20/80.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “As for making a living,” “If raising livestock isn’t convenient, then let’s raise them in enclosures.” “If cattle and sheep aren’t suitable, then let’s raise pigs.” “No matter how big your operation is, or how many pigs you raise, I can guarantee to buy them all.”

"Raising pigs???"

These words left Wellington completely bewildered. First, pork was nowhere near as expensive as beef or mutton. Second, the aristocracy never ate pork. It was food for commoners, merchants, serfs, soldiers… After all, in Cairns, domestic pigs generally symbolized filth, stench, laziness, uncleanliness, misfortune, and lowliness… So, let alone eating them, even raising one was somewhat shameful.

"They're so poor, yet they're still being picky." Raven thought to himself, speechless. However, to dispel any misunderstanding, Raven explained, "Don't overthink it. I raise many on my own territory, at least a thousand." The lesser the noble, the stronger their pride. They are filled with a sense of superiority as nobles. If Raven hadn't clarified, the other person might have thought it was Raven's contempt and disdain for his status as a baron.

“Okay.” Wellington nodded.

His true thoughts remain unknown, but he outwardly accepted the offer. Afterwards, he and his family repeatedly thanked Raven before leaving the meeting room.

Their heartfelt expressions of gratitude echoed through the meeting hall, eliciting curiosity and astonishment from those behind them—much like Wellington's own feelings outside. This cycle repeated itself endlessly.

By 6 p.m., it was time for dinner. Raven's interviews were finally over. By this point, he had a preliminary and general understanding of the aristocratic ecosystem of the entire Beihai Province. Rumors, gossip, and hearsay were flying everywhere—who had a grudge against whom, who had a feud with whom… Raven had even developed some impressions of each noble family: who suspected their son had been brought in by an enemy, who suspected their daughter of having an affair with the father, son, and brothers of an enemy… Their family squabbles and various conflicts further satisfied the clerk Hu Xia's burning thirst for gossip. And this was often what the news referred to as "research."

Raven's purpose in doing all this was simple: to completely divide the nobles of the North Sea and effectively exploit the contradictions among them. He would win over those who could be won over, suppress those who needed to be suppressed, and, for those who were utterly wicked, simply follow the will of the North Sea nobles and have them arrested and executed on the spot. As a prominent marquis, he already had the power to deal with lower-ranking nobles. He simply added a little more power to himself—the power of "life and death" and "confiscation of the entire family's property." All of this was to secure his rear. After all, he was about to depart for the capital; if his escape route were cut off, what would become of him?
Caution is always a virtue.

Raven entered the hall, and taking advantage of the fact that most of the nobles still felt "grateful" towards him, he quickly pressed his advantage and began his next plan. "Fellow colleagues," Raven said, "to be honest," "I, Raven," "am half a native of the North Sea Province." Then Raven's face hardened. "What's so funny?!" "Everything I said is true!" "I never lie." After suppressing the laughter that was about to escape everyone's lips, Raven said solemnly, "I believe you have all heard the news." "Our country is currently in dire straits." "The Orc Empire has annexed our provinces of Crispi and Derunti." "The Hand of Death has devoured the province of Eastwood." "The Insa Empire has conquered the provinces of Blackwater and Silverpine."

"At this critical juncture, extraordinary measures must be taken."

"Therefore I declare," "From this day forward, all the noble children present here shall have the right of inheritance." "This law is implemented solely to quell internal conflicts and unite against external forces." "All children," "regardless of age, seniority, number, etc." "shall have their territories divided equally, and their titles passed down through generations."

Actually, there were also two other rules: "regardless of gender" and "not mentioning legitimate or illegitimate children." But after much deliberation, Raven ultimately didn't dare to say them aloud.

Even so, as soon as Raven finished speaking, the entire hall erupted in chaos.

It means "to fry" literally.

It was as violent, powerful, and earth-shattering as explosives.

Almost every revolution, innovation, and policy... will have those who are satisfied and those who are dissatisfied. But Raven dared to forcibly implement the "Decree of Grace" because he firmly grasped one point—that is, to strive to satisfy the vast majority. The environment in the hall perfectly demonstrated this. The vast majority of noble sons had shining eyes, and their faces revealed smiles that could not be concealed. Those who were dissatisfied, of course, were the nobles and the designated heirs.

Take a viscount as an example. If there are two sons, it's equivalent to the family gaining an extra viscount. However, the territory becomes smaller. In the long run, this is naturally a loss, as a smaller territory inevitably weakens the family's power. But for those sons who would otherwise only receive minor titles or even no title to inherit, this is a huge boon. Of course, they would wholeheartedly support it.

Besides, most nobles have more than two children. As a result, their originally large territories suddenly became smaller than those of barons.

"Humph!"

Count Novieau could no longer remain seated. Or rather, he could no longer tolerate it. He had at least seven or eight male heirs. He snorted coldly and stood up, walking to the center of the hall, glaring angrily at Raven across the hall. "The current empire is in peril, the common people are suffering, and Ferdinand's vow to wage civil war against you is indeed inappropriate, but he has already died at your hands, defeated and routed!" "We did not support Ferdinand's logistics because we did not want to see civil war, wasting the nation's strength." "Since you entered the city, you have summoned us nobles to Venice," "to commemorate the Marshal, to unite our efforts, and to fight against the foreign invaders to the east!"

"And you??"

"Yet he has repeatedly disregarded human feelings and publicly slaughtered his fellow nobles." "Now he has even subverted ethical norms and attempted to interfere with the succession of the title!" "Raven!" "Are you plotting rebellion?!"

Novichau's harsh rebuke not only put Raven on the defensive instantly, but also shocked the nobles of the North Sea, who all turned to look at him. Their wide eyes were clearly filled with complex emotions such as "surprise," "admiration," "horrification," "courage," and "how could a person be so bold?"

His outburst nearly infuriated Raven. The momentum from killing Ferdinand… the favors he had shown to the nobles of the North Sea… were completely gone. How could Raven not be furious? Moreover, he had shown leniency in dealing with the conflict with Novihou. He had even shared the spoils of the nobles who had been killed and whose homes confiscated with Novihou. All this was to secure the support of these powerful nobles. Novihou's actions now were tantamount to betrayal! A surge of anger rushed to his head, and Raven gritted his teeth, saying, "The affairs of the North Sea are mine. I will do it, and who dares disobey?!"

"Humph"

Novichau's expression grew increasingly contemptuous and disdainful. "The affairs of the North Sea are His Majesty the King." "The Governor of Huber." "The nobles." Novichau's voice reverberated throughout the hall, the lines on his nose twitching incessantly as he roared, "You...?" "Just a scoundrel from Mon'en City." "Shameless is your nickname!" "Despicable is your true name!" "Utterly ruthless in your pursuit of power is your norm!" "A complete and utter heretic." "And what?!"

After these words were spoken, everyone in the hall felt a jolt of unease. The saying goes, "Don't hit someone in the face, don't insult someone by revealing their weaknesses." Raven's reputation was widespread, renowned throughout the empire. Anyone who knew him was aware of his "narrow-mindedness," "petty-mindedness," "vindictiveness," and "madness and ruthlessness"... otherwise, he wouldn't have driven himself to such a deadly confrontation with Emperor Habsburg. He absolutely hated it when someone publicly exposed his weaknesses or called him a scoundrel. That was a stain that Raven could never wash away for the rest of his life.

With a clang

Sure enough! The next moment, under everyone's watchful eyes, Raven drew the longsword from Eric's waist, yelling, "Fuck your mother!" "Novihow!" "Want to test if my longsword is sharp?!"

"My sword has never been weak!!!!!"

Novichau also drew his longsword, aiming it at Raven. He let out a fearless tiger's roar.

"You really think I wouldn't dare kill you?!" "Kill him!"

Raven slammed his fist on the table, his face contorted with rage as he roared. "Haven't I killed enough earls already?!"

"I knew you had ulterior motives!" Seeing Hyena, Eric, and the others closing in, ready to chop him to pieces, Novihow could no longer maintain his arrogance. He immediately pulled out a stone about half the size of his palm from his robes and activated it with his battle aura. The next moment, the stone emitted a blinding light, and a circular hole cracked open in the void. Without a word, Novihow jumped into it. It was actually a magic rune stone containing spells like "wormhole space"!! Judging from the magic fluctuations, it was at least at the fourth rank. Novihow had really gone all out for this. Seeing this, everyone immediately understood. No wonder he, only at the third rank, was so fearless earlier. Daring to publicly insult Raven. It turned out he had already prepared a way out. "Little Bee," "The mountains are high and the roads are long," "We will meet again someday." "I will go to the capital now and personally deliver the recording stone I just stored to His Majesty." "You can just wait to die!"

He had fled. But his relatives and family remained in the conference hall. They were now collapsed to the ground, their faces filled with extreme fear. Clearly, Novichau didn't care about their lives at all. After all, he could remarry if his wife died, and have more children if he lost them. Unlike Raven, he didn't suffer from infertility.

"run???!"

Having suffered such a humiliating disgrace, Raven was far from satisfied. He snorted coldly, hovering in the air, and roared, "Open!" With his roar, golden light shot from his eyes, dazzling and captivating. The aura and pressure emanating from him nearly suffocated everyone in the hall. It was clear how furious Raven was. "Get out here!" Raven had long since absorbed the laws of space, his understanding and sensitivity to space far surpassing that of ordinary fifth-tier transcendents. He clenched his fist and punched towards the side of the void wormhole. With a deafening boom, the entire castle trembled and shook violently, nearly collapsing.

"Ah!" "Pfft!"

The next moment, Novichau, who had just jumped into the wormhole, was forcibly forced out of the void. He screamed and spat out a mouthful of blood. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were tattered, and there were many wounds from spatial lacerations, from which crimson blood gushed. However, most of them were just superficial wounds.

This scene not only shocked the nobles of the North Sea, but also filled Novihow with utter horror. Everyone knew that Raven's strength was terrifying, but no one expected it to be this terrifying. He could even shatter a void wormhole. All with just one punch.

"Wait!"

Novichau knelt on the ground, extending his right hand to stop Eric from ending his life. His face was deathly pale, and he roared in panic, "I want a duel! I challenge you to a duel!"

"You??" Eric's face showed a hint of disdain. A mere third-tier, sixth-star, yet he dared to so arrogantly propose a duel.

However, dueling was indeed an ancient and long-standing tradition in the Keynesian Empire. Any conflict could be resolved through a duel, determining both superiority and life or death. Raven's challenge to a duel with Ferdinand during the siege was a similar strategy. Once challenged, the other party could not refuse; otherwise, they would be seen as "in the wrong," "defeated," or "cowardly," damaging the prestige of the nobility. Ferdinand's previous refusal was merely out of fear of falling into Raven's trap.

No, it wasn't me.

Novichau scrambled to his feet, disregarding his appearance. "I'll choose someone to duel you," he said, clapping his hands. Soon, a man entered.

Everyone turned to look and exclaimed in surprise.

Because the person who appeared was none other than the renowned and infamous mercenary—"Invincible Golden Lion" Kimbak. He was a fifth-tier, five-star extraordinary powerhouse!!!
……

(End of this chapter)