Imperial Crown.

Chapter 618 Re-departure to the Capital

"Sigh," "You say this little bee," "so young," "why is it so cunning?!"

Raven had already left. In the training ground, Deborah looked at the headless corpses scattered on the ground and couldn't help but ask Huber a question. Thanks to the timely use of a healing potion, his finger, which had been broken in the meeting hall, had been restored. It was just a little stiff and would need several months of rest to fully recover.

Recalling the moment Raven deliberately called a halt, a profound sense of powerlessness washed over Dipoon. Raven knew perfectly well that Eric possessed a seventh-tier divine weapon, yet he deliberately pulled that stunt. He was completely treating everyone present like monkeys, with a "I don't bet on your kindness, I bet you'll definitely oppose me" mentality. And the crucial point is, he actually won his bet. The nobles of the North Sea, like clowns in a monkey's crown, jumped up and offered their faces for Raven to slap. This slap not only stunned Kimbak on the field but also thoroughly convinced everyone in the stands. There wasn't a single flaw to be found.

As dusk settled, a cold wind swept across the martial arts arena. The entire Novihaus family of 29 had been reduced to headless corpses. Even the children hadn't been spared. What difference was there between such people and beasts? Duboon couldn't help but shudder, his heart filled with an ever-growing sense of dread.

"Shhh!!" "Keep your voice down!!"

Uncle Hu gestured to the side with his eyes and scolded.

Following his gaze, Deborah saw Viscount Miller standing not far away, seemingly nonchalant while looking straight ahead. But his ears were perked up like a donkey's, clearly eavesdropping on the conversation. "Traitorous dog!" Deborah couldn't help but curse inwardly! Wasn't the reason the vast North Sea province was so easily crushed and manipulated by Raven precisely because there were too many people like him? As North Sea nobles, yet they fawned over an outsider, displaying servility and obsequiousness. Truly shameless! What's hateful is that it was precisely because of these people that the already fragmented North Sea nobles became even more fearful. No one knew whether anyone around them had secretly sided with Raven, becoming his "eyes" and "ears." This undoubtedly allowed "fear" to spread like a plague in the hearts of the North Sea nobles. Just look at Novihou's fate; once you offend Raven, the spiral of death begins, and it won't stop until your entire family is wiped out.

"Sigh." "Let's go."

Diboon dared not say anything more, sighed again, and walked out of the martial arts arena with Huber.

……

Inside the castle.

Raven was wiping his eyes and face with a hot towel. He then put the towel in a basin of water. "Hyena, is everyone here?" Raven asked. He then frowned. "Shave your beard properly. What kind of appearance is this? Military discipline can't be neglected, or it'll cause a huge mess. We're heading to the capital soon."

"Yes Yes"

The hyena hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Everyone is here and waiting for you in the conference room on the second floor."

"Okay," Raven replied. "You can go now." He watched the hyena leave with the water basin. Only then did Raven turn to look at the person opposite him. "So, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry to see me?" Raven asked, somewhat curious. The person opposite him was none other than Igni, who hadn't contacted him for several months.

Under the dim, yellowish light of the magic lamp, Igni, wearing the angelic feathers gifted by Raven, undeniably possessed a graceful and elegant air. Her thick black stockings were specially made, intentionally featuring three golden feet. This inspiration came from the "chicken foot stockings" of her past life. They might have looked ridiculous and outlandish on others, but on Igni, hey, they were incredibly alluring. A perfect match.

Furthermore, orcs have never been particularly particular about their clothing. While the design of the Angel's Feathers was a bit revealing, it was far simpler to wear than the "wrapping cloths" found on the Middles Continent. This greatly appealed to the orcs' tastes. So Raven simply gave some away to the orcs for free. Even the ugly goblins, dressed in suits and ties, all became quite refined. It's just a pity that the Kingdom of Podomichrie had swindled away too much of their stock; otherwise, Raven would have made a fortune from selling the Angel's Feathers alone. Damn it, he'd get his revenge sooner or later.

"Raven"

Igni was uncharacteristically different; her voice was no longer so rough, and her tone was no longer as cold as before. She slowly took two steps closer to Raven, her yellow Doc Martens crossed, her hands fiddling with her Western-style waxed jacket, and shyly uttered a question that struck Raven like a thunderbolt, "When are we getting married?"

"Marriage?" "What kind of marriage?" "Whom are you marrying?"

Raven was taken aback. Although Nancy had been gone for many years, Raven had never actually considered remarrying.

Igni asked, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't you say you'd marry me after we resolved the North Sea Province?" "Chiu-Chiu Linga told me that herself." "So..."

Raven interrupted, "So...this is the real reason you haven't spoken to me for months?" Raven's face darkened. Judging from Igni's multicolored feathers and constantly manicured nails, she was indeed a particularly vain and fashionable...female orc. But his sexual orientation was perfectly fine. No matter what, he would never marry an orc. Wouldn't that make him a laughingstock among the nobility?!
Igni felt it was incredibly blatant of her to have even mustered the courage to ask these questions today. Therefore, she was almost completely turned away from Raven, avoiding direct eye contact. For a moment, she didn't notice Raven's unusual behavior. She nodded to herself. "Intermarriage with humans is a major event for our Eagle-people clan." "Besides, I am the clan chief." "In the past few days, I have persuaded many chieftains." "They have agreed to our marriage."

"???????" "wtf"

Raven was utterly bewildered. Seeing that Igni was completely convinced of the matter, Raven didn't want to expose her on the spot. He was about to depart for the capital. Angering the Eagle People at this time and letting them escape would not be a good thing. He never imagined that that dog, Chuchu Linga, would use this method to stop Igni from bothering him. No wonder Igni acted so shyly when Raven used his martial spirit to spy on the two of them. She was clearly discussing marriage with him. So Raven licked his lips and said, "This matter needs careful consideration. You know I'm about to go to the capital." "His Majesty summons me. As the most loyal subject of the Keynes Empire, I cannot disobey the king's command."

“Mmm,” Igni nodded. “Actually, I’m not in such a rush.” “I came here today to ask you what I should prepare.” “After all, you know this is my first marriage.” “Still…” “Still with you…” “Still with a human. So I’m not sure about the procedures.” “Should I prepare an expensive gift for Denise?” “I heard that humans are very respectful of their elders.” “I remember, she’s your aunt, isn’t she?”

“Sometimes.” Raven nodded his head solemnly.

"..."

Igni clearly didn't quite understand, so much so that a bewildered expression appeared on her eagle face. However, she didn't think much of it. "Then I'll go prepare." "Don't worry, I will definitely offer her my most precious treasure." With that, Igni turned and left in a hurry.

"Link!" "Bring me Chichi Linka!"

Inside the house, Raven roared, "No!" "Bring him here!"

Soon, Chirp Chirp was pushed and shoved into the room by Link.

"Don't touch me!" "I told you not to touch Dad, didn't you hear me, Link?" "Do you know how expensive this suit is? Can you afford to pay for it?!" "Oh!" "By the Lord of Light!" "You rude human!" "No manners, no upbringing, no gentleman..."

Chirp chirp, grumbling incessantly. But then he let out a shrill wail, “Awooo!” “Lord Raven, I was wrong, let go! You can’t touch that! You’ve already broken it!” Because that damned Raven grabbed the broken-off horn on his head and lifted him into the air.

"Humph"

Raven threw him onto the sofa. "Don't you owe me a reasonable explanation?" "You fucking swindled me out of 300 bottles of Angel's Tears." "Is this how you do things?" "Such a simple method, I could have used it myself. Why would I have hired you?"

"Hey," Chiu Chiu Linga straightened his suit and held up his index finger, saying, "Don't brag." "This method looks simple, but only a genius could come up with it." "Just tell me if it works or not?" Chiu Chiu Linga jumped off the sofa, walked to Angel's Radiance, and said smugly, "Besides, why are you worrying about that?" "Whether you'll even come back alive from the capital is another matter." "What if you die? Then this whole thing will be over, won't it?"

"..." Raven was speechless for a moment. Because he realized that what Chiu Chiu Linga said seemed to make some sense.

“Even if we take a step back and assume you come back alive,” “Igni will still have to return to the Orc Empire,” “She can’t stay here,” “unless she gives up her chieftainship!” “Besides,” “Do you think I want that, Raven? Can’t you see that the great Goblin Chieftain also likes Igni very much?” “Don’t worry,” “I’ll take care of things when you come back from the capital.” Chuchulinga leaned back on the sofa, her shiny little pointed shoes crossed on the coffee table, picked up a banana and ate it as she spoke.

"Makes sense!"

Raven was both amused and exasperated. He could only give a thumbs up.

"Let's get to the meeting." "I only had roasted whole lamb for lunch after a busy day." "It's already 10 o'clock. I haven't had dinner yet." "Everyone's starving." Chiu Chiu Linga muttered, stuffing the last half of a banana into her mouth.

The two entered the conference room one after the other, followed by Hyena and Link. Several other people were also seated there. These weren't the nobles of the North Sea, but rather Raven's inner circle.

Hu Xia, Pan En, Bai Yue, Igni… even Thor and Simon, who hadn’t shown up in a long time, were there. They were about to depart for the capital. Raven needed to make some arrangements.

"Okay." "Everyone, please feel free to speak your mind."

Everyone already knew the situation and understood why Raven wanted everyone to come, so there was no need to say more. Raven sat in the main seat and said with a smile, "It's a democratic life meeting, after all." "It's meant to make you blush and sweat a little." "Don't cause any trouble for me afterwards."

Hu Xia asked first, "My lord, let's start by discussing the allocation of the dragons and the magic crystal cannons." Only when these powerful weapons are properly allocated can we better arrange the personnel deployment.

“There are still three dragons left.” Raven nodded. “This time, I plan to leave the third one, Vasien, behind.” “There are two magic crystal cannons in total; leave one behind as well.” “Always remember, there are still three threats.” “First and foremost is the attack from the province of Morinil.” “Be extremely vigilant.” “Secondly, there is the Holy See of Light, still holed up in Hove City, Ferdorro County, Nord Province.” “We haven’t completely broken ties with the Holy See of Light yet.” “If they don’t act, don’t make any rash moves.” Although the Holy See of Light ambushed the Eagle King’s forces, they also suffered heavy losses, including the death of Cardinal Thomas. Raven didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble; he couldn’t afford to offend the Holy See of Light yet. “Thirdly,” “is the North Sea Province.” “After I leave, if anyone causes trouble, have the nobles of the North Sea eliminate them; you can provide support from behind.”

“Then I suggest,” Hu Xia said succinctly, “that we leave behind 2 Eagle Army soldiers and 1 surrendered Royal Army soldiers.” “Thor and I will stay as well.”

Raven nodded approvingly. This kid had political acumen. He was just too timid and soft-hearted. With more training, he could probably amount to something. But lately, Raven had a feeling something was off about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, it was just a feeling.

“No.” “I want to go to the capital with the head of the family.” Thor said firmly, “Father is going too.” “Although he is injured, the capital is far away. Even if he rides a dragon, it will take at least two months, which is enough time for him to recover.”

"Huh...?" Hu Xia was clearly surprised.

“I’m leaving, but there’s Grand.” “Don’t worry.” “Grand and Henchton will probably come back after they send Baido back,” Thor comforted him.

Chirping Linga's eyes darted around, and she immediately seized the opportunity to probe, "How about I stay?"

Raven chuckled. "You can't stay. You're my most trusted advisor. What if I die in the capital without you?" What a joke. Raven didn't even spare the orcs, let alone their leader. If he left and they started causing trouble, no one could control them. So all the orcs had to go to the capital with him. Raven suddenly looked at Pan, who was silent in the distance. "Pan," he called. "Why are you so silent?" "What are you thinking?"

Pan En then raised his head, clasped his hands in his sleeves, and said respectfully, "I will obey your orders, Your Excellency."

“Then you should stay too,” Raven said. The three northwestern provinces are such a large territory; Hu Xia definitely couldn't handle it all by himself. Moreover, dealing with the nobles of Beihai Province, this young upstart Hu Xia would probably have a hard time controlling. If Pan En were here, Raven would feel much more at ease.

"Huh?" Pan En was clearly surprised, but then nodded. "Yes."

“Alright,” Raven ordered. “Then Hu Xia, Pan En, Ge Lang, Heng Qidun…the four of them will stay.” “Also, leave 2 Eagle Army soldiers and 1 surrendered Royal Capital soldiers.” “One dragon and one magic crystal cannon.” “The Wind King troops will also stay.”

"Chirp chirp Linga, White Moon, Igni," "Simon, Thor, Eric," "All of you, follow me on my dragon to the capital."

“其余7万哥布林、3.6万狼人、8千鹰人、”“1.4万雄鹰军、6万王都降军”“还有那些被抓起来的高阶超凡——譬如爱洛琴、蒙萨顿、迈普利、布加笛……等人”“以及北海行省凑出来的10万杂牌军”“则由鬣狗和林克在地面率领，步行至王都。”

"Where you go along the route, you must strictly abide by military discipline. You must not harass other nobles. You must not commit rape, arson, murder, or looting."

Anyone who disobeys will be executed without exception!

Raven's voice was strong and clear.

"Yes!" The crowd immediately stood up and shouted.

"Alright, everyone go and prepare." Raven waved his hand. Actually, he still had three hostages—Ferdinand's grandson and granddaughter. Originally, he planned to keep these three to negotiate with the Vanderlia family and gain their support. Now, it seemed unnecessary. But for now, he'd leave them in the North Sea Province. If they were useful in the future, he could use the dragons to airlift them to the capital.

Back in his room, Raven still had two things to do.

Firstly, he forcibly absorbed the Fiery Law from the sixth-tier divine weapon he obtained from Kimbak. As a mercenary, Kimbak was indeed quite poor. Therefore, besides this item, Raven left his spatial ring to Eric as a reward.

Secondly, to ensure his safety in the capital, Raven plans to call back some more helpers later.

Chiu Chiu Linga is right, this journey to the capital is indeed extremely dangerous.

Raven had sworn never to go to the capital again after the last investiture of a count.

But strangely enough, the more vows one makes, the more likely they are to be broken.

……

(End of this chapter)