Imperial Crown.

Chapter 619 Little Bee Raven

Five days later.

All preparations are complete, and the stationed and departing soldiers have been separated. It is time to set off.

Raven has successfully absorbed the Law of Fire. Now, he possesses four laws within him. His Martial Soul contains one Law of Space—from the dwarf Gilida's dilapidated compass. He also possesses two Laws of Fire—from Adjani's Burning Sun and Kimbak's Ruby Blade. And within his magic is one Law of Ice—from a savage stone statue of the "Pale Lord" Zesway.

However, if he wants to break through to the sixth-order transcendent realm as soon as possible, he still needs to devour the Law of Blazing Fire at least three more times.

However, the Jade Tablet and Golden Standard, objects of the law, are even more precious and rare than the rarest combat techniques. They are treasures that can only be encountered by chance and are extremely difficult to find. Although it only requires three attempts, without the right opportunity, it is quite normal to not obtain them for several years or even decades. This trip to the capital might allow us to try our luck.

"After much thought, I've decided to let you stay with the ground troops."

Looking at the army ready to march, Raven said to Simon beside him, "Link and the hyenas are only at the third tier. I'm afraid that if something really happens, they might not be able to keep things under control." "For example, a fourth-tier orc might rebel... or nobles encountered along the way might have malicious intentions..." "Although the chances of these things are extremely small, we still have to be on guard."

"You'll travel with the Hyenas and the ground army to the capital." "You don't need to worry about anything else; just follow the Hyenas' orders." "I'll take Link ahead." The closer this battle gets to its conclusion, the more taboo it is to open the champagne halfway through. Raven's caution grew increasingly extreme, bordering on obsessive. It reached a level of near-perverted meticulousness.

Simon, dressed in a grey robe with a large hood, was completely hidden inside, like an invisible shell. Upon hearing this, the hood shook up and down, clearly indicating a nod.

"Sigh," Raven sighed softly, pulling back his hood. It revealed a face as flat as a sheet of dough. The features were young and defined, yet utterly lifeless, cold and stiff like a stone sculpture. Even though he was prepared, Raven couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart. He patted the boy's shoulder and whispered, "Good boy." "When I return from the capital, I will begin to resolve this problem for you." Becoming a "Reincarnated Angel" would allow one to leapfrog to the fifth tier of power. It sounded incredibly alluring, but the price was extremely heavy! First, there would be no possibility of ever breaking through again. Second, humanity would be extinguished, emotions would fade, and one would be transformed into a human weapon.

He can't compare to Aetheril. Aetheril has a lineage. Perhaps the dripping eaves have been passed down through generations, and they've long ago prepared things or methods to suppress any backlash. Simon, on the other hand, is experiencing something completely new.

Therefore, apart from Raven, Simon's memory is becoming increasingly faint. He heard that he doesn't even recognize Jenny anymore. She was the person he had shared a bed with for years, the closest person to him. It's not that he doesn't recognize her, he still recognizes her, but there's no affection left, she's a complete stranger. She has truly become "the most familiar stranger."

Along the way, Simon's earliest, oldest, and original Eagle Army has been almost entirely wiped out. There's Mosingan, who wrote "I love you, Mom"... White, who roared "I can die, but I can't lose"... Gol, who exhausted his fighting spirit to delay Herat and turned into a statue... Vlav, who was headless by a skeleton despite his unwavering loyalty... Bent, "Snow Chicken," who betrayed the Eagle Army to survive and then died to prove his loyalty... Otto, who roared "Griffith, death before surrender!" and charged into the orcs...

There were even many people Raven had almost forgotten, those whose names he could only vaguely recall, such as—Wade, Boris…the Humphrey and Humphreyson brothers…

Of this first generation of Eagles, it seems that apart from Simon… only Eric, Link, and Bobby are still serving. More than 80% have died in battle, and less than 20% have been crippled and forced to retire. Fortunately, Raven's pensions and preferential treatment policies have continued to be provided, so their retirement life, as well as the lives of the families of the fallen, are quite comfortable.

Vesdon doesn't count, because he was forcibly added to the ranks. Jacob also doesn't count, because he didn't participate in the Battle of Bloody Heights; he only had time to participate in the war against Eivor. Strictly speaking, he can only be considered part of the second wave of the Eagles.

Melancholy and sentimentality are not in Raven's nature; after all, there's an old saying, "A kind heart cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot manage finances." But now, an old friend stands before him, and he has witnessed his once most obedient and well-behaved child reduced to this wretched state, neither human nor ghost. Who can guarantee that they will not be moved or have their heart stirred? Even Raven, with a heart of iron, is no exception.

Simon was the most obedient, compliant, and sensible. That's why he didn't hesitate when Raven asked him to swallow the milky-white potion. This fanatical loyalty and extreme trust... had reached the point where he wouldn't even blink if Raven wanted him to jump into a fire pit. But the more he did this, the more it troubled Raven. He felt both gratified and guilty.

Simon seemed to sense something; his eyes flickered slightly, but eventually returned to calm.

He keenly sensed Raven's emotional fluctuations—an emotion called "pain." The fluctuations, though subtle, were persistent, continuing unabated ever since Raven had pulled back his hood. Simon was initially puzzled, wondering why the perfectly healthy Raven was in such pain. What was causing the pain? For whom was he in pain? It took him a long time to realize what was happening.

So... it was for him?

He struggled desperately, wanting to say something to comfort Lord Raven. To tell him, "Don't worry, I have no regrets..." To tell him, "Even though...even now, he's slowly understanding his situation and the consequences, he's not so afraid, and he still remains absolutely loyal to you..." To tell him, "He knows very well that you would never bear to hurt him..." To tell him, "He's fine as he is now, no need to be sad, no need to suffer..." To tell him...

But he just couldn't do it no matter what.

He really worked incredibly hard.

The Holy Spring's fighting spirit and the Angelic Essence relentlessly eroded his soul and memories, to the point that nearly half of his soul was stained pink. His entire soul was situated in a pink void. Moreover, his soul seemed to have transformed into a babbling child, with a pile of "birthday divination" items placed before him. However, these items were not gold, silver, treasures, swords, or writing implements… but rather his eyes, his nose, his ears, his mouth, his five senses, his six consciousnesses, and his fading memories… When he picked up his "mouth" to speak, he instantly felt an excruciating pain, like a thousand needles piercing his bones! A pain as if he were being sliced ​​to pieces! He cried out in agony, helplessly gazing into the void, wanting to beg for help. But the surrounding void was empty; no matter how much he cried, how much he suffered, how much he struggled… no one came to his aid. He could only hastily release his hand, discarding his "mouth."

Everything returned to calm.

"Ugh"

He'd thought the kid would at least offer some words of comfort to this old man. But instead, he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Raven could only sigh softly and pull the grey hood up Simon's back, gently patting him on the back.

"set off!"

As Raven gave the order, thunderous dragon roars resounded.

Eric needed to rest, and Raven, not wanting him to be alone with others, planned to have him, Raven, and White Moon ride on Drogon, the eldest. Thor, Chirp, Linga, Igni, and Link would ride on Rhaenyra, the youngest. However, this arrangement clearly didn't satisfy everyone, especially Igni. She insisted on switching places with White Moon.

This annoyed Raven, so he simply had himself and Chirpinga ride Drogon. Eric and the others rode Rhaenyra.

That's good, it saves Qiuqiu and Linga from causing trouble halfway through.

As the two colossal dragons ascended into the sky one after the other, their immense, sky-covering forms deeply shocked the hearts and minds of everyone in Venice. Not to be outdone, the third brother, Vasien, also took to the air, circling a few times to see Raven and the others off before reluctantly flying back to Venice.

"Wow!" "Damn, dragons are amazing!" "Only a few years, and Raven has already grown so big, and broken through to the second tier!" "Sigh!" "They're truly blessed with incredible talent, making everyone envious!"

Chirp-Chirp Linga started babbling again, incredibly excited. It's true, before, when facing dragons, he had to kneel to speak. He'd never felt such power before! Naturally, he was thrilled. However, he talked too much, and no one knew where he'd picked up this chatterbox habit.

“Little mouth!” Raven shouted.

Chirp-Chirp immediately covered his mouth with both hands, his eyes wide open, and mumbled in a muffled voice, "Don't talk!" This was a rule that Raven had set for him a long time ago—that is, don't be a chatterbox when you're with Raven.

However, although Chiu Chiu Linga spouted a lot of pointless nonsense, he did say one thing that was quite right: the heavens were kind to the dragon race.

Logically, dragons should be classified as a magical beast race. Yet, they possess the most ancient wisdom, even establishing their own ancient civilization and language. The dragon race was the first to dominate the continent of Midlers. Unfortunately, in this era, all dragon culture has vanished. Unearthing dragon culture is no less challenging than archaeology.

What's even more enviable is their natural affinity for magical elements. They don't need much cultivation at all; their so-called cultivation relies entirely on their enormous mouths—eating. Whether it's eating magical beasts, dwarves, elves, orcs, humans, or livestock… it's enough to satisfy their cultivation needs. Then they go into seclusion and sleep, sometimes for years, even decades, and when they wake up, their cultivation level has risen dramatically.

Isn't that infuriating? Who can you even complain to?

Furthermore, the older a dragon gets, the larger it becomes, and the higher its cultivation level. They are virtually inexhaustible. Their only drawback, like Raven's, is the difficulty in having offspring. Oh no, in this respect, the dragon race is even somewhat better off than Raven.

However, it was precisely because of this that all the races on the continent of Middles were enraged and united to overthrow the rule of the dragon race. This was the first era of the continent of Middles, also known as the 'Dragon Era'. When the dragon race was overthrown, the orcs contributed the most, and then came the era of "orcs as kings, humans as slaves." This was the second era, also known as the 'Orc Era'. Then there were the 'Elf Era', the 'Chaos Era'... and so on.

This laid the foundation for the current structure of the Middlesbrough continent.

Can it be loosely called... the "Human Era"?
Actually, it doesn't count at all. After all, those so-called "epochs" were eras of ruling and conquering entire continents. Humanity has never reached that peak. Even during the time when the Lord of Light was still alive and the gods were locked in battle, humanity never ruled an entire continent.

"Perhaps...this is my mission?"

Raven clenched his fists involuntarily.

Just now, when facing Simon, Raven's resolve wavered almost imperceptibly. He wasn't made of stone; how could he be without feelings? "Was all this journey worth it?" In that fleeting moment of wavering, this soul-searching question surfaced in his mind. For the pinnacle of power, he had lost his loved ones step by step, one by one, his closest relatives. "Was such a price really worth it?" In his past life, Raven had stayed up countless nights reading novels and watching countless dramas. In those novels and TV series, the protagonists reached the top with almost effortless ease. With a mere tremor of their invincible bodies, villains would immediately kneel, and the world would tremble. They were omnipotent, invincible. They could even guess what the villains were thinking with a flick of their toes. And they were all fair, selfless, infinitely loving, and their values ​​were righteous to the point of being wicked… How come when it came to him, in reality, this whole system failed him?

He couldn't understand it. His thoughts were blocked.

My heart couldn't help but feel lost, confused, and slightly wavering.

Yet, as he now rode atop a colossal dragon, soaring through the heavens, amidst the fierce winds and biting snow… he suddenly sensed something. His gaze swept across a vast expanse of silver-clad, ice-bound land. At the edge of his vision, cities resembled sparrows, and people shrunk to the size of ants. His mind became increasingly clear—the tiger roams alone between heaven and earth. The king reigns supreme among all races.

"There is nothing wrong with this road."

In this cannibalistic era, the weak will inevitably be swallowed up sooner or later. If Raven isn't strong enough, Montreal won't let him go. Tyrone won't let him go. Thomas won't let him go. The eight great families won't let him go. And Habsburg certainly won't let him go.

"All the sacrifices were just growing pains on his way to the pinnacle of power."

If he didn't do that, wouldn't Simon and the others have sacrificed themselves in vain? He would have let them down.

Moreover, his ambition, his grand aspiration, was not merely to remain in a corner of the world and establish himself as king. Nor was it simply to swallow up the Keynesian Empire. Rather, it was to gradually become the ruler of humanity, to dominate the entire continent, and to usher in a true era—

The Human Era!!!
This road is becoming increasingly difficult.

He may succeed, or he may fail. But compared to this grand vision, what are these current difficulties and sacrifices?
A single thought can cause ups and downs, but a sudden enlightenment can bring clarity.

“That’s right.” “To usher in the human era.” “This is precisely Raven’s mission.” Raven was at peace, his thoughts were clear, his mind was firm, and he had no more distractions.

"Raven," "What are you daydreaming about now?" "Tell me." After holding it in for so long, Chuchulinga couldn't take it anymore and ran to Raven's side, asking cheekily, "May the great goblin chieftain and great life mentor, Lord Chuchulinga, enlighten you."

"..."

Raven clicked his tongue. His fists clenched even tighter. He felt a surge of anger and humiliation, as if his thoughts had been exposed and he had been endlessly insulted. "Get out of here."

"Raven," "Eat walnuts." Before Chirpinga had even left, Igni approached again, holding a beautiful little flower basket. The basket was full of shelled walnuts. From her dark fingernails and the spotless walnuts, it was easy to see how meticulously she had shelled them. She had even removed the outer layer of oil from the walnuts. It was clear how much care she had put into it. "Walnuts are good." "You have to eat walnuts." "I heard from humans that walnuts are good for the brain."

"..."

Raven pursed his lips, feeling both speechless and on the verge of losing his composure.

"Damn it!" "You're not even married yet, and you're already this nice to him?" "Give me some, I want some," Chirp Chirp Linga said, reaching for the food. The next moment, another piercing scream rang out. "You wretched woman, you're so cruel! You've scratched my hand raw!" "Have you forgotten?!" "I'm a fourth-tier shaman!" "Believe it or not, I'll perform a ritual right now and send you two to become a pair of lovebirds ghosts?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Yue, who was sitting cross-legged behind her, suddenly frowned. "Marrying?" "A pair of ghost lovers?" "Are Raven and Igni getting married?" Although she tried her best to control the fluctuations in her tone, the others present could still hear a huge difference. Because her originally soft and sweet voice had disappeared, leaving only a coldness like star frost.

"What?" "Is your sister unhappy about her wedding?" Igni suddenly asked with a smile.

"Me? What's there to be unhappy about? I don't care about these things at all."

Bai Yue rolled her round eyes, glared fiercely at Raven who had his back to her, and turned her head away. She had been completely unaware of such a major event. It seemed Raven had never trusted her from the very beginning.

……

(End of this chapter)