Chapter 411 The King’s Method

Raven slowly sat up from the bed. The first thing he felt was fatigue and dizziness, as if he had stayed up for more than a dozen nights in a row. His chest was stuffy, and his joints and muscles were sore and painful.

The sunlight shines through the window onto the table, and the desk calendar is still on the page I left it on before going to bed.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it was just a dream after all.

However, when his eyes fell on the mirror on the table, Raven was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up and rushed to the table, his eyes twitching slightly, his teeth chattering, and he couldn’t help shivering.

The Raven in the mirror had snow-white hair, his face and hands were covered with wrinkles, his thin face had a sinister look of dying, and his eyes were bloodshot.

It’s like I aged 30 years overnight!
Hearing the noise inside the house, Petty, who lived in the outer room, gently opened the door: “My lord…”

“Don’t come in!” Raven yelled.

Just these words made him gasp for breath, his chest rising and falling constantly. After he calmed down, he said in a hoarse voice:
“…Go and ask for Madam Denise.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After getting Petty’s reply, Raven slumped in his chair, picked up the Angel’s Tears on the table and poured himself a glass. After taking a sip, he felt a little relieved. Silver light flashed in his eyes and he used the Eyes of Truth.

The blood curse suddenly became active, like a group of maggots that decayed bones and devoured marrow, infiltrating every corner of the body.

This sudden aging is the effect of the blood curse.

The noose that was only slowly taking someone’s life suddenly tightened, and even Raven was a little panicked for a moment.

5 years.

I don’t know if it’s coincidence or fate, but Raven only has 5 years left to live.

All kinds of confused thoughts resurfaced.

Raven let his thoughts ebb and flow but made no decision.

Because he knew that any decision at this time would be impulsive and unrealistic.

The door creaked open with the sound of high heels, and Denise walked into the room, complaining in her voice:
“Raven, there have been a lot of things happening in the territory recently. You…”

She was stunned before she finished her words. She closed the door and rushed to Raven in a disorderly manner. She looked at his old face with moist eyes and a trembling voice:
“How is this going?”

Raven smiled calmly, “The blood curse has begun to take its toll.”

“How much longer?”

“…Five years.”

Denise pursed her lips, tears rolling down uncontrollably.

She knew that the Griffith family’s blood curse would take a person’s life at the age of 40. She thought that there was still a lot of time and things might turn around.

But no one expected that Raven’s blood curse would erupt so violently and so suddenly!
But even Donald, when he was nearly 40, did not show any obvious signs of aging.

Her nails dug into her palms, and Denise asked, “Did your majesty do this?”

“Our Majesty would not resort to such means.” Raven knew what Denise was referring to, but still shook his head.
“Please help me put on makeup. This face cannot be seen by anyone else.”

Denise nodded: “Go take a shower first, I’ll get the things.”

As Denise left, Raven walked into the bathroom and lowered himself into the tub.

Looking at the dry and broken hair floating on the water, Raven suddenly remembered what Lux had said to him.

“Thomas is a man who cannot be trusted.”

Was it him who did it?

There is no motive and no evidence.

This made Raven very uncomfortable.

The thought of an enemy hiding in the dark and capable of threatening one’s life is enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

You have to take the initiative to do something…

After cleaning his body, Raven walked out of the room wearing a bathrobe, but the scene before him almost made him think he was still in a dream.

Denise was sitting next to the bed.

Her hair was scattered on her shoulders, her forehead was round and full, and her crystal eyes stared at Raven without blinking.

She was only wearing a thin nightgown, which was soft and close to her skin. Her collarbone was half exposed, and her smooth and plump curves were clearly visible, as charming as a ripe pomegranate.

It’s as if the whole summer’s hot flashes are wrapped in it.

With legs together, the pear-shaped figure is full and plump.

“The Griffith family cannot be exterminated.” Denise bit her lip lightly:

“…I want to keep your bloodline.”

As she spoke, she stood up, untied the cloth knot on her shoulders, and the thin clothes fell to the ground.

Denise’s breathing became hot and rapid as she walked up to Raven, took his hand and placed it on herself.

And Raven seemed a little embarrassed.

Seeing this, Denise pressed her soft body against Raven’s chest, then slowly knelt down: “I’ll help you…”

With one foot flat on the ground and the other heel raised, Denise was almost kneeling on the ground.

……

The time came to noon.

Raven sat at the table while Denise, barefoot on the carpet, worked on Raven.

In the mirror, although Raven’s appearance was slightly different from before, he did not look old at all, and his hair was all dyed black.

“Okay, it’s basically fine.” Denise put down the eyebrow pencil in her hand and gently massaged Raven’s temple: “Now, you are the young and promising Earl again.”

“But, are you really going to do that?”

Raven hummed softly in approval.

He had just thought it over and told Denise all his considerations.

Denise sighed and put away the sadness in her eyes. Just as she was about to discuss the details with Raven, there was a knock on the door:

“My Lord, Madam, there is important news. Ms. Fiona said that you must be informed as soon as possible.”

Denise opened the door, took a letter from Patty and placed it in front of Raven. After they read it together, they looked at each other and saw a hint of surprise in each other’s eyes.

This is an invitation from the Slater family.

Invite Raven to go to Mon’en City in one month to attend the ceremony of Earl Tyrone’s promotion to Marquis, and also to congratulate Earl Tyrone on his appointment as Governor of Nord Province!
“Haha, our Majesty, if he doesn’t take action, it’s fine, but once he does, it’s really amazing.” Raven said with a smile: “Kill Anthony and immediately send someone to put pressure on me!”

“At least it’s done on the surface.” Denise nodded in agreement: “Earl Tyrone has received such a great favor from Your Majesty, he will definitely try his best to understand Your Majesty’s thoughts. This banquet will not be simple.”

“Shall we take the Eagle Army’s 1st Regiment and set off together?”

“No need.” Raven smiled and said, “Since my head wasn’t cut off in my sleep, my life won’t be in danger this time.”

“Besides, there have been frequent personnel changes in the military during this period. Let’s not bother them at this time.”

Two months have passed since Anthony was beheaded.

During this period, Raven made two major moves.

The first thing was to distribute the more than 250 bottles of God-given potions in hand based on the military merits in the previous Eivor War, adding 183 more extraordinary people to the army.

Secondly, the size of the army will continue to be expanded. On the basis of the original three corps, the army will be doubled, and a total of six corps will be formed. The conscription activities are still in full swing.

Denise nodded: “Then, the military merit rewards decided before…”

Lei Wen said: “It will be too late this year, let’s postpone it to the beginning of next year.”

“Then I’m afraid a lot of people will be very anxious,” Denise joked.

“Just to make them anxious.” Raven stood up: “Otherwise, how can we show that the title is not easy to come by?”

……

The time came to October 1193, 11.

It was the day of the ceremony for Earl Tyrone to be promoted to Marquis!
“As expected of an old family.” Raven got off the carriage and exhaled a puff of white mist: “The layout is not much worse than the Royal Court.”

This statement is of course exaggerated, but the luxury of Snake Castle is real.

It had just snowed yesterday, but there was no snow on Snake Castle. Only silk ribbons and flags fluttered in the wind.

If all this were taken off, it would be enough to make a set of clothes for each of the people in half of the city.

The red velvet carpet stretched from the entrance of the Snake Castle Hall to the castle gate. If any part of it was stained by snow or water, a servant would immediately come up to replace it.

“Ah, look who’s here!” A hearty laugh rang out, and Tyrone’s youngest son Hyde strode over to greet him: “Long time no see, Earl Raven.”

“Oh, and Lady Denise!”

After performing a perfect and impeccable etiquette, Hyde stood up and said, “Please follow me. Father is waiting for you two!”

Following Hyde into the hall, the lively and noisy atmosphere hit me.

Hyde enthusiastically explained the dishes and wine on the table: “This is the tender loin of a hippogryph. You need to take the tender meat from the hippogryph’s back and the base of its wings. You can only make this dish from an adult hippogryph.”

“And the craftsmanship is quite particular. It requires adding more than a dozen spices, simmering over low heat for seven days, and then deep-frying it in the fat of the ancient swollen-headed crocodile beast to achieve this crispy outside and tender inside that melts in your mouth.”

“Griffith also raises hippogryphs, but you didn’t know that they can be eaten like this, did you?”

From these words, we can see how proud Hyde is at this moment.

Raven was crowned as an earl with real power, which was the first case in nearly 400 years.

But soon, his Slater family was promoted to a powerful marquisate, and also obtained part of the fiefdom previously owned by the Fox family!
This made Hyde, who had always been unable to raise his head in front of Raven, feel proud!

“And this wine…”

Just as he was about to continue the introduction, the place suddenly became quiet.

Count Tyrone came to the hall, and the music changed from cheerful to solemn.

The enthronement ceremony officially begins.

Since His Majesty the King could not come in person, the royal envoy read the edict and crowned Tyrone with the Marquisate on behalf of His Majesty the King.

Wearing the crown, Tai Long said solemnly: “Today is the day I am promoted to Marquis, and it is also my first day as Governor!”

“First of all, I would like to thank His Majesty for his trust in me and his recognition of the Slater family. I will take practical actions to safeguard the interests of the empire and fulfill my duties for the prosperity of the empire!”

“Secondly, I want to thank everyone present here.”

“The Slater family has come this far without the support of all the nobles. And from now on, the future of Nord Province will also be created by us together!”

“It goes without saying that the empire is not stable right now. Insa is still eyeing us from the northeast, and the attacks from the orc empires in the south and southeast are becoming more frequent.”

“Because of this, I hope that in the years to come, our Nord Province can unite together and make our own contributions to the empire!”

There was prolonged applause in the venue.

The applause slowly died down, and Earl Tyrone walked down the steps with a smile, which also meant that the cocktail party officially began at this moment!
Hyde was overwhelmed by these words, and asked in a low voice: “Raven, you were in the Royal Court at that time, what was the enthronement ceremony like?”

But there was no response from Raven. Turning around, he saw that Raven had already walked to Earl Tyrone with a glass of wine, talking and laughing.

And Archbishop Thomas showed great enthusiasm for Raven.

“This……”

Hyde frowned, as if a ball of fire was burning up, and his face suddenly turned red.

His previous remarks were full of boasting and belittling, and he was more or less hoping that Raven would retort as he had done in the past, and that the two of them would hook up and flirt with each other again.

Originally he thought that Raven didn’t speak because he was speechless due to being squeezed by him, but now he suddenly realized that it was not the case at all!
Before Raven became the earl, they were of the same age and were friends. Hyde was even better than Raven because of his family background.

But now, Raven walked naturally to his father Tyrone, chatting and laughing freely. Archbishop Thomas beside him also smiled, looking like old friends meeting each other.

They are the same kind of people!

My mood became a little low.

Because Hyde discovered that there was a tragically thick barrier between him and Raven.

“Lord Hyde, congratulations on your promotion to Marquis.” Raven raised his glass and stepped forward: “Your achievement of this honor is a cause for celebration for the entire Nord Province.”

“You are too kind, Earl Raven.” Marquis Tyrone smiled modestly. “Speaking of which, I was promoted to marquis this time because of Griffith’s honor. If it weren’t for your outstanding performance in the Principality of Ivor, my Slater family would not have been promoted to marquis.”

As he spoke, Tai Lung was also sizing up Raven.

A trace of doubt arose in Tailong’s heart.

He clearly remembered that Raven had never been fond of putting on makeup like many nobles.

Although Raven looked almost the same now as when they met half a year ago, his face was unnaturally pale, and he had obviously applied a very thick layer of foundation, and his back was slightly hunched.

I haven’t seen him for half a year. How come he has become like this?

Thomas on the side was even more surprised.

I was not surprised that Raven deliberately concealed his weakness, but I was surprised that Raven could actually survive!

Ever since he returned from the Netherworld Sanctuary more than a month ago, he has been paying attention to the news from Eagle City, but there has been no clear result.

He thought Denise had concealed the news of Raven’s death.

This was not uncommon among the nobles, especially since Denise needed time to recall Weston to stabilize the situation.

But unexpectedly, Raven was not dead.

You know, the Soul-Falling Ritual has a precedent of cursing a level 6 strong man. Raven is only level 4, how did he survive it?

“…You’ll have to ask Archbishop Thomas about this.” Tyrone turned the topic to Thomas.

Although Thomas was confused, he was not completely immersed in his own world. He laughed when he heard this: “Marquis Tyrone, Earl Raven, you are asking too much.”

“You guys can hardly grasp the movements of the Orc Empire, let alone me?”

Tyrone did not give Thomas a chance to be modest. “In the southwest of the Kingdom of Bodomitch, on the border with the Orc Empire, there lives a group of ‘Glorious Orcs’, and even an Orc bishop. If there is anyone on the continent who knows the most about the Orc Empire’s movements, it must be your church.”

Thomas coughed, looking a little embarrassed.

The so-called glorious orcs refer specifically to a group of orcs who believe in the Lord of Light.

The church is not completely unified in its attitude toward them.

After all, the Lord of Light has the title of “Protector of Humanity” and can’t control the orcs anyway.

What’s more, orcs are famous for their barbarity, bloodthirstiness and rudeness, which makes many priests dislike them even more.

However, there is also an open-minded group that believes that any intelligent creature that worships the Lord of Light is equal.

Therefore, the church as a whole “does not acknowledge, reject, or accept” these glory orcs.

Of course, secret connections are always necessary.

“Actually, I don’t know much about that place.” Thomas knew it was inappropriate to remain silent, so he said:
“I just heard that the Orc Empire is now quite prosperous, but the competition and friction between the various tribes for territory and resources are also intensifying.”

“The royal family of the Orc Empire is now strong, and the mainstream opinion within the Empire is to expand outward. It is said that they originally wanted to start with Bodomichi, but after experiencing the war between Cairns and Insa three years ago, they seem to have decided to set their strategic goal on the Empire.”

This was the first time Tai Long had heard this news, and his expression was inevitably a little solemn: “These are troubled times… No wonder there have been reports of border riots since last year.”

“Now it seems that this is the prelude to another major war.”

Although the war took place in the southern part of the empire, it did not mean that the Nordic province could stay out of it.

If a war really breaks out, food and fodder will need to be mobilized, military equipment will need to be provided, and taxes will need to be increased.

This is not good news for Tyrone, who has just taken office as governor.

“It seems that my worries have come true.” Raven sighed. “The empire occupies the most fertile land in the center of the continent. Once it shows signs of fatigue, these damn guys will bite it immediately!”

“Protecting the safety of the empire is the responsibility and obligation of every noble. We cannot take this lightly.”

“Of course, as the governor, I will do my best to cooperate with any request from the empire in the future.” Tyrone was a little unhappy with Raven’s attitude. He was the governor of the Nord province, and Raven’s words sounded like he was instructing him to do things.

But it was a happy occasion after all, and he didn’t want to make it too awkward, so he calmly changed the subject:

“But this is not a noble meeting. Let’s talk about serious matters later.”

Raven’s face suddenly turned stern: “This concerns the future of the empire, how can it be put off until later!?”

“I hope the Governor-General can give me his utmost support and ask His Majesty the King to let me lead the army of the Nord Province to attack the Orc Empire!”

Lord Tyrone was stunned.

Archbishop Thomas was also stunned!

Everyone who heard this was stunned!

After the silence, Tyrone was the first to speak: “Earl Raven, for a war of this magnitude, the Empire will make its own decisions, and His Majesty will make his own decisions.”

“Governor, you are wrong.” Raven interrupted Tailong and said righteously:
“Your Majesty gave the place to us nobles and appointed you as governor, isn’t it for the sake of the empire’s long-term prosperity? If Your Majesty has to take the initiative to propose everything, what difference is there between us nobles and vases?”

“No matter how cruel Insa is, he is still of the same race as us. The Orc Empire is a true alien race!”

“If you have the ability to stop them but choose to do nothing, that is the greatest sin!”

“This attack on the Orc Empire is not only for the human race and the empire, but also to prevent the glory of the Lord of Light from being tarnished and desecrated!”

“Archbishop Thomas, what do you think?”

Thomas cursed in his mind.

You’ve said it all, what else can I say?
These words directly take away all the righteousness. If I say I won’t fight, wouldn’t that be betraying the human race and the Lord of Light?
He could only swallow his words and said with a dry laugh: “Earl Raven’s proposal is of course excellent…”

Tyrone couldn’t laugh.

He felt a little sympathy for Anthony now.

As the governor, he has such a maverick subordinate who ignores the governor’s authority!
Raven didn’t lower his voice on purpose. Many people had heard what he said just now, so Tai Long had to put on a stern face to maintain his authority:

“Lord Raven, I hope you are clear about your identity. I am the governor of the Nord Province.”

“Governor, I think you should consider the interests of the empire more than the power of the Governor.”

“Your Majesty will consider the interests of the empire, and I will consider them. You should do your duty well!”

“The nobles’ duty is on the battlefield. Any considerations beyond this are shirking of responsibility!”

“War requires logistics and intelligence. If you don’t have both, acting rashly is like committing suicide!”

“Intelligence can be gathered and logistics can be arranged. The sooner we decide to attack, the sooner we can prepare!”

“The Orc Empire is not Eivor. Do you think every military adventure of yours will be successful?! Then the entire Nord will have to pay for your reckless actions!”

“There is no war that is sure to be won. There will never be victory without going to the battlefield! In the final analysis, you cannot put your personal future above the interests of the empire!”

“If it’s not feasible, it’s not feasible. Don’t think I’m afraid of you just because you put the interests of the empire at the forefront and say a few nice words!”

“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disobey the Governor’s orders and act on my own!”

“Bull shit!” Tyrone slammed the glass to the ground. The sound of the music stopped abruptly with a crackling sound:

“Raven, you despicable lunatic, dirty little bee!”

“Are you trying to seize power?!”

The whole place was silent!

All the nobles present were stunned by the dispute.

It wasn’t just because Lord Raven had dared to fall out with him during the Marquis of Tyrone’s enthronement ceremony.

More importantly, they all knew how risky it was to attack the Orc Empire.

Not to mention, starting from the Nord Province, one needs to cross four provinces to reach the border with the Orc Empire.

Even if we get there, the towering Miracle Mountains are a Jedi that is difficult for humans to cross!
This is not taking an adventure, this is simply seeking death!

Denise was the only one who wasn’t surprised.

Because she had already known about this decision a month ago, on the morning when Raven woke up.

This was an absolutely crazy plan, and it was a decision that Raven made with the certainty of death.

Defeat the Orc Empire, march to the Ancient Forest, and knock on the door of the Elf Empire.

When Raven made this decision, Denise saw an amazing determination in his eyes, without any fear of death.

He was not forced to make this decision by the blood curse.

Although Raven did not say it explicitly, Denise knew that if there was anyone on the continent who could make Raven do whatever he wanted, it was only Lux.

The two of them had a tacit understanding about this matter.

“Lord Raven, I hope you know what you are doing!” Tyrone’s face turned pale. He waved his hand violently, turned around and strode away.

Raven saluted respectfully at his back, then turned and walked to Denise’s side:
“Let’s go.”

Looking at the backs of the two people leaving, Thomas shook his wine glass. Although his expression was solemn, there was a smile in his heart.

Raven’s previous killing of Anthony was undoubtedly a provocation to Keynes XVI.

As a qualified politician, the fact that Keynes XVI did not kill Raven only shows that Raven is still useful.

However, if you use it, you must use it methodically.

Keynes XVI’s method was clever enough – he promoted Tyrone’s title and appointed Tyrone as governor, forcing the two originally close families to become enemies.

It was like an immovable mountain pressing on Raven’s shoulders.

This was undoubtedly more painful for him than killing Raven.

From now on, Raven will be constrained in everything he does. Today is just the beginning.

“It’s really exciting.” Thomas whispered to himself:

“Where will the future of Nord Province go…?”

……

(End of this chapter)