Chapter 417: Conferring the Viscount
Many thanks to Qidian Dad [Book Friend 20220511154837907] for the 200 reward!

……

As if to celebrate the arrival of the enthronement ceremony, Eagle City welcomed rare good weather.

The sky was cloudless and the sun was shining, even the biting cold wind disappeared, and the frozen surface of Liujing River shone like a mirror.

Eagle City is like a giant waking up from sleep, with flags like his fluttering beard and hair, and music like his joyful songs.

The entrance was almost full of carriages, and later they had to be parked on streets farther away, paralyzing traffic on several surrounding roads.

Arriving late, even the Baron had to squeeze through the crowd.

For example, Baron Seleva.

As Raven’s neighbor and the lord of Taida County in Xuefeng County, he is in his early 40s, with an upright figure, a strong physique, and a neat short beard. He looks like he is both civil and martial, and his aristocratic temperament is fully displayed.

But his face looked a little gloomy.

It was not because the crowd was too crowded. On the contrary, he hoped that the road would be a little more difficult to walk on. It would be best if some trouble could happen and ruin today’s ceremony.

Because he really didn’t want to see Raven, especially the current Raven.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have arrived at the scene so late since his territory borders Raven.

Baron Seleva felt that he had always been a broad-minded nobleman. He would forgive the serfs and commoners for their slight disrespect towards him, and he used his right of virginity with great restraint.

But he was really jealous of Raven.

In just 10 years, Seleva watched Raven grow from a gangster and a little bee into a baron, and then from a baron to an earl. The gap between him and him became larger and larger, so large that he could only look up to him.

We are all human beings, and I am of noble birth, so why is there such a big gap between us?

Fate is unfair!

“Baron Seleva.”

The greeting brought Seleva back to his senses. He had unknowingly passed through the crowd and arrived at the gate of Eagle City.

Standing at the door was a young man who looked to be in his 20s. His appearance was not outstanding, but what was attractive was that he was wearing four gold rings on his left hand.

“I am Hu Xia, the acting butler of Earl Raven, and I am in charge of receiving guests.” The young man saluted and said, “I made a poor arrangement today and failed to bring you in early. I hope you can forgive me.”

Seleva had heard of the name Hu Xia. He was born into a merchant family. After graduating from Griffith College four years ago, he joined the Eagle Army and served as Raven’s clerk. He also served as a special envoy to the Principality of Eivor on behalf of Raven.

Now that he can stand here, it seems that he is deeply trusted by Raven.

Seleva immediately put on a friendly smile and said, “It is an honor for me to be invited to this ceremony. How can I be picky?”

“I’m glad you don’t mind.” Hu Xia smiled and said, “The Earl is waiting for you in the hall!”

Nodding, Seleva tightened his tie and strode in.

He arrived late, and many nobles, especially those from the five northwestern counties, had already arrived.

There is Knight Dalton, the agent of Binziman after the death of the Younger, Viscount Jonathan, the son of Viscount John, Viscount Broca, the lord of Shechar, Baron Shuf, the lord of Eck, Baron Kate, the lord of More, Lady Doreen, the lord of Gravel, and Baron Mark, the new lord of Ironforge.

There is also Baron Versassin, the lord of Kogar.

His beard and his bald head, which was like a peeled boiled egg, were equally eye-catching.

As soon as he saw him, Seleva’s mood couldn’t help but drop a little more.

It’s not just because, at the beginning, Seleva and Vissasim both stood against Raven, but later Vissasim turned to Raven.

Moreover, it was because, right now, Visasi was gathering with the officers under Raven, drinking and chatting happily.

“Shameless!”

Sereva muttered something under his breath.

Link and Simon are fine, as they are both knights, but the others, like Bobby, Wade, Otto, Boris, and Jacob, are just officers without any titles.

Being with them is simply lowering one’s status!
He picked up a glass of Angel’s Tears and drank it. The cold wine flowed down his throat into his stomach, calming Seleva’s emotions.

“Ugh……”

Seleva knew why Vissasim did this.

Because this investiture ceremony is the first time that Raven will invest a noble after being promoted to earl, at least one baron will be invested.

In other words, among these peasants, there will soon be someone who can stand on equal footing with him, Seleva!
Moreover, when nobles interact with each other, in addition to status, what they consider is financial resources and strength.

Under the governance of the Griffith family, the three connected territories in Raven’s hands, Eagle Territory, Snow Maple Territory and Holo Territory were all well governed and prosperous.

Whoever can cut off a piece of baron territory from it, his strength and financial resources will be the best among the barons.

The newest of all barons.

Thinking of this, Seleva coughed lightly, moved slightly closer to Vissaxin and the others, and hinted at Vissaxin with his eyes.

As long as Vissasim invited me over at this time, it is not impossible for me to condescend to talk to them.

Yet no one looked at him twice.

Seleva felt his face getting hot, but he was too embarrassed to approach her.

If I had known this earlier, I would have clung to Raven sooner!
“What is Baron Seleva doing?” Not far away, Baron Kate was shaking his wine glass.

“He was the one who held it back.” The nearly 50-year-old Viscount Broca laughed.

“He had always been at odds with Earl Raven in his early years. When the trade alliance was first launched, his participation was extremely limited. Now that Lord Raven has become an earl, he wants to share in the glory, but he can’t get over the hurdle in his heart.”

“Why bother?” Kate sighed. “When Earl Raven went on an expedition to Eivor and the bandits took the opportunity to attack Eagle City, he came to support him.”

Having said that, Kate had no intention of inviting Seleva.

After all, Seleva doesn’t just have a problem with Raven.

Now seeing him alone, Kate felt secretly happy.

“Speaking of which, if we talk about who has developed the best relationship with Earl Raven, it has to be Viscount Broca,” Kate said with a smile.
“Earl Raven is about to attack the Orc Empire again. There must be another large order for enchanted crossbows, right?”

“Haha, no problem, no problem. It’s all for the greater good of humanity.” Brocka responded vaguely.

His territory is famous for producing enchanted crossbows. Previously, Eivor War Raven’s war machine, which was fully operational, brought him huge profits, and this is certainly even more so now.

He won’t reveal the exact figures publicly, but in short, the money he makes in a year now is more than what he made in the past 3 or 5 years combined before Raven’s rise!
Don’t show off your wealth. Brocka didn’t want to dwell on this topic, so he said, “Besides, after all, no matter how much money you have, it’s just a thing outside of your body. I still envy you more.”

“I think Beta will have a chance at this canonization ceremony, right?”

Kate quickly said modestly: “No, no, my son is still young, how can it be so easy for him to get a title? He can just follow Lord Raven to gain more experience, that’s all!”

But no matter how modest he was, a hint of pride still showed through.

His youngest son Beta had no right of inheritance, but now he is under Raven’s command and has a stable situation.

If Earl Raven goes one step further and becomes a marquis or a duke in the future, Beta will surely be able to come to the fore!

Maybe Kate will have to rely on her son Beta in the future.

Brocka sighed, “What a pity. I’m old now. Otherwise, I would have let Howell gain more experience under Earl Raven.”

Hearing the sincerity in the regretful words, Baron Kate comforted him: “Howell is your only son, it is better for him to be safe. As long as we can keep up with Earl Raven’s footsteps, even if we don’t pursue military merit, our family will be able to prosper forever.”

Brocka smiled and nodded.

When Raven was still a baron, Broca, as a viscount, stood firmly on Raven’s side, even at the cost of his own reputation and short-term interests.

Now he has indeed been handsomely rewarded.

And it’s not just him. Many nobles in the hall now, including Vissaxin, Lady Doreen and other nobles, will benefit greatly as long as they are close to Raven.

Lady Doreen’s jewelry alone is worth at least 3000 gold coins, which is the entire income of an ordinary baron in 3 to 5 years; Baron Wessacine can arm 50 fully armored cavalrymen just by selling war horses and fodder in a year.

Even Seleva, who has always been on distant terms with Raven, earns at least twice as much as an ordinary baron.

Just like Kate said, as long as you follow Lord Raven’s footsteps, there will always be countless benefits.

At this moment, the hall, which had been a little noisy, suddenly became quiet.

Bloca looked towards the entrance of the hall and his pupils shrank slightly.

Marquis Tyrone and Archbishop Thomas walked into the hall side by side. Archbishop Thomas was not bad either, and it was said that he was ready to fully support Earl Raven’s expedition to the Orc Empire.

But Marquis Tyrone had previously had a big argument with Earl Raven over this issue.

Earl Raven actually invited him as well?
If this gets into a fight…

“Hahaha…” A hearty laugh broke the silence in the hall. Raven strode up to Tyrone and said, “Marquis Tyrone, it is an honor for the Griffith family to have you here.”

Marquis Tyrone also smiled. “Earl Raven is going to confer titles on a group of nobles, which means that new people will join the ranks of the Nord Province nobles. As the governor, how can I not come to witness this scene?”

The harmony of the scene stunned the nobles, including Brocka.

Especially Serewa.

He was half nervous and half expectant, just wanting to see Raven and Tyrone have another big fight, preferably ruining the entire banquet.

But Marquis Tyrone acted as if the previous quarrel had never happened.

Seleva witnessed the scene with his own eyes. He was spitting at the mouth, and the two men had ferocious expressions as if they wished they could eat each other!
Could it be that… Marquis Tyrone is helpless in the face of Earl Raven’s strength?

He could only keep this question to himself, as it was impossible for Seleva to confirm it with the person involved in person.

With the arrival of Tyrone and Thomas, all the guests were present and the ceremony officially began.

Raven climbed onto the platform at the end of the hall and said loudly:

“Welcome everyone to Eagle City.”

“It has been more than a year since the Griffith family was promoted to earl, all because of the great victory in the Eivor War.”

“This victory is inseparable from the strong support of the nobles of Nord Province present here. I would like to express my gratitude here.”

There was a gentle applause.

“The merits of all the gentlemen will be rewarded by the Empire; and the warriors who have dedicated their blood and sweat to me will of course be rewarded by me.”

“Without them, there would be no Griffith family today!”

“Next, please stand in front of me, the person whose name I call.”

Gathered beneath the high platform were the important civil and military officials under Lei Wen.

Eric, Simon, and Link took the lead, with the younger generation including Thor, Turo, and Baido standing behind them.

On the other side, Kuman, Koru and others stood in the front, followed by Moas, Beta and others.

Originally they should have stood together, but since Thor framed Hoyaz, the hidden contradiction became public and the two sides stood clearly apart.

Eric, Kuman and others were still quite calm, but the second-generation characters behind them were a little nervous. They were observing each other, and there was a sense of secret competition between them.

“Wheeler, Bobby, Wade, Boris, Hu Xia, Jacob Lai, come forward!”

The crowd parted, and those whose names were called walked to the bottom of the platform, knelt on one knee, with joyful enthusiasm on their faces.

Especially Hu Xia.

“Hyena” Wheeler is the chief of the personal guard of Lord Raven. He once led the heavy cavalry and made great achievements in the battlefield.
Bobby, Wade, and Boris were all Lord Raven’s original personal soldiers. Now they each lead a battalion and have performed brilliantly.
Jacoblai served as the vanguard and led the way in destroying the right wing of Dudu’s army in the war with Dudu on the battlefield of Eivor.

He never expected that he would be among them!

Raven picked up the heavy sword next to him. It was an eight-sided Han sword that Raven had personally ordered to represent the authority of the Griffith family.

“As a reward for your loyalty, I will make you my knights!”

Hu Xia followed the crowd and knelt on one knee, shouting in unison:
“Swear allegiance to the Griffith family until death!”

When the sword was placed on his shoulder, Hu Xia’s heartbeat reached its limit.

He was born into a merchant family and knew the reality between classes all too well.

A businessman, no matter how rich he is, cannot hold his head up in front of a noble.

The nobles enjoyed the wealth and offerings they brought, but ordered them around like dogs, without any respect or equality.

Becoming a knight now is not only his personal achievement, but also a solid step forward for the entire family!
When the enthronement process was completed, Hu Xia stood up dazed, thinking about how to design the family emblem – this was a question he had never considered at all.

As congratulations came one after another, Hu Xia instinctively responded with a smile.

When he saw Hoyaz, his mind suddenly became clearer.

The most direct reason why Lord Raven appointed him as a knight was probably because he had once risked his life to go on a diplomatic mission to the Principality of Eivor, and Hoyaz was the person who went on the mission with him at that time.

Something happened to Hoyaz some time ago and he cannot be knighted now, so all the credit goes to Hu Xia himself.

“Congratulations.” He Yaz patted Hu Xia on the shoulder: “You are one step ahead today, and I will definitely catch up in the future!”

Hu Xia nodded vigorously.

“Eric, Link, Simon, forward!”

Raven’s voice sounded, and the three men strode up to Raven.

Thor held his breath.

The knights have been canonized, and next, the baron will be born from these three people!
Raven glanced at the three people and said in a deep voice:

“Link, Simon, you have both made great contributions on the battlefield of the Principality of Eivor.”

“The title is hard to come by, I cannot give it away carelessly; I cannot fail to reward you for your contributions. From today on, the size of your fiefs will be tripled, and you will each be given 3 serfs!”

“Thank you, Lord Count!”

Raven looked at Eric again: “Eric!”

“In the previous war against the Principality of Eivor, you led the 1st Legion of the Eagle Army to fight bravely and took the lead in every battle. Not only did you defeat Earl Dudor head-on, but you also led the heavy cavalry to win merits. When you captured the capital, Blue Castle, you even risked sneaking into it and took down the city wall. Your merits are outstanding!”

“Hereby, you are conferred the title of Baron, enjoying 35 acres of land in the northwest of Xuefeng Territory, as well as 1 serfs!”

Eric burst into tears, and his eyes were suddenly blurred by tears.

Everything seemed like a dream.

He was still a freeman when he was 40 years old. Who would have thought that in just a dozen years, he would become a baron!

Baron!
Innumerable knight families had fought for several or even dozens of generations, but none of them could accomplish this goal. However, he had achieved it today.

The untouchable middle name “Ota” can finally be included in his name.

From then on, his full name was Eric Ota Dyson!
Thor was so excited that he couldn’t express it in words.

If the occasion wasn’t solemn, he would have wanted to jump up and laugh!

This is a baron, a nobleman above a knight, a nobleman who can be knighted!

Moreover, it is a title that can be passed down without the need for anyone’s consent!
Eric has only one son, which means that he will definitely be a baron in the future.

There is a territory waiting for him to govern, and in that territory, he will be the king who has the final say.

As the only baron under Raven, from now on, in the Griffith family, his power in the Dyson family will be second only to that of the others!
His father Eric is too old-fashioned, so he will use this authority to his advantage.

He wanted to see who dared to give him a hard time!
Welcoming his father with a smile, Thor was already looking forward to the upcoming cocktail party, imagining himself as the center of attention.

However, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Because instead of walking down from the podium and starting the cocktail party, Lord Raven cleared his throat.

The crowd next to them parted, and a noble lady in a dress slowly walked over.

It’s Lady Denise!

What is she doing here at this time?
“Denise Griffith.” Raven stared at Denise.
“I am here to confer upon you the title of Viscount!”

After a brief silence, the hall suddenly became lively.

Marquis Tyrone’s face was as blue as steel!

……

(End of this chapter)