Chapter 393 Finally become the Count
The High Court of Royal Power, the center of power of the Keynes Empire.
It is located at the top of a mountain peak that rises from the ground on the plain, with a cliff more than 80 meters high and a 20-meter-high city wall, totaling more than 100 meters. As its name suggests, it overlooks the capital with its height of royal power and the entire Yannaiga.
The stairs flowing down from this hundred-meter-high cliff are like clouds under the rising sun.
Steping the towering stairs step by step, people can't help but feel a trance of stepping out of the mortal world and reaching the kingdom of God.
This is the first time Lei Wen has come to the Royal High Court.
But for some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity, as if this scene had appeared in his mind thousands of times.
That is a call from blood, a sigh left behind from ancient times.
He raised his head and chest to the ladder, his black dress swung with the wind, and the eagle emblem of the Griffith family also flapped his wings and was about to fly.
Walking over the stairs and stepping to the end, Raven bowed to the statue of Cairns I. Then, in accordance with the previous request of the court ritual officer, he personally took the long knight shield with the Griffith family emblem painted in the hand of the hyena behind him and placed it in front of the statue.
"In the name of Griffith, the Keynesian Empire is immortal."
Only the real-powered Earl has the qualification to place the family emblem here.
This symbolizes the family's loyalty to the kingdom and also symbolizes that the family officially enters the core of the empire from then on.
Then, under the guidance of the palace eunuch, Lei Wen walked through the trails and came to the hall of the Royal High Court, which is the palace called the "Supreme Palace".
The men and women of the high-ranking nobles have been waiting here for a long time.
The palace is wide, and even though there are nearly 600 senior noble members of the empire standing here, it still looks quite empty.
Ka, da, da.
Lei Wen stepped into the hall with his shadow, and the sound of footsteps echoed between the towering dome and the walls.
The door of the hall was closed, and the magic light blooming on the four walls dispelled all the shadows and made Lei Wen's face clear.
The originally tense atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.
Even Cairns XVI, who was on the throne, leaned forward slightly.
The last time Raven appeared in public was during the grand trial.
At that time, after nearly 4 months of detention, Lei Wen's spirit declined to the extreme. To be honest, it also disappointed many noble girls who admire Lei Wen.
But now, Lei Wen, who has been reorganized, has surprised everyone.
Is this really the same person as Raven in court?
Confident, calm, young and handsome, but will not give people any frivolous feeling.
It seems like a sharp sword hidden in the sheath after being carefully forged.
Beautiful, exquisite, dangerous.
No matter how old the women are, they show appreciation, admiration and intention in their eyes, while men are more or less resistant except for being surprised.
Some people began to feel ashamed of themselves and suddenly felt grateful to their mother.
Thank you mother, not packing and throwing away your ugly self with the child delivery crane, it is simply a model of maternal love.
Reven walked to the throne ten steps and bowed:
"Your Majesty!"
Keynes XVI stood up and spoke, his voice echoing in the carefully designed hall, as if it was ringing in everyone's ears:
"Today, Baron Levin Ota Griffith was awarded the title of Earl."
"The history of the Griffith family is as long as the empire."
"The ancestor of his family, Don Quixote, once won the title of Earl of the Empire and was also one of the 24 core nobles of the founding of the Empire."
"I have heard rumors in the market, and all rumors say that Don Quixote made a huge mistake, so the name on the obelisk was shoveled away. But today, I want to clarify here-Don Quixote never made a mistake, and his loyalty to his ancestor Keynes I never wavered!"
"After a thousand years, many things have changed, but there are still many things have not changed."
"Another talent appeared in the Griffith family."
Keynes XVI paused for a moment, and his eyes fell on Lei Wen: "He is as powerful as his ancestors, and has made great contributions to the empire."
"More importantly, he is as loyal as his ancestors, and would rather betray his king than betray his king!"
"Lei Wen."
Lei Wen looked respectful: "Your Majesty."
Keynes XVI said in a deep voice: "Today, I will enthrone you as the Earl of the Empire."
"And you, are you willing to act as the blade of the empire, imitate the loyalty of your ancestor Don Quixote, and assist me in recasting the brilliant glory of the First Dynasty?!"
Levin took a deep breath and said solemnly:
"Your will guide my sword!"
The music started in the slightest, and then gradually became more and more magnificent, overflowing in the hall.
The expressions of the nobles in the field have also changed differently.
Keynes XVI's speech just now not only praises the history of the Griffith family and expresses his importance to Raven, but also fully reveals his personal talent and strategy.
Prime Minister Hamilton looked solemn.
Because of the quality of "talented and ambitious", it can also be called "ambitious".
Recast the glory of the First Dynasty.
This heavy sentence means that the previous failure of the war with the Insa Empire did not extinguish Keynes's ambition to establish unparalleled martial arts.
Pei Dinnan's face was serious, but with a hint of prudent expectation.
He was not afraid of war. In fact, after fighting with Insa, he had gradually figured out the opponent's temperament and strength.
As long as he is well prepared, he is confident of revenge for his past shame.
The Duke of Serafinu was more excited.
As the upstarts promoted by His Majesty the King, everything they have is given to him. No matter what His Majesty the King does, they are the ones that are most convenient to use.
As long as they are useful, they have the opportunity to make achievements and gain greater benefits.
The only Duke of Morenzo has the most serious expression.
The Church of Light has a huge influence on the continent. Among the two eastern kingdoms, even the crown of the king must be granted by the pope himself.
In fact, at the end of the Republic, when the Church of Light reached its peak in the influence of the Keynesian Empire, the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic needed the Pope to enthrone himself.
But after the establishment of the Third Dynasty, three consecutive kings spared no effort to eliminate the influence of the Church of Light.
From Keynes XV, the king's crown was no longer interfered with by the pope.
To this day, even the ceremony of Lei Wen's enthronement of the earl does not require the messenger of the Church of Light to preside over it.
Only the ritual duties left to bless the conferred persons.
The court eunuchs had already brought a tray, and on the red griffin was the Count's gold gem crown.
Morenzo moved his footsteps and came to the stairs under the throne, holding a scepter and said in a deep voice:
"Today, under the witness of the Lord of Light, a noble nobleman will be crowned with the title of Count." "I hope you can be a human race on the road to the future..." Morenzo calmed down while chanting his familiar prayer.
Since now is not the time, then wait. As long as the Church of Light is still in the center of the empire, its influence will not disappear, and sooner or later there will be a day when the right to speak will be regained.
When the prayer was over, Morenzo sprinkled a few drops of holy water in front of Revan.
Lei Wen knelt down on one knee.
Keynes solemnly said: "I, Habs Mann Keynes, and the lord of the Keynes Empire, Cairns XVI, hereby announced in the name of the king that I would be promoted to the Earl of the Empire, and the Griffiths family was upgraded to the Earl family."
"From today, he will enjoy all the sovereignty of the Eagle Corner, the Snowy Corner and the Hero Corner in the Nord Province of the Empire, and have obtained the right to open up the Bloody Highlands."
Keynes XVI held up the Earl's crown with both hands and placed it on the head of Raven.
At this moment, Lei Wen finally became the Count.
It has been 9 years since he inherited the Baron.
What's amazing is that although becoming a count was already within Lei Wen's expectations, when the crown fell on his head, Lei Wen couldn't help but feel excited.
Since then, he has more titles.
If Lei Wen wants to introduce himself to others in a formal way, then the full name should be:
The rulers of the Eagle Corps, the Snow Maple Corps and the Hero, the conquerors of the Principality of Evor, the legal ruler of the Bloody Highlands, the Earl of the Keynes Empire, and Reven Shiva Griffith.
Next, the court eunuch announced a series of rewards given to Lei Wen by His Majesty the King.
Including not limited to a set of 3-level enchanted armor, 100,000 gold coins, 1,000 war horses in the blood of the Warcraft, as well as various gold and silver utensils, artworks, etc.
I read it for ten minutes.
Keynes XVI then said, "Okay, get up."
The music changed from grand to cheerful.
A maid brought the tray, and there were two glasses of red wine on it. Cairns XVI picked up one and placed the other in Raven's hand:
"From today, there is no need to endure it."
Levin didn't quite understand whether Cairns XVI was trying to make any decisions, so he raised his glass and touched it. After drinking it all, he was about to speak when Cairns smiled and said, "Enjoy the cocktail party, you deserve it."
After saying that, he put the empty wine glass into the tray and Cairns XVI turned and left.
The reception officially began.
As the protagonist of this banquet, even His Majesty Keynes XVI had to clink cups with Raven, and of course other nobles could not help but congratulate.
From Prime Minister Hamilton, to the new aristocrats represented by Serafinu, to the two old families of Vandoria and Hainholtz.
Even Morenzo, who had captured Raven himself, and who had to kill Raven in the end, came over and chatted with Raven in a chat with him.
This is what politics is, there are no eternal enemies.
Then the scene was a little awkward.
As the protagonist of this cocktail party, there was no one around Lei Wen.
None of the other nobles came to talk to Raven again, including Anthony, who was a little too late to suppress.
Because of the eight great dukes, there is still one missing.
That is Duke Peidinan.
Levin took the initiative to walk to him with the wine glass:
"Duke Pei Dinan, it must be 4 months since we met last time, right?"
This sentence made Pei Dinan's old face flushed.
In theory, high-ranking nobles are all shameless, and it is normal to not show their emotions. But Pei Dinnan is an exception, and he really can't get around the hurdle in his heart.
He felt guilty about Raven.
Especially the meeting 4 months ago mentioned by Lei Wen.
That time, he swore that he could fish out Lei Wen and said, "Come again in 5 days." Later, he received the news that Lei Wen was in prison and was instructed by His Majesty the King.
Before the defeat in the war, most of the responsibility fell on the old-fashioned nobles, and now it is not a good idea to anger Your Majesty again.
Not to mention, in order to show loyalty, Pei Dinnan had to personally create the military plan to accuse Lei Wen.
If you testify, you will testify, but if you let Lei Wen see it and scold it in public, it is really embarrassing. "Earl Leiwen, sorry, I'm old and lack energy. I wish you anew your family glory again!" As he said that, he raised his glass to meet Leiwen.
Pei Dinnan was originally thinking about it, and after drinking, he took a break.
Before he could speak, Lei Wen said, "Duke, this cup is not only a wish for me, but also a long and healthy life."
"Your Majesty has a grand plan. Although you have suffered a small loss when fighting Insa this time, you will be recovered sooner or later. Insa will still need you to take charge of it in the future."
In the first sentence, Pei Dinnan thought Lei Wen was talking sarcastically, and in the second sentence, he knew that Lei Wen was sincerely congratulating him, and felt more and more ashamed: "Earl Lei Wen is so polite. You are the best famous general in the empire today." "No, you are not polite at all." Lei Wen sighed and said, "Although I became an earl, things are all complicated. Many things need to be thought about, and some things need to be discussed." "Now, what makes me most trouble most is how to deal with the bloody highland." Logically speaking, Lei Wen should have a matching fiefdom to become an earl, and at least a county should be there.
But Xuefeng County's territory already has its own masters, and there is no reason to drive them away, so Keynes XVI adopted another plan - that is, to give Raven the right to explore the bloody highland.
This is also the biggest substantial gain from Lei Wen's award for the title of Earl.
The so-called pioneering right is the right to legal occupation. As long as Lei Wen can defeat the bloody high ground, the land captured will be Lei Wen's legal fiefdom.
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The bloody highland is not small in size, not worse than the Nord province. If you really want to swallow it into your mouth, then Lei Wen can be said to be the earl with the largest fief of the empire.
The above environment is very suitable for raising horses, and it is not a problem to support a cavalry unit of tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of people.
In addition, there are many specialties on the bloody high ground, not only bordering the Principality of Aivol and the Insa Empire on land, not only facing the Slave Bay across the sea, but also connecting with the dark areas. Once the business prospers, the wealth it can bring cannot be underestimated.
But although there are many benefits, there are many problems.
The terrain of the bloody highland is not complex, but the soil is poor and cannot feed much of the population. Most of them gather in oasis dotted with stars, and the communication between each other is extremely delayed, which makes the cost of domination extremely huge.
And once you take over the Bloody Highlands, you will not only have to face the pirates in Slave Bay, but you will also expose yourself to the attack range on both sides of Insa Sea and Land.
If a person is not dealt with well, it is not only not an asset, but may also become a burden.
This is why, even though the bloody highland is there, neither the Keynes Empire nor the Insa, nor the city-states of Fedon have been included in the territory.
Duke Pei Dinnan frowned and thought, and slowly said, "It is indeed impossible to take down the bloody high ground in a sudden way. If you use troops to the bloody high ground, you don't need me to give me some advice in terms of tactics. In terms of logistics, you are also a veteran in the battlefield."
"If I have any suggestions... that is, the bloody high ground is different from Ever. If you want to conquer it, don't be ruthless. Kill if you should kill it!"
Leven's eyes lit up: "The Duke's words really point directly to the core of the problem."
The biggest problem in the bloody highland is that the bandits and the people are inseparable.
The environment is harsh and horse thieves are everywhere. No one who can live on it is good. He can kill people by dismounting the horse and herding sheep or getting on the horse.
And the bloody highland has been in a state of chaos since the Third Orc War, a thousand years ago. The big fist is the truth. The horse thief commander after one after another, and there is no order at all.
This is the most difficult point to establish rule on it.
If a country or a regime is a high-rise building, then the people are the foundation, but on the bloody high ground, the foundation is completely a piece of loose sand!
Next, the two had a heated discussion on the topic of how to conquer the bloody highlands.
The other nobles found it strange.
Everyone knows the temper of Duke Pei Dinnan, why did he become more enthusiastic after being scolded by Lei Wen?
Is it because we got along wrong before, and we can start a new situation when we meet again?
In fact, Lei Wen took advantage of Pei Dinnan's guilty mentality.
And talking to Pei Dinnan was even more in order to strengthen this feeling of guilt.
If a big man is used properly, it will be enough to leverage amazing benefits.
After chatting with Pei Dinnan for a long time, the two separated, and the other nobles lost their shackles and rushed to Lei Wen to congratulate them one after another.
Among them, there are many people who shouted that Lei Wen would die before.
Of course, now they have become very kind-hearted and only have a smile on Lei Wen.
The reception lasted until the evening.
During this period, many young noble women smiled affectionately at Lei Wen, expressing and implying that they wanted Lei Wen to invite them to dance. Some bold even took the initiative to invite Lei Wen to the dance floor together.
But they were all rejected by Lei Wen one by one.
It was late at night, and the reception was about to end, and Pier came to Leiwen: "Earl Leiwen, your Majesty is welcome."
Lei Wen is not surprised by this.
Since Keynes XVI wanted to win over himself into his confidant, talking alone is always inevitable.
Although he had some knowledge of the luxury of the palace, when Lei Wen saw the "core flowers" planted in the garden and found that he had been looking for more than three years, his mouth still couldn't help but twitch.
Follow Pierre, Revin came all the way to Cairns XVI's bedroom.
The King, wearing a loose silk robe, naked feet, her legs were closed and she sat on the chair, pointing to the seat opposite and said:
"Sit."
Lei Wen sat down respectfully.
The king can reveal his daily life to you, express intimacy and grudges, but whoever thinks he can be friends on an equal footing with the king is not far from death.
After sitting down, Keynes XVI kept looking at Lei Wen without saying anything, which made Lei Wen feel furious.
After having no choice, he took the initiative to speak:
"Your Majesty's life is so simple, and daily clothes are so simple."
"Insa, it's really hateful."
Keynes XVI smiled: "Haha, although Insa brings a lot of pressure, the compensation for more than 10 million gold coins is not very small, it doesn't make me live like this."
"I'm just used to being simple."
"I'm not afraid of you making fun of it. I only have 8 sets of daily clothes in a year."
After opening the conversation, Keynes XVI stopped silent and changed his posture: "North Province, it is not close to the King Capital. I heard that you have been walking for 13 months to come to the King Capital?"
Levin said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Keynes XVI sighed: "It is time to strengthen the imperial post road. If you are transferred to fight in the future and the army will last for a year, everything will be delayed."
"Speaking of this, I grew up in the Royal High Court, and I have grown up a little larger, and my scope of activities is directly under the jurisdiction of the provinces. At most, I have never had four provinces to guard. It is far less knowledgeable than you."
"Along the way, I have crossed most of the empires. Leivin, what do you think the empire is today?"
Why did you give me a question as soon as you came up?
This view on the general trend of the empire should be discussed at the cabinet meeting chaired by the king.
Although Lei Wen has become an earl now, he does not serve in the central government of the empire. If he said that, his hands would be a little too long.
But if I don't say it...
The king's question could not be delayed. In a second thought, Lei Wen made up his mind and swallowed:
"To be honest, the current state of the empire is actually not optimistic..."
Next, Lei Wen told the truth about what he saw and heard along the way, especially the chaos he saw after entering the Western Guard and the provinces directly under the jurisdiction.
Listen to Raven's story, Keynes XVI smiled and slowly spoke: "Observing meticulously, I am worthy of being a famous general."
"Now, I can also feel at ease to hand over the province of Nord to you."
"The empire is worried about domestic and foreign troubles. When you go back, don't go for another 13 months. Stay the situation in Nord as soon as possible."
Levin nodded immediately: "Yes, your majesty."
Next, Keynes XVI did not let Levin go immediately, but pulled Levin and deduced the detailed process of each battle after Levin entered Aivol on the magic sand table.
To the deduction, we have to ask Lei Wen about the current situation on the battlefield at that time.
It was not until the moon was in the middle of the sky, and it was midnight that Keynes let Lei Wen leave the royal court.
Back at the Emerald Hall, Lei Wen immediately ordered: "Everyone is ready. After receiving the reward from His Majesty the King, we will set off immediately."
"So quickly?" Weiston was a little surprised.
Although they have been here for 5 months, they have been frightened by Lei Wen for 4 months. They have no intention or time to play. They want to stay for a few more days and enjoy it.
"It's not that I have to leave, it's that I'm here, it's that hindering people's hands and having to leave." Lei Wen said, pointing to Weisdong: "But you can stay."
"Brother, I just said that." Weiston smiled and said, "I'll pack my luggage now!"
"I didn't joke with you, you really have to stay this time." As he said, Lei Wen took out the letter of recommendation from Anthony's storage ring: "Please, wait a few days before you can report to Royal University."
Weston looked bitter and said, "Brother, I'm 24, and I still have to go to school?"
"What's wrong with 24? There are still 40-year-old students in the school." Lei Wen looked straight and said, "Be obedient, you should communicate every year and you won't lose money in terms of money."
The changes in the center of the empire involve the situation of the entire empire. Without his own people, he is really at a disadvantage in intelligence.
Leaving Weisdong is equivalent to leaving a pair of ears and eyes in the capital, allowing Lei Wen to always understand the changes in the situation.
"This..." Weiston's expression was entangled, obviously he was still reluctant.
If Earl Tyrone's son Hyde was here, he would definitely kick him up with jealousy when he saw Weiston's appearance.
That's the Imperial Royal University!
You should know that as long as you can graduate from the Imperial Royal University, it is equivalent to having the stepping stone to enter the center of the Imperial Empire, and you are very likely to become a palace aristocrat.
The palace nobles are also nobles!
This is a good opportunity that even the marquis and count families in many places have no inheritance rights, and they cannot even ask for it.
Weston actually disliked him.
It's not that Weiston is so indifferent to fame and fortune, but he has understood that since he entered the capital during the period of time. With his own mind, if he really wants to mix politics, he will probably help count the money if he is sold.
It is better to be happier when you go home and eat honestly and wait for death.
However, Lei Wen's order was not violated, so he could only sigh: "Okay, brother, you have to remember to write more letters to me."
In the next few days, Lei Wen was basically dealing with and summarizing the accounts after entering the capital.
This time I came to the capital, and I had a lot of gains in business. The glory of the angels, the embrace of the angels and the kiss of the angels all opened up the market.
The goods brought were basically sold out. After deducting all kinds of expenses, the total profit reached 1.617,703 gold coins.
If you weren't caught in the middle, you could have earned more.
If it weren't for the right staff, Lei Wen would have planned to open a store here.
In addition, there are various rewards from the king.
The rewards far exceed the prescribed specifications, which also reflects Keynes XVI's emphasis on Raven.
There are a lot of things, and there must be about 500,000 gold coins in total - the set of level 3 enchanted armor is worth more than 100,000 gold coins.
When I came, there were 80 big cars, and when I went back, not only did there be quite a few, but there were 20 more cars.
However, Lei Wen's personal strength has been improved relatively limited.
There is no large amount of time for meditation in more than a year of travel. Due to the lack of high-level magic cores, the magic growth brought by crushing magic cores with the Eye of Truth and extracting energy has become a drop in the bucket.
Now, Lei Wen's magic has only grown to more than 2 stars in level 4, which is about 22% of the magic growth limit.
After 4 days, everything was finally sorted out. Lei Wen also left the Emerald Palace. After writing a letter to say goodbye to His Majesty the King, he set off to leave the capital.
The newly prepared Eagle Army has been waiting quietly outside the city.
Leaving the city gate, Lei Wen looked at the magnificent Yan Naigaal behind him, looked at the towering royal court, suppressed his heart's emotions, turned around, and ordered loudly: "Set off and go home!"
...
(The end of this chapter)