Prelude to the Storm

A month passed, and it was now July, the hottest time of the year.

The trees outside Eagle Fortress had long since been felled, so there was no annoying chirping of cicadas. But after being roasted under the scorching sun for so long, the castle was as hot as a steamer.

"Mm..."

Denise combed a slightly damp lock of hair behind her head and exhaled a breath of stifling heat, but the expression on her face revealed her cheerful mood.

With Raven's marketing and her own superb business skills, Angel's Tear had sold for the high price of one Gold Coin and seventy silver coins per bottle.

Although Raven had given away more than sixty bottles for promotion, and had offered the nobles considerable discounts on the first batch, they had still sold a total of 376 bottles. After deducting all costs, they had earned a total profit of 336 Gold Coins and fifty-five silver coins in just the first month.

Of course, seventy percent of that belonged to Raven, but even so, Fedro Commerce had still gained 100 Gold Coins in revenue.

The nobles would not buy large quantities again in the short term, but they could create an enormous demonstration effect. Once the product became popular, sales should not fall too much over the following year at the very least.

This really was a suitable business.

In less than a year, she would fully recover her initial investment. After that, all income would be pure profit. Even if sales declined later, her annual dividends should still amount to no less than 500 Gold Coins.

Five hundred Gold Coins!

That was almost equivalent to an entire Shining Gold Town. Fedro Commerce's annual net profit was only about that much!

And all of this originated from one invention by Raven. From beginning to end, it had taken only three days.

Denise felt that she was understanding this man less and less. Was he really just a lowborn thug?

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door. "Lady Denise, here is the iced Angel's Tear you requested."

"Come in." Denise leaned back in her chair, preparing to enjoy a rare moment of leisure in the summer.

The door opened. The maid was just about to carry the tray inside when she suddenly noticed a large hand supporting it from beneath. She was startled and was about to cry out when she saw Raven's face.

He raised his index finger to his lips, signaling her not to make a sound, then tilted his head slightly.

The maid understood and quietly left.

Raven carried the tray into the room and gently closed the door.

In this sweltering summer, Denise was dressed very lightly, wearing only a thin, pale-purple silk dress.

Moistened by sweat, the thin silk clung softly to her tender skin. It was difficult to tell whether the silk made her skin appear tighter, or whether her skin made the silk seem even smoother and softer.

She sat with her eyes closed and leaned against the back of the chair, her black hair spilling loose. Her full red lips were striking, while her slender, graceful neck displayed a sexy and alluring sheen of moisture.

Below that was her full figure, showing no sign of sagging as it pushed the dress into a sensual curve.

She was wearing nothing underneath.

Beneath the silk dress, her knees were pressed together and her legs were slightly spread. Her ten toes playfully splayed across the soft carpet, each one painted a fresh, vivid red.

Raven could not bear to disturb this beautiful sight. He tiptoed forward, placed the tray on the table, quietly poured a glass of wine, and handed it to Denise.

The latter's hand brushed the glass, and her index finger landed on the back of Raven's hand. She suddenly opened her eyes. "Why are you here?!"

She tried to stand, but the position of her legs made it difficult to exert force. She had only risen halfway when she dropped back into her seat with a muffled groan.

The liquid rippled.

"This is my castle. I can go wherever I want." Raven said, "And I advise you not to move around. The more you move, the more clearly I can see."

"Rogue!" Denise glared fiercely at him, slammed the glass onto the table, and stood despite his warning. Swaying her slender waist, she walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a heavy nightdress to cover herself. "What are you trying to do now?"

Denise was tall and voluptuous. The sight of her walking to the wardrobe in that thin silk dress was so dazzling that one almost wished to rush over and take the beauty into one's arms.

Raven adjusted his posture so it would not discomfort his little brother and said with a smile, "I'm here to collect the rest of my payment, of course. Aunt Denise, you still owe me 700 Gold Coins."

"I'll give them to you once the funds come back in." Denise said, "Business is about cooperation and mutual benefit. If I go bankrupt, it won't do you any good."

"I know that, of course." Raven's gaze fell on her neck, which had become covered in sweat from the heat. "But I urgently need some money right now. Can't you work a little harder?"

"Impossible." Denise was annoyed by Raven's gaze, but she could not cover herself any further—it was simply too hot.

The oppressive heat made her even angrier. "Last time, to pay you 300 Gold Coins, I diverted the funds meant to purchase the autumn grain. This time's profits have to replenish them immediately."

"If you want quick money, then give me the formula for that marvelous liquid used to make Angel's Tear!"

Raven shook his head. "You know that's impossible."

"Then please wait patiently." Denise pointed at the door. "I'm about to begin the next stage of my business planning. Please leave my room immediately, right now!"

Raven spread his hands. "Can't you return to Monen City and borrow money in Fedro Commerce's name..."

Before he could finish, a pillow came flying straight at his head.

With a smack, Raven caught the pillow securely. He lowered his head and took a deep sniff. "Mm... That smells wonderful. Is it rouge from Elegant Lady?"

Denise was both embarrassed and furious. "Raven!!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Aunt Denise. A calm heart naturally cools the body. You're only so hot because you think too much." Raven slowly backed away. "Since you won't agree, I'll take my leave first."

He retreated step by step. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly turned his head back. "Oh, right. I still prefer the purple one."

Denise froze for a moment, then lowered her head and looked at her toes. For a while, she had no idea how to react.

Raven closed the door and shook his head lightly.

He had not come here merely to tease Denise—though that had certainly been fun.

He was worried about something else.

When he returned to the conference room, Old Gordon was already waiting there. "Lord Raven, everything has been arranged according to your instructions. Nothing was overlooked."

"Did Weston come and cause trouble?" Raven asked.

A trace of amusement appeared on Gordon's face. "No. Young Master Weston heard that it was something you ordered and didn't even dare approach."

"Still, is this really all right, Lord Raven? After all, this is Eagle Fortress..."

"Precisely because it is Eagle Fortress, I have to do this." Raven spoke decisively. "Starting tonight, you and Bolo will stay at Eric's house. Remember, don't tell anyone else."

"Your decisions are always wise." Gordon bowed. "I shall obey your command, my lord."

A burst of hurried footsteps approached. A maid anxiously reported, "My lord, this is bad! Mister Bolo has been injured!"

Raven immediately grew alert. Bolo held the technique for the Saponification Reaction, so Raven could not afford to take his injury lightly. "Don't panic. Tell me exactly what happened."

"Mister Bolo was injured—badly injured! His right hand was burned over a huge area. It looks, it looks like rotten meat covered in mold!" The maid's face was filled with fear and panic.

Her account was extremely confused, but Raven could tell that Bolo was not in mortal danger. "Where is he? Take me there."

"Yes, yes!" The maid did not even have time to bow before turning and leading the way.

Raven sighed quietly. This maid's quality was truly worrying.

But there was no helping it.

This world had servants and maids as professions, but the ties of personal dependence were extremely strong. They were usually sent to noble estates at a very young age, then subjected to rigorous training and made to work there for the rest of their lives.

To reduce the castle's expenses and lower the possibility of his secrets being discovered, Donald had dismissed all the trained maids and manservants in the castle. The servants present at the ceremony a month ago had all been hired from Shining Gold Town at a high price by Gordon.

Now that Eagle Fortress's finances were gradually improving, three more rough maids had been added to the castle. However, they were all commoners from the territory and had not had time to receive any training. There were no better options, so they had to make do.

When they reached the infirmary, Raven smelled a salty, rancid odor as soon as he entered. It was clearly the smell of a Sodium Hydroxide solution.

Bolo was lying on the bed, clutching his hand and covered in sweat. A maid was frantically wrapping his hand in gauze, but with little effect. Fresh blood was seeping through the cotton.

"My lord, why have you come?" Bolo sat straight up on the bed and glared angrily at the maid. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb my lord?!"

"I came of my own accord." Raven sighed helplessly, then said coldly, "You two, go out and get back to work. I'll handle things here."

The maid responsible for the bandaging shuddered. "But, my lord..."

"Out!" Raven raised his voice. Only then did the two maids hurriedly bow and leave.

Raven slowly pulled away the gauze, while Bolo clenched his teeth tightly.

Although he had already anticipated it, Raven still sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the wound.

The flesh on the fat palm had been burned into a twisted, swollen mess, resembling a tightened fishing net. Tender flesh gaped through the openings like a sausage split from roasting, with fresh blood flowing steadily from within.

"How did it end up like this?" Raven asked. "Didn't I tell you to wear your gloves properly whenever you handled Caustic Soda?"

"My lord, the weather was simply too hot. Wearing gloves all day gave me prickly heat all over both hands..." Bolo lowered his head and muttered, "Besides, I never expected it to suddenly explode when heated..."

Raven asked, "You used an iron pot?!"

Bolo's old face reddened. "I... I did. We had run out of wooden buckets..."

"You really are... You really don't value your life!" Raven was so angry that he nearly laughed. "Did you think the rules I gave you were a joke?!"

At high temperatures, Sodium Hydroxide reacted with iron to produce water, magnetite, and hydrogen. The first two were harmless enough, but the third could be fatal!

Fortunately, it had exploded directly inside the pot. If the reaction had continued any longer, the entire kitchen might have been destroyed.

Raven pulled over a basin of clean water and pressed Bolo's hand into it. Then he turned around, poured half of the automatically replenishing Healing Potion into a bowl, and handed it to Bolo. "Drink it."

Bolo nodded and drank the potion, then let out a cry of astonishment. "My god, it's miraculous!"

The wound on his hand began closing at an astonishing speed. The bleeding stopped at once. Although it had not healed completely, he would be able to use the hand again after half a month at most.

"Rest at home for half a month." Raven said, "For the next while, I'll hire people from Shining Gold Town to prepare the meals."

Bolo did not want to lose this well-paid job. "But, Lord Raven..."

"Don't worry. No one will replace you." Raven smiled. "Once your injury has healed, if you don't want to continue improving Angel's Tear, you can simply focus on your regular duties."

"I'm willing to, my lord!" Bolo nodded vigorously. "I guarantee I'll never disobey your orders again!"

"Good. I believe you." Raven patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

For a lord, the chef and the personal guards were the two most important positions. One could not afford to fall out with either of them. Even if they could no longer be employed, they had to be appeased before being replaced.

Their duties concerned the lord's safety.

Raven had grown up watching Romance of the Three Kingdoms in his previous life. He had no desire to repeat the fate of that leopard-headed, ring-eyed man who wielded an eight-span serpent spear.

"Talented people are hard to come by!" Raven sighed faintly as he walked through the castle.

Bolo had indeed made a serious mistake, but Raven still could not replace him.

After all, apart from Bolo, no one else was capable of taking on the important task of refining Glycerin.

The process was not technically difficult, but it required precise operation. Moreover, it concerned the secret of Angel's Tear, so only someone absolutely loyal could handle it.

Most of the commoners were loyal enough, but they were not clever enough. Heaven knew how much time it would take to teach them.

Besides, the more people who knew, the greater the chance that word would leak out.

"Lord Raven!" Eric's figure appeared at the end of the corridor. "I heard you were looking for me?"

"How are the equipment purchases going?" Raven asked.

"Not very well." Eric said, "Most of the finest bows nearby come from Thousand Needle Pine Forest, which is currently controlled by the Worton Family. They're asking five Gold Coins for bows that should cost three. It's far too expensive. I've already sent people to Monen City to make inquiries."

Raven was not surprised by this result.

A month ago, after returning to Ironforge Castle, Anger woke up and gave Judra a thorough tongue-lashing. He also publicly declared that Judra's promise was completely invalid and that the Worton Family would never surrender the benefits they were entitled to.

This naturally violated the nobles' reputation, but apart from a few lukewarm criticisms, no one had stepped forward to uphold justice or restore order.

After all, with no benefit to be gained, who would wade into such muddy waters for no reason?

Raven asked, "There's still some fine beechwood in the warehouse. Can't we make the bows ourselves?"

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy." Eric gave a bitter smile. "I once saw the process for making a strong bow. It's extremely complicated, with dozens of steps and a lengthy process. It would take at least three years to produce one, and the success rate is very low. Otherwise, the price wouldn't be so high."

Raven had only asked casually. Hearing this, he could only sigh again. "Talented people are hard to come by!"

"Actually, there is a way." Eric said, "It's just... not especially honorable."

Raven's eyes lit up, and he regarded his retainer with some surprise. He had never expected that the broad-browed, narrow-eyed, upright-looking Eric would say something like that. "What's so dishonorable about it? Tell me."

"You know that the Continental Convention two hundred and thirty years ago explicitly prohibited the slave trade." Eric looked embarrassed, but still lowered his voice and explained, "The Bloody Highlands, however, don't care about that. I've heard that slaves are often sold there, including no shortage of highly skilled dwarves, Grey Dwarves, and gnomes."

Raven became interested. "What about the others?"

"Elves, catfolk, foxfolk, drow—are there any of them?!"

Eric said, "There should be, I suppose..."

Raven pressed him. "What are the prices like?!"

"I haven't been there, so I don't know much about it." Eric said, "But when I used to serve Lord Donald, I heard a few things. Apparently, a single elf could cost more than ten thousand Gold Coins. Dwarves and Grey Dwarves ranged from several hundred to over a thousand Gold Coins. If they possessed Transcendent power, the price would be even higher."

An expectant smile appeared on Raven's face. He did not have enough money right now, but sooner or later, he would have enough. He had already begun looking forward to the scene...

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded. Gaul rushed in, his head covered in sweat.

"Lord Raven! Just as you predicted, traces of bandits have been discovered near Eagle Beak Mountain!"

At the same time, inside the Eagle's Wing Inn in Shining Gold Town.

A man in a brown cloak knelt on one knee. "Lord Hyde, I just received word. They've arrived!"

Hyde asked, "How strong are they?"

The man replied, "Two First-tier Transcendents, six First-tier magical beast mounts, and sixteen ruthless killers who make their living robbing and murdering. Last year, the twenty-man unit led by a Second-tier Knight under Viscount John was wiped out by them while transporting goods!"

"Excellent." A sinister smile appeared on Hyde's face. "Tell them not to hold back. Just make sure to leave Raven alive."

"Raven, since you refuse to accept these 5,000 Gold Coins, I'll smash them into you until you submit!"