This can't be an act.

"Lord Raven, we've arrived." In front of Snow Maple Fortress, Eric stopped the carriage.

The moment he lifted the carriage curtain, he froze completely!

Was this still Baron Raven?

His clothes were the same as before, but the once smooth and neat fabric was now full of wrinkles, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, his face pale and swollen, his eyes bloodshot—as if he hadn't slept for days, indescribably haggard and dejected.

"My lord... what happened to you?"

Raven yawned and asked, "How do I look?"

"Uh..." Eric carefully chose his words: "I suggest you rest a bit more. Looking like this, the Inquisition might mistake you for a vampire and deal with you."

"Then that's perfect." Raven jumped down from the carriage. "Worth the hour I spent rubbing my face."

Unlike Eagle Fortress, Snow Maple Fortress sat atop a mountain peak, with no moat. Instead, it was built along a ridge, rising from low to high—more a fortress than a castle.

Raven's sudden visit caught the Snow Maple Fortress garrison off guard, but after confirming his identity, they lowered a basket and hoisted him up onto the wall.

Guided by a soldier, Raven arrived at the castle hall's entrance. Like a headless fly, he paced anxiously in circles, occasionally scratching his disheveled hair, with none of the bearing a noble should have.

"Kent, what do you think?" On the third floor, Viscount John leaned by the window, scrutinizing Raven's behavior. "This young man came in the dead of night—what's he plotting?"

Kent, the butler, replied respectfully, "Given Baron Raven's obvious anxiety, it seems he has urgent business."

John asked again, "Could he be faking misery?"

"Unlikely." Kent shook his head gently. "Look at him—his steps are erratic, his forward, backward, and circular movements completely random. His eyes and bags don't look like makeup either. If he's acting, his skill is far too masterful."

"Then let him in." John ordered. "Bring him to my study."

John arrived at his study, and a few minutes later, a haggard Raven entered under Kent's guidance.

The moment he saw John, Raven looked like he'd found a savior, his eyes lighting up: "Oh! Honorable Viscount John, I've finally seen you!"

He plopped down into a chair and let out a long breath: "Thank heavens, thank you for agreeing to see me!"

Seeing him like this, Viscount John's initial wariness diminished significantly.

Snow Maple Territory bordered Eagle Territory, and what happened at Eagle Fortress naturally couldn't escape his notice.

As the old saying went, all that glitters is not gold.

Raven might look presentable, but he was ultimately just a thug. Though he'd won by luck, he'd been scared out of his wits. This visit was likely to borrow troops to bolster Eagle Fortress's defenses.

"Don't panic. This is Snow Maple Fortress—no one can harm you here." John said kindly. "Kent, pour Baron Raven a glass of wine."

Perhaps his reassurance worked; Raven's demeanor calmed slightly. He took the wine from Kent and took a small sip.

"Baron Raven, I deeply regret what happened at Eagle Fortress. As a fellow noble, I'm happy to help strengthen your defenses, but I know your funds are tight." John revealed his intent. "So, if you could fully transfer Shining Gold Town to me..."

Raven reacted instantly, cutting off Viscount John: "Shining Gold Town is the key!"

John thought he'd come around and chuckled, "Right, as long as Baron Raven hands over..."

"No, not me!" Raven said loudly, almost deliriously. "It's you! Please, you must immediately return Shining Gold Town to me, or disaster is imminent!"

"What?" Viscount John thought his ears were failing him. "I hand over Shining Gold Town?"

Raven nodded heavily. He leaned in, his right hand pressed to his chest, and twisted his armpit hard, tears instantly welling up: "Viscount John, the attack on our Eagle Fortress wasn't random—someone orchestrated it from behind!"

"The mastermind is Hyde of the Slate Family! He wanted my baron title, I refused, and that brought this calamity upon us!"

John's brow twitched. "Hyde Slate?"

As the actual controller of Shining Gold Town, he'd long known Hyde had been living there recently and had even sent people to visit, but he never imagined he'd be plotting something like this!

No wonder those bandits bypassed the closer quarry and charged straight for Eagle Fortress.

Among the five noble ranks—Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron—no matter how esteemed a Viscount or Baron was, they only ruled a corner. Only an Earl had the qualification to govern a region.

Take Nord Province, for example—most of its fiefs were held by the Slate Family. If they set their sights on someone, let alone a shallow-rooted Baron like Raven, even a Viscount like John would have to yield.

John considered his words and asked, "The Slate Family is powerful, but they can't ignore the Empire's laws. Since you've already repelled the bandits' attack, there's no need..."

"Repelled? You overestimate me!" Raven gave a bitter laugh, downing the red wine in one gulp, his hands trembling uncontrollably. "There was no repelling... all the servants in the castle died... more than half of my private soldiers were slaughtered. Besides Eric, the entire castle is now under the control of bandits loyal to Hyde!"

"What!?" John was shocked, but a flicker of understanding rose in his heart.

Yes, Raven's private soldiers looked decent, but that was just appearances. Outmatched in equipment, they couldn't possibly hold their own against a band of ruthless killers!

He'd been stunned by the supposed high combat ability of Raven's soldiers and the low quality of the Bloody Highlands bandits, but now, with Raven's explanation, everything made much more sense.

"Hyde stooped to colluding with bandits to force me to hand over my title, all to secure a fief for himself." Raven said bitterly. "That's why I came to beg you to save me..."

"This is outrageous!" Viscount John slammed the table hard. "This is a trampling of noble dignity and the rules!"

"Baron Raven, rest assured and return home. I'll go to Monen City myself and meet Count Talon face-to-face, demanding he discipline his son properly!"

Despite his words, John had no intention of doing so. He might be a Fourth-Tier Ice Knight and a Viscount, seeming like a figure of note, but before a powerful Count, he was nothing. He said this only to reassure Raven and shake off this clingy burden.

"It's useless, Viscount John." Raven said despairingly. "Hyde has gone mad! He forced me to come here today to tell you to return Shining Gold Town to Eagle Territory."

"He said... he needs a complete Eagle Territory, and if you don't agree... the tragedy of Eagle Fortress will be reenacted in Snow Maple Territory!"

John's brow furrowed.

He'd heard of Hyde—Count Talon's youngest son, a playboy.

If he were the first heir of the Slate Family, or if he had outstanding personal strength, Viscount John might have thought more of him, but he had neither.

How dare he come threatening me?

"Hyde really said that? With empty threats, he wants to take Shining Gold Town from my hands?"

"No, no, it's not a threat!" Baron Raven said. "Lord Hyde gave me four thousand gold coins. If you agree to return Shining Gold Town, all four thousand gold coins are yours! The money chest is in my carriage right now!"

John tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

When he originally leased Shining Gold Town, it cost him ten thousand gold coins. Now, ten years later, he had recovered over four thousand six hundred coins from it. If he accepted four thousand gold coins and handed over Shining Gold Town, he wouldn't lose too much.

But that wasn't how the accounts worked.

Shining Gold Town wasn't just a tax hub; it was a transportation junction. Two baronies and one viscounty around it relied on the town for the exchange and trade of goods.

It was precisely because of this characteristic that Shining Gold Town had almost every craftsman a noble could need—blacksmiths, carpenters, masons, potters, architects, beast tamers, and even a branch of the mercenary guild.

With it, Snow Maple Territory had burst forth with unprecedented vitality. Though the tax revenue over ten years was only four thousand six hundred gold coins, the positive benefits it brought to Snow Maple Territory far exceeded the tax itself.

And besides, who was this mere Hyde to make such arrogant claims? If he said hand it over and I did, wouldn't that make me lose face?

"Then I'm afraid Baron Raven will be disappointed this time," John said. "Shining Gold Town was leased to me by Baron Donald. I don't intend to give it up before the contract expires."

"But, Viscount John!" Raven seemed utterly unable to accept this answer, shouting hoarsely, "If you refuse, what... what am I supposed to do!?"

"If I don't pull this off, Hyde won't let me go... and he won't let you go either! The bandits on the Bloody Highlands will come for you soon!"

"Then let him come!" John lowered his eyelids, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "Baron Raven, you are also a noble of the empire. Have some dignity and honor befitting your station! To be so flustered over a mere Hyde—you, sir, are clearly not yet a mature noble!"

"I have no choice either..." Raven forced a bitter smile. "My Lord Viscount, how about five thousand gold coins? I still have a thousand of my own I can give you..."

John shook his head coldly. "Sorry, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"If five thousand gold coins isn't enough, I can also give you three hundred bottles of Angel's Tear. I..."

"Enough, Baron Raven." John cut him off. "If you're tired, you can rest the night at Snow Maple Fortress. I guarantee no one will dare disturb you."

Faced with such a clear refusal, Raven seemed to have his soul drained away. He slowly shook his head. "...No, no need..."

He stood up, stumbled, and knocked over his chair. Kent moved to help him, but Raven refused with a shake of his head, staggering out.

"Hmph, what a pathetic little bee. Even if Hyde is a member of the Slate Family, he doesn't represent the whole family," John said confidently. "If he can't see that, he doesn't deserve to be a noble."

Kent lowered his voice. "Are you really sure there's no shadow of the Slate Family behind this?"

John paused. "What do you mean?"

"I was just thinking about what Baron Raven said," Kent replied. "He mentioned he still had a thousand gold coins of his own."

John asked, "What's wrong with that?"

Kent said, "Raven shouldn't have that much money. Denise wouldn't have given much to her own son since he didn't get the inheritance, and buying formal attire and repairing castles both cost a fortune in gold coins. Where did his money come from?"

John thought it over. "You mean he was lying?"

Kent shook his head. "No, I'm more inclined to believe Baron Raven was telling the truth. No one could act that well."

"Then what do you mean?" Through the window, John watched Raven's hunched figure slowly recede. It really didn't look faked. "Did Donald leave him an inheritance?"

Kent said, "Angel's Tear..."

"Angel's Tear!?" John's face lit up with realization. "Oh, right, that new wine he invented a month ago. You're saying he made over a thousand gold coins in profit from Angel's Tear in just one month?"

Kent said, "There must have been some initial investment from Denise, but I think the profit wouldn't be less than three hundred gold coins. Otherwise, the Slate Family's motive wouldn't make sense."

John rubbed his chin. "You're saying that Hyde alone wouldn't dare provoke me—only with the Slate Family backing him would he have that confidence?"

Kent tacitly agreed and returned to the earlier point. "I've tasted Angel's Tear myself. It's an extremely smooth, luxurious red wine with no competitors on the market. I think once production scales up, it will generate enormous profits."

"And Eagle Territory is so close to the Bloody Highlands, and the Slate Family has ties with the horse bandits up there..."

John drew in a sharp breath. "The Slate Family wants to take Eagle Territory not just for a petty title, but to control the production of Angel's Tear, then smuggle it through the Bloody Highlands to the Phidon City-States and the Insar Empire for massive profits!?"

The more he thought about it, the more he believed he had hit on the truth.

No wonder Hyde first demanded Shining Gold Town instead of rushing to reclaim the easier targets of Eagle Beak Mountain and Thousand Needle Jungle.

The craftsmen in Shining Gold Town could be mobilized immediately to greatly expand Angel's Tear's production capacity while minimizing the chance of leaks!

With just Eagle Town's current production, they could make three hundred gold coins in profit a month—three thousand six hundred in a year! Scale it up ten times, and that was thirty-six thousand gold coins a year in profit!

That far exceeded the income of a viscounty and was enough to tempt even a count's family!

So Hyde was just a front. The real instigator was probably Count Talon himself!

The thought of going up against the entire Slate Family sent a cold sweat down Viscount John's back. "Why didn't you warn me earlier!?"

Kent was speechless inside.

His viscount had always cared greatly about face. If he had contradicted him in front of an outsider, there would have been no good outcome for himself.

But he certainly couldn't say that. "This is just a guess after all. We should contact Lord Hyde first before drawing any conclusions."

"Makes sense." Viscount John nodded. "Write a letter on my behalf right now, then take it and immediately visit Hyde Slate! Find out exactly what he means!"

Kent acknowledged the order and withdrew.

At that moment, Viscount John himself became a headless fly, pacing back and forth in the room, his heart filled with anxiety. Even his beloved Angel's Tear became hard to swallow.

Only when the sky began to lighten did he finally lie down on the study's chaise lounge, intending to rest a little. But no sooner had he closed his eyes than he heard a flurry of hurried footsteps.

With a bang, his retainer Penglie pushed open the door: "Viscount, it's terrible! Kent, he... Kent, he..."

"What's all the panic!?" John stood up. "Speak slowly. What happened to Kent?"

His answer was silence, as a stretcher was carried in.

Kent lay on the stretcher, his legs drenched in blood, twisted into the same contorted shape as a rag doll.

"John... my lord!" Kent struggled, trying to sit up.

"Speak slowly." John pressed down on his shoulder and leaned in close.

"Hyde didn't see me... He had someone break my legs...!"

"And where is Hyde now?" John asked.

Kent coughed once and said in a low voice: "...He's already returned to Monen City."

An icy chill crawled up Viscount John's spine. Hyde's attitude clearly meant he was no longer willing to negotiate. Leaving Shining Gold Town was precisely to wash his hands of the impending large-scale invasion by the Bandits of the Bloody Highlands!

He roared: "Prepare the carriage! I'm going to Eagle Fortress!!"