Imperial Throne

Chapter 123: Clue of Raven

For the past half year, Ion had spent nearly all his time searching for Raven—ever since he learned that Raven was not dead.

He had only returned to White Mountain Territory a few times, mostly to participate in some important festivals for little Cindy. The rest of the time, he remained active in Gem Territory. Relying on the titles of fiefs held by the veteran soldiers under his command, he even established rather friendly relations with the local villagers.

But all this time, he had never mentioned any progress in this matter. Now that the news suddenly came to light, both Yam and Akar couldn’t help but be shocked.

“Father, you found traces of Uncle Raven?”

Hearing how Akar addressed him, Ion glanced at Akar but did not correct him. Instead, he replied, “Based on the missions our mercenary group had once taken on, I revisited various places in Gem Territory. After inquiring a bit with villagers nearby those areas, I discovered several suspicious locations.”

Yam remained silent, just listening quietly.

“There are four such locations in total. I’ve already visited three, with only one remaining,” Ion continued. “But in two of them, I did find some signs of habitation. They had already been abandoned, but based on the techniques I’ve mastered, the remnants were distinct and clearly preserved. This is enough to prove that someone lived there for over a year. Judging by the signs of abandonment, one of those places has been deserted for more than five years, the other for over two years.”

Hearing this, Yam immediately grasped the implication.

“The one abandoned for over five years… is it near Iron Wolf Mountain?”

Ion nodded and said directly, “Less than two days’ journey away, deep within a forest. It’s very hidden. I only found it by chance.”

Like White Mountain Territory, Gem Territory was also rich in forested terrain. However, unlike the treacherous and barren mountains in White Mountain Territory where vegetation struggled to survive and ecosystems were rare, the forests in Gem Territory were more habitable. So, if Raven had fled from Iron Wolf Mountain and entered one of these forested areas, given that he and Ion came from the same background with similar survival skills, he certainly would not have starved.

If a ruin had been abandoned for over ten years, it would be impossible to judge the precise timeline.

But distinguishing between one or two years and five years still fell within Ion’s expertise as a former scout. On this point, both Yam and Akar fully trusted their father's judgment. However, it was still only an approximate range—for instance, “over five years” could mean anywhere from five to ten years, and “two years” could span from one to four years.

“If it was two years ago...” Yam frowned in thought, “that should’ve been when we went to Red Soil Territory, right?”

Roughly seven years ago, the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group was nearly annihilated.

Their family fled to White Mountain Territory and lived there for three years. Then four years ago, Ion took Akar and headed to Red Soil Territory.

A year later, Ion returned with Akar. Afterward, their family became the Household Knights of the Bole Family.

By then, Akar’s name as the wielder of the Blazing Bow had already begun to spread.

That was about three years ago.

Half a year after that, Yam’s name with the Red Eagle Sword also began to gain fame, and Akar’s reputation rose along with it.

Following that, they responded to the conscription order and headed to Red Soil Territory to suppress the rebels.

That was exactly two years ago.

After the war ended and they returned, they encountered the defensive war in White Mountain Territory. It was during that conflict that Baron Ster died in battle.

Now, little Cindy was nearly a year and a half old, and Liam was almost a year old.

“Is it possible that Uncle Raven discovered something too?” Akar suddenly speculated. “Two years ago, he might’ve realized who Yam and I were, and through investigating us, he could’ve also discovered you, Father, and realized our family wasn’t dead. So, knowing that someone might investigate him upon learning of his whereabouts, he left the second hideout?”

Yam and Ion exchanged glances and immediately realized that this was a very likely possibility!

As for Raven, the entire family knew him very well.

Compared to the commander’s family, Raven was much closer to them—especially since their eldest brother Arsen had once studied under Raven’s guidance, and Raven had even wanted to marry his daughter to Arsen. Because of that, Yam and Akar were undoubtedly more familiar with Raven and his family than they were with the commander’s.

And the strongest impression Raven left on them was his caution. One of the reasons Ion trusted Raven with Arsen was because people under Raven’s protection rarely met with mishaps; he ensured their safety thoroughly.

“If that’s the case, then there’s no need to investigate the final suspicious location,” Ion said after a moment of contemplation. “Knowing Raven’s character, that final spot must be a trap, or perhaps a decoy or illusion, meant to lead me elsewhere.”

“But from this perspective, we can deduce a fact,” Yam added, “that ancient site Barney mentioned—it’s in Gem Territory.”

“I had my suspicions too,” Ion said gravely. “A small part of Gem Territory lies within the Withered Wood Forest. I once borrowed some geography books in Baroness Anna’s manor study and read some records. It stated that Gem Territory and White Mountain Territory used to be called the Shattered Diamond Mountains. The Withered Wood Forest was once known as Flame Maple Forest. It was only during the era of the Bourbon Family, after a massive fire, that Flame Maple Forest was burned into what it is now.”

"I discovered a tunnel in the Withered Wood Forest with Akar back then. I don’t know where it leads exactly, because the situation was urgent at the time, so we didn’t have time to investigate further. Later, I considered going back, but after seeing people from the Kasein Family appear in the Withered Wood Forest, I didn’t dare to proceed."

Ion and Akar had killed Burton in the Withered Wood Forest, so seeing people from the Kasein Family in that area naturally made them highly sensitive.

But now, considering that Raven had once gained benefits from an ancient site in Gem Territory, and combining that with the unusual actions of the Kasein Family in the Withered Wood Forest, Ion understood that this matter was far from simple. That was why he suspected the location of the ancient site to be within the Withered Wood Forest. After all, a northern section of the Withered Wood Forest fell within the territory range of Gem Territory. However, this area showed signs of frequent activity from magical beasts, including some Third-Tier ones, making it extremely dangerous and rarely mentioned.

But what if Raven had really discovered a hidden and safe passage?

No one could rule out the possibility.

"What’s the nearest village to that area?"

"Ruby Village." Compared to Ion and Yam, Akar, who had lived in Gem Territory for a long time, was naturally more familiar. "There used to be a ruby vein there a long time ago, but it was said to have dried up more than fifty years ago, and the village declined and was abandoned. Until twenty years ago, a new vein with decent reserves was discovered, which brought prosperity back to the village."

"So, are there many people going in and out of that village?"

"A lot." Akar instantly understood Yam’s implication. "It’s now one of the most important sources of tax revenue in Gem Territory. There are more than five major merchant guilds stationed there, even Anna places a lot of importance on it."

Ruby Village had also been a place where the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group once accepted commissions.

But later they couldn’t compete with others, so they gave it up and accepted other types of commissions instead.

"I can have the Shelf Mercenary Group go over there first to investigate," Yam said to Ion, "They are unfamiliar faces and have plenty of mercenary life experience, so they shouldn’t reveal any flaws."

Then Yam turned to Akar and asked, "Are there many bloodline users over there?"

"How could there be!" Akar shook his head. "In all of Gem Territory, counting Anna, Joshua, myself, and the veterans father arranged to be stationed here, there are only eleven bloodline users in total. There isn’t even a single Third-Tier bloodline user. Anna definitely wouldn’t allow too many bloodline users to gather in the territory—that’s too risky!"

Gem Territory wasn’t like the poor and remote White Mountain Territory.

No major merchant guilds were willing to be stationed here, and small ones couldn’t afford to support bloodline users. Even bandits and robbers didn’t want to take root here.

In prosperous territories like Gem Territory, Red River Territory, Eaglehead Territory, and Bayor Territory, there were inevitably bloodline users belonging to various merchant guilds and mercenary groups. However, in order to maintain authority and administrative order, the lords of those territories would never allow too many or overly powerful bloodline users to enter.

Red River Territory, Eaglehead Territory, and Bayor Territory might not care because they had high-tier bloodline users overseeing them.

But back when Baron Hess controlled Gem Territory, he would never allow any other Third-Tier bloodline user to appear in his land. Even if major merchant guilds wanted to station First or Second-Tier bloodline users, they had to get his permission. Otherwise, it would be seen as a provocation and disrespect toward the lord’s authority and could trigger a crackdown.

After Anna took power, although she carried out sweeping reforms in Gem Territory, she continued Baron Hess’s strict policy when it came to managing bloodline users. And now with the Kasein Family backing Anna, those big merchant guilds naturally dared not challenge her. So, they mostly defaulted to the old rules. Only the strongest guilds managed to station one bloodline user each after persistent negotiations.

But even these bloodline users were basically all First-Tier.

Only three guilds had Second-Tier bloodline users.

One of them was the Bruno Merchant Guild. Because of the Kasein Family’s involvement, they received special treatment.

If it weren’t for Yam arranging things in advance, the moment the Shelf Mercenary Group entered Gem Territory, they would have been marked by Anna. What awaited them would be either high-intensity surveillance, a polite expulsion from Gem Territory, or even forced conscription.

Given the uniqueness and complexity of Gem Territory, it was not without reason that Baron Hess had once gathered all his bloodline knights at the City Lord's Manor.

Anna’s approach was actually quite similar to Baron Hess’s.

The difference was, Anna truly dared to grant villages in her territory—of the seven villages in Gem Territory, she had granted away six. Sapphire Village and Emerald Village, on par with Ruby Village, were the fiefs of Akar and Shunes, while the remaining four villages were given to the seven bloodline knights sent by Ion. She kept only Ruby Village for herself.

"If there aren’t many bloodline users in Ruby Village, then it’s going to be troublesome," Yam frowned. "If a mercenary group suddenly enters Ruby Village, it will surely attract a lot of attention. With Uncle Raven’s cautious nature, he would definitely go into hiding if he senses danger."

"What if Anna issues this mercenary group a commissioned task involving the Withered Wood Forest?" Akar asked. "In that case, people probably won’t pay much attention to them, right?"

"But there still needs to be a proper excuse."

"There actually is one." Akar thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "A Third-Tier magical beast recently appeared from the Withered Wood Forest and has already attacked several merchant convoys from Ruby Village. I came here not just to visit Yam, but also to borrow some manpower."

Gem Territory and White Mountain Territory were basically like family, so borrowing personnel between them was entirely normal.

However, because of the situation in Westerburg, Sien and the others could not leave.

So, the appearance of the Shelf Mercenary Group turned out to be a peculiar coincidence.