Chapter 372: Drakenoir (02)

"Judging by the flag, it’s the Drakenoir house. They have a fleet dedicated entirely to trade with the Eternal Forest," Ethan murmured, his cold eyes tracking the lead ship as it cut through the waters toward the port of Goldenveil.

Large and imposing, its dark hull gleamed under the sunlight, tall masts laden with sails that the crew steadily furled as the vessel drew nearer.

More ships trailed behind, but the port of Goldenveil was truly colossal, capable of accommodating hundreds of vessels at once.

For that reason, Ethan didn’t even bother worrying about their size or number.

"Do you know them, my lord?" Theron asked, standing beside Ethan, his sharp gaze fixed on the flag fluttering from the mainmast.

Neither he nor Doran had the slightest idea which family it belonged to.

"Yes. They’re a noble house focused on trade, and their noble status was basically bought." Ethan crossed his arms behind his back, chin slightly raised. "The leader of this fleet must be Raynar Drakenoir. He visited the Darkwall family about ten years ago. I hope he doesn’t recognize me."

He turned briefly toward one of the officers standing nearby.

"Order our men to secure the entire port area and ensure everyone’s safety and order," he instructed, before taking a firm step toward the docks alongside Doran and Theron.

The two men moved in perfect stride, fully clad in their armor, powerful auras surging around their bodies and casting a silent pressure that made the surrounding air feel thicker.

At the slightest sign of danger, both would act without hesitation to protect their lord.

Ethan lifted his gaze toward the fleet’s flagship, which was already completing its docking maneuver.

Sailors worked at a hurried pace, hurling thick ropes over the ship’s rail while port workers caught them mid-air, deftly securing the lines to the steel pins embedded along the pier.

With the ship firmly moored, a hatch creaked open on the side of the hull, and a wooden gangplank slid out from within, extending gradually until it touched the pier’s concrete surface.

From within that opening emerged a figure Ethan recognized immediately.

The man stepped forward, walked down the gangplank onto the concrete floor of the pier, then turned toward Ethan.

Noticing the strength of the specialists surrounding the young man and the evident quality of the garments he wore, Raynar bowed at once, without a hint of hesitation.

"Greetings. This is Fleet Commander Raynar Drakenoir, a humble merchant in search of business..." he declared, filling his voice with all the humility he could muster.

Ethan merely smiled, the corners of his lips curving upward ever so slightly.

"I am Count Ethan Goldenveil, Lord of these lands. This is Doran, Supreme Commander of Goldenveil’s Army, and this is Theron, Commander of the First Legion of Goldenveil’s Army."

Raynar nodded silently, his gaze sweeping carefully over the armor worn by the two men behind Ethan.

It was mithril, of exceptional quality, clearly forged by dwarven hands.

Even the armor of the common soldiers displayed such fine craftsmanship that Raynar’s eyes lit up instantly.

About a hundred soldiers stood in formation, most of them at the second stage. Their gear seemed to be the work of dwarven forges, superior even to the armor worn by officers in the armies of the Central Empires.

Still, none of this shocked Raynar as much as seeing humans, dwarves, and elves living side by side, working together at the port as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Even in the Central Empires, a scene like that was an almost unheard-of rarity.

"Commander Raynar, please let my men handle all the tedious matters with your officers. Let’s move to a more appropriate place. It’s also in my interest to do business." Ethan’s voice snapped Raynar out of his stupor.

The red-haired man nodded promptly, ordering his officers to follow Ethan’s men.

He walked alongside the young lord, curiously observing the many fishing boats moored at Goldenveil, all busy unloading the day’s catch.

The salty smell of the sea mingled with the damp aroma of fish fresh out of the water, while the constant cries of seagulls, the creaking of ropes, and the shouts of men filled the entire waterfront.

Ethan also took in the scene, quietly letting his gaze drift across the bustling docks.

Because of the high density of mana and aura in Goldenveil, even the water was affected. The magical concentration in a region spanning tens of kilometers around Lake Azur had increased by a considerable margin.

Fish and other marine creatures were naturally drawn to this magical saturation, and some had ended up mutating.

As a result, Goldenveil not only yielded an absurd amount of fish, but virtually every species possessed magical properties in its flesh.

Raynar, a fourth-stage expert, needed very little time to notice this.

"Do you have refrigerated storage for this fish?" he asked, swallowing hard to keep himself from drooling.

The magical density inside Goldenveil was far more impressive than what he had sensed from outside, and to his shock, it was by no means inferior to that of the capitals of the Central Empires.

Even there, fish of such quality and with true magical properties were difficult to come by.

"Yes." Ethan nodded, his lips curving slightly.

The Drakenoir family was rich. Obscenely rich.

In the Kingdom of Burning Ice and the Kingdom of Solene alone, they possessed wealth exceeding hundreds of billions.

In the Central Empires—now the family’s base of operations—that wealth reached trillions of gold coins.

They weren’t like Ron. For now, Ethan didn’t even have a fraction of the capacity to control them, but the fact that they were so rich also had its advantages.

He had even greater leeway to charge them absurd prices.

Recalling the current stock of Green Fairy Wine stored in Goldenveil, Ethan couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Operations at the Goldenveil breweries had skyrocketed, and the main—and only—Green Fairy Wine factory had already undergone a major expansion under his orders.

Currently, they had a total of five hundred employees, in addition to five mages dedicated exclusively to researching new types of alcoholic beverages.

Every month, they produced more than two hundred thousand bottles of Green Fairy Wine, steadily building up massive stockpiles.

In Goldenveil’s restaurants and stores, the price was quite affordable for the average citizen, but the same could not be said for those merchants.

It was time to get rich in the way Ethan loved the most: selling overpriced wine!