Chapter 411: Back at Goldenveil

[You’ve built your first outer fortress!]

[Fortresses can send out patrol missions to increase control over a specific region.

The more powerful the fortress, the greater the control bonus it provides.

Orders of knights can be founded in certain fortresses.]

Ethan looked up at the gigantic fortress, pride plain on his face.

The walls rose high, thick and imposing, with watchtowers spaced along their entire length. The stone was still pale and clean, untouched by weather or war.

He turned to the captain of the cohort accompanying him.

The captain was a handsome, middle-aged man with a calm demeanor.

He wasn’t a man of many words, but he was honorable and respected.

Feeling his lord’s gaze on him, the captain immediately bowed, striking his closed fist against his breastplate with a dull clang.

"I am at your service, Lord Ethan!"

The young lord waved for him to straighten up.

"You will take temporary command of this fortress until the tribune who commands your battalion arrives."

Each battalion consisted of two cohorts and was led by a tribune.

For now, Ethan would keep only that battalion at the fortress—a thousand soldiers in total.

In the not-too-distant future, however, he planned to found the third order of Goldenveil knights there.

Well, technically, the first.

The Order of the Silver Wings belonged to Arwen, and the Order of the Golden Rose Guard to Evelyn. Women of both orders were his concubines.

Their members weren’t even knights. One order consisted of paladins, the other of personal guards for the Goldenveil family.

Neither followed the tradition of knighthood common across the continent, and not even their oaths were knightly oaths.

The order he founded here would be Goldenveil’s first true order of knights.

The captain nodded firmly.

"It shall be done, My Lord!"

He did not hesitate. Turning on his heel, he faced the troops and raised his voice, ordering them to advance.

Hundreds of boots struck the ground in unison, a rhythmic thunder that filled the air along with the clank and rattle of armor.

Soon, the five hundred soldiers poured through the gates of the enormous fortress. They spread out to explore every corner, manned the ramparts, and made sure the protective and detection arrays were active.

One by one, figures appeared atop the ramparts. A faint glow ran across the stones as the arrays came to life, tracing the walls from one tower to the next.

It didn’t take long before soldiers hoisted the banners of Goldenveil up the flagpoles along the wall.

Satisfied, Ethan opened the status screen for Goldenveil County.

[Name: Goldenveil County

Territory: 10,500 square kilometers (Build and further develop your territory to continue expanding.)

Population: 213,257

Capital: Goldenveil

Cities under control: 3/3

Villages under control: 0/20

Fortresses under control: 1/10 (Only outer fortresses count.)

Orders of Knights: 2

Knights: 500

Average Knight Level: 43

Army: 12,500 infantry soldiers

Average Army Level: 38

Defense Level: Low

Control: 37%

Regional Loyalty: Extremely High

Stability: Low

Natural Resources: Extremely Rich

Monthly Regional Revenue: -125,000

Treasury: 0 (A national treasury must be created. National treasuries are available starting at the kingdom level.)

Taxes Received from Settlements Under Control: -19,670

Requirements to advance to the duchy level: 1 capital at the large city level or higher, a regional population of 500,000 or more, 1,000,000 gold coins, a Lord with the title of Duke or higher.]

His eyes ran down the numbers.

That fortress alone had raised control over the entire region by five percent, and it wasn’t even fully operational yet.

Once Ethan stationed a force of real knights there, actively patrolling and pacifying the region, the gain would be even greater.

Unfortunately, stability and defense were still poor. That would change in time. Alongside his focus on development, Ethan intended to begin the mass extermination of the green skins.

According to the reports from his scanning ability, at least another 100,000 green skins were still scattered across those 10,000 square kilometers.

There were other human settlements out there as well, but they were poor, none of them exceeding a thousand inhabitants.

Soon, the legions of Goldenveil would set out to pacify those settlements and exterminate all the green skins that remained.

Ethan closed the screen, a broad grin on his face, and swung back into the saddle. A pull on the reins turned his horse around, and he set off toward Goldenveil.

Without all those soldiers to slow them down, and with only mages and warriors of the third stage or higher at his side, the ride back was much faster.

In less than an hour, Ethan was passing through the West Gate of Goldenveil with his many women, the clatter of hooves echoing beneath the stone arch.

The guards on duty straightened and saluted as he rode by.

The bustle of the city enveloped him immediately.

Vendors shouted their prices, carts creaked along the cobblestone streets, and the smell of fresh bread wafted from a nearby bakery.

He’d only been away for a few weeks, but a lot had already changed.

The first thing he noticed, as he made his way through the streets toward his palace, was that the number of players in the city had skyrocketed.

For every ten people he saw on the streets, one was a player. All of them were high-level, though none had yet reached the fourth stage.

He could pick them out from a distance—their gear stood out from the rest of the crowd, and they had that way of looking at everything around them as if it were brand new.

Beyond the influx of players, the integration of Goldenveil’s new population had gone smoothly while he was away.

The army was already preparing to open recruitment for the Third Legion, which had drawn a lot of attention from the younger generation.

The older ones, less interested in army life, had found their own work. Some served as guards. Others had joined the Goldenveil Police Force, which was already relatively well established.

Its officers wore light armor, black capes draped over their shoulders, and the symbol of a crowned dragon on their chests. For many, joining the Police Force was preferable to enlisting in the army.

The pay was comparable, and the danger was much lower, although competition for each position was also much fiercer.

In addition to government jobs, there was fishing and the Goldenveil private industry, which was booming.

Along the way, Ethan saw groups of young people gathered in front of the recruitment stations. Some chatted animatedly. Others stood in silence, tugging at their clothes and squaring their shoulders, trying to look older than they were.

Watching them fill the streets of Goldenveil, eager to become the county’s new soldiers and police officers, Ethan smiled.