Chapter 412: Female Players

Male players, in general, weren’t allowed inside the Goldenveil Palace.

The main reason was obvious. The place was full of Ethan’s wives, and players had a sense of exploration that was far too strong for their own good.

And his wives, while inside the palace, tended to dress in a way that was... well...

Let’s just say their goal there was always to please their husband, at least when no outsiders were around. Conservative clothes, in that case, weren’t exactly a priority.

Not even army officers or figures like Tomas, the Mayor of Goldenveil, were exempt from the rule.

If they were men, they could only enter with the express permission of the Golden Rose Guards or Ethan himself.

When they needed an audience, they waited outside the gates, just like everyone else.

Ethan knew this curious side of the players all too well, so he didn’t even wait for Goldenveil to get full of them before taking action.

The ban had been in effect from the very beginning. Any player who tried to cross the palace gates would be marked as hostile, killed on the spot, and banished from Goldenveil.

At first, of course, a few decided to test whether the threat was serious.

They quickly regretted it.

Ten of them were killed on the spot and expelled from Goldenveil, without even getting a decent look at what was inside.

The worst part of all? Goldenveil was an incredible region, full of rare items and wonderful hunting grounds.

Losing access to all of that for a quick peek really stung.

The ten who died had no choice but to vent their frustration on the forums. The others—all high-level players—saw what happened and decided it wasn’t worth trying their luck.

Female players, on the other hand, could still enter the palace.

But that was only possible because Ethan, after some tinkering with the settings, had figured out how to forcibly disable the system that recorded players’ footage while they were inside.

Nothing that happened within those walls would ever leave as a video or an image.

Because of this, many female players ended up treating the Goldenveil Palace as a sort of men-free paradise.

They could come and go as they pleased, and Ethan’s wives and concubines were always friendly, great company for a good chat.

Especially for female players who loved the lore, women like Arwen, Ysara, and Elena—all of whom were ancestral and very curious about the players—were perfect for chatting with.

It wasn’t even uncommon to find beautiful players completely naked in the Concubines’ Palace, relaxing in that warm water that left their skin as soft as silk.

Breasts floated lazily on the surface, bobbing with every small ripple, nipples hardened by the cooler air. Wet hair clung to bare backs, water beaded on soft shoulders, and laughter echoed through the steam.

It was too comfortable to resist.

Ethan noticed all of this the moment he rode through the palace gates.

There were at least two hundred female players inside.

Several were scattered across the courtyard, chatting animatedly with some of his concubines—mostly Golden Rose Guards enjoying their break time.

The warm breeze carried the sweet scent of the garden flowers.

The players wore light, sensual clothing—fine fabrics that left flat stomachs, thighs, and shoulders bare, with necklines deep.

They were enjoying the palace’s pleasant atmosphere and the effect that standing directly beneath the Tree of Life had on their skin.

When they noticed his gaze on them, the chatter in the courtyard fell silent for a second.

Many widened their eyes, their cheeks flushing pink almost instantly.

Almost all of them had arrived in Goldenveil while he was away on campaign. Until that moment, they’d only heard his women talk endlessly about their husband’s beauty.

Now, seeing him up close—still mounted on his horse and with road dust on his clothes—they couldn’t help but shiver slightly.

He was... well...

Damn hot!

If he weren’t a game NPC, many of them would already be dreaming of building a life with him.

Of course, that didn’t stop anyone from drooling.

Ethan gave them a gentle smile, swinging down from the saddle in one graceful movement and handing the reins to one of his guards.

That alone was enough to make some of the female players sigh softly.

Soon after, the group split up.

Amelia headed for the Golden Tower along with her mages, and Evelyn went to inspect the rest of the Order of the Golden Rose Guard.

Ethan, for his part, went straight to see Ophelia.

She was in her office, fresh from her daily training session with the maids.

And she was as beautiful as always.

Those black, sheer pantyhose that Ethan loved so much covered her long legs and luscious thighs, the thin fabric letting her fair skin show through as it gently hugged her soft flesh.

A black leather skirt clung to her delicate hips. The tight material ended just low enough to barely cover her butt, so short that the full, round curve of her buttocks seemed ready to slip out from beneath the hem at the slightest movement.

Above it, a white top wrapped around her slim waist and rose in an obscene curve over those beautiful breasts.

The top four buttons were undone, and the strained fabric revealed a long stretch of silky, creamy skin. The deep cleavage between her breasts plunged out of sight beneath the fabric, begging to be touched.

A pair of elegant glasses rested on her delicate nose, and her black hair was neatly tied back, a few loose strands falling against the nape of her neck.

Seated at her desk, she sipped Green Fairy wine while going through a stack of documents.

The moment she sensed her husband approaching, Ophelia’s eyes sparkled behind her glasses, and she shot to her feet.

Her breasts bounced with the sudden movement, heaving upward for an instant before dropping heavily back against her chest.

The two full mounds bumped softly against each other inside her white top, quivering for another second before they settled, the buttons—still fastened—straining under the pressure.

"Oh... my dear husband!" She let out a soft chuckle, circling the desk and hurrying toward Ethan, her quick footsteps echoing through the office.

Her breasts gave a small, lively jiggle with every hurried step, and her round buttocks shifted from side to side beneath the tight leather.

She clasped his hand between hers, her palms warm and soft against his skin.

"You know... while you were away, I had a very pleasant little surprise, hehehe~" She guided his hand down to her belly, pressing his palm firmly against her abdomen, smiling from ear to ear.

Her belly was smooth and warm beneath his palm. But it was what Ethan felt deeper inside—a tiny presence pulsing there—that made a huge smile spread across his lips.

Ophelia was pregnant.

Apparently, the night of sex on the eve of his departure had paid off.

Ethan pulled his wife in by the waist, and Ophelia melted against him.

Her soft breasts flattened against his chest, the creamy flesh bulging up over her open neckline as she rose on tiptoe to reach his mouth.

His hands slid down the curve of her back and sank into the plump flesh of her buttocks over the tight leather.

His fingers spread wide and squeezed, the supple cheeks giving way under his grip and bulging between his fingers, the short hem riding up a little higher.

Ophelia moaned softly into his mouth, arching her hips and grinding her ass back into his grip.

After a long moment, she pulled her lips away from his, still a little out of breath, and pushed her glasses back up her nose with one finger.

A mischievous gleam flashed in her eyes behind the lenses.

"And that’s not all—did you know that Goldenveil has been a hot topic among female players on the Tales of Estria forums?"

With a quick gesture, she opened the forums and showed Ethan what she was seeing.

When he read the first post, the smile on his face froze.

[Subject: Goldenveil, a paradise for women!

Description: Have you heard of the Goldenveil Palace? It’s an incredible place! They say the Lord is super hot and only women are allowed in! I went there and...]

Below it, several other posts discussed the same topic, encouraging more female players to visit the palace. Some already had hundreds of replies.

Ethan sighed, but a chuckle escaped him right after.

He couldn’t say he was unhappy about it. After all, those posts mainly attracted the attention of high-level female players.

Goldenveil was considered a high-level hunting ground, and what excited the players the most was the passive XP bonus they earned upon entering the Goldenveil Palace.

Just being there for a few minutes guaranteed a 100% XP bonus for ten hours. Bathing in the lake at the Concubines’ Palace granted a 200% XP bonus for twenty-four hours, and even just spending time there yielded a very decent amount of passive XP.

For high-level female players looking to reach the Fourth Stage as quickly as possible, Goldenveil had quickly become the perfect place.

"Where’s Seo-ah?" Ethan asked. "It’s time for her to create her guild."