Chapter 457: Blood Empress (01)

The moment Ethan selected the option to elevate Goldenveil to a duchy, the entire region changed.

A powerful magical pulse swept through everything. The office windows trembled slightly, the ink in his inkwell rippled, and the skin on his arms prickled.

At the heart of the territory—the city of Goldenveil itself—the magical density doubled in a single instant.

The neighboring cities, whose magical density had previously sat at twenty percent of Goldenveil’s, saw that figure climb to twenty-five.

On paper, it looked like a small difference. But stacked on top of Goldenveil’s already massive base density, plus the boost from the territory’s advancement to a duchy, the leap was enormous.

Ethan let out a contented sigh and leaned back in his chair, glancing at the information screen for the Duchy of Goldenveil.

[Name: Duchy of Goldenveil

Territory: 20,000 square kilometers (Build and further develop your territory to continue expanding.)

Population: 512,530

Capital: Goldenveil

Cities under control: 4/5

Villages under control: 0/40

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

Orders of Knights: 3

Knights: 1,653

Average Knight Level: 53

Army: 30,000 infantry soldiers + 2,500 cavalry soldiers. 32,500 soldiers in total

Average Army Level: 38

Defense Level: Mediocre

Control: 42%

Regional Loyalty: Extremely High

Stability: Mediocre

Natural Resources: Extremely Rich

Monthly Regional Revenue: -323,000

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

Taxes Received from Settlements Under Control: -79,670

Requirements to advance to the Kingdom level: 1 capital at the Small Regional Capital level or higher, a regional population of 5,000,000 or more, 10,000,000 gold coins, a Lord with the title of King or higher.]

There was still a long way to go before reaching the Kingdom level, but even so, Ethan was happy.

Goldenveil’s territory had doubled in size, stretching mainly northward along the base of the Eternal Mountain.

Now his most distant lands lay more than two hundred and fifty kilometers from the capital, and that, naturally, worried him.

He needed to found more cities and villages, making sure his population occupied every inch of that land.

He was already planning to build a city to the north soon. On top of that, he intended to establish new villages and fortresses en masse, spreading the Goldenveil army to every corner of the duchy.

He also had to keep a firm grip on Goldenveil’s lands on the other side of the Solene River, roughly a thousand square kilometers in all.

Of course, all of that was a matter for the future.

Ethan closed the status screen, and that was when his eyes fell on a package sitting forgotten in a corner of the office.

It had arrived from Goldenveil’s brewing and distilling center—the facility headed by John, which now employed over five thousand workers.

He hadn’t found the time to open it yet, and honestly, he was dying of curiosity.

Standing up, Ethan crossed the office and carefully picked up the package. He could feel the solid weight of glass inside. A letter was attached to the outside, and he read that first.

His eyes ran over the lines, and a smile spread across his face, growing wider with every word.

“Oh… I knew that damn old man wouldn’t let me down, hahaha!” Ethan burst out laughing.

It was the first bottle of the new wine he’d ordered, brewed with magical herbs and even higher-level beast blood.

According to the letter, they could currently produce a hundred bottles a month, and ten of those had a chance of turning out as fifth-stage wine. ℴℴ𝘮

Each of those bottles could be auctioned off for millions—perhaps tens of millions—of gold coins on the rest of the continent. This was an absolute gold mine.

Ethan peeled away the packaging, layer by layer, until the bottle finally came into view.

Naturally, it was no ordinary bottle.

Even the second- and third-stage Green Fairy Wine came in carefully crafted bottles, and this one had clearly received even more attention.

The glass was pure white, smooth as fine porcelain, inlaid with elegant gold lines that flowed in gentle curves from the neck to the base.

The cork was blood red, the same color as the liquid waiting inside.

Ethan sat down on the sofa in the center of the office and turned the bottle between his fingers for a moment, admiring the craftsmanship. Then, with a sharp pop, he pulled out the cork.

A sweet, alcoholic aroma filled the office instantly—strong, but not at all unpleasant.

It was like the scent of a rose in full bloom, dipped in honey.

He closed his eyes for a second, just breathing it in.

“Hmm… how about ‘Blood Rose Wine’?” Ethan murmured to himself, picking up a crystal glass from the side table.

He poured two fingers’ worth, watching the thick red liquid trickle slowly down the inside of the glass.

He took a single sip. Sweet at first, then a sharp, pleasant bite. The wine slid down his throat—strong and delicious—leaving a warm trail in its wake that spread slowly through his chest.

Without a doubt, it was the most delicious drink he had ever tasted in his entire life.

The magical density was incredible too, flooding his body with power.

“Oh… my Emperor, what is this wine?” A voice sounded right beside Ethan’s right ear.

It was sweet and mature, a bit like Amelia’s in a way, but, well, with a more pompous tone.

He opened his mouth to reply, the smile still on his face, but in the next moment, he choked on his own words.

That voice didn’t belong to any of his wives.

His eyes snapped to the side and landed on a figure seated right beside him on the sofa, so close that her perfume was already mingling with the aroma of the wine.

It was a woman.

Eyes as red as blood, and a voluptuous body wrapped in elegant, aristocratic robes that did little to hide the full curves of her bust. The fabric pulled taut across her chest, and the low neckline showed off a generous swell of soft cleavage that rose and fell gently with each breath.

A closed parasol sat between her slender fingers, its tip propped against one side of the sofa.

She was watching him with a serene smile, as if being there were the most natural thing in the world.