Chapter 469: Master of Wine

Ethan went to bed late that night, but he still had to wake up early.

Carmilla took some time to go out with Arwen and Auryndra, who was still in Goldenveil. The three of them took a short tour of the city, strolling through the bustling streets and chatting about the deities and, of course, the demons they served.

Before that, Carmilla had already sent five of the ten Night Guards who accompanied her back to her palace, ordering them to assemble the combat force Ethan had demanded for the Night Corps.

All the guards who followed her were powerful fourth-stage warriors, so they would have no trouble carrying out their mistress’s orders.

Ethan, on the other hand, lingered in his room a little while longer, with Seo-ah clinging to him on one side and Alice on the other.

The beautiful player had set aside the management of her all-female gaming guild for a few days just to be with him.

As for Alice, now entering her fifth month of pregnancy, she was abandoning all her duties at the Golden Tower for good.

For now, her main focus was nurturing her child.

Ethan sighed, savoring the weight of both women’s bodies as they held him tightly, their warmth mingling with his beneath the sheets.

One of his hands slid lazily along Seo-ah’s slender, delicate waist, his fingertips tracing the soft dip above her hip and feeling the warm, silky skin give ever so slightly under his touch. The other rested flat and protective on Alice’s rounded belly.

"Nghnn~~ he’s kicking, fufufu~" Alice giggled softly against Ethan’s chest, curling up a little at the sensation.

He felt it too. A movement still subtle against his palm, but one that grew stronger with each passing day.

That was his heir.

He hadn’t checked yet whether it was a boy or a girl, but he didn’t really care either way.

Goldenveil was still a fairly patriarchal society, but he wouldn’t let something like gender define his heir.

Of course, he wanted a little warrior prince, but a princess would be nice, too.

"May I?" Seo-ah asked, lifting her head slightly from the other side of Ethan, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

She extended her delicate hand, and as soon as Alice gave her a nod of confirmation, she gently placed her fingers on the swell of her belly, as if touching something far too fragile.

A few seconds of silence passed. Then a gentle smile spread across the Korean beauty’s face as she, too, felt the little kick.

Apparently, the little one had woken up in a bad mood.

The three of them stayed in bed a few more minutes, trading tender caresses and soft giggles, until it was finally time for Ethan to leave.

It was a big day, and he had a lot to do.

First of all, he sent a message to Goldenshield.

They were to send another five thousand men to train yet another legion, while the other cities were also to send their recruits to Goldenveil.

By next winter, Ethan wanted six more legions trained in addition to the two already in training.

In total, that would be fourteen legions—sixty thousand men—along with another six thousand from the archer battalions and two thousand five hundred from the five cavalry units.

This force was certainly not enough to face the Crusader army in open battle if they advanced at full strength, but Ethan was confident.

They would most likely advance overland and would need to pass through Goldenshield to reach Goldenveil.

Ethan intended to turn that fortress city into their graveyard.

Shortly after a brief inspection of the Goldenveil military complex, Ethan went to visit John, who at that very moment was working on refining the Blood Rose Wine.

Much had changed at Goldenveil’s alcoholic beverage production center.

They now had the capacity to produce over one million bottles of Green Fairy Wine per month, depending on the wine’s grade and, of course, the quantity of available ingredients.

They were also producing various other types of beverages.

Beer, rum, mead, assorted liqueurs, and lower-grade wines.

In addition to first-stage Green Fairy Wine—still expensive, but relatively affordable for the average citizen—several other, much cheaper drinks were now being produced there and exported throughout the Duchy of Goldenveil.

John was in one of the many laboratories within the sprawling facility—a place with fresh air carrying the sharp scent of fermented magical herbs and the faint metallic tang of beast blood, with rows of vials and goblets lined up neatly on long stone tables.

Assisted by two third-stage mages, he was analyzing wine samples made with different ingredients, searching for the cheapest recipe that would still deliver the best result.

Access to the location was, of course, strictly controlled and heavily guarded, but naturally, the guards did not dare stand in Ethan’s way, stepping aside for him at once.

John looked up the moment the laboratory door swung open, revealing Ethan’s smiling figure.

"John, they call you the Master of Wine now, right? Ah... looks like I’ll have to start paying you an official salary for that title too, hahahaha." Ethan laughed softly as he approached, his eyes scanning the glasses on the table with interest.

"Oh, don’t exaggerate, My Lord. This old man has simply, well, rediscovered his passion in life, hahaha.

Since we’ve already received your green light, I took the initiative to begin official production of the Blood Rose Wine using the recipe from that sample I sent you.

In a few months, we’ll be producing hundreds of bottles a month." John came to meet him with a friendly, cheerful smile, wiping his hands on a cloth as he walked.

He bowed before the young lord, who motioned for him and his assistants to rise.

"It’s been a while since I’ve taken a good look around here. Come on, show me how production has been going these past few days—I’m curious," Ethan said.

He received reports on everything happening in Goldenveil, with a team from the duchy’s government set up solely to keep him informed about anything he considered important.

Still, from time to time, visits in person were good for maintaining morale and, of course, keeping corruption at bay.