Chapter 475: Advancement to the Sixth Stage (02)

The Altar of Eternal Advancement was simple.

An ordinary gray stone pedestal, with a sword and a staff mounted atop it. No ornaments, no sparkle. Anyone passing by without knowing what it was would take it for a cheap trinket.

But the moment it touched the floor, right in the center of Ysara’s meditation room, a powerful surge swept through the space. The magical density exploded all at once, like a dam bursting.

The air grew heavy, pressing against the skin. The runes engraved on the walls flickered with an erratic glow, as if they were being forced to absorb far more energy than they could bear.

Ysara had a hard time hiding her shock.

That was... a bit much, honestly.

She had already seen the most magnificent artifacts of the Kingdom of Burning Ice. She had even set foot in the Great Ancestor’s meditation room.

None of that came close to what stood in front of her now.

She had been ready to advance for many years, and with Goldenveil’s enormous magical density, she found herself in the perfect place for it.

The problem was time. A breakthrough of that level could take years, and Ysara truly hesitated at the thought.

She didn’t want to be away from Mireya for that long. Nor from Ethan, of course.

But with that artifact, everything changed.

Ysara could feel it. Her advancement would be dozens of times faster—one or two months, at most.

"Isn’t the cost of using it too high?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from the pedestal with some effort, as if it were pulling her back. "You should keep an artifact like that for yourself. Or for Alice—she should be ready to advance to the fourth stage after her pregnancy. Ophelia, too."

"It’s not much compared to the value of having a new sixth-stage warrior in Goldenveil. Even less compared to the cost of seeing you happy." Ethan smiled, leaning over her and sealing her lips with a kiss.

The beautiful, mature MILF shuddered for a moment, her eyes closing as her lips melted into his.

Her hands, tense until then, slowly relaxed. One of them drifted up to Ethan’s chest and stayed there, her fingers resting lightly over his heartbeat.

Honestly, over the past few days she had been very torn, and the feeling only grew worse as she found herself more and more connected to Goldenveil.

She was the director of an academy now. She had students under her care, teachers, people who trusted and respected her.

But she had been born in the Kingdom of Burning Ice. She had been its queen. She had been one of its Ancestors.

She still harbored a certain affection and loyalty for that kingdom, and it left her deeply confused.

She already knew that the Church of the Nine, backed by the Kingdom of Burning Ice, was preparing a crusade against Goldenveil.

And she couldn’t just stand by and watch. She had to fight. She had to protect everything she had been building.

She wanted to build a great empire alongside Ethan. She wanted to see her students rule over that empire. But she also knew that, for any of it to become real, she would have to overcome the Kingdom of Burning Ice.

"Do you want me to leave you alone to advance? Do you need any specific items? I have plenty of advancement resources with me, and some of them should work for you," Ethan asked, pulling his face back just enough to look her in the eyes.

He couldn’t help but feel a little worried by her silence.

"For your plans to come to fruition, sooner or later you’ll have to overcome the Kingdom of Burning Ice, won’t you?" she finally asked, slowly turning toward him.

"It’ll depend on them, but honestly, I highly doubt it’ll go any other way..." Ethan sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "When Goldenveil becomes more powerful, when our forces pose a real threat to the kingdom’s integrity, they won’t just stand by. Especially because of the Faith of the Nine."

"And then... are you going to destroy it?"

"You’re my wife... why don’t you decide that for yourself?" Ethan replied casually, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"I can get you pregnant, give Mireya a little brother, and make him king of the Kingdom of Burning Ice after we defeat them. Or maybe ask the Goddess of Life to bless Mireya so she can conceive... don’t you want a little grandson or granddaughter?"

He took a step closer and cupped her face. His thumb slowly traced her soft cheek, moving down to her jawline and gently lifting her chin so she couldn’t look away.

"You’re part of the Vorhn family. I won’t hurt anyone in your family unless it’s necessary, and I won’t destroy the kingdom you once ruled unless it’s necessary. So don’t worry so much, okay? Above all, your husband wants to see you happy."

Ysara froze completely at that.

Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her eyes welled up almost immediately.

"You really know how to play with Auntie’s heart..." she said, her voice trembling as she pulled Ethan into a hug and pressed him against her chest.

She squeezed him tightly, smothering him between her breasts.

Ethan felt the two heavy mounds close in over his head, warm and impossibly soft, swallowing his face until even the sound of his own breathing was muffled.

The height difference between them was significant, so Ethan almost had to drop to his knees to fit his face there. He didn’t complain.

"It’s fine. A full-scale war against the Kingdom of Burning Ice is still a long way off. I’m going to focus on my training now, okay? I need to be much stronger to protect Goldenveil." She finally let go of him, her hands sliding down to his shoulders and resting there, firm and steady.

"Is Mireya asleep? I want to talk to her before I go into isolation. With this artifact, my advancement shouldn’t take more than a month, but I still want to see her," she said, her gaze settling on the crimson pendant resting against Ethan’s chest.