Chapter 348: Getting Ready for the Celebration (01)
Ethan sighed as he walked through the long corridors of his palace, his thoughts still weighing heavy on his mind.
His footsteps echoed softly off the polished marble, the sound fading among the rich tapestries and ornate columns that lined the path.
His first stop was a large hall, currently unoccupied, where he carefully placed The Grace of the Ancestral Goddess of Life.
The hall stood on one of the palace’s highest floors—a sort of open-top garden hall where sunlight streamed freely down upon the plants growing all around, gilding every leaf and petal with a soft glow.
Honestly, he was rather impressed by just how powerful that artifact was, and by the practically nonexistent number of drawbacks it had.
But when he stopped to think about it more carefully, it all made sense.
To the players, it was all just a game world, but he knew full well that Estria was real.
The ancient goddess of life had forged an artifact to save lives—one into which she had poured her very soul—a gift bestowed upon her most loyal follower.
What would be the point of simply limiting the power of that artifact? Or worse, intentionally introducing flaws into it?
It was simply ridiculous.
She would try to make it as perfect as possible, correcting every imperfection to ensure the best for her devotee.
If it were the work of a mortal, he might even understand. But an artifact crafted by the very hands of the goddess of life?
It would be truly strange for something of this caliber to have major restrictions on its use.
Ethan watched intently as the hall around him began to transform.
In the center of the space, a circular structure rose smoothly from the floor—a silver platform large enough to hold a thousand people.
Four pillars sprang from the edges, curving elegantly upward to form a dome above the platform. Their architecture bore the unmistakable hallmarks of elven design, all converging five meters above the center.
The moment the artifact took its final form, the life energy in the room intensified dramatically.
The surrounding flowers and herbs blossomed with renewed vitality, more vivid colors spreading across their petals, and the very air grew fresher and more fragrant.
Ethan wasted no time, adjusting the artifact’s settings and ordering the beautiful guard at his side to gather her sisters, along with Alice and the other wives.
All of them, including Amelia and Ysara, would have to undergo the process of binding themselves to the artifact so that their lives would be fully protected.
Upon leaving the palace, Ethan walked to the front of the great gates, his eyes sweeping across the vast empty area beyond—the place where he planned to build a plaza for children to play in the future.
Reaching out, he positioned the statue right at the center of the courtyard. The structure rose majestically to a height of fifty meters, tall and imposing against the sky.
Its base was golden, adorned with sweet verses of poetry engraved in relief. From that base, seated on an ornate throne, a woman was nursing a child.
The child had golden hair, just like the woman, its body and garments sculpted in a soft porcelain hue.
The woman’s eyes were closed, and tears that seemed to be made of liquid gold slowly trickled down her cheeks, their brilliance catching the light in an almost hypnotic way.
Ethan gazed at the statue with satisfaction, feeling its power ripple out immediately across GoldenVeil, another 1,500 prestige points added to his status.
Although located in the upscale district, the place would be open to the public, and any man or woman could come seeking a blessing for their children.
He also wanted to establish a donation center there, its funds going toward supporting GoldenVeil’s orphanages, since he had literally made the presence of homeless children illegal in his dominion.
The leader of any city could even be arrested if it were proven that he or she was not making sufficient efforts to provide education, housing, and food to orphan children.
Creating a national donation fund specifically to combat this was Ethan’s central plan—a system that would ensure the development of productive adults and prevent the emergence of slums, since even these children would be guaranteed a stable job, a spot in college, and a home of their own once they turned twenty and could no longer remain in the orphanage.
If there were no suitable jobs for them, Ethan planned to simply enlist them in the military.
Ethan turned and walked back into his palace, his hands carefully clasped behind his back.
His eyes fell on his status screen.
[Name: Ethan GoldenVeil
Level: 98/120 (XP: 2%)
Available Rebirths: 2
Stage: 3 (Advancement quest available at level 120.)
Talent: Rank S
Noble Title: High Count. (Increase your prestige to upgrade your title)
Heroic Title: The Unparalleled Degenerate of Darkwall! (-3 prestige), Goblin Slayer! (+2 prestige, +30% fear among goblins.) +3
Prestige: 4,200/5,000
Aura: 25,000/25,000
Attributes.
Strength: 1,200
Agility: 1,191
Vitality: 1,173
Intelligence: 900
Charm: 1,300
Available attribute points: 0
Wives: 6
Concubines: 355
Monthly prestige gained from wives and concubines: 450]
He was quite pleased with his progress in strength, especially after all the intense training sessions with Ysara.
She could push him to his limits with absurd ease, and thanks to that, he ended up improving far more and far faster than he would have under normal circumstances.
He was eager to train more with her in the future, both for the miracles her lips performed on his lower sword—and for the boost in strength their sessions together always gave him.
Ethan quickened his pace toward his arena.
Upon arriving, he headed straight down to the venue’s basement, passing through the comfortable, climate-controlled area where the human fighters were kept, until he finally reached the section reserved for the beasts.
The air here was heavier, wild and untamed, mingled with the aroma of damp straw and hammered iron. Muffled growls from the deepest cages echoed off the stone walls.
Five players were there, watching a gigantic white-maned lion in the third stage—their greatest achievement to date.