Chapter 364: Naughty Ophelia
Ethan had a busy week.
With Alice and Amelia’s help, he configured the communications tower while also teaching several Goldenveil army officers how to operate the communication devices.
Each cohort of five hundred soldiers received at least two devices, and many more were distributed throughout Goldenveil.
Key leaders, Ethan’s wives, and, of course, Aerick, Lord of Windmere, were also provided with their own.
Every device initially available in Goldenveil ended up spread across the territory, with certain units set aside exclusively for scouts.
The methods for producing more were then sent to his mother’s mages, who had already claimed the Golden Tower as their own and were more than eager to begin production.
They were also extracting magical cores from the Goldenveil mine, with ample resources at their disposal for the task ahead.
After hiring a reliable third-stage mage as manager, along with ten second-stage mages and several dozen staff members for less critical roles, Ethan finally got the communication tower up and running.
After that, his priorities became clear.
He had already expanded the Goldenveil school large enough to accommodate virtually all the children in the city, but with the constant influx of new students, even more schools would be needed.
Since he no longer had any use for instant construction, Ethan designated certain areas of the Steel Vein military complex as temporary educational zones, where teachers could instruct children who had yet to attend school.
It meant more work for Goldenveil’s few, already exhausted teachers, but he granted them substantial raises along with promises that this phase would soon pass.
With the children in school, Ethan joined Doran in recruiting more soldiers, expanding Goldenveil’s army to a total of twelve thousand men. Every able-bodied young person eager to begin the work was welcomed into the ranks.
With so many soldiers ready for combat, he felt much more at ease, though his work was still far from over.
On the last day of that week, the time came for Ethan to pay a visit to Countess Faelith.
***
Of course, while Ethan had been working, Faelith hadn’t been sitting idle either.
She had been given a diplomatic residence within the palace walls, one of dozens of small yet luxurious mansions in the area.
At first, she was a bit reluctant to stay in Goldenveil for so long, especially under the watchful eyes of two fifth-stage experts.
If Ethan wanted to get rid of her there, it would be terribly easy.
As the days went by, however, she began to relax.
Honestly, Goldenveil was pleasant.
Much more pleasant than her own city, she had to admit.
First of all, there were the people.
She had always hated the stench of human cities, but Goldenveil was comparable to an elven city in that regard.
The citizens were clean, well-dressed, and well-groomed.
The restaurants, taverns, and even the street vendors maintained extremely high standards of cleanliness, and the meals were wonderful, even for a palate as refined as hers.
On top of all that, Goldenveil’s magical density was incredible.
She had never felt her power grow so clearly, and even her mind seemed quicker.
Her magical research, which had been at a standstill for years, began to flow naturally again as she jotted down notes before bed.
Of course, alongside everything she enjoyed, there were also things that struck her as strange.
First of all, just how open Ethan was about matters that were supposed to be Goldenveil’s greatest secrets.
When she asked if she could take a look at his soldiers, he didn’t hesitate, guiding her on a full tour of nearly the entire main military complex and even leading her up onto the wall.
Of course, he didn’t reveal any secrets he considered important, but even so, giving Faelith the chance to see so many areas that should have been off-limits was rather unwise.
She found it all strange, but soon came to understand.
Ethan was far too confident.
In his mind, the moment he stepped outside Goldenveil’s gates, his enemies were already defeated.
It was a somewhat childish thought, but when she reflected on everything she’d seen in Goldenveil, Faelith couldn’t help but agree.
Ethan had the power to win, and easily.
She’d watched Goldenveil’s population skyrocket, the number of soldiers surpass ten thousand, with even the new recruits absorbing an absurd amount of training in just a few days.
Ethan was about to march with a professional elite army against a band of hastily trained and poorly equipped peasants.
It would be a bloodbath.
Faelith’s seven days in Goldenveil seemed to fly by, and soon the day arrived when she would have to make her decision.
With a slightly uncertain look in her eyes, the elven beauty stood before the bathroom mirror in the mansion where she was staying, touching up her appearance.
She wore casual clothes that, to her, seemed rather strange.
These were the ones Ophelia, during a previous visit, had recommended she wear when meeting Ethan.
Well... Ophelia didn’t just recommend it—she absolutely promised that those clothes would easily win Ethan’s heart!
Her ample breasts strained against a white top clearly far too small for their generous size.
Loose-fitting though the fabric was, it barely draped over her large, pale orbs, the hem grazing just bellow her pink nipples and leaving the entire underside of those heavy globes bare to the open air.
Her slim waist and slender belly were completely on display, and over her wide hips clung an extremely short skirt, the fabric stretched thin across her ample curves yet still failing to contain her buttocks.
A generous portion of her plump rear spilled out from beneath the hem, the pale, silky flesh jiggling with every subtle shift of her weight and offering an unabashed view of the deep cleft between her cheeks.
A black thong rose along the curve where her hips met her waist, the thin string sinking between the soft mounds of flesh and only accentuating just how full and pillowy her buttocks truly were.
"Ah... how does that woman have the nerve to tell me that something like this will give me diplomatic advantages?" Faelith muttered, her hands hesitating as they moved to remove the outfit.
She regretted not having taken a proper look at the clothes sooner.
On the other hand, something else weighed on her mind.
Would Ethan really want to see her in an outfit like this? Would it really help her?