Chapter 307: Goldenveil’s Changes
Ron followed Ethan through the streets of Goldenveil, his gaze flitting from one wonder to the next, unable to settle on any single spot for long.
The city before him wasn’t the same one he’d visited last time. Not by a long shot.
Honestly, the only things that had stayed the same were the well-maintained streets and sidewalks. Everything else looked as though it had been transformed by some kind of magic.
Elves strolled alongside dwarves and humans.
A little further on, a corporate building loomed before him, built from some strange white concrete of such high quality that it looked as if it had been carved from polished marble.
Next to the entrance, a sign in gilded letters declared that it was an elven textile factory, subsidized by Ethan himself.
When they passed through the gate leading into the intermediate ring, Ron caught sight of Roderick’s forge, now bustling with humans and dwarves working side by side.
Further in the distance, a gigantic tree dominated the horizon, scattering pink and golden petals into the wind, its sweet scent drifting through the air like a fragrant breeze.
Beside it, rising above the wall of the noble district, a colossal palace loomed, so glorious that it didn’t seem to be the work of mortal hands.
At the sight of that palace, Ron forced himself to stay silent, swallowing hard.
That was something only the wealthy Central Empires should possess, and even they would need decades—perhaps centuries—to raise the funds for something so magnificent.
Yet, in just over a month, Ethan had achieved the same feat.
Ethan naturally sensed Ron’s thoughts, but he simply ignored them, walking on in silence.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the noble district, where Ron’s gaze fell upon a cathedral nestled beside the Tree of Life.
"Is that an elven cathedral?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Yes, but it’s not open yet," Ethan replied. "My new wife needs to sort out a few things before she can officially start receiving visitors."
"New wife? Wait a second... you managed to marry an elven priestess?" Ron struggled to contain his shock, his mouth opening before he finally fell silent with a defeated sigh.
Ethan just chuckled softly. "Come on, I’ll take you to my office."
He guided Ron through the palace’s central gate and up the staircase to the main hall.
When they finally reached the office, Ron let out a relieved sigh, collapsing onto a soft sofa and clutching his aching legs.
"Are you really that weak? You’re a third-stage Awakened." Ethan laughed.
It was only a five-kilometer walk from the harbor to the palace, but for a third-stage Awakened, even fifty kilometers should have been a piece of cake.
"Ah... yeah, you really do need a new mode of transportation, you know?" Ron said, stretching out his sore legs. "The Burning Ice Kingdom is already negotiating with a firm from one of the Central Empires to install a public transportation system in the capital."
In the past, such systems were rare and, in reality, limited only to the Central Empires and the Blackwatch Merchant Confederation.
With the fall of that confederation, trade between the two regions had exploded, and it hadn’t taken long for the various chambers of commerce in the Central Empires to decide that expanding into these isolated but relatively wealthy kingdoms was well worth the effort.
Ethan nodded, folding his arms.
Goldenveil would need a proper transportation system in the near future, without a doubt, especially now that it had access to a magical vein and its population was growing so fast.
He could start with just two routes: one running from the palace to the port, and another crossing the city from one side to the other—especially useful for moving goods from the port to the rest of the city, as well as from the crop fields to the warehouses in the intermediate region.
Goldenveil also suffered from a considerable shortage of pack animals, so something like this would be a big help.
"Ah... I’ll think about that later," Ethan said, rising and walking over to the office door.
He pulled it open and glanced down the hallway, spotting Elena approaching with Ophelia at her side, the two of them chatting animatedly.
"Darling... can you get all the merchandise ready that I plan to sell to Ron?" he asked, stepping briefly out of the office.
He leaned down and sealed the black beauty’s lips with a slow, gentle kiss, her enormous tits pillowing against his chest.
"Hmm... all right, but only because you asked so nicely, fufufu~" Elena smiled elegantly.
Beside her, Ophelia pouted, her full lips curling in mock offense. "Aren’t you forgetting about mine?"
Naturally, Ethan wouldn’t keep that hot MILF waiting.
He pressed his lips to hers with the same tenderness, letting his hand glide down along the graceful curve of her back until his palm settled on the ample swell of her rear.
He gave one of the plump cheeks a soft, gentle pat, the flesh dimpling briefly beneath his fingers before rippling back into place with a heavy little quiver.
"Help Elena with these things... I’ll reward both of you later."
Shortly afterward, he stepped back into the office and settled down across from Ron.
"So, what’s going on in the Burning Ice Kingdom? What kind of trouble has my mother gotten herself into?"
"Well... the entire reputation of the Darkwall family has taken a terrible hit because of her, and so has the Cadia family’s," Ron began, resting his chin on one hand.
"Not only did she leave your father in critical condition with a single move, but she also publicly revealed that she had castrated him after he tried to force himself on her.
After that, she forced the Darkwall family to send the four older sisters, and even David’s wives, over as servants. She also made the Cadia family agree to turn the Lord’s two daughters into their concubines.
The Lord of Cadia was shrewd and sent his daughters off to the Central Empires before Amelia arrived, but not only will they still be forced to become your concubines upon their return, but the punishment Amelia demanded of him was also increased, reaching the sum of five million gold coins.
Even for the Cadia family, that’s a considerable fortune."
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