Although it was a prison, the building boasted a surprisingly elegant facade.
Colorful climbing flowers wound their way up the walls, weaving through classic, refined Victorian design elents. Polished concrete sidewalks reflected the warm afternoon sunlight, gleaming softly underfoot.
At its entrance, a small decorative pond welcod visitors with crystal-clear waters. Delicate petals drifted across the surface on the breeze, gliding in circles.
The interior proved just as impressive, spacious and ticulously laid out.
A dining hall, holding cells for short-term detentions, rooms reserved for interrogations, areas dedicated to administrative work, and a large kitchen.
Admiring the beautiful structure, Ethan allowed a satisfied smile to curl at the corners of his lips.
Everything ugly and gloomy lay carefully hidden beneath the ground. On the surface, only beauty remained visible to the eyes of those passing by.
Though tempted to explore every corner of the prison more thoroughly, the urgency of preparing an ambush against Whitefall’s forces weighed heavier on his mind.
He couldn’t afford to waste a single precious minute there.
It was ti to organize his war strategy alongside Doran.
***
While Ethan made his way toward the barracks, Doran was resting in his office with his wife nestled in his arms.
His fingers tenderly traced her belly, already rounded with the couple’s first child, drawing slow circles over the soft fabric of her dress.
Since she stood at the peak of the second stage, her remarkably powerful body had endured the pregnancy without major complications.
All that remained was to await the child’s birth with eager anticipation.
Happy to share such tender monts with her husband, she rested her own hand atop her belly as well, her gentle caresses mirroring his.
With her Rank A talent, she was confident she could attempt an advancent to the third stage even before giving birth.
Such an advancent during pregnancy was, in fact, beneficial for the child, as the embryo’s body in her womb would also be strengthened by the process.
Elsewhere on the continent, it was even common for noblewon with high talent to ti their pregnancies with their advancents, precisely to produce a stronger child.
Unfortunately, the tender mont between the two could not last.
Soon, a gentle tremor ran through the floor beneath their feet.
A wave of mana followed, radiating throughout Goldenveil and causing the surrounding aura to ripple like the surface of a disturbed lake.
"Ah... it seems Lord Ethan is already building sothing big again." Doran rose from his comfortable armchair, rolling his shoulder until it gave a faint crack.
"Go prepare dinner, my love. He should be coming to see on urgent business shortly."
Hearing those words, Doran’s wife gave a small nod and rose to her feet, smoothing her dress over the gentle curve of her belly.
She left the guard barracks just in ti to cross paths with Ethan as he entered the building.
The young lord, noticing Doran’s beautiful young wife, returned a courteous nod of acknowledgnt.
His footsteps then echoed through the barracks’ corridors as he made his way to Doran’s office.
"My lord." Doran stood up imdiately, surprised by how quickly Ethan had arrived.
"I’ve already recruited so guards for the prison, including a friend with extensive experience who can serve as director."
"Good." Ethan smiled slightly. "But that’s not why I ca here. Let’s go to the war room. Gather all the third-stage warriors and the most powerful guards."
Hearing that, Doran nodded gravely, his expression hardening at once.
It was the first ti since the barracks’ establishnt that Ethan had ordered a eting in the war room.
Without hesitating for a single mont, he obeyed his Lord’s command.
Just the night before, the ten n with talent above Rank B, who had already reached the peak of the second stage, had gone into seclusion to attempt the breakthrough.
Two elves with naturally high talent had also joined them.
When Doran confird that all of them had advanced successfully, a smile full of satisfaction spread across his lips.
Goldenveil now boasted seventeen third-stage warriors.
Normally, such a large string of successful advancents would be considered impossible. But with the absurd density of aura perating Goldenveil, even Rank C talents could risk an attempt at the third stage.
The chances of success were less than ten percent, and failure could leave them seriously injured. Still, many were willing to gamble on their own luck.
Soon, with everyone gathered, the n received weapons above Rank B from Garrick’s hands.
The powerful steel armor that followed was in no way inferior in quality to that of the knights of the Kingdom of the Burning Ice.
Properly equipped, the seventeen experts marched toward the war room.
"You have improved greatly, and you certainly fill your Lord’s heart with pride..." These were the first words to escape Ethan’s lips as he saw them lined up, his face bathed in genuine satisfaction.
"You flatter us too much, Lord Ethan. It was all thanks to your leadership," one of the third-stage warriors replied, bowing respectfully.
The others were quick to mimic the gesture, joining him in a synchronized bow.
None of those n had a loyalty score below ninety, and such devotion had not been forged by fear.
Each of them harbored a true love for Goldenveil. Even the two elves in the group, who had been practically forced to join, shared that sa sentint.
Unlike in Whitefall, where loyalty was secured through violence, fear, and greed, in Goldenveil it sprang naturally from respect for Ethan and a shared desire to see their land prosper.
There was a great difference between n who fought for duty, honor, and love of holand, and n who fought out of fear, greed, and lust.
"Very well." Ethan unrolled the map on the table, smoothing its edges with the palm of his hand. "The forces of Whitefall are already marching toward us, and this is the route they will take."
"I have no intention of letting them reach the foot of the Goldenveil wall. I want to wipe them out halfway there with an ambush, and this eting is precisely to organize it."
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