Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He spent two million one hundred thousand gold coins to upgrade the barracks, immediately integrating the Steel Vein military complex into Goldenveil’s Magic Vein.

The next moment, gently wrapping his arm around his mother’s waist, he took a firm step backward, guiding her along with him.

"Ethan... this is..." Amelia’s voice came out almost as a whisper, her eyes glimmering with an unfamiliar brightness as she felt the mana beneath her feet flow toward the barracks’ walls.

Soon after, an immense transformation spell began to take shape in the air before her.

She tried to trace the magical lines that only she, standing there, could see, but even her eyes could only follow them for a mere 0.7 seconds before losing them in the tangle.

The complexity of that spell bordered on the incomprehensible.

The mind of a fifth-stage mage already operated at a speed far superior to that of an ordinary person.

On top of that, Amelia herself possessed various spells embedded within her own brain that multiplied her information-processing speed further still. And yet, this was simply absurd.

The walls of the Goldenveil barracks began to expand, advancing across the ground with a low hum and rapidly engulfing an area of four million square meters—roughly twice the size of the fallen Emperor’s palace.

Of course, while much more expansive, it was also considerably less vertical.

At the center, the complex’s main administration building rose just over ten stories high. Its architecture, though elegant, was far less opulent than that of the palace.

Snow-white walls rose six meters high, surrounding the entire complex, while watchtowers and gates stood at strategic points, ready to defend every corner of that fortress.

At the main entrance, where the gate rose in an imposing arch leading into a vast courtyard, a large statue shaped like a golden sword took form, its tip pointing directly toward the sky.

The courtyard stretched all the way to the main command center, embracing and completely surrounding it.

Scattered around it were magical training centers, countless training grounds for infantry and archers, stables, pools for learning to swim, and even a gigantic equestrian arena designed for honing mounted combat skills.

Ethan observed it all with eyes gleaming in satisfaction, feeling the faint tremor that ran through his mother’s body as she leaned against his arm.

"Your son is incredible, isn’t he?" he teased in a casual tone, watching her slowly turn toward him.

***

Meanwhile, a few dozen kilometers from Goldenveil, in the region’s largest human settlement—whose population just barely exceeded fifteen thousand—several Lords had gathered.

Humans, dwarves, and elves, all there with a single goal in mind: to discuss Goldenveil.

Recently, the territory ruled by Goldenveil—now elevated to the status of a County—had expanded even further.

And with that expansion, the number of guests invited to Ethan’s grand ceremony had also grown considerably.

Now, there were thirty civilized settlements in all, spread across an area of five thousand square kilometers that stretched for nearly one hundred and thirty kilometers.

It seemed like a small area for a territory extending sixty-five kilometers from Goldenveil, which, if roughly circular, would have covered more than twenty-five thousand square kilometers.

This, however, was explained by the region’s shape: a relatively narrow passage squeezed between the Eternal Mountains and Lake Azur.

At one hundred and thirty kilometers from the border between the Eternal Forest and the Kingdom of Burning Ice, the forest finally began to open up.

At two hundred kilometers, the first pockets of the Western Plains started to appear. And at four hundred, the plains proper took over, ultimately claiming about sixty percent of the entire Eternal Forest’s area.

All told, fifteen human Lords, eight elven Lords, and seven dwarf Lords were present.

Combined, their domains were home to a population of up to one hundred thousand people, capable of easily mustering between twenty and thirty thousand soldiers—or even sixty thousand in a state of absolute desperation.

The discussions were heated, and many of the Lords present—especially the humans and dwarves—seemed on the verge of grabbing each other by the throat.

Fists pounded hard against the polished wood of the table, wine glasses trembling with each impact, while voices overlapped in a relentless cascade of accusations.

"Enough! Calm down!"

A thunderous voice echoed through the hall, and for a brief moment, everyone fell silent, their gazes turning as one toward the man who had spoken.

They were all seated around a massive circular table inside the mansion of the Lord of Fallenwinter, a powerful fourth-stage warrior who had only recently advanced, yet still stood as the strongest among all those present.

"We are not here to point fingers, nor to fight among ourselves. If you are all here, it is because you received that letter from Goldenveil," Lord Fallenwinter said, his voice noble and firm, his face completely composed.

He was a man in his two-hundredth year, of considerable talent, and had received an education of the highest caliber in the Kingdom of Solene before eventually ending up in these remote lands.

Naturally, now in the fourth stage and with a life expectancy of five hundred years ahead of him, he was not in the least bit pleased with the idea of losing his autonomy.

And no one else there felt any different.

It was precisely to discuss how to act against Goldenveil that everyone had gathered in that hall.

Clearing his throat with a cough, Lord Fallenwinter spoke again, his thunderous voice echoing off the walls of the hall.

"Lord Ethan Goldenveil arrogantly proclaims himself Count of this region, of all the land we call home."

"He sends letters filled with friendly words, deceiving us with promises of gold and prosperity, but meanwhile, he holds blades to our throats, demanding even our very souls."

"I will not accept this." Lord Fallenwinter shook his head firmly, his gaze hardening like steel.

"If he dares to leave Goldenveil at the head of an army, let him be prepared for the blades of every man of Fallenwinter aimed at his throat! I have called you all here to find out... which of you will accept living as slaves, and which will embrace the fight for our freedom?"