Chapter 483: Testing the Golden Lord’s Ring’s new ability

The cold in Goldenveil was, without a doubt, very effective at putting an end to anyone’s arrogance.

The wind blew bitingly off the lake, stinging the face and seeping through every gap in the fabric it found along the way. No matter how many layers someone wore, it always found a way in.

Of course, Hilda was a fourth-stage mage. Even if she were standing naked in the middle of the street, she could keep her body warm using only her own mana, without even having to think too much about it.

Still, she found it a little annoying. Spending mana just to keep her ears from freezing seemed like a ridiculous waste.

But in the end, she endured it.

Walking alongside Ethan, she made her way to the most luxurious restaurant in Goldenveil, where the two of them enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

Bread still warm, steaming as it was broken apart; thick-sliced smoked meat; and a sweet drink to wash it all down.

Soon after, they headed to the city’s harbor.

With winter approaching, things had slowed down a bit.

Even so, the harbor remained bustling, filled with the shouts of sailors, the scrape of crates being dragged across the planks, and the strong smell of fish and salt mingling with the icy air.

Seagulls fought over scraps tossed on the ground, their squawking cutting through all the noise.

Much of this commotion stemmed from a simple fact: Lake Azur did not freeze in the winter, not even when temperatures plummeted well below zero.

Because of this, the fishermen of Goldenveil never rested.

With the arrival of the season, new types of migratory fish swarmed into the waters of Lake Azur, and many ended up staying near the coast of Goldenveil, where the magical density was extremely high.

The fishermen only had to wait out the few weeks during which these fish stopped to spawn—a requirement under Goldenveil law before anyone could set out to catch them.

Since that period hadn’t ended yet, the boats returned loaded with shrimp, crabs, and lobsters instead. Entire baskets of them were unloaded at the pier, their red and bluish shells glistening wet in the dim morning light.

Ethan was absolutely addicted to shellfish.

That was why, from the very beginning, he had always supported the development of the shellfish fishing industry and, of course, new recipes to make the most of it all.

What at first wasn’t very common—and was even somewhat looked down upon in Goldenveil—quickly became a delicacy.

All it took was for him to show up at a restaurant and order, as always, at least one serving of shrimp.

Eventually, word that the Lord was passionate about shellfish spread throughout the entire city.

Goldenveil’s wealthiest began to emulate him for the prestige, and the middle class followed close behind.

Technically, there was no poor class in Goldenveil—at least not in the capital. So everyone could afford that kind of food.

In the end, the people of Goldenveil developed a deep appreciation for shellfish of their own, especially thanks to the influence of the Tree of Life, which made the meat much richer in magical energy.

"Do we have to be on a boat to test your new ability? Come on, I want to see how it works!" Hilda declared impatiently, stamping her foot on the wooden floor of the pier.

Ethan just sighed beside her.

He stood at the end of the pier, gazing at the icy waters beyond the walls that protected the harbor. Dark waves crashed against the stone, sending up a fine spray that the wind carried over to him.

Without answering, he knelt down, rested his hands on the damp wood, and activated the Golden Lord’s ability, Eyes of the Emperor of the Eternal Sea.

In the next moment, he saw everything. The entirety of Lake Azur opened up before him all at once.

Every ship, every high-level beast, every movement of the waters. Hot spots, cold spots, currents crisscrossing deep below, far from any human eye.

He knew where it would rain, where the storms would strike, from where the wind would blow, and what every corner of Lake Azur looked like at that very moment.

Ethan withdrew his hands, blinking a few times to shake off the sensation, as if he were coming up from a very deep dive, and turned to Hilda.

Then he used his ability to pass that power on to her.

Hilda crouched down, somewhat wary, and pressed her palm against the pier. A second later, her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

It was almost as perfect as Ethan’s ability, with one exception: the range was twenty percent shorter.

Still, it was more than enough for her to feel the whole of Lake Azur pulsing beneath her fingertips, as if the wood of the pier had become part of the lake itself.

Slowly, Hilda pulled her hand away from the wood and stood up, wiping her palm on her clothes without even realizing it.

She stood in silence for a moment, staring at the water as if seeing it for the first time.

"Do you know how absurd this is?" She looked at Ethan, her voice a little lower than usual.

Her mind was already racing.

She could imagine a hundred fleets, each with an admiral possessing that ability, all connected to one another.

The seas would belong entirely to Goldenveil.

Friendly ships, enemy ships, the weather. Everything at their fingertips.

They would know the exact moment an allied fleet was ambushed, even with all communications severed.

They could react to enemy movements before the enemy even realized they’d been spotted.

In short, Ethan would be the absolute ruler of all the oceans.

Goldenveil’s fleets could only be defeated if their ships were of poor quality.

And fortunately, they had none other than Hilda to build them. Poor quality was not an option.

Naturally, Hilda was thrilled with that technique.

She returned to work almost immediately, practically running back to the shipyards, her boots clattering hurriedly against the pier’s planks.

She wanted to finish those ships before the end of winter and then build more.

In a few years, she intended to build a full fleet for all of Goldenveil.

Ethan, as expected, supported her.

He stayed with her for a few more minutes, watching her shout orders at the workers, before returning to his palace.

Inside, the warmth of the hallways was an immediate relief. His shoulders relaxed of their own accord.

Alice, as always, was standing beside Ophelia and Arwen. With her life energy, she helped nourish the embryos growing in each of the women’s wombs, a soft, greenish glow streaming from her hands whenever she placed them on their bellies.

Ethan shared a brief moment of affection with the three of them before heading to his office, where some paperwork awaited him.

It was tedious work—stack after stack of papers and stamps—but, fortunately, he finished it quickly.

He was already getting ready to open the remaining premium gacha tickets he had left when, suddenly, he froze.

A knock echoed on the door, and Ethan smiled from ear to ear.

It was Seo-ah, and she was accompanied by another woman!

Would he finally meet the one who went by the name BustyViper?