Chapter 110 - 100: The Golden Goddess and Catherine’s Sense of Crisis

Chapter 110: Chapter 100: The Golden Goddess and Catherine’s Sense of Crisis

The Lord’s Mansion.

Inside the banquet hall, candlelight flickered, the entire room resplendent in gold.

Heavy velvet curtains swayed gently as a light breeze passed through, carrying a decadent fragrance.

The crisp clink of silverware against glass mingled with the band’s elegant, melodious tunes.

Intricate lace placemats were spread across the tables, arrayed with exquisite pastries and fruits, their sweet and fruity aromas intermingling.

Servants moved between the guests, filling every cup with mellow wine and golden ale.

The nobles, clad in magnificent formal wear, were gathered together. The men wore tailcoats in shades of green, blue, and black, while the women wore the most fashionable style of the moment: Anna’s Long Dress, which was similar to a bustle skirt.

Anna’s Long Dress got its name from the bustle used to emphasize the lower back. It reduced the hem of the traditional crinoline skirt favored by the nobility, gathering a portion of the train at the back of the waist and embellishing it with variously shaped flowers.

Viewed from the front, this dress gave a slender silhouette. From the side, it accentuated the chest and rear, creating a graceful S-curve.

The collars were mostly high-necked, but the necklines were cut wide, revealing the beautiful petticoats beneath. The sleeves were rather slim, with cuffs adorned with lace and frills. The dress itself was often decorated with horizontal layers of lace, one on top of the other, creating a beautiful effect that made every noblewoman look like a gorgeous blooming flower.

Although it was called Anna’s Long Dress, the true designer was her younger sister, Annie.

With Anna’s help, Annie’s womenswear had already been introduced to noble circles and become an instant sensation, requiring no effort from Lian at all.

Anna’s Long Dress was also more comfortable to wear and was equally beloved by gentlemen, who no longer had to complain about a single woman occupying the space of four or five men.

Although this formal attire for the nobility had not yet been popularized among the commoners, Lian believed it was only a matter of time.

He once again affirmed his own foresight. ’Keeping the twins, Anna and Annie, was absolutely the right decision. Before long, they’ll be generating a tidy fortune for me. After all, the money of nobles and ladies has always been the easiest to earn.’

’It seems I won’t need Catherine or Sophie to set the trend for Anna’s Long Dress after all,’ he mused. ’Anna has quite a head for business.’

Lian withdrew his gaze from the ladies and looked toward the front of the banquet hall.

A map, three meters wide and six meters long, drew the eyes of almost everyone present.

Before everyone’s eyes, Lian personally sectioned off the territory of the Bone Forest on the map, adding it to the Green Shade Territory. He then raised his glass.

"From this day forward, the Bone Forest is officially renamed the Golden Forest, and it shall become part of the Green Shade Territory!"

Everyone raised their glasses and shouted in unison,

"Golden Forest! Golden Forest! Golden Forest!"

The Bone Forest had long been a looming threat across the Southern Region of the Green Shade Territory. Not only did monsters frequently attack the southern High Wall and the villages beyond it, but the forest also severed communication between the Green Shade Territory and the major cities of the south.

Countless merchant caravans and Adventurers had died in the Bone Forest.

Now that Lian had reclaimed the Bone Forest, a major security threat in the south had been eliminated. It also opened up communication with the important southern cities, bringing new opportunities for merchant caravans and Adventurers.

The nobles of the Green Shade Territory were also eager to lead their Knight Orders into the Bone Forest to develop the land and create new wealth for their families.

The Bone Forest was a vast territory, and Lian had no intention of swallowing it all himself. However, he also wouldn’t generously gift it to any nobles who hadn’t earned it.

Lian would divide the Golden Forest—rumored to be covered in gold—into 1,000 zones. After setting aside the Goblin habitats, the Golden Tree’s location, the sites of mineral veins, and the areas needed to reward his subordinates, he would hold a grand auction. The remaining land would be sold off to the nobles, who could then develop it themselves.

As for the rumor that the forest was "covered in gold," the nobles could hear from every Guard who participated in the Bone Forest campaign that it was absolutely true.

Not only had they unearthed treasure in the Bone Forest, but they had also discovered mineral veins!

Of course, Lian would not be stingy with the rewards for those who had joined the expedition.

After all, he had already reaped the greatest benefits from the war. He had become the master of the Forest Spirit Solaya, acquired a vast territory in the former Bone Forest, obtained a precious tree species—the Golden Tree—that could become a pillar industry, gained the Goblins as his subjects, and earned the unwavering love of Miss Catherine.

"On this expedition, our Guardian Witch, Miss Sophie, is the hero most deserving of a reward. It is safe to say that without her, we would not have achieved our subsequent victory."

Under the crowd’s burning gaze, Lian took Sophie’s hand and raised it high above their heads.

Everyone cheered Sophie’s name in unison, especially the Guard captains present at the banquet. Although they were not nobles, they had been granted entry because they were all about to be rewarded.

Sophie was a little nervous; she had never experienced a scene like this before. Fortunately, she had a natural poker face, so no one could see her anxiety. They only saw Miss Witch as her usual cool and distant self.

Though Sophie didn’t smile, Lian knew she must be happy from the bottom of her heart. She had always considered herself a Guardian, and what Guardian doesn’t wish to be loved by the people they protect?

Just as she had cherished the flower crown a young girl once gave her.

"As a reward for Sophie’s outstanding contributions to this defensive war, I hereby grant her the title of Baron, along with zones 1-30 in the northern Golden Forest, a population of 6,000 households, and twelve full-time Knights under her command."