Chapter 436: Great Eternal Cathedral of the Red Leaf

When Ethan left the Black Sentinel Pass Fortress, only a few hours remained until nightfall.

Fortunately, on those swift spirit horses, he and his bodyguards reached Windmere in a matter of minutes.

The city of Windmere had changed considerably.

Ethan had built more than twenty thousand houses there, all to a standard no lower than that of the homes in Goldenveil.

Even though the population had already surpassed thirty thousand, many of those houses still stood empty.

Passing through the wide gates, guarded by a small but well-trained militia, Ethan was first greeted by Windmere’s many forges, steel mills, and refineries.

Currently, Windmere produced more than five hundred thousand metric tons of various metals per month, ranging from iron and steel to mithril and adamantite.

This output was more than enough to supply present-day Goldenveil, and it would soon multiply many times over as the mines expanded and more workers arrived.

One day, Ethan planned for Windmere to produce those five hundred thousand metric tons in a single day—not a month—supplying the entire Empire.

Of course, that would still have to wait quite a while.

The people of Windmere parted as Ethan made his way through the streets.

Many stopped what they were doing to bow their heads in respect, and more than a few workers set down their tools just to watch him pass.

Evelyn rode at his right, and fifteen beautiful Golden Rose guards followed close behind him.

Leaving the industrial zone behind, the young lord arrived in the city’s residential area.

Although Windmere was a city very different from Goldenveil, one entirely focused on industrial production, its air was remarkably pure.

Like everything else in the Goldenveil territory, Windmere was under the influence of the Tree of Life, albeit to a lesser extent than the capital. Still, even here, it purified the air and nourished the vegetation.

Tall trees lined the streets, and vines climbed the walls of many houses, all a vibrant, healthy green.

As such, Windmere was not much less beautiful than Goldenveil, despite all the metal production.

In the distance, Ethan spotted Aerick Windmere, his wife, and their young son.

Arwen was with them, accompanied by a guard of twenty paladins from the Order of the Silver Wings, as well as five guards from the Order of the Golden Rose.

The group had gathered in front of a small church, one clearly built in a hurry. Its walls were simple and unadorned.

Arwen was sitting with Aerick’s wife on a small bench in the shade of a fruit tree.

The beautiful high elf kept one hand resting on the pregnant human woman’s rounded belly, channeling life energy into it. A faint green glow pulsed between her slender fingers.

Meanwhile, the two chatted about various topics, mainly about when Arwen would like to have a child of her own.

Aerick, naturally, had no place in that conversation.

He simply waited with his arms crossed not far away, casting the occasional glance at his young son, who was busy poking at the tree roots with a stick.

Soon, he saw Ethan approaching, and a broad smile spread across his face.

"Lord Ethan!"

Aerick strode toward him with a few men from his own private guard at his back, then bowed deeply.

The young lord slowed his horse gradually until the animal came to a complete stop, snorting softly.

Dismounting with a graceful movement, he handed the reins to one of his guards.

"It’s good to see you, Aerick. How has the integration of the new population been going?" Ethan asked, motioning for him to rise.

"It’s going well, Lord Ethan. The dwarves are hard workers and have greatly increased the efficiency of production in the mines," Aerick replied.

Then he glanced over his shoulder and took a step to the side to make way.

Arwen was already on her feet, and in the next instant she threw herself into Ethan’s arms.

He welcomed her with open arms.

The elf’s soft, warm body pressed against his, the swell of her massive breasts cushioning against his chest, and the fresh scent of green leaves that always seemed to follow her enveloped him completely.

"Husband... I’m so glad you came. It took a little longer than expected, fufufu~" The beautiful elf gave a soft chuckle against his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I know, I ended up taking a little longer than I wanted at the fortress, but everything’s ready now," Ethan said, his eyes falling on the small, hastily built church.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Yes." Arwen nodded, revealing a gentle, happy smile.

"Good."

Ethan slowly pulled away from her and walked toward the church.

The paladins of the Silver Wings took a few steps back, making room, and a curious silence fell over everyone there.

He held out a single hand, activating his instant-construction ability in enhancement mode. Several options appeared before him, translucent windows floating in the air.

Ethan took his time. His eyes scanned the many options, one by one, until he finally found what he was looking for.

[Name: Great Eternal Cathedral of the Red Leaf

Description: One of the twelve great cathedrals of the Three Goddesses in the ancient and prosperous elven land ruled by Arwen, the Firstborn.

It was considered the second heart of the faith of the Three Goddesses, a massive and revered cathedral that attracted countless pilgrims despite not being Arwen’s supreme cathedral.

A fortress of paladins is integrated into the cathedral, with a capacity for up to one hundred and fifty paladins.

Paladins to defend it can be purchased from the System for a payment of one hundred gold coins.

(This option is available because of the subordinate "Arwen." The paladins will be completely loyal to her.)

All paladins will be women with Rank A talent or higher.

You can recruit a maximum of 150 paladins.

You can build external fortresses to expand the order of paladins even further.

Price: 5,000,000 gold coins

Effects: +500 Prestige, +50% population morale and loyalty (National Effect), +50% population fervor (National Effect), +35% fertility (National Effect), +35% vitality for the entire population (National Effect)]

The price was much higher than that of the cathedral Ethan had built for Arwen, but that was because this one was complete, not fragmented.

Arwen’s cathedral would be even more incredible once he gathered the other four fragments of it.

Without hesitation, he paid to have the cathedral built and also to recruit the one hundred and fifty paladins who would protect it.