Three weeks flew by, and during that time, Goldenveil grew like never before.

Thanks to the 100x population card Ethan had used and the natural increase in residents, the village now had about eight hundred inhabitants.

Just two hundred more, and Goldenveil would finally be elevated to the rank of a barony, unlocking new system features.

The main one, and the one Ethan was most eager for, was the ability to found new settlements under Goldenveil’s control using city cores like the ones he received when he wiped out the goblin camps.

The first vassal settlement would naturally be at the iron mine, about fifteen kilometers northwest of the village.

He planned to concentrate the entire mining and refining industry there, sending only the refined material to Goldenveil. From there, it would be transformed into weapons, armor, and tools.

The luck feature was the second thing that excited him.

Apparently, once every hundred uses of premium tickets, he could select a desired item. With each spin, the chance of receiving that specific item increased, and upon reaching a hundred spins, the result would be a guaranteed drop.

For now, what Ethan wanted most was a high elf to plant his tree of life.

Preferably a busty elf. Obviously.

"Ah... I’m tired..." His voice carried through the forest surrounding Goldenveil as he sat down beside a tree, his gaze falling on the Blood Emperor’s Ring on his finger.

"Would you like to return and rest, my lord?" Doran asked from a few meters ahead, where he stood guard alongside two other men.

"No." Ethan shook his head with a bitter smile.

Nine hundred and eighty of one thousand blood points. Only twenty remaining until the ring’s limit.

He had been collecting enhancement stones for a few days now, and the time had finally come to use them.

With a slow breath, Ethan stood. A small, whitish stone appeared between his fingers.

[Do you wish to apply "1x Low-Grade Item Enhancement Stone" to "Blood Emperor’s Ring?"

Warning: The success rate is 95%; failure will result in the loss of the enhancement stone.]

Without hesitation, he accepted. The stone was consumed, and the ring glowed faintly on his finger.

[Blood Emperor’s Ring has been successfully upgraded!

Level: 1 -> 2

Max Blood Reserve: 1000 -> 1100

Other effects have slightly increased in efficiency]

Confirming that enhancement stones could indeed increase the ring’s blood reserve, Ethan applied four more of the ten he had, raising it to level six.

He stopped there since, from that point on, each upgrade required two stones and it was better to save them.

Those stones were the result of hundreds of dead goblins, and the drop rate was minuscule.

He had no other way to obtain them, and the number of goblins and monsters around Goldenveil was dropping fast.

In the first few weeks, together with Alice and Evelyn, they killed dozens every day. Now, they could barely find five or six.

That was a problem.

He still needed a bit more XP to reach level sixty, and on top of that, he needed more souls for Mireya.

The death knight had made significant progress, especially after they defeated an orc wandering alone through the region.

Its soul had been a big help, but the hundreds of goblins they’d killed were like a drop in the ocean, barely enough to affect her advancement.

Goblin souls really were pitiful.

"How many souls do you think you need to reach the third stage?" Ethan asked mentally.

[Hm... no more than ten goblins. Isn’t there anything better? Goblin souls are disgusting!] Mireya’s voice rang through the connection, groggy but sweet.

’If you call me master, I might consider going after nobler creatures.’

[No way, you damn pervert!] She grunted.

Ethan sighed.

Her loyalty sat at sixty percent. He’d need another fun session with the knight to remind her of her place.

’Ah... what a few weeks without fucking some huge purple tits does to a man...’ He shook his head and a barrage of curses exploded from the embarrassed death knight, her voice dripping with indignation.

Ethan smirked.

"My lord, we have movement." Doran’s voice snapped him back to reality.

He lifted his head, his hand gripping the sword at his waist on instinct.

His eyes narrowed. About twenty meters away, seven goblins were hauling the carcass of a recently killed deer through the undergrowth.

His lips curled into a smile and he launched forward.

His body burst with speed, golden threads of aura wrapping around him as his footsteps left a shimmering trail behind.

The distance vanished in the blink of an eye, and the goblins didn’t even have time to drop the carcass.

His blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle, slicing through flesh and bone like paper. The first swing dropped three. The second caught two more mid-turn. The third split the last pair before they could scream.

Seven bodies crumpled to the forest floor, blood pooling between the roots and dead leaves.

Ethan held out his hand using the Blood Emperor’s ring. Sixty blood points and one point of agility flowed into him.

With the blood extracted, it was the souls’ turn.

The crimson pendant around his neck pulsed with light, and seven faint threads rose from the corpses, drifting toward it.

"Finally, a change!"

His eyes sparkled, and through the connection with the death knight, he heard a soft, slightly pained moan slip from her lips.

[Death Knight Mireya Vorhn has reached the limit of the second stage. Do you wish to allow her to advance to the third stage?

Warning: Death Knights much stronger than their masters may attempt to break free from your command if loyalty is not high enough]

Ethan ignored the warning and accepted immediately.

He had his ways of dealing with a disobedient subordinate.

The result of the upgrade excited him, but before he could even check it, a new notification arrived and a grin spread across his face.

Finally, he had reached level sixty!