Free Web NovelChapter 266: Bet
"Hmm... a few hundred a year..." Arwen replied after a brief pause, her slender fingers brushing her chin in thought.
After a moment of further reflection, she continued, "If it reaches full maturity, it can produce a few thousand fruits a year—and of superior quality, at that.
The red ones are the least valuable, the blue ones are of intermediate value, and the golden ones are called divine fruits. A single tree yields no more than a handful of them over the course of an entire year."
"Hmm... Perfect." Ethan let a satisfied smile escape at her answer.
That fruit undoubtedly held enormous potential for Goldenveil’s future.
With a soft sigh of contentment, he walked alongside Arwen until they reached his mansion, guiding her through the silent corridors to his office.
Ethan’s firm hands slowly slid away from the sensual curve of her hips as Arwen settled onto the comfortable office sofa, the cushion sinking gently beneath her weight.
The elf’s green eyes followed him with curiosity as he retrieved an item from his spatial ring.
It was an ordinary-looking bottle, filled with a bright green liquid that pulsed subtly, dense with magical energy.
Ethan took two crystal goblets from one of the shelves, placing them in front of Arwen and setting the bottle between them.
"It’s called green fairy wine, a local creation from Goldenveil. This particular batch was made with the refined blood of a third-stage beast," he said, busying himself with the cork.
With a soft pop, it gave way, and a sweet, intense herbal aroma spread through the room, carried by a density of mana so thick the very air seemed to vibrate.
Arwen’s green eyes sparkled, fixed on the emerald liquid as Ethan filled a glass for her and another for himself.
This was, without a doubt, a very interesting wine.
She reached out, holding the glass with her long, delicate fingers before bringing it to her full, rosy lips in a graceful motion.
Arwen took just a sip.
As a fourth-stage awakened mage, a wine of that caliber shouldn’t have had any effect on her.
And yet, a subtle shiver coursed through her body, making the huge swell of her chest tremble lightly beneath her dress.
"Ah~" A sharp sigh escaped her parted lips as the liquid slid warmly down her throat, and the mana she had spent nourishing the Tree of Life began to replenish at an astonishing speed.
"Hm~" She took a second sip, slower this time, savoring it before pulling the glass away from her lips and setting it elegantly on the table.
"This wine is truly incredible..." she murmured, an enchanted sigh slipping past her lips.
"I can offer you a hundred bottles as a wedding gift, if you’d like..." Ethan teased, sitting beside her and earning a soft, melodious chuckle from the elf.
She turned toward him slowly, her eyes half-closed and full of interest.
"Are you like this with all your wives? I can’t believe I’m the only one you’re interested in."
"Well... I’m a hopeless romantic... The goddess of beauty is also the goddess of love; perhaps she’s blessed me," Ethan replied, his tone hovering somewhere between joking and serious.
His hand drifted casually downward, coming to rest on her thigh.
The warm, shapely flesh gave way beneath his fingers, the plump softness pressing back against his palm.
Through the thin fabric of her dress, the supple heat of her thigh radiated into his hand, and every gentle squeeze was met with a tender, springy resistance from the muscle beneath.
Arwen froze for a moment at the audacity, then let out a hearty, amused laugh, her shoulders trembling lightly with mirth.
Her own hand settled on top of Ethan’s, making no move to push it away, while her green eyes studied the human’s face intently.
Even among elves, such a handsome face was a rarity.
"You’re a very interesting man, but most women aren’t happy about being just another one in a harem, you know?"
"Yes," Ethan nodded with a wry smile. "That’s exactly why I have to work twice as hard to love them."
Arwen didn’t reply right away, instead raising the goblet to her lips for another sip of green fairy wine.
Ethan didn’t press beyond her thigh, keeping his hand exactly where it was, his fingers caressing the soft flesh in slow circles.
"When do you plan to build a cathedral so I can start training the priestesses?" she asked, changing the subject. "I’ll need something to do until construction is complete, won’t I?"
"It will be finished as early as tomorrow. You can begin recruiting the women you deem worthy of becoming priestesses immediately."
"Tomorrow?" Arwen’s eyes widened with surprise, one eyebrow arching slightly.
"Is there already a cathedral ready to be inaugurated?"
"No. I’ll build one from scratch."
"My lord..." Arwen stared at him with an expression of skepticism. "From the walls I’ve seen, I know that Goldenveil’s engineering is robust, but... just one day? The cathedral of the three goddesses can’t just be a shack."
"It won’t be just a shack," Ethan smiled confidently.
He wasn’t bothered by her doubt.
Even by the system’s standards, his ability to build instantly was quite unique. To Arwen, he was practically declaring the impossible.
"Why don’t we make a bet?" He turned to her suddenly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "A kiss, if I manage to impress you tomorrow."
"Hm..." Arwen’s eyes narrowed, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. "That doesn’t seem very fair... kisses are sacred to elves. Kissing someone is tantamount to both a marriage proposal and its acceptance."
"Well," Ethan poured a little more wine into her glass and his own, "they say the higher the stakes, the greater the pleasure of winning, don’t they?"
"I suppose so." Arwen took another leisurely sip of the green fairy wine, her eyes filled with obvious satisfaction.
She was, honestly, quite curious.
"Very well." She gently lifted Ethan’s hand from her thigh. "But until then, keep that silly little hand in check. You’re not my husband yet."
Honestly, she felt quite conflicted about Ethan.
For over a hundred thousand years, she had never accepted a man, and yet now, all of a sudden, there she was, being openly touched by that young human. freewebnovel.cσ๓
She was as curious as she was confused by her own behavior.
Arwen rose gracefully, the fabric of her dress falling softly over her voluptuous curves, her full breasts swaying gently with the motion. "Where is my room?"
