With slow, steady steps, Ethan walked through the gates of his palace.

They were gigantic—fifteen meters wide—making him look tiny by comparison.

Before him stretched a path of pure marble, roughly thirty meters across on its own.

At its center lay a rectangular pond that extended from the middle of the main avenue to just below the base of the stairs.

Across its crystal-clear blue waters, elegantly designed fountains rose every few meters, shooting jets upward in sparkling arcs that dissolved into a fine mist before pattering back down to the surface.

Taking in such grandeur, Ethan sighed.

Honestly, it was fortunate that this place had arrays which cleaned automatically and could, to a certain extent, maintain themselves.

Otherwise, he would have needed to hire at least a few thousand maids just for the central palace, not to mention many more for the numerous buildings surrounding it.

Even so, he’d still have to bring on more staff. Those five alone wouldn’t be able to handle everything, not even within the main area of the palace.

Fortunately, with all the girls learning shadow magic, he figured he’d need no more than a hundred maids, since they were incredibly efficient.

In the future, this place would need to house thousands of workers, since he also had to hire people for the palace warehouses, the great arena, and the diplomatic quarter.

Ethan stopped in his tracks, turning his gaze to the left.

Next to the gate stood the main arena, as large and imposing as the Colosseum back on Earth—a sight that immediately stirred his excitement.

After all, his people would be free to visit the palace on certain occasions, and turning a gigantic arena into a spectacle in the style of the Roman Colosseum was an idea he had held in mind for some time.

He exhaled softly, turning his gaze to the right.

Just like the Colosseum, that section was separated from the main path by a few dozen meters of gardens. It was the area designated for temporary diplomatic residences.

Not far from there, set apart in its own private zone, stood the Tree of Life, complete with a dedicated passageway to facilitate access for the paladins of the Order of the Silver Wings.

In that same region, right beside the central staircase, were the stables, flanked by a wide field designated for horseback riding practice.

With another sigh, Ethan climbed the first flight of stairs, which led him to a square platform. At its center, a golden sword was planted in the ground, reflecting the sunlight in a dazzling glow.

Just ahead, the central staircase began, flanked by tall arches. Its steps of gold and marble stretched all the way to the top, where a gigantic statue stood in silence.

It was the statue of the fallen emperor-god.

In the future, Ethan wanted to tear it down and replace it with one of himself.

The palace’s forge was located directly beneath that staircase.

To his left, separated from the Colosseum by gardens on both sides, stood several other buildings whose purpose Ethan still couldn’t quite identify.

They appeared to be administrative and resource storage facilities.

Ethan resumed his climb.

"It’s at least twice the size of the royal palace in the Kingdom of the Burning Ice," he muttered to himself.

In terms of built area, the main building was only slightly smaller than the Pentagon, whose dimensions on Earth he still remembered clearly, since it had always been one of his favorite structures.

Finally, Ethan reached the top of the stairs, his eyes settling on the sealed golden gates that led to the throne room.

He could only enter once he had transformed Goldenveil into a kingdom and declared himself king.

He ignored them, proceeding through another set of gates that opened into the palace’s common areas.

Kitchens, internal storerooms, offices, bedrooms.

He didn’t stop to look at the training facilities, though, since he wanted to explore them alongside Evelyn.

Both of them had grown frustrated that the weight of their own bodies alone was no longer enough to train their strength.

They could try weight training with giant trees and logs, but the method was far from efficient.

"I need facilities like this at the barracks, too," Ethan thought.

The Hell Soldier Gate was great, but what if his soldiers above the third stage could also improve their basic attributes through training more efficiently?

They would become an even more powerful force.

He also passed by the imperial harem building, which was right next to the main palace.

In size, it was comparable to China’s Forbidden City on Earth, but it was more like a paradise than a prison, with lakes, trees, spacious rooms, and even places to sleep outdoors.

Ethan studied everything carefully before finally leaving the palace.

A faint smile played on his lips as he descended the staircase, returning to the marble avenue.

He was proud of himself.

He could hardly imagine his mother’s reaction upon seeing all of this.

He now possessed the palace of an God Emperor.

Even though it was a fragmented version, with only a fraction of its original power, he was still happy.

If he could achieve this with one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins, what couldn’t he accomplish with even more?

Even a billion seemed like a bargain when he imagined the power of the arrays in the palace’s complete form.

Ethan’s gaze lifted slightly, settling on the gates. There, the trembling figures of Arwen and her two hundred paladins awaited him, watching everything with shock etched into their faces.

The cathedral had already been a huge surprise for them, but next to this palace, it paled entirely.

"What’s the matter? Proud of your dear husband?" Ethan smiled, approaching Arwen, who nodded slowly.

"Do you know what this palace is?" he asked.

"Yes..." Arwen sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I was only a few decades old when it was destroyed, at the end of the mythical era... I never imagined I’d see it again. What absurd magic did you use to create this?"

***

[An image of the Goldenveil Palace is in the comment for this paragraph.

As always, it’s not perfect, and it’s, honestly, a bit over the top, but hey, it’s the palace of a God-Emperor.

Honestly, it’s a massive leap forward compared to the entire mansion, but now I need to figure out a way to balance these costs, hahaha.

Anyway: WH40K fans seeing this and already knowing full well the path Ethan is going to take:]