226: Chapter 226 Alia gives birth! Elena gives birth!

In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed quietly.

The height of summer was drawing to a close.

A faint hint of autumn, carrying a subtle chill, permeated the air, drifting on the wind.

The Imperial Capital, Seran City.

The Windsor Family estate.

The air was filled with the delicate scent of orchids as several maids moved softly through the corridors.

Inside a cozy room.

Aria Windsor leaned against the goose-down pillows. Though her complexion was somewhat pale, her ice-blue eyes held a tenderness never seen before.

In the cradle beside her, three newborns lay swaddled side by side.

Their three little faces were wrinkled, all sleeping quietly, occasionally smacking their lips softly.

Aria lowered her head, her gaze sweeping slowly over the little faces of the three children.

She extended a finger and gently touched the cheek of one of the little girls.

The little girl seemed to feel her mother's touch in her sleep and moved her little head slightly.

Aria whispered softly: "Melanie... Darian... Jessica..."

She recited their names one by one, lost in thought...

Northern Territory, Golden Flame Castle.

Rowan was in his study, reviewing a recent pension report from the City Guard.

Recently, there had been an increasing number of various sacrificial cases, and he had stepped in a few more times.

Suddenly, his movements paused.

He felt the panel in his mind update itself with a message.

He put down the document in his hand, sank his consciousness into the panel, and scanned the [Current Qualified Offspring] column.

In that column, three names had appeared out of thin air: Melanie Windsor, Darian Windsor, Jessica Windsor.

He was slightly stunned and couldn't help but chuckle.

Aria had given birth!

He remembered very clearly that although Aria had conceived a few days later than Elena, she had given birth first, and three at once.

This efficiency and productivity were astonishing.

However, Elena would be giving birth within the next day or two as well.

His premonition was soon verified.

Just one day later, the sound of busy footsteps echoed through Golden Flame Castle.

Immediately followed by the sound of a baby's cry...

Half a day later.

Elena leaned against the headboard, her long hair disheveled, her face weary. In the cradle beside her, two newborns lay side by side.

Rowan sat by the bed, gently holding Elena's hand. Then he subconsciously scanned the score.

[90 points]!

No drop in points, that was good.

But looking at Elena's weak state, he estimated she was barely maintaining the score and would need to recuperate for a while.

Beside them, Knight Lexi had specially rushed over from the Mist Territory a few days ago.

Looking at her lady's two children, she couldn't help but whisper their names: "Declan... Jennifer..."

Rowan accompanied Elena in her room for a while longer until she fell into a deep sleep, then he gently released her hand, stood up, and walked out of the room.

After returning to his study, he sat behind his desk and sank his consciousness into the panel.

[born succubus more children more blessings system]

[Current Number of Offspring]: 12

Mia Flynn.

Aidan Flynn.

Finn Flynn.

Maeve Flynn.

Karen Flynn.

Eileen Flynn.

Vera Flynn.

Melanie Windsor.

Darian Windsor.

Jessica Windsor.

Declan Gladstone.

Jennifer Gladstone.

[Qualified Offspring Milestone Rewards]:

7: Received [Random Class Card x1, Random Class Skill Card x2] (Claimed)

14: Obtain [Specific Class Card x1, Specific Class Skill Card x2]

28: Obtain [Random Saint-Tier Class Card x1, Random Saint-Tier Class Skill Card x2]

Only two more, and he would reach the next milestone.

He thought, it just depends on who gives birth first in a month, Cecilia or Helena.

Just then.

The study door was suddenly knocked on urgently, completely different from the gentle knocking rhythm of the maids on weekdays.

Rowan's eyes flickered slightly: "Enter."

The door was pushed open. He looked over.

Adeline and Charlotte entered.

These two chamberlains were in charge of military affairs within the Chamberlain Cabinet.

They were usually responsible for liaising with the City Guard, deploying territorial defenses, and coordinating extraordinary combat forces.

Their personalities tended to be calm and capable; they rarely showed any obvious signs of panic.

But at this moment, there was an obvious anxiety on both of their faces as they walked quickly toward Rowan.

Adeline didn't even bother with the formalities, speaking urgently: "My Lord, something happened at the Magic Crystal Mine!"

"The City Guard just sent an urgent report. There were violent explosions in the mining area, loud enough that even the outposts on the outermost perimeter of the mine could hear them."

"The entire City Guard squad stationed in the mining area has lost contact; no information has been sent back."

"Moreover, according to reports from soldiers at the outer outposts, when the explosion occurred, there were faint emanations of more than one Great Knight-level aura from deep within the mining area!"

Hearing this, Rowan's expression darkened.

He immediately understood why Adeline and Charlotte were in such a rush to come directly to him.

This was clearly an incident involving Great Knight-level combat power, which the City Guard had no ability to handle.

And currently in the castle.

Ever since Garuvi had fully recovered from her injuries, she had left the Golden Flame Territory to travel alone. She said she wanted to investigate some clues regarding Duke Weiduns Estate and had not yet returned.

So, the remaining Tier 4 or higher combat power was only him and Aurora.

As a wizard advisor, Aurora was someone he kept to watch the house and could not easily leave.

Therefore, he was the only one who could go to the Magic Crystal Mine to deal with a threat of this level.

However, after pondering for a moment, he felt something was off.

Although that Magic Crystal Mine was an important asset of the Golden Flame Territory, its management and operation had always been led by the Imperial Ministry of Resources; he, as the lord, could not intervene much.

In recent months, the Imperial Ministry of Resources' extraction speed had inexplicably accelerated quite a bit. He had sent people to inquire, and the reply he received was that the Imperial Capital had adjusted the extraction plan, and there was nothing more.

He had always felt there was something suspicious about this; accelerating the extraction speed would cause some damage to the mineral vein.

But because the output from the mining area had indeed eased the territory's financial pressure, he had not delved into it.

Now that something had happened in the mining area, he could take this opportunity to go and see for himself what exactly was going on there.

But then he thought again:

The profits from the Magic Crystal Mine were shared by the Empire, the Church, and the Lord. As a stakeholder, the Church should also contribute when a crisis occurred.

Therefore, he looked up at Adeline and asked: "Have you notified the Church? Who have they sent over?"

Adeline's expression became a bit ugly upon hearing this. She bit her lip and said in a low voice:

"We notified them... but the Church replied that Commander Calvin of the Temple Knight Order had been transferred to the south for official business by the Church headquarters and has not yet returned."

"Currently, the high-end combat power that can be mobilized in the Gino City church is limited, and they cannot spare enough manpower to go to the mining area for support."

"They said..."

"Please let the Count's Estate handle it themselves."

After listening, Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Even when a core asset like the Magic Crystal Mine had an incident, the Church wouldn't send anyone. This could no longer be explained by a simple lack of manpower.

Combined with the increasingly frequent sacrificial cases in the territory recently, and the Church's increasingly passive attitude toward handling these events, he felt some unease in his heart.

It seemed the Church was intentionally contracting its power, preserving its strength, as if preparing for something?

Was it for the Red Moon resurgence in three months?

But at this moment, he didn't have time to delve into the reasons behind this.

He stood up, took his coat from the hanger, draped it over his shoulders, and said decisively: "Then let's go. Arrange the team; I will go personally."

Adeline and Charlotte exchanged glances and nodded in unison: "Yes, My Lord!"

The two said no more, turned, and walked quickly out of the study to convey and arrange the departure matters.