[The child had been born with F-rank warrior potential.]
[Reward: Special Gift*1]
Ethan froze for a moment in shock. Then a joyful cry rang out from inside the room.
"Boy… it's a boy!"
The voice made Randall laugh and Oliver dance around in excitement, while Ethan pulled out some coins from his pouch and handed them to a servant. "Prepare a party," he ordered.
Oliver, standing nearby, quickly acknowledged the command. His eyes turned moist as he pressed a hand against them.
"My Lord… finally, we have an heir. I haven't let you down. I hope you're smiling at us from heaven."
When the room was cleared, Ethan stepped inside. In Nina's arms was a plump, healthy baby. She carefully passed the child to him.
Ethan held the boy gently, his eyes softening as he looked down at him. Then he turned to his wife, pale and tired from the birth.
"Sophia… you've worked hard," he said, his voice carrying a slight tremble.
"It's not hard at all," Sophia replied with a faint but happy smile.
Ethan knew how much he had endured. As someone from the entertainment world, Ethan had faced many troubles.
His handsomeness had brought its own share of problems, and more than once he had been pressured to give in to wealthy patrons.
He had refused every time, believing such closeness should belong only to those who shared a real bond, not strangers for a single night. From those days to this moment felt like a lifetime. Life truly was full of twists.
He looked back at the boy and smiled.
"Have you thought of a name for him?" Sophia asked.
"Since this child came like a ray of light shining upon us… let's call him Ray," Ethan said softly.
"Ray Blank."
"Good name," she whispered.
"It's a good name," Oliver echoed from behind.
After a while, Ethan handed Ray back to Nina so Sophia could rest. He went to his own room, sat down, and opened the reward.
[System, open it.]
[You have gained *1 Breathing Technique.]
[You have gained *3 Intermediate Breakthrough Potion.]
[You have gained*1 protection amulet.]
Ethan's eyes brightened.
[Breakthrough Potion: Rank E. Enables the user to break through to the Intermediate Rank.]
[It has been sent to inventory.]
[Five Element Breathing Technique: A-rank. The mana in nature is made of many elements, and most can only use one type, limiting efficiency. This technique allows the user to harness energy from all types of mana, no matter the element.]
[Protection Amulet:D Rank]
In times of life threatening danger,a shield is formed around the user which can protect against attacks by the Advanced realm.
Can be used three times.
The moment he read it, the knowledge of the technique entered his mind, and it began to operate on its own. A gentle warmth spread through his body as he felt the energy around him rushing toward him in waves.
The mana in the air around him surged in, flowing through his mana veins and taking on a gaseous form.
It was an incredible sensation. He pushed away all distractions and focused entirely on savoring it.
After an hour of deep meditation, he slowly opened his eyes, a look of shock on his face.
Novice Rank, Late Stage.
This breathing method was truly heaven-defying.
"With a technique like this, I won't have any problem reaching the Intermediate Stage," he thought to himself.
He steadied his mind and asked, "System… will I always receive such a gift package when a child is born?"
[Affirmative.]
[The birth of each child will reward you with a gift package based on their aptitude. However, the current one was special so you got way above.So don't raise up your hopes.]
"Then is the special gift a one time thing?Or is there a certain chance to get this kind of special gift?" Ethan asked, curious.
[Yes,you can only receive one when you reach a critical milestone such as this.The first child is a significant milestone.]
Ethan wasn't sure what this "critical milestone" would be counted as . But those three Breakthrough Potions alone would be a huge boost to the Blank family.
Still, he didn't know how rare they were, so he decided to investigate.
...….
Days passed. Sophia began her recovery, though caring for the newborn kept her busy. That left almost the entire responsibility of the Blank family on Ethan's shoulders. Surprisingly, he showed remarkable ability in handling it.
Now with full authority, he could oversee taxes and income.
While reviewing the latest reports, his brows knitted tightly. "I didn't know our situation was this bad."
Oliver, standing nearby, shook his head. "Our main income came from the mines, with farming as a secondary source. But after the Lord's death, we shut the mines down."
The mines held E-rank mana veins, producing E-grade mana crystals.
E-grade crystals were useful to Intermediate mages but not beyond. Even so, they were still valuable,each sold for 10 gold coins. The mines produced around 50-70 crystals a month.
The crystals produced then undergo various refinement procedures before they can be put into market.
More could be mined, but doing so would risk exhausting the vein.Also it required more workers and tools like those used by higher families.
"Didn't Lord Blank defeat the monster?" Ethan asked, frowning.
Oliver lowered his spectacles, his tone serious. "It's not that simple… The real question is, where did the beast come from?"
Ethan leaned forward slightly, listening intently.
"I've thought about it for a long time, but any guess is just shooting in the dark," Oliver admitted. "My best assumption is there's a beast nest somewhere inside, feeding off the mana."
"Lord Blank might have killed the parents, but if there were cubs… they could still be a threat."
"What if you're wrong?" Ethan pressed. "We've already lost so much."
Oliver's expression shifted, a hint of regret crossing his features.
"I know it could be a mistake," he said quietly, "but as someone who's served the Blank family for years, I can't take that risk. We don't have enough people to guard the mines."
"Then why not hire others?" Ethan asked.
Oliver gave a faint, almost weary smile. "It's not that easy… Most barons are only at the Beginner or Intermediate stage. Counts are Advanced. Dukes and above are Masters. And… well, they're on an entirely different level."