I Became the Progenitor Vampire Chapter 218

Chapter 218: Chapter 219: The Dwarf Reformed through Labor

Step by step, standing guard diligently.

Valen silently observed everything around him, and with complex emotions, he looked at Anakin beside him.

The future of the Dwarves might rest on this young prince.

He had already lived for three hundred years, and the future would need the leadership of the younger Dwarves.

However, whenever he saw the figure carrying the giant sword, he felt defeated.

If he wasn't mistaken, the powerful lady was a Northern Warrior.

A Level 15 Northern Warrior followed by a Level 15 practitioner of dark rites–there was no escaping this.

The atmosphere moved forward in silence, with Anakin also quietly observing everything around him, looking for flaws and opportunities.

As the son of the Dwarf Clan Leader and future leader of the Barbarian Hammer Tribe, he would never give up, regardless of the circumstances.

Creak~

Entering the backyard of the lavish estate, guards pushed open the intricately engraved semicircular arch doors in front of a massive house.

Tap tap~

Under the warm glow of the Magic Lamp, Anakin and Valen exchanged glances and followed Stanley into the room.

Anakin's eyes lit up, the entire hall was extravagantly styled.

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The carpet was made of grey-white velvet, thick enough to sink into like a cushiony quilt when stepped on.

Vibrant oil paintings, whether portraits or landscapes, hung on the walls, exuding a noble atmosphere.

In the center of the room, there was a natural wood-colored oval table surrounded by twelve intricately carved chairs.

Sitting at the head of the table was a figure in a black mage robe, extremely handsome with a war painting in crimson hanging behind him, exuding immense dignity.

What was more striking was the sharp fangs visible beside his mouth.

His identity was clear.

Vampire.

A powerful and terrifying, mysterious Dark Creature.

Anakin took a deep breath, feeling somewhat shaken as it was his first time seeing a legendary Vampire.

Eyeing further.

A figure in half armor stood next to the vampire, over two meters tall, and extremely imposing, standing with both hands on his giant sword, his expression solemn and formal.

Seeing this, Anakin and Valen exchanged another look, their expressions complex, another Level 15!

The Barbarian Hammer Tribe had only three warriors at Level 15 through centuries of accumulation, and one had fallen in the fight against the Beastman.

This mysterious power had such top-tier combatants in abundance.

What exactly were they?

Most crucially, with such powerful subordinates, how strong was this Vampire exuding nobility at the head table?

Could he really be what these people called him, an Extraordinary Existence?

The title 'Lord' was reserved only for those above the Extraordinary.

Following them, the three players of the Hun Yuan Thunderclap Hand Cheng Kun entered the hall and, seeing the luxurious environment and mysterious scene, expressed their admiration for the game's cultural charm.

Upon seeing Lide's figure, they were immediately astounded.

At that moment, Lide was incredibly handsome, the light red war painting behind him enhancing his mysterious aura as a member of the Bloodline to the extreme.

Elegance, mystery, strength.

This was the first impression of the three foolish players of this Dark Contract's big boss.

The players instinctively checked Lide's attribute panel, but they only saw:

Three rows of question marks, they couldn't even query Lide's name.

The system didn't allow unlimited viewing of NPC attributes; when the power gap was too wide, or there were items covering the character's aura, they couldn't detect the attributes.

For the three players, both applied to Lide: a huge level gap of Level 14 and Level 1, and high-end Power of Faith.

“Bro, this boss is too awesome, did you take a picture, we have to show off when we get back!!”

“Keep it down, don't mess this up,”

“This is the real master of our Dark Contract, damn so cool, I don't know how high his level is, I can't see anything.”

At that moment, Stanley had already approached Lide and gestured slightly to the apprehensive Dwarves.

“Lord, these are guests from the Barbarian Hammer Tribe,”

“The three behind are Undead from the Lost Plane.”

Lide nodded, his gaze curiously shifting to the distant players.

Watching the three, curious and excited, he found it amusing thinking they must be thrilled believing they were meeting the big boss.

He waved his hand, “Let the adventurers from the Lost Plane leave, we'll discuss their matters some other day.”

As it concerned the Secret Silver Vein, he didn't want these fools to know, in case they couldn't resist showing off and shared it on forums, which could lead to unforeseen stir.

“Yes, my Lord,” following Lide's command, Stanley reluctantly led the players out of the hall and even they crazily photographed Lide as they left.

Clearly, meeting the super boss of the Dark Contract was something they found boast-worthy.

Ignoring these minor actions, once the players left, Lide then turned his attention to the Dwarves before him.

The heights of the two dwarves were roughly 1.5 meters, and their muscles were immensely developed, as if poured from steel, which made their entire armors bulge prominently.

Their gray armor bore the unique dark patterns of the dwarves and reflected a golden shimmer that conveyed an indestructible aura.

The older dwarf on the left wore a bull-horned helmet, and his gray-black eyes shimmered with wisdom.

The younger dwarf on the right wore no helmet and his face was filled with intense caution.

What both dwarves shared were their thick black beards, with the older one even having his beard braided into two small plaits.

Indeed, these were genuine dwarves, their appearances not much different from what he remembered of dwarves.

The only difference was that these dwarves were stronger than he had imagined, and despite being short, Lide had no doubt about the tremendous strength they possessed within.

He casually checked their attributes.

Anakin Hammer

Title: Dwarf Prince (Prince of the Barbarian Hammer Tribe, destined to inherit the tribe, increase in deterrence to other dwarves by +500%)

Level: 12

Age: 64

Description: The kind-hearted prince, son of the Clan Leader of the Barbarian Hammer Tribe.

Valen Hammer

Title: Forging Master (An experienced forging master, +50% success rate in forging, 80% increase in the quality of weapons forged, capable of forging special weapons.)

Level: 14

Age: 324

Introduction: The Forging Master of the Barbarian Hammer Tribe, the most likely candidate to ascend to a Legendary Blacksmith.

As Lide had also advanced to Level 14, he could see their attributes quite clearly.

Though the attributes of the two dwarves were simple, they still surprised Lide.

To think one was a prince of a dwarven tribe and the other a forging master, and the system even introduced him as the most likely to ascend to a Legendary Artisan.

It was truly astounding.

Advancing to a Legendary Artisan meant that he could attempt to forge divine artifacts, which was virtually defying the heavens.

Even now, merely being a forging master was impressive enough, as providing him with sufficient materials would make crafting weapons for Legendary Level use possible.

From the attribute panel, it was clear that these two had substantial status within their dwarf tribe.

This was indeed a big catch.

Standing up, Lide showed a kind smile.

“Guests from the Barbarian Hammer Tribe, I am Lord Ilo, the Chairman of the Dark Contract, welcome to your arrival.”

Despite the introduction from Lide, the two dwarves maintained their vigilance but still showed signs of respect.

Valen hammered his fist fiercely against his chest, then spoke solemnly.

“Valen Hammer.”

The dwarf by his side performed the same gesture, announcing his own name.

“Anakin Hammer.”

“Lord Ilo, please let us know your intentions, as I think no one would like to negotiate with friends through the means of captives,” Valen said, without waiting for Lide's response.

Lide took a deep look at Valen.

He gestured for them to sit down, not rushing to reply.

After sitting down, he picked up a white teacup embossed with patterns and slowly sipped some lukewarm black tea.

Seeing that the two dwarves made no move, he didn't take it personally; instead, his deep gaze landed on them as he slowly said, “Lord Valen,

I think we can cooperate.”

He leaned back slightly in his chair, overlaid with soft fabric, and tapped lightly on the table with his right hand.

“I need access to the Secret Silver Vein.”

Upon hearing this, the two's expressions changed slightly. They looked at each other, and Anakin suppressed his rage, saying,

“Damn human merchants, I knew these greedy bastards are unreliable.”

Valen's face also turned furious, “Lord Ilo, how did you know the dwarves have a Secret Silver Vein?”

“We have been mining it for decades, yet only sold the ore a few times; I'd like to know who betrayed us.”

He harbored a slight hope that the information acquired by the other party was just this.

As Lide smiled slightly, he appreciated the cleverness of this old dwarf.

Not mincing words anymore, he openly revealed Valen's thoughts, “There's no need to probe anymore, Lord Valen.

Your fellow dwarf and a human merchant are already in my hands.

Your dwarf tribe has been occupied by beastmen, and you wanted to garner the help of the Crimson Mage Tower with an intact Secret Silver Vein to drive out the beastmen.

Trust me, I know everything.”

This extinguished any last hopes Valen had, also inciting a surge of anger towards his own kin.

How could that damn fool be so careless to get captured while discussing such matters!

“No, you damn thief, plunderer! The dwarf ore veins are ours; you won't get anything!”

At this, Anakin was unusually furious, initially thinking it was a human betrayal but finding it even more infuriating that it was due to snooping.

“No, Lord Valen, you wanted to cooperate with the Crimson Mage Tower to save your clansmen, but if you partner with me, I can also free your people.,”

Lide's gaze was pressuring.

Now was the time for negotiation.

Valen simply couldn't trust a vampire from legend, firmly shaking his head.

“No, Lord Ilo, dwarves do not need to cooperate with outsiders,”

Lide revealed a cold smile on his face, “Then what are you doing in Green City? Touring?

Lord Valen, you should feel fortunate to be able to work with us. I only need the secret silver veins; I have no need for your other riches.”

“We don't need it, dwarves can choose their own partners. Lord Ilo, I think we won't have any opportunity to cooperate.”

Valen did not relent. Although the dwarves were captured by the beastmen, the beastmen wanted to enslave them to forge equipment for them.

Although dwarves would definitely be tortured by the beastmen in the short term, there was no immediate threat of extinction.

But the secret silver veins were their only ace. Without a suitable partner, they would rather die than simply hand it over.

Moreover, the vampire's terrible reputation in Glory made it impossible for them to trust Lide.

If they handed over the information about the veins to a vampire, it could plunge the entire Dwarf Tribe into a greater crisis, a risk he was unwilling to take.

Initially, Lide did not realize that the dwarves were resistant because he was a vampire. By the time he noticed, it was too late.

“Valen, you dwarves have no other choice but me…”

“Lord Ilo, if there are no options, then we'll choose none…”

“Trust me, the Dark Contract can work with dwarves…”

“Lord Ilo, you want dwarves to trust a vampire? Hahaha…”

“This Prince Anakin must be very important to your tribe…”

“Lord Ilo, if you threaten a dwarf with death, I can only say that you do not understand dwarves. Death is an honor for dwarves…”

In the following Sunshine Hour, Lide had his first taste of the dwarves' stubbornness.

These guys were like stones in a privy, both stinky and hard.

No matter how much they reasoned or threatened, the dwarves wouldn't divulge the location of their tribe, let alone the secret silver veins.

The two dwarves paid no heed to Lide's ideas of cooperation and did not trust him at all.

In the end, the stubbornness of the dwarves also annoyed Lide. He had the two dwarves taken away for supervision.

“These damn dwarves, their brains must have been consecrated to pigs,” Lide ranted furiously in his mind once the dwarves had left.

How annoying, these damned dwarves are even harder to reason with than pigs.

Seeing Lide rarely so frustrated, Betty, standing beside him, spoke with interest, “Didn't expect you to face a problem you couldn't solve… quite interesting.”

Lide shot an irritated look at this Northern Land Valkyrie; he had just been severely angered by two dwarves. Whether by reasoning or threats, these two muscle-headed dwarves simply didn't acknowledge his approach; it was a flat no.

This thwarted all his numerous plans.

He was prepared for innumerable difficulties in seizing the secret silver veins, but he never anticipated stumbling at the first step.

He was unable to gain the trust of the dwarves.

This was truly troublesome.

Moreover, the key issue was that apart from these few dwarves, Laurent also had no idea where the dwarf tribe was located.

According to information gathered by the Dark Contract, only these three dwarves had arrived in Green City this time; if all three refused to speak, then he was indeed at a loss.

Damn, it was as if he had planned to slay a dragon, but unexpectedly, the biggest difficulty was not knowing where the giant dragon was.

Stanley held back a comment at the side, “My Lord, let me handle it.”

Lide raised his brow, “Do you have a solution?”

Stanley's eyes sparkled with eagerness, “There are hundreds of torture devices in the dungeons of the Late Bell Church. I believe, no one can keep secrets faced with these torture devices…”

As a typical evil being, Stanley had no qualms.

Not just executions, but even dissecting people for sacrifices to the Evil God was something he had done.

But Groot immediately interrupted Stanley, his tone carrying a hint of peculiarity, “My Lord, torture devices will hardly pry open a dwarf's mouth.

Dwarves have a very special physiology; they possess strong immunity to pain, and their stubborn nature also makes them fearless in the face of torture.

I have never heard of anyone extracting information from a dwarf through torture.”

After saying this, he glanced at Stanley, who opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately just nodded toward Lide, acknowledging the correctness of the statement.

“In Glory, there is a common saying among wandering minstrels; to change an elf's pride and a dwarf's stubbornness, only the dragon's breath will suffice.”

Dragon's breath? Lide paused, his expression turning sour, damn, does that mean only death could do it?

“There's really no way to make them talk?? Is there a spell that can control the soul??”

Lide felt embarrassed; he was already prepared to face an army of tens of thousands of beastmen, yet now he was stuck on two dwarf captives.

How could the usually smooth-sailing Lide tolerate this?

Faced with the once near-unbeatable Dark Contract, he had overcome challenges; he refused to believe he'd be left helpless by two dwarves.

Stanley shook his head, “My Lord, dwarves naturally possess high resistance to soul and mental spells; ordinary mind spells are ineffective on them.”

He paused a moment, his expression becoming strange, “Unless you can have an Extraordinary Mage cast spells on them.”

I…

Lide at this point almost wanted to order those two stinking, hard-headed stones to be done away with altogether; how was he supposed to deal with this?

After taking a couple of deep breaths to somewhat calm his rage, he spoke gravely,

“Take them back to Dawn City, let Emi think of a solution, and also send the Holy Maiden Nilo from the Dawn Sect,”

After saying this, he added fiercely, “Send those two dwarves to the blacksmith, making them forge 100 pieces, no! 200 pieces of equipment every day. No food if they don't complete their tasks.”

“I want them to taste the bitterness of labor reform. Dwarves are master blacksmiths, aren't they? I will make you forge enthusiastically.”

Stanley nodded in response.

At this moment, Lide was still very unwilling.

These bastards had disrupted all his plans.

He took a deep breath and began to rethink.

After a long contemplation, his eyes slowly regained confidence.

“Although these two dwarves did not speak, from their tone we can at least confirm one thing.”

“What is that?” Stanley and Groot asked in unison, even Betty looked at him curiously.

They were somewhat surprised that he could think of a solution so quickly.

“The matter about the Secret Silver Vein is true.”

Lide recalled the expressions and tone of the two dwarves and became even more convinced.

“So, although we didn't reach cooperation, this round is not a loss.”

You can make a big profit, but I definitely will not lose.

“At least we can confirm the authenticity of this matter; that discovery alone is enough.

Next, we will verify this matter.

Stanley, make a note of that.”

Stanley immediately became solemn.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Notify Harrison and have him dispatch bats to patrol the border region in search of traces of the Dwarf Tribe, especially within the barren wastelands of the Far Mountain Range, which will be the primary target.”

As Lide spoke, a gleam slowly appeared in his eyes.

“According to Laurent's account, they always trade near the border; thus, it can be determined that the location of the dwarves should not be far from the border.

The Dwarf Tribe uses horses for transportation during trades, which probably means they don't have many flying mounts, if any.

This limits their range of activity to a certain area.

Laurent had previously given me the address of their trade; now, bring me the map of the border area so we can pinpoint a general range and conduct a comprehensive search.”

The more Lide spoke, the clearer his thoughts ran, “Also, since thousands of Beastmen attacked the Dwarf Tribe, the commotion they created must be significant. We also need to have Harrison carefully trace the movements of the Beastmen's army.

Any signs of large-scale deployment of Beastmen troops must be recorded.”

Lide slowly organized his thoughts. Not being able to get the dwarves to talk didn't mean he couldn't find their tribe, although it was somewhat more troublesome.

However, with the lure of the Secret Silver Vein, no matter the difficulty, he was all too happy to pursue it.

“Additionally, I will have Laurent assist Dark Contract in trying to contact other dwarves at the border,

and we can also issue a task through the Mercenary Guild for tracking the movement of the Beastman army, trying to make this task appear as normal as possible.”

It was only at this point that Lide finally paused, still seeming to have more to say.

At this time, the few people inside the room looked at him with respect, their eyes filled with admiration.

Although given time, everyone might have come up with these strategies, to be able to quickly adjust after a setback in such a short amount of time required a strong heart and ample wisdom.

“Let me summarize: one, along the border, carry out a systematic search in the area where we traded with the dwarves.

Two, look for traces of movement of the Beastman army and follow them.

Three, send people to the border in search of other dwarves, trying to gather as much useful information as possible.

Four, dispatch tasks through the Mercenary Guild to scout for major activities of the Beastman army.”

Lide's deep, dark eyes scanned the three people slowly.

“The matter of the Secret Silver Vein is of great importance. Although the dwarves did not speak, it is worth the effort to search for it.

If we really get this vein, it would be a tremendous help to Dawn City.

I suppose you would not refuse if all the weapons and equipment you carry were made of precious Mithril.”

This made everyone's eyes light up; truly finding a Secret Silver Vein would significantly upgrade their equipment.

Their enthusiasm surged.

“Yes, my lord.”

Groot and Stanley bowed in unison, and Betty, who had been sitting, also stood up at this moment to show her respect.

Even if Lide's military power seemed weak to this Northern Land Valkyrie, his wisdom won her admiration.

If it had been her, she probably would have just killed the two stubborn dwarves outright, leaving her in the dark about everything else.

Following Lide's orders.

Over the next week, Dark Contract, Crimson Mage Tower, and even Dawn City far away in the Far Mountain Range, these three massive powers began to operate frantically at his command.

Nearly a year later, the Magic Language Bats flew to the border again, and the second generation of Bloodline set out in armor.

Laurent, protected by 20 level 10 warriors of Dark Contract, went to the border to look for signs of the dwarves.

Green City's Mercenary Guild issued a task to explore the movements of the Beastman army in the barren wastelands, and the high bounty motivated countless mercenaries to head to the barren wastelands.

All actions were for the vein of Mithril, more precious than treasures of a giant dragon.

Anakin and Valen, along with that stubborn dwarf previously captured, were indeed sent by Lide to the forge of Dawn City.

These three unyielding dwarves now crazily forged weapons for Dawn City daily to ensure a meal.

Lide felt much better each time he saw the weapons, invariably feeling vindicated.

Chapter end