I Became the Progenitor Vampire Chapter 262

Chapter 262: Chapter 263: Construction Maniac Goes Online, Anticipating the Alchemy Bomb (7600 words) Chapter 262: Chapter 263: Construction Maniac Goes Online, Anticipating the Alchemy Bomb (7600 words) At this stage, with the fall of Risier City and the successful acquisition of the goblins, he turned his focus to the construction of Dawn City.

In Lide's vision, the scale of the second round of construction for Dawn City was to be several times larger than the first.

The Dawn Mage Tower, breeding farms, running water, and the expansion of the southern district were all results of the first construction phase, and their effects were very significant.

The second round would require even more construction.

Moreover, there was another matter Lide needed to consider: although the time was drawing close to the Frost Month, with the weather gradually getting colder,
he had to find a way to deal with the surplus labor due to the influx of population, as he could not afford to simply support these residents without purpose.

Initiating construction at this time would undoubtedly unleash the potential of the population, directly putting the surplus labor to use in wealth creation.

He had not started construction earlier due to the issue of plundering populations, compounded by concerns that the ultimate goal of the Beastman Army might be Green City, leaving Lide with little mood to return and engage in construction–after all, his own base was under threat.

But after the round at Risier City, the bold speculation that the Beastmen would attack Green City had been significantly reduced.

It wasn't wild suspicion, but rather a judgment made based on the strength of the Beastman Army and the information conveyed by Craig, who was acting as an insider, leading him to conclude that it was nearly impossible for the Beastmen to wage war against Green City.

The Beastman Army had indeed harbored designs against Green City before.

But as the offensive of the Northern Undead grew increasingly potent, the Beastman Prince also shifted his focus away from Green City.

This was due to certain warnings.

This was important information conveyed by Craig to Lide, but due to the identity issue of this Level 16 Werewolf, it was unclear who had warned the Beastman Prince.

Lide breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this news; though Green City was nearly impregnable, there was always a fear of the unexpected, and the best outcome was for the opposition not to take any action.

As for why the opposition was warned, it boiled down to the Northern Undead.

The Undead were the natural enemies of all living beings, Beastmen included. If the Nolan Empire's army failed to resist the Undead, the Beastmen would not fare well either.

Clearly, at this critical juncture, whether it was the Beastman Empire or the Nolan Empire, the possibility that certain entities had intervened to warn the Beastman Prince to not go too far existed.

The Beastman Prince was merely trying to establish prestige for his succession to the throne; there was no need for him to cling to a fight with humans–after all, when it came down to it, they could not prevail, the disparity in national power was too great.

Despite the Beastmen's current uproar, that was because most of their strength was tied up by the Northern Undead. Should they be free to handle these Beastmen, the forces of just the three southern provinces alone would suffice to withstand an offensive from a large part of the Beastman Empire.

Since the Beastman Army's target had shifted, Lide did not care where they wreaked havoc; Green City possessed much of his foundation and could not afford to lose it–he had no interest in the other human cities.

This world was never at peace; no one could be the Savior. To survive, one could only count on oneself.

“Harrison, command the construction department to start building new schools in the new district.

Use the newly plundered residents as construction workers, with initial planning for the schools to accommodate at least three thousand students in class at the same time, while also reserving space for the development of twenty thousand people.

Segregate the area around the schools, forming a separately managed department–Education, pulling those scholars who are knowledgeable and capable to serve within.”

Lide, after retracting his scattered thoughts, did not ponder much and directly gave the order.

Education, in any era and any context, was of utmost importance.

In Glory World, the illiterate common people accounted for 95% of the total population, confined to the lowest level jobs for life.

Policies of keeping the population uneducated benefited rulers, but greatly hindered the development and progression of social productivity.

Lide wouldn't be affected by these outdated and eliminated systems.

He had absolute rule over this city; no one could challenge his authority on this land.

The key point was that, no matter how the residents of Dawn City developed, the best among them would ultimately become Bloodline.

The ultimate beneficiary of providing education would only be the Bloodline.

Once a large batch of excellent talents emerged, they all would be absorbed by the Bloodline and become one of their own.

This was the same principle behind Lide's establishment of a large-scale Mage Tower for training mages.

These commoners were the foundation and nourishment of the Bloodline; the better the commoners developed, the more powerful the Bloodline would become.

It could be said that although the system designed by Lide had many flaws, it was indeed the most suitable for Dawn City at present because the ultimate goal of all residents' development was to become Bloodline.

This formed a pyramid structure, with the Bloodline standing at the top; outstanding talents climbed upwards, and those who reached the top became Bloodline.

And those who weren't chosen but had undergone professional training would be scattered throughout Dawn City, contributing their strength to the city.

As for whether these residents would develop any extra ideas to rebel against Dawn City after gaining knowledge, Lide could only express that they were overthinking it.

The most fundamental education in Dawn City would surely be loyalty education; everyone would be instilled with the idea of being loyal to Lide and devoted to Dawn City.

As an absolute dictator, Lide controlled the city's throatpiece.

Many people didn't understand what it meant to have absolute control over public opinion–having absolute control over public opinion meant controlling the right to interpret the truth.

If he said, “Demons are kind,” then the truth would be that demons are kind.

If he said, “This world should be destroyed, and we should also destroy this world,” then this world should be destroyed.

This was the power of having absolute control over public opinion and holding the right to interpret the truth.

This kind of authority once existed in the hands of the medieval church in Europe on Earth, where church people burned Copernicus…because he proposed heliocentrism, while the church at the time firmly believed geocentrism was the truth, so the man was seen as a heretic by the church that held the right to interpret the truth.

And countless civilians crazily proclaimed their desire to burn the man themselves.

The power of public opinion was even considered by Lide to be no less than all the residents signing a Soul Contract with him individually.

Its power was even greater than the magic of a Legendary Mage.

Because public opinion could govern a person's thoughts.

This was a terrifying power.

And it was fortunate that Lide was orderly, mostly instilling positive thoughts in the residents of Dawn City, such as loving Dawn City, supporting their own army, respecting the Holy Light Bloodline, working hard, and striving for prosperity.

Otherwise, like other Evil Gods, he could have cultivated a group of fanatical crazies in minutes.

That's why the propaganda department was established by Lide as a separate department, and besides himself and Harrison, no one else had the right to command it.

He directly oversaw the propaganda department.

This weapon was too powerful; even in modern society with such developed information, people were still brainwashed by trite news, let alone in the Glory World where knowledge was scarce and the commoners were short-sighted.

If used well, this Sharp Blade was an ace of aces.

Lide received such staunch endorsement and adoration in a short amount of time, not only because the residents truly reaped substantial benefits, but also due to the irreplaceable efforts of the propaganda department.

Harrison's response interrupted Lide's daydreaming.

“Yes, Clan Leader.

The construction department has already prepared a plan for building the school.

We haven't arranged for those polymaths we plundered, do you think we should have them participate in the construction of the school?”

Lide nodded slightly after coming back to his senses.

“There must be quite a few polymaths who know about architecture or how to build a school; these are high-quality resources that shouldn't be wasted. Why else would we go through so much trouble to bring them back?”

He didn't bother to care whether these people felt a sense of belonging to Dawn City or not, work first, other matters could wait.

Even if the elites brought back to Risier City harbored any resentment, they had no choice but to obey.

Resist? Try resisting, then get acquainted with labour reform, and the guillotine…

“Yes, Clan Leader.”

Harrison immediately wrote in his notebook, appearing like a studious and obedient pupil.

Lide stretched comfortably on the grey plush sofa near the window.

“The school will need at least one winter for construction, if it can be completed before May next year that would suffice…”

Lide's thoughts continued to swirl; there truly wasn't a shortage of construction projects upon his return.

“Harrison, the breeding farm is currently at full capacity, and with the increasing population, one farm won't suffice to meet our needs.

I need you to expand two new breeding farms around the current one and designate that area as a restricted zone, prohibiting outsiders from entering.

And ensure that the area has enough land reserved for expansion to accommodate 10 breeding farms eventually.

Three farms definitely won't satisfy our developmental needs later on.”

Such was the advantage of spacious land, a wave of the hand could allocate a parcel of it.

The breeding farm had not only provided food for the Magic Language Bats but the meat produced had greatly enriched the food supply of Dawn City.

Even outside, it was a luxury for civilians to eat meat.

But the farms of Dawn City used a very modern management model, featuring conveniences like running water, which greatly increased the livestock turnover rate and speed.

Especially since a number of mages were dispatched there to use magic for disinfection and sterilization, which significantly boosted the survival rate of the livestock.

So now, the farm not only met the Magic Language Bats' consumption but also supplied a portion to the residents of Dawn City.

However, with the population exceeding 30,000, the original farm designed to support only tens of thousands of pigs and sheep was certainly inadequate.

Most crucially, due to the arrival of goblins, the mere thousand or so Magic Language Bats could no longer meet his needs. Increasing the number of Magic Language Bats would inevitably require the expansion of the breeding farms to give these Demon Beasts an ample food supply.

With goblins on board, Alchemy Bombs were within reach–goblin bombs were what Lide prepared for the air force of Dawn City.

In the future, after the air force was established, the Magic Language Bats would inevitably become the main melody on the battlefield.

Theoretically, the advanced Dawn Bats should be the mainstay of the Dawn City air force.

However, due to the scarcity of the Power of Faith, among the Magic Language Bat race there was only one nascent king–Castro.

Therefore, in the short term, the formation of the air force would have to rely on the already developed Magic Language Bats.

In the future, it may be possible to replace Magic Language Bats with Dawn Bats, but there was not much hope in the short term. The Power of Faith was needed in too many places and he couldn't spare much energy on this aspect.

Currently, imprisoned in the dungeon was the Level 18 Beastman King Kapp, a guy who would consume more than ten thousand Powers of Faith and was a key target in his plans.

“Yes, Clan Leader.” Harrison played the role of an echo perfectly, knowing Lide's temper, he wouldn't interrupt until Lide finished speaking.

“Furthermore, a thousand Magic Language Bats is not enough to meet the needs of our upcoming air force. After spring next year, I want to see at least three thousand Magic Language Bats.

Pass this task to Audis to handle, and it must be completed.”

If possible, Lide would love to instantly breed tens of thousands of Magic Language Bats, but Glory was not a game where you could neglect everything after mass-producing troops.

An army of ten thousand Magic Language Bats could not just be conjured but would bring about a huge logistical burden each day that could drag down Dawn City.

Rome wasn't built in a day; it was unrealistic to aim for immediate greatness.

“Clan Leader, if we aim to develop three thousand, three breeding farms would barely suffice. Let's directly build five…”

Lide looked at Harrison amused, “Can the construction department handle that much work? We can't delay the construction of the school…”

Harrison nodded confidently, “The first batch of Mage Apprentices has already begun to use magic rudimentarily, thanks to our unlimited resource supply.

Those with limited talents as domestic mages can be part of the construction, and they will provide us with significant help.

Besides, these over twenty thousand new residents, they can't possibly go farming during the Frost Month, and large-scale construction will provide employment for everyone, negating the need to provide free food.”

Lide nodded in agreement; substituting work for relief was indeed suitable for the current situation.

“Alright, let's build five; you discuss with the construction department how to proceed, but make sure it doesn't affect the school's progress.” He wasn't verbose; whether three or five, both were within the range that Dawn City could afford.

“As you wish.”

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After arranging the school, the breeding farms, and the Magic Language Bats, Lide didn't stop.

“Also, let Emi begin the second round of apprentice recruitment for the Mage Tower. Among the twenty thousand new residents, there are bound to be some promising individuals.

Keep the same policy as before, to train the best into Combat Mages, and they can also become Bloodline reserves.”

Nurturing mages was bound to be a long-term project with heavy investment; Lide was not impatient and proceeded according to the plan.

Those with poor aptitude would be trained as domestic mages and arranged to work in departments such as construction, breeding farms, blacksmith shops, among others, to contribute to Dawn City.

Those with good potential would be trained as Combat Mages, undergoing systematic and formal study for an extended time. These individuals would become true mages in the sense of Glory.

And for those with good potential, by the standards set by Lide, being able to reach Level 10 Advanced Grade would qualify them.

These individuals would also be in the reserve forces for the Bloodline and would enjoy the best treatment.

This selection mechanism ensured the vitality of the Bloodline, while also guaranteeing a close connection between the residents and the Bloodline.

Most of the Bloodline would henceforth be born from the residents themselves; they are their own kin and friends growing up before their eyes, some even their own children. Therefore, the residents will only become more supportive of the Bloodline.

“Yes, Clan Leader,” Harrison pondered for a moment before hesitating, “This time, there are quite a few mages among the elites from Risier City. Should we also bring them under the jurisdiction of the Dawn Mage Tower?”

The mages from Risier City had just arrived in Dawn City and were far from being integrated into this city; thus, this move was somewhat risky.

Lide waved his hand, unconcerned.

“Let Emi handle these mages. What waves can a group of ordinary mages make?”

Emi, the blasphemer, had mixed in the Knight Temple for decades and even became the Vice President within the Dark Contract. If that old hand couldn't deal with these mages, then Lide wouldn't have appointed Emi as the first manager of the Dawn Mage Tower.

“The last point, about the construction of the new district,” after contemplating for a moment, Lide decided to initiate the most massive project–the new district.

Although the population of Dawn City was currently only thirty thousand, the Southern District could ultimately accommodate only around fifty or sixty thousand. According to this pace of development, it would soon be full by the time Frost Month arrived.

Therefore, building a new district was undoubtedly a necessary choice.

But he couldn't really wait until the Southern District was filled before considering the new district; he had to start earlier. Otherwise, it would be too late if he waited until the situation became overcrowded.

Harrison, who had just been excited, instantly wore a grim expression. He knew Lide would make a big move upon returning, but such an exaggerated construction method was a bit too much for the City Hall to handle.

“Clan Leader, is it too rushed to start building the new district now? The Southern District can accommodate fifty thousand, and there are still twenty thousand to go, even sixty thousand at the limit.

The scale of the new district is too large; I'm afraid we don't have the capacity to support so many buildings being constructed at the same time. Unless we stop either the breeding farm or the school.”

Lide shook his head.

“No, the breeding farms and schools must be built, we can't drag our feet on that.”

“But…”

Lide cut off Harrison, who was still trying to explain, “Start by getting the construction department to come up with a plan for the new district.

Wait until next spring to commence construction. The new district is destined to be a huge project, and my plan is to focus all of Dawn City's construction around the new district for the whole of next year.

The new district must be able to accommodate at least one hundred and fifty thousand residents within it.”

Hearing Lide's words, Harrison took a sharp breath.

Building a district capable of housing one hundred and fifty thousand people within a year.

Wasn't this a little too exaggerated?

The scale was at least three times the current size of Dawn City, and the actual built-up area would likely be even bigger.

This plan had to be described as an epic task for Dawn City.

It might not even be completed within one year.

Seeing the hesitation in Harrison's eyes, Lide smiled somewhat amusedly, “Don't look so surprised.

The construction of the new district is going to start sooner or later.

Dawn City is too small to accommodate more residents.

It's better to build sooner rather than later, and once the breeding farms and schools are completed, I believe we will have the strength to support this project.

Besides, this winter has not yet passed.

We can acquire more population, which will also be a critical workforce in construction.”

With that, Harrison finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lide was the helmsman of Dawn City's great ship, he merely needed to issue commands to lead the ship's direction, but Harrison was the one who had to carry them out on the ground.

If Lide set tasks too high, the pressure on City Hall would soar.

A new district with a population of one hundred and fifty thousand wasn't a simple matter. To call it an epic task was no exaggeration.

Food, clothing, housing, and transportation; eating, drinking, excretion, sewage and drainage pipes, street layout, house construction, and many other aspects needed to be considered. It wasn't merely about building houses–it's an extremely complex systemic project.

One could say that to complete the construction of the new district, it would require the strength of the entire Dawn City.

With this main theme set, all focus for the next year would shift towards this.

Of course, initiating the construction of the new district now was also due to Lide's sufficient confidence.

With over a year of development, Dawn City had changed drastically; food was plentiful, funds were sufficient, and human resources were abundant. Leveraging this project would not be a problem.

Once the new district was constructed, he believed Dawn City would undergo earth-shattering changes.

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After delegating these important matters, Lide remembered the group of goblins he had spent considerable effort to capture.

The future arsenal of Dawn City.

Just thinking about the scene of bombs raining down stirred his excitement.

He had gone to such lengths to snatch the goblins back, but for what? Wasn't it to personally control the art of explosion?

“Harrison, go arrange that, and additionally, bring the Goblin Chief to me.”

Harrison left with a solemn expression and a salute.

Lide had finished assigning tasks, and what came next was the real busy work.

However, Harrison was more than willing to do this; the sense of accomplishment of personally developing a city from nothing to its current scale was almost beyond words.

Half a day later, a 1.3-sharp blade tall goblin with green skin and two large pointed ears, holding a green long staff, walked into City Hall.

Many residents turned their curious gazes at this goblin, who looked more curious than anything they had seen before. Even in this city where one could often see various alien races, this was the first time they had seen such an ugly green creature.

Moer Grey Mountain walked into Lide's office with anxious steps on the soft carpet after the guards opened the door.

The gray swan velvet carpet felt soft and plush underfoot, slightly sinking in with a comfortable feeling.

The afternoon orange sunlight shone into the room from the outside, bringing a bit of warmth to the cool late autumn.

The office was very spacious, with a black long oval table that spanned over ten sharp blades in length against the wall on the left side, surrounded by over a dozen intricately carved armchairs, clearly used for meetings.

Four soft gray sofas were huddled around a rustic and luxurious round table.

To the right was a square office desk of raw wood color, upon which lay an undried quill and many documents yet to be processed.

And the owner of this room was currently standing by the window next to the sofa, the elegant silhouette in a black Mage's robe made the figure's extraordinary nature apparent at a glance.

“Lord Ilo, Moer Grey Mountain humbly greets you.”

Without turning, Lide listened to the accented Common Tongue of the continent through the open glass window, watching the bustling streets below.

His tone was tinged with a hint of emotion.

“Moer, can you imagine? Just one year ago, this bustling city was inhabited by only 200 Bloodline…”

Turning to face the diminutive Goblin Chief, whose face had been disfigured by Dragon Breath, was so grotesquely terrifying.

“Back then, there were no humans, no Dwarves, no One-eyed Giants, no Beastmen… not even a smidgen of anything related to prosperity.”

“I've spent a year rebuilding this city.

Now, this bustling city has been fashioned by me over the course of a year…”

Lide looked at Moer's somewhat perplexed expression and smiled slightly.

“Are you curious why I am telling you this? It seems that what the city was like a year ago has nothing to do with goblins.”

Moer gave an embarrassed smile, “No, Lord Ilo, your Glory is enough for the goblins to maintain the highest respect, I…”

Lide waved his hand to cut off the old goblin's smooth talk.

His tone gradually became grave.

“I am telling you this because you need to understand.

From the moment you set foot in Dawn City, the fate of the Grey Mountain Tribe became tightly bound to Dawn City.”

The color drained from Moer's face. Although the clever goblin had guessed that a scene like this might occur–after all, no one would put forth huge efforts to rescue them from a battlefield without ulterior motives–Lide's blunt words still profoundly unsettled him.

“Lord Ilo, goblins are not adept at fighting; we cannot provide you with enough strength…”

Lide laughed heartily.

“Fight? No, the Grey Mountain Tribe need not engage in any battle.”

Moer's face stiffened, his confusion mounting as he looked at Lide.

“Your Highness, what do you mean?”

“Alchemy Bombs,” the words Lide uttered instantly enlightened the clever old goblin, but following the realization, the expression on his face soured even further.

“Lord Ilo, your goal has always been the Alchemy Bombs…”

Lide nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Of course, if your tribe did not possess Alchemy, what use would I have for a bunch of goblins?”

I… Moer opened his mouth to speak but then closed it in frustration.

Because he realized that made perfect sense.

If not for Alchemy Bombs, what could they do?

It seemed like they were completely useless for anything else.

Fight? Don't joke; a single human soldier could easily kill dozens of Low-level goblins,
Farming? They couldn't even use a hoe.

It was only in Alchemy that they had a unique Talent.

In every other respect, it seemed goblins were utterly worthless.

Realizing this, Moer's face became embarrassed.

“There's no need for overthinking, Moer, are you now willing to integrate the Grey Mountain Tribe into Dawn City and truly become a part of Dawn City?” Lide's expression grew serious.

“Once the goblins become part of Dawn City, you will be under the protection of the Holy Light Bloodline, safeguarded by the army of Dawn City.

You will live here in safety as long as the city remains unassailed.

I promise you, in the name of the Lord of Dawn, your properties and lives will be protected, and no one will discriminate or harm you.”

Moer looked at Lide's earnest expression, the bitterness in his eyes.

The weak never have a choice. From the moment the Grey Mountain Tribe was subdued by the Bone Dragon, their destiny was no longer in their hands.

The wise old goblin no longer hesitated and nodded with determination.

“Your Highness, the Grey Mountain Tribe is willing to become a part of Dawn City; we will uphold your Glory with all that is Goblin.”

“Ding, Grey Mountain Tribe has joined Dawn City…”

Upon hearing the system prompt, Lide nodded in satisfaction; these creatures were indeed easy to control, for the character flaws of goblins were too evident–they could not withstand threats.

They were a world apart from Dwarves, whose brains seemed to be made of stone.

If he threatened Dwarves, he would assuredly be ridiculed by those stout beings; Dwarves never fear Death.

“What raw materials are needed to produce Alchemy Bombs? What is the daily production capacity of your entire tribe? How powerful is the strongest explosion of an Alchemy Bomb?”

Lide did not beat around the bush and forthrightly asked a few key questions.

Now that the goblins were within his grasp, those long-coveted Alchemy Bombs had to be put on the agenda.

He was eagerly anticipating the day when Dawn City's Air Force would be formed.

The advent of Alchemy Bombs would be a tremendous enhancement to the presently deficient lower-level combat strength of Dawn City.

Dawn City was in a peculiar state of having a large head and small feet.

They were not lacking in Advanced combat strength, but were distinctly short of middle and lower-tier power.

Once Alchemy Bombs entered mass production, and the Magic Language Bats were armed, this deficiency would be rectified.

He would no longer face the awkward situation of only having a few hundred Bloodline available for each excursion into battle.

Chapter end