I Became the Progenitor Vampire Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Chapter 264: Going All Out to Stir Things Up (7000 words) Chapter 263: Chapter 264: Going All Out to Stir Things Up (7000 words) “What materials are needed to make Alchemy Bombs? What is the daily production capacity of your entire tribe? And what's the most powerful explosion an Alchemy Bomb can achieve?”

Moer, the old goblin, was slightly taken aback by Lide's series of questions before a somewhat smug expression crept onto his scar-riddled face.

“Your Highness, the raw materials needed for Alchemy Bombs are not complex, the main ingredient is high-quality Demon Crystal Stone. Other materials are very easy to find, but only goblins can perfectly harness the power of the Demon Crystal Stone.”

“As for the output, within the territory of the Grey Mountain Tribe, we can produce 1000 Alchemy Bombs every month… If the raw materials are sufficient, we can double that number!”

Lide nodded pensively, “And the power of these Alchemy Bombs? I've experimented with your Alchemy Bombs before, they can blast a pit eight blades wide and three blades deep.

What level would such a powerful Alchemy Bomb be categorized as?”

Moer glanced at Lide with a mixture of pride and irritation.

He was proud because Lide had definitely recognized the value of Alchemy Bombs after risking enormous dangers to bring them from the encircling Beastmen, which was an absolute honor for any goblin.

The irritation stemmed from the fact that had Risier City not leaked the existence of Alchemy Bombs, they would not have attracted the attention of such a mysterious and powerful entity.

Those greedy humans, they really should have Alchemy Bombs stuffed into their mouths to taste the explosion.

“Your Highness, the Grey Mountain Tribe carries the bloodline of the Ancient Goblins and holds a bit of the Ancient Goblin heritage.

In ancient times, goblins categorized Alchemy Bombs just like magic, from One Circle to Five Circle. Above Five Circle are the Legendary Bombs, a single one capable of easily destroying a city of two hundred thousand people.

The Alchemy Bomb you described is merely a Low-level One Circle Alchemy Bomb.”

Oh?

Upon hearing this, Lide's eyes immediately lit up. The heritage of Ancient Goblins, Legendary Level Alchemy Bombs.

This Grey Mountain Tribe has some substance.

He felt like he had struck treasure.

“Legendary Level, can you make it now?”

Moer's newfound pride faltered upon this grave inquiry, and he said sheepishly,
“Your Highness, Legendary Level Alchemy Bombs can only be made by a Legendary Level Alchemist. I am just an Expert Level Alchemist, barely able to make a Three Circle Alchemy Bomb…”

Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert Level, Master Level, Legendary Level, Divine-level, this is the non-combat profession ranking in Glory, generally not much different from combat professions. (The original text had 'Grandmaster' which was corrected to 'Master Level')
After hearing Moer's explanation, Lide looked visibly frustrated.

Damn, if you can't make it then why boast?

“So what level of Alchemy Bomb does the Grey Mountain Tribe currently mass produce? Three Circle?”

“One, One Circle…” Moer's eyes shifted, his tone growing weaker, completely lacking his previous arrogance.

Lide almost choked, glaring at the old goblin. If you can't make it, don't mention it, getting my hopes up and then telling me you can't do it.

Have you ever seen a punch as big as a sandbag?

“You can't even make Two Circle bombs??”

Moer's expression became even more awkward, he started to explain.

“Most of our tribe, due to a lack of practice materials, are still at the Basic Alchemist stage… We can make Two Circle Alchemy Bombs, but they are extremely unstable and could explode at any moment.”

I…

Lide looked at the old goblin somewhat resigned. Bombs that could explode at any time, that's certainly an unacceptable risk.

He couldn't imagine walking with Alchemy Bombs in his backpack that could explode before he even threw them.

“Does this risk of instability also exist for One Circle Alchemy Bombs?”

Moer finally relaxed, his expression switching as if he were changing faces, becoming proud again.

“Of course, Your Highness, the Grey Mountain Tribe has been manufacturing One Circle Alchemy Bombs for thousands of years, possessing rich manufacturing experience.

Especially in the period of trading with the Risier family, we produce tens of thousands of Alchemy Bombs every year, the performance is very stable, with no risks whatsoever.

This is a mature Alchemy Bomb.”

Lide stiffened, 'This is a mature Alchemy Bomb'? Why does this line sound so familiar?

But he was somewhat satisfied with this response. If the One Circle Alchemy Bomb also had this fatal flaw of instability, he really would have doubted whether his airforce could ever take shape.

“What's the manufacturing process for Alchemy Bombs? What materials do I need to provide for you to start production?”

“The core of Alchemy Bombs is high-energy density Demon Crystal Stone; other materials are very common. I will prepare a detailed list for you immediately.

The tools for making Alchemy Bombs are also not complex, regular blacksmith shops can manufacture them.”

Moer, his face scarred from burns, displayed a distinct goblin pride, “Just provide us with a large quantity of Demon Crystal Stones, and the Grey Mountain Tribe will produce a large amount of Alchemy Bombs for you.”

Lide nodded, wasting no words, “I will allocate high-quality Demon Crystal Stones to you in the shortest time.

Additionally, I intend to build an exclusive Alchemy Bomb production factory for the goblins on Moonlight Plain, located near the Magic Tower.

Once the Alchemy Factory is completed, I will appoint you as its first Alchemy Factory Director, in charge of all Alchemy Bomb production in Dawn City.

I will notify people from the blacksmith shop to liaise with you; the dwarfs will forge all the tools you need.

Logistical support will be provided by the City Hall; as long as the demands are not too exaggerated, all items required in the production of Alchemy Bombs will be prioritized.

Also, if you have any good ideas or difficulties, you can come directly to me.”

After finishing his statement, his tone paused, and he looked deeply at the Level 15 old goblin, speaking solemnly.

“Moer, I will mobilize this city's full capacity to support you. I only need the goblins to produce Alchemy Bombs in the shortest time possible.”

Lide's words left Moer, the old goblin, boiling with fervor.

Mobilizing a city's resources to support them!

At that moment, he finally understood what it felt like to be valued.

The goblins had long been living in the enclosed underworld, where resources were extremely scarce, and their life had slightly improved only after trading with Risier City.

However, their trade with Risier City wasn't perfect, as the goblins gained much less than what they gave.

But they had no choice; without cooperation, the goblins' lives would have been even harder.

This was the helplessness of a weaker race.

But now, Moer heard a sense of importance in Lide's tone, and his intuition told him that the goblins might truly find their own survival ground in this unfamiliar city.

“As you wish, Lord Ilo, the Grey Mountain Tribe will offer everything we have to you.”

Lide gazed at the old goblin.

“From now on in this city, just address me as Kachar City Lord.”

Moer paused slightly, a bit surprised by Lide's response, but he quickly nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I will go back and inform the other tribe members immediately.”

“Very well, you may go. I will have someone from the City Hall coordinate with you later.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After the old goblin, scarred by Dragon Breath, left with his green staff, Lide's eyes revealed deep contemplation.

Undoubtedly, the potential of the Alchemy Bomb was immense; from the mere information divulged by Moer, Lide glimpsed the glorious era of Alchemy from ancient times.

Alchemy Bombs that had the same level designation as Magic.

Being on a par with Magic was itself an incredible thing in the Glory World.

Magic was considered the pinnacle of all powers.

If there wasn't genuine strength, comparing anything to Magic would infuriate all Spellcasters, even just labeling it as such.

Magic was sacrosanct.

“The age of ancient Alchemy… truly a splendid past, it's a pity that today's goblins no longer have the ancient transmission.”

Lide shook his head, recalling that millions of years ago, during the era dominated by Alchemy as recorded in the ancient texts seen by the Bloodline Ancestor, the techniques of Alchemy could rival Magic and were immensely powerful.

But for some unknown reason, the era of Alchemy had abruptly ended, and thereafter rose the era of Magic, which had reigned supreme for millions of years.

The brilliant Alchemy techniques of the ancient era had largely been lost over the extensive passage of time, buried by history.

In the era of Alchemy, the ancient goblins were exceptional alchemists, these short, green-skinned beings wielded formidable power.

Unfortunately, after the collapse of the Alchemy era, the transmission of Alchemy had been broken and the little that was passed down was meager; the goblins, who once stood at the peak in Glory World, had now become a weak race.

Lide shook his head, snapping back from his wandering thoughts.

“It's useless to think about all that now; it's better to focus on mass-producing the Alchemy Bombs as soon as possible.”

But the goblins' unreliability gave him a headache. These fellows couldn't even produce a Second Circle Alchemy Bomb, leaving him at a loss for words.

Originally, his plan was to replicate the automated process of the Magic Factory used in the Crimson Mage Tower for the Alchemy Factory, but Moer's mention of instability made him temporarily abandon the idea.

He certainly didn't want to produce a bunch of time bombs that could kill his own people before a battle even started.

Only once the goblins became proficient and he was sure of the stability and that mass production wouldn't result in faults would he then start the process of industrialization.

At this stage, it was better to play it safe; Alchemy Bombs, unlike cold weapons which he could care less about, involved Alchemy–a magical version of chemistry, which gave him a headache due to the many times Alfred Nobel's house blew up from tinkering with bombs…

As for the Magic Crystal Stones that Moer requested, that was easy to manage because Spark had helped him set up the Ancient Alchemy Magic Array, which required a massive amount of Magic Crystal Stones, and the Crimson Mage Tower always had a stock.

He just needed to pass the message to his maid, Vina, who would naturally have them delivered.

Lide had already shared the marketing information related to Dark Contract with Vina; this clever girl had already established contact with Groot, who was currently managing the Dark Contract.

So he wasn't worried about any snags.

“At present, it seems we'll have to wait until mid-December, about half a month from now, before these goblins can start actual production.”

Lide shook his head; Dawn City's foundations were too weak. Having developed for just one year, each new intriguing concept like Alchemy required substantial time to be assimilated and transformed into combat power.

If it were in Green City, the goblins might have started production within three days, as Green City's infrastructure was not something Dawn City could compare with.

On the surface, Green City might appear protected by the Extraordinary Mages and was a city of formidable military power, but what really made Lide envious was the industrial system established by Green City over thousands of years.

Every industry here could find a corresponding upstream and downstream industry chain.

Blacksmith shops that forged weapons could easily purchase high-quality ore and find appropriate buyers just as easily.

Potion shops could easily acquire large quantities of raw materials and easily sell their prepared potions.

This was the most basic industry chain; every link could find its corresponding connections, unlike in Dawn City.

Here there were no upstream or downstream flows–only a planned economy.

The market couldn't automatically adjust the distribution of goods, and all deficiencies had to be addressed through the City Hall.

That was why Dawn City was far from being prosperous.

Everything in Dawn City was under Lide's control; without his continuous support, the city's self-sustaining capabilities were insufficient for ongoing development.

Yet, Lide's aim was to develop Dawn City into a city more prosperous than Green City–a city ruled entirely by the Bloodline, where he would be the sole sovereign.

Lide rose and walked to the open window, his dark eyes gazing out of the open glass window at the city, his resolve and confidence unshakable.

His spirits were high.

He was looking forward to that day and was willing to strive for it.

—
—-
—-
Dwarves immediately mobilized upon receiving the task issued by Lide–to forge 800 sets of rare-quality armor within three days.

Dwarves are different from goblins; these short ones who had been living in Dawn City for a few months had already integrated into this city.

They no longer had the initial resistance.

Now, this city had become the true home of the Barbarian Hammer Tribe, though many dwarves still reminisced about the Dwarf King they had left behind. However, that sentiment was slowly fading under the influence of Dawn City.

Given time, the Copper Hammer Tribe would truly be submerged in the glory of Dawn City, and the dwarves would have a new alias–the Dwarves of Dawn City.

As dusk approached, Lide arrived at the smithy.

Feeling the scorching air around a large area near the smithy, Lide's eyebrows slightly raised.

Although he liked Fire Magic, his Bloodline's body still made him somewhat uncomfortable in this “high-temperature” environment–even though it was almost winter by now.

Preferring coolness was the nature of the Bloodline.

“Good day, Kachar City Lord.”

Forge Master Valen, upon hearing of Lide's arrival, had rushed over, gasping for breath in several degrees of temperature while dressed in a thin tunic.

The huge hammer he carried emitted rolling waves of heat.

Lide looked at this dwarf, who was only 1.5 blades tall but had muscles like a Barbaric Beast, and nodded slightly.

“You're working hard, Valen. Can you forge the 800 pieces of rare-quality equipment within three days?”

Ordinary, rare, perfect, transcendent–among these levels, rare-quality equipment was generally the ultimate gear for most people.

Like human adventurers or mercenaries, most did not have the funds to buy perfect-level equipment.

Hence, when Lide set out to provide rare-quality gear, it greatly excited the centaurs.

However, higher levels also meant increased difficulty in manufacturing. Although Lide was confident in these naturally gifted forging masters, time was tight and the task demanding.

Valen patted his chest, his big bearded braids quivering as he spoke spiritedly.

“No problem at all, maybe we'll do it not in three days, but in two.”

Looking at the confident Valen, Lide grew curious, “Although rare-quality equipment isn't precisely difficult, making 800 pieces isn't that easy either.”

The higher the level of equipment, the greater the difficulty of manufacturing, which is common knowledge.

Originally, when making armor for Kosso and Castro, even using all the smithy's resources took several days.

Valen flashed a radiant smile, the three-hundred-year-old dwarf seemingly recalling something as the corners of his mouth refused to close.

He gestured with the black long-handled war hammer in his hand, which was slightly smaller than a human head and shimmered with a metallic luster.

“Kachar City Lord, indeed, it is not easy–but now, we have this!!”

Lide was slightly startled, subconsciously checking the hammer's attributes.

Valen's Barbaric Hammer
Quality: Perfect
Traits: Ramming (Strength increases by 100%, impact force increases by 100%, faster clearing of impurities during weapon forging)
Heavy Hammer (Strength increases by 100%, when attacking at full force, a greater power can burst forth, improving the toughness of the steel during weapon forging)
Master Craftsman (Weapon forging success rate increases by 50%, forging speed increases by 30%, with a 20% chance to forge an additional feature on weapons, 10% chance to enhance weapon quality)
Introduction: A war hammer forged by a dwarf forging master from mithril and various precious materials, capable of transforming decay into magic.

Holy shit, isn't this hammer's attributes freakishly incredible?

This is precisely the divine artifact every blacksmith dreams of.

Even Lide felt envious as he looked at it.

Seeing the admiration in Lide's eyes, Valen excitedly waved the long-handled war hammer that could both serve as a combat weapon and be used for forging.

“Kachar City Lord, I went to the City Hall and requested 10 pounds of mithril to forge new tools for our smithy's craftsmen… a mithril-infused hammer!

Praise the Forge God, praise you!

My war hammer was also remelted with mithril, making it now even better suited for weapon forging.”

Lide's mood also lifted upon hearing this; he had gone to great lengths to plunder the Secret Silver Vein all for the sake of benefiting Dawn City, right?

Mithril, no matter how precious, is just a pile of useless metal if not used. Now that Valen had amplified the effects of mithril, it certainly aligned with his intentions.

“Very good, the design for the centaur's armor has already been provided to you; you just need to forge it according to the specifications.

Additionally, the perfect-level armor should be personally forged by you. It is a gift I intend to give to the Chieftain of the Centaur Tribe.

The Centaur Tribe is very important to Dawn City.”

Valen, rarely hearing such detailed instructions from Lide, responded solemnly.

“Yes, Lord of the City, I will forge the most suitable armor for the centaurs.”

Lide nodded in satisfaction, always confident in the skills of the dwarves.

The Centaur Tribe was his experiment and also a direct window to the outside world for Dawn City; there could be no mistakes.

After discussing this matter, Lide moved on to the second purpose of his visit today.

The Dwarf Armory.

Dwarves differ from goblins; goblin-made alchemy bombs were still unfamiliar to him and carried significant risks, such as the instability of goblin bombs, thus industrialization was currently premature.

But what danger could there be in forging weapons? If being scolded for poor craftsmanship counts… then indeed it would be quite dangerous.

So he planned to replicate the route of the Crimson Mage Tower Magic Factory, turning the blacksmith shop into a factory.

The efficiency of modern factory production had already been demonstrated on magic scrolls.

The Crimson Mage Tower currently controlled 99% of the magic scroll market in Green City, a metropolis of over a million inhabitants who had no power to resist the invasion of the Crimson Mage Tower's modern production methods.

But contrary to Lide's expectations, when he shared his idea with Valen, the dwarven forging master did not show interest; instead, he hesitated.

“City Lord, if weapons are forged in the factory you mentioned, they will undoubtedly lose their souls…

In the legends of our race, every piece of ore has life, and forging these lives into weapons is to endow them with a soul.

If produced in factories, these weapons will become soulless, and most of their attributes will become homogeneous…”

Hearing this, Lide laughed heartily. This guy was truly a master of forging who could immediately see the drawbacks.

The flaw of assembly line production is uniformity.

Weapons forged from the same mold would hardly differ in attributes.

For high-level professionals, this was simply unacceptable, as high-level equipment was coveted precisely because each piece had unique attributes with various strengths.

However, factory production eliminated this uniqueness.

Valen, unable to persuade Lide, continued, “Moreover, there is a major drawback to factory production–it cannot produce equipment above the perfect level.

The higher the level of the equipment, the more it depends on the forger's own skills. If only intermediate or even basic level forgers are used, no matter how many times they forge, they cannot meet the requirements of perfect level equipment.”

A critical point about factory production is…each worker is responsible for only one part, and these workers are not very strong; some might be basic forgers, others advanced forgers.

High-level equipment has extremely demanding requirements, and these forgers cannot produce attributes that meet the needs of high-level equipment.

Lide nodded in understanding. For instance, perfect level equipment requires forging steel with 5 tons of force, but the individual responsible for that step can only exert 4 tons of force, which would not meet the requirements and would definitely lead to problems later.

Moreover, there are various technical issues that low-level forgers cannot solve.

Despite this, the armory was still essential to build.

Lide's resolve was unshaken, “Being able to mass-produce rare-level equipment is enough.”

Seeing Valen about to speak again, Lide didn't give the forging master a chance, “No need to say more, you just need to follow my decision.”

Seeing Valen's somewhat depressed expression, Lide's tone softened slightly.

“After establishing the factory, I will not close the blacksmith shop.

Since the weapon factory cannot produce high-level equipment, we will divide it into two departments, one being the weapon factory for producing low-level equipment,
and the other a high-level forging department composed of high-level blacksmiths.

The weapon factory will be responsible for manufacturing equipment below the rare level, while the high-level forging department will handle the forging of perfect level and above equipment.”

Valen's eyes lit up at these words, nodding with immense admiration.

“City Lord, your wisdom is enough to make the Forge God marvel.”

Lide ignored the obviously sycophantic compliment and pulled out a notebook he had prepared earlier from his pocket and handed it to Valen.

“This is the blueprint for building the weapon factory. Familiarize yourself with it first. I believe in the dwarves' creativity to swiftly establish the factory.”

The notebook contained information collected by the Crimson Moon and also included details of cold weapon forging from various countries' peak periods on Earth, which he had noted down and copied inside after his transformation into the Blood Clan Ancestor, perhaps due to meditation, his memory had greatly improved, so copying this data was not a problem.

Valen, after flipping through the notebook for a while, felt as if he had discovered a treasure, his face filled with excitement and thrill.

Although the content was somewhat different from that of Glory, the novel forging methods greatly inspired him.

“City Lord, this information is too precious, you…”

Lide watched the excited Valen and smiled slightly, “It's no trouble, consider it an advance reward.

After these 800 pieces of armor are forged, you will personally oversee the construction of the weapon factory. I need you to finish building and start production as soon as possible.

If all goes well, there will be a large order from the Centaurs.”

Hundreds of thousands of Centaurs, none of whom would want to miss wearing armor.

However, due to Green City's nearly unsolvable firm blockade and the centaurs' fiery tempers that had prevented human merchants from willing to trade with them, this had led to a scarcity of resources and armor among the Centaurs.

Once he had established the weapon factory, he would not worry about sales channels.

Those Centaurs would eagerly trade their seemingly worthless demon beast hides and furs.

The profits from this, Lide even estimated, would not be inferior to that of the Crimson Mage Tower's magic scrolls.

And later, he could plan even more.

The vast Grey Mountain Hills couldn't possibly only produce demon beast hides.

Didn't they produce something else?

Such as precious ore veins, like magic crystal stones…

This land, unbeknownst to the Centaurs as utterly barren, seemed to him to contain countless riches waiting to be unearthed.

This segment is free.

I see some people saying they want to see 20,000-word chapters; I'll try my hardest over the weekend to see if I can fulfill this reader's wish.

Also, if anyone has a monthly ticket or anything, please consider casting a vote. You can see our book's performance from the two hundred fifty thousand recommendation tickets at the million-word mark.

Apparently, there's a ranking for monthly tickets; if we rank a bit higher, we'll also get more exposure, which is good for attracting more readers~
Thank you~ Good night, my family.

Chapter end