I Became the Progenitor Vampire Chapter 358

Chapter 358: Chapter 360: He Saw the Divine, Sudden News (5400 words) Chapter 358: Chapter 360: He Saw the Divine, Sudden News (5400 words) After delegating the general framework for the expansion of Crimson Moon, Lide did not stop there but brought up another matter with Zhao Yue.

The cooperation between Crimson Moon and the Crimson Mage Tower–utilizing the Data Analysis Department to assist in enhancing Magic Scroll manufacturing.

This was the real reason for Lide's visit to Crimson Moon today.

Magic Scrolls were too important to him; even though Dawn City had developed to its current state, Magic Scrolls were still the lifeline, so no matter the cost, he must ensure that Magic Scrolls remain at the forefront in every way.

Lide had an advantage that no one else had–he could utilize the complementary resources of two worlds.

This was crucial.

At this stage, no players had the capability to mass-produce and research Magic Scrolls, but he did,
And no native could use Earth's supercomputers to solve their own problems, but he could.

The key to maintaining a technological lead was seizing opportunities and sustaining investment.

Now, with the right time, place, and people, all within Lide's grasp, he would not have grown to his current stature if he did not leverage this to gain even greater benefits.

What made Lide feel a sense of urgency was the arrival of players.

Though the players were a bit silly, they would become more and more adapted to this world as time passed.

Once the players found their footing, they would inevitably do many unbelievable things, for better or for worse.

Building a Magic Factory wasn't too difficult; once the players realized this, new Magic Factories would inevitably spring up.

The reason the players were not acting now was that they had not reached the threshold to build factories.

Spellcasters in Glory were absolutely the noble class, and Magic Scrolls were secrets closely guarded by every Mage Tower; it would take years for players to access as many resources as he could.

Thus a time difference was created. By the time players realized they could combine Earth's technology with Glory's, he would have already taken countless steps ahead.

Similarly, though the natives were very strong, because the system blocked information about Earth, most natives were indifferent to the players.

Natives like Stanley, who started thinking about colonizing Earth from the onset of players' arrival, were extremely rare.

Also, due to the information gap, natives did not know about computers on Earth; it would be a very long time before they understood the general situation on Earth.

This blank period was Lide's chance to rapidly develop and widen the gap.

“President, are you saying that we can fully participate in the research and improvement of Magic Scrolls with the Crimson Mage Tower??”

Zhao Yue's eyes widened to the extreme upon hearing Lide's words.

As a player who participated in the beta test, she couldn't be clearer about the exalted status of a Spellcaster.

Originally, Lide had shaken her by shoving some of the Crimson Moon players into the Crimson Mage Tower to become Spellcasters through his connections with Golden Wheat Commerce.

But now, he was saying that he could involve Crimson Moon completely in the research of Magic Scrolls, which was beyond her imagination.

Magic Scrolls were absolute secrets in every Mage Tower, so to allow a group of players, currently marginalized at this point in time, to participate in such a level of research–what kind of influence did Lide have in “Glory”??

Coupled with the way he had just casually tossed out 100,000 Gold Pucks, Zhao Yue was trembling.

She had always held Lide in high esteem, but in the end, she realized she had still underestimated him.

This man, so handsome it was almost extreme, exuded a mystique from every pore, irresistibly compelling one to delve deeper…

“I have already cleared things with the Crimson Mage Tower.

I need you to cooperate fully with the Crimson Mage Tower's Magic Research Department, just as you did in helping me improve Magic Models, using computers to assist in improving Magic Scrolls.

President Yue, this is very important, it may even determine the future development direction of Crimson Moon.

No matter the difficulty, we must execute.”

Lide's gaze was sharp, “This improvement process is also a rare opportunity; if the Data Analysis Department can establish a comprehensive Magic Scroll Manufacturing Skill database,
it will have an unimaginable impact on the future development of Crimson Moon… you should understand how vital this is.”

Zhao Yue nodded deeply, “President, I understand.

I will have the Data Analysis Department set up a special group to take charge of this matter, and I will take personal responsibility.”

After confirming with Zhao Yue several times, Lide did not linger any longer and went straight back to the Crimson Mage Tower.

He was never one to drag his feet; once he decided to act, he would do so immediately.

A Sunshine Hour later, Zhao Yue was taken away by a carriage from the Crimson Mage Tower.

Under his secret push, in just one day, more than 30 members of the Data Analysis Department of Crimson Moon joined the Magic Research Department of the Crimson Mage Tower.

A cross-world collaboration began to launch.

At this moment, Lide had not yet realized what kind of fireworks this newly established cooperative department would spark in the later stages.

After dealing with the affairs of the Crimson Mage Tower, Lide changed his clothes and quietly arrived at the Western District headquarters of Dark Contract — Black Rose Manor.

His return to Green City was not solely for Crimson Moon; he planned to review and get to the bottom of all the forces in his hands during this time.

It had been too long since he had personally visited each force, which directly caused his perception of the forces under his control to start blurring.

One needs to know both the enemy and oneself to win every battle; not knowing one's own strength leads to less accurate decision-making.

The lack of control over subordinate forces by Dawn City is also a major problem it currently faces.

He had noticed these issues that were revealed due to Dawn City's rapid development, and this return was to solve these hidden dangers.

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Since Dark Contract was taken under Lide's wing two and a half years ago, although it was comparatively weak, it firmly secured the position of one of the top three giants in the Western District.

The reason for this was simply that Dark Contract boasted a presence that the entire underworld of Green City looked up to — Lord Ilo.

That Extraordinary Strong being, worshipped by the president of the Demon Heart, the Heart-eating Demon Wales, was the figure the underground forces admired.

Even though Dark Contract was greatly weakened by Viscount Bernard's assault on Green City to snatch the Divine Artifact of Green City's Extraordinary Existence, and has not yet recovered, possessing an Extraordinary was already enough.

Moreover, it was widely rumored throughout Green City's Underworld that Lord Ilo of Dark Contract was an Extraordinary Existence with great wisdom.

This was because he had, under the gaze of countless people, guided the level 19 Heart-eating Demon Wales to break through to become Extraordinary.

Furthermore, Lord Ilo did not seem to possess the brutality of Dark Life, was easy to talk to, and very willing to provide guidance to those he favored; those who had received his guidance often broke through their existing bottlenecks quickly…

This legend, already well-known through the bards' songs, directly led to the entire Underworld of Green City almost desperately seeking Lord Ilo's guidance.

And with the spread of this legend, the title of Dark Tutor spread far and wide.

Dark Tutor — Lord Ilo.

Also, because of the soaring reputation of Lord Ilo, all the Dark Forces of the Underworld actively avoided conflicts with Dark Contract.

In an environment free from external constraints, Dark Contract naturally experienced a golden age of development.

Firstly, the Crimson Mage Tower provided exclusive sales of Second Circle Magic Scrolls — Thunder Burst — to Dark Contract.

With this exclusive trade, Dark Contract thrived in the Underworld, accumulating a large amount of Gold Pucks.

In addition, the low-end weapons provided by the weapon factory of Dawn City also became an exclusive business of Dark Contract.

While the Crimson Mage Tower undertook the high-end weapons of the factory, Dark Contract monopolized equipment below the Rare Level.

Although the profits from low-end equipment were not as terrifying as high-end ones, being factory-produced and inexpensively priced, they still brought in a huge amount of money for Dark Contract.

Beyond that, the highly profitable trade of wine, often overlooked by others, was also one of the main ventures of Dark Contract.

Lide had brought many brewing techniques from Earth to Dawn City and had ordered the establishment of a brewery.

After the Dwarf and other wine-loving races actively participated in the improvements, the brewery now produced five types of wine, which, due to the influence of magic, even tasted better than those on Earth.

Two of these wines, which were complex in brewing technique and costly to produce, were exclusively for the mysterious streets of Dawn City. Of the remaining three, Dark Contract acquired two, and the last one was enjoyed by Golden Wheat Commerce.

A few such highly profitable trades, combined with the reputation of Lord Ilo, made the recent development of Dark Contract an exaggeration.

Not only was the personnel expanding crazily, but their inherent power was also growing rapidly. With ample funds, a true Dark Giant began to show its Tusk.

When Lide met with Stanley at Black Rose Manor, this level 16 Bloodline had just returned from Anos City.

Dusty from travel.

“Good day, Your Excellency…”

Stanley, dressed in a black trench coat, immediately stepped forward to bow with a hand on his chest upon seeing Lide, the scar splitting his face in two looking particularly fierce and terrifying.

Accompanied by the other's elegant demeanor, an ineffable sense of eeriness emanated.

This former Evil God believer was definitely an evil existence within evil.

“Good morning, Stanley…”

Lide nodded slightly, leaning back against his chair and gestured toward the seat beside the long table.

“Sit.”

“As you wish…”

After Stanley sat down, his back straight as an arrow, he looked directly at Lide with respect and said,
“Lord, have you come to the Dark Covenant with any orders for me?”

“No, Stanley,” Lide shook his head, “I'm not here to assign you any tasks this time.”

Seeing the other's somewhat puzzled expression, he didn't beat around the bush, “Although Dawn City is now powerful, the subsidiary forces are too scattered, which is very detrimental to overall development.

During this period, I will thoroughly understand each force and then solve this issue.

And the Dark Covenant is the first stop.”

Hearing this, Stanley somewhat understood; as the boss of Dawn City's entire Information Department, he instantly grasped Lide's intention.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke softly.

“Lord, this is indeed the right time for such an endeavor. As Dawn City grows, the situation where each force acts independently limits our overall development.

However, the difficulty of this task is also quite large, with distance being the most critical point.

The geographical dispersion has led to the current situation; if we cannot resolve this issue effectively, advancing this matter will be challenging…”

Stanley immediately pinpointed the core of the issue.

Lide nodded and then shook his head.

“No, Stanley, the geographic location is unchangeable. If we start from this aspect, we will face unprecedented challenges, and in the end, perhaps only by increasing the number of Magic Language Bats and improving traffic conditions can we solve this problem.

But that is not what I want…”

His profound gaze held complexities Stanley could not fathom.

“With each force's expansion, the surrounding environment of each force is different, and their needs differ as well, creating a reality we must confront–our forces are beginning to cannibalize themselves.

Why do I say this?

Hasn't the Dark Covenant already started competing commercially with Golden Wheat Commerce and the Crimson Mage Tower?

Although it seems you are only selling your own goods, inevitably, during this process, you also deal in other merchandise, which often happens to be the main selling items of other forces.

This is mutual cannibalization.

Aside from the Dark Covenant, even Dwarf Hills are competing with Dawn City.

Why?

Because Dwarf Hills have millions of Centaurs, whose craving for weapons and equipment is insatiable.

Furthermore, with the extensive veins of ore naturally present, Dwarf Hills are an ideal place for forging weapons.

After Frey took control of Dwarf Hills, inevitably, his eyes turned to weapon forging to gain greater benefits. If Dawn City can forge weapons, then Dwarf Hills, with its veins of ore, can surely forge them as well…

Now the two weapon factories in Dwarf Hills are a product of collective demand, and you can't say Frey's actions are wrong, as establishing weapon factories there truly increased the profits for Dawn City.

However, the weapon factories in Dwarf Hills directly competed with those in Dawn City, resulting in a decline in exports from Dawn City's weapon factories to Dwarf Hills.

We are all doing things in our own interests, but inadvertently, we have created a competitive situation…”

“There are many more examples, but I won't list them all. Stanley, with your wisdom, you should understand my intention.”

Indeed, it's not just Dwarf Hills; even the Lion Tribe in Dwarf Valley is preparing their own weapon factories.

Although the quality cannot match the Dwarf's craftsmanship, equipment produced independently can be used to trade with other forces, so the resulting gold puck need not be handed over to Dawn City and can be retained for one's treasury.

The direct cause of this situation is the complete autonomy and independent actions of each force; Dawn City's City Hall's orders only apply to Dawn City, as other forces have never enacted orders from City Hall for various reasons.

When Dawn City was weak, such a strategy undoubtedly greatly saved manpower and material resources, and the benefits were maximized.

But as Dawn City continued to grow and expand, continuing with the old methods was clearly inappropriate. The city now needed a unified command.

Stanley fell silent, and after a brief period of thought, he couldn't help but feel sentimental.

“Your Excellency, your insight into problems is truly amazing. This issue has only just begun to emerge…”

“Stanley, an organization wanting to develop is inevitably going to encounter various problems; no one is exempt from that.

We are always on the road to solving problems.

Now that we have identified the shortcomings, it is essential to reform before fixed interest groups take shape; otherwise, the cost of making changes after these situations have stabilized will be much greater.”

Lide's thoughts were very clear. The reason for the competitive atmosphere within Dawn City's various forces stemmed from the internal demands for their own interests.

It was not wrong to say, after all, everyone wanted to develop, and surely one couldn't just stop others from doing so?

And indeed, in the short term, this approach could have very positive effects for each faction.

But in the long term, it was a huge hazard.

Dawn City truly needed to unite.

He would centralize all the power that had been devolved, and from then on, City Hall would become the department governing all forces.

“Your Excellency, your wisdom is enough to astonish the Divine. Please issue the order; how should Dark Contract cooperate with you?”

Lide smiled, “There's no rush. Right now, I only have some preliminary ideas. Making a real decision will require a detailed understanding of all the forces.”

His tone paused, moving on to today's main topic.

“Let's start with a report on Dark Contract's recent developments, beginning with personnel.”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” Stanley's face, crisscrossed with scars, seemed even more fearsome under the dim light of the magic lamp.

“Dark Contract currently has 35,000 people, most of whom are peripheral members. These people are scattered around gambling dens, brothels, inns, lodging houses, and black markets, serving as our eyes and ears, responsible for providing information, numbering over 30,000 people.

In addition, there are 5,000 formal members, most of whom are Profession individuals between levels 5 and 9, including 87 Profession individuals above level 10 — 90% of whom are warriors.

Only Grote and I possess fighting power above level 15. Currently, Grote is temporarily stationed in Anos City, providing development suggestions for Immortal Soul…”

Lide raised an eyebrow. 35,000 people?

The total population of the western area was around 600,000. This number was not particularly large nor small for a major power.

After all, most of the area's population was civilians, with Profession individuals making up less than 40%.

“Your Excellency, the western area's powers are intricately interwoven, and this is already the extent to which Dark Contract can expand. Expanding further would lead to collisions with established forces…”

Lide nodded, “It's fine. I have a handle on this matter. The position of Dark Contract is not to occupy the Underworld of Green City.

You are the covert umbrella of the Crimson Mage Tower and a trade outlet for Dawn City. Additionally, you are responsible for collecting various scarce Magic Materials and ores. Achieving these points is already sufficient.

We do not have the spare energy to invest in the Underworld of Green City at the moment, and doing so would not be worthwhile.

Dawn City has been around for thousands of years, and some of these Underground Forces have been entrenched for hundreds of years. No one knows who stands behind them. Maintaining the current stability and strength is enough.”

Hearing Lide's words, Stanley's expression slightly relaxed. Although Dark Contract's development was not slow, it was nothing compared to the pace of Dawn City.

Then, Stanley went on to report one by one the current state of Dark Contract — personnel, finances, networks, spies, covert arrangements, future development plans, and so on.

Lide gained a new understanding of this Dark Giant lurking in the shadows of Green City and a clearer sense of the power it contained.

Before the conversation ended, a statement from Stanley suddenly alerted Lide.

“Your Excellency, do you remember I reported last time that Risier City had an eerily terrifying presence that appeared and vanished in a flash?”

“Indeed, I ordered you to deploy triple the scouts to search. Have you received news now?”

A flicker of hesitation passed through Stanley's eyes.

“Your Excellency, I am also unsure about the accuracy of this news, because the scout who returned died after uttering just one sentence. The way he died was as if he had been literally scared to death by an Abyss Demon…”

Lide's brow furrowed at hearing this.

“What did he say??”

Stanley looked serious, and speaking very deliberately, he said to Lide.

“He saw plague, death, and — Divine…”

Chapter end