I Became the Progenitor Vampire Chapter 369

Chapter 369: Chapter 371 Clang Clang Clang~ Mass Weapon Production, Begin Preparations for War Chapter 369: Chapter 371 Clang Clang Clang~ Mass Weapon Production, Begin Preparations for War Huff, huff~
The wind howled, snow descended from the sky.

Ice and snow are the eternal main themes of Frost Month.

Even Dawn City, ensconced within the mountains, was no exception.

As Lide rode Castro circling above Dawn City, the snowfall intensified.

Yet to his surprise, he found the number of people on the streets below had increased significantly compared to before.

Recalling a letter from Harrison a few days prior, his expression brightened.

The newly captured population had settled in.

After circling a few more times, Castro landed in the backyard of City Hall, and Lide dismounted, returning to his office.

By now, it was January 11, exactly one month had passed since he last left Dawn City.

“Where's Harrison?”

The Bloodline responsible for City Hall's security immediately placed a hand over his chest and bowed upon the inquiry.

“My Lord, Chairman Harrison is currently inspecting the newly constructed City Hall in the new district…”

“A newly constructed City Hall?”

“Yes, my Lord, in the future, more than half of the City Hall departments will be relocated there.”

After understanding the situation, Lide couldn't be bothered to summon Harrison and stood up to head for the new City Hall not even a minute after sitting down.

Due to the zealous nature of the believers and residents, there was always a carriage reserved for Lide in the City Hall's courtyard–the sight of the entire street bowing as he passed by foot would often arise.

It was fine once or twice, but it became somewhat bothersome after several occurrences.

Some places also weren't suitable to fly to, as it would not befit the stature of the Dawn Sovereign; hence, Harrison had prepared a carriage for him early on.

Treading softly,
The carriage slowly drove out of City Hall, and Lide peered through the transparent glass windows at the streets outside.

He seldom rode in this carriage, but he couldn't deny that inspecting his city from a carriage was quite interesting.

He hadn't yet had a detailed inspection of the new district since its completion.

His gaze fell on the streets, where living skill mages and logistics personnel were clearing the recently accumulated snowflakes, given the thickness of the snow, it seemed to be cleared every few Sunshine Hours.

Their labor ensured the streets remained clear and unobstructed.

A clean street might not directly elevate residents' living standards, but it significantly boosted the happiness index, fostering greater cohesion in Dawn City.

Small as it was, the scene pleased Lide immensely.

The mass cultivation of living skill mages was costly, but their significance to Dawn City was evident.

At the very least, many places requiring spellcasters need not worry too much.

Previously, he sent Bloodlines to clean the sewers often, and though Bloodlines were utterly obedient and wouldn't show any discontent, he couldn't help feeling a bit off. After all, they were an Upper Race, powerful spellcasters–doing such work… indeed, it was unbefitting their status.

Living skill mages would not entertain such thoughts, as they were taught from their training about their future work types,
And were instilled with the idea that all work was equal and contributed to the future of Dawn City.

So there was absolutely no need to worry about any rebellion from these spellcasters.

The shops along the streets also became thriving due to the increase in residents.

The days of only having a few “big fish, little fish” were long gone.

Even amidst the cold winter, one could see residents constantly entering and leaving the shops, with most wearing smiles on their faces and eyes brimming with satisfaction.

And after the carriage entered the new district, this feeling became even more intense.

For most residents brought back by force, life in Dawn City now was like that of the Divine Country–paradise compared to their past.

Originally, Lide thought riding in a carriage would avoid the residents' attention, but he underestimated his influence and status in the hearts of the people.

Whenever they saw a carriage flying the flag of Dawn City, residents would stop and bow with chests held, their eyes filled with respect and adoration.

Lide could only shake his head at this and instructed the Bloodline driving the carriage to speed up.

Dawn City, having expanded several times, was now incredibly vast, and walking across the entire city would now take more than half a Sunshine Hour.

Twenty minutes later, the carriage came to a gentle stop on Moonlight Square.

The new district's square was nearly five times the size of the old district's Dawn Square, easily accommodating gatherings of over a hundred thousand people. Across the expansive Moonlight Square, the newly excavated artificial lake–Moonlight Lake–could be seen.

The sparkling waves undulated, unmolested by ice and snow.

Now Moonlight Square and Moonlight Lake had become a leisure spot for residents. Despite the cold weather, many still played and strolled nearby.

The grand entrance of the new City Hall faced directly onto the square.

The moment Lide stepped down from the carriage, a cold gust of air hit him.

He exhaled a misty breath, his deep eyes focusing on the imposing five-story building before him.

Standing thirty blades tall, the new City Hall was even slightly taller than the Mage Tower of Dawn. The exterior walls were carved with exquisite hero relief sculptures, and majority of the colorful bay windows depicted Lide's grand feats of the past,
But what caught the eye the most was the colossal, nine-blade tall, semi-circular archway in the middle, leaving ordinary people feeling like mere children beneath its enormity.

Engraved upon the two massive doors were two equally towering Bloodlines, with bat wings unfurled behind their backs, hands resting on longswords, eyes fixed straight ahead, exuding an untouchable and sacred dignity.

“Who sculpted this? It's a waste of talent not to pursue art.”

Lide admired the charming architecture.

This was fitting for Dawn City's status.

His gaze briefly glanced to the left side of the square, where another five-story building stood, differing from City Hall in that it was enveloped in Holy Light, its pure white painted exterior imbuing it with a sacred air.

And the enormous statue of Lide himself in front of the building left no question as to its purpose.

As the population grew, the old district's Dawn Church clearly could no longer accommodate the increasing number of believers. Constructing a new church had become a necessity.

After pausing for a moment, Lide entered City Hall, quite pleased.

He had set the broad direction for the construction of the new district and hardly intervened, only offering a few suggestions when the construction department presented their plans.

In just a little over a year, this new district had been built to such perfection, he couldn't help but be satisfied.

Entering the hall, the new City Hall might have been recently built, as it was still undergoing renovation. The surrounding murals had just begun to be carved. After a brief glance at the dozens of workmen, I did not linger and headed straight for the Magic Elevator.

Yes, the Magic Elevator. Back when I was at the black market in Green City, I had experienced the elevator operated by the Heart-eating Demon Wales's subordinates, and afterward, I had the notion to directly send someone to acquire this technology.

Relying on the terrifying reputation of Lord Ilo, the Level 19 Heart-eating Demon Wales immediately scurried to hand over the complete technology, even asking if he needed to send someone to help with the installation, all expenses covered.

Of course, such impertinent requests were mercilessly rejected by me. The technology could stay, but the people could go. This left the Heart-eating Demon Wales, who hoped to meet Lord Ilo again and receive his guidance, feeling disheartened for a long time.

Click-clack~
Click-clack~
After entering the Magic Elevator, which was enclosed by iron nets but still offered a clear view of the surroundings, the iron chains started to wind driven by the Magic Array, and the elevator began to ascend slowly.

I found this primitive yet enchanting scene quite intriguing.

When the elevator reached the fifth floor, the Bloodline guards inside promptly helped open the iron gate.

“The feeling is getting stronger; this is what a magical city should have.”

Stepping out of the elevator, I looked back at the somewhat rudimentary Magic-driven installation with considerable pleasure.

“Earth has technology to change life, Glory has Magic to change life. In the future, we must have the Magic Industry Research Institute develop more products like this for everyday life.

For instance, things like Magic Track Cars, Magic Lamps could all be created…”

The corridor was well-lit under the Magic Lamps. I followed the guards to Harrison's new office.

Stepping into the open room and taking a brief look around, the office was still sparsely decorated, aside from a central sofa and desk.

“My Lord, good morning…”

Seeing me suddenly appear, Harrison, who was directing a few workers from the Construction Department to arrange the office, immediately showed a surprised and pleased expression.

I smiled slightly, “Good morning, Harrison.

When will this building be ready for use? It seems much more spacious than the old district's City Hall.”

“After Frost Month is over, the renovations will be complete, and most of the administrative departments will move here to work,” Harrison replied, turning his head to wave the workers away, who were excited upon seeing me.

Once everyone had left, Harrison led me to the brand-new grey sofa.

“My Lord, please have a seat.”

I didn't dawdle. Sitting down, I immediately dove into the matter at hand.

“Harrison, Emi just sent word from Risier City. He has inherited a portion of Divine Power…”

Harrison's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at me.

“Marquis Emi has inherited Divine Power?!!

My Lord, how could this be?”

Divine Power wasn't something you could just inherit on a whim.

Although Emi held the title of blasphemer and was once the first Level 15 top combatant in Dawn City, he was still far from being Divine.

The news was clearly beyond his expectations.

“It's the divine relic within Risier City…” Lide's dark eyes were deep as he detailed the matters of Emi and the divine relics of Risier City to Harrison.

“Creator God above, this is too astonishing…”

Harrison's fiery eyes gleamed, as the second-generation Bloodline who held great power over City Hall had already sensed the earth-shattering opportunities contained therein.

“At present, although Risier City is dangerous, it is also an unprecedented opportunity, especially with Marquis Emi providing us with internal support.

No matter how great the risks involved, it's worth Dawn City getting involved.

Divine Artifacts, Divine Bodies, Divine Status… and those countless treasures, it would be enough for us to obtain just a portion of them!”

Harrison's tone was very much like that of Frey and Sam, as if not getting involved would be criminal.

Lide seemed to have anticipated Harrison's reaction, his expression didn't fluctuate much, but his gaze became a few degrees more solemn.

“I've come back this time for this matter.

There are a few points we need to pay attention to– the events in Risier City have been spread by adventurers from the Lost Plane, and everyone knows about it now.

Although most people are skeptical and have not sent their real top combat forces, it's still inevitably made the situation more complex.”

“This time we cannot use the power of the Holy Light Bloodline, and not even the Dawn Bats can be deployed.

Not only us, but the human Light Attribute Sects, and even the elves representing the natural faction, will go this time.

The Bloodline must not expose ourselves in front of those people, otherwise, we could be facing a joint human onslaught. Compared to the beastmen guarding the divine relics, the Bloodline are obviously more likely to become their enemies.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Harrison asked, somewhat hesitantly; if the Bloodline and Magic Language Bats could not participate in the battle, it was indisputable that the military force of Dawn City would be significantly weakened.

In such a case, would they still have the strength to take part in this raid for the divine relics?

“Harrison, Centaurs,” Lide's gaze was fierce and compelling, his voice rose several notches, “The centaurs of the Dwarf Hills are most suited to serve as the army for this operation.

As a Strong Battle Race, the combat prowess of the centaurs has stood the test of time and is beyond question.

Moreover, the numbers of the Iron Hoof Tribe's centaur army have expanded to a formidable 70,000, much more than our current forces at hand.”

“What we need to do now is employ all our strength to forge high-level Equipment for the centaurs, sparing no efforts to enhance their combat capability.

Harrison, for the next three months, Dawn City will not sell any high-level weapons to the outside. Dawn City will shift into a wartime state.

Cease the production of common, Rare-level Equipment immediately, and focus entirely on producing high-level gear.

The Equipment to be produced next must start at the Rare Level, and even reach Perfect Level.”

Lide issued the orders directly.

“The Iron Hoof Tribe currently possesses an army of 70,000 centaurs, with 40,000 heavily armed warriors, and 30,000 centaur archers.

In three months, this force should expand to at least 100,000, so I need the weapons factory to produce the Equipment for 100,000 soldiers within three months.

Mithril, Fine Gold, Fine Iron– take out all the best materials from the warehouse and forge their weapons with the best resources, irrespective of the cost.”

Hearing these resolute words that could not be swayed, Harrison took a deep breath and immediately felt the magnitude of Lide's determination.

“My Lord, we shall give it our all! Your command is the direction we advance in!”

Harrison's voice also carried absolute confidence. Dawn City was no longer the Dawn City of before; they now possessed the power to launch a large-scale war.

Lide's gaze still flickered with cold light.

“The progress of the bows and arrows jointly developed by the Magic Industry Research Institute and the Half-Elves? For this war, the centaur archers will take on the main offensive role, so they must be equipped with better bows and arrows.”

The technology reserve for bow manufacturing in Dawn City was very mediocre, to say the least, weak. The produced crossbows, although better than those previously used by the centaurs, were still far inferior to those produced by the halflings.

Halfling archers were famous in the Underworld; correspondingly, centaur archers were no less formidable, and even more so due to the centaurs once having established an empire, they were more renowned than the half-elves.

Although both races produced archers, there were significant differences.

The halflings relied on their superior bow-making technology, making their arrows highly lethal,
while the centaurs relied on their naturally strong bodies and keen senses to become archers.

One used technological equipment; the other, physical strength.

If the bows produced by the halflings could be equipped on the centaurs, it would definitely have an effect greater than the sum of their parts.

The centaurs were previously so poor they couldn't even afford trousers, let alone switch to better bows. But the situation in Dawn City was different; its solid finances were sufficient to forge an archer army that would send shivers down one's spine.

Moreover, centaurs were adept runners, a type of mobility most races did not possess.

“My liege, we have made some progress in our research collaboration with the halflings, but we are not yet able to proceed with mass production. There is still a large amount of data that needs to be tested…

I'm afraid it will take some time before we can produce the powerful bows we desire…”

Harrison spoke without making any unrealistic claims. Research could be a mysterious thing; perhaps it might stagnate at a single point for years, or it could also go smoothly. No one dares to guarantee success before the final results are achieved.

However, Lide was clearly very dissatisfied with this response.

With a piercing gaze, he stared at Harrison, his tone so authoritative that there was no room for refutation.

“I'm issuing an order now: the Magic Industry Research Institute must develop and improve a strong bow tailor-made for the centaurs within one month.

Whatever materials they need within this month, I'll provide them; whatever support they need, I'll give it.

But I must see results within a month.

This is an order, and all R&D personnel must achieve this at all costs.

Dawn City needs people who can fight tough battles, if they can't achieve this, why am I supporting them?!”

The iciness in Lide's tone sent a shiver through Harrison, who stood up solemnly and nodded fiercely.

“Yes, my liege.

I will personally take responsibility for this matter, no matter the cost, and within one month, this bow and arrow suitable for the centaurs will be developed!”

Lide's expression still did not soften as he continued to issue commands.

“In addition to the weapons for the centaurs, we also need to develop suitable armor and weapons for the one-eyed giants and double-headed ogres.

Although the Bloodline cannot participate in this battle, these creatures from the Underworld can.

We only need to keep 500 one-eyed giants to continue building Dawn City.

The rest of the one-eyed giants and double-headed ogres will all take part in this war against Risier City.”

Adult one-eyed giants can reach a height of 6 blenes, while the height of adult double-headed ogres is 5 blenes.

But whether it's six blades or five, for the Beastmen and humanity, they are titans.

In the face of life on the ground, once they are armed, they become absolute kings of the land.

Thousands of giants clad in heavy armor charging into battle would be an incredibly stunning sight.

Castro, the heavily armored Level 15 One-eyed Giant unleashed his combat potential in the Dwarf Valley when facing a siege of thousands from the Lion Tribe, a memory Lide hadn't forgotten.

Their massive size might have taken away some of their agility, but it gave them tremendous strength, meaning their armor could be thicker.

Just imagine armor as thick as half a blade worn on their bodies, shielding against equal level warriors hacking at them without leaving as much as a dent.

“These thousands of giants will be an unignorable strategic force in the upcoming war, Harrison, war is approaching.

I can already smell the gunpowder.

With only three months left, everything in Dawn City will revolve around this war.”

This time, the enemy is unprecedentedly strong. To retrieve what we desire from Risier City, we must give it our all.

But Lide showed no sign of retreat or hesitation, with an unquenchable fighting spirit in his eyes.

The ambition in his dark eyes pulsated vigorously, to live or to die; since he had chosen to move forward, there was no third path.

He had many enemies in his future: the inherently antagonistic Light Sect, the spellcasters who took pride in hunting the Bloodline, even the God of Skeletons from whom he had seized the Land of Bone-Burying,
The Master of Dawn who had sealed his seventh-ranking Twelve-winged Blazing Angel–these potential enemies did not seem to pose much pressure on Dawn City for the time being.

But it was like the Sword of Damocles hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment.

What he had to do was have the power to break it before the sword fell.

From the day he stepped into Glory, Dawn City was destined to walk with him towards destruction or glory.

“Your Highness, I have fully grasped your will, and your orders will be executed with utmost strictness. In three months, you will see an army clad in the sturdiest of armor, wielding the sharpest of weapons.

We have the capability to face any army head-on!

The Divine Relic of Risier City will belong to you, to Dawn City!”

Harrison raised his head, his eyes stronger with the will to fight than ever before.

It was only then that a hint of relaxation appeared on Lide's face.

“I will inspect the weapons factory later. How are the other projects in Dawn City progressing?”

While the military would become the main focus of Dawn City's operations in the coming months, projects related to everyday life could not be halted. The two were not opposing but rather complementary.

“Your Highness, several major projects are currently progressing very smoothly…”

A hint of joy appeared in Harrison's eyes as he spoke of this.

“Especially the greenhouse cultivation, this out-of-season planting method is an Alchemy that even Divines would marvel at.

We have now built the first batch of greenhouses on Moonlight Plain, and the vegetable seeds we've planted have already sprouted. We expect to harvest them in half a month.

Your Highness, having fresh vegetables in winter is enough to astonish anyone, you've done what only Divines could do! Praise be to you~”
A twitch appeared at the corner of Lide's mouth, nonsense, I am a god… Although a Fake God, I still bear the title; greenhouse vegetables are nothing, next time let's do soilless cultivation…

“What about heating?”

“The heating system has also been successfully developed and is currently under construction, we estimate it will take another month to fully complete.”

“These important living facilities must be built as quickly as possible, with heating prioritizing factories, especially the current phase necessitates the use of the Alchemy Factory, Weapon Factory…”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“What about the other projects?”

“Other projects? The population plunder plan was successfully completed last time, and this time a total of 50,000 people were plundered. Currently, the registered population of Dawn City has exceeded 160,000…”

“160,000? Last time we barely had a little over 100,000, and with this batch of 50,000, it shouldn't reach 160,000, right? Where did the extra come from?”

“My lord, there have been over three thousand newborns in these past few months…”

Newborns? Lide was slightly startled.

The human growth cycle was too slow, taking a full 16 years from pregnancy to adulthood at age 15.

Therefore, he hadn't given much importance to the reproduction within Dawn City, since relying on his followers to breed and expand the population was an incredibly slow process.

It would take at least decades to barely reach the scale he wanted, but time waits for no one. The world outside changed daily, and the population growth through reproduction could not satisfy the increasing scarcity of people in Dawn City.

Thus, plundering population was undoubtedly the fastest method.

However, there was a very large problem–plundering population was always a temporary solution.

Right now, Dawn City's small population made it seem very effective, but when the population reached one million or more, it would be difficult to increase the scale through plundering.

By that time, internal reproduction would definitely be more cost-effective than taking the risk to plunder from outside.

Currently, the residents of Dawn City consisted almost 80% of young men and women, with less than 20% being the elderly and the frail.

The cruel war had made it so that the older population often couldn't survive, hence the current population structure.

Of course, the advantage of this was that it increased the likelihood of having more newborns.

“Harrison, in the short term, plundering population is the fastest way to supplement our numbers, and we cannot falter on that.

But internally, we also need to encourage reproduction heavily. The initial effects might not be evident, but once Dawn City has grown, the newly born population will definitely become our main source of population.

This is a policy planned on a fifteen-year cycle. City Hall can set up a Department of Fertility, wholly responsible for matters related to reproduction.

They should train men and women who are about to marry with all sorts of knowledge about reproduction, establish pediatric hospitals, and even daycares–starting to train our next generation of Dawn City's talents from a young age.”

Upon hearing this, Harrison's eyes lit up.

“My Lord, this is absolutely a brilliant plan.

We could even start raising a group of children with Magic Blood from a young age, bathing them in a sea of magic power from the day they are born. Perhaps our ranks of Spellcasters could increase significantly.”

Lide nodded, “That's not a bad idea, but the health of the children is most important. All premises must be based on this.

We can start with a small-scale training and after ensuring it's harmless to their bodies and effective, we can then expand the scale.”

“As you wish.”

“Additionally, how is the construction progress of the Magic Crystal Vein?”

“The Magic Crystal Vein construction has been completed and all the mines are in full-force extraction.

The only issue is the construction of the Ancient Alchemy Magic Array, as the Spellcasters' expertise in magic arrays isn't sufficient, the progress has been slow…”

Lide's brows furrowed.

This wasn't the first time Harrison had mentioned something similar.

After a brief contemplation, he made up his mind.

“Go build a Magic Array Research Center in the underground passages. I will send a group of adventurers from the Lost Plane to assist them in research and improvements.”

If he didn't think of a solution now, who knew how long it would take for the magic array to be constructed. He didn't have the time to waste on such matters. Possessing an Ancient Alchemy Magic Array as soon as possible would give him peace of mind.

The players had already made a significant impact on improving magic scrolls, and now it was time to let the Data Analysis Department of the Crimson Moon interface with Dawn City's Magic Array Research Department.

However, he had no intention to reveal Dawn City to the players of Crimson Moon just yet, thus planning to place the Magic Array Research Center in the underground passages.

In time, they could be transferred through the Land of Bone-Burying outside Dawn City, into the underground passage; it would be both secret and safe.

“Adventurers? My lord, didn't you say that the Lost Plane lacked the existence of magic power? It seems as though those adventurers have only just arrived; how could spellcaster experts in magic arrays emerge so quickly?”

Harrison was somewhat puzzled; Lide had given him some introductions before. The Lost Plane was fascinating, but utterly useless in terms of magic.

Lide smiled.

“No, Harrison, the adventurers do not know magic, but they posses something that stands shoulder to shoulder with magic, which they call–technology.”

“Technology??” Harrison's face was full of question marks.

“Yes, when technology is advanced enough, it can produce weapons that can easily destroy a nation, and if given free rein, the technology of the Lost Plane could even turn the Main Plane of Glory into the Death Plane.”

The Earth-shattering power of Big Ivan was no joke; it was not inferior to any Forbidden Curse of this world.

“Hisss~ I hadn't realized that the adventurers of the Lost Plane were so frail, yet they possess such astonishing power.”

Harrison's face was full of shock, obviously finding it hard to believe Lide's words.

“Indeed, the weapons are powerful but not the key point, because they cannot be transported to the Main Plane of Glory.

The most important thing is that they have powerful computing tools that can calculate hundreds of billions, trillions, or quadrillions of operations per second, helping us eliminate a massive amount of useless data.

In the successful improvements of the magic scrolls of the Crimson Mage Tower, the tool of the Lost Plane played a significant role.

While the Ancient Alchemy Magic Array is complex and arcane, the Lost Plane can definitely provide significant assistance to us.”

Hearing Lide say this, Harrison also became interested.

“My Lord, I will arrange it immediately; I truly wish to witness some of their powerful weapons.”

Lide smiled, knowing once Harrison saw them, he wouldn't think the same way.

“Harrison, these matters are somewhat urgent. You should select a person to be in charge of each project, and you won't have to personally supervise in the future. Just keep an eye on these people in charge and ask about the progress.”

Having said that, he didn't continue with the tasks below, standing up and striding to the semi-transparent window. He looked through the glass at the never-ending snow outside.

His gaze was profound.

“A storm is brewing…”

“And the tower fills with wind…”

“This storm may be fiercer than any before…”

Chapter end