I Became the Progenitor Vampire-Chapter 201 - 202: Game Beta Testing? Players? (Long Chapter)

Chapter 201: Chapter 202: Game Beta Testing? Players? (Long Chapter)

After resolving the issue with the Dark Covenant, Lide finally got a chance to catch his breath.

From the moment he found out that the Dark Covenant was going to attack the Crimson Mage Tower, it had been over a month of effort to resolve the situation.

Although the gains were significant, the effort he had put in was undoubtedly substantial.

Even the highly energetic Lide began to feel a bit of fatigue from the high-intensity operation.

At present, with the support of the Demon Heart, the Dark Covenant had nothing to fear from any forces lurking in the shadows. They could still slaughter their way through and get back on track for development.

With the hidden support of the Dark Covenant beneath the surface, his openly known force—the Crimson Mage Tower—also had a broader space for further development.

...

Lide’s move in this chess game of power was quite impressive; it was definitely a forceful stroke for the grand scheme of things.

Not to mention the strategic positioning of two forces, one in the light and one in the dark, as well as having a safe base at the rear, this setup was incredibly satisfying.

Time flew, and once the business with the Dark Covenant was settled, Lide poured his efforts into the development of the Crimson Mage Tower.

Vina had already secured a trade partnership externally and had transported magic resources to the Crimson Mage Tower.

With sufficient supply of raw materials, the production at the Magic Factory was at full throttle, unleashing its full productive capacity, and the efficiency of producing magic scrolls had once again improved.

The market for magic scrolls in Green City was completely overwhelmed by the epoch-making production of the Magic Factory.

The Crimson Mage Tower had directly devoured ninety percent of the magic scroll market share, effectively monopolizing the market for low-end magic scrolls.

As for the earning power of such a monopoly, it could be said to be unsurpassed.

The influx of Gold Pucks began to swell the coffers of the Crimson Mage Tower, fattening up what had once been a withered purse.

Yet, with the Ancient Alchemy Magic Array, a gold-devouring beast, Lide was still not living the life of a landlord.

By mid-July, the Dark Covenant, with the support of the Demon Heart and magic scroll reinforcements from the Crimson Mage Tower, had regained its footing, allowing the once-dominant Dark Giant to bare its ferocious tusks again.

It was during this time the intel department started its strategic preparations.

Lide took Emi back to Dawn City at this juncture.

After a month of stabilization, the Dark Covenant had calmed down, and there was no longer a need for Emi to stay there.

Currently, with the presence of Stanley and Grot, two top-level professionals above level 15, as deterrents in terms of strategic strength, in addition to seventeen high-level professionals above level 10,

and adding the previous members of the Dark Covenant, there were a total of 600 intermediate professionals between levels 5 and 9.

This force could even be considered formidable in the West… although it still couldn’t compare to the Dark Covenant during its revolutionary days.

Yet the Dark Covenant’s reputation now was by no means less than when Viscount Bernard was in charge,

because the new Clan Leader of the Dark Covenant—Lord Ilo, this powerful being recognized by the Heart-eating Demon Wales, was very likely Transcendent.

This was a statement directly from Wales himself.

This news made many forces raise their highest vigilance and respect towards the Dark Covenant as it stood.

Transcendent, that was Transcendent! Who would dare provoke someone able to face the Death God?

The Dark Covenant also stabilized its foundation relying on this so-called Transcendent patron and became an entity no one dared to underestimate.

Lide didn’t pay much attention to this, as Stanley and Grot’s combination was enough to handle matters concerning the Dark Covenant; he brought Emi back for this reason.

Compared to the Dark Covenant, Dawn City was in greater need of Emi.

Dawn City, City Hall, third-floor office.

Lide looked at the spirited Harrison with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

“Harrison, why the urgency to have me return?”

Harrison, who had a somewhat scholarly temperament, couldn’t hide the joy on his face.

“Clan Leader, the first wheat harvest in Dawn City is ready for reaping…”

Lide was momentarily stunned, then promptly stood up, his eyes filled with surprise.

“Really? Has the Agriculture Department arranged a harvesting plan?”

The fact that the crop was ready for harvest was just as important to Lide as taking control of the Dark Covenant.

With food, the biggest quandary facing Dawn City would be solved.

The residents of Dawn City were about to break free from the iron chains around their necks.

Whether it be this year’s population plundering plan or the development plan for next year, food was the most crucial element, bar none.

Food was the foundation for everything; without enough to eat, there was no talking about development.

And now that the first harvest of food was ready, the significance this represented was tremendous.

“Your Highness, the Agriculture Department has been organizing residents to harvest since yesterday, expecting that all the wheat will be reaped within half a month.”

“That’s good, very good. How many pounds per acre can we expect?”

“The land in Moonlight Plain varies from fertile to barren, and each farmer has different levels of farming skills, so it’s hard to generalize.

But based on the Agriculture Department’s estimate, the average yield should be between 370 to 430 pounds per acre,” said Harrison, offering Lide a reassurance.

Even if the yield was only 370 pounds per acre, the crops currently cultivated on Moonlight Plain could feed 100,000 people for a year.

The policy of distributing land for free had finally taken effect.

The successful harvest of crops was a strategic victory for Lide, and it was extremely important.

And this was just the beginning. With the arrival of the second Frost Month, the issue of food in Dawn City would no longer trouble them.

The more the population grew, the more land they could cultivate, and they would only have more food. This was a virtuous cycle of development.

“Are the granaries built?”

“They were all completed half a month ago. Currently, there are four granaries, each located at a corner of Dawn City, and each is guarded by Bloodline and Security Team members.

The four granaries are estimated to store enough food for 300,000 people for a year.”

Harrison replied not with specific data but with a very clear visual response.

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Lide nodded in satisfaction.

Currently, Dawn City’s grain policy was managed by the City Hall; private buying and selling on the market was prohibited, and farmers were required to sell their harvested food to the City Hall.

No matter the era or background, food was vital to life.

City Hall’s intervention directly guaranteed the stability of the food supply. Everything else could be unstable, but issues related to the livelihood of the people had to be stable.

Lide had severely admonished this: City Hall must directly control basic materials such as iron ore, food, cotton fabrics, etc. Other items that did not affect people’s livelihoods could be left to the market to regulate.

In fact, even on modern Earth, these industries critical to the livelihood of the people are mostly directly controlled by the state, so his decision was not inappropriate.

“Good, you organize this personally, and make sure to do the work well. Harvesting, drying, storage—every step must be taken seriously.”

Harrison, of course, knew the importance Lide placed on food, and he nodded solemnly.

“Yes, Clan Leader.”

After Harrison left, Lide couldn’t contain his excitement and left City Hall directly to rush to the outskirts of the city.

He wanted to see the farmland for himself.

The production of grain can be said to owe much credit to Lide; without his policies, these commoners probably couldn’t even touch the soil.

Stepping out of City Hall, an expansive view opened up before him, and his mood immediately lifted.

Dawn City had undergone massive construction and had greatly changed compared to before.

Whether it was the streets or the houses, most areas had been renovated.

On the cobblestone-paved streets, plants and flowers arranged in neat purple and red hues about half a person’s height flourished on both sides of the road, making for a lush and comfortable sight.

The surrounding houses were two to three stories tall, with white round archways on the ground floor and semi-circular windows on the second floor with translucent glass embedded.

Shops along the street opened their doors wide, selling all kinds of goods such as fruit, flowers, bread, tailor shops, and grocery stores, among others.

At the corner of a cross street stood a white marble statue clad in armor—if one looked closely, they could see it was none other than Lide himself.

Beautifully colored murals depicting religious stories of the Dawn Sect leading residents towards the light were painted on the blank walls along the streets.

Bustling and lively.

And what stood out the most was the exceptionally clean and tidy environment on the streets, with no trash or animal droppings to be seen.

This stemmed from Lide’s obsession with a clean city, and his heartfelt disgust for Green City, a city that reeked constantly.

He therefore ordered City Hall to resolve the environmental issues of Dawn City and to ensure that the terrible conditions of Green City would not occur.

Consequently, part of the logistics team had become full-time sanitation workers, and anyone who failed to throw trash in the bin would immediately be punished by the red-armband-wearing managers.

The punishments were severe; if caught, offenders had to work for a month mining in the mines for free.

Such strict measures meant nobody dared to litter or even spit on the ground.

So the pervasive stench that filled Green City was completely absent in Dawn City. Clean and tidy, it was not an exaggeration to say that it was cleaner than cities on Earth.

Under the strict regulations of City Hall, residents had developed good habits. If someone littered, they were immediately scorned by those around them and even directly reported.

Under such pressure, these commoners living at the bottom had actually developed good living habits.

The residents of Dawn City were not very concerned at first, but after being punished, they regulated their behavior and could clearly feel the improvement in their living environment. Eventually, they began to cherish and carefully maintain everything.

Walking through the city, Lide felt an immense sense of accomplishment as he observed the prosperous and lively scenes.

He had handcrafted all of it; without him, Dawn City would not exist. The feeling was indescribably wonderful.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, every resident wore a cheerful smile, their eyes filled with hope.

The citizens on the streets were dressed in clean and neat clothes; not a patch in sight, and not even old clothes were to be seen.

In just half a year, these refugees who had lost their homes had undergone a transformation from deep within.

And the one who brought them all of this change, of course, was the master of this city, the great Kachar City Lord.

“Good day, Lord Kachar.”

“Good day, respected Kachar City Lord…”

“Great Lord Kachar…”

Walking on the street, Lide was immediately recognized by the residents, although very few dared to approach and disturb him.

Every resident by his side would place their hand on their chest and bow reverently, their faces filled with awe and worship from the bottom of their hearts.

Each passing resident would stop in their tracks and bend at the waist to pay their respects upon seeing Lide, only straightening up after he had walked a fair distance away.

This is what respect looks like.

In this city, his prestige had long since been on par with the divine.

The scene where Lide passed was truly spectacular.

No matter who it was on the street, upon seeing him, everyone would immediately stop, place their hand on their chest, and bow, as lowly citizens worshiping their king.

Loyal believers were seeing their one and only faith, their great divine entity.

Like a touch on the mimosa pudica, everyone’s heads bowed in unison.

No one dared to make eye contact with Lide.

Even the patrolling security team would place a hand on their chest and bow, pledging their highest respect to the City Lord, their lord and master.

Lide initially found this scene quite satisfactory, but it began to feel rather dull when everyone did the same thing.

The heights were cold indeed; it was impossible to stroll through the city like an ordinary person anymore.

He did not linger, walking step by step along the main road and heading out of the city.

And wherever he passed, all residents looked on with reverence and worship.

This was the ruler of a city, the king of all its people.

With his actions, Lide had conquered everyone in this city.

It was his first time strolling alone in Dawn City during the day, at a time when people came and went.

Looking at everything around him, the sense of accomplishment that rose in his heart was indescribable.

This was his city; everything in this city belonged to him.

Here, he could decide the fate of anyone, including their life or death.

He was the sole ruler of this city, and as long as he wished, he could implement any mandate he wanted in the city.

Fairness, justice, kindness, evil—all were judged by him alone.

No one could defy his commands, nor did anyone have the right to refuse his will.

The feeling of holding absolute power was truly unforgettable.

Dressed in a black mage’s robe, the perfect demeanor of Lide, with the air of a noble, walked out of the city that belonged to him under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Exiting the city from the Southern District, he walked on the wide road towards the agricultural area.

The Southern District’s range has now been expanded by nearly a third.

Under the construction department, the war ruins originally created from the battle with Emi had long been rebuilt, and the new houses were neatly arranged, which made the already sizable Southern District appear even more spacious.

This was to prepare for this year’s Frost Month population raid.

Dawn City’s population base was too small, and it was unrealistic to rely on childbirth for growth in the short term.

Moreover, due to the geographical constraints, the only way for fast development here was to plunder population from the outside world.

It could be said that the most important thing for Dawn City at present was population development; planting crops was for population growth, building the city was for the population, and expanding the Magic Language Bats was to plunder population more quickly.

The keynote of the sustainable development strategy he had set must have a large population as a premise.

Humans played the role of the foundation in Dawn City, the basis for the city’s development, while the Bloodline was the upper structure built upon this foundation.

Only when the foundation was solid could the Bloodline build a more perfect structure atop it.

And to ensure this foundation was solid, Lide estimated that only when the future population of Dawn City reached 300,000, or even 500,000 or a million, would it be truly stable.

By that time, even if faced with Green City which had tens of thousands of troops, Dawn City would not feel the slightest fear.

Outside the South District, the road leading to Moonlight Plain was named Moonlight Lane by Harrison.

Lide’s face was quite priceless when he heard that this road, which could simultaneously accommodate eighteen carriages, was named Moonlight Lane.

However, the name had already been decided, and he couldn’t be bothered to overturn it.

In the harvest season, the crowd on Moonlight Lane was very busy, with cattle and horses pulling carts on the road without pause.

The carts were loaded with freshly harvested wheat, the golden grains piled up in the grey hemp sacks.

Thanks to Dylan, a second-generation Bloodline’s efforts, almost every household in Dawn City now had cattle or horses to plow the fields, so these carts were also developed in keeping with the times.

This greatly reduced manual labor.

It might not yet be as convenient as modern machinery, but it was far more so than the previous methods involving carrying loads on backs and shoulders.

The Western District was still bordered by unopened grassland, the future site of Moonlight New City.

Looking in the distance, the end of the mountain on the left was faintly marked by a row of towering furnaces emitting black smoke—that was the working Steel Refining Furnace of the blacksmith’s shop.

Now the mining vein development in Giant Valley had entered the right track, delivering dozens of tons of ore to Dawn City for processing each day.

Steel was the lifeblood of industry, the wheelbarrow for a city’s development; having iron mines meant that Dawn City also received solid support for its development.

Dawn City’s good development was inseparable from the iron mines of Giant Valley.

Turning his head to view the front, nine towering cylindrical towers also appeared in Lide’s sight,

The Dawn Mage Tower, the residents of Dawn City now preferred to call it the Rainbow Mage Tower.

Among the nine Mage Towers, aside from the main tower and the auxiliary tower at the front gate which were black, the other auxiliary towers were the colors of a rainbow.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Mysterious yet exuding a certain aesthetic beauty, it greatly suited the tastes of the residents.

During this period, all of Dawn City’s eligible youth had undergone Magic Talent testing.

Among these youths, 132 were found to possess Magic Talent, of course, by normal selection standards, it would be considerable if 30 were recruited by the Dawn Mage Tower.

But due to Lide’s life-based Mage program, even youths with average talent were recruited as alternate Mages.

Of course, these apprentices would not receive training in advanced combat Magic, but merely ordinary auxiliary Magic to prepare for future production and livelihood.

In addition, 200 new members of the Bloodline also joined the Mage Tower, becoming among its students.

The original intention of establishing the Dawn Mage Tower was to train Mages quickly; these novices, who had just become Bloodline during the Frost Month, were painfully lacking in their proficiency with Magic.

Although the Bloodline was an Upper Race possessing inherent Casting Talent, all of these required time to unfold.

The role of the Dawn Mage Tower was to focus on training and to shorten the time needed for their growth as quickly as possible.

Moreover, all the high-level Bloodline members had also taken up residence in the Mage Tower, with Harrison even serving as an auxiliary Tower Master.

The Bloodline only needed to rest for two to three Sunshine Hours each day, so they had plenty of time.

After finishing their work and then attending Magic lessons or lecturing other apprentices, they felt no pressure whatsoever.

The establishment of the Dawn Mage Tower truly marked a significant growth point for the Bloodline’s power, its impact could not be simply described in a few words.

Of course, to achieve the effect Lide desired for the Mage Tower, substantial investment and adequate time would still be needed.

However, these were not problems; everything would be resolved satisfactorily.

Lide gazed at the long Moonlight Path, unfurled his ferocious bat wings, and in the gaze of the crowd, flapped them to fly into the sky.

The road was too long, and hurrying along like this was quite a waste of time.

After ascending, his view slowly elevated, and the world before him suddenly became clear.

All things between heaven and earth could be seen at a glance.

The ability to fly was something all humans yearned for; the former Lide was no exception, so even now, he felt genuinely happy every time he flew.

While flying along the main road to the area above the Dawn Mage Tower, the farming region of Moonlight Plain came into view.

A golden glow.

The experience of transforming into hundreds of bats and flying was extremely unique. Each bat was under Lide’s control, but it was completely different from when he was in human form.

Transforming into bats was a type of transformation spell, consuming magic power only during the transformation. After transforming, no magic power was needed to maintain it, as long as there was stamina, flying for a day and night was not a problem.

The distance from the Far Mountain Range to Green City was neither too far nor too close.

About five hundred kilometers. After transforming into bats, Lide’s speed was over two hundred kilometers per hour. After two Sunshine Hours, he successfully arrived at the edge of the Far Mountain Range.

The Far Mountain Range stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers, being the longest mountain range in the southern part of the Nolan Empire.

The towering mountains separated the Nolan Empire from the Beastman Empire in the barren wasteland further south… The two massive countries only had a contact line of less than three hundred kilometers at the southernmost point.

An ancient castle was built deep in the Far Mountain Range, at an extremely hidden location.

This place was found by the Blood Clan Ancestor after searching for more than ten years in the Far Mountain Range, the terrain was exceptionally perfect.

A large number of bats flapped their wings along the mountain range, shuttling between the air currents and cold winds.

After another two Sunshine Hours, the bat swarm slowly stopped.

This was a steep mountain range, with an ancient castle built halfway up, flanked by two mountains at least three thousand blades high.

The massive castle was built against the steep mountainside, with the walls divided into two sections, one part being the mountain itself, standing five hundred blades high from the ground.

The second section was a wall built halfway up the mountain, over thirty blades high. This wall, made of anti-magic stone with sunken iron stone, could resist the damage of spells below Five Circle.

In front of the castle, there was only a three hundred blades wide road connecting to the mountain foot, with valleys of hundreds of blades deep on both sides.

Deep valleys and secluded streams.

In such a place, five hundred spellcasters would be enough to withstand an attack from tens of thousands of people.

A true natural barrier.

Lide’s bat swarm swooped down, canceling the spell and reverting to human form after landing in front of the castle.

Looking at the thirty-blade-high wall built of sunken iron stone, he felt greatly relieved.

Although his current strength didn’t match the name of the Blood Clan Ancestor, the two hundred years of accumulation of the Blood Clan Ancestor was indeed a considerable fortune for Lide.

The walls above the castle were pitch dark, without any light.

The Bloodline were the Dark Night Goddess’ favorites, night vision was an innate talent, even clearer than during the day in the dark.

The secret sentries above became alert after detecting movement below.

“Who?!”

“No need to be tense, I’ve returned.”

Lide’s steady voice traveled far, causing the Bloodline above to immediately rejoice upon hearing it.

“Clan Leader.”

Lide’s form shifted again into bats, flying directly to the thirty-blade-high wall.

After Lide revealed himself, ten Bloodline on night duty surrounded him at once.

They respectfully placed a hand on their chests and bowed.

“Good night, Clan Leader.”

This branch of the Bloodline were all Lide’s blood descendants, akin to human descendants in a human family.

Bloodline couldn’t reproduce but could develop blood descendants through first embrace.

By injecting their own Bloodline into humans through fangs, they transformed humans into Bloodline.

This was the first embrace.

Each Bloodline could develop one first embrace annually, but each time would leave them weakened for a period.

In theory, the original body was transformed into the Blood Clan Ancestor two hundred years ago. Two hundred years of development should have resulted in more than two hundred blood descendants.

But after reviewing the Blood Clan Ancestor’s memory, Lide realized things were not that simple.

A hundred years ago, at the peak of its glory, the Bloodline had nearly three thousand members.

At that time, the Blood Clan Ancestor was level 14, close to breaking through to become a level 15 Advanced Mage.

But such a large number not only represented power but also enormous supplies.

Each Bloodline needed to feed at least once a month, which meant nearly three thousand civilians around the Far Mountain Range had to be hunted by the Bloodline each month.

The horrific death rate caused great terror in the villages and towns near Green City, also angering the most powerful force in Green City, the Extraordinary Mage Rock Hart, who was above the Great Mage, at level 20.

Three thousand Bloodline were besieged by Green City’s army, their other castle in the Far Mountain Range was breached, and only over a hundred clan members escaped in the end.

At that time, the extraordinary mage of Green City, Rock Hart, a powerful being who tamed magic, single-handedly slaughtered over a thousand Bloodline.

The fear still lingered in the hearts of the Bloodline.

In that battle, the Blood Clan Ancestor was severely wounded by the Extraordinary Mage, falling from level 14 to level 5, taking a full hundred years to heal.

It was that battle that made the Blood Clan Ancestor realize the prowess of the Extraordinary Mage, thus deciding to infiltrate Green City to study magic systematically.

After reviewing the Blood Clan Ancestor’s memories, Lide felt slightly heavy-hearted. The survival pressure on the Bloodline was far greater than he had imagined.

But just as he entered the Mage Tower, his figure abruptly halted, a system notification took him by surprise, scarcely concealing the amazement in his eyes.

“Ding~ ‘Glory’ beta test begins, the number of beta testers—100,000.”

“The game’s public test is 756 game days away.”

Game beta test, players??