Valen shook his head, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes as he thought of the Vampires' nature of feeding on Human blood.
No matter how magnificent the city appeared, it was still a Vampire lair. The corpses inside were probably enough to fill the surrounding valleys by now.
He would never believe that the city was truly as it appeared on the surface. Vampires, these dark and bloodthirsty creatures, were infamous across the entire Glory Main Plane.
"Let me go, you damned Vampires! I swear, I will cut off your heads!"
At that moment, a shout from another Whispering Bat drew Valen's attention. The young Dwarf Prince Anakin was tightly bound by massive chains, his hood already removed.
The young Dwarf was furiously shouting at the Vampires beside him, but naturally, the Vampires had no intention of being polite to this Dwarf Prince. After a few punches, Anakin's angry curses turned into painful groans.
Valen shook his head at the sight. Still too inexperienced. Before one was prepared to die, provoking these Vampires would only bring suffering.
Out of the corner of his eye, Valen glanced at another Whispering Bat. Strapped to its saddle was a fainted Dwarf.
This was the Dwarf captured while negotiating with the Human merchants. Perhaps due to severe injuries, he had yet to regain consciousness throughout the entire day.
Valen could do nothing about it, only silently praying for his companion's safety.
"Lord Stanley, the Dawn City Guard salutes you."
Before long, two Vampires riding Whispering Bats flew out from Dawn City to greet Stanley and his group.
With Dawn City now operating in an orderly manner, many new regulations had been established.
One such rule required everyone entering Dawn City to undergo identity verification, Vampires included, and only upon receiving the guard's approval could they fly into the city.
Any unauthorized entry would be considered an enemy invasion, and the guards would launch an immediate attack.
This was a direct order from Li De.
The primary purpose was to distinguish between friend and foe. Otherwise, if anyone could simply fly in at will, what was the point of controlling Dawn City's airspace?
Li De's orders were iron laws among the Vampires, and no one dared to defy them.
"Yes, we are escorting Dwarves back to Dawn City under the Lord Progenitor's command."
Stanley promptly reported their mission.
Though the Vampire across from him was only Level 9, he represented the rules established by Li De.
The two Vampires flapped their wings and flew off their Whispering Bats. After confirming with a few of Stanley's companions, they nodded.
"Lord Stanley, welcome home."
With that, they took the lead, guiding the way toward Dawn City.
Sitting on the Whispering Bat, Valen silently observed all this, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted.
These Vampires were far too orderly. This was nothing like the disorganized, undisciplined Vampire forces he had imagined.
They resembled a well-trained military, strict and disciplined.
This realization greatly increased the pressure in his heart.
Whooosh~
The bats hovering mid-air, guided by the two Vampires, flapped their wings and slowly flew into Dawn City.
Valen took a deep breath, his gaze heavy as he looked down at the massive city below.
First, the black city walls towering dozens of Blades high stood atop cliffs several hundred Blades tall, like a natural stronghold capable of repelling any powerful enemy.
Beyond the walls were undulating buildings, vast manors, and rows of two or three-story residential houses near the perimeter.
At the street corners stood prominent clock towers with pointed tops, their arched windows inlaid with colored glass, and Vampire hero images carved onto the rooftops.
But what caught Valen's attention most was a towering human-shaped statue at the center of the city, over a dozen Blades tall, the tallest structure in the entire city.
Ordinary people standing before it would look like dwarfs. The statue appeared lifelike, its expression full of compassion.
It was incomparably magnificent.
Upon closer inspection, Valen faintly felt that the statue resembled the President of Dark Pact.
Withdrawing his gaze, he followed the bat's flight path and looked down at the city beneath him.
The wind howled in his ears as Valen looked from above. The streets below were neat and clean, and patrolling soldiers could be seen from time to time.
There were even many early risers greeting each other.
It seemed that this Vampire-ruled city was no different from Human cities.
Valen's expression grew increasingly strange at the sight.
But just when he thought this was all, at the edge of his vision near the outskirts of the city, a massive figure flashed by.
That enormous single eye left him shocked.
What was that?? A Cyclops??
When Valen tried to get a better look, the figure had already slipped behind the buildings.
At this moment, Valen's mind was filled with questions. There were actually Cyclops within this Vampire city??
Whooosh~
The giant wings stirred the air, creating waves of turbulence.
Valen exhaled deeply, starting to doubt whether he had been seeing things. Just then, the Whispering Bat beneath him gradually descended.
A wide plaza came into view.
"Why would Vampires build such a massive plaza?"
Valen's mind was filled with confusion.
By now, he realized he could no longer understand this Vampire city.
Everything here was completely different from the Vampire castles he had in mind.
Valen was deeply shaken. In his younger years, he had visited Vampire castles.
They were gloomy, terrifying, and damply chilling, with pale human skeletons scattered everywhere.
But this city was entirely different. Completely different. It didn't resemble an ancient Vampire castle at all; it looked more like a human city.
Yet soon, Valen witnessed something that shocked him even more.
After the bat landed, dozens of armored human soldiers quickly gathered around the plaza. Among these human soldiers, there were also Vampires with folded bat wings.
What was going on??
The Dwarf's mind was spinning.
Turning his head, Valen even saw a Vampire smiling and chatting with a Human soldier beside him.
The scene was just like two ordinary Humans casually conversing. There was no distinction between Vampire and Human.
Moreover, he saw no fear in the Human's eyes toward the Vampire.
As if chatting with a Vampire was completely normal.
At this moment, Valen felt like his entire worldview was about to be shattered. His black eyes were filled with bewilderment as he watched this scene.
Since when had Vampires, who held extreme contempt for Humans and always treated them as food, become so close with Humans??
As a Dwarf who had lived for over three hundred years, Valen had experienced much in his lifetime.
He had traveled through Human lands for decades and knew exactly what Vampires meant in Human eyes.
Bloodthirsty, cruel, and savage. Among the dark creatures most hated by Humans, Vampires easily ranked in the top three, perhaps even number one without much argument.
But now, these natural enemies who could never coexist peacefully, who would fight to the death upon encountering each other, were acting like family??
How was this any different from Undead mingling with those damned Elves?
"By the God of Forging, I must be under some Vampire spell, hallucinating!!"