"Should we make the vampire Embrace public again this time?"
Li De thought for a moment, then nodded.
"For the residents of Dawn City, we can do it the same as before, conduct a public Embrace during the festival.
But the elites from Risel City don't need that. They haven't integrated into Dawn City yet. Let's Embrace them first and deal with the rest later."
Li De had never been one for indecisiveness.
Once the Blade of Kings and the vampire forces expanded, the minor concerns currently facing them would disappear completely.
This was no major issue. With how rapidly Dawn City had been absorbing population, it was inevitable such problems would arise, he'd already mentally prepared for it.
After making a note about the vampire Embrace, Harrison confirmed a few more matters with Li De.
"Should we recruit personnel from the elites of Risel City into the Blade of Kings?"
"So long as they're willing to sign a Soul Contract, then recruit them."
Li De nodded. The ideological training courses of Blade of Kings were incredibly intense. Even without a Soul Contract, the army's fanatic devotion to Li De was already absolute, they were completely under his control.
As the saying went, when you controlled information others didn't have, you held the advantage. And when you monopolized information, you held the right to define truth. To the warriors of Blade of Kings, there was no doubt, Li De was the truth.
"Yes, Patriarch."
Suddenly, Li De seemed to recall something, his tone taking on a playful note.
"The nobles of the Risel family should've been brought back too, yes? Bring me a few of them."
He hadn't forgotten what Andabella had told him, the Blood Cloak could only be controlled by a descendant of the Risel family, a restriction imprinted into their bloodline.
He wanted to find out if that restriction could be removed. And he was quite curious about this family of renowned scholars.
Harrison responded affirmatively, then continued reporting on other government affairs. Once Li De had made his decisions, Harrison quickly left to carry out the arrangements.
Dawn City was bustling with construction projects right now. As the City Hall Chairman, he was practically working around the clock. Fortunately, he was a vampire, he only needed to rest for two or three sun-hours a day, and with a steady blood supply, could maintain peak energy levels.
If he were human, even the strongest stamina would collapse under such high-intensity work.
From this perspective, one had to admit, vampires really were suited for work. The rapid development of Dawn City was not only due to Li De's leadership. These tireless vampires also played a critical role.
---
Horn Risel stood with a stern expression, facing more than twenty anxious family members inside the room, his voice heavy.
"The Risel family has survived countless crises, and we are still alive today."
"Look at you pathetic cowards!! Since when did the Risel family need weaklings? Just a single summons is enough to make your knees buckle?
Where is your noble Risel pride?!"
Horn Risel, his beard as white as snow, glared angrily at the anxious group inside the room after speaking.
A young man looked at Horn with a fearful expression and spoke in a low voice, "Elder Horn, but… they're vampires. With the leader gone, we can't deal with them."
This statement immediately caused a flurry of voices in the room.
"He's right. And this vampire-ruled city even has a bone dragon. Just look up at the sky outside, it's terrifying."
"That vampire city lord definitely harbors ill intentions. Elder Horn, you mustn't go!"
"We can contact other noble families. There must be a way…"
"..."
Seeing his clan members so panicked, Horn shook his head in deep disappointment. A complex expression filled his wrinkled face.
The Risel family had truly fallen, so far that they no longer even had the courage to face danger directly.
At the same time, he thought of that strong and proud young woman.
If these clan members hadn't been so cowardly, the heavy burden of ruling Risel City wouldn't have fallen on the shoulders of an 18-year-old girl a few years ago.
'City Lord', that title didn't just represent honor and power, but also immense responsibility.
"If Clan Leader Andabella were here, I believe she wouldn't cower and try to escape reality like a coward. She would draw her sword and face the vampires head-on.
Gentlemen, ladies, stop deluding yourselves. From the moment we stepped into this city, our fate no longer belongs to us!"
Horn's cold words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the heated crowd, leaving them utterly chilled.
"But, Elder Horn…"
A middle-aged man tried to speak, but Horn raised his hand and interrupted coldly.
"This time, I'll go alone. You all stay here."
With that, the elderly man clad in a scholar's white robe turned and walked out of the cramped room.
Leaving behind a room full of stunned faces.
No one spoke. Some even felt a trace of relief in their hearts, as if they were lucky not to have been chosen.
Horn, accompanied by two patrol guards, walked down the bustling street. Seeing the lively, prosperous scene around him, his emotions were conflicted.
Even though he had witnessed scenes like this many times before, the sight of human prosperity within a vampire city was still utterly absurd.
If no one had told him in advance and simply dropped him in this city, he felt he would never believe, no matter what, that this place had been founded by vampires.
"Sirs of the patrol team, may I ask… what kind of person is Lord Kachar?"
After turning a corner and seeing a dwarf chatting and laughing with a human as they walked by, Horn could no longer contain his curiosity and spoke to the two patrol officers leading the way.
The two young warriors looked at Horn, who exuded the scholarly aura unique to learned men, and felt a rising sense of goodwill. One of them, a freckled youth, answered with admiration in his voice.
"Lord Horn, Lord Kachar is the one who gave us hope. He is a great being worthy of every resident of Dawn City giving their life for.
Thanks to Lord Kachar, we're able to live the lives we do now. Everything in this city was built under the protection of the saintlight vampires and Lord Kachar.
His greatness and glory… even speaking about it for an entire day and night wouldn't be enough."
Horn was momentarily stunned by the clarity in the young soldiers' eyes. These weren't the words of someone under a charm or mind-control spell, they sounded more like something that came from deep within the heart.
But… how could a vampire receive such pure recognition from humans?! It was simply absurd.
And yet, reality matched that absurdity perfectly.
Horn felt his worldview, carefully constructed after years of reading countless books, slowly beginning to crumble.