Five days later, Li De returned to Dawn City.
He felt at ease leaving the Crimson Mage Tower in Vina's hands. After their conversation that day, Li De believed she was fully capable of managing the tower on her own.
Besides, Spark was keeping an eye on things in Green City. As long as everything progressed normally, there wouldn't be any major issues.
The Mysterious Shop was operating steadily. After the initial surge of interest, it now sold around 500 magic scrolls daily. Due to limited stock, a purchase limit had been imposed.
The recruitment of the second batch of mage apprentices had begun, and the magic factory was set to expand production once again.
Producing magic scrolls was currently the most critical task for the Crimson Mage Tower; everything else revolved around it. It was foreseeable that in a few months, the tower would experience another explosive phase of development.
This time, upon returning to Dawn City, Li De brought back 20,000 Gold Pucks. Through the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild, he exchanged all the gold for silver and copper coins, filling four horse-drawn carriages.
For ordinary residents, silver and copper coins were more convenient to use.
Dawn City was still in its developmental stage, requiring much from him.
Li De likened himself to a shepherd. If his sheep fell sick, he had to care for them; if they lacked grass, he had to provide it; if they stopped reproducing, he had to intervene...
He painstakingly raised and fattened the sheep for greater returns—whether for milk, wool, or selling them for money.
It might seem like he was investing huge sums of money and treating humans kindly, without much immediate benefit.
But in reality, he was the biggest beneficiary.
Everything in Dawn City, including the humans, was his private property.
Humans were the flock he raised, and everything he invested was aimed at growing this flock.
The gold he spent before was entirely used for Dawn City's development—not a single coin wasted—and these resources were embedded within the human population.
Due to Dawn City's isolation, this wealth wouldn't flow out. Whenever he wished, he could reclaim it from the humans' pockets.
His focus wasn't solely on whether the Vampire race or humans were superior—he looked at the overall interests of Dawn City.
Whether Vampire or human, all were his assets, and whoever grew stronger benefited him.
Humans were productivity, capable of creating more wealth, while Vampires were weapons, protecting his wealth.
The gold he invested had already transformed into labor. The buildings rising from the ground, the clean streets, and the gradually thriving markets—all were testament to this.
Children's worlds are about right and wrong, but adults' worlds revolve around interests.
Developing humans could help the Vampire race grow rapidly, making Dawn City more prosperous. He had no reason to enact policies restricting human progress.
The Vampire race was his foundation, his strongest weapon. With military power in hand, what trouble could a group of ordinary civilians cause under his watch?
Thus, not only did Li De treat humans well, but he also planned to introduce more policies to foster rapid human development. If the flock didn't grow, how could he shear wool or milk them?
Moreover, no matter how fast humans developed, everything remained under his control.
A Level 15 Emi, six Level 10 second-generation bloodline descendants, 400 Vampires, and nearly 500 Whispering Bats—the forces under his command were enough to suppress anything in Dawn City.
Additionally, the security squad had grown to include 300 humans. These were newly indoctrinated individuals loyal to Dawn City without question.
Economy, military, propaganda, and ideology—all were firmly in Li De's grasp. A standard tyrannical overlord, so he had no concerns about unrest among the humans.
His only worry was that the flock's growth might slow down, affecting his plans.
"Harrison, this time I've brought back the equivalent of 20,000 Gold Pucks in silver and copper coins."
On the third floor of the city hall, Li De's first words to Harrison made the city hall chairman smile broadly.
"Lord, this sum came just in time."
Li De smiled faintly. "This is just the beginning. The Crimson Mage Tower has entered a stable phase, and in the future, we'll earn tens of thousands of Gold Pucks monthly.
Therefore, the construction of Dawn City must not stop. Build freely—if there are any difficulties, come directly to me."
Harrison nodded respectfully.
"As you wish."
With money, the city hall wouldn't lack confidence. Dawn City was in a phase of rapid development, and everything required funding from the city hall, especially while the market was still being cultivated.
Li De suddenly remembered something and asked, "How many Whispering Bats do we have now?"
Whispering Bats were almost indispensable in Dawn City. Whether in construction or wartime battles, these unique Magical Beasts of the Vampire race played a crucial role.
"Lord, we currently have 468 Whispering Bats."
Li De thoughtfully nodded.
This number wasn't small for the previous Vampire population, but for the rapidly developing Dawn City, it was insufficient.
The vigorous development of Dawn City urgently required mobilizing all available forces. The large, strong Whispering Bats were excellent transport tools.
"Where's Dylon? Call Dylon here."
"Yes, Lord."
Twenty minutes later, Dylon's towering figure appeared in Li De's office.
"Good afternoon, Lord."
Seeing the energetic Dylon, Li De nodded in satisfaction.
These second-generation bloodline descendants who had lived for over a hundred years were his most trustworthy assets, each a valuable treasure of the Vampire race.
Dylon was the only warrior among the second-generation bloodline descendants. His physique was very robust, and his level had reached 10, with explosive combat power. He was also responsible for raising all the Whispering Bats of the Vampire race.
"Dylon, I need you to rapidly expand the number of Whispering Bats as quickly as possible. Can you do it?"
Seeing Li De's serious expression, Dylon nodded firmly.
"Lord, your will is our direction.
Raising Whispering Bats isn't difficult. With sufficient food, I can double their numbers within half a year.
However, newly promoted Whispering Bats will only reach Level 5, and their growth requires more time."
Li De was pleasantly surprised. Doubling the numbers within half a year? That was enough!
As for the issue of levels, he wasn't disappointed. Whispering Bats were mid-tier Magical Beast species, not known for high combat power.
Whispering Bats excelled in their numbers and durability.
They didn't require delicate care like humans' griffins or pegasi. With ample food, even if their limbs were severed, they could regrow them.
Thus, they were perfect for labor-intensive tasks.
"Are there any difficulties in raising Whispering Bats?"
Dylon revealed a bitter smile.
"Lord, for Vampires, it's quite simple. Whispering Bats aren't special Magical Beasts. All Whispering Bats are bred from ordinary small bats.
We just need to activate the hidden bloodline of ordinary bats using Vampire blood. They'll transform into Whispering Bats in a short time. So, as long as there are Vampires, we can breed these exclusive Magical Beasts whenever we want.
But the problem is... breeding one Whispering Bat requires a large amount of food."
"Food? Blood?"
"No, not just blood. Unlike Vampires, Whispering Bats mainly feed on beasts or Magical Beasts.
Our current Whispering Bats hunt beasts on their own, so we don't need to worry about their logistics."
Li De found it amusing. Hunting for themselves? Were these Whispering Bats too easy to raise?
"So, the biggest issue in expanding the Whispering Bat population is food?"
Dylon nodded. "Yes.
Lord, a hundred years ago, you hunted and killed a large amount of Magical Beasts in the Blood Plains and introduced wild boars, cattle, and horses.
For many years, the Whispering Bats have been hunting in the Blood Plains."
Blood Plains?
Upon hearing this unfamiliar term, Li De's eyes paused as he recalled the memories of the Vampire Progenitor. A distant memory surfaced, causing him to realize something.
The region where Dawn City was located had a gourd-shaped terrain, surrounded by continuous mountains.
Dawn City was built at the mouth of the gourd. Behind it was a plain 20 kilometers wide and 15 kilometers long, unnamed, now designated as the area for distributing land to civilians.
Beyond a five-kilometer passage lay the belly of the gourd—a vast plain 60 kilometers wide and 150 kilometers long.
Initially, this land was named the Blood Plains by the Vampire Progenitor. However, over a hundred years, since the Vampires rarely ventured there, only the second-generation descendants remembered the name.
At that time, the Blood Plains housed numerous Magical Beasts, but the Progenitor cleansed the entire plain to breed Whispering Bats.
After exterminating the Magical Beasts, he introduced wild horses, cattle, and boars from outside.
Now, the Whispering Bats fed on these animals in the Blood Plains. Without predators and with vast territory, the beasts thrived for many years.
The number of Whispering Bats remained relatively fixed to ensure the beasts in the Blood Plains weren't exterminated.
Over the years, the Vampires had expanded the Whispering Bat population, but the peak never exceeded 1,000—it was food that limited their numbers.
Li De shook his head, unsure how to evaluate the Progenitor's approach.
Such a vast expanse of land was left to pasture beasts merely to feed Whispering Bats.
Looking at Dylon's normal expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.
The Vampire race truly knew nothing about farming and livestock rearing. If they utilized this land properly, raising 40,000 Whispering Bats would be a minor task.
"How much do Whispering Bats eat?"
"Every two weeks, they consume a pig weighing around 300 pounds."
Two weeks per pig, two pigs per month, 24 pigs per year. For 468 Whispering Bats over 365 days, a total of 11,232 pigs were needed.
Li De, a graduate of nine years of compulsory education, quickly calculated the current food requirement for the Whispering Bats.
Over 10,000 pigs—it wasn't a small number, but compared to the role of the Whispering Bats, it was a minimal cost.
Moreover, with over 100 kilometers of the Blood Plains, these beasts reproduced rapidly without predators. Based on his estimation, doubling the number of Whispering Bats wouldn't be an issue.
But this crude grazing method wasn't what he wanted—it was too primitive, less than one percent as efficient as modern farming methods.
It was an outdated approach, only persisting because Vampires didn't understand farming and livestock rearing.
"Have you tried raising pigs?"
Dylon was slightly taken aback.
"Raising? Do those lowly creatures need to be raised?"
Li De's lips twitched slightly. The concept of farming simply didn't exist in the Vampire mindset.
To make these natural spellcasters, an indisputable superior race, raise pigs would surely cause an uproar if spoken aloud.
Jokingly, only the lowest-status civilians would do such work—they were noble Vampires!!
Li De naturally understood the deeply ingrained ideas of this world. On Earth, those who raised pigs were big shots; they weren't raising pigs—they were raising gold mines.
"Dylon, you need to change your mindset.
We're not raising pigs—we're raising Whispering Bats."
Li De stood up and turned to Harrison, who had remained silent.
"Harrison, I want to establish a magical livestock farm, using magic to raise pigs.
This isn't just for the Whispering Bats—it's also for the future of Dawn City.
Bread and wheat alone aren't enough for Dawn City; meat is also necessary.
A sufficiently large livestock farm can solve many problems."