Late at night, the spacious central square of the Ancient Castle was illuminated as bright as day by magic lamps and torches.
On the bluestone ground, the shadows of the magic lamps and torch bases swayed gently in the breeze.
After receiving the message from Avi, Li De immediately arranged for the remaining two Second-generation Bloodline Descendants in the castle to prepare.
Augustine Kachar
Harrison Kachar
Augustine's class was one rarely seen among vampires—an archer. His level was on par with the other Second-generation Bloodline Descendants, at Level 9, with a secondary class as a Level 4 warrior.
His narrow face, high aquiline nose, and sharp, eagle-like eyes gleamed with intensity. Dressed in a black leather trench coat, he carried a longbow on his back, with two quivers filled with specially crafted arrows at his waist.
The other Second-generation Bloodline Descendant, Harrison, was a mage, also at Level 9, with a secondary class as a warrior.
These two Second-generation Bloodline Descendants were somewhat unusual. Augustine, as an archer, was as rare among vampires as a dwarf abandoning their hammer to wield a human's longsword.
Harrison, on the other hand, was a research-oriented mage who specialized in support magic. The only offensive spell he knew was a Tier 1 spell—Small Fireball.
His other spells were all support spells, such as Enhancement, Stone Skin, and Haste. His role was more akin to a Cleric of the Temple, providing buffs to frontline fighters during battles.
Odys, Avi, Lucy, and Dylon were responsible for going out to capture new residents, while Harrison and Augustine were tasked with settling these humans.
"They're here," Augustine said calmly, pointing to the dark sky above the castle.
Li De looked up but saw only darkness. Just as he was about to speak, the sound of flapping wings echoed from the distance. The first Whispering Bat slowly descended.
Li De gave Augustine a strange look. As expected of an archer, his eyesight was so sharp that even safety pants wouldn't be safe.
The Whispering Bat, controlled by a vampire, carried a family of three on its back. The two adults wore tattered linen clothes, their faces filled with fear as they gazed at the brightly lit square.
Under the dim glow of the magic lamps, the figures of the vampires appeared somewhat blurred, further intensifying their fear.
Flap, flap~
The bat's wings stirred up a gust of wind, scattering fine dust.
They landed safely.
The man, holding a child in his arms, stumbled slightly as he dismounted but tried his best to suppress his unease.
Li De wasn't surprised by this. The vampires' reputation was too tarnished, and changing human perceptions would take a lot of time.
He stepped forward to greet them.
"Welcome to Dawn City. Everything has been prepared for you."
Dawn City—this was the new name Li De had given to the Ancient Castle.
The original castle had no official name. The vampires liked to refer to it by the Kachar surname—Kachar Castle. Li De found this uninspiring, so he formally named the castle.
"Dawn" symbolized hope and light, but the moments before dawn were the darkest of the day and also the time when vampires were at their strongest. Only through strength could they attain light.
It was a profoundly symbolic name.
Seeing the family of three, Li De smiled sincerely. The grand plan of building their city had finally begun.
The man, seeing Li De's smile, slowly relaxed. These vampires were truly different from the legends. Maybe they really wouldn't harm us, as they claimed.
Suppressing his fear, he asked cautiously, "M-Mage Lord, what do you need us to do?"
Li De gestured to the ten tables set up in the square, each manned by a vampire. This was for registration.
"No, you don't need to do anything. You'll register here first, and then you'll be assigned a place to stay.
Those who are literate or have special skills will receive an additional private house as a benefit."
Hearing this, the man felt slightly reassured. With his wife and child, he followed the instructions of the lord before him and approached a registration table.
"Clan Leader, good day."
"For the first person, let me handle it. You all come and watch how I conduct the questioning."
Li De had the vampire behind the table step aside and took over the questioning himself.
This was the first human to join Dawn City, and it held significant commemorative value.
"What is your name?"
"Hedgehog."
Hearing this, Li De's fingers froze mid-registration. He looked up at the man, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, but said nothing.
Among humans, many lower-class commoners never even had a name in their lifetime. These illiterate commoners often went by familiar nicknames their entire lives.
Having a decent name was already a luxury for commoners.
They were ignorant and uneducated.
"What are your skills? What work are you good at?"
Hedgehog felt ashamed of his name for the first time. Hearing the lord's question, he quickly replied, "Lord, I know how to grow wheat. I've been managing the Eric Town mayor's farmland."
Hedgehog's voice trembled as he spoke, but afterward, he felt a sense of despair.
In the past, he had been proud of his skills, as he was one of the best farmers in Eric Town.
But now, standing before a lord dressed in a mage's robe, saying he knew how to farm would likely earn him ridicule.
In front of his wife and child, Hedgehog couldn't avoid it. He lowered his head, as if awaiting his fate.
But the expected mockery never came. Instead, he heard something he never expected.
"Hmm, not bad. Farming is a skill. If nothing goes wrong, you'll be allocated ten acres of land."
What? Farming is considered a skill? And I can get ten acres of land? The sudden joy left Hedgehog in disbelief. His eyes were filled with doubt but also a glimmer of hope.
"R-Really? Thank you, Mage Lord! Thank you, Mage Lord!"
"Don't rush. There are more questions."
To gain detailed control over these people's situations, Li De had designed a series of questions.
Where are you from? What did you do before? What are your skills? How many people are in your family? And so on.
Each person's identity information would be archived, and after the detailed questioning, they would receive a small paper slip as proof of identity.
It contained detailed information and a serial number. Li De had even assigned vampires who could use the Tier 2 spell—Image Retention to imprint the person's likeness on the hard paper slip.
Though not as clear as a photograph, it was more than sufficient for identity verification.
Image Retention was a permanent spell. As long as the identity proof wasn't damaged, it would remain intact.
Only a higher race like vampires, with their innate spellcasting ability, could find five casters capable of using such an uncommon support spell.
In a human kingdom, even in a large city like Green City with a population of millions, Li De was certain there wouldn't be more than five people who knew Image Retention.
The long lifespan of vampires gave them ample time to study obscure spells.
"What's in your backpack?"
Just as the final question was asked, Li De noticed Hedgehog trying to hide a backpack behind him. However, due to its size, his attempts were painfully obvious.
"N-Nothing, I, I..."
Hedgehog was visibly nervous, his words stumbling, his eyes darting around.
"Let me see it."
Li De instantly became alert.
They had just started accepting humans, and trust between vampires and humans hadn't been established yet. If this guy was hiding something like an alchemical bomb, things could get messy.
Hedgehog's face turned pale. Seeing the vampires around him subtly drawing their weapons, he no longer dared to resist.
Reluctantly, he placed the cloth bag on the table.
Augustine stepped forward and slowly opened the cloth bag.
Li De had already activated the Magic Model for Mage Shield, ready to cast the powerful defensive spell at a moment's notice.
As the cloth bag opened, a sack of wheat came into view.
Li De quietly sighed in relief. At least it wasn't an alchemical bomb.
But Hedgehog didn't relax. Instead, he stared at the wheat with intense nervousness.
Augustine glanced at Hedgehog, whose nervous expression spoke volumes. A mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"There's something else in here."
Li De's heart, which had just settled, immediately tensed up again.
Hedgehog was on the verge of despair.
Augustine reached into the wheat and began to feel around.
Soon, he pulled out a small bundle wrapped in worn-out cotton cloth.
Li De's eyes narrowed.
"Hedgehog, what is this?"
"L-Lord, this, this..."
Augustine didn't give Hedgehog time to explain. He directly tore open the cotton cloth.
Clink, clatter~ The items that appeared on the table left everyone stunned.