Was all of this true?
No, not a single piece of it was real.
But the vampires, who had been secluded in the ancient castle, didn't know that. They had no reason to doubt it.
Because these were the words spoken by their most revered Progenitor.
In fact, since Li De had become a noble of Green City and a member of the Mage Guild, he often brought back news about the city.
So when Li De claimed that Green City had discovered the vampires, no one doubted him.
When they heard that Locke Hart, the transcendent mage of Green City, had also taken notice of the vampires, the vampires below were immediately terrified.
What kind of existence was a transcendent mage? In the entire territory ruled by Green City, with its population of over ten million in the Far Mountain Range, there was only one transcendent mage.
Moreover, Locke Hart had personally participated in the hunt against the vampires a century ago. His power had left the vampires with a deep-seated fear.
Li De's expression remained calm as he watched the frightened vampires below, feeling slightly relieved.
Finally, he had managed to scare these secluded vampires.
If he wanted to carry out sweeping reforms within the vampire clan, the best approach was to unite all the clan members.
The vampires were his foundation, and Li De couldn't afford to abandon them.
If he forced his orders on them, even if the vampires obeyed out of respect for his status, their efficiency would be questionable.
Even if a small portion of them slacked off or worked half-heartedly, it could significantly undermine his plans.
By creating an external crisis, he could immediately mobilize everyone's enthusiasm.
This was similar to how certain countries during World War II had dealt with domestic economic crises by waging war abroad.
They transformed internal conflicts into external ones.
In a life-or-death emergency, even the most unreasonable reforms could be justified.
Moreover, the vampires had suffered greatly at the hands of transcendent mages in the past, and their fear of such beings was deeply ingrained in their bloodline.
Once the vampires below had finished discussing, Li De spoke slowly.
"Previously, I didn't manage you because I wanted to test your wisdom, to see if you could find the right path without my guidance. But I am disappointed in you."
At these words, the seven second-generation vampires at the front lowered their heads, their eyes filled with remorse.
Failing to detect such a serious crisis as Green City's impending hunt was an unforgivable mistake.
"To deal with this great crisis and to ensure the growth of our vampire clan, we must carry out reforms."
Reforms?
The vampires below exchanged puzzled glances.
Lucy asked curiously, "Father, how should we carry out these reforms?"
Li De scanned the crowd and raised his voice.
"Our vampire clan must embark on a path of sustainable development."
After laying so much groundwork, Li De finally revealed his true intentions.
"Progenitor, what is sustainable development?"
"What does that mean?"
"Father..."
Hearing this strange term, the vampires were all confused. By the Goddess of Night, this was the first time they had heard such a phrase.
"How did we handle the humans we captured before?"
Odys' steady voice rang out.
"Clan Leader, the humans we captured were kept in caves. Clan members needed to feed once a month, and the dead humans were thrown off the cliffs."
Odys' meaning was clear: these humans were the vampires' food, and one was killed each time they fed.
Li De shook his head. It was too crude. No wonder humans hated vampires so much.
At the same time, he felt a sense of urgency. Even without the crisis he had just fabricated, the vampires would eventually face dire consequences if they continued like this.
Especially once the players arrived, those troublemaking idiots would surely treat the vampires as experience points to farm.
"Wrong. This is wrong. We've been wrong all along."
Wrong?
How could it be wrong?
"Wrong? Why is it wrong? Humans are just our food."
Lucy's delicate face was full of confusion.
Had Father received some information we hadn't? she wondered. Thankfully, Father is here, and the vampires have avoided another crisis.
Li De looked directly into her eyes.
Channeling his mana, a powerful aura emanated from him as he spoke in a deep voice.
"It's true that humans are our food, but you must understand that if we keep a sufficient number of humans, protect them, and even provide for them, they can continuously supply us with food.
Just like how humans raise hens for eggs, we can do the same.
Moreover, humans possess intelligence and creativity that many races lack.
They can be ruled by us and create more wealth for us, rather than being kept in caves as mere food."
These words sounded strange and unconventional in the context of this world.
Humans had always been seen as food by vampires, their status in the eyes of vampires no different from how humans viewed chickens or ducks.
Now, they were being asked to protect these "food" and even rule over them.
This was a significant shock to Lucy and the other vampires.
Li De felt slightly relieved when he saw that the vampires didn't outright reject his idea. This wasn't Earth, where people claimed that all men were created equal.
Here, nobles could easily control the life and death of commoners. Society was hierarchical and deeply unequal.
For a superior race like the vampires, who possessed exceptional talents and formidable strength, accepting humans as more than food wouldn't be changed with a few words.
Humans were the dominant species in this world, and that was undeniable.
No matter how strong the vampires were, they couldn't defeat an entire nation. Even the forces of a single city could wipe out most vampires in the world.
In Li De's vision, for the vampires to grow and thrive, they needed to establish a city with a large human population.
In this city, the vampires would play the role of protectors.
Vampires couldn't survive without humans. Humans could periodically donate blood to the vampires without harming their health, providing a steady food source.
This way, humans would be free from external dangers, the vampires would have a stable food supply, and the humans could serve as a labor force, continuously creating wealth for the vampires.
This idea was somewhat idealistic, but it had a high chance of success.
First, Li De was the Vampire Progenitor, and the vampires' loyalty to him was absolute. Even if some vampires didn't understand his plan, they would at most slack off or work half-heartedly.
This gave him a solid foundation among the vampires.
Second, the world's background was a magical one, with gods watching over their followers from their divine realms and evil gods lurking in the abyss.
Conflicts between races and nations were rampant.
Ordinary commoners in this world were like chicks, vulnerable and easily preyed upon.
War was a constant.
A city that could offer protection to commoners, safeguarding their lives and property, in exchange for a small amount of blood that didn't harm their health, would be an irresistible offer to refugees suffering from war and magical beast attacks on the borders.
Finally…