I Became the Progenitor Vampire

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Winning People’s Hearts
 

On the second day of Frost Month, Lide sent Isa to the White Tower, letting Spark temporarily teach the little girl.

He then braved the heavy snow and returned to Dawn City.

It had been over half a month since his departure from Dawn City.

During that time, he arranged through the White Tower for all the Magic Materials needed to construct the Mage Tower in Dawn City and covertly notified the Magic Language Bat to transport them back.

At this moment, he really missed the city he had built with his own hands.

Flying in winter was not a very pleasant ordeal, even though Lide transformed into a bat, the cold air still inevitably slowed his speed.

But flying in the snowstorm had a charm of its own.

Although it was just the beginning of Frost Month, the heavy, fluffy snow had in just one day cloaked the whole world in white.

Everything in sight was a vast expanse of white, and the world seemed to have fallen into solitude.

However, the strength of the Bloodline was not something that mere wind and snow could hinder.

He rushed along.

Dawn City.

This city, which had just established a sustainable development strategy two months ago, had already undergone tremendous changes.

The previously deserted streets were now bustling with people, and on several main roads, people carried brooms sweeping the snow.

The clean and tidy streets had none of the sewer stenches that were omnipresent in Green City.

Dressed in a thick black cotton coat, Recker slightly brightened the sign hanging at the doorway which read “Dawn City Grain Selling Shop,” as the heavy snow easily obscured the sign.

Since Dawn City had abolished the free distribution of grain, Recker and the entire logistics department had become the sales clerks of this shop.

The only difference was that this was the only place in Dawn City where food could be bought and sold, and the logistics team also had to double as street snow cleaners.

“Brother Recker, when will the snow stop today? It’s really cold patrolling in the snow…”

Wearing a new cotton coat with red armbands, Oli walked into the room with a somewhat gloomy expression.

“New cotton coat?” Recker looked at Oli’s white thick cotton jacket with a slight smile.

“Of course, Aunt Mana hand-sewed it for me, cost me a whole 50 copper pucks.”

Oli’s expression was quite proud.

After the tailoring shop opened, he was the first to reserve a cotton coat. The salary he received from the Security Team during this time was enough for him to afford some decent clothes.

This winter is truly comfortable, Oli thought, very satisfied as he sat next to the wood-burning fireplace inside the grain shop.

“Brother Recker, do you remember last winter? At this time, we were still hunting in the mountains, right?”

Oli’s proud expression suddenly dimmed.

“Unfortunately, Mike didn’t make it to this winter. If we had encountered the Holy Light Bloodline last year, maybe Mike wouldn’t have left us.”

Recker fell silent for a moment upon hearing that name; he couldn’t forget the figure from last winter, the Hunter who was knocked into an ice hole by a wild boar.

“Yes, maybe if we had met the Holy Light Bloodline earlier, we wouldn’t have had such a hard time.”

Patril came out from the back of the shop with a reflective expression.

Who could have imagined that they would live the life they had always yearned for in a city ruled by Vampires?

In the past winters, the small town always saw several elderly and children freeze to death, and no matter how heavy the snow was, they had to go out hunting or searching for food.

The Frost Month could be said to be the season they least wanted to face.

But in Dawn City, even the extremely difficult Frost Month didn’t seem so hard to survive.

This was not only the thought of a few people like Recker but the common view of more than 6,500 people in Dawn City.

Yes, 6,500 people.

In just half a month’s time, the Beastmen for some reason had withdrawn some aerial forces, significantly reducing the number of Double-legged Flying Dragons patrolling the borders.

Audis and his group seized this opportunity to bring back over 3,000 people.

Now, the total population of Dawn City had reached 6,500, and it was no longer the Dawn City of two months ago.

Upon returning, Lide went directly to City Hall.

Now City Hall had become the heart of Dawn City, surrounded by the most bustling and lively area, where several tailoring shops, grain shops, and bakeries were located.

“Good morning, respected Lord Kachar.”

“Lord Kachar, may the Life Goddess bless you.”

“Lord Kachar…”

On the way to City Hall, many humans recognized Lide and excitedly came forward to greet him, their faces filled with deep gratitude and awe.

It was this man who had enabled them to live the life of their dreams, a feeling they could hardly put into words.

Lide also nodded with a faint smile, occasionally responding. Those who got a response wore faces brimming with excitement, expressing the utmost honor.

Among those who had only recently arrived in Dawn City, many were curious about the crowd’s excited demeanor and only dared to inquire secretly after Lide had left.

“Was that gentleman from the Security Team?”

The Security Team, now expanded to 150 members, had completely taken over the security issues of Dawn City and was undeniably the department with real power in the eyes of the civilians.

The resident who was asked looked proudly and contemptuously at the inquirer.

“Are you new here?”

“How could you tell?” The other responded defiantly.

“How can you not be if you don’t even recognize Lord Kachar?”

“Why do I need to recognize him, can’t I not know him?!”

“Of course not, that’s Kachar City Lord, the Lord of Dawn. Everything we have is bestowed by the Kachar City Lord!

The land you received, the food you eat, the houses allocated to you, all of these are gifts from Lord Kachar!

Can you say you don’t need to recognize him??

Remember, newcomer, in this city, Kachar City Lord is the only master, and his governed Holy Light Bloodline is our Protector. Don’t ask such foolish questions again!”

The responding resident proudly glanced at the surrounding crowd and walked away with his head held high.

The surrounding crowd had mixed expressions, some awed, some fearful, and some grateful.

After witnessing Lide personally allocating lands, the original 3,000-plus residents had become the strongest supporters of the Holy Light Bloodline, intolerant of any negative remarks about the Bloodline from newcomers.

Even a few fights had broken out over such matters…

Lide was unaware that he had inadvertently triggered an argument just by passing by the entrance of City Hall. He arrived on the third floor, at his own office.

Harrison and Augustine rushed to report to him as soon as they received news of his return.

“Good morning, Clan Leader.”

“Harrison, update me on the situation in Dawn City.”

Lide didn’t dive straight into the main topic; it had been over half a month since he had returned. Although he received daily updates about Dawn City through the bats, more detailed issues still needed to be reported by the two for him to be fully informed.

“Yes, Clan Leader.

Dawn City now has a population of 6,534, all adults have been allocated land, but half of them haven’t received farming tools.”

“The Mage Tower organized by Marquis Emi has not yet been completed. Due to the arrival of Frost Month, it is expected to be completed only after the planting season next year.”

“Audis, Ivy, Lucy, and Dylan have just gone to the border again. They found two groups of over a thousand refugees each and are expected to return in three days.”

“There is currently one food store in the city, selling at the price of 3 copper pucks per pound, with a three-pound limit per person per day.

There’s one tailor shop, which has organized all the city’s tailors to produce cotton clothes.

However, I already ordered the disbandment of the original tailor shop yesterday. According to individuals’ desires, they are allowed to establish their own tailor shops, and they can purchase fabric and cotton from City Hall.

There’s one blacksmith shop, but it’s currently at a standstill due to a lack of ore.

There is a bakery directly managed by City Hall, and due to the store’s good business, many people have already inquired at City Hall whether merchants can also run bakeries.

For this reason, I think it’s possible to open up some food supplies to encourage the establishment of more stores.”

While Harrison didn’t say much, these were all matters of great concern to Lide: population, Mage Tower, market construction.

Undoubtedly, these three aspects were all extremely important.

Population goes without saying; with Audis and the others on the border, it was only going to increase.

The Mage Tower was bound to halt work due to cold, which he was already prepared for.

And the issue of market construction in Dawn City was still troubling him.

With over six thousand residents, the city could now support a small-scale market circulation.

But due to a lack of material, many skilled and business-minded commoners were helpless.

After pondering for a moment, Lide made a decisive decision.

“We can open up some food supplies, but absolutely no hoarding or secondary resale is allowed.

Additionally, issue a new decree, starting now to encourage the establishment of guilds and stores. If there are those lacking funds, upon approval from City Hall, certain financial support can be provided.

All newly established stores and guilds will be exempt from any taxes for one year. After one year, they will pay commercial taxes according to a specific scheme, which I will discuss with you later.”