I Became the Progenitor Vampire

The last condition was a sufficiently expansive domain.

To achieve his vision of developing the Bloodline, Lide estimated that he needed at least 50,000 humans initially, increasing to hundreds of thousands later on.

Hundreds of thousands of humans would be more than enough to sustain a small part of the Bloodline, and the high-end combat power in this world was extremely strong. The Bloodline, which had been supplemented, was entirely capable of protecting these humans and ensuring their safety.

So, a large enough territory was necessary.

Luckily, he possessed this condition as well.

It was this very location.

The ancient castle stood on the edge of a cliff, and from the front, it appeared to be just a fortress that was easy to defend and hard to attack.

However, things were entirely different behind the castle.

The area where the castle was located was a gourd-shaped basin surrounded by high mountains.

The castle was merely at the mouth of the gourd.

The land behind the castle was fertile, twenty kilometers wide and fifteen kilometers long.

Then the terrain shrank drastically, forming the neck of the gourd.

The width decreased from thirty kilometers to just two kilometers, with towering mountains on either side.

Five kilometers past the gourd's neck was the latter half of the gourd basin.

The soil here was no less fertile than the land behind the castle.

More importantly, this fertile land extended for one hundred fifty kilometers, with an average width of sixty kilometers.

Such rich land belonged solely to Lide.

The castle was built at the gourd's mouth, firmly guarding this abundant land.

This was Lide's greatest confidence.

To him, this land was a godsend for farming.

It was deep within the Far Mountain Range, making transportation extremely inconvenient, and most of the terrain could only be traversed by flying.

Additionally, this gourd basin was surrounded by mountains reaching three thousand blades high. Besides entering from the front of the castle, there was no other way in, cutting off most natural enemies directly.

Even flying Demon Beasts could only be surpassed by a giant dragon capable of crossing such towering mountains.

Furthermore, the gourd basin featured fertile land, mild temperatures year-round, and was far from the threats of war and beasts.

As long as there were humans, this land could be brought to life.

Even Lide, with his modern worldview, was full of praise for the land found by the Blood Clan Ancestor.

On Earth, this land might be deemed worthless due to inconvenient transportation, but in this tumultuous, war-torn world, this was the most suitable headquarters.

Poor transportation meant isolation and absolute safety.

And with his presence in Green City, communication with the outside was not an issue; isolation would not lead to being left behind by the outside world.

According to the Blood Clan Ancestor's memory, this fertile land was found after exploring the Far Mountain Range for a decade.

Unfortunately, the original Bloodline did not know how to utilize it, and even the original Bloodline Ancestor only saw its potential but did not know how to realize it.

The Bloodline was not a race skilled in farming, and even in the Glory World, this highly talented upper race was among the top in combat.

But as for farming, they probably couldn't even eat the dust left behind by humans.

Conveniently, Lide arrived and inherited the wealth left by the Blood Clan Ancestor.

This land would be brought to life in his hands.

"So, Clan Leader, you're planning to keep humans for us to work?"

The speaker was Frey, the second in ranking among Lide's seven Bloodline members.

A Bloodline with a somewhat thin frame and sharp eyes.

His long, hooked nose added a touch of coldness, and his blue eyes bore an inscrutable look.

Keeping humans was not unfamiliar to him; a hundred years ago, when the Bloodline had over three thousand members, he had managed more than ten thousand humans. He had no good impression of the greedy yet weak food.

Lide nodded, candidly expressing his thoughts.

"Yes, the Holy Clan's current way of survival is extremely dangerous. If we continue to develop by plundering humans,

we will always be hiding in the Far Mountain Range, living like rats in the sewer.

We would have to abandon our territory whenever Green City discovered us."

"If you don't want a day where Green City's Extraordinary Mage attacks our castle, the army burns our people and plunders our wealth,

we must follow my plan."

External conflicts were indeed the best way to divert internal conflicts.

The deterrence of the Extraordinary Mage from Green City far exceeded Lide's expectations.

Green City's army didn't cause much reaction among the Bloodline, but the mention of the Extraordinary Mage made everyone's faces turn pale.

"Clan Leader, your will is our direction forward."

Unexpectedly, all the Bloodline members bowed and solemnly declared this oath.

Seeing this, Lide breathed a slight sigh of relief; he had overestimated the difficulty.

No, he underestimated the significance of the Blood Clan Ancestor's identity within the Bloodline.

It was not merely the head of a family or a clan leader; it was a dominator with supreme authority. Decisions about the entire Bloodline's fate had always been made solely by the Blood Clan Ancestor.

No one could defy the Ancestor's might, not just due to tradition, but also because it was a shackle imprinted in the Bloodline.

"Good, now I order.

First, starting today, prepare the area south of the castle to accommodate the incoming humans.

If humans threaten us, we can take action. But if humans show no malice and pose no threat, all clan members are forbidden from harming them, directly feeding on their blood, or stealing their wealth."

This was especially key: changing the Bloodline's ingrained mindset required new rules; otherwise, if they killed every human they saw, what sustainable development could be achieved?

Besides, these rules wouldn't completely limit the Bloodline; in danger, they could act on their own.

"Second, activate the Holy Clan's backup plan. Over the next six months, all Bloodline food will be supplied by the Blood Pool.

Reiterating, whether outside or in the castle, do not harm innocent humans,

except those hostile to us."

"Third, tomorrow morning, everyone will gather in the main hall to relearn the Holy Clan's history, personally explained by me."

After issuing three consecutive orders, Lide paused, giving a few minutes for the Bloodline members below to digest.

"Clearing the south area of the castle is assigned to Audis, to be completed within five days.

After the Blood Pool is activated, Frey will continue to be responsible for guarding its safety."

"You seven stay; the others may leave. Gather here tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."

Lide waved to keep the seven second-generation Bloodlines.

Once, the Bloodline had as many as thirty second-generation Bloodlines, but after the war with Green City a hundred years ago, only seven remained.

To ensure the Bloodline's survival and avoid detection by Green City's Extraordinary Mage, the Bloodline's power had been suppressed by the Blood Clan Ancestor, keeping their number around 200 over the years.

No longer concerned with the various expressions of the Bloodline members, Lide sat alone on the throne inlaid with jewels.

He closed his eyes and pondered.

He had to admit, the framework of the plan he came up with temporarily was still rough; there were countless aspects that needed refinement for execution.

But Lide would not miss this opportunity.

In three years, the players would arrive. If he didn't accumulate enough power before these harbingers of chaos arrived, the Bloodline might always have to hide in the cold Far Mountain Range.

Given the players' knack for stirring trouble, the castle's existence might not remain secret, leading to nothing short of a catastrophe.

The Bloodline was his root, and the Blood Clan Ancestor's identity determined this.

Blood Clan Ancestor: You are the Bloodline Ancestor, possessing powerful bloodlines and immunity to sunlight. Each month, you can develop one Bloodline member; all Bloodline members and their descendants will be steadfastly loyal to you, and each Bloodline member can provide you with 1 point of character experience monthly.

The castle currently housed 200 Bloodline members, each providing him with 1 point of experience per month.

Now, it required 5000 experience points to advance from level 10 to level 11. Even if he did nothing, he could level up in two years.

Outsiders might underestimate the significance of 1 level, but Lide knew very well how difficult it was to level up after reaching level 10.

Green City, with a population in the millions, had only twenty Advanced Mages at level 10; the higher the level, the more exaggerated the difficulty of leveling up.

"Glory" was not a game where you could simply grind levels; it had a highly complex calculation system that Lide had yet to fully understand.

Moreover, as the number of Bloodline members increased, this number would continue to rise.

If he had 5000 Bloodline members, how fast would his leveling speed be?

It was a huge advantage.

If he abandoned the Bloodline, he would merely be a vampire hidden among humans.

The advantage would shrink considerably, so the most critical task now was to develop the Bloodline and acquire enough strength for self-preservation within three years.