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### **Territory of the Lenins Family**
In a dark castle on a mountainside, Joseph looked at himself in the mirror of his room while sweating profusely. He had transmigrated into this new body less than an hour ago and spent a reasonable amount of time assimilating his new memories.
"This is unbelievable," he murmured to himself as he reviewed his current identity and the details of this new world. His new body belonged to Viscount Joseph Lenins, a handsome man with black hair and red eyes who ruled this territory in one of the many kingdoms of the continent called Erlans.
However, the truth was that Joseph was a vampire—the Vampire King, to be exact—who was disguised as a human noble in this isolated territory to escape the surveillance of humans and other beings that hunted his kind.
In this medieval world, magic existed, and almost every civilization and race had developed in a way dependent on it. Everything from cooking to forging depended on someone proficient in a specific magic for that profession.
Joseph took a deep breath and headed out of his room. "Though I didn't wish for this situation, it's not so bad. Besides, I have room to grow," he thought to himself.
Like any transmigrator, he had received his golden finger too, but it wasn't very powerful. He could access almost any knowledge from his past life just by thinking about it, even things he hadn't learned.
Though this didn't make him instantly master 10,000 years of human knowledge, Joseph could use it as a foundation to develop tools and machines in this magic-dependent world.
With a creaking sound, the wooden door of his room slowly opened, and two vampire guards greeted him by bowing their heads. "Gather Lord Vanir and Lady Cassandra in my office!"
One of the vampires nodded and quickly ran off, his armor clanking. Joseph turned to the second guard and gave his second order. "Go to the head steward and bring any papers or books related to our fief." The second guard saluted and also ran off.
Joseph soon returned to his room, changed into more formal clothes, and prepared to go to his office. The corridors of his castle were quite dark, but some sunlight still seeped in. Carefully, he extended his hand and let the light touch his snow-white skin.
"The vampires of this world are truly different," Joseph murmured, feeling only slight discomfort from the light. The vampires of this world were different from their mythological counterparts on Earth.
They were a race that reproduced like any other, fed like any omnivorous being, and didn't have the lineage restrictions where the strongest received unconditional loyalty from their kind.
Of course, there were advantages and disadvantages. A common adult vampire, well-fed and physically fit, was only slightly stronger than a human counterpart in the same condition. Vampires could digest the blood of magical creatures to recover and strengthen faster, but almost any race would have a similar effect, though not as potent.
However, though weakened during the day, vampires had a great advantage at night and in dark environments, with enhanced vision and sharper senses than normal.
And despite their greater individual talent for magic, their population had reproduction issues, with a female vampire only able to conceive once every three years.
The average lifespan of a vampire also varied from 60 (for the weakest) to 400 for the most powerful. This new body was only 24 years old.
He was much younger than many of his kind but had been crowned Vampire King for being the descendant of the previous King. "The former host of this body could be considered a slacker," Joseph cursed.
His former host had spent his life inside the castle, only collecting taxes and practicing magic. He hadn't even bothered to learn about the kingdom's politics, manage his territory, or anything of the sort.
From the memories, he realized this behavior was quite common among vampires. After settling somewhere, they became reclusive, reproduced until discovered by humans or other races, then moved again and continued this way of living.
Who knew how many vampire colonies were scattered across the continent? But they lacked real power, and Joseph would change that.
His footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, and after passing a few maids who bowed their heads in greeting, he soon arrived at his office and opened the door.
"Lord Joseph!" (x2)
Two figures greeted him—an old man with gray hair wearing ornamental steel armor and an elderly woman with purple hair who, despite her age, still bore clear traces of beauty in her face.
Joseph nodded in acknowledgment and entered the candlelit dark room, sitting in his chair and signaling for the two elder lords to sit.
Lord Vanir was the Chief Guard of the vampires. With over 300 years of life, he had defended five vampire settlements and served three Vampire Kings, Joseph being the fourth. Though not among the strongest on the continent, he could be considered a local lord in any small kingdom.
Meanwhile, Lady Cassandra was the castle's Archmage. At 380 years old, she had trained countless capable mages among the vampires and was a specialist in illusion and enhancement magic.
For comparison, there were eight levels for mages and warriors classified on the continent. Their strength varied, but in short:
- Levels 1–3: Ordinary people capable of basic magic and fighting weaker monsters, from horned rabbits to small wolves.
- Level 4 and beyond: Those who could truly be considered strong.
Lord Vanir was a Level 5 warrior, capable of using aura (a physical manifestation of mana reflecting one's spirit). Lady Cassandra was a Level 6 mage, capable of founding her own magic tower or school if she were of another species.
Joseph could currently be considered a Level 4 mage. Though not at the bottom of the food chain, he only had the minimum strength to protect himself in this dangerous world.
"May I ask why you've summoned us, young Lord?" Vanir was the first to speak, cutting straight to the point. From his memories, Joseph knew he was a man who got to the point and, though not stubborn, was very, very cautious.
Joseph took a deep breath as he formulated his words. "Lords, first, I'd like to thank you for taking care of our clan these past centuries." He paused briefly, seeing their eyes fixed on him.
"But I believe we must change our way of living from now on."
Joseph's words seemed to strike like thunder in the minds of the two lords.
"What do you mean, young King?" Vanir spoke, nearly growling, emphasizing "young King" to make Joseph think carefully about his next words.
"Our clan has lived this way for the last 3,000 years. I don't believe we should change our way of life," Lady Cassandra added. Though her eyes didn't reflect Vanir's disapproval, they held little expectation for what Joseph would say.
Feeling the tension in the room, Joseph finished his preparations and began his speech, slowly rising from his chair and pacing the room.
"Yes, we've lived like exotic animals—hunted, our kin persecuted and killed, still hiding in the shadows, fearing tomorrow!" Joseph spoke with emotion.
Vanir slammed his hand on the table with a hollow thud and spoke with chilling calm.
"Young King, do you think we've never tried resisting fate before? Changing our ways? Yet no matter what we did in the past, it always failed! Alliances, revolts, even submission!"
"The orcs betrayed us, humans hunted us, elves despised us! Our race simply doesn't have the numbers or strength to establish ourselves on this continent, Your Majesty!" Vanir's words carried rare emotion.
Beside him, Cassandra nodded in agreement. "We've tried resisting before. But even weak goblins outnumber us millions to one. Our kind, once discovered, is quickly suppressed and hunted—because our blood is an excellent magical tonic that extends the lifespans of other species. We simply have no room to fight." Her voice carried sorrow.
Vanir stood and approached the table again.
Joseph met their gazes. "I've discovered a way to strengthen our kind. But I need your trust. If, even after seeing my plans, you disagree with my approach, I'll give up."
Silence filled the room.
"Very well," Vanir said, looking at Joseph uncertainly. "But if I sense the clan is threatened, I'll stop you immediately, young King—even by force."
The Archmage remained silent, studying Joseph, trying to decipher his hidden secrets. Finally, she averted her gaze. "I agree. What do you need us to do?"
Seeing everything moving in the right direction, Joseph grinned—a smile his predecessor would never have shown—and signaled for the head steward to enter.
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