The final piece of the puzzle was having a sufficiently large territory.
To realize his vision of developing the vampires, Li De estimated that he would need at least 50,000 humans in the early stages, and potentially hundreds of thousands later.
Hundreds of thousands of humans would be more than enough to sustain a small number of vampires. Moreover, the high-level combat power in this world was immense, and the vampires, being the beneficiaries of this system, would have the strength to protect these humans and ensure their safety.
This required a vast territory.
Coincidentally, he already had such a place.
The ancient castle stood on the edge of a cliff. From the front, it appeared to be a fortress that was easy to defend but difficult to attack.
However, the area behind the castle was entirely different.
The region where the castle was located was a gourd-shaped basin surrounded by towering mountains.
The castle was situated at the mouth of the gourd.
Behind the castle lay a fertile land, twenty kilometers wide and fifteen kilometers long.
The terrain then narrowed sharply, forming the "neck" of the gourd.
From a width of thirty kilometers, the land narrowed to just two kilometers, with towering peaks on either side.
Five kilometers past the neck of the gourd was the second half of the basin.
The land here was just as fertile as the area behind the castle.
More importantly, this fertile land stretched for one hundred and fifty kilometers, with an average width of sixty kilometers.
All of this fertile land belonged to Li De alone.
The castle, located at the mouth of the gourd, firmly guarded this rich land.
This was Li De's greatest advantage.
In his eyes, this land was a heaven-sent place for farming.
Located deep within the Far Mountain Range, the area was extremely isolated, with most of the terrain only accessible by flight.
The gourd-shaped basin was surrounded by mountains three thousand blades high, making it nearly impossible to enter except through the front of the castle. This natural barrier kept most predators at bay.
Even flying magical beasts would struggle to cross such towering peaks—only dragons could manage it.
Moreover, the gourd basin had fertile soil, a mild climate year-round, and was far from the threats of war and magical beasts.
With humans, this land could thrive.
Even Li De, with his modern-world perspective, couldn't help but admire the land the Vampire Progenitor had found.
On Earth, such a place might be considered inconvenient due to its isolation, but in this chaotic, war-torn world, it was the perfect stronghold.
The lack of convenient transportation meant isolation, which in turn meant absolute safety.
Moreover, with Li De's presence in Green City, communication with the outside world wasn't an issue. The remoteness wouldn't lead to being left behind by the outside world.
In the Vampire Progenitor's memories, this fertile land had been discovered after more than a decade of exploration in the Far Mountain Range.
Unfortunately, the original vampires had no idea how to utilize it. Even the Vampire Progenitor himself had only seen its potential but didn't know how to unlock it.
Vampires weren't a race known for farming. These highly talented beings were among the top combatants in the world of "Glory."
But when it came to farming, they couldn't even keep up with humans.
Fortunately, Li De had arrived, inheriting the wealth left by the Vampire Progenitor.
This land would come to life under his guidance.
"So, Clan Leader, you plan to keep a group of humans to work for us?"
The speaker was Fred, the second oldest of Li De's seven descendants.
Fred was a lean vampire with sharp eyes. His long, hooked nose gave him a cold appearance, and his blue eyes held a gaze that was difficult for outsiders to understand.
Keeping humans captive wasn't unfamiliar to him. A century ago, when the vampire clan had over three thousand members, he had managed over ten thousand humans. He had no favorable impression of those greedy and weak creatures.
Li De nodded, openly sharing his thoughts.
"Yes, the current way our clan survives is extremely dangerous. If we continue to rely on plundering humans, we'll forever remain hidden in the Far Mountain Range, like rats in a sewer.
Sooner or later, Green City will discover us, and we'll have to abandon this land that belongs to us."
"If you don't want the day to come when Green City's transcendent mage storms our gates, when their army breaks through our castle doors, burns our people, and plunders our wealth, then you must follow my plan."
External conflicts were indeed the best way to divert internal conflicts.
Moreover, the deterrence of Green City's transcendent mage far exceeded Li De's expectations.
While the vampires showed little reaction to the idea of Green City's army, the mention of the transcendent mage made everyone's expressions turn grim.
"Clan Leader, your will is our direction."
To his surprise, all the vampires bowed in unison, solemnly declaring their allegiance.
Seeing this, Li De felt a sense of relief. In truth, he had overestimated the difficulty of the situation.
No, it was more accurate to say that he had underestimated the significance of the Vampire Progenitor's identity within the vampire clan.
The Vampire Progenitor wasn't just the head of a family or a clan—he was an absolute ruler with supreme authority. Decisions that determined the fate of the entire vampire race were made solely by the Progenitor.
No one could defy the Progenitor's will. This wasn't just tradition; it was a shackle etched into the vampires' bloodline.
"Good. Now, I issue the following orders.
First, starting today, clear the area south of the castle to accommodate the incoming humans.
If humans pose a threat to us, we may act. 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 point was crucial. To change the vampires' ingrained mindset, new rules had to be established. Otherwise, if they killed every human they saw, there would be no sustainable development.
Moreover, these rules wouldn't completely restrict the vampires. If they were in danger, they could act.
"Second, activate the clan's reserve plan. For the next six months, all vampires will be supplied with blood from the Blood Pool.
I reiterate, whether outside or within the castle, do not harm innocent humans—unless they show malice toward us."
"Third, tomorrow morning, everyone will gather in the main hall to relearn the history of our clan, taught by me personally."
After issuing these three commands, Li De paused, giving the vampires below a few minutes to digest the information.
"Odys, you are responsible for clearing the southern area of the castle. It must be completed within five days.
Once the Blood Pool is activated, Fred will continue to be responsible for its security."
"You seven, stay. The rest may leave. Tomorrow morning at nine, everyone will gather here."
Li De waved his hand, keeping the seven second-generation vampires behind.
Once, the vampire clan had over thirty second-generation descendants, but after the war with Green City a century ago, only these seven remained.
To ensure the clan's survival and avoid detection by Green City's transcendent mage, the Vampire Progenitor had suppressed the clan's growth. This was why the number of vampires had remained around two hundred for so many years.
Li De no longer paid attention to the vampires' varied expressions. He sat alone on the jewel-encrusted throne, deep in thought.
Admittedly, the plan he had hastily conceived was still rough and needed countless refinements to be implemented effectively.
But Li De wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.
In three years, the players would arrive. If he didn't accumulate enough strength before those troublemaking natural disasters descended, the vampire clan would likely remain hidden in the cold, isolated Far Mountain Range forever.
Moreover, given the players' knack for stirring up trouble, the existence of the castle might not remain a secret. When that happened, it would be a disaster.
The vampires were his foundation. His identity as the Vampire Progenitor determined this.
Vampire Progenitor: As the progenitor of the vampires, you possess a powerful bloodline that grants immunity to sunlight. You can develop one bloodline descendant per month. All bloodline descendants and their offspring have unwavering loyalty to you, set to "fanatical devotion." Each bloodline descendant provides 1 character experience point per month.
The castle currently housed two hundred vampires, each providing 1 experience point per month.
To level up from level 10 to level 11 required 5,000 experience points. Even if he did nothing, it would take him only two years to level up.
To an outsider, gaining 1 level might not seem like much, but Li De knew how difficult it was to level up after reaching level 10.
Green City, with its population of over a million, had only twenty high-level mages at level 10. The higher the level, the more exaggerated the difficulty of leveling up became.
"Glory" wasn't a game where you could level up just by killing monsters. It had a complex calculation system that Li De hadn't fully figured out yet.
Moreover, as the number of vampires increased, so would the experience points.
If he had five thousand vampires, how fast could he level up?
This was a massive advantage.
If he abandoned the vampires, he would simply be a lone vampire hiding among humans.
His advantages would shrink significantly. Therefore, the top priority now was to develop the vampires and build enough strength to protect themselves within three years.